We might have gotten lucky (knocked on wood).

Tonight is Caleb's first night sleeping in a toddler bed. We'll see how this goes. :) There was no convincing to be done, that is for sure. He wanted to go straight in the bed and has slept soundly so far. He is a mover and a shaker though, so we'll see how long this lasts before we hear, "Thump!" Here are a couple of pictures of him in his bed - one while awake, and then the other about a half hour after the first one was taken. The last one is just a fun one of him building a tower - one of his new favorite things to do.

Have a great weekend!

Love you all,

JJC

Of course, he had a little help on the high part. :)

A Marathon Post

Many apologies for our "blog absence" over the last month. Now that the summer is winding down, maybe we'll do a bit better about keeping our electronic umbilical cord connected to you all...maybe. :)

Whew! What a summer it has been! It has been a crazy few months that is for sure. Nothing too unusual for us, but it was especially difficult this year for some reason - probably a combination of things. However, looking back it was still a good summer filled with memories and experiences that we're glad we have.

I went coast to coast this summer on mission trips with students from our youth ministry. We did trips to Orlando and LA this year. Each experience was amazing and I saw many lives impacted both lives of people living in those cities and ours. It was tough to be away from home this summer. With Caleb getting more and more active, exploring and learning in more and more ways, I felt like I was missing more this summer being gone from him. When he was a little, immobile baby, I figured all I was missing was a couple of kicks and a few laughs because of gas bubbles. I came back from the trips this year and he had gotten his driver's license and had a girlfriend...just kidding - but do you know what I mean? It was just different this year. Plus, I know the sacrifices Joye has to make when I'm gone on these trips - especially when the little man gets sick while I'm away. Nothing I can do to help. On the upside though, while I was away on these trips, Joye got to experience the amazing family we have. She was blown away (so was I) by how during some of life's most difficult times her family really rallied together to overcome some major challenges (that's a story for another place and time). Nonetheless, we are blessed. We are lucky to have the support system near us that we have and see God's grace and love work through people.

A week and a half after I returned from LA, Joye got to go to Alaska for 10 days to fish and hang out with her family. That's right, I said she GOT to go, not she HAD to go. :) Well, maybe Joye doesn't think she GOT to go, but I do because I missed being up their this summer. It was a good "get-a-way" for Joye. She was able to get some much needed R & R, reconnect with some family, get a little manual labor in, pick fish, play games, laugh, and just BE for a while. It was a nice change of pace for her. I was jealous the whole time she was gone, but I was so glad she got to go.

While she was out...Caleb and I had 10 days of man time back at home. This was also a nice change of pace for me. After a crazy month of traveling, it was nice to be home and know I wasn't going anywhere for a while, and the best part, the best part was that I got to hang out with Caleb for 10 days. What did we do? Well, we did man stuff. I mean, as much man stuff as you can with a two year old, right?

The best thing we did was we went fishing together. I took Caleb fishing for the first time to a little pond in town that they keep stocked with bass and bluegill. I went fully expecting not to catch anything except Caleb as he would try running into the water - he is fearless! I also had to catch him as he tried attacking a gaggle of geese twice his size - again, fearless! It was so fun though.

The best part was when he tried to cast the line from his pole for the first time. Here is the succession of pictures that may explain what happened without words:

Yup, you got it. He pulled back, flung forward, and let go...of the whole pole. Into the water it went. It was quite funny actually. We had a great time fishing and for the next week or so went back several times at his request. He was diggin' the worms.

Then, we went home and made a little fire in the back yard and roasted hot dogs. We were going to camp out that night in the back yard, but this was the week where it was over 100 degrees for consecutive days and even at 9pm it was in the 90s - not pleasant.

I also took Caleb to Roaring Springs for the first time and he LOVED it. His favorite thing to do was to go down the big racing slide with the blue mat. He had perma-grin the whole time and that's all he wanted to do. "One more, one more." Tons of fun.

Caleb and I did a couple of "While You Were Out" projects for Joye while she was in Alaska. We built a little cubby, shelf-type thing in our utility room so as to keep our stuff a little more organized by one of our entries - it was a fun little project.

We also organized our closet - finally! No, this is not a picture of Savers, this is our closet. See that little section on the nearest right side? Ya...that's my part of the closet. :) Caleb was a big helper on this project too, as you can see.

To top the summer off, Joye and I went with our youth group up to Riggins for a camping and rafting trip on the Salmon River. We had so much fun. Caleb got to stay with the Wolfs and hang out with his cousins Allison and Andi. He had a really good time and hasn't stopped saying their names since.

We would be lying if we said we were bummed the summer was coming to an end, but mostly because we are so excited for things coming down the line this fall. I think it is a pretty good place to be when you can have a fun summer, but continue to be excited for the fall. Please pray for our family, for our youth ministry, and for our church as we begin to implement some changes - changes we are thrilled about!

You know what else we are thrilled about? We are thrilled about our cherry tomatoes! Yesssss, we actually grew something and we harvested our first batch yesterday. Joye taste tested them (because I can't stand the nasty things) and gave them two thumbs up - Caleb also approves.

Here are some more random pictures for you to enjoy. On this particular morning, Caleb felt the need to put all of his favorite things on the table with his breakfast to keep him company. Handy Manny blanket - check. Handy Manny tools - check. Jack in the box - check. Tractor & ball - check. Geoffry & baby Geoffry - check. Elmo book - check. Airplane - check. At least he's not picky. :)

We're obviously teaching him how to have good manners at the table, especially when a camera shows up.

We look forward to seeing you all and wish we could see you more often. Have a great rest of August!

We love you.

JJC

Shots & Suckers

We found out today that if you bribe a two year old with a sucker, the shot doesn't seem so bad. That is what happened today when we took Caleb in for his two year check up. The nurse was smart. She had a sucker in one hand, a needle in the other, and a two year old with his eyes on the prize! It worked! She jabbed him. He flinched, said, "What tha?!" (not really), and then lunged for the sucker - put it in his mouth and he was all smiles. Much better than the 125 decibels we've experienced in the past. :)

Caleb is in great health according to the doctor and is as normal as can be for a two year old. He's shed a few pounds in the last several months, but that is likely due to him being SO active. He's weighing in now at 33lbs putting him in the 91st percentile. He is also 35.5 inches tall putting him above the 95th percentile, and his head...well, his head is still HUGE! 20.25 inches make up our son's noggin. When the doctor showed us the chart with the lines on it, Caleb had his own line above the scale. So, we still have a tall, skinny, and big headed child. :)

We are always shaking our head wondering, "Did he just do that?" or, "Did he just say that?" It is so fun. He basically repeats our sentences now which makes for an interesting time trying to get Caleb to respond with answers to our questions or responses to our comments.

Today for lunch Caleb had a sandwich. I ran upstairs to grab something and on my way down I heard, "Choooo, choooo, choooo, train, chooo chooo...." So I slowed down to see if I could sneak up on him and peaked around the corner. He had his sandwich lined up in pieces on the table like a train and he was pushing them along. It was priceless. I went to grab the camera and of course the moment he saw me he moved on to something else. Those are the kind of moments we are having with Caleb these days - so fun!

Here's a little video of Caleb at the Zoo Boise. We went last weekend with the Mueller's and their son Miles. The two boys had a great time and it turns out that the Zoo Boise is actually pretty cool - even if they have prairie dogs and llamas on display. :) The last part of the video is Caleb eating one of his favorite meals - spaghetti!

Have a great weekend!
Love you all,
JJC

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).