Caleb's Birthday

Caleb turned two on Saturday. Caleb has been excited about his birthday for a while. I don't think he can remember his first birthday and we haven't been to any birthday parties so I was surprised when he was so interested in him having a birthday. But he has been. I woke up quite a bit before him that morning since I was not ready for the party and anxious to get things together. Caleb actually slept later than anyone so when he woke up we all went in and sang Happy Birthday to him in his crib. He was happy and excited. I was making his cake as he was eating breakfast and he was so excited. (I know I've said that way to many times in just one paragraph--it's just that he was constantly excited and happily anticipating "birthday" and it was so cute and fun to watch.) He couldn't even eat his breakfast. I made a "digger" cake for Caleb and I think it was one of his favorite things about his birthday. My friend Jill made one for her son last year and when I saw it on her blog I was so impressed with it. I wanted to make one for Caleb but it looked really hard. (For any of you out there interested in making it, it really isn't hard at all and yours could look way better than mine. I had trouble frosting mine well, but putting it together is pretty easy. If you want more info email me. Thanks for all the help Jill!)

With his friend Tiana.

We all got colds the Saturday before so I wasn't feeling well earlier in the week and wasn't very prepared for the party I'd invited a number of people to. Andy helped a ton Saturday morning and we pulled it off. I sent him to get helium balloons as party favors and while he was at the dollar store he picked up fun birthday decorations. Caleb loved the decorations and seeing us move things out of the living room and clean up for his party. We moved stuff out so there would be more room for everyone to fit in the living room.

Three of my friends from Boise MOMS club came with their kids and one girl from church with her little girl. Later a couple more people from church showed up. We were going to have the party at the park but it was too cold so we had it at our house. I had invited a lot of people and was glad when they couldn't all come since our apartment isn't exactly set up for entertaining a large crowd. The party started at 11 and we had finger painting for the kids. I had laid down a tarp with some plastic Happy Birthday tablecloths on top. You would think two-year-olds would be interested in finger paint, but really only Andy did pictures. Maybe it was because I had to make it--they don't carry plain old finger paint at Walmart! where I bought most of the stuff for the party. My homemade finger paint was a little thicker and harder to spread. I made chicken roll-up sandwiches and had some other finger foods for lunch. It turned out well. I was unsure of what to do when the finger painting didn't take off and kept wondering what to do next. A couple of the kids made it back to Caleb's room and surprisingly Caleb played well with them when it was just a couple of them together. We did eventually decorate some cupcakes, open presents and eat the cake. I think Caleb had a good time. He still talks about it and talks about his birthday and how he had friends come over.

The Lord watches over my kids and me

There are countless times when I just think angels must be busy keeping me safe. Many times it's when I'm driving and do something stupid. Other times it's not falling--like the other day when I stepped on a car on the stairs at Grandma's and really should've slipped. On Thursday I went to Grandma's and forgot Annika's front carrier so I couldn't take Caleb on a walk for a nap. We went to the store instead and both kids fell asleep in the car. At my house I can carry a sleeping Caleb from the car to his crib but he often wakes up other places and that day he really needed a nap. So I parked the car in the driveway and tried to take a nap with them (but I couldn't find a comfortable enough position). After an hour or so Caleb woke up. I don't think it was really as long as he needed and he didn't cry or anything. He started telling me something like, "See bug out window." I can't remember exactly what he said. I said something like, "that's nice" or the equivalent. He kept telling me and finally I looked back and there was a wasp on the window right beside him. I really think Heavenly Father helped Caleb wake up in time to see the wasp and helped him tell me so that neither kid got stung.

Annika Smiles

Yes she's been smiling for a couple weeks and now they are full fledged when she feels so inclined. I love it!

Recent Pictures of Annika

Twin Falls

On Thursday Andy got to go to Twin Falls for work. We weren't sure if the partner he was working for was going to be able to go or not until Wednesday so we didn't make a whole lot of plans. However, Andy agreed to let the family tag along. I was so excited! I called my friend Liz Wednesday night and asked if we could come visit her in the afternoon. I emailed my friend Andrea and figured that was about all the plans I should make since we'd only be there a few hours. Liz moved to TF a few months before we moved and we became visiting teaching partners. When we talked to each other I mentioned that I was from Ephraim, UT, and she asked if by chance my last name was Gardner. Turns out she took my dad's class at Snow College, loved it and had been to dinner at my house. I don't remember it and I don't think I was around at the time (we're about the same age). She has a son, Jakob, who is a day younger than Caleb. We were jogging partners for our brief time together in TF and just hit it off really well. You know when you find a friend you can be really good friends with? Well, she was one of those for me and we were both sad that we met each other and I was moving. We also both found out we were pregnant and due around the same time right before I left. She had her baby, another boy, 11 days after I had Annika. We are both also married to Andy's. Here is a picture of Jakob and Caleb running together. They were running side by side and it was so cute, but by the time I'd gotten my camera out Caleb had gotten distracted by a fire hydrant. So here's what I got:


This was on a walk over to Hank's house. Hank's mom Nikki is a family practice doctor (actually both his parents are doctors) and while we lived in Twin Falls I would take Caleb over to Hanks house and they would play about twice a month while Nikki went to work for a half day or so to keep up her, oh what's it called, whatever it is so she could keep practicing. Nikki sent us a package before Annika was born with some reslly cute girl clothes and a fire truck puzzle for Caleb. We made thank you note and called Nikki to see if we could bring it over. They have a big toy room and Caleb had the greatest time and if you ask about visiting Hank and Jakob he'll say "toy room" and "car room" (Jakob had cars in his room). Nikki and Jason were fabulous hosts as we just crashed in their house and visited with them through the dinner hour until finally their home teachers came over at 7. Here are a couple pictures of Caleb and Hank--two sine I didn't get one with both of them smiling.


My friend Andrea was also able to drive over from Jerome and hung out with us. I was so glad she could make it over with her son Ethan. We headed back to Liz's house and had pizza and got to know her husband better--he's really nice and I hadn't really talked to him much before. Liz and Andy were so nice as well to let us stay at their house until bedtime and visit with them. It was such a fun trip!!

Firemen and a Fire Truck

Wednesday I was feeling really lazy (as I think I mentioned before). We were really late getting out on a walk for Caleb's nap and the weather said it was supposed to rain. I stuck him in his stroller without shoes and thought, "I wonder if I should throw his shoes in? No, he'll just fall asleep, it's late." We walked up past the church and the fire station. A little past the fire station I heard a fire truck pull in and hurried and turned around hoping Caleb (who was NOT asleep yet) could see the fire truck pull into the station. The bit garage doors are always down (we walk up here often) and I explain to him that it's a fire station but he hasn't really seen it in action. There was a fireman outside the building and I asked if the firetruck was going to pull around (it had gone around the back) and come in the big garage doors. The fireman smiled at Caleb and said he'd ask him to pull around. I hadn't meant to inconvenience anyone, but it turned out to be pretty neat. There were three firemen and they totally let Caleb explore. He was really shy and when a really tall fireman lifted him up into the cab of the fire truck he crawled right back down and stood by me (yes, in his socks). However he still talks about how the fireman lifted him up into the firetruck. He especially loved the hoses and seeing where the truck hooks up to the fire hydrant. The fireman driving gave him a little book and a sticker. They were so nice!! Sorry, no pictures--no shoes and no camera.

Caleb did not get a nap that day. I walked and walked around the neighborhood in hopes that he'd fall asleep but he wasn't showing any signs. Then Annika got hungry so we stopped at the church and I fed her on the lawn a bit out of sight while Caleb ran around the grass in his socks. He then got a poppy diaper so we just headed home and I figured that was a day without a nap. But it was a pretty cool day.

Grandma Evie Comes to Visit

Evie flew in on Monday and stayed through Easter. It was so fun to have her here. Caleb loved playing with her and showing her all his toys. And once again I had a dish free week. However, I'm afraid Evie is going to really wonder about my housekeeping abilities...

We did some fun things while the batteries in the camera were dead, but let me try to remember our week. On Monday we picked Evie up around noon and Caleb was so excited to have her here. We went on a walk in hopes he'd go to sleep. He eventually did but I think it was after 4.

Tuesday was a really busy day. In the morning we went to an Easter egg hunt with the Boise MOMS club. I was showing Annika to someone and Evie took Caleb to find eggs. She said the first egg he found he handed to another little girl. Very good Easter spirit. I'm sure it won't repeat next year. The organizers requested no candy in the eggs so it was mostly stickers and little toys. After the egg hunt we went grocery shopping and came home for naps. Caleb woke up sooner than I expected and we read stories altogether since he really wasn't ready to wake up and Annika just wanted to be held. That afternoon Evie was playing with Caleb outside and Andy called with some errands to run. We took care of the errands and then took Evie to meet with our realator to go through a house we're hoping to buy. Around 7 or later we gratefully ate burritos (since they were quick to prepare)--I was starving!

On Wednesday we cleaned a very messy house. The kids and I slept to 9:30 and awoke to Evie doing the dishes in the kitchen. Oh, the first night she spent at our house on our couch. Our couch was given to us by a couple who got it from someone else...who knows how many people it's been through. We have cardboard boxes under the cushins to make it sittable. Evie already has some concerns with her back and I was pretty concerned about her sleeping on her couch. I love to have her around but was worried she wouldn't be able to sleep at all and would be so uncomfortable. Tuesday night she got a hotel where she slept the rest of her stay. I think she was able to enjoy her stay much more with a good nights rest and a bit of peace and quiet before bed and in the morning. So Wednesday we took a while cleaning up. It was rainy but I'd told Caleb that we'd go on a picnic when Grandma Evie was here. Wednesday was the day to do it if it was going to happen so we went. When we got to the park Caleb asked where the kids were. :) We ate our picnic under a roofed area and headed home. I really don't remember what we did that afternoon.

Thursday we went to Nampa and took Grandma to the Warhawk Air Mueseam. It's a WWII museam that has mostly memorabilia but also has some planes. Their claim to fame is that the planes were used in the movie Pearl Harbor and still actually fly. Caleb really liked the planes and was captivated by the display of model planes. He wanted to look at them forever! We were all ready to go and finally had to persuade him to leave. I think Grandma had a good time too. We were all pretty tired after lunch so we let Caleb dig outside while Evie and Fern visited then headed home so all could take a nap.

Friday was very exciting but the batteries were dead. We rode the bus downtown and met Janell for lunch. Caleb loved it!! I think riding the bus is one of his favorite things to do. Eating out has also become neat. He loved sitting in the high chair (he choose it) and eating his begal--we went to Blue Sky Begals. I'm sorry I didn't get a picture of him holding Grandma Evie's hand and sitting in his seat. It was rainy and so the wipers on the bus really did go "swish, swish, swish." Very cool.

When we got home we checked the mail and Aunt Helen had sent a package. Caleb wanted to use the sidewalk chalk right away. I think we tried to make him wait till after his nap.

Friday night we made BBQ pizza and decorated eggs. Andy pointed out to me that the Easter Bunny must come right before kids wake up since eggs need to be refridgerated and of course the Easter Bunny would know that. I had never really thoguht about it...

Saturday woke up and found the eggs. No Easter baskets this year...maybe next year. Then we went to the Peregrine Falcon visitor center. My dad will love this place. During the bird show Caleb got to feed the bird a dollar bill that the bird then put in the donation box. I think Caleb really liked it. We were all super hungry and looking forward to a lunch at Moon's Cafe, a popular hamburger place downtown with famous shakes. However the place was packed and would be a 25 minute wait to be seated so we walked around and found a different place that was also good and you got your food right away--another plus! :)

Not the best picture of me...

Sunday after church Andy and Caleb took Grandma Evie to the airport. It was a great visit!

Funny Things Caleb Says

I need to record the funny things Caleb says. Unfortunately I can't remember lots of things he's said but I thought I should record a couple. They both happen to relate to watching TV which Caleb rarely does. I was feeling really lazy this morning and turned on the Princess Bride (for me not Caleb). Caleb thought it was boring and wanted to play cars instead. We did both. I got to the part where Wesley and Indigo (?) are fencing. Caleb liked the part where they jumped but after a bit he said, "Stop hitting. Sing songs." Good for you Caleb. The other one was a while back I was probably using the computer and not giving Caleb attention. He turned on the TV using the remote and PBS kids was on. I didn't want to stop whatever I was doing and Caleb actually started watching the TV. He hadn't really done that before. One of the characters was sad over something and Caleb was really affected by it. He even teared up and wanted everything to be made better. (I'm sure it was quickly since these shows are like 25 minutes and end happily.) I forgot about it and then later he was really upset before bed crying about the sheep from the show and how he wanted to get her whatever it was she wanted to be happy. I could hardly console him. Bizarre. It was even more crazy since a few days before Andy and had both been pretty upset (sad)--Andy even more so--and Caleb seemed to be more concerned about the sheep on TV being sad than when his dad was sad. When Andy was sad he just climbed on him and played around. Perhaps he was trying to make him feel better...or maybe the way animated word animals have more affect on toddlers...

Oh and a few times lately he's said "Caleb-man run over Daddy. Daddy sad." Who knows what that's about.

For the Record

I had a few comments complimenting me on Annika's blessing dress and thought I'd better shed light on how on earth I made it. My mother. Okay, I did do a good portion of the sewing but please know that this was an enrichment project (when it was called homemaking--for church) back when I went to Snow College. So almost a decade ago. I had most of it done before I was even married and all of it was done at home with my mother. When I found out I was having a girl, my mom and I dug it out of the depths of storage and finished it on the trips I had at home where either Caleb was sleeping or someone else was entertaining him. My mom did the hard parts like the sleeves because I didn't even want to attempt placing them in the holes, and my Grammy did the button holes on the back. So before you get too impressed remember my mom has a degree in clothing and textiles and is an extremely talented seamstress. I can do basic sewing and thus did all the straight lines.

Collection of Pictures

The Superman shirt was part of a package my sister sent as early B-day gifts. Caleb is now continually talking about his birthday.

On Friday (? I think it was last Friday) I was making dinner and Caleb wanted to help. He insisted on having his "own" everything, including a cube of butter. I was afraid his fear of the hot stove had worn off but today at lunch when we made spaghetti and I told him it was hot, he was really wary. Everything Caleb plays eventually turns into cooking. He also says the white headband is his and I am not allowed to wear it.

On Sunday we had Grandma and Janell over for dinner. Andy BBQed chicken and vegetables and it was really good!! Here are some pictures of Grandma and Annika.