A few of his favorite things

This mostly sums him up. I snapped this shot today when I realized that my little guy was happily enjoying the sunshine surrounded by a few of the things he loves best, namely:

• Snacks: He can eat his weight in goldfish crackers and most other finger foods. We generally just have to remove the food from his sight when mealtime or snack time is over to keep him from eating until he blows up.
• Trucks: Well, anything with wheels, really. Give the boy a truck, a train, a car or even a pair of roller skates and he turns into such a...boy. He's an all-terrain kid; rugs, feet and big sisters prove no match for his driving skills. He simply pushes whatever vehicle he has right over top of whatever obstacle is in his way, making loud "zoom" noises as he speeds along.
• Chalk: There's a method to his madness. First, he removes all the chalk from the bucket. Then, he rolls most of it down the driveway, sending his sister scurrying after it so it doesn't roll into the road. (I'm not sure which he loves more: watching her run halfway bent over trying to retrieve 10 pieces of chalk at once, or the way she tosses them all into his lap when she returns and reminds him to "Keep them right here, Caweb!") Finally, he returns most of the chalk to its rightful place in the bucket, reserving one or two pieces to scribble with.

Some other things he currently can't live without (not pictured):

• Sharkie: We had no idea what a hit that little stuffed shark would be when we snagged him during our trip to the Georgia Aquarium. How to properly spell his name is still up for debate, but we've no doubt of Caleb's fondness for him. He still calls it "duh-duh" (think the Jaws theme) and even Abby knows better than to take this toy away from her little brother. She'll steal a lot of his stuff, but he's made it pretty clear where he stands on Sharkie. No one gets between my boy and his shark.
• Magna Doodle: A must-have for keeping him entertained in the car. Sadly, my little lefty has learned that he has to turn his upside down in order to use the pen that is connected to the top right corner. I'm now on the hunt for a left-handed magna doodle.
• Daddy: The boy loves his dad. And by loves, I mean adores, esteems, can't live without...you get the picture. Who can settle Caleb down when he can't get to sleep? Daddy. Who does he want when he wakes up in the morning? Daddy. (And I'll admit, it's a little insulting when he tries to peer around me to see if Daddy's coming when I go to get him out of his crib.) Who gets the big smiles and excited toddler-arm-flapping when he comes home at dinner time? Daddy. I'm guess I'm sort of getting used to playing second fiddle.