9 months & 4 years - June 25

No, Caleb is not already 4 years old. He is 9 months old but Craig and Julie have been married for four fabulous years!! It has been an amazing four years of fun, laughter, tears, and excitement. I love celebrating our anniversary because we reminisce about our wedding day by watching the video, looking back at old pictures, and reminding each other of the times we have shared. One of my favorite parts of our anniversary is that we talk about how we can improve our already great marriage and set new goals for the year. Craig had a yummy sushi dinner planned for us on our actual anniversary (thank you Ezell's for watching Caleb). The next night Craig totally surprised Julie with a VERY special night at the Stoneleigh Hotel in Uptown and an amazing dinner at Cafe' Pacific the next night (Thank you Mimi and Papa for watching Caleb and the Colombo's for the yummy dinner.) It felt like we were on vacation and had some wonderful treats to celebrate four fabulous years. Marriage with Craig is the most beautiful thing I have ever dreamed of. He loves everything about me, accepts, tolerates, and encourages me. He knows me better than anybody else in the world. One of the ways God shows me He loves me is through Craig and all his wonderful character traits. Matthew 19:6 is our verse that we centered our wedding ceremony and it holds a special place in our hearts. "So they are no longer two, but one. Therefore what God has joined together, let man not separate."


So, Caleb is another month older...I feel like we say this every stage but I definitely think this has got to be the best and most fun stage Caleb has had (thus far.) Everyday, we see more of his sweet little personality, new noises, new looks, and new curiosity for the world around him. Our new favoirte thing that Caleb does is he will lay his head to his left side as if he is tired and ready to go to sleep, but then moments later he will pop up with a huge laugh and smile. We think he continues to do this because he gets a positive reaction from us.
Speaking of the world around him, we have had a busy yet relaxing month: From a dermatologist appointment to clear up his eczema, a day surgery to remove his stent from his last surgery, his 9 month appointment, and plenty of lunches, errands, play dates, and staying cool from the Texas heat. He bounced back so quickly after the day surgery it surprised us all and things are looking good with his "new plumbing." We have some extensive test on July 14 and July 16 (VCUG, Sonograms, and Nuclear Medicine Test) to find out how things are working in there. We are still praying for the Lord to heal everything and that the Lord's name would be glorified in the work He is doing in Caleb's life.
Caleb weighs 19 pounds 13 ounces (50%) and is 30 inches long (95%) - Our little man's weight can't keep up with his length. Caleb still loves to laugh often, play peek-a-boo, jabber in his car seat, sleep well, eat a ton (even though his weight doesn't prove it), and play silly games with Daddy. Caleb's third tooth is breaking through and you wouldn't even know it. He also is very talented grabbing things with his feet- we think he has his Daddy's fancy feet skills. We are moving him up to his "big boy" car seat (a sad day -- to not be able to lug him around, allow him to sleep anywhere and everywhere, and for him to stay a little germ-free from restaurant high chairs and shopping carts. Thanks to Mammy we won't have that problem, though.) Watching Caleb sleep with his precious noises makes me realize, this is what life is really all about. And, as I have been reminding myself from Sarah Stehlik's talk last week at church, "My only hope of redeeming this day is to come to Jesus and die- that His life might accomplish through me greater things than I can even imagine. To love is to die, and He knows everything there is to know about that." What a great lesson to keep in mind while shepherding and guiding this young life.
To see more pictures of Caleb this month click here

First Vacation at the Ranch

We took the 7+ hour car drive through Austin into the beautiful Hill Country to Craig's Family's Ranch!!! We had a great time with a ton of family, (both Craig's and Julie's at different times) enjoyed the daily rain showers, went on walks, rode the mule, played in the creek, soaked in all of God's creation, had a ton of laughs, took a million pictures, (sorry) and did a lot of relaxing. Thank you all for making this trip so much fun! Julie's Family - Her sister, brother-in-law, mom, dad, 2 uncles, an aunt, a cousin, and a cousin-in-law (sort of)
Craig's Mom and Dad (Mammy and MeDad)

Watch the slideshow of more great photos of the Ranch Vacation

8 months - May 25

It is hard to believe we have an eight month old!!! From a trip to the Arboretum, to the recovery from his surgery, to his first vacation to Craig's Family's Ranch in the Hill Country, to a crazy month of a ton of activities as we wrapped up the school year with our 8th graders (end of year parties, graduation, etc.) Caleb is getting more and more active and enjoys making plenty of noises to keep us all entertained. He is growing so much and has such a precious little personality. As I have watched my former students and my 8th grade girls grow, change, and become a year older. I think back to the 5 years I taught before having Caleb -this "school year" has gone by far faster than it ever did when I was nose-deep in teaching. I have done some reflecting on my past jobs and I realized having Caleb has brought new meaning to my life. My job used to be what gave me a sense of accomplishment. Now, I no longer earn evaluations or a paycheck, just our son’s love. Knowing that I’m making a real difference in his life is all the reward I need. I pray daily that he will someday become a fully-devoted follower of Christ (and that is truly the ONLY reward I need.) Disclaimer...we apologize for the numerous photos- we had fun borrowing a friend's camera.




This was a fun month of many different looks....See below for a few new looks we gave Caleb (We played dress up a few times and we are struggling with what to do with his long hair - we are not quite ready to cut it.)





Is Caleb not his father's son or what? He already LOVES dressing up!


Mimi and Caleb at the Arboretum the day before his surgery.


Caleb puts EVERYTHING in his mouth including a little nibble on Mommy's nose.

To see more pictures of Caleb's month, click here.