Holiday Fun

I cannot believe Christmas is almost here.  We leave tomorrow for Grammy’s!  Woohoo!  We have had a busy December filled with lots of fun!

We went to the annual SCA kids’ party (we missed last year because B was sick).  We are so blessed B works for SCA.  They go all out for their employees and their families.  While we dined on some yummy Abuelos, the kids were treated to delicious kid fare (chicken fingers, mac n cheese, corn dogs and juice).  Ben loved playing with the cars they out.

Enjoying some grub

Then Santa came!!!  Ben was SO good and sat and waited his turn without a peep.  He was even the last kid to get called up.  Briggs played with Daddy while waiting for his turn.

It’s safe to say Briggs has been a good boy this year!

The jury’s still out on this little man!

A meeting of the minds

Santa brings a wrapped toy for each kid at the party.  This was Ben’s.  After everyone has their presents they sing “Santa Claus is coming to Town” and then the kids get to unwrap their gift.  He was SO excited about his planes.

Ben helped Briggs unwrap his animal train. 

Oh these two…just love them!

Ben’s school had a brunch on Thursday to celebrate Jesus’ birthday.  The mommies got to stay for a little and we did a craft and a book exchange.  I left in tears and so frustrated at Ben.  He decided to have one of those ‘moments’ while the 9 other kids in his class were on their best behavior.  We threw books, shouted, stomped, spit, did snow angels in the middle of the book exchange and was just a serious toot!  The only time he was good was when he was waiting for the donuts.

We (well Mommy) made a Baby Jesus out of sock.

Briggs was really good the whole time we’re there.  He had lots of fun playing with the manger.

Each morning the kids put an apple on the tree.  Today they put their ornament on Jesus in the manger.  Addie went first and put hers right on Baby Jesus.  Ben went next and stuck his right on Addie’s.  No one else did that…

Sweet Addie giving Briggs some love.

Ben hasn’t cared too much about Buddy the Elf so Buddy tends to stay in the same spot for a few days.  Buddy figured out how to fly from the fan.  That was a big hit.

We took a trip to visit Santa at the mall.

Our month has been packed with fun playdates for the kids. We’ve had ornament exchanges, ornament making playdates, cookie exchanges, and a Christmas craft playdate just to name a few.

Briggs and Camille (they’re two weeks apart) are so good at hanging out while their big brothers play.

Christmas craft time at Grady’s house

Briggs and Camille hanging out while the big brothers do crafts (craps as Ben calls them-very fitting for his work)

One of our playgroup friends had a Christmas party at her house.  Ben liked eating the cookies more than decorating them!

Gift exchange

Helping daddy make cookies for the cookie exchange with our playgroup.

Boots and Gramma also came up to have their Christmas with the boys and watch them while we went to the SCA adult party, but I didn’t take any pictures   Ben has had a blast playing with his work bench they brought him.  That boy loves fixing things!

We also had a trip to the doctor for a yeast infection for Ben on his bottom.  I did not know boys could get those things.  And thanks to his cream we have to use, I got to call poison control for the first time this weekend after Ben took the cream into the other room and tried to eat it.  He must not be the first kid to try this because the lady knew exactly the name of the cream when I called and wasn’t worried at all.

Our bags are just about packed for tomorrow.  Soooo excited to see everyone at Grammy’s!  Briggs can’t wait to be held for a week straight!!!

2 1/2 years old!

Dear Ben,

Today you are 2 1/2 years old!  That means you’re half way to being 5!  I remember when I turned 5 I told Grams that I was “a whole handful!”  Well sweetheart, it’s safe to say you’ve accomplished that already!  You’ve been in your ‘terrible twos’ for a year now (you started early) and I just cringe when people tell me 3 is worse.  You can make me laugh one second and want to pull out my hair the next.  You are demanding, but also so loving. I love your hugs and kisses.  You are SUPER strong willed and enjoy driving your mommy nuts sometimes. 

Here are some likes/dislikes of my favorite 2 1/2 year old:

*CARS!  You love cars, trucks, mowers, buses, trains, planes…basically anything with an engine.  You could play with your cars all day and even sleep with a few.  You get so excited when we see any cool cars out and about or hear a motorcycle.  You think Daddy’s jeep is the coolest thing ever.

*You would drink milk all day every day if allowed.  You alone drink over a gallon a week.

*You have boundless energy.  If I could bottle up your energy and sell it, I’d be a bazillionaire (yes that’s a real word). 

*You could play outside forever and love all sports.  It amazes me how playing with dirt or throwing rocks is fun to you.  You are ALL boy I tell you.

*As much as a toot you are at home, you are very good at school.  This makes your momma VERY happy!  You like school, but are the typical boy about talking about it.  When asked what you did you tell us that you came home and played and in the mornings you will tell me that you don’t want to go to school half the time.  But you love your teachers and your friends. 

*Music and art are not your specialty (just like your mommy).  You don’t like to sing with us and arts and crafts generally don’t go well at home.  Your art work you bring home from school just makes me laugh.  It’s like you were in a hurry to get it done so you could go play.

*You love to help us cook or play cook in your kitchen. 

*Your favorite foods are donuts, cookies, pizza, chips, fries and cake (yes-you love healthy foods)!  You love eggs, all fruit, pasta, beans and cheese.  You will eat most veggies.  You’re not a huge fan of ‘proteins’ unless they’re in the nugget variety. 

*You very rarely get juice, and think that diluted Gatorade is a huge treat.

*You have a crazy good memory with geography/directions.  We can go somewhere once and the next time we start driving that way you’ll ask me if that’s where we’re going, even if it was months ago that we went that way.

*I think you’re pretty smart cognitively, but I don’t really have anyone to compare you to.  You know all your sounds, shapes, colors and have an amazing vocabulary.

*You don’t like to share very often, not even with your parents.

*You sleep a solid 10-12 hours each night and take good nap each day.  Sometimes these naps extend over 3 hours!

*You are very interested in what color your poop is each time and always ask if it’s blue????

*You have shown ZERO interest in the big potty lately, but I’m okay.  Diapers are easy.

*Your eczema has flared up this winter.  You have two patches on your head that drive me nuts and a few on your neck and back.

*I think you’re going to be scared of heights and/or have motion sickness.  For a kid that is fearless in many aspects of life, you totally freak out when up high or when we spin you around.  Carousels now cause huge meltdowns and you won’t sit on the horses.  It was a huge accomplishment last time we visited the zoo that you sat on both the bench and the spinning tea cup.  You flip out if I try to put you on a changing table to do your diaper.  It’s either the floor or on the bed for you mister.

*You love to watch tv.  Your favorites are Mickey Mouse, Handy Manny (you LOVE tools), Agent Oso, Chuggington and Yo Gabba Gabba.  You also like some of daddy’s shows like PTI, MythBusters (you love when things explode) and your favorite show ever is Wipeout.  Mommy lets you watch more tv than she should sometimes :)

*You’re a big kid!  I just switched out your clothes to 3T!  You wear a size 8 or 9 shoe and have high arches like your momma. 

*I love how you butcher words for things (i.e.-cheeseburger is a burger cheese and eye boogers are ice burgers).

*You will be a great big brother.  You are for the most part very loving of Briggs and like to try to cheer him up if he’s fussy.  You also eat his puffs and don’t like it when he touches you unless you’re playing with him.  You do the BEST job of making him laugh!

You amaze me each and everyday and love you more than you’ll ever know.  Thank you for being you.  I’m sad that you’re growing up so quickly, but love to watch the little person you’re becoming.  I know I will blink and another 2 1/2 years will have passed.  I love you love bug!

Love,

Mommy

8 Months

Sweet little boy, it blows my mind you’re already 8 months old.  You are a complete joy and I don’t think I could love you any more.  Not much has changed with you sweet Briggs.  You still melt my heart with every flash of your mega watt smile.

You eat baby food about 3 times a day.  Fruit and cereal in the morning, some kind of nasty delicious meat mix at lunch and a veggie at dinner. You nurse every 3-4 hours.  You like eating bits of table food and now get mad if you see food go into my mouth when I’m holding you.  So far the only things you just don’t like are garden veggie blend, and baby turkey or chicken (but you’ll eat those when they’re packaged with something else like veggies or rice).  And instead of turning your head and refusing to eat, you just cry the whole time.  You enjoy mum-mums as a snack and puffs when you can get them into your mouth.

You’ve blessed me with a few 11 hour nights, but last night you reverted to 7-8 hours.  But I’ll take it sweet boy.  You’ll go right back to bed after that first stretch (generally cuddled up by me).  You are like your mommy and sleep on your belly, although unlike your parents, you sleep best when you’re toasty warm.

You STILL love your swing and enjoy lots of time in the jumper and exersaucer.

You have super fine hair like your mommy (Ben’s is super thick like daddy’s)

You’ve mastered getting on all 4’s and will rock back and forth.  You push yourself backwards and slide across the wood floors, but haven’t figured out how to go forward.  Your favorite is to spin in a circle. 

You like to babble and put anything you can reach into your mouth.  But your pacifier is STILL your absolute favorite.  I think 99% of all your baby pictures will have that stinkin’ green plug in your mouth.  There are many nights you’ll keep it in the entire time (these tend to be the ones you sleep the longest through).

When you’re tired you throw your head into anything that can rub your eyes (your brother rubs his head).  You also moan when you’re overtired and try to fall asleep.

I can’t say enough how easy going you are.  Just happy and always smiling.  You love everyone (especially mommy) and everyone loves you!  So excited for another month of watching you become even sweeter and happier.  We love you sweet boy!

 

 

 

 

It’s the Holiday Season

There is something so magical and fun about the Holidays when your children are involved.  We have been having a blast with Ben getting him ready.  We got Charley too late to get her in a kennel for Thanksgiving so we stayed home this year and had a small, but wonderful day. 

The boys played when they weren’t watching (in awe) the Macy’s Parade.  Ben was so excited to see the big balloons and all the dancing.

Ben learning how to prepare a turkey.

We had a yummy dinner of which Ben only ate oranges.  Briggs, on the other hand, had some turkey, stuffing and sweet potatoes.  The doctor hasn’t given us the go ahead on table food, but he’s really interested so I thought I’d try.  I think the tryptophan must have worked it’s magic on him because he slept 11 hours that night!  Say What???  I left B to put the boys down for the night and met some friends at Toys R Us for some Black Friday madness.  It was so much fun and went really well.  I love helping Santa out. 

Someone found his blocks and spent time building towers on Friday.  Yesterday I put up the Christmas tree.  I wish I could say it was all merry and bright, but Ben and I clashed all morning long.  It was so bad B had me take Charley to her puppy class so I could get out of the house.  But the tree is up and so far no ornaments have been harmed.  It’s amazing how M&M’s can help.  I do love looking at each ornament as it goes up and remembering when we got it. 

Last night we watched “The Polar Express” and it was a big hit!  Ben woke up asking for “Train Press” today.  I think we will make this a family tradition each year. 

Today it was COLD and Ben helped B mow the grass for the last time this year.  Afterwards it was Christmas lights time!  We’ve been taking the long way through the neighborhood home lately at night so Ben can oooh and ahhh at all the lights.  He gets so excited as we pass all the houses lit up.

Briggs came out for a bit, too.  Grammy sent us this super warm and comfy ‘snow suit’ awhile back.  I laughed because it was SO warm, but man it was great today.  He was toasty in there and we didn’t worry.  He even took an amazing nap afterward while he was still wearing it.

Love this little guy so much! (Today was a much better day for Mommy and Ben)

Break time.  Water time.  Up and down the ladder is tough!

Charley enjoyed the fresh air with us, too.

More break time (Daddy takes many of them).

So I know it’s a blurry picture, but I wanted to show the boys how cool their parents are.  At bath time tonight we broke open glow sticks and threw them on the boys and the tub and turned out the lights.  The camera wouldn’t just let me take the picture in the dark.  It was only after we were done that we bothered to check if what we just poured on them was non toxic (it was).  I know-parents of the year!

Elf Time!  Ben went on a scavenger hunt tonight.  He had so much fun finding his clues and running to the next spot.  We thought we’d do a scavenger hunt each year to kick off the Elf coming to visit.

This clue said “Find the Boxee remote.”

and the last clue said “Where does Daddy keep the weights to exercise?”  When he ran over he found The Elf on the Shelf book.  We read it together as a family, but he was much more interested in his clues or “papers” as he called them.  I think he could have gone many more rounds.  Then we guided him to find the elf. 

We thought we’d let him name the Elf since that’s what the book tells you to do, but he chose the name “Presents” so we are using our parental veto power and calling him “Buddy” from here on out.  To be official though his full name will be “Buddy Presents.”  Ben’s pretty hung up on presents right now since we’re talking up Santa so much.  He does tell us whenever he’s asked that Santa is bringing him a blue boat, Mater, Lightning (both from the Cars movie) and cars and trucks.

So excited to see what the next few weeks bring!  Love these boys so, so much!

A conversation in the car and the cough bucket

I wish I had a video camera on all the time to catch some of the funny things that go on.  This was what I heard as I was driving to the store last week.  I found it hysterical and want to document it.

Briggs: (babbling) “dadadada”

Ben: “don’t say Dada!  Dada’s at work.  Dada’s making money!”

Briggs: (babbling louder and faster) “dadadadadadada”

Ben: (in frustration) “NO DADA!  Dada’s at work making money!  Don’t say dada”

Briggs: (now babbling even faster and louder than before) “dadadadadadadadada!”

Ben: (who is now just super ticked) “BRIGGS!  NO DADA!  He’s at work!  Don’t say Dada!”

Briggs: laughs…

I’m convinced Briggs was put here just to laugh at Ben when it’s wrong for me to

 

Last Saturday I walked in to get Ben in the morning and was greeted with a disturbing ‘aroma’.  Once I saw his pillow I figured out what it was.  Ben seemed happy and I asked if he felt okay.  He told me he coughed and showed me how he bent over to do it.  The rest of that day was Ben feeling perfectly fine and then throwing up in the middle of it.  We grabbed a bucket for him and told him to cough over it so he called it the cough bucket.  We did too when I got SO sick the following night and B the next.  Luckily our sweet little one was spared.  So happy we can all eat and drink like normal now although Ben thinks its fun to tell us his tummy hurts and watch us get paranoid now!

Between the tummy bug and colds/croup it is so nice to be back to normal.  We will forget the ooze coming out of each boy’s nose right now…allergies, right???

No post is complete without a picture of my 3 favorite boys!  They make my heart happy!

Candy, a Cold, Croup, Cake and Charley

 

I think Ben’s going to be like his daddy and LOVE Halloween!  He had a blast trick or treating up and down our street.  Once he figured out he was getting candy he was hooked!  He’d take his candy, say “thank you” and then shout, “Next House!” and off he’d go.  And he had just as much fun helping me pass out candy once we got back home.  Briggs slept most of the time, but did go next door to test out this trick or treating business!

My cute little tiger and stinky skunk!

Happy little guy!

Thank you Ashley for letting us borrow this costume :)

On Tuesday Briggs had a scheduled flu shot booster, but I changed the appt to a sick visit because the poor baby was just screaming and I couldn’t figure out why.  His eyes, ears and throat looked clear so Dr put him on Prevacid to see if that helps.  Later that night he developed sniffles that slowly got worse and were icky by Wednesday.  I took him back in on Thursday and his lungs were pretty congested so Dr put him on breathing treatments every 4 hours for a few days.  It’s a LONG 7 minutes each time for a very unhappy Briggs!

Sadly though his congestion started to sound barky Thursday night so I called the dr on Friday and now Good Baby is on a steroid as well for Croup.  I feel so bad for him.  We are so lucky he’s made it 7 months without any illnesses, but what a way to get sick for the first time!  He sounds like a little boy going through puberty with his voice changing.  Even his loudest cries which normally pierce our eardrums are just a loud whisper.  Briggs is sleeping a little now so he must be getting a little better.  Ben also has a cold, but is handling it like a (whiny) champ. 

Friday was B and Gram’s birthday!  Ben was SOOOO excited to eat birthday cake.  I had to make B’s favorite Rum Cake and Ben loved watching it in the oven and enjoyed eating it even more.  Yesterday B went to get Ben and Ben ran and hugged him shouting, “Happy Birthday Daddy!”  B was so happy (even though it was after his actual bday). 

So remember last time when I wrote that B was researching dogs?  Well guess who has one now?!?!  Charley is our 3 1/2 month old Bouvier.  She is B’s dog and he’s the one taking care of her (my plate is already full).  After Bruiser and Bailey I never thought we’d have another dog, but I guess someone had been longing for one and researched the best fit for our family for HOURS.  Charley is the exact opposite of the other dogs.  She is SO lazy it’s sad.  She started puppy training classes yesterday and she just lays there, doesn’t even care about treats.  The doorbell rang on Friday and I’m used to being trampled on my way.  Charley barely lifted her head…the little princess just couldn’t be bothered!  And I love how she doesn’t shed.  Ben loves her and chases her around and hugs on her.  She is just about perfect except for the potty issue, but she’s learning.  Even the vet couldn’t find anything wrong with her.  When we thought Briggs was a girl we were going to name her Charley so now B has his Charley Girl.  We actually both called her Charley on our own. 

We think she looks like a black Smokey (Tina’s dog).  She’ll be big one day though.

I call her “sweetheart” sometimes so now Ben calls her “Charley Girl Sweetheart” (we call her Charley Girl a lot).  She is a little sweetheart and a great addition to our family.