Caleb the 1-Year-Old!

Our sweet little Caleb turned one year old on November 29!  The memory of his birthday remains vivid in my mind, and it's hard to believe that we're now calling him our "one-year-old."  

By God's grace, I was not nervous about having 2 children 15 months apart; instead, I was very excited at the thought of having two little ones grow up together so close in age.  I did hope, however, that Caleb's first year would be as smooth as was Luke's, who was a relatively happy little one.  I never would have imagined how enjoyable that transition could be, though, and I attribute that to Caleb's laid back and pleasant personality.  

If there is one word that I'd choose to describe Caleb's first year, it is the word easy.  From pregnancy to delivery to sleep to play time to eating, Caleb has been so easy and cheerful! A few examples of his cheerfulness include how patient he is with his brother who likes to climb all over him; how he consistently stretches out his hand to give us a high five when we say "no" to him as he crawls towards dangerous areas in the house; and how he kicks his legs with excitement when he sees his daddy walk in the door from work. Caleb exemplifies the truth that "A joyful heart is good medicine," Proverbs 17:22.  

Here are pictures of our jolly little guy, month by month:

Caleb's Birthday:

 Caleb, 1 Month:

Caleb, 2 Months:

Caleb, 3 Months:

 Caleb, 4 Months:

Caleb, 5 Months:

Caleb, 6 Months:

Caleb, 7 Months:

Caleb, 8 Months:

Caleb, 9 Months:

Caleb, 10 Months:

Caleb, 11 Months:

Caleb, the Birthday Boy:

 What a joy you bring to our family, Caleb!  May you come to "follow God fully," like your biblical namesake.  We love you so much!

Sweeter than Candy!

One of the previous posts included "firsts" that our boys have experienced since we've been in Charleston.  Topping that list for Luke is now trick-or-treating!  But the joy that came from that experience deserved its own post.  

We started the day visiting Daddy at work!  One of my friends whose husband is an ENT resident organized a Halloween parade on the ENT floor, and all of the sweet administrative assistants who work in the ENT office passed out candy to the kids.  The kids looked adorable in their costumes, but what might have been even more precious was to see the pride that every single dad took in their little ones.  

After the parade we went trick-or-treating in our friends' neighborhood, and it only took visiting one house for Luke to figure out how to say "twick-or-tweet?" and how to grab as much candy as is humanly possible for a 2-year-old. 

The cutest tootsie roll and the most irresistible hot dog I've ever seen!  Here the boys are on their way to Daddy's work.

They didn't immediately understand why I placed these pumpkins in their hands.  It took one drop of candy in those baskets for Luke to get the hang of it!

This is just me showing off Caleb's cuteness.

Here is one proud Daddy!

After the parade at Daddy's work, we went trick-or-treating with some of our friends:

Luke had no idea what was in store for him this night.  

He later proved that it is possible to sprint in this seemingly restricting outfit. 

Keeping with tradition, here is C-Man sporting the same outfit that his daddy wore 30 years ago and that Luke wore last year.

And the highlight of this post:  here is Luke dancing to the "tootsie roll" (think mid-90's).  In his tootsie roll costume.  We plan on keeping these videos for years and years!!

Charleston = Fun (Beaches)

Out of all that Charleston has to offer, nothing is more fun for our boys than the beach.  I'm so thankful for talented friends who gladly capture their happiness by photographing them!

It's okay to laugh.  We laugh, too.  He's pleasantly plump.  And we're proud of it!

Luke snatched a friend's beach hat and ran out into the tidal pool.  Thankfully, she was amused!

Here are two of Luke's favorite people ever.  This sweet family has become so dear to us!

Very accurate picture of a day at the beach:  Luke soaking up every moment he has in the water; Caleb being entertained by Luke; and me watching Caleb and laughing with slight anxiety at Luke's water obsession. 

I can't say enough about this little boy.  I love him.

*Special thanks to Sarah Cline for providing most of these pictures!*

Charleston = Fun (Parks)

One of my favorite things to do with our boys is take them to parks.  Luke absolutely loves everything about the park, and it's fun to see him make new friends so easily.  And an added perk is that many parks here sit next to the water, so parents get to enjoy the harbor views while the kids play.

Daddy recently walked from work to a nearby park where we picnicked for dinner.  This lasted for about 5 minutes, as the mosquitoes soon discovered us!

Serious motivation to take the boys to the park!

We live by many historic plantations, and one is only blocks from our house.  If we don't go to the park, we usually stroll down to this plantation.  Behind them is the oldest home west of the Ashley River.  

A Few Firsts

The boys have experienced many "firsts" since we've been here, and I've been able to capture a few of them on camera.

First- and perhaps only- time to see once injured sea turtles released back into the ocean!

This was Luke's first time to blow out a birthday candle!  Our community group celebrated his 2nd birthday by singing to him over cupcakes!

First time to carve a pumpkin!  Luke was very intrigued until he remembered how many sticks there were for him to play with in our front yard!

As expected.

Once a 2-year-old loses interest, it's pretty impressive how quickly a facial surgeon can effortlessly carve a pumpkin.  He did an exceptional job.

Finished product!

First time to ride in the grocery cart together.

Don't be fooled: Luke is not showing any sort of affection here.

At least they could entertain the other shoppers and employees.

First time to take a bath together!  And what's sweeter, it was the first time for Caleb to take a bath without crying!

In addition to these firsts, Caleb recently crawled for the first time with the motivation of reaching Aunt Kathleen's banana bread! We were thankful that she was able to witness that.  We're hoping to hear some first words from that little guy soon!