I am 18 Months Old...TODAY!

Wow! 1 and 1/2 seems so...OLD! Caleb continues to be such a joy to us. It seems that he is learning new things daily, and it is so amazing to watch and be a part of it. We love him so much!

Happy Birthday, Grandma Johnson!

Chicago, September 2007


Even though we don't get to see her that often, Rhoda (Mom Johnson/Grandma Johnson) is always such an encouragement to us. Her notes, emails, and prayers are always so appreciated. We are so thankful to have a Mom/Mother-in-law/Grandma who is so committed to God and her family.

We love you! Happy Birthday!

Florida, February 2008


Chicago, August 2008

Working Hard

Yet another basketball video...=) Be assured that we do do other things during the day, but shooting hoops is definitely one of Caleb's favorite activities!

Caleb is slowly but surely learning to shoot from further out. Notice that he is farther away from the basket than in the previous video. Pretty soon, he'll be dropping threes!

Score!

As we mentioned in our previous post, Hoops, Caleb loves to shoot baskets, but was having a hard time getting the ball in the hoop without something to stand on (or Daddy's shoulder's to sit on!). Over the past few days, he has been practicing hard (seriously, the boy works up a sweat!). He has been determined to learn to shoot from the floor. He figured out that it was an easier feat when using a smaller basketball. So, he managed to perfect his shot with the small ball on the left. Once he mastered that, he moved on to the bigger ball on the right (the one that came with the hoop) and has learned to make a basket with that one as well!



This process has been fun. Some of you may wonder how exciting it can be to watch a 1-year old shoot baskets over and over, but it really has been enjoyable to watch Caleb learn, react, and accomplish something, even something small. When Caleb misses a shot, he'll do 1 of three things: 1.) put his hands on his head and say "ooohhh", like Daddy does, 2.) get frustrated and throw the ball away, like Mommy might do, or 3.) keep on going, like we both do.....eventually. When he makes it, he often looks to us for some praise, and then we all cheer together.

Here is a quick clip of his efforts today! (He does normally have clothes on...I promise.)

Happy Valentine's Day!

Blowing Kisses!


While we don't celebrate Valentine's Day in a huge way, I do enjoy taking some time to do a few things that I wouldn't normally do on a regular old day!

On Thursday, Caleb (with help from Mom and Dad!) made valentines for the Grandparents...we put his handprint on them in paint, and gave him stickers (that spell his name) to place on them. Although they aren't quite in order (not that I expected them to be), he did a great job sticking them on!


Last night, my parents watched Caleb so that Kris and I could go out. We saw the movie Slumdog Millionaire. We highly recommend it, by the way! (We joke about the amount of movies we have seen in our entire relationship.....in 5 years, we have only been to 5 movies together, so we try to pick good ones!) Anyhow, we had a good time, and Caleb had a great time with Grandma and Grandpa (and Cubby)!

Today, I broke out the heart-shaped cookie cutter...and went a little nuts. =) We had heart-shaped chocolate chip pancakes for breakfast (Caleb's favorite part was the strawberries on top). He had heart-shaped grilled cheese for lunch, and we just finished making a mess in the kitchen by decorating heart-shaped sugar cookies!

Here are the cookies that he decorated:


For photos of the entire cookie-decorating (mess-making) process, here's a slideshow!

Hoops

Caleb loves to "shoot hoops." He and Daddy play almost nightly. And, he and I play during the day as well. He loves any ball, big or small. He "shoots" them into boxes, baskets, the hoop, and the bathtub! Oh, and the sink...can't forget about that one. He is getting pretty good aim, and it is so fun to see his reactions when he makes a basket, or misses one.

As tall as he is, Caleb is not really tall enough to shoot from standing on the ground...he much prefers to "slam dunk" it, or shoot from above the rim...and honestly, who doesn't prefer that advantage?! Anyway, we are working on teaching him how to shoot it from a standing position on the ground....although the "drills" shown below are no such attempts.

Here is some footage from our latest practice. =)






I am fully aware that it is probably not the safest thing to have him standing on the bed....but, we were both there to make sure he didn't fall off. I promise. =)

One of His Favorites...

Caleb loves going to Grandma and Grandpa McCarty's house. There are many reasons he loves it there, but lately, there is one thing in particular that he is especially fond of - fire! We do not have a fireplace at our house, so this is a special treat at my parents'.

Every time we get to their house, Caleb "asks" Grandpa to make a fire. (His "asking" entails running over to the fireplace, pointing at it, and saying "hot".) And Grandpa, being the good Grandpa that he is, always obliges. (It doesn't hurt that we ALL enjoy a warm, cozy fire!)

Not only does Caleb enjoy the fire itself, he actually loves to help make it! Here are some pictures from last weekend...

Step 1: Grandpa brings in some wood from the woodpile outside. (Note: My dad actually chops all of the wood himself!!)


Step 2: Caleb helps Grandpa put all the wood into the basket.


Step 3: Caleb helps Grandpa put the wood on the fire!


Thanks, Caleb, for helping Grandpa make a nice fire for us all to enjoy!

Girls Night Out!

Left to Right: Kelly (who is ready to have her baby any day!), Katie, me, and Emily

Last night, I went out to The Melting Pot with some girls from my small group. It was nice to "get away" for a few hours and spend time with friends who I appreciate so much.

Sharing the News

I had fun decorating these cupcakes as a way of sharing our news with all of the people I work with! Nobody wanted to take the 1st cupcake, as it would "mess up" the date, but eventually, they were all eaten!

Special News

For those of you who have not yet heard....
We are so blessed to be sharing that...
Our next baby is on the way!

Caleb's little brother or sister is due to arrive just in time for his 2nd birthday.
Our due date is August 17th (Caleb's birthday is August 26th!).

We are so excited to be able to share this news. The past weeks have been a bit difficult....and LONG. Because of my 2 previous miscarriages and some concerns that my doctor has had during this pregnancy, they have been seeing me on a pretty regular basis. I have been to the doctor 6 times in the past 7 weeks! Although I have not been on strict bed-rest, I have been instructed to "take it easy, and rest as much as possible". I have also had to take progesterone pills, which as of today, I no longer need to take!

I am 12 weeks today and had a doctor's appointment. An ultrasound showed a healthy and growing baby with a strong heartbeat (167 beats per minute). He (or she!) was moving all over, and we were able to distinguish the tiniest of details, including all 10 fingers! The doctor told me that the baby looked like me....and, while I don't honestly think that you can tell that this early, it was fun to think about one of my children resembling me, even in the slightest, since Caleb decided not to take on any of my features at all! =)

Here is an ultrasound shot of the little peanut. Sorry it is a bit blurry....I do not have a scanner, so I actually took a picture of the picture!

Baby is facing to the left of the screen (notice the little nose!), with his or her right hand up by his right eye, and the left hand across his chest. You can also see the tops of both of his legs toward the bottom (the bottom halves of his legs were not in this cropped photo, but they do exist!!!).....I keep referring to the little one as a boy...not because we know that it is, but out of habit. =)



We cherish your prayers for our baby!