Busy Busy!

We have been SO busy lately, that I have left a lot of my favorite internet sites in the dust, including facebook, pinterest, and our blog! (This is opposite from the norm for me.)This weekend is the first time I have felt that I have a minute to catch up. So here you have it, a few things we have been doing lately.

Caleb had a pre-school fieldtrip and got to ride Teacher Joy's horse.

 He got to do this last year too, and boy does he love it.

We went to the City Creek Center downtown about a month after it opened.

Caleb loved the water fountains and his pizza dinner.

 We flew Caleb's new birthday kite at our West Jordan park.

It was a sunny and windy day, and I loved laying on the grass watching the kite overhead.

Then Justin handed me the kite string. Wow, those winds really were strong!

In the 8 years I have lived here, these 2 ducks (I think it's these same ones) have camped out in our backyard almost every spring, and the mama duck usually lays her eggs there! One morning this week I found them on our front porch, so I quietly hid next to the door and rang the doorbell for Caleb to find some of his favorite friends at his door. They probably came for some breakfast becasue Caleb always likes to feed them!

(When I opened the front door, they walked up like I was inviting them in! Not gonna happen.)

Here is an example of one of the reasons that we have been so busy lately. We have been fixing up the house, including our guest bathroom, a new tile entry, a couple new doors, a new roof, and a new sprinkler system is coming! Justin is doing a lot of this himself, and I am going crazy trying to clean up around a construction zone.  

 

 I think I'm going to paint the trim on that little mirror black to match too.

Busy, busy!

Family Pictures

I can't seem to get these pictures on here without them  doubling up, but I am going to post a couple anyway....

How cute is our little man?

I will probably be posting more of my favorites on here soon!

Thirty was Flirty and Fabulous!

 On my birthday, Justin went camera happy at my sister Krystal's party.



Sporting my new scarf from my sis Sheila.



It was actually a dinner so we could meet the guy Krystal is dating, but since it was on my birthday, they made a cake and sang to me. (Twice that night!)

Like I said, he was camera happy.

(Look at those awesome-huge earrings Cindy gave me! Love them.)

Justin also gave me some of my favoirtes...Gerber Daisies!

Thanks Babe.

I'm 31 now.

But I must say, thirty felt flirty and fabulous!

Easter and More

A few things that got bumped because of all the birthday excitement...

Easter evening. What's Easter without the bunny ears?

Easter makeovers, me and my neice Maddie. That was a blast! 

(We share a birthday, so happy 14th Maddie! And nice angle on this pic.)

 

Took him out to dinner the night before Caleb's birthday.

They brought ice cream and sang to Caleb even though he told the waitress we were just "fertending" it was his birthday today.

(Oops, caught in our lie!)

Caleb got 3 shirts for his birthday, because I knew he would

get a load of toys from his party.

We went on an overnight business trip with Justin (to Price, Utah). The hotel was like a playground to Caleb.

He liked the pool too. He wouldn't put his suit on,
but he did like splashing the BIG guy in the pool. 

Here's the BIG finish!

My Baby is FIVE!

About 6 months ago, I decided that for Caleb's birthday, I wanted to hire my aunt and uncle to bring their train and have a BIG ol' party with my family, Justins family, and some families from the block. (Sheesh! I probably would've invited the entire ward if there was enough space on the train!) The kids had even more fun than I would have imagined! Here are a few favorite pics from the party...

The night started with about 20 kids playing
everywhere outside, having a great time.

Then we called them in to sing Happy Birthday and serve some cake.

 It said "Choo Choo, Caleb is Turning 5!"

Then we got out the parachute (borrowed from our neighbor) and both the kids and adults had a great time playing with it.  Especially when all the little balls were thrown on top!

Next, Caleb opened presents which was quite stressful for me because the kids crowded around really close and he tore through present after present hardly stopping to say thanks. I tried to stop him but it was no use! It's okay though, cards will go out later today and then I will feel better. (This pic was obviously taken later.)

And finally, time for TRAIN RIDES! The kids were given train shaped whistles to blow, and each passenger car had a flag that says "Happy Birthday!"  The entire scene was simply ADORABLE!

 

The train went up and down the street, and into the culda-sac. It would wind back and forth on the street like a snake, and turn circles so everyone on the train could look at each other. Too fun!

  They said adults could ride, so I thought "why not?" I was quite bummed that Caleb decided not to ride that time, and somehow I didn't end up with any kid on my lap,
which felt quite silly to be honest.

 (Look at the kids with short sleeves! And it got pretty cold!)

Woo hoo! I talked my friend Holly into riding too, and my nephew Kyler to sit on my lap, so I didn't look so silly the second time I rode!

After the train rides, Caleb got to climb in the engine and ring the horn and the bell. He could not get enough of this and we basically had to pry him out of there!

 

 

What a fun night. I doubt my little 5 year old will ever forget it!

Dear Dennis

These are just a few things I would say if I had the opportunity to talk to Dennis (Justin's late father)...


Look how happy they look together!


Happy Birthday! I know I haven't met you yet, but that doesn't mean that I don't think about you, because sometimes I do. We talk about you to our son Caleb often. Yesterday, Alison got  some flowers and a little cheesecake to remember you on your birthday. We sang Happy Birthday, and even lit some candles. Caleb got to blow them out, which was good practice because his birthday is 4 days after yours!

Mainly I just want to tell you that you raised an amazing family and I couldn't be happier that I married into it. Your son is an amazing person, and I imagine that you must have been amazing too. He often shares memories that he has with you. What sticks out in my mind are the trips the two of you would take together...fishing trips, camping trips, business trips, etc. Justin really enjoyed these, and mentions them often.  I also think that your wife is an incredible person, and having her live with us feels like living with a friend. I cannot wait to meet you someday.

Love,
Michelle


Any resemblences to Justin?? (Yes, and thank you for passing down that hair!)



I love this photo of Justin and his daddy. Reminds me of pictures I am always taking. :)



Random Tidbits

This post might seem kind of random...mostly because it is.

Last month, I blogged about our one of a kind kid, so this little pic was forgotten on my blog. I set up a playdate with my older sister Sheila and we went to Gardener Village (which is basically down the street from me) for their "Queen of Hearts" event, a Girls Night Out of SHOPPING! We didn't buy much, but we had a fantastic time.

Recently, when Caleb asked for a puppy, we, being the softies that we are, bought him a beta fish. He decided to name the little fella "Goldie." Go figure since he's purple. (As if the name is not silly enough, I enjoy calling him Goldilocks.) I will have to show an actual pic of him later b/c the ones I've got will not "Rotate clockwise" for me. I am totally not a pet person, so this will have to do for my boy!

We went to my niece Alexa's first birthday party last Sunday. I totally forgot it was April Fools Day and I fell for two big jokes that were played. Cindy had Alexa open a present of a onesie that said "I am going to be a big sister!", and I got all excited

 about it. Then my nephew Brayden (who was pretending his ankle was hurt and wearing a boot) tripped over his crutches and faked that he re-injured his "hurt" leg. I was bent over and rubbing his shoulder and about to ask someone to get some ice when both my sister and him announced they were just April fooling. Sheesh, I'm gullible!

Yesterday Justin got back from a 5 day business trip to Saint George. Five days! Naturally, I wasn't excited for him to go, but we did just fine! It is so nice to have him around, and his help each day, but it was a good feeling that I was able to hold down the fort without him. The house was even more clean than usual because the time I would've spent with him at night, I spent cleaning and organizing things! I missed him, but it helped that he called me several times each day.

A few things we say all the time...

Justin:

"Ho-Li-Caow"...said like a "hick." He likes to talk like a hick lately (when we're in the truck and listening to Country music), and I laugh hystarically.

Me:

"You little tease-muffin!"...Not sure why I started saying it, but Caleb is always being funny so I say it a lot.

"Stop being so cute!"...I say this to Caleb and it is so fun, because the faces he makes as I keep saying it get funnier and cuter by the second. You should try this with your kids. They don't know how to turn the cuteness off!

Caleb: 

"I already 'saul' (saw) it!"....He has always said it this way.

"Look at this "dicament" (predicament) I'm in!".....Where did he learn that word?!

All of us:

"Whattu!!" It means "What the!!" Justin started this and now we all say it when we are surprised about something.

And since it is Easter weekend and I don't have any cute Easter pic's yet, here are a couple of oldies, but goodies...

HAPPY EASTER!

Proud of His Mommy

This weekend, we had Justin's sister Shawnie, and her daughter Kortnie (age 6) come to town and stay with us. On Friday morning, Caleb excitedly woke me up, and said that I needed to pick him up because he had just told Kortnie that I can hold him and she didn't believe him. He kept saying it over and over, so when Kortnie came upstairs a few minutes later, he couldn't wait to show her!

I knew I was proud of myself for this accomplishment, but I didn't realize how excited Caleb was about it. I had Justin take these pictures today so I could show how strong I have become lately and how happy it makes me to hold my "little" boy again. I haven't felt strong enough to do this since he was nearly 3 years old!
 

P.S.  Don't laugh at our fashion-faux-pas

St. Patty's Day outfits. We mis-matched on purpose. :)

Still One of a Kind

As promised (and cont'd from the last post), here are ages 3 and 4 of our one of a kind kiddo...

{SUPER funny in my opinion!}

Age 3

When Caleb turned three, he got a tricycle for his Birthday.  Riding his tricycle was his all time favorite thing to do that year.  So what did I do when winter came and he was really bored? Let him ride it around in the house! Problem solved.

One summer morning, Caleb decided that it was time for the neighbors wake up call. He walked out onto the porch and started singing a most beautiful melody... 

This is the age where Caleb "took over" Rusty, the little stuffed dog that is actually his grandma, Alison's. She got the dog from a dear friend, so it is special to her, but Caleb doesn't care.  He has taken him over like he is his own, and he takes him everywhere he goes. We even lost him at a little store a few months ago and the whole family was stressed and sad about it. Several visits and searching at the store paid off, and Caleb got his little doggy back. Sigh!

This is also the age of Caleb's first crush on a girl. About a year ago when we were asking Caleb who he wanted to invite to his birthday party, he said "DOLLY!!!" So we started asking questions about this blond haired, cherub-faced little doll in his preschool class. And he definately had a crush! After that, when he saw her visiting our neighbor across the street with her mom, he would run to our window or door, open it and yell "Hi Dolly!" Adorable!

Random short video:

Age 4

Caleb has done lots of funny and unique things at age four. For example, he has plenty of toys, but he usually chooses to play with little knick knacks from around the house, like a bottle cap and a spoon for example.  He usually plays with them around the kitchen counter while he walks around and has the knick knack #1 chase knick knack #2 around the kitchen (or whatever he imagines they are doing). And he makes loud and funny sing-songy humming noises while doing it. This is hard to explain and probably even harder to picture, but I really like it because it keeps him entertained for a long time, and is oh so good for his imagination.

I started a game with Caleb when he was three called "I Love You as Much As..." We take turns and it goes something like this... Me: "I love you as much as all of the stars in the whole sky!" Caleb: "I love you as much as all of the Thomas Trains in the whole wide world!" (But we're both usually more creative/crazy than that.) It's pretty silly but we have a lot of fun playing it. For a Father's Day video for Justin last year, I had Caleb say things that he loves his daddy as much as...My favorite response was "Daddy, I love you as much as when you take me to the slippery store to get a "Slippery" (Slurpee) and a sprinkle doughnut."

Another very unique thing about Caleb is that he has a "Running Man" on his hand. This creative kid turned his index and middle fingers (that held up would make the # 2) upside down and discovered it was like a little man that has legs, and named him Running Man.  He plays with him everyday, and tells everyone about his Running Man.  One day he decided that he wanted to show him for his preschool show-and-tell, but then changed his mind when I teased him about how to put Running Man in his backpack. Oh my silly Caleb!

Caleb has quite a few friends, and lots of them are girls.  One of his favorite friends to play with is Emily, who is in the second grade and almost 8 years old. They usually play with their stuffed animals together at her house, and Emily's parents tell me he always behaves well which says a lot for a 4-year-old. (Wish I could say that too for him!) Some of his other closest friends right now are Nike, Miranda, Davis and Spencer.

Since Justin and I are both pretty clean people, I do wonder where our little guy gets his messy genes from.  We are constantly cleaning up after him, or asking and begging him to clean up after himself.  He can turn the whole house upside-down just in the time it takes me to take a shower.  Couch cushions all over the floor, shoes, socks, dirty clothes, toys, food, you name it! He even rips his preschool projects into shreds when he gets home!

Gotta love him. And we do. Every single bit of him!