Thankful for First Steps

Caleb actually took his first steps on Thanksgiving Day while we were visiting Great-Grandmother and Granddaddy. Of course, I don't have those precious moments on camera but am glad that they were able to see him! We were able to spend Thanksgiving in Birmingham with both families. Then, on Friday, we headed to the Iron Bowl! Even though we lost, it was a pretty fun game! Abby Grace stayed with her Nanny and Granddaddy, and Caleb actually went with us! And he was a perfect baby! He even napped during part of the game, and when he was awake, he was happy and into the game! Brian had to fly back to Charleston that night, and I stayed in Birmingham for a few days. I had the fun of getting to drive back to Charleston, 7+ hours, in rain all the way! Luckily, Susan was with me. However, we made it safe and sound.

Yes, Caleb was so exhausted that while eating his Thanksgiving dinner, he fell asleep!

A Few Fun Fall Pics

These are just a few pics I took one November afternoon while the kids were playing...

It's Been a While...

Well, it's New Year's Eve, and how are we spending our last few hours of 2009? I am catching up on blogging, and Brian is taking call from home while watching a little football! What fun! Anyway, I found that I am a little behind, so I am jumping back to our visit to the Coastal Carolina Fair in November. Abby Grace had a great time on all the rides... and our new favorite fair food--Elephant Ears! Yum! Anyway, here are our pics...

Caleb's 1st Birthday in Charleston

After Caleb's party in Birmingham, a little sadness settled in as I realized that my baby was really 1, that a year had passed, and that he wasn't such a little baby anymore! My how time flies! And what a year it has been! Caleb was born on election day in which our fine president was elected into office--what a way to enter the world, Caleb! Anyway, he came out weighing 9 lbs, 4 oz, and was 22 in. long. The weeks just flew by as we entered the holiday season and adjusted to life with two! Before we knew it, Caleb was already 3 months, and we were putting our house on the market. Little by little, we prepared for our move to Charleston as Caleb learned to sit alone and eat baby food. Brian finished up his internal medicine fellowship at UAB, and Abby Grace celebrated her 3rd birthday! The month of June was filled with packing, moving, unpacking, traveling, and more unpacking! We finally arrived for good on June 30, and Brian began his GI Fellowship. Caleb continued to grow like a weed... learning to crawl, eat table food, and say his first words. Since then, we have been trying to settle in our new home and life here in Charleston! The kids have never really missed a beat and seem to like their new house and town, but more importantly, they really love and adore each other! Now that Caleb has turned 1, he has turned into quite the handful... climbing, talking, eating, crawling, and climbing some more! Not walking yet, but don't worry, he knows how to get around! Anyway, we feel so blessed for such a wonderful first year with Caleb and look forward to watching him and Abby Grace grow together.

ANYWAY... We celebrated Caleb's actual birthday at home with a wonderful spaghetti casserole and leftover birthday cake! The kids had their favorite: macaroni and cheese. Caleb thoroughly enjoyed opening all of his presents, and we all played with Caleb's new toys together as a family. That's what I call a perfect evening! Happy 1st Birthday, Caleb!

Caleb's 1st Birthday Party

We celebrated Caleb's 1st birthday with family and friends on Nov. 1, three days before Caleb's actual birthday. It worked out really well because we were able to come home and squeeze in the Auburn/Ole Miss game, trick-or-treating, and Caleb's party, all in one weekend! Anyway, the ball-themed party was at Grammy and Granddaddy's house on that Sunday at 4:00 p.m. The timing was kind of interesting for us since the fall back was the previous night, so 4:00 p.m. actually felt like 6:00 p.m. for us with the eastern time change. The kids adjusted really well though and had lots of fun! Caleb's cake was perfect! Abby Grace's MDO teacher at Hunter Street made his cake, and it was delicious! Caleb definitely thought so, and you can tell from the pictures! He was more interested in eating than blowing out his candle (of course, Abby Grace helped with that). In fact, he was already digging in as he was being sung too! Caleb also had fun opening all of his presents (and all of his cousins and sister did too)! I was surprised at how much he took in his actual presents, even more so than the boxes and wrapping paper. He actually wanted to play with each toy as he opened it! Anyway, it was a perfect 1st birthday party, and we were so happy that we were able to spend it with our dear family and friends!

Boo! More Halloween Fun...

Boo! That's Caleb's new trick... He likes for you to act scared when he says "boo!" It's really cute!

Abby Grace and Caleb at AGB's party at school.

On Halloween, we were actually in Auburn for the Auburn vs. Ole Miss game. We took the kids to the game, and they did really well! Caleb slept in my arms during the first quarter, and AGB napped during the 3rd/4th quarters. It's was a great game--thank goodness we actually came to play! After the game, we did a little trick or treating in Auburn. AGB stayed dressed as a cheerleader, and Caleb put on his Aubie costume.

Halloween Playgroup

Our Halloween festivities began with our playgroup... the event was going to be held at a friend's, and then she called me that day, saying her kids had the flu and wondered if I could have it at my house! So 1 1/2 hours later, the playgroup arrived for a fun costume parade and dinner. Abby Grace had lots of fun dressing up as a black cat and playing with all of her friends, and of course, Caleb joined in playing too as a dalmation puppy!