Spring Break '09

Before I get to spring break...I forgot to post about Caleb's first kite-flying experience. It was a warm and windy day on the 9th, so we stopped at (our brand spankin' new) Target and bought a kite. Caleb was all excited about it...until we actually got it out into an open area and started flying it. Then he was more interested in picking up rocks. I flew the kite for a while and then we brought our windblown selves home. Really...kite flying isn't all that great and now that I've done it again, I remember it not being so great when I was a kid either. Oh, well - it makes a great decoration in Caleb's room. I hung it on the ceiling above his bed. The boys enjoyed their spring break trip last week. They had a good time in Ft. Smith on the 18th, visiting the Morrises (in Spiro), seeing Aunt Janice at work and then spending the night with Jan. On Thursday morning (3/19), they headed down to Lake DeGray to meet Mr. L. and Waymon at the campsite. Caleb was all jazzed up for his fishing trip with Pops! Mom met them down there after work on Thursday. They had a great time. At one point, there were 6 kids running around. Mom said it was like Romper Room at the campground. Waymon and Penne and their kids and grandkids joined the group off and on throughout the weekend.Caleb wasn't quite old enough to fish, but he did hold a fish and was pretty excited about it. I hear that someone even convinced him to stick his finger in its mouth, which didn't go over so well. One of Caleb's favorite parts of the trip was playing with the bug box that Mom got for him. Rudy caught a huge green moth and Caleb carried the thing around in the bug box all weekend. He called it "Bunny Foo Foo." I hear that he even took it out and "hugged" it a few times. Ewww.... Rudy left the campground on Saturday and came home. Caleb and Mom stayed one more night and then went to Hot Springs. Mom said that when she put Caleb in the bathtub on Sunday morning, the whole tub turned brown. From the looks of these pictures, I believe it!

I spent the week working day and night. Friday brought my much-needed spring break! Stacy came over and we scrapbooked until after midnight. I slept in on Saturday and then Rudy came home around 2:30. We decided to take advantage of our kid-free status and went to dinner and a movie. Wow!

I got up on Sunday and packed my bags for Hot Springs. Rudy stayed here and went back to work this week. It has really been complicated and unfortunate that we had different spring breaks this year. Hopefully, that won't happen again.

By the time I got to Hot Springs, I was beside myself to see my CalebBug! He was just as excited to see me, which was good. I would've been disappointed if I hadn't been greeted with a big grin and a hug. :) Sunday was low-key. Mr. L. came home from camping on Monday and Caleb fell right into step with him. Those two are so funny together. Caleb is absolutely Mr. L's shadow. While they took a short nap, Mom and I went to Belk to get out of the house. We didn't find much of anything, but enjoyed getting out. We also had to make a semi-emergency run to Walgreen's because I realized that I had forgotten my entire makeup bag. Oops! Believe me...nobody wanted me going around without makeup all week. No way! Becca, Jimmy and Maddox got to HS on Monday, so we went over to Aunt Harolyn's to see them. Caleb and Maddox became buddies all over again! They played with cars and blew bubbles and made Jimmy a nervous wreck trying to keep them from falling into the pool.

On Tuesday, I got my hair cut and colored by the same person who used to do my hair in jr. high and high school. I completely trust her and needed her help to fix the mess that was made about a month ago. Kim did a great job and I'm feeling much better about my hair these days. When I got home from the salon, it was go time for the family cookout. All of the Hot Springs family came over for burgers and entertainment by the 2 year old boys. And, boy, did they get their money's worth. Caleb showed out from the very beginning - screaming and running around like I've never seen him do before. Maddox warmed up after a while and put on a show as well. By the time it was all done, they were throwing themselves on the floor while the whole family sat around and watched them. Becca and I just sat there in amazement that our boys were behaving like clowns. We were also hoping they would wear each other out so they would get a good night's sleep! Before they were born and when they were babies, we all talked about how much fun it would be to have two little boys running around at family get-togethers. Well, the time has come...and it was fun. Crazy, but fun! As soon as everyone left, Caleb told us that he was ready for bed and tried to crawl into Mom and Mr.L's bed with his clothes on. He was exhausted!

On Wednesday, Mom and I took Caleb over to Pepapa and Anna Joyce's. He stayed with them while we went shopping. They took him to lunch at McDonald's and played with him at their house until we got back. (Thanks, Pepapa and Anna Joyce!) Mom treated me to some new spring clothes and lunch. We had a good girls' day!

Last night, we ordered dinner in and enjoyed just being home together. Caleb was sitting in his booster seat at the bar, eating his mac & cheese. I noticed that he was dropping a lot of it, but figured he just wasn't paying attention. Then I noticed that he was literally falling asleep while he was eating his dinner. He was dropping food because he was falling asleep. He finally said, "I all done. I get down now?" Mom got him out of his chair and put him in Mr.L's lap in the recliner. He was sound asleep within minutes. Mom changed him into a pull-up and we tried to put him to bed, but he got really upset. He wanted to sleep with me, so I put him in my bed and never heard another peep out of him until he woke up from a bad dream at midnight. He slept from 6:00 last night until 6:00 this morning. Spring break is exhausting! I don't think he's taken a nap more than 45 minutes since last Tuesday at school and maybe only one or two naps at the most. The boy is worn out!

This morning, Mom, Caleb and I met Becca, Maddox and Harolyn at Little Bitty City for a playdate before Caleb and I left for home. "The Boys" had a great time playing with blocks, "exercising," playing with cars and trucks and bringing us play food to enjoy. They had a great time and Caleb asked if Maddox could come home with us.

After playtime and lunch, I packed my car to the max and Caleb and I headed for home. Caleb was my shadow the whole time. He kept asking if he could go in my car. I promised him I wasn't leaving without him, but I'm not sure he believed me. Even though we had an awesome time in HS, we were so glad to see our house. I got the car unloaded and unpacked our many many many bags. Caleb and Rudy were ecstatic to see each other after being apart for 5 days. When Caleb heard the garage door go up, he went running and yelling, "Daddy! My Daddy!" I was pretty glad to see his Daddy too. With all of the running we've been doing, we've seen each other one day out of the past nine.

We're now home for the duration of the break. We may have some bad weather this weekend - even snow?!? Rudy may go to Springfield to see Summit's guard and drumline. That depends on the weather. Caleb and I aren't going. We've had enough time in the car and enough time away from home for a while.

One last photo that I can't resist posting. How great is this?

And my favorite Spring Break Calebisms:

LaLa: Did it snow at your house?

Caleb: Yeah. I nearly froze to death.

And this morning, I woke up to the revelation that my child is learning to count in Spanish. I assume he's learned this at school, because I habla Espanol muy poquito. (I have no idea if I spelled that right!)

LaLa: Uno, dos, tres

Caleb: CINCO!

LaLa: How many are there?

Caleb: Uno, toast, cinco!