Picture of the week - January 12

It is time for the picture of the week!! Again, the 'picture of the week' post is meant to be a fun way to make the blog more interactive for friends and family. The idea behind it is to comment on what you think he is thinking, what you think he would say if he could talk; anything that you feel represents the picture being posted. I couldn't resist posting this picture regardless of the fact that I talked about it (specifically his expression) in a previous post.

Cael is getting ready to go down the slide by himself with Mommy waiting at the bottom to catch him!

Instructions to post a comment:
-At the end of a post there is a place where it says '0 comments or 1 comment'. Click on it.
-Type your comment
-Put in the word verification (this ensures you are a person and not a hacker or a computer)
-Under 'Choose an identity' click on 'Name/URL' and type in your name.
-Click 'Publish Your Comment'

Walking machine

Cael is turning into a little walking machine. It is hard to capture the actual act of him walking in a picture, but he is getting better with each day. He has started walking now as his primary mode of getting around. Don't get me wrong, he still crawls, but now if he falls down, he pushes back up into a standing position and continues on to his destination. He loves walking, but like most kids, HATES falling. It is painful to watch, but he is making progress and it is so much fun seeing him meeting all of the milestones. Our little boy is growing up.

Winter walk

Even though it was a bit chilly here today, Ryan and I decided to take a walk around the block (and up to the park) to get out for a bit. The three of us bundled up, put Cael into his wagon from Grandma and Grandpa and off we went. This is the second time we have taken him for a walk in the wagon. The first time, the weather was much nicer and he would stand up and get this goofy grin on his face. It was pretty funny and I was hoping to catch the same expression. I am not sure if it was because of the cold or the amount of clothing he was wearing, but he did not react with the same enthusiasm as he did the first time. Either way, he loves when we take him on a walk and he gets to ride in his wagon. We stopped at the park so Ryan and I could toss around the football and we couldn't help but let Cael take a few turns down the slide (he LOVED it) and also spend some time on the swing. Regardless of the cold, it was nice to get a little fresh air and some exercise.

I love the expression on his face!

True to little boy form, he was eating the mulch at the playground!

The Destructor

Ryan and I laugh because our son is a boy in almost every sense of the word. At work the other day, someone was telling a funny story about a child at a store with his mom. Suffice it to say the story involved a loudspeaker and a couple of cuss words. Before my co-worker had even finished her story I asked if the child was a boy or a girl and she said that he was a boy. I laughed saying I could definitely see Cael doing something like what this other little boy had done, but not a sweet and innocent little girl..... not at 3 anyway. There destruction seems to come later in life! There is just something about little boys; they are loud, they like playing with balls and they are DESTRUCTIVE and Cael is no exception. For Christmas, Bapa and Gam got him a play center of sorts with balls and music and lights. It was too big to put together while up in Park City so Ryan put it together when we got home. Cael was immediately drawn to it, but not the balls or even the music; he was more interested in crawling over it, under it and around it. We couldn't help but laugh and take pictures, of course!

Popsicles

I was at the grocery store the other day and decided to buy Cael some popsicles. He loves the fudge bars that Ryan and I buy so I figured he would love these too. Not to mention, I found mini ones that were the perfect size for his little hands. We gave him his first one and it was hysterical watching him eat it. A couple of times we had to take it from him in order to clean up the drips and he would throw a fit until we finally gave it back. The tantrum is not nearly as cute as it was when he was younger (see Ice cream, Cael screams) and we are working on that, but it was definitely cute watching him eat his very own popsicle that seemed to be designed with him in mind.

And the winner is.....

Thank you to Brooke, Kristin and Sabry for their comments on Cael's 'picture of the week' post. I am really having a lot of fun with it and I am so happy that each of you contributed. It honestly made my day!! It is interesting reading what other people interpret to be your child's thoughts! After careful consideration, the winner for the week of January 5, 2009 is:

SABRY EDWARDS!

Her caption:

"Seriously mom..I know I'm cute but can you just put the camera down for 5 minutes and let me enjoy my crackers in peace."

Very fitting if you ask me!!!!

Please read everyone's comments as they were all great!!!! Thank you again to everyone who participated and thanks to Sabry for her great caption!!! Look for the next 'picture of the week' post coming soon!

Picture of the week - January 5

My friend Brooke suggested I post a picture of Cael on a weekly basis and then have people comment and from those comments pick a 'caption of the week'. I thought it was a great idea and a fun way to make the blog more interactive for friends and family. The idea behind it is to comment on what you think he is thinking, what you think he would say if he could talk; anything that you feel represents the picture being posted. I hope it turns out to be as much fun as I think it will and thanks to Brooke for the suggestion.

This is a picture of Cael up in Park City over Christmas. He was enjoying a snack of animal crackers and milk while Mom and Auntie Kyli played on the Wii.

Instructions to post a comment:

-At the end of a post there is a place where it says '0 comments or 1 comment'. Click on it.

-Type your comment

-Put in the word verification (this ensures you are a person and not a hacker or a computer)

-Under 'Choose an identity' click on 'Name/URL' and type in your name.

-Click 'Publish Your Comment'

Fetch with Potter

I was playing around on the computer enjoying a little bit of down time since Cael seemed to be doing a great job of entertaining himself. All of a sudden I realized that he was playing fetch with Potter and Potter was actually fetching it for him. I don't think Potter wanted to give Cael the ball, but he never wants to give it to Ryan and I when we play either. I had to stop what I was doing to capture the moment. Cael would throw it, Potter would retrieve it and then try to keep it from Cael. Cael would get the ball away from him and the process would start all over again!! It was both adorable and amazing. I guess there is just something about watching him interact with his puppies that gets me every time. On a side note, we have a dog calendar in our pantry and every time we walk by it, Cael will point and make a sound. He understands a variety of things we say but, this is the first time we feel like he understands the concept as opposed to 'communicating' just to get something he wants (drink, food, etc).

Shower time

For the last couple of weeks we have been giving Cael showers as opposed to baths because it allows us to take one too (killing two birds with one stone) and he loves it. The water running into his face and the fact that the floor is not exactly warm does not appear to bother him in the least. He crawls around and plays with the bottles and loufahs. He loves the suds from my shampoo and will put his face to the ground and try to drink them. He is fascinated by the drain and will spend the majority of the time putting his fingers into the little holes and then pulling them out. Occasionally he will want me to pick him up, which I happily oblige and he wraps his slippery little legs around my waist like a monkey and plays in the streams of water. I think it is a blast and I love my new little shower mate!