Rocking Song

Kevin and I have been cherishing our quiet rocking times with Caleb when he lets us just hold him. I think we both aren't sure how long these precious moments will last. Today as I was rocking him and he was asleep, I just kept thinking how sweet and innocent he is. The love that I felt for him just overflowed out of me and I wondered if that is how God feels about each of His children. During this moment, I was reminded of Acapella's "Rocking Song." If you haven't heard this song and you are a parent, it is so so precious. I, of course, substitute the "she" in the song for "he" and "her" for "him" to make it more personal to me. It brings tears to my eyes almost every time I hear this song. I tried to find the song as an audio file to share but couldn't figure out how to do it. So I decided to just make a quick slideshow with Caleb's pictures from birth to now. I hope you enjoy the words to the song!

Running Weekend

This weekend we went to Oklahoma City for the Memorial Marathon. Kevin participated in the marathon relay (the 8-point something leg) with 4 other friends. Unfortunately, I didn't get to see him run because Caleb had a really rough night at the hotel. He woke up at 3 a.m. wide-awake. He wasn't crying, just calling out different names. For four hours we tried to get him down and he absolutely refused. Finally, at 7 am he fell back asleep (we were supposed to leave for the race at 7:15). Kevin went on without us and I fell back asleep as well, hoping we could both sleep for a few hours. Sure enough, 30 minutes later the hotel calls us and wakes Caleb up (it turned out to be that they called the wrong room anyway). The weird thing is he NEVER wakes up at night. Kevin and I even said that we don't think he slept that terribly his very first night after being born. Oh well...he slept all the way home in the car and went to sleep early on Sunday night. He is running a bit of a fever, but I think that might be from teething (either that or a virus, we aren't sure). Besides Kevin running, I spent much of my time chasing Caleb, who enjoyed running in the halls of the hotel. :)

Unfortunately, we have no pictures to document our interesting weekend. I took our camera, expecting to take pictures of Kevin running. I think some friends might have taken some pictures, so hopefully we can get some from them!

Out of my control

There are times that I nearly panic thinking about all of the terrible things that can happen to my loved ones. Having lost my oldest brother in my early teenage years, I am very prone to this type of thinking. If Kevin is 10 minutes late getting home from work, I am calling to make sure he wasn't in an accident. Yes, I know...I am paranoid! Being pregnant with Caleb, I remember how out of control I felt--his healthy growth and development in my tummy were completely up to God. My prayer life was probably best in my life when I was pregnant with Caleb--being our first child, I was nervous about everything. Now that Caleb is VERY mobile, I find myself getting nervous with "tottling" runs, falls, bumps, and bruises. Yet, I admit that I don't give this to God in prayer NEARLY as much as I should. I can spend countless hours worrying about an issue, but yet very little time asking for God's guidance. I pray that I can make this a priority in my life and maybe that will relieve some of my paranoia.

"Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God." -Philippians 4:6

PS- This picture has nothing to do with the post, but I couldn't post without a picture and realized I never posted any Easter pictures...this was taken a week before Easter at an egg hunt at Kevin's nursing home.

Cuddler

If you know Caleb, you know that he is PURE boy...a mile a minute all the time! You might be surprised to know that he also loves to cuddle with me (especially before or after naps and before bedtime). He will just let me cradle him in my arms like a baby and rock him usually as long as I want to. He loves to poke my eyes, nose, and mouth. He also LOVES being read to. When we are in the living room and I am playing with him on the floor, he normally goes and gets a book from the basket, brings it to me, and sits on my lap for reading time. I know these moments won't last long, so I am going to cherish every minute!

"Bissie" and "Bacoom"

Since losing the paci, Caleb has become increasingly attached to his blankie, which he lovingly calls "Bissie." He sleeps with it for naps and nightime and then as soon as he is awake, yanks it through the slats in his crib and carries it EVERYWHERE around the house. I think it's pretty sweet.

Caleb's other new love is the vacuum, which he calls "bacoom." He goes to our closed closet door and says "vacuum" literally 10 times a day. When we do get the vacuum out, he beams with excitement. Grandma Donna brought over Blake's old toy vacuum and Caleb has been playing with it nonstop for the last 2 days. He is obsessed! If only he would keep that love for vacuums for another 5 years when I can actually reap the benefits of having vacuumed floors every day!

Mega Savings

This is by far the most money that I have ever saved since starting my new "coupon craze." I went to Target yesterday armed with 31 coupons...most of which were Target coupons that I either got from a mailer or online. A lot of the items that I had coupons for were also on sale, so I ended up saving a bunch...$40 in fact! Even the cashier said, "Wow, you saved a ton of money today." My grand total was $55.47...not bad for lots of fruit and 7 Johnson's Baby Products among other things!

PS-Click on the picture to enlarge it.

My New Hobby...

...is saving money on groceries and household items. It has become kind of like a game to me...I enjoy the satisfaction of a "good deal." My husband has definitely rubbed off on me. :)

How much did this small trip to Target cost??? $4.21! By stacking Target coupons with manufacturer coupons, I saved bunches!