Caleb has been asking a lot of deep questions lately. They seem easy enough on the surface, until you try to answer them. Especially in a way that a four-year-old can understand.
Here are some things Caleb's been asking/saying this weekend:
1. Where does God live?
2. We sang "Jesus died for all the children" at church today. Why did he do that?
3. Is He still died? (Caleb's words)
4. I love God sooo much! (So do we, sweetie, so do we!)
5. As I was praying with Caleb tonight, I asked him if he wanted to say it by himself. He did, so he started thanking God for his bunk bed, his reward chart, his stuffed moose. He said, "Thank you for..." and paused, so I filled in with, "...always being with me." Caleb replied with, "No, it's just furniture tonight, Mom. And soft things." :-) I was unaware it was "thank God for your furniture" night. I stand corrected.
Caleb has such a sweet heart, and it is a joy to watch him grow in his knowledge of our Savior. This time surely cannot be wasted.
"How can a young man keep his way pure? By living according to your word. I seek you with all my heart; do not let me stray from your commands." ~Psalm 119: 9-10
Sunday, November 01, 2009
Thursday, October 29, 2009
What's YOUR Favorite Food?
I took the boys for their yearly check-ups yesterday. I love our doctor in Houston, and no one will ever compare to the care we received there; our doctor was really special. But our pediatrician here is a good one. He checked Caleb first. He asked Caleb to write his name, which he did pretty well. The letters weren't very close to each other, but they were in the right order! When the doctor said, "Can you write the final letter?", Caleb said, "No, the B is hard." Good enough. He said Caleb is very coordinated, which we knew. ;-)
He also asked Caleb lots of questions about various things in his life. The one that made me cringe and want to crawl in a hole was, "What's your favorite food?" Caleb's answer?
Candy.
I glared at him and made some comment about him eating other foods, but Caleb looked at me and said, "I like candy." Yes, I'm aware. We'll just blame it on the fact that Halloween is just around the corner, right?
Levi also had a good check-up. The doctor asked him how old he was and he told him. He asked me if he was starting to feed himself with a spoon, and I told him he's been doing that for a long time now. I can't remember the last time we actually fed Levi anything ourselves; he's been a self-feeder for over a year now with the exception of yogurt. But even that he's been feeding himself for a while. I cringe every time he eats it because he gets it everywhere.
I kept having to translate for Levi, though. Our doctor here was trained in Australia and his accent is pretty thick sometimes (kind of an Asian meets Australian accent), so Levi had a hard time understanding which body parts the doctor was asking him to point to. :-)
The thing Levi had a problem with was colors. The doctor held up several different objects of different colors. Levi said everything was green. I know this is pretty normal, but I'm always paranoid about it because color-blindness runs in the family. I quizzed Caleb on his colors a lot until he finally learned all the right ones and I knew he wasn't color-blind. I just like to be prepared. :-)
Caleb weighed 15.9kg (35.1 lbs) and was 103cm tall (42.1 inches).
Levi weighed 12.9kg (28.4 lbs) and was 90cm tall (35.4 inches).
They are both around the 50%, so the doctor was pleased with their progress.
He also asked Caleb lots of questions about various things in his life. The one that made me cringe and want to crawl in a hole was, "What's your favorite food?" Caleb's answer?
Candy.
I glared at him and made some comment about him eating other foods, but Caleb looked at me and said, "I like candy." Yes, I'm aware. We'll just blame it on the fact that Halloween is just around the corner, right?
Levi also had a good check-up. The doctor asked him how old he was and he told him. He asked me if he was starting to feed himself with a spoon, and I told him he's been doing that for a long time now. I can't remember the last time we actually fed Levi anything ourselves; he's been a self-feeder for over a year now with the exception of yogurt. But even that he's been feeding himself for a while. I cringe every time he eats it because he gets it everywhere.
I kept having to translate for Levi, though. Our doctor here was trained in Australia and his accent is pretty thick sometimes (kind of an Asian meets Australian accent), so Levi had a hard time understanding which body parts the doctor was asking him to point to. :-)
The thing Levi had a problem with was colors. The doctor held up several different objects of different colors. Levi said everything was green. I know this is pretty normal, but I'm always paranoid about it because color-blindness runs in the family. I quizzed Caleb on his colors a lot until he finally learned all the right ones and I knew he wasn't color-blind. I just like to be prepared. :-)
Caleb weighed 15.9kg (35.1 lbs) and was 103cm tall (42.1 inches).
Levi weighed 12.9kg (28.4 lbs) and was 90cm tall (35.4 inches).
They are both around the 50%, so the doctor was pleased with their progress.
Tuesday, October 27, 2009
The USS Nimitz (and I Miss My Dad)
Andrea and I were invited to tour the USS Nimitz when it was in port last month, and we both jumped at the opportunity. It was amazing. One of our tour guides was the pilot of one of the radar scrambler planes. We had a great time learning about what it's like to live and work on an aircraft carrier and the risk involved in being on the flight deck. If we had been able to see the ship when it was docked in the States, the airplanes would not have been on board because they are part of a separate unit and get dispersed around the country for maintenance. We were really grateful for the unique opportunity!
One of our guides and the pilot of a radar scrambler plane:
The flight deck from above. All the colors of the stripes mean different things.
A memorial to a helicopter crew the USS Nimitz lost on their last deployment:
One of the planes inside the ship, on the hanger deck. They move the planes from here to the flight deck via HUGE elevators.
One of the 4 elevators (those people are walking across it). It also serves as the sailors exit/entrance when in port:
This is how they steer ships now. :-)
The ship from ground level. It was huge, and I only got about half of it in this picture:
One of our guides and the pilot of a radar scrambler plane:
The flight deck from above. All the colors of the stripes mean different things.
A memorial to a helicopter crew the USS Nimitz lost on their last deployment:
One of the planes inside the ship, on the hanger deck. They move the planes from here to the flight deck via HUGE elevators.
One of the 4 elevators (those people are walking across it). It also serves as the sailors exit/entrance when in port:This is how they steer ships now. :-)
A submarine was docked across from the Nimitz. The sailors said the sub comes and goes and only a handful of people ever know where it is. They all like it that way.
The tour made me really miss my dad. He would have loved touring the ship!
Monday, October 26, 2009
A Few of My Favorite Things
Since the Christmas decorations are already up here, I decided to list a few of my favorite things..
Since I am left-handed, I have pen issues. I can't do gel or fountain pens usually because they end up all over my hand. And some pens I can't even write with because of the angle. It's weird. This is my current favorite pen. (I have an office supply "issue," too, as in I buy way too many. It's hereditary. My mom passed on that gene to me.)
Caleb's eyelashes. Everyone comments on them. Friends, doctors, strangers, everyone. Since he was a tiny baby that is the first thing people notice about him. :-)
Since I am left-handed, I have pen issues. I can't do gel or fountain pens usually because they end up all over my hand. And some pens I can't even write with because of the angle. It's weird. This is my current favorite pen. (I have an office supply "issue," too, as in I buy way too many. It's hereditary. My mom passed on that gene to me.)
Mmmm. Dr. Pepper. Until recently I was a Coke drinker, but Dr. Pepper is much easier on my stomach issues.
Strawberry and Satsuma Home Fragrance Oil from The Body Shop. Mix a few drops of each and a little water. Makes the place smell yummy!
My sweet Levi napping in his crib. He's such a good sleeper now, and we are so thankful!
Quiet Time and West Coast Park
It's quiet time in our house. Levi is napping, and I've instituted (as of today) quiet time for Caleb and myself. He hasn't napped since he was 2 1/2, and mommy needs an hour of quiet in the afternoons to do her Bible study. So, thanks to my friend, Camille, I've started a reward chart with Caleb. If he has a quiet time, which means he does not come out of his room to ask me questions or for the 1 million other reasons he can find to come out of his room, he will get a sticker on his chart. After 5 stickers, he will get a little prize. We're starting with 5 for now and will move up after he grasps the concept. I hung the chart on the bathroom door in his room so he can see it. Right now he's working for a yo-yo, which he's wanted for a long time. :-)
Even though it's quiet time in our house, it isn't quiet. They are doing some major remodeling of the apartments 2 and 3 floors above us. Apparently there are lots of men up there with hammers and drills. With concrete walls and marble floors, they might as well be remodeling our apartment for as loud as it is in here. This is supposed to go on for 2 weeks, so I'm not sure Levi will be napping very soundly during that time.
This past weekend we took the kids to West Coast Park. It was really hot, but they had fun playing for a while.
Caleb burying his legs in the sand:
Levi walking across the bridge on the playground:
The boys:
Caleb and Daddy on the playground:
Even though it's quiet time in our house, it isn't quiet. They are doing some major remodeling of the apartments 2 and 3 floors above us. Apparently there are lots of men up there with hammers and drills. With concrete walls and marble floors, they might as well be remodeling our apartment for as loud as it is in here. This is supposed to go on for 2 weeks, so I'm not sure Levi will be napping very soundly during that time.
This past weekend we took the kids to West Coast Park. It was really hot, but they had fun playing for a while.
The shipyard on the West Coast:
Caleb burying his legs in the sand:
Levi walking across the bridge on the playground:
The boys:
Caleb and Daddy on the playground:
Thursday, October 22, 2009
The Fog Rolls In
I've only had a handful of mosquito bites since we've lived in Singapore, and that is because of all the fogging that goes on. I walked past the condo behind us on my way home this morning, and was inside just in time to not get caught when they came to our complex.
We live on the 4th floor, so you can see how intense the fog is, even up here. Some guy walks around with a fogger attached to him like a backpack. That's definitely not how they did it in Houston. :-)
Thursday, October 15, 2009
A Storm Is Brewing
Metaphorical Storm: Caleb woke up this morning with a slight fever and a cough. We leave for Thailand tomorrow morning, and with those symptoms we will surely not be allowed to board an airplane with all the H1N1 fears. (And, yes, they will check his temp!)
And now? He's napping. This is the child who hasn't taken a nap since he was 2 1/2 unless he's sick. Aargh. His fever is down, but the cough is persistent. He's not congested; it's just the tickly, shallow cough. I tried the asthma inhaler, but it doesn't seem to have made a difference.
Justin is prepared to stay home with him and let me go to Thailand with Levi if we need to, but I really don't want that to happen!
Actual Storm: I took these pictures from our dining room window. I LOVE when it rains here because it's cools things down tremendously. Even though I forgot my umbrella when I went to meet a friend for lunch, it was glorious because I wasn't sweating!
And now? He's napping. This is the child who hasn't taken a nap since he was 2 1/2 unless he's sick. Aargh. His fever is down, but the cough is persistent. He's not congested; it's just the tickly, shallow cough. I tried the asthma inhaler, but it doesn't seem to have made a difference.
Justin is prepared to stay home with him and let me go to Thailand with Levi if we need to, but I really don't want that to happen!
Actual Storm: I took these pictures from our dining room window. I LOVE when it rains here because it's cools things down tremendously. Even though I forgot my umbrella when I went to meet a friend for lunch, it was glorious because I wasn't sweating!
Wednesday, October 14, 2009
Shopping
Today I went shopping. I don't enjoy shopping so much; I'm more of a "run in and grab the first thing that looks like it'll work and run to my car" kind of shopper. But that kind of shopping doesn't exist here in Singapore, so I dropped the kids off at school and headed to Holland Village. I needed to go to the bank, but they weren't open yet, so I stopped at Starbucks, which is just two doors down.
After Starbucks (where I saw Gillian and Camille and asked their advice on where to buy earrings), I headed to some little shops to find a birthday present for a friend. Neither shop was open yet, so I walked around a bit. It started raining, and I wasn't sure when the shops would open since there were no posted hours, so I decided to head to Orchard Road to find a purse and look for some shirts. The bus I needed to take had just left the bus stop, so I grabbed a taxi. It was actually the first time I've had trouble getting a taxi driver to understand me. I couldn't remember the name of the shopping centre that "Isetan" department store is in, so I was trying to explain and he wasn't understanding. And I wasn't understanding him. We eventually figured it out.
I didn't have any luck there. The only purses that were the size I was looking for were $300, so I moved on. :-) (Justin, you're welcome.)
I walked to another shopping centre and still no luck. I walked some more and some more and some more and finally found a purse that was only S$40. I also found a pair of pajamas for Caleb, and in the process found out that almost all of the kids pajamas here right now are long-sleeved with pants. I found one short-sleeved pair for $12.90, so I grabbed it! I tried on about 20 shirts and none of them worked, which was quite frustrating.
After walking some more and some more and some more, I bought a journal at Borders, walked to the bus stop and headed back to Holland Village (3 hours later) to see if the shops were open. I was happy to sit down on the bus for a while. Once there I bought a pair of earrings and a bracelet for a certain soon-to-be-16-year-old we'll be seeing on Friday (her birthday).
At this point it was 2:30, so I decided to go ahead and pick up the kids since they got up at 6:30 and I knew Levi would be exhausted. He's decided that eating dinner isn't really something he wants to do, so he wakes up hungry every morning. It's getting old.
And I'm tired.
After Starbucks (where I saw Gillian and Camille and asked their advice on where to buy earrings), I headed to some little shops to find a birthday present for a friend. Neither shop was open yet, so I walked around a bit. It started raining, and I wasn't sure when the shops would open since there were no posted hours, so I decided to head to Orchard Road to find a purse and look for some shirts. The bus I needed to take had just left the bus stop, so I grabbed a taxi. It was actually the first time I've had trouble getting a taxi driver to understand me. I couldn't remember the name of the shopping centre that "Isetan" department store is in, so I was trying to explain and he wasn't understanding. And I wasn't understanding him. We eventually figured it out.
I didn't have any luck there. The only purses that were the size I was looking for were $300, so I moved on. :-) (Justin, you're welcome.)
I walked to another shopping centre and still no luck. I walked some more and some more and some more and finally found a purse that was only S$40. I also found a pair of pajamas for Caleb, and in the process found out that almost all of the kids pajamas here right now are long-sleeved with pants. I found one short-sleeved pair for $12.90, so I grabbed it! I tried on about 20 shirts and none of them worked, which was quite frustrating.
After walking some more and some more and some more, I bought a journal at Borders, walked to the bus stop and headed back to Holland Village (3 hours later) to see if the shops were open. I was happy to sit down on the bus for a while. Once there I bought a pair of earrings and a bracelet for a certain soon-to-be-16-year-old we'll be seeing on Friday (her birthday).
At this point it was 2:30, so I decided to go ahead and pick up the kids since they got up at 6:30 and I knew Levi would be exhausted. He's decided that eating dinner isn't really something he wants to do, so he wakes up hungry every morning. It's getting old.
And I'm tired.
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