Happy Birthday, Caleb

I have the privilege of raising one of the finest boys who God has ever created. Caleb, my first born son, is 5 today. Five. Five. Even as I say it, I can hardly believe I have a five year old. Wow.

What a tremendous five years it has been. Before Caleb was born, I knew his life was marked for greatness. We specifically named him Caleb after the one in the Bible because we love that Bible Caleb lived life with eyes of faith. When everyone else saw giants in the land, Caleb (and Joshua) trusted in the Lord and knew He was more than enough for any battle.

As my first child, I had absolutely no idea what I was doing with this boy. Becoming a mom was a lifelong dream of mine and I was so grateful God had fulfilled that dream so early in my life, but I was so clueless. I had read tons of books, taken classes, etc, yet I was still so clueless.

Fortunately, God gave me a treasure of a son who would graciously help me navigate unfamiliar territory. Just a few weeks ago, I was apologizing to my children for completely blowing it as a mom (it was an ugly moment), Caleb simply replied, "It's ok, Mom, we all make mistakes." Gracious.

Caleb is such a wonderful combination between so strong and mighty yet so tender and sweet. In one moment, he will be wrestling Brett, showing off his muscles, trying new ninja tricks. Then, in the next moment, he will say to his brother (in a baby voice), "Pookers, you're so cute. I love you." I love that he is 100% all boy yet sweeter than sugar. That is a unique blend, and I thank Jesus so much for my awesome boy.

Caleb is a great pacesetter for our family. He is considerate of his younger siblings....except if Chloe beats him at something. That boy is so super competitive that he does not like to lose anything: if Chloe gets to the bottom of the stairs before him, he gets so mad he lost (when, really, it was not even a race). Competition aside, he is so thoughtful of the younger two.

Caleb and Luke share a room. Caleb constantly is making him laugh and giving him toys. He is seriously so cute with his baby brother.

Caleb is fiercely protective. He does not let anyone near his brother and defends Chloe to the hilt. Caleb does like to get Chloe in trouble, but if she gets herself in trouble, he tries to get her out of it. It's quite endearing.

Caleb has an amazing memory. He can remember minute details that happened to him as a toddler. He remembers people's homes, what parks have which slides, who has what toys. My love of purging toys is an issue because he can remember a random toy he had two years ago. I am often shocked at the details he remembers. A few weeks ago, he talked about a gift I bought Brett over a year ago....that I took back the next day!! I did not even remember what I had bought.

Caleb loves to learn. He often asks me if we can homeschool. He always wants to do science. I love when he asks, "Mom, can we homeschool? Like some science or something?" (He ends a lot of his sentences with "or something")

When we compliment Caleb (he LOVES to be complimented), he always says (very softly and sweetly), "Oh". It is so simple yet one of those words that will forever remind me of my boy.

Caleb has some great leadership qualities, but he also gleans from others. He likes to mimic traits in his friends. His friend, Grace, often says, "Of course" when answering a question. Caleb picked up on that, and it is so darn cute. His friend, Joel, wears rain boots a lot. Caleb's cousin sent him some rain boots, and Caleb was so excited to get boots like Joel.

Caleb used to be fairly shy and reserved, but he has broken out of that quite a bit. He goes into childcare situations with ease. He makes friends easily at the park. He acknowledges strangers.

I shamelessly adore my boy. He is the best!! Caleb, for the most part, has been an easy child to raise. Like all children, he has his moments, but overall, I am so thankful for how smooth his first five years have been. I would not classify him as compliant, yet he is good natured.

I still cannot believe that five years ago, I became a mother. I wish, more than anything, I could slow the time down. Yet, at the same time, I love watching each of my kids grow and change and become the people God created them to be. I am so excited about their futures, yet they are just so darn cute and fun that I would love if they stayed little forever. Plus, I kinda like that Brett and I are their absolute favorite people on the planet. That is a really good feeling.

Happy birthday, cool Caleb (he likes to be called cool). I cannot thank God enough for giving me such an amazing child.