Clan Calihan

Behind...Again.

2009-11-12T14:55:00.015-05:00

I really cannot get motivated to blog these days. Feeling a bit flu-like has me a little more contented spending the next hour in a chair; so, onward and upward!

Off to a brief but exciting overview of the last 2+ months. Hold on to your hats! I'm going to move quickly;)

Let's start off with a great time in the Heart of It All - Ohio.

We had another great time visiting Grandpa and Grandma Calihan's farm in West Salem, Ohio.

There was a reprisal of last spring's hit "water in a metal bucket". This continues to be a crowd pleaser.

We took sundrenched walks around the pond - clothing optional for those 3 and under;)

While spending time with grandpa and grandma on the farm was a top priority, we had ulterior motives as well.

The Wayne County Fair

We ate things that were ridiculously bad for us.

After last year's episode of "The Merry Go Round is Soooo Frightening", we never imagined they'd ride all the things they rode!

We played games and won prizes.

Vaughn tried to force-feed straw to every animal he met.

And then we were POOOOOPED...and so we went "home" to grandpa and grandma's.

Daddy and Mommy got to eat out with friends!

A LOT! ;)

This trip represented a very important milestone in Eva's life.

Her first trip to Audrey's Attic with Aunt Lori and mommy;)

On our way home from Wooster,

We stopped in Dayton to spend some time with Great Grandma Calihan.

So, we're back in Lexington, and fall has us as busy as ever with...

...lots of fun playdates with our buddies from i.m.MOM...

...the kickoff of football season - "GO STEENERS";)

I fed my Matilda Jane obsession with a Matilda Jane Trunk Show at our home. Food, fun, friends, and shopping - not sure it gets any better;)

While Eva and Cousin Annabelle went to the aquarium with Uncle Clint and Aunt Nina, we went on our first trip to Chuck 'E Cheese (aka: PBS kids) with the boys. It was as fun as I remembered it.

Now that the kids are a little older, I find it sooo much easier to get some really cute shots of the 3 of them together.

Like this one!

And this one!

Looove this one!

A personal Fav;)

They had me at matching jammies.

Who's Bev, anyway?!

Cuties.

We rode ponies again.

We rode tractors.

We met "Wild Hings"...

...and apparently fell in love.

Sesame Street Live was a smashing success!

Here's Eva waving to her hero Abby Cadabby.

Trick or Treating with the Wengers couldn't have BEEN more fun!

And if this wasn't enough excitement for you, let's not forget our friends Thomas...

...and Chloe - and the BEST birthday party ever.

They had a pirate party!

Complete with a pirate ship...

...and all the necessary accoutrements to make us feel extra "pirate-y".

"Argh! Me loves me pizza, Matey!

The holidays are fast approaching, and Eva and Mommy kicked the season off right.

Eva helped me decorate my table for our church's "Tabletops and Treetops" event.

She helped her "teachoos decowate her cwass", too. We had such a nice evening!

Lest you think the fun stops here - it may for you, but it won't for us!

We've got a lot more friends to play with, trips to take, and holidays to celebrate!

After all, how could the fun EVER stop with 2 two year olds...

...and a three year old?!?!

Yikes! What the heck am I doing?!?!

2009-09-06T15:41:00.010-04:00

Just realized that it's been a loooong time since my last post. I suppose I could use the lame excuse that I've just been really busy (which is somewhat true), or just tell the primary reason why I haven't blogged in a bit - I just haven't wanted to. Weird, I know. Now I'm so far behind and feeling a little lost as to where to start. I guess we'll go with a quick re-cap that may or may not leave out important details;)

The most important news since my last update is the birth of Graham Ressler Calihan! He was born on August 20, and he is just beautiful - not that you could tell by this picture or any picture I currently have of Graham since we seem to be hiding this baby Suri Cruise style;) Must remember to get actual adorable face pictures tonight!

The rest of these events are all happenings up until Graham's birth. We...

...had lots of fun i.m.MOM playdates and events - including the one seen above at a local gymnastics center...and...

...we had fun picnics when Grandpa and Grandma Calihan visited!

We also got to have a brief but enjoyable visit with Grandpa Lasher and Grandma Linda!

Next - we celebrated our friend Jorgiana as she turned 2!

Since it's fall and school is back in session - we got to spend time with the Wengers as Kirsten came back for her Junior year at Asbury and Haley began her freshman year.

We celebrated Daddy's 34th Birthday with a backyard picnic!

We're still going to Gymboree every week...

...and we still can't get enough of the Children's Museum/Explorium!

Getting to and from the Children's Museum is half the fun. Here they are in the "secret tunnel" (pedway), and they also love the "magical" (glass) elevators.

This is Eva doing her "jazz hands". Most dances end with this move.

The babies are pretty much kids now. I've started keeping a written log of some of their best lines from recent days. I'll give you a sample from each one.

Eva: "Mom, I going to wear my shades today so the daytime won't get in my eyeballs."

Vaughn's favorite phrase to yell while playing Guitar Hero with dad: "Wok da houuuussssssse!" (Rock the house)

While introducing Bryce to an old friend recently, Bryce corrected my saying: "No, I'm Super Bryce." He continues to do this almost daily. Guess I'm not a fast learner;)

So baby Graham arrived (more pictures forthcoming), and we continued on with our summer of fun.

Vaughn and Eva took their first pony ride at the Kentucky Horse Park...

...and so did Bryce!

Grandma came, too!

The weather has been amazing all summer long;)

We even managed to make a family trip to Evans' Orchard!

We raced...

...and slid...

...and played...

...and hid!

Check out Grandma Calihan on the slide!

Even baby Graham came!!!

So, there you have it - the 2nd half of summer in a nutshell. Thank you God for all you've given us!!!

Summer Update

2009-06-29T15:54:00.012-04:00

I hope you're enjoying the music. Yes, it's from "Hello, Dolly." No, the kids have never seen it. But they HAVE seen "Wall-e" - about a thousand times by now. This song opens the movie, and the sounds of their sweet little voices singing along and belting it out could make a mommy melt. The best part is their translation of the words. I'll have to make a video of it. There's a lot of muttering (when they don't know the words) punctuated by loud bursts of words like "Farby" (Barnaby), "parkles" (sparkles), and "omicos" (DelMonacos). Bryce even likes to sing "Put on Your Sunday Clothes" before naptime. Speaking of Bryce, he is really growing up a lot this summer. His hair is getting blonder and his sentences longer.

He loves swimming at the pool with his buddies, and he asks every day if the pool is open.

He's become quite a little "reader". He has a remarkable capacity to remember books. Once we've read a story 2-3 times, he's got it very close to memorized. His favorite stories are "Joshua and the Big Wall", "Blind Bartimaeus", and "The Boy Who Shared His Lunch" - which for some reason he calls "boy who came to his lunch." I dunno.

He's on the far right in this picture. We were at his friend Liana's birthday party at Gymboree. The kids had a BLAST! He and his buddy JD (sitting next to him) had fun dressing up as police astronauts - I think it has something to do with securing the earth, but I'm not sure.

He's been riding his tricycle for a while now, but only recently he's begun using the peddles. He likes riding it around the house and is really good at steering through tight spots. He kind of developed this ability overnight. One day he was pushing it Fred Flintstone style, and the next day he was cruising around steering through a toy obstacle course like a champ.

He's also becoming "master of the throne". With the exception of sleeping times, I can declare Bryce potty trained. Let me say this took a lot longer than I thought it would, but it's good to be here.

Vaughnie continues to be our adventurer. He looooves to be outside, and I'm constantly losing him to his need for new adventures. Not sure if you can see the little brown bear tied to his right shoe, but that's my Vaughn locator. This device is ABSOLUTELY necessary for any and all open spaces where Vaughn is concerned. He can quietly drift away like no other, and I have to be ever vigilant.

Vaughn's penchant for wandering has been a sign of things to come. He has become VERY independent lately. His favorite phrase is, "No, Vaughnie dood it!" It could be the simplest thing such as buckling his seatbelt or closing his door - he wants to do it all! I suppose this is a good thing generally, but for a mom often running late, it becomes a little frustrating - because I can do it faster! ;)

Here he can be seen in his cape having a ball at Liana's party. He tends to play independently, but this doesn't mean he can't enjoy a crowd. We've called him our good time guy because he just likes to have fun!

He still tends to talk less than the other 2. Quiet in nature but strong in will, Vaughn is often heard telling us, "No, ganks" (no, thanks). Normally a child saying a defiant "NO" would be enough to get my blood boiling, but "No, ganks" tends to elicit a chuckle every now and again. He cracks me up when he takes his play salt and pepper shakers and walks around pretending to be a cat saying, "Yeeeowm, Yeeeeowm." I think that's "meow" backwards, but I'm not entirely sure.

Always the mischief making "master of disaster" as we affectionately call him, he knows how to make us smile. He's becoming quite agile. He amazes me sometimes as he carefully walks across the high balance beam at Gymboree or does one of his new "twicks" on the couch. Like his big brother, he's becoming quite a "reader". I'll have to video him reading the story of Joshua. It's precious. He has the funniest pronunciations.

He's still our best eater. If Vaughn turns down a meal, we know something is wrong. From salad to "snake" (steak), he'll try pretty much anything. His new "job" is to help mommy take Woodrow out in the morning. He looks so cute standing in the driveway, holding the leash, and waiting for Woodrow to go. He's enjoying his new big boy bed, and he's only fallen out 3 times so far - which is actually less than I expected!

Then there's our Eva Girl. She speaks like most 5 year olds - perhaps that's an exaggeration, but her vocabulary continues to astound. EVERY day she uses words I didn't know she knew! The other day I heard her telling Bryce, "Bwyce, I no share because I'm a stinker." She couldn't have said it better;). Today while painting she told him, "Gwate job, Bwyce! I so pwoud of you!" Like big brother, she's a pro on the potty now. Her current favorite crazes are her sparkle ball (silly bouncy ball that has sparkles in it - it goes to nap and bed with her, and they play together at the pool), "spicy juice" (during a recent cold I started giving her Emergen-C fizz packs mixed with her juice), and going to the pool.

One day we attempted to go to the pool only to find it raining and closed when we got there. They were all extremely dismayed. She kept saying through tears, "Mommy - jus unyock it, pweaze!" She figured if it was closed, I could simply unlock it, and we could swim. Not bad reasoning for a 2 year old. She recently started jumping into the "deep" end of the baby pool all by herself!

She's got a real sweet tooth and will choke down most dinners to get to dessert. She loooves ice cream. Last night while eating some strawberry vanilla she declared, "Oh mommy, dis sooo tacy for my mouf!" I'm assuming you can translate that;).

Eva loves animals and lets out the craziest giggle when we see one somewhere. Here she is at her friend Taylor's birthday. There was a petting zoo. She was beside herself.

Before I close this out, I must mention our friends the Cadys. They recently moved and will be sorely missed. The picture above is of my kids, Alison's (Cady) kids, and Jocelyn's kids at the pool - our favorite hangout. This was our last day there together.

We had our last "Mom's Night Out" together at Dudleys. It was delish with an order of sadness on the side. We're so excited for Alison and her family as her husband (you might remember this blog entry about his performance in La Boheme http://thecalihans.blogspot.com/search?q=opera) joins the Army Field Band Chorus and they move to Maryland, but we selfishly wish they'd never left.

Best Summer Yet!

2009-06-10T22:31:00.007-04:00

Since the babies have been born, I've not been a big fan of summer. Here's what summer meant to me: extreme heat and humidity, sunny days spent INSIDE b/c of said heat, babies too little to enjoy playing outside, pale skin, and the most vicious mosquitos known to mankind. Praise the Lord, that has all changed! We still have the heat, but we can go to the pool or play in our backyard pool.

The mosquitos are still nasty, but we've found a great spray to annihilate them. Better said, summer is fun when you can get out and enjoy it - especially when you can enjoy it with the 3 cutest kids that ever were.

So far this summer we have...

Gone to the zoo with buddies,

(The rain didn't dampen our spirits!)

AND we...

...had a play group event at Evans' Orchard,

and the biggest event yet,

...the boys moved into big boy bunk beds!

Vaughn loves his full size McQueen bed!

Eva had to help Bryce try out his new Wall-e top bunk.

Leo was happy about the move, too.

Daddy set up the boys new beds while we were away for the afternoon at the orchard. I got a bit misty as we walked up the stairs and I saw their cribs all disassembled and leaning against the wall in the hallway. Our boys really aren't babies anymore - heck, they're hardly even toddlers. At some point, they morphed into kids - I think I blinked and missed it. Tonight is night #2 in the new beds, and they're doing really well. Vaughn has only climbed out once so far as compared to the 2-3 times per night he like to climb out of his crib! Bryce has been seeming so much more grown up since our last trip to Wooster. He's using so many phrases now that are really unexpected. After dad set up his bed, Bryce said, "Good job, Dad. I so proud of you!" Eva's been even MORE of a chatterbox lately, too. Upon seeing the new beds she exclaimed, "Wow! That's awesome!" And after Woodrow did something unmentionably disgusting this evening, both Eva and Bryce told him he was "gwoss" and what he did was "dicusting." Vaughn is speaking more, and finds it fun to intermingle a whole bunch of jibber jabber with actual words. If we listen closely, we can often pick out enough words to form a complete sentence! If you're wondering about Eva's bed, she's still in her crib - but only because her big girl bed hasn't come in yet. It's kind of nice to do one room at a time though. Now we get to have 2 very special nights celebrating how big they're getting!

Well, on with summer. Here's to looking forward to more fun with friends at the pool, cookouts in our semi-mosquito free yard, playdates with our playgroup, and any more adventures summer might have to offer!

Vacation time!

2009-05-24T14:50:00.006-04:00

I use the word "vacation" a bit loosely as we only drove 5 hours north to Wooster, Ohio. But let's face it, any place that means I don't have to cook, clean, or do laundry might as well be a resort for me. I might also add that the kids love to visit new places and spend time with their grandparents. Their enjoyment alone made the whole trip worth the effort to get there! Here are some pictures from our adventure.

It was great having daddy around for 3 days straight!

The weather was amazing. We played outside on the farm nearly the entire time.

There wasn't a cloud in the sky the whole time we were there.

We went to breakfast at one of my favorite breakfast places - Buehlers downtown. We got to visit with Lori and Michelle!

While their sullen faces don't indicate it, they had a good time.

Speaking of faces, these are 2 of my favorite pictures from the weekend. I just love Vaughn's expression in this one...

...and Vaughn and Shawn's expressions in this one - two smarmy peas in a pod.

It's so fun watching the kids grow a deeper love for their grandparents. They actually remember them now when the see them - which is only a few times a year. Eva looooves Grandma Calihan!

Grandma bought a Sesame Street train set from a garage sale. I think the kids had more fun cleaning it than playing with it!

We had a nice visit with Grandpa, too! We spent many hours enjoying the fresh air and playing with the kids.

We went out to dinner with our friends the Millers and the Doerflers - afterwards, a few of us went for ice cream where this happened...

...then this.

Yep - you JUST witnessed it - actual sharing between two 2 year olds and a 3 year old. Bad news was, she was sharing mommy and daddy's ice cream. ;)

Then back outside for more fun. They spent many pants-less hours in and around this bucket.

The sprinkler proved fun, too!

Bryce took pantsless-ness to a whole new level.

Time for the pre-bedtime bonfire...

...and s'mores!

Great Grandma Wissinger joined in on the fun.

Don't touch my s'more.

Flashback - April 2006, 2007, 2008

2009-05-02T13:19:00.012-04:00

It's been a loooong week. Here's a little math for ya. 3 sick babies = one pooped, frustrated, annoyed mom. Not to mention that the last 2 days have been dreary and rainy. We're finally well enough to play outside a little, and we can't. Bad weather = irritable kids. I thought this would be a great time for a flashback to remind me just how crazy things USE to be. Sometimes we all just need a little perspective.

April 2006

Bryce is about 2 months old. We are just getting to know our little guy when we learn we're going to be having 2 more in about 8 months.

Here's Bryce flying one of the Blue Angels with Mommy and Aunt Rach. His life was full of adventures from a very early age;)

He even made time to stop for tea with Aunt Beeekah.

Flash forward one year.

April 2007

Had to include this picture so that you could see his adorable gapped tooth smile.

Even back then, Bryce and Leo were good buddies. Here they are sleeping with their favorite baseball of daddy's.

Bryce has company! Vaughn and Eva are about 4 months old.

Our Vaughnie - look at that smile!

Eva - (shortly after her bout with Bells palsy) even at 4 months, so sassy.

Here they are with their buddies Karis and Micah!

April 2008

So much has changed! Bryce perfected one of his tricks.

Vaughn continued to charm us;)

Baby siblings turned into toddler friends.

We started to REALLY play outside!

We had the first of many picnics.

We fell in love with the toddler area at the Explorium.

The Gymboree obsession began.

Getting around town got a little easier.

Today - April 2009

We love hanging out with our buddies!

At the park with the Acuffs

Picnic at the park

Picnic in the backyard

Cousin Annabelle joined us for bathtime!

We brunched in Louisville for Aunt Catherine and Aunt Heather's birthdays.

Warm weather allowed us to do some swimming with Micah and Isaac!

Breakfast "Calihan Style" with the Faughts

We got our first sandbox!

We became even BETTER friends;)

The good news is the current virus IS going away; the sun will shine again; and I'm the most blessed mom in the world!

A fun week!

2009-03-20T14:59:00.008-04:00

As the weather tries to make up its mind if it's spring or winter, we've been making the most of BOTH seasons. Monday was amaaaazing - so off to a local park/historic landmark with some friends!

Love this pic - it appears as if Jackson and Lily are so happy to see dear son Bryce arriving home...until...

...He kicks in the door ala MacGyver sending Jackson scurrying to defend his home.

We had a picnic lunch, and, as always, the moms had a great time socializing.

Here, Eva has everyone's rapt attention as she promises to share her crackers.

We instructed the kiddos to hold hands as we left, and some of them thought making a circle would be more fun. They giggled their heads off on the way to the car.

On Thursday our playgroup had our monthly playdate at Bounce U! The kids had a BALL!!!

Vaughn loooved the slide, but he preferred to slide with a grown-up.

Auntie Catherine manages to remain saucy even in the craziest of circumstances.

Each time we go to Bounce U, the kids get a little braver. Eva and Bryce attempted the slide by themselves! Here's Eva doing her signature feet first belly slide.

Bryce wasn't so sure he wanted to do the slide by himself UNTIL he saw Eva do it.

This was one of Eva's slides. She could hardly be stopped! Only the mention of pizza could drag her away.

What a way to end a great day!!!

Tomorrow we're off to Louisville for Baby Reese's 1st Birthday! Busy week, but we're having fun!

Pictures That are Cute Enough to Post!

2009-03-07T16:43:00.006-05:00

Got some random pictures on my phone that aren't the best quality for framing, but they are adorable. So, it is with that disclaimer that I post these.

I love, love, love this pic and the next! They really look like kids and not babies - makes me a little misty that they're growing up, but let's not kid ourselves - these are primarily tears of joy because these kids are so much fun!

Eva and Vaughn decided to have breakfast with their bear one cold morning. As it appears, boogers are on the menu. Oh, Eva.

We visit the mall's play area with our buddies frequently - it's free, it's fun, and if you get there before 10 am, it's empty. Here's my guys with their buddy JD in a circle that they were pretending was a bath tub.

This is the same "bath tub" just a moment later. Chaos ensued, and I love Eva's face.

Maaaany hours have been spent playing at this train table. Sometimes I set up a track for them; other times they attempt to set up their own track or just play without one. Either way - excellent investment. Here's a track I set up recently of which I was particularly proud. Must be a good one because 1 week later it's still in tact!

Random, but fun - hope you enjoyed!

First Ice Cream Cones!

2009-03-07T15:58:00.005-05:00

What a day - 70something degrees in early March! We made the most of it with a trip to the park with our friends the Acuffs...

JD, Vaughn, Jorgie, and Jocelyn enjoy the see-saw.

Bryce just looks like such a big boy now!

Eva is about to attempt the "cwazy swide". It is crazy, too - almost goes straight down! She is our little nut ball.

Jocelyn was bouncing Vaughn and JD, and they were loving it!

Snuggle break for Jocelyn and Jorgie.

I promised the kids some ice cream cones today - their FIRST ice cream cones. So we left the park and took a brief detour through a neighborhood I reeeeally love not far from our house. There is a house back there for sale (finally). So exciting - there were people in it who were kind of the caretakers, so they showed it to us! It's amazing. More on that later if things develop.

Now on to the big story - ice cream! Now, lest you think I'm some sort of communist mom who denies my kids ice cream until all the kids in the world can afford ice cream - I'll have you know the kids enjoy a small dish of ice cream every now and again after they've cleaned their dinner plates. That is a mess I can handle. However, the thought of the 3 of them with ice cream CONES sounded like a nice weather project. 72 and partly sunny - I'm in!

Yes, I posted ALL the pics I took of them eating ice cream. It was taking too long to decide which were the cutest, so you get to see them all. Flip through them really fast, and it's like you were there! After a week of sickies - this was just what the homeopath ordered;)

PS: It's supposed to be 40 degrees and snowy by Friday.

February Blogging Funk

2009-03-01T15:40:00.012-05:00

I'm not entirely sure what it is that kept me from blogging more than once in February - perhaps its the lack of exciting happenings after months of craziness; perhaps I'm busier during naptime now because while the babies are awake I'm spending less time doing chores around the house and more time running them to the bathroom; perhaps it's my frustration with the fact that I can't get a stupid video to upload onto my blog to save my life (any help with this would be appreciated, keep getting a very annoying error message for which there is no help to be offered at blogger support); or perhaps it's just the general blahs of February. This is not to say that there haven't been some pretty cute happenings as of recent days.

A house with 2 two year olds and a three year old is sure to be full of fun, right? Since one of the purposes of my blog is to record happenings in the lives of Bryce, Vaughn, and Eva as sort of a "baby book" replacement (I'm sooo over filling those things out), perhaps I will make this entry about the funny things they've been up to lately.

I'll start with Bryce.

I'd looooove to include a video of him doing his "Pokey Pokey" (aka: Hokey Pokey) here, but the video feature on this thing stinks - for me anyway as it only works about 15% of the time. To see this in action, check out the video section of my facebook page - you'll thank me later! Bryce's day starts out with his current favorite cereal which he calls "Castles". It's actually "Cracklin' Oat Bran". No, he's not 70, but the boy loves his bran cereal. Perhaps he's a big fan of regularity. He calls them castles b/c when 2 of them get hooked together, they look like a castle to him. I think they look more like an 8, but I guess calling a cereal 8s isn't very exciting. He loves to watch his PBS shows - "Superwhy" and "Sid the Science Kid". He is currently reeeeally into a "Choo Choo Soul" video given to us by the Faughts. You are probably listening to their song "1,2,3" right now if you have your computer's volume turned up. He still loves numbers and letters. He can count up to 30 with no assistance and likes to see how quickly he can sing the alphabet. His vocabulary is growing quickly now, and he loves to end sentences with the word "okay". Whether he is answering "yes" or "no" to a question, he usually always throws in an "ok" for good measure. He also really enjoys singing with his sister at bedtime. He's pretty good at staying on tune, too!We're working on his self-control a lot these days. It's made me think a lot about my own, too! Bryce really enjoys his Sunday School class and his class ("kwass") at MOPS, too. He's doing pretty well at using the potty with regularity, although he still doesn't really tell me when he has to go. I take him every 2 hours or so, and that seems to work. He always wears his big boy pants when he's awake. Really looking forward to the day when he can just feel the urge and head off to the potty where he can "take care of business" completely on his own. We're getting there! He loves playing outside and going to the park - where he's finally started to show some of that characteristic "little boy daring" I've heard about but not seen a lot of from Bryce. He has tended to be VERY cautious until recent days.

Besides his brother and sister, his best buddies currently (the ones he asks to see most) are Jackson, JD, and Jorgiana (who he calls "Jorgi-hana"). He really seems to dig JD these days and always has a hug or high 5 for him when he sees him out or at MOPS.

Vaughn and Eva are his best buddies. They love to "sit a counter" together when I'm in the kitchen and play with cups and lids. Bryce loooves when daddy is home, and his current favorite thing to do with daddy is to crawl through a tunnel that daddy makes while kneeling on the floor. After he crawls through he has to pay his "tickle toll" at which point he laughs his head off. He really enjoys our playdates with our monthly playgroup. His favorite event is when we have a "train party" at a local train/hobby shop.

Here he is painting a train. He's very methodical, very precise. He's getting very into "pretend" play particularly with his cars. He likes to assign everyone to a particular car - with him always being "McQueen", of course. He likes to make the cars talk to one another and make plans to meet up at the cozy cone for "coffee, chicken, and fwies" (as he told me today). He still naps pretty well. Goes to nap with a story and a song around 2pm, and I usually wake him around 4:30. He spends the first 45 min. or so playing with his cars and books in our bed. He is really starting to seem less a toddler and more a little boy now. We just love him so much!

We'll stick with birth order here - so next, it's Vaughn!

Vaughnie is our little lover. He is such a pumpkin. He doesn't like to fight - so much so that he plays by himself a lot seemingly to avoid Bryce and Eva's "politics". He reminds me often with his actions what it is to be Christ-like and turn the other cheek. Now we just need to work on doing that with a little less whining;) Vaughn is content eating pretty much any cereal to start his morning off right - though he LIKES to be offered a choice, and he likes to have raisins or craisins with his. Vaughn is a great eater and a great sleeper. I often have said that if Vaughn was our only child I'd look at people who said raising children was tough and tell them they were crazy. This is one laid back little man! His favorite thing to do is to play outside. Whether it's pushing his ride-on "Momas" (Thomas) in the driveway with his big brother, or swinging on his swing in the backyard, or going to the park - the boy just wants to be outside. I often see him just staring out the window - I'm sure he's imagining himself climbing the trees he sees.

He's really starting to talk now. He only had a few words up until his 2nd birthday in December. It was then that his vocabulary really picked up. He's actually quite funny to listen to and try to interpret. He can understand A LOT more than he can say. I'm amazed sometimes at the list of instructions I can give him that he'll actually carry out. He's pretty funny, too. We call him the "good time guy" b/c he always seems to be looking for one. At lunch and dinner he is usually found trying to make someone laugh. He made up a funny dance he does while seated just to crack us up. He is such a joyful boy! Lately he's seemed a bit like a mayoral candidate - walking up to complete strangers to shake their hand. There's a real dichotomy to Vaughn - on one side he enjoys playing by himself and wandering off to discover on his own, on the other side he loves to make people laugh and smile. He is VERY prone to wandering, as a matter of fact. He has sneaked away from me quite a few times and sent my heart racing. I call him "the ghost" b/c he just vanishes so quickly and quietly. Kinda creepy, actually!

This boy looooves his daddy! They all do, but Vaughn talks about daddy a LOT! When daddy comes home, he is the first one to get the "Daddy, Daddy" chant going. He woke up from his nap asking sooo incessantly about daddy the other day that we just had to call him to appease his little heart. He finally said to me, "Daddy - play - Vaughnie - Yes". That's his way of letting me know what he wants or doesn't want - a choppy sentence ended with the word "yes" or "no". They all love doing puzzles, but Vaughn is the one most likely to ask for one - he's also the most likely to start one and then crash it mid-way through and walk away from the mess;) I think the only reason he builds puzzles is for the crashing.

Vaughn didn't get the opportunity to make it very far with the potty training. Poor kid - his mom gave up a little quickly with him. I wasn't 100% sure he was ready when I tried, and with all 3 of them peeing ALL OVER the house, I had to nix one from the program. He seemed the most obvious. Good news for him is, he still gets to share in candy and stickers as a reward for brother or sister using the potty from time to time. His reward is usually for his "really good sharing" that day! I'll try with him in a few months. Potty training 3 turned out to be a tad too ambitious for this mom! Overall, Vaughn is just a delight. My favorite part of the day with him is our one on one snuggle before his nap where we sing together then he gives me a big kiss with his "kissin' lips". We just love this boy!

And finally, our sweetie girl, Eva.

This little girl just SPARKLES! I know it's cheesy, but I don't know how else to describe her. She is so silly, crazy, happy, and snuggly. She is usually found dancing, "cooking eggs" in her kitchen for one of us or her bears, wrestling with Bryce, or jumping off of something. She has recently become fiercely independent. If you try and help her with pretty much anything she'll say, "No, by self!" To which I reply, "Eva, soften your heart and speak nicely. Mommy will help you if you need it." She seems to have no middle gear. Though I have mellowed a bit over the years, she reminds me a lot of myself - she's either way up (this is her usual state) or way down, and when she's down, look out! She is feisty, but we're working on it;)

Her vocabulary amazes me lately. Shawn and I were just discussing how we can really have conversations with Eva now. Just yesterday we were in the car and she said to me, "Mommy, idea." I said, "You have an idea?" To which she replied, "Yes. Call Aunt Nananie (our friend Natalie) have pancakes at 'westwant' (restaurant)." She remembered that a few Saturdays before we went to IHOP with Aunt Natalie and ate pancakes. So, I called Aunt Natalie, and she didn't answer. So, I attempted to take all 3 of them to IHOP by myself.

This was the first time we ever attempted this feat alone at a real (meaning not fast food) restaurant. It really went well! We had fun, and Eva provided most of our conversation. As I type, I can hear her over the monitor - well into hour 2 of her "nap" playing in her crib with her animals and scolding "Sunny" the dog for something. She's yelling, "No, Sunny, quit me!" She's usually heard yelling this at Bryce or Vaughn if they are bothering her or singing along too loudly. Yikes.

She also loooves going to the park. She makes me VERY nervous as she apparently has no fear.

The girl takes some pretty hard hits with all her jumping, climbing, and wrestling - but is more likely to be found crying if she doesn't get her way than if she reopened the gash in her forehead for the 3rd time. She can belt out a tune, too! You should hear her on "Amazing Grace" - there's a video of that on my facebook, too. Here's a sample: "Amazing Gwaaace, how sweet da sounds, dat saved aaaaa metch wike meeee. I once was yost, but now am found, was bwiiind buuut now I seee." She is really a lot of fun, and I look forward to lots of great talks and fun mother daughter times as she gets older.

Well, nap time comes to a close, and so must this post. For the first time in my life I find myself looonging for spring. These guys are so much fun to play with outside! I can't wait to take them for ice cream cones on a hot summer night and play at the pool with our friends every day. Things are really getting fun around here - come for a visit some time! Praise the LORD for the amazing life with which He has blessed us!!!

Potty Training/The Ice Storm: A Series of Unfortunate Events

2009-02-04T14:12:00.004-05:00

It all started off well intentioned enough. Back in about October I thought, "You know, I'd love to the do the potty training in a day thing, but I don't think I can with 3." So, on we went with a more laid back approach - a tinkle here, a poo poo there - rewarding all the way. I figured the rewards would spur on more tinkling and more poo pooing. Much to my chagrin, this was not the case. So, early in early December I took out my sharpie and picked a date on the calendar to begin "high intensity" potty training for 3. This date was prayed over and much thought about. It had to be AFTER the hub-bub of birthdays and Christmas but BEFORE the busyness and accelerated pace of spring. Late January seemed like the perfect time to set aside a few days for hibernating in our warm cozy house and workin' our potty mojo.

I planned and researched and shopped and hyped up the big day! It was our "potty party" after all - and we were gonna do it big and do it right. Monday, January 26, 2009 started off great. We woke up and immediately put on our big girl/boy pants. I didn't want the babies wearing pants b/c I felt I needed to be immediately aware if they were peeing - and I'm not quite maverick-y enough to let them run around butt naked. SO we donned warm tops, big guy pants, and knee socks/leg warmers to keep our little legs warm.

Eva - playin' it a little bashful.

Vaughn - sporting the "deer in Thomas undies" look.

And move over Jane Fonda...with the steely grin of a beleaguered Browns fan, this guy's takin' the potty training bull by the horns...

I gave them loooots of drinks - iced tea, pop, milk, juice, sparkling Italian lemon soda - ANYTHING they wanted...just so they drank.

Then, we sat...

...and sat...

We read books; we sang songs; we watched movies; we played games. ANYTHING to get them to sit still long enough to go. I thought if someone did their business and got candy and stickers and the BIG celebration I had planned, then the other 2 would quickly follow suit. Well, apparently (despite previous doings on the potty sporadically over the months), they "go" better while standing an playing. Thus began the day of 1,000 puddles. Seriously, it was like housebreaking 3 puppies - three very full and loaded puppies b/c their dumb mommy gave them enough fluids to fill a small lake. (Note to self - still need to schedule carpet cleaning).

At the end of day 1, I wanted to shoot myself. I say this tongue in cheek - but only a little tongue in cheek. I was beat, defeated, frustrated, and my house smelled like the humane society. Then, it happened. It was dinner time, they were all sitting at the table on their pee pads (Was warned by a friend about trying to clean tinkles out of booster chairs. Apparently, it's a nightmare.), and Eva says, "Mommy, clean and dry," in the most frantic tone she could muster. To which I responded, "Eva, did you soak your panties?" "Mommy, potty!" she replied, nearly crying. It was at this point that I nearly cried b/c I figured she'd wet herself. I picked her up, and she was dry! With the catlike speed and reflexes of Santonio Holmes on Superbowl Sunday, I rushed her to the potty - and she went...ahhhhhh. We both breathed a collective sigh of relief. The day was not a total loss.

The next day went a WHOLE lot smoother. My friend Lori helped me put things into perspective a bit, and I realized that Vaughn was just not ready. So, I took him out of the line-up. He'll be back in the game in a few months. I woke up feeling a lot better about potty training 2 - 2 that showed a little promise the day before. Bryce had a GREAT day. Only one accident! Eva...mmmmm...not so much. She did better than the first day; let's just leave it at that. I was feeling good about day 3 as I laid the little cherubs into their beds that night. Shawn and I had just cozied up in our theater to enjoy that evening's flick - when BOOM! Then the lights went out...and they (along with the heat and all the rest of the power) stayed out for 3 long days.

Enter the ICE STORM OF 2009

THICK ice covered everything.

Our poor trees - Oh, the carnage!

While it was INCREDIBLY beautiful, it was also a huge hassle. Fortunately my bro-in-law Scott and his wife Erin were nice enough to leave town and open up their empty, spacious, and warm house to us. So, we hit the road.

We worked on potty training a bit while we were there with a few successes along the way, but we had been derailed - a blow to the psyche of the potty training mom.

Good news is, the power came on just in time for us to get home and watch the Pittsburgh Steelers WIN THE SUPERBOWL!!!

We are now back on track with new victories every day. Unfortunately, I think we still have a bit of a road ahead. Such is the way with 3 three and under, but I wouldn't have it any other way. God is soooo good!

Bryce is 3!

2009-02-02T21:58:00.005-05:00

Our baby boy just won't stop growing, and I guess we're ok with that. As cute as he was above, we just love who he is now. Our Bryce is not only one of the most beautiful boys I've ever laid eyes on, he's smart, perceptive, silly, intense, snuggly, lovable, and such a gift from God. I'll never forget when we found out we were pregnant after a year of uncertainty. Who knew what lay ahead? We are so blessed by this little guy.

Here he is at one...

...and at 2.

Bryce's 3rd birthday was the most fun yet! It was the first time that he really seemed to grasp that the celebration was for him. He ran around with his friends and was the life of the party. I think my favorite moment was watching him crack up with his buddies at his picnic table over dinner.

Who the heck knows what was so funny, but it sure was great to watch him having so much fun!

Speaking of having fun, check out Eva in this one.

Here's the birthday boy with daddy!

He blew his candles out like he was playing a flute! So silly!

He got some great presents, but right now Reese is wishing a hammer wasn't one of them! (Don't worry, it's just the camera angle - he didn't really hit him;)

He wrapped up his special day sipping a strawberry milk with his sister...ahhhhhhh...

Life with 3 Two Year Olds

2009-01-25T16:00:00.008-05:00

Thought I should write about this while it's fresh in my head. Last night we celebrated our baby boy Bryce's 3rd birthday. Hardly a baby anymore, our sweet boy is growing up. More about that in another post. For a brief season of 1.5 months, we had the privilege of raising 3 two year olds. Since most do not get to experience this (and because I'll enjoy telling the babies about this time when they're grown), I'll document a bit about it. The last month and a half has been busy, fun, tiresome, exciting, overwhelming, and blessed. We kicked off this short term with Vaughn and Eva's 2nd birthday on December 13th. That was followed quickly by Christmas and then by Bryce's 3rd birthday on January 24th. Let's not forget the birthdays of 6 friends just before during and just after this time frame. This means lots and lots and lots and lots of presents all at one time - which also means months and months and months to come of no presents (well, maybe a few;). Finding a place for all this stuff becomes a bit challenging. Since this is only a short season in our life, however, we've allowed the toys to seep from the playroom and in to other parts of the house. I constantly find myself stepping over roller coaster track, balls, trains, etc, but I truly do not mind. Since I've already blogged about Christmas, I'll add some photos now of what else we've been up to while they were all 2.

While there are some things you can't do when you have 3 two year olds, there are some great things you CAN do.

You can...

...Gain the affections and sympathy of strangers at the grocery store as you chase kids and falling groceries up and down the aisles all while looking exhausted from pushing 100 lbs.

...Enjoy seeing your daughter turn Mr. Potato Head's ear into her own.

...Share the joy of rooting for your favorite team while eating chips with your favorite little people in the whole world.

...You can even root for said team while "cooking eggs" on the kitchen floor.

...Enjoy watching them play silly "Cars" games on the computer with their doting daddy.

...Celebrate as they learn to work together and help one another.

...Take them to the salon (called it the "Barber Shop" to man it up a bit) for the first time...

...instead of having Brooke come to the house to cut their hair.

...Play with homemade playdough that was waaaayyy too sticky!

...Slide on the big slide at Bounce U with mom and your friends.

...Climb in the snow.

...Throw snowballs at your Aunt.

...Eat snowballs.

...And the best part, make your mom and dad smile from ear to ear at your silly antics!

I suppose you could do most of these things with less than 3 two year olds, but I wouldn't have it any other way. Thank you, Lord!

Good Reads for a New Mindset on Health

2009-01-04T16:39:00.002-05:00

I've got a few goals for the new year. Most are personal, but one is worth sharing. I've just finished another book on a more natural approach to health and wellness. I hope to read more on this subject this year - lots more. The subject continues to interest me for a variety of reasons, first and foremost - my 3 little charges to whom I have the highest responsibility. Second, I find it at the same time depressing and amusing how mindless we've become when it comes to our own health and those we put in charge of it. Most if not all of you know where I've come to stand on the issue of vaccines. In fact, I've posted some links on here that may prove helpful if you're looking for info. I'm always happy to talk about my own reading and research if you're REALLY interested. Truthfully, as parents with our children's health at stake, I'm not sure how we could NOT be interested. I suppose that's where the amusement and depression come into play. I'm amused by the arrogance of so many in the medical profession. That's not to say that there aren't GOOD doctors out there, but that is to say that they're often as robotic as we, the patients. They simply buy what they're taught in medical school never questioning its origins or the monetary motivation behind it. There's not much I can do about that. The depression sets in when I realize what we're doing to our kids as parents who don't stop and do our homework. On that note, let me recommend this as good reading for the new year. How to Raise a Healthy Child in Spite of Your Doctor: by, Robert S. Mendelsohn, MD. My views on discipline are different than his - I'm not quite sure his line up with the Scriptures, but he does a great job of recognizing the God-given ability our bodies have to heal themselves (in most cases). I meet a lot of moms in a week on our journeys out and about, and I hear the same stories of chronic ear infections, asthma, constant visits to the doctor with round after round of antibiotics. Perhaps we all need to take a new approach. Yes, it may be a little scary after all the brainwashing and indoctrination we've allowed ourselves to undergo, but so far, our kids are living proof that letting our God-created "fearfully and wonderfully made" bodies heal themselves SHOULD be just what the doctor ordered. 3 years and no antibiotics necessary - so far. Praise the Lord! I don't think we're an anomaly - I think God has opened our eyes to the magnificent way He has created us, and I hope He can use me to do the same for you...and the reading continues...

I'm sure I'll be writing more on this in the upcoming year. My interest is peaking to an obsession these days, and I just can't keep this stuff to myself.

Christmastime Flashback

2008-12-27T14:42:00.009-05:00

This was the BEST Christmas I can remember in years! The babies were really fun and seemed to soak up and enjoy almost every minute of it...

From the presents...

...to the family time...

...from the relaxing...

...to the hyjinks...

...4 generations of Calihans celebrated the birth of our Savior with excitement.

However, this time of year tends to make me very reflective; so, I thought I'd look back over the last few Christmases so that we might see how times have changed, and God has blessed.

Christmas 2005

I was large, in charge, and very pregnant with Bryce.

We had 2 dogs - Rowdy and Woodrow.

My mom and Shawn sported matching hair dos.

We traveled for Christmas - Wooster in this case.

Don't know what it is about Christmas, but it makes Dad Calihan want to frighten small children. Perhaps he's the Anti-Santa.

Christmas 2006

Our first Christmas with babies - not one but 3!

Aunt Rachie moved in for a month to help us cope!

My dad came up to take part in what is now known as "Baby Madness 2006".

Shawn tried out yet another interesting hairdo.

An obsession began.

No more silent nights, but a lot of precious naps.

Christmas 2007

Family pictures became increasingly difficult.

We gave up our bottles cold turkey in favor of sippy cups with little trouble!

Vaughnie beamed with pride as his took his first steps!

Grandpa Lasher and Grandma Linda came for a visit. We tried out our new stroller!

We perfected our smarmy look.

The days are getting easier, the nights are getting more restful, and God is still good!

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!!!

Mid-December Review

2008-12-18T15:01:00.012-05:00

Ok, so I'm waaayyy behind on my blogging. We've had a lot going on about which to blog, but ironically it is all of these events that keep me from blogging. So, in order to catch up quickly and not feel like I've got a huge backlog of photos, I'm doing a quick rewind through the last 20 or so days. Until you've got 3 two year olds, don't judge me;)

I'm pretty sure I spent most of December thus far trying to get the perfect picture for our Christmas card.

This didn't work.

Cute enough - but not Christmas-y enough.

This was a near debacle.

We did manage to come up with ONE out of this group. If you get our Christmas card, you'll see it (it's also on facebook if you're really curious;).

Eva got pretty bored with all the Christmas picture taking...

...so she and Bryce/Elmo decided to slow dance to Christmas music - totally unprompted. It was adorable. Couldn't get the video to upload. Sorry. Yes, those are Vaughn's legs - no, he is not dead.

Hmmm...what else happened - Oh YES! I got a night out! Dad kept the 3 crazies and mom hit the town (Ok - so the Olive Garden - we live in Lexington, not NYC).

I went to dinner for a Mom's Night Out with some of the moms from our playgroup. This is me with Betsy. Please disregard my white pasty thigh and enjoy my super cute knee socks and boots. Alison recommended I show them off for the picture.

Tera and Alison - Yes, the Alison responsible for that last hideous picture of me. Note the smirky-smirk on her face. I'll get you, Cady!

Jocelyn with Tera (eyes closed, of course) and Alison

Kelly and Erin (my sis-in-law)

Since the moms got to have so much fun, we decided the kids should, too.

We rented out the Gymboree and had a Christmas party for our playgroup!

The kids and the moms had a blast!

And Eva made this really scary smile that frightened 3 kids.

This is my friend Amber with her twins Emmy and Laney at the party.

Mmmm...20 toddlers covered in pizza sauce. Good times.

At some point during all this holiday merry-making, we went out and cut down the Calihan family Christmas tree - circa 2008.

Vaughn and Eva - marginally impressed with the wagon ride out to find our tree.

Not gonna lie - 3 babies, in the dark, on a tree farm - a little scary.

Success!

Afterwards we had Mexican with Todd and Serah. Yum...

...and Vaughn made this funny face while eating a lemon.

And then...

It snowed!

Eva fell in love with a snowball and pushed it around in her stroller. You can just imagine the scene when it came time to go inside and leave snowball outside. She could have won a daytime emmy.

Bryce also carted some snowballs. He got

pretty into throwing them, too.

Shawn and I were ready to head inside to the warmth long before the kids were.

We're getting old.

We tried on hats before we went to church one morning. I just love this pic.

Shawn and I got a real treat - the babysitters came in, and we went out!

Our church had a fancy-schmancy Christmas dinner.

Jocelyn and Brandon

Natalie and Sergio

Jane and Eric

John and Tera

And when we came home...the babysitters were doing this...

Yikes!

Ok...so it's only sparkling grape juice, but the sugar content in that stuff is high! ;)

And last but not least - we celebrated the 2nd birthday of our twins, Vaughn and Eva!!!

Family photo - dang it! Christmas cards already ordered.

Cake time!

And loooots of presents.

A good game of catch with Aunt Na-na-nie to round out the night.

Remember, this was only the first half of December. The madness continues with a cookie exchange in Louisville tonight, 2 birthday parties tomorrow, a Christmas party on Monday, family arriving Tuesday, Christmas eve festivities Wednesday, and the big day on Thursday!!! I'm not complaining - this is the BEST time of year! Happy Birthday, Jesus!!!

He's a musical prodigy. I'm certain of it.

2008-12-03T13:18:00.004-05:00

Apparently just SINGING the alphabet isn't enough anymore.

A Monumental Thanksgiving

2008-12-02T16:13:00.005-05:00

Maybe the title is a little dramatic, but we did have a pretty special Thanksgiving. For the first time, the babies ate with us for a holiday meal. This probably sounds horrible and immediately excludes me for Mother of the Year, but it has just been too tough in years past. Normally we'll put the babies down for their nap, and then we'll sit down to dinner. Had we not done it this way, a variety of things could/would have occurred:

1. I would not get a single solitary bite of hot food.

2. Daddy would get one, maybe two hot bites, but that would be about it.

3. One or more of our guests would also have their hot bite count lowered beyond the healthy range.

4. Invited guests may never come back again.

5. Babies would eat little to no food because we were probably not eating something they like anyway.

This year, we turned a corner. It was crazy at times; for a moment or two I did have my doubts and regrets; but ultimately, it was a really special dinner. I did some advance preparations on Wednesday which made Thursday a lot simpler. I also invited friends who helped by bringing their own tasty treats - Natalie brought her broccoli casserole and signature salad (seriously, you've never had a salad this good), and Alison brought a tasty array of desserts.

The day started pretty normally. The babies enjoyed their cereal, raisins, and milk while mommy made 2nd breakfast - I know, very hobbit-like. This morning it was special - Williams Sonoma chocolate croissants (Thanks again, Jen!).

Before the guests arrived and while I was getting the turkey prepped and into the oven, daddy took the troops outside to play.

The feast began around 5 p.m. All the babies were freshly napped, and everyone was hungry. We had the pleasure of sharing our meal with my friend Alison and her 3 girls - Lilly, Liana, and Lydia.

We were also joined by our friends the Mendozas - AKA: Uncle Sergio and Aunt Natalie.

After dinner was over, we...

...gave Woodrow some snuggles,

shared some coffee,

enjoyed Alison's delicious pumpkin bread and chocolate chip cookies,

and Aunt Natalie and the twins invented a new way to enjoy coffee - with their fingers!

We have so much for which to be Thankful - as Americans, as Christians, and as Calihans. God continues to bless us, and we continue to do our best not to take it for granted!

Playgroup at Berkshire Trains

2008-11-22T18:18:00.006-05:00

Recently our playgroup had an event at Berkshire Trains. The interest in this particular activity was so great, that we had to host 2 events in order to accommodate all the kids! I was only able to attend one of them, and here are some photos.

Micah, Isaac, and Vaughn enjoy the Thomas Ride-On Train. There was even a tunnel through which to ride!

Aidan gives Bryce a helping hand!

Bryce enjoys one of the 2 fully-loaded train tables.

He wasn't the only one. Alexandra played with the train table while mom Sabrina and little brother Nick look on.

Micah fixes the bridge.

Then we all got to paint our own wooden train.

Bryce and Eva - aerial shot.

Catherine, Reese, and Karis

Dana and Alex

Betsy and Aidan

Kelly and Lydia

Nicole helps Blake and Vaughn.

Alexandra works intently.

Vaughn hones his skills.

Heather with Isaac and Micah

I think it's safe to say, a good time was had by all! We'll definitely have to meet here again!

To Wooster and Back Again: A Mother's Tale

2008-11-22T15:26:00.010-05:00

Recently I did something I never thought I would do. That seems to be a theme over the last few years: moving to Kentucky, selling furniture, having 3 babies in a year. So, I guess this next one comes with the territory. Shawn went to a friend's wedding in Arizona. The prospect of hauling 3 babies to Arizona was not appealing; so he and Uncle Scott went sans families.

Congratulations, Clint and Nina!

They golfed...

...at the most beautiful course Shawn's ever played!

In the meantime, Mom and her babies headed off on an adventure to Wooster! This is the thing I never thought I'd do - travel, alone, with 3 two year olds. We decided to spend a couple of days with my friend Lori and her girls - her husband was away, too. First, a disclaimer, all of these photos are taken with my phone, so they're not very good. I had my camera in Wooster, but it has turned into junk before my very eyes. Good news is, Shawn got me a new one for our recently celebrated 9th anniversary! Anyhoo, on with the story.

We hit the road on Wednesday morning. We drove for about 2 hours before stopping for lunch and diaper changes.

We found a McDonald's with a playland. Needless to say, Bryce was excited. Herein lies the bulk of my challenge. The travel time was only about 4.5 hours (not including our stop). I knew we'd survive the time in the car with snacks and movies. The question was, how was I going to get all 3 into McDonald's, fed, changed, and back into the car safely without my trusty stroller? The car was packed to tightly to haul it. With much prayer, we survived thanks to the kindness of strangers. God placed a very sweet Grandmother/Pastor's wife in our path on the way out of McDonald's on the way up to Wooster. She asked another mom to watch her grandchild for us so that she could help us to the car! She hatched this whole plan of servitude while we were in the bathroom. During our McDonald's stop on the way back to Lexington, a very sweet mom did pretty much the same - holding doors for us as we exited. Mission accomplished. Disaster averted.

After lunch there was some in-car snuggling and giggling. They make my heart smile.

We arrived at our temporary Wooster residence around 3 o'clock. Lori was picking up Taryne from school; so, we stretched our legs on her swings...

...and on the trampoline.

We didn't stay on here long, because I got nervous. 3 babies on one trampoline spells

E-M-E-R-G-E-N-C-Y R-O-O-M,

and I'd had enough adventures for one day.

The rest of our visit was very relaxing and fun filled. I'll give you the abbreviated version.

We drank loooots of coffee.

We went out to dinner with friends - pictured here Rachel, daughter Johanna, and Amy!

We played the piano.

The babies loved Lori's giant tub and frog/duck collection. Thanks again, Joe, for letting us borrow those! :)

We built a toddler obstacle course.

Eva endlessly tortured Zoe with her snuggles. We'd frequently hear Eva sitting alone with Zoey saying, "How doing, Zoey? Kiiiissss...Huuuugggg..." Being a seasoned dog owner, she did give Zoey fair warning that her kisses and hugs were coming.

And thanks to all of Lori's excellent hospitality and tasty treats, we felt like queens and kings for the weekend!

Sunday arrived. So, fueled by my ginger snap latte, mom and babies hit the road.

On the way home, we passed by the Bengals as they were losing yet ANOTHER game. Glad I'm not a fan.

We had a great trip, but we sure were glad to get home to Daddy!

We voted!

2008-11-04T15:07:00.005-05:00

For the second year in a row, Shawn and I had the privilege of walking to the polls on a sunny day with our babies.

I can't remember a more important election since I've been of voting age. I suppose the pundits would have us believe that every election is "the big one", but I would concur with them this time that the results of this election are a bit staggering.

Just HOW big is this election, you ask? Take a look at Eva's enthusiasm.

Apparently ACORN got a hold of Shawn. He voted 3 times. Honest as he is, he voted for both candidates once and for his favorite the third time.

Bryce took Leo and Cart to the polls. He was disappointed when NONE of them could vote. Maybe if we lived in LA.

Vaughn thought we were voting for "best dressed toddler"; so he made sure to look good at the polls.

Aunt Bekah cast her Floridian vote by absentee ballot. If Florida doesn't turn out the way you'd hoped, blame her.

And what's a good day at the polls without a REAL race?!?! No losers running here!

Hope you voted...correctly...;)

Halloween Weekend 2008

2008-11-01T15:29:00.010-04:00

We finally made it! We have children old enough to go trick or treating. For the last 2 years I've watched other happy parents and kids dressing in cute costumes, meeting their neighbors, and enjoying good times over peanut butter cups and twix bars - and I've thought to myself, "That looks like too much work for this brood - maybe next year." Well, we did it, and it was a huge success! The kids had fun and the parents had fun watching them have fun. Best of all, they all wore their costumes. I feared we might have one child (who is going through a veeeery whiny phase and shall remain nameless) refuse to wear theirs. Not the case. They all put them on with enthusiasm and excitement knowing that fun outside and candy from strangers awaited them.

This year we had a mouse...

...an Elmo...

...and Thomas the Train.

Thomas is looking like a surly little engine in this photo, and I'm not sure why. I assure you his attitude for the majority of the evening was not the least bit cheeky. Thomas told everyone, "Happy Halloween" and "Thank you."

Sometimes he pushed his cart...

...and sometimes he carried the pumpkins.

Not sure what made him put his hat on backward; nonetheless, he was the coolest Thomas most had ever seen.

Elmo did a little ridin...

...and a little walkin'.

The funniest thing about Elmo this night was that he kept trying to enter the homes of everyone distributing candy. He nearly barreled one guy over trying to get through the door. Shawn thought he was just looking for where the good stuff was stashed (as opposed to the measly candy being handed out of the bowl). I, on the other hand, take credit for his good manners in knowing that it's impolite to linger in doorways.

Our Eva mouse primarily enjoyed riding. She was happy to leave the wagon when it came time to go up to doors and get candy.

Here we are stopping by Jane and Eric's house.

We all appreciated their marvelous array of confections!

Here they are accepting candy from one of the 2 other families in the neighborhood that had twins right around the same time we did. We're pretty sure there actually IS something in the water here.

And then we walked home...

...and had a candy feast!

It took a while for them to settle down and go to sleep that night...turns out M and M's do NOT work like sleeping pills. Lesson learned.

The next morning, the fun just kept on comin! Grandma Calihan came to town so we all went back to Evans' Orchard. We thought it might be fun to see what it was like there on a 65 degree day instead of a 40 degree day. Turns out, it's a little more fun!

Annabelle, Vaughn, Bryce, and Eva

Eva went on a big girl swing all by herself for the first time!

Of course, we ate there again - we just can't get enough of those apple cider sippers and apple cider doughnuts!

So far, it's been a great fall weekend!

Play Group at Evans' Orchard

2008-11-01T14:59:00.007-04:00

We've been planning and planning and inviting, and the day finally came for our first official playgroup event at Evans' Orchard. Bad news is - a lot of moms don't want to bring their preschoolers and infants out in 40 degree temperatures (rightfully so)! This event was for the few and the hearty.

"Annabelle Cousin" (as Eva calls her) and Eva found that pumpkins make nice seats!

Nicole's son Blake checked them out, too. I think he's squatting to avoid the biting winds!

More of our kids with pumpkins...ok, you get the point.

There were other things to do at the orchard than sit on pumpkins.

Aunt Erin helped Annabelle and Vaughn on the swings.

Eva prefers to do her own kind of swinging.

The girls played cornhole. (I almost can't even type that word - there's gotta be a better name for this game).

Blake enjoyed the tiny tractors.

There was a goat rodeo! This made "Eva the animal lover's" day!

The straw castle was pretty cool!

Vaughn enjoyed himself in the hamster races.

AND THEN THERE WAS...

THE SUPER SLIDE!

This is the view from the top. I kind of sent Vaughn and Eva down on their own the first time. They survived, but they weren't thrilled about it. The next few times we rode together.

Mommy and Vaughn take a turn!

Alison and Lydia take their turn while Lilly waits patiently.

And finally, we lunched.

The kids enjoyed hot dogs, chips, pretzels, and fresh apple cider...

...and the mommies enjoyed a break!

La Boheme - Starring Jeremy Cady!

2008-10-18T15:47:00.004-04:00

Last night I had the privilege of attending a performance of the Puccini's La Boheme at the Lexington Opera House. The best part was that the gentleman playing Rodolfo was my friend Alison's husband, Jeremy! So, the evening began when we met at Starbucks for coffee. Alison, Jocelyn, Nicole, and I thought it best to meet for a half hour or so before the show to wind down from mommy-ing all day and catch up sans kids. I get together with these girls a lot during the week, but as anyone with toddlers knows, it's not so easy to visit with one another when you're chasing kids. Unfortunately, I have no photo to document this part of the evening, so you're just going to have to take my word for it.

Next, it was off to the newly renovated and very beautiful Lexington Opera House.

I wanted to get a picture of us outside the opera house, but Grandma Jocelyn (seen here left with Nicole) was too cold;)

The show was amazing! We were so proud of Alison and her very talented husband. After all, behind every very talented opera singer is a very supportive wife! We cringed as she cringed while Rodolfo fell all the more in love with his on-stage love, Mimi. There's a lot more to this supportive stage wife thing than you might think! Convincing an actor/singer as he was, Jeremy's eyes told the real story when he saw his true love, Alison, after the show. This would be a great place to put a picture of Alison and Jeremy embracing or something, but I'm a dork and didn't take one. So you'll have to settle for this...

No flash photography was allowed, but I was pretty proud of my little camera's ability to catch this image of the bow at the end of the show. Jeremy/Rodolfo is the bearded guy stage right.

Here we all are during intermission (Nicole, Alison, Me, Jocelyn).

And what good night out is complete without some appetizers afterward! In case you're wondering, NO, Jocelyn did NOT decide to spark up a doobie after her meal - I think that's some straw paper.

I am so thankful for a fun evening out and, more importantly, for some great girlfriends!

Random fall fun!

2008-10-18T14:16:00.008-04:00

These pictures are definitely random, but they are cute; so they had to be shared.

We've been making the most of our fall so far. It's been a tad warm for my taste, until yesterday. The cool weather is here, and we're loving it! This morning we went for our weekly trip to the Farmer's Market downtown. Vaughn and Eva really like the apples we get there - mmmmm...Jona Gold.

We've been playing outside a lot! Between going to the park with friends and playing in the backyard, we've been having lots of fun in God's creation. Our yard is starting to fill with lots of really beautiful fall leaves.

We're still in our "wearing ridiculous shoes" phase.

They love to play with daddy. When one of them overhears me saying something about daddy being home soon, they immediately start the "Da-ddy, Da-ddy" chant.

Eva is sassy, but we're workin' on it. I don't want her to lose ALL her sass, but I'd like it to be manageable:)

Bryce has been giving us a real run for our money lately. He has a very strong will that (if well disciplined) can lead him to do great things!

Vaughnie is doing a little more testing these days, but he continues to be a real sweetheart. Here we are enjoying Sunday pancakes after church with dad and Grandpa Calihan.

We've got some fun things coming up! Our Halloween costumes are purchased and ready to go; Aunt Bekah's coming tomorrow to babysit; my girlfriends and I have formed a playgroup that will meet for the first time at a local orchard; Grandma Calihan is coming to visit; and so much more!

Recycling

2008-10-18T14:08:00.002-04:00

Apparently, recycling is not only good stewardship of all God has given us, but it's hysterical, too!

(Pardon the crappy picture. My camera is having issues, or maybe I am...either way.)

Wenger-riffic!

2008-10-08T16:00:00.006-04:00

Last weekend was very busy - but in a good way. Along with the par-tay came a visit from our dear friends, the Wengers. Mom Lori and daughters Haley, Kaitlyn, and Taryne drove down on Thursday night and met up with Kirsten (Lori's oldest daughter), a student at Asbury (only about 20 min. from here:). It is ALWAYS good to have the Wengers in town. I love these ladies! A few of them were my students when we lived in Wooster, and that's how Lori and I met and became friends. Unfortunately the man of the house, Joe, couldn't make this trip. He was still out west harvesting - they own a harvesting business. So, Wengers, consider this a plug for Eyster Harvesting - need anything harvested??? Give Joe a call.

While they were here, we snuggled,

and snuggled,

and snuggled.

We played,

and played,

and played.

However, it seems that every time we're together, we put on at least 5 pounds a piece - because...

...we eat! When the Wengers visit us or we visit them, the amount of food we consume together never ceases to amaze me. There's also a ginormous amout of coffee consumed. It's really ridiculous. The Wengers are a tiny people. This leaves me to believe that I'M the one doing most of the consuming. In the picture above, Taryne is being VERY brave for a girl of 10 and trying some sushi.

This particular evening of feasting was quite scrumptious. We dined at Nagasaki's on a feast of Japanese treats. Pictured above are the tasty shitake rolls.

We followed those up with some dumplings and edamame.

Then the chaos began - there were rolls of all varieties - Las Vegas, Bluegrass, Crab N' Cheese, Crazy, Scallop - not to mention a plate full of tempura fried chicken and veggies. I'm getting hungry and nauseous all at the same time.

We also tried a Japanese soft drink - me no likey - apparently Haley and Kaitlyn felt differently.

One morning we couldn't resist the call of the cool, fall air, so we enjoyed our cinnamon rolls and coffee outside.

Bryce doesn't eat much, but he sure can put away a cinnamon roll!

Not to be outdone by her big brother, Eva attempted to eat her weight in pastries.

She even ate in secret on a drainage pipe in the woods. Yikes. We must be rubbing off on her.

I think Vaughn was foraging for food here. He must have detected the crazed looks in our eyes when the cinnamon rolls were gone.

The coffee drinking wasn't limited to the morning or evening, we even enjoyed it in the middle of the afternoon. Here Kirsten and Leah enjoy a mug of blueberries and cream coffee...Mmmmmmm...

All in all, besides needing to invest in a good stomach pump, we had a great weekend together!

Longaberger Mania

2008-10-08T15:30:00.005-04:00

For one evening last week, our house became a beacon of commerce for all things Longaberger. My friend Jocelyn has recently become a consultant for the makers of fine baskets, and I volunteered to host a party for her to sell her wares in our home - because 1) Who doesn't like a party? 2) Who doesn't like to eat tasty fall treats? 3) Who doesn't like to shop with their girlfriends for super cute housewares? And so, the party went like this.

There was a fine assortment of merchandise.

And a tasty array of treats - from chocolate dipped caramel drizzled apples and pumpkin cream cheese pie to chocolate cupcakes and coffee...yum...

There were long distance guests...Catherine - all the way from Louisville, and Lori - all the way from Wooster, Ohio!

There were friends from church - Norma and Hannah...and friends from the street - meet Amber (in red), we literally met on a street corner, and no, neither of us were working there...

Jennifer is a new friend (met her through the consultant, Jocelyn), and Lisa is a dear girl from my church who actually helped to clean my house while I was pregnant with the twins! Did I mention I love my church?!

And finally, here I am with my neighbor, Jane. She has the best collection of vintage dresses I've ever seen. Because I'm a dork, I did not get a picture of our fearless leader, Jocelyn. Wait, check that. Maybe she's the dork and erased a picture I swear I took but is now missing. Either way, no picture of her. Bummer. Good news is, the party was a blast - and our purchases should be arriving soon;)

Friends

2008-09-28T15:11:00.006-04:00

Ok, I must admit that I've got a backlog of photos about which to blog. They just sit inside our Mac in a semi-organized virtual pile waiting for their turn. It is because of this backlog that I procrastinate blogging. I feel overwhelmed by the lack of time I have to give to these precious memories. Good news is - I thrive under pressure, and it is in these precariously busy times that inspiration seems to strike.

I would like to take a moment to give thanks for our friends.

This picture backlog is full of photos of a relatively new collection of amazing people that God has so graciously placed into our lives. Just when I was at the height of frustration over not having a lot of family nearby with which to share babies' birthdays and special events, God stepped in in His usual style delivering to me some of the sweetest and most sincere people with hearts afire for the Lord that I have ever known. Now before all you old-time friends take offense, please note. Most of you fill the pages of this blog and old-school photo albums as well as the pages of our lives. I'm just taking a moment to thank God for new (well, some not quite as new) friends.

I'll start with some old-ish friends that have recently moved state-side once again allowing us to rekindle our bonds. Actually, it was during their time overseas that I think we actually grew closer than when we lived just minutes away from one another. Jesse and Heather Faught just returned from church planting in Italy. Shawn and I counted it a privilege to be a part of their ministry if even in a small way. They sent frequent updates of lives changed and hearts turned toward Christ. We had the privilege of spending time with them recently in our home for a few days. God has truly blessed us through these 2 - AND their sweet little guys Micah and Isaac.

Micah is only one week younger than Bryce. Our kids had so much fun getting to know their long distance buddy. It seems he's even funnier in person than on his videos!

Isaac just turned one. It was so good to get to hug him in person after seeing all his baby pictures through e-mail and on-line only! If you have any questions about national healthcare, just ask Isaac and Micah's mommy - she delivered both of them in Italy. Yikes. Can we say metal delivery tables and bring your own linens?!?! I'll continue paying for my own insurance, thank you.

Ok - so these 2 are old friends, but I can't leave them out because of the great time we had recently. Jeremy and Catherine took us to see Brian Regan (hysterical comedian) for our birthdays. We laughed until our noses were running. Oh, and because I can't thank her enough, Catherine massaged my claw of a hand for 8 hours while I labored with Bryce, and she did assorted other things only a real friend would do for you during 40 hours of labor. Jeremy is super smart and always there when you need thoughtful advice or godly insight. We are so thankful for these 2! Since our get together was adults only (and because Jeremy never updates their website), I have no recent pic of their darlings Karis and Reese.

One of my newest friends who is quickly becoming one of the dearest, Jocelyn. Here she is with Jorgiana. God knew I needed a stay at home mom friend with a passion for the Lord. (Not to mention a passion for homeschooling and natural living!) Ask and you shall receive.

She's got 3, too. My babies just looove her babies. In fact, there are days where I really don't want to have to answer any more questions about Jackson and JD (ie: Will we see them today? Will they be at gymboree?) My kids and I just love them. They are precious. Her husband Brandon completes this family, and for them, I am very thankful.

I can't forget our new church family. I say new, but we've been attending for 2 years now. It was just hard to get to know too many people when you can't seem to stop having babies. The women of this church barely knew me, but they were at my house weekly to clean for me when I could hardly walk and had a 7 month old to take care of. Here are Serah and Heather during a recent get together.

Then there's Natalie, friend extraordinaire - she diapers, she cooks, she cleans - at my house! When Aunt "Nananie" is over, I don't even have to ask. She just goes into action, and I feel revived. Can't wait until I can spoil her little ones! Next to her is Todd, Serah's husband. They are 2 of the most talented people I know. Todd writes music, sings, plays guitar, and leads worship at our church - and Serah is an amazing artist. She painted the most beautiful murals on the walls of our new church classrooms. What a gift they are!

And last but not least, Uncle Sergio. The guy can wrangle babies, and don't you just love him in the tiny little chair with the giant mug?!? He and his wife Natalie are a great pseudo aunt and uncle for our kids. They are the reason we found our church - it all goes back to a hot summer day when Uncle Sergio and Aunt Nananie needed a mattress. They walked into our warehouse - and the rest is history.

And finally, our babies are seeming more like friends these days. They make each other laugh; they work like a team; they ask for one another in the mornings. They're just awfully cute together. I pray that they will always remain best friends.

I write all this as I look forward to a visit from one of my best friends, Lori. Pending the outcome of Haley's tennis match (sorry Haley, but I've never rooted for a loss so hard!), we could be enjoying some much needed time with our dear friends from Wooster. With that I say, "Come on, Central - Lose one for the team!"

With all this talk of friends, I can't forget my best friend, Shawn. I love looking into the eyes of our babies and seeing glimpses of him. We're just 2 months away from 9 years of marriage! Here we are anxiously awaiting the laugh-fest that was Brian Regan's show.

God is so good! I hope you know Him!

Flashback - September '04 '05, '06 & '07

2008-09-23T15:49:00.012-04:00

It's monthly flashback time to make up for all the blogs I wasn't writing over the last few years of craziness. In case you haven't yet noticed, unlike my other flashback entries, this one encompasses 4 years of history instead of just 2. Just realized that I have a file filled with pics from '04 & '05 - they're just all clustered together in one file though, so it takes some thinking to remember to which month each picture belongs. So here goes, hold on to your hats. I'm gonna move quickly.

September 2004

A hurricane strands my family at our Louisville home for a few days. Can I get a shout out for inclement weather?! Here, a young Ronnie and even younger Reagan enjoy a popsicle at a park near the Ohio river.

Can you believe my luck? They arrived on my birthday! If my math serves me correctly, I think I turned 28 here.

Rachie and Mom help me celebrate over some ice cream cake and a game of Phase 10.

Rob and Heather (parents of only 3 kids at this point) join in on the card playin' action.

September 2005

I'm about 5 months pregnant with Bryce, and Shawn decides now is a good time to start racing his bike.

He crashed once nearly sending me into early labor, but he survived and thankfully has not raced again. Doesn't he look cool though?

September 2006

Bryce was not yet one, but he had very important things to say.

Shawn experiments with a new hair do while rekindling a love for the Duke Brothers and their cousin Daisy.

I begin to look more alien-like.

September 2007

Much to his chagrin, Bryce gets his first haircut.

The twins were one step closer to walking.

Daddy and Eva enjoyed the babies' first trip to Wooster.

Mommy enjoyed it too, though I'm not too sure about Bryce.

Oh wait, he did have SOME fun.

Vaughn liked Wooster, too. Here he practices steps with Grandma Calihan.

We hosted a goat rodeo.

Rachel and Eva shared a tear.

We all smiled when dad and Linda said, "I do!"

Again, praise the Lord. He has been so good to me, and I'm quite certain I don't deserve it.

Wooooo-hooooster! Fall 2008

2008-09-18T14:43:00.018-04:00

I love Wooster. I think I've mentioned this before - maybe a few thousand times. Up until now, a trip to Wooster with babies was difficult. 4.5 hours in the car was no picnic - not to mention all the gear that was required to make the trip tolerable. Well, it seems we've reached an age where trips under 5 hours are not only becoming do-able, but they're almost pleasant.

On our way up to Wooster, we made a stop in Dayton to visit Great Grandma Calihan. She recently celebrated her 92nd birthday (I think that's right - please correct me if I'm wrong). Eva enjoyed sharing some fruit with Great Grandma.

After we left Dayton, it was off to Wooster - land of vistas like this...

And like this...

Even DRIVING in Wooster is nice.

The weather for our visit was perfect - high 60s and sunny most of the time. We spent a lot of time outside on Grandma and Grandpa Calihan's farm.

Vaughn had fun checking out the tomatoes in Grandma's garden.

But not as much fun as Eva had in the orchard...

She ate A LOT of pears while we were there - right off the tree! They were some of the best pears I've ever had.

Annabelle liked the pears, too.

Vaughn looked for good pears on the ground.

He also had fun with Grandma and Gretchen.

We spent a bit of time one afternoon trying to get all 5 grandkids to pose for a picture. For a while, I thought this was as good as it was going to get. Vaughn just did not want to cooperate, hence the fact that he's crawling in front of everyone and crying.

I was surprised when we got this picture of everyone looking quite pleasant. From left to right - Annabelle (Scott and Erin's daughter), Vaughn, Sam (Brian's son), Bryce, and Eva.

This trip actually had some vacation-like moments for me. I got to go out 2 mornings in a row for breakfast with friends with NO babies! Heather Faught and I enjoyed some tasty treats at Panera, and Lori Wenger and I went to our usual haunt - downtown Buehlers.

I took this somewhat unflattering picture of Lori after our breakfast together. It is only because she is one of my very best friends that I know she will not kill me for posting it. She understands my need to document events such as our breakfast and her new vehicle - Optimus Prime.

I also got to go shopping twice - again, sans babies. I went to my very favorite store in the whole world, Audrey's Attic. www.shopaudreysattic.com It has the best assortment of home decor anywhere - and it smells amazing in there! I also got to go to the outlet malls and score some amazing deals with Lori and my sis-in-law Erin.

Not only was this a time for shopping and eating out, we had some great family fun, too. One evening some extended family came by and we got a chance to eat some Coccia House pizza and visit.

Bryce enjoyed visiting with cousin Chris...and here's why...

Eva had fun building blocks with Melissa, and just to add to the baby madness,

Chris and Melissa brought Skyler! Looks a little like an episode of "Jon and Kate Plus 8".

As always, Wooster is the best. Don't try to argue with me about it, because you'll lose.

Wayne County Fair '08: My Journey to a Deep Fried Twinkie

2008-09-18T14:43:00.009-04:00

One of the reasons for this particular trip to Wooster was to take the kids to the often celebrated, never duplicated Wayne County Fair. The purpose of our fair trip was threefold:

1. So the kids could see cute animals

2. So the kids could try out some rides

3. So I could finally try a deep fried twinkie

(Heard about them on a PBS special about fair foods, and I haven't stopped salivating at the thought ever since.)

Eva looooved the animals.

Bryce thought the chickens were funny. In fact, any bird he sees now is referred to as a chicken.

Vaughn seemed to enjoy the bunnies the most.

In order to keep the babies safe and corralled, we chose a man-on-man defense. Grandma came to help. We've found the zone to be only moderately successful in high crowd situations. Note the bear on Vaughn's shoe. It is a child locator. That was our safety net. He tends to wander.

All the way from Udine, Italy - It's the Faughts! We met up with them and their crew.

Uncle Jesse introduced Isaac to Eva. Then he taught them about sheep.

Eva, always on the quest for more info about sheep, clung to Aunt Heather - a former 4H-er.

Bryce loved Micah and his turkey dance.

Isaac and Vaughn spent time chatting over some crackers and juice.

Though we didn't get to spend much time with them, we ran into Uncle Brian, Aunt Rachel, and Johanna!

Great Grandma Wissinger came, too! Though I think she was just there for the rides.

Micah was really looking forward to riding the Jeeps with Bryce. After Bryce pulled a last minute change of heart, we swapped him out for Vaughn who really seemed to dig riding!

Since the Jeeps were a little too much for Bryce, we thought we'd try something a little tamer - the carousel! Vaughn and Grandma had fun.

Heather and Micah had fun.

Mommy and Bryce looked like this while sitting on a bench on the carousel. I was a little nervous he might yack on my shoe.

We finally found something Bryce sort-of liked. He rode this super slide with mommy. We had fun! Pictured here is cousin Sam.

After all this riding, Grandpa pointed out that Vaughn seemed hungry. So off we went in search of food. This is no great challenge at the fair as there are food booths-o-plenty. However, I was on the quest for one particular booth that proved to be somewhat elusive - the deep fried twinkie booth.

In the meantime, we enjoyed some fries.

AND deep fried cheese on a stick, AND gyros, washed down with some pop, and MORE fries. Yikes.

Bryce was actually embarrassed by how much he ate.

Still feeling unfulfilled having not found my twinkie, we pressed onward. Fortunately for me, we ran into Matt and Amy.

Not only did they carry the tired babies for a while, they lead me to my destiny!

And alas, my journey was complete. Sadly, this story does not have an entirely happy ending. It was kind of gross. Next year - deep fried Cap'n Crunch. Here's hoping it's not a disappointment!

Alpha-Boy

2008-09-13T14:58:00.004-04:00

While away on a recent trip to Wooster (about which I will soon blog), Bryce surprised us by singing the alphabet all by himself! I was in the kitchen pouring a drink when I kind of overheard him singing to himself. I listened closely, and sure enough he was singing the alphabet. He skips a few letters, mind you, but for a 2.5 year old I'd say it's not too shabby. You're gonna want to turn the background music off (bottom of the left column of this page, hit pause), and turn your volume up. Although he may talk at normal to high decibels, his alphabet singing voice is definitely pianissimo.

Thomas the Train...The Obsession Continues

2008-09-13T14:45:00.003-04:00

To further feed our children's addiction to Thomas the Tank Engine, we've finally invested in a train table. If you're asking yourself, "What the heck is a train table?"....fear not, I've got pictures.

After much searching, both soul and otherwise, we finally located the perfect table for us. I say "perfect" because it was on sale. In case you don't know, anything with Thomas' smiling mug on it has to cost a mint. So when a friend called and said she found this table for about half off, I jumped at it. It's a little different than the traditional table. It's a tad bigger, and it's on wheels instead of legs to make storage under a bed possible. Ours currently takes up lots of space on the playroom floor.

Oh, and snaps for me for assembling it. It wasn't easy; it's got a drawer.

Mr. Tony Goes to Louisville

2008-09-03T12:46:00.004-04:00

Lest we all forget, the move to Louisville was not JUST a big change for Bekah. A certain turtle friend had some adjusting to do, too.

Tony was nervous, but he put on a brave face and buckled in. Eventually, after too much playing with the radio, Bekah had to move him to the back seat.

Good bye, Mobile! See you in October!

He settled in and enjoyed a peanut butter sandwhich...

...and a Coke to calm his nerves. He drank his coke while dressed as his favorite bass player.

Eventually the traffic got to him, and he started yelling some really nasty turtle trash talk.

After they finally arrived in Kentucky, he made himself at home.

Welcome to Kentucky, Tony!

Here's to you, Summer!

2008-09-02T16:01:00.006-04:00

Summer is almost over, and though it's been fun, I'm ready - READY FOR FALL - for cool weather, afternoons at the pumpkin patch, trick or treating, hot cider, and jumping in leaves. However, we've been making the most of these final summer days. They're not so much the "lazy days" of summer around here.

Our pool closed for the season, so we found a new one!

Not quite as ideal without the baby pool though.

We climbed to new heights!

We ran 'til our legs fell off.

We found a new love for stickers.

We cried over spilled milk.

Aunt Bekah (or "Beekah" around here) sent us on caffeine-fueled romps through the mall's

play area.

And best of all, we grew up, and we grew closer.

So here's to you, Summer!

But we're ready for fall!

Eva Lou Who

2008-09-02T15:56:00.003-04:00

I was looking at this picture of Eva and thinking, "She looks like someone, but who?" Just then, it occurred to me.

Cindy Lou Who

Eva - Singer Extraodinaire

2008-09-02T15:06:00.004-04:00

Our little Eva has become quite the singer. One of our favorite times of the day is having a rock-a-bye ("buck-a-bye") before nap time and bed time. I've always sung to them while we rocked, and over the months they've started to chime in here and there. While Eva does her best performance at night before bed, I managed to capture a pretty cute one here. We decided to sing one of our favorites while we were coloring one day. Hope you enjoy.

(For your listening pleasure, scroll down to the bottom left of this page and pause the background music.)

Eva's pretty old school - prefers the "Old Time Gospel Hour" to anything by "Casting Crowns" or the like. Her current hits include "Great is Thy Faithfulness", "I Cast All My Cares Upon You", and "Let the Sunshine In." We're hoping to cut her first album next spring. Advanced copies will be available for family and close friends;)

Yes, I'm running for President.

2008-08-29T13:57:00.002-04:00

After much discussion with Shawn, we decided that I didn't have enough on my plate right now; so, I'm going for it. Erika Calihan for President 2008 I'm pretty sure Vaughn will be my running mate, but we'll have to finalize our in-house electoral process before anything is final. I'll count on your support. This is my only form of advertising right now. Please spread the word, and enjoy my first bit of news coverage.

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Playgroup at Bounce U!

2008-08-26T14:45:00.009-04:00

We had some fuuuun today! My girlfriends and I gathered up local moms of preschoolers that we knew and had a ginormous toddler playdate at a local "bouncing" facility called Bounce U. This place was awesome. We had our own room with 4 pieces of giant inflated play equipment for the kids to enjoy. Enjoy this barrage of pics of babies having a blast!

The slide seemed to be everyone's favorite activity. Many of the kids needed a mom's help to slide, and I don't think the moms minded one bit.

Catherine and Erin take their girls Karis and Annabelle for a slide while Lydia slides by herself like a big girl!

Jackson shocks and amazes with his patented superslide.

Bryce and Vaughn weren't really sure they wanted to slide, but I wasn't letting that stop us!

Even baby Reese went for a slide!

Bryce and his twin friends Emmy and Leny get a little help down the slide. By this point Bryce decided that he liked the slide if I slid with him.

Bryce, Mommy, and Katie make a photo finish.

As I mentioned before, there were 3 other apparatuses for the kids to try.

Amber (with one on the way!) and her twins Emerson and Helena (aka: Emmy and Leny)

bounce in the basketball court.

This was a boxing ring, but our guys were a little too young for the giant squishy gloves and helmets. We just had fun bouncing in it.

When I say "we", I'm not including Eva in that reference. This was what she looked like the majority of the time. Weird really, because at home she's a little daredevil. Just one of those days, I guess.

Even the teeny tiny guys had fun. Jocelyn holds her girl Georgiana who liked watching her big brothers play!

Lisa, with her daughter Avery, had fun watching big sis Ella bounce!

I can't imagine a way to make things any more exciting for a toddler than to cap off the day with some pizza!

If you live in the Lexington area, have toddlers/pre-schoolers and this looked like fun to you, post a comment with your e-mail address, and I'd be glad to get in touch with you and let you know where the fun will be next! We'd love for you to join us!

Flashback - August '06 & August '07

2008-08-19T15:03:00.013-04:00

I had so much fun doing a 2 year flashback in July that I just had to do it again now!

So, here goes.

August 2006

Bryce was 6 months-ish, and he posed for Daddy and Mommy's alma mater's magazine!

(Grove City College - recently ranked #2 most politically conservative college in the US).

Bryce made attempts at crawling. (It's a video. Click the play arrow.)

Uncle Nathan (back when he was just Aunt Rachel's really nice boyfriend) showed Bryce how to use the computer.

Bryce met some really fun cousins at a family reunion. He's seen here with the Ritchie kids...

...And here with crazy cousin JR from California!

All the while, mommy's belly grew to epic proportions...

And here's why...

Vaughn looked like this...

And Eva looked like this.

I don't know about you, but I much prefer how they look now.

Flash forward one year to

August 2007

All 3 babies posed for the GCC alumni magazine!

Bryce did something really gross in the sink/tub (remember that Grandma C.?).

Vaughn sneaked late night chocolate treats with Uncle Scott while his brother and sister slept.

Trying to channel his inner Irishman, Daddy tried out a new hairstyle.

Eva and Vaughn enjoyed a bottle with their friend Ryan.

AND they enjoyed their morning yogurt-time! (Some things never change.)

All 3 LOVED a good Sesame Street video. (Again, this remains the same.)

Vaughn and Eva began preparing mentally for the football season.

I love flashbacks. Never hurts to be reminded how good God is!

Aunt Bekah - MFA?

2008-08-19T13:44:00.008-04:00

Now that I've got your attention, let me tell you

a little story of shrewd political maneuvering. After all, this is the season of politics and infighting, so let's localize the story. Let's meet the candidates. Here we see Aunt Bekah.

She's cute, she's sassy, at times she's not so classy (Had to throw that in; Bek and I often show our love through biting sarcasm).

And then there's Aunt Rachel.

Ok. Just in case you haven't gotten it yet.

Aunt Bekah...

Aunt Rachie...

Ok, so those pictures might not paint an ENTIRELY accurate portrait of either candidate, but you get the drift.

So you're not confused, Aunt Rachie and Aunt Bekah DO love each other! They are best friends, in fact.

At times, however, their competitive nature takes over. Maybe the olympics are to blame - but whatever the case - the race is on!

Up until this point, Aunt Rachel has been the coveted holder of the Most Favored Aunt (or MFA) title. While our children are not quite old enough to bestow this on any aunt in question, there are other nieces, nephews, cousins, etc. who seem to feel this way. This is mainly because Aunt Rachie just digs kids, and Aunt Bekah - not so much. While she LOVES her nieces and nephews, kids just really ain't her thang, if you get my drift.

Since she's moved to Kentucky, she's decided to try and change things up a bit. She is attempting to use geography to edge out Aunt Rachel and claim the MFA title for herself. Shrewd? Yes. Smarmy? A bit. But come on, this is Aunt Bekah, not Mother Theresa. Here are some recent photos Aunt Bekah is accruing for the making of her campaign posters.

VOTE AUNT BEKAH - for MOST FAVORED AUNT

She takes babies for walks to the park.

She lets them play however they like - even if it means facing the wrong way on the teeter totter!

She ingratiates herself to moms by taking cute photos of them on the slide with their babies - photos that otherwise might not be possible.

She carefully spots this young nephew as he attempts a daring new stunt!

She'll take your babies to the pool and give them funny faux hawks.

She'll expose them to the rigors of ancient Chinese water torture lest they should become criminals.

She'll show them funny youtube videos and even sing along!

Thus the campaign begins. As in most elections, you'll have to wait until November for the results - which means Aunt Rach will have to get her tail up here early and often if she even wants to be in the running. Stay tuned.

B is for Bekah

2008-08-19T12:06:00.005-04:00

We've found ourselves a little busy lately - trying to suck the fun out of these last days of summer. Between trips to gymboree and the pool, I captured a video of one of Kentucky's newest residents. Here the babies enjoy some time with their newly local Aunt Bekah AND a certain blue monster with a partiality to cookies.

A visit with Grandma and Grandpa Calihan

2008-08-11T15:33:00.007-04:00

After Grandpa and Grandma Lasher left, Grandpa and Grandma Calihan arrived on the scene (in case you're confused - blog postings post the most recent article first - so to read this chronologically, read my next entry first). This story will be told entirely in pictures with captions (because the cute little faces of toddlers are always more fun than just words by themselves - perhaps this explains my predilection for picture books!).

First we went to Uncle Scott, Aunt Erin, and Annabelle's house for a cookout. Before you can cookout, however, you must check out Annabelle's toys (you know this already if you have small children).

Alright, the grownups are hungry now. Playtime over - let's eat!

Grandma, Vaughn, and Grandpa chow down.

Eva and Uncle Scott fight over a fork. (Come on, Uncle Scott. She's only one!)

Dad looks on pensively as Bryce cheers for Eva.

Uncle Scott (always the good sport) celebrates Eva's victory with Aunt Erin and Annabelle.

Dinner over - Game on!

Bryce makes sure the sidewalk mulch is mowed juuuust right.

We dined, we played, now off to home for bathtime, bedtime, and men's gymnastics preliminary rounds. Wake up - church - lunch - naptime - off to Annabelle's Adoption Celebration!!!

Annabelle - the girl of the hour!

There were balloons, so Eva was happy!

There was room aplenty to run, so Vaughn was happy (and a Grandma to chase Vaughn so mom was happy)! Bryce loved the playground and the 2 big boys with "Cars" shoes.

Dad helps Eva with her balloon in front of the party pavilion.

Probably my favorite picture of the day. She was just so cute running with the wind in her hair and her little blue balloon!

Grandma and the boys meet under the tree.

Vaughn on the run.

Bryce before he lost his balloon to the consequences of helium.

Vaughn stole daddy's visor but was gracious enough to put it back on daddy when he was done with it.

Dinner time!

It's her party, and she'll eat if she wants to.

The next day we ended our visit with lunch at our house.

We have been having the BEST weather for the last 4 or 5 days, and more is ahead. We've been trying to make the most of it before the heat returns. What a treat to be able to enjoy God's goodness with lots of family!

Bekah Moves to Kentucky!!!

2008-08-11T14:51:00.003-04:00

This has been a very busy couple of days. It all started with the Wednesday arrival of my sister Bekah, my dad (aka: Grandpa), and Grandma Linda arriving in Lexington. They came up to move my sister into her dorm on the campus of Boyce College! Boyce shares a campus with the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, and we've been quite impressed with it over the years - not to mention the high caliber people we've come to know who have graduated from there. Bad news is, in all the busyness, I didn't take one picture of the new student, the campus, or her dorm. I don't think I even took my camera to Louisville with us. Yes, I am a blog failure. To my blogmaster friend Allison (who has documented everything with photos from her newly cleaned laundry room to the bee that landed on her shirt one time), I have failed you. The grasshopper has much to learn, Sensei. Good news is, she's only an hour away and there will be many visits and many photos I will take to tell the tale. So, more to come on that topic.

When they weren't busy moving Bekah onto campus, Grandma and Grandpa were in full swing.

We really enjoyed their visit! The following pictures will tell the story better than me.

We walked to the park. "Cart" (Bryce's inanimate grocery haulin' friend) came, too. I think he (she, it?) had fun. They even played on the playground equipment together!

Grandpa helped Eva (although I'm sure she thought she could do it herself).

We teetered...

...and tottered.

Vaughn spent most of his time rearranging the wood chips, and Bryce spent time on the blocks.

Then we walked home.

Eva picked mommy a flower!

We had a fun time together! Can't wait to do it again!

Our Dentist Would Be Proud!

2008-08-04T16:17:00.003-04:00

I think most people would agree that good dental hygiene is important. To our babies, not only is it important, it's something to celebrate!!!

A New Day at the Explorium/Children's Museum

2008-08-02T15:22:00.004-04:00

While we are Explorium/Children's Museum regulars, today was a new experience for us. Usually we just head off to the enclosed toddler area and remain there the whole time. We have ventured into the other parts of the museum before, but we did it with the twins in their stroller. Today, I went a little crazy, and I set the 3 nutballs loose.

I DID have help. We were joined by our friends from church - Jennifer and her kids Lauren and Luke. Bryce and Luke have become funny little friends in their Sunday School class; so we thought it would be fun to get them together for a playdate outside of church. They had a ball, and Bryce was always easy to keep track of because he followed Luke around like he was his shadow. So cute!

We all had a great time with the exception of Vaughn who spent most of the morning like this.

Yes, that is my sweet little cherub having a tantrum on the floor of the explorium. It's kind of his new thing. He gets ticked, arches his back making him virtually un-hold-able, and lays on the floor writhing and crying. Charming. Usually, Vaughn is my easy going guy. With the exception of his penchant for escaping, he is pretty easy when I take him places. Today was just not his day. Perhaps it's teeth, perhaps he had a headache, OR perhaps he was just in a bad mood - whatever the case, today was exhausting.

Good news is, the rest of the kids did very well. Eva, the budding scientist, explored and played like a big guy.

This keyboard is one of Bryce's favorite things at the explorium.

They all check out the primitive hut.

And even Vaughn managed to have SOME fun.