17 Months

Cale is growing up so fast!  We can't believe our eyes and ears.  Each day brings new facial expressions, new skills, new words, and new discoveries.  I cannot believe how much he has learned this month.  

 Cale...

-can kick a ball

-can throw the dogs toys for them to go fetch

-"snaps" when he hears music 

-shakes his head "no"

-helps me vacuum and sweep...he knows the carpet gets vacuumed and the hardwood floors get swept!

-turns the TV on and off with the remote (not sure how proud I am of that one! Ha!)

-gets his shoes and brings them to us when we ask

-blows kisses and says "bye bye" to people when they leave

-knows what sounds a pig, duck, dog, and fish make

-knows how to "brush" his teeth by himself

-can say lots of words!  Mommy, Daddy, Cookie, cracker, more, mow, bye bye, banana, wow, whoa, uh oh, and several that I am blanking on right now...

He is wearing all 2T clothes...such a tall boy!  He has become more of a snuggle bug and loves to sit on the couch and watch Hide 'Em In Your Heart or Kidsongs when he wakes up from naps.  He still takes two naps each day, but we'll start working on transitioning to one nap very soon!  He will start Mother's Day Out at the end of the this month, and will go to "school" from 9-12 on Fridays.  I know Cale will LOVE the social interaction of being with other children, since he is a social little guy!  I wonder where he gets that from!?! :)  He loves the park and all things that allow him to run and explore.  He loves visiting his Daddy at work, and runs to the back of the store where he knows Adam is working...he's even become bold enough to go behind the pharmacy counter to get to Adam (and snatch a few empty medicine bottles along the way).  Last week, we got in a car accident (no one was hurt), and when we bumped, Cale yelled out "Whoa!!!".  I guess he thought we were on a roller coaster...I wish.  Cale is a handful, but the most fun handful that I have ever had the privilege of spending my whole day with.  Cale, we are so thankful for you and the joy that you bring us every day!

Norman 2012

Last week, Cale and I traveled to Norman, Oklahoma to attend our 2nd annual Momapalooza week.  I just made that title up, but it really fits.  We met up with my best friends from college, Kiplyn and Allison, and their children, to spend a week together.  Allison's parents live in Norman, and this is the second year they have graciously opened their home to us...they are brave.  This year, there were 5 kids, ages 5 and under.  It was a little bit of chaos and a whole lot of fun!  When we made the trip last year, Cale was only 5 months old.  What a difference a year makes!  We had so much fun lounging by the pool and making Sonic runs during nap time.  We did NOTHING, yet it was such a sweet time.

 Cale loved exploring the back yard between dips in the pool.  Now that he is a confident walker (runner), he loves exerting his independence...

He loves to RUN!

Since Route 44 Sonic drinks became a daily appearance, Cale scored big time on the ice that he LOVES oh, so much.  He worked hard to master the "no hands" approach.

The "big girls" loved playing with the boys.  Lucy was so helpful with Cale.  She was precious and always willing to watch him or play with him.  

Amelia was very into dumping water by the gallon on top of the older boys, and the boys loved it.  They begged for more after each dump!  Cale, on the other hand, didn't want anything to do with the dousing.  Ha!

So... he set out on a backyard expedition, making sure to steer clear of the "car (people) wash" that was in business poolside.  What is it about boys and their love for being naked?!?

Cale absolutely adored his older friends.  Cooper was just old enough to understand that Cale was younger and he played so sweetly with him...

And when I say sweetly, it was still very much total boy play...

Just when you think the the little guy might dominate...

The bigger guy takes charge!  Cale loved when Cooper tackled him.  After that play session, when he would see Cooper, he would lay down in hopes that Cooper would come over and wrestle with him...oh, boys!

And of course, we had to take the annual bench pic.  

 2011

2012

Cale was a bit happier when he wasn't been forced to sit...

Wow! How much they have all grown in one year!

After breakfast on the fourth day, we hit the road to head home.

Cale started out pretty perky...

But that only lasted 20 minutes...

We had anticipated the trip for so long, and were so anxious to spend a week among these precious friends.  The week was better than I could have imagined...dreamy, really.  Amongst the chaos of kids, the moms found time to reconnect, share our hearts, encourage one another, and remember why even after 10 years, we don't skip a beat with each other.  Oh, how I cherish these women in my life!!  Can't wait until next summer!

Same Address...New Home!

After three weeks of renovations, we are back home!  We spent an entire day moving all of our furniture from the living room to the bedrooms.  Although it was not quite as big as a physical move of location, it still was a BIG project.  I kept telling myself, "It will get worse before it gets better".  I felt like we were regressing as we continued to move things into the bedrooms and closets.  It has taken me about a week to get settled, and I still have some projects left, but we LOVE our new space.  We feel like we are living in a new house!  It is so much more functional than it used to be, and the best part is, we have DOUBLED our closet/storage space!  Pretty unbelievable!

This is our hallway view that is seen right when 

entering the house and looking down the hallway...

This is the entrance to Cale's room...

 This is the view from Cale's bedroom door...

This is the opposite wall in Cale's room.  I LOVE his new closet.  I was able to design it so that it was functional for a toddler and will grow with him as he gets older...

This is our new guest room.  This used to be the room we had to walk through to get to our room.  It once functioned as Cale's nursery.  It also used to house the washer and dryer in the closet.  Now, it's its very own stand alone, private room.  I am SO happy to have a room that does not have to be tromped through to get to our room!  It really turned out to be a great size too!

Here is one of many new closets.  This closet is in our hallway, and stores our linens, gift bin, vacuum cleaner, tools, and suitcases.  We had the shelves cut to perfectly store our suitcases.  L.O.V.E...

This is our bedroom entrance...

This is our bedroom from the corner...

 This closet is the the left corner of our room.  

It is currently being used as clothes/baby item storage...

Disclosure:  Our closet has been neglected and therefore, is not organized.  It is driving me crazy, but it is still functional, so it's on the back burner for now.  It has given us much more space, and for that I am thankful...

 This is the wall of canvas prints that hang in the hall by Cale's bedroom door.  

I love that it is the first thing I see when I come out of our room...

 Although we did not structurally change anything in the living room, I did get new curtains and a new armoire for our TV.  I'm planning to paint the armoire Robin's egg blue and distress it, so those pictures will be coming!

We didn't change the kitchen either, but we did get a new range.  We used to have an electric range, but we had the plumber run a gas line and now we have a gas range, that also has a double oven!  I know I'm going to love this!

 And now for my favorite addition...

I now have my own laundry room!  This might not seem like a big deal, but oh, it is!  I can access my "craft closet" through this room (I used to have to go into Cale's room to get to my crafts), and I was able to do something really fun and functional in this room.  I am going to put hooks along the chair rail that is right above the bead board, and use them to hang backpacks, coats, etc...  I will also be painting white chevron stripes on the gray wall sometime in the near future...  

So, that's the tour!  We could not be happier with the changes that were made!  We are so thankful that these changes will allow us to stay in this house for several more years, since we LOVE our neighborhood and our location!