Caleb is THREE!

He's three.  He's t-h-r-e-e.  Wow.  My baby.  My cuddle bug.  He is so much fun.  He is silly, cuddly, sensitive, sneaky, and so very lovable.  He is always ready to make someone laugh.  And oh boy, if you start laughing, he will keep his antics going for as long as it will last. 

Milestones:

-Macaroni and cheese is your favorite.  You ask for it for breakfast.

-You love to eat apples.  Whole apples.  Peel and all.

-You walk into Pop and Mawmaw's house and immediately ask if you can have a popsicle. 

-You are the messiest eater on the planet!

-You enjoy playing Ninja Turtles with Dylan.  You both bust out into dancing moves to sing the theme song.  You also say "Mimja" instead of Ninja.

-You also enjoy playing Power Rangers with Dylan, Nana, and Pawpaw.  Mommy banished all swords and fighting from our house unless you are playing it downstairs while Nana and Pawpaw are here.  There were too many daily injuries and fights for Mommy to handle!

-You enjoy kicking a soccer ball.  You kick with your right foot, opposite of your brother.

-You LOVE Berenstain Bears! We read the book all the time. And you sit through them even though they are kind of long!

-You no longer have your papi (see previous post) so you now sleep in your big boy bed with the chick-fil-a cow, giraffe, puppy, baby bear, penguin, and bison.

-You sometimes let out a really loud and ugly scream if you are frustrated or angry.  We are working on learning that screaming doesn't always get you things.  Oops.  Being three can be tough.

Fun words and phrases:

-"Yes I ma'am!" (Yes I am!)

-"I lush you." (I love you.)

-"Just one nap, Momma." (You say this at nap time and again at bedtime.)

-"Evy-time" (everytime)

-"I like it sometimes, but not lotta times."

-You still love all things construction.  You notice differences in machines and equipment and can spot them a mile away!

-You have started going to Bible Hour during Worship service.  You stand at the front with Dylan and lead a song to the group.  

-You got your first pair of real cowboy boots from Crossroads.  

-You point to things with your middle finger.  Almost.  Always. 

-You absolutely love to read books.  We can sit for long periods of time and read.

-You still play so well with toys.  You love the train table.  You also love to play with your Mickey Mouse Firehouse.  You will sit and make all of the appropriate noises.  You have a great little imagination.

-You know your colors and can count to 12.  Then you start saying "x-teen."  

You are our pure joy.  Our hearts have grown so much because of you.  You are just so enjoyable to be around.  Thank you Lord, for giving us this little boy!

Pickin' Pumpkins

Bo Brooks Farm

Pumpkin Patch

October 19. 2014

Looking way too big. 

Sweet -n- silly as sugar!

Little doll baby, Shelby.

Take 1...

Take 2....

My boys, Shelby, and Weston

My boys. 

Hayride with Daddy.

 The Pumpkin Patch was fun.  Caleb loved the tractor hayride the most, and Dylan enjoyed the corn pit to play in.  We love making memories with dear friends!

Bye, Bye, Dearest Papi....

Our dear friend, papi, has finally been removed from our house.  It was nothing short of extremely traumatic for him, and really for me as his Mommy.  I felt like I was stealing his comfort.   I loved seeing how my sweet Caleb drifted off to sleep with the papi upside down, which is how he preferred it.  I went about getting rid of it just like we did with Dylan.  For a few days, I definitely second guessed this decision, but it ended up alright.  We gathered all of his papis and "mailed" them to our sweet friend, Tessa.  She's still young and we decided she still needs them.  In return, Tessa "mailed" back a big boy toy for the new big boy and his achieved milestone.  Caleb was -all in- for this, until we had to take the last papi out of his mouth and stick it with the others.  I physically had to pry it out of his mouth as he wailed and screamed and pleaded to keep "just one." (See, I wasn't kidding about the trauma).
Naptime wasn't too bad because I rocked him to sleep.  Bedtime was a different story.  He cried for 2 hours in his bed.  He said, "I want my papi's back!" "I can't hold my blankie over my face without my papi."  "I don't want my big boy toy."  And so on for t-w-o- hours.  Daddy and Mommy were very calm and patient.  Daddy tried to rock him a bit, but that wasn't working.  I finally rocked him to sleep.  The second night was another struggle for two hours, but he didn't have to be rocked this time around.  The next evening and the next just got easier and easier.  Now, he doesn't even ask for it anymore.  Occasionally, he laughs about Tessa needing those papi's because she cries.  And then we move on.  I can't believe what a big boy he is becoming.  Another milestone is behind us, and each day I realize how blessed I am to be the mom to these two boys.

The love started out young.

See, the upside down thing.  His thing.  Love him. 

Realizing what was happening. 

 Getting ready for send off. 

 His new BIG BOY cement mixer!

Thankful and proud of this big boy and his accomplishment.  It's a BIG one!

Tiny Tigers {First Taekwondo Tournament}

Dylan participated in his very first Taekwondo Tournament on September 27, 2014.  I really liked the fact that the Master teachers helped them complete their "form" if they wanted help, and that every Tiny Tiger received a medal.  It was good exposure to how things work, if we continue down the Taekwondo road!

Waiting for his turn to compete!

 There was quite a bit of "wait" time, so Caleb stayed occupied with Disney Junior.

 Look at him go!  In the middle of his form.  He also did his form with this axes.

 Proud to receive his medal!

 I am proud of him sticking to his Taekwondo.  He goes twice a week to practice.  He is learning how to use all of the weapons, he is learning leadership skills and discipline!

All About Dylan {in his own words}

Dylan turned FIVE on August 28, 2014.  He answered a few questions for me, and here they are... I definitely couldn't love this boy any more!

WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE COLOR?  red

 WHAT DO YOU WANT TO BE WHEN YOU GROW UP?  a trampoline guard

 WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE FOOD? cracker chicken

 WHO IS YOUR BEST FRIEND? Savanna

TELL ME ABOUT YOUR MOM.  She is sick. (Disclaimer: yes, I am recovering from a bad fall.)

TELL ME ABOUT YOUR DAD.  I love you.

TELL ME ABOUT CALEB.   He is the funniest brother in the world. 

And here are Mommy's thoughts: Milestones I want to remember about you:

1. You take your brother with you to Bible Hour now. When it is your turn to lead a song, you grab his hand and take him with you. I am so proud that you are teaching him how to be a leader!

2. Your swimming skills are amazing! You now can dive for something on the bottom of the pool (the deep end!)

3. You love all things chocolate and sweet. You get that from me. 

4. If you hurt someone or something goes wrong, you say, "I apology Momma." 

5. You are a yellow belt in karate. You now are in the leadership class. You are learning to spar, and you have your first tournament coming up. You LOVE it and are showing growth and discipline because of it. 

6. You LOOK like a 5 year old. You are tall and thin. You still like to pick your outfits and you do a good job of putting things together. You still love cowboy boots and belts. 

7. Uncle Craig got you a skateboard for your birthday, and you can ride it down the driveway pretty well!

8. Your favorite song to sing right now is "The Battle Belongs to The Lord". 

9. No one makes you laugh as hard as your brother. Y'all have a special bond and play pretty well together (most of the time). 

10. You love school with Mrs. Brady. You go two days a week and still love P.E. and Gymnastics. 

11. You are learning letter sounds and you are great at recognizing rhyming words. 

12. You are getting close to being able to tie your shoes. That second bunny ear is still a wee bit tricky. 

13. You have a sweet heart. You love others. You want to be everyone's friend. You and your Daddy are as thick as thieves, but you also have a special bond with all of your grandparents. 

14. You love to go in the backyard and play football or soccer.

15. You also love for Daddy to make up an American Ninja Warrior course to practice on together. 

16. You are interested in bald eagles and snakes. We look for books on those topics at the library. 

17. 5...5...5... Next year is Kindergarten. Sigh. Let's just focus on the NOW, and enjoy it. Slow down Mr. Time, 5 may be Mommy's favorite. 

{Sir Dylan is FIVE!}

I think the day after Dylan's 4th birthday party, he told me for his 5th birthday party he wanted to have a Knight birthday.  He never wavered in his decision.  So, we planned it all out (thanks to my sister and mom again for helping) and had a great party celebrating Sir Dylan Rogers!

We had the party at our house.  All the kiddos enjoyed swimming, eating Chick-fil-A nuggets for lunch, and Knight cake and cookies for dessert!  It was great loads of fun.  I can't believe our sweet boy is FIVE!

Here are some of the birthday decorations!

Pop & Mawmaw built the awesome castle!  It was a fun and festive day!

The birthday boy with his family!

Uncle Craig & Aunt Carole worked behind the scenes making sure the party went off without a hitch!  Dylan sure is one lucky dude!  Thanks to my Sis & Bro-in-law!

His present from mom and dad.  A new plasma car!  He can scoot around in this thing GREAT!  We love you Dylan Thomas!

Conquering Your Fears {and Milestones}

Caleb has walked the "plank" of this diving board over and over again.  He walks to the edge, peeks at the water, and walks back off.  

He conquered his fear and just jumped!  I cheered soooo loud and his face showed all the pride in the world!  Now this little boy is a swimming machine!  He also decided that he now wants to swim without floaties and I can't believe how well he is doing!

August 23, 2014

Also, taking it back a few days before the "no floaties" swim.

August 17, 2014

Caleb's first night in a big boy bed.  (Another pretty huge milestone!)

I think he came out approximately 7 times.  We were patient and just kept putting him back in the bed.  He went to sleep and he is doing pretty great in that full sized bed.  It was my grandmother's bed and I just love the old vintage feel that it has.  His room is decorated in orange, brown, lime green, and blue.  We added lots of "construction" themed details.  He is sooooo proud of his new big boy room and he wants to show everyone that comes over!  He does wake up before 7 a little more often than I would like, but we are still learning I guess!

Puppy is his favorite right now.

Puppy, Baby bear, and Giraffe all tucked in tight.

And this is how he sleeps most nights.  No pillow, on his belly, with his head shoved up next to the pillow.  It's pretty obvious that he is used to sleeping in a crib without a pillow or covers.  My sweet boy.  I honestly couldn't love him more.