Friday, June 16, 2017

Caleb. (3 years)



  Our sweet boy is 3 today! There is so much about Caleb at this exact age that I love. It is also really fun to look back over the last few years and see his unique personality stand out. We woke Caleb up early to take him on our traditional donut run and he came downstairs to a big balloon and one of his presents, a new dinosaur! After donuts with dad (and mom and Tyler), both boys had well checks at the dr. and then we finished up our week at Grace Kids' Camp. The boys are napping now, but we promised Caleb we would take him to 'Pizza Choo Choo' (a Pizza King that has a train driving around all the tables) for supper. He is beyond excited! We have a little party with friends and family planned for next weekend, since his actual birthday always falls close to Father's Day. Overall, a simple and fun day just celebrating our guy. I want it to always be that for him, a day where he feels extra loved and celebrated!

  At three years old, Caleb is a sweet kid. He feels things deeply and always asks us if we're happy or sad. He also becomes frustrated easily and is learning lots of ways to manage that (no more biting!). He loves babies and caring for others and stops several times a day to exclaim that something is 'aw! so cute!'. Caleb has zero interest in rote learning, and prefers to explore and experience things. He is really into pretend play right now and can be found building a train with his toys, playing doctor, making his toys talk, or on his 'ship' in our backyard.

  One big part of Caleb personality today that, looking back, I can see has been around since he was a baby is his cautious spirit. He is not terribly adventurous and needs to feel things out for a long time before he trusts them. People, places, experiences, food, all things. He often looks to me and therefore is pretty attached to me (loses himself when I leave him, but calms down after a minute or two). His cautiousness can be sweet and also challenging, so we're working on appreciating both parts I can already see how it will serve him well as he grows up!

  Over the last six months, Caleb has started to be interested in Jesus and it is one of the sweetest things for us to watch. He knows that Jesus loves him the most and often asks if we pray for Jesus to help mommy/daddy/anyone when they're sad or scared. The Easter book we read this Spring talked about a cross, and he became really fascinated with that- especially since I always have on my cross necklace. Since then, he's been asking for his own cross. So we bought him one to hang in his room! He'll happily tell you that I wear my cross (and now, he has one in his room) to help us remember that Jesus loves us. Just recently, he has been asking where Jesus is. We're trying to explain that Jesus lives in our hearts and, when he's older, he can ask Jesus to come live in his heart too. He's really excited about that!

  With his birthday on the horizon, I've had grandparents/friends/family ask what Caleb is 'into' right now. That's sort of hard to answer because he honestly loves anything that you make seem exciting. Paw Patrol, being kind, dinosaurs (he's having a dinosaur party!), swimming, sports, trains, etc. His biggest passion is just doing something fun with others. His love for other people is just really deep. If we're at the pool or playground, he simply wants to be with the others and often goes up to big kids and introduces himself "Hi! My name Caleb Henry Rush. What's your? Let's play!"

  My most favorite things about Caleb right now are: his love for others, the way he gets excited with his entire body (he literally cannot contain his excitement and will exclaim I SO EXCITED and start shaking), his cautious spirit, his genuine interest in Jesus, and his love for others.

The stuff only parents care about: Caleb is big! That's not a shocker to anyone. He is in the 85% for heigh and 94% for weight. Completely proportional and at the top of the scales for everything growth-wise. Also, 95% potty trained! Just need to work on night time/naps.

  Every single night we pray with the boys and we pray the same things- that Jesus help them grow to be brave, kind, and to love Jesus. On Caleb's third birthday, I can't think of anything to add. I hope he grows to be brave (brave to be himself, brave to do hard things), to be kind (to love others always and no matter what), and to love Jesus!

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