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!!!

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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!