Busy Busy

Caleb and I have been pretty busy the last couple of weeks with Jimmy and Ben on vacation. We have went to the movies, Chuck E Cheese, the Annual Down Syndrome group picnic, an outdoor concert, visited with friends, out to eat (probably too much:)) and countless walks and bike rides which he absolutely loves. Caleb also did some painting outside (gotta love the warm weather!) And of course, the week would not be complete if he didn't spend time throwing rocks in the water! Caleb also made some HUGE progress in an area he was having difficulty with.....Going through the carwash without freaking out! Caleb has always been deathly afraid of the carwash, in particular the huge revolving brush that comes spinning past his window. I have tried holding his hand and trying to distract him with anything I could think of, but he still managed to sneak a peek at the brush coming his way and then you guessed it, Spaz Out!! Poor little guy! Well, something amazing happened this week (amazing to me anyway), Caleb didn't Spaz Out! His eyes got big and he pulled away from his window but that was all. He told me afterward, that the carwash was the "Washcloth". Since that day a few days ago, Caleb has asked numerous times to go to the "Washcloth" AKA the Carwash! YAY!

Calendar Photoshoot

Here are a few photos from the photoshoot for our local Down Syndrome calendar. We had such a fun time! As you can see, my boys are hams for the camera.:) The photoshoot was on my birthday so it made it extra special!
The boys photo will be used for one of the winter months of the calendar, so that is why they have their winter coats on. We did get lucky and had an out of the ordinary cool day so it worked out perfect!

More Smiles:):):)

GOTCHA DAY

Caleb today:)



Caleb at the orphanage 3 years ago

Exactly three years ago today was Caleb's Gotcha Day! It's hard to believe three years have gone by already. What a blessing he has been to our family. He gives us so much love! He is very smart and funny too! He came home not knowing how to walk yet, and three weeks later was walking unassisted across the kitchen floor. His speech continues to amaze me. He tells me " I want _____ please!" He repeats everything he hears, maybe not always precisely, but I get excited about it every time. He is identifying his letters and all of his colors. He is starting to sing, he loves to paint, and he loves his wagon rides. His favorite foods are popcorn, ice cream, and chicken nuggets and fries. He also has a fascination with garage doors going up and down, and he absolutely LOVES to watch me mow the grass. He asks me to mow it several times a day, even when there is snow on the ground. While I mow, he is jumping up and down on the deck having the time of his life. Who knows, maybe he will have a lawn mowing business someday.:)
But anyway, I wanted to share how much I love my son, Caleb. Who by the way, knows he has his Mama's heart!

Caleb outside

This child LOVES to be outside! I hate to think what Caleb's life would be like being locked away inside an institution, without the chance to be outside. When I went to visit him at the orphanage, I was not allowed to take him out of the building. This picture above shows him looking out the window. He wanted me to hold him up so he could see the outside world. He longed to be out there and I couldn't wait to get him out! Today he loves every second he is outside.:) One reason I love the summer so much is because I can watch Caleb playing and running around outside enjoying his life, like it was always meant to be. What a GIFT he is!

I saw God today

Today I took Jimmy and Caleb to a really nice, peaceful park in a town nearby. As I was sitting there watching the boys throw rocks in the water, I looked up to the sky and saw the birds flying overhead. I heard the wind gently blowing through the trees and I listened and saw the water flowing over the rocks. I realized that this is it. This is what is important in life. Taking time to notice all of God's beauty around us. I felt so close to God as if he were sitting there right next to me. In fact, I know he was. Listening to the excitement in the boys voices as their rocks dropped into the water, made me want to shout out to God in praise. I am truly blessed. I may not know what is in store for my future but I do know that God is always with me.:)

But happy are those...
whose hope is in the Lord their God.
Psalm 146:5 NLT

Weekend

Caleb loves to play with balls. He likes to play basketball but even more, he likes to throw the ball onto the garage roof and watch it come down. He likes to watch me throw it up there even more.....but it gets kinda boring after a while, so we have been using it as a reward-going out and throwing the ball on the roof. I used to reward Caleb by letting him open and close the garage door with the remote (he loves it!) when he used the bathroom on the toilet. Once he got better though, my garage door was going up and down several times a day. My neighbor would laugh everytime she saw it because she knew Caleb had just used the bathroom.:) He still gets to open it whenever we go somewhere.:) He also got his haircut this weekend and looks extra cute!!