Norah Walks

Norah took her first steps alone today!  She's been cruising along furniture and such.  She's been pushing around her walk-behind toy.  But today we helped her balance and she was off!

Of course, she'll need lots more practice, but it cool to see still.

First you will see just her feet, then the whole shebang.  The last part isn't rotated properly...sorry about that!

Black and Yellow/Quote of the Day

Ever heard of the song Black and Yellow?

I hadn't.  But it was played at the bowling alley during our Sunday school social back in August.  Caleb and Sarah enjoy singing the chorus from time to time.

**Disclaimer:  This in no way reflects my taste in music...or my approval of this song.

Well, my two little goofballs were singing Black and Yellow today.

And this led to today's Quote of the Day.

I asked Caleb if he knew what creature was black and yellow.

You'd expect him to say a bumble bee, right?

You'd be wrong.

Caleb said this:

"If the people painted grass black and yellow and then a creature climbed in the grass and camouflaged itself, it would be black and yellow."

Well, that's right I suppose.  Correct, indeed.

Sarah Loves Her Daddy

Flashback: Team Rivalry

For those of you who weren't reading my fun little blog back in '08, here is what I posted in the heat of football season.

My heart is swelling as I remember how Caleb was at that age...just a few months shy of turning 3.

So, here's the vid:

Wanted

This popped up on my pandora station this afternoon.

What a beautiful picture of the love we are capable of sharing with others!

Someone, somewhere needs a you to be this friend...the one who says, "You're wanted."  Love that person today.

Real Life Version of the UP house

Have you seen this?  Incredibly imaginative and so much fun!

Sweet Pea - Amos Lee

I'm digging this today...

Hawk Nelson - Crazy Love

What I've been jamming to lately...

Caleb's Quirky Kipper Craze

Caleb has been watching Kipper on Netflix since last September (or thereabouts).  If he could watch this show everyday, he would.  There are 10 episodes available at Netflix, and Caleb watches them over and over.

Honestly, I don't mind this show.  It's simply made with all white backgrounds and simple, but interesting  plots.  I believe that it is a British children's show, educational in nature, and broadcast on PBS beginning in 1999.

Kipper the Dog at Wikipedia

His favorite part is the intro.  He likes it so much that he acts it out with Kipper.  What fun it is to be a kid!

Lead Me

The Story Behind "Lead Me" - Sanctus Real from BrightBulb Entertainment on Vimeo.

Just a Swingin'

Monster Trucks and Belly Laughs

Last Thursday, as I was getting things ready for bath time, Caleb entertained Sarah in the bathtub (without water, of course).

Sarah had a very dirty diaper that had leaked through onto her clothes.  I set Sarah in the tub until I could round up post-bath clothes for her and Caleb. Caleb quickly joined her by stripping down and taking his monster trucks to the tub.

As I was getting things ready, I heard great big belly laughs coming from the bathroom.  Nope, they weren't Caleb's, but they were Sarah's.  And this time I caught her in the act. Well, I had Caleb put his underwear back on so I could get a video without exposing more than what was appropriate.

Without further ado...Sarah laughing at her big brother, Caleb, and his creative play!

For Your Listening Pleasure

I say this is for your listening pleasure because I realize that the video quality is terrible. I did not have her in a spot with good lighting, but I knew that I may not be able to recreate the situation if I moved her.

We frequently sit Sarah in the Bumbo on the dining table when we are eating meals. We usually surround her with various toys to play with. Yesterday at lunch, Caleb was encouraging her to play with this adorable rolling cheetah. As you can tell, she got a real kick out of him rolling it to her!

Sarah Splashing in the Bath

Because you liked the first bath video so much...and because I love to hear her talk!

Family Hit By Tornado

My family was affected by a tornado this evening. Please be praying for them as they assess the damage and try to put their lives back together.

They are safe tonight. Thank you, Jesus. When the storm came, Uncle Doug and Aunt Debra were home and took cover in the bathroom, then in the closet. Kayla was at work in Canton, which was also affected by the storm system, but the building she was in was not directly hit.

They lost several barns and anmials have gotten loose because of fences being down. From the pictures I was able to find on the news channel website, it looks as though thier house has been badly damaged.

Video of Aunt Debra on the news

Scroll down past the photo box and the first video to the second video.

Bathtub Video

I usually give the kids a bath together, unless I'm in a hurry. It may seem strange since most people combine bath times to save time, but if I'm in a hurry, I usually give Sarah a bath and wait until later to give Caleb his. Again, that may seem strange since Caleb is probably dirtier, but Sarah's bath is much faster. I really need to get on the ball with giving Caleb his baths more frequently...oh, and brushing his teeth more consistently. I digress...

Here's tonight's bath time video...of the kids together. Sarah can hold her own in the splash battle. That's probably because Caleb doesn't have enough room to lay down or stretch his legs out with her taking up so much room. Also, I apologize for the silliness of the washcloths covering private areas, but we can't be too careful these days. I hope you enjoy seeing Sarah smile and splash her big brother. And I hope you enjoy watching Caleb try not to let his washcloth fall off as he barely splashes for his lack of space. Don't let me fool you concerning the length of this video. It's only 10 seconds...

P.S. Blogger, how could you? Why in the world would you debut a "new" posting option that does not include a video uploader? I have spent the last 2 hours trying to figure out how to get this video on here. The oh-so-simple solution? Go back to the old version of Blogger posting.

Caleb Reads!

Well, sort of.

Apparently, he has memorized this book called Hot Dog. It is repetitive and uses rhyming words. It's sentences also go along well with the pictures. Sometimes when he "reads" the book, he says the wrong sentences with the wrong pages. But...all in all, this is a great start to reading! Way to go Caleb! We are so proud of you!

P.S. Our camera stops the video after 3 minutes. I did start a new video, but it was only 10 seconds long. You get the idea anyway!

My Kid Is Obsessed With GEICO

Exhibit A:

P.S. That high-pitched squeal is Sarah. She wanted in on the action too.

Exhibit B:

Caleb insisted upon taking this card to PawPaw Freeman's for football time last night. He was totally distraught when he couldn't find it when it came time to leave. After I did find it, he began jumping up and down, saying "My GEICO, My GEICO!"

Exhibit C:

When the GEICO commercials come on TV, he is enthralled and has an ear-to-ear smile plastered on his face.

Ain't No Reason

My sister sent this video to me a while back, but we were transitioning to a new computer and our old one wouldn't access the link she sent.  So I watched it for the first time this morning.  It really causes you to think a little deeper...deeper than--as he puts it--our comfortable routines.

I think you'll enjoy this one.