Sammy's Superheroes!

Today we participated in an event that we've been looking forward to for awhile.  It was an event that allowed us to support some dear friends of ours while at the same time dress up as superheroes.  Is there any greater combination to be had?  There most certainly is not!

Let me explain...

Two weeks after Caleb was born, our dear friends, Pete and Angela, also had a baby boy.  His name is Sammy and he is the sweetest little darling!  Until Sammy was born, however, they were unaware that he has Down Syndrome.  He had to spend two weeks in the NICU before joining big sister Ella at home.  Because of Sammy's diagnosis, our friends began finding ways to support him and their family as a whole.  Many of the resources they discovered and subsequently began to use are from the Down Syndrome Association of Minnesota.

Which leads us to our adventure today...

Pete and Angela decided to participate in the Step Up for Down Syndrome Walk that took place in Duluth today.  They created a team for Sammy, which they brilliantly named/themed "Sammy's Superheroes", and began raising funds to support the DSAMN, which has supported them in so many ways already.  We, of course, wanted to be a part of the fun and support our friend Sammy!  We joined them and the rest of Sammy's team in Canal Park for a walk along Lake Superior this afternoon and had a blast!

Super Sammy!

Superman-themed Olsens and Batman-themed Horns

Caleb and Sammy are best buds and we are so grateful for the support the Olsens have already received through the DSAMN and other local support groups for families impacted by Down Syndrome.  We love Sammy to pieces and we praise God that he was born into the the most amazing family ever, a family that loves him and adores him and takes care of him and dresses him up in a Superman costume for the Down Syndrome Walk!

Superman: So, how's that thing with the Joker going?

Batman: [Sigh] That guy is such a pain in the butt.  He just won't leave me alone.

Superman: Tell me about it.  Lex Luther keeps finding ways to annoy me right when I'm sitting down to dinner.

Batman: How rude!  You'd think a guy could at least wait till after dinner.

Superman: Yeah, well, crime doesn't wait.  But McDonald's is open 24 hours and I've made a habit of flying through for an after-crime-fighting milkshake.  I prefer vanilla.

Batman: Hmmm, that sounds kinda good.  I could use a milkshake right about now.  My Batmobile is just around the corner, next to a red phone booth.

Superman: I know exactly where that is.  Meet you there in five.

Caleb and Sammy: A Brief History

car buddies

stroller buddies

blanket buddies

 "let me pinch your nose" buddies

superhero buddies

Moose Baby (Still)

From a couple weeks ago...

The Park

My name is Caleb Clark

and I love to play at the park.

I wiggle and giggle and coo,

and smile at the sunshine too.

Oh, and I dearly love attention,

which I thought I ought to mention,

because it works out rather well

when my mama feels compelled

to capture my lovely face

and share it on cyberspace!

Gooseberry Falls

Autumn is here!  The colors are just beginning to show and the weather is cooling down.  In other words, it's perfect weather for hiking.  We went to Gooseberry Falls over the weekend, which was packed with people since it's a popular place, but we skipped actually looking at the falls in favor of going on a road less traveled.  Our trail of choice took us to some smaller waterfalls, but mostly it simply put us in the woods.  Is there any better place to be?  Not for us.

inaugural use of the kiddo hiking backpack

family hiking extravaganza

fascinated by shadows on the bridge

"I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately, to front only the essential facts of life, and see if I could not learn what it had to teach, and not, when I came to die, discover that I had not lived."

- Henry David Thoreau

Drooly Monster

Once upon a time there was a baby named Caleb.  Caleb liked to drool.  On everything.  He liked to drool on the furniture, on the floor, and on people, including himself.  Because this baby liked to drool so much, his mama nicknamed him Drooly Monster.

This same baby also liked it very much when his mama sang to him.  His mama liked to make up silly songs because it was fun and because she sometimes got tired of singing the same songs over and over again.  So one day, when her little Drooly Monster was being particularly drooly, she made up a song about it.  That mama was brilliant and named the song "Drooly Monster" because it was about, well, her little drooly monster.  And then one day she decided to record it so she wouldn't forget all the words.  That day was today.

That drooly monster baby named Caleb was a beautiful, joyful, drooly little person and he made his mama and daddy very happy, even when he drooled all over them.  

The End.

Hiking and Vikings

The weather was absolute perfection today, so we decided to get out and explore a hiking trail we hadn't been on before.  The leaves are beginning to change color and it was refreshing to be in the middle of the woods with the quiet and serenity.  The trail followed a creek so we could hear the water as we hiked along, and then Eli spotted a bald eagle soaring through the sky.  What a beautiful way to spend a Sabbath.

Caleb was not only happy but excited to be out on the trail!  He kept smiling and cooing and giggling and kicking his legs with excitement.  He loves the great outdoors!

Eli said it best: "Between a babbling brook and a babbling baby - it's a head-to-head over which is the best sound in the world."

Then we headed home to watch the rest of the Vikings game.  Despite a disappointing loss in the last 30 seconds of the game (after watching our team come from behind to tie it up at the very end), it was fun to watch anyway.  Well, Caleb slept through the whole second half, and maybe Mama Horn dozed off for a bit too.  So, I guess I should say that Eli had fun watching the game :)   But we all wore our Vikings gear as faithful Minnesota football fans.  Go Vikings!

Visiting Daddy Horn at Work

While Eli was working a 24-hour shift at the hospital today, Caleb and I stopped by to say hi and eat supper.  We initially went for lunch but Eli was paged to deliver a baby just after we arrived.  So we had a supper date instead.  Caleb surprised his daddy by wearing his "Future Doctor" shirt for the first time.  We got it from a family friend in Michigan and I'm so excited that it finally fits him!

Our little man and I have a lot of fun while his daddy's at the hospital.  One of our favorite past times is laying on the bed and watching the ceiling fan.  This kid can't seem to get enough of it.

He also loves to roll over on his tummy.  All the time.  And then he drools.  On everything.  But we love him anyway :)

Now we're just hoping that Eli doesn't have to deliver any babies overnight so he can sleep instead and hang out with us tomorrow on his day off.  But those silly babies come whenever they want to!  Our own moose baby came at 1:14am, so I suppose I can't begrudge anyone who keeps my hubby up tonight for having a baby in the middle of night.  We'll have to wait and see.

Bedtime Stories

Start 'em while they're young.  Reading, that is.  Eli and I are bookworms and we're hoping to instill the love of reading in our son.  Someday, if our dreams come true, Caleb will dive into such worlds where The Cliffs of Insanity or The Shire dwell.  Or maybe he'll stumble through wardrobes or play a game of Quidditch.  For now, though, we're enjoying stories about daddy bears and baby bears.  Start 'em while they're young!

Four Months

We woke up to a cool and rainy autumn day in Duluth.  So what did we do?  Dressed our kid in flannel, of course!  It's flannel weather and we are sooooo excited for the fall.  Even though the summers in Duluth are cooler than most everywhere else in the country, we still love love love the cool fall weather and are gearing up by busting out our jackets, hats and shoes....and lots of flannel :)

Caleb is 4 months old today!  We took him to Eli's clinic to find out what weight class he's in, and he's a robust 17 lbs 14 oz!  No wonder my back hurts so much...

And apparently we've been giving him too many kisses lately because this is how he reacted today:

    

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We never knew our hearts could melt this much.

Moving and Grooving at Home

We've been trying to rest this week after our travels over the weekend.  This kid doesn't like to sit still very much, however.  Not anymore.  If we're holding him, he's kicking his legs and whipping his head back and forth to see everything in sight.  If we put him down, he rolls over in about two seconds and kicks, kicks, kicks.  If he's in his bouncy seat, he's kicking and bouncing and cooing.  And always, always, he is grabbing at anything within reach: toys, blankets, my skin, my hair...it's a little painful at times :)  But we love our kicking, cooing, grabbing, moving and grooving little boy!

our beautiful baby boy

He's a curious one...

...and a happy one....who's going a bit bald on the left side...

...and who still has the chunkiest cheeks we ever did see!

We just can't stop smooching those cheeks :)

Indiana

We traveled to Indiana for the holiday weekend, which included Caleb's first flight.  We were a bit nervous, particularly since we were flying in the wee hours of the morning, but our little moose was an all-star traveler. Except for one very minor fussy spell when he was hungry/tired (which was easily fixed by nursing on the plane), he was either sleeping or smiling the entire trip.  Thank You, Lord!

We ventured to Carmel, Indiana to spend time with the Small Group we were a part of in Chicago.  These people were instrumental to our time in the Windy City.  We grew deep friendships with them and were strengthened and encouraged by their love for Jesus and their love for us.  And they're incredibly fun folks, too!  We met these people just a few months after we moved to Chicago and met with them regularly for the next 4 years, and now, even though half the group has moved away from Chicago, we've made a point to stay in touch and try to see each other at least once a year.  So we headed to Indiana (where one of the couples now lives) for Labor Day weekend to fellowship with these beautiful people again.

Besides playing games and watching the guys eat the "Big Ugly" at Bub's Burgers, we had an amazing worship service together on Sunday morning.  It was a sweet time of digging into the Word of God, singing praises to our God, and praying together.  We were singing "Give Me Jesus" when Caleb created one of my favorite moments of the entire weekend.  As soon as the song ended - literally, as soon as we had sung the last word and only the sound of the guitar strings were humming in the air - Caleb cooed in a sweet, loud  and joyful voice as if he'd been waiting for everyone else to be quiet so we could hear his own praises to Jesus.  We smiled and laughed, and Eli and my eyes were wet with tears, as we thanked Jesus that out of the mouths of children and infants He has received praise (Psalm 8:2, Matthew 21:16).

We came home refreshed and rejuvenated.  We are ever grateful for the amazing fellowship with have with the Body of Christ!