where's Caleb?

Sadly enough, he's stuck in the cupboards.



Looks like his boyish curiousity got the better of him this time.

"Come on y'guys, help me out... Well if you're just gonna laugh and take pictures, I guess I'll have to find a way out myself!"

(For the record, we did pull him out shortly after. Just in time for him to make some more mischief, I'm sure.)

These boys...

...make me so happy.

harmoni-CAN!

Caleb has had this toy harmonica for a few months now, and ever since mommy showed him how to use it, he has always pretty much just stuck the thing (it didn't matter which end) up to his mouth and... hummed. That in itself, of course, was precious.

However, now that it has come out of hiding from the Great Move, he thought he'd give it another try, and thus...



We're so proud of his musical capabilities. Just a few hours after this, he was full-out dancing to the BeeJees "Oh What a Night," compliments of mommy's iPhone.

And in case any of you are wondering how the Boy is getting along with his daddy, here's another video of the duo sharing a morning snack. Grapes!



On with our day!

Daddy's little helper

Now that Dad's back home, and has three weeks off of work, we've been finding lots of fun little projects to do around our "new" house, and Caleb is oh-so eager to help.

First on the list was to fix the yard. We are fortunate enough to have an awsome next-door neighbor who lets us use his washer and dryer, as well as some gardening tools, so we don't have to buy our own for the 2-3 months we'll be living here. Michael had to do some work on his lawn-mower and weed-wacker so he could tidy up the lawn, but I'd say that's definitely a fair trade-off.



So the three of us spent a few hours outside, and really enjoyed ourselves. Michael was glad to be doing something constructive, and not too laborious, Caleb mostly watched and directed (and smiled and giggled), and I took a few pictures, and made sure Caleb didn't hurt himself or get in the way.

He thought the lawn mower was fun, but then Daddy brought out the hose! "Caleb, wanna help me spray down the house and car deck?" (Trying to keep the spiders and potato bugs at bay).

"Yeah!"

"What's this? An obstacle!"

"It's okay, I got this!"

This little boy LOVED getting wet.



And we loved watching him.



Really though, who wouldn't?

Caleb loves playing outside, and will tread barefoot through pokey grass, twigs, and gravel without any complaint. Must those super-padded pudgy feet :).



This momma did her best to just sit back and let boys be boys, but when water mixed with dirt to become mud (and I could foresee that mud all over my kitchen floor), and rocks and twigs and roly-polies started making their way into Caleb's mouth... then I decided it was time to go inside, strip down and take a bath! Good thing it was close to bed-time, and one little boy was pleasantly tuckered out :).

a family photo

Here's this quaint little threesome on the front steps of our humble (and temporary) abode.

Caleb may look like he's a happy camper, but really he's trying to escape from our grasp so he can climb up and down those steps. It's his favorite activity for the time being, even after his little spill a few days ago. He biffed it hard, and had scratches from his forehead to the left side of his neck (including his ear) to show for it.

There've been several falls over the last week or two, big and little, and I'm not sure what to make of it. Either he's just out of his comfort zone, he's exploring and doing more risk-taking, or he's just gotten really clumsy. Sometimes when I watch him, I think it must be the latter. I'm slowly learning to accept that it's just going to happen, and I just have to let it. He's a pretty tough kid, even for a momma's boy.

a real homecoming

In fact, the most important homecoming of our lives. The day our marine comes home for good! It's been a rough seven months for our little family, and we have no idea what's in store for us after this moment, but now that Michael is on American soil again (and more importantly, back in my arms), it seems as though everything's going to be alright.



Michael's dad Chris was our camera man, and since he was also eager to greet his son, we only got this short video, and a longer one that's mostly sky and ground, but from it I snagged a few decent pictures that show our first reunited moments.

I'm never fully prepared for the rush of emotions that are inevitable at these reunions (we've had several that weren't related to a deployment), but I can't even imagine how it is for Michael, after all he's been through... After a few hugs and kisses for all three of us, his main concern was to get away from the group of dudes he's been around nonstop for over half a year, slip into something more comfortable than the cammies and gear he's been bearing the whole time, and lay down on a real bed.

Caleb, who is typically slow-to-warm-up, seems to remember Michael, though I'm afraid he's going to be a bit territorial of his momma for a while. It's been just the two of us for so long, and now my attention is going to be devided. Hopefully he realizes how cool it is to have a dad in the mix, that he's going to have some awesome experiences with him too, and that he loves him just as much as I do.

As for me, I can't believe he's home. It's so unreal, so wonderful, and I find myself staring hard at his face, and holding on tight to any part of him, just to make sure I don't waste another moment being apart from him.

Welcome home, my love.

the coolest thing since his binky

Automatic doors. Better yet, four automatic doors in a row. I'm not sure what the point is, having so many, but they certainly kept Caleb entertained for a good fifteen minutes at one of the rest areas we stopped at along the way. Definitely a nice break from our four-day car ride (not to mention the tire swing out back).



We also discovered that he's fascinated by drinking fountains. At first he wanted to touch the water, then he liked putting his mouth in it (but can't figure out how to drink any), now the only thing he's interested in is getting his binky wet and shoving that back in his mouth. I wonder if we'll ever be rid of that thing? I suppose I should be glad he even takes one. It has definitely come in handy doing this many hours of non-stop driving. Toys and snacks and music were a big help as well :).