Caleb Loves To Make Jewelry For His Mommy!

This past Saturday Caleb came over and while he was here he and Max made a bracelet for his Mommy.

He was so excited to make these for his Mommy. Of course Caleb can’t go anywhere without Max being right at his side.  I am so glad that they finally bonded. For the first 2 years Max was very jealous of Caleb. Now they are best buds.

Saturday With Caleb

Last spring Caleb helped us to plant our flowerbeds and all winter he kept reminding me not to do it without him this spring.  On Saturday I got up early and went to Home Depot to buy my flowers. I also had to buy pepper plants again because this past week someone stole the pepper plants that Caleb helped me plant a month ago. They even stole my pretty markers that I had in the garden to identify what color pepper that plant was. I was not happy to discover that my plants were stolen. Later Saturday I found that my pretty ceramic garden marker that my children gave me more than 15 years ago had been stolen from my front flowerbed. It has been in my garden all of these years and now suddenly it is gone too.

Caleb helped us plant our flowers and for Mother’s Day he brought me this pretty dog planter for my driveway.

I first asked Caleb to stand next to the planter and then he insisted that I let him take a picture of me with the planter too.

Caleb had so much fun looking for empty snail shells. If they were empty he quickly put them in his pocket to show his mommy. It always surprises me what a little boy thinks of as a treasure.

After an hour all of the flowers were planted and we had time to relax and enjoy ice cream from the truck that came by. I have a small statue that I had planned on putting in the flowerbed but now I am afraid to. For now only the flowers will be in the flowerbeds.

It was so pretty outside that we grilled burgers and ate on the back porch. Then we walked 4 blocks to the local gradeschool and played on their playground. I noticed that they put in a track circling the playground so parents can jog while the children play in the evening. They leave it open to the public until dusk.

Caleb loved this one and he even talked me into getting on it too.

This one was Caleb’s favorite.

Even Pawpaw Mike got into the fun and played.

I love my Saturday’s with Caleb. I already have big plans for next weekend. I also am making big plans for enjoying Isaiah when he gets here. I don’t know how I will manage it since he lives so far away but one way or another I will be a big part of his life. Did I tell you how excited I am that he is being born soon?

Gardening with Caleb

Last Saturday Caleb and I worked in my raised garden beds. We planted an herb garden in one box, lettuces, spinach, tomatoes, brussel sprouts, various types of pepper plants. For the herbs we planted rosemary, oregano and basil and then also sowed cilantro seeds. I had so much fun with him and will always remember my Saturday gardening with Caleb.

My Son’s Farm

One day last week we went out to Stephen and Kristin’s farm. We had a wonderful time. They have chickens, goats and horses but my favorite mammal is Caleb. I can’t wait to get Isaiah and take him on the farm too. He will have so much fun visiting his country cousin.

As always I had to take pictures while I was there. These are Caleb’s chickens. The rooster’s name is Fabio. He has a golden mane of feathers and he has a entourage of ladies that never leave his side. If anyone gets close to one of his ladies he will flog them.

Caleb’s Grandpa Poppy built him a little red barn playhouse.  It even has a rooster weather vane on top of it. Every little boy should have his own barn playhouse.

Caleb has two dogs and his favorite one is Tinkerbell. She is a sweet beautiful pitbull that loves him and follows him everywhere. I LOVE this dog. She never leaves Caleb’s side.

His Grandpa Poppy lives close by and his dog Domino comes to visit often. Domino is in love with Tinkerbell and sleeps over at Caleb’s house often. Domino is very ill and old and unfortunately won’t be with us much longer but for now he is happy to be around Tinkerbell and Caleb.

Caleb’s great grandpa also lives close by and his dog Chester likes to come by to visit with everyone too. Isn’t he cute?

While we were there Caleb had to show me everything as if I had never been there before. He has a swing that he loves to play on and a small 4 wheeler of his own.

Stephen recently bought a big 4 wheeler of his own and Mike and I took it for a spin. Please ignore our hair and the fact that I am not wearing makeup. I had already spent some time riding with my daughter-in-law Kristin and Caleb.

We had a wonderful time. Caleb got up between us on the 4 wheeler and went with us. He looked like a little power ranger with his big helmet on and his skinny body. LOL

I think I need to tell Stephen we need to come out for a big cookout. He has multiple grills and smokers and he is a wonderful cook. I think another day on the farm would be wonderful.

Caleb’s 4th Birthday Party

It is hard to believe that I have been doing this blog now for four years but I have. I started it shortly after Caleb was born and last Sunday we celebrated his 4th Birthday. It is hard to believe my precious little baby boy is four years old but he is. I look forward to having him come and play with me on Saturdays. Today he is fishing with his daddy but he will come this afternoon and we will have movie night. I have bought some kale to make kale chips to serve instead of popcorn.

This year he had a Scooby Doo theme party and his Mawmaw Kelly made his cake. Isn’t it cute?

Everyone participated in the Scooby Doo Theme. Just look at Poppy Timmy (grandpa).

Of course there were many presents and sometimes Caleb had to go deep to get them!

They had a pinata too and the kids REALLY loved this. Aren’t Mawmaw Kelly and Poppy Timmy brave to stand that close to 4 year olds swinging a big stick?

Caleb is such a precious young man and his parents are doing an amazing job with him. He is loved by so many and he brings such joy to so many. We asked him what he wished for when he blew out his birthday candles and he whispered, “Jesus”.  I can’t begrudge him wishing for Jesus even though I had asked him to wish for a baby brother or sister!

A Star is Born

Caleb wants to grow up and play in a band. He also wants to make a video with a tractor in it. Excuse the quality of the picture. I used my phone.

Trick or Treat

How did everyone do with all of the treats available this past week? I managed to avoid them all. I did go trick or treating with Caleb and my daughter-in-laws family on Monday. Trick or treating in a rural area requires a truck, blanket and buckets.  I had never experienced anything like this and was amazed at all of the squealing and laughter from all of the kids.

First everyone piles into the back of a truck.The entire family goes along for the ride. There were three generations in the back of the truck.

They don’t carry the buckets to the doors. They have smaller pumpkins or burlap bags. When the bags and pumpkins get full they dump it into the bucket in the back of the truck.

Caleb was scooby doo this year. He was so happy with his costume. It is hard to believe that he is so tall for only 3. sniff sniff.  It is getting difficult to pick him up lately. I need to work out more.

His Uncle Brandon was a prison escapee.

It wouldn’t be a family picture fest without pictures of animals too. Caleb’s great aunt Carrie has 3 Boston Terriers that are so cute. I leave you with the cuteness. Although I think Caleb is cuter. haha

Caleb’s Kitchen

A few weeks ago I went to a fundraiser for the Alzheimer’s Association and bought this cabinet. The nursing home was having a community yard sale and I kept walking past this cabinet thinking that they would be asking about $50 for it since it costs $79 at Lowes. After a few hours I finally asked how much they wanted for it and when they said $15 I said, “Sold!” They even put it in my car for me.

You should have seen the look on Mike’s face when I had him carry it into the house and told him it would be a kitchen for Caleb to play with. I had Mike cut the bottom off to make it shorter for Caleb’s height. Then he cut a piece of plywood and put it on the top. I painted it black like my stove and refrigerator and then painted coils on the top to look like a stove.

Glidden paint sells these little bottle of tester paints and the lid has a brush attached to it. It was the perfect color for the coils.

I tried to use the brush on the lid but it was too awkward and I had to bring out some of my brushes from my tolepainting days.

This is the finished product in his room.

In the top drawer I put a small frying pan and utensils that I had picked up at Goodwill for him. The plastic brown plates and bowls came from Goodwill too. I tried to find some little toy plates for him at Toys R Us but they were all pink and a little boy doesn’t really want to use pink plates.

The bottom part is his refrigerator. Mike added a little wire shelf on the door to hold his little bottles of pop and cartons of play milk and juice.

In the bottom I put a plastic container full of play food that we bought him at Toys R Us several weeks ago. He has been playing with each weekend and loves to pretend to cook.

He was in love with this last Saturday when we surprised him with it. 

Caleb’s Rooster

I had Caleb this past weekend and he had a new story to tell me. He and his daddy are raising chickens and have been getting eggs for about a month now. They had bought Caleb 5 for Easter and Stephen fell in love with them and bought several more. I think they are up to 15 hens now. Well apparently they got a new rooster too because this is what Caleb told me.

Caleb: We got a new rooster and 2 black hens.

Me: You did. What is your rooster’s name?

Caleb: He don’t have a name. He don’t lay babies and he don’t lay eggs either. He just keeps hopping on the chickens. I don’t know why he does that. Why does he hop on the chickens?

Me: I don’t know. Perhaps they are playing.

Caleb: No they don’t look like they are playing to me. The chickens get mad.

hahahahaha

Caleb and Alabama

This past week we had the county fair and Caleb was in the goat show with Alabama. Alabama loves Caleb so much that he cries for him if he gets more than 5 feet away from him. They are so cute together. The rules for being in the goat show is that the kids have to wear cowboy boots. Caleb had a big booboo on his heel and cried anytime they stood him up. This is him cuddling with his mommy because his heel hurt him.

He is such a handsome boy. In this group all of the kids come in first place and get the same trophy. Caleb was very proud of his trophy.

 

After the goat show Mike and I took Caleb throughout the fair and we rode on rides and sat on the grass and watched the bull races. He had already seen these races earlier in the week so he was going into great detail telling us what was about to happen.

The heat was so bad this week that we couldn’t stay out at the fair for long. We ended up going to a local restaurant where Caleb fell asleep in the booth and we carried him home. The little boy had a wonderful week at the fair but had his first real loss in his life. His dog Zoey died this week.

He told me on Saturday that Zoey went really high up in the sky all the way to doggie Heaven. I was floored. No one had warned me that Zoey had died. I wanted to cry for him so I did what all grandmothers do and I scooped him up and drove him to Toys R Us. Looking back I maybe should have done something different but that is how I dealt with it. Perhaps next time him Mommy and Daddy should warn me ahead of time that his dog has died. HMMM???

I know that now that he lives on a farm and has farm animals and we are about to move onto a farm and get farm animals that death is a part of life. I just wish that he didn’t have to learn so young about it.