Happy 21st birthday, Caleb!

On Thursday, April 8, Caleb Luke turned 21 months old. The weather was by far the best gift he received that day! It was in the upper 80s, sunny and beautiful! Before the kids woke up that morning, I was off for a jog since it had stayed in the 60s overnight. It was wonderful! Then, I made them a special breakfast of homemade biscuits, bacon and eggs with cheese on top that I made into my own 'bacon, egg & cheese biscuits.' It was delicious - though neither child truly appreciated it since they like to eat their things in segments so they started with the bacon and then the biscuit, then they ate their grapes and were full, never even touching the eggs with cheese. :( :( :(

After breakfast, we started out the day with a doctor's appointment for the Bean (which I will post about later) and then we came home and I decided to walk to the park. I called Grandpa to see if he'd want to drive over there and meet us and watch the kids play on the equipment. He said he'd love to, and he got there first (only by a couple of seconds - I had run back in to make sure all our water cups and bottles were full for this hot day). He brought cookies with him that the kids loved, and they played on the slides, tubes, etc. It's difficult to get a picture of Caleb, though, because he is FAST and doesn't hold still. They had a good time, and soon they said they were hungry and ready for lunch and naps. I didn't have much to feed them (I was completely out of macaroni & cheese, jelly for PB&J sandwiches, milk and most other ingredients - it was time for a grocery shopping trip, but not on such a beautiful day!!!). So, I decided to treat them to McDonald's happy meals with chicken nuggets and chocolate milk, which they both loved. They also got dinosaurs in their meals, and they thought this was WAY cool. They napped well, and then when they woke up we were off to Barnes & Nobles for Joshua's preschool's book fair. Both boys enjoyed the brief time we were there listening to Joshua's teacher & aide read their stories. Afterward, we went across the street to introduce ourselves to our new neighbors, who seem quite nice. Daddy went back to Barnes & Nobles for some down time, and I got the boys ready for bed and tucked in until he got home (he also did a Walmart run for some essentials grocery-wise). It was a nice day.

Caleb is growing in leaps & bounds. I feel like this month he just looks older. And heftier. I think it's the haircut that makes me realize how much he's grown maybe. His cheeks look rounder and his clothes are fitting better. The 24-month shirts fit well and the 18-month shorts are finally staying up around his waist. He's also wearing a size 8 shoe already! He's such a big guy!

Other 'new' things he's doing this month include saying "WHAT?" when you say his name. It's precious. He also is trying to say 'Caleb' and it comes out 'Kay-buke' since that's what he hears, I guess, when we say "Caleb Luke." His first response to his name is "JOSH!" since he's copying his brother. I grin and tell him that's his brother's name, silly! I'm dreading the potty-training phase that's upon us, but here it is - I think it's time we start with my little man. He's been really into counting and he counts to 10 well. His pronunciations are getting better and better, and his vocabulary continues to impress Shawn & me. He knows so much without us sitting to 'teach' him. It's amazing how little guys just pick things up.

Caleb adores his brother, but I can already tell he's a highly independent child. He marches to the beat of his own drum and he has his daddy's personality. While Joshua has high high's and low low's, Caleb remains pretty even. That said, my little man does have a bit of stubbornness that is starting to shine through. He laughs a lot and constantly makes us giggle, too. He makes such silly faces just to see our reaction. He's a bit of a ham when he wants to be! He loves to explore still and I'm hoping that this may not last through the college years (I have a student who likes to explore the computer area and see what cords are plugged in, etc and I immediately thought of Caleb when he says he's always getting into things and can fix just about anything because of it). We love you, little Caleb Luke! Happy 21-month birthday!