Sunday, June 30, 2013

{Shaving Cream Fun!}

This summer seems extra hot lately!  I have been trying to find things to do with the boys lately indoors which is hard to do -- they literally start bouncing off the walls and furniture.  So eventually I have to suck it up and we have to venture outside.  I came across an idea to put a big tablecloth out in the grass and put a bunch of shaving cream on it and let the boys play.  Older kids could do a type of 'slip n slide' with it, but since that would require me to demonstrate it in order for them to get it, I opted not to do that. So this past week, I hit up the 99 Cent Store and got the tablecloth and a bunch of shaving cream and set it up for the boys on Friday.  You can kind of see it here....
 
The boys in their underpants starting to get into it!
 
Luke got busy 'painting' himself....
 
And also 'painting' their car...
 
Ben just tottled around and let us 'paint' him and then just played in the car!
 
 
He then started eating it, which lead to a good few dry heaves, which required a nice hose wash out.  Then he was better :).
 
Luke had a ball!
 

The most fun was when it was time to get the hose out and clean up! It was like a mini car wash.  They LOVED this part!

Well we got through another hour of the summer!   This was a quick, easy thing to do so I recommend it.  However, make sure you have towels and water nearby for any shaving cream that gets in eyes or mouth. 

This week is going to be a long one since there is no camp, rising temperatures and daddy working 12 hours every day.  Luckily we have plans to go back to the bay house by Thursday.  Thank goodness!

Thursday, June 27, 2013

{This Week!}

A birthday party at Little Gym!
 
Discovering foil while mommy is in the shower....
 
Having small brotherhood triumphs of helping at Chick Fil A!
(Luke helped Ben up the entire playscape and stayed right by his side -- woohoo!)
 
Babysitting cousin Molly and having SO MUCH FUN! 
 
 
 
Wearing daddy's shoes...

Wearing mommy's sun glasses everywhere...even the bookstore bathroom.

We have had such a fun week, but I am sooooooo tired!  Between the boys, the busy schedule and the heat, I am worn out (but had so much fun!).  We have done birthday parties, to swimming at the pool, to babysitting cousin Molly a few days this week, to soccer (that is a whole other post).  These pictures are just a small glimpse of the week before it passes me by!

Thursday, June 20, 2013

{Away at the Bay: 2013}

My family made the annual pilgrimage down to Galveston to my parent's bay house in early June.  We have done this now for three years (2011 and 2012) and every year it gets better and better as the kiddos get older!  I feel so lucky because we always do it the first week of June, so I get to celebrate my birthday with my whole family and down at the bay.  It is pretty awesome!  This year, I turned 32 and I was counting my blessings...especially after four days of family fun. We stayed three nights and packed a lot into our days.  We fished, went to the beach, swam at the local pool, cooked delicious food, went on the boat and relaxed.

 Luke immediately took to the ocean. 
He and Ben loved pointing out all the birds, boats and jellyfish they saw in the water!
 
Luke went fishing for the first time with his granddad (my father) and on his second cast, he caught a fish!
 
 He was a little unsure about it, but was super proud!  We named him Jasper the Fish. 
 
Luke finally felt brave enough to touch one of the fish that my dad caught.
 
Ben got to fish too!
 
We got a visit from the ice cream truck!  You never saw a family move so fast and haul downstairs when we heard the familiar music.
 
These kids were super happy with their treats!  As were the adults :). 
 
And what comes after sticky popsicles, a BATH.  It was very much needed!
 
The mornings were spent feeding the seagulls which the boys loved doing!

We headed to the beach one morning and, to my surprise, it went very well.  With small kids, lots of sand and tons of stuff to carry and set up, I had low expectations.  But they did great!  Luke LOVED the water and we had trouble getting him out of it.  They played in the sand, we went on walks, looked for seashells and splashed in the waves. 
 
Uncle Day-Day buried Luke's feet in the sand and he thought it was so funny.
 
 
The kids hanging out and snacking in the golf cart while the adults got all the stuff from the beach.
 
Sandy feet!
 
 We had delicious food every night.  We were there three nights and we decided each family (my parents, us and then my sister's family) would each take one night to plan the meal.  Our night was a shrimp boil and watermelon!  Nothing beats corn, potatoes, sausage and shrimp...
 
We only went out on the boat once.  We decided to hold off a bit because the kids have to wear life jackets on the boat and well....this happened A LOT when trying to put them in life jackets...
 
But finally we got them all in one without too many tears and we headed out!
 
 
 
Luke loved driving the boat!  I am thinking next year all the kids will fight over this spot. Luckily this trip, Ben and Molly were blissfully unaware.
 
The kids also "painted" downstairs.  Amazing how a bucket of water and a bunch of paintbrushes can entertain this bunch!  Good think because they were hungry and melting down and dinner wasn't quite ready.  Tada!  This little project bought us easily 30 minutes.
 
  The kids loved playing on the deck!  These two crack me up!  How cute are they?!!

This was the sunset on our last night.  It was beautiful as always and put the cherry on our trip!

We all came home exhausted, but loving the memories we made.  The kids did well, but had their moments.  We all didn't get that great of sleep.  It monsooned one morning with rain and winds that could scare a grown man.  But it was wonderful.  I can't wait till next year!  Although we will have one more in the mix -- my sister's new baby BOY due in October!!!

Monday, June 17, 2013

{Ben: 18 Months Old}

Ben turned 18 months old on Wednesday, June 12th!  He is growing up so fast and I find myself wanting to hold on to this time just a little bit longer.  Here are a few updates on Benny: 

Waiting for the pediatrician at 18-month check-up!

1.  At Ben's 18 month check-up, he weighed in at 32 pounds and 10 ounces (98%) and was 36 inches tall (100%).  I think he is destined to be an offensive lineman.  Too bad his mommy will not be allowing him to play football! 


2.  Ben currently has 16 teeth and no more on the horizon, thank goodness!  The last few teeth Ben got in were doozies.  He seemed to be more irratable during those times, and luckily he has been much more pleasant these past couple weeks once they came through.  He is really chewing his food lately and we have had zero choking issues lately.  Woohoo!


3.  His current obsession is shoes.  And being naked.  The boy wants his shoes on all the time.  And it has to be particular shoes that he picks.  Luckily he only has about three options since his feet are so wide that shoes are hard to come by for him.  Even if he is in just a diaper, his shoes have to be on.  Or he will scream.  Loudly.  The naked thing is so hysterical.  We pretty much always have to put shorts and a shirt on him immediately since if he does find himself in just a diaper, he will tug on it till he gets it off.  Speaking of clothes, he is in 3T tops and 24 month bottoms.  I pretty much move clothes right from Luke's drawers straight to Ben's.  I believe he is wearing a size 7 shoe.

 
4.  My favorite thing he does is when he slips or gets on something (like his rocker in his room) that wiggles, he will go "whoa!" in this adorable, cute voice.  I so need this on video. 


5.  He has curls galore and they are turning golden with each passing day of summer.  Ben is also one tan little kiddo.  He turns a shade darker every time we play outside, which is very similar to my coloring as a child my mother reminds me.  He looks like a little cherub.

6.  Ben still has a strong opinion and is not afraid to tell you!  Although he has mellowed out a lot the past couple of weeks, he still knows what he wants.  There is no swaying this toddler!  So he is typically super happy, until he isn't.  Then watch out!  Typically I can handle it pretty well, but we have good days and we have bad days.  I definitely think he is hitting terrible 2's earlier than most toddlers his age.

A bad day.

7.  Sleep wise, Ben is doing pretty much what he usually does.  He goes to bed around 8:00 or 8:30 pm and wakes up around 7:00 am.  Although the past few mornings he is waking up earlier for some strange reason.  I hope that stops soon !  I am not a morning person.  He is napping once a day from about 1:00 to 3:30 pm (give or take).  He definitely is not dependent on sleep that much anymore though and it has been pretty clear the last few weeks.  He used to pass out for nap and I was lucky to get him to 12:30 or 1:00 pm.  Now, I pretty much have to make him slow down and I am lucky if I get him down by 1:00 pm.  He could just keep on playing!  But when I do finally get him down, he usually sleeps hard 2 or 3 hours.  I do enjoy not having to be so dependent on sleep schedules and having more flexibility. 


8.  Ben does everything Luke does.  It is monkey-see, monkey-do around here all day.  Because of this I think Ben is reaching milestones quicker and doing things faster than Luke did.  Luke is his best teacher and it is truly amazing to watch!  I love when Luke realizes that Ben is mimicking him and then it can get really fun. 
 
The boys love to "cheers" with their popsicles!

9.  He still loves balls and tries to swing any chance he gets (too bad for this mommy that it is 100 degrees outside and so sweating is part of that deal).  He looooooves Ring Around the Rosie -- his favorite part is falling down and holding hands.  Especially with his cousin Molly. 

The only thing that kept him from the swing...a snow cone. 

10.  Ben is currently on an oral medicine and an inhaler daily to keep his breathing issues at bay.  He thinks the oral pill is a treat and gladly takes it and chews it up.  The inhaler is like fighting a mountain lion.  I typically have to pin him down and fight him tooth and nail to get even one puff.  But if it helps keep him healthy, I will do anything.  We go back to his pulmonologist in July for a follow-up appointment. 


11.  As far as speaking, he has tons of words.  I think these two boys keep me busy because I haven't really caught how many he has.  I do know he is ahead of where Luke was at this point and it has helped tremendously with communicating with him.  The best thing that he does is he nods yes.  It sounds so simple, but they way he nods is absolutely adorable and he does it at appropriate times so it helps with communication as well.

Ben loves to eat. The cupcake didn't have a chance.

12.  Ben and Luke continue to love each other like crazy and fight like cats and dogs.  And Ben is the instigator at times.  Most of the issues arise when Ben tries to steal Luke's stuff.  It is a work in progress on both their ends.  Luckily a large glass of wine at the end of the day dull the ringing they leave in my ears on some days!

Don't be fooled by this picture...

13.  His laugh is quite possibly the best sound to me still. 

That's about it!  Ben is such a joy and I love that big guy so much!  He is a lot of work (try carrying him around for the day!), but he is so loving.  I can't believe two is just around the corner!