Happy 4.5 Year Birthday, Caleb Luke!

Caleb turned 54 months on Tuesday, January 8. This marked exactly 4.5 years, and because he has a summer birthday, his teacher asked if we could celebrate his half birthday with his preschool class. I thought that was extremely thoughtful of her - I have a summer birthday and never really got to celebrate with my classmates and friends. Mrs. Hurlbert wore a big birthday hat (it is a cake with candles on top - really cute) and greeted him at the door. She allowed us to take in a special snack (no cupcakes) so we took in Oreos and pretzels (what he requested) and we allowed him to hand out Pez to each one of his classmates as they were leaving since he is a Pez-aholic! He said that they sang to him, and he got a gift of a new Curious George book. He said he had a fun morning!

Caleb told me that his favorite part of the morning was when they had a snowball fight with socks! He said the girls threw them at him and he was supposed to throw them back. He said, "It was SO MUCH FUN!" I asked him if they were their socks or whose socks and he said "Nobody's socks!" so I'm guessing the teacher took in extra white socks to play with as snowballs. What a great idea. He LOVED it! Their letter this week was 'S' and they made lots of cute little snowman crafts, and he took in a starfish for show 'n tell after we thought of every 'S' word we could.

At 3 pm on Tuesday, I took the boys to get professional pictures to mark Caleb's milestone of 4.5 years. The lady was awful! Most of the pictures weren't aligned at all, and Ryan had no interest in being there. She wasn't great with the kids. But, Caleb is at an age where he will smile on command, and we did get some cute ones of him, praise God! That's really why I was there anyway. These pictures are from that sitting.

My little man has had another growth spurt. His 5T jeans even seem a little short these days. And this outfit is a 5/6 that I had purchased for his older brother. Caleb often wears Joshua's shoes, so I also think it's time to get his feet measured again to make sure he hasn't grown into the next size.

Caleb is my pickiest eater these days. He mostly likes carbs - plain noodles, bread and cheese. He also loves fruit. I'm sure this is a phase that will pass.

My little man still loves to color and he's been using his new "150 crayons" to color his rocket ship. We are on the last panel. Soon it will be time to build it!

My little buddy has found enjoyment in doing word finds in his puzzle books. These used to be too difficult for him, but he's doing well with matching the letters and finding the words. I love to see his little mind work! He told me that he wants to go to kindergarten next year, and academically I think he's more advanced than most kids in Joshua's class this year. But, socially, Caleb is so shy. I think another year in preschool may be good for him. We'll see what his teacher thinks. It's soon time to decide. But, Caleb loves to do math with Joshua (when it's saying equations out loud), he writes well, and he honestly has more artistic ability than I remember his brother having at this age. I think with Caleb being the second oldest, he's also more willing to try new things.

Caleb is a night owl and HATES to go to bed. He outlasts Joshua and Ryan by over an hour most nights. We are constantly putting him back to bed. But, this is also one-on-one time he gets with us as his parents where he likes to snuggle and be center of attention. He is SO like his Daddy! In almost every way he reminds me of Shawn.

Recently we all got sick. Everyone in our house was under the weather, except Caleb. He's the only one who showed no symptoms - no stomach bug, no colds, no nothing. He has a really good immune system. Praise the Lord!

Happy 4.5 year birthday, Caleb Luke!