Caleb
Inventive
Courageous
Sensitive
Fun-loving
Caring
Intelligent
Expressive
Funny
Friendly
Generous
Thinker
Joker
Creative
Patient
Protective
Loving
Caleb is our first born. He has his mother's eyes as well as her teasing side. Now that I think of it, he has also been blessed with his mom's ability with numbers and calculations. He loves math, and he loves to count - especially when it involves money! (Maybe he got a little of that from his Oupa!)
Caleb can be crazy and hilarious and in the next moment you'll find him to be one of the most deep- thinking and caring boys you've ever met. He loves drawing, building Legos, playing board or card games, playing soccer, and reading.
Caleb wants to be a Lego designer when he grows up.
Ninja!
Caleb also loves to relate his dreams from the night before. He has an incredible memory, and it's not uncommon for a telling of his most recent dream to take a good 20 minutes! One day he started the story while I was getting breakfast ready and didn't finish until we had walked half of the way to his school!
Caleb's caring side can probably best be illustrated from part of the dream he told me that morning. He described a mountain higher than any you could imagine. I don't remember all the details, but for some reason his brother Miles fell off the side of that mountain. Fortunately, there was a man selling parachutes right on the edge of the cliff. The cost of a parachute was $47 - the exact amount Caleb had saved up hoping to one day have enough to buy a Star Wars Lego set. Letting go of his hopes for more Legos, Caleb took out his money and purchased one of those parachutes. He then launched himself off the cliff, dove down, caught Miles in his arms, and together they were able to drift safely down the mountain.
Caleb gives his brother a hug before leaving for his first day of second grade!
Caleb with Miles and his cousins, Annelle and Cohen.
Caleb definitely has an artistic side. This comes out not only in his drawing and Lego building, but also in his photography! The picture below was taken by Caleb when we were setting up Ati's crib. He picked up one of the springs then shot a picture, looking through the spring at Miles' eye.
Looking through a spring. By Caleb
Living In-between
Caleb is courageous... and patient. From his first year of life he grew up hearing us talk about how one day we would be flying across the ocean to live and serve in another country. By the time he turned three years old he had lived in three different houses (still in the States). He kept asking us, "When are we going to Spain?" At five years of age we were finally able to tell Caleb that our family would soon be flying overseas. By that time, however, his excitement for new adventures had turned into sorrow for having to say goodbye to his friends, his grandparents, his uncles and aunts.
Caleb celebrated his sixth birthday in Spain. He was adapting to life there. He was making friends - both English speaking and Spanish speaking. He had a new found love for soccer (Spain winning the World Cup had a lot to do with that!). And he was bravely accepting the challenge of attending Spanish public school.
Caleb's first day of school in Spain.
Caleb is a big Star Wars fan. He and Miles enjoyed this display in a Spanish Mall.
Caleb was a real trooper as he tackled school work in Spanish.
Caleb's teachers: Laura and Rosa.
We had to cut our time short in Spain due to our impending (and COMPLICATED) adoption. Unfortunately, this meant Caleb had to say good-bye to friends and teachers with whom he had started forming a real bond.
Caleb helped out at our church's booth on Multicultural Day.
Caleb is about to turn seven. He is enjoying going to an English speaking school this year and has already started making new friends. His life has been made up of transitions. He is living the life of a TCK (Third Culture Kid). His big heart is divided between the States and Spain with his identity forming some-where in-between. The picture on the right pretty much sums up his life right now (notice the Red Sox cap and the Spanish World Cup Soccer shirt).
We thank God for carrying Caleb through it all and for giving him the personality and abilities that allow him to adjust - to learn, un-learn, and re-learn - and to adapt in a life that is continuously changing yet full of adventure. We are so thankful for this guy and we love him through and through!
We thank God for carrying Caleb through it all and for giving him the personality and abilities that allow him to adjust - to learn, un-learn, and re-learn - and to adapt in a life that is continuously changing yet full of adventure. We are so thankful for this guy and we love him through and through!
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