Spinach

Tonight while I was making dinner, Caleb kept pleading to have Spinach with his dinner. Apparently he saw the can of Spinach when he and Greg went grocery shopping, and he asked daddy to get it since that is what Popeye eats to make him strong. I am not a big Spinach fan unless mixed in a good dip or salad, but I made it for him to try since he was so insistent. Greg enjoyed messing with Caleb by asking him how it tasted after seeing Caleb make a yucky face. Though Caleb tried to play it off by giving daddy a thumbs up and mumbling how he liked it. Then he showed us his "big bicep muscles" and how strong the spinach had made him. He later admitted he really didn't want anymore, but that he had eaten enough to make him strong like Popeye. After dinner he ran around hitting objects/furniture showing us his new found strength. It was very amusing. As for poor Lexie, she has been fighting off yet another ear infection. This is her third round of antibiotics in just over a month. I have a feeling tubes are in her future. Poor baby girl. She and I both are very frustrated with the many sleepless nights.

Girls weekend / Boys Weekend

I took off Friday so Lexie and I could meet up with my sisters at my parents house. We hadn't been home in a while, so it was nice to go for a visit. Steph brought her boys who seemed to really enjoy Lex on this trip. They did a good job keeping her entertained for me. Gigi and Papa spoiled her rotten as well, I don't think she was ever put down.She also enjoyed Mom's new puppy. She gets so excited when she sees dogs, though she can be quite rough with them or anyone who gets within her grasp.

Greg decided to take Caleb with him to his Lease so they could go fishing and camp out. Though at first Caleb called me at least twice a day to tell me what he was doing. Greg got a new four-wheeler and took it camping as well so they could try it out. Caleb was thrilled about getting to use his new helmet. When he told me they were going to take it for a ride I told him to remind daddy not to go too fast. He said "Ok Mommy, I'll tell him to go just a little bit fast. If he goes too fast he could get a ticket." I agreed I would give daddy a big ticket if he went too fast. By the last two days of the weekend, I was getting less calls from Caleb. Apparently he was having way too much fun to miss me by that point.

T-ball Starts

Caleb had his first T-ball game this weekend. He was very excited, especially since his neighbors Dax and Ace were going to be on his team. He takes baseball very seriously; he rarely jokes or acts too silly during practice because he is so intent on what his coach his saying. I guess it's because he really loves this sport and wants to do good. He can really hit the ball far now. I am so proud of him. It is really amusing during the games though to see all the dads running around trying to direct them to bases and decrease the fighting over who gets the ball first. They use a hard ball so unfortunately kids are occasionally getting a ball in the face from a teammate who throws while too close or a ball that rolls up over their glove. So sometimes there are tears of either pain or frustration. Some do get distracted by a butterfly in the field or a bug in the dirt. It can be very entertaining. After the game we had to rush to Mitchell's birthday party, one of Caleb's buddies from school. He had his party at the Fun Center Putt Putt which was a lots of fun. Here all seriousness went out the window. The boys were very silly and enjoyed playing putt-putt and games. Caleb was trying to hold the putter like a bat though, so it was a frustrating game for both of us. Lexie enjoyed watching all the silly boys. She is always very patient while waiting on brother. After the party, Caleb and Greg went for a ride in the bumper boats. That was funny to watch, they were soaked by the end of the ride. Lexie is sitting better by herself now. Though she still prefers to get on her tummy and roll. She has already decided Caleb's toys are much more fun than her own and is often being told by brother "No,no baby Lexie. You can't have that, that's not for babies."

Weekend Fun

Another fun packed weekend with the fam. I had a three day weekend since I had off Monday, which turned out to be needed. I was so looking forward to the weekend especially after a long week with a sick baby. Lexie had croup and her second ear infection. She had the most pathetic hoarse voice and croupy cough. Luckily she bounced back quickly though and was feeling better by Friday. Though Friday ended up being a very crazy day in itself. It started off very early Friday morning with a screaming Caleb in the early hours. I never found out what woke him, but he was scared so I went to sleep with him for the rest of the night. It ended up being a very uncomfortable night since every time I moved Caleb would reach out and hold tighter to ensure I wouldn't leave.

I must have finally fell asleep because I was woken very early in the morning with a chipper Caleb asking "Mommy why are you still here? You're supposed to go back to your bed." As if he would let me. Then he asked "Do you have pee pee on you?" Me: "Why? Did you pee pee?" Caleb: " Yes, I wet the bed." Sure enough we were both affected. I knew then it was going to be a long day. Saturday we had Caleb's first T-ball practice, which he was

so excited about since his neighbor's Dax and Ace were going to be on the team too. He has become very serious about his T-ball and has been doing so well.

Then we headed to Frisco for an old friend's, Lukas's, birthday party. His parents had written that Lukas still talked of Caleb often and would love to see him again, so we made the journey for a small reunion of a few of the old friends from Caleb's daycare. Some may recall the names, Lukas and Claire. Two of his best friends from last year.

The theme was Curious George so everyone had a monkey mask. The kids were all excited about the bounce house and pinata full of candy. Caleb hit the pinata so hard he broke the stick. I guess baseball practice paid off.

They had a wonderful time together, we planned to try and keep in touch in the future.

Then we stopped by Ikea since we were in the area, and ended up getting all new game room decor. We tried to make it equally appropriate for each gender. I can't wait to see the final product.

(Baby girl is obsessed with her tongue. She is constantly sticking it out and making funny faces with it.) Sunday was church and indeed a day of rest. We did head to the pool Sunday evening for a dip and cooked out burgers which was nice. But so much for my day off to enjoy with the kids today. Caleb woke in the middle of the night with 102 fever and stomach ache. After Motrin, he seemed his normal self, but I knew something wasn't right when he wouldn't eat his always favorite fruit. So I ran him up for a Strep swab at his Pediatrician's office and sure enough he had Strep throat. Yuck. Another sick kid in less than a week. Luckily I was off today and Greg can be flexible with his schedule, so he gets the joy tomorrow.

Memorial Day Weekend

So glad we had a three day weekend. Unfortunately it was my holiday to work, so I had to work half day Saturday, but otherwise we got to have lots of fun in the sun.

We bought Caleb a shark themed slip-n-slide to play on while Daddy cooked out.

Lexie even got her swim suit on to try out the whale pool.

She was surprised by Caleb's splashing, but not once did she cry. She's such a good sport. Of course she loves her big brother so, he could do no wrong in her eyes.

And he is a doting big brother, always concerned if she moves from her spot she might get hurt, or takes things from her that he thinks she might "choke" on (even though they are usually her baby toys). Whenever they ride in the back together, Caleb always holds her hand.

It's so sweet!

One day I looked back and they were both sound asleep and holding hands. For the last few weeks, Lexie has been saying "Dadadada" along with her notorious grunting and kicking. On the way to school one day she was "talking" and Caleb said "Mom I think she wants daddy. She keeps asking for him." Now we'll have to work on "mamamama".

Granbury

This past weekend was crazy busy. We decided to head to Grandbury to visit Grandma Teri and found out that our niece Jayleigh was playing soccer Saturday in Grandbury as well. So off we went to the soccer fields, the very windy and hot soccer fields I might add. Caleb was so excited to see his cousins again. He enjoyed playing with Jaycee and Jayden while we watched the game and visited with Blair and Jason. Hehe Brooke and her boyfriend Chance were able to come too, so we enjoyed a little reunion. After the game we ate lunch at Hehe's favorite place, Babe's Chicken. It was nice catching up with everyone and watching the kids play. Then off to Grandma Teri and John's. Caleb was looking forward to jumping in the pool for a swim. Caleb was excited Aunt Sam could play with him. After a swim they enjoyed chalk drawing on the sidewalk. Lexie had fun sitting by the pool with Grandma and Sam and being spoiled with all the hugs and kisses. We tried to lay her down for a nap, but when we went to check on her, she had rolled under the bed to play. She's definitely getting this rolling thing down. She never stays long in one place. Mobility has begun. Since my birthday was a few days away, they had bought me a cake to help celebrate. So sweet! Caleb decided he should blow out the candles though, so no idea what my wish was. Sunday was our introduction as new members in the Church we have been attending. We have really enjoyed the fellowship we've found there. Caleb had to be Mr. Cool and put his sunglasses on while we were standing at the front of the congregation. He got a lot of laughs, which I'm sure was his goal. And the weekend wasn't over yet. One of Caleb's girlfriends at daycare had a birthday party Sunday afternoon. I asked Caleb what he thought she might like as a present, he said " Umm, how about a girl T-rex." Lucky for her I went without Caleb to find her gift. Several of his daycare buddies were at the party so he had a great time, while I got to visit with some of the other parents. Ariel from the Little Mermaid showed up for face painting and fun with the kids. She had them dancing and singing and even doing magic tricks. That finally concluded our fun, but busy weekend.

Great Wolf Lodge

Well it was a very busy week last week. We started out with a mini- family vacation at Great Wolf Lodge. When we first arrived, I think we were all overwhelmed by the size of the water park just off the lobby window. It was an amazing place for really all ages, but especially the kids. Caleb was ready to get to the pool of course, but we persuaded him to get settled in the room first. The room had a "kidcamp" theme for the kids bed area. It had a bunk bed with a cabin decor, TV, and Nintendo set up. Caleb was thrilled. Once we made it to the pool area I'm not sure who was more excited Caleb or Greg. They took off to enjoy the huge fort and slides while Lexie and I dipped our feet in the toddler pool. Greg and I switched off throughout the weekend so we could all enjoy the various pools and water slides. The wave pool was Caleb's favorite, though I enjoyed the lazy river where we could lounge and let the water take us along. The big slides were pretty awesome too, which was Greg's favorite. Greg and I got to enjoy those, unfortunately Caleb wasn't quite tall enough which made him sad. But he had plenty of scary slides to go down himself. Lexie wasn't quite sure about the water and all the noise the first day, but on the second day she enjoyed jumping in the shallow water. She was a trooper and loved watching big brother most of the trip. Besides the water, we signed up for the MagiQuest game played throughout the resort. It's hard to explain, but basically you buy and activate a wand and then master different levels of the wizards game. You can activate treasure boxes, pictures, and various table settings with just a wave of the wand. It was way cool! What was really funny though is how many Mom's and Dad's were wandering the different floors to master their kids game. It was great for all ages. We all enjoyed playing with the wand. On the second day of our stay, Greg gifted me with an hour massage from their spa. It was wonderful and much needed! We then spent some time playing games in the arcade and even enjoyed story time each night after the "animals" put on a little show. Caleb had a blast, and was completely worn out after the second day of swimming. When we finally made it home Greg and I agreed we could have used an extra day to rest after our vacation.