belated easter

how about a really, really, really late easter recap full of lots of pictures and few words?

the weekend before we went to a really fun easter party. there were so many different things to do and the kiddos really had a great time.

and then on easter sunday, we celebrated at my parent's house after church that morning with lots of food (because nothing says 'it's a holiday' like stuffing yourself full of yummy food), and an easter egg hunt.

he's four

our little guy turned four last week.

i'm really not sure where the four years have gone. it feels like just yesterday that i became a mama, but at the same time, it feels like i've always been a mama.

dear Caleb,

how do i even begin to tell you how much you mean to me? how much i love you? being your mommy is such an amazing privilege, and i am eternally grateful that i get to say that you are my son, and that i am your mommy. i have learned more from you these last four years than i learned in my twenty-seven years before. you are a wonderful teacher! hopefully, your daddy and i have managed to teach you a thing or two along the way as well!

you have changed so much over the last year! you went from barely talking to becoming a little chatterbox! it has been so much fun to listen to all the things you come up with.

you adore your daddy. he is definitely the "fun" parent - he can make anything into a silly game, and you and your sister just eat it up!

you love to play with your sister, but when you have had enough of her, you make it very clear that you have HAD ENOUGH! if she cries, you tell me "mommy, baby go to sleep please!" still, it's been so fun to watch the two of you develop this relationship - i hope that the two of you are always the best of friends.

you love going to school and to church. you really love your teachers - every morning you ask me if we are going to see them that day. i love knowing that you are having fun and being well cared for when you are away from me.

you love bath time, being outside, bubbles, anything to do with trains, swinging, coloring, reading books, stickers, and vanilla wafers.

you ask for lots of hugs and kisses, and you give them away freely whenever we ask.

you are such an incredibly sweet and loving boy. you've blessed our lives more than you'll ever know. i love you so much!

happy birthday sweet boy!

love,

mommy

ok, how about some pics from his party? we kept it small again this year, but we had lots of fun, and we did some good eating, as always!

his birthday

today is the husband's birthday.

not a day goes by that i don't thank God for placing this man in my life. i know it sounds cheesy, but it's absolutely true. no matter what happens, i know that he has my back.

i love how he takes care of our family. he works so hard to make sure that we know how important we are to him. and we do.

i love how patient and loving he is with our kids.

i love how he knows what i'm thinking even before i do.

i love how he can infuriate me one minute, and then have me laughing the next.

i love our inside jokes.

i love how he knows when i'm on edge, and he knows just how to calm me down. every time.

i love how he can make everything fun. so do the kids.

i love his outlook on life. no matter what happens, he knows that everything will work out. he is always quick to remind me that God has always taken care of us, and always will.

happy birthday to the bestest husband and daddy around! we sure do love you!

christmas

another Christmas come and gone. we had a wonderful one, although i will say that it's getting to be more work each year. you don't realize when you are a kid that Santa actually gets a whole lot of help from your mom parents, and all of this Christmas magic doesn't just happen. but it is also more special each year as Caleb is getting older and understanding more. i can only imagine what next year will be like! thankfully we have a while until then to recuperate!

in anticipation of Christmas, we did some crafting.....

we had a lot of fun. it's amazing how last year, Caleb wanted nothing to do with being still long enough to do anything like this with me, and this year he was loving it. and so was i.

we decked our halls.....

you'll notice our stockings were not hung by the chimney with care, because a certain three-year-old wanted to yank them down. so they found a new home this year. luckily, Santa was still able to find them and filled them up for us.

we went to a really wonderful Christmas party, where Santa made a special appearance.....

and then we celebrated Christmas three days in a row.....

there were a lot of presents, a lot of eating, and a whole lot of fun. (there were also a lot of tears, and whining, and tantrums, and so on, but who wants to hear about that?!!)

and now we are ready to welcome the new year, and see what God has in store for our family!