Life with Benjamin and Elijah!

Happy Easter!

2011-04-28T13:35:00.000-04:00

It's been a while but I'll be trying for more updates now, starting with some photos.

Well check ups.

2011-01-25T12:21:00.000-04:00

We took the boys to the pediatrician on Friday. I'm delighted to say we haven't been there for a sick visit in over a year, so we don't see them very often.

For Ben, it was his 4 year check up. He's growing great and meeting all milestones. He is 36.2 lbs (50%) and 41 inches tall (75%).

For Elijah, it was technically his 18 month check up since we hadn't gone, but he is 22 months. He is 26lb 12oz and 34 1/4 inches tall. His head continues to be off the chart at 52 cm, but it also continues on his growth curve so the doctor did not seem concerned. He is a little 'knock-kneed' but nothing that he shouldn't grow out of. He's got 16 teeth! We also expressed some concern over his language, estimating that he has about 20 words which is what they like to see at 18 months. At 2 years, they want to see 50 words. He is really progressing lately, so we might meet that in the next 2 months, but again the doctor didn't seem concerned. So we'll re-visit again in a few months.

I love that our boys see the inside of a pediatrician's office so little. They are strong, healthy boys.

Happy 4th Birthday, Benjamin Christopher!

2011-01-01T10:40:00.000-04:00

Happy 4th birthday to our sweet baby boy. 4 years ago right now we were in the hospital anxiously awaiting his arrival. Our lives changed forever (of course). It's been an adventure but it has been such a joy to watch Ben grow and change and to grow and change along with him..

At 4 years old, Benjamin will talk your ear off. He loves to chat about everything. He loves to sing songs. His favorite CDs to listen to in the car are They Might Be Giants kids albums, Veggie Tales music, and the Jackson 5. His favorite color is pink. He loves to build things in his playroom, play board games, read books, and most of all play pretend. He comes up with elaborate stories to act out.

He also enjoys doing crafts including painting, coloring, and stamps. He is beginning to draw shapes consistently and is improving in his fine motor skills. Gross motor skills are doing great as he runs, jumps, climbs, and does just about anything you can imagine (and a lot we couldn't imagine until he does it). For his birthday, he got a scooter from us, and he is excited to use it!

He still eats just about anything (depending on his mood) except he hates peanut butter. Favorite foods include mushrooms and just about any kind of pasta. He also loves chicken and dumplings.
He and Elijah have a blast together. Ben loves him so very much. They love to cuddle and snuggle together.

He is a joy to be around. He is very loving and affectionate. He loves to cuddle. He is very thoughtful and giving. The other day we were driving to see family for Christmas and he saw the sun setting from his carseat (still rear-facing, by the way!). He said "that sunset is beautiful! I love sunsets". And then he paused, and he added, "I wanted to video that sunset and give it to Mema as a surprise Christmas gift." It was very sweet. He has an eye for and appreciation of beauty for sure.

He is also extremely sensitive. He gets overwhelmed easily, and he takes time to warm up in many situations. He also needs down time to be able to deal with many situations. But this sensitivity is also what allows him to be so in tune to others, so affectionate, and so spirited. We look forward to learning and growing with him for another year!

Boys and their tree

2010-12-24T12:24:00.000-04:00

Gingerbread cookies

2010-12-24T12:21:00.000-04:00

Crazy climbers

2010-12-24T12:18:00.000-04:00

Popcorn movie night

2010-12-23T11:45:00.000-04:00

There is little as exciting as watching popcorn pop!

Enjoying our snack and a Christmas movie. The perfect evening!

Elijah wouldn't let anyone else have the bowl!

Tree and the train

2010-12-23T11:42:00.000-04:00

It was exciting when the tree went up but it was even more exciting when Daddy set the train up.

Santa Train

2010-12-23T10:05:00.001-04:00

Last year, we had a great time on our Santa Train ride so we decided to do it again, and we invited Aunt Jennifer and Jaxon to join Mema and our family! Benjamin was thrilled when we opened his advent calendar card that morning and it said to take a Christmas train ride. They fell asleep in the car on the way there so it took a bit for him to warm up, but not too long. Benjamin was enthralled with looking out the window. Elijah and Jaxon just thought it was fun to sit on the seat by themselves; I imagine they were wondering why they were in a moving vehicle without a carseat! And of course, Santa was there too!

first santa sight!

Seeing Santa!!!

Tree

2010-12-23T09:41:00.000-04:00

You might recall our Christmas Tree Adventures from last year. Yea, we ended up at Home Depot. But this year, we were successful!

We went with our friends who were having a tree getting party (that might have involved tailgating at the tree farm, but that's besides the point ;)). And Mema came along too!

We had a great time with friends, and the boys were so excited to bring a tree home and decorate it!

Elijah found his own tree that he ran around with!

School Christmas Program

2010-12-23T09:15:00.001-04:00

Here's one song from the School Christmas Program. Ben did a great job singing all his songs, though he got a little bored and spacey up there. He has been singing all his songs beautifully at home, and Elijah even "falala"s pretty well now! You can see more videos on my youtube channel.

And here's Ben entering the sanctuary for the program!

Merry Christmas!

2010-12-22T15:20:00.002-04:00

The Bruesehoff Family 2010 Christmas Card.

Silly things

2010-12-18T11:38:00.002-04:00

The boys have been full of funny things to say this morning.

First Ben calls to me "Moooom, Elijah's feeding the ornaments." And sure enough, Elijah is feeding freeze dried popcorn to Sebastian. Next he gave his sippy cup to Mary, Jospeh, and Jesus... which caused them to fall from the tree of course.

Then Ben asked for more water after a slew of other requests in a row. I said "geez, you guys are demanding this morning." And he said "MOM! Water is healthy for me!" in an exasperated voice. Yes, Ben, yes it is.

Who knows what will be next, but I'm sure it will be funny.

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What Ben's thankful for:

2010-12-09T17:41:00.000-04:00

Today our Advent calendar told us to make a list of 10 things we are thankful for. Here is Ben's list.

1. my marble race
2. mommy
3.daddy
4. elijah
5. God
6. our advent wreath
7. books
8. our advent calendar
9. Christmas cookies
10. my red chair with my name on it.

Bundled up

2010-12-09T11:35:00.000-04:00

Here are the boys all bundled up as we went out to put up our Christmas lights yesterday while it was all of 25 degrees! It sure is a pain to get them all layered up - they are each wearing 2 pairs of pants, at least 3 shirts, plus coats, hats, and gloves, etc. But, they need fresh air, so I'm hoping to do this most days despite the ridiculous amount of work it is. Elijah had a had time in his slightly too big snow boots and kept falling every 5 feet, and when he fell, he couldn't get up. Poor kid. He'll get better as the season goes on, I'm sure! Ben just keeps asking where the snow is and when can we go sledding!

Taking care of baby.

2010-12-09T11:31:00.000-04:00

Elijah loves to take care of his baby dolls. Here he is laying his baby down for a nap. He decided that baby must be hungry for a bit of his apple before naptime.

In related news, this morning Ben asked Elijah if he was having a baby. Elijah responded "Uh huh" as he responds to most things. Ben then proceeded to coach Elijah to "push his baby out." It went a little something like this:

Elijah, c'mon, you have to push. Go uuuuuuhhhhhhh (insert loud grunting noise here). That's good, keep pushing. Do you want to get in the tub while you wait for the baby to come?

I love my little doula and parents in training!

Russian Tea cookies

2010-12-07T19:55:00.001-04:00

Ben enjoying the first Russian tea cookie of the season - a family tradition!

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Favorite foods

2010-11-30T19:48:00.000-04:00

So I as polled readers to find out what they wanted to hear as I finished out my 30 posts promisted for November, some silly Aunt Gretchen asked about the boys favorite foods. So when asked here were some answers...

Benjamin: jelly and cream cheese sandwhich, popcorn, bacon, bananas, oatmeals, and smoothies!

Elijah: mommy's milk, water, pancakes, eggs, bananas, and smoothies!

When Daddy asked Ben what his favorite thing was for dinner, he said: DESSERT! Haha.

When Daddy asked Ben what his favorite thing for dessert was, he said watermelon.

Brrr....

2010-11-30T19:43:00.000-04:00

Since their mean mom keeps the heat at 60 degrees for the winter, here are the boys eating a snack all bundled up as you'll find them most days in the house, at least until spring.

God stuff.

2010-11-30T08:59:00.000-04:00

It's really fun to watch Benjamin and Elijah learn about and explore our faith and traditions. We say grace before dinner every night, well sometimes we sing it. We have a variety spoken and sung graces we rotate between, Ben usually chooses. Elijah folds his hands or bounces along to the singing. During November, we read a Bible passage each night and talked about what we were thankful for leading up to Thanksgiving. And now during December, we are lighting our advent wreath with a short prayer, verse, and song each evening.

At night, we say our bedtime prayers each night. We say, Now I lay me... (but our version doesn't include anything about dying before we wake), The Lord's Prayer, and then we pray for anything that's on our mind. Ben prays for family and friends, for patience and forgiveness, and in gratitude for many things in his life. It's wonderfully refreshing to hear him pray.

We also go to church, though this fall it has not been as often we as like. At church, Ben sings the liturgy, prays, gives our offering, passes the peace, and receives communion. He also started Sunday school this year. Elijah started receiving communion this fall as well. This confuses a lot of people, but we believe that if they are old enough to reach for and desire to receive communion, then they are old enough to receive. Elijah reaches for it and happily gets Jesus each Sunday.

Ben also loves the VeggieTales, which are great characters found in movies, books, and on CDs that tell Bible stories or stories that convey Biblical lessons and values in fun, kid ways. I like them, along with a lot of others, because while it is age-appropriate, it is not distorted or misplaced theology.

It's a daily journey that changes often, but it is fun to watch our boys begin to understand what we believe about God, Jesus, and faith. Someday, they will make their own decisions about all of this, and we hope we are giving them a firm foundation in these early years so they are prepared to question and explore when it becomes age-appropriate as well.

A post from Ben.

2010-11-30T08:49:00.000-04:00

Are you excited about Christmas? Yes.

What are you excited about? I'm excited about giving presents to people.

Why do we celebrate Christmas? Because it's nice. Because Jesus is born on Christmas.

Anything else you want to tell us about Christmas? Um, no.

What are we doing to get ready for Christmas? Decorate our tree and get ready.

Anything else? No, nothing else.

What do you want for Christmas? I want people to give me presents and we'll make gingerbread snacks and cookies. And we'll make lots of stuff, to eat and give to people.

benjamin

Elijah at 1 year 8 months 27 days.

2010-11-29T14:45:00.001-04:00

Elijah is a ball of energy. He wants to help with everything. He wants to be a part of everything. He is positive that anything his brother can do, he can do. He loves to build with blocks, play with cars and trains, and cook in the kitchen. He also has recently begin to read books a lot on his own as well as with his brother. He also loves to watch movies, especially Signing Times. He frequently drags a kitchen chair into the kitchen the second he sees you might be about to cook, because he wants to help. He signs frequently and is getting better at making words, but they are still few and far between. He loves to nurse and would do so constantly if his mama would let him. He also loves to snuggle and cuddle if he's in the right mood. His temper is bigger than he is. His smiles are huge and infectious. He loves to be around people and he'll play with anyone that will play with him. He does not like to be kept still, and he is very happy to roam on his own. He adores animals, and his face lights up at the sight of cats and dogs. He has no fear for them either.
He loves to eat, and he will eat just about anything you put in front of him. However, if he's not in the mood for what you've given him, it may go flying (see previous post). He loves to be tickled and hung upside down. He loves music and sings along as best he can with anything we listen to. Physically, he can keep up with anything his brother can do, and he handles their roughhousing play very well. He has some issues with throwing toys and hitting when he gets angry, which is typical for his age as well as his inability to communicate, so we are working on those. If I ever thought Ben was going to give me all the gray hair I could handle, I had no idea what I had in store for me with Elijah. And together, they are unstoppable which is both frightening and wonderful.

Benjamin at 3 years 10 months 28 days.

2010-11-29T14:38:00.000-04:00

Benjamin is still a very spirited little boy. He can light up a room or set it afire. He loves to read books of all kinds both to his brother and with mommy or daddy. He loves to play with cars, trains, blocks, and play games. He is also getting really good at the computer and enjoys playing on it while I put Elijah down for his nap. Some days Ben naps, and some days he doesn't. It's always a protest if we want him to nap, but he usually conks out. He has recently begun to pretend he is different animals a lot. The other day driving to Thanksgiving dinner, he was rather upset in the car because he was a bunny and we had no carrots to feed him. His imagination is wonderful. He loves play all sorts of pretend, by himself, with his brother, and with adults, too! He loves to do crafts and projects, but still needs a lot of help with them. He loves his brother so much, and yet also gets pretty frustrated by him at times. He helps him, looks out for him, and bosses him around a bit too.

He is very excited about special events and holidays. He is thrilled about Christmas coming. Some of his favorite things to do with Mom and Dad are cooking in the kitchen, hiking or playing outside, and snuggling up on the couch with books or a movie. He is such a cuddly little boy. He sleeps in our bed with us, and he loves to snuggle mommy or daddy throughout the night. Sometimes even Elijah gets snuggled. He loves to eat and will eat constantly if he is allowed. One of the few things he won't eat is peanut butter, he hates it! He also loves his family, talks about them often and loves going to visit them. He loves to sing songs and dance. His highs are as high as his lows are low. He takes us on quite a ride most days.

I love these cuddles.

2010-11-29T14:05:00.001-04:00

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The first Sunday of Advent

2010-11-28T21:21:00.001-04:00

Today, we celebrated the first Sunday of Advent, both at church this morning and at home this evening. We bought an advent wreath for the family this year, and a small (rather outdated) book with prayers, stories, and songs for each evening of Advent.

Our home is transforming into a Christmas wonderland and the boys are very excited, helping put up decorations, listening to Christmas music, and watching Christmas movies. They are also enjoying playing with their nativity set that they got last year for Christmas, though Ben forgets and calls it an 'activity set' instead of nativity. Then we talked about how nativity really refers to anyone's birth, so now he asks whenever we see a nativity, who's birth it's for, and we tell him that it's another one for Jesus. Ha! Silly kid.

The boy has a temper.

2010-11-28T14:13:00.001-04:00

Oh yes, the boy has a temper. Here is a really flattering picture of Elijah in one of his typical meal-time tantrums. Everything you see there on the floor is the result of him sending his dinner flying which happens at just about every meal when he decides he doesn't like what's in front of him or that he's done. One day he even calmly signed 'all done', asked for a napkin, wiped his hands, and then he sent the plate we unwisely hadn't moved yet flying to show more clearly that he was ALL DONE. The screaming face you see is only a result of mommy pulling out the camera to document this. He knew he didn't want me taking pictures of him being a booger!!!

Elijah still doesn't talk much, and as a result, he gets very frustrated and has a hard time communicating those frustrations. We are working on those things, and we will be looking into speech therapy in the new year for sure. In the meantime, when he's pissed, we all know it!!!

I do my own stunts.

2010-11-28T14:08:00.001-04:00

Elijah really enjoyed us getting out all of the Christmas bins. It took him about 10 seconds to realize that he could climb the towers of containers. And about 10 more seconds for Mom to snap the pictures before Dad had a heart attack and took him down. He is a dare devil.

Swaddled

2010-11-28T14:04:00.001-04:00

The other day Ben asked me to wrap him up like I used to when he was a baby. So I swaddled him in the comforter we keep in the living room for snuggling on the couch. Elijah was not about to be left out, so I quickly found a blanket for him as well. Here are my silly little swaddled boys as happy as can be. They laid like this for like 15 minutes watching part of a movie. I thought it was hysterical.

Benjamin's Teacher Conference

2010-11-19T19:52:00.001-04:00

I had a wonderful chat with Ben's three teachers yesterday. I was volunteering for the school's used clothes sale, and so they grabbed me during a break to save me a trip back today. It was very informal as I see them and work with them when I am there to help with lunch. It's nice to get to see Ben at school as well as have such access to his teachers.

They said he was doing very well, so much so that they didn't have too much to talk to me about! His teachers remarked that he enjoys the drama area of the classroom. They said he is very comfortable in the room and with himself. His enthusiasm and candor are refreshing. He is revealing a very pleasant personality. They truly enjoy Ben.

They said he spends the least amount of time in the art area, but some kids do tend to dominate it so he finds elsewhere to work. He contributes at group time and listens while others share. He respects classroom materials as well as the work of others. He cares for personal belongings and self well. He plays and shares well with others and handles conflicts well. He is confident in the environment, but is working on gaining more independence as far as choosing his works. He cleans up his work space himself. He is very social and prefers to work with others in the classroom.

He holds his pencil correctly and is left-handed He traces his name. He speaks clearly, expressing ideas well. He really enjoys the language area and just started the phonetic alphabet book which is a big step. (I asked him about it and called it something phonics or something and he clearly corrected me, 'no, mommy, the pho-net-ic alphabet book!' He is working in 0-10 activities in math. He really enjoys geography/cultural studies, participating in lessons and grasp the concepts taught. He understands the globe and is now working on continents.

Science and earth literacy are a favorite. He has a keen sense of wonder about the Earth and its processes. He feels a sense of bonding with the planet. He understands we must care for our planet (yay!). He participates in group music lessons, learns lyrics, and is developing a sense of rhythm. He also really enjoys French class and we know that because he comes home singing the songs he learns!

In Sensorial, he is working with shapes and geometrical solds. He is working on gradation skills, spatial relation skills, and discrimination skills with sense. He loves puzzles. Overall, it seems his weakness is in fine motor skills but not so that it is a concern, but just the area in which he is not as far along.

We are very pleased with the education experience Ben is getting at Fields of Green and love the Montessori curriculum! The last things his teachers told us was that he's very bright and it shows. It is fun to work with him.

Christmas Lists

2010-11-18T15:31:00.002-04:00

It's that time of year when family and freinds are asking what our boys (or in a rare instance, ourselves) would like for Christmas and their impending birthdays.

We keep a My Registry list. The person it is for is denoted under the Color item. It includes items for all members of the family, and we try to keep it pretty updated. The only other note, I'd make is that we try to avoid most plastic toys as well as most things that take batters in favor of creative and active play. We don't mean to sound picky or ungrateful but it is something important to us.

Some extra notes for our boys: Ben is moving into a size 5T (with adjustable waistbands and he's skinny!), and Elijah is moving into size 2T. Ben loves footie pajamas and matching his brother. They both love books and music. They love things for outside - playground balls, cones, sand toys, water table toys, snow toys, etc. Ben's favorite color is pink, though he likes others too. Elijah doesn't show a preference yet. They also love nature, kayaking, hiking, all things camping, dinosaurs, trucks, trains, dress-up and pretend, and all things arts and crafts. They also both love places like zoos and museums, and activity classes for music, swimming, and gymnastics.

There are certainly things on our wishlists. Who doesn't have items they'd like to have? But, we are blessed to have so much, and we do not expect gifts from anyone. We always enjoy creative ways to 'gift' one another because it is so wonderful to give. We appreciate the spirit of giving and are in no way trying to take away from that. We are blessed by wonderful friends and family who are so giving of their time and of some wonderful gifts year after year. We are grateful for that, and having moved farther away from many in recent years, we truly treasure the gift of time with loved ones. So, the short of it is, looking for gift ideas from our family? Check here. I just had a ramble a lot to say that ;).

Leaves me speechless.

2010-11-18T13:38:00.000-04:00

Ben (running up to give me a hug and kiss for no reason): I love you mommy.
Me (squeezing him tight): Oh, I love you, Ben!!!
Ben (cuddling into my arms): I love you, too Mommy.

This happens pretty much daily, and then, little else matters.

Rain

2010-11-18T12:22:00.000-04:00

The boys love to play in the rain! And we are lucky to have the entire church parking lot for puddle jumping. What a blast! This is what the boys looked like all summer any time it rained!

Camp

2010-11-18T12:13:00.000-04:00

This summer we joined Daddy and a few confirmation kids from our church and went to camp for a week. This is the camp where Chris and I met, got married, and where I currently serve on the board of directors. It's a very special place to us. Ben has been to confirmation camp twice now, but we missed last summer. This was Elijah's first time going to camp for a week. We had such a great time! We slept in Evergreen Cabin C. What fun! Seriously, I just look at the pictures and grin at seeing my boys loving the place that I love so much.

We laughed as we showed Ben our cabin, and he asked "but mom, where's our kitchen? and where will cuddle and sleep?". We did some rearranging to make the cuddling and sleeping work. Otherwise we explained the dining hall concept. It hadnt sunk in because in the morning, Ben woke up and said "where's my breakfast?" It was such a joy to see Ben discover the world of camp.

We swam, we hiked, we hung out with all the big kids while they played games and learned about the Exodus story. Ben got adopted into one of the tribes, because well it's named after him, (well sort of). So he became a member of the Benjamin tribe joining that group at times. I loved to watch them run all over the place, enjoy meals in the dining hall, and sing camp songs until they passed out. At night, I took the boys back to the cabin and put them to sleep while Chris did some meetings and such. After I finally got them to sleep, it was so great to listen to the sounds of camp, sit on the porch, and read a book, like I did when I was a cabin counselor.

Ben enjoying a pre-breakfast granola bar during First Word.

Elijah wanted to be a part of the show during First Word!

Ben in his tribe's skit on stage in front of everyone!

Take a bow, Ben!

One day we had a little picnic on the porch of our cabin because the boys went down for an early nap and we missed the dining hall lunch. The boys thought it was the best thing ever. After meals, the boys would get restless so I'd take them out and just find a spot of grass to sit. There we would sing songs and make bands with our stick instruments. We'd play follow the leader through the trees. Daddy passed almost 30 minutes playing imaginary baseball with the boys on the baseball field. Camp is full of possibility, full of imagination, full of creation. And then, as we fell asleep, Ben would sleepily mumble, "mama, I love camp." And all I could think was, "so do I, Ben, so do I."

Sussex County Fair

2010-11-18T11:52:00.000-04:00

We had a great time at the fair this summer, even though we went on a miserably hot day. I mean HOT. Ben enjoyed a handful of rides, especially the one that was a kayak (just like Mema's!). Everyone enjoyed all the animals, and the boys did not want to leave the kid's area where they got to ride little tractors, pretend to food shop, pick apples, etc. And then, of course, there was the food. Mmm fair food! Elijah's first corn dog (and probably Ben's second?). Delicious!

Aunt Gretchen

2010-11-18T11:43:00.000-04:00

Aunt Gretchen and her boyfriend Will came to visit this summer. They helped out with Vacation Bible School and played their butts off with the boys. Will also took same great pictures of the boys! Thanks, Will!

School

2010-11-18T11:25:00.000-04:00

Well, these are only 2.5 months too late, but these are first day of school pictures on the front porch and then walking to school! Ben is in the Sprouts class at Fields of Green Montessori school, which he moved into part way through last year. He loves it. He goes Tuesdays and Thursdays from 9-12:30 which is an extra hour over last year. Now, he stays for lunch and gets to play after lunch. Meanwhile, I am now a parent staff person at the school, and I come on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 11-12:30 to help supervise lunch as the teachers take their own lunch breaks. As a result, Elijah comes with me, too!

It’s all been a bit of an adventure. It’s quite a gift for Elijah to get this little school experience. The girls absolutely adore him. They are all anxious to make sure that Elijah will be sitting at their lunch table and they are quick to help him with whatever they can. I think Ben enjoys having Elijah there as well. It’s also quite a challenge for me to balance my lunch duties while taking care of Elijah and making sure he’s not getting into things, particularly when we are inside for lunch because of rain or the upcoming colder weather. But we’re making do.

Otherwise, Ben is really enjoying school. He has show & tell on Tuesdays which he always brings something for. His two best friends from last year did not return this year which was a big let down, but he has made new friends and is adapting. He loves his teachers. We have parent conferences later this week so I’ll have more of an update then for sure. He counts to 10 in Spanish, 20 and sometimes beyond in English, and he sings a couple songs in French. He is tracing letters and spelling his name. I’m not sure what else are his favorite things in school because he doesn’t like to talk about it much, but we’ll see what his teachers say at the end of this week.

Brothers, Boys, Best Friends.

2010-11-18T11:21:00.000-04:00

Ben and Elijah have so much fun together. These pictures were taken during the summer, and it’s even more true now. They play in the silliest and most creative ways. They giggle and chase each other. They make games. They explore. And they wrestle, tickle, and hug. It’s such a joy to watch, and it’s amazing to watch how they find their ways to communicate and create together while Elijah is still so young and not very verbal. Pictures like these help me get through weeks like this when it feels like all they do is fight :)

Kayaking

2010-11-18T11:19:00.000-04:00

Mema has been a kayaker for quite some time now. She loves it. One weekend towards the end of this summer, she brought her kayak up to our house to take it out on one of the many lakes near us. Well, that was the beginning of the entire family’s love for kayaking. Mema’s kayak now lives at our house which are very grateful for because it means we get to use it!

The first time Mema took us all out, we went to Lake Waywayanda which is at a state park right near us. It was wonderful. Ben was so excited and went on many trips out on the water with her. He loved to go fast, help paddle, and put his hands in the water. We weren’t sure how Elijah would do, but he was very relaxed and quiet. Chris and I got turns to go out as well.

Since then, we’ve been Waywayanda a couple of times, and we took the kayak to the Outerbanks with us. The boys love to be on the water. We’ve gone out with friends and their canoe. And we borrowed a two person kayak and the whole family went out with Mema to paddle all around Lake Waywayanda, stopping only to explore one of the islands. It has been great fun.

We knew Ben loved it. He talks about it often. He always loves nature, and in the kayak, he gets special time with his Mema, and he loves that! Just yesterday, we were in the car and he asked if we were going home to put on swimsuits so we could go kayak (because that’s what we did in the summer). I had no idea how much Elijah loved until one day we were hiking at Waywayanda, just me and the boys, and we walked by the boat launches. Elijah was on my back in the carrier. He started pointing, yelling, and trying to get out to go over to the kayaks that other people were launching! He was so upset that we weren’t going out on the water.

I love to see my boys develop such a wonderful love of nature, adventure, and active fun, and it’s all even more special because we are all getting to share one of Mema’s joys! We look forward to many more kayaking adventures!

Vacation

2010-11-18T11:09:00.000-04:00

We went on vacation the third week in September to the Outerbanks of North Carolina. It was wonderful. Grandpa and Nana rented a house. Aunt Jennifer and Jaxon came too along with Nana’s daughter Starr and her husband Jeff. We had such a wonderful time. There was beach going, swimming in the pool, in the hot tub, in the community kiddie pool. We went hiking, we flew kites, we climbed the Corolla lighthouse, and we listened for the sounds of the ocean in the shells we found on the beach. We watched gorgeous sunsets. We played LOTS. There was lots of elevator riding from 1^st floor of the house to the 3^rd and back again. The boys had a wonderful time with everyone! So many people to play with and so little time. They both loved the ocean and the pools. We even took Mema’s kayak out on the Currituck Sound. It was a great trip of family and fun, and I have far too many pictures to begin to share so here is a ridiculous many to put in a blogpost, but it’s the best I could narrow it down to even give you a glimpse of our time!

Ben and his marble race.

2010-11-08T22:22:00.001-04:00

Benjamin is done nursing. He announced before bed on Tuesday that he was done nursing and wasn't ever gong to nurse again. He said it rather grumpily after he didn't get his way with something. I told him that was fine, but that he shouldn't say it because he was grumpy. I suggested that if he was ready to be done that maybe he wanted to nurse one last time that night. He immediately perked up and decided this was the plan. So he nursed.

Now, we've been talking about weaning for some time. We've asked him if he was ready to stop. No! We've asked how long we would nurse until. Forever! We've asked why he wanted to keep nursing. Because I like it. We've talked about there being a day when he would stop. We've talked about the day coming sooner. We didn't push. We did tell him that when he was ready to be all done, we would celebrate with something special. We talked about maybe when he turned 4. He adjusted to that idea, and he knew it was a few months away.

Then came the marble race. He saw a marble race in a store and fell in love. He wanted one. We told him we could put it on his Christmas list. He obsessed over it. He wanted it and wanted it now. We had multiple nights of crying as he yelled that we'd never ever get him a marble race because we'd said we couldn't manifest one at that very moment. Oh the life of a 3 year old. We talked about getting it for Christmas. And then one day he was asking about what special thing he'd get or get to do when he stopped nursing, and I suggested that maybe that's when he could get his marble race. He thought this was a great idea. I went to work looking for one so I'd have it when he was ready.

A few weeks went by. I finally found one on woot.com that I wanted after having already ordered a different one from hearthsong.com. Oh well, it can get returned. I ordered it, I knew it would come in a few weeks. I was in no rush. Neither was Ben. I felt good about that because I didn't want him to wean for the marble race. It wasn't a bribe. It was a celebration of the next step when he was ready to take it.

So when he told me that night, he was done. I said ok. We nursed. We went to sleep. He didn't ask the next day. He accidentally nursed the morning after that as I in my sleep deprived stupor offered and he half asleep accepted. He awoke upset that he was nursing when he said he was done. I told him that he could if he wanted, and he said no, he was all done. He was just sleepy and wanted to be snuggled. So we snuggled.

The deal was after 5 days of no nursing, we would get his marble race. It had arrived on Friday, and yesterday marked day 5. So this morning, I told him the good news (he hadn't asked since about the marble race), that if he was really done nursing, I had his special marble race for him. He was so delighted. We talked a little, and he said he was happy to be done nursing because he still got to snuggle and he didn't need to nurse anymore.

His marble race is more like a ball track, but it's the same idea. And he loves it. We played alllll day putting it together in different ways and sending the balls down. I am proud to have provided the best nutrition - physically and emotionally - for my child for 3 years, 10 months, and 1 day. And I am proud to have watched him wean himself with some gentle encouragement from us. (This also marked the end of tandem nursing for me, at 20 months to the day!)

Ben and his marble race.

Happy Birthday Jaxon!

2010-11-08T22:07:00.001-04:00

After a very busy week, we didn't slow down. We headed down to South Jersey to celebrate Ben and Elijah's cousin's birthday! Happy 2nd Birthday, Jaxon! Jaxon had his birthday party at The Discovery Museum. It's nearly impossible to get decent pictures of the kids in there because of the lighting and the fact that they won't stand still for more than a few moments. But, I did get some pictures of the kids enjoying their cupcakes before they went to play. Thanks for having us at your party, Jaxon! It was a blast.

Brotherly love.

Birthday Boy

What? It's not shaving cream?

Field trips

2010-11-08T21:55:00.002-04:00

It was a busy week for Ben and Elijah. Ben usually goes to school Tuesday and Thursday, 9-12:30. Elijah comes with Mommy to help with lunch at school on those days 11-12:30. This past week, Ben had not one but two field trips. They were on Wednesday and Friday, so Ben went to his normal school days plus went on field trips on two other days.

The Wednesday field trip was to the Lakota Wolf Preserve. I was away at a conference so Chris took the boys to that one. I haven't gotten to hear all about as it comes out in bits and pieces, but Ben is adamant that he has take Mommy there soon, which is good because I want to go! I'm sad I missed the trip. They got some good pictures, at least as good as you can from behind the fence.

The field trip on Friday was to the Liberty Science Center in Jersey City. For this one, I took the boys since Chris had switched his day off for me earlier in the week. We had a blast. It was our first time going there. Their big exhibit right now is Mammoths and Mastodons which was really cool! Boy, those things were huge!

Ben and Elijah both really enjoyed checking out all of the fossils, pictures, and artifacts. The boys particularly loved the I Explore area, which is a good thing because it was geared to 2-5 year olds. It was all very hands on with a crazy ball machine, cars you could build and race down tracks, things to climb on and more! I, unfortunately, didn't get any pictures because I was too busy chasing them as they went in opposite directions. Other favorite exhibits were the Eat and Be Eaten which was full of all sorts of fun creatures from crazy lizards to snakes, birds, turtles, and more, and Our Hudson Home which is all about the Hudson river which the museum looks out onto. The Hudson exhibit had lots of really cool fish tanks that the boys loved. We even got to see the Statue of Liberty from a distance from the top floor of the Science Center. It was Ben's first glimpse of her.

To finish off our day at the Science Center, we got see a 3D movie, Sea Rex. Elijah fell asleep during it, and Ben was just about ready to. But it was a good movie, and it was particularly fun because the plesiosaurs were one of the marine reptiles that the movie spent a lot of time on and we had recently learned all about them and the 'dinosaurs of the ocean' in Ben's most recent issue of either Your Big Backyard or Ranger Rick.

The boys sure slept good on the way home!

Ben's second race!

2010-11-08T11:07:00.001-04:00

Back in September, Benjamin ran his first ever race while Mommy did her first 5k in many years. Ben loved it! He gets very excited about Mommy's running and races as well as his own. Yesterday, he ran his second race while Mommy ran her first ever 10k.

It was in Camden, NJ at the River Sharks Stadium. Mommy ran the Run the Bridge 10K across the Ben Franklin Bridge (which she'll be posting about over on *that* mom!) Ben got to race across the outfield while Mommy was running. Mema took him for his race. He did great and was so excited to get a medal at the end!

Weaving between the slower kids, that's my boy! He'll be faster than Mommy in no time.

Ben in yellow, racing!

Chilling (or staying warm) after his race

Ben and Mommy post-race

Ben and all the racers. Mom's childhood friend, Darcy, Uncle Mike and Aunt Kristie

Ben and Mema

Ben and the River Shark

After his race, he watched all the runners come into the finish, very excitedly and yet very patiently waiting for mommy to cross the finish line. On the way home, he asked when his next race was. And then he asked what he'd get at his next race. The first one, he got a ribbon. The second one, he got this medal. He thought for a few minutes and then I said, "I know!!! I think I'll get a trophy next time!" Now for mommy to find the kid's run that gives out trophies to everyone... or maybe buy one from somewhere else herself!

Ben is very excited to race again, and Mommy can't wait until he is running 1 milers and 5Ks!

School Pictures

2010-11-04T23:06:00.000-04:00

This year's school pictures turned out way better than last year's (well except for the group shot which is kind of dark and shadowy this year. Here's a snapshot of the proofs.

More about Ben and school coming soon!

Apples, Pumpkins, and Alexander - Oh my!

2010-11-03T18:55:00.000-04:00

A few weeks ago, we took a long-awaited drive down to see the newest member of our extended family, Chris and I's nephew, and Elijah and Ben's cousin, Alexander. He was born in August far before anyone was expecting him! As a result, he spent a good amount of time in the NICU, but he's home now and getting so big and strong! Elijah was smitten with him, and Benjamin said he was 'cute.'

Yea, so I wasn't real up on my picture taking that day. I will owe you all much better Alexander pictures in the future.

While we were there, we headed out with the family to go apple picking and pumpkin picking at the farm nearby. Ben had a blast with Garrett, and Elijah loved having Nicholas around to play with. Plus, of course everyone always loves to see Pop-pop!

Three of the cousins!

Mmmm apples.

Goofballs - get out of the way so we can see more cute kids.

Elijah enjoyed chewing his vest as much as anything else

Nicholas is Mr. Muscles dragging the cart around

The big boys with their pumpkins

Nicholas getting a ride from Aunt Jamie

Playing at the playground after picking

Little daddies.

2010-11-02T08:13:00.000-04:00

Ben and Elijah play so much together now. It is great to watch. One of my favorite times to watch is when they grab their baby dolls and care for them. They take turns wearing their babies on their back in their baby carrier and pushing the baby in the grocery cart while shopping. Usually, Ben's baby falls asleep in the baby carrier, and then he carefully puts the baby down onto a blankey and curls in to 'snuggle' the baby while he sleeps. Elijah quickly follows, and this is what it looks like. You can't see that and not smile. They are going to be great fathers someday!

Happy Halloween!

2010-11-01T21:26:00.001-04:00

We had a great time this Halloween. On Friday, Ben and Elijah carved a pumpkin into a fabulous jack-o-lantern with Daddy, and then we headed out trick-or-treating at Lafayette Village, an outlet village near our home. We came home and made homemade pizza (as is our routine on Friday nights), and then watched "It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown" while roasting our pumpkin seeds. It was such a great family fun day.

Then on Sunday, it was Halloween!! We went trick-or-treating in a nearby neighborhood and stopped by a few church members' houses to say hi. The boys had a blast, a dragon and a knight! At his age, Ben knows the routine. Meanwhile, Elijah was first just excited to be walking down the street. But before long, he was very attached to his little orange plastic pumpkin and was eager to grab the treats and put them inside it at every house. He'd get rather upset if he thought you were trying to take his pumpkin away from him, depsite the fact that he'll never eat anything that came in it.

Ben's done really well this year with understanding that there are only a few kinds of candy he can eat, and that even then it is only one piece a day, even on Halloween, and that in a few days, we'll give away everything we have left to protect our teeth and our bodies.

Benjamin's back to blogging.

2010-07-18T12:26:00.001-04:00

Mommy: What's your favorite game to play?
Ben: pbskids.org

Mommy: Where do you like to go?
Ben: I like to go to mema's house.

Mommy: What do you like to do when you wake up?
Ben: I like to do fun things with you Mama.

Ben: I think I want to ask you questions and when I ask you questions, you answer them and blog them, ok?
Mommy: sure.

Ben: What do you like to do when I wake up?
Mommy: Mommy likes to have her coffee when she wakes up.
Ben: That wasn't one of my choices. Fine, I won't blog anymore. (stomps away).

And that was that... little booger.

Grammy's 60th Birthday!

2010-07-13T14:03:00.001-04:00

We went to visit Grammy and Pop-Pop for Grammy's 60th Birthday this past weekend. We had so much fun! We hit the beach on Friday. The kids loved it! Daddy is not a big fan of the beach, but he managed. We chased waves, splashed in the super warm water, played in the sand, and just had a wonderful time. The kids loved the extra special time with Grammy and Pop-Pop!

Then we headed home where we had lots of time playing in the 'warm tub' as Ben calls it because he doesn't like it too hot. Ben discovered the joy of the jets on the 'warm tub' so you can see him relaxing in the one picture. Aunt Sara got home from work, and then Aunt Emily, Uncle Mike, and Garrett and Nicholas came too! They played in the sprinkler, the warm tub, and just about anywhere else they could find a spot.

Oh and of course, Elijah had so much fun with all the doggies...two pugs and a great dane! He just loves dogs. Of course so does his daddy.

It's such a joy to have the cousins together (and we can't wait for there to be one more in the crew, although we don't want him coming out any sooner than he should Aunt Emily! Keep that baby in there!). We celebrate time with grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins. Happy Birthday Grammy!

4th of July Fireworks

2010-07-05T12:23:00.000-04:00

We took the boys to fireworks this year, and I admit I was pretty nervous about how it was all going to go, but they did great!

Bob and Nancy, members of our church, invited us over for dinner which was lovely, and then we walked from their house to the school where the fireworks were happening. Bob and Nancy have a dog which left Elijah absolutely thrilled through our time at their house. Ben also had a blast playing with the dog plus all the special toys they keep at their house for their grandkids. But, it was really when we started our walk to the school then Ben was really in his element. He was holding Nancy's hand and chatting up a storm. He was as excited about lightning bugs as he was about the upcoming fireworks display.

We got settled and Elijah who was exhausted chilled in the stroller for a bit. Ben chased lightning bugs and talked Nancy's ear off. Shortly before fireworks started, Elijah wanted out so he sat quietly with me. He was a little upset when the fireworks first started and began to cry a little, but eventually just nursed, and then cuddled. He watched them in awe. Then he reached for Daddy, and cuddled Daddy and fell fast asleep even through all that noise! Meanwhile, Ben talked non-stop through the entire fireworks display. It was so funny. He talked about everything from fireflies, fireworks, colors, the weather, the school buses on the street behind us, and well you get the point. I sure hope Nancy wasn't looking forward to a quiet time at the fireworks! But he absolutely loved it. He walked hand in hand with Nancy all the way back to their house at the end, and somehow ~~conned Nancy into giving him~~ sweetly asked Miss Nancy if he could keep her flashlight he had been walking with, and she said yes! Silly boy. It was a great time, and we are so grateful to Bob and Nancy for inviting us! Thanks!

Picture disclaimer - I am no photographer.. these were just some fun shots to capture the evening :)

Lutheran Day @ Great Adventure

2010-07-05T12:08:00.000-04:00

Last Monday, we took the boys to Great Adventure for the second time. Mema came with us again. Last time we went was Labor Day. Ben was a little more nervous about rides to start this time but he warmed up. I guess after a season of county fairs and carnivals, he was more used to rides by Labor Day last year.

It was so incredibly hot, like 96 degrees hot. But they had a blast. Ben rode lots of kid rides, and he even went on the log flume with Mommy and Mema (which Mema was not thrilled with doing but did it for her grandson!). He was a little freaked out during it but I held him tight, and at the end he said that Daddy should come next time and talked like he enjoyed it! What a big boy!

We saw the dolphin show again like we did last year. This year, I took Elijah in. It was hard to get him to sit but he loved seeing the dolphins and the music. Elijah also rode the carousel for the first time ever, he loved it!

And the boys also had a great time playing in this little sprayground in the kiddie area. It was perfect for the super hot day, and we came prepared this time with swimsuits! We were too busy running around to take many pictures so this is what you get. :)With our Lutheran Day tickets, we got free return tickets for this season so we look forward to one more fabulous day at Great Adventure sometime in August probably.

Benjamin Blogging...

2010-07-03T14:59:00.000-04:00

An interview with Ben...

Mama: What is your name?
Ben: Benjamin

Mama: How old are you?
Ben: I'm three.

Mama: When is your birthday?
Ben: I don't know.
Mama: in January
Ben: In January I'm going to have another birthday

Mama: Who is your mommy?
Ben: (gesturing towards Mama) This mama, Jamie.
Mama: What does mommy do?
Ben: You clean up the kitchen and you take care of me.

Mama: Who is your daddy?
Ben: um, that daddy (pointing), Chris, Chris is the pastor.
Mama: What does daddy do?
Ben: He takes care of me and he plays with me a lot.

Mama: Who is your brother?
Ben: that brother, (pointing) Elijah
Mama: What does your brother do?
Ben: He messes up my train tracks and knocks down my buildings.
Mama: What's your favorite thing about your brother?
Ben: I like him because he climbs on the table and I say "oh oh oh!" (giggling)

Mama: Who are your friends?
Ben: At school? Jake and Sophia are my friends at school, but sometimes Sophia is sick or sometimes two of them are sick so they dont come to school, but sometimes they come to school.

Mama: What is your favorite color?
Ben: Purple and green and we mix them all together and then it makes, um then it makes, what does it make?
Mama: ummm...
Ben: it makes white.
Mama: ok.

Mama: What is your favorite food to eat?
Ben: watermelon and regular melon, like not watermelon, different melon

Mama: What is your favorite song?
Ben: The one on Pinnochio, (unintelligible singing), ... the one with the puppets
after some discussion, Daddy figures it out.
Daddy: "I've got no strings on me!"

Mama: What is your favorite movie?
Ben: Um, it's, um, um, Nemo.

Mama: What is your favorite book?
Ben: George Shrinks.

Mama: What is your favorite animal?
Ben: Snakes..

Mama: What is your favorite ice cream flavor?
Ben: Vanilla and chocolate and have a cherry on top of a big sprinkle and then a cherry on top.

Mama: What are your favorite toys to play with?
Ben: I think I like to read books.

Mama: Where is your favorite place to eat? Ben: Where they have playplaces.

Mama: Who is your favorite person?
Ben: Elijah

Mama: Where did your brother come from?
Ben: Your belly.

Mama: What is your favorite thing to do?
Ben: I like to play with you and spin around with you and play hide and seek.

Mama: What do you want to be when you grow up?
Ben: Uh, a birdie.

Mama: Where will you live when you grow up?
Ben: Right here.

Mama: What do Mommy and Daddy do after you go to bed?
Ben: Um, you say goodnight. You clean up the kitchen and I sleep all by myself, but then you come cuddle me.

Mama: Anything else you want to tell us?
Ben: I think, one more thing, um, I love you and I wanted to say thank you for helping me blog.

Courtney Skidmore Photography

2010-06-22T09:07:00.000-04:00

We had the joy of my friend Courtney of Courtney Skidmore Photography taking some pictures of the boys while she was up visiting with her kids. The boys were a little cranky with being taken away from play time to go on their little photo shoot so she didn't have a lot to work with but she did amazing. Check out the shots by clicking here and entering the password 'Bruesehoff1'. (If that link doesn't take you directly to the client proofing pages, just click on "Client Proofing" at the top of the page).

Thanks Courtney! You rock! Now, I just have to somehow decide which ones to get prints of! Anyone want to weigh in?

Benjamin and School

2010-06-09T18:45:00.000-04:00

The school year is wrapping up. Ben has two days left... tomorrow and then Tuesday. Ben has really grown this year. He started out the year in the Seedlings, the class for children 18mos -3 years. In February, he moved up to the Sprouts, the 3-6 year old classroom. He did really well to start, and then had a little bit of a rough period where he'd cry when I dropped him off, but since then he's really opened up. He particularly loves his one teacher Miss Janet, and Jake and Sophia (brother and sister) are his best friends who we hear a LOT about!

He talked a lot about being calendar kid and how he wanted to be it, but when it came time for his turn he did not want to do it and told Miss Janet, he'd do it next week. The next week, he told her he didn't ever want to be. A few weeks later, he showed up at school one day, told Miss Janet he wasn't going to cry anymore at school and that today, he was going to be calendar kid. And he was.

Last week, he had a school field trip to High Point State Park. I have pictures I'll post soon from that. And this past weekend was an Open House at school with lots of fun and games including a neat story-teller, pony rides, and getting to watch Squeaky the Sheep get sheared!

And yesterday, Ben got to do his first ever oral presentation. It was about poison dart frogs as they were finishing up a rainforest unit. He took pictures, and he told the kids that they were endangered, and that is why we cannot chop down the trees in the rainforest. He told them a few other facts. The teachers said he did great. Super cute to hear about and prepare him for.

At the end of May we had a parent teacher conference. His teachers had nothing but positive things to say about him. They wrote and told us that he is adjusting well. They described him as a joy, as sweet and kind, and a happy, bright, and respectful child. They called him 'delightfully expressive'. It was fun to hear them talk about him. As far as skills, he is doing well and really just begining to dig into the different areas. According to the write up, he doesn't know his colors ('cause he was distracted that day) but he knows his continents. Goofy kid. I assure you, he does know his colors.

Elijah - 15 months

2010-06-08T13:22:00.000-04:00

Elijah is 15 months old now. We had his well visit at the pediatrician on Friday. He weighed 23lbs 8oz (50-75%) and was 31.5 inches long (25-50%). His head remains off the charts at 50.5cm but it seems to be staying on his growth curve. His fontanel has not closed. But neither of this things seem to be of concern. Instead, they just seemed to be the way Elijah grows. If there as a problem, the pediatrician is confident that we would see other issues developmentally and health wise.
Elijah is such a funny little boy. He loves to climb, oh boy, does he love to climb. He climbs into the playset in the backyard and is really quite proficient at the ladder and the slide. He slides down feet first on his belly using his feet as brakes so as to go ever so slowly. The one day he did it barefoot he couldn't stop himself and he flew off the slide belly-flopping. It was quite a surprise to him. He also climbs onto the kitchen chairs now, which he has discovered can get him on the kitchen table. The day he ran straight across the kitchen table I almost had a heart attack.
He loves music. He loves to dance, clap, and sing. He loves to be worn. He rides on mama's back through the woods for mile upon mile. Sometimes he rests, sometimes he talks to the bird, and sometimes he leans back and gazes up at the trees. He also loves dinosaurs. He carries them around and says "Roar!!" And of course he follows his brother wherever he can. Oh and he loves dogs. They make him smile from ear to ear and he has no fear whatsoever.
He signs eat, more, please, water, nurse, and sleep consistently. He loves to nurse. He loves to eat, although is rather picky depending on his mood. One day he'll love something, the next day he hates it. And then there is his temper which remains fierce to put it mildly. He is grinning and giggling or his angry, kicking, screaming, and, yep, even head butting!
But overall, he's an absolute joy. He's sweet, loving, cuddly, and adventurous. He has quite a spirit about him. He is very independent but very affectionate. It's so fun to watch him grow.

Who does he look like?

2010-06-03T12:07:00.000-04:00

You might remember from here how much Ben looks like his daddy, and well, he continues to look like his daddy. An updated picture of that will be coming soon, but in the meantime, we finally got some pictures of mommy when she was a baby to prove how much Elijah looks like her! What do you think?

A new sous chef in town.

2010-05-28T07:30:00.001-04:00

There's a new sous chef in town and you're looking at him!

Ben has always liked helping in the kitchen. He does a pretty good job if you ignore the fact that he must taste every ingredient (which doesn't always go so well for him as you can imagine). The head chef needs to be very vigilant when working with sous chef Ben so that he doesn't add ~~gross~~ interesting ingredients, add ~~gross~~ interesting amounts of ingredients, eat ~~gross~~ interesting ingredients, and so that he doesn't sever any of his limbs or those belonging to anyone else or ~~destroy~~ accidentally break something in the kitchen.

Tonight, when sous chef Ben and head chef Mommy were making pizza dough to make our pizza later, sous chef Elijah was not to be left out. He climbed right up on to the kitchen chair Ben was standing on and shoved gently pushed him out of the way so that he could help. Head chef Mommy so trouble brewing and quickly grabbed a second kitchen chair, bowl, spoon, and some flour. Then sous chef Ben and Elijah went to town. Of course, I had no idea at any given point how much flour was going in (or out for that matter) of our dough, but luckily after all the other ingredients were in flour is really 'add until you get the right texture' kind of ingredient. Dinner was delicious, and we are ~~frightened~~ eager to see our new sous chef Elijah in action again soon!

Fields of Green presents "The Little Mermaid"

2010-05-06T11:13:00.000-04:00

Ben made his stage debut, playing "a bird" in the Fields of Green Players presentation of The Little Mermaid last week. He spent weeks preparing - watching the movie over and over again, listening to the songs repeatedly, rehearsing everyone else's lines (as he didn't have any of his own). Meanwhile, I spent weeks dreading making his costume, but we pulled that together in the end. The play was put on by the 3-6 year old class (Ben's class) and the elementary kids (which is grades 1-3 this year). They did the ENTIRE show... the movie, song for song, word for word. It was loooong.

Ben wanted to be a pink bird and so he was a pink bird. He loved his costume! One day when I took off the costume after having tried it on him so I could make a few alterations, he asked if he could keep the pink pants on because in his words he really liked them "because they are just, well, so PINK!" He was also very excited to have his hair sprayed pink.

The first show was Thursday morning. Mema came to this performance. It wasn't long after we arrived at church (where the plays were taking place) that Ben decided he wanted to go home, he was scared, and didn't want to do the play. It broke my heart. The kids lined up in the hallway, he and the 3 other birds and 2 dolphins were supposed to go on and he was crying. He missed his first little part. He went into Daddy's office where he saw the flowers we had bought him for later and wanted them. So they served as the bribe to attempt to get him to sit with his class. It was off and on, but eventually he did go sit with the other kids. We told him he had to sing his two songs and then he could have his flowers. Well, after the first two songs in the show (neither of which he was in), he came running back tellling me that there were two songs and he wanted his flowers. Ha! But he did go up on stage for "Kiss the Girl", and then he flew around Ursula the sea witch when she was trying to marry Prince Eric, and finally sang "Under the Sea" in the company reprise at the end. He did great! It was a long time to sit for a little kid!!! And he looooved his flowers.

The second performance was Friday night. Pop-Pop, Aunt Emily, Garrett, and Nicholas came to this one. He was a little more ready but still very hesitant and crying before the show started, but he made it in for his opening scene and did the rest too! It was great! We are so very proud of him and look forward to many more shows! And with flowers after each show and cake at the cast party, he is also looking forward to many more shows!

2010-05-05T20:43:00.001-04:00

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Elijah - 14 months

2010-05-03T21:30:00.000-04:00

I love this kid. Elijah is quite the spirit. He has so much energy. He will stop at nothing when it comes to keeping up with his big brother. He loves to get dirty, and he loves to giggle. He signs "more", "eat", "please", "nurse" (which melts my heart!), and "all done". He says mama, dada, no, and has been known to wail "iiiiwaaaantmaaaamaaa". He is a mama's boy but loves his daddy so. When he does not get what he wants, people three towns over think there's fire as a result of the siren scream that he lets out. He screeches and screams because he needs to be heard and seen over his brother.

He loves to put things away. He puts things into containers just about everywhere. And he squirrels things away...some never to be seen again like our Blu-Ray player remote control. Maybe someday he'll decide to get that one out of hiding. He throws things in the trash whether they are trash or not. He put all of the fridge letter magnets into the lazy susan, and most of Mommy's kitchen measuring cups and wisks into his hiding spot between his green chair and the television.

He gives the biggest hugs, and the sloppiest kisses. He loves to eat. Meat is undeniably his favorite, immediately followed by anything his brother is eating. He uses a spoon really well, and also loves to drink water out of his little open cups even if he does pour half of it down his shirt each time.

He loves to play trains, sing songs, play with instruments, and do ring around the rosey. He prefers to be outside just like his brother always has. He still loves to ride on mama's back, but he is really just growing up far too fast. He's too busy trying to catch up to his big brother when mama just wants him to cuddle a little longer. Luckily once the sun sets, that's all he wants to do... cuddle mama.

You should see the other guy...

2010-04-19T08:47:00.001-04:00

Ben took his first really good digger for the year a few days ago. We were working on putting in the garden fence, and he was helping. We had a couple of really chilly days so he had his hands in his fleece and was walking around following Daddy. Well, he tripped on the edge of the patio, and couldn't get his hands out to stop him, and fell pretty much face first onto the pavers. Ouch. His poor nose was pretty swollen that first day. But all the teeth are intact (Thank God - just ask my mom about the time I fell with my hands unavailable when I was about Ben's age... yea it ended in root canal) and his spirits aren't any worse for the wear after the initial shock. Yesterday he got lots of questions at church as to what happened and he was pretty good at explaining it. He didn't really understand all the questions until I took him to go potty at church and washed his hands in front of the big mirror. He looked up at himself and there was this momentary look of absolute shock at what he looked like. He had no idea. Then he just started to giggle.
Now, we've just gotta teach him to say "you should see the other guy" for when he goes to school on Tuesday. Or maybe a really good story about a bear... annnnd a coyote.... and yea, well you see where this going.

boys of spring...

2010-04-13T09:59:00.000-04:00

Happy Easter!

2010-04-12T12:45:00.000-04:00

We had a lovely Easter. The boys and I went to church in the morning (which they were admittedly NOT in the mood for), but it was a joy to hear Benjamin shouting "Alleluia!" whenever it was said. They were rather tired (read: miserable, cranky, and throwing fits), so we hurried home (read: carried them out kicking and screaming) and they were both asleep by 10am (after 8:30 service!). We took a family nap, and then got up to get ready to drive down to Aunt Jennifer's house for dinner with Mema, Aunt Jennifer, and Jaxon!

Benjamin, Elijah, and Jaxon had so much fun playing together. It is such a joy to watch. As they get older, the interaction is simply priceless. I am so excited to continue to watch them grow together along with our other nephews! We had a delicious dinner, and Ia-Ia and her friend Richard joined us for dessert. It was fun for the boys to get to see Ia-Ia who they haven't seen in quite some time.

Mema had special Easter Eggs for the boys that talk! Yes, they talk. They were adorable. When you push a button, they say things like "I'm over here". So Benjamin had a great time hiding them and having Mema find them, and then Mema would hide them and Benjamin would find them. Jaxon and Elijah enjoyed climbing up and down the front steps and playing in the yard too!

Did I mention how fun it is to see them interact now that they are getting older? Haha. This was an attempt a cousin picture... and well Jaxon really wanted to interact instead. :)

Woooorms

2010-04-08T16:20:00.000-04:00

Along with our garden, we've started a worm composting bin. The worms arrived yesterday, so we hurried to get everything ready for them! You'll be able to read more about the process over on my blog, but I had to share a few pics of the boys enjoying everything WORMY!

Sprouts and Seedlings

2010-04-08T16:10:00.001-04:00

We are very excited to be starting our garden. Benjamin was very excited! Here is a little picture tour of our adventures starting seedlings with our own little sprouts.

We gathered empty egg shells, cartons, and small plastic containers for our planting.

Ben and Daddy got to work filling our containers with dirt, and then planting seeds.

We planted seeds on March 14th.

Meanwhile, Elijah did not want to be left out of the fun so here is his chance to play with some dirt too! Yea he might have tried to eat it. He figured out it didn't taste good, so he stopped that pretty quick.

We set up our trays of seeds in their happy home in the far, far, away room where they were protected from curious hands and had lots of sun. And believe it or not, they began to grow! Here they are on March 26.

And on April 2.

And today, April 8th.

Next week, Pop-Pop is coming to help us build the garden outside.

And soon after that, it'll be time to transfer our plants!

Fine motor skills.

2010-03-28T14:09:00.001-04:00

I am continually amazed by elijah's fine motor skills. He loves to put things inside of things and take them out. He tries to put socks on and does better than I'd expect.

Here he is playing his piggy bank with Mema. He put the coins in all by himself, opens the door to get them out and repeat. He sat and did this for at least 15 minutes. He also relished the applause he got when he succeeded.

Elijah's My Gym Party

2010-03-27T10:53:00.000-04:00

Elijah had a blast at his 1st birthday party! Thanks to the family and friends who joined us. We are so very blessed. We did a Winter Wonderland theme (complete with hot chocolate bar - yum!) which was comical on the first day of Spring but it was because if you remember he was born in a blizzard! Plus, we had a beach bash for Ben's first birthday on New Year's Day. People should come to expect these things from us!

He loved his cupcake (as did everyone else - oh my goodness they were divine! you have to check them out... the girl who makes them is working on getting a storefront in Haddonfield, NJ but in the meantime contact her via her website!).

And the kids just had an overall blast!

Thanks everyone for coming and having a blast with us!

Candid School Photos

2010-03-15T20:55:00.000-04:00

Here are some proofs of candid photos that were taken at Ben's school last week... please excuse their tiny sizes... they are proofs and can be viewed much more clearly among with many other pictures here (for now). The password is 'maria11' (without the ").

Ben can be found on pages 11 and 12 of the 'outside pictures of sprouts and elementary' - photos 129-138,

and he can be found in the 'sprouts' section on page 20... photos 234-237. The other pictures are a great look at his school!

Budding Artist

2010-03-15T12:45:00.000-04:00

Benjamin has really been enjoying painting at his easel recently. Since we've discovered that it's not all that messy, it means he gets to do it a lot more often (although Elijah does need to be asleep or otherwise occupied for it work out). It also means our collection of "Benjamin Originals" is quickly growing. We've decided to keep a select few around the house, but otherwise we'll be taking pictures and sharing them here and/or saving them in our files for posterity! Here are a few of his recents...

Happy Birthday Elijah!

2010-03-05T19:46:00.000-04:00

Elijah Matthew turned 1 on March 2! It's been quite a year. He had his well visit at the pediatrician today. He was 21lbs 8oz and 29 3/4inches long. He is growing and developing wonderfully, and of course he is continuing to nurse! His head circumference stayed the same since his last visit 2 months ago (measuring at a whopping 49 cm - just one less than his brother!). We've decided to see a pediatric neurologist to have his head checked just in case, but as he is developing well within the range of normal there is not too big a cause for concern.

Elijah is an absolute sweetheart. He smiles big for just about everyone. He is very happy. He is beginning to walk - taking up to 8 or 9 steps at a time but still crawling a good part of his day. He loves to eat - even more than Ben did if that's possible. He prefers meat. Someone should get him a side of beef for his birthday and he'd be delighted (and it might help save us from him eating us out of house and home). He signs "more" and "all done"... and he responds to "eat" and "nurse". He says mama and dada and knows who is talking about. And he says "nananana" when he most definitely wants to be saying no. He gets very excited when Daddy gets home from work and very upset when Daddy leaves. He loves to snuggle and now actively gives hugs which is really sweet. He waves hi or bye... and points to just about everything. He plays by himself really well right now and will wander off to the playroom to explore for quite some time when I realize he's been gone. He loves to interact and play with everyone around him as well. He has the best giggle... infectious to say the last. He doesn't want anything to happen without... unloading the dishwasher? he's gonna help! Getting stuff out of the fridge? Just the other day he got out a dozen eggs for me... yes nevermind that they broke all over the floor.

He adores his big brother more than anyone else. They have so much fun together. Ben holds his hands and helps him walk around the house. There are tickles, giggles, screams, and shrieks. Of course not all of them are good, but that's how it goes with brothers, right? Elijah wants to be wherever Ben is... playing with whatever Ben is. You can imagine how that goes. But honestly, Benjamin is an excellent big brother always looking out for Elijah and finding new ways to play with him all the time. it's really fun to watch him develop so different just because he's got a big brother... even the toys, he loves to the play in the kitchen where Ben didn't get it until he was 2 so wasn't doing that at this age. He's just recently begin to color on the easel with crayons too which is fun to watch. Some of the things that we would have never though Ben would have been interested in at this age, Elijah's doing just because they are around.

We are very excited about his birthday party at My Gym on March 20th and even more excited about another interesting year with "E" as we call him a good amount of time. We look forward to watching him continue to grow and show off his unique personality!

2010-02-21T11:00:00.001-04:00

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

2010-02-21T10:59:00.001-04:00

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Elijah is going to be 1!

2010-02-11T19:21:00.000-04:00

I absolutely cannot believe that it is almost Elijah's 1st birthday! It has been quite a year! We're very excited for his birthday party that's going to be at My Gym in Cherry Hill to be a more central location for a good amount of family and friends. Here's his invitation front and back (it was printed on postcards). The theme is Winter Wonderland after the blizzard he was born in! Going to be nearby? Want to stop by? Let me know and you're more than welcome!

Camp out Camp In

2010-02-10T21:21:00.000-04:00

Last weekened, I was scheduled to have Board of Directors retreat at Cross Roads (previously Camp Beisler). The plan was for the Chris and the boys to come with and stay nearby so that I could nurse Elijah instead of pumping and help out with night wakenings. Ben was *very* excited to go to camp. He even told the teacher at a My Gym trial class he did (which will be another post) that he was going to go to camp in response to Question of the Week which was "What was your favorite vacation?". There was some snow expected in the region, so I got notice Thursday night that we'd hear by Friday at 10am whether we were on for sure or not. Friday morning we packed up what seemed like the whole house - clothes, snow clothes, strollers, sleeping bags, blankets, computer and stuff for my board meeting, and toys for entertainment. Yea, it felt like we were taking the enough for 3 weeks in the wilderness when we were going for one night. I checked my computer compulsively from about 8am through 11am and didn't receive any notice so I figured we were on as scheduled. Just as we were about to walk out the door at noon, I decided to check my email just one more time.

Well, you know where this is going. The retreat was cancelled due to the possibility of snow. Sigh. Chris and I were exhausted from all other hunting and gathering of neccesary items, but nothing could compare to Benjamin's heartbreak when we told him we weren't going to camp. He bawled, he screamed, he whined. He was just destroyed. We still had to drive out to where camp is for his doctor's appointment, but I promised him after we came home, we'd have a camp out at home with hot chocolate and popcorn. We never got to the popcorn, but he sure did love having Mommy's tent in the living room. He was absolutely giddy while we were putting it up, played in it for a while, and then cuddled up with Daddy to watch a movie. Once I got Elijah to sleep I got to climb in and he was still sleepily grinning from ear to ear, watching his movie, and every so often rolling over to hug me and say "I love you mommy" or "mommy, can you see the movie? I'll move for you, there you go" followed by a kiss. Total sweetheart. He and Daddy slept in there until the wee hours of the morning when they came upstairs.

We still promised him we'd have a real campout soon but he was pretty happy with the inside version in the meantime.

Bounce, bounce, snooze

2010-02-09T12:13:00.000-04:00

Elijah has taken to falling asleep in his jumperoo (ok he's done it twice). But it is the funniest thing to watch. He falls asleep but keeps jumping every so often. I know you wouldn't believe me without proof so I took video. I'm relieved to know that he's already prepared for sleeping through classes in high school and college. Hmmm, his daddy must have taught him this one.

Photo Sharing - Video Sharing - Photo Printing

Well visits

2010-02-09T12:11:00.000-04:00

We've finally found a pediatrician that we think we will stick to up here. His office is about an hour away (in Hackettstown) but it's worth it. Why? For example, when going through Elijah's file he asked if he was still breastfeeding... I, of course, responded yes. He said oh good, and then told Elijah in his very thick Chinese accent that "you have good, good mommy!" Then flipping over our paperwork he saw that we don't vaccinate, and said "oh fabulous, you make it easy for me!" No questions, no attacks. Simply applause for the things both he and we believe we are doing right. I've also heard from others who referred me to him that he'll do blood tests to confirm bacterial infection before prescribing antibiotics, and he's quick to offer alternative remedies opposed to prescription or over the counter drugs.

Elijah
Elijah's well visit (call it 6 months, call it 9 months, whatever we've missed a few) was on Jan. 26th. Elijah checked out beautifully - for the most part. He is hitting all of his developmental milestones ahead of schedule. He signs "more" and "all done", he points at objects, and he makes all his noise - mama, dada, gaga, baba, etc). He says dada and knows who it refers too. He cruises, walks with furniture, and let's go to stand on his own pretty regularly. His pincer grasp is well established, and he eats just about everything in sight. He also has begun putting objects in and out of things which is always fun to watch.

He measured 50% for both height and weight... at 29.5inches (Dr. Chi told me that if he stayed on this growth curve he'll be 5'10'.... I busted out laughing.) and 20lbs even. His head is still extremely large (off the charts) and his fontanel (the soft spot on the top of his head) is still very big and not closing when it normally would. These are things we still need to keep an eye on. When we return for our 1 year visit (can't believe it's almost time!), I'll bring Dr. Chi all of Elijah's head measurements from birth on so he can look at them a little closer.

Benjamin
Benjamin's 3 year well visit was on Friday (February 5th). He did great at his visit! He listened and did all the things Dr. Chi wanted him to do. He is 38.5 inches tall (75%) and 32.5lbs (25%). His body mass index is 15 (yes he's really that skinny!). And according to Dr. Chi and Ben's growth curve, Ben will be 6 feet tall at 20 years old (this time both Chris and I were there and we looked at each other and burst out laughing).

He is developing well and everything looked health, well except a little roseola. For the few days before his check up Ben had a fever of about 102 and complained of stomach pain. It came and went. We just kept an eye on it knowing he'd be going to the doctor on Friday. Well by Friday, he seemed completely fine. During the check up, the doctor asked us without us saying anything, "has he had a fever?" Hmm, why yes, yes he has. "For about 3 days?" Hmm yep, about 3 days. And then he showed us the rash on his back. Of course! Roseola! It's funny to me because I remarked a couple months back when Elijah had roseola how funny it is that Roseola is always such an AHA! moment. Mysterious fever and crankiness for three days... wracking your brain every day, ruling out possible causes, and then suddenly the child is fine, AND, suddenly there's the roseola rash! DUH!

2010-02-02T10:24:00.002-04:00

My First Trip to the Dentist!

On December 7th Benjamin had his first visit to the dentist. He did so well. It was amazing. I have to say, this wasn't my childhood dentist. The hygienist was very nice, there was a TV over the chair, and they put his favorite shows on (PBS - Word World). He was a little scared going in, but he opened up and she tickled his teeth and he never complained. I wish I did half as well.

New tricks

2010-01-25T14:12:00.001-04:00

Yes Elijah is all over the place. Today, I turned around to this...and Ben yelling 'mommy, look at Elijah!!!! Can I get on the table too?!?'

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Who bought this?

2010-01-14T15:42:00.003-04:00

Who bought this is a question we hear from Ben on a daily basis. Sometimes it is when he gets something new. He will ask "Who bought this for me?" And we'll tell him whoever it was whether mommy and daddy or whoever else. Other times, he will randomly ask when playing with something or putting something on to wear, who bought this? If it was Mommy or Daddy, he will immediately respond "Thank you (insert Mommy and/or Daddy here) for buying this for me. I really like it." It is possibly the sweetest thing ever. If someone else who isn't with us at the time bought it for me, he tells me that we should call them to say thank you, that he will thank them next time he sees them, or suggests we write a thank you note to put in the mailbox.

Last night, as he was going to sleep it was a stuffed rhinocerus that I gave him to cuddle while he tried to fall asleep. He cuddled in bed, played with the tag, and talked to the rhino until he asked me, "Mommy, who bought this for me?" Here is where the problem arose. I don't remember. So I told Ben that I didn't remember. He was very bothered by this and asked again. I explained that he got it a long time ago and that I don't remember. He was completely perplexed and it helped him stall bedtime an extra 15 minutes as he tried to figure out what to do with the thanks that he wanted to deliver but couldn't.

So, if you are reading this and you were the person who bought the very soft and very cute gray stuffed rhino for Ben when he was born, I apologize. Tell me and I will be sure to tell Ben... and in return, you will receive a phone call or a card in the mail or possibly both to say thank you!

Ben's First Blog

2010-01-11T09:37:00.000-04:00

The name of this blog used to be 'Ben's first blog.' Well this is officially Ben's first blog entry. He got a camera from his Aunt Jennifer for Christmas and is enjoying documenting his days. Every so often you can look forward to blog entries dictated and typed by Ben (mommy helps with the whole spelling thing!) accompanied by pictures taken on Ben's very own camera.

_______________________________________________________________________________________
Dear everyone, I took pictures of you and I love you, *kiss*, and everyone that gave me presents is very nice. I'm all done blogging.

___________________________________________________________________________

Mommy's favorite part of the dictation experience was when I asked Ben what he wanted to say and he went "Ummmm, hmmmm, aaaaaah" and then after a few seconds said to me "OKAY, now write!"

Christmas Eve

2010-01-05T11:57:00.003-04:00

Christmas Eve was spent as we always do. We went to church, came home opened our Christmas pajamas, and then the kids went to bed, while I set up presents and waited for Chris to get home from church.

Of course Ben doesn't quite understand the Christmas pajama tradition yet, so while he was very excited to get a present, he was VERY upset that it was pajamas (which almost made Mommy cry but she held it together!) Next year I will be sure to not say present but say pajamas so he knows what is coming!

And then getting pictures of the kids in their Christmas pajamas was less than successful. It was an adventure of an evening.

But we eventually settled into to watch The Night Before Christmas and off to bed the kids went. Then it was time to get everything ready for the next morning!

Dear Ben...

2010-01-05T11:55:00.001-04:00

I hope your girlfriend enjoys looking at this pictures when you're in high school. (Insert Mommy's evil laugh here!)
Love, Mommy

School Holiday Program

2010-01-05T11:54:00.001-04:00

Ben's school does a holiday program. It was very cute. The Seedlings which is the class Ben is in do the first and last song along with the rest of the school, and the other classes sing a variety of songs. There were jingle bells to shake and little battery candles to hold. It was adorable to say the least. I can't wait until next year when Ben is more involved in it.

What was funny about it was that the school (which is next door to church) uses the church building for their performances. So I was trying to explain to Ben all morning that we were going to school at church or church for school or however else I could explain it. He just didn't understand.

And then while we were sitting in the sanctuary watching the other kids sing, he said he wanted Jesus (communion). Well, you should have seen me to try to explain to him that no he could not have Jesus... or that there wasn't any Jesus there today... oh wait, these all sound really bad yet again. Two of his worlds collided and he was pretty confused about it all.

Christmas Pics

2010-01-05T11:49:00.001-04:00

Taking pictures of these two little boys is always an exciting adventure. Here was our attempt at taking some Christmas pics. The boys were dressed up for Ben's School Christmas program and so I figured I'd get some pictures. They weren't exactly cooperative, but they are still cute as can be, and Ben is the biggest ham ever!

Train Ride with Santa

2010-01-05T11:32:00.003-04:00

Benjamin had such a wonderful time this holiday season! One morning on his advent calendar, he opened a card that said "Take a train ride with Santa" and his eyes got real big and asked "Mommy! Can we do that???" And I said "of course, the card said so!" So off we went. (Luckily Mommy carefully arranged what cards and activities were on which days!).

So Mema came to visit and we went on a train ride with Santa. Both Benjamin and Elijah had so much fun! They loved the train. They both stared out the window (and Elijah banged on it furiously while talking to EVERYONE in the train car!). It was about an hour long ride. Santa came by along with Mrs. Claus to each train car and sat and talked with each child. They kids also got candy canes, little stuffed reindeer, and coloring books. A singing quartet came to each car and sang Christmas carols to us as well. It was a really nice event.

Benjamin absolutely loves The Polar Express so a Christmas train ride was particularly excited. He loved when they came by and 'punched his ticket' (as you can see him looking at it with Mema!). And when Santa came and asked him what he wanted for Christmas Benjamin proudly told him that he wanted "a bell". Santa was a little confused and proceeded to tell him about all the toys they had at Santa's workshop but Ben wanted a bell. It was pretty awesome.

New rides!

2009-12-24T10:44:00.000-04:00

The boys both have new (at least to them) rides. Elijah has moved into a big boy car seat because at almost 20lbs he was outgrowing his infant seat and we certainly weren't lugging him around in it anywhere. He inherited Benjamin's Sunshine Kids Radian 65. This carseat rear-faces to 33lbs (it's an older version, newer ones rear-face to 35lbs) and forward faces in a 5 point harness to 65lbs. (Of course there are height restrictions as well - rear-facing they need an inch between their head and the top of the carseat shell and forward facing the seat has been outgrown when the top of the ears reaches the top of the shell).

Meanwhile, Benjamin has moved into a Sunshine Kids Radian SL 80! These are brand new. The SL stands for Super Latch which means the LATCH system in the car can be used beyond the traditional 40lb limit in cars manufactured after 2005 because there was additional testing done. But more exciting for us is that the SL 80 rear-faces to a whopping 40lbs (and forward faces in a 5 point harness to 80lbs). We are determined to keep the boys rear-facing as long as possible because of how much safer it is.

So now the boys are enjoying their new rides, and most exciting for them is that they get to sit next to each other now. Sometimes this works out great as they can enterain each other, other times Elijah gets tortured. The other bonus is that we can now once again fit another person in our back seat so that we can travel with one additional adult instead of always needing a separate car. It's the little things! But at least know the boys are as safe as they can be and they are comfy too as you can tell from the pictures!

(note - the straps - especially Elijah's - are way too lose in this picture, they were tightened right after taking these pictures!)

Christmas Tree Adventures

2009-12-24T09:59:00.002-04:00

Every year, we go out and cut down our tree at a Christmas tree farm. It is one of Chris and I's favorite traditions and Benjamin has joined us since he's been alive. We expected this year would be no different and Elijah would of course join us! Well, we happened to pick the most bitter cold day of the year. So we set off with two children. Ben fell asleep in the car on the way there. We tumbled out of the car, bundled them out, and set out with a crying Benjamin who was too tired to walk on his own to find a tree. It wasn't long before Elijah was crying too. But we continued on, tramping through the snow determined to find that perfect tree. We found what might have been it... .but the kids were clearly indicating they were done. We tried to snap a picture to savor the moment... and you can see how well that turned out. So we were screaming ABORT, ABORT and hurrying back to the car to calm screaming kids and warm ourselves.

We decided a trip to Pizza Hut would warm everyone and calm everyone down. And then together, we had an epiphany, driving by the big orange sign sitting behind the Pizza Hut. Yes, we would continue our tree getting adventures at.... Home Depot. Sad, but true. But, we picked out a tree, the children stopped crying, and we all survived to tell the tale. Next year, maybe we'll actually cut our tree down again, but in the meantime we'll enjoy our Home Depot Christmas tree and laugh at the adventure we had getting it.

Our first snow!

2009-12-24T09:46:00.001-04:00

Our first snow at the new house came a few weeks ago. It was absolutely beautiful. The smile from ear to ear on Ben's face was absolutely and totally priceless! He was just go to the window again and again and exclaimed as surprised as he was the first time "Mommy! It's SNOWING!" And boy, when we got to get out and play, it got even better! Benjamin was amazed. He was not thrilled about getting cold and got very frustrated when his gloves wouldn't stay on. We weren't quite prepared for the first snow so we didn't have sleds or anything, but a trash can lid sufficed for his first trip down the hill in the back. It took a few runs to pack down the snow to make a track, but then he was good to go! Elijah on the other hand, not so thrilled with the snow. He was happy if he was on mommy's back, but other than that, he could do without it. And of course after snow, you have to come inside for hot chocolate! Of course Ben got a second chance to go out when our neighbor Kathy came to get him! Ben had been begging to make a snowman so off they set determined. The snow was quite cooperating for a snowman... so then Ben decided they'd make a bunny, which then turned into a dolphin, and finally ended up a snow dragon! What fun!

Gated community

2009-12-23T22:23:00.003-04:00

Yes, we now live in a gated community. Elijah is on the move more than ever before. He is cruising well, crawling speedily, occasionally even letting go of whatever he is holding onto to stand independently.... and on top of it all, he's found the stairs. So yes, we now live in a gated community. Our once open floor plan is a distant memory.

Advent

2009-12-08T11:58:00.001-04:00

Now that Benjamin is getting old enough to really get into and understand the holidays, I really wanted to celebrate Advent and to teach him what Christmas is all about. We made this Advent calendar which is little envelopes for each day in December (yes, I know that's not technically Advent but i wanted to be able to reuse it each year and advent changes each year. Inside each envelope is a card with something to do that day to get ready for Christmas. Benjamin is enjoying opening an envelope each day, and asks multiple times a day if we can open another. So far, we have read Christmas books, watched Christmas movies, decorated for Christmas, had dance parties to Christmas music, and made Christmas cake balls (see pictures below!). Today we'll be making paper snowflakes to hang on the windows. The activities range from traditional things we would do anyway to other things that help remind us of what the season is all about. In the coming days we'll be reading the Christmas story from the Bible, making a birthday cake for Jesus, baking cookies to take to our neighbors, and going food shopping for donations for the church food pantry. It is so fun to watch Benjamin get excited about Jesus's birthday, the Christmas story, giving presents, and being joyful about this time of year.

Christmas Card Fun!

2009-12-08T11:41:00.002-04:00

In the last few days of November, I realized the clock was ticking and I needed to do our Christmas card! With two kids fighting colds, I knew they weren't up for a photo shoot in cute clothes, posing with their smiling faces, so we improvised. I bundled them up in all their winter clothes and sat them outside to take a few pictures in the back yard... here were some of our shots...

And here was the finished product! Dreaming of a white Christmas :)

Poppy

2009-12-05T10:33:00.000-04:00

Shortly before Thanksgiving, my Poppy took a turn for the worse. I drove down with the boys to see him, my grandmom, and the family. We returned home after two days down there just to make a trip down the following day as it seemed his time was short. We then spent the next few days with family by Poppy's bedside. He was surrounded by his children, grandchildren, and great grand children (of which there are many!). It was a really challenging few days for everyone, of course. The kids were so good considering that over the course of 10 days they spent 3 nights in their own beds and traveled up and down the NJ Turnpike taking the 2 1/2 hour drive down to my family's 7 times. They brought smiles to everyone as we sat and waited during a very sad time.

Elijah had very little clue as to what was going on, of course, but he was sure to give his Granny a HUGE smile every time he saw her which she needed so very much. Benjamin, on the other hand, was more aware. He is such a sensitive and aware little boy. Sometimes Chris and I call him our little 'empath' as he really feeds off of everyone's emotions around him and is so in tune to his surroundings. We talked a lot on all of our drives why we are going down there, to see Granny and Poppy, and that Mommy's Poppy was sick. We talked about how we wanted to be with Granny to make her smile and give her lots of hugs.
While we were at my grandparents apartment, he took many people on walks, played games, and was as patient as we could ever expect a 2 year old to be. He really enjoyed spending so much time with Granny, his grandparents, his great aunts, and Mommy's cousins.

We have not kept him sheltered from the idea of death, with his first funeral being when he was 10 days old... He's been to 7 funerals in his short life. When his fish died, we told him they died. So, during our drives we talked about going to the viewing and the funeral, and that everyone was going to be sad because Poppy died. He said "oh, well, he'll be back soon" and we talked more about how when people die, they don't come back, they go to be with God and Jesus (at which point he corrected me and told me they are with Jesus but not God... the kid has to be contrary about everything - ha!). He thought about this a while and he said "Mommy?" "Yes, Ben." "I'm sorry your Poppy died." He is the sweetest little boy I ever could ever imagine. He then asked if Mommy and Daddy were going to die which just about broke my heart, but I explained that we would all die someday but it probably would not happen for a very long time. We talked about how we miss people when they die, and so it is said, but they are ok because with they are with Jesus. He told me he missed his fishies that died and it made him sad, but it's ok because they are with Jesus.

The funeral was, of course, a challenge. By that time, he seemed very overwhelmed by all the emotion, and as a defense he became extremely wired and was unable to sit still or listen. This was understandable, and while it was very stressful for me to try to mourn while tending to him, the fact is this is really challenging stuff for everyone but especially for a 2 year old who has had an extraordinary week, and I am mommy first. Christopher did the funeral, and I think that actually helped Ben in that he is used to seeing Daddy do church (though he was very bothered that we weren't going to get Jesus - communion - during the funeral service). You should have heard me trying to explain that there was no Jesus to have there, oh wait, that isn't theologically correct, I mean, Jesus is here, but we can't eat him, but oh goodness gracious... (all in whispered voices during the sermon). But overall, his patience, sensitivity, and resilience was amazing throughout the entire thing. I know a lot of people would not agree with approach to death, I even heard mumblings during the viewing (not from family) when I took Benjamin up to the casket to say goodbye, but with our faith, his father's job, and our approach to parenting rooted in respect and honesty, this works for us. Yes, we give him a lot, but he is capable of more than we ever expect, and we support him in it but tending to all of his needs along the way with space, with cuddles, with nursing, with conversation, and of course with play.

Here are some pictures of Poppy... first with Benjamin at a few months and then a bit older.... then with Granny and Jaxon when he was born... and then with a number of his grandchildren and great grandchildren at one of his great grandchildren's 1st Communion party. Rest in peace Poppy...

Happy Thanksgiving!

2009-12-01T11:14:00.001-04:00

After a long and exhausting week which is a post of its own, we headed to the Johnsons to spend Thanksgiving with Pop-Pop, Grammy, Aunt Gretchen, Aunt Sara, Aunt Emily, Uncle Mike, Garrett, and Nicholas! The boys had a blast as they always do. Elijah spent much of his time chasing the dogs or chasing Nicholas. Benjamin watched intently as Garrett built things with his legos (that is, of course, only after telling Aunt Emily that Garrett's room is a MESS and he needs to clean it!). Ben and Garrett made Oreo Truffles with Aunt Gretchen! They had a messy blast as you can see. Benjamin did ask for a spoon at first but Aunt Gretchen told him he had to use his hands, and he did and even enjoyed the mess factor a bit! The end result was delicious if not exactly pretty.

Elijah found himself in his glory during dinner itself! Aunt Emily just kept giving him globs of various parts of Thanksgiving dinner to try and he did just that, enjoying every bite - purple salad, stuffing, mashed potatoes, turkey! I think Elijah would be happy if we had Thanksgiving dinner every night.

Oh, and as always Elijah has little toes curled up in balls. It's funny because Ben's toes were spread out from the moment he was born, little monkey toes. Meanwhile, Elijah's are always curled up tight!

9 months (almost!)

2009-11-29T08:14:00.002-04:00

Elijah's gonna be 9 months in just a few days and since I have a moment I'm going to write a quick update now. He is a happy little boy with a huge smile and a huge temper to go with it. He has his two bottom teeth (got them probably a month and a half ago?). He loves to eat everything, and he gets very mad when he doesn't have something to eat when other people are eating. He still of course loves to nurse, and he only has eyes for mommy when he's sleepy or cranky. He is crawling well, pulling up to stand, and is cruising as well! He is working really hard to keep up with his big brother. He loves to play with anything Ben is playing with (although Ben isn't always so happy about this). With his new found mobility, Elijah likes to ravage his brother's train tracks like Godzilla hitting Tokyo! The best way we've found to cope with this is by making it a game. Elijah is the "Elijah monster!" and we have to save whatever we are doing from him. As a result, it's pretty normal to hear Benjamin exclaim "Oh no! The Elijah monster's coming!! Save him save him!" (although he means save ME, he says him which makes it even funnier). We realize this may not be the best for Elijah's self-esteem but we are hoping he bounces back. This is also when Elijah's temper shows its face. Whenever you take anything from him he wants to do, redirects him, or just generally do anything he doesn't like, you are met with an angry scream, growl, and kicking to go with it! But overall, Elijah loves to chase his brother, clap along with music, and babble his mamamas and dadada's.... he's also been known to growl, wave (at appropriate times), and sign 'more' when eating. He also loves cats and dogs as we've recently seen while visiting family. He shows little fear and loves to chase them, pet them, and play peek-a-boo. His personality is really shining and he's just fun to be around!

Parent-Teacher Conference

2009-11-26T11:11:00.002-04:00

Well we had our first parent-teacher conference for Benjamin this week. He has two teachers - Miss Melissa and Miss Lisa. Miss Melissa spoke with us. He is doing wonderfully and will be getting ready to move upstairs to the big kid class soon! The class he is in currently is the Seedlings (18mos - 3 years). The next class is Sprouts (3 - 6 years). Since he is doing so well with toilet learning, he'll probably begin moving up right after his birthday.
She showed us the book where she logs his progress. They use a triangle system next to all the skills. One line of a triangle means that she's showed him the skill or activity. Two lines means that he is currently working on it. Three lines means that she has seen that he has mastered it.
Lately, he's been talking lots about a little girl named Kendall, so I mentioned that. Miss Melissa said "ooooh yes, he loooves Kendall". Miss Lisa quickly chimed in "yes he loooves all the girls!" Daddy's so proud - ha! They said he is full of hugs and kisses for all the kids. He is very affectionate which we all knew. Of course Ben was there when we were talking about Kendall (we had to cancel our regular conference cause of my grandfather being ill so we were meeting during the class time), and Ben said "yes I like Kendall, but I don't like Charlie"! Oh no! Chris and I might have burst out laughing by accident. But now we are talking about how it's not nice to say you don't like other children. You don't need to be their best friends or play with them, but we don't need to say we don't like them.
But overall he's doing very well. Miss Melissa said she's going to work on emphasizing the system of taking out a 'work' as they call their activities, doing it, and then putting it away when finished because that is something he'll need to have mastered for the next class but that they aren't very strict with in the class he's in. So at home, we decided we'll concentrate on that as well and maybe it'll keep our playroom a little neater!
So a great report, and soon he'll be moving up!

Big boy underwear!

2009-11-26T10:57:00.002-04:00

Benjamin has been working very hard on toilet-learning or potty-training or whatever you'd like to call it. For a long time we kept saying we'd use the potty soon. Mema even asked him when he was going to start, and he said, "later... when I'm 5!" Ha! Mema said, oh no it'll have to be sooner than that. So 2 1/2 weeks ago we told him that he had 2 more days of diaper and then there was going to be NO MORE DIAPERS. We told him that for 2 days, and when Wednesday came, we put him in big boy underwear and had at it!

It really has gone well. The first day we had a total of 4 accidents... the next a total of 2. And now, we seem to have an accident about every other night... and occasionally during the day.

Those first few days were sure an adventure though. On day #2 of no diapers, Benjamin went to school (where he did have an accident but that was ok), and then we drove the 30 minutes to the chiropractor. It was just me and the boys. So we pottied right before we got in the car... and then when we got to the chiropractor, we went inside the office building, up the elevator and to the public restroom before going to the chiropractor. (Remind me to tell you how much fun it is to help a 2 year old boy on a public toilet while HOLDING your 8 month old son - yes, no idea where my baby carrier was THEN, but I clearly forgot it!) Then we went and saw the chiropractor. Afterwards, I asked if he needed to go again and he said no. We took the elevator downstairs, went out to the car, I got both boys buckled in when, of course, Benjamin said "I HAVE TO GO POTTY!!!" Oh dear. So out both boys came and we ran inside, up the elevator, and back to the bathroom. We made it in time. Weeeell, the adventure didn't end there. We got back down to the car, buckled in and left for the 30 minute drive home. About 10 minutes away from home, Ben exclaims "I'm starting to pee!!!" To which I quickly respond, "NO! Hold it!" Now, in a 2 year old's head he has no idea what in the world he is supposed to hold except his penis, so that is exactly what he does! Now, I was laughing so hard I almost had an accident! So I told him to hold it, hold it... all the while trying to figure out where I could stop. Finally I saw a Dunkin Donuts so we stopped and out we ran... Elijah still buckled into his infant carseat cause I wasn't taking the time to unbuckle him, and darn, he's heavy! We RUN into Dunkin Donuts, where the staff are looking at me like I am nuts, and I exclaim "I swear, I'll buy something when we are done", and into our 2nd public restroom of the day. We successfully potty... and I reward myself with a pumpkin latte, and the kind lady at the register gave Benjamin some munchkins for his success.

Potty training is a lot of hard work... for mommy.

But it's also quite entertaing... other fun moments in our potty training journey..
*stopping on the side of the road so Ben could pee, but Ben telling us that DOGS pee in the grass and then he needed a potty (we now bring a potty in the car with us)
*Ben's first poop in the potty he told me (whispering) "Mommy come here...I'm making a SURPRISE for you! You close your eyes and I'll tell you when you can open them" And sure enough, when he said I could open them he said "SURPRIIIISE!" and showed off his poop in the potty
*the constant analysis of the poops... kind of like looking for shapes in the clouds.. there have been ribbon poops, lumpy poops, bumpy poops, teeny tiny poops, and BIIIIIG poops

My little boy is getting so big and he keeps me smiling and pulling my hair out all at the same time!

We're still here!

2009-11-26T10:56:00.001-04:00

So we are very behind on blogging and WILL catch up - I promise! I have lots of pictures and tales of our adventures to share. They will be coming soon... but forgive me as they may not be in the correct order. I keep waiting to 'catch up' before I post current things but as a result I am just getting more and more behind, so enough of that! :)

Apple Picking #2!

2009-11-05T11:26:00.002-04:00

Our second apple picking adventure was with a local moms group. We had a blast. We took a wagon ride out to the orchards, picked some apples, and then when we came back we got to see how the apples were sorted, the GIANT refrigerator (that Ben thought was awesome cause it was just like the COLD room on the Imagination Movers show on the Disney Channel), and how the cider is made. And of course the best part of all might have been the cider donuts at the end of it all!

Apple Picking #1

2009-11-05T11:16:00.000-04:00

We managed to go apple picking three times this fall. This, in the middle of September, was the first of those three. Elijah and Benjamin got a visit from their Grandpop Tessing and Nana Cheryl who they don't get to see very often! They had a great weekend. We went apple picking where Ben enjoyed eating apples, looking at the animals in the petting area at the orchards, and climbing through all the kid attractions. We got lots and lots of apples that we weren't sure we'd ever be able to eat (though I can say that the last of the batch is being dried as we speak!). Besides apple picking, we went out to eat, wine tasting (which Ben has gotten quite good at - he enjoys the crackers they provide for cleansing your palate!), and to church on Sunday. The boys loved spending time with their grandparents!