Stepping into Three!

Mr. Happy Go Lucky officially stepped into 3 on Sunday! And stepping is a big deal around here. Since Crewe began walking a few months ago, he's taken off in every way -- a quickly expanding vocabulary, multiple word sentences, running in parking lots (a good problem to have) and a growing attention span.

Having recently celebrated Cal's birthday, this little guy knew exactly what a birthday is about and made his wishes clear.

First, a blue birthday hat. Check!

Second, a Christmas tree with lights. His obsession with Christmas and lights has not dulled even after six months. A Christmas tree is the only gift he wanted. Check!

Third, a trip to the Train Park. Check!

Next, a bouncy session with his brother in the bounce house. Check!

Finally, ice-cream (aka dairy-free frozen yogurt). Check!... and

... opening (and playing with) presents! Check!

What will the next year bring?!

Crewe turns Two!

Crewe spent his second birthday in Breckenridge with 20+ of his closest Calvert cousins and loved ones. He has come far from his subdued, soundless days as an infant. Crewe is full of life and sounds. His magnetic personality draws people to him and then he melts their hearts with his expressive eyes and contagious smile. He is the sweetest little snuggler. He has a fascination with light and everything in the sky. He's got an arm and surprisingly, very good aim when he throws just about anything. Crewe-ton loves books, music, making noise, going places and wrestling with his brother. He is the best little eater and never misses a snack or a meal. Broccoli, asparagus and fresh pineapple are some of his favorite treats. Crewe is a joy to have in our family.

A birthday serenade by cousins Ashley and Callie.

Opening gifts with Aunt Jenny.

Checking out the birthday loot with KK and Calahan.

Chris's Surprise Birthday Gift

Most of you reading this have probably pulled off multiple "surprise" gifts for your better half. You know, giving a gift that was genuinely unanticipated AND that completely exceeded your darling's expectations. Until about a month ago, that experience had completely alluded me.

It wasn't for a lack of trying. Just this past Christmas I thought I could pull off such a gift. I had Chris's old Cannondale bike that he loved, but hadn't ridden in years completely re-done. He was happy about the gift on Christmas morning, but not surprised. Not only did I leave the receipt from the bike shop in his car, but I also gave a lame response when he asked me if I knew where his bike was and if I thought someone had stolen it out of our garage (I guess men have a sense for knowing when one item in a garage full of stuff is missing).

Anyway, a few days before his birthday, Chris said "hey, let's watch this episode of Modern Family together... it may have a birthday hint." So, we parked ourselves on the couch and laughed out loud at the geeky dad, Phil Dunphy, wanting nothing more for his birthday than an Apple iPad and the rest of his family jumping through hoops trying to get it for him.

After the episode, I said something like "too bad the iPad doesn't come out until June." Chris quickly corrected me and said "it comes out Saturday (as in like four days)." As the wife of an early adopter, I should know things like the exact release dates of new apple products. The conversation then moved on, both of us knowing that as cool as an iPad is, it wasn't in our budget.

Later that night I got an idea -- I would ask family members who usually get Chris a present if they would want to contribute to the iPad cause. With enough takers, Chris' dream gadget would fit into the birthday budget.

I did get enough takers, but I failed to realize that the early ordering deadline had passed. There was NO way to guarantee delivery or pick up of the iPad before Chris' birthday. Argh. And there was no way I had hours to dedicate to standing in line in the hopes of possibly getting one.

My only hope for a successful surprise birthday gift was to drop by the Apple store early on Saturday morning, the day the iPads were released. So after picking up my cousin Whitney from the airport, we did just that.

The line was at least a couple of hundred yards long and we got in the back of it, time 8:55 am. Then, we noticed another line and realized that we were in the wrong line -- we were in the reservation line and didn't have a reservation. So, reluctantly we joined the "other line" of hopefuls who didn't make a reservation, time 9:05 am. After learning that our estimated wait to get into the store was 3-4 hours (only one person would be admitted from our line for every 10 people from the reservations line), we were about to leave. And then an angel came to the back of the line, time 9:10,

This angel was in the form of a young teenage boy and a couple of his buddies. Turns out that these boys got to the store before the crack of dawn and held places #10-#12 in the line. They offered to sell us spot #10 for $20. Before I said "done deal," I heard Chris' voice in my head "always negotiate." And so I offered them $10 and they said "done." We swapped places in line with the teenage boys and were in the store by 9:15 am. Whitney and Crewe were interviewed by the local ABC affiliate while I finalized the purchase and we were on the road by 9:30 am!

To an early adopter, timing is everything. So, even though it was three days before his actual birthday, we decided to give Chris his gift that night... over dinner with the family at one of our favorite pizza places.

Suffice it to say... Chris was genuinely excited AND surprised! We faked him out with a few other "ipads" in the process of unwrapping the real thing.

Happy Birthday, Darling, from all of us!

Cal's Happy Birthday

According to Cal, he had a "fun happy, happy birthday!"

"I'm three!"

Started the morning with a big-boy haircut.
Then, off to the train park. Cal's wish was to ride in the "red freight car..."
...with the other kiddos.
On to the merry-go-round after the train.
The horses are overrated -- the carriage is the way to go!

Then the highlights... train pull-apart cupcakes.
"I want to blow out the fire again!"And playing with presents. Cal's possessive of his new
tool bench and told Crewe that he's not allowed to play with it.
If you look at the bottom of the photo, you'll see that
Crewe is "sneaking" playtime with Cal's new treasure.

Happy 3rd Birthday, Calaman!

2 weeks old

1 year old

2 years old

3 years old

Dear Cal,

We are so glad you are part of our family! From the day you arrived three years ago you have been a bundle of energy and love, taking in every moment of life and leaving us all better for it.

We love your sweet singing voice, deep belly laugh, cala-snuggles, determination, vast vocabulary, smile and desire to master new things.

May your birthday wishes come true -- cupcakes, bacon and a visit to the train park!

Love,
Mom & Dad

My Birthday and Favorite Gift

On Monday I celebrated my 35th birthday with the men in my life. It doesn't get better than spending quality time with Chris, Cal and Crewe-ton all together. These guys gave me the royal treatment, spoiling me with good food, laughs, and a little time to myself (I'm sick that we didn't get a photo of all us together).

Chris took me to lunch (sans kiddos) at this new restaurant by our house. Yum! Dinner was gourmet restaurant quality, too. Chef Chris made scrumptious scallops, couscous, and steamed artichokes. He topped it of with my favorite cake of all time - Linda's Fudge Cake from the Cheesecake Factory.
Visiting with friends who stopped by with birthday wishes and goodies like the flowers below (thanks Jen and Chelsea) and hearing from so many out-of-town friends and family rounded out a great day.
Now, on to my favorite gift. A little background...my wedding ring went missing a few months ago. We knew Cal had taken it. We just didn't know where he put it. After searching every nook and cranny we resigned ourselves to the likely fact that he flushed it down the potty.

So, I got excited when I saw this little box cutely wrapped and read the "sorry" birthday note from Calahan. Inside the box was a beautiful silver band in my incredibly hard to find size 4. It fit perfectly and I felt good knowing that my ring finger would no longer be bare. A great gift, but may favorite was still to come.

After opening the gifts from the kiddos, I popped the top on Chris's clever packaging only to find a tiny box inside.
Inside this smaller box was a wedding ring that looked a whole lot like my old one -- only more sparkly, shiny and clean. Had Chris had my one-of-kind ring that he designed especially for me re-created? Nope, it was my original wedding ring -- rhodiumed, cleaned and buffed!

Chris confessed to spending several late night nights looking for the ring after the rest of us were fast asleep. He finally found it just three days before my b-day. Getting my original ring back in mint condition was my favorite gift. Thanks, CJ!

Look Who's One!

Happy Birthday, Crewe! What an incredible journey this last year has been with our Crewe-ton. There's no way we could have imagined the amount of joy, light, and peace this little guy would bring into our lives in such a short time.

Crewe has come a long way from his complicated delivery, maze of tubes, and soundless months. We are so proud of the way he has handled his multiple procedures, dealt with food deprivation (for anesthesia), and endured literally thousands of suctioning sessions. Through it all Crewe has kept a smile on his face. We have certainly seen and still see the hand of the Lord in his life and our lives. His hand often appears through the kind prayers, words of support, and selfless service of others.

Crewe is a happy, go-lucky kinda of guy, and that's the kind of birthday celebration he had. After extra loves and attention in the morning (he never gets enough because he's just so low mantainence and doesn't demand anything), we took him to see the ducks and have lunch at a Mexican restaurant near our house. Later we followed up with gifts and cupcakes with soy frosting (darn that milk allergy).






Crewe loved the tissue and wrapping paper as much (if not more than) the gifts themselves.

Oh how Cal loves to "help" his little brother.

Life is good when you can have cupcakes with Dad.

Two Years Old and Mr. Independent

Our little Cal is not so little anymore. He officially turned two on Sunday and has let us know that he likes to do things his way! Grammy came into town for the big day and we had a great time celebrating together on Saturday. Cal got to choose the agenda. In his words it was "choo-choo" (Train Park in Scottsdale), "mmmm...good" (Chick-fil-A), "pool" (swimming at home), and "cupcakes" (no translation required).

Here's a look at our day:

Cal was so exhausted and hot (think it got to 103 on Saturday) that he fell asleep on the way to lunch at Chic-fil-A (hence the lovely bed head in the Chick-fil-A photo)
That evening we opened gifts. Cal was so excited about his little tikes car that he couldn't wait for Chris to put it together before trying it out. Without any prompting at all he found he steering wheel, placed it in the correct hole, sat in the car and started saying "beep, beep."