Happy Birthday Caleb!!!

My sweet Caleb,

Happy Birthday Little Man! I cannot believe 2 years have already gone by. You are such a blessing and joy to your daddy, me, and little brother. There is so much I want to tell you about how important you are to me. You are my firstborn, my heart, my practice child, my baby boy. I have actually learned more from you than you will ever know. Your beautiful smile can make my day and your sweet voice is one of the most beautiful sounds on Earth. You have been a blessing to me from your first moment of existence and I am so lucky to have been chosen to be your mother. I have so many wishes and dreams for you. You are my special little boy and I thank God for you daily. We are so proud of you and the perfect little man that you are becoming! I can't wait to see what joy and surprises this next year holds for you. From baby boy to big brother, you have made these incredible two years an amazing journey. We love you with all our hearts. Happy Birthday Angel!
Love,
Mommy and Daddy

We spent the day with great friends and family at Chuck E. Cheese today to celebrate the big day. This was Caleb's first trip to see Chuck E. and all I can say is that the Bob the Builder ride was the hit of the day. Unfortunately, the song is stuck in my head. We had a great day playing, running around, and eating lots of pizza! Thanks to everyone who came out to celebrate. Stay tuned for pics from the birthday party on Saturday!

Bye Bye Paci!!!

Well, since Caleb is almost two, we figured it was time to get rid of the pacifier! Paci and bunny are the two items Caleb cannot live without. So, it was interesting to see how he would adjust. We first tried poking a whole in the paci so that it wasn't that noticeable. Well, Caleb could definitely tell something was up. He kept saying his paci was broken. He actually could still suck on it though. So, we ended up cutting the entire tip off the paci. He did not like that one bit. He kept saying his paci was broken and kept trying to shove his bunny inside the hole to fix it. So, after a few rough nights without a paci, he is officially paci free. We promised him a special treat once his paci was gone. So, we have a new family member. Say hello to Jake the monkey! Caleb got to go to build a bear and pick out an animal t take home. He had a lot of fun! His girlfriend Kinsley actually went with us. It was a fun time and a special treat!

Merry Christmas!!!

Merry Christmas everyone!!! We have been super busy with all of the different holiday festivities!!! Christmas Eve we had dinner at Maymie and Pappy's and celebrated with the family! The boys had so much fun running around with their cousins and opening up presents. It was so neat to see Caleb get excited about his presents this year. Caden wasn't too into it. I think he liked the paper more than the actual gift. I'm sure next year will be a little more exciting. Speaking of exciting, we found out that Uncle Phillip and Aunt Lacy are expecting a new baby in August! :) We are so excited for you guys!!! Caleb and Caden can't wait to meet their new cousin!

On Christmas Day, it is a tradition to go to my grandparent's house and have an authentic Italian dinner. Everyone in the family talks about this meal all year long. After the boys woke up and looked at their gifts, we headed over to Mere and Pa's house, (my parents), to see what Santa brought the boys. They received so many wonderful toys, books, and clothes. There was one surprise that they had to search for from Santa. Santa brought the boys a Power Wheels Jeep. Caleb was so excited and couldn't wait to drive his little brother around. I'm sure that excitement will change when he turns 16. :) We definitely need to work with Caleb on his steering, but overall, he seemed to really enjoy it. Thanks "Santa" for the wonderful surprise. I'm sure we will be spending many days outside just cruising around!

We hope everyone had a Merry Christmas and got to spend some time with the ones you love!!!

11 Months!!!

I can't believe Caden will be 1 year next month! It seems like just yesterday when he was born. Caden is officially walking now and he is ALL over the place. It can be exhausting chasing around two toddlers. Of course it helps if they are headed in the same direction, but most of the time that is not the case. Caden is becoming more and more vocal every day and experimenting with all types of food. He is definitely his own person with his own likes and dislikes when it comes to food. It seems that whatever Caleb liked when he was that age, Caden likes the exact opposite. Go figure! He is also becoming more independent. I'm looking forward to seeing him celebrate his first Christmas and watching him react to things. I can't wait to see his reaction to Santa later this week when we visit at the mall. I'll keep you posted on how it goes. We've been getting ready for the holidays. One thing we thought we would try with Caleb is building a gingerbread house. In theory it was a good idea, but once we started, Caleb kept trying to eat all of the decorations. He LOVED the icing. Oh well, maybe next year!

4 Happy Years!!!

Today is our 4 year wedding anniversary! I can't believe it has been that long. I guess time really does fly when you are having fun. ;) Shane surprised me with a full day of fun. We went for a couple's massage and it was fabulous. He also surprised me with an overnight trip to a cabin. It was so great to have a nice, quiet, and romantic dinner followed by an evening with just the two of us. Sometimes it is so nice to just spend time with your best friend! I'm so blessed to have found such a wonderful man to share the rest of my life with. Thank you Shane for being an amazing husband, daddy to our boys, and my best friend! I love you!



On a side note, the night we were gone was one of the first snows we had of the year. Maymie stayed with the boys and they had so much fun playing in the snow with her! (Unfortunately, we don't have any pictures documenting the snowfall, but we had a pretty decent amount.) Thank you Maymie for watching our angels so we could enjoy a night out. You are the best!

Caleb LOVES to draw!!!

Caleb likes to draw shapes and pictures with a pen and paper. After a little while, he will get bored with drawing on the paper, and thinks it is fun to draw on himself or the wall. After a minor incident with an ink pen and the wall, I decided that the only way Caleb was allowed to draw was if he was strapped in to his booster seat so he couldn't get down. So, last night, Shane was trying to keep Caleb occupied before dinner while I was getting ready to leave for an event. He gave him two pens and some paper and let him draw. Not a problem...he was strapped in and my walls were safe. When Caleb was done, I guess Shane forgot that he had given Caleb two pens because one was left in the booster seat. So, this morning, Shane was out hunting and I was trying to get breakfast ready for the boys. Sometimes the boys will play under the kitchen table, so I didn't think twice about them being under the table and being EXTREMELY quiet. Next thing I hear is Caden crying and I go over to see what the problem was when I see this...



Poor Caden looks like he was whipped with a stick or something. Unfortunately, Shane left the second pen out and Caleb got a hold of it...no wonder he was so quiet. The ink did wash off, but the pen was a gel pen and when Caleb drew on Caden, it dug into his skin. :( So, I am hoping Caden doesn't get sick any time soon because I am sure Child Services would be called if the doctors saw this.

Like always, it has been a busy week. And, as you can see, these boys are ALWAYS keeping me on my toes!!! TGIF!!!

Christmas time is coming...

We are getting into the Christmas spirit and wanted to share it with you!
We hope you are having a great week! There are 23 days until Christmas!!! Let the countdown begin!!!

Send your own ElfYourself eCards

23 Months!!!

Caleb is 23 months old today! It's hard to believe. He, like Caden, is growing like a weed. He is still talking up a storm and is now singing songs ALL the time. His new favorite show is Little Einsteins and he LOVES them. He pats along and sings along during the show. It all started one day recently when I was folding clothes and he was playing in my room. He started getting restless and I just turned on Disney to see what was on. He immediately heard the music and literally laid back on the pillows on my bed and did not move for the entire show. He was mesmerized. Ever since then, he has asked to watch Einsteins almost every day. The first episode Caleb saw was about the 3 little pigs and the big bad wolf. Caleb will tell you that the big bad wolf blew down the piggies house. He said the wolf was a bad boy and needed to go to time out. So, I'm guessing he is finally understanding the concept of time out. :) He has also learned to do flips and thinks it is soooo much fun. He would do them all day long if I let him! I'll try to upload some video of him trying the flips. At first, he would roll off to the side, but now he rolls straight so I would say he has definitely mastered it. Thanks for checking in on us! We hope you are having a great week!

Thanksgiving 2008

This year has flown by and I can't believe we are already celebrating Thanksgiving. We had a busy day planned. First, I got up early and ran the Boulevard Bolt with my little sister. I haven't been able to run it the past two years, so I was definitely looking forward to it. Usually, the weather is freezing cold and you have to bundle up. This year it was absolutely perfect! We could not have had better weather for the race and the festivities. After the race, we headed to Maymie and Pappy's for our first meal of the day. It was great to see all of the extended family and hang out and let the kids play. We then went to my grandmother's to celebrate with all of my side of the family. Caleb and Caden are the only great-grandchildren on my side of the family and the youngest ones around. So, they are spoiled with all of the attention and have all of my family wrapped around their finger. We played, watched football, and ate some yummy food. It was great to see and catch up with everyone.
I love this time of year as we get to spend time with family and friends and give thanks for all we have been blessed with. There are so many things to be thankful for, and I am thankful for each and every one of you. I hope you have all had a Happy Thanksgiving!!! We love you!!!

Pay It Forward

I just wanted to take this time and let all of you know how thankful I am for each and every one of you. I could not ask for better friends and family. As the hustle and bustle of the holiday season quickly approaches, and I hear more and more stories of how people are struggling, I couldn't feel more blessed or thankful to have all of my basic needs met. With that said, I have to share with you what happened to me today. My boys and I were at Target getting some items we needed around the house like baby food, diapers, etc. We quickly ran in the store, got the stuff we needed, and hurried to get back out. (It is kind of hard to have 2 little ones confined to a basket for too long when there are toys and other fun items all around.) Listening to the news and hearing all of the stories about people struggling financially is becoming more and more common. Of course I think about and pray for those people who are struggling, and I thank God every day that the people I know and love are not in that situation. With that said, as we were rushing to get to the car and load up, I was approached by a young girl who was in her car. I say girl because she couldn't have been any older than 21 or 22. Her license plates were from Oklahoma. Her car was making a loud noise and looked really beat up. She rolled down her window and started talking to me. She had a baby in the back seat who had to be Caden's age or younger. He was screaming and looked like he hadn't had a bath in days. The poor girl started telling me her story and that she had no place to stay and had no money for a hotel or even food to feed her little baby. She asked if I had any spare money that she could have. I don't know about you, but as for me, I don't ever carry cash because I always end up spending it. Well, it just so happened that a few days ago, I put on my winter jacket for the first time this year. I looked in the pocket and lucky me, there was $20 in there. I ended up putting the money in my visor, telling Shane when I found it that I was sure this would come in handy one day. Obviously, today was the day. I told her I don't carry cash on me, but that I would look and see what I could find. Then I remembered the money I found earlier this week. Was it just luck or divine intervention? So, anyways, I gave her the money and some of the baby food so her sweet little boy could have some dinner. She told me that her daddy was driving through the night to come and help her go back to Oklahoma. As I handed the money to her, her eyes filled up with tears and she said God bless you. As I got back in my car, my eyes filled with tears as I prayed for that poor girl. I thanked God for giving me that opportunity to be able to help her. I have always been passionate about helping people and after today, I couldn't feel more ready to make a difference. I challenge all of you to join me in Paying it Forward this holiday season and remember to give thanks for all of your blessings. Remember that it is the little things that can make a BIG difference!

10 Months!!!

We are just two months away and I can't believe it! It is crazy to think I am about to officially have two toddlers! Caden is growing like a weed and becoming more and more vocal everyday. He has his two front teeth and two bottom teeth and he is definitely experimenting with them! We have started table food and I am looking forward to him eating his first Thanksgiving meal. He is kind of a picky eater, which is something very different around here because Caleb never cared what he ate, as long as he was eating! Caden loves to dance and play music. It doesn't matter what he is doing, but when music comes on, he stops dead in his tracks and starts dancing along. It's pretty funny! He still isn't walking yet, but he is close. He has taken ten steps in a row without any help, so I think he is getting there. He just isn't as daring as his older brother was.
We are looking forward to the upcoming holiday weekend to see family and some dear friends coming in from out of town. We hope you are having a great week and getting ready for Turkey Day!!!

Caleb's First Haircut

After hearing several comments from people thinking Caleb was a girl, I finally gave in and took him for his first official haircut. I guess I have put it off for so long because I didn't want him to lose his curls and look so much older. We didn't go anywhere fancy just for kids. We went to Great Clips. At first I was a little nervous because I didn't feel like the stylist really understood what I was wanting. After the first few cuts, I could see she was the expert and I quit worrying. So, now all of his curls are gone and Caleb truly does look so grown up. He was great and sat still long enough for her to cut it evenly. Caleb's reward was a lollipop and he was thrilled. So, we survived our first haircut and will definitely be going back when it is time for another one.

Here is a picture of Caleb from a few weeks ago...as you can see, he has the long, wavy look going on. No wonder some people thought he was a girl!

Here is his new look...(You can obviously see he was s0 not wanting his picture taken).

Daddy got a buck!!!

Yep, that's right. Shane finally got a deer. We are so excited that he was able to get a deer considering he hadn't seen a big one all season. Well, that changed today and we are extremely happy. Way to go Daddy! We are so proud of you. Caleb was super excited to see the deer. (Can you tell by his face in the picture?) Shane has always said that you aren't supposed to smile when you take a pic with your buck...I guess Caleb still has a lot to learn.

22 Months

Caleb is 22 months old! I can't believe how fast the time has gone by. He is still talking up a storm and is now fascinated with climbing. He LOVES "his" candy from Halloween and is constantly asking for a piece. We are now limiting it to when he uses the potty. He is getting pretty good at telling me when he has to go. I'm not sure if he really cares...I think the only thing he wants is his candy. At this point though, I'm willing to do whatever works. Anyways, to get back to his climbing, the other day when I was putting Caden down for a nap, I heard Caleb pushing the chair across the kitchen floor. I didn't think much about it until I heard him say "Mmmmmm'. I walked into the kitchen and found him not just up on the counter, but on top of the bar top where the Halloween candy was. That little rascal had climbed up and gotten a starburst and had eaten it with the rapper still on! So, needless to say, the candy has been moved to the top of the fridge...We shall see if he can figure out a way to get up there!

We hope you are having a great weekend!

Happy Halloween

This week has been so busy for us with all the different activities that go along with Halloween. I can't imagine how it will be when the boys get older and have school functions thrown in the mix as well. Tonight we headed to Maymie and Pappy's house for dinner before going trick or treating with all of the cousins. It was great to see the family and take the kids trick or treating. We then headed to Mere and Pa's house to trick or treat in their neighborhood. We had so much fun and the boys came home with WAY too much candy. We hope you all had a Happy Halloween!

Pumpkin Carving

Tonight we headed to Mere and Pa's house for a yummy dinner and to carve pumpkins. We had so much fun! Caleb wasn't too sure of the pumpkin insides at first, but then he manned up and helped clean it out. Caden, of course, was just hanging out watching the fun. Next year you can help us buddy. Below are the two pumpkins we had this year. We had our Pirate pumpkin and our Jack O' Lantern. Aunt Tori ended up having a pirate pumpkin too, but we didn't get a picture. Hope you enjoy our creations!

Trunk or Treat

Tonight we went to Trunk or Treat with our sweet friends Rebecca, Mr. Brad, and Kinsley. This was Caleb's first experience with trick or treating and getting some candy. Needless to say he was a pro and loved it. The people would let him reach in the bowls and grab handfuls of candy. It was too funny. After getting lots of candy, we got to roast marshmallows and hot dogs by the fire. We even got to ride a hayride. It was lots of fun! Thanks Turner family for letting us join in the fun!

Here is Caleb with Ms. Deanna. He LOVES Ms. Deanna. She was the Cat in the Hat, and when he first saw her, he didn't recognize her and wasn't quite sure if he should give her a hug. He quickly changed his mind...especially when he saw all of the candy she had.


The funniest moment of the night had to be when we tried to get a pic of Caleb and Kinsley. The two were sitting next to each other when we told Caleb to give Kinsley a kiss. The pic shows what we got...Caleb wasn't shy to say the least. I'd love to know where he learned to grab Kinsley and pull her to him!

Our Second Home

Well, we have been to the pumpkin patch too many times to count this year. This time we went with Aunt Tori so she could get a pumpkin for Halloween too. We had a lot of fun going through the big corn maze, playing in the corn, and of course riding the tractors. Caleb also loved helping Aunt Tori pick out her pumpkins. Thanks for coming with us Tori. We can't wait to carve pumpkins with you!

9 months!!!

Caden is 9 months old today! He has grown so much and is doing new things every day! He is cruising with the help of some push toys and Caleb's old red car. He still prefers to crawl though because it can get him there very quickly...he has to be able to keep up with brother. We had our 9 month checkup and were surprised with his measurements. He weighed in at 20 lbs. 8 oz.and he was 27 inches long. So, he definitely is growing. He is saying a few words like Momma, Dadda, and uh-oh. He's waving bye-bye too. He is so laid back and just loves to be around people...especially his brother.

We hope you are having a great week!

Destin 2008

Every year the Pharr family loads up and drives down to Destin for Fall Break. This year was a little different because everyone wasn't able to go. We sure missed those back in Nashville and wished they could have been there. The last time we were in Destin was in March when Caden was just 2 months old and Caleb was 15 months old. Let's just say this drive was very different from the one in the spring. We ended up stopping 4 times and getting there in 8 hours. Before kids, we could usually do the drive in a little less than 7 hours. Not anymore. And let me just tell you that an extra hour with kids REALLY makes a difference. All in all, it wasn't too bad and we couldn't wait to get there and hit the beach. The first day we were there we beached it up while the boys were golfing. A HUGE thank you to aunt Lacy for help with carting the kiddos and all of their stuff to the beach. Once we got settled, we had a blast. Caleb and Caden loved the sand. The water was a little cold and the waves were a little too big to enjoy, so we spent most of our time playing in the sand and filling up the buckets with water. That is pretty much what we did every day. We were daring a couple of nights and went out to eat with the whole group...college kids included. All I can say is that it was very interesting and I am so thankful we had such patient and fabulous servers. :) We couldn't have had better weather while we were there. It was sunny and warm every day. It was kind of hard to come back home to a high of only 60 degrees.
The only mishap we had was on the way home. We stopped for gas and let Caleb get out of the car to run off some of his energy. (For those of you with toddler boys, I'm sure you will understand.) *** Moms out there, I have a question for you...if you were letting your kids run around in a parking lot to play, and you had at least 5 hours to go in the car before you got home and you saw your child running toward a pile of dirt, in flip-flops none the less, what would be your reaction? A.)Would you let them get all in it and get dirty, or B.)would you divert their attention to something else to keep them clean? Also, think about what your husband would do? I am convinced most of the men would have acted like Shane and not cared. Either way, what happened next was a disaster. I was gone inside for not even 3 minutes when I came back out to find Caleb screaming. What could have happened? Well, at first I figured he just fell down or something, but then I realized Shane was brushing stuff off Caleb's legs. That's right...the mound of dirt was not just a mound of dirt. It was a fire ant mound and my poor little baby was attacked. Of course when I asked Shane what he was thinking letting him go over there, his response was, "I just thought it was dirt." So, how many of your husbands would have done the same thing? I would love to know. As one friend's mom puts it, she says when men do or say things like this, she just considers it a genetic defect. In the end, everything turned out fine and thankfully, Caleb didn't have a severe allergic reaction.
Overall, we had a wonderful trip and can't believe it went by so fast. We can't wait to go back. By the way, the trip home was much easier. The boys slept for the last four hours and we only stopped twice. I guess all of the fun in the sun wore them out.





This is Caleb from last year. It is amazing to see how much they change in a year. Do he and Caden look anything alike?

Caleb's Special Day

Today was Caleb's special day with his Paw and Grand-mere. My parents wanted to have a special day just for Caleb, so they took him to the zoo. This was his first time to go to the zoo. Of course, he loved it and loved seeing all of the animals. He even got to ride on the carousel for the first time! If you ask him what he rode he will surely tell you he rode the leopard, and that a leopard has spots. After the zoo, he was treated to a happy meal at McDonald's. What a life! He had so much fun and I am sure he enjoyed being the center of attention like always. Mom, Dad, and brother really missed him though, and couldn't quite get over all of the peace and quiet. We are happy to have him back and hope to visit the zoo again before it gets too cold. Thanks Mere and Paw for such a special treat! We love you!!!

Fall Festivities

On Saturday we had our first visit to the Pumpkin Patch for the season. Last year, Caleb was almost walking, but couldn't really enjoy all the action and fun. So, I knew this year he would have a blast. We live across the street from a pumpkin patch and now that we have been once, all Caleb wants to do is go to the pumpkin patch. He says it every time we are pulling out of the neighborhood...it doesn't matter where we are going. So, I'm sure this will be the first of MANY visits to the pumpkin patch.
We headed down the road to Walden Farm to hang out with all of the cousins on the Pharr side. There were so many activities for the kids to do, it kept them busy for quite a while. Caleb is fascinated with tractors right now and jumped at the chance to ride the toy tractors in the play area. He loved the animals and enjoyed playing in the corn pit. He also enjoyed the kids maze, although he didn't really want to follow the normal way to go through the maze. Oh well. Thank goodness cousin Paisley was there to help lead the way and get him out. We had a great time spending time with the family and can't wait to go back. Hopefully next time it will feel a little more like fall, and we can go on the hayride without burning up.




Today we went to a Fall Festival with our good friends Brad, Rebecca and Kinsley. Unfortunately, Kinsley had already gone home by the time we got there because it was so hot. Caleb was sad that he missed his girlfriend. We enjoyed great music, food, games, and fun. Caleb got to jump in the giant inflatable jumper with Rebecca. At first he wasn't too sure, but then got the hang of it and seemed to enjoy it. The highlight of the event was the hot air balloon ride. People were able to ride in the hot air balloon. The basket was connected by a rope to the ground, so you couldn't fly away, but you could go up and then come down for a quick ride. It turns out the person who brought the balloon was the same guy that took us up last year for my birthday. Small world. Caleb was in awe of the huge balloon. When he first heard the burners ignite, he about jumped out of my arms. After a few times of hearing it though, he was okay and didn't seem to mind. He found Deanna, his new best friend. She was keeping him occupied and showing him how the balloon went up and then down. So now if you ask him about the hot air balloon he will tell you that it goes up and it comes down and that the fire is hot and makes it go up. Seriously, I think that is all he will be talking about for quite some time.
We had a great time and we look forward to the festival next year. Thanks Mr. Brad and Becca for inviting us. We had a blast. Unfortunately, Shane was not able to go with us this time. He had to stay true to his manly duties and go to the woods with hopes of finding a buck with no such luck. Oh well, maybe next time.