I can't believe it's been 3 weeks since my last post.  Feels like it was just a week ago.  Time flies when you have a 2 year old, 2 separate homes (Mankato and St. Paul), a dog, a full time and currently demanding job AND you're on the hunt for a new nanny.

Phew.

I get tired just thinking about all of it!

Anywho, it's been a busy 3 weeks.  I went to San Francisco for a girls weekend (Girl-a-palooza 2011) so Caleb got to spend some serious time with the Ericson clan down in Hawarden. 

I think he enjoyed it. 

Upside:  he loves me ALOT when he gets home.  He's all sweet and cuddly and gives me hugs and kisses all the time and tells me "Mama, I wuv you SOOOO much."

Downside:  We have to de-Ericson-itize him.  What is that?  Well he picks up a few habits when he's down in Iowa.  Here they are (and you know this is true papa!).

1. He is all revved up from a testosterone overload!  When Caleb goes to Iowa, he's surrounded by boys.  Papa, Uncle Nathaniel, Uncle Trevor, the 4 neighbor boys that come over all the time.  And they're not boys that sit around and write poetry or do art.  No.  They play football and wrestle and play bloody knuckles, etc.  So when Caleb gets home, we have to have the "hitting is NOT nice" talk about a bajillion times. 

2. Candy!  I'm a sweets addict, so I blame myself in part for this.  My son L-O-V-E-S candy.  Since coming back from Iowa, he's asked me for candy almost every single time he sees me.  Still not sure if this is all my fault... or if he might've gotten a sugar overload during his trip.  So for now, I'll just blame the grandparents :)

3. New (old) toys.  Every time Caleb comes home, he has one of his Daddy's old toys with him.  I'm not kidding.  Dawn keeps all toys that are in good condition.  Apparently they made toys sturdier back in the 80s.  Because I keep hearing Chris' exclaim "hey, I remember that toy!" when Caleb pulls out the toy boxes.  Not complaining... I just find this funny.  This trip, Caleb brought home a car/transformer/robot thingy.  LOVES it.  Sleeps with it every night.  Until his next trip when he'll find a new (old) toy.

4. He is LIPPY!  Papa claims Caleb is an angel.  He never says anything wrong.  He is never mean.  He is just full of love.  Yeah... suuuuuuure.  Maybe for you Papa, but yesterday, after I scolded him for hitting me, he told me "GET OUT OF MY HOUSE NOW!"  He's definitely got a bit of a 'tude this week.

Thus, we have to de-ericson-ize Caleb.  I'd call it de-grandparent-ize... but I think some of it might be directly due to his Aunt and Uncles as well :)

Grandma and Papa and the rest of the gang, I'm not complaining.  I love that Caleb can come visit.  I love that he LOVES coming to see you all.  It's great being able to have you there to help take care of him and to know that when I'm gone... he probably won't even really miss me.

De-Ericson-izing I'm sure will become a time honored tradition in our household... I already find it pretty entertaining (and only sometimes frustrating).  For now, the hugs and loves and kisses I get when he gets back home are more than enough payment for any "behavior adjustments" that we have to do. 

And then there are sweet little things that I think he picks up from you too.  Like on his first night back, I was getting him ready for bed, and I asked him for a kiss.  When he puckered up, I gave him a big kiss complete with an audible "MWAH!"

He said "No Mom... little kiss. LITTLE kiss." And proceeded to give me a teensy, tiny, light kiss.  It was SO CUTE!  Keep teaching him stuff like that and he can come visit any day ;)

In honor of the Iowa Ericsons AND the fact that it's Daddy's birthday, here are some really old photos from Caleb's 2nd Birthday party.  The whole crew came up from Iowa, bringing gifts and cake and food with them (AWESOME) and we threw an all nighter at a local hotel.  And by all nighter, I mean we were all in bed by 8:30.  It was awesome.

So thanks again to the Ericson crew.  We love you. 

And Happy 30th Birthday Daddy!  We wuv you!