cal's new crawl...

crab crawl anyone?!!? here is the pro!

Calvin loves suckers!

Calvin is the kind of kid that will give up any other treat in a trade for a sucker... he just loves them, I don't really know why! But because he likes them so much, you will sometimes find him trying to eat them in the strangest circumstances... like with an ornament hanging from the end of it... look close, there it is!

what a wierdo!

Random actions...

Cal really thinks he is cool when he can wear sunglasses just like mommy. However, we go through many pairs of $5 wal-mart sunglasses this way. probably at least 2 or 3 a month... What can I say, the kid is like a scud missile, he can seak out sunglasses in purses, pockets of jackets, on top of counters, you name it!!! (plus, it doesn't help that mommy is really good at losing sunglasses, left on counters of gas stations, flower shops and grocery stores everywhere. if you need a pair, just follow me around and you will soon come upon a pair.)

Donations of sunglasses are gladly accepted, we are not too proud here!

Cal's best buddy is Ralphie, which unfortunately for Ralphie, means the brunt of most of cal's shenanigans and quite a few doggie bruises. It is not uncommon to hear cal laughing and poor ralph whimpering. we are trying to teach cal that he has to be nice to ralph, but ralphie usually lets him do so much, that by the time he actually starts to whimper, cal has already nearly pulled an ear or jowl off, or poked an eye out, so sometimes we are running so far behind that it is hard to really discipline cal and help him to see the harm he is doing. Here are the two of them, in one of those rare moments of love. I shouldn't say rare, cal is always loving and hugging on ralph, unfortunately, he usually just does that very roughly OR he does it so darn quick it is hard to capture on camera!

We were recently able to visit great grandma and great grandpa for one last showing of cal's costume and lucky cal, there were some fresh sugar cookies there...

Everyone knows grandma makes the BEST sugar cookies, and the frosting too!!! MMMMM

Cal polishing off some of his halloween treats for a snack after dinner...

proof that mommy and daddy aren't the ones drooling over most of the trick or treats in his pumpkin pail

Ayden's Birthday party

We were able to visit Ayden's (my cousin's kid) birthday party on Saturday, even though Cal was feeling a little under the weather. We had such a good time, even in the short time that we were able to be there.

Cal enjoyed the birthday cake at a table sized just right for him and the younger kids.

The birthday boy, Ayden, now 3 years old!!

And Reece, of course, Ayden's big brother (as if you couldn't tell!)

Ayden wanted a pic of his balloon and the little girl is Ariah, their friend... so cute!

Happy Halloween...

We finally carved the pumpkins and got them lit and out on the porch, and here are the results...






It was interesting because this year Cal didn't even want to touch the pumpkin guts, he thought it was too gross. but last year, he wanted to eat it... He did like scooping it out into the trash can though. He did a pretty good job at this

We discovered recently that the best way to get cal to put on his costume was to bribe him with visions of candy... now, however, whenever he feels like a piece of candy, he comes running with this halloween costume. very funny, now where can I hide his costume!

carving pumpkins...

Cal has become a pro at pumpkin carving... okay, really, mom is the pro. She carved cal's and her own, but cal at least is pretty good at scooping out the gunk and putting in the trash.

Cal is a true lover of pumpkins, whenever he sees one, we have to stop and have a "conversation" about the specifics of any particular pumpkin we happen upon. He also has to always try and pick them up and this is usually accompanied with a grunt and a sigh. What a comedian!

more trick or treating...

Nate and Nicholas were so tired by the time we were done... they were laying down and trying to rest, but not Cal!!! He was ready and raring to go with this new understanding of halloween... All these random people, willing to give away CANDY!!! Unbelievable, absolutely unbelievable, and totally worth wearing this ridiculous costume. Oh, that, and the fact that mom had to carry him in between every single house!!! (I will let you know when I can actually lift my arms and stand up straight again... it may be a while!)

Every time a house would offer for cal to make a choice from a large bucket of candy, he would look specifically for suckers... these are his favorite type of treat (probably because mommy doesn't let him have them very often at all and they last a LONG time)

still going!!! nothing slows him down.

All in all, a very rewarding trick or treating experience...