Tuesday, January 30, 2007

I just had to share this:

Thank you to all male members of this household for leaving the toilet seat up, Joshy really enjoys the fun you allowed him.
Well, the boys and I are off to California tomorrow (January 31st).

We will return on February 7th.

We will fill our time with silly, whirlwind Caleb adventures, the sky(and our own energy reserves) is the limit. Caleb is looking forward to swimming in the hot tub and seeing the "power rangers" that Grandma and Papa Bishop have gotten him.

In the mean time, here at home in the last week:

Mommy got the stomach flu... yuck! It made packing hard, but I did it.

Caleb saw Donovyn at playgroup last week. Donovyn and Caleb were running around the gym and suddenly Donovyn got all teary and cried. We asked him what is wrong, he said "Caleb's always running in circles...", we moms are thinking that it would follow with ..away from me, I can't keep up, he never chases me.. Instead, it finished with "how come he never runs in TRIANGLES!" We couldn't help but laugh; that's a complaint we haven't heard before.

I'd love to write more, but I have things to do, and my hand is not feeling the greatest I'll just have to post more later.

Thanks for checking in. Please pray for delay-free travel flights!!!! That would be wonderful, because last time going down was a 3 HOUR!!! delay, right in the middle of nap time!
Talk to you soon.

Friday, January 19, 2007

Just a little update:

Monday was Martin Luther King Jr day, so there wasn't a playgroup scheduled, but instead we were fortunate enough to set up a playdate with Caleb's best friend Donovyn. That was great for Caleb since he hasn't seen Donovyn since 2 weeks before Christmas. They had a lot to catch up on. It was interesting to see Joshy try to interact with them. Sometimes he was invited into the fort and other times he was the hapless victim to a sword fight. All in all a good day.

Tuesday was pretty mellow. Not much to report. Just the usual... naps, meals, keeping Josh out of the toilet.

Wednesday: No one showed up for playgroup, so we made other uses with the time. We visited Costco for diapers and Daddy for... well, Caleb wanted to see him. Specifically, Caleb wanted to go inside Daddy's work and give GG a hug and get Chocolate. GG wasn't there, but the Chocolate was, Caleb was happy. We were able to see Daddy and Grammy and Papa Dahl for lunch. Then it was home for naps.

Thursday: Daddy was home in the day time so the kids got to see and play with him. Our microwave broke, so we had to replace it, and that was the entirety of Thursday. Not exciting.

Friday: Mommy worked for about an hour. Then Daddy had to work for a couple hours. And since it is still Friday, we'll see if things turn up.

I have to tell you a couple things, one liners or a bit longer:

Caleb calls Joshy "The Eating Machine" lately. Which is true, he can eat us all under the table when it comes to Oranges, Yogurt or Oatmeal. At least the oranges have Vitamin C in them during the flu season.

This morning we were singing Old McDonald.... Did you know that there was a baby, Mommy and Daddy on the farm? The Baby says Wahhh, the Mommy says Go to your Room, and the Daddy... Spanks. Per Caleb.

Caleb is really into his learning CD-roms' from the library. He is learning a bunch, but now we are in competition for the computer. I'm trying to do work and he's trying to find "brill lights" for the Leo Lion and Reader Rabbit.


Well, that's all for now, I think Josh just woke up. The only other thing that I have to say is that I am considering preschool for Caleb. I am never going to be a social person, and I will not hold him back if I can help it. So I'm looking into the cost and days of preschool. Hopefully, I will get him enrolled quickly, but with a vacation coming up, I think it will be at least mid-February. Cross my fingers. I'm also thinking of Awana at the local Baptist church. He might enjoy that too.

So talk again soon, and have a great day.

Thursday, January 11, 2007

Here we are together again.

We've been sick for the last week. Yes, Caleb got it first. Then Joshy, then Daddy and last Mommy.

Caleb now asks for medicine, and between the two boys I've gone through 2 bottles of the stuff. Joshy really scared me with a 103.3 temperature on Sunday night. I really had to fight to get that down fast. He did not like being stripped down to a diaper, washed with a cold wet cloth, skin cooled with a breeze (I blew on his damp skin). The Vick's he didn't mind, and the medicine he didn't mind. In fact, he thought that other than the wet wash cloth and his congestion, that it was play time. He would have loved to stay up and play in the middle of the night, and that is unfortunately the pattern he is now in... sigh. He has been such a good night sleeper since October, I just don't think I can go back to 3AM night incidents.

Good new, for the most part we are on the mend and finishing side of the flu. And PTL, it was NOT a Stomach flu. Spontaneous Yak on the carpet is not my idea of a good time!

In other news, WE HAVE SNOW! Caleb got to use his new snow shoes for the first time. I thought that he would have to be in the mountains for them to be used, but nope, he got to use the for the first time in his own backyard and in the neighborhood. We saw some kids playing in the snow at the park across the street, and he wanted to go and play with them. By the time we got him fully dressed for the outdoors, snowshoes unpackaged and on this feet, and daddy dressed, the kids were gone. Caleb was a little disappointed, and I was for him too. He was really looking forward to making a friend at the park, as he put it. I said ok, be nice and have fun... and he said, "Yeah, no hitting." Yup, new people won't be a new friend if you hit them... wise words. Funny, that that is how boys do often make friends, they run into each other and if they both stand up they are friends afterwards. I don't know why, but there you go.

Joshy is talking more and more. It is great. He always says phrases, with the exception of Mine! He gets frustrated easily, especially when he can't say what he wants. For being a bigger talker, he is less commnicative of his basic needs. He relys on his speaking and we don't always understand it. Caleb was extremely NON-verbal, but I always knew what he wanted with the sign language and pointing. Well, different kiddos makes life interesting.

Well, that's all for now. I hope all of you that have snow too are warm and enjoy the clean white beauty while it lasts.
Good night.

Monday, January 01, 2007

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

What's new this year you ask? Well, this season in HAIR, Jockey will be sporting a shorter more toddler cut featuring a shorter length in the hopes of being accessorized less with food. That's right JOCKEY's FIRST HAIRCUT!!!! It's still a "little" long, baby long, but a little shorter than I planned, but what do you expect from a moving boy! I did all I could to distract him with water from the faucet and his toothbrush and comb. But he's little and forgiving a less that model perfect hair cut. He's always cute to me, and still has both ears! Snip, snip....


And then this is Caleb playing his favorite Clifford video game, he asked for me to take a picture, and he is of the age that when he asks I do, because he isn't always accommodating when I ask for him to smile for a picture that I want.

OK, it's late, and that's all I have time for folks. TTFN

Caleb has a few favorite toys (of the ones that he got, he is also in love with the video game Jockey got). Here are some pictures of Caleb and his favorite toys. I have to say that I have enjoyed Caleb's new toys. I have needed something new to play with him and teach him. I can only pretend so many things with the same toys. So now I get to teach Caleb Hi-Ho Cherry oh and his counting. Bob the Builder and all the power tools his a great his.

Caleb was annoyed that I asked him to stop playing his Leap Pad so that I could take a picture he was "too busy, mom". But he gives that thing more concentration that I ever expect Caleb to give anything. That is until I borrowed a couple children's CD-Roms from the Library. I think that these electronic learning aids are just the thing to capture my little whirlwind's attention long enough to drill some learning into him!

The other very neat Christmas gift was a devotions book from the Small family. It takes an animal and tells a story/bio about it and then we learn either a good trait to mimmick or a bad trait to steer clear of and then gives the scripture to back it up. Caleb and I have been going through this and he is really LEARN!!! He spent all yesterday telling me he is a good boy not a Cookcoo bird (a very selfish bird.) It's funny. And I can tell him he is acting like a Wildcat and needs to control his anger and calm down. It's turned out to be a wonderful tool that he remembers and relates to. THANKS BARB et al. !!!!

P.s. I forgot to mention about Jockey and the funny thing about him on Christmas. He was opening his big gift from Grammy and Papa Dahl. He has seen this opening stuff happen a few times already this morning, so when it was his turn he knew what to do. He ripped some paper and trotted off to the garbage bag to put it in, and then he came back and ripped off some more and trotted off again. He was funny and yet so perfectly innocent in his imitation of what he'd witnessed all morning. I will tell you that when I got that jumpy house set up, he didn't even wait for me to get air into it before he wanted to roll and walk on it. And after than he was in love with having the air in it! .

Note in picture: Josh is STILL chewing on his toothbrush from his stocking! I should have stopped at buying just the .50 cent toothbrush. Or better yet, bought just a dozen toothbrushes for Christmas!



OUR CHRISTMAS!!!!


We had our family Christmas Eve party. The boys were absolute troopers and quite shockingly well behaved for having only had 40 minutes worth of naps that day. They played well, and loved to see the family. Caleb sat and said, "look all my friends came" and I had to tell him that they weren't just friends but WOW they were Family too! He thought it was neat. He liked to play with Matthew, Tyler and Nick too.
It was especially fun with all the extended family there as well. We had 4 generations on both mine and Mike's side of the family. From Great Grandpa Severson and Great Grandma Dahl all the way down to Caleb and Josh, and every one in between. New people (cousin Brady due in mid-January) and of course old people which was of course G. Grandpa Severson again at 92 (93 on new years, if I understand correctly.)

Auntie (actually Cousin) Barb got some Joshy time in, gotta love the baby reminiscing without the diaper changing.

There were grandparents' precious moments when surrounded by little grandchildren opening gifts, or just quietly sitting on their laps. (Caleb wanted a picture taken and I told him I would take one if he sat on Grandpa Dahl's lap). Then he wanted more pictures of him eating pumpkin pie, I'll mercifully not make you see him dramatically show how he eats pumpkin pie. I'll save that for the embarrassing scrapbook moments.

We had Christmas morning at our house. The boys had their stockings and that would have been enough for Joshy! He got a lightsaber (i.e. something to hit everything with) and a toothbrush (something to put in his mouth). He's set. And Caleb is crazy. He was really happy that Santa got him a robot. And he wanted to see if Jesus got anything because it was His birthday. I missed on that one. Next year I'll be smarter, but what does God need that can be wrapped and put under the tree? Good thing I have 365 days to come up with a good idea.


This is getting long. So I'll continue about Caleb in the next posting.