Little Cay-Cay

Though you've seen lots of posts about Reid's interests and milestones over the past year, it's been a while since I did an update on Caleb and Hadley. My next couple of entries are going to focus on them, and today it's all about Caleb!

As I watch this little boy grow, I feel like a child trying to hold on to a handful of sand as it slips through her fingers. I want to savor every detail of his sweet features, remember all of his unique little quirks, and burn into my memory the way it feels to cuddle him or hear his sweet voice. Everyday I am painfully aware that he's growing farther away from my tiny baby into his own person - that one day I will pick him up and sit him back down for the last time. And, while I know it's God's plan for him to grow into the man He's designed for him to be, as Caleb's Mommy, I just want to keep him little a little longer, listening to his four-year-old voice tell me about all his creative preschool mind has thought up or pondered. 

Yet, even as I mourn those baby years, each new stage in his life has its own unique treasures to soak in, especially as we watch his personality and skills mature and he is able to express himself more clearly. I can look back at those cherished memories every once in a while, but at the same time I'm trying to keep my eye on what a great time in his childhood we are getting to experience right now.

There are many ways that I see God through my children, and with Caleb it is definitely in his drive to create new things. He loves to play with blocks, Tinker Toys, his marble run, or train sets and comes up with some pretty well thought out designs.

This is a "video game."

Even Granny's coasters got to be part of this one!

Just like his daddy, he has one of those engineer minds, trying to figure out how things work and setting to work to figure out how to build his next invention.

Our friend Ms. Melanie helped him come up with and build a few different electronic devices one day. Even without any help, he was able to rebuild or fix them weeks later.

His laptop and mouse

Hey don't bother this kid. He's on an important call!

Smile and say cheese!

He loves any opportunity he has to actually work with Dave too and asks lots of questions to figure out how things work. He's even got in trouble a few times for trying to take things apart to determine the mechanics.

The boys trying to fix Granny's dryer

His creativity goes beyond fixing, building, and engineering though. Caleb enjoys lots of pretend play. From imagining himself in different careers...

...to gathering a bucket of "dinosaur bones" with NaNa one day up on the cow farm, he can entertain himself for hours with a bit of imagination.

Drawing or other art activities also provide creative outlets. He didn't show much interest when he was younger, but now Caleb is eager any time there's an opportunity to pull out the art supplies. 

He isn't a kid that picks one toy and plays with it for weeks on end; Caleb is always moving on to something new. That said, he doesn't need a lot to keep himself amused either - a paper towel roll and some craft supplies can become a masterpiece, a few shoelaces tied together become a fishing pole or a leash, and a box of hodgepodge odds and ends turns into some type of exciting new game.

Every once in a while though he gets on a kick with some new treasure he's found. For example, over the summer one of Dave's friends gave Caleb a tape measure and you'd have thought the kid had won the lottery. I can't tell you how long he played with that thing or how many things he measured before he finally accidentally cut his hand and Daddy had to be a big meanie and take it away.

When he gets the mind to, Caleb can also really dive into learning activities and stay focused for long periods of time. Lately, he's been interested in word building, and these Melissa and Doug wooden letters and word cards someone gave us as a hand me down have been perfect to keep him busy and learning. This is one of the most exciting things about Caleb getting older to me - watching as he learns more and more and celebrating the growth.

Another great thing about Caleb growing up is that we can take him more places and do more things with him. Dave is especially excited about this as his preschooler is turning into the perfect little buddy for all those guy activities that I'm not always excited about trying (hiking, sporting events, etc). 

This past October, he finally even got to take Caleb on a real camping trip to a local campground. Though I was a nervous wreck sending my little fella in the woods all night without me, I had to hand those fears over to God and trust my hubby to take good care of him, which he did of course (and they even brought me back lots of pics so I didn't miss out). I knew that these two really needed their bonding time, not to mention that Dave had been waiting a long time to take this much deserved retreat, so I was glad they got to do it despite my anxieties. They hiked, they roasted marshmallows, and they enjoyed one another and the great outdoors. Now both of them can hardly wait to go again!

Need help blowing up the air mattress, Dad?

Confession time: I did get myself a little worked up when I couldn't get a hold of Dave on his cell all evening. My mom, who was worried too, finally dropped by the campsite to make sure they were okay. Dave was shaking his head at us of course since they were perfectly fine and his phone was just out of range, but Caleb thought it was big fun that his NaNa showed up to surprise him!

Good photography skills, Caleb.

As the oldest, Caleb also gets to go a little more often on special days with his NaNa. Being an older brother to two younger siblings when you're only four years old yourself can be tough. Often he has to wait on me to tend their more immediate needs before helping or playing with him, so I love when he gets opportunities for quality time away from the distractions of the little ones when the focus is just on him.

Off to see a Christmas movie

There's so much more I could tell about this special boy, but no blog post would be long enough to capture all I love and treasure about him. I can only pray that I don't forget the special details of our days together at this age. He's growing up fast...but I guess that's okay too! We sure are enjoying this preschooler and look forward to all the ways he'll warm our hearts in the years to come.