July 9

Today our Brown Bear turns 2.

How is that possible?

I'm struggling to write this post, because there are so many things I want to say, but I'm not sure how to say them, or in what order, or with what words. This time two years ago, I felt blessed beyond belief. I was awestruck at the miracle of life - that God had created this tiny little person inside of me. I remember being distinctly aware of the fact that Chris and I could in no way take credit for creating that pink, squirmy, wrinkly little bundle of perfection.

A year ago, I was amazed at what a great gift God had given us in Caleb. Today, I feel that miracle even more. Caleb is growing into a pretty fantastic little boy. He is handsome, bright, funny, loving, and kind. Chris and I spend a lot of time trying to be good parents, but I know that we are only responsible for Caleb's awesomeness in a very small way. God gave us a tiny gift two years ago, and the best we can do is to pray for him, try not to ruin him, and lead him in the paths he should go.

My prayer for Caleb has always been that he would grow into a man like his namesake, a man who followed God wholeheartedly, even when everyone around him was terrified. Today, I continue to pray that, and that Chris and I can raise him to be a man of confidence and character, a man who knows God's will and follows hard after it. 

But first we have to get through the terrible twos.

We celebrated Caleb's birthday with 8 hours in the car, heading to my grandparents' home in Storm Lake, Iowa. Midway through the drive, we stopped for breakfast in a park. There, we discovered Caleb's first birthday treat: 

They were doing construction in the park.

Luckily, today was Saturday and no one was working, so Caleb got to explore all of the machines. It probably wasn't safe or legal or a good idea to pop Caleb up on a random piece of machinery like that, but fun decisions aren't always good decisions.

Miss Daisy looked on longingly. Maybe next year she'll get to sit on the diggers.

I know this isn't the best photo, but it's a milestone. During the drive, we noticed that Daisy was reaching out and grabbing her ugly man toy. It's the first time she's intentionally grabbed something with her hands, and we were pretty excited!

We finally arrived at our destination. Grandpa had arranged for really nice hotel rooms overlooking the lake for the whole family. Caleb was really pleased with his lake view!

At the birthday party, Caleb got to "drive" Great-grandpa's truck. Though he doesn't look it in the photo, he was quite happy.

Piggy back rides with Daddy are one of Caleb's new favorite things.

Though it was technically my great-grandpa's birthday party, I didn't think anyone would mind if we had a little cupcake for Caleb, too.

Happy Birthday, Caleb!

He's much better at cupcake-eating this year than he was last year.

The whole family! I can't think of a better birthday gift for Caleb than to have four generations of family together.

Well, maybe his own tractor would be a better gift. But that isn't going to happen anytime soon.