Like a Sunflower: July 2014

Kelly & Theo's Wedding (July 5, 2014)

We were so blessed to witness the wedding of Tim's sister, Kelly, and her new husband, Theo. They are such a great couple and Theo just fits right into the family. Caleb and Sonya were asked to be the ring bearer and flower girl. They did a great job and looked so stinking cute!!!

These are some photos (mostly posed/formal ones) from the day.

A special day for a special boy

This year, Caleb had to share his birthday with his aunt Kelly's wedding day. I don't think he minded too much. In fact, I think he was even more spoiled than usual. Since we weren't going to be in Wisconsin for his actual birthday, we let him have an early birthday party with friends in May. So he technically got to celebrate twice!

Two days before his birthday, we drove down to IL to help prepare for the wedding. We had a lot of fun spending time with Tim's relatives - his siblings, parents, aunts, uncles, and cousins. There was a barbecue picnic at the park for the wedding reception on the night before the wedding/Caleb's birthday. And since it was the 4th of July, we played with sparklers and the park shot off a beautiful display of fireworks.

On Caleb's birthday, the pastor that was presiding over Kelly's wedding specifically pointed out Caleb and gave him props for sharing his special day with his aunt. He was so cute standing up front as the ringbearer. (I kept trying not to make him laugh when the ducks were quacking on the pond in the background... hehe).

The man of the hour

During the dance, the DJ played the Star Wars theme song and had EVERYONE sing Happy Birthday while Natalie, one of the bridesmaids, brought him a homemade Star Wars cake. It was amazing!!

Caleb with Natalie

Star Wars cake with lightsabers on top

Caleb and his aunt Caitlin

After eating cake, everyone went over to the pond and watched fireworks that were put on by the wedding venue. It was so beautiful. The night ended with kids and adults alike playing with sparklers.

It was a wonderful day, but I think Mr. Birthday Boy was ready for bed by the time we got back to the hotel.

A tired boy

8 years of Caleb

It's amazing how quickly eight years can go by. Caleb is growing up into a wonderful young man. He loves school and is still pretty smart for his age. He's a good friend and always wants to help (at least at school -- at home is a different story).

My little boy has a heart for Jesus and sometimes asks his friends if they know who He is. Caleb has also invited friends to iGnite at church so they can learn more about God.

About a year ago, we introduced Caleb to Star Wars and he's been a fanatic ever since. His favorite thing to do is build Star Wars ships and make lightsabers. He's actually quite talented when it comes to building things and artistic stuff.

My favorite thing about Caleb is his cute smile and his snuggles. He's never too old to give his mom a hug. Also, he LOVES to be tickled. So it's fun to get him giggling. I can't wait to see what another year holds for my dear, sweet boy.

It's kind of fun to see how Caleb has changed over the years -- so here's a glimpse of him at every age: