Go Tigers!

Just wanted to share some picture of Caleb in his "First Tiger's Tee". He got it for his birthday and we just love it! He sure was being goofy for the camera! He gets more and more animated each day and we just love it! Our house is full of laughter these days. Enjoy!

GO TIGERS!

Jamming on his purple guitar!

Hamming it up for the camera...

The other day I was taking some pictures of Caleb and I decided I wanted to try and video him walking (he takes about 8 steps or so by himself now). Well, I did video and I got him doing some pretty funny things. He was such a talker at this point in the day! Enjoy the video and I hope it brings a smile to your face as it did mine!

Memory Lane...

1. As a comment on my blog, leave one memory that you and I had together. It doesn't matter if you know me a little or a lot, anything you remember.

2. Re-post these instructions on your blog and see how many people leave you a memory. If you leave a comment I'll assume your playing the game, and Ill come to your blog and leave a message.

Baby steps...

I also wanted to post a little video of Caleb walking back and forth from Kirk to Grandma Reid. He is getting pretty good huh? Enjoy.

Caleb's ONE...

Well, the day has come....Caleb turned ONE yesterday! I have to admit that I did shed a few tears knowing that he is growing up so fast. God sure has blessed us this past year and held us up through some very dark times. To HIM, and Him alone, be the glory!

I remember those endless nights of little sleep, wondering if the struggles of nursing and endless cries of cholic would ever stop...THEY DID. I remember wondering if he would never nap and sleep like "normal" kids...HE DOES. I remember thinking many MANY times, "Am I doing the right thing? Is this what a "good mom" would do?...IT WAS.

There were so many times during this first year that I questioned my actions and steps I took to take care of Caleb. There were so many times I reached out to others (my mom, sisters-in-law, and friends) to get the "RIGHT" answer to all the questions I had. I finally figured out (thank you Jody!) that GOD MADE ME CALEB'S MOM. Not only did he equip me for every struggle, every tear, every problem he might have, but he equipped me to love Caleb in a way that no other mom can! I am CALEB'S mom...God knew what he was doing when He gave me Caleb and gave Caleb me as his mother. There is on mistakes when it comes to God.

I have also learned that you cannot put your child in a "cookie cutter" and expect him/her to be like every other kid. This has been really difficult for me because I have seen mothers with kids that are PERFECT and fit all the "molds"....they sleep just the right amount of hours, they fall asleep without crying, the eat every four hours on the button.....AND SO ON! Well, Caleb was NONE of that, and I learned that its okay. I need to let Caleb be himself, no matter how hard it might be.

All that to say, this year has had it's many struggles but it has not been without some great lessons. God is good! I am humbled just typing that! MY GOD IS GOOD! He has equipped me for more than I could ever imagine! Even in my times of complete doubt and despair, GOD IS GOOD and He holds me up!

So anyways, just some of the things Caleb is now doing at the age of ONE:

1. waving goodbye and hello

2. giving kisses (french kisses..a very talented one year old! :)

3. taking about 5-6 steps on his own....still a little scared to venture out

4. crawling SO FAST everywhere

5. saying "mama", "dada", and "baba"

6. feeding himself MANY different finger foods (he LOVES to feed himself!)

There is many more, but that list is enough! Again, I can't believe my baby is ONE! Happy Birthday Caleb! You bring so much joy your daddy and I! We love you more than life! We pray that as you grow, you will learn who God is and that Jesus died on the cross to save you from your sins. We pray that you will learn what it means to follow Him with your whole heart and experience the grace and peace that comes with being a disciple of Christ! You are always in our prayers. We love you, son!

Caleb and Grandma Reid....they share a birthday!

Birthday Smiles

Love, Mom and Dad

Waving...

Well, Caleb has had a new trick now for about a month but I haven't been able to get it on camera. FINALLY, I GOT IT! :) He has learned how to wave and he does it all the time (until you want him to do it FOR someone and then he won't).

He is getting so big and I can't believe he will already be ONE next month! My how time flies. I have thought many times over the last few weeks how much he has changed. Gone are the sleepless nights, screaming and crying to sleep (both him and me), and the endless days of crying. When I was in those times, it seemed they would NEVER end. When everyone told me "Cherish these times because they go so fast", I thought "YOU ARE NUTS!" This will never end!!!! BUT, also gone are the days of cuddles to sleep, falling asleep in my arms, and holding him close for hours on end. Now, with a content, BUSY, and pretty funny little boy, it seems those days went too fast. I can't believe it has been almost a year!

Anywho, Caleb just wants to say HI! :)

Summer time is here...

This past Sunday we were able to spend some much needed time AT HOME as a family and not running around all weekend. It was so much fun to spend time with Kirk and Caleb with no other responsibilities or places to be....okay, well I did have to do laundry that day, but that can be done "behind the scenes".

Anyways, as we were playing inside on a gorgeous day, we decided to head outside and see if Caleb would enjoy the outdoors. He does like the sunshine and nice weather, but once I made him feel the grass with his bare feet, he wanted to go back inside. Before that unfortunate event though, we did take some very cute pictures of Caleb enjoying the sunshine. We are looking forward to more sunny days to play outside....and hopefully get used to the grass :)