Caleb's 7th Birthday...
This can only mean one thing. We've had him for 6 years and 2 months.
How can this be? Time seems to be playing tricks on my mind. It's as if he got to 7 seven times faster than any of my girls. They say that times picks up speak when you get older, and if Caleb's life is any indication of this hypothesis, there's something to it.
What can I say about this kid?
From day one he has been a laughter. His shot-gun giggle fills a rooms and spills over into the rest of the rooms in our home. He is an instigator, always poking fun and provoking all of us to wake from the stupor life can put you in on many a day. His smile has always been ear lobe to ear lobe. His pearly whites glow when he's cracking a joke or enjoying a moment...we've needed his smile in our home over the years...life can get pretty serious, and he's just not the serious type.
He is still taking naps to this day. This is directly connected to his energy output. He lives so hard--peddle to the medal--that he expends all his BTU's by 1pm every day. Even with a nap, when we put him down at night, he is just about asleep before we're done with bedtime prayers, eyes at half-mast. He is the energizer bunny of the Holdridge Household, his own brother even has difficulty keeping up with this Tasmanian Tsunami hitting everything around him like a title wave.
It's a joy to have his spirit in our family, but I'd be lying if I didn't say that he wears us out like no other. There are moments when we are at our wit's end standing the brink of a breakdown...he can take his mom to the limit. It never stops...he squirms and cavorts and flips around like a hit squirrel. When you're trying to talk to him, he has to do a summersault in order to pay attention to you. If you're reading him a book, he has to climb the wall with his legs and spin on his shoulder blades in order to comprehend what you're showing him. It's like his brain is so hyperactive, it bores him to just to do one thing at a time, he has to be spinning 4 plates simultaneously to stay in the game. My mom says he reminds her of me when I was young...that has given me a new level of respect for my mother!
But this kid...for all the challenges he can bring with his strong will and manic energy, he is a tender-hearted boy. I mean it. His heart is as soft as putty and he melts in certain moments with such care and concern for people. He has to give a hug and kiss when you leave, and he loves to snuggle in the morning by the fire. He is a big teddy bear deep in his heart and even when he is naughty, you can see in his eyes that "he wants to be a good boy" so badly. He even said one time when we were disciplining him, "I want to remember, but I'm just a forgetter, dad. I'm a forgetter!" He said it with tears streaming down his face. His heart desires to please us and to do the right thing, but his temperament is so effervescent and energetic that he moves and then considers, does and then thinks. Again, he's a lot like me, that's probably why he can get on my last nerve, cause I'm just like him.
God's got beautiful plans for this beautiful boy. All his energy will turn into pure passion. His social abilities are going to increasingly turn into a deep love for people. His concern for people's struggles is going to develop into a compassion that is a force for good. His explosive energy is going to translate into indomitable joy, unstoppable fervor for life. I pray that we can continue to channel all these untrained emotions into virtues that drive him to be a sharp sword in the hand of His God.
Your daddy is proud of you, buddy. Your name is Caleb meaning "bold and loyal" (like a dog). I believe you are going to be brave and bold, loyal and faithful. As your dad, I couldn't have asked for a better son. You bring much levity and jollity to our home, and I believe that is what you are going to offer this world the older you get. Heck, you do already!
I always wondered if I would ever have a boy, and now the Lord has given me two. You are blessing that I will never take for granted, and I hope that I can love you with words and actions and feelings that make you secure and strong all the days of your life. Happy Birthday, buckeroo. I love you, Caleb.
How can this be? Time seems to be playing tricks on my mind. It's as if he got to 7 seven times faster than any of my girls. They say that times picks up speak when you get older, and if Caleb's life is any indication of this hypothesis, there's something to it.
What can I say about this kid?
From day one he has been a laughter. His shot-gun giggle fills a rooms and spills over into the rest of the rooms in our home. He is an instigator, always poking fun and provoking all of us to wake from the stupor life can put you in on many a day. His smile has always been ear lobe to ear lobe. His pearly whites glow when he's cracking a joke or enjoying a moment...we've needed his smile in our home over the years...life can get pretty serious, and he's just not the serious type.
He is still taking naps to this day. This is directly connected to his energy output. He lives so hard--peddle to the medal--that he expends all his BTU's by 1pm every day. Even with a nap, when we put him down at night, he is just about asleep before we're done with bedtime prayers, eyes at half-mast. He is the energizer bunny of the Holdridge Household, his own brother even has difficulty keeping up with this Tasmanian Tsunami hitting everything around him like a title wave.
It's a joy to have his spirit in our family, but I'd be lying if I didn't say that he wears us out like no other. There are moments when we are at our wit's end standing the brink of a breakdown...he can take his mom to the limit. It never stops...he squirms and cavorts and flips around like a hit squirrel. When you're trying to talk to him, he has to do a summersault in order to pay attention to you. If you're reading him a book, he has to climb the wall with his legs and spin on his shoulder blades in order to comprehend what you're showing him. It's like his brain is so hyperactive, it bores him to just to do one thing at a time, he has to be spinning 4 plates simultaneously to stay in the game. My mom says he reminds her of me when I was young...that has given me a new level of respect for my mother!
But this kid...for all the challenges he can bring with his strong will and manic energy, he is a tender-hearted boy. I mean it. His heart is as soft as putty and he melts in certain moments with such care and concern for people. He has to give a hug and kiss when you leave, and he loves to snuggle in the morning by the fire. He is a big teddy bear deep in his heart and even when he is naughty, you can see in his eyes that "he wants to be a good boy" so badly. He even said one time when we were disciplining him, "I want to remember, but I'm just a forgetter, dad. I'm a forgetter!" He said it with tears streaming down his face. His heart desires to please us and to do the right thing, but his temperament is so effervescent and energetic that he moves and then considers, does and then thinks. Again, he's a lot like me, that's probably why he can get on my last nerve, cause I'm just like him.
God's got beautiful plans for this beautiful boy. All his energy will turn into pure passion. His social abilities are going to increasingly turn into a deep love for people. His concern for people's struggles is going to develop into a compassion that is a force for good. His explosive energy is going to translate into indomitable joy, unstoppable fervor for life. I pray that we can continue to channel all these untrained emotions into virtues that drive him to be a sharp sword in the hand of His God.
Your daddy is proud of you, buddy. Your name is Caleb meaning "bold and loyal" (like a dog). I believe you are going to be brave and bold, loyal and faithful. As your dad, I couldn't have asked for a better son. You bring much levity and jollity to our home, and I believe that is what you are going to offer this world the older you get. Heck, you do already!
I always wondered if I would ever have a boy, and now the Lord has given me two. You are blessing that I will never take for granted, and I hope that I can love you with words and actions and feelings that make you secure and strong all the days of your life. Happy Birthday, buckeroo. I love you, Caleb.
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