The Mini Theologian

I thought that Christmas would be an appropriate time to post some of Caleb's recent theological musings. We really have to stay on our toes to answer his questions. Here are a few of his recent questions...

1. When is Jesus coming out of the clouds?
2. Can God make me into a cow?
3. Can I be a guy church when I grow up?
4. Is Jesus coming to church tonight?
5. Can God turn me into Santa Claus?
6. Why was Jesus born in the manger?
7. If Jesus takes us to heaven, then our neighbors will miss us.

Breakfast with Santa

Well, today we had breakfast with Santa, round two. The first round (last year) resulted in a child who was terrified of Santa and refused to have his picture made with the guy. Also, Santa looked rather young, disinterested, and slightly drugged last year.

Anyway, Caleb assured me that he was "a big boy now" and that he wasn't afraid of Santa. Nonetheless, after we arrived at the hotel, had the requisite breakfast (a highlight for Caleb was partaking of three different types of jam), and neared the moment of truth, Caleb's fear took hold. However, we had something that tipped the scales in our favor this year... Santa was handing out candy canes. When Caleb realized that the only way to get a candy cane was to look fear in the face, he stoically posed for a picture. Fortunately, we ran into Matt's professor who snapped a quick shot for us. Of course, Madi is howling and Caleb looks like he's just seen a ghost. Oh, the things we do for fun!

Caleb Quote O' The Day

"When I grow up, one day, can I marry Mommy?"

Caleb Loses His First Job

The other day was one of highs and lows for Caleb. He was promoted to Chef's Apprentice. He put on his little red apron and assisted in assembling the ingredients for Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Bread. He was doing well for a while, but as it will in most first jobs, the monotony started to get to him. He started scooping ingredients out of our mixture and dumping them on the table. After a warning failed to improve his performance, he was fired. I do hope another apprenticeship opens for him soon.

And the muffins turned out yummy. Here's the recipe. My only note is that I think that a whole bag of chocolate chips is way too many (even though I do love chocolate). Maybe 1 cup of chocolate chips would be good. Anyway, enjoy!...

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Bread

3

Mini Loafs

Submitted by chickybang
June 13, 2005

2 C Flour
2 Tsp bake powder
1 Tsp bake soda
1 Tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 Tsp cloves
1/2 Tsp ground nutmeg
1/2 Tsp ground ginger
1/4 Tsp salt
1 stick butter
3/4 C sugar
1/4 C honey
2 Lg eggs
1 C pumpkin puree
1/2 C plain yogurt
1 Bag chocolate chip morsels
(preferably mini chips)

Preheat oven to 350. Grease loaf pan(s) Combine all ingredients except the chocolate chips into the processor and mix until well combined. Fold in chocolate chips. Pour batter into prepared pans and bake until center comes out clean (approx 1 hour) Let bread cool 15 minutes.

Healthyish Pumpkin Pie

Is it an unwritten rule in the blogging world that you must include recipes? At least most of the blogs I look at have recipes. So, I thought I'd include one here (although I didn't abide by the other unwritten rule of including a picture).

Caleb has been persistently asking for pumpkin pie for a long time. I guess since we got our pumpkins for Halloween, he assumed that we would use them to make pumpkin pie. I confess that I did not use said pumpkins for the pie, but used the infinitely easier canned pumpkin. Maybe one day I'll be brave enough to attempt conquering the actual pumpkin. Anyway, here's the recipe:

Crust:
2 C nuts (I used a mix of walnuts and pecans)
1/2 C dates
Process nuts in food processor until crumbly. Add dates and process until blended. Press mixture into pie pan

Filling:
1.5 C pumpkin puree
.5 C pure maple syrup
1 C heavy cream
.5 C milk
4 eggs
2 TBS flour
.25 tsp nutmeg
.25 tsp ground giner
1 tsp cinnamon

Heat pumpkin puree in a pan. Stir frequently.
Add milk and cream, heating gently. Stir until smooth. Keep hot but not boiling.
In a heatproof bowl, whisk the eggs until smooth. Add in dry spices, flour, then syrup.
Add the pumpkin mixture to the egg mixture (whisking the egg mixture while pouring).
Pour mixture into pie crust.
Bake at 400 until outside edge of the filling is firm and slightly puffed and center is jiggly. (I baked it for 20 min. and this was a bit too long)
Cool gently
Yummy!

Generosity Misguided

I was trying to explain the concept of Operation Christmas Child to Caleb so that he could help me choose some toys to fill our shoe box. I told him that we were going to buy toys for a little boy that didn't have any toys. Caleb enthusiastically embraced the idea, saying, "Maybe we can fill that box with toys and give it to Isaiah!" Good thought Caleb, but I don't exactly think Isaiah is the target demographic of Operation Christmas Child!

The Pirate and The Ladybug

Make your own slide shows and scrapbooks

The Pirate and The Ladybug

A Face Picture is Worth a Thousand Back Pictures

I am very proficient at taking photos of the children's backs. You see, they move faster than my camera clicks. Pictures that clearly show their faces are very rare. Pictures that show both of their faces together are almost nonexistent. But here are some cute face pictures (albeit separate faces) of both Caleb and Madi. We went to a small pumpkin patch, and they had fun running, climbing, and throwing pumpkins.

Madi's First Apron

I LOVE these pictures of Madi. She looks adorable in this little apron. It's not really hers - but she was an absolutely agreeable little model. She's not to the stage of cooking with me just yet, so for her an apron would be all style and no substance. Unless she wore it when she was eating; I guess it could serve as a full length bib.

Speaking of eating, Madi has turned into a little piggy. Well, she is insanely active (I cannot overemphasize this) so her caloric needs are probably fairly high for a baby. For example, the other night she had sweet potato, noodles, bananas, and applesauce! And she just cut her 7th tooth! This particular tooth disturbed Madi's sleep a good bit, providing me with many a 4 AM channel surfing session.

A trip to the doctor

We were at the doctor's office with Matt, and Caleb was up to minor mischief as usual. He took off his shoes. Matt, concerned that Caleb was walking barefoot on the germ-infested floor, demanded that Caleb put his shoes back on. Caleb tarried of course. Matt, becoming more frustrated, said, "If you don't put your shoes on right now, I'm gonna throw up on your feet." (Part of Matt's illness includes vomiting) So, Caleb put his shoes back on and began exploring the exam room. He was intrigued by an anatomical poster that showed a skeleton with labels of his various parts. Caleb said, "That guy no has shoes on. Daddy, I hope you don't throw up on him."

Madi the Mountain Climber

Madi is such a climber. This morning, she had been playing in Caleb's room with little people, but I noticed that she had been quiet for a suspiciously long time. I walked in to find her standing on top of his desk! The amazing thing is that she got down all by herself, with no booms - just like a pro.

Oh, Madi the Wild - climber of furniture, dumper of garbage, scavenger of dirty diapers, shredder of books, thieve of dishes - what are we going to do with you? And on top of it all, we can't stay mad at you because you're so very cute and sweet and loveable!

A boy needs a pet, right?

Caleb is upset. He's stomping around the house and scowling. He's just asked for a pet baby jaguar and been turned down. Matt told him that it's illegal. But Diego has one - it's not fair!

Caleb Quote of the Day

Today, Caleb was reflecting on having a sister... "I love Madi too. I'm so glad you went to the doctor and got her. I'm so excited."

Aside from being sweet, this is amusing on a number of levels. We certainly didn't go anywhere to get Madi, and we went to great lengths to make sure a doctor wasn't involved! How did Caleb get this little story into his head?

What a Mess!

This was a while ago, but it still cracks me up...

Madi Warrior Princess

Caleb's Birthday Party

Here are a few pictures from Caleb's Birthday party...

Caleb Quote O' the Day

"I'm not a genius. I'm just a boy." and
"Madi's not a elf princess. She's a little girl."

Sweet Brother

Madi cut her mouth, and I asked Caleb to help me watch out for her so that she wouldn't get hurt again. Caleb said, "I will take care of she because I love her very much." How sweet!

Mini Monet?

Caleb drew his first clearly defined picture. He drew a face with eyes, a mouth, a mustache, and hair. He gave it to Grace Ann. I was so amazed. Up until this point, he had mainly been scribbling.

Madi's New Vocabulary

Madi has been saying "Mama" for a few weeks now. But she has recently started trying to sign Mama and Dada. We think she may be trying to say "brother" as well. She is watching intently as we sign to her. I know that she is absorbing so much, but we're so excited that she's able to communicate back to us.

She is also walking almost all of the time now.

Caleb Quotes

"Suddenly Madi woke up!" and "I think that lady is exactly like GaGa Brenda."

Where did he learn these words. I think we've decided that "suddenly" is an adverb, but I don't even know what type of word "exactly" is. A modifier of some sort?

Also, he "read" (meaning he had memorized) a 50+ page book to me tonight. I'm sure that pictures comprised half off it, but it's impressive nonetheless.

A Muffled Cry

Two times yesterday, I left the children alone... for about 30 seconds (I do have to use the restroom occasionally). The first time, I reentered the circus and immediately heard a muffled cry. Neither child was in sight. It turned out that Madi was in the pantry. Caleb had shut her in there. I couldn't judge too harshly though, as I had subjected Michael to a similar (slightly worse) fate when we were little.

The second time I left the room, no one was locked in the pantry. Instead, Caleb and Madi chose to dump Richard's water bowl. I returned to find them both splashing in the mess.

Caleb's First Story

"Once upon a time, there was a boy who lost his harmonica. Then a good monster and a good dragon found it for him."

I'm not sure where he came up with this because we don't usually read him "Once upon a time" stories. Interesting though. I can't wait until his stories become more elaborate.

Clap for Madi

Madi is fascinated with the bowl of dog food. She loves to eat it. Whenever she starts crawling over to Richard's dog bowl, Matt, Caleb, and I begin our chorus of "Madi NO." When her restraint triumphs over her temptation, and she turns from the bowl without grabbing any food, we clap and cheer for her. Well, now Madi has learned how to clap. When she turns from the bowl, she starts clapping for herself. The only downside to the situation is that she's now a clapping junkie - she craves the clap. I think she is now intentionally going to the dog food, just so she can turn from it and receive applause. Quite complicated mental workings for a nine month old!

A Demanding Coach

Apparently, I need to sign up for pitching lessons. My baseball coach may be only 3 feet tall, but he is rather obsessive and quite demanding. It wasn't enough for me to play catch with him; Caleb insisted that I pitch him the ball properly. Never mind that I was wearing Madi at the time. He demanded that I wear a glove, hike the proper leg, and throw the ball even with his bat. After my valiant effort (more yoga than baseball, with the balancing involved) he declared "Mommy no is good at baseball."

Madison the Magnificent

A few days ago Madi took 20 steps - 20!!! She also climbed my parent's stairs at least four times. No amount of blockades could keep her from those stairs. She is cutting her 6th tooth! Whew - no wonder I'm tired!

Caleb Quote O' the Day

I gave Caleb a book called "Mommy Loves Me Lots" and wrote "To: Caleb, Love, Mommy" on the last page (specifically, on the mom's pants). Well, Caleb enjoys the book, but he does not appreciate my addition to it. When he saw my writing he said, "Why you write on that lady's pants? That's not a good idea."

It's a zoo around here

Actually, when I think about it, animals at zoos usually seem to be sedated. Or maybe they're just depressed about their confinement. Either way, they usually seem rather calm. But there's nothing sedate about life in our house. A couple of examples from today...

After lunch, I went to read in our room for a bit, hoping to preserve my sanity. I'd alone been alone for a few minutes when I overhead quickly escalating chaos in the children's bedroom. I rushed to Matt's aid and was greeted by the following scene: Matt was scrambling to kill the ants that had once again invaded the kids' bedroom. Caleb had insisted that he was wearing a pull-up (he had on Spiderman underwear) and proceeded to pee all over his clothes and the floor. Madi crawls in from the living room, naked from the waist down. She has managed to pull of her diaper. I search for the missing diaper and find it filled with poop. Of course, the poop was not confined to the diaper; it decorated the surrounding floor as well. I thought the only appropriate response to this circus was laughter, but Matt was not amused. He asked if we could order cages.

This afternoon was blissfully peaceful as the children both took gloriously long naps. In fact Caleb woke up at 5:45. As Vacation Bible School started at 5:45, we were in a bit of a rush. I threw clothes on him, grabbed a banana for him to eat on the way, and hustled the children to the van. I thought we were doing well until I saw water running down our windshield followed by a thud. We were bringing a bouquet of flowers for Caleb's VBS teacher, and I had driven off with them on top of the van! Somehow, the vase did not break as it rolled down the windshield and hit the pavement. So, I pulled over, collected the vase, flowers, and card, and reassembled everything. Granted, the flowers looked a little ragged after their sojourn in the asphalt, but it was amazing that the bouquet survived.

VBS was relatively uneventful, with Caleb only throwing himself to the floor for the first fifteen minutes. Madi also took advantage of me while my hands were full (literally, not figuratively this time). She swiped my cookie and nibbled her first bite of chocolate chip cookie (shhh... don't tell Matt)!

So, the next time that you're tempted to go to the zoo, save your admission fee. You can come and observe wildlife at our house for free!

Caleb Quote O' the Day

"I love you too little sweet pea Mommy" and "You're a precious big Mommy"

Not Really But Really

Caleb is starting to realize that he can have conflicting emotions about a particular experience. Tonight I asked him if he liked Vacation Bible School (he's gone the past two evenings). He said, "Not really, but really." I asked him what parts he liked. He said, "I like outside at the park, crafts, and snack. I no like church." They had a bit of a long-winded opening and closing ceremony in the church that wasn't really geared toward a toddler's attention span. I was so proud of him for being able to identify and vocalizing these conflicting feelings.

Hockey Jesus

We were singing songs tonight when Caleb asked for "Hockey Jesus." He was referring to the second verse of "Jesus Loves Me" where it says "Jesus loves me, He who died; heaven's gates to open wide." Heaven's gates = heaven skates to Caleb ears. He said that he thinks Jesus plays hockey. Only Caleb would think to make Jesus a sports star.

Cowboy Caleb

Caleb has been a fan of bullriding for a while; it frequently tops his lengthy "sports" list. Called "mad cows" in Caleb-lingo, bullriding had been reserved for watching on tv until recently. Yesterday, Caleb and Matt invented "bullriding - the game." Caleb dresses like a cowboy and rides Matt (the bull). This was cute and fun to watch until I got roped into being the bull. Then the game became a little more exhausting!

Madi, Madi Madi!!!

Madi, just fresh off of her 8 month birthday, has started walking! It is insane; she even beat Caleb by a month. She's not entirely steady on her feet. Her record number of steps so far is four. But she is so excited about it. We're proud of our little girl and alarmed at the same time. Somehow, we seem to breed headstrong children!

A sweetHeart

Caleb is staying with his GaGa Karen and Papa Ricky. The day before we were to come pick him up, they asked him, "Who do you think is coming tomorrow." He said that he didn't know. They further prompted him, "Who do you love the most?" He said, "Jesus!" "Yes, but who else?" they asked. "God!" Caleb said. "Who else?" "Guy church." He never did guess Mommy and Daddy, but we were quite pleased with his responses.

Caleb Quote O' the Day

"My mouth is hurt so I no can eat,"(said while holding a paper towel over his mouth like a bandage) "Your mouths no is hurt, guys?"

Convenient and creative excuse for not eating lunch.

A Common Criminal

Caleb has turned to a life of crime. We went to Hobby Lobby today, and he grabbed various items as usual. He dumped patches into our diaper bag, wore one of their hats around the store, hid out between the rolls of fabric, and knocked a couple of fabric rolls to the floor. Overall, it was one of our better trips. But a couple of hours later, I felt something odd in the sling. It was a tape measure - stolen from Hobby Lobby! Somehow Caleb had thrown it into the sling or maybe he gave it to Madi and she dropped it in the sling. Now, how am I going to get the thing back into Hobby Lobby without revealing that we're a family of thieves?

Warning: Not for the Faint of Heart or Queasy of Stomach

This story begins innocently enough, but do NOT read past the first paragraph if you are easily grossed out or if you are about to eat.... So, Caleb wanted to go to our local coffee place this morning, and it wasn't too difficult for him to persuade me since we both love the place. It's a little indy coffee shop here that even serves some fair trade, organic stuff. So we headed out for our white sugar, white flour breakfast :)

Breakfast was going well enough. Caleb was running amuck around the almost vacant second story. I was enjoying my coffee and making a few phone calls. He notifies me that he has poop. I debate what to do. I don't think they have a changing table, and I don't think it's appropriate to change him on the floor. Infamous thought "Wouldn't want to contaminate the place." STUPID me! So I tell him that I'll finish my coffee and then we'll go change in the car. So, I've taken a few more sips of coffee when he says "Poop on my legs." And this is when I realize that I've made a crucial mistake.

Alas, we are attempting to potty train the boy. It is a long and drawn out process, but we feel that we are making strides. He wears underwear at home and pull-ups when we go out. But not today; today I have forgotten to change him into a pull-up. He has on underwear, and poop is leaking everywhere! Any attempt at evacuating the place would only result in more widespread poop leakage. There is only one option; change him on the floor immediately! So, I put Madi down to crawl on what I hope is a non poop-contaminated spot - oh gross! And I attempt to clean up the mess that is Caleb. Poop is all over his legs, his feet, his shorts and the floor (which is green carpet by the way). His underwear find their new home in the trash can, joining "Bailey Goes Camping." I try to quickly clean up the mess before anyone sees. There are two other customers sitting in the room, and I hope that they are oblivious to the fracas. In case the situation has escaped their knowledge, Caleb loudly broadcasts "Poop everywhere, poop on my legs, poop on my shorts..." I beg him to be quiet as I frantically try to scrub his legs and the carpet, silently pleading with Madi to stay away from the poop-infested area. Thankfully, we are able to salvage the shorts (of course I don't have a wet bag on hand). Thank God, I do have wipes (my friends know that this is a RARE occurrence) and a pull-up on hand. I attempt to discreetly dispose of the evidence and scoop up Madi. We sneak out the back entrance (SO happy that the coffee shop has an outside staircase!) with Caleb clad in only a t-shirt, a pull-up, and his crocs (which he informs me that he has tee-teed on). We go straight home, and dunk the boy in the bath.

Why do I go out in public with the children? WHY?????

p.s. As I am writing this, Caleb informs me that he "has poop." Aurgh!!!!!

Bailey Goes Camping in the Trash Can

So, one of Caleb's library books met an unfortunate demise tonight. Caleb had spilled some water on the book, but it was in pretty bad shape to begin with, so I thought that maybe the library wouldn't notice. But tonight, we open "Bailey Goes Camping" to find it overrun with mold! Now, this is not that unusual an occurrence - our house grows mold easily. It's so airtight - good for our electric bill, bad for mold. So "Bailey Goes Camping" had to go. And now we have to pay for it - ugh! And it was a really sweet story. :(

Caleb Quote O' the Day

"Lastertime, I saw a dog playing basketball. And he said 'I no play basketball. I'm just a dog.'"

Madi's Mission

Madi's focus is singular these days. Her goal is in sight, and she wants it NOW! What is she striving for? Simply to Walk! Never mind that she is only six months old, and that most babies aren't even crawling at her age. She pulls up constantly, on every possible surface. Then, with a glint in her eyes, she lets go! And falls of course - after all, she has not developed the strength and coordination to attempt such a feat. Oh Madi - must you grow up so fast?

Rare Moment in History

Caleb and Madi pose together for a picture. Even at the photography studio last week, we were unable to accomplish this feat. They do have fun together; they're just both so insanely active that it is extremely difficult to have them both sitting still long enough to take a photo. How sweet!

Richard's Romantic Woes

Richard has had another girlfriend move out on him. Our neighbors and their dog, Lacey, have moved. Richard is a bit down, but it hasn't been as hard on him this time. After all, Lacey wasn't his first love. That honor belongs to Nikki; Richard is probably still pining away for her. If we get a house with a decent size yard one day, we want to get Richard a friend.

Date Night Success

After my lament, I was rewarded with a mini date night. We just had a couple of drinks, but it was refreshing. I made a new friend, the Mojito. The Mojito and I first crossed paths half a decade ago, but didn't hit it off. However, a mutual affection arose when we were reacquainted last night.

Caleb Quote O' the Day

"Have you ever seen a dog sitting in a chair at the barber shop getting his hair cut?"

Searching for datenight

O, datenight, datenight, wherefore art thou datenight? Longed-for and elusive, the datenight has sheltered itself in the same cave as the full night's sleep, the alone time, the cup of coffee in peace, and the clean house.

But these have been traded for things more precious and cherished... morning kisses, the sounds of tiny voices singing, lots of cuddles, toddler jokes, and baseball in the backyard.

Is the trade-off worth it? Absolutely and unquestionably!

Lots and lots of babies

Caleb's morning quote of the day...

"I want 2 sisters. I want lots and lots of babies. Lots and lots of babies. No sell them."

We'll see...

So, I just found out what superhero I am...

Your results:
You are Poison Ivy

Poison Ivy 52% Dr. Doom 48% Apocalypse 45% Mystique 44% Lex Luthor 40% Dark Phoenix 40% Catwoman 40% Riddler 40% The Joker 35% Magneto 34% Mr. Freeze 33% Juggernaut 32% Venom 30% Kingpin 23% Green Goblin 20% Two-Face 16%

You would go to almost any length for the protection of the environment including manipulation and elimination.

Click here to take the "Which Super Villain am I?" quiz...

Library Schmibrary

Let me preface this by saying that I love the library. I do. It's probably one of the more efficient uses of our tax dollars. I used to not care for the library. I wanted to own books, not just borrow them. But when you're short on space to shelve books and low on funds to buy them, you learn to love the library. Especially our library, which has a really outstanding collection of books for a small-town library.

But now the children's librarian says that only children who can sit still can attend storytime. Seriously? Storytime is by nature intended for preschoolers. Older children are in school. Preschoolers are not physiologically capable of sitting still for long periods of time. Can they dance a bit and wiggle while listening to a story? Is that too difficult? But no, let us dope them all up on Ritalin. Then, we'll all be happy, right? In the meantime, I have a little guy, an active little guy, who will no longer be able to attend storytime. A children's librarian, whose job is to cultivate a love of reading in little children, has failed.

Little Ones

Wee One has her first tooth cutting through. She is growing up so fast - crawling and pulling to stand already. Little Guy will be so excited when she can actually play with him. What a joy and a blessing and a challenge these little ones are.

Embarking

Well, I'm new to this business of blogging, but here goes.... I'm well acquainted with writing and journaling, so hopefully this will be fun. I hope to provide a behind the scenes peek at our family here. Hopefully, this will help everyone keep up with Caleb and Madi's development and all their antics. Plus, I'm sure I'll enjoy rambling about other topics that interest me. Thanks for reading...