Newport

A couple of weeks ago, Marilyn and Mickey (aka Grammy Mumu and Papa Mickey) rented a house in Newport Beach right next store to the Mesirow "Pottery Barn" rental, for their annual summer trip. Jeff, Caleb and I had the pleasure of visiting a couple of times and enjoying some time with family, friends and, of course, some fun in the sun.



Below are some video clips of a talent show the kids put on one evening. I couldn't figure out how to combine the videos, so you get three. Personally I like the last one the best :)

Caleb Standing Up

Here's Caleb's latest trick!

Don't worry, nothing happened at the end...just needed to be careful.

Resemblances

Many people comment on how Caleb looks like me. It is usually from people that have not met Jeff, yet. But if they do know Jeff, I think it's just the blonde hair that they're focusing on. Although I think Caleb is a nice blend of the two of us, sometimes he really is a mini-Jeff.

Recently, though, we have found that the family resemblance goes one generation further.

On a slightly different note, there's an ocean puzzle that Caleb has that has a scuba diver in it. Every time he sees it, he says, "It's Grandpa Steve!" (This tripped me out the first time, because how could Caleb possibly know that Grandpa Steve scuba dives?) Anyway, it's like it's my dad's twin! Don't you think?

Let's get some interactive blogging going on!

Well, this isn't really a tag, per se... But I saw this on my sister's blog and it sounds like fun. Here's how it works:

1. As a comment on this post, leave your favorite memory of Caleb.

2. If you haven't seen Caleb in a long time, you could talk about what he was doing the last time you saw him. Sometimes it's neat to compare in order to see just how much progress he's made.

3. If you've never met Caleb, you could talk about your favorite blog post, Calebism, etc.

4. You could also talk about your favorite personality trait.

To leave a comment, just click on the blue "comments" button below. You can leave a comment as "anonymous", but I would still love to know who's leaving the comments, so just sign your name at the bottom of the comment.

HE DID IT!!!

Caleb actually pooped on the potty! For all you parents out there, you know what a momentous occasion this is. We had to catch him in the act, then sat him down, so I'm not sure this is a new trend. We'll have to wait and see :)

Some Slideshows

I've had these pictures for a while, but have had difficulty sitting down to do a post about them.

About a month ago (I can't believe time flew by that fast!) we went for a boat ride with cousins David, Ania, and Natalie, as well as Golds #3 (Ryan, Cassie, Brooklyn, and Camryn). We had a wonderful time hanging out on the water, and a fabulous time with family!


A couple of weeks ago Caleb got his hair cut with Kellen. They are now officially "haircut buddies". We have a new routine of the two boys getting thier hair cut together, then going to the toy store (Everything Thomas Store for Kellen), then going out to lunch. This last time we found a fantastic burger joint right next to the toy store, so I think that will be a regular stop.


We also got a chance to hang out with Auntie Shana, Uncle Wayne, Nathan and Hayden at their new place in Santa Monica. It is a very spacious 2-bedroom apartment. It's so nice and I can tell they really feel at home there. Welcome to the neighborhood (kind of).

Caleb's Debut

Below is a flier and a link that have recently gone out from the San Diego chapter of the MDA. It's Caleb's debut as a "poster child" of sorts.

https://www.joinmda.org/MyLockup/MyHomepage/tabid/14981/Default.aspx

Jeff warned me I shouldn't let this turn me into a "pagent mom". I'll try not to let it go to my head. But he certainly is cute for posters!

Caleb's First Fireworks Experience

I hope everyone had a wonderful 4th! This was Caleb's first conscious 4th of July, and the first time he was able to stay up for the fireworks. I wasn't sure if he would enjoy them, or if he would be scared of them (I took him through the car wash last week, thinking it would be fun for him. Instead, it terrorized him and every time we get into the car now he says, "No carwash!"). When I told him we were going to a party, and talked about all the people we were going to see, he got very excited. Then I saw a little lightbulb go on and he said, "And I eat cake?!" He apparently associates all parties with cake - luckily Grammy MuMu brought giant cupcakes, so Caleb was more than happy. After we talked about all the people we would see, I said, "and we'll see fireworks up in the sky." Caleb got a very concerned look on his face and said, "I don't want to see fire." Stormy told be that Kellen was kind of freaked out about the fireworks, too, so we decided to call them "lights in the sky."

Caleb had a blast hanging out and playing with his cousins and some new friends. He hardly ate anything for dinner (surprise, surprise), but was happy to scarf down a rather large portion of a giant cupcake (chocolate, of course). Five minutes later he was having a sugar-rush like I've never seen before. He was jumping up and down in his walker and talking so fast - I think his mouth couldn't keep up with his brain at that point. About a 45 minutes later it was time to sit on the lawn and watch the fireworks...oh sorry, the lights in the sky. By this time Caleb was CRASHING from his sugar high. He sat on my lap under a blanket. At first he was a little concerned about the noise the fireworks made, but got over it quickly since they were about 3-4 miles away. He then LOOOVED the lights in the sky, and was perfectly fine calling them fireworks. He still talks about how, "I love a fireworks!" and lists the colors that he saw. I'm so glad that he truly enjoyed this experience, and it wasn't just another opportunity to terrorize him.

Caleb's Yoga Routine

Caleb has really been into doing his yoga routine lately and wanted to share it with you.

The first pose is down dog. Next move into the cobra.
Then roll over on your back and do the bridge.
Caleb created this pose himself and has called it, "the spider." (He actually gets into this pose himself!)
The next is a series of movements, called the steam-roller.

Finally, moving into some stretches. There is the pretzel. And last, but certainly not least, there is child's pose.

Hopefully you have all enjoyed this yoga session. We will keep you informed if Caleb creates any more poses.

Singing Lullibies

This has been one of my favorite moments with Caleb lately.

Caleb Playing with Shaker Cars

When Caleb received some shaker cars for his 2nd birthday (already almost a year ago...sniff), I thought that he would never be able to actually use them - they are so big and heavy. Well he proved me wrong. He figured out that on a table, if he flipped them over onto their tops and rocked them back and forth, it would rev them up. He would then flip them back over and they would take off! He showed me to never underestimate him and NEVER say never!

Below is a video of one of his favorite games these days. He can literally play with these cars for hours - Jeff and I take shifts because we get bored. It may not be the most action-packed video, but some things to look for are: Caleb's determination, different strategies used, the "happy dance" (hands flailing), and the squeal of delight at the end, not to mention how well he is sitting independently!