Happy Birthday Little Man!

December 2nd was Caleb's 2nd birthday. It's so hard to believe that it was a year ago that we gathered to celebrate his first birthday despite the fact that he wasn't with us yet. We went to Kokeb Restaurant in Seattle and ate wonderful Ethiopian food, coughed a little at all the smoke during the traditional coffee ceremony, and all pretended not to notice that I was a twitchy bundle of nerves waiting for the date of our trip to Ethiopia to go meet Caleb! And now, a year has gone by and little man is two years old! The same group that gathered a year ago got together for a little celebration . . . with the additional of two children that weren't yet here a year ago!!

"Thank you Daddy for the big blue blow-up car with ball thingies in it!"

All three kids get in on the grilling action!

Maiya tells me about how she made Caleb's card

Jackson supervises Caleb's toy unwrapping!

Caleb approves of Aunt Marci's gift

Caleb (in his traditional Ethiopian outfit AND bear slippers!) checks out Mama's food!

"Happy Birthday" being sung loudly by loved ones makes for big smiles!

SNOW!!

We got another 4-5" after these pics were taken! Off to go sledding very shortly! Waiting for the outside temperature to get above 19 degrees first!

Stopping to Consider . . .

A dear friend reminded me last week that it's been a year since we received the referral for our wonderful Caleb. It's hard to believe that a year ago we didn't have this shining star in our lives. And it's amazing to me that I forgot the date that I thought I'd NEVER forget . . . the day we got THE CALL from our agency. But I did. Caught up in life, ear infections, tummy troubles, running around after a toddler with seemingly boundless energy while fighting a stupid head cold, trying to get through the always growing "to do" list and pulling my hair out a little at what remains undone . . . until I stopped and realized that I would not trade this chaos and perpetual state of undoneness for ANYTHING in the world. Nope, THIS is what life is about.

And speaking of life . . . we had confirmed week before last that the little guy needs glasses. In a big way. This poor little thing has been walking through a Vaseline-smeared life until last Monday when we picked up his new glasses! He clearly loves them and has been experiencing his new world ever since. His wonderment of how the world "really" looks is an amazing thing to witness!

Making the Best of It . . .

Having Daddy gone on a business trip isn't much fun, but video clips through email make a yucky situation a little better! Here, Daddy is reading "Fox in Sox" (a fine Dr. Seuss classic and one of their favorites!).

Caleb's First Haircut

Well, I finally gave-in and agreed that Caleb needed a haircut! It was getting a little wild and crazy there . . . BEFORE

DURING

AFTER

Much more manageable . . . and he looks like such a big boy now!!

Beach Weekend

We spent a great 3 days at Moclips Beach last weekend with our wonderful friends the Scott's. I am limited on the number of photos I can post on the blog, so I just picked a few . . .

One chilly day out of 3 wasn't too bad for a Washington State beach!

Sunny day family shot!

Lovin' the beach!

First attempt at skim boarding with Daddy!

Summer Pictures

Although this Summer has been a little on the cool side, we've been having as much outdoor fun as possible. I've included a few pictures from some recent events:

At Woodland Park Zoo . . .

Daddy and Caleb enjoying the zoo . . .

Blueberry picking . . .

Our weekly schedule has gotten rather busy . . . something that's been great for a VERY active and social little boy!! Gymnastics, swim class and music class are meeting those needs, and we've been including as many playdates and adventures as possible!

We had some great news recently when Seattle Children's Hospital Pediatric Orthopedics took a look at Caleb's recent x-rays and declared his nutritional rickets completely gone. Can I hear a "YEAH!!!" from the choir please! :o)

He's grown to 31" in height and is now 25 pounds . . . a significant increase since the beginning of Summer. He's popped up 16 teeth (those eye teeth were murder!!) and still eats like he's training for sumo wrestling!

Happy Last Days of Summer to all!