Families never crumble in a day...

I found a video to one of my favorite songs today and had to share. The song is "Slow Fade" by Casting Crowns, from their new album Altar and the Door. It's probably the best album I've ever heard. I highly recommend everyone spend the $10 to buy it. It's worthwhile. As Mark Hall states, "This song was inspired by the spreading cancer of moral failure in the fathers of this generation. As believers, we must guard our hearts and understand that no one crashes and burns. They just slowly fade away one little compromise at a time". I'll post the lyrics underneath for those who don't know the song.

Be careful little eyes what you see~It's the second glance that ties your hands as darkness pulls the strings~Be careful little feet where you go~For it's the little feet behind you that are sure to follow~It's a slow fade when you give yourself away~It's a slow fade when black and white have turned to gray~Thoughts invade, choices are made, a price will be paid~When you give yourself away~People never crumble in a day~It's a slow fade, it's a slow fade~Be careful little ears what you hear~When flattery leads to compromise, the end is always near~Be careful little lips what you say~For empty words and promises lead broken hearts astray~It's a slow fade when you give yourself away~It's a slow fade when black and white have turned to gray ~Thoughts invade, choices are made, a price will be paid~When you give yourself away~People never crumble in a day~The journey from your mind to your hands~Is shorter than you're thinking~Be careful if you think you stand~You just might be sinking~It's a slow fade when you give yourself away~It's a slow fade when black and white have turned to gray~Thoughts invade, choices are made, a price will be paid~When you give yourself away~People never crumble in a day~Daddies never crumble in a day~Families never crumble in a day~Oh be careful little eyes what see~Oh be careful little eyes what you see~For the Father up above is looking down in love~Oh be careful little eyes what you see

A perfect Christmas

Our festivites started on Chistmas Eve. Sadly, Brian and I were both battling colds and he especially was quite miserable... hence we missed the Christmas Eve service at church. Instead, we read the children's Christmas story out of Caleb's kiddy Bible. We regrouped all day and then spent a fun evening with all the in-laws. It's a tradition in my family to open Christmas jammies before bed... and we then called it a night.

Christmas morning: I was so excited for Caleb to open his presents that I woke up at 5:45 and somehow had to stay quiet until the boys woke up. I was productive though. Showered and got breakfast ready. I'm finding that I love doing things the way I grew up... I remember always having to wait in my parent's room Christmas morning while my dad went downstairs... he'd scout out if Santa came, turned on Christmas music and got a big fire going. Granted we don't have a fireplace, and our stockings were hung on the bannister, but I still love playing Christmas music while we open presents, and walking downstairs to a room filled with Santa droppings (SD's as my parents called them). There'd be candy hidden all over the room... granted it's not as fun when you have to put it out yourself, but still a tradition I want to continue with.

Luckily my boys were up a bit after 7, and since Caleb wasn't old enough to 'anticipate' Christmas yet, we were able to eat breakfast before opening presents. Stockings are always opened first, and someone must love me because I got a beautiful pair of earrings not to mention gift cards, and tons of Bath & Body works loot. Caleb had a 3 foot foam sword hanging out of his stocking... once he saw that Christmas could've been over. He excitedly opened his first few gifts though. Our big gift to him was a Bounce & Spin Zebra (which we stupidly didn't assemble first. A massive fit ensued as we tried to screw it together for him while realizing we didn't even get the AAA batteries he'd need for it--live & learn). I also got a new camera which I'm so excited about!

We had to keep movin' because Caleb needed a bath & nap before scooting down to Brian's parent's house for lunch & gifts with the whole family. We had a lovely time, and Caleb held it together on 1 hour of naps instead of his usual 3. We came home and finally attempted to eat my botched roast that I'd made the day before. Though it was a disappointment, it did it's job and filled our tummys. We then spent the evening playing with our new toys and dancing to the new Casting Crowns cd (which I recommend everyone get)!

All in all, it was a perfect day. I'm so grateful to have grown up in a family, and also married into a family, that celebrates Christ's birth. On New Years Eve we'll be driving up to see my side of the family for about a week. It's like a never ending Christmas! All that's missing is some snow.

My dilemma....

There was a 5 week old infant sitting in front of me in church this morning. He was bald, dressed in blue, and spent the entire service cooing at his parents and smiling at me. I couldn't help from turning to Brian and saying, "I want another one". This was only one instance of many in the past few weeks. Which is where my dilemma comes into play...

We've put a lot of thought into the "when will we expand on our family" argument. There are pros & cons any which way you decide to space your children apart. We've decided that what seems best for our family is to wait until Caleb is closer to 3 before having another. He's 15 months now... even without doing the math, it seems like an eternity. There are plenty of times that I'm aware of how much easier life is with one child. There are others where I just can't wait until my little boy has a younger brother or sister. A lot of my friends are currently either pregnant, or have a newborn... both of which give me strange butterflies in my stomach. As uncomfortable and painful as my pregnancy was, I miss it so much. I now miss the times he kicked me so hard I thought his foot was going to pop out through my ribs. I miss the heartburn that kept me from getting more than 3 hours of sleep a night, and the afternoon/evening sickness that kept my body from consuming anything but plums and Captain Crunch Berries. Strangly enough, I keep looking at my favorite maternity wear sites to keep up on their current lines of clothes. I loved pregnancy clothes. Heck I still sleep in them sometimes :-)

Why wait then, you ask? Though the next time around could be completely different, my motto is always 'plan for the worst, & hope for the best'. If I was as sick as I was last time for 4 months, I don't feel like I'd be able to be the best that I could be for Caleb. I still see him learning and growing daily, and I don't want to miss any of it. I don't want to be too sick to give him all my attention when he still needs it so much, nor do I want to be stuck on a couch constantly feeding a newborn while he's still so young.

So, today my 'baby bug' has just been coming on extra strong, and I thought writing about it might help to lessen my ache for a newborn. Next winter, I'll probably be pregnant again-- laughing at how silly this sounds in retrospect. And for now, I'll try to focus on being content with my wonderfully blessed life.

5 days old:

15 months old:

...I wish these days hadn't gone by so fast.

The long awaited update...

I've been informed that it's time for an update. I look at my blog often, but then lose intrest while trying to figure out what to write about. Most things that I find exciting in life, most other people aren't too impressed by. I'll go ahead and share though.

Caleb's up to 11 distinguishable words now. He talks a blue streak when he's alone with Brian and I, but seems to really shy away from talking while others are around. When I ask him a question, he'll respond with an answer... I can't wait until his responses are words that I can understand. Certain conversations with my son go quite well, such as: "Caleb, would you like your juice?", his response being "Juice, juice". But when I ask more complex questions, like "Do you want to play with blocks or read a book?", I'll get a "doobow" as an answer. It's a learning process for us both... which I'm enjoying to the fullest. I can't tell you how many times he makes me laugh out loud throughout the day. I have tears in my eyes I laugh so hard sometimes.

Even though I have problems understanding him many times, I just love how well he understands me. When I say "bathtime" he runs upstairs. When I ask him to get a book, he'll bring me one. When I say it's time to change his diaper, his face errupts with tears. Dogs say "oof", chickens say "boc", cows say "ooo". He knows where his nose, eyes, and mouth are. He's enamored with our belly buttons. He loves to play basketball, dance, clap, and wave at everything possible. His little brain just amazes me. It baffles me that some people still can't believe in our Creator after seeing a child form, grow, and develop like this.

My goal is to update more than once a month from now on. That will have to suffice for now :-)

my little climber's becoming quite adventurous... the boy loves his puzzles!

Happy Halloween!

Well we had fun this year. My little monkey got to make his debut! We kept it low key, and went over to my sister-in-law's for pizza with family. Caleb got a little baggie of treats, and when we got home he had his first cookie. It never dawned on me how big a mess was possible with an oreo! His little grubby chocolate fingerprints were on everything, but I enjoyed cleaning up his mess thoroughly! I love each and every new memory we make. Needless to say, it was a special day. My only disappointment was not getting any trick-or-treaters.... & being stuck with a huge bowl of candy!

Caleb Lee: 13 months

My brother in law, Jeremy, was ever so kind to take some pictures of the little dude at Pemberton Park the other day. I can't get over how grown up he looks... we're sure blessed to have this miracle be part of our little family. Here's a few pics from the session:

The wonderful world of cake making...

So I just finished taking my "cake decorating 101" class.... overall I'd call it a success. Learned some new techniques, have a bunch more tools now, and I can make some dang good icing!

Biggest downfall of the course.... having cake in my house for 4 weeks straight. It's lovely, but most nights I go to bed sick from eating so much of it. I think that would fall into my 'need to work on self control' category.

Anywho, here are the 3 cakes I made:

Sunflower week was a spice cake, clown week was chocolate, and formal/roses week was strawberry.... YUMMM. I might take class 201 in January. We'll see.

I did learn, however, that I could never do this for a living-- no matter how good I get. People that make money on cakes can't be perfectionists... or as emotionally driven as me :-)

A Nation of whiners...

I haven't updated in a while, & I have a gazillion pictures taken since then. That'll have to wait for another post though... ranting at the moment seems more important:

I understand our country is in an economic 'crisis' right now. Shame on us for getting into this mess. I'm just so frustrated with hearing everyone whine about how the government should be giving the 'people' money instead of bailing out these companys. Yeah, I'm pissed off at all the CEO's too, but honestly... Americans are so greedy; I don't feel like bailing us out would even be possible. People buy way too much that they can't afford, get loans like they're candy, and then find themselves in crisis when all goes awry. Though every loan is kind of in jeopardy at the moment... there's smart loans, and then there's dumb loans. Don't be one of those people getting 'dumb loans'-- that's part of why we're in this mess. Are we really not smart enough to know we can't borrow money that we can't pay back? Just because banks and companies have tried to make it so easy to buy things, doesn't mean we need to be dumb enough to take the bait. And if the government gave us money, many people would continue to be dumb, and wouldn't spend it the way they should. We're all adults, we should fix our own messes. I don't feel like it's the government's job to be our 'savior' or our 'superman' and fix everything for us. Suck it up, save your money... and pray for our country.

I think I'm so testy today because this presidential debate has been on my calendar for weeks and may not happen (or happen correctly). I'm still planning on a hot date with my TV tonight at 9... and hope I'm not disappointed. I don't fault McCain for his decision, but wish the country wasn't in such a state where such urgency was needed for legislation like this. Blah blah blah... Vote for McCain :-)

& next Tuesday I finish my cake decorating class, so I'll put up pics of all my cakes then. The end.... for now.

It's my party, and I'll cry if I want to

Thus the theme of Caleb's 1st birthday.

We were up in New Jersey to celebrate, and with his schedule off kilter, he was a bit tempermental. We spent part of his birthday at the lake; he had a blast in the sand and splashing around in the water as usual. Later on, we had a shindig at my sister's. I'd call his party a success, as we got through play-time and dinner without any drama. My mistake for trying to put on his birthday hat though, because that set him into a tizzy. He cried thoughout the happy birthday song, and during the much anticipated cake eating segment. He had been overstimulated all day, and we didn't get around to cake until 7:30 (his usual bedtime), so we tried taking the cake outside with a much lesser crowd to see if he'd enjoy it more. Took a little coaxing, but once he finally tasted it he really went to town for a while. All in all, a great day. I get a bit emotional thinking about how fast this first year has passed. So many happy memories though, and I get so excited thinking about the many more to come. At least his birthday isn't quite over yet... we get to have another party for him in a few days with the other side of the family!

Prepare yourselves for Birthday, Part Deux...

Such a slacker...

I haven't updated in forever, I know. Too busy chasing around my little full-time walking boy! I'll have plenty to blog about after Caleb's 1st birthday next week! We've got our party hats on and we're ready to go! Til then, here are a few of my favorite pictures from the past month:

Cousins

The little man and I spent some time over with Carla & the kiddo's today... it was so fun watching Caleb & Aliza play. She's quickly learned about sharing her toys, and he's getting big enough that they're actually able to do things together. He seems to get a kick out of everything she does, whether it's running around or trying to smother him with a pillow. Once he's able to really run around by himself, those little mischeif makers are going to have a lot of fun! And Josiah's not too far behind. He's only 6 months younger, so in the longrun I see those boys being good buddies-- once Josiah realizes Caleb exists...

My poor little sick boy :-(

Last night marked our 3rd straight night of Caleb hurling up everything in his stomach. Poor thing. After being up since 3:30 with him the night before, we were all hoping to go to bed early last night. But of course, as I'm on my way upstairs at 9 with hopes of getting comfy in my bed... the screaming and puking starts up again. Brian got the World's Greatest Husband award for sticking with us and being there for him while he was sick. I know many men who would've just let their woman handle it themselves and would've stayed in bed. Not mine :-) So, after everything emptied his poor little tummy, he ended up zonking out just moments later in the position shown above. We couldn't bring ourselves to wake him, so Brian sat like this (with puke chunks all over his legs) for at least an hour. Thankfully, that was the last of it, and he ended up sleeping the rest of the night.... & so far all has been well this morning. He was mad at me for giving him Pedialyte instead of his bottle this morning (what our nurse said to do), so I caved in and gave him a piece of toast too. Sick kids are tough though! I'm emotionally spent after these past few nights... I can't even fathom how I'll be able to take the years of sicknesses to come. Phew.

CAPTURED!

Two days ago Caleb took his frist steps down at Grandma & Grandads. Was I ready for this to happen? Definitely not. He's only 10 months... I was certain I still had a few good months of crawling left before we began to climb this ladder. I figured maybe it was a fluke. Then this evening, he walked back and forth between Brian and I trying to capture random electronics that we shouldn't have been tempting him with (ie: cell phone, remote, baby monitor), & I got a little of it on my digital:

Watching this video made Brian and I realize how desperately we want and need a video camera. My poor-resolution, 1 minute max, digital camera clips just aren't making the cut any longer. We decided we're buying one the day he sells the house he's flipping. In the meantime, isn't my little man amazing?!

...Oops

I've been cutting Brian's hair for about 5 years now, and for having no prior experience or skills in this area, I'd say I do a decent job. Today I decided to finally invest in some clippers to speed the process along...

All went well until I tried to buzz the sideburns and something went so incredibly wrong. I could do nothing to mend my error, and the only option we saw fit (other than walking around like a clown for the next month) was to shave it. So I put the #1 clipper on and cried the entire time. Hopefully it'll grow back some in time for Janell's wedding....

Caleb and I got our hair trimmed up this past week too! He didn't handle this haircut half as well as the last one, but we got through it with minimal tears on his part.

Oh and by the way, he's up to 6 teeth now!

Not quite the outdoorsman... yet

With all the beautiful weather lately, we've been trying to spend more time outdoors (which, as many know, is more of a difficult task for me). I don't handle bugs well, or heat, or dirt... etc...

So, Caleb had his first experience in a pool this weekend. Despite the hot, humid weather, he definitely didn't like how cold it was. He also still doesn't like grass, and won't give many expressions other than his 'outdoors' face. We're working on it... but much progress is needed.

Bright Lights, Big City...

There's nothing like being in The City.... and nothing like being able to return to my humble little abode. Caleb and I spent last week up in Jersey visiting family, which was filled with many wonderful, happy memories. Then last weekend Brian and a few friends came up so we could take a trip into Manhattan to see my Broadway obsession, Wicked. Yes, I just saw it in December, and yes, the tickets cost way too much money, but it was 100% worth it in my opinion. It downright poured the entire time we were there, my shoes were soaked, and I looked like a frizz-ball, but we made the trek from 51st all the way down to 43rd to see Times Square... and of course no trip into New York is complete without me paying tribute to my two favorite celebrities, Anderson Cooper and Matt Lauer. After Rockefeller Center, we puddle jumped up to 57th and went to dinner at Jekyll & Hyde Club, which I highly recommend if you don't mind paying the extra $3/person for "entertainment". We then made our way down to the Gershwin and I sat in awe of my favorite leading lady, Stephanie J Block, at her second to last performace on Broadway. I had tears in my eyes twice, and had to yell at Brian in the middle of it for taking a "$200 nap". My recap doesn't in any way describe the fun I had... or how much I miss living up there-- but it was wonderful.

(Song titled No Good Deed, sung by Stephanie J. Block)

The clock keeps on tickin'...

Today is Caleb's 9 month 'day', and after doing the math, I also realized that yesterday marked his 39th week post birth. I was pregnant for 39 weeks, so as of today he's been out of me longer than he was in me (sorry I couldn't think of a more appropriate way to say that). Maybe I'm the only one that this seems significant to, but I don't like how fast the days keep going by.

This afternoon we finally made it to the Salisbury Zoo-- which I'd chalk up as a great experience. Sure I had a melt-down in the car afterwards because multiple bugs had planned their brilliant escape via our clothing, but I can see myself taking Caleb back. He loved the flamingos.

Oh, and if you didn't listen to the song with my slideshow (see post below), I'd highly recommend listening to it. I still cry everytime I hear it, and I've found myself singing it during those times I'm just staring at the clock wanting the day to end.

"You're gonna miss this.
you're gonna want this back.
You're gonna wish these days hadn't gone by so fast.

These are some good times,

so take a good look around.

You may not know it now,

but you're gonna miss this."

Memories to last a lifetime

Last weekend we made it up to Jersey so Caleb could meet his Great Grandma Mitchell, or Granny as we all call her. She's 90 now, has suffered multiple strokes, but was still able to come all the way out from California to meet the little guy. I really never thought the day would come, but the trip was just one blessing after another. Caleb did so well considering the schedule changes, constant stimulation, and strange people holding him. He's just at such a great age right now-- funny and active, yet still small enough that he was able to sit on her lap. Great, all this blogging about my Granny has me teary-eyed. I think this calls for a slideshow:

Happy birthday to ME!

I know it's been about 3 weeks since I've updated... and people are getting antsy (as they should be). Nothing much is going on in my brain at the moment other than the sheer excitement of getting Chic-fil-a for my birthday tonight. The timing works out perfectly too, as I promised myself fast food after I had lost 20lbs... and yes, I reached that mark just this morning. I'm incredible.

An update on my little guy. He's getting so big... 8 1/2 months already! Time really does just fly by. His bottom two pearly whites are shining with glory, and sharp as can be. He's crawling to the top of the stairs, and just started standing for limited amounts of time on his own. Everyday Brian and I make comments on how blessed we are to have him a part of our lives. I can't really remember life before him... but I doubt it was much fun :-)

Coming up next is Jersey for 4 days over Memorial Day. After that I'm sure I'll have something more exciting to report. Hope that satisifies you all enough for the time being.

Fun day in Ocean City

We spent the afternoon at the beach today. My friend Christie, whom I met in childbirth class, has a daughter, Mackenzie, who's less than 3 weeks younger than Caleb. They get along really well, so with the nice weather we ventured down the boarwalk today. Though more time was spent gobbing on the sunscreen, and on sporadic feedings, it was such a lovely afternoon.
We even made it over to the Osh Kosh outlet! So much fun, & so many cute clothes... but I restrained my buying compulsion. Needless to say, Brian was impressed. My restraints rewarded me when I got home though... UPS has come two days in a row to bring my Baby Gap orders... obsessed much? Possibly... but come this summer, we'll have some cute beach pictures of Caleb in his new swim trunks, and it'll all be justified :-)
On a sad note... poor Brian is sick, and we're trying desperately to keep the house de-germed. Tonight Caleb was wearing his "Little Guy" shirt from my brother & family. Brian has a matching "Big Guy" one, so he was sporty and put it on for a few pictures. Doesn't get much cuter than this!

...I think I'm going to enjoy summer!

No title could explain my love for life...

Before Caleb was born, the obsessive-compulsive part of me worried that I wouldn't be able to deal with the simple "everyday messes" well. Dirtyness tends to stress me out in an extreme way, but I didn't want to be one of those parents whos kid had to look "perfect" at all times. To my surprise, this has now become pure perfection in my eyes. Thanks to God for bringing my neuroticisms under control :-)
Though the past week has been quite sleep deprived, I'm learning to relish every moment of it. The little guy's recently been waking up 3-5x a night... but I'd be uncomfortable too if I had two little teeth poking through my gums. One has finally cut through... the other just moments away. I've tried to get pictures of this momentous event, but it's proven hard considering he's now constantly crawling everywhere. Shoes seem to be his preferred destination, and no matter where I put them... he finds them. I absolutely love watching Caleb discover new things. There's no greater feeling than seeing the smile he gives me as he accomplishes something new.

In summation: I absolutely adore my son, I love my husband to the fullest, and though I'm undeserving, God blesses my life in miraculous ways.

It's official.... he's mobile.

As promised, I got the crawling footage.... complete with my pitiful shaky camera skills:

Spring has arrived!!

What a beautiful day it was! Everyone's grass is freshly mowed (...or needs to be), and trees are starting to bud! Caleb had his first swing ride at Grandma & Grandad's after Josiah's dedication today. Of course, he had his "outdoor face" on the entire time. A mix of confusion, wonder, and the sun in his eyes. It never changes, and it's adorable.
Tonight another landmark event occured. Yes, we achieved crawling status! Of course, my goal the rest of the evening was to get it on camera, which definitely wasn't in the cards. Soon I'll proudly have a video of it to post on here though.
This weekend I also got to have a girls night with Savannah! It's quite rare that I don't have my hip attachment along, and I missed him so terribly... but Brian did a marvelous job with him all evening. Even got him to take a nap-- needless to say I was quite impressed.
Now it's time to get back to watching the democratic presidential Compassion Forum on CNN. My good old Messiah College is hosting it... so I suppose I'll hear them out. But I'm still voting for my man McCain!! While we're on the subject, is it odd that I'm starting to feel withdrawal symptoms from the lack of primaries in the past month? Gosh I'm such a politics nerd...