To everyone out there, Caleb wants to tell you Happy Valentine’s Day!
Listen to my Smart Guy Talk
Some of you visiting this site have never met Caleb, some of you met him before he could speak or before he spoke this much so here’s a couple of clips of him talking. The video quality is not the greatest since my goal was mainly to record his voice, but until I come up with a better method this what you get. The video with the cars is very deserving of a visual aide so I guess this will do for now.
Saying Our Names:
Caleb’s teacher at Montessori school, Ms. Brit taught him how to clearly say his name as well as mine and Aimee’s first and last names. His teacher says he is a very quick learner so hopefully that will play to our advantage when he starts potty training.
Name that car:
Christmas Fun, Bourbon Distilleries, Water Beads, New Haircuts, and Storage
The MeddersNation has hit the new year feet first people and I have not had time to get these photos online, it’s the downside to having a basic Internet Service Provider and the new camera makes some large files that take longer to upload. Sure, I know I could resize the files, but that takes more time!
Aimee is back in school and has her hands full with classes 5 days a week. Caleb started a new school called Montessori and is learning lots, like we live on Earth or erf as he calls it.
Here’s a quick rundown of what’s been uploaded tonight.
Christmas fun:
We had several get-togethers and for the first time, had the Barzee Crazy Christmas at our house. It wasn’t quite a standing room only situation, but the house was packed to say the least. Packed house with Barzee’s = fun times!
Bourbon Distilleries:
Tim’s father in-law was in town around the 1st week of January and he’s a fan of Rye whiskey so we set out to taste some bourbon. First stop was Four Roses, then Wild Turkey, and Woodford Reserve with a little snow to top it off. Wild Turkey had a very nice special blend that caught my taste buds and their new facility which opened in 2011 was pretty fancy too. Our guide was a little spontaneous and took us inside the barreling warehouse despite the fact that it was supposed to be locked up that day.
Water Beads:
That’s right, the beads typically used to keep plants hydrated are also fitting as a sensory project for kids. What better place for Caleb to play with these tiny balls of water than in the table daddy built for him just for special projects like this one. All of us spent time with this project and Caleb clearly enjoyed sifting his hands through the moist container of colorful beads.
New Haircut:
Caleb got a haircut this week. His curls are still present though very short, you can tell they aren’t ready to give up yet. I’ve been told his curls grow out the more you cut them. He’s been doing very well lately. He started a new school with a solid learning environment and his teachers told me today that he is far more advanced than his peers. He speaks so clearly and very often! We’re going to try to get some audio clips online soon so you can hear how much he’s progressed since you last saw him.
We thought of some words he has a hard time saying that we tend to favor, because they sound so cute! Here’s a few that I can think of now.
- Ketchup = sounds like; cats-a-cup
- Elevator = sounds like; alligator
- Vitamin = sounds like; money – he’s way off on this one and if prompted slowly can say it, but otherwise it’s money!
Storage:
Last, but not least is the storage area Tim helped me add to the storm shelter under our front porch. The space is accessed from the basement, but does not actually count as square footage for listing purposes though it is quite large. The shelves are 16 feet long and 2 feet deep and were made to hold a few plastic totes we have and holiday decorations. Thanks Tim! I did a little before and after shots and tried my best to get the camera in the same spot for each shot since I couldn’t leave it in there while we were working.
December Update: Yes, We’re Still Alive!
It’s been a busy time for me lately; at work, school, and church activities so I’m sorry it’s been a while since my last post.
The Medders Nation is doing very well just so you know. Aimee finished her school semester maintaining a 4.0 GPA, and Caleb is talking and running around faster than we can keep up sometimes. We had a nice get together with Aimee’s family for Thanksgiving at John and Beth’s house where Caleb got to play with a bunch of his cousins.
On a sad note, the other day I sold my amazing smartphone that I owned for almost 2 years. The HTC HD2 was the best phone I ever had, but I got a great price for it and if I waited any longer it might not have been the case, so there is my upside. Sorry to mention my phone in this post, but those of you reading this probably know I’m very passionate about phones.
We bought a new camera on Black Friday so we can capture Caleb’s moments in better quality to share with you. The camera is a Canon Rebel T3 DSLR and performs far better than our previous point and shoot, pocket camera. Included below are some single shots and a slideshow of pics from this week.
This week I provided technical support for a workshop at our most capable conference room on base at the General Patton Museum and captured a couple pics while I was there. I brought our camera to work that day, because there was a rumor Kid Rock might make an appear at the Meals for Soldiers event also happening at the museum. Unfortunately, the rock star was a no-show, but it was fun to spread the rumor and the excitement was welcomed among the museum staff.
Also check out the cool soap stone ice cubes I bought online. These are great for chilling bourbon without watering down the grand flavor of a good drink (Basil Hayden in this case). The stones get rinsed after each use and then stored in the freezer. Want to keep your drink warm? Toss a couple in the microwave for 30 seconds and BAM! Keeps your drink warm. That’s awesome!
This weekend we are headed to French Lick to stay in a hotel with an indoor water park for some summer-like fun. This town has a deep history with some beautiful buildings and we are also expecting the Christmas decorations to be pretty cheerful.
I hope everyone is doing well. On a side note, I am pleased to announce my younger sister found out recently that they are expecting a baby girl next summer. Congrats, Francisco, Rebecca, and Isabella! We can’t wait to meet her!