because there is never a dull moment...

{it's not hard to believe he was born on april fool's day!}

five

it is with great joy that our caleb-boy turned five!!! he is the sweetest boy and we are so lucky to have him as a part of our family.  it's hard to believe that it has been five years since this little miracle boy first made his blue-faced appearance (incidently his favorite color).  our lives haven't been the same since.

it was star wars mania...

and what is a birthday without a little jealousy....

breakfast of champions at the head of the table (birthday boy's request)... as he ate, he said,

 "this birthday boy sure is hungry...."

after two hours of careful construction...(which only lasted about 10 minutes)...

a friendly game of soccer...

rallying his teammate....

not my best work....but it was delicious....

some caleb stats:

age: 5

favorite color: blue

favorite toys: legos and real tools (he got a drill from grandma and grandpa)

favorite show: backyardigans

favorite food: tomato soup (even though he hates tomatoes)

caleb loves to ride his bike all over.  he loves using his tools and is a great helper on projects.  he has attended busy bee preschool with miss leigh this year and has learned so much.  he is anxious to learn to read and play the piano.  caleb is a professional teaser and can drive his brother and sister crazy.  caleb gives the BEST compliments and they are always very sincere.  he also give great hugs and juicy kisses!

happy birthday, caleb!  we love your guts!  

things that make you wonder....

as a mother of three "creative" and energetic children, occasionally things happen that make you shake your head and go....what the?  like today when josh came and sat on my lap with a mouth full of "what the  ?"  although it smelled delicious....oh wait, i know that smell...maple...."do you have maple syrup in your mouth?"  nods.  oh goodness.  i go downstairs and their is a lovely stickiness to the entire kitchen floor but no maple syrup.  "joshie, where is the syrup?"  shrugs.  "oh, up in maryn's room!"  naturally. why didn't i think to look there.  luckily, there wasn't any spillage....only a boy disappointed that his sweet bottle he's been sipping on throughout the day is now out of reach.

and then, there was last night at dinner.  after a day of craziness and running around, dinner is finally on the table and we sit down to bless the food.  i look at josh (to my right) who i notice has a giant bruise across his cheek and looks like he's been hit by a 2x4 across the face!  so, i freak out....and try to find out how the heck josh got hurt.  caleb defaults to making up a few stories....not lies....just possibilities of what could have caused such an unsightly abrasion.  maryn sits quite quietly and then suggests that maybe he "did this"...and then demonstrates sucking a hickey into her upper arm. hhmmmm....well, that would maybe explain it if it were possible for him to suck on his own cheek.  she looks a little sheepish..."well, actually, i sucked on his cheek and made that bruise! isn't it kind of cool?"

so, now i can't leave the house because someone will think that i'm whaling on my two year old...not to mention that his eye is recovering from an unfortunate pecking from one of the chickens...

and so i think a fitting phrase to describe this time in my life might just be "what the?"

i rest my case.

helpers

 i have a ton to catch up on with this blog, so naturally, i will blog about something that has nothing to do with any of that!  today, i have two little helpers and they are just lovely....

and we are making DELICIOUS cookies....so delicious that i partially pay for caleb's preschooling in these cookies!  no joke....and it wasn't me trying to get out of paying....his teacher asked for them!  haha. anyway, they are a family favorite and so i thought that i'd share.  i think they are like a sort of shortbread meets chocolate chipper and they are perfection....p.s. there are no eggs so the dough is safe to eat....and if you oust the butter and use margarine, they are totally vegan....but i am not so i use butter:)

Honey Chocolate Chip Cookies

1 c. butter (room temp.)
1 c. sugar
2 T. honey
2 tsp. vanilla
2 1/4 c. flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt
1 1/3 c. chocolate chips (semi-sweet)

Preheat oven to 375 F.  Cream together butter and sugar until fluffy.  Add honey and vanilla.  Mix. Add flour, baking soda, and salt and mix well. Fold in chocolate chips.  Scoop onto cookie sheet using a cookie scoop (the dough is not very sticky to i find that the cookie scoop helps to scrunch it together).

Bake 8-10 minutes (you want them to be just starting to get golden but not golden yet)  Let cool for 5 minutes.