We arrived safely in CT around 1am. Fortunately, the kids traveled well. It took a couple days to get back on track with sleep, but it wasn't too bad. We spent a few days with Steven's parents and Steven's two sisters, Jennifer and Martha and their children. We enjoyed our time together so much, our only complaint is that it goes so quickly!!!! We then drove to Cape Cod on Saturday morning, which also went relatively well.
Wednesday, September 19, 2007
Wednesday, August 29, 2007
goin' on vacation
We're going out East tonight to visit Steven's family. Pray for us as we fly out at 8pm, land at 11pm, and land at Steven's parents by 1am. The kids have the potential to be really out of sorts (us too).
Today Abigail is 2 months old! I'll have to post photos later as its a bit crazy around here...it will be a miracle if we get out the door without forgetting something important (like the kids). I'll post all about our trip when we return. Happy Labor Day!
Today Abigail is 2 months old! I'll have to post photos later as its a bit crazy around here...it will be a miracle if we get out the door without forgetting something important (like the kids). I'll post all about our trip when we return. Happy Labor Day!
Monday, August 27, 2007
Like a good neighbor...
We had our neighbors, Chad, Rachel, and their children over for waffles on Sunday morning before church. It was chaotic and crazy with 4 children carrying on, and we had a great time. As usual, we can only maintain 1-2 sentences of conversation on a given topic...the guys were great by manning the kids for a good half-hour so Rachel and I could talk. The best part was when the guys were tossing Ben and Charlotte in the air...the giggles could be heard down the street. Click on this photo to see one of them airborne. These two are both wonderful dads.
Buckingham Fountain
Ben is fascinated with fountains at this stage in his life. Friday we took him to the mother of all fountains, Buckingham fountain. We were in a bit of a rush as the weather was a bit iffy. Ben was wide-eyed when he saw this beautiful Chicago landmark.
Green Eggs and Ham
Sam-I-am is one of Ben's favorites in Dr. Seuss's classic book, Green Eggs and Ham. Steven is the one who gets up with Ben every day to make breakfast, so last week he dyed eggs and ham green as a special treat. Ben LOVED it! "Say, I do so like green eggs and ham, I do so like them Sam-I-am!"
Our New Car (Van)
We caved. We got a van. I am the slightly more environmentally conscious one of our union, so I'm a bit sheepish about owning such a large vehicle. I am not completely ready to be a mini-van owner. There are so many stereotypes about min-van moms. It feels a bit boring, soccer-mom-ish. Admittedly, I do like the space. Its also nice to have a space between the two car seats so Abigail isn't subjected to her pacifier being forced in her mouth, or worse :) Apparently the gas mileage is just slightly worse than our Honda. (Is this my way of justifying our purchase?)
Big Burger for a Little Boy
Whoppers are BIG burgers. I don't think I ever had one until last week (not that I am against them, I just prefer McDs for my burgers). Ben tackled one that seemed as big as his head!
Thursday, August 23, 2007
Rain, Rain Go Away
Benjamin loves when we sing about the rain and the old man snoring. We're going into our second week straight now of rain almost every day. The storms that came through today were severe, including a tornado warning. Two of our neighbors had trees come down onto their homes (with only minimal damage, fortunately). Although its great for the grass, the crops, etc. I'm ready for it to stop. Al Gore would blame this all on global warming...could be. I can't remember it raining like this for a long time.
Thursday, August 16, 2007
Abigail 6 weeks
Abigail is now 6 weeks old and seems to be waking up :) She's been a really good baby, only occasionally fussy and pretty easy to read. This has been a gift to us, as Benjamin gave us a run for our money! My neighbor commented that she must be good because she hasn't seen Steven walking up and down the street with her (yet) :) We took her to the doctor today and she got a clean bill of health and weighed in at a whopping 8#12oz. She's gaining weight well, and looks good otherwise. 1 or 2 times per week she "spits up" large amounts, usually when her tummy is especially full. When she does this, usually it requires a new outfit for Mom and baby (she did this tonight). Smiles are more and more prevalent, which is a joy! She has been essentially sleeping through the night, waking only once in the early hours (3-6am). We learned from Benjamin never to count on something too long, because it always changes, but boy are we enjoying it! Benjamin is adjusting more and more, I think he and I are friends again :) We're somewhat finding our groove with our daily routine. I've discovered that getting any housework done is out of the question, we're lucky if I can throw together something for dinner! Thanks to my mom and mother-in-law, we have a few things in the freezer which have been helping us tremendously! Happy 6 weeks, little one!
My Dad's sisters
Here are Aunt Bev and Aunt Diane, 2 of my 3 Aunts on my father's side. We love you, it was great seeing you!
Uncle Graham's Birthday
We all celebrated my brother's birthday on Sunday. Abigail jumped right in to celebrate also :) We had the wonderful treat of my two Aunts driving over from the other side of the state to see us. I haven't seen my Aunts since our wedding over 3 years ago. It was a fun, albeit brief, visit. Thanks for coming Aunt Diane and Aunt Bev!
G.G.'s house
My Grandmother (Ben's great grandmother, aka G.G.) lives in a condo on a nice pond. Benjamin discovered the simple pleasure of throwing rocks in the water. He will definitely enjoy Cape Cod for the same reason. We had a fun evening at G.G.'s house with some great dessert!
Blueberry Picking
We picked blueberries on Saturday at a local farm. Although the season is waning, we picked quite a few for a very low price!!! Steven thinks Benjamin ate about 100. Blueberries are his new favorite fruit!
Carousel ride
One of the malls we went to had an amazing Carousel. Benjamin and I rode it for only $1. He loved it! It was music to my ears to hear him giggling every time we waved at Nana who was watching Abigail.
Michigan Trip
I'm still having trouble uploading multiple photos per posting (something changed with the security settings on our computer), so will have to report on each photo individually.
We had a great time in Michigan, I went up Wednesday afternoon to spend time at home. It was a great help to me and I got some more rest than usual. It was great for Benjamin, too, he loves Nana and Papa! Steven drove up with Graham and Kim on Friday and joined us.
The drive up went pretty well, the meltdowns occurred with 20 miles left in the trip...causing me to I stop 3 times :) It could have been so much worse, both kids slept most of the trip! Phew!
We mostly ran errands and shopped with the amazing help of my mom. Thanks, Mom!
We had a great time in Michigan, I went up Wednesday afternoon to spend time at home. It was a great help to me and I got some more rest than usual. It was great for Benjamin, too, he loves Nana and Papa! Steven drove up with Graham and Kim on Friday and joined us.
The drive up went pretty well, the meltdowns occurred with 20 miles left in the trip...causing me to I stop 3 times :) It could have been so much worse, both kids slept most of the trip! Phew!
We mostly ran errands and shopped with the amazing help of my mom. Thanks, Mom!
Monday, August 13, 2007
Drunk Driving
I'm spitting mad. Last night, we drove home from Michigan after a weekend at my parents. It was dark as we wanted to drive while our children slept (which, thankfully, they did!). We were about 1 hour from home, stopped for a brief pit/nursing stop and got back on the highway. We noticed an SUV in front of us that was swerving all over the road. Not just a little bit of swerving. A lot. We followed them for awhile, not wanting to get near them or pass them. I called 911 and reported that we were behind a drunk driver. The dispatcher responded immediately, which is reassuring to know in case of emergency on our end. They assured me that they would notify state police. We continued to follow them for about 20 minutes, and eventually were behind them in a toll booth. We were then able to record their license plate and the make of their car. I called 911 again to report this info. We were able to pass them shortly thereafter and I have no idea if they were pulled over. My guess is, they were not. This really, really freaked me out. I felt so scared being behind them, my heart was in my throat. I felt especially vulnerable with our two children in the car. This is the second time in a month that Steven and I have witnessed blatant drunk driving. I feel so angry about it. WHY WOULD SOMEONE JEOPARDIZE NOT ONLY THEIR LIFE, BUT THE LIVES OF OTHERS IN THIS WAY???? Drinking is a personal choice, it is no longer personal when someone gets behind the wheel. What can we do about this problem? I really hope the police responded...before this person seriously hurt themselves, or worse, someone else.
Monday, August 06, 2007
Brotherly love
I love this shot! For another cute brother/sister shot, click on this photo and browse our other photos. Theres a few more of them together that are great!
Our little electrician
Benjamin has been spending even more time with Dada lately for obvious reasons. He loves to watch, help, and imitate Steven, especially when he is working on projects. Steven was testing one of our electrical circuits with these electrical tools (don't ask me their names!). Ben got a hold of them and hooked them up to the screen in our front door. He was very proud of himself!
Abigail 4 weeks
Abigail is now both 4 weeks and 1 month old. I'm still not sure when you start going by weeks vs. months, but now she's both. Not too much is new....she is eating well, sleeping pretty well, and smiling more and more. We haven't been back to the doctor, so don't know what she weighs, but we can tell she is getting bigger. She continues to squeak at night with her breathing, now that we know what it is and that it is not dangerous, we are sleeping better. She has been sleeping pretty well, napping much longer than Ben ever did, and wakes up 1-3 times per night (I love the 1 time per night nights best!).
Benjamin is acting as I would expect, especially for a 2-year old. He's a very good kid, he and I tend to have the most conflict right now. I can imagine its hard for him to understand the shift in my attention. He's acting out quite a bit with me, which I would also expect for his age. (I am not often as patient as I could/should be). Here are some examples: Today, I noticed he had marker on his shirt and nicely told him "we don't color on our clothes". He promptly went over to the markers and made another mark on his shirt. At lunch, he accidentally dropped his food on the floor...while picking it up, I noticed even more food raining down on me. At naptime, I left the room after spending a long time putting him down. A few minutes later, Ben says "All done sleeping, mama!" I went back in to remind him that he hadn't ever started sleeping and found his bed completely drenched by the water from his sippy cup. Having a toddler is so fun and so hard!!! He's a delight, too, and continues to amaze us by his language and his memory. He's very bright and loves to laugh! Its fun to see him interact with Abigail, he clearly loves her. We are thankful for both our children, despite the challenges, the joys far outweigh them all (most of the time!).
Benjamin is acting as I would expect, especially for a 2-year old. He's a very good kid, he and I tend to have the most conflict right now. I can imagine its hard for him to understand the shift in my attention. He's acting out quite a bit with me, which I would also expect for his age. (I am not often as patient as I could/should be). Here are some examples: Today, I noticed he had marker on his shirt and nicely told him "we don't color on our clothes". He promptly went over to the markers and made another mark on his shirt. At lunch, he accidentally dropped his food on the floor...while picking it up, I noticed even more food raining down on me. At naptime, I left the room after spending a long time putting him down. A few minutes later, Ben says "All done sleeping, mama!" I went back in to remind him that he hadn't ever started sleeping and found his bed completely drenched by the water from his sippy cup. Having a toddler is so fun and so hard!!! He's a delight, too, and continues to amaze us by his language and his memory. He's very bright and loves to laugh! Its fun to see him interact with Abigail, he clearly loves her. We are thankful for both our children, despite the challenges, the joys far outweigh them all (most of the time!).
Little Drummer Boy
Ben is into a drumming phase...he loves to hit anything on anything to make noise . Pretty adorable and sometimes annoying :)
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