Cinco!

This week, my main little man turned 5.

It's hard to believe that it's been five years since I got the call from my brother-in-law, Steve, that my sister Kim was in labor. I threw my things together, ran by MAR's office to send out the "I'm on my way to Alabama to have a nephew!" email to colleagues & friends, then drove through the night. It was an intense labor (even for those of us not on the delivery table), and after many hours, much prayer, and a long ordeal for poor Kim, Caleb Levi finally arrived.

From the second I laid eyes on him, I was in love. We should've recognized some personality traits right away -- the one-eyed glare out into the cold, cruel world; resisting the warm wrap of the hospital blanket burrito; etc. :-)

Yes, he's an only grandchild, so maybe that's why he's the light of our lives....but that little man has such a personality, I am convinced that even if he were one of 15, he would still shine his own little light brightly and proudly.

In honor of Caleb's turning five, I'm listing my top five favorite memories (so far) of the little man's fun and already full life:

5. Z-ert. Caleb's ongoing word for dessert is one of the cutest I've ever heard. He works so hard to pronounce most words like the grown-ups do, but this is one I'm thrilled he kept his own enunciation for. There's nothing quite like hearing, "What's for z-ert after this turkey, Grammi?"
4. Man's man. Since he was a baby, Caleb has preferred being around men and doing guy stuff to time with the girls. Most boys are this way, but it's hilarious the way Caleb looks practically tortured if he has to hang out with my sister and me instead of standing beside his daddy or Grandpa and just watch whatever they're doing.

3. No go Tigers! Rather than following my sister and brother-in-law's leads on what teams to cheer for, Caleb is convinced that LSU "is stinky" and Alabama is the best. Soooo funny. He is die-hard Alabama, to the point of asking us all, "Why is no one for MY team?" Stinker.

2. Just an itty-bitty girl. When Caleb was 3-ish, I was playing with him and he wanted to be Superman. Instructing me on how the game went, the little guy informed me that I was supposed to lay helpless, calling to him, "Hep me, hep me, Supa-man. I'm just an itty-bitty girl, and I can't do anything without you." Seriously!

And my number one favorite memory of Caleb Levi Wood (so far) is:

1. Da Bekah. This was the way Caleb referred to me for the longest, and I loved it. Instead of Rebekah, it was "the bekah," which came out in 1-year-old speak as "Da Bekah." Too cute. :-)

Happy birthday, sweet boy! Can't wait to see what the next five years brings us. :-)

TGIF (plus 4 more things I'm thankful for).

I am so thankful for:

1. Friday. Always love this day, even on short holiday weeks. :-)

2. Family. My sister, brother-in-law and nephew came to my parents' for Christmas this year, and it has been such a fun and exciting time to see the wonder of Christmas through an almost five-year-old's eyes. Also, tonight I get to see two of my cousins that I don't see often -- one lives in Alabama, and the other recently moved from Tennessee to New Mexico -- and am very excited about that! The AL cousin also has a bouncing baby boy I get to meet for the first time!

3. Health. My Nan and Pop Ball have had a harrowing year with their health, so I was more thankful than ever for our traditional Christmas Eve gathering this year. They are so sweet and love to be surrounded by family. Please keep them in your prayers!

4. Location, location, location. I get to work from Hancock Bank's Gulfport office today, which means I did not have to go back to Baton Rouge to work today, but could stay the weekend with my family (just north of Gpt). This has been such a huge blessing. Not only does it give me a workday of convenience mixed with a fun weekend with family, it also gives the fam an 8-hour breather from Rebekah. ;-)

5. Talent. It has to be said -- my Daddy is amazing with cars, and keeps mine updated and maintained in ways I could never repay him for. And my mother's cornbread dressing is to die for, not to mention the way they both take an active interest in my life and love me no matter how unlovable I am. And my sister and brother-in-law's sweet generosity and kindness are so unique, yet I get to benefit from them every time we visit. And no one can make me smile like Caleb Levi. So I am utterly grateful for these talents God has given those around me, and that I am allowed, for now, to be blessed by them.

Fa la la.

I wish you a merry Christmas, I wish you a merry Christmas. I wish you a merry Christmas, and a happy new year.


Much love,
rebekah + a few NYC teaser pics ;-)

Here I am in front of the Plaza Hotel, across the street from Bergdorff-Goodman's, and by FAO Schwartz. As you can see, it was FREEZING! :-)

The gorgeous tree at Rockefeller Center! It had been lit December 3, just one day before we arrived. I took this while Cicily and Liz held my place in line to see the Rockettes' Christmas Extravanganza! I am on the side of the street where Radio City Music Hall is, and across the street (to the right of the tree) is Rockefeller Center.










Radio City Music Hall! This is where the Rockettes perform. It was so magical, inside and out. And to add to the beauty, right before our Rockettes' performance, it started snowing! It never stuck, but was just enough for us to catch the very contagious NYC Christmas spirit. :-)

Safe Mode.

This morning, my work laptop wouldn't start. Apparently something happened over the weekend that confused it, making it crash and be unable to work normally. With the help of the IT department, my computer finally (bedgrudingly) started, but only in "safe mode."

The incident reminded me a little of life lately...when things aren't so great, it's hard to operate at all. And easier just to crash, leaving normal operations for another day. But maybe it's best to proceed with caution -- in safe mode -- until operations can resume at top speed.

That said, I think I'm ready to forge ahead into the next days and weeks and months in safe mode, until my operating systems feel ready to operate under normalcy again.

Thankful.

I have been way overdue in posting things I'm thankful for lately, so here's my five for now:

1. A weird weather year, which brought both BR's first hurricane for as long as anyone can remember, and BR's first snow in years and years and years. Much complication ensued due to both, but both brought people together in amazing ways.

2. Vacations! NYC was GREAT fun.

3. Photos. I can almost relive the fun of NYC whenever I'd like, thanks to easily accessible photography. :-)

4. Time. It truly is a healer, as I'm learning more and more each day.

5. Memories. Sometimes they're the only things that keep us going through the hard times.

iSigh

My iPhone is back in working order and I couldn't be happier! While I loved my pink Razr with all my heart, I have enjoyed my iPhone but had NO idea how spoiled to it I've become these last few weeks. I hate to admit it, but the last few Razr-d days were almost like going back to a DOS operating system. Or typewriters. Sigh. Who knew I'd become so rotten so quickly?!

Sneaux Tigers!

I just rec'd an email with these pics taken today at LSU -- sooo pretty! I wish I could've seen Mike frolicking around in the snow!

The Big Freezy

This pic was taken in New Orleans before lunchtime today and sent to me by a colleague. Brrrr!

Baton Rouge geauxs white!

It's SNOWING in Baton Rouge today....and it STUCK!!! I can hardly believe my eyes, so obviously, I had to document it. This is the view from my front door.



I was sent this pic of Mike the Tiger, too, who seems to love chillin' in the white powdery stuff. I would have loved to have seen campus -- you know the students were going wild!



I came into work 1ish, and there is still some snow that hasn't melted yet. Ironically, the Lousiana Strong & Proud campaign was birthed due to Hurricane Gustav, and now this banner has seen all kinds of weather. :-)

Happy Hour at the Genius Bar

I have visited my local Apple Store before, and was a bit overwhelmed with all the concierges, Genius Bars and such. For this reason, I was not expecting the exceptional, how-can-we-help-you service I experienced tonight. This evening was, however, a wonderfully welcome exception to my other experiences.

While my iPhone is not fixed yet (nor has it been looked at), the Genius at the door gave me tips on things to do before I bring it back in (for a prescheduled appointment, no less), even stopping me as I walked out to make sure I knew how to get my SIM card out to insert it into my old phone so I don't have to be communication-less until my little eagle i is repaired.

From the congeniality shown to me, I can only assume it was Happy Hour at the Genius Bar when I visited tonight. (Yay for me!)

I still believe.

A recent publish by Clarion-Ledger political cartoonist Marshall Ramsey:

I heart....

After a fantastic girls' vacay to New York from Thursday-Monday, I am back in the deep south. Liz, Cicily and I made plenty of more-than-wonderful memories, but even so, I heart calmer cities, practically non-existant cabs, and most importantly, 60ish degree weather that feels balmy compared to the bitter cold we braced during our trip.

Vacay posts to come -- stay tuned!

Zzzzzzz.

It's no surprise to frequent Caleb-story-listeners that my almost-five-year-old nephew cannot stand to talk on the phone -- to me, or any other female. My Daddy, on the other hand, is completely intriguing to the little man. I think it has to do with the fact that Caleb knows my Daddy has a tractor, and a dog named Tractor, and does fun manly things like chop wood.

At any rate, when Caleb has to talk to me (this is never something he volunteers for), he almost always emits a huge sigh before chatting with the enthusiasm most people reserve for the dentists' chair. He painfully answers my questions, always in a rush to get back to whatever he was doing.

Tonight, I returned a call to my sister and could hear the sounds of rowdy boy play in the background. Kim informed me the play had to do with cars, and when she mentioned something about supper, Caleb ran up to her and said things like, "Tell your sister that I'm the fastest soup eater in the house," etc.

Inevitably, the poor little guy got his come-uppance when Kim told him to tell me hi on the phone. I could hear him protesting (gently, to his credit), and after a few seconds, his excuse for the night was, "I can't -- I'm just too tired."

Kim sternly said, "Caleb. You are not. Talk to Aunt Bekah," and he begrudgingly said, "Hello." When I asked what he was up to, I almost died laughing when at his reply. "Well," he sighed. "I was sleeping."

Boys. ;-) They never get excited about the phone, do they?

Pictured above is Caleb with an acceptable phone buddy (Grandpa), and Grandpa and Grammi (and Bekah)'s dog, Tractor.

Pictured below that is a kinder, gentler time, when my nephew actually enjoyed phone conversations with me. I think he also liked to cuddle more then, too...

Blog Lite

The post below leads me neatly to use a phrase I've seen on my friend Shawn's blog for years now: Blog lite schedule. Not that I'm that much of a frequent poster, but I will definitely be out of blog-commission until at least mid-next week. Have a great one!

Oh, and my high school's football team is playing for the state championship title this weekend, so GO WARRIORS! D'Iberville....TO THE TOP!

Bekah's got a brand-new bag.

For my birthday and Christmas this year, my family went in to get me some new luggage -- and it's a beauty! I am so excited tonight as I pack it for my NYC trip this Thursday through Monday!

Thank y'all so much for giving me a gift that will truly keep on giving. :-)