First day of school.

  You started 4 y/o preschool today! And, for the first time ever (on a first day and for the first time since December) you were genuinely EXCITED to head to school today. I'm accrediting that to Jesus holding you close, two years of this under your belt, great teachers, and real friends you've made over the last year.
  This year, you are in the Alligator class. You want to be a Three Mouseketeer when you grow up (and an eye doctor like Dr. Moorthy). Your best friend is Navy (and Tyler is your 'best buddy) and you love playing superheroes and just about anything else that involves make believe.
  I'm sure we will feel this at every milestone, big or small, but I am so very proud of you today. The last 8 months have been long and hard and scary for you. We have asked a lot of you and you've battled a spirit of fear and anxiety (rightfully so!) as we've navigated all these health things. Through it all, I have prayed two things- for God to help you be brave and for him to give you a spirit of peace in the middle of it. Today, I saw those two things answered again!
  It makes me excited to keep watching you grow and tackle hard things and see God holding you close. You, sweet boy, are something special. Happy first day of preschool!

Dinosaur Party.

  Caleb turned 3 on June 16th and we invited our friends and family over to celebrate this past weekend (his bday always coincides with Father's Day so we try to space his party from that). His party was so much fun! It turns out that 3 years olds love a good party and are way too much fun to plan for and celebrate. He has a handful of little friends and cousins that he loves and they all had a blast together on Saturday. Since they're all getting a bit older, they don't need us (parents) as much and truly play together!

  Months ago, Caleb told us he wanted to have a dinosaur birthday party. Its sort of funny because, while he does like dinosaurs, I wouldn't have said really say he's into them. We see them at the museum every time we go and he loves the exhibit while we're there. But we don't actually have many dino toys or anything. I think the anticipation and regular chats about his upcoming dino party just increased his love for them and the entire party planning process was so much fun. And now that we've been talking about dinosaurs non-stop for the past month or so- I would say he is fully into them now :)

Can you spot the swipe Caleb made in the icing before we started singing to him??

  I know that everyone approaches kid parties differently (hi, pinterest). I like little details and adding some personal touches, but have a limited budget and a main focus of making the party fun for the birthday boy. I had three goals at the onset of planning Caleb's 3rd birthday: to not become stressed/overwhelmed, to keep it simple-ish, and for Caleb to have fun. I'm obviously biased, but I think we nailed all three!

(the empty cake stand held the dirt pudding cups!)

  The menu was really simple and took little/no prep! We had pizza delivered from Pizza Hut (SO affordable) and ordered a basic cake from Wal-mart. I actually couldn't find a local grocery store to do a dinosaur cake like I wanted (not dark/Jurassic park themed). So instead, I just ordered a sheet cake in the colors I wanted and had them only add the words. Then I printed out a T-Rex silhouette, cut it out, traced it onto the cake with a toothpick, and then piped around it with store bought icing. Not winning any awards, but Caleb loved it! I think the cake was $20? And I love a delicious, sugary icing covered grocery stored cake.

  Other than the pizza and cake, we kept everything else simple (notice the theme?). Veggies and dip, watermelon wedges, grapes & blueberries, Bugles, and (not pictured!) cups of dirt pudding. I also added two small bowls of mini pigs-in-a-blanket and crackers because Caleb had been specifically telling us he wanted to eat dinosaur cake, crackers, and hot dogs at his party 😂.

  Since Caleb is only three, he isn't terribly into games/party activities. I wanted to do something, but to also make sure it was easy enough for 3 year olds. So I made a little dinosaur dig! Originally, we had planned for the party to be outside and to use our big outdoor sandbox for the dig. But lots of rain the day before the party meant our backyard was just too soggy and we moved the whole party inside. I was bummed for a hot second, but then remembered that we do love our house and it actually worked out perfectly! We used our DIY sandbox for an inside Dino Dig- I just put a dropcloth down to help catch the loose sand and left the tools nearby for kids to use. You guys. I was sort of afraid it would have been a waste of effort (it took me a few tries to get the dinosaur fossils to come out right). It was a HIT! I think every single kid spent some time digging for bones, and not because we ever formally announced it. We just set it up in a prime spot and kids just discovered it on their own. I think we had 13 kids there, ranging in age from 1-5 so it was fun to see that it was a fun activity for them all! (and now Caleb has a bag full of dinosaur bones leftover to play with!)

  The only other fun thing I added for the kids was a handful of inflatable dinosaurs. I spent $35 and it was worth every penny. The kids loved them! The giant T-Rex was a hit with most (some were a little scared) and they took turns wrestling with him or pretending to ride on his back. I'm not even sad that we have them leftover because I imagine the boys will love getting them out from time to time to play! I lost my phone during the party and didn't pick up my camera much, so I didn't get any photos of the kids playing with the dinosaurs- but I promise they were a hit. Here are some before and after photos of Caleb still loving them...and the BEST video of him seeing his giant T-rex for the first time.

Caleb and T-Rex from katie rush on Vimeo.

  Lastly, I put together simple favors for all the kids. I snagged different mini-dinosaurs at the dollar store and tied a thank you and some dinosaur temporary tattoos to each. I set them in a basket by the front door so they could grab them on their way out. Caleb was really excited and kept randomly giving his friends their favors throughout the party because I made it super clear to him when we bought them that they were for his friends (and not for him to play with in the weeks leading up to the party!).

  The entire party (and planning process) was just plain fun. Being a parent has so many different parts, and having the chance to intentionally do things that bring our kids joy is one of the best! My most favorite thing from the whole day was just watching and hearing Caleb- with his friends, family, his dad, and watching him take in the wonder of it all. Celebrating him was the best! (Tyler was, in fact, at the party. He was just busy eating, dumping sand everywhere, or going down for an early nap and too busy for any family photos!)

Sources:

Happy Birthday banner: free printable
Favor tags: free printable
Adopt A Dinosaur: Dollar Tree
Dinosaur Tattoos: Amazon
Dinosaur Dig: DIY sandbox
Dino bone molds: Amazon sand molds + Crayola air dry clay
Excavation tools: $.50 paintbrushes from Wal-Mart and Amazon magnifying glasses
Dino cake: Wal-Mart and myself
Inflatable dinosaurs: Amazon
Extra large inflatable T-rex: Amazon
Dinosaur invitations: Etsy

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!

Caleb. (Mom's Day Out)

  Caleb finished his first year of preschool yesterday! (can we call it preschool? It was really only a 1 day a week mom's day out program coupled with a one day mom's bible study with similar structure 😂)  Since he began in September, Caleb has grown SO much. Physically, developmentally, and emotionally. It's amazing to look back!

His physical growth is pretty obvious. He lost a ton of his cute baby chubbiness and has grown like a weed in the last few months! He shot up from 2t to 3t clothes, wears 3t/4t undies, and is in a size 7/8 shoe. I have a hunch that at his 3 year appointment in June he'll be on the top of the charts for height and weight! 

  Developmentally, this was also a big year for Caleb and I really do accredit being at school for some of it. Since September, he has learned his full name (and everyone in our family), his alphabet, his colors (he's still stubborn about them though!), some shapes, and his ability to tell and retell stories. His language absolutely took off around early January and he is such a talker now! I think his language development and being able to express full thoughts/emotions through his words was his biggest growth this year.

  If I'm being honest, Caleb's emotional growth over this last school year was the most challenging (and most significant)- for him and us. When he started school in September, he began to bite. And it was awful for all of us- lots of shame, defeat, and sadness. Lots of upset parents in his class when he would bite their child. Lots of me feeling like an awful mom when I'd overhear another mom at pick up asking "will the biter be allowed to stay in school?" Lots of talking and praying with Caleb over his anxiety at school that was leading to the biting. Guys. SO. MUCH. ENERGY. He started school as one of the younger kids and with less verbal communication. Caleb is also a big feeler- he experiences all of his emotions in big ways. He can be SO HAPPY, but also SO MAD or SO SAD. Not a bad thing at all, but something we needed to help him learn to manage. And, unfortunately for him, biting happens to be the one expression of frustration that requires an incident report and note to another parent (hitting, pushing, taking things, etc don't require that because they don't leave marks).

  It led to us focusing on kindness and incorporating a lot more prayer into our time with Caleb. We prayed for kindness, pointed it out when we noticed it in ourselves, others, cartoons, books, etc. Working on his biting was such a humbling thing for me as a mom (maybe that's another blog post?). In hindsight though, I can see how sweet of an opportunity it was for us to start teaching the Gospel to our kids. It was our official segue-way from one stage of parenting (meeting needs, managing, keeping safe) to the next (teaching, guiding, raising up). 

  Now, after a full school year- Caleb is amazing at speaking up when he feels sad, mad, happy, or scared. He doesn't respond with biting anymore (knock on wood!) and is able to express how he's feeling in a better way. That is absolutely due to a combination of prayer,  time, wonderful teachers, and intentionally on our part. So great to be on the other side and see him doing much better with his emotions! 

  Justin and I can confidently say that enrolling Caleb in a simple preschool-type program this year was the best thing for him. It seemed silly at first- I'm a stay at home mom and isn't that the point of me not working now? To be home with the boys? I realized, though, that school can offer him structure and social exposure that I can't do at home. He's been challenged in the best ways and I can't wait for him to go back in the Fall and begin real preschool!

Life lately

  At 16 months and nearly 3, it seems like we're back in a sweet spot with the boys. I remember that as one of the things Justin was worried about before we had Tyler- throwing a kink in the routine/life we had down-pat with Caleb. Having the boys 18 months apart surely created a bit of chaos (don't all babies/kids?) and I had forgotten how babies change so much that just as soon as you have a routine, they're ready to switch it up. 

  But we're in a groove again and it's just plain fun. And winter is OVER (more on that later). This weekend we had gorgeous weather (no rain!) so I scooted to boys and dogs out the back door to get in a few hours (!!!) of playing and plain ole Vitamin D. SO GOOD FOR OUR SOULS. Or just mine? 

  Tyler ate lots of dirt, fell a dozen times, and discovered his new love for our dog poop scooper (awesome). Caleb is in this fun phase of big imagination, so he spent 3 hours pretending to be a boat captain, race car driver, and treasure hunter. We also had lunch outside and it was a ton of fun...until it wasn't. Notice Tyler's reaction to me not letting him steal Caleb's plate. Gah. Love these kids and these warm Spring days and just the sweet, sweet, grace of winter being over!

Caleb's 2nd birthday.

  We celebrated Caleb's 2nd birthday last month and unintentionally kept the low-key park party tradition going. We skipped a real party at home, since we thought we'd be in the middle of a move (ha. the moving saga continues..) and we chose a park with a splash pad and playground close to our house to celebrate a week before his actual birthday.

  It was super last minute and small and just right. My family and our closest friends from our small group came and spoiled Caleb. I literally did zero party prep outside of ordering his adorable $20 Curious George cake- we cut up a watermelon, had single serving bags of chips, and a cooler of drinks and called it a party! 

  And you know? It was perfect. Caleb didn't know the difference, I wasn't stressed, and the kids had a blast. I would have loved to make him a cake, but our kitchen was packed away and I'll have the chance to make other cakes in the future. Cute invites would have been nice, but we just didn't know far enough in advance what would be going on with the house/where we would be. A huge guest list is always fun, but a party on Father's Day means small and simple and just right.

  On his actual birthday, I woke up with Caleb and took him to our local donut shop downtown. It's the cutest place that only takes cash and is open each day until they run out of donuts around 8/9am. Caleb LOVED picking out his downtown and a prize from the shop owner's birthday bin! After his donut, Justin took him outside to see his big present- a new bike! He took Caleb for a short ride around our house before heading to work and it was adorable. After that, I met up with some friends for our traditional Chick Fil A birthday lunch and then took Caleb to the waterpark for a bit after his nap. 

  Pinterest-y parties and birthdays and celebrations are awesome, but not the most important things. Seeing Caleb's excitement over his grocery store cake, riding his new bike with Justin, and playing in the play place with his best friends far outweigh any blog-worthy photos I would have snagged from a perfectly put together party! All that to say, I'm still really excited to have a fun party for him at our new house next year and to let him choose a theme and invite his favorite friends over. Gah. How is it possible that he'll be old enough to do that?!

Caleb. {two}

TWO! You're two today, and somehow that just seems so big to me. (I know I'll laugh at that statement when I look back on this in 20 years...) 

There are so many things about this exact age that we want to bottle up and remember forever (you'll notice tantrums are not included in this list!)::

At two years old, you are FULL of personality. As a baby, smiles and giggles and cries and fusses were all rare. You were so serious and didn't express many emotions. But at two, oh boy, has that changed. You feel things so deeply and laugh so hard and smile so big (and get really, really mad). You easily tell us what you're thinking these days, even if it is just in one or two word phrases or grabbing our hand to lead us to whatever it is you want us to see or help you with.

You are currently in love with books and nature walks (aka how we pass time before dad gets home from work) and Curious George and trips to the park and 'fixing' things and coloring and berries of all kinds. Also, cookies. You'll do almost anything with the promise of a cookie. 

You are fiercely attached to your Monkey and are just starting to learn to leave him behind and be brave without him in your hand when we leave the house. You also use your oversized stuffed husky, Joe, as a pillow each night in your crib. And you prefer to take all of your animals and blankets out of the crib with you every time you wake up and march with them around the house.

At two years old, your best friend is Owen. You two are always so excited to see each other, but quickly fight over toys or forget about each other after a few minutes. You often wake up asking for him or excitedly shout his name when we drive past his neighborhood, church, the zoo, or Chick Fil A (all the places you play together). You also love seeing Mia, Scarlett, Sam, Brady and Bailey these days.

You like Tyler. Ha. 90% of the time you forget he's around (he's still so little and you're sort of a toddler tornado), but every once in a while you stop with serious concern about where he is or wanting to give him your monkey or his paci. Or just wanting him to give you whatever toy he has. You love to burst into his room when he's sleeping and shout HI in his face to wake him up or NIGHT NIGHT just to show me that he's sleeping (well, was sleeping).

These days you love to mimic whatever it is you see others doing and sweeping alongside me is one of your favorite things. You love to shave with dad, help me cook, give Tyler a bath, and pretend to fix things. You also love to play fetch with Murphy and Jersey, but I'm not sure that feeling is mutual.

The big thing you're learning right now is kindness. Hitting has become your go-to expression of frustration, so we do lots of hugging and timeouts and reminding to be kind. You'll figure it out! (hopefully!)

You aren't really close to potty training yet and its pretty hilarious that you insist on finding a table to hide under while you poop (every single morning, no matter where we are- you'll find a table). 

We go to the zoo every week and it seems as if you have a new favorite animal each time. If I had to pick though, I think the dolphins are your all time favorite (just like mom!). Sometimes you're more interested in the rocks and mulch than the actual animals, but you love exploring the entire place.

You are still working on your colors and numbers and letters. You think everything is either blue or red and any written words you see you just scream "a-b, a-b!". You can count to three, but you almost always refuse to do it. 

No one makes you laugh as much or as hard as your dad. You excitedly watch for him every evening and ask for him almost immediately each morning when you wake up. Weekends are your favorite because you have so much time with him and you crash hard each nap/night because you play non-stop. You love to put dad's shoes on, shave like he does, and shout DADDY every time you hear a lawnmower or see a white car coming down our street.

We spend all of our days together and I'm currently your most favorite person (I promise your dad would agree!). We have fun and play, but you don't laugh nearly as much with me as you do with your dad. Instead, I'm your safe person (and you regularly remind us of that since 'mama' is your go-to cry for everything). You always come to me for help or when you're sad or when you discover something new. You love to explore and adventure, but almost always check to make sure I'm nearby and call for me if not. I'm positive it will not always be that way and I won't always be your most favorite person (that's ok!), but today, on your second birthday, I'm thankful for these sweet days we have together!

Caleb, at two you are wonderful! I'm certain I will say that every year on your birthday and it will be just as true each year. Right now, I find myself praying for you to grow to be strong and kind and always rooted in Jesus. You are so fun and curious and passionate and we love you so much! Happy birthday, buddy!

Tyler: newborn photos.

  Four months later, and I still love Tyler's newborn photos. Like, really really love them. We had our friend (and wedding photographer!) Sara take them again and she captured him and our little family so perfectly. (fun note: Sara just had her own second little boy yesterday! Welcome to the world, Cole!) Tyler's long brown hair (mostly gone now!), Caleb's love for his new brother, Justin's ease with a new baby, and the four of us getting used to our new normal- she captured it all.

  I love photos so much, and these are some that our family will keep, frame, and just have forever. It costs a little money and takes some planning, but capturing the once in a lifetime events like a new baby and different stages of our family is so important to me! Gah. Just looking at these makes me a bit teary-eyed. I'm not sure I can pick an absolute favorite, but I'm pretty partial to the one of Caleb on his stool peeking in Tyler's crib. And Justin kissing Tyler's forehead. And Tyler's little newborn arm popping out of his blue baby blanket. Oh, and the one of all four of us. Ok, I'll stop now and just show you the photos!