More February Birthdays!

The Caldwells have two birthdays to celebrate in February, too. And where better to celebrate than in Montana!

Little Stella Bella turned ONE just before our trip. She's walking and jabbering, and smiling all the time. Just a bean, this one. She wasn't too keen on the idea of wearing a party hat, so we tricked her into getting a picture with one. Sorry Storey.

Jenifer's birthday was a week, or so, before the trip, but close enough for her to get in on the celebration -- and her own cake!

With so many miles between us, it was special to have a visit so close to these birthdays and to celebrate with more than a phone call.

Happy birthday, girls!

Horses Say What?

Cows say "moo". Ducks say "quack". And until our trip to Missoula, Calvin thought that horses say "click click click" or however you'd spell the tongue-clucking sound of a horse's hooves on pavement.

However, after a week at the ranch, surrounded by thirty, or so, horses, Calvin has a new sound for this mighty animal; I can't spell it, either. It's the slobbery sound that a horse makes when it "sneezes".

While out for a walk with Grandma and the other kids, Cal stopped to say hello to the horses. He didn't get too close -- about ten feet away -- but was still startled when one of the horses "sneezed" at him. He melted into tears, finding solace in Grandma's reassurance not to take it personally.

Back inside the house, he found great humor in the incident. "The horse said 'pbpbpbpb', Mom. ha ha ha", but usually followed this statement with, "horsey stays outside".

We didn't go too close for the rest of the week; hence no pictures of Cal with the horses. So how 'bout this adorable one of Storey! She and Chloe visited regularly and helped Grandma take good care of these beauties, even feeding them carrots!

An Indoor Playground

We rented a house with plenty of room for everyone and an playground for the kids. of course, I'm sure that the restauranteur who built it years ago didn't intend for the spiral staircase or sunken bathtubs to be a hit with the children, but they were. Oh, indeed, they were.

I looked at the barstools and saw a place to sit while watching Jenifer give Shane a run for his money at pool. Chloe and Calvin saw hats.

They pulled the cushions off of the stools and paraded around the house in their fancy fare. They even got Uncle Shane in on the action. Watch the runways for this breaking fashion trend.

But even better than the pillows were the bathtubs. One, in particular, was more like a slide. These kids would dive into it, fully clothed and without water over and over and over and over and over again. And then they'd do it again.

For the most part it was harmless fun. They'd knock into each other but come up laughing. But Calvin eventually knocked into the side -- this time during a real bath -- and while showing me what had happened, he slipped again and chipped his two front teeth!

Poor thing. His friend had turned against him! The chips aren't bad -- hardly noticeable, really -- and haven't caused any permanent damage. And we could return home without a snow globe as a memento.

Three Kids (And Six Adults) In Montana

Uncle Chris has a new job and will be moving the family to Missoula, Montana. A house hunting trip turned into a family vacation and the Caldwell crew headed west for a week in the mountains.

Missoula is a great place! A university town, it's eclectic and youthful, and because it developed in a former glacial lake, surrounded by mountains, there's opportunity a plenty for outdoor fun.

Of course, all of that is great, but the real entertainment for the week were these three little kids. C'mon. How cute are they??

Music Together

Grandma and Grandpa treated Calvin and me to a music class as a Christmas present. Our friends Tyler and Grant go, too.

Music Together is an early childhood development program that believes all children are musical; Calvin has made me a believer. There are nine semesters in all, our ten-week class is "Sticks".

During our 45-minute class we sing, play with instruments, music sticks, balls and scarves, and we move around a lot. I won't call it dancing, but I could. Our class consists of five boys and our wonderful teacher, Ms. Robin, knows how to keep their attention!

I wasn't sure what Calvin would do in a classroom setting, but he's doing great. The frequent movement allowed him to roam freely for the first few weeks (with independence encouraged by our teacher) and he has since settled in to experiencing the class with me. He sits on my lap while we're seated and wants to hold my hand while we're galloping around the room. I have to admit, I love it!

I expected the class to be fun, but have been surprised at Calvin's excitement. He's always happy to go, is fully involved in each song, and asks, "what's next, Mommy?" between songs.

Three cheers for music class! Thanks Grandma and Grandpa!

Anderson Birthdays

The month of February now holds two reasons to celebrate: Uncle Kurt's birthday and that of Cal's newest cousin, Ingrid Elise, too!

The ever-responsible Uncle Kurt cut loose on his birthday, encouraging the family to join him on the hill -- the sled hill, that is. Calvin was happy to oblige his dear Uncle "Turt".

We traveled south, again, to meet the newest member of the Anderson family: Ingrid Elise. Known for months as "baby sister", this little girl bears striking similarities to her older sister, Ava, at birth.


Bless you, sweet girl.

Joshua Thomas TeWinkle

This visit wasn't fully about Calvin's birthday or playtime with Wil; we were here to meet our newest friend, Josh!

Already eight weeks old, this little cutie has figured out how to sleep through the night ... and most of the day. He was sick during our visit, but still content.

Welcome to the ranks, little one. We love you already!

Fun with Tupperware

It was a cold weekend when Michigan surpassed their record snowfall. Our attempt to get outside -- a walk around the block -- couldn't have ended soon enough. So it's a good thing that Calvin and Wil play so nicely inside.

I took magnetic fishing poles to play with; mild interest ensued. And Wil shared his Diego obsession, from videos to his tent / wrestling ring. But it was the non-toys that got a real laugh.

Long live Tupperware. And long live this incredible friendship.

Happy Birthday from the TeWinkles

We rounded out the birthday celebrations with the TeWinkles.










Weekend celebrations are difficult for Pastor Peter to attend, so we took the party to him.

Cal was greeted with a cupcake and hearty birthday wishes; he ate them all up!

Gesundheit

I know that I'm still catching up on older posts, but thought you'd appreciate a current snippet of life with our two year old.

Yes, that's a pea up Calvin's nose.

It found its way up there during dinner tonight and Calvin quickly let us know that it was there. He didn't seem entertained by it, nor concerned really; more surprised that he wasn't able to pick it out with his finger.

With memories of childhood trips to the ER, Eric was determined to get it out before it made its way north. Fortunately Cal can blow his nose, and he was easily able to snort it out.

But not before snapping a picture for faithful fans. You're welcome.