For the Birds...

We have two bird feeders right in front of our kitchen table where we can watch the birdies eat while we do the same.  Caleb has decided that filling the bird feeders is just as much fun as watching the birds.  He usually says something like "Birds" or "Feed" when we walk past the bag of bird seed.  Mommy let him help earlier this week...
Here's how the process went:  Mommy begins to tip the bag of bird seed to pour it into the feeders; Caleb sticks his hand under the bird seed just before Mommy pours it out, causing the bird seed to go flying everywhere (except the place where it is supped to go - the bird feeder).

 Caleb acts surprised when Mommy informs him that the bird seed must actually go into the bird feeder.  "What, you're not supposed to pour all of the seeds on the ground?"

 Caleb decides he will put all of the fallen seeds into the bird feeder by hand...one at a time.

 Mommy gets tired of waiting and proceeds to fill the bird feeder (via the conventional method) and puts the feeders back.  Caleb proceeds to put the fallen seeds back in the bag...one at a time.

 Caleb decides that feeding the birds - err, squirrels - is fun.  The squirrels decide that they prefer Caleb over Mommy.

Communication Skills

It is truly amazing the speed at which toddlers acquire and use new words.  Just a month ago, Caleb wasn't really saying much, but, now, he seems to be picking up new words every day.  And actually using them correctly.  I don't know who was more surprised - him or me - when he said he wanted some more cheese and I actually understood him (and brought him more cheese, of course).  Now we're practically carrying on in-depth conversations on the origins of life on planet Earth...well, maybe we're not quite there yet, but we're working on it.
While I understand Caleb (most of the time), I recognize that it may be difficult for those of you not well-versed in toddler communication skills.  Here's a short list of Caleb's most commonly used words (and his special pronunciations):
No - "No" (spoken like a native French speaker while forming a large circle with the mouth)
Uh oh - "Uh oh" (spoken with a very grave and foreboding tone)
No No - "Nanu" (think Mork from "Mork and and Mindy")
Outside - "Zide" (almost spoken like the name "Sayid")
Door - "Doh" (a la Homer Simpson - makes for a funny trip down the freezer aisle at the grocery store)
More - "Moh" (see Door, above)
Cracker - "Ga Ga" (repeated over and over again in a never-ending sequence of "Ga", for added emphasis)
Kitty Kitty - "Ki Ki"
Amen - "Ah Man" (as in, "Ah, man! I can't believe the Sea Hawks lost the Super Bowl!")
Banana - "Nana"
Onion - "Nunyun"
Cheese - "Geez" (like "geese" but with a "Z" sound at the end)
Cantaloupe - "Lub Lub" (with great emphasis on the "L" sound - really sticking the tongue out each time)
Muffin - "Mmmm" (like you're just on the verge of adding something to the "M" sound but never actually doing so)
Oh No - "Ah No" (see No above but spoken with an even thicker French accent)
Life sure is a lot of fun when you never know if you're going to be eating dinner with Homer Simpson, Mork, or Jacques Cousteau (or all three)!

Frosty Obsession

Maybe it's the corn-cob pipe.  Maybe it's the button nose or the two eyes made out of coal.  Or maybe it's even that old magical silk hat.  Personally, I believe it's the kindred jolly, happy soul.  Whatever it is, my child is obsessed with Frosty the Snowman.  By "obsessed" I mean, it's the first and last thing to occupy his mind each day, and it's what occupies his mind for most of the time in between. 
He received a book for Christmas last year that has the song lyrics along with some illustrations of Frosty and his friends and all of their revelry around town.  This past Christmas we broke it out and started to sing the lyrics as we turned the pages, never realizing the Pandora's Box that we were opening.  Now we're lucky if we only have to sing it three times in one day.  A more typical day is six times or more (per parent!).  When he's still rubbing the sleep from his eyes in the mornings - even before turning the lights on - he reaches for the bookshelf where that sacred book is kept.  It's the lullaby that he prefers at bedtime.  When he sees the book high up on the shelf throughout the day, there's no pacifying him until we sing it and look at the pictures.  When Frosty leads his friends down the streets of town right to the traffic cop, Caleb will enthusiastically put up his hand and holler "Stop!"  I've sung it so many times it's permanently engraved in my memory, and my singing and dancing to it may be ready for Broadway.
Perhaps Caleb just knows that the sun will soon be hot and he must run and have some fun with Frosty before he melts away. 

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!