We went into Brady for the Goat Cook Off over Labor day weekend. For those of you not familiar, it's a traditional festival in our hometown every year. We had a wonderful time seeing everyone again after so long. Unfortunately it rained Friday night, so Saturday was really a mud fest when we set out to the park to play games and look through the booths. Though that didn't seem to prevent people from coming out, it was as crowded as ever.
Caleb loved the mud of course. By the end of the morning he had it up to his thighs.
Caleb was able to ride a pony, play in the bounce houses, and even bungee jump while out at the park. He was so proud that "he went the highest out of everyone." Much to my dismay, he was right.
He had a blast. I enjoyed looking at all the crafts and clothes, and found the cutest little girl outfits and hair bows. It's about time I start buying some little girl clothes, Lexie may not appreciate wearing all of her older brothers' outfits.
Over the weekend Greg was able to teach Caleb how to ride a bike and get some quality family time, in between Greg's dove hunting of course.
Saturday night Greg and I even made it out to the dance to listen to some great bands and dance. It was nice to have babysitters available. Caleb loved hanging out with his grandparents all weekend, so much so that our farewells were tearful when it was time to go home.
Greg is coaching Caleb's T-ball team this season. 
It is Caleb's first chance to play his favorite sport. Saturday was their first game and we weren't quite sure what to expect. Everything ended up going fairly smoothly. It was the funniest thing to watch though since the field had more parents than kids on it. 
That's the nice thing about this age, everyone gets to be involved. Unfortunately everyone is very competitive at this age, even against members of their own team. 
While out fielding, the kids were to get the ball and throw it to Coach Greg at first base. Well as much as we tried rotating kids, some would be very upset about not being the one to get to the ball first. It did get pretty warm by the end of the game, and we had to really motivate the kids to stay out and finish the last inning. Caleb really had a good time and even made some new buddies. 
He didn't fight us when it was nap time either! Saturday naps are going to be easy the next 6 weeks or so. 
Greg tried to have Caleb just roll the ball down the lane gently, but Caleb continued to try his own methods. Once he even tried to drop kick the 7 lb bowling ball, that made us and others laugh. Luckily he didn't hurt his toes. 
Overall he did very well, in fact he was the only one of us to get a strike! In the end, he even had a better score than I.
When I informed him of his win, he told me "that's ok mom, maybe next time you can win." After our interesting bowling game, we spent some time in the game room. 
Caleb beat Daddy at air hockey, and shot some hoops with me. 
We ended the morning with lunch at the new Pizza joint around the corner.
Saturday we had our family pictures, of course the weekend it rains nonstop! I wanted to get Caleb's 3 y pics and a few "pregnancy pics" to keep in Lexie's book. 
Caleb had his, I have to keep it balanced right. 
Yesterday I curled up on the couch with Caleb and we discussed the future homecoming of "baby sister". He listened very intently to how Lexie would be very little at first, and would only eat milk for a while. "But she can have a banana", and how he could help change her diapers. " I want to show her how to poop on the potty." "What else mommy?" he asked. I explained she wouldn't be able to walk for a while, "but I can hold her when I go down the slide." I just know he is going to be a very helpful brother. 
The boys had the whole place to themselves. They enjoyed the slides and big bounce houses, they even got to play air hockey.
Afterward we had lunch at Chick-fil-a and let the boys get some more play time in. Wednesday was my half day, so we were able to meet my Cousin Ann Marie for her son Nicholas's birthday party. This too was a bounce house, with many fun obstacles and slides. Afterward was cake and pizza. Could a kid ask for a better week! I was exhausted, but Caleb really thrived on all the fun. 
He even helped me make Rice Crispy Treats this week. He is becoming quite the cook. 
We bought Caleb a Monster Truck to drive for his birthday gift from us. He insisted on staying up late to help Greg put it together. 
He was disappointed when we told him he had to wait 18h to charge the battery before driving it. He was so excited when he finally got to take it for a spin, he loaded up the back net with his favorite toys to go with him. It was amusing watching him try to figure out how to stop the truck. Twice he tried to jump out of the truck instead of just taking his foot off the pedal. Now he seems to have figured it out. 
We also celebrated Greg and my 5th wedding anniversary on Friday. We enjoyed reminiscing over memories of these past 5 years. It's amazing how fast time goes by. I was already stressing out this past week thinking of Caleb going into kindergarten after dealing with parents this first week of school. I don't think I'll ever be ready for that day. 
We could hear the Lion roar as we walked through the zoo but, like always, he was napping by the time we reached him. Caleb wasn't too disappointed though, since he was really looking forward to the train ride back to the entrance. 
