Growing Up Colson

A Special Announcement from Caleb Keith Colson...

2012-02-15T14:06:00.000-08:00

Enough said...

Happy New Year...Christmas update...

2012-01-09T18:38:00.000-08:00

No joke...i haven't had ANY desire whatsoever to update the blog! I know...so sad! I have to say though, blogging has lasted longer than any type of scrapbooking i've ever set out to do!! Sorry Caleb, I'm just not there yet!! The Colson's have been extremely busy these past few weeks with Adam reaching Dr. Colson status! It was such a neat experience getting to watch him defend his thesis...contrary to what anyone might think, (because I didn't make it past Chem 101 in college) I did keep up with what was going on with all of that "Chemistry Talk"! No offense to Adam and those in his profession but NERD ALERT!!! Ad and I celebrated with a fancy dinner at Ruth's Chris Steakhouse...it was SO YUMMY! We had a lot of fun trying to act ritzy, but instead felt super poor!!! We are going to save our pennies so that we can go back in a few years!!!
We also decided to celebrate Ad's win by traveling to Utah/Idaho for our Christmas Vacation! We again spent some time up in both the Sawtooth and Wasatch mountain ranges...learned what it was like to be cold again (it seriously does NOT get cold in Texas)...70 degrees today friends...and lived in what we at the Colson household like to call a sweatpant purgatory! (I know my mom is sercretly upset that I wore sweatpants and a big coat for our family pic)! OH YES I DID...WHAT?!? You'll see further down the page! She would never say anything though!!! It was just SO COLD...ALL OF THE TIME!!! Once again it wouldn't be a great holiday without our wonderful families and all that they do for us! Thanks moms and dads for all of the good food, good fun, and fabulous family togetherness times! You will see as you read on, our great adventure up in the north!! Enjoy y'all!!!!

Stanley was first in our holiday travels and I just have one reoccurring word to describe it...COLD!! We had a fun time with Adam's family enjoying both the outdoors and indoors! Caleb loved playing games with Nana and his cousins McKinlee and Logan, we spent most of our time in our pajamas (AWESOME!) and just relaxed like we always do when we head up Stanley's way! Caleb got to spend some time in the snow and had a blast...just what we needed!!

Snow Angels!! A special thanks to McKinlee for getting Caleb out of his comfort zone and into the snow! He followed her EVERYWHERE!!

See what I mean?? Where are those kids' parents?!?

Caleb WAY ahead of Mom and Dad on the trail!

Ice on the creek...

This is a picture of Caleb's and my feet as we went sledding...this was the only time that we got Caleb to even sit on the sled...it don't think he liked it!!
He ended up just standing at the top of the hill and cheering everyone on!

Adam's turn!!

I will give you two guesses what Logan and Caleb are playing here and the first one doesn't count!!!

So Adam and I got a wild hair and decided to snowshoe down to Stanley Lake one day. Let me just set up the scene by letting y'all know that it didn't get to 0 degrees until about 1 in the afternoon, so by the time we left it was about 4 degrees...COLD, right?!? We probably snowshoed about 6 miles round trip and had some fun just being together in the quiet countryside! We were the only ones out on the trail!! Would I do it again...Absolutely! Adam likes it when I go all outdoorsy!!!

We actually stayed pretty warm the whole trip...I think my face did freeze on the way back though...
it took a little while to get the feeling back when we got home!!

Time to head back down the 3 mile trail! This is just proof that yes, we actually did snowshoe!!

The traditional Sawtooth Mountain pic...this one includes snow!

A little Christmas love!

In honor of Caleb's other obsession, Nana and Poppa got him a Build a Bear Alvin...it plays music and everything!

Christmas at the DeRoest's!!! Do you think Caleb got everything on his list??
We should've changed the name to Angry Bird Christmas because that is what the boys played ALL WEEK LONG!! We had a lot of fun in SLC going to see the Chipmunks movie, going to the Dinosaur Museum, going bowling, Ad and my favorite putting the Siz outta Biz, and going to a lot more movies!!! We got to play with Kooper and Maddox for the whole week...i got a little shopping in WINK! and just had fun with the fam!

Angry Bird Piggies...I am the crown pig, Ad is appropriately the mustache pig and Caleb has named himself the helmut pig!

Imagine Caleb yelling "ANGRY BIRDS!" in a high squeaky voice!!!

Maddox getting in on all of the angry bird action!

Getting ready for a trip down to the SLC temple to see all of the Christmas lights...i love how caleb is starting to look like a little marshmallow here!

Tired of Angry Birds yet?? Quite the cute beanie!!

SWEATPANTS!! Don't cringe Mom!! We decided to get a family pic down by the temple...I was being quite the brat and was against any type of dressing up, which normally i'm all for, but can i just say again...IT WAS COLD PEOPLE!!!

Adam with an angry bird? I don't know what's going on with Caleb here!

I still can't believe Adam and I were married here...it's just so beautiful!

Another angle of the SLC temple with the nativity in the reflecting pond...

A beautiful close up of the nativity!

DINOSAUR MUSEUM!! Good luck trying to get the kiddos to sit still for any type of picture!!! We had a great time with my nephews just running around and looking at all of the sights! This museum was awesome!!

Sand + Water = kind of mess...good thing my kid doesn't like to be messy OR have sand on his hands! Thanks OCD!!

We found Tank the Triceratops and told Caleb he had to take a picture with him...Caleb didn't really want to!

Yes, I know, we got a picture with the shark at the dinosaur museum...fun fact friends...shark like fish called cretoxyrhina lived during the dinosaur period!! Yes, that is the sound of you learning on our blog!!! Did I spell cretoxyrhina right? Probably not, but I also have learned a lot from Mr. Conductor on Dinosaur Train!!!

Thanks for stopping by the Colson Fam blog!! We hope y'all have a happy start to your new year!!!!!

Dear Santa...

2011-12-04T19:17:00.000-08:00

It's me...Caleb Keith Colson. I have been a very good boy this year and have a few things that i would like to ask you for Christmas! I feel that this has been a very successful year for me.

For one, I smiled when I came to visit you AND my mom didn't have to join me in our picture this year (BIG improvement)!
No, I haven't mastered the potty yet, but I am getting better at telling my mom and dad when I need to go! I am really great at giving good hugs and kisses and telling my family that i Love them! I did learn my lesson when I bit, and kicked the little kids at the babysitters house, and many minutes in time out helped me see the error of my ways!
I really am learning a lot and for being only 3 1/2, feel that I have worked hard for my list this year...with that I am graciously asking for a few simple things this year for Christmas.
1. World Peace (when I learn what that is)
2. A Red Angry Bird
3. A Black Angry Bird
4. A White Angry Bird
5. A Blue Angry Bird
6. An Angry Bird Pig complete with crown
7. An Angry Bird Pig with mustache
8. An Angry Bird Pig with helmet
9. An Original Angry Bird Pig
10, An Angry Bird T-shirt
11. Did i mention that I want some Angry Bird Things?

Angry Birds is a priority in my life as you can see. It is what makes my world go round. I anticipate the opportunity I have every night (if I've been a good boy that day) to play Angry Birds for 20 minutes. I put my toys away, I don't complain and can't describe the feeling of slingshotting those birds through the air to destroy those pigs! Santa, I hope you understand my love for those birds!

So, I'm putting it all out on the table...I look forward to Christmas morning, and of course, will be grateful for any gift that you see fit to give me but if you didn't quite get the message I WANT ANGRY BIRDS!!
Lots of Love,
Caleb Colson

On a side note, we had a lovely Thanksgiving weekend! Adam's parents came down to spend the week with us and we had a lot of fun...great weather (70 degrees still y'all!) and enjoyed ringing in the holiday season together! Our first stop of course was Galveston! Caleb was a little tuckered out from playing hard with Nana and Poppa the day before!

Photo BOMB!! Caleb didn't even know I took this...HEE! HEE!

We went to our favorite eating spot...appropriately named The Spot on the Island! Caleb loves to spin the ol' ship wheel here!

We also took Caleb to see his first movie...The Muppet Movie (which was SO CUTE!) Caleb is really into the Chipmunks (almost as much as angry birds!) So imagine his surprise when he saw these guys as we were walking out! Good thing I had the camera!

Yes friends, we will be taking him to see the third Chipmunks movie! He is so excited...especially since we bought him the Chipmunks Christmas CD!

GMA D also bought him all of the little Beanie Baby chipmunks and he makes me play with him...he always gives me Britney and he's Alvin! He gets some really good dialogue going! Silly Kiddo!!

We had a great time with Nana and Poppa! Caleb LOVES when he gets visitors and i'm sure they were TIRED after they left our boy! We are excited for Christmas!!!!!!

A Little TTTT...Thomas the Train Tent!!

2011-11-13T15:37:00.000-08:00

I don't remember if I've ever shown y'all the Thomas Tent...this is another nod to how completely spoiled my son is! Caleb's babysitter, Janet, gave this to him a few months ago! We keep it in his closet because there just isn't room for it to be out all of the time...(can we say we need a playroom...STAT!) Anyway, Caleb decided that he wanted to get it out to play in today and needed a buddy to play with him. Of course, Adam was just hanging out in Caleb's room while Caleb was in the tent...then Adam ended up in the tent! I thought I would get a few pics of how fun they were having! I, then, was invited to sit inside the Thomas Tent, which then turned into a little movie tent for Caleb! Right at this moment he is laying back in his tent watching Curious George on his DVD player! I told Caleb he had attention issues and he said back to me "I don't have issues!" He's growing up too fast!

Caleb showing me how to drive the train...because you can't see, he is rolling his arms!

He's explaining something to me here...he wanted me to get the coal!

Doesn't that just look comfy?? I was asked to stay, but really there isn't enough room! He also has his Thomas the Train pillowcase/blanket in there with him...I'm glad he still loves that train!

Apple Pies...Black Eyes...Halloween...Birthday...

2011-11-05T19:27:00.000-07:00

Okay...I SHOULD be grading papers right now but i decided that I probably need to update the blog. So here it goes...it has been a busy past couple of weeks! Let's start from the beginning!! Adam decided to try his luck on pie making!! He started with apple and boy oh boy have they been DELICIOUS!! We just can't get enough! I had to include pics just because he gets a little more creative each week! Adam's Doctoral Thesis is due the day before Thanksgiving so this helps a bit with the stress!!

First attempt...GOOD!

Second attempt...BETTER!

A delicious side view!!

Third attempt...BEST!!! I think Adam has a new talent!!!

Taking more after his mom lately, Caleb bruised his face AGAIN...it seems that he was walking in front of a little boy on a swing at the babysitter's house wasn't looking where he was going and got kicked in the face! I am trying to remember how many times I either fell on my face OR got hit in the face with a tetherball...if Caleb is anything like me, there will be a lot more bruises and scrapes (good thing he doesn't wear glasses...yet)!!

Pre Halloween...as we were trying to figure out what Caleb should be for Halloween, we pulled the Thomas costume out and that's what Caleb wore for a while...we are still working on the looking at the camera thing!

Fast Forward to Halloween...GMA and GPA D came down for a visit! We had a lot of fun having them here as always. Caleb really wanted to be a Yellow Angry Bird for Halloween...we tried looking for a costume for him online, but everywhere was sold out and what wasn't was SUPER expensive!! So, I had Caleb give his Grandma a call and ask her if she would make a costume for him...SUCCESS!! The costume turned out SO CUTE!!!!! Caleb was so excited and put it on for the rest of the night when GMA got here! On top of that, GMA brought Caleb his own Yellow Angry Bird toy AND spoiled him more than they should have!!!
We were all set to do Trunk or Treat on the Saturday before, but Caleb woke up from his nap with a fever!! He head no desire to put his costume on and go (I think i was more depressed about not going than anyone else!) So we decided to have him come to my class on Monday and bring some cookies (thanks again GMA) for my kiddos! I guess again, Caleb took after his momma because my mom brought him in telling me how incredibly stubborn my boy is! She had to bribe him to even put his costume on!!! He got a little overwhelmed with the fast paced school life and was a little whiney so he came and sat with me while the class was getting ready to go home! He told me he wanted his milk and wanted to lay down (which he always does when he drinks his milk...i know, right?!?) plopped right down on the floor in the middle of my class/classroom and drank his milk!!! I was dying!!!!! My class thought that Caleb coming in and homemade cookies were the BEST!! Thanks again mom for putting up with mini me (more in personality than looks!) We get better with age!!!

Ummm this just doesn't do the costume justice!! I will get Caleb in it and see if we can get cuter pics soon!!!

GMA also carved an angry bird pumpkin too...my goodness Caleb has his new thing to be OCD about!

Because GPA has to wear a hat, Caleb likes to take and wear the ones he brings! GPA gave Caleb his BYU hat to have...ummmm...this is a fitted hat...is it weird that my dad and Caleb have the same head size??

Happy 31st ADAM!!! Caleb helped Ad blow out his birthday candles on his birthday cobbler this year! I think Adam was expecting cupcakes!!

What can I say about this guy?? Smart, Handsome, Funny, Great Father/Husband, Hardworker, my BESTIE!!! Adam has had a lot on his plate these past few years being in Grad school and it will finally be done here in the next couple of weeks! I am so proud of all that Ad has accomplished and all that he will accomplish after all of this is done! Caleb and I love him SO MUCH! I truly hope his birthday wishes come true this year!! Love ya babe!!

Gotta LOVE birthday cobbler folks!!!

A quick jammie pic with GMA and GPA...Caleb LOVED having people over for a few days! My Uncle Dan and my cousin Chas were also here for a day...Caleb absolutely LOVED Chas! He wanted to know what "the guys" were always doing...he also kept climbing on Chas and would ask him for little smooches! I don't think Chas knew what to do about that one!!! SO FUNNY!!

AWWW this was a good one! We also had the yellow angry bird! Caleb's Christmas List keeps getting longer now that he loves Angry Birds!!!!

I found Caleb a cute little backpack at a peddler show I went to with my mom...He loves it and asks to wear it when we go out!
This will make a great preschool bag, and it already looks like he's ready to go! TEAR!!!

He kind of looks like the monkey on his shirt!

Okay friends and family...two hours later and I'm done! Maybe I should post more often!!!! ENJOY!!!

Oktoberfest 2011

2011-10-09T10:47:00.001-07:00

AWWW Oktoberfest! We decided to embark on a small weekend adventure and get the heck out of Houston for a bit! Since we LOVED Fredricksburg the last time we were there, we thought we should take a trip back! Oktoberfest sounded like something fun to do! The weather was PERFECT and the scenery was BEAUTIFUL! Fredricksburg is located about 45 miles west of Austin in the Texas Hill Country! Definitely a must if you ever plan to visit! We had to stay in a town outside of Fredricksburg called Kerrville which was interesting in itself! We had a great time being together as a family and exploring this great state called Texas!!

This is the closest I will ever come to holding a beer in my hand!! and the closest Caleb will ever come to wearing a dress!!!

For not being alcohol drinkers, it's hard not to start your own Beer Stein collection...those things are SO COOL!
i guess if we really wanted to though, we could! Adam liked this one!

This picture speaks for itself...imagine the sounds: OMMPA! OMMPA! OMMPA! and that's what we are hearing here!!
The funnest part about the festival was to see what people were wearing! i tried to find Caleb some Liederhosen, but there wasn't anything his size!!!

They had a fun little kids fair at the festival. You had to buy tickets and then play the games, if you won, you would get a certain amount of tokens that you could claim for a prize a the end! Caleb loved this!

Pick a duck...a guaranteed token winner!!

Plinko...

A little wheel of fortune...

Wak-a-rat...you're supposed to throw the bean bags...Caleb just walked up and placed them in the holes (we didn't win any tokens at this game!)

This one was the Autoban...roll the truck and where it stops, you get a prize!

Caleb saw this and wouldn't stop asking if he could try...I saw the straps and kept asking him if he was sure and he said yes! So, here we are...this is the before...so happy, so brave!

About 15 seconds into the experience...the bungees were being raised and a look of uneasiness crosses Caleb's face...

Here we are about 30 seconds in...Dad helping him bounce a little bit...

At a minute he started yelling "I WANT TO GO HOME!" He was supposed to get 4 minutes, but that didn't work out!! At least we tried!!

$15 dollars later...Caleb emerges with his prize...a felt Cat in the Hat hat...this particular prize was 10 tokens and Caleb only had 8 (he really wanted that hat)...we had to go back and buy two more tickets so he could earn more tokens (of course the pick a duck got us the hat)! I don't think that Caleb is spoiled, do you?!? He didn't take that hat off the whole rest of the trip! That's what made it worthwhile!

WHAT?!? Who knew?!?

After the Fest and walking around the streets of Fredrickburg, we decided to grab some lunch at the ol' Auslander! Of course we had German food, since it was a German Festival!

We went back to Kerrville to relax a bit and then went out to explore...this is what we found...

REALLY TEXAS?!?

My trip was complete at this moment! I've always wanted to see Easter Island and Stonehenge...I didn't know they originated in Texas!

Another look at Stonehenge...we have no reason now to go and see the real one!!

We decided to try our luck at bowling and took Caleb for the first time! We had a lot of fun...we all got the use the bumper pads (but it didn't help our scores much as you will see down below!)

AWWWWWW!!! Before we got started!

Adam helping Caleb roll the ball down the lane!

I know right?!?

On our way home we decided to drive through Austin to see what all the hype was about surrounding this town! We drove through the city and had enough time to stop and take a gander at the capital building! It was quite the sight! We decided that we need to come back to Austin and spend a little more time! There is so much more to see and a lot of quirky shops/restaurants that we need to check out! From what I saw in the little time that we were there, I LOVED!! I could definitely live there!

Ground floor looking up...waaayyyyy up!

The House of Representatives

From the first balcony looking down...this represents the countries that occupied Texas before it became a state...quite a lot of history here!

The state senate...

Every door had a hinge that looked like this! I thought they were pretty neat!

A closer look into the dome...

Looking down from the third balcony...i've never had heights issues until this moment!
It is HIGH!!

There isn't a basement in the Alamo...but there is a basement in the Capital Building!! Pee Wee was searching the wrong place!

That's right...Caleb IS riding a cannon!! Pay attention to the little rally going on behind us!!

Now it's Dad's turn!!

A nice profile pic!

So you don't forget you're in Texas y'all!

This is truly a HUGE building...everything is bigger in Texas!!

Time to get this kid some new relaxation clothes...i don't think his highwaters/tiny tee are cutting it anymore!

Caleb showing me how he can make a star...or how quickly he can bust out of his clothes!! Don't worry though, he will still wear them today!!

Anywhere but the Chair...

2011-09-25T17:05:00.000-07:00

I think these pictures speak for themselves...this has been Caleb's new thing as of late! If we can't find him in our "small" apartment, he's usually laying on the stairs "taking a rest," OR eating his breakfast/dinner! I just thought I'd share the fun our son is having lately! What a silly boy!!

I am actually surprised that he hasn't rolled down yet! What Balance!!!

This one is for you Grandma!!! Your favorite pose!!

Aquarium!!

2011-09-06T19:21:00.001-07:00

Adam and I decided that we needed to do something fun for Caleb! We decided to take our boy to H-Town's Downtown Aquarium...it was quite the underwater adventure! Caleb really enjoyed looking at the fish, not the crocodiles (he ran past those...i wonder why?) He also had fun riding on the ferris wheel, merry-go-round, and the train that took us to the shark tanks! He found the one small tank that had the Nemo in it and spent most of his time there! We had a great family day! Stay tuned...Oktoberfest is coming up!!!

A little pre-aquarium photo ses...

Caleb was SUPER excited, but made time to give his mom some good smiles!

BEST POSE of the DAY!!! FINALLY!

We tried! There must've been something distracting him...maybe some fish?!?

SEAHORSES!! My favorite tank out of the whole aquarium...I could watch these guys for hours!!!

I was actually shocked that Caleb did this! I didn't have to force him like I usually do!

Adam thinking about a degree change!

You want a life changing experience?? Stare into the eyes of the white tiger...

Very spiritual!! Kitty! Kitty!

Why it's called the downtown aquarium...don't pay any attention to me...look behind!!!

Caleb on the ferris wheel...Classic Caleb pose!

These two aren't related!!! AWWWWWWWWWWW!!!

I couldn't stop staring at this guy...REALLY?!? He looks like he should be a character on Mario Brothers or something!

This guy needs no explanation!

Caleb looking a little Blue!

AWWWWW SNAP!!! Yes I DID!!!!

The Merry-go-Round...Adam and Caleb got to ride...I got to make sure no one fell off!

GAAAARRRRRRRR!! Captain Caleb!!

AH-MAH-ZING!!

2011-08-14T17:27:00.000-07:00

That's how i'm going to describe our three week jaunt to the Utah/Idaho regions of the United States!
Caleb and I flew up first (Ad came a week and a half later)...and stayed/played with GMA and GPA DeRoest in SLC! We had tons of fun...especially when my nephews Kooper and Maddox came up to play! I, of course, helped the economy a little bit and spent lots of time with my mommy (I love you mom!) And of course we had a great time with GPA D., Aunt Nikki, Uncle Mikie, Aunt Bailey, and Uncle Blake!! It was so refreshing to also get out of the blistering heat of Houston for a while and spend some time outside...WE MISS DRY WEATHER!!
We also took our annual trip within a trip and headed up to Bear Lake to see the rest of the extended fam! The lake was up SUPER high and was a little murky, but that didn't stop my boy from going in and standing in it...Caleb just likes to stand in the water...if i try to get him to swim it...he freaks out...Thanks swim lessons!
It was fun to watch all of the cousins play together...we also got to see and visit a bit with Grandma Great...i didn't get the camera out much...which i just now realized and am KICKING myself...Next time y'all...next time!!!
When then took a vacation in a vacation in a vacation and headed up to Stanley to see Ad's parents! Again, all we did was play, play, and play some more! I swear Caleb went to bed exhausted EVERY NIGHT! He got to see and play with his cousins McKinlee and Logan, we got to visit with family and ate some good grub! As always, we were super spoiled, and appreciate Nana for taking Caleb so that Adam and i could spend some time together!
There are still A LOT of pics that I had to glean through (I love that word glean), so this is what I have picked out...as always we had the HARDEST time coming home after spending time with our families...we miss and love y'all SO MUCH but are grateful that we were able to come and see ya! We'll be home soon!!
ENJOY our AH-MAH-ZING vaca!

WHAT! That's not Caleb! Hello Maddox! He and Caleb ran, and ran, and ran and ran! They had a lot of fun together this trip!

Loving Bear Lake...I swear he was one of the only kiddos that went out there!!

Uncle Mike and Caleb sharing some Jelly Belly's !!

T-R-O-U-B-L-E!! He's got that Mischievous look in his eye! Love this little monkey!!!!

Caleb and Logi...getting their Redfish Lake on...

Caleb falling in Redfish...remember...he just likes to stand!

The water was FREEZING, but that didn't stop the kids! What a fun day!

OH HAPPY DAY!! Caleb FINALLY decided that he could pee on the toilet! I am still in shock!

Yes, we took a picture of the potty...I wasn't sure if it would ever happen again!!!

PS...he still won't tell me when he needs to go potty...Caleb is definitely a STUBBORN work in progress!!! I still say he gets that from his DAD!!!

Adam, Jared and I took an epic 10 mile (round trip) hike to Marten/Kelly Lake...on the way back we even had Adam fill our water packs up with filtered water from a stream just like this one...WOW! just like the pioneers...no dysentery here!!

Jared & Stream...

Adam, Jenna & Stream...

Marten Lake...lets go to the other side...

Here we are...YIKES...what a view!!!

Kelly Lake a few more miles up the trail...we almost turned back, but Adam, our guide...urged us on! We are glad he did!

Jared owned that 10 miles...LIKE A BOSS!!!

Fishing at the fish hatchery...they have a family pond that is easy for the kiddos to fish...

The Crew...

A CATCH...we tried to get Caleb to touch it but he respectfully declined (or screamed and ran away...(sounds familiar!) I did too!

Logan AND McKinlee (or maybe it was Jared) scored some catches too!

Caleb didn't really want to fish...he thought throwing rocks was funner...

His dad slayed em though!

Feeding the fish at the ponds...Caleb was a little hesitant at first...(takes after his mom)...but got into it after about the third time we went to buy food!

HORDES OF FISH!!! YUMMY!!

Stanley Lake...classic pic from the kayak...we tried but failed to do a little fishing from the boat as well...we were too intimidating!!

Old Stanley toll road station from WAY back in the day!

Fire in the sky sunset...BEAUTIFUL!!!

A little view from the back yard...WHAT?!? Small postcard pic!

Hipster Caleb...

2011-07-08T15:37:00.001-07:00

Hipster - One who possesses tastes, social attitudes, and opinions deemed cool by the cool. (Note: it is no longer recommended that one use the term "cool"; a Hipster would instead say "deck.") The Hipster walks among the masses in daily life but is not a part of them and shuns or reduces to kitsch anything held dear by the mainstream.

Caleb has decided that he only wants to wear the fedora now...he never combs his hair, and is starting to chose outfit combos that don't follow your normal 3 year old wardrobe (or is it his mom who chooses to do this?) I'm waiting for him to ask for a scarf and thick rimmed glasses...he could pull those off though! Maybe I'm the hipster!!

I am going to start working 'deck' into our vocabulary...who wouldn't?!?

I'm thinking that Caleb is thinking that it is 'deck' to not go p p on the potty...just another reason why he could be a hipster...
diapers are the new undies!

WHATEVER...I'm over it...

Back Blog...Galveston...

2011-07-08T15:10:00.000-07:00

I think that this large trumpet sculpture was put here just for this purpose!

Jared's turn!

I don't know why Galveston has such an obsession with large things...maybe it's the cruise ships...there weren't any in the port today, otherwise you would've gotten a pic!
Chess anyone??

While Jared was down hanging out with us, we took him down to Galveston to have a good look at the ocean. It was definitely a much nicer day than the last time we came down (in the winter), and Caleb was so excited to play on the beach! We went to the Strand first and looked in some of the fun touristy shops, and then headed over to the beach...Galveston is only about 1.5 miles from the Strand (which is on one side) to the beachfront (which is on the other side) so it didn't take very long to drive! Of course the day was pretty hot and humid, so being able to put our feet in the water was nice! I look back on it now and am completely kicking myself for not bringing swimsuits...Caleb wore his, but the grownups didn't! It was totally our loss because the water was GREAT! People were looking at us like were were CRAZY! Caleb had a blast running in the water and jumping waves! A family even let him borrow some of their sand tools to build a little sand castle! We watched pelicans dive for fish (which was super interesting!) and I had a lot of fun people watching...Galveston is the place to go people watching!

That's the ocean y'all...the OCEAN!!!

Sea shell collecting!! We found some good ones!

1, 2, 3, AWWWWWWW! (Insert special brother quote here)

Getting ready to jump a HUGE wave!

RUN Caleb RUN!

After a yummy lunch, we took a drive down the coast a little more looking for some beach accesses (word?). On the drive, you run into these...
All of the houses that are down here look a lot like this...built on stilts! They are AWESOME!

I told Adam if we didn't have hurricanes and were guaranteed insurance, I would totally live here!!

Each house has its own personality and fun bright color...lots of purples, light blues, sea foam greens and yellow!

It's POTTY Time!

2011-06-28T15:49:00.000-07:00

AWESOME potty chart...notice there aren't any marks on it...CHECK!

big boy undies...CHECK!

potty watch...CHECK!

a reward...CHECK!

pull ups, just in case...CHECK!

For the past two days Caleb has sat on the potty every 30-60 minutes...i don't think a single drop of pee has even landed in the toilet...I'm pretty upset with all of those websites that told me my kid would be potty trained within a few days! LIARS!!! I guess your kid also has to show an interest...

I'm really keeping my fingers crossed that tomorrow shows a little more promise...or pee pee...not in Caleb's pants!

Here we GATOR again!!!

2011-06-11T18:12:00.000-07:00

DANG! That is a creative title!! I told ya we'd have more to blog about soon!! Adam's brother, Jared, is here for a little visit! It took Caleb about 60 seconds to warm up to him and since then he has been ALL OVER HIM!! Caleb gets SO excited when he gets visitors!!! Jared hasn't spent a lot of time here in Houston so of course the first stop on our list (other than like 50 delicious restaurants), was the gator park! YES it was super hot today...we were certainly glowing! BUT we saw some great wildlife...per the ranger...Alligators are very docile creatures, unless you throw sticks at them! Adam kept his eye out for any poisonous snakes (he didn't wear his running shoes today though...WINK) And Caleb just enjoyed the ride! Enjoy our day!!

GATORS!!!
It's definitely hard NOT to throw a stick at!!!

A little view from the ground while Adam, Caleb and Jared climbed to the top of the observatory!

The boys at the top...

It's pretty high up!

This fella was hanging out right next to the pier that you can walk out onto...
Almost doesn't look real...right?!?

One of the biggest gators we saw today...I am always reminded of Joe Dirt...
Rule #1 I'm number one
Rule #2 Gator's number two...wassup!

We are in a major drought here in Texas and the swamp was gooier than usual this visit! The only difference was the lily pads...they were EVERYWHERE and the yellow flowers were gorgeous!

EVERYWHERE!

On to the visitors center...

Not quite sure if this raccoon is real...

AWWW it's not!

More fun in the visitors center!

Caleb petting the baby alligator...Jared got a cute video on his phone that we'll try TRY to post later!

WE FINALLY SAW

ARMADILLOS!!!!

I have lived in Texas for about 4 years now and the only armadillos I have EVER seen were dead on the road...these fellas must've heard we were coming!! This has completed my Texas Bucket List! I have been looking out for armadillos since we moved here...i am now completely obsessed!!!! You don't want to know how many pics we took of the three amigos here!!
ARMADILLOS!!!!

PS the only reason we even caught them was because Adam had just spotted a snake crossing the road...we were in the car so don't worry...Adam wouldn't get out of the car though!

It's about time...FOR SOME ICE CREAM!!!

2011-06-05T16:16:00.000-07:00

Okay Okay...yes, it's been quite a while since I've updated the ol' blog. There really is no excuse other than pure laziness on my part AND we haven't been in a photogenic mood!
Here's our mini update...
I have finished off another school year here in Texas...it's hard to believe that this is my 4th year teaching in Texas and I'm going into my 8th year of teaching total! WOW time sure flies! I had a great year with a wonderful bunch of kiddos...sending them on to 3rd grade was tougher than I thought...Adam told me to try to keep it together on my last day, but it didn't work out that way!! I don't know why I even wore makeup...the tears were FLOWING!
Adam is still going strong on his Doctorate...he just sent in another paper to get published and we're hoping to hear back soon on whether it has been accepted or not. If all goes right he should be done by December...fingers crossed!!!
Caleb is still Caleb! He is looking forward to starting swimming lessons, potty training (fingers crossed again!), and our summer vacation!! We have a busy next couple of months with lots of family coming to visit, and us going to visit them! We should have a lot more to blog about soon!

Caleb has developed quite the sweet tooth...no thanks to his mother! I thought it would never happen! He has been loving ice cream for a while now and we decided to give him a little treat after his dinner tonight! He is totally rocking the Justin Bieber look...even though he needs a little trim, i am loving the hair right now! Just the right amount of curl that doesn't make it too shaggy!!! That's just me though!

Caleb has a problem with his hands being dirty...he didn't like that there was some sticky ice cream on them today...i can't wait to get him to Bear Lake in the sand!

Ice Cream beard and mustache...

Riding the Easter Train...

2011-04-24T17:56:00.000-07:00

I am always on the look out for CUTE boys' clothes for Caleb because they are all so *YAWN* boring! Old Navy gets my fun clothes prize this season with their short/tops combos that were totally cute! Of course I spent more than I should for my boy, but he needed a little pick up in his wardrobe!! I FELL IN LOVE with this outfit!

We decided that for our Easter Holiday we would take a little stay-cation. We were planning to travel up to Austin/Fredricksburg, but decided to stay home since Caleb had been sick, we weren't sure if I was going to have a job next year (I do, so it's fine now...drama that you don't need to hear about!) etc. There is a show that we watch here on our local PBS station called Texas Daytripper (I might've mentioned it before) but we LOVE it! A guy just takes daytrips (hence the name) around Texas spotlighting all of the fun small towns and the neat things you can do! We decided to do our own daytrip to ol' Rosenberg Texas...a small town about oh twenty miles south of where we live. They have a train museum that I have wanted to take Caleb to for a while now...it was a BLAST! We took tons of pics, so I filtered them out to the ones y'all will see here in a bit! We also did a little bit of antique/boutique shopping where when you walk in the stores, people are working on puzzles and they're offering you their homemade cookies! They also say "Have a Blessed Day!" Small town Texans are SO NICE!! It makes you feel all cozy inside! We had a GREAT day and a HAPPY Easter! We hope y'all did too!! ENJOY!

Starting inside the museum...Caleb getting to learn how to drive a train!

Who'd a thunk it...a train coming by on the tracks while we were in the train museum?? Caleb was in H-E-A-V-E-N!!!!

Caleb claims that this is Toby's bell...for those of you who are in the know...Toby is the SQUARE train from Thomas...

CABOOSE!!!

The worries of the Caboose Driver!
This was actually really cool...there was a stove, sink, shower and an ice box, along with the bed and desk! I never knew how interesting trains could be!

Taking a few minutes to relax

Keeping on the lookout for all of those trains!

This is up in a tower...Caleb is running the tracks, with a little help!

Making an important call to make sure the trains are being useful!
Sir Toppham Hat would be proud!

That plastic food looks DELICIOUS as Caleb would say!

The dining room at the end of the car

Where you would sleep back in the day if you were taking a ride!

The haunted hallway...not really, but it looks like it could be!

Taking a ride in the exquisite dining/sleeping car...is that a GHOST in the mirror??

One of the Electric Train set ups...

Caleb taking a drive in the old fire truck...

Another pic of the fire truck with our tour guide...Morgan Freeman...

Conductor Caleb...in training!

Conductor Caleb...meet Conductor Dad!

We went to a yummy lunch at the Another Time Soda Fountain just right across the street from the museum...it is the BEST if you are in the mood for some yummy Texas comfort food along with some ice cream treats!!
You're Welcome Rosenberg!!!

Later that night...another adventure!!

Coloring the eggs...I think our counter was more colorful than the eggs!!

What the Easter Bunny brought!!

EGGS!!!

Cowboy PJ's!!

We thought it would be super cute to add a real hat and his stick horse...

Yep, It IS!!

Good thing we live in Texas...Caleb fits right in!!

More Birthday, Black Eye, etc.

2011-03-27T11:04:00.000-07:00

We, as always, have been having tons of fun in the month of March! After we celebrated Caleb's birthday, my parents came down for my Spring Break and we had another small celebration...Thomas the Train Style! I still had to go to Party City and get all of the fun Thomas party favor things for him! I also got to make his birthday cake! This is one of my new favorite things to do! My mom always made each of us a special birthday cake and I'm glad I can continue the tradition (even though Caleb doesn't really eat it at all!) Maybe someday, Caleb will decide he likes it!!
We did some organizing, switched Caleb into his "big boy bed" (will post pics later) and of course my momma and i went SHOPPING!! I LOVE to SHOP! and I LOVE to SHOP even more when my momma is here!!! I won't bore you with my purchases, although we did do a fashion show when we got home!!! FUN TIMES!!!!!!!

A cute family photo op!!

Awww...I thought the conductor hats would be a nice touch...I was right!!!

THE CAKE!! YUM!!!

Caleb wanted to blow out his candle a few times (I think by the end, he made three wishes and got some singed eyebrows...the last time he got a little too close!)

Notice Caleb has an ice cream cone here...he maybe took one small bite of cake...that's alright though...MORE FOR ME!!!!!!

in an attempt to get Caleb a little more interested in sports, my parents bought Caleb a B-Ball hoop for his birthday! They also got him a Lakers T-shirt which Caleb doesn't associate with basketball...he calls it Grandpa's Shirt...hmmm I wonder why? Maybe it's my dad's sick obsession with the Lakers?!?

Caleb also scored a haircut for his birthday! I wonder what was more traumatic...me trying to get him to eat cake, OR Grandma giving him a haircut?

By the looks of things...the haircut wins!

I thought I would tell you the short version of Caleb's black eye through song.
This goes to the tune of the Brady Bunch Theme song...

Here's a story,
of a boy named Caleb,
Who was spinning at his babysitter's house,
He lost balance and,
fell into the entertainment center,
That's the way he gave himself a huge black eye!
A huge black eye,
A huge black eye,
That's the way Ca-leb got a huge black eye!!!

Friday when we got home!

This is today after church...his eye is pretty much open all of the way! Less swollen, more colorful!

Luckily he didn't split anything open and being the incredibly brave boy that he is...recovered instantly and hasn't made one complaint! It must look worse than it feels!! I say it was bound to happen sooner or later!

Caleb Is...

2011-03-07T18:48:00.000-08:00

Today our baby boy became more of a boy than a baby!! Our munchkin is 3!!!!!!!

Here are a few things you should know about our 3 year old...
1. His obsession has now become TRAINS...Dinosaur Train, Thomas the Train if it's a train, he wants it!!!
2. He is quite the pro at the Alphabet and Counting (although once he gets to 15, it's a little down hill from there!)
3. He is still a huge MILK-O-HOLIC...MILK-A-WHAT?????
4. He loves to climb, jump, run, slide, fall, and claims that everything is broken!
5. He is also very polite and is very good at saying please and thank you! I get a "thanks mom" even if he has to go to the time out chair!
6. He always has a smile on his face! He claims that every day is a "great day" and lets me know when he is "so happy!"
7. He is still a snuggle bug (I LOVE IT!!!!!!!)
8. He is very easy going and laid back...
9. Which brings us to BLANKIES and BED...this kiddo loves his nap time!!! Most of the corners are worn out on his blankies and he won't go anywhere without one!!! (that's my fault!)
10. He is just the best little boy EVER! Adam and I are so blessed to have such an easy little munchkin in our home!! We can't wait until Caleb gets to be a big brother...he will be so great to any future siblings!!!!! I still can't believe that he is 3...we have a lot to work on this year...it'll be a GREAT ONE!!!!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY SON...YOUR MOMMY AND DADDY LOVE YOU FOREVER!!!!!!!

He blew the candle out, made a wish and then asked to do it again! He didn't eat the cupcake!! You probably guessed that!
Of course, we had Spring Creek for Birthday Dinner...don't want to ruin that full BBQ feeling!!

Cupcakes for the babysitter's...Janet threw him a little birthday party today with all of Caleb's little friends! It was so sweet of her to do that for him!

Janet also let me borrow this Birthday Elmo...Caleb absolutely LOVED it!!!

We had him set up when Caleb got up this morning...what a birthday surprise!!

What can I say...he's a handsome boy!!!

Caleb was PUMPED about his balloons! We actually could've kept this his only gift and he would've been completely satisfied! He loves balloons!

Of course we are continuing to add to the Thomas Train collection! We have some more trains to get!

My parents are coming into town this weekend and we'll do another small birthday party for him with a real birthday cake this time!!

To Be Continued....

30 and Thriving!!!

2011-02-27T14:42:00.001-08:00

No...this isn't me turning 30...I have snuck in a few Caleb bits as well!!! ENJOY!!

Here is Caleb making good use of my Christmas present! Ad got me a Nook Color for Christmas ( I LOVE IT!) and you can download childrens' books to it. They actually read it to the kiddos! Well Caleb has figured out how the Nook or "Mom's Dook" as he likes to call it, works. He can turn it on, finds the story that he wants to hear and listens (or I will read to him!) This is the only way I can get him to settle down to listen to a story!

He's got a few favorites that we've heard a million times!

Turning the pages! What a smartie!!

Well...it's finally happened...I'M 30 YEARS OLD!!! I can't believe that I made it to this milestone of a birthday! As I reminisce on the past thirty years, it has been filled with the BEST of times and the BEST of people! I am so grateful for all that I have accomplished...especially being a wife and mother...I never knew that my heart could be so full of love for my husband and my son! They have been such a blessing and I thank Heavenly Father everyday that I have the opportunity of having an eternal family! I am definitely looking forward to the years to come and all of the GREAT times!!!
I would continue on with my wellness stats (like I do with Caleb) but don't really want to embarrass myself! Lets just say, i'm thankful for my health and for my treadmill!!

Our traditional birthday treat...CUPCAKES!!!! Gotta love Ohh La La!! We indulged on the Margaritaville (the green) one after a lovely dinner at Roccos...the BEST Italian restaurant!

As tradition, I took a Mardi Gras King Cake to share with my kiddos at school! It's like a GIANT cinnamon roll...quite delicious...

WATCH OUT! so that baby wasn't edible?

My first homemade birthday gift from my son!!

a one of a kind bracelet from Adam...he got it from a little unique jewelry shop downtown that I have always wanted to drop in to! What a thoughtful hubby I have!!
Isn't it SUPER fun?!?

Caleb usually has a little Thomas time after he gets up from his nap. This is what we see when Thomas is on! I just love how he sits and watches!

We call this...the Thomas Trance!

Stay tuned...Caleb turns 3 a week from tomorrow...I know, right?!?

FINALLY!!

2011-02-06T17:42:00.000-08:00

I know...I know...it's been three weeks (wasn't that the common saying at Ricks?) Fellow alumni...back me up! Anyway, yes, it has been a while since I last posted. We have been doing some fun and exciting things (like forgetting to take the camera to Galveston) which WAS a fun day trip...my parents can attest to that one, but of course, no camera! We will have to remember that the next time we take a trip down so that Caleb can see the ocean for the second time! We are also starting training (mostly Caleb and myself...I do most of the running, Caleb just enjoys the ride or watches Thomas the Train!) for the SLC 1/2 marathon in April which is fun and exciting! (I LOVE this time of year!)
Since we don't have extremely horrible winter weather here in Houston, we decided that it would be nice to take Caleb to the zoo again...I know, right?? The ZOO in January...in Houston, it can be done! We did have some silly moments as we went on our little adventure...the animals were all asleep this morning but it didn't stop Caleb from covering his ears as we walked up to the Lion's Den...this is all we found!

So the zoo opened new African exhibit that included a HUGE Chimpanzee habitat...we found a clear spot by one of the windows and were looking at a few of the monkeys when this guy strolled around the corner. He completely FREAKED Caleb out and he yelled a little bit and took some steps back!

As you can see that the monkey just sat there and watched us for a while!

Some Rhinoceros were also added to the new exhibit!

The Merry Go Round...need I say more!

Caleb had so much fun he kind of threw a small fit as we were leaving...I did too! It IS fun!

This little guy was just holding onto the side of the cage...it's sad and cute all mixed together!

RED PANDA! This guy is the BEST part of the zoo!

Here are just a few updated pics of our boy!

He's getting ready to go to a business meeting! He has some decisions to make on how to make the trains on Sodor "really useful!"

Holiday Break in the Heart of Texas!

2011-01-09T17:10:00.000-08:00

We decided to stay home in ol Texas for Christmas this year...we missed our families, but really had a relaxing time being together with our little family! We started off Christmas Eve with a yummy dinner of Broccoli Soup in bread bowls, watched The Nativity Story and then it was Jammie Time!

A little Jammie Time Caleb pose!

Our attempt at a family jammie pic!

Santa Claus came to town...and boy was Caleb EXCITED on Christmas morning!

Neko joining in on our families festivities...he looks stoked!

Our little Colson Christmas!
P.S. YES the window is open behind the tree...it was NOT COLD AT ALL for Christmas and it was nice to have a little fresh air breeze blowing through the apartment!
It's pretty sad when I get adam a totally cute sweater for Christmas and he can't even wear it because it's still 70 degrees outside! TRUE but SAD STORY!

This was one of my favorite gifts from Santa! I think it explains Caleb to a T!!

Chirstmas Morning:

All Caleb kept saying is "Open it!" He wanted everything out and ready to play with! One of Caleb's New Year's Resolutions this year (along with talking in complete sentences and getting potty trained) is learning a little patience!

Caleb scored some awesome gifts from Santa, GMA and GPA and Nana and Papa...he is truly a spoiled boy!!
Ad and I spoiled each other as well!!! All I can say is NookColor!! Caleb and I have had a lot of fun reading stories together on it! Adam was really excited about his Star Wars presents and was equally excited when Caleb recognized and said Chewbacca!
The Padawan IS learning from the Jedi Master!

Open It!

Open It!

Now the playing begins!

Another score from Santa...i love outfit shots!

Caleb does not!

Adam's folks came down to visit us for the holidays...we took a mini vacation to San Antonio to see the lights on the riverwalk. We stayed the night and then woke up the next morning and drove to a German town called Fredricksburg which is between San Antonio and Austin...we ate some German food, walked through the fun shops and enjoyed the scenery through the hill country. It's really a sight to see if you've never been! We're hoping to spend a little more time in Austin soon...have I mentioned how much I like Austin? It is a really fun city!

No trip to San Antonio is complete without a visit to the Alamo...if you were questioning it before I will say it again...there is no basement in the Alamo. It is very different from Pee Wee's experience he had in Pee Wee's Big Adventure! I was hoping that Jan Hooks would be there to give us a tour ("repeat after me...Adobe...Adobe")...alas, she wasn't...this is for those of you in the know!

Caleb looking into a cannon...

"Hello in there!" were his exact words!

We had a lot of fun with Ad's parents! They gave us a lot of breaks, and gave us a chance to get out and see some movies! Caleb was on a constant high the entire time they were here! He definitely LOVES when we get visitors!!

We ate at a fun restaurant on the Riverwalk called Dick's...everyone that works there is supposed to be mean and sarcastic...it was kind of fun! By the end of your meal, they give you these hats with some saying on them...

It's funny cuz it's true!! PSYCHE!

A shot of the lights on the riverwalk!

I wish we had gotten some pics from Fredricksburg, but I left the camera in the car! I was totally bummed!!! It was a really cute town!

So Adam and I volunteered to go to an activity with the youth from our church...we were almost there, stopped at the light when we were rear ended. The gal hit us pretty hard...thankfully no one was hurt, except the Subaru! We were really excited to go too!!

Of course nothing happened to the gals car that hit us! She was in a jeep wrangler with the huge steel grate (i'm not sure if that's right!) on he front.

We will be in the rental for the next 2 weeks!

She said that she spilt coffee on herself, but I really didn't see any coffee stains on her clothes...again...we are grateful that no one was hurt and that her insurance is covering everything!

The Good Humor Ice Cream Man waiting for a ride to church...

Church starts at 9...it's an early morning!

We had a REALLY GREAT Holiday and hope that y'all did too! Here's to a safe and happy New Year!!!!

FINALLY...Family Pics!!

2010-12-20T15:42:00.000-08:00

I have always wanted us to get some family pics taken outside...we usually have Bailey take them whenever we see her and she does such a wonderful job...the only problem is...WE NEVER SEE HER!!! AND I didn't want to pay an arm and a leg down here in Texas, SO I noticed that one of the daughters of a lady in our ward took pics and I asked if she would take some of us! She agreed and this is the end result! Mind you it was extremely windy outside and Caleb was coming off of a 45 minute nap and wasn't very cooperative! I told our photographer that we only needed one family pic and one of caleb...that was IT! We actually got a few, so it all worked out!! These were taken in our Old Town Katy...it was a lot of fun!

This is what it was like! I was surprised that we even got some that worked!

FINALLY! A smile!

This was pretty much what we had to do the entire time to get Caleb to work with us! What a workout!!!

This is why we take a nap!

2010-12-12T19:00:00.000-08:00

We had quite the eventful weekend as we have been counting down the days to our holiday break (i am totally not bragging, but I am READY for the 2 1/2 weeks that I get off!!) This school year has gone by SO FAST and it is already hard to believe that we only have 18 weeks left of the school year!

Adam started our Saturday off with a yummy breakfast of beignets...he picked up the mix from Cafe Du Monde in New Orleans when he was there last weekend...I of course, have not been to New Orleans, but Ad and I would like to go (and hopefully will) soon! My momma used to make these for us all of the time (she's been to New Orleans a few times herself!) What YUMMY memories!

ANYWAY, we decided that it would be fun to go and get pics taken with santa...for those of you who know my boy well, you know that he is fearless when it comes to some things and a scaredy cat when it comes to others. Santa is something he is a little scared of! Now I want to start this off by saying that it was probably my fault that he threw the small fit...I gave him one of his trains that I found in my purse and he is so OCD or one track minded, the trains were his focus for the moment and he didn't want anything to do with seeing Santa...
BTW...I asked Santa for a My Little Pony which he gladly said he would see what he could do!!

Later Saturday afternoon, we actually went to get some family pics taken...when I get them, I'll post! I had everything planned out that after we got home from seeing Santa, that Caleb would go down for a nap and then wake refreshed for pics...
Of course, he didn't go to sleep until after 2 and we had to get ready and gone by 4 and so for a boy who usually takes a 3 hour nap, the 45 minutes just didn't do it for him! I'll just say that I have never taken pics so quickly in my life!! We just need one good one!!!

Our story continues today...church usually starts at 1 and I like to put Caleb down for a little cat nap in the morning which of course, he didn't nap this morning either so Ad and I prepared ourselves for an exciting day!
Caleb actually did fine at church announcing during sacrament that the bread was "DELICIOUS!" and had a great time during nursery...

It was cool enough outside that I got to put him in my favorite sweater!! It still fits from last year and I just LOVE it on him!
Fast forward to this afternoon after church and...

BAM!!! Caleb when you read this you should know that you NEVER fall asleep like this! EVER!! Adam and I were giggling at this pic because Caleb's head looks huge compared to adam's!! My sweet boy actually fell asleep while he was eating dinner, so Ad took him for a snuggle!

He was SO asleep we could talk and laugh and he didn't even budge!

I only let him sleep for 30 minutes then being the mean mom that I am, woke him up, made him take a shower and then put him in his real bed!

So Caleb, this is why we take a nap!!

Lazy Days!

2010-12-05T18:09:00.000-08:00

WOW!! I feel like I haven't posted in a while!! And it's true! We really haven't taken pictures of ANYTHING lately...so I thought that I would take a few random pics of our boy while I updated y'all on what we've been doing!

Really after my parents came to visit and Adam's birthday, it's been the same ol' busy routine! Ad and I have been working hard and Caleb has been playing hard! After Ad's birthday, him and I got sick with a small case of the flu (thank heavens Caleb didn't get this one!) Then we went to one of my students' birthday parties at a place called Pump it Up! It's a place where they have all of those blow up toys that you can jump and slide on! Caleb had SO MUCH FUN!! and of course, I didn't bring my camera! He would climb to the top of the biggest slides and come down on his own! They have free jump times during the week for 2-5 year olds, and I am planning to take him back on our Holiday break!

For Thanksgiving we were invited to Adam's Rice Advisor's house. We have been over to their house many times throughout the years since we've been here in Texas and they have been so good to us! Dr. Whitmire (Ad's advisor) cooked Thanksgiving dinner for us and we had a wonderful time playing games and just having fun! Again, I don't know who had more fun, Dr. Whitmire or Caleb...they had fun playing trains together!!! Again, camera was left at home!! WHAT?!?

In the meantime we all got sick again with the cough/nose congestion. I lost my voice a week or two ago. Ad went to New Orleans for Rice Recruiting on Friday/Saturday and lost his voice there! It's funny hearing him talk in a whisper! Other than that, we cleaned our carpets (AWESOME), got our little Christmas set up and made our living room less of a Caleb toy box! We are going to be spending Christmas here in Texas this year and I will try to post more soon!! Enjoy the pics of our growning boy!!

Caleb and I decided to watch the classic Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer...he was enjoying it until we got to the Abominable Snowman part..I've never seen Caleb run so fast to his room!!
Every time the "Monster" (caleb's words) showed up, he would cover his ears and run to his room!

I finally got him to look at the camera for a second! It was awesome!

Watching Rudolph...

Watching the camera!!!

Caleb telling me how he's feeling about the show...I believe he said "adawaya" if any of you know what that means, I would LOVE to know!

A little bit of our Christmas! We took off the lights that were originally on this tree and got some new ones! I wanted to red and white for a nice candy cane effect!

Caleb and I getting ready for church! I bought him this blazer from Crazy 8 (like 2 months ago) and it was finally cool enough outside for him to wear it today! We still ended up taking it off halfway through church!!!

Looks like a mini car salesman...

Have a FABULOUS week!!!!

ZOO BOO and Ad's Dirty 30!

2010-11-08T10:51:00.000-08:00

My parents came to visit last weekend and because it was on Halloween weekend, we wanted to do some fun Halloween things! The first thing we did was get up on Saturday morning and go to ZOO BOO! We love going to zoo boo because all of the kiddos dress up in their costumes. You also get to do a little trick or treating! Going to the zoo first thing in the morning was perfect because all of the animals were out...they also decorate the zoo which is cute and fun! We had a great day!

ZOO BOO!

Caleb wouldn't wear his Thomas costume, so we found him some train conductor overalls and he wore his hat...he actually didn't love his overalls at first either, but he got used to them!

A cute pic with GMA...with a giant candy corn in the background!

One of the fun activities the kiddos get to do at zoo boo! They also have costume parades, music, pumpkin decorating...TONS of fun things!

We were glad to be out first thing in the morning because the cats were out! We first saw the tigers...

We then went to see the lions...this guy was out and ROARING! It was awesome! Caleb of course didn't love it...he started crying when he heard the lion making noise!

The leopards were out playing and making noise...Caleb of course cried again!

Another cute kitty!

A shot of some trick or treating! Caleb really isn't a candy kiddo...so he ate like one lollipop and the rest was thrown away!

A few more of our favorite animals at the zoo...this guy is mine...the spectacled bear!

A brand new baby elephant with momma...

Sweet baby!

The red panda was the last animal on our zoo trip...so CUTE!!

On to Adam's birthday!! Adam turned 30 on November 1st...I wanted to make it really memorable for him so I surprised him with tickets to go and see Shrek the Musical! We absolutely LOVED it! We then got to go out to dinner! Thanks to my mom and dad for watching Caleb so that Ad and I could spend time together!

The Key Lime Pie...with 30 candles...WOO HOO!

Look at all of that smoke!

Birthday boy with is pie!

Birthday Little Boy with the extra cupcakes! If you look closely there is more frosting on his hair and face than in his mouth! He kept shouting birthday cake looking at it and not eating it!!

No Adam birthday would be complete without a Star Wars present! This year, Ad scored the Darth Vader lamp!

Our play bill from Shrek!! Again...it was AWESOME!!!

Caleb went to his first birthday party on Saturday for a gal that he goes to Janet's with! She had it at the park and Caleb played and played with all of his buddies! He had so much FUN! The birthday theme was fairies and tutus, and he got a crown and a sword...of course he looks tired in this pic, but this was after all of the fun! It was definitely nap time here!!!

PS In the last few years, one of us has gotten sick on Ad's birthday! lucky for us we didn't get sick on Adam's birthday, but we got sick AFTER his birthday! Adam got hit with the flu saturday night, I was sunday night and we're praying it doesn't hit Caleb!!

Katy Rice Harvest Festival and Dewberry Farm

2010-10-18T18:56:00.000-07:00

We are finally getting out and enjoying Texas!! The weather has been very pleasant (still 80's, but not as much humidity) which makes staying outside for a long period of time bearable! Let me hit you with a little knowledge about Katy before you move on to the pics...Katy actually harvests rice (I know, right?) and because of this, they have an annual Rice Harvest Festival where they close down the old town and set up a ton of booths (crafts etc.) along with greasy food and a carnival! Since we haven't gotten to go to the Eastern Idaho State Fair (holla!) over the past few years, we thought that this was going to be as good as we were going to get! I probably would've spent a ton of money if I had a baby girl (all of the clothing booths were geared toward girls TOTALLY CUTE)...we bought a fun iron Texas star that had Ad's latest Alma Mater on it (Rice Owls) and something else (but it is a surprise for my momma's bday!) Soooo there isn't a lot of pics from this event as you will see, it was still fun though...people watching is so much fun!

Hitching a ride on the festival shuttle!

Adam was sitting behind us...Caleb is telling him Hi here!

Always a blankie boy...loves his "juice" too...you know it's not all juice right?!? Whose got two thumbs and is pretty sneaky...

I just like this picture...

Looks good right?!? I can practically taste the grease just by looking at this picture!!!

We also took Caleb to a cute little farm called Dewberry Farm to get some pumkins. I don't even know how to explain this place other than it is CRAZY! There is so much going on here it is hard to choose what to do! Plus, it was super busy...but we had a good time! Can I just say how IMPOSSIBLE it is to get my kiddo to look at the camera! I loved how all the other families had their kiddos dressed up in their fall attire and they were all so happily posing around the pumpkins...maybe putting Caleb in a Star Wars T-shirt wasn't the best idea...the force was too strong and pulling his attention elsewhere (i'm such a geek!)

We went here!!!

Rubber Duckie races...where's the duckie you ask? Being pumped with water down a PVC pipe cut in half! Caleb was trying to steal other rubber duckies that were being raced by other kiddos/adults...we got a few dirty looks!

Some smelly pigs...need i say more?

Our wagon ride to the pumpkin patch...just a few cute shots of our boy!

LOVE those droopy eyes!

A view of the pumpkin patch from the wagon...

Caleb...look at the camera!!

Caleb...PLEASE look at the camera?!?

Caleb...you look so cute holding that baby pumpkin...we'll buy it for you if you look at the camera!

Oh my goodness...a father/son pic...Caleb, look at the camera!
Adam, thanks for smiling for you and your son!
P.S. we bought the pumpkin...

i told you the force was strong with this one!! (Adam is so proud of me right now!)

Caleb leading us through the corn maze literally!

You know how we Colson's love those moon shots...with the corn it just seems like fall! Even though it really is supposed to be fall in Texas...it doesn't feel like it yet...more mid December! The moon is that white dot in the sky...just in case you were wondering where it is!

AWWW look Caleb...Mom knows how to look at the camera!

And we're still lost in the maze!

Just Give me Something to Blog About...

2010-10-03T18:20:00.000-07:00

How about Thomas the Train??
The obsession has switched from Elmo to trains...which has slowly developed into a Thomas the Train obsession. We have gone from generic to Dinosaur Train to Thomas the Train. Really if he sees a train then it's over! This blog is dedicated to Caleb's love of trains. A lot of exciting things have happened over the past couple of weeks based on trains so if you love trains or love Caleb...READ ON!!

Lets start with Halloween...Caleb chose the Thomas the Train costume for his Halloween costume this year. He won't wear the costume, but he will wear the conductor's hat, which he has been wearing for a while now! He looks so cute! I have a feeling that the Thomas costume isn't going to get a lot of wear and tear this year!

We also picked up this play mat at IKEA for Caleb to play with his trains on...he makes a cute little conductor right?!?

Trying to get this kid to look at the camera is impossible lately!!

The Train Table...
A gal that I work with was moving and mentioned that she had a train table that Caleb could have! Of course I said yes! She brought it over last week and Caleb was SO excited! he kept jumping up and down and saying YES!! he hasn't stopped playing with it since! We have set up his IKEA trains on it and have gotten a few Thomas trains that fit onto the IKEA tracks!! Of course Caleb isn't spoiled enough right?!? We just keep giving him more!

How fun is this?? It works perfectly in his room!

I guess when family comes to visit now, they'll have to sleep on the table!!

A little Thomas the train!

A Day Out with Thomas!!
Last week we decided last minute to bring Caleb out to spend the day with Thomas! When we asked Caleb if he wanted to go, he of course said YES and talked about it all week. He even asked his babysitter if she wanted to go!
We left yesterday morning and drove out to the small towns of Bertram/Burnett which are located north of Austin. We LOVED driving through Austin and are planning on going back soon to have more fun! We stayed in a little motel in Bertram, ate some bad BBQ, and rode on Thomas the Train!! We actually had a lot of fun and really enjoyed driving through Texas!

Thomas as the sun is rising!

Our view from Thomas...

A view from inside the coach...as the conductor came by to punch our tickets, Caleb said, "Good morning, Mr. the Conductor!" he learned that one from Dinosaur Train! It was too CUTE!

I really don't have a comment for this guy...unicycle and juggling...he was pretty creepy!

A few attempts at a family picture...

we should've thrown our camera to the guy on the unicycle!

another attempt at a Caleb picture...with EMILY!!

Caleb with Gordon...

Caleb's favorite part, other than riding on the train was being able to play with the trains that were set up on tracks.

He played here for a while and as other kiddos were starting to come and wanting to play too we tried to get him off to go and see other things...

The result of trying to get Caleb away from the trains...COMPLETE MELTDOWN!! Like throw yourself on the floor meltdown! He couldn't settle down from this, and even had some police officers tell us where the bathrooms are! (why would I take him to the bathroom?) I think it was a combo of not having a nap yesterday to the early morning to all the excitement that just caught up with him at the moment!

Even saying goodbye to Thomas was a little hard!

Caleb was asleep within five minutes of us leaving!! He had a busy weekend, and had a lot of FUN!!!
Thanks THOMAS!

Bubbles...Bubbles...

2010-09-12T16:44:00.000-07:00

Bubbles Bubbles on my nose,
Bubbles Bubbles on my toes,
Bubbles Bubbles in my hair,
Bubbles Bubbles EVERYWHERE!

I forget when we got this for Caleb, but I'm totally patting myself on the back for the Elmo bubble machine! He absolutely LOVES it...as you can tell! It's the best when he runs and gets it off of his dresser and then asks for the bubble juice!! We normally have to keep it up high when it's on, or Caleb will grab it and run getting the bubble juice everywhere! It's fun to watch him having so much fun!

Not much has been going on for us lately (just busy, busy busy and when not being busy we're lazy, lazy, lazy!), and i haven't been good at ALL at taking pictures! Adam was all about taking some cute pics of this fun time!! AWESOME!
We hope y'all have a GREAT week!!!

P.S. yes Caleb is once again NOT wearing pants...it is still really hot outside down here in the south so I feel he has a good excuse!! Don't make fun of him OR his parents for not dressing him properly!

Back 2 School and a little more...

2010-08-23T18:24:00.000-07:00

School started today...it didn't really feel like a first day! I think it's because I've already been back to work for a few weeks...the kiddos just fell into the routines so quickly which was fantastic and I feel that it's going to be a good year! I'm sure that I'll have a few stern moments, but what teacher doesn't! I am also the second grade team leader, which also means that I am going to be a lot busier this year! I decided to start off the year making some fun crafts (yeah, I said crafts) for the gals on my team! No, I don't do crafts all of the time and it was fun to do these for the girls!

I decided to make those fun clip boards that everyone has. I also made some flower pens with matching pots, and a board that we put outside our classrooms telling people where our class is at if we're not in the room.

A closer look at the pots and pens...

One of the clip boards...

These were so much fun to make! I just kind of winged it and this was the end result!

Oh yeah...I made the girls lanyards too...we always have to carry around our ID badges, keys, whistles etc. so I thought these would work! They're thin and can fit everything on them! I also only had to sew a straight line which was a bonus! (I'm definitely NOT a world class seamstress...a straight line was a stretch!)

When we were in Stanley, I found these fun postcards that would give advice from things in nature! I really liked the Advice from a Mountain card and felt that it applied to our team this year, so I bought all of the girls one and told them to put them in their classrooms!

A closer shot if you want to read it!

I has been SO HOT here in Houston! The humidity makes it feel so much worse so when we get home from wherever we are we all end up sitting around in as little as possible! For Caleb it's just been a diaper and a t-shirt. I put him down for a nap and went in to see if he was up and found a naked bum!
Caleb doesn't normally strip, but must've felt the need this day! He also loves to put his books on his bed to look at them...just his size!

Don't you just want to pinch that bum??

Adam and I also celebrated 7 years of marital bliss on the 15 of this month! We decided since we went on our big vacation, that that would be our big gift! We also bought each other some fun DVD's to add to our ever growing collection, the 1/2 doz assortment of cupcakes we LOVE, and Adam bought me flowers! I stole this pic from my brother's blog from Nikki's wedding! Adam and I can't believe it's been 7 years! It's only going to get better in all the years to come and we are truly best friends! Caleb has started to pick up on our term of endearment for each other and now calls Ad and I "Babe" when he wants to talk to us! We are so grateful for our little family and for one another! Here's to 7 years babe! Love ya!

Our Summer Vacation 2010!

2010-08-10T11:50:00.000-07:00

I know I haven't posted for about a month, but we've been on vacation! We have spent the last 3 weeks in Utah and Idaho visiting our families and having the BEST TIME! I will start from the beginning and take you through! We took so many pictures I had to sift through and find the ones that I thought chronicled our vacation the best so here it goes!

Caleb and I flew down first and went to Bear Lake with my family for our annual reunion. We had so much fun!!

Caleb and his cousins Baby Maddox (what Caleb always called him) and Kooper...we put on an Elmo why we were getting things unpacked! I love how Koop is loving on Caleb!

Caleb had so much fun playing with Koop a Doop! They got along really well...Caleb would follow him everywhere!

Caleb also LOVED Maddox! I think Maddox was always wondering who the big kid wanting to play was, but he had fun too!

Before we left for Utah, Caleb was in the grass in Texas for like 5 seconds before he got bit 7 times by some fire ants...I loved that he was able to really run and play in the grass at Bear Lake...is it sad to miss grass?

Caleb was able to run and run and run...which he did any chance he got...we spent most of our time out playing in the grass!

Stealing a quick kiss from GMA before going back out to play!

Out playing with Maddox and GPA...LOVE IT!!!!

Down at the lake...Caleb was hesitant the first day to get out and play...he didn't love the feeling of sand on his hands (can you say sheltered?) but was out playing in the end!

Caleb also got to on a jet ski ride with his GPA! I think he was more interested in holding onto the handlebars than actually taking a ride!

My dad said that he really didn't act scared going out in the water...could I get him out again though? NOPE!

Maybe we'll have better luck next year!

After we got back from Bear Lake, Adam flew in...of course I had been doing a little shopping/getting my hair done from my fab sister and just enjoying spending time with my parents. Adam, my dad and myself went to see Inception (AWESOME!) and took Caleb to the Aquarium...

Because of our friend Elmo, Caleb sometimes calls fish Dorthy (which is the name of Elmo's goldfish!) He liked to look at the Dorthies!

The Salt Lake Aquarium was so cute! They had a lot of neat fish there along with a rescued gulf sea turtle (which was HUGE) and a fun penguin exhibit!
Caleb also got to ride on a frog!

More Dorthies!

After we went through we took Caleb bakc to play a bit...he stopped long enough to get a quick pic with Dad and GMA!

My dad and Adam also decided that they were going to hike Mt. Timpanogos...they originally thought it was going to be about 12 miles and not too hard, but when they didn't show up at 5:00 in the evening when they were supposed to, we found out that the hike turned out to be 18 miles and at one point, both of them were suffering from the altitude change! but they persevered and made it to the top of the mountain! Adam took a ton of pics, but I narrowed it down to these few...

Adam amidst the beautiful foliage as they walked up the mountain...

Finding a mountain goat!

A view from the summit...THEY MADE IT!!! Then they ran back down the mountain!

Adam and Dad at the top of the mountain...did I mention that they just climbed a mountain?

Gotta love playing the air guitar when you've made it to the top!! I would too!!!

Now onto Stanley...we drove up to Stanley to stay with Ad's parents. We stopped in Poky on our way up to see Ad's old boss, Josh, at ISU and stopped again on the way back to see my really good friend Jennifer, who I taught with when we lived in Poky! It really made us miss the area more and we were so glad that we got to see our old friends! I MISS YOU JENNIFER!!!! We played hard, and also relaxed while we were in Stanley. Adam and I FINALLY got to take our Kayak out after not being able to use it for 3 years!

We took an afternoon and played around on Stanley lake while Caleb was home with his Nana and Poppa...I am just warning you now, that I did wear the same outfit everyday...i washed it a few times though!!!

A pic of the Sawtooths off of Stanley Lake...we had to put the boat in to prove that we actually used it!!

Ad showing us where the mountains are from the boat!

Our attempt at a hike...Ad and I left Caleb with his parents about halfway through...the little monkey was getting a little tired from walking!

My favorite picture from the hike...

Two words...Fish Slaying...Ad got a 3 day fishing license and ended up catching about 15 fish from the 3 days! I borrowed Ad's license and caught a few, but sent them back into the creek!

Red Fish lake...Caleb spent pretty much the entire time in the lake...he loved it!!!

This was Caleb's doing...he took Ad's hand and led him out in the lake...I was shocked at how deep he was going!

The "non close up view"...far right?!?

Our brave boy loving the water!

Caleb out playing with Nana...

We also got to use the kiddo seat in our kayak and took Caleb for a spin...he LOVED it and we loved that he loved it!!! We've always wondered what he would do in the kayak...

He would just sit and put his hands in the water!

Just relaxing before getting out!

Helping to bring the kayak into shore!

On another day we went for a drive...on the way back we stopped to take a break...and to let Caleb throw rocks into the water! I couldn't resist him asking "Rocks Please!"

A pretty meadow on the way!

On our way home from Idaho, we stopped and got a Maverick Frozen Yogurt cone (my favorite!) Caleb took it from me...

The end result!

This trip also included my little sister getting married...we actually didn't get any pics from this, but my sis in law got a few...hopefully she will send us some so that I can post! We had a great vacation and loved spending so much time with our families! It was really hard to come home (especially to the humidity) and we're keeping our fingers crossed that we'll be able to someday move back! Yes I know that this post is FOREVER LONG, but it was a long vacation! Caleb was great the entire time and we were so glad that we were able to give him experiences that he has never had before! Thanks to our parents for helping us with Caleb too!! We LOVE YOU!! Have a GREAT WEEK!!!

Wanna ride, ride, RIDE...the strep throat train...CHOO CHOO!

2010-07-05T10:22:00.000-07:00

Alright...because we don't have cable, Caleb watches his quality childrens' programming on PBS. One of the shows that he loves, other than Sesame Street, is the Dinosaur Train! Because of this show, he has started to really LOVE trains! You would think it would be dinosaurs, but no, he likes the train! Adam and I have been looking to see if there were any cute inexpensive sets out there to get him (the official Dinosaur Train set doesn't come out until August), so we went to IKEA. Have I mentioned before how much I LOVE IKEA?? We actually have gotten Caleb a few toys from there and they had the cutest little train set for not that much...perfect for our boy and doesn't take up a lot of space! We set it up Sunday Morning...good choice of day, right?!? and he just had a BLAST!

Very focused on the train here!

He's so excited, he forgot to open up his eyes!

Caleb was having so much fun, he didn't want to come to breakfast...at this point, the train was taking a time out!

When we finally got him to eat, he then neglected his morning ritual of milk and blankie...this NEVER happens, which means he liked the train!

One of the things that we found he likes to do is lay on his stomach and watch the train go through the "Time Tunnel" He'll say, "Time Tunnel Approaching", or "Tickets Please", or "I have a Hypothesis!" All quotes from the show...Adam likes the last one!

Caleb's pantless look...Best Look in the World!!!

LATER LAST WEEK:
Caleb started having those "restless nights" where he wouldn't sleep and neither would I! Caleb is normally a great sleeper so of course momdar (that's mom radar) starts working! I gave it another night and he wasn't bad, but then he wouldn't eat a lot. He was also starting to sound like he had rocks in his throat. I started to rule things out and then decided that it was time for the doctor. She took one look at his throat and was like "Ohhh my, that is BAD!" So of course after the throat culture, my baby had contracted is first case of Strep. All he has wanted is snuggles and tickles! He has been on antibiotics and things have slowly started getting back to normal! Poor Boy!! Poor mom and dad too...we need SLEEP!!!!!

So Sad!!!!

Caleb...I am your FATHER!!

2010-06-20T18:05:00.000-07:00

Caleb and I had a lot of fun adventures this week...one of them swimming (see below) and trying to get ready for Father's Day for Adam...we had a lot of fun playing, playing and watching Alphabet Jungle! He asks for that one by name, which never happens! I start tutoring a little boy that is going to be in my class this upcoming year tomorrow, which will slowly start getting us busier! Summer is flying by!!!

A Little Adam Update:
Adam had been working so hard in grad school...he has two papers that he has to have written by the end of August to get sent out for publications. We are hoping to have Adam done with his Doctorate within the next couple of years so we can move on to greener pastures...and out of this BLASTED HEAT!!! Adam is a great dad and husband...truly my best friend! Caleb loves his Daddy and is always ready to play when he walks in the door! Now that I've embarrassed him...here are some of the fun things we did for Father's Day!!!

For Mother's Day, Adam went to our fav dessert shoppe, Ooh La La, and got me a variety of cupcakes. We shared a different one every night until they were gone. I thought we could start this as a new tradition for holidays...

This time our assortment included Pina Colada, Strawberry, The Italiano, Peach Melba, Red Velvet, and a traditional vanilla w/chocolate frosting! YUM!! If you notice, one is missing...

Here is what was left of the Pina Colada cupcake!!!

I also got Ad a slice of Key Lime Cheesecake...one of his Favorite treats!

Caleb HATES it when you close the door on him while you're using the bathroom...this time he got locked out...poor boy...does he still look handsome?!?

I always get Adam something Star Wars. My mom told me about some Star Wars pancake molds at Williams Sonoma and they were IT! Adam was really excited to make pancakes for his Father's Day! They turned out really good...Looks like we're going to be eating them more often!

This is what was written on the back of the packaging...so Adam...so HILARIOUS!!!

The Jedi Master making pancakes for his Padwans...

Caleb using the force to eat his Yoda pancake..."Eat me you will" says Yoda (I know...I'm a GEEK!)

Darth was DELICIOUS...I had two Vaders, along with a Storm Trooper!

Caleb is loving to put things, anything, on his head and call it a hat...here is his latest!

Finally a real one...he likes to wear bucket hats...maybe because that's what I put him in to go swimming!

A little fun with dad before bath time...Caleb showing Dad how the blinds work...

Both are taking a little snooze...Caleb will come and hit you on the head if you don't wake up!
Happy Father's Day Babe...We LOVE You!!!

EARLIER THIS WEEK:
Caleb and I have been going swimming a lot this week...mostly because I want Caleb to get used to it! The first day he was really anxious about getting in and the second day was a little worse! On Thursday my friend Diana, who I teach with, invited us to go swimming with her and her daughter Kaylee...Caleb had a BLAST!! He was jumping off stairs to me and going under the water...just having a great time! I think that it was because he had someone to show off for! Diana has this boat and so we put the kiddos in it! SO CUTE! Caleb was so sweet with Kaylee (who turns 1 on the 4th of July!) They had a lot of fun together!
Turns out the water was more like bath water...so much for trying to cool off!! It helped a little bit!!

Caleb showing Kaylee how the cup holder works!

Just relaxin in the boat together...she kept grabbing Caleb and he just let her!

The sun was too bright to look in the camera!

Sweet kiddos...Kaylee is ADORABLE!

Rough Day...

2010-06-14T15:11:00.000-07:00

Sunday...it's supposed to be a relaxing day...
We go to church, get a little more spiritually uplifted, come home to a delicious family dinner, watch a family movie (sunday appropriate of course)...
It all seems so easy, the one day of the week where everything runs so smoothly...sadly no, not this Sunday...and a lot are like this one! Sunday is the day where everything catches up with Caleb...this particular Sunday started out with a tremendous fit which required some serious time out time...Caleb then has to take a nap a little earlier since our church time is right in the middle of his normal nap time. Of course, then his nap isn't as long as it normally is...then we prep and primp for church, me thinking that everything is fine...we hit the doors to walk into the chapel and BAM...AAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!! (that's Caleb, not me!) imagine it more high pitched...I take Caleb into the hallway and we have a chat...he seems to understand, we go back in and make it through the meeting! By the time we go home, we have tears, tears, tears, whine, whine, whine, and a request for Sesame Street Alphabet Jungle along with blankie and WHEW! we made it! Thank you Alphabet Jungle!!! Of course I give in because it's educational television...
The pics i have posted here are post morning, pre church...you can tell just by looking at them the mood i was dealing with!!!

I do love dressing Caleb up for church...I have brought the faux hawk back for the time being...LOVING IT!!!

Good thing I didn't try and take that cup away...I don't even want to know what would've happened!

Even Elmo isn't cheering this kiddo up!!!

TODAY:

I'm going to write a Children's book for Caleb one day about a boy whose problems are always solved with a blankie and milk...I'm going to call it Captain Crankypants...it'll be about a boy who is always in a bad mood until he is given a blankie with milk. Look for it in bookstores over the next couple of years!!! Caleb isn't always in a bad mood...he actually is a very happy boy about 99 percent of the time, but he does have his moments...

Do you want to know what got Caleb to settle down at church on Sunday? I'll give you two guesses!!!

Stay at Home Mom...

2010-06-10T05:40:00.000-07:00

Yes, summer break is finally here!! For me anyway...it's taking me some time to get back into just a mom mode, but we're getting there! My parents came down for a quick trip and it was fun to have them here! It was mostly a dress shopping mission because my sister asked me to be the Maid of Honor in her upcoming wedding in August. Caleb got to hang out with GPA, while my mom and i went EVERYWHERE to look!
Anytime mine or Ad's parents come down, we always go out for some good grub! We hit up all of our favorite Houston hot spots and of course, Ad and I got to go to a movie!! What a fun weekend! I do need to do better at posting and promise that I'll do better over the summer! We'll be trying to stay out of the 100 degree weather plus 100% percent humidity, so if you're feeling bad that we're inside for most of the day don't...it gets pretty horrible outside!

We also got a new camera, with some help from Ad's parents (thanks Barb and Jeff)! It is so nice to have a camera that is way more updated than our old one! We're still learning how to work it, but we managed to get a few pics! This is our son working in GPA's makeshift office that he sets up when he's here! Caleb LOVES the mouse...i don't know why, but he likes to play!

We had to get a few pics of Caleb and GPA in their slicky shorts and shirts...if you know my dad, he ONLY wears dri-weave shorts and shirts. I think my nephew Kooper only wears them now too...we're working hard to get Caleb on the bandwagon...i've got to get him out of his onesies first!!!!

We still couldn't get Caleb to pose...he sure is a busy body!!

Have a GREAT week!!!

Counting Down...

2010-05-23T18:35:00.001-07:00

No joke we have been super busy with the school year winding down...I have a lot to do at school, and Adam has been working hard on his research, working to get a paper published. So, needless to say, not much picture takin has been going on around here! I reckon once school gets out, I will have more to publish! I don't really like to count down for school to get out because there's still so much to do...and I have found that when I count down, everything starts to drag! I am really excited for summer to start! We get to take our vacation more towards the end of the summer. Caleb and i are going to take three weeks and head up to SLC, where we'll go to Bear Lake with my fam. Ad will come up about a week and a half into the vaca and we'll head up to Stanley to see his folks. It's going to be fun!! Other than that, it's some ol' at the Colson household! It's getting super hot and the humidity is up making no reason to wear makeup since it melts off of your face as soon as you step outside! Hopefully we'll get a lot of pool time!!
Here are just a few pics of our little man...he has been into cowboys lately, calling everyone on a horse a cowboy and saying "YEE HAW!!" He has become quite the parrot repeating everything we say...making Ad and I watch very carefully what comes out of our mouths! Especially when Adam saw an enormous snake yesterday on our run...I won't even tell you what Caleb repeated!!! He is still as sweet as can be, loves to give kisses to his mommy and daddy and had the BEST personality...what a hoot!!!

Here is a little video of Caleb singing his ABC's...he is attacking the camera towards the end...he likes to look at the pictures and watch himself! He had been singing it all afternoon, so I thought I would try and get a quick video! Don't make fun of his onesie (Mike/Mom) it's HOT outside!!!

Happy Mother's Day!!

2010-05-09T08:18:00.000-07:00

I just thought these photos were a little ironic!

Do I make you happy Caleb?? I'm not sure here!!!

For Mother's Day I thought that I would post a little bit more about what I have been doing lately...
As y'all know, I am a 2nd grade teacher and because I feel like I am busy being wife, mom, teacher, housekeeper, etc., I don't get very many opportunities to be crafty! This year I decided that my students were going to make something for their moms that would take a little more time, but did NOT use construction paper (not that there's anything wrong with construction paper gifts, i'm all for them) but this year we just needed something different! SO, we made never ending bouquets that mom can use all year. I have made these the past couple of years, but feel I have perfected the gift this year! They turned out SO cute and the kiddos were really excited to take them home...I had to share how cute they looked, and so I can remember this for next year!

I came up with this poem last year to put with the kiddos' bouquets...I love reading it to them because they always smirk at the throwing a fit part. I always remind them that they need to choose something that they would be willing to always do for mom without throwing fits!!

Here is a sample of one bouquet. The kiddos got to come up and design what they wanted their flowers to look like. They also painted their pots...I just did a lot of hot gluing!

My table full of bouquets...

A few more cute examples...the green flags on the stems are coupons that the kiddos chose that they were willing to always do for their mom...all mom has to do is choose!!!!!

The kiddos did a GREAT job don't ya think?!?

Some of you also know that I am a fan of running for exercise. I have always liked to run and can't seem to get tired of it! I completed my first 1/2 marathon this past summer and my dad asked me if I would like to run the SLC 1/2 with him and my brother! Of course I said yes...PLUS I got to fly to Salt Lake to spend some time with my family which I don't get to do that often! Anyway, here are just a few pics from the race. The race started at 7 in the morning and we didn't get to the starting line until 7:45, which made me the last person running! They were actually cleaning up water stands as I was running by! Anyway, I finally caught up with the pack and made a personal best time 2 hours 28 min, which was ten minutes faster than my last race! My recovery was GREAT too, I was back on the treadmill on Tuesday! No, you won't see me out training for a full marathon anytime soon, but I'll keep doing 1/2's!!

Bailey catching me on the road...I posed for every camera!!! My mom, Bailey, and my nephews Kooper and Maddox, cheered me on!! I LOVED IT!!!

Kooper running to the finish line with me...Koop scored 2 medals this race!

I just had to sneak this pic in...notice, Koop in the pic above is wearing the EXACT same outfit...If we had a pic of GPA, they would all be twinners! Gotta love dry weave slicky shorts and shirts!

I just thought this was a cool action shot...I need a Nike logo by my head or something!!!

Finish line smiles...Mike flew through the race...he had a good 1/2 hour breather before my dad and I showed up...he's the one that should be running marathons!!

Maybe it's the chicken legs!!!

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY Y'ALL!!!!!

The one with the Bowtie...

2010-04-25T18:13:00.000-07:00

On my quest to make my son go from "totally geek to totally chic," I have purchased him a bowtie...I am not bragging here, but my boy does look cute in the bowtie! I am loving the look and thinking i'm going to have to get some more! I also think that Caleb will always be a little geek with his collection of Star Wars T-Shirts growing everyday! He's making his Dad proud! Also his Mom...it is no secret that I am also a geek myself! Caleb is still struggling with the directions, "look at the camera and say cheese!" OR just "LOOK AT THE CAMERA!" so yes, there are a lot of action/movement shots...can we still say model? Anyway, you can tell that I'm awfully proud of my handsome boy...and now, he's rockin a bowtie! What will we do next???

Two words...LOVE IT!!!!

Playing aloof...like he doesn't know mom is taking pictures!

Ho Hum...camera again?

He looks like he's getting ready to serve some food or something here!

More action OR proof that I need a faster camera...he was looking at the camera but it takes like 30 seconds to snap a pic!

BTW I just finished the SLC 1/2 marathon last week and am waiting for some pics so I can post on my weekend. Ad's parents came and got to spend a little 1 on 1 time with Caleb...I am going to try and get some shots of some of the cute things they spoiled him with! to be continued...

A Sea World Easter...

2010-04-05T18:29:00.000-07:00

I had last Friday off and because of this, we decided to take another trip to San Antonio and visit our underwater friends at Sea World. The weather was perfect on both days and we had a GREAT time and Caleb did FANTASTIC!!! We couldn't ask for a better boy! We stayed in a hotel that was only about 2 minutes away from the Sea World entrance and 1 minute away from our FAVORITE Texas BBQ spot...Rudy's...DELICIOUS!!! The Easter bunny also paid Caleb a visit Sunday morning, and I really think he was excited! We set up a little Elmo Egg Hunt for him and just had a fun time spending the weekend together! I think I'm posting a lot of pics, so enjoy!

A little Shamu behind the scenes pic...Caleb liked to sit and watch the whales...a new baby whale was born in January and it was fun to watch it throughout the show! She wouldn't leave her momma's side!

The highlight of Caleb's trip...Big Bird's Beach Bash!!!!!

Or was it???

Caleb really liked the show...don't be deceived by his face...he ended up choosing a Big Bird stuffed animal for his souvenir from Sea World...don't worry, he's taken it to bed the last two nights!!!!

Taking a break from some animal watching for a little play time!!!

Caleb had fun going down the slide...

This was a lot of fun...we got some cups of nectar and were set loose in a cage full of birds! They were flying all over us!

Here are a few of those creative spots the Easter Bunny hid the Elmo eggs...

Caleb would not STOP picking up the phone and trying to talk on it...every time he would ask for some Sesame Street Character! The Easter Bunny knew that he would be here!

Some more Easter Bunny Treasures! Take a guess about what Caleb was most excited about...it starts with an E and ends with an O!!!!

Caleb would constantly pick up his dad's hat and put in on...always backwards! Of course, had to get a pick of that!

Another hat pic...I LOVE this one!!!

Back to feed the dolphins...Adam got a chance to give this dolphin a little rub! He then got bacteria splashed by another!

It's so fun to get this close to dolphins...next time, we're swimming with them!

Caleb watching his dolphin friends...

No I am not, eating Caleb's head...just look at his cute face! He really liked to watch the animals!!

Our Sea World Family picture...imagine Caleb yelling "NO! NO! NO!" ...he didn't love getting that close to Shamu!

SPRING BREAK 2010

2010-03-21T15:13:00.000-07:00

We partied HARD down here in H-Town for Spring Break 2010...my parents and sister came down which made the festivities MORE fun!! I got to go shopping with my mom and sister (which we never get to do!) and got some super cute outfits!! (Caleb stayed home and played with GPA and Dad!) I wanted to give Caleb another themed Birthday Party and since we had company in town, we had a Curous George party for Caleb! Enjoy our week!

Gotta love those theme parties! Caleb still loves his Sesame Street pals, but we decided Curious George, or George as Caleb calls him would be fun!

I tried my hand at another cake this year! My mom baked the cake for me and my sister helped me frost! It was fun and the end result was yummy!

We took Caleb to the zoo! We love the Houston zoo because you can get close to the animals! Of course I had to take this animal home with me!

We also went to Pappasitos for dinner! Caleb insisted on paying the bill!

Aunt Nikki and Caleb...you should've seen Nikki trying to do pilates with Caleb sitting on her stomach!!! Nikki thought the extra weight helped!!!

Another Birthday Party!

Caleb would blow out the candle, but still would NOT eat the cake!! I'm keeping my fingers crossed for next year!

In the grand traditions of birthdays in the Colson family, someone always has to get sick! Adam and I were sick for mine in February and of course, GPA was sick for Caleb's! we're not talking about a cold if you know what I mean!!!
On a side note, he was fine the next day!

Since Caleb's birthday was Curious George themed, we had to get him a lot of Curious George toys, including the movie! I put in for him and this was the result! He looks like a zombie! GPA asked Caleb "what's this?" and Caleb answered "George" so matter of factly...like why are you asking me this?? we were dying!!!

A few days later...here is Caleb in his Easter Outfit that GMA got him sportin his new do!

Finally...a happy boy!!!

This post is brought to you by...The #2!!!

2010-03-07T18:39:00.000-08:00

That's right...our boy turned 2 TODAY!! We cannot believe how fast he has grown. I tried to chronicle some of the things Caleb likes and what we did to help him celebrate! My parents and sister are coming down next weekend and we will be having a little theme party for him! I am going to attempt to make him another homemade birthday cake this year! My family will let you know how it turns out!

In my Young Women's class at church, we do a top 10 list for the girls when it's their birthday...I thought that was a great idea to start doing with my kiddos as they turn a year older...here is Caleb's top 10 for his second year!

Dear Caleb Keith Colson,
Today you turned 2! Your mommy and daddy are so proud of you! You are growing up to be such a happy and fun little boy and we can't wait for the years to come! Here are some things that you LOVED this year!

1. You are a Sesame Street fanatic! You can name all of the Sesame characters and you LOVE ELMO!!!
2. You love books and are always looking at them and telling mom and dad stories! You love to sing songs and can pick out your ABC's and can count to 10!
3. You love your blankie and milk in the sippy cup! You have to lay on the couch or some other comfortable place to drink it! Your blankie corners are wearing out because you love to rub them and suck on them!!
4. Along with milk you love juice...of course mom's little secret was it was about 1/4 juice...the rest water...but you loved it nonetheless! You are a great eater and love your fruits and veggies!
5. You love to RUN, not walk...talk talk talk...and play with your friends!
6. You are such a big helper and love to help mom sweep the floor with the broom!
7. You do not like to shop (he gets that from his dad) but that doesn't stop your momma from taking you!
8. You love to give kisses and rub noses, and you still love to snuggle (on a good day!)
9. You don't give mom and dad any trouble about going to bed (except for that time when you started climbing out of your crib (ask mom later).
10. We know you're going to make a great big brother because you love babies! (Remember to ask mom about the time we were in the doctor's office and you tried to give the baby a kiss)!

Your mommy and daddy love you very much and we are so thankful that you have come to our home! We look forward to teaching and helping you grow into a wonderful boy! Happy Birthday and we hope all of your birthday wishes come true this year!

Love, Mom and Dad!

Our attempt at a family picture...it works!!

The Juice sippy!

A little juice pose!

The first place I caught him...appropriately he was reading Big Bird's Birthday Surprise!

The blankie and milk...this is typical! He even does this at the babysitter's house!

Here's me trying to get a picture of my boy in his birthday outfit...i couldn't get one without the book!

Here we go! Yes, his clothes look a little big, but he wears them so well! He's even showing y'all the dinosaur on his shoe!

Outside...taking a break from the trike!

An inside serious pose...he just wouldn't let that bottle of bubble solution go!!!

Caleb's cupcakes! Cross your fingers that he eats one!

Dad helping Caleb blow out his candle!

He's really thinking about this...I actually think he spent more time talking to the cupcake than eating it! We get a little lick of the frosting here, but that's about it!

Dang... and those cupcakes were DELICIOUS! I guess mom and dad are going to have to finish them off!
We'll keep trying!

A few of Caleb's presents and cards...Ad and I got Caleb a trike along with an Elmo bubble machine! We have a few more presents that we're going to give him next weekend...his Nana and Poppa got him this cool ABC magnetic book, which he has had fun looking at, and his GMA and GPA D will have something fun for him next weekend! Notice he has two of the same cards! This just goes to show how well his Grandma's know their Grandson!!! Elmo sings happy birthday! Caleb has already tried to smuggle one into bed with him! Thanks y'all!!!!

This is one of our attempts to get Caleb going on the trike! You will see here that we have a lot to work on!!!

Things we Love...

2010-02-19T18:34:00.000-08:00

Beautiful Flowers...Thanks Babe!

Cheesy smiles...

Easter Candy...best time of year!

This boy...our Future Heart Throb...so says the shirt!

Happy Belated Valentine's Day!

Live in Babysitter...

2010-02-15T07:26:00.000-08:00

A week and a half ago Caleb's babysitter fell and broke her ankle in 3 places. Of course, I called my mom like right after I found out that Janet's ankle was broken, told her to check her flights and be prepared to come down and watch Caleb for the week...

She flew down last Sunday and left yesterday to go back home! What a trooper being kooped up in our apartment all week! At least Caleb was here to entertain her! Caleb still has to go to a different place for the next few weeks, but it will be okay...he knows that gal who is going to be watching him! We're grateful for GMA and that she came down to play! Caleb was upset when she left and has been asking for her this morning!

Caleb turns 2 in less than a month, and it seems like he has grown up so fast these past few weeks! Of course loving on his blankie has stayed the same. I thought that this was so cute...usually he just loves his corners, but this time it looks like he's stuffed half of his blankie in his mouth! He's still our little Linus!

A closer view!

A little pose without the blankie!

This past week, we've started to notice a lot more things that Caleb can do...Caleb can sing Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star, and say his ABC's and 123's! We can actually show him the alphabet and have him pick out letters and he knows which ones to find! It's pretty amazing! GMA worked with him on rubbing noses and giving kisses and he showed her how he can count! We put a few things out for him and he'll count them! I just have to brag because I'm so proud of my boy!

Along with the alphabet and numbers, our Sesame Street Fanatic, knows all of the Sesame characters which is HILARIOUS! I guess it doesn't help that we really only get him Sesame Street books...but he LOVES them!! It's the cutest when he says Rosita! The only reason I'm getting through this blog right now is because Sesame Street is on...

We're getting excited to see much more amazing things from our boy during these up coming months! He is growing up so fast and it's fun to see him change!

Have a good week!

Who Ate the Soap??

2010-02-07T18:24:00.000-08:00

Okay...I didn't feed it to him...Caleb has been obsessed with eating the soap for as long as I can remember. We have to hide it from him so he doesn't put it in his mouth, but this time, he found it! He also took a big bite out of it as you can see!! I was waiting for him to get sick or something, but he just munched on it like it was a piece of candy! Anyway, his new thing is also laying down in the tub as the water is being drained...HILARIOUS!!!

YUM...there goes our punishment of washing Caleb's mouth out with soap...

Two Year Old Molars

2010-01-30T14:53:00.000-08:00

It's a definite sign that Caleb is getting older with his molars coming in! He hasn't had a lot of problems with the teeth he has now, but boy those molars are giving all of us a run for our money! Caleb went to bed Tuesday night with the beginnings of a fever and spent all day Wednesday and Thursday down and out. I had my suspicions that it might've been his teeth, but wasn't sure because the kid won't let you get your finger in his mouth...a clue maybe! Anyway, I finally got a feel Friday and it feels like his two bottom molars are coming in! He hasn't had a fever for the past few days, but has been the CRANKIEST kid EVER! Such a difference from the rest of his teeth! We hope that they come in fast because I am not excited about a cranky, whiney boy!!

I took these pics this morning and he still looks not very well...even after a fairly good nights sleep!
POOR CALEB!

We've kept him pretty drugged up so he isn't so irritable and I actually have to slip the teething tablets into his milk...It reminds me of when we had to slip our dog Whiskers Dramamine in a piece of cheese when we were going to take him on vacation! It's the only way Caleb will take them!
I bought a new thermometer so that I could get a better reading of his temp...all you have to do is swipe it across the forehead...AMAZING!!

We've spent a lot of time in this chair! I'm loving that my boy loves to snuggle, it's just sad that it's only when he's not feeling well!!

On a happier note:

Last Saturday Adam and I FINALLY got to go to the temple and spend some time together! It was so great to go back! The Houston Temple is so beautiful and I love the feeling I get when I go inside! We're definitely heading back here more often this year! I'm grateful that Caleb's babysitter watched him on a Saturday so that we could go!!! Afterward, we headed off to Pappasitos for an ol' fashioned Texas fajita lunch and it was DELICIOUS!! MMMMMMMM!! I love me some Pappasitos!

2010 Kickoff...

2010-01-18T13:51:00.000-08:00

Caleb was given a play tent for Christmas and we decided to set it up in his room...Adam moved his play table inside and Caleb has spent a lot of time playing inside! The tent has a separate tube that connects to it and Caleb has a lot of fun crawling through it...

Caleb has also been fighting a cold again and with this one has come quite the cough! He is feeling a lot better today and isn't quite as snuggly as he has been the past few days!

While we were out shopping, I found a pre birthday outfit for Caleb...I decided that he needed to do a little fashion show for me (which he didn't love) but I got a few pics!

I got a few other shirts to go along with his shorts too so that he can wear them more than once!

Two weeks, in a nutshell...

2010-01-04T18:50:00.000-08:00

We just got back from our Holiday vacation today and WOW did we have a GREAT time! We spent some time with both of our families in Salt Lake and Stanley...got spoiled to death from both of them, and Caleb learned some new tricks along the way! By the way, does anyone have advice for how to keep your kid from jumping out of their crib?? It started only Saturday with Caleb climbing out of the pack and play at my parents house and tonight we found out that he can also get out of his crib (even on the lowest setting) WHAT?!? He is so not ready for the big boy bed and I know we're just going to start having problems if I even try to put him in the bed by himself!! HELP!!!! We are truly practicing tough love at this point! Anyway, here are a few pics from our trip...we had a good time!

Santa came and visited Caleb the morning we left to Salt Lake...I had a write a pretty convincing letter to get him to come early! Of course Caleb got some fun things to add to his Elmo collection.

Caleb not knowing what to think about his new toys!

Happy Halloween jammies to celebrate the season right!

One new thing that Caleb got to experience was the cold and snow! It was quite the change to have to put on so many layers of clothes!

Here is a quick video of my big boy talking a walk in the snow!

My big boy taking a break from walking in the snow...the sled was easier to get around in!

Thanks to grandparents who would rather spend their time with Caleb...Adam and I got to get out and spend some quality time with each other (which we haven't gotten to do for a while!) We went shopping, out to lunch, to the movies, and even got some cross country skiing/snowshoeing time! It was fun to play a little bit knowing that Caleb was playing hard with the GP's!

Here's me on the skis...this was only the 2nd time that I have been cross country skiing and got the hang of it pretty quickly! It was a lot of fun!

Out for a stroll with the Mr. and a WOLF??? Nah...that's just Ad's family dog Koka!

Couple pic...awwwwwwwwwwww!

Ad on the snowshoes...doesn't he look like a stud???

Caleb had more fun playing with all of the jumperoos and exersaucers that the GP's had...this is just a close up pic of our boy being more of a baby!

The day before we left Stanley it snowed a foot and a half! I was totally nervous for the drive home, but things worked out okay! We had such a great time seeing our family! What a vacation!

MERRY CHRISTMAS from The Colson's!

2009-12-13T12:56:00.000-08:00

Yeah, I really don't have an excuse for not sending out a family picture/Christmas Letter this year and I always vow that I'll do a better job next year! So, I will do a better job next year. For now, this is what y'all get! a blog Christmas letter!

For those of you who have kept up with our blog since we had Caleb, you pretty much know what has gone with him this year. I just can't say enough how grateful we are to have him in our home. He has been such a blessing in our lives. We are also grateful that Caleb has been a healthy and happy baby. Other than getting the cyst on his eye removed and a few colds/ear infections, Caleb has stayed very healthy. He has the BEST personality, and other than those times when he gets told no (it's quite the experience), minds his momma and daddy pretty well! We are excited for when Caleb will start using more words and sentences and when we can FINALLY reason with him (although, we can a little bit now!) I'll say it a thousand times, WE LOVE OUR BOY!

I, when I'm not being a mom, am still teaching 2nd grade here in Katy. I have the BEST class full of kiddos this year! They love to learn and I love seeing them everyday. I am really excited about his upcoming year because I get to work with groups of second graders for our International Festival and our annual 2nd grade play! I LOVE being creative with these kids and seeing my visions come to life with them. My 2nd grade team members just let me do my thing, but of course, they give their ideas and we work together for some fun performances! I am currently teaching some of our girls the Hukilau Hula for our international festival. I am also going to be up on stage with them doing the dance (which my bro Mike has already asked if it will be videotaped for Blackmailing purposes!) No reason to blackmail, because it's going to be GOOD!!! For those of you who thought that I might be a little too uncoordinated...I can do this one! I also just got a new calling at church as the Mia Maid advisor and am so EXCITED to work with the Young Women! I'll miss the Primary, but I think I was ready for something new!

Adam is still working on his Doctorate Degree at Rice University. He will be receiving his Masters Degree from Rice this January and of course will continue on with the Doctorate. Adam is working very hard in his research and is looking forward to the end! We are still not quite sure where we will go from here, but I'm sure it will be somewhere fun and exciting! Adam's favorite time of the day (other than being stuck in the Houston traffic...NOT) is coming home to play with Caleb. On the weekends, Adam gets to do some of the things with Caleb that he might've missed out on during the week like baths, feeding Caleb, and of course, changing diapers! Adam is a great dad and works hard for our family!

We are excited to be able to travel up north on Saturday to spend a week with my family and a week with Ad's family! This is our favorite time of year and we thank our Heavenly Father everyday for the many blessings that he has bestowed on our small family. We are thankful for the opportunity that we have to celebrate the birth of our Savior Jesus Christ and for the reminder to keep Him in our hearts as we serve and give to one another this holiday season. We hope that y'all have a Merry Christmas and a healthy and Happy New Year!

Love, Adam, Jenna, and Caleb Colson

Here are some pics from earlier in the week...a mom of one of the kiddos, from where Caleb is babysat, made this shirt for him!

Can we say haircut?? Only one more week!

Santa...are you behind the couch?

Are you in this plastic knife?

Are you in my book?

Are you in my toy box?

Where are you Santa?? We'll see ya soon!

There aren't ANY snow plows in Houston...

2009-12-05T12:22:00.000-08:00

but we DID get some snow!!! Yesterday was the first time in a decade that Houston has seen snow! Of course it only lasted for a few hours and then we got COLD!!! I was at school when it all started and got to experience my students seeing snow for the first time in their lives!! Can you believe it! Ask me if we got any work done? Not really! The district also called a 1/2 day and we were all sent home! Mostly because no one knows how to drive in snow/icy conditions and they wanted to make sure that everyone make it home safely! Yesterday was dubbed a "Winter Blast" and Ad and I were cracking up because being from Idaho/Utah, these Houstonians don't know what a Winter Blast is!!!! Even though we're back up to the somewhat warmer temps. today I am SOOOOOOOOO EXXXCCCIIITTTEEEDDD to travel north 2 weeks from today!!!! We have had a fun week!

As I was writing this on my car, a bunch of the teachers were telling me to "don't ruin the snow!"

As you can see from the snow accumulation on my car it certainly was a blizzard down here! I was also dying at the tips the teachers were giving each other about how to get the snow off of their cars!

When we got home from Janet's, Caleb and I went out and took a little walk through the snow! We don't have ANY snow clothes for Caleb and actually, Janet let me borrow this coat for Caleb for when we go up North! She actually bought it for her grandson at a garage sale and he isn't big enough for it yet, so I get to use it!! She did the same thing for me last year, when she let us borrow a snow suit for Caleb to wear! It works out PERFECT because then I don't have to spend tons of money on things Caleb will only wear a few times!! SCORE!

Caleb did have fun walking around, but his pants and shoes were soaked and it started to get really chilly!

Sorry for the picture of the picture and the big flash spot, but I just had to share our experience with Santa today! As you can see I am in the picture with Caleb (that wasn't my original plan) and I don't feel that I need to expound on any story! You can probably guess what happened!
We LOVE Santa!

After the Santa Claus debacle...I'm wondering what Caleb is thinking right now!

Happy Thanksgiving 2009!

2009-11-29T17:18:00.000-08:00

For Thanksgiving this year, Adam's parents came down to see us We had a lot of fun with them! They got to spend Tuesday with Caleb and then they were stuck with me for the rest of the week! I had Wednesday thru Friday off from school which was so NICE!! We made Thanksgiving dinner together, ate some good food, watched some good movies (Ad took me to see New Moon) and just had fun spending time with each other! We always LOVE when family comes to visit! Thanks Nana and Papa for EVERYTHING! These pics were taken from our post Thanksgiving walk...Jeff took these from his phone! They turned out pretty good, so of course I had to post! Enjoy!

Caleb got to wear the monkey on his back while he walked with us! There were a lot of bike riders out today! Caleb ran more than he walked...this is a pic of him trying to keep up with Nana and Dad!

A view from the front...how fun!

Caleb taking a little break from all of that tough walking!

A group pic...thanks Jeff for being our photographer!

Here are just a few extra pics from today...we got Caleb some new jammies and these were his choice tonight! He is loving closing the door on us lately so here is a little peek from around it!

We decided to put the Christmas tree up on our little desk/nook this year! It actually looks pretty nice there and there is a place for our stockings! We've really had to be creative with our Christmas trees since we don't have a ton of room to work with!

A few more jammie pics...

We're excited to see our families in a few weeks! It's going to be a great holiday season!

We're thankful for...the Doctor!

2009-11-22T15:03:00.000-08:00

Well, Caleb decided that this week should be the week that he needs to get sick! I actually have been getting over a cold that really hit me hard in my throat and chest. I'm not sure if Caleb caught what I had or of this was something totally different. The thing with Caleb is he never acts like he is sick, so when I picked him up from janet's on Thursday afternoon, he looked so sick...his eyes were watering, his nose was running and he just snuggled! Caleb NEVER snuggles so I figured it was time to take him in! Caleb also has a horrible gag reflex and when he gets really upset, he gags and throws up...that night he woke up really upset and lost his dinner! Adam and I both took half days on Friday and Ad took Caleb to the doctor. He had a small fever, an eye infection, and an ear infection. He didn't have the flu (which I was happy about) but really needed to rest! I feel bad because he really doesn't show the signs until his body shuts down and then he gets everything!! Oh Well! He started feeling better and running around Friday night and we have him on antibiotics for him for the next little while! This starts me into what I am thankful for this week...a healthy and happy family! We truly are going to celebrate our health this upcoming week and hope that y'all have a Happy Thanksgiving!

This is completely off the subject, but the weather is getting a little cooler (where I don't have to put Caleb in shorts every day!) and I picked him up a few long sleeved shirts and pants! I just had to take some pics!

It DOES hurt being so handsome...that's why he has red eyes!

My little Texan...helping out his momma!

Being my shy cowboy!

Now my cheesy grin cowboy!!! I am THANKFUL for this boy!

I'm Crafty...

2009-11-15T18:37:00.000-08:00

at least I try to be!! I was invited by Caleb's babysitter to their ward's "Super Saturday" craft day at the church...she sent me some pics of the crafts that we could choose from and i decided to make three of the crafts. It was so much fun to go and make some fun things for our home! I haven't done things like this FOREVER!! It really puts you in the mood to do more fun, cute things, but for now we probably wouldn't have all of the room for everything!

The first thing i made...wait...that was a while ago!!! Caleb kept following me around saying "cheese" while I was taking pics!

My family home evening board. I need to get some black and white pics for the small blocks...i totally learned how to put vinyl on things!! Of course I learned the hard way by almost putting this on backwards, but figured out how to do it!!!

Fun Family blocks!

What they look like on our little book/toy case!

My decorative Christmas Tree...I'll put this outside our door!!

I can only hope I did my Momma proud!!!!!

Not Much to Blog About...

2009-11-08T18:33:00.000-08:00

It's been a crazy busy week, we haven't pulled out the camera and taken pics at all!! I thought I would take a few this morning before we left for church because I've been getting ragged on recently because in all of Caleb's pictures he has just been in his onesie!!! My mom keeps telling me that he is going to be so embarrassed when he looks back on this and only sees himself in a onesie...all i have to say about it is that we live for comfort in the Colson household and if it's the onesie Caleb wants, it's the onesie he gets!!!! (it's really not Caleb's choice, it's mine!) Come on y'all...we don't get the coldest weather here in Houston either! It is pretty hilarious to see him in all of his pictures in all of those white onesies! Believe me, you'll keep seeing him in those until the day he completely grows out of them!!! (I wonder where Caleb gets his stubbornness from??) We're looking forward to another busy, busy week...I am starting my Parent Teacher Conferences this week along with our first field trip on Friday! Ad is still working hard on his research/experiments, but our favorite part of the day is when we all are home together as a family. It's been a great weekend!!!

Here Tracie...you better take this pic, print it, and frame it, because you won't see much more of Caleb in a complete clothing ensemble!!!!

Caleb likes to hang out with his Dad while he is getting ready...a pic by the toilet was the only time I could get him to look at the camera!!

He does look good all dressed up if I do say so myself!

A little peek of the onesie...what can I say...my boy LOVES to layer!!!