Last Week of School

Who knew that Caleb's last week during the school year would be so emotional? Not for him really (though he was clingy at drop-off, so I think he knew something was up) but for me. It is totally silly because he'll go back to the same class this week, but it will be different...because it's summer! His main teacher is taking the summer off and his 2 closest friends from class won't be there either. On Wednesday I left a note asking to have a picture taken with Caleb and his family group teacher. It turned out very cute and is a fun reminder to Caleb and to me of what a great year he's had.


Here's a picture of the kiddos from Caleb's family group. We've posted this pic on the fridge and he can identify everyone by name but himself. When you point to him and ask, "Who's this?", he says, "Baby". Oh well.


I can't remember if I've posted about this before but Caleb is doing more and more pretending. He will lay down on the laundry pile, a stuffed animal, or even just the floor and say, "Night night". His newest "night night" is the blanket that hangs over the edge of our couch. He especially does this when he's sleepy.


On Saturday, Aaron got up early to go help with Men's Ministry Car Care at the church. It's an opportunity for widows, divorced women, and single moms to come get their oil changed, tires aired, car washed, etc. Aaron and a handful of guys from our class joined other men from Asbury and ended up washing around 50 cars between 9 and noon. What a good guy!


As he opened the garage door to leave, he noticed a neighbor up the street having a garage sale. We were so pleased when we got our neighbor's slide for $10, something we had been looking for for awhile. It's a little weather-worn but certainly gets the job done. Caleb has enjoyed it thoroughly and its presence in the backyard has caused even more hand prints on the back door (if that's possible) as he waits oh-so-patiently to go out and slide again and again (and again). Here's two videos, one of a not so successful trip down the slide (don't worry, he doesn't get hurt) and another successful trip.








A few weeks ago Caleb got a water bottle as a party favor at a friend's birthday. We haven't used it yet so after making sure it was an OK bottle to use (with all that recent drama about dangerous plastics), I filled it up for him. He takes drinks out of straws frequently with no problem but for some reason, it is much more amusing to him to take a big sip and then just let it all dribble right out of his mouth and onto his shirt. He's a photo of the big boy (notice the wet spots).



Saturday night the girls from Covenant met at The Melting Pot for dessert. I hadn't been there in quite awhile and really enjoyed my chocolate fondue. Yum! It was a fairly late evening but I had every intent to go to church the next morning, especially since I was out with those girls the night before. But, Caleb woke up later than usual and then was quietly resting for quite awhile so we decided to make use of the time and sleep in all the way to 8:15, which is too late to get to church on time. Oops!


Here's a funny video Aaron took last week of Caleb and his favorite song. He sings it at home, at the mall, in the grocery store, in the car (you get the point). Sorry it gets so dark but the audio is the best part anyway.

Today was In-Service Day at school so I had to work as usual but the school was not open for children. So Aaron and Caleb had a fun day together including a trip of the zoo. Tomorrow is the same so Caleb will hang out with his Grandma for the day. Yippee!

Have a great week!

Another Week- This One with Daisy Dukes and a Parade!

There are many benefits to having your child attend school where you work. One of them is the gossip mill that gets back to your desk and tells you to "Be aware...when you go pick up Caleb this afternoon he is wearing pink shorts because he spilled on his own and we couldn't find any others." Now one person telling me this would be considered normal. But, after five co-workers made a point to stop by my area (and I say "area" because it is definitely not an office, not complaining just clarifying) to inform me of Caleb's attire, I was wondering how ridiculous he really looked. Well, take a gander yourself:


What you can't truly appreciate is the blue Sharpie marks with the school and class name or the cute little white eyelet trim across the top. Oddly enough, they weren't too small for him, but I guess girls shorts are just shorter than boys.

The rest of the week was pretty laid back but did include a trip to our new Wal-Mart SuperCenter (yeah!) and a trip to the pediatrician because Caleb's allergies were not getting any better and his ear started draining fluid. At least, thanks to his tubes, they were draining instead of getting all gunky and infected.

Saturday morning Aaron got up early to go with guys from our Sunday School class to do yard work at another classmate's house. The hubby is serving in Iraq this year and our guys decided to help spruce things up for their family while he's gone.

While Aaron was off doing good deeds, Caleb and I headed to BA for some Rooster Day action. Now, you may ask yourself, "What is Rooster Day?" Rooster Day is Broken Arrow's big springtime carnival/festival/celebration thing. It involves stages with singing and dancing performances as well as the annual Miss Chick pageant (yes, I was in Miss Chick in high school- don't judge me!), rides, a craft show, and Saturday morning's parade. We picked up my parents and sister and staked our claim on Main Street. Let me just say that Caleb LOVED the parade experience. I think he said "HI" at least 300 times as the various parade participants walked or drove by. Here's a picture and a video of his friendliness.

And what would a trip to a fair-like event be without some yummy food, namely a Blue Bell ice cream sandwich, part of a funnel cake, and some fried pickles. YUMMMYYY!!!

Sunday we went to church then my parents and sister came over for lunch. We had tasty pork loin from the grill that Aaron did a wonderful job supervising. After lunch, Caleb was beyond ready for nap, so everyone headed out. My parents got me a pedicure gift certificate for Mother's Day and Aaron and Caleb bought me a fun plant for the front porch and a cute new top that I picked out earlier in the week. It was a fun day celebrating our Mommy-hood.

Good news on the house-building front, we are on track to break ground in the next week or so. Evidently, the price of concrete is skyrocketing July 1st so our builder is wanting the foundation in before that (yippee for a budget-conscious builder). Some have asked where we are building- it is in Jenks on 121st and the Arkansas River. Seriously you take 121st until you would run into the river and follow the curve.

The weeks continue to get busier and pageant season gets closer and closer. Looking for something to do the first week of June? We could use your help in 'managing' 31 fabulous teens from across the state. Don't you all volunteer at once now!

Have a great week!!

Happy 30th, Old Man Walton!!

Really quick post tonight as it is late and I am sleepy. Here are some fun pics from the week, including Aaron's 30th birthday (can't believe I am married to such a fossil!!- ha!).


Aaron's b-day was on Wednesday but he has enjoyed celebrating throughout the week. Here's a picture of Aaron and Caleb on the big day (notice the adorable decorations put up late Tuesday night by an adorable and thoughtful wife).



Aaron requested brownies instead of birthday cake on his actual birthday. Thankfully our friend Julie made some yummy brownies a few weeks prior that Aaron loved so I was able to get her recipe. (OK, moment of truth, it was a box mix but it was very tasty.) Here's another picture of Aaron posing with some decorations. This was actually a table centerpiece but Mr. Creative was using it as a hat.



Just in case you were wondering where the Caleb pictures are, here's one of him walking a mile (or across the living room) in my sneakers. Not sure how, but he definitely knows which shoes are "mama's" and which ones are "dada's". He is learning the possessive form of things, which I am guessing means we have lots and lots of "MINE" on the horizon shortly.



Our friend Brooke made Aaron's cake for his birthday weekend. For those of you who might not know, Aaron worked for the NFL's Jacksonville Jaguars broadcast department for a season during college and has been a fan ever since. Brooke (who also did Caleb's fabulous turtle cake on his 1st b-day) used the jersey Aaron had in his closet as her inspiration but personalized it. How great is this cake!?!?!


Aaron's parents came in town over the weekend to celebrate his birthday and also our nephew (their grandson) 5th birthday. They all went to Jake's pirate party on Friday night while I worked the sleepover at Riverfield. Though Aaron took the camera with him, no pictures were taken so we have none to share. Oh well, it was a fun time.


Several of you have inquired about how our house-building is going. We are almost finished with the architect (feel like we've been saying that for several weeks now) and are on track to be in by December as long as we stay on schedule. Yippee!


Congrats to our friends Kristin and Michael who had their baby girl, Addison, on Sunday morning. She appears to be cute as a button, based on their blog pictures, and we can't wait to meet her when the family is in town for Miss OK in June.

OK, off to bed. Have a great week!!