Climbing...

Noah is climbing all over the place. He just barrels through to his destination all day long. Over toys, kids, pillows, people...whatever is in his way, he just climbs over it! He won't crawl unless he's in a big hurry to get somewhere, he walks. He picks something up and then takes it with him, walking and talking to himself, reaching for something else and leaving the first thing where he was. Moving on to something bigger and better. We call him Frankenstein because he has a heavy walk, his footsteps are heard all through the house...well he's a heavy kid! He shows us how proud he is of his walking with his big toothy grins.

MIA...

Noah's sleep schedule has changed...and he has been keeping me up a lot later than usual and since he needs my attention (I can't sit at my computer) I have been bleary-eyed all week. So I'm a bit behind on blogging but will get back into the swing of things soon enough! Until then!

bubbles...

Ben was making some cool designs on our glass door with bubbles today.

Sunflowers...

We try to grow sunflowers every year. You'd think we'd have it down by now. You're probably wondering why I am complaining because these flowers are gorgeous and huge and just the way they are supposed to be. Well... these are our neighbors sunflowers, aren't they great?


And... Here are ours from this year...kinda wimpy...we'll try again next year!

The 'Ben'...

We had hamburgers for lunch as something different (the kids don't usually eat hamburgers with buns so we don't get them ). But today they were all excited about their hamburgers. Maybe their tastes are changing? Well maybe! I don't know if this is a good thing but it would open up their choices in restaurants we frequent-instead of just a quesadilla or a grilled cheese sandwich...So back to the hamburgers. I grilled them up like I usually do and added some cheese on their plates along with some kidney beans and blueberries (mmm tasty!). Ben wanted to spruce up his burger and here it is!


We'll call it the "Ben" loaded with creamy peanut butter and topped with cheese...yum! (It kind of reminds me of something they'd serve at Corvette Diner)

Muscle boy...

It doesn't matter...

That we have high temperatures and high humidity in the area. Ben and Hannah don't mind at all. As a matter of fact, they told me that they were cold. So they went to get dressed and here is what they wore.

(I don't argue with their choices anymore, it's a fight I will never win)

Talented...

OK I'm not that great of a painter but Ben and Hannah are turning out to be terrific ones! Check out what they did on the easel today!


The one on the right (by Ben) is titled: "Benjamin running down the hill and jumping over a purple stick" You have to look at it sideways to see the boy with the blue hat!

The one on the left (by Hannah) is titled: "Hannah's hand jumping over the mountain." See the hand?

HOT...

Yep. That says 103F. Outside, on our patio, in the shade at 12:00pm (noon!) Holy hot chile peppers!! Today I thought I was going to melt. We could only hang outside for about a half an hour at a time. With sweat dripping from our temples, our clothes would stick to our bodies. Thank goodness for our air conditioning! It gave us quite a bit of respit today.

The older kids went to Nannys house today, swimming in the pool and for a dip in the jacuzzi (I hope it wasn't on hot!) On their way home they stopped at Wendy's for a chocolate frosty, yum! What a treat! Later on we went to Home Depot to sweat some more. We bought a few things.

When we got home, we couldn't take it anymore.

"Want to go outside and spray each other with my new hose nozzle?" the kids jumped up and down "Yay! Yeah!" while undressing (they love being nekked while running outside in the back yard). So I screwed the nozzle on and started spraying them. Ben got ahold of the hose and ran after Corey, soaked him. Hannah wanted a little sprinkle so we made it rain on her. Ben got the hose again and ran after me laughing an evil laugh, all the while I screamed and tried to escape the cold water. Running around the backyard in circles. Why was I running away? I thought that it'd be much more fun for the kids if they saw their Mom screaching like they do running around the grass. And it was...so much fun, to just not care anymore about my clothes getting soaked, dinner not being ready and the heat! We weren't hot anymore and we let off a lot of steam in a fun way.

So, yeah...it was hot today.

Comments...

OK I worked on it and it seems to be working now. Funny computer. It was midnight last night so I could have been a wee bit tired. Thanks Elaine!!

Haloscan commenting and trackback have been added to our blog.

Taking steps!

Noah started to stand from a sitting position on May 31st (7 months old). Since then he has managed to steady his balance very well. Everyone is impressed with his standing abilities. On Friday (July 14th) he took one step! All day Saturday he kept taking one step - always with the same foot - so it looks like he is pivoting around in a circle. Last night (Sunday) he took 6 steps! (he really wanted me to pick him up and was trying to reach me while moaning and willing me to come and get him. I wanted him to walk to me...he won, I picked him up.) Today he practiced more steps, only getting to 6 or 7 though... He's getting more m-m-mobile! Three kids walking and running in the house!! Yikes, that's a bit scary!

Oh and every time I grabbed the video camera or the camera to get a video shot, he would go down and crawl to me. I guess he was thinking that it was a toy for him to play with! So I don't have any video clips of him taking steps yet!!

Hair cuts...

OK...It's official...I'm a 'real' stay-at-home Mom. I cut my kids hair today. We have been going to a kids hair salon since Ben was 18 months old and really liked the hairstylist, but she went out on maternity leave and decided not to return to work (how dare she?!). Since then we have tried many of the ladies in that salon and each time we have had to go back because they missed some hair or it was cut crooked. So I thought that I couldn't do much worse than they do. It was fun...for me.
The kids did very well sitting patiently while I tried my hand at shearing them. Hannah was very excited to have me cut her hair. She jumped in the chair and was a good little client! She really hadn't liked the lady with the loud laugh, black pooffy hair and long red fingernails...scary!

And as for how I did? Well, cutting boys hair is much harder than it looks, while Hannahs was straight across. How could I mess that up? Well, I did. They both came out a bit crooked but I think I did pretty well ...for my first time!

(I'd post pictures but sadly no pictures were taken and my computer has crashed so pictures aren't coming to the blog for a while...until my laptop gets fixed...hope that is very soon!!)

Moving day...

This weekend was moving day for my sister. She graduated from UCSD and needed to move out of campus housing this weekend. So we all went over there to help her out. She had a cute 2 bedroom apartment set up for her and her 2 children. ...and so much stuff! As we carried each box and bag out of the apartment, we don't know where it all came from (she is good at hiding things!). Ben and Hannah were so excited to help out. Hannah lost interest after carrying one thing down the steps. Ben was racing with GranDad and Uncle JP to the car and back for more stuff. He was thrilled when JP got the drill out and took apart Marissa's bunkbed. He grabbed the beams and carried them out to the front of the house. When the mattress came out or the couch he was right there carrying his portion in the middle. Lugging it to the car and hoisting it to the trailer, he loved every part of packing it all in. What a helper! He's going to be rewarded for all his hard work.

Beach party!

Today was Auntie Heather's birthday and we headed to the beach for some fun. I made cupcakes and Granny brought the sparkle candles for her to make a wish. It had been such a hot day that a splash in the ocean was just what everyone needed. Happy Birthday Heather!

Chitter-chatter...

From the moment they wake up till the moment they close their heavy eyes to sleep for the night, Ben and Hannah chitter-chatter.
All
day
long.
I wonder if my ears will ever wear out... Or if I will listen to every word so that I don't miss something wonderful that they might say.

Math...

Ben is so interested in math these days. He is always counting and trying to see how far he can count. Adding simple numbers (2+3=5) and trying even a little subtraction now and then. The other day I printed some preschool math worksheets for him to do. He is awesome at it! He is on his way! What will he be when he grows up? Engineer? Math teacher? Computer wiz...it may be too early to tell but I can still dream.

Cooking with kids...

Growing up, I remember baking and cooking with my Mom a lot. My brother and I would help her do many things in the kitchen. We loved to make yogurt cake, it was so simple for kids. We baked countless cookies. We even helped with dinner every so often.

In trying to continue the tradition (and teach the kids about the kitchen) I cook and bake with my kids every once in a while. They have also helped with dinner several times. The other day we made sugar cookies. We make a mess, it's so much fun when that's part of the plan. We talk about Martha Stewart and how she makes cookies and cakes on TV. The kids love to taste and try and lick their fingers as we go. They didn't like the baking powder, but they really liked the vanilla-y sugar-butter. They measure and pour everything. I have to stop them from eating all the cookie dough. It was wonderful. And we used Christmas sprinkles to decorate.

Treat...

We seldom have treats in our house. We try to eat healthfully so that when we do get a treat, it truly is a treat! Yesterday we went to the Coronado parade for the 4th and we got lots of treats. Hannah was the talk of the morning. Here she is eating her treat from GranDad. These pictures tell you how much she enjoyed her Drumstick!

Treat is the theme for the week at Mama Says Om. Go on over there and check out more 'treat' submissions.

Our 4th...

Happy 4th of July!

Today was really fun, for us and the kids. We go to Coronado for the world-famous parade - that lasts 2.5 hours - every year. I still have family who live there so we went to their house for a barbecue and some relaxation after the parade is all over. The kids loved the parade. They watched everything with wide eyes...the horses, airplanes, clowns, you name it.. it was there and they saw it! They also loved all the treats that were given to them (popsicles, donuts, ice cream cones)

After the parade we took the kids to the park to 'unwind' before we went to the relatives house. They rode their bikes, Marissa (their cousin) had hers too so they all 3 rode their bikes to the park. They played and ran around together in the park but we were tired so we headed to the house pretty soon after we got to the park. At one point Marissa hopped on her bike to go to the restroom on the other side of the park, neither of our kids needed to go so we stayed where we were. All of a sudden I realized that neither Ben nor Hannah were in the sand pit any more. Heather (my sister) and I freaked out with visions of kidnapping we scoured the park. We reached the restroom and they were there with Marissa. I guess all the reminders, throughout the entire day, about them telling us where they are going really did go in one ear and out the other!

We ate and talked to everyone at the BBQ. The kids love it there. They play with all my younger cousins and get to jump on them for a change. They are the only small kids on that side of the family so they get spoiled with attention.

The only other thing we wanted to do was to go and see some fireworks with the kids. I had been telling them about how loud they are but that they are so pretty lighting up the sky. They really wanted to go. But in order for us to go the kids HAD to take a nap. They did. So we went to the Lake Murray fireworks display. It was so busy but we lucked out and found a parking spot. Corey knew of a little trail between the houses (that not many knew about) and we found our spot. The kids loved them! They yelled "green", "yellow", "blue" for each burst that lit the sky. They were happy campers at the end of the night.

Here are some pics from the day

Hannah

Ben and cousin Marissa watching the parade

Noah

The biking trio

Waiting for the fireworks

Cooling off...

Last week we went to my parents house for a dip in the pool. It just made sense to go for a swim...it was only 100.4 degrees farenheit on our patio at 4pm (which is covered, so maybe warmer in full sun?). We swam and played for a long time in the water. It was great fun.

Ben loves to jump in and splash around, he's really getting good at diving down to get the rings. He can even swim the width of their pool! He is one determined boy...of course he sees his cousin Marissa and all her fancy swim work and wants to do the same.

Hannah was great at her swim lessons last year and even started jumping off the side of the pool to Corey or me. But this year she is a bit more timid. She wants to do swim lessons again, but she won't get in the pool with us. I say we sign her up and see what happens...if she doesn't get in... so be it. But if she does then we have success and won't have to go through the whiny "I don't want to go in the pool" session! And...there's always next year.

Noah is so relaxed in the pool. He lies down on our hands and lets us move him around. He splashes and tries to suck up the water off his fist. He soaks it all in. It continues to amaze me at how different each child is, why can't they all be the same and predictable? Hah. Corey and I were reminiscing about Ben and Hannah in the pool at his age. They would dig their talons into our skin if we moved an inch in the water. They held with a death grip onto my neck (or Corey's chest-the hair...not the chest-ouch!). They screached in pain when anyone would splash them. So glad those days are almost gone.

The beach...

We live about 7-10 miles away from the beach and we rarely go. Sad but it is true. So we decided to go over the weekend and we had a blast! The kids really enjoyed it. I guess it's because the kids are a little older now and we don't have to worry about them running off too much. Noah is OK to sit and play in the sand...well more like eat the sand.

So we called Heather and asked if she and her little ones would join us at the beach in La Jolla. They came and we brought boogie boards. Ben really wanted to learn how to do it. He is such a fish! The water was so refreshing being such a hot day. Hannah stayed back on the sand with me, I think a big wave (well big to her) knocked her down last time and it scared her a bit. After a while, I took her to the water to get our feet wet and before I knew it...we were pulling her out of the water to go home. She was having such a fun time running away from the waves and jumping in the water.

Here is a video clip of Ben and his first try at boogie boarding!

And some pictures:

Ben really getting good at boarding!

Nope not Noah! This is Ryan and his sandy face!!

Hannah building a sand castle!

Some hard times...

We've been having a hard time this week. The kids (the older ones) have not been being nice to each other...again. We go to the park together a few times during the week and I feel like this is the only time that they are nice to each other. So we fight the morning battle and go to the park where I can get a bit of peace and quiet....sometimes.

Hannah and Ben went to the dentist on Tuesday. Hannah got frightened and freaked out in the waiting room. She screamed and cried for about 15 minutes and finally agreed to sit on my lap in the chair. Then the hygienist came in...another freak out but this one was the "silent treatment" with no eye contact and her lips shut tight. Fun. After what seemed like an eternity, the hygienist managed to get her to open her mouth (at her own will), talk about princesses and Dora and clean her teeth! Go Shawnee!! A quick race to the treasure chest after she was given her bag of goodies and she was out of there! This was her second time to the dentist and last time she did wonderfully! Even the dentist commented on how she did well last time (see December 17, 2005)! So sad...one can only hope that the next time is muuuuch better. *fingers crossed*

Here's the update on the caterpillars:
Monday (June 26th) we went to check on them and they were outside their chrysallis's and getting ready for flight! So awesome to see them go through the cycle! Here are the pics.







And look we have some more caterpillars to watch! This time there are about 4 around the house. Cool!

Picky picky picky

I have known many picky eaters in my life. Many of them were/are children and only a handful of them are adults. I don't like picky eaters. Unfortunately, I have two picky eaters at my dinner table every night. It drives me insane. I haven't changed the way I cook food, the menu, the spices, their seats. They just won't eat.

We have tried everything to get them to eat dinner... Not feeding them (no snacks) all afternoon from lunch until dinner - doesn't work. Not worrying about it or making a big deal out of it - doesn't work. Forcing them to eat every bite - doesn't work. Making them eat their dinner if they are hungry and ask for food later on - doesn't work. Feeding them with a fork or spoon - doesn't work. Making funny faces out of their food on their plates - doesn't work. Spicing things up and having plain ole food - neither work. Eating earlier...or later - nope! Having them in charge of what they want to eat by having them serve themselves - doesn't work! Putting sugar on it - well we haven't tried this but I'm thinking that it won't work.

Hannah is the worst at it and the most stubborn. She will not eat, if she doesn't want to. Some days she decides that she doesn't want to eat from the beginning and states "I don't feel like eating". She saw this work when Ben had the flu and didn't have the appetite to eat, and thinks that it should be OK all the time.

It is the most frustrating time of the day because they won't eat after I've (or Corey has) cooked a meal. I'm at a loss. We have been having dinner together as a family at the table since Ben was born and we'd like to continue doing it, but if they aren't eating, we are arguing about them needing to eat and it isn't a pleasant experience.

They DO eat lunch and a big breakfast on most mornings and aren't picky about that most of the time. The picky-ness, they save that just for dinner.

I don't like picky eaters and I hope this phase soon goes away!

Saunter...

Corey, Benjamin, Hannah and Noah in the carrier (not seen) saunter across the bridge

~

This weeks theme at Mama Says Om go on over to check them out for more sautering.

Caterpillars...

Well they haven't done much since they enclosed themselves in a chrysalis the other day. The kids and I have been checking them out every morning and evening to make sure they are still there. They are and haven't done much since I last posted pictures. On Saturday Nanny came to watch the kids and while she was here there was a bunch that were heading from the grass to the house. One new one is on the eave of the house but alas...I think he has been killed by some spiders. yum! I'll try to get a current picture of them tomorrow. The kids can't wait for them to turn into butterflies, I'm starting to think that it will never be. But I don't know how long it takes for them to be ready and come out and that site I referred to before said that it could take 3 days or 3 weeks... So we'll have to see.

math...

About 2 or 3 weeks ago Ben came up to me and said "Mommy 3 and 3 makes 6" I was slightly surprised with this statement and then we talked about some more math. He had been looking at one of Noah's toys that has 2 rows of 3 lights. Later on that week we were in the car and he said "Mommy 2 and 3 make 5" I asked him what that was and he said "Math". This time he was seeing Corey and I in the front seat and the 3 kids in the back. He is really interested in it and so we're going with it just doing how much or little he feels like doing. He is learning to write his numbers! AND showing Hannah how to do them (I caught him showing Hannah how to make a 5 this morning) I'm so proud of him.

Father's Day...

My kids have a wonderful Dad. He takes care of them, loves them, plays with them, sleeps with them, wipes their boogers and tears, takes them to the park or mountains or swimming... When Benjamin was born and home from the hospital, he would take him to give me a break. I would find him asleep on the couch with Ben cuddled on his tummy or on his chest. He did the same for when Hannah and Noah were born. Ben used to climb onto his Daddy's neck (while he was laying down on the floor) and bounce and bounce. It was hysterical and still brings us to hysterics when we talk about it. Hannah loves her Daddy and sometimes he is all she wants to be with. Noah crawls or nearly jumps out of my arms when his Daddy comes home from work...yes already at almost 8 months old. Our Daddy loves his family and his kids know that he would do anything for them. And they love him unconditionally.

Happy Father's Day!

So we decided to have a party for him and the other Dads in the family. Our kids LOVE parties and today was no exception. We made a big banner for Daddy, Grandpa and Grandad and hung it over the table for all to see. Marissa helped to decorate it when she got here. We had a potluck brunch at our house and I've decided that I love potlucks. My life is so much easier when everyone contributes to the meal. We have vegetarian and vegan members of the family as well as meat eaters and planning for everyone is difficult. So they bring what they want to contribute and everyone is happy. Tha party was a hit and all the Dads left with presents from their children and hearts filled with love from their family.

Caterpillar update...

Well yesterday was the first day after we 'caught' the caterpillar. We were playing outside and lo and behold we found one more, then another and then another until the grand total caterpillars found ouside was 5! They are all (but one) hanging under the eaves of the house. The last one is hanging in a plant that I discovered while watering it. This one is much easier for the kids to view because the others are so high up.

The one in the plant (it looks like it's hanging from the red part)

So yesterday all they were doing was hanging from one end like in this picture. They had a bit of silk coming from one end but they weren't moving much. Just hanging.

Just hanging

And today they are fully (or mostly) covered with their chrysallis. But this one is still poking out. It is amazing to watch and the kids are all into it. They don't want to nap because they have to keep care of the caterpillars.

This one is still poking out a bit

This one (below) is fully enclosed-looks lie a butterfly already through the 'shell'

So until next time....when the story of the gulf fritillary caterpillar continues...

Gulf Fritillary Caterpillar...

Hannah ran into the house last evening and said that she found a caterpillar. I ran out with her to find him and he was on the move... climbing so fast that we barely found him in the crack of the wall of the house. But we found him and he didn't get too far after that. We snapped some pics and then we went to get Ben's bughouse from the house. Ben was in the garage with Corey, we didn't want him to get away so we captured him and took the caterpillar to him.

Oh ... how cool!

Now he's in the bughouse and off to the net I went in search of his name. Here's what I found out. He seems to be a sort of gulf fritillary caterpillar that molts and eventually turns into a butterfly.

Ben doesn't want his bughouse to be where he molts and makes a chrysalis so we are looking for a new home for our new little bug friend...we'll also need some food. :-)

our budding artist...

We all know and love children's drawings ... full of character and full of life. Our budding artist today is Hannah. She loves her sidewalk chalk, makes a spot all her own and goes for it. Today was on the front steps and she drew Noah and herself! A self-portrait! Here she is showing off her masterpiece. I think she would've done the whole family but ran out of time.

new sensations...

Ben, Noah and I went to the park today. (Hannah stayed home to help Daddy cook dinner!) Noah loves the sand. At just under 8 months old he doesn't understand that it isn't good to eat yet but what fun to play with! He grabs at it and lets it trickle down onto his leg. We sat in the sand for a long time while they explored in the sand. Ben tried to cover himself because "he was cold and the sand was warm". Noah kept busy trying to fish out the eucalyptus leaves from the sand - another yummy thing to eat.

Noah's sand play

Ben's sand play

All about Diego...

Ben loves Diego. This is Dora the Explorer's cousin. He's an animal rescuer and rescues animals from all over the place (sea turtles, spectacled bears, penguins, three-toed sloths, blue morpho butterflies....) He thinks Diego and Hannah thinks Dora. They LOVE the show on TV but they REALLY LOVE the new movie Nanny has at her house. It's called Diego's Great Dinosaur Rescue. He helps a Maiasaurus get back to where she needs to be. They call her "Maya" and she's yellow.

We went to the San Diego Natural History Museum today. There were some dinosaurs on display but there will be more on display in a few weeks because a whole section was closed off. We'll have to go back to see more. We visited the Dinosaurs: Reel and Robotic section. At first, Hannah was a little frightened of them because they were so big and robotic so they were moving and making noise! They were huge! It was very cool. All Hannah wanted to do after a while though was sit underneath and stare at the T-Rex. Ben was in awe and very excited about it all. Yesterday, we made a dinosaur book together that we can read and learn about lots of different dinosaurs. We saw many of the dinosaurs that we included in our book in the museum display today. Noah had enough and slept most of the time. After a few hours at the museum we came home to rest our weary bones!

Standing up....

Noah has decided to stand up. I thing that he thinks that sitting and crawling is boring. He loves to stand. He pulls himself up now. Just the beginning...did I mention that he is just 7 months old?

Graduate!

Today we went to my brother's graduation from the University of San Diego Law School. He is such a hard worker and has accomplished so much in all of his studies and . We are very proud of him. He will go far... now it's on to the bar exam in July! Happy studying Chris!

My brother Chris and our parents

ugh...I dropped my camera and hope it is OK!!!! The zoom button popped out but I think I got it back in where it should be!! crossing fingers!!!!

Gardening...

We are growing lots of stuff in our garden this year. We have beans, peas, snap peas, zucchini, cucumber, radishes, lettuce, broccoli, cauliflower, cantaloupe, delicata squash along with some sunflowers that should grow to be mammoth size! So far that is what we have planted. We still have some other melon types and some pumpkins that we will grow also. We probably won't have enough to get into a pot though because as soon as the kids spot a bean or a pea that is ready to be picked, they pick it and eat it. It looks like we will have to grow more of those so that we can enjoy them more. We will have to see how the other 'crops' do...and for that we are waiting for that nice warm sun to stay out longer than it has.
Today we went to the nursery to find some tape for our trellis (the vines seem to need some help in the beginning to go up the bamboo) and the kids got some squirt bottles. They love to use squirt bottles to water the plants. As we were getting back home Ben said, "Well let's get to the back yard and do some gardening!" We couldn't wait to get our hands in the dirt!

Bees...

Ben and Hannah were playing today with all their friends at the park today. They were running from one tree and back playing "bees". Then they would hide in the bushes and keep playing. They were having so much fun running free. On their way back to me, Ben started screaming that he had a splinter, so I ran to see what I could do. It turns out that he got stung on the bottom of his foot. The stinger was not there (I think he puled it out himself). I put a cold wipe on it and it seemed to be a little better. He put his shoes on after that. Then about 30 minutes later his friend Gabriel got stung on his hand! Wow, 2 stings in one day. I think Ben will remember this and agree to put his shoes on when I ask him to.

I just think it is strange that they were playing "bees" and then they got stung...makes me wonder....

Fishing...

Last night while we were at the graduation party, my Dad gave Ben and Marissa a fly fishing vest. Ben loves it because Marissa got one and his Daddy has one. Hannah loves to fish too and wondered where hers was. GranDad told her that he would look for one in her size. Here is one! Ben and Hannah practice fishing at least once or twice a week from the garage. They cast their rods down the driveway and often cast into the street. Because Ben got a vest last night that sparked their interest in fishing today. Here they are with their fishing poles on the front lawn. They can't wait for our yearly camping trip to Lundy Lake.

Fruit...

It's funny how kids are. Often times when we are at a playgroup and someone has a snack that they don't mind sharing, Ben and Hannah will get to try it if we haven't had it before (or they don't want to try it from me). They will take it eat it and like it so much that they want some at home. For example Hannah would not eat carrots. Ever. And one day a friend at playgroup brought carrot sticks and shared and now she loves to eat carrot sticks! So I have been trying to get the kids to eat grapes for the last few years and neither one would try them out. I mean what a refreshing snack to have on a hot day! And they don't believe me when I tell them that they are plump raisins.

Tonight we were at my parents house for a triple college graduation party (Congrats Chris, Heather and Jacqueline!) and they had grapes and berries out to eat. My niece (Marissa) would come down and grab a full plate of fruit and take it upstairs to where they were playing. I followed her upstairs to check on the kids and ... get ready ... they were eating a huge plate of grapes! I try not to make a big deal out of these new discoveries so I just mentioned how huge their plate of yummy grapes was and left. They were so excited that I didn't take it away.

Ice cream...

Tonight was the last Bradley class that I will teach for a while. I have to finish my final exam and turn in all the last of the paperwork before I can teach another class. The kids went with Corey to his Moms house (as they always do on class nights) and they walked to Wendy's. They love the walk along the river and they love Wendy's. They get a cup with the kids meal and after they finish the meal they get ice cream in the cup. What is it with kids and ice cream? They can't finish their dinners but they always have room for it. No threat will make them eat all of their food. We always resort to "take 3 (or 4 or 5) more bites" before we give them their treat. These treats are not every day treats, so they are extra special when we have them...like tonight.

brothers forever...

Ben loves his little brother. Usually he wakes up in a grumpy mood from a nap and can't or won't snap out of it for quite a while after waking up. Today he was sleeping and we had the door closed so that he could rest. But time came when we had to wake him or he would be up all night! So we all went in there to see him. I told Noah to find him in the bed, Ben peeked out of the covers and Noah laughed. That perked him up, I guess Noah is the only one that can get Ben up from a nap smiling. He jumped up and then Noah was jumping on my knee watching him and then Ben started to jump on the bed. So that's what time it became, time to jump on the bed together.

Undo yesterday...

Well, we had a bit of 'buyers' remorse' when we returned from the preschool yesterday. We thought and thought and thought some more about it then we did some researcho online about whether or not preschool is necessary for kids... and we decided not to do it! Kids don't need preschool especially if there is someone who can 'educate' them at home (that would be me...I mean, I am very qualified after all). So Ben is staying home another year :-) Corey went to get the checks back from the school and the deal is done! We're very happy with our decision and will find some other things to spend our hard-earned money on!

Preschool...

Well we went for a visit today. Ben and Hannah really enjoyed looking around and discovering what preschool was all about. I don't think that they had any idea about what school was like before today. They have been playing 'school' but now that they've seen it...well, maybe they'll incorporate what they saw in their play. So Ben is signed up for the fall semester. I think he will like it, I am the one who will have a problem with him being gone though. He's been around me his entire life and now he's growing up (I guess going to school is a sign of growing up?).

Anyway, they have a great place. There's the classroom with all the areas of learning indoors, then they have a playground, and a garden where they actually can do gardening! When we were in the garden looking around Ben and Hannah got to pick peas and eat them from the vine, they loved it! Good thing we have peas growing in the back yard!!

The Director (Ms Marie) asked Hannah if she wanted to come to school too. She said "no". Ben also said no but we think he'll be ready to go at the end of the summer.

Cheeeeez...

What a ham!

Our walk...

We went for a long walk today to the nursery. I had to take back the shovel that the kids got me because there was lead in the handle. I couldn't bring myself to using it in my organic garden so, off we went! The kids were so excited to walk to the nursery! They were interested to learn what we passed with every turn in the road and every driveway that we came to cross. I told them about the car repair shop and the car dealership, the driveway to the apartments, the driveway in to KFC and to the liquor store. They wanted to know what kind of stores we were passing on the way too. I had to explain what a bar was as well as an investors office. They knew exactly where we were going and they did well all the way over and back home. :-)

Mother's Day sweetness...

Today was Mother's Day. The kids are getting so good at keeping secrets! They bought me some presents a few days ago and they didn't say a word about them even while I was opening them! They bought me a new shovel, a tea kettle (!) and a new nozzle for watering the plants. Then we went to lunch at Corvette Diner. They had fun eating the red chips and drinking chocolate shakes with sprinkles in it. Why not! It's only a few times a year that we get to have treats llike that! We played in the backyard in the afternoon and had Nanny here for dinner. They love to have Nanny chase after them playing "monster". After dinner we had our nightly routine of baths, night snacks, brushing teeth and reading books. On her way to bed, Hannah peeked in at me with the baby and said, "Happy Mother's Day" with a big smile on her face. That was so sweet, I hope I remember it forever!

it's official!

Noah is able to sit up all on his own! He's such a big boy now and so much happier! He doesn't need us to sit behind him anymore to catch him. We do still do an occasional catch but they are getting more and more sparse throughout the day. Now it's time for all those little bruises :-( He has one one his cheek from a toy....poor little guy!

Not so fun days...

The last few days the kids have been fighting and arguing with each other. One will tease the other with a toy s/he wants and then later on that day the other will tease back. I can't get them to stop. No matter how hard I try. So we go out of the house for the morning and don't come back until lunchtime. We go to the park. They have lots of fun playing there and they don't get on each others' nerves as easily. So that is where we will be tomorrow!

smart and sneaky girl

Hannah is SO smart. Corey takes the kids to his mom's house while I teach my Bradley class and they do their thing there for the night. Well, this past Friday night was not any different. Saturday we had his mom watch the kids again because we were having a garage sale and it was just that much easier to do without them running around and crying after the toys that were being sold. So she took them to her house for the morning. While there Hannah knows what Nanny has in the house (because she goes all the time but also because she was there last night). They were eating a snack (cookies, or fruit snack) when Hannah says "Nanny, can I have 2 of them since Daddy's not here?"

Friends...?

Today Benjamin and Hannah got on their scooters and were riding out on the sidewalk when a boy from across the street came over. He is about 8 or 9 years old and he was on his scooter too. Ben couldn't have been more excited about having someone to scooter with! They went back and forth to our regular stopping point (about 3 houses down from our house so that we can watch them) and back. Hannah trailed along too. When the neighbor boy stopped to take a break on the curb, they both put their scooters in the street and sat next to each other. It didn't seem like the boy was bothered by having Ben follow him around but he wasn't engaging him in conversation either...just doing his own thing with Ben on his side. He did, at one point help Ben "fix" his scooter. At one point in their cruising together they stopped at the neighbors garage and were just standing next to each other. Ben looked up at him (I don't know what they were talking about but this is what I overheard) and asked "Do you like cauliflower?" the boy said "no" and Ben said "I do, it's good." And off they went.

6 months old!

Here is Noah... tipping the scales at 21lbs 13oz, getting up on all fours with his bum in the air and scooting backwards!