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Tuesday, December 7, 2010

Santa's elf

Below: the sag has officially been busted. Check out them pants. (OK, so Don just read this and was like: what is a sag? Well, I thought it would be clever to play on the "bustin a sag" phrase. I guess that purpose has now been defeated. )

Hey, at least he's eating an apple!
Maybe that will make up for him eating a sucker in the next picture... I often let the older boys have a piece of candy after they do their homework... Guess who has also discovered how good candy tastes?
Merry Christmas!
Oh! and here a blast from the past. Anyone recognize this little tot:



I'm dreaming of a white....









Good stuff

Saturday, December 4, 2010

Tubular


Well, I took Caleb to the ENT this week because of his ear infections. He recommended tubes. So yesterday (Friday) morning, I woke up and got Caleb up @ 5:00. We went to the Kentucky Surgery Center 30 minutes away. Overall, he did great, considering he couldn't have anything to eat or drink. He would cry some, but I was usually able to console him eventually with his blanket. Finally, it was his turn. He went right to the nurse and put his head on her shoulder even! She was showing him off to the other nurses as she walked him down the hall. It was kind of a weird feeling waiting in the lobby away from him... I had been pretty nervous. But I knew that God was with us, and had friends and medical staff reassure me of the simplicity of the procedure. When I came back to him (10 to 15 minutes later), he was awake but calm. However, when he drank all of his bottle and I refilled it with water, he got really upset. The nurse helped me get my things out the door while he was screaming. He soon settled back down in the car, watching a video. Thank You, Lord!
So far, he seems better, not quite as fussy. We will see if the ear infections lessen.

By the way, the previous paragraph was journaled several days ago.
Anyway, he is doing well, and still just as feisty, as you can see from my illustration choice.
;)

Fun in a box




Who needs new toys when you got an empty box?







Thursday, December 2, 2010

A Caulley family Thanksgiving

So it was a Caulley family Thanksgiving this year, but truthfully, only half of our families were represented. We missed the half!
Here are a few snippets of the fun we had. We are so thankful to Rich, Laura, Nicholas, and Andrew for coming up. Jon David and Luke were very sad after you guys were gone! We even had some tears...
First, the guys and Laura went to Mammoth Cave near Bowling Green. Caleb and I skipped out on this one.




Thanksgiving day itself was very relaxing. So much in fact, that I didn't even take a pic of our Thanksgiving meal! Well, I guess it always gets a little crazy around meal time... but overall, the day was relaxing. Everyone pitched in, and we enjoyed our turkey dinner very much. Laura even made ribbon jello!
There was much game playing, of course!


And cuddling too.It just went by so fast!
I must interject at this point--before the good-bye photos, that one of the highlights for me was when Laura and I went "black Friday" shopping. We had decided to set our alarms for 4:30 A.M. Laura strictly forbade me from leaving the house without her. So when I woke up @ 3:00 and couldn't go back to sleep... you guessed it. I mean, come on, I was laying there thinking about all of the good deals that just couldn't go to waste! I even came into the family room, got on the computer for a few minutes, and found something that we had been looking at the night before. That's it, I thought. Must. wake. Laura. So I texted her, then called her. She was a trooper! Off we went, and we just thought we were crazy! Oh no, people... there was crazier out there. We got to Target at 4:15--15 min. after opening, and the line of people was still all the way down the front side of the store, into the next parking lot! Not only that, it was snowing! And freezing cold. Laura and I were shaking while standing in line. But we did get some door busters! So fun!

But then there was the getting in line. I have NEVER seen anything like this, EVER!! The line started up by the cash registers, all the way to clothing (where the dressing rooms are), all the way down through toys, to the Christmas decorations, all the way to electronics, and still around towards the greeting cards... OH! It is NOT a joke. The line literally went in a square shape all around the store... or maybe it snaked through the middle at one point to divide it up... I forget! Thankfully, Laura and I found the other line! The one starting in electronics, by the pharmacy, and going straight down only ONE side of the store, to the registers. We got a little nervous that our line wouldn't have the authenticity of the other line... Would we be "found out"!? Thankfully, the Target workers just put us right through one at a time. I felt so bad for all of those in the other line, oblivious to the shorter one! But Oh, was I grateful.
Ok, next: Walmart. Which opened @ midnight this year. Well, after having survived the Target craziness, the desertland that Walmart was (be it picked over) was a breath of fresh air. And actually, there were still plenty of deals to be had!
Finally, we finished off our morning at McDonald's. Is there anything better than a McDonald's breakfast when you are starving and exhausted? Oh! So fun! We were home by 9 A.M. :)

Italic

Tuesday, November 23, 2010

Well Seasoned

It must have been midnight by the time I finally came to. The moon was big and perfectly round. I had never paid much attention when the moon was full before. Well, maybe I would from now on. I couldn’t believe that I had fallen out of a moving car so quickly! I couldn’t even remember how it happened. Was my seat belt not buckled? No matter. I was stuck in the snow on Colorado’s I-25, just now realizing how cold I was. Thank goodness my coat was on before the fall. I tried to roll over and zip it up. To my bewilderment, I was “working.” My arms and legs felt fine. It was as if I had never fallen at all! In fact, maybe I hadn’t.

Suddenly, I heard hooves on the soft ground behind me. I turned around and looked up, to be greeted strangely by an odd looking dwarf. “Mr. Tumnus?” I asked in utter shock. “Why, yes, that’s me! How in the world did you know my name?” Before I could answer, we were skipping along the path to his house. There was no highway anymore. I made a mental note to take a break from C.S. Lewis books with the grand-kids. Something was definitely not right, here. But despite the bizarre circumstances, I was enjoying myself too much to try to figure out exactly what was going wrong. From my earliest years, I had wanted to be Lucy Pevensie, crossing over into the most magical of worlds through a closet. And here I was! In Narnia! There was snow everywhere, fir trees, and we were on our way to what I had always pictured in my mind as the coziest of cottages: complete with fire in the hearth, tea, something deliciously sweet, music, and a friend, too – be he imaginary. I skipped along the path. Abruptly, I found myself in a very comfortable chair, the smell of something like honey filling my olfactory senses. But Mr. Tumnus was someone else now. Who was he? He was a very good person. He was the Hero of the books—the Jesus-like lion, Aslan. No, it wasn’t Aslan. He wasn’t a lion at all. He was Jesus, Himself. But He felt like a father too. And we were talking. And presently, He wasn’t preparing tea. Instead, the wonderful aroma of vegetable beef stew came wafting across the room. It smelled like my own grandmother’s stew from long ago—another life time it seemed: before grand-kids, before my own children, and before my adult years. The Father figure was talking to me about my life. He reminded me about how I used to not like my feet, and wear shoes that were too small. He said that he knew every single time that I had felt insecure as a teenager. He even reminded me of when my own mother had suffered at the hands of lymphoma, and I thought that she was going to die. I had had to grow up then, and help take care of my family. I practically raised my two youngest siblings. The man recounted these things to me in perfect detail. As he spoke, He added spices to the soup. With each of my life events that he retold, He would add another spice: sage, rosemary, parsley, and others that I was completely unfamiliar with. But with each spice, the smell grew more wonderful. I was a little concerned that He was adding too much, but He assured me that each spice made the soup better. He explained that this was a special kind of soup; that no matter how much good seasoning was added, the taste would improve. The possible improvements were infinite. I was so intrigued by this concept that I was unable to listen for the next little while. There was not a single recipe that I could think of that worked that way. Eventually, adding more of something would ruin the dish.

The Man continued recounting snippets of my life… the difficult break up in college, my marriage with my best friend, the painful birth of my first child, the indescribable joy of raising children, trouble with co-workers, friends, or bosses, pleasure trips, worry over my children’s health, their boyfriends or girlfriends, etc...

He finally served me a bowl of His brew. It was nothing like anything that I had ever tasted before. I wanted to go on eating it forever, and yet at the last spoonful, I felt satisfied. He explained that my life was like His soup. Every experience was a lesson. Whenever an event impacted me, and I learned something from it, His hand was seasoning me. He was adding another spice. “And so you see,” He continued, “in a way, your life is just beginning. Every milestone is a chance to be more ‘seasoned,’ more useful for my kingdom. You are much “tastier” now than you were at the age of 23. A simple broth is OK, but the soup is more edible, and more delicious with my special touch. In the same way, I can use You the more you grow and mature in Me. “

I loved the thought. I wanted to write it down so that I wouldn’t forget it. It made me feel like my life was just getting started. I wondered what new adventures would rise before me when I got home. Home?! I had to get home. I clearly wasn’t Lucy anymore. I was back to my normal self: Sixty years old, but I felt like I was twenty! The soup had made me feel young again. It was amazing. Nevertheless, I knew that my family would start to worry if I stayed away much longer. I rose to leave. The Man was not there anymore, but His Presence still was, somehow. I didn’t recognize who was escorting me to the door. I didn’t even know if it was a He or a She. Whatever it was, it was shining so brightly. I tried to shield my eyes and follow at the same time. As we approached the exit, the light began to fade, and I was being pulled along by my leader through the open door. It was Spring outside, now. The grass felt so soft, that I decided to lay down in it. As soon as I did, however, my escort, who was still with me for some reason, would tug at my hand and call out my name. The name was not my given name, but it sounded so familiar, that I knew he was calling to me. I tried to continue, but I could not. Even though I felt happy and young, I also felt very tired. The voice called again “Mimomo! Mimomo!” It said, over and over again.

I opened my eyes. Two of my grandsons were hovering over me with worried faces. “Mimomo! Wake up! The movie is over!”

I smiled. Jon David and Luke were sitting on either side of me in the love seat in my family room. We had been watching “Narnia” together again. After finishing the book the day before, they had begged to watch it. As I often do during mid-afternoon down time, I must have fallen asleep. I drew them close to me, one in each arm. I knew that it was no coincidence that I had dreamed about new adventures starting. Six grandchildren is enough for about a hundred adventures! Not to mention adult children, spouses, and most of all, my husband. I could not wait to see which ingredient God would add next. He had given me such a unique gift. I felt like I had a new life, and it was starting today, right now, at 3:00 P.M.!

So many good thoughts and memories flooded my mind. It felt like the more I lived, the more life was given to me, instead of the other way around.

I got up and went into the kitchen to fix the boys a snack. I noticed Buddy stirring a pot over the stove. “Oh, what’s for dinner?” I asked in surprise. “Vegetable beef stew,” he said.

I smiled.


Dedicated to Mom: Happy birthday!!

Monday, November 22, 2010

Now you see it, now you don't...

Jon David, my son, so fair
With straight, long, blond, whispy hair
Lookin' like a skater dude
And working on that attitude.

Your locks, we let you grow them out
And then, well, we accidentally cut them off too short when you asked us to trim you up a little for hair cut day @ the Caulleys...
But I love your precious face!

Sweet, Luke Jomberdy Jombers. Big Ole Kindergardener.
If you want a school pic, let me know. Quantities are limited. ;)

A pic taken from the inside of my kitchen. Priceless.


Am I forgetting something? ;)
How is Caleb, you ask?
OH, he's good. Sweet thing. He's real good.

Yep, all is normal in the Caulley house today.
I should mention that today is Caleb's 15 month birthday! Happy day, sweet boy!

Friday, November 19, 2010

Leftovers

The bib is majorly needed with this fourteen month old, at meal times. That he makes a mess when he eats is an understatement. He manages to rip off velcro bibs. So, I bite the proverbial bullet and purchase these really nice snapping bibs that also provide a food catcher in the front.
Even I couldn't have come up with how he would get around making good use of this one... He turns the bib backwards! No kidding! This is not an uncommon sight at our house.
*sigh*



Yea. A lot of good the bib is doing now.

Wednesday, November 10, 2010

Fall moments with brothers

We'll start with Jon David. Man, this kid is growing up... It's kinda chilling to watch it. He has decided that he wants long hair for now. And we have decided to let him have it. This school year has presented him with a few unexpected challenges, but God is faithful, and Jon David has become a little more mature through life's lessons. He is applying himself in his school work right now and doing well.
After ending his soccer season with a bang--4 goals at one of his last games--he is playing basketball, and loving it! Yea... shoulda given the brag post warning I guess. Sometimes, I feel a pang in my stomach when I think that he is past the little kid stage... There are many days when he comes home from school, plays outside, comes in for dinner, and then wants to play a video game before bed or something. Our interactions are becoming more rare. We did have a little date, though recently. Well, I like to call it a date. I took him to buy some new shoes, just me and him. He was thrilled! I bought him a pack of gum at the check out, and this thrilled him to no end.
During the drive, he did say that he was starting to "like girls." AAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH!
Don't worry. As it turns out, after my initial cranking of the air all the way down, and straining with every inch of my ear drum to hear his answer to my question: "So what do you do with the girls. Just hang out or something?" He answered that they were just friends, and that they just sometimes played together I guess. So I think I misunderstood him. Whew!! Yikes... and at the same time, maybe I'm not too far away from that.



Luke James... the other day in the car, he told us that if you don't win at soccer, its' OK, you still get junk food. :)
He and Jon David have both been praying differently lately. They are processing things differently. Luke recently said that the people at church said that if someone does something bad to you, that you should do something good back. I told him that the bible says that too. Ha! On a separate occasion, he said that the people at church said that the bible is like a mirror. Thank you Southside children's ministry, for these great conversation moments!!! Thank you God, most of all.
Luke and Jon David are a huge help with Caleb.


Here is Luke, swinging Caleb. Caleb loves it when Luke gives him an underdog.

And last but not least...

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