Video Conglomeration

I went back through tons of photos and pictures and I could have sworn we had a LOT more videos of him dancing.  It must have been just a lot of pictures (which just don't show the full effect) because I could not find anything that I thought we had.  BUT during that search, I did come across some other cute stuff along the way.  So I will share all of those instead.  (Some are old but like I said- I went back through a couple years worth of videos)

READING-
Caelan absolutely LOVES books.  He always has- from the time he was a baby, we would read to him and then he got his 'own' first books when he was about a year old.  (Peek-a-Who and a book called Cats with a lot of pull tabs, etc- both of which he still has and looks at).  He has always spent tons of time reading and looking at books.

We did some of the "Your Baby Can Read" videos and flashcards with him for a while until all of the other stuff (SPD, Autism) came up and our time and focus shifted.  But he still poured himself into his books.  We have often wondered if he was actually able to read anything-  he didn't communicate so many things for so long that we wouldn't have known.  Well.... we have recently discovered that can INDEED read quite a bit.  He will ask us about something he sees and the only way he could have known what it was is to have read the associated words.  Then a couple of days ago at lunch with a friend-  he was looking at her baby's flip book of words and pictures... then came to the page that just had words on it and went down the list of 15-18 words and read them off.  Or he will pick up a book that he has never seen before and read several of the words in it. 

So all that being said- here are two videos of him reading.  I will admit that both of these books are also being read by rote memory.  We have read both of these to him a lot.  But if I were to pull some of those words out of the book and show him, he WOULD recognize them.  Either way... they are sweet videos to watch.

From August 2012 and January 2013

The top one is from August 2012, the lower one is from January 2013.  Also notice how much his speech improved in SIX MONTHS!  Amazing to look back over all these videos and see the difference-  we don't notice how drastic the change is because we are with him every day.  Praise God for how far he has come!!

 

 

 

SINGING- 

I have one of him singing Jingle Bells from last year but not this year which was equally as fun to listen to!  I wish we could remember what it was he said this year in the lyrics-  it was funny and we never corrected him.  Apparently didn't video it either. 

 

 

Then here he is singing Veggie Tales theme song-  August 2012 and March 2012  (pretty old)

 

 

MINI-GOLF at the Cherry Bowl Drive-In  (June 2012)

 

JACK-in-the-BOX

..... or Caelan in a hamper

(Feb 2013)

 

 

DANCING

I do have a couple of him dancing-  the first two are from Feb 2013 and are pretty similar.  Both of them are of him dancing "with" Curious George on TV.  He really liked to do this over and over and over again.  And the part where Caelan bends over and puts one leg in the air-  that's when Curious George is doing a handstand while dancing. 

 

The other one was while he was dancing at Worship practice- of course he had pretty much stopped by the time I started videoing him.  And our music doesn't really sound that "off"!!  It is coming through the stage monitors instead of house and it's in the gym. 

 

 

 

AAANNNDDDD.....

Last but not least-  we pray with Caelan each night at bedtime and have said the Lord's Prayer with him every night since he was a baby.  This is another one of those things that we knew he knew but he couldn't verbalize for a while.  It was such an awesome moment when he did start saying it regularly!  We usually say prayers while in bed but we took this video with the lights on and in his recliner because it was something for church.  April 24, 2013

 

I DO have one of him laughing that I took a couple of weeks ago- but at this very second, my file thingy on the computer (where files and pics are) just locked up so I can't even access it. 

 

It's been a busy start to summer-  his FIFTH Birthday! The Cherry Festival and parades, hanging out with friends. 

 

 

 



That's it for Now

Well... that's all for now!  I have some videos I want to post.... you MUST hear him laughing and see him dancing!!  Oh and see him as a Jack-in-the-Box.  But I have to sort through the videos and put them together. 

Isn't he the cutest sweetest boy in the world?  We think so.  And we love him sooooo much!

The Thomas the Train Table

Caelan is obsessed with Thomas the Tank Engine right now.  We are not really sure how that started but he became interested in it about 6 months ago and it ranks right up there with Cars and Curious George.  He doesn't watch the videos but he loves the books and anything with Thomas and characters on it.  And he prays for them  by name each night and every Sunday during Sunday School.

So here is the really awesome story of the Thomas the Tank Engine table....

I started looking online for some Thomas things to buy for Caelan.  I came across a train table and several accessories on one site and they were asking only $100 obo for it!  This is a phenomenal deal-  the tables alone are $300-400 new, each of the trains are $10-20 a piece and the wooden tracks and other things run easily another $100-200.  So all of this stuff for that price was great!  We are on a tight budget so I was hesitant.  I eyeballed it for a few weeks on line and finally one night mentioned it to Matt and decided to call about it.  I honestly did NOT expect the people to still have it.  It had been listed for three weeks-  and with that price I was sure it sold within the first couple of days.  BUT.... she still had it!!  I was one of only two people who had called and the other person never followed up with them!  I was so excited!

So she and I talked for a little while and decided to wait a week or so in order to arrange a time to meet and so I could make sure we had the funds (payday!).   The next day she sent me a text saying they were coming to town and wanted to know if they could bring it by.  I sighed to myself thinking, "I was hoping to pay her in a week."  But I texted her back, sure... come on by. 

A little bit later I could hear them in the garage so I went out there and there they were putting together the table!  I told her I would go inside to get a check for her and she said, "No, we talked about it and decided that we want you to have it.  Your son deserves it more than we need it."   I was beside myself.  She gave me a hug and told us to enjoy it and someday pay it forward. 

What genuinely kind hearted people.  I have no doubt that if I had not heard them in the garage, they would have just set it up and left without letting me know they were there.  It was such a touching moment.

And we remind Caelan regularly that he prayed about those trains and that God sent someone very special to bring it to him.  And I hope that each person that reads this will say a special prayer of thanks for a couple named Emily and Matt (and their three children). 

Heeeeerrre it is!

We waited a couple of weeks to give it to him-  we wanted to set it up for him and for both of us to be here, etc.  So the timing of that had to work right.  One Saturday morning I woke up before him and went out to set it all up for him.  Then I took his train hat back there and said that I needed a conductor for some trains.  I know he had heard people talking about it so when I said that he had a pretty good guess that there was a Thomas table for him!  Didn't change his excitement one bit though!

And that's just PART of the stuff-  there is a box with a lot more track in it!  And he also has some wooden tracks and a bridge that Aunt Mary Margaret sent him for Christmas.

Here is the video of him when he came out and started playing with it.

 

And he loooooves it and plays with it constantly!!  And sometimes he gets to pick out a train or two to go to bed with him!  :)

Miscellaneous February

this is his "Hmmmm" look

and of course he looks awesome wearing mommy's Amabama hat! 

sleeping hard 

Valentine's Day

Valentine's Day party at school

Mrs. Mitchell helping them decorate cookies

Mrs. Poortenga helping Joshua pass out his valentines

Paisleigh and Denae

Joshua

Caelan playing with his friend Isaac

Snow Helper

We have gotten a LOT of snow this year-  several days of no school and lots of time spent clearing the driveway (Matt, not me!). 

  Getting his shovel

Caelan pushing a shovel- "helping" Daddy with the driveway

 

Caelan likes to EAT snow-  if we are outside and there is snow on the ground, he is going to have some in his mouth.  So one afternoon Matt went outside and got some clean snow and put it on a plate for Caelan-  he was happy!



Perry Christmas Breakfast

Which we didn't have until the second weekend in January-  Matt's parents had gone to Germany to visit his sister Kathy for a month and then during the Christmas holidays, Pat's and Lee's kids were with their alternate parents.... so we couldn't schedule the traditional Perry Christmas Breakfast until a little later.  And of course we have our usual family pictures too- 

Above-  all the cousins

Keaton (13), Bailey (16), Samuel (9), Erin and Grace (7), and Caelan (4)

Matt, his dad (Dave), his mom (Karen), Lee and Pat

Keaton, Samuel, Bailey

Caelan, me, Grace and Erin

 

Then we opened some presents  

 

 

and in the middle of opening presents he took a break to go play with trains :)

 

 

The last picture is totally unrelated to anything-  Cameron was over at the house one day and decided to build a fort.  So here is Caelan and Cameron inside a REALLY great fort in my  living room-  with 3stuffed Curious Georges in one chair, Caelan's lighted snowman and my life size cutout of Edward Cullen (half of him)... made festive with a Santa hat! 

Fun time!

More Matthew Hansen Artwork

This is another piece that Danielle had asked her brother to do-  she wanted him to draw the "Six Days of Creation" and this is what he did....

Rotate your head to the right... sorry!

 

Here is each segment of it- 

Notice God sleeping down in the bottom left corner....  On the seventh day He rested.  :)

 

It's another amazing piece and looks beautiful in the frame!

New Year's Eve and Day

We went over to Danielle's for New Year's Eve to eat, let the boys stay up late playing, we watched a movie, then watched the last few minutes to see the ball drop.  Then they all came over on New Year's day to just hang out and relax-  Matt and Danielle made awesome waffles for all of us plus her dad Dan. 

 

 

Cameron built a castle out of Caelan's blocks... complete with a King and Queen Duck!

 

 Poor Danielle being clobbered by the boys