Christmas filled weekend

Since Zoe will be arriving soon we decided to decorate for Christmas early!  We had a glorious weekend filled with Christmas scented candles, Christmas tree decorating, house decorating and baking cookies!  The sweet aroma of ginger cookies, peanut butter blossoms, russian tea cakes, Andes mint cookies, melting moments and many more filled our kitchen!!  My mom and I bake cookies every year and I love that we keep the tradition going because it's one of my favorites!!  She graciously drove down to our place this year since I'm so close to my due date.  I've eaten about 20 cookies in the last 3 days and have enjoyed every single one!  Caleb even enjoyed/snuck a few the minute he got home with Dave.

The big Christmas Tree reveal was so much fun through Caleb's eyes.  Check out the spectacular event!

http://youtu.be/7Zv4ew7QKog

This Christmas will be extra special this year as it will be filled with snuggles from a newborn!  I'm getting so excited to meet her!! 💕

Do you wanna build a snowman?

Even though I was not excited about the snowstorm last Monday, it's amazing how much you can appreciate and enjoy it through a child's eye.  I actually became quite giddy and wanted to stay home and play with him in the snow all day!  Below is a video and a pic of Caleb enjoying the snow.  I see many snowmen and lots of sledding in our future this winter!

http://youtu.be/Bx_pu61OTxY

Happy Halloween

We took Caleb out to the Wayzata Boo Blast.  It was such a perfect day...upper 60s and sunny!  Caleb enjoyed picking out a piece of candy at each store and he followed it up with a kind "Thank You"....until the end stretch where he would instead say "open it".  It gave everyone a bit of a chuckle.  The Boo Blast was such a fun event including pumpkin decorating, face painting, balloon artist, food, music and of course trick or treating.

Hope everyone had a great Halloween!

Caleb turns 2

Wait what?!?  I have a 2 year old?  When I look back at baby pictures and videos I barely remember him being that little.  I'm so glad we've taken so many pictures and videos so that we never forget.

What's he up to, you ask?  He's going to school five days a week and learning something new everyday.  We are truly blessed that he is able to attend the school that he is at.  He talks all the time and he's good at repeating anything anyone says.  He loves to sing his ABCs and he can count to 14.  I think it's because we have 14 stairs in our house and we count them whenever we go up and down them.  He is still all boy and on the go 24/7.  He loves cars, trucks, airplanes, firetrucks, police cars, ambulances, dump trucks, excavators, pretty much anything vehicle related.  Oh and he LOVES being outside!!  He wants to be outside every chance he can get.  If we see anyone while on a walk he's sure to say Hi to them.  It makes me smile!

He enjoys books.  His favorite book right now is 100 Bible stories 100 Bible songs.  He especially likes Peter in the Bible with Jesus coming in at a close second. We're working on Jesus being his favorite.  There's a picture of Peter waving to Jesus in the Bible and one night Caleb goes "Peter high-five" and then he high-fived the book.  So ever since then, every night he has to give Peter a high-five, Jesus a high-five, James a high-five and John a high-five.

He's getting really good at being Mr Polite.  Just today he brought his bowl to me in the kitchen and said "Thank you mommy".  Then the other day Dave sneezed and he said "Bless you Daddy". That just melts my heart!

Dear Caleb,

Happy 2nd Birthday!!  Mommy and Daddy have enjoyed these past 2 years more than you know.  You have brought so much joy to our life along with a love that we never knew we could have.  You are an amazing boy created by God and we know that you're going to do big things in your life.  You constantly make us laugh with your silly and bubbly personality.  Even though you can be stubborn at times we know that God created your personality perfect for YOU and for His plan for your life.  We love you so much!!  Each and every day is a blessing to be with you!  Again, Happy Birthday and were excited for so many more years to celebrate. Thank you for being you!  XOXO!!

Love,

Mommy and daddy

Below is a little video recap of his birthday...

http://youtu.be/udh2hbP7YeM

 

Gus Macker 2014, St Paul, MN

I attempted to bring Caleb to watch Dave play basketball again.

 

He did a little better this time although he still wanted to be out on the court with daddy. I had to distract him with multiple things from my phone, to food, to walks, to golf carts, etc. We ventured over to the state capital to snap a few pics.

 

I attempted a selfie but Caleb wasn't having it. He wanted mamarazzi out of his face.

 

Then all of a sudden there were more cool things to distract him...two of Caleb's favorite things. Police cars and fire trucks!!

 

Those of course were his highlights of the day. My highlight was the following picture. I felt like he was gazing at the court, watching his daddy thinking "That's going to be me someday". Priceless.

 

Baby Girl Kapaun

I just realized I haven't mentioned that we are adding a little girl to our family come December!  We are beyond excited and thrilled to see Caleb in the big brother role.  He's going to be THE BEST big bro.  And come December he's off the hook for dress up.

We've thrown around a few names, weeded out a couple and have it narrowed down to two.  It will probably come down to the day she is born and who knows it could be something different than the two we currently have.  The two names are Trinity and Zoe.  I ask Caleb all the time what he likes and he always says both names.  Tonight was a different story, I asked him again and he said Big Zoe.  Big Zoe Ann Kapaun has a bit of a ring to it right? wink wink.  Whatever her name is, it will be the perfect name for her.  Until then, "Big Zoe" is doing great as is my pregnancy.  Praise God!!  He has truly blessed us.

MN State Fair

This year Dave and I were flying solo at the state fair. Caleb was up at my parents so we got an entire weekend of kid freedom...somewhat, we always find ourselves talking about him and looking at pictures and videos of him. By the time he gets back home we are just so antsy to see him!

The weather was perfect and was again a record breaking attendance day which was also the case last year when we went. Exploring the new west end market was great which is where we sat and listened to a folksy music performance. Loved it!! We also consumed our favorite state fair foods along with quite a few new ones!

 

Kapaun Cabin Outing

We ventured up to the cabin again this year. We didn't go last year so this was Caleb's first experience up in Outing, MN. He thoroughly soaked up the cabin experience just like Dave and I do and he talked about it for many days and weeks afterwards.

Dave and I both have so many cabin and lake memories from growing up and we want our children to experience the exact same thing. We absolutely love the cabin life!!!

Caleb didn't sleep the best there so he got the opportunity to snuggle and sleep in bed with mommy. One night I had the most overwhelming heartwarming experience. Caleb woke up so I pulled him into bed with me. I was laying there thinking this is the third night in a row how he had woken up really early and how I was running off of very little sleep. Little sleep and being pregnant is not a good combo. But then I looked at his cute little face in the dark and realized that he never sleeps with us so I was enjoying the moment. Then to top it off he took his hand reached over and grabbed my hand. My heart grew bigger and let's be honest what kind of mother would not tear up at this moment? Tiredness was no longer a thought but instead the love for my son consumed my mind. God softened my heart that night and reminded me how much of a blessing children are even when you feel exhausted.

Below are pictures of the fun we had!!

More summer fun

Everyone keeps saying winter is around the corner so we continue to take advantage of the summer sun!  We checked out a splash pad in Eden Prairie and Caleb had a blast.  Video and pics below.

http://youtu.be/V_R2I7wpAfo

Let's not forget about the numerous parks we've visited.  So thankful that communities build these for families to utilize.  We practically live at them and there are so many near our house so we can mix it up for Caleb.

Last Sunday it was raining so we headed to the Mall Of America where Caleb took his very first carousel ride.  Let's just say he rode that zebra like a boss.

VeggieTales

Caleb loves watching the VeggieTales Esther movie.  He asks to watch it every morning and every night.  Tonight we were watching it yet again and here was the dialogue between Caleb and me.

Caleb: Esther!!!!

Me: Yes that's Esther.  Do you think Esther is pretty?

Caleb (turns to look at me): Mommy pretty.

This little guy has my heart!  I was so overwhelmed with joy and love at that very moment and was smiling from ear to ear.  I love you Caleb, you are such a sweetheart and you can tell me I'm pretty anytime you want.

Bathtub Toys

Caleb still loves his baths and now he's got the names of his toys down.  It's fun watching him "tell stories" while playing with his toys.  Here another video.  http://youtu.be/W2zRC0pK2TI

Weeknight fun

Thursday night we went to McDonald's, I know, don't judge.  On the way out, Caleb spotted a sprinkler and Oh Boy let the fun begin.  Sprinklers will be a must when we buy a home.

Here's a quick video of the sprinkler dousing.

http://youtu.be/0SNPVREzxhk

After he was thoroughly soaked we ventured off to the park.  Looks like more than just Caleb was having a good time!

Caleb and Lena

Need I say more...

Mini CSS reunion

July 5th we headed out to Spicer Minnesota where Dave played in a 3-on-3 basketball tournament with some of his buddies from St. Scholastica.

Caleb watched his dad play basketball for approximately two minutes and the rest of the time I chased him around trying to keep him off the court. I guess he wanted to go play basketball with his daddy.  They only had to stop the game once because Caleb was on the court.  My quick mom reflexes grabbed him before large men trampled on him.  I might have been just as exhausted as Dave was by the time they were done playing. ;)

 

4th of July

We had a jampacked Fourth of July weekend. It started off with the Chanhassen parade.  Airplanes, fire trucks and police cars, OH MY!  Caleb had a heyday at the parade oooing and aahhing at all the planes, trucks, cars, people, music and candy!  Afterwards we went to our friend Derek and Steph's house for a barbecue and some time to enjoy each other's company while our kiddos played together.  Steph made a delicious American flag dessert which is pictured in the collage below.  It was a beautiful day and we are so grateful that we live in the United States of America, a country that still celebrates freedom.  Thank you to all the men and women who have served in the past, present and future to preserve our free country!  We appreciate you all and we try not to take that precious gift for granted.  God bless the USA!

Below is a cute video of Caleb from the parade.
http://youtu.be/eYUmyaAvToA

 

 

Wedding Bliss

Last month we brought Caleb over to grandpa and grandma's for a sleepover while we enjoyed a wonderful night in downtown Minneapolis.  We attended a wedding of one of Dave's former coworkers at the Graves hotel.  The ceremony was beautiful, the venue and flowers were gorgeous, the food was delicious, Rob's speech was hilarious (did we expect anything less?), and the dancing was fun!  Oh and let's not forget about the treat table, I think I ate enough candy to last me for a few years.  Congrats to the happy couple!

World Cup

I'm playing catch up today on a few posts as I have some much needed news, pictures and videos to share.  First off, we supported Team USA in the World Cup last month.  Even though USA did not win we enjoyed cheering them on!

Shades

Last year Caleb would not wear sunglasses without ripping them off.  We decided to try again this year because he would either squint really bad or cry if the sun was in his eyes.  This year's sunglasses were a success!  He actually says yes to wanting them when we go outside and puts them on himself.  Oh and he looks so cool in them!

Fathers' Day Weekend

We had a fun filled weekend, we cruised  up to my parents for some relaxation time!  Caleb had all sorts of fun with grandma and grandpa.

They both took Caleb for rides on the rhino and lawnmower and the second they got back from the ride Caleb would raise 1 finger and say "one more", meaning one more ride.  He got about 50 "one more" rides. :)

Caleb also enjoyed hugging and playing with Tucker.  Tucker is so good with Caleb, he literally lets Caleb do anything to him.  It was really cute, when we left on Sunday, Caleb walked up to Tucker and said "bye-bye dog".  They are buddies.

Sunday we headed to Dave's parents.  The weather turned out to be beautiful so we could hang out outside.  The boys worked hard, played hard and rode hard.

It was a wonderful weekend spent with many great fathers.  Thanks to all the awesome dads out there, especially my husband Dave, my dad Harley, my father-in-law Mike, and my brother-in-law Dan.  You all are so amazing!