Bunny Brunch

Once again, the wonderful preschool that our kiddos have gone/go to went above and beyond with their Easter celebration. This tradition has made for some very sweet memories that we'll all cherish for many years. This year's brunch was extra special because Daddy was able to sneak away from work just long enough to attend. Joel really enjoyed having most of his favorite people there!

Dear Caleb,

Another year has come and gone. Some years, there seems to be an infinite amount of change. Other years, you're just a bit bigger, have a few different teeth, and your interests change just a tiny bit. This was one of those years. You look a littler bit older, act a little bit older, and make us realize just how much we have to learn about "older" kids!

This year meant more of the same for you. You're still doing the school gig quite well. You've done an amazing job and your teacher has told us what a bright kid you are. She enjoys your sense of humor and likes that you can think at a deeper level on things. There's no doubt in our minds that your brain is always thinking, because (at home) your mouth is always moving! You could talk anyone's ear off about any topic that's fresh in your mind. From the moment you wake up until we finally have to tell you "okay, one more thing and then we're shutting the door for bed", you. don't. stop!

Aside from talking, your second favorite thing to do at home is play with friends. There's no doubt that friends are VERY high on your priority list. When there is a even a second of downtime, you're instantly asking to have a friend over. We are incredibly thankful that your best friend, Alec, lives three doors down and is almost always around to play. You two have grown so close this year and though you each have your own brother, you've definitely become like brothers to each other. When you aren't in school, you two are busy spending hours together. And, thankfully, when Alec isn't around, you usually have your other close friend Jack to play with. Jack also lives quite close, so it doesn't take long to fill that ever-so-urgent need to have a friend to play with. 

If we don't have downtime, it's usually because we're occupied with some sort of activity that you're involved in. You're doing another year of Awana and have done a great job there. You are also just starting to work on learning how to play the piano (Mom is teaching you lessons). You've also continued to play some of the sports you've played before. Baseball and flag football were really enjoyable this year. You've definitely become more interested in these sports and your ability level has grown as well. You also picked up a new sport this year...basketball. During the season, you declared it to be your new favorite sport. We'll see if you're still saying that when baseball starts!

It's been such a joy to watch you grow more this year and become more interested in certain things. You are definitely turning into your own unique person with clear likes and dislikes. Your likes include all that was mentioned in the above paragraphs. Dislikes include (but are not limited to) your siblings messing with your stuff, green peppers,  losing at any game, being asked to sleep in a bit later, and going to the store...there are plenty more! For the most part, you take these dislikes in stride, but there are definitely times when your quick-to-anger personality and strong will get the best of you.

There's been a lot of learning and adjusting this year thanks to that strong will. Mom has listened to tons of podcasts and read lots of books trying to figure it out. Dad has had to learn to put his quick-to-anger personality in check. You have realized that you have opinions and sometimes you JUST. WON'T. STOP until your thoughts are heard. As with everything you throw our way, it's a learning experience for us all. As parents, we are realizing that you are growing up and the expectations and standards we once had for you will shift now that you're getting older.

If there's anything we've learned and tried to cling to, it's that God designed you this way for a purpose. As hard as that strong will can be when it's trapped inside of an eight-year-old body, we know that one day it can be used to to AMAZING things. Right now, it's certainly being used to shape us into more patient and understanding parents! Down the road, there's no telling what kinds of awesome things you'll accomplish when you set your mind to it. We are so thankful that God created you this way and cannot wait to see what the future holds!

Love,
Dad and Mom

Celebrating Eight

This year, we gave Caleb the option of a friend birthday party at home with lots of people or going out to do something extra special with just a couple friends. Needless to say, our social butterfly picked the big party at home. We had a lot of fun with our ocean themed (Caleb's choice) activities. The kids did crafts, played games, ate yummy snacks, and made lots of noise. We are quite thankful for the help of Grandpa, Grandma, TiTi, and Nana Pam. Taking on 17 kids with just the two of us might have been tough! After the official party, Caleb wanted to invite friends to stay and watch Dolphin Tale 2 (this was actually what his original party plan was, but simply watching a movie at a friend's house doesn't qualify as a birthday party in my book). Needless to say, every single kid stayed and by the end of the entire four hours, we were exhausted! The most important thing is, though, that the birthday boy had a blast!