Callum

Four years ago, I became an aunt.  From the first moment that I laid eyes on little Callum Michael (via a text message in the middle of the night), I was in love!

In the years since that photo was taken, I have grown to love him more and more.  He has the sweetest temperament of any little boy I've ever known.  He is just a good boy.

Callum is Noah's hero.  Since he was about five months old, he's been following Callum around everywhere, stealing his toys, drooling on his beloved cars, and generally getting all up in his grill pretty much all the time. ;)

Though Cal sometimes gets frustrated with Noah, he never pushes or hits him.  I can only think of one time--one!--when Callum gave Noah a little shove to get out of his personal space.  I didn't realize how unusual that was until we started going to playgroups and hanging out with other kids.  I think it's very normal for toddlers to get territorial and possessive and to lash out when someone takes their toys (and my son is doing that himself now on occasion).  Yet Callum has never been a hitter.  He's always been remarkably willing to share and is always very concerned when babies and other children are crying.  He has a sweet and tender heart.

Cal is also hilarious and creative.  His newest obsession is the movie "How to Train Your Dragon" (which, coincidentally, I gave him for Christmas!).  He has taken to wearing clunky snow boots around the house because they are his "dragon-hunting boots."  He usually only wears one boot because the main character in the movie ends up with a peg-leg at the end.  :)  It is hysterical to watch him, totally in his own world, pretending to fight dragons around the house--he waves a styrofoam sword wildly and makes dramatic sound effects with his mouth.

I treated "Hiccup" (as he likes to be called, thanks to the movie) to some chocolate chip pancakes for his birthday this morning. He came wearing his "dragon-hunting boots" (on the wrong feet, of course), holding a new stuffed dragon, and he wouldn't stop making dragon sound effects, even during our photo:

I love this little boy so much, and I am so grateful that Noah will have Callum to look up to and play with throughout his life.

Happy Birthday, Cal!