You can learn a lot from a gingerbread man

I read some ground-breaking research the other day having to do with gingerbread men. It seems the way you eat a gingerbread man may better help us to understand a person's personality. For instance, according to this researcher (probably from Yale or Harvard) if you bite the head off the gingerbread man first, you likely display leadership characteristics in your work/life/family. Not the first personality characteristic I'd have imagined for a person who instinctively bites the head off a cookie, but who am I to argue with science? I didn't take the time to educate myself on any of the other points made in the article but now I wish I would have. Here's why:

After reading said research and subsequently bringing home some gingerbread men from church last week, I decided to do a quick study on my husband. I told him about the research after he bit off a ginger-leg without any hesitation or consideration for any other appendage.

A few days pass and I get a call from Caleb who informed me that rather than cut up Josiah's dinosaur-shaped chicken nuggets into tiny bite-sized pieces as is customary in our house, he'd decided to leave them whole (our baby's growing up). Caleb put six dinos on a plate and was amazed to watch as Josiah BIT THE HEADS OFF EACH AND EVERY NUGGET and then ask Caleb for more nuggets (request denied) before he'd take a bite out of any other body part!

It's a good thing I read the research or I would have been a bit concerned about the psychiatric well-being of our little budding leader! Now I am just proud. You really can learn a lot from gingerbread men it turns out.

Thanksgiving in Tucson

We are spending Thanksgiving in Tucson with the Fields this year. We have so much to be thankful for; good friends and family, a wonderful little boy who amazes us everyday and jobs and home that allow us to bless those who God places in our paths. We can't ask for too much more and are so excited each time we get a little piece of home; that is visitors to AZ! Here are some pictures of our holiday celebration so far.

We took a long weekend and are staying with Caleb's sister and our brother-in-law Patrick who are currently, albeit temporarily stationed in Tucson. It has been the best having some local relatives in AZ. They were excited to announce they will be moving to Germany in March for three years.The picture below is Patrick and his plane. Becky and Steve got a little base tour upon their arrival on Wednesday. Caleb, myself and John (Caleb's brother) arrived in time for dinner Wednesday evening. We've had plenty of food, football, fun and conversation to go around so far. What a relaxing four days we are in for!

We won't see these guys for Christmas this year so Josiah was surprised with his first Christmas gift almost as soon as we got our bags unpacked. Grandpa searched high and low for the perfect John Deer gear and Josiah was definitely a fan! What a cutie!

you may notice the monkey harness in this one: we pulled out the baby leash the other day in case I needed to use it in airports on my recent trip to WA. I didn't really end up using it, but once Josiah realized he had a monkey on his back, he wouldn't take it off. He wears it all the time. He is so funny. That is one of those memories that I hope I have documented well because I never want to forget this precious and silly stage!

We brought Shep to Tucson with us to hang out with his pal Coda. Turns out Coda is quite a talented sled dog!

Caleb smoked the Turkey on the Treager for Thanksgiving day and a brisket today. What a guy. Of course we brought the Treager to Tucson as well. Duh. Good thing we have a minivan. We were so packed full with the Treager, our bags, stroller, hiking gear, toys, etc. we barely had room for, well the adults, baby and dog.

I had a tiny role in dinner...I helped with the innards of the apple pie. Sarah did the rest, and John did most the sides. It truly was a group effort! We commented several times that there was really no stress for anyone. What a great way to spend a holiday.
Besides eating and football we managed to squeeze in a little "outdoor" time.











Tomorrow we are hiking. We also fit the hiking pack for Josiah into the car. Hard to believe there were actually a few important things we forgot including my inhaler for the cat allergy. After a rough day and a half, we finally got a replacement this morning. I am sure there will be more pictures to come from the next few days as we have a hiking trip, a Christmas card photo shoot (if I can talk the family into humoring me on this request) and a whole other family coming to stay with us on Sunday. We have much more celebrating to do!

Lion cub

I personally think we excelled in the creativity department with our safari theme for Halloween this year! We tried to get Traci to be a giraffe (she graciously participated in our family theme night for Halloween last year), but declined this year for a better party!

We mistakenly assumed Josiah would refuse to wear some or all of his costume so we bought the cheapest lion we could find. Turns out he loves it! He has worn it several times, we've had to wash between wears (which didn't go too well), and he still roars every time he sees the pictures. Maybe next year we'll splurge a little since it appears he likes dress up!

I wonder if it is really the costume he loves so much or the association it obviously has with copious amounts of chocolate.

Halloween (check)...now, on to the holiday season! Starbucks Christmas cups are back! I love this season. Even if I can't wear sweaters or drink hot cocoa or see snow gently landing on rooftops, it still feels like fall (at least when I am inside with the AC on).

The Zoo

We love the zoo! Most of our trips take us around the usual paths; the lions, tigers, monkeys. But lately we've found a new little section of the zoo that is just perfect for Si. The last two times we've been there, we haven't done anything else. A few weeks ago Si and I went with a friend and her two kids and we spent the whole time at the "farm". Turns out Si loves goats and cows just as much as he loves lions and tigers.

He also loves tractors!

This morning was "family day". It is really unfortunate that family day is rare enough to warrant a special name but between staggered work schedules and Caleb's class schedule, we have too few opportunities to hang out just the three of us! So, family day consisted of a trip to the Zoo and a lot of football on TV. Again, we spent several hours at the zoo and all of them at the farm.

It is so fun to see life through a child's eyes! Josiah is at a wonderful age as he soaks in life like a sponge. It is amazing how exciting life can be!

Si is peeking at a goat on the other side of the bench. The goat pen holds maybe 30 goats. All of them have little collars with their names and all are remarkably patient. We love the goats.

We recently brought home our first set of Little People. It is the Little People farm and matches the playground area at the Zoo Farm. It is a perfect toddler play area and Josiah is getting to be quite the expert on the slide!

Caleb was the photographer for most of Family Day Zoo Trip but luckily I snapped this quick one in the parking lot to prove he was there! We'd already changed Si's shirt because of a mud puddle, but it really was the same day. Love these guys!

I am so thankful for family days!

wanna be like Dad

It was a weekend of projects. Josiah is nothing if not ready to help! It is so fun to see this kiddo be "all about his daddy". He truly wants to do whatever Caleb is doing. Try as I might I couldn't keep him away from the tools or out of the yard while Caleb installed the new dishwasher and spread the new grass seed/steer poop. I am more sure than ever that I have bred a tiny Caleb.
I especially love this next one; he really might be the most adorable child in the world!

In AZ you have to reseed your winter lawn every fall, unfortunately that means spending the next two or more weeks with a backyard of dead grass covered in manure. That's why in one day we went from green grass to, well, the pictures that follow. 27 bags of steer manure smell like you'd assume it would. Won't be spending too much time out there in the next few weeks. Sorry to our neighbors who chose to spray paint their rocks green rather than replant grass every year.

Josiah saw this project through from beginning to end. He stayed outside and followed Caleb around the yard for hours.

Seeing my son love his daddy so much has so encouraged my own love for my husband! It has blessed me beyond words to watch Caleb become a daddy; and not just a daddy, but a truly devoted, loving, fun daddy who is involved in every aspect of Si's life. One of Caleb's pastor friends joked tonight that this sermon was the first one Caleb had preached since Josiah's birth that didn't include a story or illustration about Josiah. Thanks, Josiah for making every aspect of our lives better: just by being you!