Nothing too exciting has been going on around here the past week or two. Doug and I have made a to do list for each room in the house. Some of the projects are fairly big, and will need to be saved for a later time. However, some of the projects are fairly short and easy. We have been trying to tackle as many of these projects on the weekends while they are still free. Starting next Saturday, not much more than tailgating and cheering on the Tigers will be happening in this house!! We've also been enjoying spending fun quality time with Cal these last few weekends (and weekdays) without having to be on the go. He is changing so much, and doing so many new things lately. He is imitating everything we do, trying to say the things we say, and overall thinks he is one big dude! Here are some pictures taken over the last few weeks (since I am sure most of you would rather see pics of Callen than listen to me ramble!!).
Cal is a great helper...
Helping load (or unload) the dishwasher!
One serious painter
Helping with laundry...
Watering the plants
Cal knows how to make a mess (on himself and in the house!)...
Making a serious mess with black cherries
Pulling all his push toys around the house!
It's play time...
Playing with his favorite new toy...the foam sword!
Played at Conestee Park for the first time
Climbing through the gate to get to da-dad!
Pretty much we have just been chillin'! We are enjoying the beautiful weather as well as time with our little man. We love the fall, but we are on the go pretty much every weekend. It is nice to spend 'chill time' together as a family as well as get some stuff done around the house before the craziness of the fall begins!
Wednesday, August 13, 2014
Cal and His Buddies
Cal LOVES being around other kids. He enjoys people watching and being around adults, but when he sees other kids his face just lights up. When he sees one of his buddies or his cousin Ella, he starts jabbering and gets so excited. He won't hug or kiss Doug or myself. When you tell him to give Ella or another kid a hug and kiss, he dives right in. Right now his most favorite friends are his cousin Ella, his buddy Wyatt, and our next door neighbors Charlie and Helen. When Ella was first born, he didn't really care too much about her. They are 7 months apart, so he didn't know what was going on when she came along. He would try and touch her feet, but that was about it. Over the last few months he has taken a huge liking to her. When he sees a picture or video of her on my phone, he grabs the phone from me and starts yelling 'Yella' and trying to kiss the screen. He will touch the screen like he is trying to touch her face. He gets sooooo excited when she comes over or we show him pictures of her. At his birthday party, he sat on the couch with her for about 10 minutes. They had the sweetest conversation with one another. Then Cal crawled on top of Ella and started dragging her legs so she was lying on the couch and not propped up on the cushions. He loves her feet, and will play with them as long as you will let him!
This is when he first started showing interest in Ella (May 2014)
Trying to jump in the bouncy seat with her!
Pulling on her feet!
He also loves touching her face
He tries to climb all over her in this video! I love their interactions.
Once Ella starts crawling and is more engaged with Callen, they are going to be a mess together. I hope Cal doesn't teach Ella all of his bad tricks...Aunt B and Uncle Michael will not be happy! Cal's buddy Wyatt was born 10 weeks after him. We get together with their family often, so Cal and Wyatt are able to spend a fair amount of time together. Lisa and I will take the boys to the library for story time, so they are able to play there as well. Right now because of nap schedules, we haven't gotten them together for too many play dates. As they grow older, I know that will change. The boys seem to have a good time together, and hope that will continue as they get older. When Cal sees a picture of Wyatt, he says 'Wa' and grabs the phone from me to keep looking at him. He already loves his buddy Wyatt, and knows when I tell him that we are going to see him...He gets a big grin on his face.
The boys together at their first play date
Cal showed Wyatt which cabinet he likes best!
Wrestling Wyatt to the ground
Our next door neighbors love Cal, and want to play with him anytime we are out in the yard. Funny story about how much they love 'Baby Callen'...Helen (4) drew a picture of her family at the beginning of the school year last year. Baby Callen made the picture, but her dad did not! She has loved Callen since he came home from the hospital. Now that Callen is more fascinated by older kids, he will look for them whenever we go out in the yard. He walks to the clearing between our two yards, and calls for Charlie and Helen. He has such a good time with them, and really looks up to Charlie.
Enjoying a snack with the big kids!
Charlie always makes Cal laugh
I am so glad Cal enjoys being around other kids. Right now he seems to tower over the smaller ones and we are constantly telling him 'gentile.' He does whatever he can to keep up with the big kids. (I like when he plays with the big kids...it wears him out!!!).
Tuesday, August 5, 2014
Birthday Boy
Our little man is a year old...so hard to believe! I know I say it over and over, but time has flown. I can't believe Callen has been in our lives for over a year now. That little guy has brought so much joy and happiness to us, and the lives of those around him. He really is a happy, fun-loving kid that is just so curious about life and the world around him. We started his birthday celebration on Friday (his actual birthday) by having a family day. Doug took the day off work so we would not have to rush to do anything, and could spend the day together just the three of us. We made Cal birthday cake pancakes for breakfast...which he devoured!
That's right...this candle tastes pretty good!
Yummy pancakes
I'm ONE!
We played as much as possible with him before he was ready for a nap. That afternoon, we had a picnic lunch at the park and then went to the zoo. We were really excited about taking Cal to the zoo. We are constantly pointing out animals to him, and Doug makes all the noises for those animals (I am prohibited from making animal noises because mine do not sound like the animal I am trying to replicate!). We figured Cal would be all about the animals...not so much! He was more about watching all the people and kids around him. Once he saw a few animals in motion, he began to pay a little more attention to the animals. The giraffes were by far his favorite because they were so big and in constant motion. He enjoyed the monkeys, lions, and the farm animals. He tried to pet the goat several times, but quickly pulled his hand away when the goat came close. We decided to buy an annual pass to the Greenville Zoo so we can take him on the weekends for an hour or so, or I can pop up there in the afternoon if we are looking for something to do until Doug gets home from work. It's worth it to be able to go for 30-45 minutes, allow him to see a few animals, and then leave. It will be fun once the baby giraffe is born (you can view the live Giraffe Watch here) and go see it as much as we want!
Listen up animals...I'm ONE!
I love my daddy
Watching the giraffe very intently
He liked when the lion stayed back!
Do I want to touch the goat or not?
On Saturday, family joined us for Callen's Mustache Bash! We had to celebrate our little man in style. It turned out really cute, and Cal had no idea everyone was there for him!
The Little Man
He took a few pieces of tissue paper out of bags to open presents. He
played with the present he opened for a few minutes before we showed him
the next gift to open. He didn't rip into the packages like we thought
he would do.
He was the same way with his cake. Doug and I thought he was going to go crazy for his smash cake. He stuck his finger in the icing a few times and realized he didn't care for the stickiness of the icing. We tried flipping over the cake so there was no icing. Nothing worked! He was having no part of diving into the cake. He finally took a few bites of cake later on in the day.
It was really great to have all the family here to help celebrate our little man. Callen is one spoiled little guy...he is loved sooooooo much. Thanks to all who were here to celebrate Callen's special day!
Nana and Oupa
Mimi Malinda and Papa
Inder and Grand Chuck
Aunt Kimber and Uncle Scuba
Aunt Liz and Ella
Aunt B
Cal's favorite party guest...Ella
Callen has changed our lives so much, but we wouldn't trade it for anything. Everyday he learns something new, and has a smile that melts your heart. Who knew how much joy and happiness this little guy would bring to our lives!
