Caleb's Son Harvest Program

Last Sunday was the Son Harvest Program and County Fair celebration at church. Caleb was so excited to be asked to say one of the Bible verses up front. "Be kind to one another. 1Thessalonians 5:15" He was so excited to be able to talk in a microphone! So, after their songs, they passed the microphone around to some of the bigger kids and then to him last and he said his verse and got a big round of applause! He was so happy and excited!

After the program there were games, food and activities for the parents and kids. Josh made our butter for the sweet corn in this little jar by shaking cream...

Caleb enjoyed playing games and winning lots of candy with his friends...

Caleb also enjoyed having his face painted and had kindness painted on his arm too! The girl doing the face painting, Kaylee, is our babysitter (on our hopefully more frequent date nights)! She was also the helper in his class.

All in all, Caleb had a great time this summer with his friends and teachers. It is amazing how he has improved this summer and has grown more of God's "fruit". He is always making up games, singing songs, drawing pictures and spelling out the Fruits of the Spirit...we are so pleased with him and how this is really taking root in his heart! Love, Joy, Peace, Patience, Kindness, Goodness, Faithfulness, Gentleness & Self-Control. We all need to grow more of these things!

Caleb's First Game

Caleb had his first soccer game on Saturday and was he excited...you can see by the 'cheesy' grin on his face before the game!! He does not quite understand the concept of a natural smile right now!!

They got to play for 4 minutes 3 on 3 and then had a 4 minute break or so and then went back in for another 4 minutes and so on. Let's just say that Caleb had more energy and a better attention span his first 4 minutes than he did the last. He was pretty pooped and not all that focused at the end...but he did great and had tons of fun...that is the whole point!

Dino Day

Our final evening in Rapid was spent at Dinosaur Park and at the water park at the hotel. Jon and his family went to Rapid City quite a few times for vacation when he was a little guy, so this is a special place for him. He said that when his dad had on his blue tennis shoes and they were headed to Rapid City, he knew they were really on vacation! The cowboy boots did not come off unless it was vacation time! He has fond memories playing on all the dinosaurs with his dad, so it was extra special to finally take his own boys there for visit.

Caleb enjoyed walking on the long brontosaurus tail (and so did Jon)!

Joshy found a tail more his size to play on!

I had fun on the dino's too! It was a beautiful day and the view of Rapid and the Black Hills is really pretty from up at the park.

Off to the hotel for a fun time at the water park. Caleb went down the big water slide quite a few times all on his own...surprising that he was willing to do this alone. They are enclosed and dark inside and take pretty sharp turns. He just loved it though! He was thankful that he was finally tall enough...42 1/2" tall!

Time to clean up after a fun day. They boys loved the jacuzzi tub almost as much as the pool some nights! Joshy was not to sure of the jets the first few nights...but warmed up to the idea the last night. Caleb and Josh said 'bye, bye hotel' the next morning. I think they had a fun time and so did we!

"Route Mushmore"

Jon worked the morning in Rapid City and then picked all of us up after lunch and we headed to Custer. He had a store to visit there before we went to Mt. Rushmore. Or, Route Mushmore as Caleb would say!! Josh fell asleep on the way (good thing because he was up at 5:45 am this morning for some reason...so it is with vacations and toddlers...not relaxing at all)!! Anyway, after the boys and I visited a toy store and Jon was done with his account we were off to Sylvan Lake for a hike and then off to Mt. Rushmore.
Jon carried little Josh on his shoulders most of the way on the hike and Caleb was a real trooper and did great on his own. Caleb was determined that there was a treasure at the top and that there were clues on the way! They both enjoyed chasing butterflies and collecting rocks on the way. They each took only one tumble each...less than what we were expecting...it was a bit rocky at times. When Caleb fell, he was more concerned about finding the exact rock that he picked out earlier than his skinned knee. After a little searching, we managed to find the beloved rock (I think...but we won't tell)! Josh had fun steering daddy by pulling his hair on each side of his head depending on which way he thought dad should turn! Kind of like the mouse on the Disney movie Ratatouille!!

We made it to the first lookout point and that was plenty for us! Jon got quite the workout with Josh on his shoulders and we were both pretty pooped after being up at 5:45 with a toddler!! Josh and Caleb loved exploring around the rocks and we had a snack up there before heading back.

We walked along the lake a bit and then headed to Route Mushmore. Caleb was so excited...now I know how both of our parents felt with the relentless question...'are we there yet'?!! I think he asked it 20 times on our 30 minute ride!! When we got there, we were all so exhausted from the hike and short night that we decided not to hike around Mt. Rushmore. A few pictures and running around a bit and then off to Rapid for dinner. We were all starving!

Reptile Gardens

We took the boys to Reptile Gardens after Jon was off work yesterday. This tortoise is 127 years old! Amazing!! He was quite hungry munching on the grass and let Caleb sit on his back while he ate.

We got to see a Crocodile Show and all kinds of snakes, lizards, alligators, and spiders (we went quickly through the spider section...Jon was not into looking at big hairy tarantulas)! Caleb got to pet a 2 year old American Alligator named Fluffy...he liked that! Josh liked the Prairie Dog exhibit...not sure why they were here since they are far from a reptile!

Hangin' Out

The boys and I had a fun time at the hotel during the day while daddy worked. They enjoyed the court yard with coloring and playing with cars.

Caleb is always happy if he has some paper and crayons and Joshy is always happy with some cars, rocks and dirt! Time to get changed and go to Reptile Gardens...easier said than done with a very busy 2 year old!

Here we come Rapid City!

We decided last minute last week to go to Rapid City this week. We were planning to go to Rapid City the last week in August, but Jon had an unexpected schedule change with is work. So...I was just finishing doing laundry from our WA/Miller Farm trip only to turn around and pack again...I am getting to be quite the pro at this packing thing! Jon will be working during the day and we will do some fun things together as a family in the evenings. Our hotel has a fun water park as well, so they are totally loving that!

Our first stop was Wall Drug (of course)! I cannot believe how many billboards they have advertising this place...you can't help but stop...not to mention that the boys were in real need of a break from the car...especially little Joshy!
They enjoyed a covered wagon ride and Josh our little Native American!
Caleb saw this bucking bronco and wanted to get on. I figured that he did not need any help...it looked pretty simple to get on...I guess I was wrong! Caleb proceeded to set down his very treasured lollipop and get on the horse backwards! I think he needs some lessons from Gpa Bill, Gpa Dave and Denise!! Help!!

Caleb is so excited to see the 'real' Mt. Rushmore on Tuesday! We were at the library earlier last week and he has been into checking out books on different states. He decided on South Dakota, Washington and Kansas. We had not told him that we were going to Rapid this week yet. He was looking through the book and said how much he wanted to see that 'face mountain' some day. Needless to say, when we told him where we were going on Friday, he was jumping up and down like crazy. Then he asked...does the hotel have a water park? That is almost more important to him!

This is the Jurassic Park display at Wall Drug. We were not sure how Caleb would like it and we assumed right...he held his hands over his ears and ran right to my side...not to sure about that T-Rex!

Josh is looking at the roaring T-Rex here...he really did not like it. Jon had to take him outside...no tears but Jon said that he was shaking like a leaf even his little lips were shaking!!

Caleb on a 'Jackalope'? I think that is what they call this thing?! A cross between a Jack Rabbit and an Antelope? Anyone know the story behind this creature...I have no idea!

Caleb, Josh and I in a stagecoach. Caleb is a little excited about this lollipop and Josh I guess is a little excited about something in his nose!!

Lazy Dog Days of Summer!

Caleb and Sallie decided to take a little snooze together on Friday. We took Sallie home on Sunday and the boys thoroughly enjoyed having her over. Jon and I like this 'temporary pet' idea... Although I think that we may have to get another dog of our own someday! They are too much of dog lovers to put up with the 'temporary' idea for long! My thought is that I don't want a dog until Josh is out of diapers...I am not going to add another person to the family to clean up poop after!

First (of many) Soccer Practices/Games!!

Caleb had his first soccer practice on Thursday last week and he really had fun! So far, it is the only sport that he seems to have an interest in and it is the only sport that Jon and I don't know much about and have never played...go figure! But, we are going with it because he really seems to like it and is pretty good at it! His team name is the Beavers...Jon was not to crazy about the name but I thought it was ok...after the Oregon Beavers! There are about 9 boys on his team and they play for about 15 minutes at each game 3 on 3. I thought that was a good idea because kid this age seem to mob around the ball and then there is no one to pass it too! Also, maybe less shin kicks to each other! We are excited to enter in this next phase of the boys life with sports and school activities...ask us in 5 years and we may feel a bit different?!

Back Home:)

We decided to try something daring and new...I went out to WA for a week to see my family and Jon stayed here and went to the farm to work and visit his family while I was gone. I had a wonderful time in WA and Jon and the boys did really well with a lot of help from Gma & Gpa Miller and Aunt Anne. I am still hearing fun stories from Caleb, so I know they had a good time! Josh can say Cassidy really well now and whenever he does he has a huge smile and giggles a lot...Caleb will have some competition playing with Cassidy now! They went to the pool, played with Alley (Gma & Gpa Miller's dog), went to Storybook Land in Aberdeen and most of all just enjoyed playing and exploring at the farm. Caleb especially enjoyed a visit from his birthmother, Denise and her mom and dad, Grandpa Dave & Grandma Nancy, over the weekend. I on the other hand, enjoyed seeing my cousin Rob and his family, my mom and dad, brother John and Jen & Aunt Nan. It was great to slow down a bit and have time to visit and enjoy life in Spokane & Deer Park...and eat hot meals (because I did not have to assist the boys with their meals)!! It was great, but I missed them all soooo much! Caleb had a whole stack of drawings for me at the airport and Joshy seemed confused and surprised to see me for a few seconds...then he had a huge smile, stomped his feet a bit and said 'Mommy, Mommy'!

We picked up our neighbors dog, Sallie, the next day to 'dog sit' her until Sunday. The boys love having her over and she is such a good dog! She does not like to eat much at our house the first few days, but if the boys hand feed her she is happy to eat then! They love this and Caleb just giggles because her tongue tickles his hand! When we leave the house we put Sallie in her kennel and she goes in the kennel when she is told 'Sallie kennel'. So we told Caleb to do this while we tried to get Josh in his room for a diaper change (which he did not want to do)! So, Caleb said 'Sallie kennel' and then turned around and said 'Josh room'! It did work...Josh went into his room for his diaper change...will have to remember that!
We took the boys to Tuthill Park this week and enjoyed the beautiful flower gardens,

played on the playground equipment,
and rolled their balls and chased them down this huge hill. They love doing this! Plus, it is good exercise for them before bed...they get pretty worn out! Caleb got running so fast that his shorts fell down and all I could see was his Diego undies! There was a guy next to me at the top that said, too bad that was not on video for America's Funniest Video's!