Puppy On Board!!!

We got a call last night, in the early evening, saying that if we wanted, we could pick up our puppy. So we all hopped into the car and braved the commuting traffic to picked up our new puppy!

WELCOME HOME TIGGER!

"The most wonderful things about Tiggers, are Tiggers are wonderful things. Their bouncy,
pouncy, fun, fun fun.... the most wonderful about Tiggers is I'm the only one!"


Our "little" puppy grew in a week. He's not so little. Nearly the same size as Zuma. Caleb really likes him and wants to interact with Tigger as much as possible. Joshy is amazingly interactive with Tigger. He crawls over and pats and pets Tigger. They share toys with each other. Caleb shares the dog food with Tigger; I wish I was kidding about that, but at least we've decided to go with a "human grade ingredients" dog food.

Tigger has been home less that 24 hours, more like nearly 12. But he is already fitting in. He is way more used to grass and playing outside. He perks up when we take the satelite dish off his collar, you know, when he regains his peripheral vision... He plays when we initiate and he stops when we stop, which is good because that means we are the pack leader not him determining the activities. He slept in the crate last night and after the first 5-10 minutes, you wouldn't have known he was even in the house, except for the smiles on all of our sleeping faces. Tigger is a very smooth, soft, good smelling, blackish colored dog with beautiful stripes of brindling coming through. We are told that the brindling will increase as he grows into an adult, which is wonderful because he looks like a photo negative of a tiger... so the name Tigger fits.

We are all in love already. How love happens so fast is beyond comprehension, and for that matter, we don't have to comprehend, we just know we love him. Mike is even happy that we have puppy "Purple", his litter name. Of course, it took a message from God to tell him that "purple" is the right puppy. But "purple" is home and we all couldn't be happier. And praise the Lord that the weather is so beautiful because we can play in the backyard and take lots of nice walks with Tigger in tow.

Enough gushing, here are some pictures.

Daddy with his newest baby...

See that smile on Caleb's face! A Mug shot of Tigger!
Could Jockey be smiling any more than he is?!

The littlest are playing on the floor, sharing and trading toys!


The Fez hat and and stitches are able to come out around Friday of this coming week, the collar will be an optional item if he is scratching at his ears. He gets his 3 month vaccines on July 5th (approx). He is doing well in his healing process, and from what we can see, Tiggers ears are very nice looking. If the stitches are any indication of the quality of the ear crop, then we are impressed with the good job the vet performed.

We are still praying, you can pray too, for the Lord to work the rest of the miracle. We are waiting on the other breeder to PLEASE give us a refund. She is not being very cooperative, and we are praying even harder. We simply can not afford to not get a refund, and unfortunately it might take some legal leverage or small claims court action to pry the $ from her hands. Lord, please don't let it be that difficult to recoup the money. Financially this has to be settled, we are in a deficit if this is not resolved. But the Lord provided a way better dog, I have every confidence that His provision will continue.

So one happy family here. TTFN, gotta go enjoy the puppy and the beautiful sunshine. You all have a great weekend.

The Lord is good and provides, even when it hurts.

However, this is a post of good report and joy. (so keep reading)


We loved Titan, but hindsight and compare/contrast brought us 20/20 vision and we see some flaws that he had. 1) he was aggressive/nippy when it came time to feed him 2) he was mouthy/nippy in his play 3) he had some visual impairment 4) he had badly done ears 5) he was aggressive, growling some strangers and dogs. 6) he wasn't our first choice of color, although we were willing to accept and love him 7) and he came from a breeder of shall we say "questionable" standards of cleanliness which manifest itself in smelly pups.

However, we have found a wonderful, God-ordained, blessed alternative in a puppy for which we have put a deposit down. He is through Paradise Cane Corsos; he comes from a breeder in Allyn, Wa. They have 9 acres of streamside, quaint retired-farm setting land to include a well-maintained 1940's rustic cabin like home, cherry trees, apple trees with adjacent woodpile, grass galore to be romped and played in and old unused nostalgic barn. The puppies are kept in an outbuilding, meaning not the barn, not the home and not the garage, but a separate puppy residence that is puppy-proofed. They have 2 wonderful areas; an inside heated pen with wood shavings similar to that of a lamb's stall, and an outdoor, covered pen also with wood shavings but also partly grass. Thus no icky kennel smell. Also, because of the indoor pen where they are kept, when they are not being crate trained, the puppies have smoother, softer, and shiner smell-free coats. All of the puppies are some version of brindle, the color which we preferred above all others. And of the 5 male pups that had their ears already cropped (those were the only ones we really were interested in) only 1 mouthed at all, and even that was only once to Mike and once to Caleb, then he was told to stop and did. Agression is not tolerated by the Paradise Cane Corso breeder. All of the others were completely non-agressive and only interested in licking and sniffing... even of Josh, they had to check him out. They were even non-aggressive when it came to their food; aggression during mealtime is something that the breeders specifically say they would NEVER allow. They were all cute little (or not so little) bundles of energy and curiousity. And given that they had just had their ears cropped the previous day, we were shocked at how good they were looking, feeling and acting. They all wore the satellite dish collars and a bandage that looked like a white fez hat, they looked like members of a weird religious sect. But their collars didn't stop them from licking and sniffing everything. There were 11 puppies in the litter, 7 males, 4 females. Of the males, 5 had had their ears cropped, and just one of those had been spoken for, leaving 4 to really choose from. Because there were so many, they were color coded, the 4 were: a camoflauge collar aka Rambo, a green collar aka Feisty, Blue and Purple. After extensive discussion with the breeders, much debate between Mike and I (and an attempt to get Caleb's thoughts) and 2 hours of observation, we decided to go with puppy Purple. Rambo and Fiesty were just more than we wanted to handle. Which left the decision between Blue and Purple. Purple was going to be easy to train but not a lazy mush dog in temperment, he was gentle, he was loving and curled up with me and let me hold him for a long time. He has the most beautiful brindle coat; some of the others were quite dark with just a hit of a brindle to come. He is estimated to be about 115 as an adult, still quite bit, although smaller than the other puppy, Blue who was estimated at 130ish and who had a darker only hint of brindle, slightly longer/courser coat, and was a little more of a push over in temperment in their estimation. So Purple is our pup. If you visit the website, you can see our pup in the picture of them all nursing, and also he is the one sitting on the father, Sarg. Coincidentally, puppy Blue is in the picture to the right of the picture with Purple and Sarg.
Also, it is important to note that Sarg is the son of the dog(and his bloodline) that Mike fell in love with 4 years ago! Our puppy is the grandson of the best dog Mike could find in all of his research! Sarg is beautiful, powerful, BIG, and obedient. Raya, the mother, is EXTREMELY OBEDIENT and EXTREMELY MELLOW/GENTLE. We thought that Titan's parents were mellow, NOT in comparasion. When asked which dog he wanted, Caleb said "Mommy dog". She followed and doted on him while we were there.
I could keep gushing, but I won't bore you all. Bottomline, the Lord is good and will provide. We are going to get a better temperment, better bloodline, a prettier coat, healthier puppy than what we were before. It is all to the Lord's will and provision and we give him praise and credit. We are now just waiting for the rest of the Lord's provision to tie up the loose ends on the financial side of things. At it stands we have now paid for two dogs, vet bills and an autopsy without any reimburesment. I refuse to believe that the Lord would take care of us and make sure we got the better dog for our family without making a way for the financial... So I'm keeping the subject in prayer, my faith and hopes high, and giving the Lord time to work the rest of the miracle.

Caleb will recover from this situation I'm sure. But it was sad when we went to visit the puppies that he was poorly behaved and when Mike finally asked him what was upsetting him... he said "no me Titan here". He had actually thought that this was where that puppy had gone and we were there to get him. I know that once we have a puppy in our arms, he will be ok. Following this subject, we had thought that we would used the name Titan again... and we still may if that is what Caleb insists on, however we are thinking that a new name is in order. I don't have pictures yet to assist in the decision, but on name alone you can all decide:

a) tank b) tigger c) taz d) triton

Mike and I have a preferrence, but let's see what you think. Again, check out the website if you need help. Purple looks VERY similar to the puppy standing in the grass with the green collar, and keep in mind that our puppy's ears are cropped.

Ok, well, that's the good news about a new family member on it's way. If he is mending well, it is possible we are picking him up as early as Friday. Or at the latest the following weekend.
Wish us luck on puppy parenting...up during the nights and lots of impromptu potty trips.

A little recovery here.


First, Joshy is getting a 5th tooth. He is doing ok, with infant dye-free tylenol of course. He is gumming everything and biting his Mommy occassionally. Not on purpose, but it hurts no less. The days have begun to count down for Jockey's source to the "real deal". Josh is soooo active. He will NOT hold still. I have only 4 recourses to slow him down. The crib, the car seat, the swing and the exersaucer, not that any of those places are his favorite for the exact reason that I put him in them... to make him stay in one place. He is everywhere all the time. Stairs are his favorite place to go. It's a special joyful challenge to him. He feels like he is part of the world around him when he can navigate by himself. Another thing that he is particularly interested in joining is the ritual of eating. He can be full in the tummy, but if others are around him eating he would like to partake and join in the activity just to be part of the group. He really wants to be bigger and grown up and just do what everyone else is doing right in front of him. And he is not shy about telling us what he wants. He is frequently saying Mom, and has said (to date) yeah, what, all done, Caleb, and Daddy. I'm trying to teach him sign language too, but I haven't seen any progress in this regard.

Last Monday, 6/12, Joshy waved for the first time to Auntie Charlotte. I'm not 100% positive, but Auntie Charlotte might have been the first person Caleb waved to as well. Wouldn't that be funny that the boys waved to the same person for the first time. Well, Auntie Charlotte is great with Caleb, so it's fine with me if she and Josh have similar relationship.

Ok folks, I was going to spend some time telling you about the big thing this weekend, but I'm afraid I'm out of time. I'll just provide a link to the main website, and tell you that a deposit has been made.

www.paradisecanecorso.com

I'll go into detail at another time because there is just too much to say about our visit, the results, and God's hand in the whole matter.
TTFN

Titan (4/20/06-6/14/06) went to see Jesus.

Friends are made fast when love is shared without reserve.

He went in for a surgery to replace the stitches that he dug out of his ear crop (after he had maneuvered the satellite collar off). The surgery had to occur to prevent mass scar tissue and infection, and it had to be done under anesthesia because it was going to be very painful. He made it through the surgery and was put back in the observation cage. Very shortly after, a vet tech ran and got the Dr. Titan had stopped breathing. They worked on him for a hour. They did everything they could, but he didn't make it. They suppose it was a weak heart, or an allergic reaction. It is impossible to be 100% without an autopsy, but that is a decision that we have yet to make.

We are all extremely sad. The Lord knows what is best, and the best we can do is go to Him for comfort and lean on the faith we have in Him.

Some of you might have known that we were going to have Titan's eye checked out and it was not 100% determined whether we were going to be able to keep him (although our hearts already were saying yes of course). Perhaps the Lord knows that now is better than in 2 weeks from now to make the decision about Titan's fate with our family.

We were very blessed to have a happy 72 hours to love him and share him with the family around us. In that time he has made an indelible mark on our hearts and memory. He was a very mellow, sweet, trainable/obedient dog that was proving to love us and protect us as much as we did him. He leaves a void that is puzzling to know the best way and timing to fill. We know we are a dog-loving family and we know we had made space in our home, hearts, mind, and time for a new cherished family member. It now feels pointedly incomplete in our home. We are praying for the wisdom to know the best way to handle this situation.

We appreciate all the comfort that everyone has offered. Your prayers are very appreciated in that God is the only one that has true answers and heart mending capabilities.

As you know we have a little 3 yr old that is well impacted by this unfortunate event. He is doing far better than expected. He has been told that Titan is gone and not coming back. I'm unsure if he actually has understanding of this and it's meaning. As he and I picked the first large 'crop' of summer strawberries I asked him if he knew and understood. I asked him if he was ok with Titan not coming back. That amazing little boy said "yeah" and then put his hand on my shoulder and tilted his head to look at me and asked "you okay, Titan no come back?" That is an astounding, amazing, wonderful and sensitive boy that I have. I needed a hug from him and then I was okay. My biggest worry was about him (and Daddy). That being said, it was a very difficult night with disturbed dreams and sleep; Caleb ended up sleeping next to Mommy where she could help him with each whimper. And Mommy felt better too knowing that at least my irreplaceable, precious boys were alive and well.

We appreciate all the comfort that everyone has offered. Your prayers are very appreciated in that God is the only one that truly has the answers and heart mending capabilities. Please keep us lifted up to Him.

-sorry if this isn't the typical, humorous, recount of the boys' activities and growth; this is the largest source of communication with our family.

Put your nose on the wall.....Daddy.

Our little Caleb has entered the mimick phase. You just know he isn't going to repeat just the nice and wonderful things we say. As responsible parents we have to have our guard up and watch what we say so that we don't pass on bad habits to our beloved son. And as responsible parents it is our duty to discipline poor behavior with the hopes to bring it to an end.

But what if the guard falls....Daddy?

Caleb picked up something from Daddy without missing a beat. Caleb had to be corrected. But to get to the root of the problem, Daddy also had to put his nose on the wall so that the discipline was across the board. Daddy didn't want to put his nose on the wall, but knowing how important it was to follow through he was a good sport and took his dose of discipline. It was cute and funny to see my big, big guy and my little guy both with their noses on the wall, for saying the same thing.

Oh, I do so pray that I don't have to put my nose on the wall.

Caleb and Josh's (and Daddy's) Puppy, TITAN, came home!!!




After a brief camping night out to Fort Stevens, OR the family headed over to Portland to pick up the long awaited, much talked about TITAN puppy. The camping was good, but the puppy is great. Titan has the best personality. He is calm, mellow, gentle and a hint of curiousity. He loves Caleb and tries to incite play. Caleb loves to be chased and throw toys for Titan. Josh and Titan are like two litter mates. I've already caught them playing tug-o-war with a dog toy (which are turning out to be some of Josh's new favorites). Josh crawls over and literally pats and pets Titan, and he also uses the puppy to try to pull up into a stand. Titan is a wonderful traveler, sleeping most of the way. Titan made his Daddy's dreams come true by sleeping with his head in Daddy's lap most of the way home. (He did curl up next to Mommy as she slept too, just to spread the love around.) Titan and Zuma are doing very well together. She is dealing with him either by ignoring him or sniffing/playing with him. He's already liking to play, but showing her that he is no push over. Titan played long with Caleb, our family, and Uncle Brian and Auntie Brittany, then promptly fell asleep in the grass in the backyard, too tired to even make it in the house. He treats stairs and grass as if he hasn't ever seen them before, but he is adjusting quickly. Titan is already proving to be easy going and adaptable with his first introduction to us being in a car, the our trailer and then back in the car for a 4 hour trip home, and the to our home and the chaos of unpacking and having guests. Also, cross our fingers for more successes, he hasn't had a puppy accident yet; in fact, he has gone outside 8 times and with the potty command and had success! He is a great loving, soft pup that is already as attached to us and we are to him. The Lord has blessed us with a wonderful pet to carry us forward with joy and companionship. Here are some pictures of our littlest (which no longer is Jockey, by age at least):

Titan has had his ears cropped. He removed his 'satelite dish' collar too soon and needs to go in for a couple replacement stitches, hopefully Monday. And following that in a week, his ears will be wrapped and 'posted' for a week or so just to keep them mending in the proper way. He seems to be managing his 'pain' well. And Caleb warns everyone not to touch his ears. Good job Caleb. Titan is current on his shots and will go back in for more in one month.

Back to the camping trip... Other than Anacortes, this was Josh's first trip to the coast and ocean. He slept right through it. But he was a happy baby because of a good nap, and I'll take that any day. Also, this was our first trip with a TV in our trailer. Caleb liked that alot. When it got dark, we put in a new cartoon about the Ten Commandments and watched that just before bedtime as a family. This really was a great camping trip. The park was near our campsite so Caleb got to play for a long time, he got to swim in the hot tub at the rv park in Portland, and of course, the puppy.

That was our eventful weekend. Stay tuned for more crazy stories, events, and pictures!

Caleb's thoughts on Superman.

Everyone knows what Superman looks like. And everyone knows how Superman classically stands. Well, Caleb walked into a store and saw a poster for the new Superman movie coming out. He asked Daddy "why that man has his hand on his underwear?"!

Can you believe that? ! When asked that way, I can't even explain a man wearing tights and just his underwear on the outside. I love the child view of the world. It reminds me of how simple life can/should/and needs to be. And how much negative or superfulous information, materialism, or non-profitable actions we allow to cloud our thoughts, time and lives. The child sometimes knows best. If I can't explain it, then perhaps our lives shouldn't include it.

Caleb is so compassionate and caring. So intelligent and insightful. He's a blessing to learn from.


Josh is getting 2 new teeth, if I haven't mentioned that already. They have crested/broken through all the way, now they are just in the process of moving downward. I'm sure Josh will be relieved when they are done moving, and when it means he can have real food. The biggest thrill of Josh's life was sharing a real yogurt with Caleb and Mommy. Finally, he was just like the rest of us.
Josh is pulling himself up on everything! I've even seen him let go and try to take a step, but then he realizes that crawling is faster so he drops down to commando crawling. Josh is totally preoccupied with stairs. He can not stay away from them. He will climb the entire flight of stairs. Determined and unstoppable. He sets his aim and just goes for it. And on the flat surfaces, he just puts his head into something and starts pushing and sliding until he goes through, over or under, but regardless he does get to the other side. Of course, he is a happy as can be when he finds something new to chew on. Life is all about what can go into his mouth. Today, I put him in the exersaucer while I planted a couple shrubs. That little silly reached way way over and grabbed a handful of the lacy leaf maple and was going to try for a little salad!

Josh is sleeping just a little bit better. Still not all the way through the night. In fact he's up a minumum of twice a night. But when he does get good sleep in those times, he wakes up clucking his tongue. He is so cute about it. And when he isn't clucking his tongue, he is sucking on his bottom lip and making a sucking pop sound. It's all about the mouth to him. He routinely says Mom, Mom, Ma, Mum. And shockingly, a few weeks ago he said "all done".
I will be teaching him the sign language that I used with Caleb. But I think it is likely that Josh will talk sooner than 2 1/2 years old. Caleb however is seeing me use the sign language and is picking it up again with lightening speed. I think I will continue to teach Caleb new signs. You never know when it might come in handy.

After a week off, Caleb spent the night at Grammy and Papa's house last night. He had a totally dry day (diaper wise) from 2 to bed time! WOW. The next day wasn't such a success. But it as filled with such fun activities that I'm sure it just slipped him mind. He had gymnastics, and in the afternoon, swimming with Daddy. He really likes doing things. And that wears him out and makes him sleep good, which is fine for everyone.

We have the count down to getting the puppy. Only 5 full days left! The excitement is building for everyone. And the tasks that have to occur before the puppies arrival multiply! With that being said, time's up here.

New goats!

When we arrived back from our trip to Portland last weekend, we came home to new "City of Monroe" goats. And not just the two that were there before. We now have one of the previous ones back and then 7 others! Caleb just had to go and visit them! Here are the pictures:

Well, as for things around here. Caleb is really getting into mischief. We tried to garden, until he brought in a shovel full of dirt onto my carpet. Then while I was putting away the gardening stuff, he brought in a truck full of sand into the family room. AND THEN while I was cleaning/vaccuming up the dirt and sand, my "mommy-extra-sensory guessing" alarm went off. I turned off the vaccum and called out to Caleb. He was found standing ON the kitchen counters trying to get into the food cupboards! That was all within the same 15 minutes! Mischief! Joshy isn't to be outdone, however. He gummed Daddy's phone until it completely died. The only buttons that respond are 1, 3, 5, 0 and off. The # button is permanently pushed and then the phone started whinning. I didn't know phones whined, but thanks to Josh that great mystery is solved... they do whine.

We've been up to the usual. Tuesday, I took Caleb to his gymnastics class. He surprised me completely with his stretching time. He kept with the instructor and followed along with the entire class. He was even eager to do the next step and was the first to put away the little carpets where they belong. He was having such fun. And he was very excited to see Bob. He was a little distracted by Mommy and Josh being there and watching. But he was amazing they stuff that he did do, when he wasn't frustrated waiting his turn. He was so excited to show me that he lost focus a bit. I think that this is an activity that has to stay a Grammy and Caleb activity with me only creeping in to spy every once in a while. This is fine, he needs to have a Grammy only activity, and she does too I think.

Playgroup on Wednesday. But it was a special treat to see Aunt Rene and Uncle Mel. We haven't seen them since February; too long, so it was very nice to see them and show off the fast growing duo.

We've also been to the golf driving range a few times this week. Caleb really likes that. I have shown him a couple times how to stand, keep his eye on the ball and then swing. The hilarious part was when he was watching me and he said from the sidelines: "mommy stand" and then placed his feet in the way that I had showed him and obviously I wasn't doing at the moment. I had to laugh, the student becomes the teacher. Not that I will ever be able to tell anyone anything about golf.

Caleb has started to suprise me with the extent of his vocabulary and understanding. He will come up with words I didn't think he knew all the time. And his sentence structure is building and getting more accurate and complete everyday! This is wonderful. Except when he repeats the same sentence 6 times, but maybe that's Mommy's issue of patience not Caleb's issue of repeating. Caleb and I have renewed our efforts to learn his colors. He seems to know some of the names, but not be able to point out the correct color with the name that he knows. He's smart though, if you use a Blue ball, a Green frog, and a Red truck, he will remember what item is what color when you tell him, but that left me to question whether he knew the color or the object. So right now I pulled out 7 colors of shirts and folded them all up to the same size/shape and hung them up on his dresser. We are trying to point and learn with all shapes/sizes being equal. This will be the true test and learning field I think.

Post-Birthday fun. Caleb got some pretty cool trucks for his birthday. Well, he has started to make them duel. Not crash into each other, ok that too... but they play music and he gets them all going at the SAME time and then dances to them. Very fun for him, yet very noisy.

Well, that's all I have time for. More later as time allows.

Caleb saw his (and Daddy's) puppy, on his actual birthday!

Caleb was very excited. He wanted to hold the puppy, let it run around, squeeze it, etc. He tried to give the puppy every toy in the box... how generous, right. Caleb had a good time and in the end said, "Bye Titan". He handled it very good. The next morning he did mention that he wanted to see the puppy again, but we couldn't. He was sad about that. He got over it, SO FAR. Caleb is to the stage that he is able to understand "sad", and he will tell you in the most adorably heart wrenching way and whinny puppy voice and pouty chicken lips "That make me sad". Of course on the 4th time in a row of him saying that at bedtime just so he won't have to go to sleep, it does get a little less adorable.



Well, I don't have much time. Jockey is getting 2, count them 2 teeth in right now, and he is not happy about it. So I'll just upload some of the puppy pictures and leave this blog at that.

The puppy is the sweetest and most calm in the litter. He likes to play, and sleep. He is in the process of being weaned and will begin crate training shortly. He is tinted with the dark fur creating a saddle like appearance on his back, but I am told that that will grow out into a fawn (khakie) color. His ears will be cropped a few days before we bring him home and then the ears will be wrapped for a few weeks. He is pretty wrinkly now, but I'm sure he is going to be doing a lot of growing before and after we pick him up. The best news is that our puppy will be picked up on June 11th. That's right, less than two weeks away. If I keep Caleb (and Daddy) busy enough, then the time will fly by.

That's all for now. Good night.

3 Year Old Birthday Party for CALEB!!!

I can not believe by little boy is 3. Three YEARS since he was a baby newly born. Well, he's taller, walks and talks more that's for sure. The person he is developing into is fascinating to watch.

This is the first year that Caleb had any input to give about his party. He wanted his bouncy house there, he wanted his friend Donovyn there, he wanted a CHOCOLATE cake, and a balloon on his cake. I think we accomplished all that! He had a blast.

Caleb has his party on Saturday. He had a very good time. The Lord blessed us with the best weather possible for the bouncy house to be set up, despite all forecasts to the contrary. The bouncy house was the best way to keep the kids entertained. He bounced and went down the slide with glee and giggles. The smiles on the children's faces made this parent feel like she had done something right! We had to keep the bouncing safe and not so aggressive when they bumped into each other, but it was more than worth having at the party. The daycare facility at the white house was very nice to have, and was greatly used; the playset and toys are priceless when trying to keep kids having constructive fun. Caleb's friend Donovyn came, which is very cool because he is Caleb's first friend. And it was wonderful to have Cousin Tessa and Cousin Gavin! It is great to see cousins and friends all the same age playing so well together.

Caleb blew out his #3 birthday candle and then ate chocolate cake. He had resisted all day from touching it and trying to eat it... Caleb saying "just looking, mom" wasn't too be trusted. So when he finally got to interact with his cake he was excited and relieved. He was shy though with everyone around him singing a hearty Happy Birthday. He got the candle out in one strong breath and then buried his head in his arms as if he was overwhelmed with the attention when he accomplished such a feat. Eating cake got him out of the shyness.


Then it was on to the gifts. Caleb had been eyeing the items that were sticking out of the gift bags all day. Again, he resisted well, with reminders. All the children were excited and couldn't hold back from helping Caleb, thus every child there opened a little of something. I'm glad this didn't bother Caleb. He was just excited to get the remote controlled dump truck (thank you Papa Bill and Judy) and the big green truck with motorcycle (thank you Uncle Jeff and Aunt Danene) out of their many layers of childproof packaging. He liked all the gifts, but other than the afore mentioned items, I was pleasantly surprised that the other big hit was a nerf foam rocket laucher from the DOLLAR store. Is he an easily made happy kid or what!? Each kid thought that it was a great gift and had to take a turn with it. Caleb got lovely and thoughtful gifts; THANK YOU to all who came to his party to help him celebrate and be extra special for a day and for the generous gifts. This was Uncle Jeff, Aunt Danene and Papa Bill's first time attending a birthday party for Caleb. Thank you for coming. Caleb really enjoyed having you there, he kept asking where you were and what you were doing for the rest of the night.

After the gifts were opened, it was a bit more of the playing, jumping and then of course the clean up. Caleb napped almost immediately after getting into the car! The wonderful, happy little guy had just plain run out of steam having used up all his energy having FUN all afternoon.

To all of you who sent or brought their birthday wishes to Caleb, you were part of something wonderful for a very special little boy, THANK YOU very much!

Camping in Anacortes (Mother's Day weekend)

Well, it has been one EXTREMELY busy week, so I am just now able to write about Mother's day weekend. We decided on a trip up to Anacortes. Friday was pouring rain as we loaded up the trailer; both Mike and I reserved the right to veto the stay and head home if it was miserable up north. However, it was beautiful weather when we arrived up there. Perfect camping weather.
Caleb got to throw lots of rocks into the water. Caleb (and the whole family) began looking at the patterns and colors of the rocks. He really began to look, and be interested. Perhaps a rock polisher is in his future. Then he watched the boats from the shore and even saw some in the marina. And, the definition of a good camping is that we see deer, he had a good camping trip because we saw deer. Caleb was very interested in the fire. He wanted to throw things into it all the time. Although little tiny twigs couldn't hurt anything, little boys have a way of graduating the items and size of the items and then it can get out of control. But to distract him, we had a good time with a Sticker hunt in the campsite. He likes this game, so in a camping setting was double fun. Then to keep him away from the fire and yet still be eessential to the fire efforts, Caleb and I went in search of firewood/walk. He liked helping and created his own pile of firewood. We visited the little park in the camp grounds. We also did something very important to a camping trip in Anacortes. We purchased peel-n-eat shrimp! This is a tradition from Mommy's childhood, so it was special and funny when Caleb ate it up. He must have had over 3 dozen shrimp in the weekend. He tried to peel a few himself, but I think he realized that it was faster to just mooch the ones that somebody else had already labored over. Smart boy.

Uncle Jeff and Aunt Danene drove up to visit us on Friday night. It was wonderful to share the camping experience with them. For mommy, it was like she and her brother were camping all over again... only now we got to see what it was like as adults. For Caleb, he really liked seeing his Uncle Jeff. This time Caleb and Aunt Danene even got to spend some quality time together. He walked with her to the beach and then she took pictures of him. He got into that, he started posing like an adorable little ham. Unlce Jeff got a bit of time with Joshy, and I thin they both liked that. Aunt Danene held Jockey and got her "jockey fix". It was very nice for them to take time out to drive up to see us, thank you.

The other visit we got was from Papa Bill and Judy. They drove up on Sunday morning to visit. Once Zuma calmed down, it was nice. She had to act all dominate over their 2 little dogs. We had a nice chat and Caleb climbed up and sat with Papa Bill. Then they headed off to Great Grandma and Great Grandpa Severson's house; we had already planned on doing that, so we packed up quickly and headed in that direction too. Once we got to Camano Island, Caleb, Papa Bill and Daddy when clam digging. They came back with alot, I'm told that Caleb helped count. The four generations of family sat down to a meal that included shrimp and clams. It was neat to share this experience with Caleb because Mommy ate lots of seafood at Camano Island when she was growing up. The Great Grandparents were glad to see the boys... and the shrimp too I think. Caleb had a good time trying to feed Papa Bil''s dogs the cat food. And Caleb got a bit more adventuresome this time because he had visited again. He wanted me to come see and come look at things frequently. I guess Mommy takes for granted the wonders that the little boy discovers; it's neat to see what a little kid was like at the Great-Grandparent's house, almost like getting a glimpse of what I was like there so many years ago.
As if that wasn't enough family for one day, we stopped by Uncle Jeff and Aunt Danene's house on the way home. Caleb ran around and acted silly in the backyard. Uncle Jeff showed Caleb a mint plant, but Caleb didn't get that that was a special plant that you pluck the leaves off, thus he began to pluck the leaves off of several other plants before we could stop him.
Finally we arrived home and Caleb's day was ended on a perfect note. The jumpy house was set up for him to use.

Caleb had a wonderful time camping and seeing family. I hope that there are more camping trips with just as much fun and sun this summer.

Joshy had a good time too. He was just a trooper being toted here and there. He is very cooperative and easy going.

So Happy Mother's day to our Mothers and to those who are reading this who are mothers to others.

Our puppy is waving 'Hello'!!!

Ok, so this post isn't about Caleb or Josh. But this was all I have time for with other projects looming up before me. I thought I'd share a picture of what will be the newest "boy" in our home. He is just 3 weeks old in this picture. We are told that he is the 'sweetest' puppy in the litter and is up and playing with both his siblings and father.

I'll try to post more pictures and stories from this last camping weekend tomorrow morning or early afternoon.

The Pictures as Promised:


Caleb on his new bike on our sidewalk.

Caleb with his bike while camping at Toppenish.

I mentioned that Jockey liked cookies:

Before:

And After:

See, I told you he likes cookies. Too bad he treats them like body lotion.

Jockey, still cute once he's all washed up.

And Jockey STANDING!!!

And my little ham Caleb wanted to hold his brother for a picture:

Ok, really good night all.

Life Happens Fast!


I tell you, one day Jockey is just commando crawling and doesn't roll when he is on a bed. Suddenly, watch out now. Sunday before church, Josh decided to real crawl! He just up and did it. THEN, he crawled right out of the family room and started trying to climb up the stairs to get to a toy. He didn't totally crawl up the stairs because he reached the toy, but if it was any higher he would have climbed! THEN, he pulled himself up on a mattress (and also on a loveseat that we have) and stood up and let go! Of course his "stand" only lasted 2-3 seconds. But the attempt and effort is there. I'm so excited. He is not my little baby anymore. He's on the verge of toddlerhood.

Caleb has gotten his bouncey house. He loves it. He, of course, loves for others to join him. Tessa was the first guest, and he asks for her to join him every time it is inflated! He asks me and daddy, and even Joshy to come. I'm so glad that we have had a few nice sunny days to actually get it outside to use it. The grin on Caleb's face was priceless. And the static on in his hair is hilarious.

The other big thing in Caleb's life is gymnastics. He has switched gyms to one in Woodinville. Grammy takes him on Tuesdays. It's their special activity. And Caleb is really excelling in his new class. Caleb comes home saying "Bob told me..." and then he does some move that he learned. Bob, the teacher/coach, has made quite and impact on Caleb. He can do three different pose/moves, he has been on the tall balance beam and even walked backward on it, and he is being to learn and get the feel for backward flips. On the last one, the longer he wants to wait is fine with me. But he is very excited about it. The most funny thing is (other than his "Bob told me") is that he says gymnastics in a way that it sounds like 'nasty'. Well, I'm glad that he likes it all. It has helped his developement physically and socially, and hopefully set the stage for a class setting.

Caleb has entered another phase. A shrill phase. I wish that it wasn't so, but he has learned and it reaching new heights with his voice. Yikes. Fortunately he is demonstrating this new talent outside of the car. Most often he is fake whistling. Like all little boys, he is mimicking daddy. Daddy knows how to whistle, most often to gain the attention of our dog Zuma. Caleb sticks his cute little middle three fingers in his mouth and then with his voice, chirps. He doesn't actually whistle, but you could have fooled him. He is so proud of his accomplishment too.

Caleb has such a personality. He is hard to contain at times. He is sensitive to the little boys at playgroup when they are upset, even if they have been bullies to him all day. He, at times, is a little rough and plays bumper cars with others, sometimes when they least expect it. He can be bossy, something we are trying to work on, but it comes out most often when he is protecting Josh. He really loves his little brother. Caleb is just a character that I love to watch develope.

Caleb was standing on our walkway out in front of our house next to Josh, who was in the carseat carrier. Mike was pulling the car into the driveway, and Caleb stepped between Josh and the driveway and put his arms up to want to protect Josh. When the car kept coming, because neither son was actually in danger of getting hit, Caleb didn't think that the car was going to stop, so that wonderful, smart, little boy began to drag Josh's carrier away from the moving car! Can you believe that! The insight, instinct, and love that he acted out of is amazing.

Josh is not to be overlooked in the personality department either. Josh loves to watch Caleb and laugh and laugh. He likes his toys, and don't you dare take them away from him(Caleb, this means you). He is showing a lack of patience with himself when he can't stand as much as he wants to or reach the item of new found interest. He is determined. He is observant and smart. He gives kisses and smiles out all the time. And what an enthusiastic eater. Diced avacados and banana are some of the favorites. Although liverwurst ranks. He loves to have quiet cuddle time with Daddy, and I love that they have that time too.

Well, this is long enough. I'm going to try to get some pictures posted. And then I have to get ready for another weekend of camping. Anacortes, here we come.

Jockey is unbelievable!

I just can't believe it. He is doing so much. And the progress he's made is amazing.

If I haven't mentioned it before, he is "crawling". Well, sort of. He doesn't get his tummy off the ground, but he's quick and it is so funny to watch. So I don't want to leave the impression that he's stationary if I say he's not technically crawling, because he is on the go. If he sets his sights on something he will get there! And is he ever determined, he will take on an obstacle course to get to the object of his interest.

Joshy will vocally let us know if he is upset about that item being taken away or removed from his reach, don't worry about that. Josh is very happy, unless the items that are currently making him happy are taken away. Of course he could be happy with any number of choking hazards and I just can't let him keep those even if they make him happier than a child in Disneyland. But also, Caleb sometimes tests to see if that toy or teething biscuit is really truely what Josh is enjoying, and that isn't a happy moment.

Josh is babbling up a storm. He has said Momma, Dadda, Caleb and a few other things. But he actually is puckering his cute little lips and trying to mimick sounds, on a good day. Other days he just wants to say what he has on his mind. I just can't believe that at 8 months he has already spoken a few words! Well, I guess if Caleb can walk early, then Josh has to be special too and talk early! I'm glad that each one has chosen to be special and unique. I can't wait for the funny things that Josh will say to me; it's been fun with Caleb. My favorite right now is Caleb says "Jesus in my heart, makin' me feel better" and "I say I love you mommy thank you". What really makes me happy, Josh knows his name.... and his nicknames, all of them. When I call out to him as he is crawling away, he stops and turns and smiles at me, and then of course he has to turn around and keep going!

Joshy, that crazy strong boy. He is pulling himself up on things! I had to go get the play table out of storage this week. He is crawling up to things, pulling himself up and doing the best he can to get into a stand position! Amazing. Time really flys and I didn't notice how much Josh is doing until Auntie Brittany came over and saw him. She hasn't see Josh in about 2 1/2-3 weeks and was shocked at all the things that he is doing now.

Josh really likes the outdoors. He sits still a surprising amount of time on a blanket in the backyard and watches me weed the garden. He looks up at the sky and trees, and back to me. He is stepping up his observation skills and learning curve. Eventually he does start finding the grass interesting, it's inevitable. But he is so calm and content with observing nature. I'm so happy with that, and very happy that the weather is turning nice and he will be able to discover and learn more.

So that's the Jockey update! (Caleb update to come!)

We're back from Toppenish.

We had lots of sun. A surprise wind storm on Saturday that blew out our plans to actually cook at camp. The sky went from bright sun to a overcast, after dusk look within an hour; and the sand and dirt in the air was remarkable. I personally love wind, so I wasn't intimidated... but I agree, sand/dirt in my dinner isn't too palatable.

Caleb had a wonderful time. He rode his bike a few times. We were fortunate enough to get a spot right on the jogging trail, so Caleb could have a little independence to ride (if he chose to). We also colored on the jogging trail with chalk and had a hop-scotch set up, as well as lines of boundaries for Caleb not to cross. He made sure we know that we couldn't cross them either because those are the rules.
Caleb went swimming several times. He is really doing well. He was actually putting his face in the water and holding his breath all by himself repetitiously. He is getting so brave and confident in the water, the skills just have to come up quickly to match his enthusiasm. Until then, Daddy is a faithful companion in the water; I'd do it but all the waters see a little too chilly, and Caleb with Jockey is a bit of a handful in a pool.
Caleb slept in Papa and Grammy Dahl's motorcoach each night. They were happy to have him, but probably a little happier the second night when he actually slept in his own bed. He can be a bit of a mover while he sleeps. The second morning was a bit of a dream morning for him. Wake up, have cereal (no milk) and be able to watch cartoons before leaving the warm cozy covers. What are grandparents for but to let their grandsons have a perfect morning.

Caleb had a great time, with one exception. He is getting some molars in. I believe they are his 2 year old molars coming in late. It is hard to get a bead on and a visual on where it hurts exactly in a little guys mouth with a few fingers and a tongue bouncing around in a half open mouth. But molars are my best guess. I'm going to keep trying to check on his mouth because I feel that his eating habits are being interrupted by his discomfort. I am trying to keep him current on his Ibrophen and Baby Orajel.

Well, there isn't any playgroup today. But that is ok because there is lots to clean up from a camping trip, and I'm exhausted. The hopes for additional sleep were not fulfilled, and then last night Josh was particularly demanding and was up several times for over an hour last night. So we will find plenty to occupy our time this day. We are also hoping for the correct bouncy house to arrive this week, perhaps in time to play with Tessa while she is staying with Grammy and Papa Dahl. So off I go to get a few things done. Thanks for reading.

Dr's report on us sickos.

Well there is good news and nuetral news. The good news is that Jockey doesn't have pnemonia or bronchitus, or anything serious. He has a healthy appetite and is active as always,. So the nuetral news is, I am just suppose to watch him and make sure that it doesn't get worse or the fever becomes persistent or very high or of course other serious changes. As for myself, the doctor thinks I'm and sicker than Josh and should rest up and take care of myself. Which leads us back to more good news; because my body is fighting the flu it is building antibodies, and the more I feed Joshy the more antibodies he will also get. So eat on Jockey, eat on! (And for those of you who care, I will see the doctor Monday to have myself looked at.)

We are going camping for the first time this season, which is Joshy's second time ever. We are headed to eastern Washington to Toppenish. They have playgrounds, a pool, a hot tub, and a bike/walking track all the way around. Caleb will be bringing his bike and swimsuit; there is no shortage of people who like to show Caleb a good time. And for those of us who are sick, we are bringing our medications and the hope of actually getting some R & R.

On that note, I have lots of packing to do. And the next posts will be sometime next week!

Howdy all,

Well, the flu bug has bitten us again. Jockey has a deep phelgmy cough and he will see the doctor tomorrow. Caleb got a fever last night; at about 2:00am I'm was working to get it down from about 102 degrees. And I've slowly gotten worse and worse as more and more nights of dimished sleep keep me from rejuvenating and healing. So we are all passing it around and around. As a result, happily I can still kiss my little Jockey's warm fuzzy head, and he kisses back without the worry of new germs because we have shared them already.

But we also regrettably had to cancel from seeing AuntD and Uncle Jeff today. Caleb really is an Uncle Jeff fan. Caleb told me that he was going to grow tall and strong with muscles like Uncle Jeff. And we went out with Uncle Brian, and Caleb kept asking and looking for Uncle Jeff. (Sorry Uncle Brian.) We will have to reschedule because Caleb asks so much about Uncle Jeff. And as we have discussed, AuntD your days of appreciation will come someday, until then there is always Jockey.

Caleb's bouncy house came. Unfortunately, it was the wrong one they shipped to us. So there is more waiting. But I got a preview of how much Caleb would enjoy it. He was very excited to play in it, he could barely wait for it to be inflated. And when it was reboxed (after figuring out it was the wrong one) he kept saying that that was "My bouncy house". What I also am grateful for is that the correct one is on it's way and it has a slide in it's configuration. That will keep Caleb's attention way longer than this one with just a jumping area.

Caleb also talks nearly non-stop (while in the office where he sees the pictures) of the new puppy. He keeps saying that his "little puppy", as he holds up his index finger and thumb indicating the size of a pea, is coming. He tells me that he is going to hold it and that I'm going to hold it and that it is coming home with him. He tells me it will play with him and sleep with him; yes on the first, no on the last my dear Caleb. Caleb is so excited, he asks me what the puppy is doing right now. I tried to explain why the puppy has to stay with it's mom for a while, how the eyes and ears will open and it gets bigger and healthy. He just says no, the puppy isn't sleeping right now it is eating. He loves to look at the pictures and asks lots to do so.

He talks and talks. Which is amazing that he can conceptulize something he has only seen pictures of and heard talk of (similar to Jesus, and thankfull he's getting that down too). It's also amazing how much Caleb is talking in general. He is definately at the watch out what you say phase!!! Some of the funniest things come out of his mouth, and to date the most awful is he was saying the word dummy. I don't know where he heard it, but I corrected him promptly.

Caleb has a friend. This is one that he has made all on his own. I haven't tried to force him to have friends with the children of the parent's I'm friends with, so I find it noteworthy to say that this is HIS friend. And yes, it does help that his mom and I are friends. His friend is Donovan, whom he refers to as Donny or Don. He can't quite say it. Caleb now asks to go to playgroup to see Donovan. And when I say we are going he says that he wants to see or asks if he will see Donovan. This Monday, Donovan arrived and was still in the lobby and Caleb had to rush out and see him and call him and motion to him to come in and play. He chases and runs with Donovan, and shares toys. He even had grapes in his pockets and ran up and shared with Donovan when he first arrived too. The most touching was that when it was time to say good bye, they hugged and I think kissed to say good bye. The innocence of such young friendship. They don't know the social norms, they just know that they are friends and that as friends that deserves kindness and caring. It is wonderful to see that before the social pressures make it unacceptable for little boys to hold themselves back from being honest about the friendships/feelings. Donovan is just 7 months older than Caleb, and now is the perfect time to have them play with each other. Any younger and they would not be at the same skill level. Donovan might be going off to preschool this fall since he'll be almost 4 then, but I am looking forward to many more playgroup days and otherwise arranged playdates. This friend might be the friend to invite to Caleb's upcoming birthday party too.

Well, that's all time that I have for today. The kiddos are asleep and I should be.

Sorry it's been a while since the last post.

Jockey has been sick and it's been hard to get the time to post. He has a fever and a terrible cough and congestion. It started Tuesday night and is still persisting. I have to constantly keep him current on a cough medication dosage. It is hard to see someone so little feel so awful. It's also hard to tell what is bothering him the most since he doesn't talk when I ask. I think he is over the very worst point, but still he's got it. I know that time and sleep are the biggest things that can be done to get better. He is having troubles sleeping though; never longer than 30 minutes for a nap... and just a unrestful night for him;he's still not sleeping through the night in general. But like I said, time, just a little bit more to get feeling a little better, then I'll tackle the not sleeping through the night.

Caleb is getting a little jealous. I've been trying to correct the balance (or previously out of balance) of equal time for each child. And now Caleb's jealously is coming out. He is trying every trick in the book to get additional attention. He is letting more owies happen, he is whinning more about ity-bity bumps or such, he is fake crying, he is trying to push Joshy off my lap, trying to act helpless like a baby so that I have to do more for him. He really is clever if you think about how much observation and mimicking skills it takes to modify is behaviour to achieve his goals of more attention. So while I'm not happy and often extremely worn out with the jealous behaviour, I have to appreciate my blessed son's intelligence.

On the other side of the coin, Caleb has become very helpful and loving to Jockey. Although his attempts to help are often a little rough on the little guy. Caleb trys to pick him up, something I'm not so thrilled about. But Caleb also tells me when Josh is getting into things that he shouldn't. And if I ask Caleb to roll Josh away from something he does. A big helper. And then at night he frequently asks to kiss Joshy good night. More often than I can count, Caleb has offered his shirt to Josh or put the pacifier in Josh's mouth when the little guy has been upset. Such kindness and compassion, and in such quantities for a 3 yr old...

Caleb is still his silly self too. Today, instead of the "love list", he used the same list of people and told me that they used the potty for several functions. Uncle Jeff and AuntD were in the list of people this morning.

Another big thing this week: CALEB GOT HIS FIRST BIKE! It is technically for his birthday, but we are going away next weekend camping to Toppenish, and Papa Dahl thought that the paved track and the hope of good weather would be the perfect place to take Caleb for a nice "long" ride. The track is long, but at any point you can call it quits and you're not that far from your site. So anyways, he has a red, black and a littel white bike. It looks very cool, but most of all sturdy. I drove up to see him riding on it for the first time, and he looked so cute and like a grown up boy with his helmet on and such. He is still small in stature, but the flash of him all decked out in his gear made me see him as a 5 yr old, and it was cute, happy, and a little sad all at one moment. Time really does fly and I try to enjoy each phase for it's good points, often in spite of the not so good points. But there he was, next to his bike. I was told that he was unsure how to get on it at first, but the by the time I saw him an hour later, he was on it and on a slight downhill slope he was conquering pedalling, braking and turning. All be it, sometimes all three of those at one time! He really is getting more and more confidence and picking up this new skill/hobby with speed. And if in doubt, he boldly runs into the grass where he comes to a stop naturally. It is so nice to see him have something new in his life, and a bike in the spring and burdeoning summer is the perfect time. This bike is so great and safe that I hope for many many walks where Jockey is in the stroller and Caleb is keeping up by the power of the pedal... all the way to Fryelands Blvd park.
Thank you Papa Dahl and Grammy for the early birthday Bike for Caleb. And see you in Toppenish.

We went to Papa Bill and Judy's house again on Wednesday night for dinner. AuntD and Uncle Jeff were there this time. Caleb enjoyed playing with the dogs again, that is until they went into hiding. We weren't even in the car yet to leave when they reappeared and were looking out the window. Caleb also enjoyed playing with the balloon and cars with Uncle Jeff. Caleb finally ate something too. Papa Bill (he's learning) had gone out and got Caleb a cheeseburger; of course it took 2 hours for Caleb to finish it with all the other activity going on. But the last bites were finished with the bribe of ice cream. We also looked at old family photos. It was interesting to see all the places that we had gone when we were little.

The other point of interest. The litter of pups that Mike has been expecting has been born. April 20th to be exact. There was only one male in the small litter of three. He is not the brindle we think we wanted, but we'll see as time goes by if his rich red/fawn color is just as appealing.
Caleb kept trying to say this one for you, this one for me.... No no Caleb just one. Just one for the family. "Ours" is the one with the orange ribbon.

So that's all the news so far, since the last post. I hope to have more silly Caleb tales too.

Happy Easter!

Ours was a quiet Easter. We attended church; Grammy and Papa Dahl even attended with us. Caleb and Josh both fell asleep during service. Bless their little hearts. Caleb wanted to hold my hand as he fell asleep. Josh fell asleep for Papa as he was rocked gently in his carseat/carrier.
After service, since Caleb was now awake and ready to get moving, Mike and he ate and then went swimming. I'm told that they had a very very good time. After 2 hours, Caleb was finally able to be convinced that it was time to go. Grammy and Papa Dahl joined in for the swim as well. And while they were off swimming, Josh and I spent some one on one time and then took a nap. Then it was the family dinner at Grammy and Papa's.

One on one time with Josh is my new goal, and prioritizing him and making him feel secure. However, it is very, very hard and contrary to my other goal of trying to make him sleep by himself; the training to do that requires "furber-izing", i.e. "crying it out" These are 2 very important goals, but they are working opposite of each other. Not letting him feel abandoned by spending more time one on one, but leaving him alone where he feels abandoned to figure out how to fall asleep on his own... sigh. I think I've waited too long to furber-ize, and I've tried so hard not to let Caleb feel replaced and less important that the pendulum has swung too far the other way and Josh wasn't apporpriately prioritized thus creating a situation I need to correct and recover Josh from. I've created my own monster of a situation. The light on the other side of the tunnel is: a secure happy baby who falls asleep on his own and sleeps in his own bed ALL through the night! I've got to keep my eyes on the goal for every nap I furberize Josh... because it is hard to hear the little baby cry and know if I just lay down next to him for 5 minutes he will fall asleep. But since I don't want to have to lay down next to him EVERY time he needs to sleep I can't break my committment the goal. Love is tough.

Ok, enough mommy philosophy.

I knew that I would forget some details about our California trip. One of the big things that we did was Grandma and Papa Bishop went to Teddy Crafters (similar to our Build-a-Bear) and had a stuffed animal made for Josh. Instead of a Teddy Bear, Josh came out with a very soft tri-color puppy. He has a red satin heart symbolizing Love, he has pretty blue custom chosen eyes, a certificate marking the event and naming him Ziggy. But the best is the recording inside that Grandma Bishop made saying that she and Papa and Jesus loves Josh. Now each of the boys have a talking reminder of the love Grandma and Papa Bishop send them all the way from California.

Ok, time to get packed up and ready for playgroup. I'm eager to get Caleb back into the routine of seeing kids twice a week and visiting Grammy Dahl too. He's excited too, but he told me today that he didn't want them to see him so he was going to close his eyes. Ostrich theory I guess. But we are going to go. And as I look outside, I enjoying the beautiful sunny with the long range goal/hope of walking in it if naps etc work out. Well, there's always hope. Talk later.

Pictures promised in previous posts:

Papa Bill holding the boys.


Josh even fell asleep.



Speaking of Joshy sleeping, I couldn't resist taking this picture.

All I have to say is: Don't ask for the picture to be taken if you don't want it to end up on the blog, Caleb.

About the trip to California in the next post, I promise.

We are back!!!!


It was a great trip, not speaking weather wise, but a great trip!

The flight down was good. Both boys fell asleep about 20-25 minutes after take off and didn't wake up until after we landed. That's the way I like to fly! They were equally accommodating on the return flight. Caleb fell asleep before we taxied to the runway, and Josh fell asleep about 3-5 minutes after lift off. A nice way to fly and get a small bit of decompression time. Caleb was a great little traveler, very cooperative and helpful. He did make me stop EVERY time his shoe became untied, which was about every 20 feet because the shoe is velcro, which made for slow progress at some times.

The weather was similar to what one would expect... for Seattle. Overcast, occassional showers during the day and lots during the night.

We did have a beautiful sunny day that we made the most of. Papa Bishop had arranged for Caleb and Josh to ride a pony in the country on a ranch. He had so much fun. First, we saw a miniature horse named Cody. We also saw a llama named Llama (I know, very imaginative...). There was a pig, a cat, a full sized horse, and several ponies. The pony Caleb got to ride was Roo. They took Caleb around and around and back again. We even put Joshy on the pony for a once around. Caleb led the pony around that time, see picture. Caleb promptly said "my turn again", they were nice enough to let Caleb ride a little longer than scheduled. Caleb was very interested in seeing and petting all the ponies, but he doesn't quite grasp horse etiquette yet, so we were all keeping a close watch. He thoroughly enjoyed it; he fell asleep right after.

As you can see, Caleb did get to wear his hat for the pony ride. That was a stimpulation that he had when told he would ride a pony.Caleb and I swam in Papa Bishop's hot tub nearly every night. Caleb did awesome. He got braver and more confident each night. He tried new things and was proud of his accomplishments. He kept telling me that certain toys were helping him swim, I kept telling him that he was doing great all by himself, not the toys. Oh yes, we had toys. After the first two nights, my imagination came to the end with the items I gleaned from the house; I went to the dollar store and bought some things to keep us busy. I was very grateful for the new toys because there is only som much a person can do in a 8' square space for multiple hours. After the dollar store, we suddenly had a fishing pole and little fish, a big fish, and some glow in the dark rings.

We visited the really nice mall. Caleb got to ride the carousel with Papa Bishop. He got to ride the Zebra. It was fun for him. And I got a package of shirts to sleep in at Penney's; the boys claimed the ones that I took down to sleep in. Yeah, it turns out that Joshy might very well be a "shirt boy" too!

We saw Great Grandma Dyer. She held the boys and brought them stuffed animals. Here is a picture. Caleb was acting a little strange for pictures at the moment.

Papa Bishop took Caleb to McDonalds to eat and play a couple times. Caleb now talks about McDonalds as if it is the park down the street. "Me go Mcdonalds, play with kids". He brought home more toys than we took down because of the Happy Meal toys. And Papa Bishop was very generous with Caleb. Caleb now has a Buzz Lightyear Car, underwear, storage bin, and soft doll. Of course, Caleb shared with Josh; the soft doll was a big hit with Josh and spent most of it's time trying to dry out from all the Jockey drool. The Buzz Lightyear and Toy Story gang train was a big surprise. Once the batteries were in it, look at it go. Josh would have liked to get in on the train action too, but he would just mouth it all anyways.

Papa Bishop took care of Caleb quite a bit. Caleb now is fluently saying "starbuck's". They often did a morning coffee run. Papa Bishop had to show his wonderful grandson off to his coffee buddies. And from what I heard, Caleb adequately impressed them with his stories he tells.

One of the biggest stories: Caleb went to the dentist down in California for the first time. Unfortunately it wasn't on the terms that I had hoped for, for the first dental visit; for that matter it wasn't the totally positive experience I had hoped that it would be for a first visit either. He was in the bath tub, and he slipped while he was trying to climb out. He banged his chin up really good (I know, convienent for pictures) and he chipped his front tooth. Once we got him calmed down he was better, but I was determined to get it fixed for him. We did go to the dentist, after about 8 phone calls and a referral call later to find a dentist who worked on a Saturday and who wasn't attending an in town conference. Caleb did great in the waiting room. He did great in the xray room. From there it went down hill. He didn't want to sit in the chair, he didn't want to let the doctor see his tooth. I tried to talk to him and show him what a statued would do, what Buzz the figurine would do, but Caleb would have none of that when the dentist came in. Unfortunately it digressed to a wrestling match. Fortunately, Caleb doesn't remember or talk about that part. All he says is that he slipped in the bath tub and the tooth doctor fixed his tooth. Thank the Lord for a child's short memory.

We played a bunch at the house. Caleb cuddled and danced and talked to everyone's entertainment and delight. Here is a picture of one of the morning cuddle moments:

We have taken Easter pictures. They will be back late this month. I'll try to get one put here soon.

Lastly, but of course by no means least: Papa Bishop took Caleb (us) to Chuck E. Cheese! Caleb was so excited. He talked about it for days before we got there, and he would have gone there every day if we'd let him. He ran around and jumped from one thing to the next. He did awesome at the ball throwing game. He really really liked the play structure; it was hard to get him out of it at times. I think he is so cute when he is having such fun, and I find happiness in it too.

I have so much more to type. Not all of it is California stories. But it is getting late and I won't be the best mommy if I don't get some sleep. So check back for more later.

Jockey is growing up so fast!

He is not the little infant oblivious to the world anymore, or even simply an observer. He is rolling, stretching, reaching, tasting, watching, babbling non-stop, tasting; anything that will be an experience of his world around him, he is doing. And today, I had to turn around and smile at Caleb, think he was the one that was clicking his tongue... wrong, it was JOSH! He has learned a new skill. Well, he always did like it when I click my tongue at him! Also, I had to laugh again while we were in the car, because Josh was playing with a kazoo that Caleb gave him. Josh was actually blowing through it as if he really did know what he was doing. And then he laughed at himself. Josh is also into making ruckus'; he will shake things hard just because he can and see how are he can, and see what they do. That is a smart little boy! Today he is chewing on EVERYTHING, I wonder if that means more teeth are on their way. Of course more teeth are coming, I mean now versus later. We'll see.

We went to Papa Bill and Judy's house again for dinner Tuesday night. Caleb remembered one of the dog's names! Coalby. He played with the dogs alot, of course. They were more tolerant, and more calm with him this time. But they also learned that they should just go into the bedroom to get away. Of course, Caleb went and found them and came to report their whereabouts. I tried to explain to him that the dogs were taking a time out, then I asked if he would like to take a time out too. The precious child mind; Caleb said yes, and then went into the bedroom to take his "time out" WITH the dogs! Yes, you do have to be literal and very clear in your questions and explanations to kids. Caleb and Josh both got Papa Bill cuddle time. Josh even fell asleep in Papa Bill's arms! Caleb helped by covering Josh up with his shirt. I will post the picture(s) when I return as the camera is already packed.

Caleb had me running to the restroom 4-5 times, with success I might add, but it made it difficult to have a complete adult conversation. And not to once again bore you with bathroom stories, BUT: In one of our trips, Caleb told me that his bum was full of poo, then he said "me heart have poo", I guess that is the child's way of saying "I'm full of it" while in the process of trying to be rid of it.

Caleb actually ate this time. Papa Bill gave up a slice of his pizza left overs (his planned lunch for the following day). Pizza was a good option, but we still had to bribe him with ice cream in between bites. Caleb played with all the dog toys, but I was very proud of him for picking them back up when he was done. He also played with the big exercise ball, which he very astutely bounce Buzz off to see in which direction Buzz would fly. (You might remember Buzz bouncing off a ball in Toy Story. Same deal.) At one point, Caleb told me he didn't want to go home, in a child's world that is a compliment; I guess he thinks it is Ok to visit Coalby, Mai-Lee, Judy and Papa Bill's house.

Today, Caleb and I talked about our trip to California. I can't believe how much he talks about the plane he will go on. "Me go, you go, Jockey go". His plane is going to fly high, it's going to be in the clouds, it's going to go fast, etc. He must be very excited. He also shows me with his hand what the plane is going to do. I made sure to pack his little plane so that I can show him what our plane is doing as it is actually happening. I did this last time and I think it helped him visualize and not be fearful with all the bumps etc. At one point, he was very very sad that we were leaving the house for errands rather than getting on the plane; nearly in tears that the trip wasn't today! Of course, he ends all the discussions with "me go Papa Bishop Hot Tub"! Today he told me he loved Grammy Bishop and he is going to tell her so when we get to California, of course I think that is going to be quickly followed with "chocolate please". (We were packing and one of the things going to California is Frangos for Grandma Bishop, Caleb wanted some and I told him they were hers... hence what he said. Cute, just cute.)

So we are off traveling tomorrow. Pray for a safe, delay-free travel experience, if you please! I will try to blog while I'm gone, but if I can't.... I will be returning on Wednesday of next week, look for a blog update on Thursday. Hopefully, we will have lots of fun adventures, stories and pictures to share.

Until then, God bless us all. (Readers, writer, and subjects-i.e. the boys)

Ahhhhhhh, the sound bites:


"Jesus big helper"
"Jesus like truth"
"Jockey (or any one else) no look-a me {boy parts}"
"Jockey has small {boy parts}" -don't worry Jockey, things will get better.
"Uncle Jeff doing?"
"lots people like-a me"
"me do it, me do it self" -Mom, does that sound familiar?
"big boys no pee pee in pants"
"jockey happy mommy"
"me love jockey brother"
"zuie poo go in garbage" -from the visit to the Marymoor Off-leash Dog area, had to be there
"i love you mommy, thank you"
"I sit (with) you mommy"
"carry me baby" (carry me to bed like a baby)
"Jesus perfect"
"Jesus alive" -from Easter story
"Zuie (Zuma) chasing me bum"
"shhhh, jockey sleeping"
"me wear hat" -Caleb's response to Papa Bishop is going to take him to ride a pony.
"me no disobey"
"NOOOO Deal!" -maybe you had to be there
"Waild fhing" -again, maybe you had to be there
"Me go see Tessa"


Caleb is just a laugh a minute most days. He was a very sweet brother today and told me he was going to help Joshy fall asleep. And surprisingly, he did. He rubbed Josh's head and tummy all the while Shhhh Shhh-ing. Josh actually DID fall asleep. It was a great moment to watch the kindness from one brother to the other; I know, enjoy it while it lasts. Caleb and Josh will get along great for a long time I hope. Josh thinks Caleb is hilarious. Caleb will march and dance around in front of Josh and do it even more when Josh laughs at him. Caleb shares his shirt and toys, but I have to admit that Josh doesn't know that he is suppose to share just yet. Josh gets a little upset when you take the two greatest things in the world from him: the pacifier and teething biscuits... or the only toy he finds interesting at that moment.

Caleb is getting very excited to see Grandpa and Grandma Bishop. He is talking about fishing and ponies. And of course, Chuck E. Cheese. He remembered, all by himself, that he had to go on a plane. Caleb's plane is going to "fly high in clouds". Remarkable that he can remember that. He is also excited to go swimming in Papa Bishop's hot tub; he knows exactly what that is after the several recent trips to the swimming pool and hot tub at the club with Daddy. I think he is to the age that I can stop worrying about crying meltdowns on the plane and just keeping him from getting bored. Which is a good place to be, if I'm unimaginative or too exhausted to be creative/attentive. But those things hinge on Josh and his needs, so I'm still nervous flying with the two kids and only 1 pair of hands.

Well, I have things to do before I'm ready to leave, so I'll stop writing for now. I hope to have lots of stories when I come back from California, and even before I leave... we'll see.