Caleb and Ace

Nashville, Arkansas Home Sweet Home

2009-06-18T23:04:00.011-05:00

Every year the second weekend in June we head to Nashville, Arkansas to my Uncle Doug's house for our family BBQ. We look forward to this weekend every year! It is so much fun to visit with family, old friends and OH MY....the food is unreal! We start on Saturday with all day fun and great food then come back on Sunday morning for a breakfast cooked on burners outside..... yum, so good!! Uncle Doug and Uncle Wayne always have the tractors ready to take the kids on rides. The kids have a BLAST riding the tractors, playing ball, and just running around with their cousins.
This year we started a new tradition of family games. Thanks Ellen for putting this together, it was so much fun! Did I mention that the Gallaher's brought home the trophy!!!! We had a bubble gum blowing contest, a three legged race ( which Jamie and I got 1st place) a softball game, a ride-on car race for the kids (Chandler and Elliott won!) a sponge bucket race and lots more. We ended the night with Mom and her four siblings playing a game of jeopardy. It was lots of fun!!

the last tractor ride before heading back to Tennessee...

Daddy Bill in the bubble gum blowing contest...

sponge bucket race....

ride on toy race....Chandler and Elliott are the winners!!

Chandler and Elliott celebrating their win!

Aunt Sue won jeopardy but The Gallaher's take home the trophy!!!!

I don't think Caleb came off of this tractor the whole weekend.....

and Ace did not leave "Dawgs" side all weekend....poor "Dawg"

Main street....
and this was our house where I grew up. Every year I have to drive out there to see it. I remember the day my Dad planted those trees in the yard. I can't believe how big they are now. Lots of good memories.....

Thank you Uncle Doug and Aunt Neva for getting us together every year. Already counting down the days until next June!

"paci is broken"

2009-06-15T23:41:00.003-05:00

We have been talking big for about a year now about getting rid of Ace's paci. There were lots of days that we said "today is the day" and I could not go through with it. He loved his paci so much and I just never had the heart to take it away from him.

We had decided that once he turned two that it had to go. Jamie and I promised each other that we were going to do it this time.....finally! I talked to a friend of mine that had just gone through this with her two year old and told me that we should put a small hole in the end of it and he would take care of the rest.

Luckily, the day before we were getting ready to put the hole in it he actually bit a hole in it himself! It was perfect because he knew that he did it. He continued to suck on it for a couple of days but was not happy about it. He kept saying "paci broken". Eventually, there was nothing left to suck on.

He handled it amazingly well! Much better than we ever thought that he would. It seems like he turned two and he just grew up! He no longer has a paci and he is talking like you would not believe... all of the sudden!

Ace, we are so proud of you!!!

Happy Birthday, Ace

2009-05-27T12:20:00.013-05:00

Happy 2nd Birthday sweet boy! It is so hard to believe that you are TWO years old. My babies are growing up way too fast.

For Ace's 2nd Birthday we had a puppy dog themed party. I can not even tell you how much he LOVES dogs. When we are outside (which is always) he will run down the street chasing every dog he sees and alot of times you can find him crawling on the floor acting like a dog.

We had so much fun at the party with our family and friends. We had a puppy dog cake, cupcakes, puppy dog ears and treats for all the kids....it was alot of fun!

I think that he finally realized that this was a party for him when it was time for the cake. When everyone started singing Happy Birthday to him you could see the light bulb go off .....he had a big smile!

Ace's first haircut

2009-05-02T10:55:00.007-05:00

I waited and waited until everyone told me that it was time...Ace needed a haircut! This made me so sad for some reason. I guess its just knowing that your baby is not a baby anymore, he is growing up so fast! Jamie has been wanting to cut his hair for a couple of months now and finally I gave in and let him cut it BUT made him promise to only cut enough to get it out of his eyes.

Good "gwob" Daddy! :)

Then.....Caleb decided that he needed another hair cut so he found some scissors and started cutting his bangs...OFF!

Good thing you are so cute because it's going to take a while for that to grow back! :)

Hooray for Diffendoofer Day!

2009-05-02T09:28:00.005-05:00

Last weekend both of the boys were in a musical at their daycare based on the Dr. Seuss book, Hooray for Diffendoofer Day. Caleb was a duck and Ace was a frog.

They both did a great job! We kept asking Caleb for weeks if he would sing some of his songs for us and he just told us that we would have to wait and see. It was worth the wait....they were so cute!

We were a little concerned if they would have stage fright but they didn't. Caleb sang all of his songs and did a little dance with his class. Once we got there the teachers put the finishing touches on their costumes. When I saw that all the ducks had a big feather tail I knew that Caleb was not going to like that. He thinks that he is too cool for that stuff. Sure enough when the ducks got up to sing Caleb was the only one without a tail. :)

Ace did not throw tantrums or run around on stage so he did great too! He did have to sit in his teacher's lap the whole program but that's okay. We were just worried about him trying to get all the attention. After the program was over his teacher told me that she kept promising him ice cream....it worked!

Boys, you continue to make Mommy and Daddy so proud! We love you!

Thank you Uncle Jeff, Chandler, Mammie, Nanna and Nat for coming to support them!

A day at the Fire Station

2009-04-15T10:47:00.006-05:00

Caleb is really into playing fireman right now and most of the time we have to call him "fireman Caleb". Jamie loaded up the boys one morning and took them to our local Fire Department. I was not able to go with them but I continue to hear all about it...it is all Caleb is talking about. Fireman Jay was so nice and gave them all a tour of the fire department and let Caleb sit in the truck. Caleb just thought this was the coolest thing ever! He gave the boys each a hat and coloring books. As Jamie and the boys were leaving the fire department got a call so they got to see all the firemen suit up and take off in the trucks with lights, sirens and all. Thanks fireman Jay for letting Caleb take a tour and thank you Jamie for being such a good Daddy!

Easter 2009

2009-04-15T10:22:00.011-05:00

Easter was a lot of fun this year! We started with an Easter egg hunt on Saturday that our subdivision has for the kids every year. We got to see the Easter bunny and the boys found LOTS of eggs. Ace was so funny with the Easter bunny..he was just in aww over him. He kept touching him, pushing him, trying to hold his hand and then he realized he had a tail! He kept grabbing his tail and pulling on it. We are very thankful that it was a nice Easter bunny!

On Sunday the boys were so excited to wake up to see if the Easter bunny came to our house and of course he did. After church we came home and had another egg hunt with our neighbor next door, Cade. They all had so much fun and I think we will have enough candy to last until next Easter.

Famiy Devotional

2009-04-13T20:10:00.006-05:00

I thought this was just too cute not to post
We try and have a family devotional every night before bed. Most the time we read Bible stories out of Caleb's Bible but this night we were getting ready for our devotional and he comes running in asking if he could read to us. We were thrilled and could not wait to hear his stories.....

Thank you God for our sweet Caleb.

Our future meteorologist

2009-04-06T18:29:00.006-05:00

Our sweet boys alerting all the neighbors and birds that a storm is coming......

A day at the mall

2009-03-08T11:54:00.014-05:00

Last week we went to Cool Springs mall for a little shopping. We used to go all the time when Caleb was little just to walk around and let him play in the play area but we never do it anymore. Now that we have Ace too it seems like more trouble than it's worth to go in public places because they want to run around EVERYWHERE and pick up EVERYTHING off of shelves and all this leads to tantrums and ahhh....I am worn out just thinking about it!

I was always one of those people who saw kids acting up in grocery stores and promised that MY kids would NEVER act like that. I am sorry to all of those Mom's out there that I thought you just could not control your kids. I literally do not take the boys anywhere anymore , especially by myself. I am now one of those Mom's that other people are talking about. Don't get me wrong, our boys are very good boys but there is something about public places that bring out the tantrums.

We felt brave last weekend and thought we would give it another try and it ended up just like all the other times. We might try it again in a year....maybe.

As soon as we walked into the mall the boys just were overwhelmed....it was so funny. Ace had never seen a mannequin before and he was so excited! He ran up to all of them as fast as he could screaming "man, man". I guess that would be strange to him....I wonder what he thought they were?? I had to catch it all on video because it was just too funny not to share.

Boys, we promise to try and get you out more often......

Momma's Boys

2009-03-04T07:36:00.005-06:00

This is my life....and I would not change it for the world!!

Happy Birthday Jamie!

2009-02-28T19:15:00.008-06:00

We hope you had a wonderful birthday! All the fun started last night at Jeff & Courtney's and carried on into tonight with more family and great food!

Every year Jamie request the same thing....a "real" strawberry cake and enchiladas and every year the cakes turns out crooked and the icing thin. Can someone please tell me how to make thick icing????

Caleb was so excited to help make the cake and he did a GREAT job. He is turning into a little chef. (just like his Daddy) Jamie's Mom, brother and sister came over tonight to help us celebrate his big day.

Happy Birthday babe! We love you SO MUCH!!

Sweet Boys

2009-02-26T19:26:00.004-06:00

We took the boys to the Red Caboose Park today and they had a blast. This is Caleb's favorite place to be and soon to be Ace's too, I'm sure. It seems like we have all been sick so much lately with ear infections, bronchitis and runny noses that the boys enjoyed just being able to run and play outside.

I look at these pictures and just can not believe how big they are getting. Where are my babies??

I promise they really do love each other! I try all the time to get a good picture of the two of them together and every time Ace starts crying..but I LOVE this picture anyway!

Happy Valentine's Day!

2009-02-14T18:07:00.000-06:00

Make a Smilebox greeting

Best Buddies

2009-02-08T20:11:00.011-06:00

What a beautiful day...after church we came home, ate some breakfast, opened all the windows and headed outside for a day full of fun! The boys were so excited to be playing outside again. We are so proud of Caleb for being such a great big brother! He is so good with Ace and wants to show him how to do everything....and Ace wants to be just like Caleb.

Caleb was showing his little brother how to cut the grass...

how to play ball.....

how to ride his motorcycle...

Ace, you are the luckiest little boy ever to have such an awesome big brother!! I hope you always enjoy each other like you do now!

Momma's little helper

2009-01-23T20:22:00.006-06:00

How did I get so lucky?? I have two precious little boys that LOVE TO CLEAN!! I know, it probably will not last but I am sure enjoying it right now.

Caleb has always been the best little helper! When he was six months old he got his own vacuum, mop and broom because he would always want to help clean and we still have it and it is still used everyday. Caleb's teacher's at daycare tell me everyday that he is the only one in the class that cleans and picks up without being asked. It makes me so proud! We have always made him clean his room before going to bed and I guess it worked!

I want the boys to always know that men clean too!!

Ace also loves to help Mommy. Most of the time I get a lot more "help" than I ask for. His favorite thing to do is loading and unloading the dishwasher. If you ever eat in this house you better inspect your silverware very carefully before you eat. Just because it is in the drawer does not mean that it is always clean, thanks to Mr. Ace. :)

And sometimes they "clean" too good!

Good job boys, keep up the good work!

New Year and New Beginnings

2009-01-05T18:50:00.003-06:00

2009 has already started bringing BIG changes to the Anderson family! Jamie has been talking for a few years now about going back to school but we were never really sure how we could make it work because he HAS to continue to work while going to school. We knew that finding the time to work, go to school, study, sleep and still spend time with the family was going to be a real challenge. He has finally decided that he is ready and he is going for it!! He is going to Nursing School!!

Even though this has been talked about for a long time, once he decided, it all started happening really fast! Within a matter of 3 or 4 days he made his decision to quit his job and enroll in a class to become a certified nursing assistant while he is in school. By becoming a CNA it will be a lot easier for him to go to school and still work because of the flexible work hours unlike his sales position.

We are really excited but really nervous how we are going to get through the next two years! We both know that this is a good decision and a step in the right direction but it is a scary change!

Jamie will get his certification on January 15th and then hopefully he will be able to get a job VERY soon after. He has already spoken to come school's about their nursing program but has not yet decided which one he will attend. That is another decision that will have to be made in the next month or so.

I am SO extremely proud of him for deciding to do this. I can not even imagine being in school again and I know that as nervous as I am about the "unknown" it is that much worse for him!

Baby, I want you to know how much I love you and I am behind you 100%. I know that tough times are ahead while we figure out how to balance this into our daily schedule but we can do it! Thank you for always thinking of ways to better us as a family. We love you so much and we are so proud of you!

Our Family Christmas 2008

2008-12-29T19:14:00.009-06:00

What a fun Christmas it was this year!! There is nothing better than watching your kids eyes light up when they see their toys from Santa. Caleb was so excited about Santa this year. Meme had all the kids over to make reindeer food and Caleb could not wait to spread it in the yard. I was afraid that we would never get him into bed Christmas eve but it was just the opposite! Christmas eve night we went to a candle light service at our church then we had Christmas at Nana's house and then we had to hurry home to put the cookies and milk under the tree and spread the reindeer food. As soon as we pulled in the driveway Caleb took off running in the house as he was taking his clothes off down the hallway. He got his pj's on and could not jump into the bed fast enough! Wow! I was shocked!!! He knew that Santa would not come until we were all asleep.

The next morning when Caleb woke up he was so sweet! He ran into the living room and the first thing that he saw was Ace's motorcycle. Ace was still sleeping but instead of Caleb looking at his presents he wanted to wake Ace up to tell him about his motorcycle that santa brought him. Caleb has the sweetest little heart, always taking care of everyone else first.

Ace had no idea what was going on so Caleb stepped up as the big brother and unwrapped all of his gifts for him. I don't think Caleb had a problem with that at all.

The first thing that Ace noticed were the cookies that santa did not eat, NOT the presents!!

After the excitement of santa it was time to do it all over again at Meme's house! All the kids were so much fun to watch. They could not open their gifts fast enough!
My favorite gift this year was from Chandler. She made a little dish with the letter J on it for me at her school. It touched me so much, she could have made something for a number of people and she chose me. She is such a special little girl! Jamie was excited to get a leaf blower that he has wanted for a couple of years, this I know was his favorite gift!

Caleb made all of his grandparents coffee mugs that he decorated all by himself. They all loved them and he was so proud!
Mom called and asked Jeff and Jamie if they wanted to take on the responsibility of frying a turkey this year. I have never seen two grown men so excited!!! They were worse than women...on the phone with each other all the time, researching on the internet and comparing recipes. They gave us all a good laugh....Here they are where they spent most of their time.... just watching it cook!

Guys, you did a GREAT job!!! It was wonderful! I think this is going to become an every year job for them.

We could not have asked for a better Christmas, we are so blessed! We hope all of our family and friends had a Christmas as special as ours and we wish you all a Happy New Year!

Merry Christmas!

2008-12-25T20:41:00.001-06:00

Send your own ElfYourself eCards

Happy 4th Birthday Caleb!

2008-12-24T11:25:00.007-06:00

Has it been FOUR years already?? It is so hard to believe....it seems like just yesterday that we were bringing you home from the hospital on that cold, rainy, icy day. These last four years have been the best years of my life, all because of you. We are so proud of you Caleb!

We had a little party on Saturday at the house to celebrate with family and friends. Caleb was so excited about turning four. He has told me all week that he is a man now, at one point he told me that I needed to call him"man" instead of Caleb. Oh...you makes me laugh sweet boy!

This year we had a baseball theme, he is all about baseball this year. Last year it was a "pig sooie" (Arkansas Razorback) party, so it will be interesting to see what next year will bring.

Caleb really wanted to have a party with his cousins and friends at The Monkey's Treehouse so on Monday he invited them all to meet him there to play. They had so much fun as you can tell.

We hope you had a Happy Birthday baby! We love you so much!

Cookies with Santa

2008-12-13T18:57:00.009-06:00

Caleb and I started the week by making a gingerbread house. Last year we had so much fun making a gingerbread train so this year Caleb wanted to make a house. We had lots of fun but once again we had to wait until Ace took a nap to start. If we would have let Ace help I don't think we would have had any candy left to decorate our house with. I feel like Ace has missed out on lots of fun but he is just not a lot of help this year. Ace, I promise baby that next year you can help us with all these fun things!

The daycare where the boys attend had their Christmas sing-a-long on Friday and after the program Santa Claus stopped by the school to have cookies and milk with all the kids. They were so excited! Caleb just wanted to know where his sleigh was...

We were not sure what to expect from Caleb because of his shyness. We were afraid once he saw all the parents he would take off running or break down and cry, but he did Great from what we could tell. They placed all the kids by height and the smaller kids in front of Caleb were wearing reindeer antlers so we could not see him at all. They finally made those kids sit on their knees on the last song so we did get to see him sing at least one song. I bribed him that morning with a strawberry milkshake after school and it worked! Is that bad??

We knew EXACTLY what to expect from Ace....there was no way he was going to sit up there with his class so we decided to keep him with us. He is the youngest in his class and I was so afraid that he would disrupt the whole program. I think his teachers were happy by our decision to keep him with us. Sweet boy...you will be ready next year!

Ace had more fun playing dress up in Caleb's classroom than anything. I did not think we would ever get him out of this room.

Caleb was really excited to see and talk to Santa this year but Ace was not at all!

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas

2008-12-04T18:42:00.009-06:00

We had a wonderful Thanksgiving spending time with family and eating some great food but now it is over and time to start thinking about Christmas. It is hard to believe that it is that time of year again and it is REALLY hard for me to believe that Caleb is going to turn four in a couple of weeks!! Where does the time go?

The weekend after Thanksgiving I was so excited to get all the Christmas stuff out and start putting it up. I knew that Caleb would really enjoy it all this year but not sure what to expect from Ace. Anyway, our Christmas decorating started off kinda rough...I felt like we were in the Christmas Vacation movie. Jamie totally pulled a Clark Griswald on me! He was up in the attic getting all the boxes down and he fell through the ceiling in the garage! Well, he did not actually "fall" thank goodness, he caught himself with only a few scratches, a HUGE hole in the ceiling and a HUGE mess on the floor. It could have been so much worse! Once I knew that he was not hurt I could not help but laugh at him, you have to admit it is kinda funny! He told me not to worry that HE was going to fix the hole and this really worried me because Jamie is NOT a handy man! I admit that I doubted his ability to fix such a huge hole and make it look "right".

He read about how to go about fixing it, talked to some nice people at Home Depot and sure enough HE DID IT!! It looks great!! Thanks babe, I am SO proud!!!

Caleb and I waited for Ace to go to bed before we started putting up the tree. I did not think that he would be much help. Caleb had so much fun and I had more fun watching him so excited. He was singing Jingle Bells and Rudolph, totally in the Christmas spirit. I let him decorate the tree by himself and he was so proud. Of course when he went to bed I had to do it all over again and luckily he did not notice the next morning. :) He went out to the garage where we keep our cleaning supplies and brought in his little bucket and broom. When I asked him what he was doing in the fireplace he said he was cleaning it out for Santa! So cute!! Last year he was still a little scared of Santa and the thought that he actually comes inside the house while we are sleeping but this year he is so excited.

I always put trees in the boys rooms and Caleb loved all of his ornaments. He had so much fun unwrapping them and decorating his very own tree. Ace enjoyed playing with all of them and taking them off faster than we could put them on. I am just waiting for him to pull the tree down, pretty sure it is going to happen!

We are all very excited about Christmas this year! Caleb is talking about Santa Claus non stop and Ace will get to experience it all for the first time. It's going to be lots of fun...we can't wait!!

Thankful for my Family

2008-11-26T13:07:00.006-06:00

Thanksgiving has always been a special day to spend with family and eat a great meal but as I have gotten older and since I have become a parent it has taken on a whole new meaning for me. I realize now how truly blessed I am with the life that God has given me.

I am thankful for so many things in my life, but I am most thankful for my family, the ones that have made it possible for me to have this wonderful life. My parents are two of the most important people to me and I can not in my life time thank them enough for everything that they have done for me. They have always put my needs before their own. Even though they have not always agreed with some of my decisions they always supported me and loved me no matter what.

My Mom is the best woman, the best Mother, the best Grandmother and my best friend. I am not just saying this because she is my Mother, anyone that has ever met her will tell you the same thing. She is the most loving, caring, smart, talented, non-judgemental person. She is the one that I call for EVERYTHING. No matter what it is...Mom can always fix it, when Mom is there I always feel safe. I am so thankful for the relationship that I have with my Mom, she is truly my very Best Friend!

Oh and my Dad...I love that man with all my heart! There is no question that he will always be there whenever I need him. I think he thought that once I got married he would get a break from my weekly calls for advice or whatever it is I needed fixed that week, but the truth is that there will never be another man that can take the place of my Dad. Don't get me wrong..I love my husband more than life and depend on him for everything but no one can ease my mind like my Daddy. My Dad is my hero. I am thankful for having a father that I can always depend on and loving me no matter what.

My brother....He is the best brother in the world and as his big sister I am so proud of him! I am so happy that God blessed him with such a wonderful wife that is much more of a sister to me than a sister-in-law. He is such a good husband and father to his three beautiful little girls. I am thankful that I have a brother that I am close with and know that is always there if I need him.

Then there is my wonderful, loving, funny, supportive husband that is the man of my dreams! I never expected to find such a wonderful man. I fall in love with him more everyday. He always puts his needs aside for me and the boys. He can always put a smile on my face and make me feel like the most special person in the world. I know that no matter what ups and downs that we as a family face that he will make it alright, we can always depend on him for everything. Caleb and Ace are the luckiest little boys in the world to have him for a Daddy and it is obvious that even at their age they already know this. They adore their Daddy and so do I.

Last but not least, my beautiful babies...Oh just thinking about them puts a smile on my face, tear in my eye and more love in my heart than I ever thought was possible. I am so thankful that I was chosen to be their Mommy. They are the best thing that has ever happened to me and I pray every night that Jamie and I can be the type of parents that my parents were to me. I hope that God gives me the tools to guide them in the right direction, to make good decisions and to always feel the unconditional love that we have for them.

I am so thankful we are family and I love you very much!

Best Buddies

2008-11-21T20:11:00.007-06:00

Everyday when I pick Caleb and Ace up from school their folders are always full of art projects that they made during art class. Caleb especially is always excited to show me what he made for me that day and I always love everything he makes but today he brought tears to my eyes. It was by far my all time favorite! All the kids in his class made place mats with a turkey on it that they colored and the teacher asked each child what they were thankful for and Caleb said that he was thankful for his brother, Ace. Aww..it just melted my heart.

Now that Ace is getting a little older they are starting to have so much fun together. They chase each other around the house for hours while laughing as hard as they can. Everything Caleb does Ace has to do too. If Caleb is sitting in his chair watching a movie then Ace wants his chair right next to his big brother. They are the best of friends and it makes me so happy.

Boys,
You bring me such joy, I never realized how rewarding motherhood would be. I sit and watch the two of you play ball, chasing each other around the house and it puts the biggest smile on my face. I pray every night that you will always enjoy each other, always watch out for one another and always be thankful that you are brothers.

I love you more than you could ever imagine!

A scary day...

2008-11-12T22:46:00.008-06:00

ACE, you brought back lots of scary memories for us yesterday baby boy. When you woke up I could tell that you did not feel good but things quickly got worse. Out of no where you started breathing so hard and I could tell that something was not right. It was all so familiar to me because of what we went through with Caleb when he was a baby. You were trying so hard to breathe but could not get much air. I rushed you to the Dr. and he said that you had bronchiolitis. He gave you a breathing treatment and sent us home with a nebulizer so we could continue to give you the treatments every four hours but we had to give them to you more like every twenty minutes. Your Doctor said that if you did not get better in an hour we needed to take you to the hospital.

There is nothing worse or more stressful than watching your child doing everything that he can to catch a breath. You were such a trooper...you sat there like a big boy and let us put that mask on you to help you breathe. Daddy and I decided to try whatever we could to keep you home instead of the hospital because we remember how traumatic that experience was for Caleb and did not want you to have to go through that too. We had vaporizers in every room, water boiling at all times, vicks rubbed all over you and luckily it worked! Although, we did not get you to sleep until 2:00am because the medicine had you so wired, but once you fell asleep you were breathing much better.

I just want you to know that you have the best Daddy in the world! He slept in your floor next to your crib all night to make sure you would be okay. He was so concerned that you would need us in the night and we would not be able to hear you.

You woke up this morning still not sounding "good" but you were so much better! As the day went on you were wrestling with your brother and climbing on furniture so we new that we had our Ace back and we were so happy.

My world crashed yesterday baby when I could not help you. Mommy and Daddy love you so much and we are so happy that you are feeling better!

Trick or Treat

2008-11-02T17:39:00.012-06:00

What a week! It was packed with halloween fun! Our festivities started last weekend with our neighborhood parade. They do this every year for the kids to get together and show off their costumes. It really gets them excited to go trick or treating and is always lots of fun!

Caleb came in one day and asked me if we could make caramel apples. I have no idea where he saw them or heard of them but I promised him that we could make some before Halloween. That was a fun mess! He did not realize how hard they were to eat. He really wanted to like them but a couple of bites and he was done. This made Jamie really happy! I did not even get one!

Halloween night was a blast! Melody and Aiden come over every year to go trick or treating with us. Last year was a learning experience for Caleb and Aiden but this year they knew EXACTLY what to do and they were ready to go! Our good friends next door, Carlee and Cade were with us this year too. Cade is only two so Caleb and Aiden had to show him how it was done. He will be ready next year.

Caleb went as a Yankee's baseball player, Aiden was batman and Cade was a Dallas Cowboy player. We tried to get Caleb to get a costume like all of his friends but he will not hear of it, he has to be something sports related. Last year he went as a Titan's player and this year we are all about baseball. It will be interesting to see what it will be next year.

Ace went as a bat and was not at all crazy about his costume. I have to say though, he was a real trooper, he actually wore his hat all night! He thought that he was as big as the other boys. We pushed him in his car but when he saw Caleb and his friends walking up to a house he had to go too! Luckily he never figured out that candy was involved, he would just walk up to the house and say "hi" and he was done...off to the next house.

Happy Halloween Boys! Hope you had a fun time!

We love you!

New school and Fall fun!

2008-10-28T13:41:00.009-05:00

Sunday we attended the fall carnival at Caleb's new school, Hillwood Play Care. It was such a beautiful day to spend outside enjoying the fall weather. They had the big inflatable slides, train rides, games, face painting and lots more. The kids had so much fun and so did we.

We decided early in the summer that it was time to move Caleb to a place where they would really work with him and get him prepared for kindergarten. My niece Chandler went to Hillwood Play Care and I know how much she loved it and so did Jeff and Courtney. It was such a hard decision to make because Caleb does not handle change very well, or I thought he didn't. We talked about his "new school" for weeks before he started. We would drive by and look at the play ground hoping he would get excited about it. All he really got excited about was the football field across the street and even more excited when I told him that is where Uncle Jeff played football in high school. Anyway, on his first day he walked right into his class like the big boy that he is, gave me a kiss and waved bye. I was the one walking out the door crying like a baby.

Ace is starting next week and we are really happy about that! It was the best decision that we could have made! Caleb has only been there for a couple of months and we can not believe what he comes home telling us that he learned that day. He is so smart! :)

Caleb

Ace

Chandler

The Blue Dragons

2008-10-25T20:09:00.007-05:00

Way to go Caleb #5! You did so good today in your soccer game! I am not sure how many you scored...we lost count! I think it was 4 maybe 5 goals!! It has been a tough season with soccer, you want to play so bad but your shyness sometimes gets in the way. You do so good at practice but when you get to the game I think all the people make you nervous.

I am not sure what was different today but you ran out there without a care in the world and you did GREAT!!! We are so proud of you! We keep telling you that it is all about having fun not winning and I think you had lots of fun out there today. ( of course, it did not hurt that you were scoring goals. ) After the game you told me that you were not ready for it to be over and you asked me if you could please play another game "in the morrow" (meaning tomorrow) You are finally starting to enjoy it now that you only have two games left. I was afraid that was going to happen.

And what a perfect day for your fan club to show...Daddy Bill, Nana & Nat, Uncle Jeff & Chandler. You are so loved baby boy! Always know win or lose how proud we all are of you!

Your Fan Club!

Carving Pumpkins

2008-10-21T20:11:00.008-05:00

We got our pumpkins a couple of weeks ago and Caleb has asked me every single morning if he can PLEASE "put a face on them."I have tried to explain that we can not carve them too early or they will not be good for Halloween but how do you make an excited 3 year old understand that? I finally gave in this morning and we carved the pumpkins. I figured that Halloween only comes once a year so who cares if they go bad...we will carve another one if we have to.

He had already decided that he wanted one to have a silly face and one a scary face. Ace was not real sure what we were doing. He kept coming into the kitchen and growling at the pumpkin. For some reason he thinks a pumpkin roars like a lion???

Thanks sweet boys for such a fun morning! I love doing fun things with you!

Does anyone know how to keep a pumpkin fresh?????

No Training Wheels!

2008-10-20T12:33:00.005-05:00

Well, Caleb had a very exciting Saturday and Mommy missed it! Jamie and Caleb were helping some good friends of ours move this weekend and they had an old bike from when their boys were little. Caleb wanted to ride it but it did not have training wheels. Jamie was holding it for him while he got on and was getting ready to teach him how to ride it and all of the sudden Caleb just took off! Jamie said he was riding it like he has been doing it forever up and down their long driveway. He was so proud of himself and I can't believe that I missed that! I had just been there an hour before.

Caleb was anxious to get home and take the training wheels off of his bike but it is too big. We sold his smaller bike in a garage sale this spring and bought him a bigger one and now I wish we had not done that. His feet can't touch the ground on his bike now so he has to keep the training wheels just a little while longer. He was a little disappointed but he loves his "big" bike so he is okay with waiting. We keep telling him that if he eats all of his veggies then it will make his legs grow longer faster. It is working so far...we will see how much longer it last!

Way to go Caleb!!! We are so proud of you!

BaBa's, Paci's and THE Blankie

2008-10-13T19:53:00.006-05:00

Oh Ace... sweet pea how are we ever going to break you from these things? You are so attached to your BaBa's (bottles) your paci and your blankie. Most of the time you are walking around holding all three of them. It just breaks my heart to think about taking them away from you because I know you do not understand but it is time! It is way past time! You are starting a new daycare in a couple of weeks and guess what?? BaBa's and Paci's are not allowed. We have put it off long enough and now we have no choice.

Your brother made it easy for us because he did away with his paci and bottles on his own, but they are your best friends. I am not sure who this is going to be harder on? You, me and Daddy or your teachers??? I love you sweet baby! We will get through this together!

A day at the Zoo

2008-10-07T21:54:00.010-05:00

Caleb and I went to the Nashville Zoo yesterday with my best friend Melody and her son Aiden. It was such a beautiful day to be outside and the boys loved just being able to run around. It was lots of fun to see them get so excited over the animals. They could only stay at one place for a very short time because they were too excited to see what was next.

It is hard to say what their favorite animal was because they got so excited over them all. Out of all the animals there I think they both enjoyed the snakes, lizards and frogs the most. Can you believe that? My personal favorite were the monkey's. They are amazing to watch! They also enjoyed the petting zoo. They were able to get up close with the goats and that was really fun for them.

It was a great day and I hope we can visit again soon and take Ace. He would love it!

Sweet Caleb

2008-10-02T20:48:00.006-05:00

Caleb,

Listening to your sweet little voice just makes my heart smile. You came in today and asked if you could sing me my favorite song (you are my sunshine). This was a real treat because I always ask you to sing for me and you are usually not in the mood. You even let me record you and that never happens. You always get really shy when I get the video camera out.

I love your voice! The way you put pronounce your words, especially your j's! You tell Daddy and I "good gwob" all the time meaning "good job". Sometimes it is hard to keep a straight face because you think that you are so big and trying really hard to have big boy conversations while using what we call "Caleb-isms". I have been trying to keep track of them all but there are so many!

Here are just a few:

"in the morrow" for tomorrow

"alligator" for elevator

"say mia prayers" for say my prayers

and one of my favorites is "soaking hot" or "soaking hungry". You have heard us say "soaking wet" many times and now you put the word soaking before EVERYTHING! I just pray that you do not do this at school because a lot of times it does not come out that clear and they could easily misunderstand what you are saying for a not so nice word. :)

Thank you for making my day today by singing me my favorite song. I will cherish these videos forever!

I love you sweet boy!

God's love

2008-09-22T15:17:00.006-05:00

I want to share this picture with everyone that I feel is so heart warming. I know I have looked at this picture a dozen times and last night it just stood out! I can not believe we have never noticed it before. The trees have made a heart over the boys! I honestly believe that this is God's love. He is watching over the boys. It just gives me the chills!

PHOTOGRAPHY BY WWW.MANDYJOHNSONPHOTOGRAPHY.COM

Where do I start?

2008-09-22T13:48:00.009-05:00

I want to say how thankful I am for my family! I have the best husband in the world and so happy that we get to share this wonderful life together that God has given us. I thank God every day for the two miracles that he has blessed us with. They could not be more perfect!

As I am writing they are chasing each other around my chair and having so much fun. I love to hear them laugh! I hope they always enjoy each other like they do in this moment.

I just can not believe that Caleb is almost 4 years old! Where does the time go? And it seems to be going by even faster for Ace. Caleb is quite our little athlete. All he wants to do is play ball, it does not matter what kind of ball as long as it is a ball. He already watches Sports Center all the time! He will sit and study whatever game is on. It amazes me! He started playing on a soccer team (The Blue Dragon's) a couple of weeks ago and if you ask Jamie or I he is by far the best one on the team (when he will actually play). Unlike his little brother he is so shy. We are very proud of him getting out on the field and trying to overcome his fear.

Ace is total opposite of Caleb. He is not shy or afraid of anything. He will do whatever it takes to get your attention. He has started to repeat things that you say and tries really hard to do whatever his big brother is doing. He thinks he is as big as Caleb. His favorite words are Mama, DaDa, no and hot. He loves barking like a dog and meowing like a cat. He just moved up to the "big boy" class at mother's day out and he is sleeping on a mat and eating lunch at the table. I can't believe he is growing up so fast!

I hope you boys always know how much we love you and how proud we are of you both!

What a Great 5 Years

2008-09-20T17:15:00.000-05:00