The Secret

Caleb has discovered the secret to making vacuuming fun again...
First, you dump some cereal in the kitchen floor...

 Then you vacuum up the crumbs with no pants and a cape!

I haven't tested this theory to see if it would make me enjoy cleaning more, but it seems to do the trick for Caleb, who is more than delighted when the vacuum cleaner comes out of the closet.  Please let me know if you have similar success.  Happy cleaning!

Christmas 2014

 The past few days have been full of family, fun and cookies while we celebrated the coming of Jesus.  Here are just a few of the highlights...
Caleb was able to help with the Christmas cookies this year:

 Doesn't he look handsome in his Christmas vest? 

 Playing with his loot:

 Christmas Eve at Aunt Cindy's house:

Is this a happy boy or what?

"Hey, Uncle Heath's pretty fun!"

 Singing Christmas carols:

We're all getting into it...maybe a little too much.

 Playing with his new toys on Christmas morning:

 Christmas morning was not complete until Caleb and Daddy played with their "light sabers."

 At Mamaw's house for Christmas dinner:

What fun we had with our dear family! 

Sleepyhead

With the exception of our vacation a few months ago, I don't think that I have slept past 6:30 a.m. since Caleb became a part of the family.  There were those first six months or so when I could sleep until 7, but that was only after one or two middle of the night feedings.  Ever since he's slept through the night, he's been pretty consistent about waking up at or around 7, and I always get up an hour or so earlier in order to eat breakfast and get a few things done before I need to focus all my attention on him.  There are some days (especially on the weekends) when all I want to do is sleep until 7:30.  But then I pick up my sweetheart from his crib, and I don't care what time I have to wake up.  So long as I get to see this shining (albeit sleepy) face, I can wake up at 6:00 a.m. each and every morning...

First Cousins, Once Removed

This past Thanksgiving I did not take a single picture of Caleb or any of the other family members that we enjoyed seeing.  That doesn't mean that we didn't eat so much that we were glad we wore our stretchy pants or smile so much that our faces hurt or give thanks so much that our hearts were overflowing.  Because we did all of those things and more.  We just didn't happen to capture it on camera.  I'm a firm believer that sometimes you just need to put the camera down and enjoy the moment.  So that's what I did.  We loved every moment with both Tony's family and my family. 
One thing that was certainly different this year from last was that Caleb was able to play - really play - with family members.  His favorite playmate was without a doubt Logan, his cousin - first cousin, once removed, technically speaking. (For those of you unversed on the family tree labels, that means that Logan is my first cousin - Caleb is once removed because he's my son.)  They were practically inseparable the entire time.  My favorite memory of the two of them is them both spinning in circles in the middle of our living room - Logan, break-dance style (seated), and Caleb on his two feet - both laughing up a storm.
What amazes me about this relationship is how God has made these two once completely unrelated people become family.  Like Caleb, Logan was adopted several years ago literally from the other side of the world.  Who but a great and compassionate God could have taken these two precious boys, removed them from their circumstances, and put them into our family to love and be loved?  I love their story of how they were once total strangers and are now first cousins, once removed - removed in more ways than one.  I hope they continue to be best buds and can rejoice with one another for many years to come in how God has brought them together. 

This was the only picture anyone was able to capture - they weren't sitting still long enough for anything else!

Renaissance Man

Here lately, Caleb has been working on becoming a well-rounded 18 month old - a Renaissance Man (or Baby), if you will.  He has an affinity for books and music, as any Renaissance Man should.  In fact, he even has begun to memorize such classic prose as Goodnight Moon.  When we reach the part of the book about the old lady who whispers hush, he always makes sure to join in (at the perfect time) with "Hush!"  His desire for music to be playing at all times is insatiable, and his dancing...well, words cannot describe satisfactorily the joyful movement that is his dancing. 
He has continued to expand his knowledge on all things agrarian.  His animal noises are impeccable, especially the snake and sheep.  And on his wooden puzzles, he never mistakes the duck for the chicken or the cow for the horse. 
In addition to these subject matters, Caleb has expanded his repertoire to other areas as well, including cleaning.  He can clean the bathroom in mere seconds.  [Just to be clear, by "clean" I mean grab everything in reach and in the drawers (toothpaste, lotion, brushes, floss, etc.), throw them in the bathtub, and turn the water on.]  Likewise, his kitchen "organization" skills are quite impressive.  [I say "organization," but perhaps the more accurate term would be "disorganization."  In any event, he can go far in life as a kitchen-obstacle-course-maker (those exist, don't they?).]

He can  rake the leaves like a champ...

 Decorate for fall by artfully arranging pumpkins...

 And do laundry all day long.

 Like his dad and Papaw Clyde, he's not afraid to work on cars.  Tires, mirrors, exhaust pipes - you name it - he tries to touch them all when walks by them.  He's already gotten some grease on his hands.  Until his dad really lets him work on the cars, this car will have to do:

 Of course, a true Renaissance Man can go from scholarly and technical in the daytime to dashing and debonaire at night with no problem.  Caleb is a perfect example in his suit and tie:

Someday, Caleb will leave home and wed some lucky lady who will get to enjoy all of these skills and attributes, but until that day, I'm the lucky lady who gets to be this Renaissance Baby's mama.