10 months - July 25

We can't believe it is almost August - where has the summer gone?!? It has been a very busy, yet fun month with no free weekends. We started off the month with a 4th of July house project, then a niece and nephew's birthday party in Bryan, a weekend in Horseshoe Bay, a few days in Austin swimming with Julie's family, a day at Six Flags (no Caleb on this one), and a lot of fun between them all. Caleb spouted his fourth tooth (and boy are his top two teeth far apart). At the beginning of the month Caleb had a lot of firsts!! He started standing (with assistance). Up to this point he never wanted to put any weight on his little legs, occasionally he would in his exosaucer, jumper, or johnny jumper. Also, at Caleb's 9 month appointment we got the approval to start working on his pincer grasp by allowing him finger foods. Within a few days of this he was a pro, feeding himself by the handful, and what an independence this is from Mommy and Daddy.
Another first was his first haircut from Mimi. It is a tradition to have Mimi do the cutting and we all did a great job. She is the great family barber. Now that a month has gone by, he could probably use another haircut. (any appointments free Mimi?) With this new freedom of finger foods, Caleb went to one of our favorite eating places, Chick-fil-a!! We happened to go on Customer Appreciation Day and we happened to have a costume in the car for a free meal - what a coincidence. He loved his chicken nuggets and shared his fries and drink with Mommy. Please feel free to click here to vote for our little cow in the "Show Us The Cow" contest. This is one of our favorite photos. Like Father, Like Son!!! Caleb had a grand time playing with this water at his cousin's birthday party. And we wonder where he gets it from. Maybe now that his "plumbing" is all fixed he will be going like this in no time! HA! This sweet picture that wraps up Caleb's big day at the pool, wraps up the past month.

To see more of what Caleb has been up to this month click here

Horseshoe Bay July 17-19

We were so excited to spend the weekend at Horseshoe Bay with Craig's family for a weekend with 8 adults and 7 kiddos (all under the age of 7). We enjoyed a lot of laughter, swimming, food, and fun! Thanks Mammy and MeDad for making the weekend possible. Below are just a few pictures to recap the weekend and a slideshow at the bottom to show more of the fun.

The whole Wenning family The Giesenschlag Family (Brock 3, Brian, Zach 5, Julie, and Ava 11 months) The Cowden Family Luke 5, Jack almost 7, Kristin, Allen, and Lucy 2) These are two of our five precious nephews (Zach and Brock) singing...
Doesn't it just melt your heart!!

5 Catheters Later...

Last week Caleb had some extensive tests done on his new "plumbing." After, 3 attempts of putting the catheter in and hitting a blockage, they decided to go ahead and put our very hungry, tired, and fussy 9 month old under the anesthesia. They were finally able to successfully perform the VCUG and the 5th catheter was to test using Nuclear Medicine.

Sadly, we found out that Caleb will have yet another surgery on Wednesday, July 29th at 7:30 am. This one is just a day surgery, called a Urethra Cystoscopy. There will be no incision but an entry through his little-boy part.

We pray for the urologist to successfully scrape the extra tissue from the urethra, for the anesthesiologist to take care of our little guy as this is his 5th time to go under, and for the Lord to heal Caleb's plumbing.

#1 Husband

I have been wanting to write this post for a long time but after the weekend that Craig just had - I knew it was time!! Let me start by saying that when we got married I owned more tools than Craig in my little pink toolbox I got as a graduation present from high school. That goes to show that Craig was not the type to "do-it" yourself when something broke. But, when we moved into our new house about 10 months ago, Craig has impressed more times than not. I have seen his dedicated, hard-working, analytical, perfectionism, and not afraid to get dirty personality come through in everything that he has done. I knew he was fully capable of "fixing" things but now I know that no matter the project he can get it done and do it very well!!! I am so proud of my wonderful husband for so many reasons, including the "Handy-Man" he has become. (Sorry Ladies, he is not for rent!)

It is so cute the excitement he gets when he buys something new from Lowe's or Home Depot or he has ordered something online and he just can't wait to install it, use it, or play with it. (see the picture below with the new front door hardware.) So, this past Fourth of July weekend while all of you were sipping on a cold beverage, enjoying your favorite treats, and staying cool splashing in a body of water - Craig was working so hard on painting the house!!! And it looks GREAT!! Below is a list of all the incredible accomplishments Craig has done around our house:
*He painted 2 bedrooms before we moved in (with the help of some friends)
*He installed all new door knobs (16 to be exact)
*He replaced all the kitchen and bathroom knobs (42 in all)
*He painted the front door (a few times to get it just right-during our Thanksgiving break)
*He replaced new shutters on the front of the house
*He worked with electricity and replaced 5 light fixtures
*He planted new grass/sod in the backyard and has watered it meticulously to keep it healthy (See picture below of my very own Barefoot Gardener)
*He hung new numbers on the outside of the house
*He replaced the front door with a silver knocker
*He cut back limbs from a few trees to allow healthy growth
*He scrubbed and cleaned out the gutters
*He cut and replaced new soffits (ask me if you don't know what they are- I have learned a few things, too)
*He cleaned the eaves
*He repaired the damaged wood around the house
*He caulked the holes
*He painted the entire outside of the house
*He maintains the yard (mows weekly)and picks weeds with a passion Craig still has a few hefty projects he still wants to conquer (replace the tile work in the kitchen and repair/stain the deck, just to name a few.) Again, I am so proud of the hard-work, countless hours, dedication, and drive that Craig has to accomplish these amazing projects - I obliviously, could not do this without him!!

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.

Caleb's Post-Op Update

We went to our pediatric urologist today for Caleb's post-op following his surgery 3 weeks ago. This entailed doing a sonogram to see how has kidneys have responded since the surgery. His right kidney was still dilated, but our doctor said he expected this until the stint gets removed on June 9th. The left kidney continues to look really good, which is wonderful. Looking ahead - on July 16th, our doctor has recommended we do two tests (nuclear medicine and VCUG) in addition to his normal sonogram. The tests will determine how his kidneys perform using his new plumbing (by then his body will have been on its own for five weeks following his stint removal). We continue to pray that the Lord would allow Caleb's reconstructed right ureter to reduce the swelling in his right kidney and that his left kidney would continue to function normally. We also pray that the day surgery on June 9th to remove his stint would go smoothly and that Caleb would continue to respond favorably to anesthesia.

As you can tell in the below pictures, Caleb seems unphased by all of these doctors visitors and hospital stays...