Catch up

I know.....it's been a while. Things have actually been busy. Chris and I are both back in school and trying to stay afloat. So far, so good! Caleb is so funny. He's definitely an entertainer. I was the nurse for career day at Mom's school last Friday, and Caleb went with me. I did my thing while he and Mom went walking around the school and visiting everyone. Every time they left the room, Caleb would look out at all the kids and say, "Bye, everybody!" Too cute! He was definitely the more memorable piece of career day!

Chris came over after work, and we stayed with the folks all weekend. It's been a while since we were able to stay so long. We went to the football game Fri. night and got to see some people, and Caleb was actually really good. He has this thing with going under the"bidge" (bridge) right now. (The bridge can be anything, your arm, leg, whatever!) I had my feet propped up on the bench in front of me, so Caleb went back and forth under my "bridge." Then he decided to take of his sandal and drop it under the bleachers. How special!

He kept everyone in stitches most of the weekend being the little ham that he is. He entertained with all of his little sayings, from "Whoa, Baby!" to the wolf sound. He got to help Nana give the horses water and go with Pop to feed the fish and see the cows. How exciting! He's still talking about it.

We got to visit our old church on Sun. It was great to see everyone again. Caleb, of course, has gotten "so big!" Caleb remembered where the nursery is and went right to it, but he wasn't happy when I left him! After a few minutes though, I was forgotten, and he was back to playing on the slide! I really miss those folks. They're great people.

I love holiday weekends. We got to have a nice relaxing day for Labor Day and didn't do much. We went for burgers out at Chris's parents' house for lunch, and then Chris and I went to a movie. It was a nice holiday. The only bad part about holidays is heading back to work the next day! I get spoiled with those extra long weekends!

Oscar the Grouch

What is up with this grumpy stage? Caleb has lately been a complete grouch after he wakes up from his nap. Yesterday was one of the worst yet. I'm having a hard time knowing if he really understands what we're saying, or if he gets why he's disciplined. The only thing he stops is the whole stomping the feet thing because he KNOWS that's wrong, but the whining and the crying just goes on and on! Then he's just suddenly better. How FRUSTRATING!

Chris's fam came over last night for pizza. The kids got to have fun on the playground, too. It's too cute watching Caleb and Nathan, and Emily loves to have the attention too! Caleb wasn't happy about going in to eat, but when I told him what we were eating, he smiled really big and shouted, "PIZZAS!" He was, of course, a show off the rest of the night. He really didn't want to play in his room with the other kids; I think he and Nathan haven't been getting along very well, and they pretty much ignored each other the whole night. When everyone was leaving, Caleb was so sweet giving everyone hugs, but one wasn't well received. Nathan pushed him! That was their second altercation in the past 2 days! Caleb did finally get his hug, though, when Nathan apologized. I'm sure they're going to butt heads a lot as they grow up!

wild women's weekend!

I got to go to Women of Faith last weekend. It was my first, and it was fabulous! I didn't even cry as much as I expected. I went with Mom and some women from Calvary, Fairfield. It was nice to get away and hear some fantastic speakers. Some of their stories make you realize how great I've had it all my life. I'm so blessed!

Caleb and Chris got to have some father/son bonding time while I was gone. I missed them, but I know they had fun. They even got to take a trip to Fazoli's and Gander Mountain! Caleb gets into these sayings, and he just keeps on and keeps on. Right now we're on "Whoo! It's hot!", "Uh-oh....what happened?", and "Heeeeyyyy! Wassup?"He's too funny! I loved it when I got home Sat. evening and Caleb ran and gave me a big hug and hollared "Mommy!" It just doesn't get any better than that! He's even learned "I ub u" (I love you). Melts my heart! Of course, he tends to tell Chris more than me, but that's OK!

Ya'll can definitely keep Chris and me in your prayers. We're both back in school for the fall semester, so life's getting pretty crazy! I've been looking at the TONS of stuff I have to read and the papers I have to write, and I'm trying not to get overwhelmed! I know I'll be fine, but it's a little scary to go back to school. The last time I did this, I was single with no kids!

back to school

I had orientation today for my grad school. It was actually very informative. Since the whole thing is online, it was really helpful to learn where all my resources are. I even ran into a couple of people I know! It was also freshman orientation day, and I didn't know so many 10 year-olds are starting college now! The freshmen look so young! It's really disgusting that I was that young looking fish 10 years ago. I made the mistake of thinking I'd just run by the cashier's office on my lunch break to pay my tuition. WRONG! Stinkin' long lines....I finally got everything paid for and got my books. God is really good.....I got a great grant for my classes, and I ended up not needing 3 of the books I had reserved. So, my cost was greatly decreased. Praise God!

Caleb's being good tonight. Last night he was such a grumpy dude. He didn't get a good enough nap, but he didn't want to go to bed either. What a whiny baby! He's sweet Caleb tonight. (Dual personality I guess!) He's been loving on me and playing so well. I even got a little reading done for my class while he played all by himself! Chris got called into work, so it's just us right now, but he should be back soon. Caleb told me he wanted to play with Daddy a little while ago. He's gotten to where he really loves wrestling. He'll push Chris like he's knocking him down, and Chris will just fall over and make a big deal of it, and Caleb just jumps on him and laughs. It's so cute. He also likes being Superman. Chris holds him up, and Caleb stretches out his arms and legs and yells, "UUUPERMAN!!!" Too cute!

happy birthday!

We went to Fairfield Fri. night for a big birthday bash. Chappie's birthday is tomorrow, and my aunt Carol's birthday was Friday, so we had a double party at my folk's house. Caleb and Emily were very entertaining with blowing out the candles. Caleb wanted to "blow it" when we lit Chappie's candles, so he and Emily got to go help. It was fun to hang out with the fam and catch up. I hadn't seen Mike and Carol for a while.

Chris didn't get to go because he was on call all weekend, so we headed home Sat. after breakfast. It was a wonderfully lazy day! Chris and I got to go to the movies in the afternoon, and we just relaxed the rest of the day. Those kind of days don't happen very often!

Caleb is really getting into singing his songs. His latest favorite is "The Itsy Bitsy Spider." Every night when we lay down for bed, he's added this song to my list. I ask him which song he wants to sing, and he says, "I want the spider!" Chris doesn't know the words or the motions that well, so the other night when Caleb asked for the spider, Chris gave it his best shot. In the middle of the song (when Caleb was doing the motions, not Chris!), he said, "I want Mommy." Chris got booted! So, I had to come sing the song and teach it to Daddy.

Yesterday, Caleb was sitting on the couch next to me "reading" his book, and he decided to strike up another song. He looked up at me all serious and sang "Jesus loves me this I know, for the Bible tells me so." That's about as far as he got, but how cute is that!? He's such a sweetie!

Procrastinator

Chris is a terrible procrastinator! He had a paper due for his class that he took last month but lost the date it was due. It was due yesterday! So, he while he was picking up Caleb from his grandmother yesterday, she offered us some supper. He called and told me and said that we would just have to get going after I finished eating so he could do his paper. Did this happen??? NO! We sat around and talked, then walked down to his uncle's house, and talked at Nana's some more! What a procrastinator! While we were down at Tony's, I was talking to Chris's aunt and cousin about starting back to school, and we were out by the pool. Chris and Caleb had gone with Tony to bottle feed the baby calf, which Caleb LOVED! When they came back, he wanted to get in the pool, and got so mad that I would only let him dip his feet in! What a fussy britches! Then when we got back up to Nana's, he decided he needed to slide. So, he would slide and run over to us and tell us about it and run back and slide. It was too cute!

We finally got home with enough time to bathe, play a little, and go to bed. All this while Chris was finally working on his paper. Luckily, it didn't take too long for him to finish. I went to bed right after Caleb and fell asleep watching a movie, and Chris came and woke me up to proof read his paper. The things I do for the man I love! I'm glad it got finished....now we're almost ready for the fall semester!

Aggieland

We got to go to College Station this weekend. I haven't been there in a while, so it was nice to go visit and catch up with Rebecca. Mom had been wanting to go see this Southern Living house, so Caleb and I went to Fairfield on Fri. while Chris went to Promise Keepers, and we headed to CS on Sat. The house was, of course, beautiful. I was nervous that Caleb would knock something over or something, but it was fun to see all the neat things in the house.

Caleb had fun playing with Nana and Pop (and Brinkley)! He was so excited when we pulled up at their house and wanted to go directly to the playroom and get to some serious playing! I know Mom and Dad just ate it up! I think they like having him over more than he does! When it was time to head home Sat. evening, he kept telling me know when I asked if he was ready to go. I'm sure if he could talk better, he'd be saying, "5 more minutes, Mom!" We had a fun time, and Chris had a blast in Dallas. I am jealous that he went to eat at Cheesecake Factory without me!

Caleb's head looks great! Chris took the stitches out on Friday. Now it looks like he just has a little scratch on his head. The guy who sewed him up did a great job!

Caleb's been a Daddy's boy lately. Once we got back to town, he has wanted Chris most of the time. I knew this would happen sooner or later! He still likes to cuddle with me sometimes, but I'm just not as much fun as Daddy. They're so cute when they're playing and wrestling around on the floor. We're still working on his saying his prayers at night after we read his Bible story. The other night he said, "God....thank you......AMEN!" It's the sweetest thing!

Random Thoughts

I cannot tell you how excited I am that it's Thursday! For some reason, I am so tired this week! And, it's even better that kids are going back to school next week, and we won't be flooded with immunizations at work anymore! We'll get us a little break until flu season.

It's been a pretty uneventful week, thankfully. Our ER adventure on Sunday was enough excitement to last me for a while. When I went to Chris's parent's house last night after work, Caleb was being a grump....again. He's been grumpy after his naps somtimes for a while now. And this was a while after his nap. My mother-in-law said he hadn't eaten well and wasn't acting like he felt well during the day, and we couldn't get him to eat anything. He just wanted to be a grump. But when something gets his attention, he acts like he's just fine all of a sudden! My nephew was over there (he's 10), and he started acting crazy to get Caleb to play with him. Suddenly, Caleb was in a fine, playful mood! Do babies have PMS???? Oh well, it was still fun to watch him try to be a big boy!

Caleb and I are heading to my parents' house tomorrow while Chris goes to Promise Keepers in Dallas. Even if we hadn't planned this trip already, something tells me that Mom would have found a way to see Caleb this weekend so she could dote on him after his first big injury!

Monkey Man

Caleb's a little monkey! One of our friends dropped by last night to visit, and at the time Caleb was playing well in his room. When someone knocks on the door, he comes running. He has this new thing with shutting a door (like to the bedroom or something) and knocking and waiting until I tell him to come in. Then he shoves open the door and announces himself. It's really too cute. But now he's into this whole letting people in the door thing. So when Doug came over last night, Caleb stayed in the living room. He'd go grab a toy and come back to show Doug, and he was pretty good for a while. It was pretty cute when he was "riding" on his bus. My grandmother got him some fairly large vehicles at Christmas (trucks, tractors, etc) and one was a bus. He sat on it and rode it around the living room. Too cute! Then he decided to become the monkey. He climbed onto my lap and then proceeded to climb from my lap to the armrest of the couch, to the top of the couch and back to my lap. (Our couch is against the wall) He did that about 8000 times while we were trying to visit. Luckily, he was really quiet while he was "monkeying" around!

He's also getting to that stage where he doesn't want to go to bed. We've started getting him to help pick up toys each night before we read his Bible story and go to bed. He threw a huge fit last night while we were picking up toys. He kept looking in his toy box and saying "PLAY! PLAY!" I don't know if thinks the toys are disappearing or what, but he was not happy about them getting shut up in the box. Then he got mad when we turned off the light. He was totally exhausted, but just didn't want to go to sleep. I guess we're full blown in the terrible twos!

His head is looking good. We're having issues keeping his bandage over the stitches. If we don't cover it, he wants to pick at the stitches, and when we cover it, he wants to play with the bandage! It's a no win situation, but at least the stitches come out on Friday.

battle wounds

Just thought ya'll might enjoy some pics of the stitches. The first is from supper tonight...you can guess what he was eating! I took the bandage off after his bath, so I got some good shots of his first stitches.


This one with his mouth wide open is of him playing with his toys.....looks like he's being the elephant again!
Don't ya' just feel so sorry for the little fella? Even with the stitches, he's about the cutest thing I've ever seen!

Stiches

And I thought my black eye would be the highlight of the weekend! Caleb threw one of his little trains at me on Sat. morning and hit me on the edge of my eye. We have since handled the throwing the toys issue!

However, I was totally wrong to think that my injury would be the best.....we made our first ER trip with Caleb yesterday afternoon! We went with Chris's parents to Scurry (just outside of Kaufman) yesterday to see Chris's dad perform with his band. While they were setting up all their equipment, Caleb was being his normal self running around and playing, being silly like always. Well, he was running towards Chris and tripped. His forehead landed right on the corner of a pew. CRACK! It was a really loud, horrible sound. He, of course, was crying, and at the time I didn't know that he'd hit the corner. He came toward me, and I noticed his head was bleeding a little. I wiped at it to keep it out of his eyes, and here came the flood. We both had blood all over us. At this point, all my nursing training flew out the window! All I knew was that my baby was gushing blood and had this HUGE gash in his head. Chris was coherent enough, though, thankfully! We got it cleaned enough to see that it was way too wide and deep for steri strips. So, off we were to the ER. He now has 5 stiches in his forehead. Poor baby! He did pretty well at the hospital. He screamed while he got his stiches, probably more from being held down than anything else. Since we had ridden with Chris's parents, we had to go back to the church where they were playing. Caleb got TONS of sympathy there! Everyone just doted all over him! We took him to McDonald's for supper before heading home, and you'd never had known anything was wrong with him if it hadn't been for the bandage. (That McD's by the way had the best play place ever!) He's fine now. He just keeps picking at the bandage. So, we've survived our first ER incident. I'm just very thankful it wasn't worse.

So much for a peaceful weekend!

No nap for you!

So, yesterday, my little runt would not take a nap. I tried everything I could think of, and he just wouldn't cooperate! I was bracing myself for a terror child, but he never showed up! Caleb played so hard yesterday, and he never slowed down! Amazingly, he was a pretty good kid. Chris was at work all day and didn't get in till 4 this morning. So, it was just me and Caleb all day long. He did finally crash around 7:15 and slept until almost 7 this morning. I got up with him and let him watch some Veggies so I could sleep some more. Luckily, he was quiet enough to let Chris sleep till about 10. We've even been to the grocery store already! Now we're in for a lazy day hopefully! At least Chris is here today for some of the playtime! I've had the monkey crawling all over me since yesterday!

If you like to talk to tomatoes.....

That's what I'm listening to right now. And Caleb is dancing around singing the Veggie Tales theme song. As tired as I get of these shows, he is too cute when he tries to sing the song! We got the new Larry Boy DVD this week. When I asked Caleb what he wanted to watch this morning, this is what he chose. It's actually not bad! I always like the silly songs, and this one's like an 80s hair band song!

We don't have too much planned today. I'm procrastinating on my last week of homework. I really need to get it done, but I'm having trouble getting motivated! Hopefully, it won't take me too long.

Chris and I got to go out on a dinner date last night. I don't really know why, but it seemed like we hadn't seen each other all week. So, Caleb went with Farrah, Nana, and MeMaw, and we headed to Tyler to Don Juan's. It's my new favorite. Last night was the best yet! We had a good time, and Caleb had a good time getting spoiled! At least he listened to me this morning and slept late (so I could too)! He was ready to play as soon as he got up this morning, so he's been playing hard and stopping occasionally to watch bits of Larry Boy. He's sucha sweetie! He's really bonded with his daddy this week. He keeps asking for him! I don't think he quite understands why we have to go away to work sometimes! Have a great weekend everyone!

Storytime

Chris and I have started reading Caleb a Bible story every night before bedtime. Caleb loves it when we all pile on his bed and read the story. It's really sweet. We'll tell him it's time for his Bible story, and he'll start smiling and, heading to his bed, saying, "BIBLE!" It's too cute! Last night he was more interested in pointing at the pictures andtelling us what was in them than listening to Daddy read, so I took his hand and told him to hold Mommy's hand while Daddy read his story. I guess he thought it was prayer time (since we hold hands while we say prayers), and a minute later he said, "AMEN!" How sweet is that? When it was actually time to say prayers, we told him to bow his head and close his eyes. He got the bowing part down, but I sneaked a glance while we were praying, and he had his head bowed but looking back and forth between Chris and me!

Water Baby

We took Caleb swimming last night after church. He is so precious! At first he was a little timid, but that didn't last long! It took him a minute to remember how much he likes swimming. He floated around with me for a while and then played in Nathan's floatie thing-y for a while. Then he "want down" to play some more. We jumped and played motor boat and played with the "bubbles" (the pump?). Then I taught him how to put his face in the water. I tried teaching him to blow bubbles, but he only got the putting his face in the water part. It was so cute! He was so proud of himself.

Chris's sister and her family were over with us, and my brother-in-law brought pizza after he got off work. I have a huge pizza piggy on my hands! I think he ate almost 2 pieces and almost a whole breadstick! I don't know where he fits it! When I handed him his first slice, he hollared, "PIZZA!" I think I might have a pizza addict here!

He and Chris are home today. Chris told me when he was reading this morning, Caleb went and grabbed one of his books and climbed up on the couch beside Chris so he could ready like his daddy. Chris said it was too cute. I wish I could have seen it!

It's the Weekend!

I just love Fridays! I just wish my little runt of a son would have let me sleep in a little more this morning! He was up and ready to go before 8 this morning; you'd think he'd know the 8:00 rule by now! Oh well....he's still my sweet little man! He hasn't stopped yet this morning either. His trucks, tractor, and trains are getting a work out today! He's just getting too big! He tells me things and remembers things that I just don't think he should be able to do yet! Smarty pants!

Chris is at work today, so we've got the day to ourselves. Luckily, I don't have to clean since my fabulous husband did that yesterday! He even did the laundry (his least favorite thing ever)! Who knows what trouble we'll get into today.......

Vacation

Our trip to Colorado was FANTASTIC! I loved it up there. The weather was great, the scenery was beautiful, and I wasn't at work! We stayed in a cabin on the Taylor River. This picture is right outside our cabin. I thought Caleb was going to dam up the river with the thousands of rocks he enjoyed throwing in the river!

The first two days up there we went 4-wheeling up in the mountains. Chris's uncle and cousin came over and went with us. We had a blast. Of course, we scared my mom to death the first day, and she wouldn't go back the next!
Here we are just after we started up the mountain the first day. Mom was still happy at this point....we hadn't gone over the Devil's Punch Bowl yet! We didn't realize that the trail had gotten really rough, so Mom freaked out when she looked over the edge of a cliff that went straight down to the river!




But, if she hadn't gone, she'd have missed this beautiful shot! How gorgeous are these mountains!? I have so many pretty pictures; I would love to post them all! It started raining just after lunch, and it just so happened that there was a little house in the middle of NOWHERE that sold some historical books and stuff. They had a little covered area on their front porch, so we hung out there while the rain blew over. Then it was back over the punch bowl, and the worst was over! Just after we got over that rough spot, we realized that Mom and Dad had left their camera and cell phone back at that house. SO, off Chris's cousin goes (by himself!) to go back and get their stuff.


So, we got to play by this great water fall for a while. Here's Caleb throwing more rocks in the stream while we waited for Brandon to get back. (By this time, Mom's starting to get a little less irate with us!) Chris and I went exploring and found a beautiful stream and another waterfall, and Caleb kept on throwing his rocks with my mom!

The next day, Mom decided to stay home and hang out at the cabin with Caleb, so the rest of us headed out to ride the 4-wheelers again. Mom really should have come that day; it was much easier! We went all the way to the top of a mountain. It was kind of freaky standing out on the edge looking all the way down! Here we are at the top of the mountain. We're above the snow line and even with the rest of the mountain tops!


After that day, we just did some "touristy" stuff. We went to Black Canyon and did some shopping in Silverton and Gunnison and just hung out at the cabin. The guys did a little fishing in the river. It was pretty relaxing.

This picture was taken at Black Canyon. This spot kind of freaked Mom out, too, since it's so deep! Mom just might not be cut out for the mountains! Too many cliffs! I hated to leave and head home. I don't think I broke a sweat the whole week! The weather was so great. Caleb had a blast. He got to play outside so much. Down here, he gets too hot and sweaty and gets just miserable. He's still talking about throwing the rocks into the water. And, amazingly, he did great on the ride there and back. I'm still singing the silly kids songs that were on the DVDs we had, but that's OK; they kept him entertained!

After we dropped Mom and Dad off, we headed home and stopped for supper in Palestine. While we were eating, I said that Caleb had been so good during the week and especially on the road. Chris agreed with me, and Caleb put his two cents in and said "Amen!" How cute!

Now we're back in the old routine. I miss my vacation! Nothing too exciting has happened so far this week. Last night I let Caleb stay up a little late so he could play with Chris, and when it was time to go to bed, he didn't want me! (He ALWAYS wants me!) He's started saying "I wanna touch you" when he's tired, which means he wants you to snuggle him so he can fiddle with your shirt sleeve till he falls asleep! Last night, however, he wanted Daddy, and he wanted a "story!" So, Chris got to put him down and tell him his story (which Caleb inserts the characters!). It's always about some animals! He's a sweetie!

birthday bash

We are so getting old. I feel bad, but I didn't even get Chris a birthday cake yesterday! I called his family and invited them all to go out to dinner, but I forgot the cake. I don't even know that Chris noticed. And get this......Chris got to pick the place, and he didn't pick some good place that will give you free dessert or anything; he chose Catfish King! So, we went and celebrated there. It was really good! But no yummy dessert for Chris to share with me!

I forgot to blog a funny story yesterday. On Monday while Caleb was at Chris's parents' house, his cousin Nathan was also there. They've gotten to where they fight a lot, and Nathan bit Caleb's arm, BAD! Nathan got in trouble, of course, and he left a mark on Caleb. When I got home, Chris told me about it, and I asked Caleb what Nathan did to him. He grabbed his arm and said, "He bite me......I cry." He remembered it all! I didn't know he'd talk to me in complete sentences this soon! Too smart!

Jealous Man!

Caleb has a jealous streak in him! I can't even sit next to Chris without Caleb trying to get in the middle of us! Last night, I was cuddled up to Chris on the couch, and Caleb was trying to push up apart. I guess he's supposed to be the only man in my life! Once he gets in the middle, it's so cute to see his face. He's got this big "I'm the man" smile on his face; he's so proud of himself for busting us up!

Today is Chris's birthday. Happy 26th! I hate that we can't do a lot of celebrating with me at work and him at school. Oh well, we'll have to celebrate later. I guess that's what happens in the real world!

Manic Monday

This is one of those Mondays that you just don't want to go back to work. I've been off since last Monday, so it was especially hard to get up this morning. Then to top it off I had a staff meeting about nothing to fill up my morning! But enough griping.....

Last week was fantastic! I missed Caleb, but he had a ball with Nana and Pop while Chris and I went to SOAR. It was great seeing friends and great worship. The kids had fun, too! They had never been to anything like that before, so it was fun to experience it with them.

Caleb LOVED the fireworks show on the 4th. I hate that I missed it! My mom said he was just a dancing and squealing about them. He's still talking about it. Out of the blue he'll say "Fireworks.....pretty.....BOOM!" And of course some incomprehensible words in between! He's been talking about Nana and Pop's house too. He'll name off everyone he saw and then start talking about the tractor, the cows, the fish, you name it! It's so cute! He's really starting to remember stuff. He's such a lovable little guy now. He just comes up and grabs me around the neck and hugs on me and gives me his big wet kisses. It just melts me! He's too sweet!

Chris and I are again looking for a new church home. I know God's got something great in store for us; I'm just anxious to find out what it is! We went to a new church yesterday morning, and Chris said it was a good service. I wouldn't know since my little man SCREAMED when I left him in the nursery and wouldn't stop. He did better last night though, and I actually got to go in the sanctuary.

Chris is in school this week, and next week we're off for vacation! YEAH! We're going to Colorado with my parents. Last night, Chris and I were talking about how well we thought Caleb will handle the trip. I, laughingly, said, "Just pray." Caleb then chimed in and said, "AMEN!" How cute is that?

Family time

We went to the zoo in Lufkin today. Caleb had a ball, as usual, and he was such a good boy! It was really hot, though. We took the stroller, but my 5 year-old neice spent more time in it than Caleb! He and his cousin Nathan ran around the whole time. They are so cute together. Now Caleb is sitting next to me hollering, "Mama! Mama!" He's a little grumpy britches! I don't know what it is because he had a decent nap. Anyway, we had a great time today. Chris wanted to spend some time together before we go out of town next week without Caleb. He's going to my parents' house while we take some kids from our church to a conference. I'm going to miss the little booger!

busy busy

It's been a busy week! We're minus a nurse now at work, so I've been having to fill in clinic instead of just sitting at my desk! At least it's Thurs! Not much is happening with us at the moment. Caleb has become a morning man. YUCK! He woke up again at 6:30 this morning. We're getting ready for work, and he's making a fuss! Hopefully, he'll let me sleep in tomorrow!

Crazy Teenagers!

We took a few girls to Dallas this weekend for the Youth Evangelism Conference. It was fun, loud, but fun! The girls are all 13-14 years old, and my ears got tired from listening to them! They talked all the way to Dallas! I even called my mom to see if I was like that when I was with my friends when we were teenagers. She gave me a resounding YES! I don't remember being that girly, but I know we did like to talk! Anyway, we had a great time listening to great bands and speakers, and I know the girls liked it, too. One of the mothers told me that her daughter talked non-stop about it for an hour after we got home Sat. evening.

Caleb got to go spend the night with my parents. My niece was in cheerleading camp last week, and they went to the pep rally on Fri. Emily's 3, so this was her first camp, and she got the spirit stick! She was so excited and had to tell me all about it when I called to check on Caleb Fri. evening. He had a ball at Nana and Pop's house. I think my parents have just as much fun with him ( or watching him act all crazy)!

Last night Chris's mom kept him while we went to church. Lucky for us, she cooked supper while we were gone, so we got to mooch off her good cooking last night! She made some cream peas, and I loved them! I'm not much of a pea eater usually, but these were good. When we were getting ready to go, Caleb was being a "big kid" running around outside with his cousins. He was getting so dirty, but it was too cute! I was about to take him in to get a bath before we left, but Chris's mom asked if he could spend the night. YEAH! I got to sleep late this morning and didn't have to go right back out there early today. So, when I left he was kicking up the sand with the other kids, not even caring that we were leaving. It's always more fun at the grandparents' houses!

Rough & Tough

Caleb loves to play. He's definitely all boy. I went to pick him up last night, and he was in the floor playing with Bria, my niece. He was jumping all over her and wrestling. When he'd roll off her, he'd look up at me and say, "It's fun!" He's such a mess! He wrestled with Chris a while last night, too. They're too cute together. Caleb loves his daddy.

We went for a walk last night after supper. There were a couple of women walking over there too. Caleb, of course, had to be a big flirt! He told them hi and smiled and then almost broke his neck turning around in his stroller to watch them! Watch out girls! I've got a ladykiller on my hands!

He went right to sleep after our walk, so that was nice. He's been really hard to get down lately. Then he woke up this morning in a terrible mood. I was about to get in the shower and get ready for work. Chris is off today, so I took him into our room, and he wanted nothing to do with Chris. He wanted me this morning. I sat with him a minute, but by the time I got out of the shower he was crying for me again! So, Chris got up with him, and they started playing. I was forgotten. Daddy's great to play with, but he wants to cuddle with his mom!

Here are some pics of Evan in the hospital and one of Caleb playing with my brother.

Hello, Evan!

My sis-in-law (brother's wife) had her baby yesterday! Little Evan showed up yesterday afternoon and weighed 7 lb, 13 oz. and was 18 in. long. He's too cute! We went to see him at the hospital last night when I got off work. I was holding him and trying to remember Caleb being that small! Time flies! Emily is a proud big sis. She even has the shirt! I'll have to remember my camera tomorrow so I can post some pics. Caleb didn't know what to think about the baby. He doesn't have the whole gentle thing down too well yet, so he didn't get to come near Evan! Every time he'd come over, he'd try to swing at him to pet him like he does the dog! Luckily, he and Emily were distracted by my brother's hospital bed. They found the button on the end that makes it go up and down. That was way more fun than playing with a baby! We finally had to unplug the bed, or it would have never ended! I wish we lived closer to them. I could just cuddle with Evan all day!

Missing the Weekend

We had a great weekend. Chris had to work Fri., and I needed to go to campus for some help with my class, so my mom came over to play with Caleb. We headed to Tyler, and while I was having no fun with my prof, Mom and Caleb played at the park for a while and then checked out the lake on campus and played with the ducks (quack! quack!). Nothing like being spoiled by Nana! Then we had lunch at Olive Garden where Caleb tore up some salad, bread, and spaghetti. It's hard to believe he can handle his own plate already! His favorite food, I think, is spaghetti, and he stuffs himself when he eats it! He was so cute Fri. that Mom had to get her camera out and take pics!

After Tyler, Mom had to head home; luckily Caleb had conked out on the way home, so all I had to do was put him in his bed. (No fighting to take nap!) Then I got to work on my school work. We had VBS program Fri. evening. Caleb loved the music but got restless when anyone spoke. He was so cute getting his certificate! Of course, after he got his, he thought he needed to take some little girl's too!

Sat. was relaxing. We didn't do anything! That NEVER happens! It was raining and a great day to stay inside and watch movies. Too bad I had to finish my assignment! I finished by lunch though and got to watch a chick flick while Caleb was napping and Chris was studying for his sermons.

Yesterday, Chris preached at a church outside of Nacogdoches. His friend is the preacher there, but he was out of town. We had been to this church before, so it was nice to see the people again. They're so nice! Caleb had a big time in the nursery. There was another boy about his age there, and they played trucks together. We went to Lufkin for lunch. Caleb was a sleepy terror during lunch. He fell asleep as soon as we got back in the car. Too bad we didn't have a relaxing lunch! We drove around exploring while he slept, and I got to do a little shopping (no luck!) until he woke up. Then we decided to let him run some of his energy off. There's a little play area in the Lufkin Mall, and he thought he was such a big boy! He ran around with all those kids and had a big time. When some big kids started acting crazy in there, it was time to move on. There's also an arcade in the mall. We thought he might like to ride those little trucks/bus/etc., but he really didn't like it yesterday. But, there was this balloon thing that he loved. It's just like a cage with tons of balloons in it, and fans blowing them all around. He had a blast chasing those balloons and running around. Luckily, he only popped one!

After church last night, we headed to our niece Emily's birthday party. She turned 5 yesterday. It was crazy and loud, and it was just family! So much for a peaceful Father's Day! I think Chris enjoyed his day even though it was busy. It's kind of hard to celebrate on the road!

Now I'm wishing I had one more day to hang out with my family. Oh well, back to the grinding stone!

Jump!

I've just been informed by my mother that I haven't blogged today, so here goes.....

Caleb has a favorite song at VBS. You get to jump around in it. The chorus starts out "jump to the left and jump to the right," and that's Caleb's favorite part. When the music comes on he starts saying "Jump! Jump!" He kind of jumps by himself, but he really likes it when I pick him up and "jump" him. He likes it when Chris holds him and jumps, too. It's really cute! He even claps to the beat. He's so smart! When all the kids start clapping and hollering, he does, too. He wants to be as big as they are!

Of course he's been going to bed late with VBS this week, and by the time we got in bed last night, I was exhausted. I laid down with him to sing to him, and he was wired. He kept sitting up and looking around and talking to me. Then he looked over me and saw his boat on the floor. He said, "Boat" (emphasis on the t) and pointed to it. Then he said, "I get it?" When I told him no, he kept repeating himself over and over and finally got frustrated with me. Little stubborn man! I told Chris he gets that from his side! I'm NEVER stubborn:)

Now I have 8 more minutes till the weekend! YEAH!!!!!!!!!!

VBS

Our church is having VBS this week. He went on Mon. and loved it! He was running around and dancing and clapping to the music. He loves the crowd! He even made a craft; it was the cutest one there! I'm in charge of crafts this year. I just love crafts! I think I have just as much fun making the stuff as the kids. The theme this year is SonCreek Junction; it's like an old west gold mining town. Can you see Chris in a cowboy hat? And with his shorts on? It's an amusing sight! He's doing the wrap up at the end. Last night he was the story teller, and he said he did OK until the 3-5 year olds came in. They scare him! He said he thought that at any time they could just run him over! Drama Queen! Caleb didn't go last night because there was no one to watch him. Chris's mom is over the babies (which translates into Caleb, Nathan, and one other boy), and she didn't feel well last night. So, he didn't get to work the crowd last night. He'll be back tonight! I think this is just going to wear me out. I don't get home until after 9, and then I have to get some stuff done around the house before bed. Luckily, I have the bestest husband on the planet; he was off yesterday and cleaned the house! YEAH!

Other than VBS, there's not much to report. Caleb is getting too big. At night I usually sing to him when I put him in bed. Well, the night before last I didn't start singing right off. Caleb started humming the song! He was waiting on me to sing to him! How sweet! I think he's going to love music. He was watching his Praise Baby DVD yesterday, and Chris told me he started singing one of the songs. How smart is my little dude?

With my crazy schedule this week, I haven't really had time to stay on top of school. So I'm off to read and start working on this week's assignment. That I will pass this class can definitely be put on your prayer list; I'm really freaking out over it!

All Aboard!

We took Caleb to ride the choo-choo on Friday. We rode the Texas State Railroad from Rusk to Palestine. He loved it! He was so excited when he got to the depot. He was running all around yelling "choo-choo!" and pointing at it. How cute!
Here we are before the ride. Caleb's stuffing his face with a gingerbread cookie that Papa bought him.








This picture is when we first started going. Caleb's pointing out all the trees and the cows.









Caleb's waiting for the other train to come. About halfway, we met the train that leaves from Palestine. Our train pulled off on a little side track, so the other one could pass.

Don't we look like we're having fun? Chris's sister took this one of us with our heads hanging out the train (something we weren't supposed to be doing of course!).

After a picnic in the park in Palestine and a trip to the gift shop where we found a magnet with Caleb's name on a train (and he got to play with all the toys), we were headed to Fairfield.

My big 10-year reunion was this weekend. It was a lot of fun, and I got to see people I haven't seen in forever! We had a family get together at the park on Sat. morning. Caleb had a blast playing on the playground. He even found a girlfriend.


This is my friend Kayla's little girl, Caroline. I guess Caleb's going to like 'em older, just like his daddy! It's so crazy to see all these people you grew up with with their own kids.

Then we had the big party Sat. night without the kids. I'm glad so many people showed up, but I wish there could have been more. We had such a good time. Chris was even surprised that he knew so many people and had several people to talk to! It was fun reminiscing about old times, and Kathleen and the decorating committee had put old pictures all over the place. Even the music brought back memories! Since it was at the Country Club, I kept thinking about all our jr. high dances. This time, however, the boys and girls weren't on opposite sides of the room! My, how we've grown up! ;)

Here's our "class" picture. Some of the people had already left by this time. Too bad I won't see some of these folks for ten more years. We should do this more often!

Girfriend

Caleb has met his first "love!" Her name is Audrey, and she's one of our neighbors. She's a pretty little girl, and she'll be 2 in a couple of weeks. They were playing together on the playground last night, and it was so sweet! Caleb kept going up to Audrey and hugging on her! He loves the women! I think he was trying to impress her, too, because he kept running around with his chest all puffed out and speaking his little "Caleb-ese" sentences! They had a good time together. My poor son, however, was not exactly fashion conscious in his diaper and tennis shoes! He didn't seem to mind! Then he decided to become a little exhibitionist. He decided he was tired of wearing his diaper and just took it off....twice! The first time I was right there and caught him, but the second time he got it off and started running around the playground in just his shoes! It was funny whenever he saw Audrey's daddy talking to Chris, he immediately covered himself up with his hands! Where did he learn that one???? We decided then that it was time to go in and get bathed and ready for bed. He'd done enough craziness for the day! Before we left, though, he had to go over to Audrey and hug on her some more and tell her "Bye!" Is this indicative of what I'm in for later on??????

Copy Cat

I'm really going to have to start watching what I say around Caleb. He's well on his way to being one of those kids who repeat everything their parents say! I was in the bathroom brushing my hair, and I needed something from Chris, so I called, "Honey!" Caleb laughed and started saying, "Hon-ney! Hon-ney!" and thought he was so cute. When Chris came around the corner, he looked up at him and said, "Hon-ney!" He's becoming quite the little copy cat!

Last night we went over to Chris's Nana's house to say good-bye to his uncle and cousin. They're headed back to Colorado right now. Caleb was making a great fashion statement running around in a diaper and sandals! He and Nathan got into a screaming contest. They both sounded like little girls! They've gotten to where they fight a lot sometimes, and last night they fought about who got to go down the slide or play with the ball or whatever! Sometimes they just love each other, but not last night! Then Nathan was going swimming with his family down at Chris's uncle's house, so Chris decided to take Caleb. I didn't have my suit, so I didn't want to go in my scrubs! Caleb loved it for about 5 minutes. Then he thought that I needed to be in the water with him. When I didn't join in the fun, he started whining. He LOVES the water, but didn't want anything to do with it last night! So, Chris got in for nothing! Oh well!

When we got home, Caleb got a special treat. He got to watch his Noah's Ark animal video....in our room! He had his little snack and was sitting up in the bed looking like he'd just won the lottery! The DVD player for the living room (the PS2) is at Chris's parents' house right now, so we let him up in our bed for a while. He had to tell us all the animals and their noises, all the while stuffing his little mouth with his food and juice! I bet he thought he was going to get to stay there for the night, but he got shipped to his bed as soon as it was over! He likes his space just as much as I like mine!

Blur

The last week has just passed by in a blur. I don't even remember what was happening the last time I blogged! I was sick all last week with some kind of head cold/sinus stuff/whatever. I took all kinds of sinus/allergy medication, and finally I took some benadryl Thurs. night and knocked myself out. I felt hung over the next day, but at least my eyes weren't watering! We had a discipleship retreat with the kids this weekend. It was fun. I had some crazy girls! They stayed up all night Fri. night and were pretty useless Sat. morning. We had a good time though.

When we wrapped things up Sat. evening, we went to a couple of the girls' dance recital. Luckily, we had Caleb, so we couldn't stay long! My girls were the fourth number, so we were out of there in 30 minutes! Chris and I didn't want to go home, so we went for a drive. Caleb was chilling in the backseat watching Ice Age, and we hit the road. It was nice to see some scenery that I've never seen and have some time to talk with my man!

Caleb is trying to carry on whole conversations now. He just babbles and babbles, and I get a few of the words, but he thinks he's speaking in whole paragraphs! It's too cute. We went to Mercado's with the family last night. Chris's family from Colorado is about to head home, so we all went to eat together. I think there were 18 of us. Poor waitress! We had a good time, and of course, the tortillas were fantastic! Caleb was such a good boy, too! He's been kind of cranky lately when we go out to eat, so this was a good break! He was a little pig, too! He stuffed himself on tortillas, beans, and rice! Then he topped it off with an ice cream cone, which he eats from the bottom up. Luckily, he didn't make a huge mess.

For me to have been feeling so nasty, I didn't get a break! I wish I had a day off to recuperate!

Fun Times

We had a blast this weekend. Chris's uncle and cousin from Colorado came in for a visit, so we spent some time out at Nana's house this weekend. We had a big cookout Sun. after church with the whole clan. It was a lot of fun. The kids wanted to go swimming after lunch, and Caleb and I joined in. He loved the water! He was so cute kicking and splashing and laughing. We had a ball out there. After a quick nap, Chris, Caleb, and I went riding on the 4-wheeler. Of course, he loved that too! I definitely have an outdoors man on my hands! Then we played a little while outside and then went swimming again! Chris joined us this time, and Caleb loved playing with his daddy. It's so much fun to see his face when he experiences something new.

Yesterday wasn't as action-packed, but we had a good family day. We were pretty lazy for most of the morning. Then we headed to Tyler. Lunch at Fazoli's was funny. Caleb had spaghetti everywhere! When I cleaned his hands and face, you'd think I was beating him with the show he put on! I've never seen anyone hate having his face and hands wiped so bad! We messed around Tyler for a while. Chris and Caleb did some bonding at Gander Mountain and Best Buy while I shopped for a new outfit at the mall. I can't believe I actually found what I was looking for! When we got in, we got lazy again! We did a movie night, Chris's choice. So I got my fill of manly movies last night! (At least I liked it!) We watched 2 Indiana Jones movies.

Now I'm back at work (yuck!) and even worse, I'm having sinus problems! Too bad I wasn't sick enough to stay home!

Come on 4-day Weekend!

Can you tell I'm glad it's Thursday? And what's even better......Monday is a holiday! So, I get a 4-day weekend! I'm not excited or anything! Not much has been happening with us this week. Caleb continues to be totally in love with tractors and "choo-choos." Every time we go out to my in-laws house or when I pick him up, he starts talking about his Papa's tractor. He's started talking in full sentences occasionally, and one he's perfected is, "I wanna ride tractor." Is he super smart or what? Of course, his Papa takes him for a ride almost daily when he's out there! When we go to church, the train tracks are across the road, and every time we pull up he starts pointing to the tracks and saying "Choo-choo!" He really gets excited when the train comes by! I guess he'll follow in his cousins' (Tim and Adam) footsteps! I never saw anyone love trains like they did!

We were out at church late last night. One of our boys asked to talk with Chris, and Chris led him to the Lord! YEAH! We've been praying for that kid. So, after Chris finished talking, we stopped by his parents' house for supper. (I love it when my mom-in-law cooks on Wed. nights!) By that time, it was getting late, and they asked if Caleb could "sleep in the middle." That's their special place for the grandkids-right between them! Of course, we didn't mind because that meant we didn't have to turn right around and come back this morning! So, I got an extra 30 min. sleep this morning. And you all know how I love my sleep! I do miss my little man during the week, but like I said, I've got 4 days with him now! Have a great Memorial Day weekend!

Sand Angels

When I went to get Caleb last night, he was covered head to toe in sand! My 5-year old niece, Emily, was "helping" my mother-in-law watch him yesterday, and they were playing outside. Emily decided it was time to teach Caleb how to do "sand angels!" He, of course, followed everything she did because he loves playing with "Mimmy." I'm told he just rolled around in the sand! Obviously, he had a blast! Caleb loves it outside. I don't think I'll have issues getting him out to play! He had to have a bath before I'd put him in the car!

His latest thing is not wanting to go to bed. He's already learned that, "Mom, one glass of water" thing. You know how we used to ask for just one more glass of water before bed because we were sooo dehydrated? Well, Caleb now, every night while we're doing the bedtime thing, says, "Mama! Wanna cracker." He'll repeat and repeat, even though there's no way he's hungry! He does that every night! I think he's started early! Lucky for me, Caleb wanted his daddy last night when it was bedtime. That NEVER happens! He thinks he needs to cuddle with me before he can go to sleep. But not last night! Chris loved it because Caleb so rarely will cuddle with him. Daddy has become the person who plays with him, not the one to cuddle with! So, Chris and Caleb had some good bonding last night. And...I got to watch the rest of the movie I'd started!

Not So Relaxing Weekend

I got an extended weekend....Caleb woke up at 1:30am Wed. night with a fever. He wouldn't go back to sleep and was whiny/crying, so around 4:30, we packed up in the car and went for a ride so his daddy could get some sleep before having to get up for work. I, obviously, called in on Thurs. You know Caleb isn't feeling well if he doesn't sleep through the night! He is my child! He finally went to sleep around 5:30, and we went home just in time for Chris to get up. His fever came and went all day Thurs. and into Fri. so I took him to the doctor Fri. morning. Of course, as soon as I did that, he started feeling better! Now he's back to his old self being too cute and silly!

Saturday we messed around the house for most of the day. Chris had to go into work for a couple of hours and do a case (he was on call for surgery). Then we decided to get out of the house for a while. I'd been holed up there since Thurs.! We went to Tyler and checked out the new Gander Mountain. It's not nearly as nice as the one in Corsicana, but Chris got his fix! We piddled around Tyler and tried out a new restaurant, Carreta's. All I can say is the tortillas were fantastic. Other than that, not so great!

Yesterday, we made a flying trip to see my niece Emily in her dance recital. She was so cute! She's only 3, so you can imagine a bunch of little 3-year old girls on stage! I'm a proud aunt, though, and I thought she stole the show! We got to hang out with the parents and my brother and sis-in-law for a while, and that was fun. We even got to get some refreshing at my old church last night. It was nice to go somewhere different. I just love my old pastor. He is so passionate about Christ, and that translates into his preaching. It was a great night.

So here I am back at work, and already looking forward to Thurs. Then it's a 4 day weekend!

Sleepy-head

Little Man didn't want to take his nap yesterday. He slept from his grandparents' house to ours last night after I picked him up, and then he was crazy grumpy when we got home! He finally calmed down some, and Chris wanted to go celebrate being done with school, so we went out to eat. Bad idea! Caleb did NOT want to sit and eat. He wasn't hungry and just wanted to get up. He screamed and cried and had this huge fit in the restaurant. I felt bad because I knew he was exhausted, but I was also really embarrassed to have this crazy kid with me! Chris and I ended up eating in shifts, not much of a celebration! Then when we got home, Caleb wouldn't go to sleep! He decided it was playtime! Can anyone explain this???? I have a goofy son!

The good news...Chris is done with his first year of seminary! He says he did OK on his tests yesterday, so that's a huge blessing!

Caleb changed faces this morning; he was my precious little guy, not my monster! He woke up while we were going out to his grandparents' house. He was just a talking and singing. This from the kid who didn't sleep nearly long enough last night! Then he gave me some good loving before I handed him off to his MeMaw. He's started crying when I leave, so that's pretty hard. But, he'd stopped before I even got the door shut because MeMaw was giving him some breakfast! Guess he won't miss me too much!

Last Day

Today is Chris's last day of school! Halfway finished! Yeah! He said this morning's test was hard but not as brutal as last night's. Two more to go, and he's on summer vacation. I think I need a summer vacation!

He was already home when Caleb and I got in last night. So he took a break, and we all went outside to play. Caleb had such a good time playing with his daddy. They are so fun together! Chris would sneak up behind Caleb (while Caleb was trying to find him), and when Caleb would see Chris, he'd scream (his girly, high-pitched scream!) and run to me. It was so funny! The other kids thought they'd get in on the game, too, but they just scared Caleb. He did not like them chasing him!

After Chris went back to studying, we had such a relaxing night. Caleb had already had a bath before I picked him up, so all we had to do to get ready for bed was brush teeth. He was so tired from playing hard all day. He went to sleep VERY easily (a big change from the last few nights!), and I even had time to do my nails before bed. How rarely does that happen??? When I was trying to do my nails over the weekend, he kept jumping on my head, back, whatever! So, last night was nice and peaceful!

Happy "Day After Mother's Day!"

I had a great Mother's Day weekend. It's kind of fun being a mom! Saturday, Caleb and I went to see my mom. Chris stayed behind to study and go to his sister's graduation. My sis-in-law is now (almost, once she passes boards) Farrah, RDH! She graduated from dental hygiene school. Yeah, Farrah! Anyway, Mom, Chappie, and I went to this mother-daughter tea thing at Mom's church. Good food......not a lot of entertainment. But I got to talk to a lot of people I haven't seen in a while. Caleb had a great time playing with Pop and Grandma.

Yesterday, I was the youngest mom in church! Never thought that would happen. You can definitely tell I go to church with older people for me to be the youngest mom! Caleb got me a great present: a necklace and a gift certificate for a mani/pedi! The guys of the family were supposed to be cooking us moms lunch yesterday, and somehow I got a blister on my finger from the scorching hot potatoes I was fixing! I have to pick on Chris for that because he was really going to help! Oh well, we told the guys that they could cook for Father's Day! After lunch, we decided that since it was Mother's Day they could keep the kids, and we'd go to the movies. So Farrah, Helen, and I jumped in the cool minivan and headed out to see Just My Luck. I really thought it would be funnier, but it was worth my $4! (I love matinees!)

Chris is in finals today and tomorrow. I can't believe he's already half way through with school! It's just flying by! Ya'll keep him in your prayers during finals!

Screamer

Does every kid go through the stage where they just scream to hear themselves scream? Caleb has figured out how to scream like a little girl, you know, that piercing, headache-giving kind of scream. All this week he just starts screaming. When he gets upset, he screams. When he's playing, he screams. It's crazy! I sure hope he outgrows this soon! Oh, for the days when he was a quiet child.....

Caleb and Daddy are having some bonding time today. Chris is off work, and I wish I could be! It was not easy getting out of bed this morning! At least this is the last day of my work week! Hopefully, I'll get to sleep in tomorrow. I don't know what I'll do if I ever have to start working 5 days in a week!

Hope you all have a great Mother's Day weekend!

Little Monster

I don't know what's gotten into my little man in the last couple of days! He can go from being the sweetest thing you've ever seen to the worst little monster in the blink of an eye! Last night we went to Farrah's pinning ceremony. She's graduating from dental hygiene school this weekend. Caleb was a monster from the time I hopped in the car! He didn't want to sit still (of course, he is only 18 months old!), and he was so loud while we were standing outside the auditorium! He had seen this big fountain outside on our way in, and he kept going to the window and saying "Water!" So, finally after I saw Farrah get her pin, we went outside to the water. I let him take his socks and shoes off and put his toes in the water, and we threw a few pennies in, too. He had a blast for these few minutes. I kind of felt bad because when the other kids out there saw Caleb in the water, they wanted to take their shoes off, too! He screamed and hollared when it was time to go, and I knew he was probably hungry, but when we got to Cheddar's, he didn't eat much. He did, however, disrupt most of the other people around us with his whining! I think we just waited too long, and then he was too pooped to eat! I finally laid his little head on my shoulder and rocked him a bit, and he went straight to sleep. Then we were talking about how sweet he is. Can you believe it? I have a crazy night fighting with the little monster, and I still think he's about the sweetest little guy on the planet! I guess that's what love is......He really must have been wiped out because he didn't make a sound all night!

Wacky Weekend

Well, the weekend got off to a rough start, but it was great! When I got home from work Thurs. night, we discovered that the plumbing was messed up AGAIN! So, we decided that we'd just go to my parent's house a night early! Mom and Dad were, of course, thrilled that we were coming early, but by the time we finally made it over there, Caleb was zonked for the night.

Friday we messed around town and went for a drive and ended up at Gander Mountain in Corsicana. I think Chris had that in mind the whole time! Caleb loved it and ran all over the store. He really liked all the animals and kept pointing them out and making their noises. We had a great family meal that night and then went out to feed the fish. Caleb and Emily were too cute. They were walking together holding hands....a perfect Kodak moment.....and I didn't have my camera! Mom got a picture, though, so I'll have to get a copy! After playing in the dirt with Emily and getting jealous when I held Wade, he was pooped! Always fun times at Nana and Pop's house!

Saturday we headed down to the "holy land" (College Station). We had an ABS reunion, and it was so great to see all my old A&M buddies. I can't believe we all have kids now! We had a good time catching up and hanging out. Caleb was such a good boy, too. He worked the room, of course! And, he only got in trouble for being mean to another kid once! Too bad we didn't have time to eat some Freebird's or Wings! It doesn't seem like I've been gone that long, but it's totally different down there, and we're all so grown up now! What happened?????

As of now, our plumbing still isn't fixed, so we've been staying with Chris's parents again. Hopefully, it'll get fixed today, and we can go home. Maybe this time it'll stay fixed for more than a week!

Sweetie-pie

I love it when Caleb cuddles with me! Wednesdays are always crazy busy for us. I don't get off till 6 and then head to church, and last night Chris was at the hospital till a little after 6, so we barely got to say "hi" to each other before church started. I got us a little supper to chomp down, and Caleb decided it was more fun to throw his chicken on the floor! By the way, church was great last night; Chris brought a fantastic message to the kids!

When we got home, I knew Caleb would be a little hungry, so he had some milk before we got ready for bed. Then he crawled up into my lap, cuddled up, and went to sleep. So sweet! I love holding him. It's the rare occasion nowadays that he'll sit still long enough for me to hold him. I guess he's just becoming a big boy! Mom's about to take the back seat! Oh well, I'll take these moments when I can get them!

Now, I'm looking for the end of the day. I'm ready for the weekend. I've actually been busy today and have a lot of work to get done today! This should be a fun weekend. We'll see my family tomorrow, and then head to College Station on Sat. to catch up with friends from A&M. Have a great weekend!

Hump-day

I've finally made it to Wednesday, and I am completely unmotivated! (Like I'm ever really motivated!) I'm already thinking about getting tomorrow over with! I really need to work on this attitude towards my job!

Anyway, we've had a pretty event-free week so far, which is a good thing in my opinion! Caleb and I had a good time last night while Chris was in school. We talked on the phone with my mom. Caleb was so cute; he would say "Nana! Nana!" and then hold the phone really close and listen to her talking. Then he tried to give her kisses through the phone! How sweet! Of course, Mom said she'd like some real kisses from her favorite grandson! We'll see her this weekend, so she can get her fill of him then!

This morning Caleb was wide awake after I put him in the car. He usually goes right back to sleep. Today he talked to me the whole time. "Car.....truck.....cow" and lots of other stuff I couldn't quite understand! I took him to Chris's Nana's house for the morning, and he just loves it there. She "super spoils" him! She lines up all the toys for him to play with and takes him out to see the dogs and the cows. And, she feeds him anything he wants! If he stayed there too much, he'd be a little porker! They were out checking out the dogs when I left him this morning, so I'm sure he's having a great time! I guess that's the great-grandmother's job....to really, really spoil the grandbabies!

Wrestle-Mania!

My little man loves to wrestle! When I got home from work, we had supper, and then he "helped" me clean up. We did the dishes and picked up around the house, and whenever I was taking stuff from the living room to another room, he had to hold my hand and go with me. He's so sweet! It took me a little longer, but that's OK! Then it was wrestle time! He jumped all over me and just laughed and laughed. When I would go at him like I was going to tickle him, he'd laugh and run away. Then he'd turn around and come back for more! We had a great time while his daddy was in class. Luckily, Chris got out of class early last night. Caleb was in the bath at the time, but as soon as he was done, it was wrestle time with Daddy! I must say, it's more fun to watch them than to be part of the wrestling!

Caleb was having so much fun he didn't want to go to sleep. We did our usual routine, and he was soooo sleepy. I hadn't taken him to his bed yet, and he kept walking back and forth between Chris and me. He'd sit in our laps for a minute and would get up so he wouldn't fall asleep! He didn't want to miss a thing!

Long Weekend

I get spoiled when I have long weekends! I took Thurs. off to spend some time with Chris and Caleb. We had a good day even though we didn't accomplish much! I even got to spend some time pampering myself! I had a gift certificate for a manicure/pedicure, and it was fantastic! Of course, within 5 minutes of being home, Caleb stepped on both of my big toes and smudged the pretty flowers they put on my toes! Oh well, they look a little wilted now, but it's still nice. I think I should do that once a month!

I got in some girly bonding time on Friday. I went to Canton with my mom, aunt, and one of Mom's friends. It was a fun day.... and stress-free without Caleb! Chris and Caleb had some manly bonding time while I was gone. Canton was great...no crowds, great weather, and of course great shopping!

The whole weekend was pretty lazy. So nice! It seems we haven't been home in forever! I had a great time playing with my little man and spending some time with my honey! Caleb is too cute as usual. We went grocery shopping at Wal-Mart last night after church. When we walked by the toy section, Chris saw one of those Power Wheels 4-wheelers out. He put Caleb on it, and he loved it! Once he figured out how to press the gas pedal, there was no stopping him! Chris had to handle the steering, and they went all over the toy section. He had so much fun. Of course, getting him off the 4-wheeler was not so fun!

Now it's back to work! Have a great week!

Icky Nasty Part 2

The plumber never showed up yesterday! So we got to stay out at Chris's parents' house again last night. Chris came by work to see me after he packed up some more clothes, and Caleb was with him. He was such a show-off for the ladies! He was talking and laughing up a storm with them. The last few times he's been here, he's been so shy. Not this time! He's such a ham!

Today's my Friday! I'm taking tomorrow off. I thought I needed a holiday, so tomorrow I'm celebrating something! Chris is on spring break this week, so we're going to have a family day tomorrow. Don't know what we're going to do, but I'm sure we'll have a good time! I just hope my plumbing gets fixed today! Have a great weekend!

Icky Nasty!

So, what's the worst problem you can have in your home? Right now, I think that answer is plumbing! We started having some issues yesterday morning, and Chris thought he could fix the problem pretty easily. You know, our place is ancient and doesn't have the best pipes! Come to find out, our neighbors were having problems too. Our building is like a duplex, so from my understanding, we share some of the same pipes. Well, they had already scheduled a plumber to come in today, so we put our place on the agenda, too! I had no desire to stay in that nastiness, so off we went to Chris's parents house for the night. I hated that my neighbors don't have family nearby, and they went to a hotel. It was kind of exciting to watch some TV. It's become a luxury to us these days. We don't watch much, so we didn't set up our satellite over here. So we got to watch TV on the big screen last night. It was a pretty relaxing night. Caleb was in a good mood. I think Chris did more watching, and I did more giggling with Caleb! It seemeed like everything I did was funny last night. I just love his laugh! It's really cute when I tickle him. I must say, watching him is loads more fun that watching anything on the TV!

Quack! Quack!

We had a great time this weekend in Houston. I went for my scholarship interview Fri. afternoon, and I got it! There's some of my school paid for! Then we headed down to Robin and Matt's. It was great to catch up and hang out with friends. That doesn't happen very often!

Sat. morning we headed to the park to feed the ducks. Apparently their neighborhood is a bird sanctuary. There are tons of ducks and other birds there. Caleb had a blast feeding the ducks. At first, there were only a few ducks, but after all the "quacking" started, we were joined by several more ducks and birds. Caleb kept saying "Quack! Quack!" at the ducks. Too cute! We taught him how to throw the bread at the ducks, and he got a big kick out of that. I think Chris and I had more fun, though. We found out if you throw the bread in the air, the birds will catch it in midair. We had a lot of fun.

After feeding the ducks and playing at the playground, we headed to Kemah. I just love it down there! We walked along the boardwalk, and Caleb kept pointing out all the boats to us. There were tons of boats going in and out of the bay! After a quick bite to eat, we hit the rides. We all rode the train, and Caleb and I rode the carousel. He loved the "choo-choo", which he kept saying the whole time we were riding it! He wasn't so sure about the carousel at first; he kept reaching at me and grabbing my shirt, but by the end he was smiling and having a big time. He thought he was so big riding his zebra! After all that excitement, he was pooped! It was time to head back here anyway, so at least he slept a good part of the drive home!

I just love weekends like this one. It's fun to introduce Caleb to new things. I just love it! It's so much fun to spend time with my family. I love my boys! This week is Chris's spring break, so I'm taking a holiday on Thurs. Only 3 workdays this week! Too bad he has to work the weekend though. At least I'll get to see him Thurs! Have a great week, everyone!

Sandman

Not that there was ever any doubt, but Caleb is definitely "all boy!" While he was out at his grandparents' house yesterday, they were out playing outside. They've been doing some work to their yard, so there's plenty of sand to play in. Well, Caleb apparently was rolling (literally rolling!) around in the dirt and would keep getting on his belly and sticking out his tongue into the sand! Where did he pick this habit up? Who knows! Then he had to pick up the sand and pour it all over himself! My mother-in-law told me he was completely covered before it was all over! He had just had a bath when I picked him up, so he was nice and clean for me, but I could tell he'd been playing hard because there was still a little sand in his ear!

Then he wanted to play in the dirt at church, too! He got mad when I wouldn't let him. I didn't want to give him another bath! So he occupied himself picking me flowers and grass. It's so exciting to grab a handful of grass, you know. He's such a sweetie. He would come up to me with a flower and say, "Flower." After I would tell him thank you, he said, "You're welcome!" I surely hope these good manners last! I'm sure we'll have to keep working on them for the next 18 years or so!

Well, now we're gearing up for our big trip to Houston tomorrow. I have a scholarship interview tomorrow, and then we're going to hang out with Matt and Robin! Fun stuff here we come!

Out of Shape!

I must really be getting old! I've been trying (not too hard!) to eat better and get some exercise. How hard is that with an 18 month old? He won't let me do aerobics at home, so I'm doing the walking thing. Last night I threw him in his stroller, and off we went. There's a great place to walk at the schools across the street. I didn't realize how many hills were over there though! I've walked over there with Chris before, but I guess last night was the first night I've pushed the stroller. I'm too out of shape! And to think that this time last year I was doing step aerobics 3 times a week at the church! It's just gone downhill since moving to J'ville! Anyway, Caleb wanted to talk the whole time. He was telling me about all the stuff around him. We did our animal sounds and all that. Then he turned around in his stroller and looked up at me and put his finger up to his mouth and "shh"ed me! Where did he learn that? I think he might have been gearing up for "This Little Light of Mine" because then his finger turned into his light! So here I am, going up a hill and panting "This Little Light of Mine" with him! He tends to change verses in the middle of the song, and he went from shining his light to hiding it under the bushel "NO!" to not letting Satan blow it out (blowing his finger of course!). I'm sure if there had been people near us it would have been a funny picture!

After we made it back to the house, I was doing my weights, and he actually didn't bother me much during that part. However, when it was time for crunches, he decided to sit on my belly! He thought it was so funny! Oh, the joys of exercising with babies!

Smarty-pants!

My little man is getting too smart! It's amazing how much his vocabulary is growing. After the monster Caleb went away last night (grumpy hungry man!), he was such a sweetie. It's amazing what a few chicken nuggets will do! Anyway, he wanted to play in his room last night after supper. He led me in there and proceeded to point to most every picture in his books, the tractor on his bed, and anything else he could find and tell me what it was! How smart is my little man? I just love to watch him learning all these new things. Wouldn't it be great if we had that same sense of awe about our world? Then he was determined that there was a "choo-choo" outside his window. You can hear the train from our house but not see it. So he was trying to look out his window and kept saying, "Choo-choo!" and pointing out the window. How sweet!

We were both tired last night. Caleb didn't get a good nap, and I was just pooped, so I decided we'd lay down a little early. Well, Caleb decided it wasn't time to sleep, and rolled around for the longest time. Then Chris got out of class early, and Caleb heard him coming in. He jumped up on his hands and knees and started calling "Da!" Of course, that melts Chris's heart (and mine!) so he got to get up and play with Daddy for a while. It was worth getting to bed a little later. I love to watch my boys playing!

Huntin' Man!

He finally figured out this Easter egg hunting thing! We had a big family gathering at Chris's aunt's house yesterday, which included an all-out Easter egg hunt, too! Here's Caleb hunting with his cousin, Ashley. I'm so glad he figured out that you put the eggs in the basket, not just pick them up. We had a good, really sticky time!

Here he is with an egg in one hand and a sucker in the other! He was NOT giving up his sucker just to hunt some eggs! His mouth was completely purple, in addition to his hands and my shirt!

After all that excitement, he was a sleepy, grumpy man, so we left for naptime. He was asleep before we got to the road!

We didn't have church services last night so we got to spend some time at Chris's parents' house while Chris worked on his bazillion papers that are due tonight! Chris decided I should make homemade pizza for supper, so I did the pizzas and Farrah made brownie sundaes for dessert. Yummy! Caleb and Nathan were too cute running around chasing each other in their diapers. Never a dull moment!

Now it's back to work.....too bad today's not a holiday!

God is Good!

Chris has started working with the youth group at church. It's really going great. I think the kids really are enjoying everything. Chris's dad is playing his guitar and leading music, and Chris is doing the teaching. Of course, we have the "mood" set with the lighting and everything, and I think it's really going well. The kids, to the best of my knowledge, have never had anything like this before, so it's pretty cool for them, too. I know God's going to do great things with them. We're getting geared up for summer activities. It should be really good!

My little man is too sweet. He and Chris came to eat lunch with me yesterday. Of course, it was Caleb's naptime, and he slept through the whole thing! Oh well, I liked holding him. He looks so sweet when he sleeps. Then he screamed, "Momma!" when I showed up last night. We had to play a while before church. He thinks he is such a big boy! He just runs right up into the middle of the big kids like he can keep up with them. Several of them were shooting baskets last night, and he just ran right up there with them, not thinking that the basketball would hit him in the head! The kids are great, though, and include him. They give him the ball, and he throws it like he's just like one of them. My little man...too bad he won't be little much longer.....

Date With My Little Sweetie

Caleb and I had a date last night. Chris was in school, so I decided to take Caleb out, just the two of us. I decided we'd go get some pizza. However, he didn't nap yesterday, so about the time I got to Pizza Hut, he fell asleep. He was not a happy camper when I woke him up! But when he saw the crackers on the salad bar, he perked up and said, "Cracker!" We shared our salad, but he mainly ate the broccoli. He's the only kid I've ever seen who eats the crust of the pizza first! I'm afraid he's going to be a "bread-a-holic" like his mommy! We had a good time together and even had pizza left over to take home to Daddy.

I knew he must be exhausted so I tried to get him down around 8:00 after we got home and bathed and got ready for bed. He had other plans. He was so tired, walking around like a little zombie! Finally, I made him be still, and he was asleep in 5 minutes!

Chris and I even got to go to sleep early. It was nice because I was really tired. I was sleeping really hard because when I heard this loud thud at 11:48, I thought I'd been sleeping forever! The thud was my little man falling off the bed! Poor guy! I think it scared him more than anything. No injuries or anything. He's inherited something else from me: rough sleeping! Mom and Dad can attest that when I was little I may have fallen asleep right in the bed, but by morning I might be on the other end! That's how Caleb is! It's really cute when I walk in and he has that little rump sticking high up in the air. Anyway, he just wiggled himself right off the bed. He must have learned his lesson because when I kissed him when I left for work this morning he was still hugging the wall!

Little Booger Man!

Poor Caleb still has the snotty nose and nasty cough. I don't think I've ever been slimed as many times as I have in the last few days! It's disgusting! It's true, though, that it's different when it's your kid. I definitely always want the kleenex close by! Luckily, he doesn't act like he feels bad. I talked to our PA today about it, and he said he's seen lots of this lately, and that it's probably just a virus going around. He told me the medicine I'm giving him is the best stuff for him and not to worry about him unless he starts running a fever. (You can feel better now, Mom!)

A friend of mine dropped by last night for a visit while Chris was in class. Caleb put a good show on for her! The last time she was in town Caleb's room still wasn't done. I told him to take her to his room, and he just walked with her into the room and started talking about all his toys and books with her. It was like he was giving a complete tour of the room!

Not much else is happening with us...I got a letter in the mail to schedule an interview for a scholarship for school. Ya'll can definitely pray for that; I've got to get some serious financial aid if I'm going to go back for my master's. The school just increased tuition (not that it was all that cheap before), and it's going to take some help for both of us to get to go to school. Thanks for your prayers!

Fun-filled Family Time!

We had so much fun this weekend! Chris and I were both off all weekend and decided we needed to have some serious family time since we haven't had an abundance of time together lately. Friday we worked on Chris's office (he worked, Caleb and I played!). Then Saturday we were off to Tyler to the zoo. I know we go to the zoo a lot; we love it!

This time the petting zoo was open. I expected Caleb to be scared, but he just ran right in! He loved petting the goats. Chris even came in to take pictures!

Guess what animal we saw during this picture? That's right....the elephant! I think everyone around us turned to see what Caleb was doing! It's so cute, but it's really loud! I love it when he makes his animal noises!

Then we had to check out the giraffes. I think he made his horse noise at them, but I can't remember!

How cute is this picture? This is the part where Caleb was actually behaving! We had a few disagreements with Caleb about the way he should act and where he should go, etc., but I'm pretty sure we won! We're really getting to understand that we have to repeat everything a million times to get through to the little booger! I think he gets that stubborness from his daddy's side! (lol) I just loved this shot of Caleb holding his daddy's hand. He loves his daddy!



After the zoo, Caleb was zonked. So he took a nap while Chris and I did a little shopping. Not much luck though! I wish I had some pictures from our lunch at Fazolli's; Caleb was super messy with his spaghetti, as usual! He had sauce all over his face, on his forehead, up his nose, you name it!

Yesterday, we made a flying trip to Fairfield to have Easter a little early with my family. Most of the fam will be out of town next week so we decided to do our thing this week. Caleb didn't quite get the Easter egg hunt down. He was excited to find the eggs (ball, as he called it!), but he just wanted to hold onto it instead of putting them into his basket! (How do you like my smile?)







Of course, the fake grass is more fun than the eggs! We had a good time with him. It's amazing how much you change when you have a kid. I always enjoyed watching the kids hunt eggs. I thought they were cute and everything. But it's different with Caleb. He just brings such joy. It's so much fun watching him experience things for the first time and to see how amazed he is at things he discovers!
After the big egg hunt, Caleb discovered the slide! He and Pop had a big time, and I think he gave Pop a good run! Pop was worn out after a while! It doesn't seem like Caleb should be big enough to be sliding down the slide by himself! He's getting so big!








Too bad it's back to the "real world" today. We did get a little late start back, though. The alarm didn't go off, and we woke up about 6:10. Caleb and I have to leave the house by around 6:25 for me to get to work on time! Needless to say, I was a bit late for work today! I hated leaving him this morning; he's gotten really needy lately. He used to would go to anyone; now he wants me in the mornings. It's so much easier when he stays asleep all the way! That wasn't happening this morning. He was going to Chris's Nana's house today, and usually he'll jump down and go play with all the toys she has laid out, but not today. Besides the neediness, I think he doesn't feel too well. He's developed this pretty nasty wet cough and snotty nose. So, if it gets any worse, I'll get to go home early today! I hate for my baby to be sick, but I'd love to hang out with him! Have a great Monday everyone!

Crazy Busy!

I've actually been busy today; can you believe it? I had to help with a clinic this morning, and we had some visitors from Houston here to see how we did stuff. Why the region folks chose to send them down here to the sticks is beyond me, but we tried to help. They just got some money from a grant that we have already, and apparently the big wigs think we're doing a good job! SO, I actually had to work for a while this morning!

Chris and I are trying this eating right thing.....He's been doing pretty well, and I have too, except that today I had a craving! For breakfast this morning, I wanted a fully leaded, fully sugared dr. pepper (no diet!) and something greasy! (AND...I'm NOT pregnant!) So I made a run to this gas station that sells some really yummy, really fattening stuff, and I got caught! Chris got to come home from work really early because there were too many nurses there, and he decided to come by my office. He found me at the gas station! No hiding this one! Oh well, I've done pretty good most of the week....

Then we cheated at lunch, too, because he and Caleb came for lunch. Caleb was too cute! I love it when I walk up and he just starts smiling really big and says "Mama!" It just melts my heart! I'm glad I got to have lunch with my two favorite men!

Now I'm just counting down to 6:00. Chris and I are both off all weekend! Hopefully the weather will be as beautiful as it has been because we want to go the zoo or something. Just get outside and enjoy the weather. Sorry for all you poor folks who have to work tomorrow! Have a great weekend.....

Quality Time

I don't like that Chris is in class two nights a week, but I do get to spend lots of quality time with Caleb. We miss Chris, but it's some good "Mommy and Caleb" time! We had a great time together last night. I debated having a little picnic outside for supper, but we ended up just eating in the house. It was beautiful outside last night. The good thing about this time change is that it's not dark when we get home! So after we ate our supper, we headed outside. The seminary has a great play area for the kids, lots of swings and slides, etc. Caleb headed straight up the hill to the playground. We played in the swing for a while, and he ran around and had to play with the gravel. Rocks are so interesting, right? Then he remembered he loves the slide. He finally decided it's OK to go up the right way instead of walking up the slide and turning around to come back down. I helped him climb all the steps (I did most of the work, of course!), and down we came, Caleb laughing all the way! After about 87 trips on the slide, I decided it was getting too dark, so we headed home.

Caleb, however, wasn't ready to go inside. I had the porch light on, and he thought that was enough light to play with his car! He got this little car for his birthday, one of those "Fred Flinstone" type cars that you push with your feet. Well, he's finally decided it's good to actually get into the car, not just play with the horn and steering wheel. He hasn't quite got the going forward thing down, though, just backwards!

Finally, we made it inside for bathtime and bedtime. I just had to cuddle with him some last night after he went to sleep; he's so precious!

Tae- "boo!"

Since I don't really live in the best part of town, I don't like to go walk after work by myself. So, I decided to buy a tae-bo DVD so I can still exercise Mon. and Tues. nights while Chris is at school. Last night I put Caleb in his room with all his fun toys thinking that would entertain him for 45 minutes so I could do my workout. No such luck! Right after I turned it on and got going, Caleb walks in the living room and decides to join me. He thought it was some big game! "Mom's jumping around looking silly; I will too!" He was crawling in and out of my legs. Then he'd pull on my shorts or stand behind me and peek up from under my legs like he was playing peek-a-boo! He was laughing so hard! I tried to make it through, but after about 20 minutes of dodging a kid under my feet, I gave it up and played with Caleb. He was too funny!

I think he still hasn't quite adjusted to this time change either. He was getting sleepy pretty early last night. After his bath he crawled up on the couch with me and fell asleep sitting right beside me! He didn't even have the energy to lay down, I guess! He is such a sweet little fella!

Blah!

That's how I feel today! I don't know if I'm just getting old or what, but this time change has made me so drowsy! I'm sure it hasn't helped that I got to bed late the last couple of nights, either!

Well, we had a fun-filled weekend in the big metropolis of Fairfield! I had agreed to help officiate a charity volleyball tournament, so I was tied up for part of the time, but it was fun. Caleb, of course, was the center of Nana and Pop's universe for two days! He had a ball playing with them. He put on a show for us Sat. night when he danced on the table after supper! My, how my dad has mellowed in his old age! I never thought my dad would ever let anyone's feet anywhere near any place where his food touches, even if Caleb had just come out of the bathtub! I guess grandkids have special privileges! He's learned Roc (Eric's dog) and Brinkley's (Mom's dog) names. Every time Roc would start barking, he'd look out the window, point, and say, "Roc!" Then he'd have to start making his own dog barking sound of course! Caleb kept us plenty entertained....and Emily, too! They actually played well together this weekend. I guess Emily's getting ready to be a good big sister.

Now it's back to work. We had a super boring, super long staff meeting this morning. I introduced some new stuff, and change is never taken well, so it got a little interesting for a few minutes at least! I had to bring food today (we switch out months bringing breakfast), and I made sausage bread for the first time. It turned out pretty well, especially considering it was after 9:30 last night when I started making it.

My reward after the staff meeting was going to get my hair done. I got a new 'do! It's not too drastic, but definitely different and shorter! I love it. But, you know, I always like my hair shorter!