The other day Caleb and Brynli were playing together and I was doing something in another room. I could hear them playing when I heard Caleb say to Brynli: "You need to say please if you want to hit me. . . say please and then you can hit me."
I just started laughing to myself.
We live close to a new temple that is still being built. We've been able to watch the building process of this temple, which has actually been really cool. I love driving by it all the time. Well, Caleb really likes Bob the Builder. A while ago, when they had recently started building it, we were driving by and Mark jokingly said, "Hey look, there's Brother Bob the Builder" - pointing to the workers. Well, this has stuck with Caleb and whenever we drive by he points to it and says Bob the Builder!
Caleb likes to say what he calls "funny words". Some of these words are words he has made up. The one he uses the most is dooney. He calls random things dooney or he'll just say it whenever he wants. He thinks it's really funny. But his latest is "My name's not Caleb, it's Dooney" . . . oh boy. . .
Mark and I were leaving Caleb and Brynli with my parents and Caleb asked "Where are you two going?" I hadn't heard him say that before and didn't know he knew that phrase. Then a few days later I was going up the stairs and Caleb and Brynli were still downstairs and Caleb says to me, "Where are you two going?" . . .
There have been times when Mark or I have been gone for a while - like all day and when we talk to Caleb we tell him we love him and that we missed him. Well, now when Caleb tells me he loves me he says:
Caleb: "I love you"
me: "I love you too."
Caleb: "And I missed you. " (Considering I've been with him all day)
me: "Caleb, when did you miss me?
Caleb ". . . I just missed you."
and then he says it again until I say it back to him. . . At least I know he thinks it's a way of expressing his love for us.
This one was a very sweet moment.
A few weeks ago we had some good friends over after church. We had a really great time with them, but I noticed Caleb wasn't really being himself. He didn't really want to play and he wasn't being very nice to me and sometimes them. I was a little frustrated. I didn't know why he was being so difficult.
Before Caleb and Brynli go to bed we like to spend time with them rocking or being by Caleb while he lays in his bed. I love this time. There's something about being with them right before they fall asleep. They are starting to unwind and they are calm and still. My heart fills with love for them.
Here's an excerpt from my journal that night.
"Caleb had kind of a rough day today. It started out not really in his favor since we got him to bed so late last night after our date. I went in to lay by him and talked to him for a minute. I asked if he thought he hadn't been nice and he said he wasn't. I asked him why he wasn't really being very nice to our friends and to me. He sincerely said he didn't know. I talked to him about it and how next time we get together with them let's try to be nice so we can have a lot of fun together. Then he started telling me about his day. He started talking about how he didn't get to sit by [a certain girl]. I'm not sure if she didn't want to sit by him or what happened, but he was sad about it. He said he didn't want to sing and he wanted to be a baby again. He said he wanted to play with the toys and not be in Primary. And then he said something surprising. He told me he wanted to go to heaven and be in the fire. I tried to ask him about it to get some idea of where he got that from, but he just kept saying he wanted to go to heaven and be in the fire. Maybe he knows or remembers something about heaven that I don't know? Not unlikely. He got quiet for a little while and then he said, "sometime I want to hold Jesus." It was such a sweet moment. My heart filled with love and compassion for him and I wanted him to be able to be held and comforted by Jesus too. He really is such a sweet, tender boy who was kind of having a rough time today and didn't know how to act because of it. I'm so thankful for experiences like that."
My little niece Gracie was chosen by President Monson to help do the mortar at the cornerstone ceremony for the Draper temple. It was a very neat experience for their family. He called her a professional and commented on her pretty hair. He also admonished her to record the experience in her journal. This picture was on the front page of the Deseret news.
Every once in a while Caleb likes to play with our sudoku. He usually likes to fill in all of the spots, but this day he made this. He called me over and said "Look Mommy I made a temple!" It looks just like the new Oquirrh Mountain temple! Sometimes I am amazed at his creative ability. He makes the most amazing train tracks. He gets ideas in his head and then creates it.
He loves playing with these.
Caleb dancing with scarves during Kindermusik.
He told me this is an "um bum brella" that he made. he he
What a cutie!
It was so funny while we were eating dinner at Sweet Tomatoes before the party. I've never eaten there so fast in my life. I was rushing the kids and Mark - come on eat fast! Luckily Mark just thought I was excited to get going on our date, but actually it was getting really close to the time I told everyone we would be there. Just as we were about to leave, Brynli tells me she has to go potty. I felt like saying tough luck little lady - you can't go! (Like you can tell that to a tiny little girl who is still learning to go potty! or really any little kid for that matter.) Thankfully we made it there in good time and really weren't too much later than I had said.
Marissa & Sydney
Lesli, Grady, & Clara
Brynli & Clara
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