Wanted Cowboy!!!

Hello all!! Yes, we are still alive. I've been trying for about the past week now to post an update and we are having computer troubles AGAIN. I hate viruses. I think once you have one you must be prone to getting them again or something but they are nasty. I barely got the pictures uploaded this morning before I left for work and then the computer froze so I'm just going to finish this post while I'm at work here.

We have been so busy and having so much fun now that the weather is at least nice enough to be outside. Softball has of course started for Josh and we have made it to a few of his games. Caleb loves to just run around at the ballparks. He walks right into the dugout and takes the guys softballs to play with and trys to grab the bats off the fence too and gets real mad when I tell him he can't have them. I'm afraid he's going to be just like his daddy wanting nothing more than to spend his time at the ball fields.

Josh and I celebrated our 4th anniversary last weekend in Milwaukee. We had a blast and found out that traveling with very little plans is the way to go. The only thing we had planned was the Brewer game on Saturday night. Other than that, we did our own thing and it was so relaxing. We got going later than planned on Friday night as we had to get home from work, pack, do a few chores around the house before leaving and then drop Caleb off at Josh's parents. We left their house around 7:00pm and our goal was to make it to Madison and stay there. Well, we didn't even make it to WI Dells. We stopped off at some casino in Black River Falls (I think) for a while. Won some money right away and no more than a 1/2 hour later (maybe even sooner) it was all gone and then some. So needless to say, my husband made me get off the slot machines and we grabbed a quick bite to eat and headed back on the road for a few more miles. We ended up staying in some cute hotel in Mausten (sp???) or something like that. Saturday morning we slept in, took our time and didn't get going to Milwaukee until about 11:00am. Once we arrived, we really didn't know what to do or where we were going so we stopped off at the visitors center. Little did we know, the brewery was right there. So........we took the tour and got our free beers. We hadn't eaten yet all day so you can imagine how I was feeling after my 3 free ones. By the time we were done there it was already 3:00pm and Josh wanted to get to the stadium to watch batting practice and stuff. Well, we had really good seats in the second row right off the first base/right field line and I was determined to get an autograph for Caleb. So before we went to the stadium I had Josh driving all over Milwaukee and areas outside Milwaukee looking for a target or walmart or something. You wouldn't think one would be so hard to find but I guess in that area there aren't many around. We finally found a target after driving around for over a 1/2 hour. We ran in, bought a baseball and a sharpie and back on the road we went. By that time, we got stuck in the stadium traffic so it took us a little longer to get there. Even though he didn't say anything, I know Josh was irritated with me for taking him on a journey to find a baseball and a marker. All I could think about was having the opportunity to get an autograph which doesn't come around often and not having anything to get one on. Once we were finally there we

were both starving so we grabbed a bite to eat then we found our seats and by that time the Astros were taking batting practice so we watched that and just hung out. The miller stadium is something to see if you've never been there. Pretty cool place!! It wasn't long after that the Brewers players started to come out on the field. Of course their were tons of kids hanging over the railing calling out their names in hope that one of them would come and autograph something for them. We were sitting in our seats and I handed Josh the ball and sharpie and told him here's your chance, go get an autograph for your son. He held onto it for a while and finally told me that he wasn't good at that stuff and told me to go and try. I couldn't believe it. He had an opportunity to get that close to a player and he didn't want to do it. So, a bunch of "excuse me's" later, I had made it as close as I was gonna get and what do ya know.........one of the players put his bat down and came over to sign autographs. So here's me, the crazy mom in the middle of all these young kids holding out my baseball for him to sign. He smiled as he signed and I told him it was for my son. When I got back to my seat, Josh asked me if I even knew who the guy was and of course I didn't. Does that matter anyway? Turned out to be the centerfielder Mike Cameron. I didn't care who it was, I was just determined to get at least one autograph so I thought I did pretty good. I think my husband was proud of me too!! After the game, we went and hung out at a local bar for a while and then went to find our hotel we were staying at a little outside Milwaukee. Sunday morning, we again took our time getting going. We stopped just outside of Madison for lunch and went shopping at some outlet mall. That is where I found the adorable cowboy outfit and hat that Caleb has on in the pictures. He looks so cute as a little cowboy!!

He is doing so many cute things right now and is just so much fun I can't stand it. He is such a good kid, I'm just so proud to be his mama. I decided to try getting rid of his nuk out of the blue a couple days ago. He has never been one to need it all the time but he wants it when he's tired, sleeping or cuddling. I just felt that he was getting a little too attached so the other day I decided to try and lay him down for his nap without it and that went fine. Then at nightime I tried again and he was fine. The next morning, he was a little irrated as he was looking around for it in his crib and it wasn't there but I just distracted him a bit and then it was all good. At daycare that day I told his daycare provider to try naptime without it and that went well. So now he's gone a few days without it and so far so good. If only everything went that easy. His new thing is trying to repeat just about everything that comes out of our mouths. Here is his list of words he knows so far and now that I take a look at it, it's a pretty good one for a one and a half year old.

1. Ope (open)

2. Mine (everything is his these days)

3. Toy

4. No

5. Hi

6. Bye

7. Car

8. Pee (and he grabs himself when he says it)

9. Boop (poop)

10. Monkey (he puts his hands in his armpits and makes the sound a monkey makes at the same time)

11. Georgie (Curious George)

12. Owie

13. GiGi (his grandma-my mom)

14. Papa (both grandpas)

15. Mama

16. Josh (that's daddy, but he never calls him daddy. Only Josh)

17.Kelly (his aunt-my sister)

18. MiMi (his cousin Miles)

19. Ty Ty (his kitty)

20. Avery (his other kitty)

21. Teeth

22. Guak (milk)

23. Thank You

24. Eye

25. Cheese

26. Kitty

27. Puppy

28. Dot (hot)

29. Col (cold)

30. Bubbo (bubbles)

31. Book

32. Flowee (flower)

33. NiNi (night)

34. Up

35. Down

36. Guy (all his little characters are his guys)

37. Shoe

38. Ball

39. Robby(Robin his daycare lady)

40. Doing (when he wants to know what your doing)

41. And the famous........WHY?

Not a bad list for a little tike his age if you ask me. I'm so proud of him and that smile just makes my day everyday. So, I'm off to daycare to pick up my little cowboy and have a fun weekend with him. I hope everyone has a great weekend as well and thanks for still checking in with us.

Erin