Caleb is getting older. 

And with age comes... fears.

Or maybe that's just something I've noticed.  When Caleb was younger, I think he used to have the occasional nightmare.  About something scary... like not being able to find his paci in the middle of the night!

But yesterday... it got real.

We passed a big milestone.

Fear of GHOSTS!

We were watching a little TV before bed and settled on Scooy Doo (because Caleb thinks he's funny).  This is not just a story about an adorable little boy... it's about a not terribly smart mother.  Because seriously, what mother thinks letting her 2 year old watch Scooby-Doo before bed is a GOOD idea?

Anywho, we watched our half hour of TV to calm down before bed... and that backfired terribly.

Next thing I know, Caleb tells me "MomMom, I so scared.  I SO scared of ghost."  And then he'd kind of hug himself and look really pitiful.

And THEN he'd snuggle on my lap.  Which was kind of awesome. 

Anywho, the whole way through getting him ready for bed, he kept telling me how he was so scared of ghosts.  Which I have to admit freaked me out a little b/c I keep seeing those scary movie previews where the kids tell the parents about the ghosts and the parents can't see them and then the ghosts kill everyone!

Hmmm... do you see where Caleb gets his imagination?

So I tried everything I knew of to get him to not be afraid of ghosts.  We practiced yelling "GO AWAY GHOST!" to scare the ghosts away.  And that didn't work.  I tried telling him that ghosts aren't really there.  That didn't work.  I tried convincing him that ghosts are just as afraid of Mickey Mouse as he is of them.  No deal.

So we ended up having to watch a half hour of Blues Clues to distract Caleb from those awful, scary ghosts!

And I'll admit, I mostly felt bad about being "Mom of the Year" and letting my son watch scary cartoons before bed.  But a teensy tiny part of me thought "I love snuggling with him... maybe I should do this more often?"

My only real regret is that I didn't catch his "MomMom, I so scared" on video.  It was pretty dang cute.

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!

There are days when I think to myself "Self... Two SUCKS!"

Examples of actions that cause me to prolaim this:

1. This weekend, I told Caleb to clean up his toys.  Caleb looked at me and said (in a very serious voice) "I NO clean up toys.  YOU clean up toys MAMA!" 

My eyebrow immediately went up (if you know me, you know exactly what I'm talking about) and I heard myself say something my own mother used to say to me, "I wasn't asking.  I'm telling you to clean up your toys."

2.  The temper tantrums.  OH the temper tantrums.  If I say "time to go home for dinner."  I get "5 minutes?" as an automatic response.  When I say "No, it's time to go."  Caleb then launches himself into crying and stomping his feet and sometimes hitting things (occasionally mama).  The stomping feet is actually kind of cute... but the hitting of Mama (or Daddy) is NOT!

3. Whining/asking the same question 50 times in a row.  Drives.  Me.  CAH-RAZY!  After the above tantrum, Caleb will proceed to whine until he manages to be distracted by something else.  And sometimes it takes like 15 minutes.  During which he will alternate asking for whatever it is that I took away AND whining when I say no.  And I cannot figure out how to get him to STOP doing this.  UGH!


And THEN there are days when I think to myself "Self... Two is AWESOME!"

Examples of actions that cause me to LOUDLY proclaim this:

1. When Caleb spontaneously runs over to me, grabs my face in his hands and gives me kiss after kiss after kiss.  Then declares "I love you SO MUCH mama!"  My heart melts...

2. Caleb has become infatuated with his Micky Mouse stuffed animal.  Micky MUST travel everywhere with us.  Caleb feeds Mickey.  Caleb hugs Mickey.  Caleb tells Mickey he's being naughty.  Sometimes he even talks for Mickey using a high pitched voice.  (I'll admit he's copying me when he does that because sometimes I "talk" for Mickey)  He also insists that I kiss Mickey goodnight and give him hugs whenever I give Caleb hugs.  I just find this incredibly adorable and sweet.

3. Potty training is almost over.  Seriously.  This is AWESOME!  Now all we have to do is train him to push down and pull up his own pants and he'll be a big boy going to the potty ALL BY HIMSELF. 

4.  He is developing quite the memory.  Sometimes this is good... sometimes this is bad.  I generally find it cute.  An example is this:  It's bedtime and Caleb will randomly suggest an activity that means NOT going to bed, like "Mom, let's watch WALL-E."  And I will say, "No it's time to go to bed."  Caleb will commence whining and crying and I'll say "If you go to sleep, we'll watch WALL-E when you wake up."  This will calm him down.  Then the next morning, as soon as I walk into his bedroom, he asks immediately "Watch WALL-E?"  And since he reminds me about WALL-E... I have to fulfill that promise.  Now I just have to watch what I promise because he actually REMEMBERS.  What a little man.

5.  He loves to "help".  As a parent, I constantly try to remind myself that this is good, even when it adds an extra 15 minutes to a 10 minute project.  Then again, he only likes to "help" when HE wants to help, not when I ask him to.  But it's still fun to see him take an interest in activities.  Next step, giving him his own chores (like feeding the dog).

6.  He spontaneously says things that are incredibly appropriate.  In the past, much of what Caleb would say was just parroting Chris or I.  But somedays he will say just the right thing at just the right moment.  And I realize he "gets it".  An example:  We were at the aquarium looking at the Jelly Fish exhibit.  The first tank we went up to, he looked at the jelly fish gently moving through the water and said "Ooooooo, bootiful!  Mama, ees bootiful!"  And I got tears in my eyes because golly garsh, he is just growing up!

I guess that in general, the good outweighs the bad.  He is getting bigger.  He is learning so much.  He is getting SUCH a personality.  And so far, his personality is loving, caring, and sweet.  But it's also demanding, loud, boisterous, happy and sometimes lazy.  I can't wait to watch him grow up more and see this personality continue to bloom. 

Thank heaven for little boys!

Sometimes... when my darling, sweet, 2 year old is driving me nuts (like seriously nuts) I write craigslist ads in my head.  Because you can sell anything on craigslist right?  Today, my craigslist ad went something like this:

Small child, freed to good home!  Like NEW!  Just got him about 2.5 years ago, but he's in great shape almost housebroken!  He's totally adorable (most of the time).  AND he's a total chick magnet (for all you single guys out there).  I love this little guy and I would LOVE to keep him, but he has one bad habit that I can't deal with for another second.  INCESSANT WHINING.  If you like annoying high pitched noises, this kid is the one for you!  Please, no spam.  Serious offers only.  Will include bed and toys.

OK.  That might be a bit harsh.  I love my son.  I want him to stay around forever.  And by forever I mean until he's 18.  And then he should go to college or get a job. 

But on days like today when I swear he'd whine just because I was breathing, the only way for me to keep my sanity is to make jokes like the one above.  As the night progresses and he gets even crankier, I just keep editing my craigslist ad.  And it makes me laugh.  Which keeps me sane.

So it's a win/win for all of us.  At least that's what I tell myself.

Now that you think I'm a bad mom, here are some new photos of the family. 

We went to Minneopa Falls on Sunday to go hiking.  Sunday was a great day.  It was one of those days that when you remember it, it's all sunny and glowing and perfect.  We went hiking.  I took my camera and got lots of photos.  Caleb played in the dirt.  And threw rocks in the creek.  And said declared "BIG SPASH!" every single time the rock splashed (even if it barely rippled the surface of the water).  And we looked at the fish (some seriously HUGE fish).  And threw rocks and sand at the fish (he's got horrible aim, so no fish were hurt... just in case you were worried). 

It was just one of those fun family outings that I could do over and over and over again.

And now Mineopa Falls is cemented in my memory as a magical place where whining doesn't happen.  We must go there every weekend :)

Anywho, here are the photos.  Hopefully you have as much fun looking at them as I had taking them :)

In the past couple of months, it feels like my baby boy has turned into a little man.  We're hitting some very important milestones!

1. We're about 90% potty trained.  We still use diapers for naps and night time.  And occasionally when we're going someplace new and exciting, where he'll be too busy to bother going to the potty.  BUT the rest of the time, he wears his big boy underwear and does REALLY WELL!  As a mama, this is super duper exciting.

2. He's talking up a storm!  And it makes sense!  And he doesn't just parrot us anymore, he comes up with his own sentences and thoughts and shares them with us.  Like yesterday, I put his dinner in front of him and asked him to take a bite with his spoon.  He looks at me and says, "No spoon mom, I use my fingers."  Or last weekend, I went out for a run while he was watching a little TV in the morning with Dad.  When his show was over, he looks at his dad and says "You stay here Dad, I go find mom!"  And then he put his hands in his superman pose (one extended, one bent) and went "Pssshhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh" and pretended to fly around looking for me.  Every day becomes a delight as I get to know my son better and better.

3. His imagination is budding and growing and never ceases to amaze me.  I was one imaginative kid, and I like to tell myself that he takes after his mom... but I think he might even have me beat.  The other day he handed me a piece of wooden train track, yelled "HI-YA!" and started "fencing" with me using his own piece of train track.  He just sees things and makes them into something new.  I LOVE that his mind is so creative.

In general, I kind of love this age.  I feel like I'm getting to know him as a whole new person.  He is becoming more independent (some days).  He knows what HE wants (and isn't afraid to tell me).  And he gets quite upset when he doesn't understand why he can't have what  he wants.  It's been a fun and challenging age.  As a mom, it makes me both look forward to him getting older AND at the exact same time, I dread it too.  I love seeing him grow up.  But I also miss my sweet, snuggly, delicious smelling, little baby. 

But more than anything, I just can't wait to see what kind of boy (and eventually man) my son grows up to be.

But for now, here is a little video of my musical son.  All this growing up has made me sentimental, so I thought I'd share a video taken back in February.  He was obsessed with his harmonica.  And making music in general.  So here is my little boy and his harmonica. 

And I've been seriously absent from this blog.


My apologies.  It's not due to lack of material.  It's due to lack of time.  Between surgery and work and moving Chris to St. Paul and work and decorating his apartment and work... life has been hectic.

But I'm going to try hard to post all those missed moments in the upcoming weeks.  There is so much to cover.  Videos to post.  Pictures to share.  Life has been documented, just not shared.  And it's time to share.


BUT.  Before that, let's just discuss today.

Today's high temp was 59 degrees.  FIFTY NINE DEGREES!  Where did summer go?!?!?

And tonight it's supposed to get to 22 degrees! 

What.  The.  Eff.

I am SOOOO not ready for fall... and for that nasty white flaky stuff that comes with the season after that.  Shhhhhh.. don't say the word.  If we don't talk about it, maybe it won't actually come.

Yes, I know I'm delusional.  But I seriusly do not want winter to come.  This summer went by faster than Lightening McQueen and I'm so not ready to be thrown back into a MN winter.

So, to celebrate our last few days of warmth, Caleb and I headed out to the backyard for a little pantsless fun (just him, I was wearing pants).  Why no pants?  Well... because he had a pee accident and I didn't want to put another pair of pants on him.  Just undies.  And it was warm enough to do that.  So there.

I took lots of photos so in a few months, when the snow is up to the windows, I can pull up those photos and try to remember the warmth and the sun from that beautiful day.  And the happy little boy that goes along with all that time outside.

Enjoy this little sample.

I don't think I've addressed this on the blog yet, but I have a new nanny!

Cami moved back up to the cities to pursue work in the medical world and as she is planning on one day being a nurse, this makes sense to me!

So the same week Chris came home, our new nanny started work.

Her name is Heather and she is awesome. AWESOME!

From the day she and Caleb first started hanging out together, they've been peas in a pod.  He has been totally comfortable with her and I swear he doesn't even care when I go to work anymore. 

He's all "bye mom!  leave me alone now!"  And I'm already having flashes ahead to when he'll tell me I can't give him kisses when I drop him off at school...

But, thank God, this has been an incredibly easy transition for us.  And I give her all the credit.  She's just calm and casual about everything.  She's like a little piece of Zen in my otherwise very hectic world.

And did I mention she's a budding photographer?  Maybe budding is the wrong word, she's starting to do photography professionally, so she's pretty darn good at it.

She used Caleb as her "model" and came back with some OUTSTANDING photos!  I mean my jaw literally dropped to my knees when I saw the images.  I was so impressed.

Thus, I have declared myself a hiring genius.  Not only did I find an excellent nanny, but she comes with camera and photo editing awesomeness!

*sigh*  Now we just have to keep her talent somewhat secret so she doesn't run out and become so popular that she no longer wants the nanny job...

Please note, all these photos are the property of the photographer and should not be copied, printed, or otherwise used without her written permission.

In case you didn't know, CHEMO IS OVER!

This past weekend was a bit of a celebration in the Ericson household.  Caleb and I lived it up.  We enjoyed the many joys of summer.  Like playing in the rain.  And lots and lots of bubbles. 

And of course, the ONE thing that truly defines summer... ice cream.

Caleb got his very own ice cream cone.  Did he enjoy it? 

I think this picture speaks for itself.

And then Saturday... we drove over to a neighboring town and enjoyed their little festival. 

Well... we enjoyed the very early parts of it (which didn't involve much) because the festival didn't really kick off until 11 or noon... and we got there at 10:15.  When your son wakes up at 5:30, you tend to be "morning people".  If only the rest of the world was up and at 'em as early as we are :)

Anywho, when we were there, the only things to do were to play in the park, enjoy a very small petting zoo aaaaannnnndddddd....

RIDE A PONY!!!!!

This was the very first time Caleb has ridden a pony.  Well, unless you count Bruiser... who IS the size of a very small pony.

Caleb loved it.  I was one proud mama.  Normally, when trying something new, he needs to have his mama right by his side.  But for this activity, he was brave and rode that horse all by himself while I applauded and encouraged from the side lines. 

He smiled the whole time... well the whole time that he wasn't yelling "giddup!  Giddyup Horsey!"  Apparently he says the same thing whenever he crawls all over Bruiser :)

But again, this photo just says it all.

We've had alot of rain this summer.

Alot. 

Just in case you've missed the news for the past 2 months about all that flooding :)

But most of the rain hasn't been warm enough for me to introduce Caleb to the joys of playing in the rain. 

Some of my favorite childhood memories involve playing outside in a warm summer shower.  And to be honest, the kid in me STILL loves playing in the rain.  So this weekend, I took him out and showed him the ropes... and I still can't say who had more fun, me or him :)

After the rain was over, I broke out the camera and got some photos of Caleb splashing in the many, many puddles that were on our street. 

At the end, our clothes were soaked through and we were pretty dirty, but we were exhausted and happy.  I can't wait until we have another warm summer rain so we can get back out there and splash some more!

This weekend was full of fun.

One of my favorite moments was when Caleb discovered a nerf gun in Daddy's office.  That gun provided us with almost a full hour of entertainment.  As any parent of a 2 year old will tell you, that is a minor miracle.

However, with how often he shot myself and Bruiser, I won't be letting him near any real guns anytime soon.  You hear that Papa?  No BB guns!

We spent most of the hour walking around the house shooting things.  My job was to pull back on the "hammer" of the gun (it was too hard for Caleb to do it).  Then Caleb would load the little foam dart, point at just about anything (Mom, Bru, wall, ceiling, door... anything) pull the trigger and yell "GOT YOU!" regardless of if he actually hit his target or not.

It was pretty cute :)

And THEN he decided to hide in the pillows on our guest room bed.  And laugh when he shot anything because he "hide". 

Here is a photo of my adorable little spy guy.