1 year and 18-19 weeks -- sorry!!

So I did something I've never done before...skip a week of blogging!!! (Gasp!) So here's the last two weeks in a nutshell.

We enjoyed a fun playgroup with friends at Heaven Fun, an indoor bouncy place that plays Christian music. Caleb wasn't too sure about things at first but got into it after awhile.



He is beginning to play pretend. He'll crawl up on a pile of laundry, lay his head down and say, "night night" like he's going to sleep. Or, as in the case of this picture, talk on his rubber ducks like they are phones, even though he has at least 5 old cell phones as toys.



Caleb continues to investigate everything, including old toys but in new ways. For example, who knew he could squeeze in the 6 inches between the back of his playhouse and the cabinet??




Or who knew that a block storage box could double as a chair or as a hat??






He is also becoming more and more of a helper. If you ask him to do small tasks (close the door, put down the toy, etc.), he is very eager to be of assistance. Here's some pics of him "helping" bring in a box of rice krispies from the car after a trip to the store.






Caleb loves to open and close doors. Actually, he can't open doors but he loves to ask you to help him to open doors, then shut them. One door he discovered last week was the linen closet in our bathroom. It has recently been cleaned out (yes, Aaron has already started sorting and packing unneeded things and we've not even broken ground on the new house) so there was lots of room for a Caleb-sized person to enjoy.



Two weekends ago, Aaron was sorting things in the garage and Caleb came out to help. Here's some great video. Not sure what is the funniest to me - the running across the garage, the immediate distraction of the toy, or the "oohhh" when it falls apart.


For a long time, Caleb has been fascinated by the dog water dispensers, whether it's the one in our bathroom or the ones that hang on the kennel doors. He is pretty good about listening to "Not for your hands, please" but over the weekend decided to move on from the water dispenser to the kennel itself. Gotta love it!


Personal hygiene is part of growing up and Caleb is all about washing his hands these days. His favorite part is getting to "peesh" (that's "push" in Caleb-speak) the soap and lotion. This particular day, Aaron was taking a photo of the hand-washing after the fact and I didn't want to be in the shot, so I stepped out of the way. At that exact moment, Caleb decided to turn the water back on and soaked himself.



One more "too much time spent in the master bedroom" photo. This is of our super-organizer pulling everything out of one of my drawers. The good news is that he puts it back, at least for now!


Here's a cute shot of Caleb at Sears. He was loving all the "tractors" and, quite frankly, I am not confident about the differences between a tractor and a riding lawnmower so I just let it go.



Let's see...we did close on the lot and are getting pretty close on the house plans. We are hopeful to start the construction project by mid to late May; evidently it takes awhile to get bids after the plans are finalized.


My mom and dad are both home safe and sound from their incredible missions trips. Even though I don't go on them, hearing their stories still makes you very thankful for the blessings we live with in the US.


My sister is beginning to make more and more plans for her wedding next April. She and my mom checked out several potential reception sites this weekend. Fun fun fun! I can remember being kinda sad after our wedding, thinking, "I'll never get to plan my wedding again." But it is much less stressful to be on the outside looking in and just make an occasional comment (when consulted, I assure you) about dresses, favors, locations, etc.


OK, that's it...have a great week!