Happy Birthday, Sweet Boy

Newborn Caleb

Dear Caleb,



Today is your 6th birthday!  I can't believe it has already been 6 years since I first saw your little face, heard that first cry.  You were such a beautiful baby, and have grown into a wonderful little boy.  You are loved by so many people, but none so much as your daddy and I.  You make me laugh on a daily basis, and I'm often speechless when I see how smart you are.  I cannot wait to see the wonderful man you becomming, but I hope it doesn't happen too fast. You make my life an adventure, and I love so very much!



(Almost) 6 year old Caleb



Love,

Mommy



(Almost) Wordless Wednesday: Little Birdie Lost

And now for the "Almost" part...

This little fledging mockingbird fell out of his nest last weekend and chirped around the frontyard for a while.  His parents were keeping the cats away and taking turns feeding him.  It was very touching.  Here's hoping this little guy made it home okay.

Wordless Wednesday: Growing Up

A little late for Wordless Wednesday.

(Caleb lost his first tooth on the first day of Spring.)

Wordless Wednesday: Diamond D Ranch

Last field trip as a Kindergartener

I Heart Faces: Let's Hear it for the Boys

I'm jumping into the I Heart Faces photo challenge this week. The theme is Let's Hear it for the Boys.  Of course, my favorite boy is front and center.  This is from our trip to the zoo last week.

Zoo Trip #951 (or so...)



Splash Ground



I'll admit it, I enjoy visiting the zoo. Not only is it a great opportunity to spend time with my favorite kid in the world, and see some awesome animals, but I always walk out with great pictures.

This past week, we got a break in the smoke from our annual Summer wild fires, just in time for a JacksonvilleMommies.com zoo playdate.  Ok, so no one else was there, but no worries at all.  Caleb and I had fun. The splash park was open, so we skipped some of the animals and headed that way, catching the animals that were on the way.

So anyways, here are the pics!

So that is our latest zoo trip in pictures!  (Did I tell you about the dinosaurs at the zoo?  I'll have to be sure to do that.)

Try, Try again....

I'm back... again.  Lots of changes have been afoot in the S&S&T neighborhood.  Well, a few anyways.  It is time again to try and get back on the blogging horse.  YeeHaw!

Newborn blogging horse...

A huge change has been in the form of employment.  You may recall (if you're keeping score) that I fell off the blogging cart when I found a job.  That temp/seasonal job lasted 9 months (!), until I quit last month.  You see, I found, not one, but two at-home opportunities!  I am absolutely thrilled to be joining the at-home workforce. I just got started, but I already love it!

Another huge change has been in the health category.  I started The 17 Day Diet 42 days ago, and so far I've lost 16 pounds.  It has been awesome!  In addition to the actual diet, I have started walking daily (for the most part) and Caleb has been joining me for the past few days.  The walk is about a mile and a half roundtrip, and I know, that isn't that far.  But it is about all Caleb can take.  When he isn't with me, I'll go father.  I'll post updates on my progress. 

Speaking of Caleb, he is now officially a FIRST GRADER!  What?!?  I know, crazy.  I am so proud of him, though.  I am one lucky mama!

I pinky swear, I will be keeping up the blog on a regular basis again.  I'm already planning my next couple of posts....

Huge Horses!!

I saw the Budweiser Clydesdales for the first time years ago, back when I worked for the local Bud distributor. I remember it was amazing. Those horses were HUGE!  (I know I have pictures somewhere, but I can't find them right now. That was back when you needed film and had to take it in to be developed (which took days!) and then you had to stash the prints somewhere, too often never to be seen again. You know, back in the old days. If I can locate them, I'll post them.) It wasn't overly crowded back then, so it was really easy to get up close and see the horses. I was never a horse freak, like my niece, but it was an incredible experience.

I ran into them again at SeaWorld in '07, when Caleb was almost 2. It was unexpected. We were walking down a path, and suddenly we hear this "clopclopclopclop..." Turn around and see this fully-outfitted rig of horses, again HUGE, pulling a beer wagon. I did find a couple of the pics of them (we had stepped into the digital age by then).

Well, we got word a couple of weeks ago that the Clydes were to be in town for a weekend, this weekend, to be exact.  I actually almost forgot. Our weekends are kind of busy lately, what with t-ball and everything. But luckily, I did remember and we made our way down to the Budweiser brewery after church this afternoon. We got there early, in time to see them hitching up the team. That in itself is fascinating. It is like a ritual, and it is incredible to see these huge beasts so at ease while being loaded down with the equipment.  It was alot more crowded then I remember it being the first time I saw it, so we couldn't get close enough to see a whole lot. Plus, there was a fence in the way... boo. Once everyone was hitched up and ready to go, including the dalmation, they did a few rounds of the parking lot, then had a couple of hours of photo ops.  Caleb wasn't feel great (neither was I, actually) so we didn't stay long. But I did manage to get a few shots of the festivities.  Again, an amazing thing to see, from start to finish. The shear size of these animals is breathtaking. I don't think I'll ever tire of seeing the team in action.  From the Super Bowl commercials to the live appearances, it is quite a sight to see.

I wanted to get a better picture of Caleb in front of a horse, but I was lucky to get this one. People get so rude at things like this, stepping in from of people taking pictures to take their own. I was terrified of him getting sucked into the crowd.

See more about the Budweiser Clydesdales here. There is a schedule of events as well. If you have the opportunity, check them out!

Play Ball!!

Caleb started Spring T-Ball last month.  It was a rocky start. It seems that, in spite of my registering him (and paying!!) smack in the middle of the registration period, they forgot to place him on a team. Luckily, I happened to check the website for an update and emailed the commish. the evening of the first practice. So, we only ended up missing the first 2 practices (he got back to me the next day, after practice.)

So, anyways, practice is underway, and the first game is on the books.  He's doing a pretty good job, not the most spastic kid out there, but runs a pretty close second or third.  He's having fun, though, and getting better every practice.  And that is what really counts, isn't it?