MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!

Joshy was the early riser, if you call the first time he got out of be 3AM rising. The next time he was out of be was 5:48AM... so he was the first to get his stocking just after 7AM....

Caleb slept all the way through the night, and being not such a morning person like his mommy, he was a still a little sleepy when it was his turn to open the stocking...


Christmas morning is over, and we are all napping or destined for naps. It was a great morning of family, good food, laughs and generosity. We started with a quick pause to remember that the reason of today was the birth of Jesus and his gift to us. Then it was on to the morning activities. Hopefully every one enjoyed their gifts, the kids were definately excited... but overwhelmed. I say no all year so it surprises them that they get so much. Caleb was very excited, of course, about he Optimus Prime Transformer and the DVD movie. He's also getting the hand of the RC car from Papa Bill. Joshy was hard to tear away from his various drawing themed toys to give him the rest. He would have sat down and spent the rest of the morning just drawing if he was allowed. Thank you to all the Grandparents for their thoughtfulness, they truly fit each child's interests.... of course, I'm obligated to make them SHARE, so both boys will enjoy everything I'm sure.
In this picture, Joshy doesn't look like he has the greatest smile, but that is because he is in the middle of the surprised statement, "paper for ME?!!" Yes, we went all out this year and got our son a ream of paper... He's been reamed. What else does drawing-addicted kid need?

Caleb did well, considering most of his gifts had to be surgically removed from the packaging. That became Daddy's job this year.... open, open open.

Caleb and Joshy wish to say something:

Click on the arrow to play the clip.

It was also night to see the boys give gifts this year. They really wanted to give to others and that it what I hope to keep fostering in their futures.

Well, I'd better go and nap myself if I'm going to make the long stretch tonight. The exciting thing is that we even saw a snowflake or two this afternoon, so maybe there is more???!!!??

Again, Merry Christmas.

Very quick post here.

I wanted to finally put up the picturesof Joshy's new palm tree.

And we just got back from a trip up to see Great Grandpa Severson, and I wanted to put that picture too. Great Grandpa Severson will be 94 this New Year's Eve!!!! Can you believe that? Caleb heard the four part of the age and asked if Great Papa is going to be 4 just like him.... We laughed and said add 90 years! On the way up to his house, Caleb was telling me that he loved Great-Papa Severson (he scrambles the last name) very much. I thought that that was so sweet, especially since Caleb had only seen him a handful of times. While we were up there, Great Grandpa couldn't believe how big Joshy was, and how active the kids were. And Caleb talked up a storm about our crippled looking Deer on the roof, Tigger and Zuma, and TRANSFORMERS! I nearly turned red when Caleb was telling Great Papa that Bumble Bee (a transformer) pees on the man. It was a good trip and really great weather compared to what we have been having recently.

Well, that's all for now, back to cleaning and getting ready for tomorrow.

Merry Christmas


Well, there's good news and bad news. The bad news, we have been rained out for going to the Lights of Christmas. The good news... this rain is suppose to be "Snow Flurries" on CHRISTMAS DAY!!! It just might be a white Christmas after all. But in the meantime, we are fumbling for an alternate plan on what do with our evening plans.

The kids are getting anxious to see their presents. But they are still doing great about staying out of the tree. I'm impressed. I wanted to share a quote. I forget the source, and I'll paraphrase, but I just had to share even if I mutilated it....

The best presents at Christmas is the presence of family.

It's a nice thought.

Well, I knew it was coming someday, but I didn't expect it so soon. Joshy has entered the WHY phase. And so ensues the long explanations of everything. But he actually does understand what we explain to him. He is a smart cookie. And he says "I smart" too.

That's all for now, we have to get back to deciding what plan "B" is for the weekend.

Hello Again.

Joshy is turning into such a "big boy". He is now telling people he is not a baby but hasn't quite gotten to the point of telling them he is a big boy. To make the transition, we are turning Joshy's room into a boy's room rather than the nursery. Code phrase: Funds in limitation is the source of creation. (I think I live by this motto). So Jockey now has pictures on his wall. These were scans of pictures out of a library book then printed on photo paper and framed with $-store frames. I've also hand make a window valance for his window, turned out bright, bold and a perfect match of style/fabric print. The most recent addition that we are all very excited is: A palm tree. For a jungle room, and especially for this little boy who knows exactly what a palm tree is after a California trip in October, a Palm Tree is a necessity. So two dowels, burlap and $-store silk greenery later, we have a floor to ceiling palm tree. Jockey is so proud of his "pump tee", and I am too honestly. All we need is a comforter (merry christmas Jockey) and, down the road, a jungle-esque lamp to make the room complete. I'll try to put up a picture or two later.

A couple nights ago, I was saying good night prayers with Joshy. "Thank you Jesus for a good day, yada yada yada, Thank you Jesus for helping us getting our errands done and Joshy behaving so nice. Thank you Jesus **** and then bam, Joshy inserts Grammy! Right there in the prayer; I think Grammy must have made and impact after spending sometime with him is last weekend with Grammy. Also this week, I said "ok guys, let's get ready to go to... (and I paused to do something) and Joshy chimes in "Grammy's!" I laughed and said, no school.

Speaking of school, we are trying to follow through on our bribe for Joshy. (Potty training equals getting to go to school.) Well, now he sits and it ok with that, but he toots and then says he did something. So I say no, try again; then he does his whole thing again. And then he wipes simply because that's what he thinks comes next. So no actual success to report, just humor.

I have finished 7 out of 8 big projects for Christmas. I'm feeling great about that. Now it's just down to wrapping and finishing that last gift. I just have to wait for the boy's bedtime for that. To really get Christmasy feeling, I try to do the bulk of the wrapping all at once while listening to Christmas music and sipping Sparkling Cider, or something special, egg nog maybe. So I'm hoping to spend tonight doing just that because this weekend is looking like a non-stop whirlwind of events.

So if I don't get back to posting here before Christmas, sorry, but all the same have a GREAT HOLIDAY (or two).

Well, Christmas is getting close, and things are getting really really busy.

This is Caleb's last week of school until January 8th when he picks it back up again. I think that I'm going to try to get the kids from the preschool down to Pump It Up for a energy burn off in the break sometime. And I'm going to look into the Children's Museum free day???? for them too. The kids will go stir crazy without sometime to keep them busy.

As a family we haven't done anything monumental. We have turned it into a family pass-time to watch Caleb "do his cool moves" (aka dancing). He actually dances different to every type of music with little to no hesitation. He's funny to watch, but now Joshy is also getting into the hang of it.

Joshy is getting ever so much more talkative. Where Caleb at this stage said "me honkey", Joshy actually said "I hunger." Latter being a complete sentence the former being hilarious.

Joshy is addicted to drawing. But, drum roll please, Caleb actually wrote his name this last week!!!! He is getting really good with his letters. And we are working on his numbers too, and even MATH! I can't believe it. But I want him well prepared for Kindergarten, so I better drill and drill and drill him. Mike is helping, which is great, because I quickly bore of 2+1....

Again the presents around the tree are shockingly being left alone. And even more shocking, Caleb is being able to "keep surprises". Mike is right that we need to try to distinguish between "secrets" and "surprises". Caleb is doing great with that, but he often wants to keep secrets with Joshy, but not being practiced in covert behavior, I overheard him talking loudly in their forts about their secrets and most of them involve, I'm sorry to say, defecate. Mostly beign, I guess.

Well, it's off to getting Caleb to school, groceries, post office... the list goes on, and I work too. So TTFN.

Caleb's Christmas Program


We made it through our first Christmas program both as participants (that's Caleb) and parents. Joshy would have liked to participate or play with the toys in the lobby. As it was he settled for writing on blank paper. Caleb seemed extremely shy. He know the songs and poems so I'm sure it was just the spotlight that made him withdraw. He's like someone else I know in that regard.

The the program was nice, short and simple. The time afterwards was rewarding as well. We got to chat with the other parents and grandparents. It was nice to see Caleb even making friends on his own and strengthening the budding relationships he's got. Overall it was a nice time and we were happy to be a part of it and have Grammy and Papa Dahl with us too.

So I'm going to try something new this time. Since so many people weren't able to attend either because of distance or illness... I'm going to try to put a couple video clips here. It's my first attempt and I hope it goes well. (My computer doesn't even have the speakers plugged in so I can't listen myself, so I hope I choose the right one.)

Let me know if it doesn't appear for you.

Thanks.

Well, it's snowing again! And of course it's Caleb's Christmas program today, so it should be interesting. As of 9:45 am, I spoke with them on the phone and the program is still on... and I left my phone number so that they can call this time. So I'm crossing my fingers that it will all work out.

In the meantime the kids are playing inside with an extra happy fervor knowing that they weather outside is a special kind of fun once it blankets the backyard.

Until the Christmas program, we are going to keep busy, no doubt about that. So I'd better be off to do as much as I can from my to do list.
TTFN

We got our Christmas tree today. We went right up Hwy 2 into the National Forest and chopped down a $10 tree. It was a beautiful day. We couldn't ask for a more sunny, clear and fresh day with the best road conditions a person could want. We filled the day with some snow hiking and laughs. We had prayed for a safe and pleasant day and got just that! We even made it home before dark, which is a big difference over every other year. The day ended perfectly with tree's decorating completed just in time to light it up just before the boys' bedtime.

Here are the highlights:

We've got Caleb's Christmas Program tomorrow. Second time has got to be a winner and memory maker! Talk to you later.

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas.

On December1st we had a bit of snow to welcome the Christmas/Winter season. It was a nice surprise that the kids loved to play in. And it lasted just long enough not to make Caleb miss school. It did post-pone the Christmas program until 12/9 at 2:45. We got all dressed up and to the school to be told by a maintainence person that it was cancelled and we should have been called, which we weren't.... but life goes on. It turned into a quiet social hour at our house with the grandparents Dahl and Severson and special Cousin Tessa adding to the festivities. And I tried to help Caleb with what he could remember of the program.

And on Monday, despite wide spread flooding and road closures, we bravely set forth to celebrate Papa Dahl's 60th birthday.

Things are picking up for Christmas, getting busy etc. The 23rd, Sunday, we are going to the Warm Beach Lights of Christmas at 5:00pm and I'm hoping to see both family but also my long term friends Carolina and Amy and their families (both with children the same age as Caleb/Josh).

This weekend we are going out to cut our Christmas tree in the National Forest (with a permit, so we are not eco-theives). I'm hoping that we can still navigate the mountian logging roads enough to get to the trees, considering the recent snow fall.

So here are some pictures of the recent events:

I'm back and so soon too!

Joshy is in a "NO WAY" phase. Everything is No Way. Luckily, with the second child I know this is just a phase.

Joshy is talking SOOOOO much more. He is now understanding and using the word "Brother". Of course he has 4 different intonations when he says is and they range from "Bider", "Brudr", "Brutr" etc. And he is saying he wants to so to Brider's cool (brother's school). So I had a serious discussion with Jockey today about having to be potty trained to go to school. I asked him if he wanted to go to preschool, he said yes, but when I said he had to XX and OO in the potty, I got the inevitable "NO WAY" (see previous paragraph). But at least we have a goal now, because I REALLY want him to go to preschool in Sept '08 and HE REALLY REALLY wants to go NOW and will have to settle for Sept '08.

Caleb goes to his last Awana night for the year, they pick it up again in January. And I "get" to help out tomorrow too, which means Joshy gets to go too. I hope I don't come home with any flu bugs like I did on a previous night.

Caleb has his first Christmas program at 2:45pm this Sunday. If anyone is interested, let me know. It is short and sweet... meaning a short 20 minute program followed by sweets & goodies and social time.

We got to go to dinner at Papa Bill's and Grandma Judy's house two weekends ago. It was quieter this time because just Joshy went (Caleb was with Grammy and Papa Dahl camping). We got the wonderful suprise of getting to see Great Grandpa Severson and Great Aunt Sandy. GG Severson is coming up on 93 years old this Christmas season! WOW! And he is still such a positive, happy go lucky attitude, talkative guy. I'm so very very glad that Joshy and Caleb have gotten to meet him, and vice versa!

Joshy our studious one also got to spend some quality, uninterrupted, practice writing time with Papa Bill.

So here are some pictures from recent events, namely Thanksgiving at Cannon Beach:

Joshy's "Cheese" face is back for pictures. It's hilarious and toothy.

Getting ready for an evening of night spelunking

Ready set go, RACE!

Camp Catered Thanksgiving Dinner

And for those who care.... a few pictures of the new Cabela's retail store in Lacey, WA....

That's all for now folks.

So what has been going on you ask?

Caleb is keeping up at school. He talks about Alan and Hunter H every day and I can't wait for him to actually have play dates with these kids. Most likely after the holidays though. The season is already getting soooo busy.

Caleb has his first Christmas program on Dec 2nd. I can't wait. Just another photo oppty and a parental rite of passage "the first christmas play/program". We have to take the Saturday before and make goodies to bring.

Joshy has another work we have to avoid in public: Frog.

"No books in the shower" and "don't put that carrot in that glove" are new ones for the I-Didn't-Think-I'd-Say-That list.

We went camping this Thanksgiving to Canon Beach. The weather was remarkable. It was beautiful sunshine, but COLD. We pit stopped one night in the new Cabela's parking lot and woke up to frosty ground. Cabela's is worth a visit to see the animals. There is such a variety of animals... it's like a "still" zoo, to include a 38 year old 12-14 foot tall polar bear and a 2000lb sea lion, and aquarium under a fake mountain/waterfall. Canon Beach was very nice. The dogs and kids loved to run and the weather couldn't have been better. Of course the kids loved the pools with Grammy and Papa Dahl too! Thanksgiving Day was at their motorcoach with ham and crab, and we squeezed in turkey at the Saturday camp catered and camper pot-lucked event. And camping in the new to us trailer went good too. We stayed warm once we were hooked up to the electricity and could run the heaters all night. We have lots more space, and even were able to have a swedish pancake breakfast with Grammy and Papa one morning in our trailer.

Pictures to come.

We are back at it this week with bills, laundry, school, my jobs, Awana etc. I can't believe that the holiday season is here. I'm starting to get excited, but also feeling the crunch of getting everything done NOW!

So that's it for now. The boys have probably drawn on themselves with pens AGAIN while I've typed this.

Just a few stories.

Caleb went to Awana tonight. Although, he has got me nearly convinced that he would like to go to the old place because they played more games, specifically one where they run around with a ball balanced in a plunger. Funny the things that grasp and hold his interest. He is doing well with his scripture verse memorizing.

Joshy is very smart and talking every so much more, however, some pronunciation is not perfect. Funny, if you can get past the initial shock. "No Shirt" is the most interesting at this point. I'll let your imagination figure out which letter is dropped.

Joshy is getting a mind of his own! He is resolute on everything. An he is quickly joining the ranks of "Drama Prince". He likes to bow his shaking head, placing a hand over his face, and "wail" in an Oh no manner. He is also becoming a mimick of Caleb quite rapidly. Now I have to train Caleb on what are good behaviours because little bro is watching him.

Joshy is in a very clinging phase, sigh. I'm sure it is just a phase, and I'm trying to remember that he is the last of my "babies", and when he is done with this huggy phase, it might be lost forever, so enjoy it. It's hard when he wants to be held while cooking, cleaning, and other tasks that require two hands or non-tired back.

Joshy is still humored by "I crack you up tractor man" sounds like I crapman.
and says Shaweeee for shower.

I plan a fingerpainting session for Joshy since he is such a little artist. I wonder if he likes it as much as painting.

Caleb is doing well in school, and he might have just made his first outside friend today. A little boy named Hunter; he has little cars that Caleb has been invited to come over and play with, it's just a matter of setting it up with his mommy. Hopefully soon, since this is a fulfillment of one of my dreams for Caleb.

Caleb is starting to take on more responsiblity. It is so surprising and wonderful to see. He takes initiative to let the dogs in and outside. He's picking up toys. He offers to set the table and wants to help more with the cooking. We are going to start collecting pop cans and try to recycle them for spending money for Caleb; the goal would be to have him spend time pounding them flat and then recycle them. He is wanting so many more toys and doesn't yet understand the different between 10 and 100$. Time to learn, yes you may have if you save. So this is our new endeavor. Cans, lots of cans.

Well, that is all for now. It's late, more later.

I have lots to do, but it's been so long that I at least wanted to post that we are back from California and have plunged into activity. Here are some pictures of the trip. Hopefully the pictures will say a 1,000 words because I am going to abbreviate.

When in California we.... went to a couple parks for fun and play, went to John's Incredible Pizza, had a great time at Bishop Pumpkin Farm, went to a harvest carnival and pumpkin patch, went in the hot tub, swam in Grandma's big spa tub, spent time at Chuck E. Cheese, had a good time at Pump It Up, and a blast at Funderland riding amusement park rides and Ponies, had a barbeque, and of course had lots of time with Grandma and Grandpa Bishop.

Caleb and Josh both made Grandma laugh when they said their patented phrase "I crack you up tractor man" (or tractor dog, that got a huge laugh). Of course, Joshy's version ends up, pardon the profanity, "crap (or crack) man". They were silly and cuddly, and little tazmanian whirlwinds. But the most precious was every day when Grandma came home "I missed you". And Grandpa spoiled the kiddoes crazy. Joshy got a wonderful Radio flyer trike to ride around the patio... and he could still be taking spins around at 8-9 at night because the weather was so nice. We also made a HUGE discovery. Joshy LOVES to paint. Caleb had a good time for 10 maybe 15 minutes painting the pumpkins..... Joshy was still going with no sign of stopping at 40-45 minutes. (And he was the same way again here at home!) Maybe he will be the artist in the family!

It was hard to leave the Grandparents and the weather in the end, but we will return soon. And the boys are different each time we go, so each time is an adventure. One word... child restraint harness. At least this time, I didn't get the judgemental looks from others, rather a "Hey what a great idea" and the knowing smiles... and I didn't have to chase Joshy out of the family bathroom half dressed this time.

In the interest of catching up, I'll give a run down of what we did in October since I haven't posted the whole month:

10/16 Mommy worked. And after Caleb's preschool, Grammy took Joshy and Caleb overnight so that Mommy could go to a Mothers of Preschoolers MOM's night out! Yipee, it was so night to just be me for a night, and of course Grammy and Papa Dahl were missing Caleb and Joshy alot and needed to catch up with them.

10/17 Joshy started coming down with a high fever, so we had to watch him closely... it got REALLY high. Caleb had preschool.

10/18 Caleb had preschool and then he started feeling not so hot, and Joshy had a full blown cold/flu. So we skipped Awana that night. But Mommy worked again today.

10/19 Daddy watched the kids while Mommy went to MOPS meeting. Joshy got even worse and I had to even buy a humidifier.

10/20 Mommy worked. Caleb got to see his BFF Donovyn for none other than Donovyn's 5th birthday party. It was so great to have the boys finally see each other and Caleb had a hard time leaving. We tried to swing by Papa Bill's house, but it was dark and no one was home, better luck next time.

10/21 Caleb came down SICK! Yes, he got it from Joshy.

10/22 Mommy worked, and then watched two sick little kiddoes.

10/23-25 Kept Caleb home from School. School rules say no coughs or sore throats... and when Caleb is squeaking out words or sounding horse like a 99 year old, he wasn't allowed to be at school. I did sneak him in for his individual and then class photo on the 23rd because they weren't offering any make up days, but he was only around other kids for 10 minutes, maybe less and no one got sick since. And Mommy worked again on the 25th and then attended a parent-teacher conference with Caleb's teacher, Miss Cheryl. She said Caleb was doing well, keeping up with the other kids. He is very respectful of her and the other kids. He doesn't really like to do the coloring, but he likes Legos and other fun things in the "jungle room" and of course outside play time. She says she is just amazed at what he does on the bars, she had never seen any kid do what he can in the 9 years she's been teaching at Little Doves. And Caleb has really found a good friend in a boy named ALAN; they hug to say hi and good by and play almost non-stop. I have a hope to get them to be friends outside of school and broaden Caleb's circle of friends. We'll see. But an overall good review about Caleb's progress.

10/26 We attended the Cascade Community Church Harvest Carnival. Caleb had determined that he was NOT dressing up. But that didn't stop him from playing any and all games that would win him candy! He was finally feeling well by this night and I was soooo glad he could participate. He went in the inflatable jumpy houses and slide. He (and Joshy) did spin art... surprisingly Joshy found a lot of joy and skill in this. Joshy also got into the games after a long warm up time. He really did great at the little "fishing" station that they set up. He was into the candy too. We have enough to last for months now!

10/27, 28 We went the weekend with Daddy, our first real time with him since we were back from California and he was back from hunting (and not working).

10/30-11/1 The usual... Preschool, Awana Thursday night, naps for Joshy, paying bills, doing laundry, working.

11/2 Mommy went to MOPS and then we drove out to the Children's Museum for Free Admission day. It was GREAT. We got in fine, no big line. It wasn't packed, the roof top features were open and the icing on the Cake: Donovyn came too. Caleb was so excited. Then we left and attempted to visit Papa Bill again, but missed him.

11/3 Papa Bill and Grandma Judy came to the house to catch up with the kids since we missed them the day before. The boys were excited to show off Joshy's new Big boy bed that he got right before we left for California. I was excited to show off my sewing handiwork; I made Joshy a new curtian/valance for the window. The old one matched the crib bedding set and wouldn't work with the new chosen theme for Joshy's bedroom. And of course Caleb had to show off his school work.

Well, more to follow later, my fingers hurt now from typing.

Hello again.

Wow, we have been monumentally busy!

Last week, Mike was home with a back ache for all but 2 days of the week. The boys really liked having him home, even if they couldn't "play rough" the way they like to do. And Jockey got to have sufficient naps because Daddy was here during the pick up or drop off of Caleb so Joshy could continue his naps even while getting Caleb. Therefore, the experiment for the best Jockey nap schedule begins today... and I'm crossing my fingers.

Last week I worked a bit... And thanks to my "work" we got a free pizza on Tues. Nice!

It was my first official Parent's Night last week too. That was interesting and I got all the pertinent information, but I was saddened that Caleb might miss his first field trip due to our vacation. And I was hoping for a better parent networking system, maybe that comes later. All in all, I'm very happy with the choice of school, and I can't wait for next fall when Jockey actually gets to stay as he soooooo wants to do right now.

Last Thursday, I took Caleb to the Cascade Community church and got him signed up for Awana. We switched churches to which he will attend Awana at; the Cascade church is bigger and I hope will have more chances for friends for him. Plus, when we attend on Sundays, I hope that some of the same kids in Awana will be in his Sunday school classes. Caleb was really excited for Awana. Joshy was very upset when he discovered we were leaving Caleb and he, himself, did not get to stay. Jockey threw a public fit to include sitting in the middle of the hallway arms crossed wagging his little finger saying NO when I said let's go.

Officially, Jockey has learned how to say "I'm mad", and he says that when we tell him no (fill in action.... hitting, biting (a recent big thing), kicking, or when we take away things that he shouldn't have. The only thing that brightened Jockey's mood when we were at Awana, is taking him to the park for some one-on-one time. He seemed to like that, but he also started a fit when it was time to leave the park. Hey, he's two! And he and I are locked in a power struggle. I know that I have to reign him in now, but when he is bigger than me and 17 yrs old, I need to have the respect and obedience. He is so strong willed!

We also trekked up to the Everett Children's Museum last week. It was Free Friday. So we got in right at 3pm the whole family for free, otherwise it would have been about $30! The funny thing is that Jockey at two was enraptured with the same display that captured Caleb's attention at two... of course, it involved Balls... what else! The plane display has gotten Caleb's focus on seeing Grandma and Papa Bishop. He mentions it everyday now. I tell him to put his clothes on for the day and he asks why, are we going to see Papa Bishop? Sigh, 16 days buddy. The Children's Museum was a lot of chasing the kids around as they explored. We were fortunate that the weather was decent and they opened up the roof-top exhibits. That was huge. It had an amazing climbing structure, parts of it were 50 feet in the air. We stayed a hour and a half and we still didn't see everything. We wanted to get out of Everett before the trestle got thick with traffic. I can't wait for the next free Friday!

Saturday and Sunday were Mike's football watching days. It is funny to see Caleb cheering right along with Mike for their team. Mike has to tell Caleb who to root for, and then Caleb taunts right along with Daddy. Joshy's just in it for the football watching snacks... Sports candy (aka Carrots with ranch dip) and chips.

This week has also started out busy. The boys went to Grammy and Papa Dahl's house yesterday for a visit. And that usually means I get to relax or get to overdue chores... not this time. I spent over 4 hours in a Babies'r'us helping a friend navigate the finer points of selecting all new baby gear. A long day... followed by grocery shopping. This is finally my first time to sit down and write anything, and I still have chores I should be doing.

Kudos for the Boys:
Caleb can dress himself. And usually he does so 3-4 times a day each time with a differnt outfit. I guess that would explain why one of the big chores waiting for me is laundry. He comes up with some reason to change clothes, tags itch, something is wet, etc. I'm just happy that he is doing it himself, although I do have to ask and check to see if he remembered underwear. He is showing signs of wanting to read. He is doing remarkable at learning the spanish words I'm teaching him. He doesn't remember all of the words, but when he does say them his pronuciation is surprisingly good. Better than some of his English. Caleb is getting a stronger appetite too. Caleb is learning more and more responsibilties. Picking up his toys is a BIG one. He and Jockey are really into forts and that means all of the blankets and pillows get dragged out frequently. Caleb is doing great so far in school.

Jockey is shower obsessed. He says "sha-wee". It's cute. And he says "I'm cute". And he is praying over owies etc more often. He is good at saying sorry, coke (unfortunately), hungry and several other things. Yesterday, he recognized Grammy's house and said Grammy, which is great because it has been over two months since he has been there. Jockey is doing well at potty training, still mostly for Daddy. With me he wants to be in control and say no. Jockey has been out on his tricycle, and almost went into a ditch (controlled and guarded by Daddy) but that taught him how to steer really fast. Now it is getting him to steer in the direction that the rest of us want to walk. He is still fearful of spiders. I really should take a hose to the front of the house because if he sees them through the windows, he won't eat at the kitchen table.

Both boys are really cuddly lately, and Jockey his having separation anxiety. Sigh. That's alot of work and tears. We'll get through it.
That's all for now folks.

And Fall begins...

Wednesday was "Jitters Day". Caleb was really excited about preschool starting. I was afraid that he would be resistent and a grouch to try to get into the building. However, he was very interested and excited. He saw his new room, his own cubby for papers, met his teacher (Miss Cheryl) and tried a few of the activities that they had out to play with. Caleb went right into a bead and color/pattern matching exercise. I didn't expect it to be a drop-off day, but it was. I had to drag Jockey out of the school, he really really wants to go to school (or at least be part of what Caleb is doing.)

Thursday was the official "First day". Caleb was a little sad that he didn't have a best friend. He first told me that he didn't need anymore friend because he had Tessa, Donovyn and Gavin. But when he counted on his fingers and only counted three, he got sad and said that that was ALL he had. Then he couldn't remember any of the names of the boys at school and therefore they weren't his friends. Except he could remember "the boy with the striped shirt" showed him how to puff his cheeks up with air and then punch his cheeks flat and make a spitting/zorbitz type noise. I did ask if the teacher asked him to stop, yes, and did he stop, yes. Which is good, so I had to kudos him for listening and obeying the teacher. I worry that he is the "trouble maker" of the class, but I guess he could have done something worse, and he could have disobeyed... Caleb couldn't remember anything else about the day, other than they had Goldfish crackers for snack and he told the teacher that they didn't have food coloring. "See I told you", was what he said with his pattened, dramatic lip curl.

Because of the school schedule, I'm going to have to experiment with Caleb taking or not taking naps, and what times Josh should take his naps. It will take a few weeks to try the different combinations and get it right. I do have to get it straight because Joshy fell asleep in the grocery cart seat at 12:45pm when I was trying to get a quick trip in during Caleb's Jitter's Day.

Today, Caleb and Mike went on a hike in Lord's Hill park. 7 miles later... Caleb was zonked and fell asleep before noon! Mike said he was very talkative with the strangers on the path, which is very unusual for him I hope that going to school brings him out of his shell a bit.

Good News: Joshy is really improving on his potty training. He gets really excited and says "I did" x2, and then does his little celebratory pony dance. And my little gem still only has success for Daddy! But he is having more often and more types of success than ever!

On the other hand, Joshy is in the huge phase of "separation anxiety". He doesn't want to sleep in his room anymore. He screams for long periods of time. Last night, I said uncle at 18 minutes. A couple nights before he screamed every hour on the hour. He said he was afraid, it turned out to be a crane fly buzzing around.

Which reminds me... Joshy has an honest to goodness fear of Spiders. It started with Caleb taunting him saying that the dining room light was a spider coming to get him. From that moment on, Joshy is terrified. He keeps running inside saying something that I misunderstood as "bye" which I thought was bite, really it is "spi" "spi". He really is scared. He saw a spider in a web on the outside of the window in the kitchen. I tried to pick him up and show him that it was on the outside and he cried in terror and tried to squirm away. So I got rid of it, but it took him 2 days to finally eat in the kitchen again! I try to tell him he doesn't need to be afraid. And as Caleb tried to tell Papa Bill on Monday, God is with us in our heart and doesn't want us to be afraid and God protects us and takes the spiders away. He still is upset with them, which is one animal we had to avoid at the Zoo. We ran out of time at the Zoo anyway, but it was something making me nervous about facing Joshy's fear with him.

The boys are enjoying their jumpy house near daily. I feel like a good parent when they get to play in something so great at the jumpy house, and I know that they will have years more of fun to come bouncing to their hearts delight.

We are trying to make the most of the rest of summer. Walks, hikes, swingset playing, parks, fair, zoo, bouncy house etc. I'm even hoping to get out in the trailer at least once more. We'll see.

Happy weekend.

We went to the ZOO today!!!!!!!!!

We are all very tired after a very fun day, we were there at 9:30 and weren't leaving in the car until 3:45pm!!!

It started out rainy, pouring really pouring. However, we visited a few exhibits and a very neat visit to the ZOOmasium which was indoors. The kids had a great time exploring the climb-on features: boulders, slides, and a "tree". They got out a lot of extra raw energy, and when I peeked outside, it had stopped raining. So we came out of "hibernation" and went off and running. We were lucky to catch the historic carousel during it's open hours (in the past it's been closed for various reasons). Of course, the boys really like it. Tessa is a obvious pony lover. Then it was off to the rest of the exhibits. The highlights were the Grizzly bears, one of bears brushed up against the glass directly in front of the kids. They were literally inches from the bear! Amazing. Also, the Slow Laris was a neat animal because it came right up to the glass and matched up our hands with his. He really took interest in us, and we of course, were even more intrigued.

Jockey obviously was drenched in fun, and he had the wet and filthy pants to prove it. During lunch I had to take them in and dry them via the hand dryer so that they were even tolerable to wear. Though his pants were damp his spirits were in no way dampened. It was so nice to see the cousins play and really discover the animals and the neat animals and information together. Their enthusiam to share and make sure that the other cousin saw something they found interesting was heart-warming.

I'm so tired, I can't even type the rest of the details, I'll just try to post some pictures and let them fill in the thousand words....

Yes, the bear got even CLOSER than the next picture......

So that is our Zoo-tale.

Tomorrow is Caleb's "Jitter's day", a short orientation to prepare for his first day of Pre-K school on Thursday.

And HAPPY BIRTHDAY GRANDMA BISHOP!!!!!!!!!