My brother's wedding...

My brother got married on June 13, 2009. It was a beautiful wedding, and the weather was PERFECT for a wedding. I loved being there to support my brother and partake in the celebration of their vows to each other. Caleb was asked to be the ring bearer. He was so excited to be in their wedding and to bear the rings. He was extra excited to go down the aisle with his cousins (Atira and Emma) who were the flower girls. Here is a picture of their rehearsal.
The chaplain was the lady in the black pants and black/white top standing in front. I have never been to a wedding where the one officiating was a female. She did an excellent job with the marriage, and she had such great things to share with Russ and Melissa. She was a mentor of Melissa's from way back, and she is also a great friend of their family's. Melissa (my new sis-in-law) has been "in the picture" for a long time before my brother caught her. Melissa was a friend of my sister's back when my sister was in High School....so like, over 10 years ago. So, I have known Melissa a long time. It was fun to welcome her into our family permanently.
Here is a few more pictures that I snapped at the rehearsal dinner. They had the dinner at Russell's house. I personally think it was too much on his plate to host the dinner at his house when he was getting married the next day. I could tell he was stressed, and I felt bad for him.
Anyway, here is Caleb and Madelyn with some of their cousins.
Here are "the boys" grilling the meat. Terry (far left), and two of my brothers in the middle and far right.
Here is a picture of the Moms! My mom is on the right side.
Here is a picture of the Dad's. My Dad is on the left side.
Here is Emma and Atira (my nieces) throwing the petals for the Bride. Caleb wasn't able to join them due to his fears. He was a bit nervous to be showcased.
"Here comes the Bride!" She was radiant ~ even when she was crying. Poor Melissa had such an emotional day. She made it, though. :)
My brother has such a great look on his face as he looks at her. He looked great up there, and it seemed as though he was just so giddy! I loved watching him.
Saying their vows.
At least the pictures for the wedding memory book have Caleb in them. Even though he didn't get to walk down the aisle, he still got some great photos of himself in a tux! What a handsome guy!
Here is Miss Madelyn. She loved her pretty pink dress that she wore. While the photos were going on, I did our nails (toe and fingers). She thought that was so fun, and loved to show people her nails.

By the way, I am sad that I didn't get a family photo at all during the day.
My parents look great! I love that they had such a fun day! They are currently in their 51st year of marriage! What an inspiration!
Here is Caleb showing us his muscles. This is his big thing right now. He likes you to comment about how strong he is, and how he is growing.

Here is a picture of 4 of my beautiful nieces. The two in lavender are my brother's daughters (the one that got married). It was fun to see them supporting their Dad and standing up for him and their new mom-in-law.
Here is Nathaniel and my other niece, Adrianna. They had such a blast hanging out together. They are only a year apart in age.

Madelyn loved the frosting on the cake. She was loving the taste. My cousin was cheering her on and getting some good laughs.

It was a great day! The wedding ceremony was beautiful. It started off with a slide show of Russ and Melissa as children, teens, dating each other, and now onto marriage. There were pictures of Russell's daughters in there. I was crying even before the wedding.

My mom's quartet sang for the ceremony, as well as my brother sang. They all did a wonderful job! My mom's quartet also sang for the reception. It is always fun to hear those gals sing! The reception was at a ski and tube place about 20 minutes from the church. The catered meal was delicious, and it was a fun reception....until Caleb got sick and our evening was cut short. Caleb must have had too much sweets and too much running around. He was very tired, too, because he slept the whole way home. He didn't have a "bug" though, because he was fine the next day.

I am so happy for my brother and new sister. It was such a fun day! God bless their marriage!

Happy (belated) Birthday ~ Caleb

My dear, sweet Caleb turned 4 years old on May 25th. I wanted to get this up earlier, like close to the date of his birth, but I had so much with recovery from surgery...not blogging much, and just being busy. I wanted to make this post special, and didn't want to just throw it together.
Caleb was my biggest baby at 8 pounds 14 ounces, 20 1/2 inches long. He was born around 7 in the evening. (sorry, don't remember...but it is in the baby book). Having Caleb 6 1/2 years after Nathaniel, made it seem like I was a new mom all over again. I experienced a lot of "new mommy" things again, too.
So precious in His Sight....and ours!! So sweet my little Caleb.
Caleb turned 4 years old on May 25th. I can't believe that he is 4 already! Time goes so quickly! Caleb is mine and Terry's honeymoon baby. He was born 3 days after his "due date." It is quite funny about the due date, because he was due on the 22nd of May. Well, Terry, Nathaniel, and I all have birthdays on the 22nd, so having Caleb due on the 22nd was really quite coincidental. He wanted to have his own date, though. :)
Here is a few recent pictures of Caleb as a 4 year old. He is just so cute! What a handsome guy!


When Caleb was younger, he used to do this and just shake. He was excited! It made us laugh so hard! He knew how to make people laugh at a young age.
Yes, he figured out how that remote worked early, too. He definitely can figure things out, and loves to see how things operate. He loves to build, too.

Caleb was 2 years old in this picture.
Here is Caleb at his birthday party (May 24th). He had some friends over, G'ma & G'pa O. and G'ma Cheryl. He had a lot of fun with playing, water gun shooting, cake & ice cream. He loves parties. He really enjoys his friendships, too. I am sure we will be working hard on this puzzle for awhile.
Just like his brother, he is really getting into Bionicles. I am not sure if he likes them because Nathaniel does, or if he just likes to build them. We shall see.
Caleb is a funny little guy. He keeps us laughing with all the funny and witty things he says. He is our "memo" child....he remembers everything (mostly) and if we ask him to remind us of something...he 99% remembers. He really has quite an amazing memory. Terry and I are constantly awed by what he can remember and how he is so good with remembering people's names.
Here is a picture of Caleb, Dad and some friends loading their ammunition (aka water) into their guns. It was fun to see them getting the adults wet.
Caleb had fun blowing out the candles, and licking off the frosting.
Caleb was excited about getting a Leapster, too. He has played with it almost everyday since his birthday. I think this is a great educational toy. I am sure it will create hours of fun, and learning.
Some of Caleb's favorite shows/movies are: Bob the Builder, Shaun the Sheep, Toy Story, the Rescue Heroes, and Thomas & Friends. He enjoys building with his tool set, digging in the dirt, swinging high (and he just learned how to pump), riding his bike, drawing/coloring, playing with his rescue heroes, playing his musical instruments, singing, dressing up in play clothes, and playing with his train set. Caleb loves to dress himself every morning. He is potty trained, but he mostly loves going outside. (big time deal for him!!) He is a hard sleeper, and has a bit of trouble waking up at night, but we are trying to get him up in the night to go. He is really excited to start pre-school home school this fall. I think he will do great! He can count to 20, knows all of his colors, and is doing the skipping/jumping/hopping. Caleb loves to climb trees and explore outside. He is getting into the lake and playing in the water this year. That makes me a little worried, but Terry is reminding me that is alright. :)
Caleb's favorite foods are cheeseburgers, and hot dishes. He loves spaghetti and any other noodle/meat combo. His favorite restaurant is the Chinese buffet, and he loves to go there. He is a very busy 4 year old, and thinks that he can use any piece of furniture for his trampoline. He needs to run everyday, and loves to throw footballs. He is always telling us he wants to be in football and baseball. Sometimes soccer is a sport he wants to do, but usually football and baseball are the choice picks. He has an amazing throw with either his left or right hand, and he can throw really far.
Caleb is a very kind hearted kid, and loves his brothers and sister. He is a classic middle child~ the peace maker. He does not like it when his older brother or sister gets disciplined. He gets upset with Terry or I when we discipline them. He loves to tackle his siblings, and is really enjoying making Cole giggle.

We love you so much Caleb! We thank God for you, and we pray that you will continue to grow, seek God, and love HIM with all of your heart! You are a joy and a blessing!

Tux fitting for a handsome ring bearer to be!

Caleb is going to be the ring bearer in my brother's wedding in a few weeks. Terry and I brought him in for his tux fitting two days after my surgery. I was kind of out of it, still, and I think I may have had a bit of OD when we went out to my parents afterward for dinner. However, the fitting went well. Caleb had just woken up from a nap, so he wasn't totally chipper. He wasn't in a bad mood, just tired and wanting his mom. Here are the pictures of the fitting. I wanted to share them, because Caleb looks so cute and handsome!
He was having fun putting on the pants. He is really getting excited to escort two of his cousins down the aisle.
Isn't he adorable?
Still a bit sleepy. I will have to make sure he gets plenty of sleep the night before the wedding. Hopefully he will cooperate OK, and that he will be excited to walk down the aisle on the wedding day.
I love his smile. He is such a great looking boy!

I am sorry, I feel so behind in my blogging of personal stories, things going on, what we have been up to....funnies, etc. I am going to post about those over the next few days. I just haven't had as much time, nor the drive (due to lack of energy) since I have become a mom of 4, and after I had the surgery for the removal of Melanoma. I am really trying to get back into the swing of things!
I can't believe that I am a week behind posting a very special day....but, since it is so late (time wise) tonight, I will post it in the morning. That will give you a bit of suspense! :)

Beauty Salon

Look real close at this picture. Can you tell who's body these cute little feet belong to?

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Here is the owner of those beautiful feet! That is right, Mr. Beauty conscience....
Caleb came downstairs after using the bathroom. He informed me that he had on "boy nail polish." I said there is no such thing as boy nail polish. I told him to show me what he meant. He walked over and showed me his toe nails. I have to say he did a fantastic job for a 3 1/2 year old. I was not happy with his creativity and exploration, though. I think I better watch him more carefully when he is using the bathroom. Time to hide everything??

Melt my heart....

My little daughter, sweet princess Madelyn, is now saying, " I luv lu!" It is the most precious thing! She is growing up so much! I know that once this baby enters the world, my little baby Madelyn won't be a baby much more. She will be two the beginning of March...oh my goodness, I can't believe she will be 2 soon! However, she is such a little peanut, and still my baby. She is my cuddler beyond all else.

When Terry or I put her to bed at night, we usually sit in the rocking chair with her and rock her just a bit. She has to hold on to us, and hug us close. Sometimes she pulls me down to her in a hug while we rock. Terry told me last night that she gets upset sometimes if he isn't looking down at her. She will grab his face and direct it to her face. I know she has done this to me, too, but I didn't really think about it much. She is very much a personal touch little person.
She also loves to sing! When I was practicing with the practice cd and tape for learning the songs for our Sweet Adelines performance (see here) I usually played the tape in the car while we drove. I could hear Madelyn singing her little heart out, trying to match my voice. So very cute!!

She likes to pray along with us at meal time, too. Whomever is saying the prayer, Madelyn bows her head, puts her hands in front of her face, and says a prayer right along with whomever is praying~ usually Caleb. Caleb is really loving leading us all in prayer. It is so sweet! I love hearing the prayers of my children!

Potty Training update...

Caleb is doing super in his quest to defeat the diaper usage. I am so proud of him! He loves wearing real underwear, and not pull-ups. When we go places, like church today, we tell him he needs to wear his pull up. He does not like that, but he does understand. He has poo'd 2 times while wearing the pull-ups, so he knows that it is safe to do that. We tell him he still needs to go in the toilet when he has the pull-ups on. Also, if he wants to wear real underwear all the time, he needs to wake up from sleeping with the pull-up dry. I hope that part comes quickly for him. Nap time really isn't hard for him to keep it dry, especially if we remind him to go use the toilet before he sleeps. He is so excited about wearing big-boy underwear~ as he calls it! We will have to buy him some underwear in his size. My mother-in-law bought him underwear last summer (hoping he would spark an interest in training then), and those are 2T-3T....SO, they are a bit small. Maybe he will find some underwear in his stocking and under the tree.
He is filling up his sticker chart now, too...when he remembers. I made this chart for him earlier this summer, when he went potty once on the toilet. We made a huge deal about him going then, but he just wasn't ready yet. He is making his requests to us about what he wishes to get as his prize once he is completely trained. His latest request is for a game boy. I bought Nathaniel a game boy when he was trained (although I was a single mom then)~ so, Caleb is asking for that. Terry isn't keen on that idea.
I am fully convinced that children just need to be ready when they decide they are ready. My oldest son was the same way when he was training. I tried almost every effort out there, and still...he chose when it was time. Plus, I think they feel better when they control when they accomplish being in underwear. I am just thrilled that our expense for diapers has decreased for a month and a half before baby comes. At least we won't have 3 in diapers now. Maybe Madelyn will start training really early, and be out of diapers by summer. That would be super, too! She tells us (many times) when she needs to be changed. I am glad about that, too!

Potty Training Time

Caleb has been doing an awesome job the last few days with his journey to being diaper free! When Grandma was here the weekend of November 7-9, they were working on potty training. She had pull-ups, underwear, skittles, etc. After a weekend of trying, he did succeed to go on Sunday night when we got home. So, with celebrating, she treated him to Dairy Queen.

Well, after that weekend he hasn't really shown interest, until this weekend. Saturday, he wanted to wear the pull-ups. He did go on the potty chair, too! WOO HOO~ we really praised him for that! Today, with being home, we are really working on it. He wanted a pull-up on right away this morning. Guess what? Still dry! Yeah Caleb!! He has gone potty 4 times! Still waiting for the solid waste, and we are hoping he can do it on the chair. Keep it up young man! I am cheering you on! He just woke up from his nap with a DRY pull-up! Then, he went into the bathroom (without me asking) and tried to go. That is such a great thing! What a big boy!

I told him this morning that if he kept his pull-up dry all day, we would take him to the DQ tonight. Let's see if he can do it!

Caleb and making friends...

A few weeks ago, at Bible study, Caleb met a new friend. His name is Ben. I was asking Ben how old he is and when his birthday is. I told him that him and Caleb are really close in age. Then, the boys had a chat....

Caleb: Hi Ben!
Ben: Hi Caleb!
Caleb: Nice to meet you Ben!
Ben: Nice to meet you, too, Caleb!
Ben: Hey, do you want to be friends, Caleb?
Caleb: Yes, that would be great!

**Then, they hugged.**

I love how kids mimic adults! They are constantly learning from us!

Crazy Fish

A few weeks ago, when Terry's Dad was here, we had gone for a boat ride. When we came in, Terry and his Dad noticed this blackness in the water. The more they looked at it, the clearer it became. This blackness was an enormous school of fish! Seriously, I wish my camera would have been able to capture the insanity of the amount of fish there were! I am not totally sure what kind of fish these were, but I have never seen anything like it before! I am glad these weren't piranhas! ~lol.

So, Caleb and Grandpa went "fishing for these little minnow-like fish...


Caleb actually "caught" some, and he was so excited! (So was Grandpa)! Sorry I didn't get a picture of the fish, but I will say it was pretty neat! Caleb had fun being a "fisherman" with Grandpa!

Wordless Wednesday: Friendship

Wordless Wednesday: Baby Caleb

Baby Caleb is almost 3 years old....where does time go??

Wordless Wednesday: Train Ride