Our Halloween

Caleb woke up in an excellent mood this morning and wanted his Woody costume on as soon as possible. I made him eat breakfast first and then figured he may as well get his money's worth out of the costume. I then decided that Elton may as well wear his for the day too. We finally made it to the pumpkin patch this morning after trying last week when they were closed. Caleb was really good this afternoon and took his nap, so when he got up, I took him to the Halloween carnival at the girls and boys club at the CSI campus. He was really excited and did really well going around to the booths. Then we came home to eat dinner and headed over to our neighbours' whose little boy is the same age as Caleb. We found out on Caleb's birthday that Ty was going to be Buzz Lightyear and since Caleb was going to be Woody, we thought it would be quite appropriate to go trick or treating together. Needless to say, they had a blast. The first couple of houses Caleb was pretty quiet, but then he got into things and was yelling "trick or treat" really well. He was also very good at saying thank you for his treats. Elton hung out at home in his Tigger costume with Nana and Papa Jack answering the door. Unfortunately, Dan had to work.

Halloween Party

Dan and I had a Halloween party we went to on Saturday night. One of the anesthesiologists I work with hosts a party every year at the Turf Club. This year they had a live band, "Raising Cain", who were great. We went as "The Naughty Nurse and Dr. Phil Good". We had lots of fun dancing. It had been 2 years since the last time we had gone out dancing so I think we were due.

The Birthday Party!!

We started Caleb's official birthday celebration by letting hin open our gift and gifts from grandparents yesterday afternoon. Then the prep for the party began. Dan and Caleb went for a haircut while I got the house ready. Anissa, Chris and the kids came over for a prime rib dinner which was wonderful. Then we got ready for round two - the birthday cake. Caleb had some of his other friends and cousins over for this. He successfully blew out his candles while getting his chin stuck in the cake! As soon as the kids got done their cake and ice cream, they were eager to move onto the presents. It was cute to watch how each kid wanted Caleb to open their gift. This has been the first year that all of the kids are totally into and understand the whole concept of a birthday. They all had fun playing with Caleb's presents and I would say the night was a success. After the guests left Caleb had to take a bath with his new bath toys he received and then went to bed with me reading him stories from his "Big" Thomas book that Grandpa and Grandma Bonnes gave him. We will see if he sleeps in this morning after the excitement or not!

Scientific Personality Test

Happy Birthday Caleb!

Today was officially Caleb's birthday, but we are waiting to have the party on Friday because daddy has to work tonight. We let him open one gift though- his gift from my parents that he has been hoping for for months. He got the roundhouse for his trains. He was so excited he couldn't stop saying thank you. Papa Jack helped him set it up where he played until he went to bed. He didn't have time to eat tonight and wasn't quite ready to go to bed, but it was all good! I would tell him "Happy Birthday Caleb" and he would say to me "Happy Birthday mommy". Elton had a blast with the paper and was squealing and screaming as he was playing with it. He was definitely more than happy to help his brother get the paper off of his gift.

Three Year Old Picture!

Here are Caleb's 3 years old pictures we had taken at Kiddie Kandids. He did really well and then fell asleep for his nap while I was picking our pictures. It's hard to believe he is 3 today! The time has flown by.

Our Wonderful Belated Anniversary!!

My parents arrived for their 2 week visit on Sunday. They had said they would watch the boys overnight for us to go away for our anniversary which was a few weeks ago.

It was well worth the wait!! We went to Boise for the night. We went up early yesterday, had lunch, went got the boys a surprise for when we got home, saw a movie and went out for sushi. Then came the highlight of out trip. I had booked a room at the Anniverary Inn (www.anniversaryinn.com) that has different theme rooms. We went with "Sleeping Beauty's Castle. When we got back to our room we got to enjoy the evening with wine, cheescake, the jetted tub and a movie (Fever Pitch) with our widescreen TV above our bed. Then this morning we were served a wonderful breakfast at the time of our choice. We greatly enjoyed our time spent together and the ambiance of our trip. This is our first time doing something like this and time away from the boys. Nana and Papa Jack said the boys did great.
Caleb was excited at receiving "Arthur" (a wooden train to go with his Thomas stuff) and Elton got his first teddy bear "Mocha" that we made for him at the "Build a Bear" store. Caleb has his Fozzy bear that we made him previously.

Thanks to Nana and Papa Jack for helping us celebrate our belated anniversary! It was great!

8 Months Old!

Elton is 8 months old today! He is not pulling himself up standing, but stays up really well once we help him up. I'm in no hurry for him to do this on his own as he is already doing things so much sooner that Caleb did. He has now moved on from saying mamama to bababa. We are still working on dadada!

Caleb will be 3 on Wednesday and is very excited that Papa Jack and Nana (my parents) are coming for the occasion. This is his first birthday they will have made it to. He is talking in complete sentences now, counts to 20 and knows his full alphabet. Last year at this time he was only saying a few words. The other day he told me what a pretty shirt I had on and then later told me what a good dinner I had made and thank you. He was such a little gentleman! I hope this is how he grows up and continues to treat women.

So Much Fun = Oh So Tired!!

The boys love going to Classy Castle and playing with their friends. When I picked them up today, Annette told me Elton just crawled and played all day with the kids. Caleb was excited to tell me about his adventures with his friends outside in the play yard. After we got home,
Elton played (or you might call it danced) in his jolly jumper. By the time I went to feed Elton his baby food for dinner I could tell he wanted to eat so badly, but at the same time was so tired.

Partners In Crime

Elton has only been crawling a week and this is how I found the boys tonight in the living room. They are both quite amused by each other and I know we are just at the beginning of days to come. I am glad they enjoy each other so much!

Family Fun On A Fall Day!!

Here's to a beautiful fall day in Idaho!! Dan & Caleb picked up the pumpkin bags at Home Depot last night and Caleb was quite excited to get them filled up with leaves. I would have to say they have worked as a good motivator to start getting our leaves cleaned up and we had a lot of fun while we were at it. Now the boys are finishing the job with the leaf blower. You know boys and their toys!

Sitting

We Have A Crawler

Elton has been close for a couple weeks now, but today I would have to say officially that he is crawling. I haven't been in a hurry for this as I know this increases the mischief he can get into. However, he is quite excited about this accomplishment and it would seems he intends to make the most of it.

Candy Cane Park

This park is only 5 or 6 blocks from our house. I know this was a big selling point for Caleb when we looked at our new house. It is great that I can just load the boys into the stroller and walk there. The only problem is that Caleb is never ready to leave.

"In The Mountains Playing With Jesus"

Last night I decided to try telling Caleb about Alicia's daddy. I told him that Alicia's daddy went to heaven to live with Jesus and God. His response was: "Alicia's daddy playing with Jesus and God".

This morning I asked him if he remembered where Alicia's daddy was. He said "In the mountains playing with Jesus". All I could think was, if we all could just see things through the eyes of a child.

I Can't Believe This!!

http://www.bloggingbaby.com/entry/1234000273062373/
While labor can be done without pain medication (contrary to many people believing these days they can't without an epidural), I would say with my experience as a Labor & Delivery nurse and childbirth educator, that a non-medicated labor and a silent delivery contradict themselves. I guess this goes right along with Tom's wisdom on postpartum depression and his statement that chemical imbalances don't really exist. I this girl so cluelessly in love that she has lost any thought processes of her own?

Six Years!!

Today is our 6 year anniversary!! I can't believe how quickly it has gone by and yet how different our lives are with our 2 little boys and a new home We are very blessed and appreciative. Dan is working this weekend, but our plan is to go to "The Anniversary Inn" in Boise at the end of the month when my parents are here and can stay with the boys. They have theme rooms and jetted tubs. Dan has let me choose the theme of the room and it is going to be a surprise for him.

On a sadder note, Caleb's friend Alicia, and our friend Debra, lost their daddy and husband last night in a car accident. It looks like he fell asleep at the wheel. Our prayers go out to them and their families. It really brings things into focus and makes us realize how you can't take anything forgranted!

The House Is Quiet!!

Here are a couple of pictures from the week. The one of Elton in the swing was when he was watching a Baby Einstein movie with his doggie. It amazes me how much kids love these movies. Caleb still loves to watch them too. I know the American Academy Of Pediatrics says that children under the age of 3, but I seriously think they must be made up of people that have never spent much time at home with kids.

Caleb, Elton and I met Anissa and her kids at the McDonalds in Jerome that has an indoor playcenter. The kids had a blast and got to run off some energy. I don't know how, but I actually got Caleb out of there without a tantrum. He loves play equipment and could stay forever if you let him. It probably wasn't that exciting for Elton or for Jack that slept through the event, but it was an outing for them nonetheless.

Dan got our garage organized yesterday and brought the boxes we have left to unpack in the house in so that we can actually park our vehicles in the garage. It has froze the last few nights here and so I am glad that I won't have to scrape frost off my windows in the morning. However, I can no longer ignore the boxes we have left. It isn't too bad, I just need to make up my mind to do it. It is hard when I have everything unpacked that I "need", so I don't have a big motivation to do the rest.