Happy Happy Birthday Birthday!

Last Saturday was both Joye's and Caleb's birthday - happy birthday to both of them! Caleb turned two and Joye turned...well, she's still in her 20's!

We can't believe our little man is already two years old! I was gone for a week and a half to Orlando with part of our youth ministry and missed their birthdays. Joye got her actual birthday day to herself with one of her sisters and a good friend Albre while Grandma Deakins watched Caleb for the day (Thank you!). So, we threw a party for Caleb today and had a bunch of his cousins and friends over for a little BBQ and a pool party.

It was nice to be with everyone even in the midst of a chaotic party for a two year old. We had burgers, hot dogs, beans, salad, and then cake and ice cream. We topped the evening off with a swim at our neighborhood pool. It was lots of fun!

Our good friend Albre Davis worked really hard and made Caleb a special cake. Caleb was awe-struck by the cake and I wish the picture could capture it better, but he was a little freaked out when he realized that he was eating his furry red friend. Elmo wasn't laughing back this time. He was confused and so the resolution was to throw his fork and cake off the table. What can you do, right? I mean that's a lot to think about for a two year old. :) The cake looked amazing and it tasted just the same. Thanks Albre for being an awesome friend like that!

Here are some pictures of the party and a short video for you. Enjoy! Have a great fourth of July - stay safe!

Love to you all,

JJC

All the fixin's!

Some of Caleb's cousins and his friend Miles sneaking in back there too. C's friend Ty Davis was also there but he didn't make this picture.

Looks like it came from a magazine huh? She's good! And I hear she's open for business?? :)

If you listen closely in the video below, you can hear a couple of the girls saying, "Ooooh, I want the eye ball!"

He was seriously speechless!

This was the point where he began to get really confused. Shortly after this picture was taken he got frustrated that he was eating Elmo and threw his fork and cake everywhere.

Tons of fun in the pool!

Is it summer yet?

It's nearing the end of June, but for those of us who live in this neck of the woods, it really hasn't started to feel like summer around here yet. It has been raining and stormy off and on a lot lately, and we're ready for summer! Oh well, if that's the worst of our problems right now, then I guess we'll be okay, right?

We thought we'd post a few pictures and say a quick hello to everyone who checks in on us once and a while. We're all doing well and our little man Caleb is doing great! It is hard to believe that he'll be two years old next week! Unbelievable how fast time is going by.

We promised ourselves that at the two year mark-ish, the binki goes bye-bye. So, in the next two weeks or so, you can be thinking about us, either praying for us our laughing at us, but either way that this all goes well. At daycare, he walks in and his teacher says, "Okay Caleb, put your binki away." He walks over to his box, and puts it down. How does she do that!?! We say the same thing at home and he says back to us, "one chocolate?" :)

Anyway, we hope you are all doing well. Enjoy the pictures and hopefully we'll see you soon!

Love ya,

JJC

Stylin'

If you didn't know, Caleb absolutely LOVES tomatoes. He DOES NOT get this from his father.

This is Caleb's "deep breath in and hold with anticipation" face.

This is the front of his birthday party invitations this year (he's actually not crying in this picture, just being a loud boy and making a funny face at that moment).

If Albertsons goes out of business...I'm sorry.

So...as you may or may not know I have become quite the Coupon lady. I like to refer to it as "couponing" I don't think it is a real word because there is a red squiggly line under it, but I like it, so I am going to use it. My BF Albre and I have been up many a late night at Albertsons scoping out the deals and today.....we hit the mother load!  We saved 90% on our groceries today! All of this stuff would have cost us over $90!!! We paid $9.10!!! That's right folks...do the math...that's 90% savings...wait, right??! I am terrible at math. I think that's right.

It is so much fun for us and we usually have many laughs! Albre's son Ty had the distinct honor of going with us today...he was not quite as excited as us...until we got him FREE mini oreos. uh huh. that's right I said FREE!

So, if you live in the Nampa/Boise area and you ever get coupons...NEVER throw them away..I will take them..I will use them...I may even double them and get free stuff! 

In case you can't see it all:

5 cases of Root Beer, 1 box of Wheat thins, 2 bottles of coffee mate creamer, 1 box of graham crackers, 1 bottle of salad dressing, 2 bottles of shaving cream, 1 bottle of tabasco sauce, 1 pack of marshmallows, 1 6pack of chocolate candy bars, 1 bottle of BBQ sauce, 1 snack pack of mini oreos, 1 bottle of McCormack hamburger spice, 1 jar of peanut butter, 2 boxes of triscuits, and 2 bags of toasted ritz chips!

Gardening, Running, and Tooting

Hello!  Well, the warmth is finally here and it is actually starting to feel like summer.  

Joye is doing well being an amazing mamma to Caleb, oh, and that's aside from working too - she still loves her job!  She has also recently started dabbling into the world of gardening.  We've posted some before pictures below and in 60-90 days we'll post some after picture to see how it went. :)  This year we are trying cherry tomatoes, strawberries, and watermelons.  If all goes well, we have a perfect spot on the side of our house for a bigger garden.  If you have any suggestions, resources, or ideas, please do share - we are definitely rookies at this "grow your own food" thing.

Johnny is busy gearing up for a full summer, but has also been maintaining a strict running schedule - no reason other than just to feel better and whip himself into shape a bit.  Maybe if he actually follows through on it, he'll consider doing a race and see if he can pull his competitive juices out of quarantine.

Caleb is, well, he'll be two next month - 'nuff said, right?  He is so fun!  Talking in 3 or 4 word sentences now, he keeps our attention every time he speaks because it has become a fun game to try and be the first one to understand exactly what he's trying to tell us.  We're starting to understand him more and more, but we're also realizing it is because we're around him all the time.  When he says something while someone else is around and they say, "Huh?"  We tell them what he said as if, "Duh, he was perfectly clear, can't you understand him?"  He's quite the little character too as he is learning how to tickle, tease, and even says, "tooted" with a laugh when his mama...okay, when his dadda toots (come on - that's the stuff that makes life tolerable at times isn't it?!?).

We're looking forward to this long weekend.  It will be busy, but fun with BBQ's and family and friends.  Wish we could see family and friends we haven't seen in a while - we miss you all a lot!  Here are a bunch of pictures for you.  Have a great Memorial Day Weekend!

Love you all,

JJC

Caleb's two buddies, Miles Mueller (left) and Alexander Chapman (right) during Miles' birthday party - he's two now!

This is how he rolls.

Joye was working on the garden and accidentally sprayed Caleb, he loved it and she thought, "Ah, who cares!?"  They had fun!

I thought about giving Caleb a machete to hack down the jungle that was growing in our back yard, but...

...we decided to do this instead - we'll see how it goes.

Cherry Tomatoes

Watermelons - have faith...if you build it, they will come.

Strawberries

A month later...

Hmmm...where do we start?  A lot has happened in the last month - nothing spectacular or wild and crazy, but you know, life is full for us Hampton's and there is always a story to tell. :)  We FINALLY got a video camera so we are having fun capturing "Caleb moments" when we can.  Here is a little video for you to enjoy.  It is long, but hey, we've been depriving you of video for two years now so this should help make up for it.  Plus, we know that many of you have only spent a little time with our little man, so maybe this will help you get better acquainted with him.

We're beginning to catch glimpses of summer around here with the good ol' Idaho spring weather.  80 one day, 50 and rainy the next.  On the nice days, we have a really, really hard time keeping Caleb inside.  He absolutely LOVES to be outside.  He ate his first fist full of dirt yesterday.  Fortunately he said "yucky" and didn't seem to like it, so I don't think he'll be doing that for a while.  He's learning about bugs and so far can identify one insect - the "bug."  Every little creature is a bug.  Today, Joye was outside playing with him and a wasp landed on his hand.  He held his hand out and looked at Joye saying, "Mama, bug!"  He kept his hand out for a few more seconds until the wasp flew away.  Caleb was clueless and calm, but Joye was worried for good reason.  The wasp didn't sting him.  We're hoping now that Caleb doesn't think wasps are his best friends.  I showed him an ant the other day, and then Caleb showed the ant his thumb and index finger.  I don't think Caleb understands death yet, but the ant does now, or at least his little ant friends do.  So all that to say this summer will continue to be an adventure as we teach Caleb all about the outdoors.  In the meantime, he is learning that he can't be outside ALL of the time.  Oh, and he has learned how to open doors - yes, he can reach the knobs easily - so he tries to let himself outside sometimes (don't worry all you paranoid people out there - we have child-proofed our doors).  

Today Caleb is 22 months old.  He is quite verbal and most of the time we can understand what he is saying.  However, it is quite the treat to sneak up behind him when he is playing with one of his toys and listen to him as he chats away talking to the toy in a language only Caleb can understand.  Just recently, he began waking up in the mornings or from his naps shouting "All done.  Night, Night all done."  It's pretty funny.  He's putting more and more words together and it is cool to see him develop like that.  

Yesterday, Caleb got his first major "shiner."  He tripped forward and put his hands down to catch his fall.  In theory this was a good idea, except this time there was a coffee table between the corner of his eye and the floor.  Instead of his hands catching his fall, his eye caught his fall.  It was a really loud crack and I was certain there would be blood everywhere and an ensuing trip to the ER for stitches.  The good news was that it didn't break the skin open and he only cried until it stopped hurting. :)  He was up and at it in no time.  One of many to come, I'm sure.

On the adult front in the house, things are going well.  We have a few more weeks of mellow-ness, and then it is summer time in the life of a youth pastor's family.  Johnny will be coast to coast this year and many places in between.  Joye is planning a trip to Alaska by herself this summer as well - Johnny and Caleb won't get to go this year, but it will be a nice little break for Joye, even if she is working hard on the beach (let's hope!).  So, your prayers for our family this summer would be greatly appreciated.  It is always a delicate balance for our family, but we try our best to put each other first.

If you haven't caught wind of this via facebook or other means, Joye has become quite the little bargain shopper.  Her and a friend have been coupon crazy lately.  Recently, Joye tested her new found skills and bought $15 worth of groceries for $2.  She has learned that there is a lot of free food out there waiting to be purchased with coupons.  So hopefully, with time, we'll reap the benefits of having a little extra cash because of my thrifty wife.  

Well, this has been long enough, but that is a little bit about us for now.  Enjoy the video and these pictures.  Hopefully you'll hear from us sooner than a month from now...but no promises. :)

Love you all,

JJC

Enjoy the video.

Say "Cheese!"

Caleb got in a fight with the coffee table...the table won...

...but he's back in action!

The video only shows the beginning of the meal...this is the end. :)

A meal fit for a king.

A little "nack" before bed.