I'm lumping March, April and May together... we didn't go anywhere during this time, just had some fun at home...
In March we brought home our puppy, Rosie. She actually had some crazy name that I can't recall, given to her by the crazy lady that we got her from! Okay so she was actually a veterinarian at Lilly/Elanco and she raised "leader dogs" so she probably wasn't actually crazy, just a little difficult to deal with.
First came the questionnaire. Like 25 questions, no kidding. What will be the dog's training program? Describe the dog's sleeping situation. What will the dog's daily routine consist of? I didn't think Jason would even go for filling out the questionnaire, but he provided the input that I needed. We got "chosen" as a candidate to adopt the dog, but then we had to travel to the owner's home in Greenfield to have her evaluate the "human-animal bond" to see if we were a match. After sitting in the house for an hour, Jason was done. He stood up and I asked if we got the dog. We did, so we grabbed her and headed to the truck as soon as we'd handed the check over. We left with the previous owner shouting after us "of course I want her back if she doesn't work out..."
Well she did! We intentionally chose to visit with her while the boys were on spring break at my parents' house, just in case we weren't a "match." We hadn't told them anything about a dog so it was a complete surprise to them. We took them to the vet clinic where Rosie was waiting and let them play with her for a bit. Then we broke the news that she was ours. They were so excited! She's been a great dog and goes to work with Jason every day that she gets a chance. She's become the official vet clinic greeter.
We also surprised the boys with a 4-wheeler when they returned from that same trip... they were almost as excited about that as they were about the puppy! They have had a great time, and so has Jason, with the new ride. Rosie even gets in on the action riding on the back. Jason made her a "box" to help her stay on. We ended up taking many trips back to the creek at Jerry Birt's and/or Ted Willer's to find fossils and have picnics during the Spring and Summer months.
The boys learned all kinds of fun things from the girls at the babysitters ... one of the best that they played over and over for several months was "Monkeys always look!" They did it to each other over and over. They even pulled it over on Jason and I several times.
Other faves of Owen's were:
- "fine! you can't come in my woom (room)"
- "fine! I don't like you or I don't love you and you can't lay by me!"
and
- "fine! you're not my best fwend (friend) anymore!"
He got in trouble plenty of times for this sassiness, but he's a mouthy a little 3 yr old nonetheless!
The boys also enjoyed a game of "is he bigger/stronger than my dad?" for a month or two. They asked it about superheroes, guys on tv, cartoon guys. Of course their dad beat everyone! haha!
Spring was also soccer season... the first for Owen and #4 for Ben. We were on the "Centaurs" team and though we never really knew what it meant, the boys loved it! I didn't blog back then but the year that Ben had just turned 3 in Feb and started playing soccer in April I swore that NEVER AGAIN would I have a 3-yr-old playing soccer! Well I ate those words... Owen was 2 mos shy of 3 when he started!
Of course he was motivated by trying to be like his big bro, and having watched his big bro play for several seasons. We got permission from our former coach who was in charge of the league and he said we'd give it a try. Apparently the two DePauw girls that were coaching the team called him to ask if it was a mistake... a 2 yr old on their team! He told them to give it a try and we'd drop him if he got to be too much trouble.
It's not just a momma bragging... Owen was the 2nd most aggressive kid on the team, Ben being first! We lost track of how many goals Ben scored. Owen didn't actually score any in the right goal (for his team) but he was pretty happy about two in the WRONG goal. They were great - and fun to watch. Their team cheer "Centaurs on 3 - 1, 2, 3 - Centaurs!!" was repeated over and over by both boys on a regular basis! They loved it - and they especially loved their trophies when it was all over.
Wednesday, January 6, 2010
Monday, January 4, 2010
A year in review ... February 2009!
In February, Ben turned 5. We offered him the opportunity to go to Great Wolf Lodge near Cincinnati, Ohio, in lieu of a birthday party. He was thrilled - especially since his best buddy Scot and his family were also going for Scot's birthday (a week after Ben's). By the time we got around to going to Great Wolf there were actually several families that joined us: Shane and Emily Johnson and their daughter, Shelby, Nick & Emily Adams and their boys, Andrew and Anthony, David and Jenney Taylor and their three boys: Conner, Cory, and Carson, and the Stockwells.. Brady, Catherine, Averi, & Justice, in addition to Heath, Melissa, Scot, Stella, and Charlotte Knipp.
Besides playing at the waterpark, we took time out for cake and ice cream in honor of the boys' birthdays, and a trip to Bass Pro Shops. Ben quickly decided that this was the best vacation ever, because his friends were there. Good to know since the Florida trip in January was 4 or 5 times more expensive than the Ohio getaway!
Ben also enjoyed, what he considers to be a new tradition with my mom and dad. They took him shopping for his birthday and gave him money to spend! He thought this was the best deal ever and has asked for a repeat this year. Mom also made him a Captain America birthday cake, at his request... he loved it. She had made a birthday cake for Jonah a month earlier, so Ben got the idea that she should make HIS as well!
We had a great time sledding in February as well... some friends have a hill that is just perfect for little ones. Good slide down, but easy enough to climb back up. We spent hours there and the day ended by building a snowman! See photos of our day with Nick and Emily Adams, Andrew and Anthony at http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=58442&id=518670535&l=ce7007c84a
Besides playing at the waterpark, we took time out for cake and ice cream in honor of the boys' birthdays, and a trip to Bass Pro Shops. Ben quickly decided that this was the best vacation ever, because his friends were there. Good to know since the Florida trip in January was 4 or 5 times more expensive than the Ohio getaway!
Ben also enjoyed, what he considers to be a new tradition with my mom and dad. They took him shopping for his birthday and gave him money to spend! He thought this was the best deal ever and has asked for a repeat this year. Mom also made him a Captain America birthday cake, at his request... he loved it. She had made a birthday cake for Jonah a month earlier, so Ben got the idea that she should make HIS as well!
We had a great time sledding in February as well... some friends have a hill that is just perfect for little ones. Good slide down, but easy enough to climb back up. We spent hours there and the day ended by building a snowman! See photos of our day with Nick and Emily Adams, Andrew and Anthony at http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=58442&id=518670535&l=ce7007c84a
2009... a year in review (January!)
Last January my blogging plan fell apart. I tried to cover everything that had happened in January, got behind, and then decided that Facebook updates would be good enough. But now at the start of a new year, I want to remember some of the great things that happened in 2009!
In January we took the boys for the first time to Disney parks in Orlando. It was also my first time at Disney! We took in Sea World, Animal Kingdom and Magic Kingdom in the course of 3 days. It was too much for a 2 1/2 year old for sure... and we hit the parks right in the middle of a cold stretch where temps reached a low of 38 degrees!
Despite the weather and the naps that interrupted Owen's day, it was a fun trip. We went to Sea World specifically to see and touch Sting Rays in an exhibit that was CLOSED that day. Ben cried... but the other animals, especially the sharks, rays, and manatees were a big hit. And feeding the dolphins... to this day Ben says that was his favorite part. We finished the day at Sea World with an event sponsored by one of the drug companies (it was part of the Veterinary Conference that Jason was attending in Orlando) and the boys wore me out on a giant playground with tunnels, rope nets to climb, etc. Jason was occupied for a bit and I nearly lost both boys while trying to keep up with them!
At Animal Kingdom Ben really loved the 4-d experience, A Bug's Life. Owen had fallen asleep by then and missed most of it. It was fun to watch Ben reaching out to try to touch the "creatures" that were coming right for us.
While we were in Orlando we stayed at the Nickelodean hotel. The boys had lots of fun in the outdoor pools which were heated to something like 78 degrees. Not so warm when you came OUT of the water though... the days we were in the pool it was a sweltering 60 degrees. Lucky for Jason he missed most of the pool fun as he was at his conference all day on those days.
After we finished our day at the Magic Kingdom, we loaded the boys into the rental car and drove through the night to the Naples area to visit Jason's parents and his brother and family.
The boys got a kick out of the trailer park where John and Judy stayed, and especially the fact that Grandpa rode a big tricycle. They also loved the beaches, and though the water was way too cold to go into, managed to get their pants soaked at each stop. We gathered a wide array of shells, and even found a starfish, as Ben had hoped we would.
We hit the Everglades and the boys got to hold a small alligator and ride on a swamp boat. They loved both. We visited with Brad (Jason's brother) and his family, and hit another beach in Naples before heading back to Indiana via Ft Myers. Both boys did great on the plane both ways... it was Owen's first flight and the first that Ben could remember!
Lots of great photos of the trip are on Facebook, so I won't repeat them here...
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=57051&id=518670535&l=e8cae80241
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=56917&id=518670535&l=96c56cae07
In January we took the boys for the first time to Disney parks in Orlando. It was also my first time at Disney! We took in Sea World, Animal Kingdom and Magic Kingdom in the course of 3 days. It was too much for a 2 1/2 year old for sure... and we hit the parks right in the middle of a cold stretch where temps reached a low of 38 degrees!
Despite the weather and the naps that interrupted Owen's day, it was a fun trip. We went to Sea World specifically to see and touch Sting Rays in an exhibit that was CLOSED that day. Ben cried... but the other animals, especially the sharks, rays, and manatees were a big hit. And feeding the dolphins... to this day Ben says that was his favorite part. We finished the day at Sea World with an event sponsored by one of the drug companies (it was part of the Veterinary Conference that Jason was attending in Orlando) and the boys wore me out on a giant playground with tunnels, rope nets to climb, etc. Jason was occupied for a bit and I nearly lost both boys while trying to keep up with them!
At Animal Kingdom Ben really loved the 4-d experience, A Bug's Life. Owen had fallen asleep by then and missed most of it. It was fun to watch Ben reaching out to try to touch the "creatures" that were coming right for us.
While we were in Orlando we stayed at the Nickelodean hotel. The boys had lots of fun in the outdoor pools which were heated to something like 78 degrees. Not so warm when you came OUT of the water though... the days we were in the pool it was a sweltering 60 degrees. Lucky for Jason he missed most of the pool fun as he was at his conference all day on those days.
After we finished our day at the Magic Kingdom, we loaded the boys into the rental car and drove through the night to the Naples area to visit Jason's parents and his brother and family.
The boys got a kick out of the trailer park where John and Judy stayed, and especially the fact that Grandpa rode a big tricycle. They also loved the beaches, and though the water was way too cold to go into, managed to get their pants soaked at each stop. We gathered a wide array of shells, and even found a starfish, as Ben had hoped we would.
We hit the Everglades and the boys got to hold a small alligator and ride on a swamp boat. They loved both. We visited with Brad (Jason's brother) and his family, and hit another beach in Naples before heading back to Indiana via Ft Myers. Both boys did great on the plane both ways... it was Owen's first flight and the first that Ben could remember!
Lots of great photos of the trip are on Facebook, so I won't repeat them here...
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=57051&id=518670535&l=e8cae80241
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=56917&id=518670535&l=96c56cae07
Sunday, February 22, 2009
Thursday, December 25, 2008
Merry Christmas!
Just around 7:30 this morning the pitter patter of little feet in the kitchen woke us up. It was Owen and he ran into our room and said "I want you!" as he climbed into our bed. We waited for Ben to follow... but nothing. Jason went to check and Ben was laying patiently in his bed. That was the last indication of patience this morning!
The moment he arrived in our room Ben was ready for presents. Owen was NOT. After much coaxing, it still took Jason carrying him to get Owen into the family room. Ben started unwrapping. Owen sat and watched. Finally the puppies in a playset in Ben's pile got him motivated and slowly but surely, Owen opened his gifts. The set of horses got a "gasp" but the puppies of all sizes were expected hits as well. And the backpack full of art supplies... well, he is still carrying it.
Ben especially loves his Justice League toys and his Green Lantern and Flash "muscle" costumes. He's been running and posing all day. We're getting ready to eat lunch now, play some more, and head to my mom and dad's for the night. More presents and time with family tomorrow.
Pics of some of the favorites, some superhero poses, and a small musical performance are included in this blog post -- enjoy!!
Treehouse present for both boys...
Polar playset - Ben got this from Santa..
This is Owen's riding stable...
Flash!
Don't mind the tooth-picking...Ben had just eaten a candy cane! Sorry -- you have to turn your head side-ways!!
The moment he arrived in our room Ben was ready for presents. Owen was NOT. After much coaxing, it still took Jason carrying him to get Owen into the family room. Ben started unwrapping. Owen sat and watched. Finally the puppies in a playset in Ben's pile got him motivated and slowly but surely, Owen opened his gifts. The set of horses got a "gasp" but the puppies of all sizes were expected hits as well. And the backpack full of art supplies... well, he is still carrying it.
Ben especially loves his Justice League toys and his Green Lantern and Flash "muscle" costumes. He's been running and posing all day. We're getting ready to eat lunch now, play some more, and head to my mom and dad's for the night. More presents and time with family tomorrow.
Pics of some of the favorites, some superhero poses, and a small musical performance are included in this blog post -- enjoy!!
Treehouse present for both boys...
Polar playset - Ben got this from Santa..
This is Owen's riding stable...
Flash!
Don't mind the tooth-picking...Ben had just eaten a candy cane! Sorry -- you have to turn your head side-ways!!
The days before Christmas...
I should have taken a picture of the van... given how much time we spent there this week! On Monday, Jason and I went Christmas shopping. The boys were with mom and dad ... we went to Indy, got home late on Monday, and then Jason went to Terre Haute on Tuesday morning to pick them up. We knew that there were 'weather warnings' out and thought that we'd go to the Indiana State Museum for awhile and then head home before the freezing rain was supposed to start at 6PM.
The museum was fun... Ben loved the wooly mammoth, wolf, and cheetah especially. Owen loved the bear. I was in line for Santa pics and the boys were riding the train when I got a text from a weather service saying that Greencastle was under a level 2 emergency ... essential traffic only. It was about 2:30 at that point and looking outside, it was completely dry in Indy. About 30 mins later another text said that most of the roads in Putnam County were closed. We left the museum at 3:30PM.
Two and a half hours later we had made it about 4 or 5 miles. We weren't even registering 5MPH. The road wasn't too bad but when Owen needed a pit stop (Goodwill parking lot), Jason found out how slick the ground really was... no one fell but it was very bad. Back on Hwy 40 we drove for another hour and then stopped briefly at the Goodwill outlet to kill some time while the boys were sleeping and let the traffic "thin out" - ha. Twenty mins later it was just as bad. We stayed in the crawling traffic for awhile longer and then ventured off of 40 to make some headway toward Metropolis and the nearby locations. We decided to stop at Applebees to wait it out a little, get some food, and let the boys stretch their legs. Just about an hour later we hit 40 again, thinking it was a better situation and that I70 must have re-opened because we were seeing fewer semis on the road.
For awhile we were fine, then we saw the backup... it went for miles and unfortunately, despite numerous efforts and phone calls to friends to find ways around the backup, we were stuck. Semis were unable to make it up the slight inclines due to the ice. Hotels in Plainfield were full... so no choice but to continue forward. Around 11:30 PM we made beds for the boys in the van and turned off our headlights. Mom and Dad called to say that the Terre Haute news was reporting 5-6 hr from Terre Haute to Indy. They were off... it took us just @ 11 hrs by the time we finally got home. The boys had gotten some rest, but we hadn't gotten much at all when we arrived home around 3AM!
So that made Christmas Eve a really lazy day.. more so than we had planned even. We mostly hung out at the house, iced cookies for Santa, and delivered gifts to 2 of our neighbors. We had pizza for dinner ... taking the easy route... and then went to church service at 8. Having the boys in service when we're not used to it is a chore -- but one broken up by frequent trips to the bathroom with Owen!
The boys were in bed by about 9:30 on Christmas Eve... anxious for the next morning to arrive!
The museum was fun... Ben loved the wooly mammoth, wolf, and cheetah especially. Owen loved the bear. I was in line for Santa pics and the boys were riding the train when I got a text from a weather service saying that Greencastle was under a level 2 emergency ... essential traffic only. It was about 2:30 at that point and looking outside, it was completely dry in Indy. About 30 mins later another text said that most of the roads in Putnam County were closed. We left the museum at 3:30PM.
Two and a half hours later we had made it about 4 or 5 miles. We weren't even registering 5MPH. The road wasn't too bad but when Owen needed a pit stop (Goodwill parking lot), Jason found out how slick the ground really was... no one fell but it was very bad. Back on Hwy 40 we drove for another hour and then stopped briefly at the Goodwill outlet to kill some time while the boys were sleeping and let the traffic "thin out" - ha. Twenty mins later it was just as bad. We stayed in the crawling traffic for awhile longer and then ventured off of 40 to make some headway toward Metropolis and the nearby locations. We decided to stop at Applebees to wait it out a little, get some food, and let the boys stretch their legs. Just about an hour later we hit 40 again, thinking it was a better situation and that I70 must have re-opened because we were seeing fewer semis on the road.
For awhile we were fine, then we saw the backup... it went for miles and unfortunately, despite numerous efforts and phone calls to friends to find ways around the backup, we were stuck. Semis were unable to make it up the slight inclines due to the ice. Hotels in Plainfield were full... so no choice but to continue forward. Around 11:30 PM we made beds for the boys in the van and turned off our headlights. Mom and Dad called to say that the Terre Haute news was reporting 5-6 hr from Terre Haute to Indy. They were off... it took us just @ 11 hrs by the time we finally got home. The boys had gotten some rest, but we hadn't gotten much at all when we arrived home around 3AM!
So that made Christmas Eve a really lazy day.. more so than we had planned even. We mostly hung out at the house, iced cookies for Santa, and delivered gifts to 2 of our neighbors. We had pizza for dinner ... taking the easy route... and then went to church service at 8. Having the boys in service when we're not used to it is a chore -- but one broken up by frequent trips to the bathroom with Owen!
The boys were in bed by about 9:30 on Christmas Eve... anxious for the next morning to arrive!
Ben & Owen after Christmas Eve Service... Owen was not cooperating!
Jason got some new Ostrich boots for Christmas... pics of all 3 boys and their boots on Christmas Eve.
Icing/eating Santa's cookies...
The short ride on the State Museum train just before the L O N G ride home!Thursday, December 11, 2008
Thanksgiving pics...
Some photos were out of focus -- oops! It was a day filled (as most at our house are) with many costumes! Kyle enjoyed the bob the builder vest and hat!
Owen's "Report Card"
You'll recall that we moved Owen up into the 3-y-old class at preschool in October. He just got his "I Can Do This" assessment from school. Here's the scale and the report...
- * is the "excellent" rating
- + is "satisfactory"
- - is "not yet"
MOTOR DEVELOPMENT
- * I can throw a ball
- - I can hop on one foot
- * I can roll a ball
- * I can hold a crayon
- - I can jump with one foot
- * I can paint with a large brush
LANGUAGE
- * I can describe what happened in 2-3 words
- * I can tell you what I want
- * I can repeat parts of songs, rhymes, and finger plays
- * I can listen to simple stories and songs
- * I can identify loud and soft voice
- * I know my first name
FUNDAMENTAL SKILLS
- + I know the concept of "one"
- + I can count to 5
- * I can point to big and little objects
- * I can put together a puzzle with large pieces
COLORS
I can recognize: white, red, yellow, black, blue, green, purple, brown, and orange. (got a "+" on pink... apparently ONLY SATISFACTORY on that one!)
I can recognize these shapes: circle, square, heart, triangle and star were "excellent" and rectangle, diamond, and oval were "not yet."
SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT
He got all "excellent" ratings in this area... items were:
- I can participate in group activities
- I respond to my teacher well
- I share with my friends
- I recognize my own things and can name them (backpack, folder, coat, etc.)
- I can follow simple game rules
- I can complete a task
- I listen to Mrs. Hanlon
They also had 2 "Just for Fun" questions at the bottom of the assessment... they were "fill in the blanks." Owen's answers are underlined...
- Name something God made: triangle
- My favorite color is: red
We were worried about Owen's poor teacher in this preschool thing... so it's a relief that he is doing so well! Ha! We'll have to decide later if we'll actually send him to kindergarten with this group (he's the youngest) or keep him for the next year. I'm thinking he'll be ready to go with these guys and will be very upset NOT to be going. We'll probably have some real complaining starting NEXT year when Ben goes and he doesn't!!
Sunday, December 7, 2008
Dear Santa
Here's a copy of our letter to Santa... ready to be mailed this week!
Dear Santa.
We are Ben and Owen Huff. We live in Greencastle, Indiana and we have been pretty good this year. Ben has really been working on not asking for EVERYTHING this year because he knows there are children without toys and he already has many.
Owen has been trying not to bite his brother and is doing a pretty good job. He’s also wearing big-boy underwear and trying to get good at that.
Ben would like any of the following for Christmas surprises:
- Captain Marvel, Captain Atom, Captain Boomerang, Mirror Master, Gorilla Grod, and Green Arrow action figures. Green Arrow and Captain Atom are the two he’d like the most.
- An elephant that makes sounds
- Flash & Green Lantern costumes
Owen would like:
- John Deere toys
- Art stuff
- Games
- Play-doh
- Doggie or kitten coloring book
- Animal toys
- Superheroes
Both boys would like the Jungle Hospital and Rescue Center.
We will have cookies & milk for you when you arrive on Christmas Eve. We’ll also have carrots for your reindeer.
Love,
Ben & Owen Huff
Dear Santa.
We are Ben and Owen Huff. We live in Greencastle, Indiana and we have been pretty good this year. Ben has really been working on not asking for EVERYTHING this year because he knows there are children without toys and he already has many.
Owen has been trying not to bite his brother and is doing a pretty good job. He’s also wearing big-boy underwear and trying to get good at that.
Ben would like any of the following for Christmas surprises:
- Captain Marvel, Captain Atom, Captain Boomerang, Mirror Master, Gorilla Grod, and Green Arrow action figures. Green Arrow and Captain Atom are the two he’d like the most.
- An elephant that makes sounds
- Flash & Green Lantern costumes
Owen would like:
- John Deere toys
- Art stuff
- Games
- Play-doh
- Doggie or kitten coloring book
- Animal toys
- Superheroes
Both boys would like the Jungle Hospital and Rescue Center.
We will have cookies & milk for you when you arrive on Christmas Eve. We’ll also have carrots for your reindeer.
Love,
Ben & Owen Huff
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