Easter 2012

We didn't do anything big for Easter this year. We went to church in the morning, and and actually made it to the 8:30 service. I quickly realized that getting everyone out the door to the early service was a BIG MISTAKE once I looked at the program and saw that there is no children's church at that time. Ben is pretty good at sitting still, but not for an entire hour when TV isn't involved. He participated a little, and colored a little, and played with some stickers, and started to get really restless until I had an "aha" moment and hissed "There are donuts upstairs and you can have one after church, but ONLY if you are quiet." Yes, I know. I am an awesome parent. But it worked! Well, until the very end when we were standing a listening the choir sing The Hallelujah Chorus and Ben LOUDLY asked, "Can I have my donut now?" And then proceeded to ask several more times until church was over. But we won't count that.

Afterwards we had quiche and strawberries, and hunted for Easter eggs. This was Ben's fourth egg hunt this year, and he was totally OVER IT. Totally. Since he is such a pro at this point, he found all of the eggs in about 5 minutes flat, immediately dumped them on the patio and started tearing them apart looking for treats. The real eggs that he had had so much fun dyeing were NOT as much fun when he realized they didn't magically turn into chocolate eggs overnight. Abe found 2 eggs, and then spent the rest of the time playing.

 

  

After the egg hunt I tried to get some pictures of the boys in their Easter outfits. Even now, as I enter my fourth year of parenthood, I forget that if you want pictures of your kids in their dress clothes you'd better do it immediately. If you look closely you can see dirt stains on their pants and sweaters. In fact, right after these pictures were taken Ben decided to make a mud puddle and have he and Abe stomp in it while my back was turned. Hello Oxyclean!

 

 

 

Tomorrow there is a little boy in my house who is turning 4!! I would like to just sit and cry meditate on that fact for a while, but I still have a cake to bake and a present to wrap.  While I'm busy with that, you might be entertained by seeing what happens when I ask Joel to take a nice picture of me and the boys.

 

 

Park City 2012

It seems strange to be writing about snow and skiing while I'm wearing shorts and thinking about what plants I'm going to buy at the nursery tomorrow, but here it goes! 

We visited Mimi and Poppy in Park City at the beginning of March. We stayed a week, and had a great time relaxing and finally getting to see some snow. You can tell that Mr. B was ready for takeoff in his camo pants, and with TWO Lightening McQueen water bottles in his backpack :)

 I tried my best to corral both boys at the airport, but it was tough. And that was just the first hour of our trip! The details have gotten pretty fuzzy at this point, but I can assure you that the actual traveling portion of our trip was miserable. Not only did Abe scream, throw multiple tantrums, and refuse to sleep through both flights, but he also projectile vomited during our car ride up to Park City. This picture was taken before the madness.

But once we arrived everyone had fun! We went for a little hike on the trail behind Mimi and Poppy's house. Ben looks super serious with his walking sticks.

And Ben went to ski school for a day and LOVED it. I think he mostly loved being able to pelt the instructors with snowballs whenever he wanted. During ski school he learned how to make a pizza wedge with his skis, rode on the "magic carpet" and, um....ate chicken strips for lunch. Then the next couple of days Uncle Aaron took over the lessons.

And here's Ben chillin' on the mountain.

 

Joe, Ben, Aaron and Joel

And if you're interested, (GRANDPARENTS) here is video of Ben skiing. That little speck in the middle is Ben. Joel is on the left and Aaron is on the right. This was his last run of our vacation and I think he was starting to feel pretty comfortable on his skis. 

 

 Daddy and Abe got to do some sledding. Fun fact: Mimi bought Able some super adorable Elmo snow boots in his (correct) size. When we got to Park City we had him try them on. We must have pushed and pulled those boots in every direction but it was no use. Abe has the fattest widest feet known to toddlers.

This picture was taken a day after we arrived. You can tell that Abe was definitely feeling the effects of a cold plus traveling plus the time change.

And Joel and I got to eat dinner in a YURT! One night we took a 30 minute sleigh ride to the top of the mountain, and waiting for us was this cozy little restaurant. We had a wonderful five course meal. Since there was group seating, we were placed at a large table with 4 other couples. We met people from Texas, NYC and what a coincidence...Chapel Hill, NC! I thought that having conversations with everyone was the best part. My more reserved husband might disagree :)

Here we are during our sleigh ride. I just realized that we are looking in two different directions. What is Joel looking at?

And since I don't ski, what did I do? Well, I did some shopping at the outlet mall down the road from Joe and Cathy's house. I ran a couple of times to keep in shape for the 5K I had the weekend after we got back (more on that later.) I finally read the Hunger Games series...it was pretty good! I got to see a good friend of mine from college that I hadn't seen in about 5 years, and I spent some kid-free time with my husband. I call that a successful vacation!

Guess who just learned to ride without training wheels?

Ben has really been all about this no training wheels business ever since he got his bike from Santa. Almost immediately after Christmas he got to the point where we had raised his training wheels up as high as they could go, so he was pretty much balancing on two wheels. And then he plateaued a little bit and rode around like that for a few months. He didn't show much interest in going beyond that level so we didn't pressure him. But the other day we went for a ride down the street, and I just casually asked him if he might be ready to take off his training wheels. "No! Not until I'm a big kid." Ok. No problem. I waited a few minutes, and then said "Well, it's up to you. But I think that you are doing a really great job, and I think that you can take the wheels off any time you want. But if you want to wait that's ok." It's like something just clicked, and he immediately said "Ok, I want them off now." I think he honestly hadn't realized that he didn't have to be a big kid in order to ride on two wheels. So, we went and knocked on the door to Joel's shop/office, and he came out and took off the wheels. Then Joel got on his bike and they went for a ride together.

I'm really proud of Ben for taking this leap and not being afraid. He even wiped out a couple of times on his first ride sans training wheels, and it didn't phase him at all. I can't believe that he got a trike for his 3rd birthday last year, and now we're a week away from his 4th birthday and he's riding a bike!

5 on Monday

1.) I think I've mentioned before that the house we live in was previously owned by a woman who LOVED to garden. She must have planted at least 50 azaleas and hundreds of daffodils, not to mention dogwoods, crepe myrtles, camellias, roses, clematis, gardenias, and a variety of other bulbs, vines, etc..Anyway, tucked away in a far corner of our backyard are three flowering quince bushes. We don't do anything to them, but every year in late winter they produce the prettiest flowering branches. I love them so much, and when they have buds I cut as many branches as I can and force their blooms inside. They last forever as long as you change the water. We're getting towards the end of their season and that makes me sad, but at least our spirea is about to bloom next.

2.) Last week it rained and I let the boys go crazy in the puddles. One of the great things about living in such a warm climate is that a rain in late February isn't always that cold. I think on this day the temps were in the 60s? Anyway, Ben taught Abe how to stomp, and then the fun was on!

In a couple of these photos, you can see that Abe had just face planted in the water. I thought that would be the end of it, but the love of stomping in puddles won out over personal comfort! By the way, do you see that the house that they've been building across the street from us for THREE YEARS is finally nearing completion?

3.) Look who just woke up from his nap all smiley? What a cutie.

4.) I don't know if I've mentioned this before, but our boys share a room. Sometimes this isn't very fun, like two nights ago when Ben woke up in the middle of the night for no reason, and after exhausting mommy and daddy's patience and attention decided to wake up his little brother for some social time. That was a bad night. BUT, other times it's very precious. At night we sit on Ben's bed for prayers and songs, and Abe always climbs all over Ben and snuggles with him. After I put Abe in his crib he always likes to check and make sure his brother is in bed too, and if Ben leaves the room he gets VERY upset. Ideally, the boys wouldn't have shared a room until Abe was slightly older, but after a rough start it's getting much better. I actually think that Abe will be ready for a big boy bed much earlier than Ben was, and it wouldn't surprise me if they ended up sleeping together some nights. I truly think that sharing a room is making the boys closer.

5.) I guess I haven't mentioned this before on the blog, but I started running about 6 months ago. Now, you have to understand that I have NEVER EVER played a single sport in my entire life. Not even summer softball, or a few years of dance, or going out for track in seventh grade. I mean NEVER. So taking up a sport and actually sticking with it for a long period of time is a big deal for me. I won't say that I love it, but there are days when I really enjoy getting my blood pumping and the rush of endorphins. I can tell that I have more energy since I started a running regimen, and I also think it helps with my anxiety and focus. Anyway, I'm running my first 5K on St. Patrick's Day, and I'm really excited!  I'm not very fast and I don't like to run more than 3.2 miles at a time, but that's ok cause I'm pretty sure that's all they make you run for the 5K :) It's fun to have a goal.

Abe has his 15 months checkup tomorrow, so I'll post a little update on him once we have all his stats. Happy Monday!

5 on Tuesday

1.) Happy Valentine's Day! Tonight after the boys go to bed, Joel and I are going to have a date night. We're making steak, baked potatoes, roasted broccoli, and this yummy dessert. I'm excited! This morning I woke up to find this beautiful terrarium on the kitchen table. Joel had taken a glass vase of mine to a local garden shop and had them put together this perfect gift. I love it!

2.) Have I mentioned to everyone how much I hate the age of 3 1/2? I really hate it. It's the worst. I'm so ready for Ben to be four. I don't want to sound too negative because there are always great things about every age, but can we just skip ahead a few months? The whining....it just kills me. And the meltdowns over the STUPIDEST things. And Abe is at an age where he is testing my limits as well. Sometimes, when they're both being whiny and frustrating, and I get that weird feeling that I know all of you moms can relate to..you know, that feeling where everything starts to sound far away and you can hear the blood rushing in your head, and you're just staring at your children as they scream and cry over something dumb like not being able to watch TV, or play with my cell phone...at those times I just want to slowly and calmly walk out the door, get in my car and drive far far away. Anyway, my reaction to Ben's issues has been to set even more limits, and I think it's actually working. I don't do anything for him that he can do himself. Period. Even if it's frustrating. He gets himself completely dressed in the morning, brushes his own teeth, gets his own glass of water, peels his own bananas, cuts up strawberries...I even let him cook over the stove with supervision. No matter how much he whines for me to help him, I don't give in. If he's taking too long to pick up his toys and Abe and I are ready to go outside, then we leave without him. If he chooses to not wear a heavy enough coat, and goes for a bike ride and discovers that he's freezing, then that's his (bad) choice. And you know what? There were a couple of days where Ben absolutely HATED this. He got very frustrated and wanted me to help him all the time. But I didn't give in, and now it's not an issue. He's a lot happier and there's a lot less whining. I mean, he is still driving me crazy, but I guess I feel that by giving him more autonomy I can absolve myself of some stress. Another thing that has helped is realizing that he has blood sugar issues and gets shaky if he doesn't eat enough protein. So I make sure to give him a high protein breakfast on school days (NO cereal) and mostly protein filled meals and snacks, with very little sugar. If he is acting erratically you can almost guarantee that food is the issue.

3.) Abe is slowly weaning. Last night I put him to bed without nursing for the first time, which means we're down to one (naptime) nursing session a day. It's fine. I'm ready and he doesn't seem to mind. I could nurse him for few more months and be fine with it, but truthfully, my body doesn't respond well to extended nursing. I weaned Ben at 15 months at the advice of my midwife, and Abe is that age right now. At first I felt a little bit of sadness about this time of my life being over, especially since I feel like Abe's babyhood has just  flown by, but everything has to end. It's time.

4.) Lot's of exciting trips and vacations in our future! We're all flying out in March to visit Mimi and Poppy in Park City. Ben is going to go to ski school! I think he will love it, as long as he can get used to the cold. I think we're all pumped up about getting away and seeing some snow. Joel and I also have two little alone trips that we're planning. One to San Francisco in May for Joel's work, and another to see our friends in NYC in July. Of course, I'm already researching what restaurants we'll be visiting, and what I'll be wearing :) A work colleague of Joel's wants to take us out for a fancy schmancy dinner, so I think I'll just have to buy a new dress!

5.) Ben has started going to speech therapy once a week. We were aware that he was a little behind in the way he pronounced his words, but wanted to take a "wait and see" approach. A few months ago I started noticing that he was getting frustrated with himself and his mispronunciations, and that he was noticing that he says things the "wrong" way. And although he has a lot of friends and seems to be well liked at preschool, other kids were also pointing out the way he talks and having a little trouble understanding Ben when he speaks. About that time is when they had a hearing/speech screening at school, and of course Ben was flagged as a kid who needed further evaluation. We love his speech pathologist, Tracey. She is so kind and nurturing and Ben thinks of his sessions as playtime. He never lets me go back with him, I think because he thinks of Tracey as his special friend and NOT mommy's friend :) He even wanted to have his initial evaluation by himself, which I think is GREAT and probably helped Tracey get a more accurate representation of his language and speaking abilities, since he probably would not have talked as much with me around. So far he's doing well and shouldn't need too many more sessions.

Here's a cute pic of Abe to tide you over until I do a 15 month update for him :)

Christmas 2011

I suppose the end of January is a good time to write about Christmas, right? We had a wonderful Christmas morning here at our house. Ben got a bike with NO training wheels from Santa, just like he asked. Luckily, Santa thought ahead and brought some in a box, just in case. Good thing, since Ben got on his bike, immediately fell over and said, "We should put on some training wheels!" Ben and Abe got a tool bench from Santa too, made by Daddy. It was a fun day.

After we had opened all of our presents and Abe had tested out he and Ben's new toothbrushes, we cleaned the house, loaded up the car and went to bed early so that we could wake up before dawn the next morning and leave for Oklahoma. That's right. We drove 1200 miles with 2 small children and a dog. And you know what? It wasn't as awful as I thought it would be. There were more than a few meltdowns and a lot of whining, but it really wasn't that bad. Good thing, because we took the long way back home 2 weeks later, driving to Tulsa, then Louisville to see Uncle Rob and Aunt Annie, then to the farm in Virginia, and then FINALLY back to North Carolina. Crazy. But the end result was awesome. During our trip the boys got to see Grandma and Granddad, 3 uncles, 4 aunts, first cousins, Great-Grandma Logan in VA, 2nd cousins in TN, and good friends in Tulsa. We drove through 9 states and ate some stellar meals in most of them. And we found out that sometimes it's kind of fun to leave real life and live like gypsies for a while.