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

Airport Appreciation Days

We took the boys to Airport Appreciation Days at the airport just behind our house. Twice. On day 1 we got there too late and the line was too long, so we didn't get to go up in a plane. On Sunday, Jason and the boys headed over after 1st service and got in line. Just after I got there at noon they were about to get their turn. Owen was too tired and hungry, so he and I went to eat while Jason and Ben went up in a plane with a local dentist. They flew over the house and the new vet clinic. Ben missed both somehow, but did enjoy the flight overall.

The hit of the show was the Dixie Choppers though, of course. They especially liked the propane one that went cross-country (the one with the flag) and the one with a grill on back. Ben said that Daddy could mow the yard AND cook supper at the same time. Sounds good to me!

Fall Soccer... the BATS!

Ben had his first soccer game last Saturday morning. He's got the same coach as last season, Scott Weltz, who he loved and really listened to AND not only is he with his friend Scot, but also his friend Gracie... and Zoe, Harris, Stella, and Alison... all kids from our church... + 2 other boys that are not from GCC. They are having fun but are not a particularly aggressive team.

That is, until the game on Saturday. Ben was on fire! Ha! He got a goal right away and was noticeably impressed with himself. He was running back down the field with a smile from ear to ear. Then came goals #2 and #3 that first time out... as he ran to the sideline at the timeout he flashed up 3 fingers to his dad and mouthed "three goals!"

He went on to get two more. He lamented all the way home about how he got more goals in that first game than ANYONE and more than he did last season all together. He's convinced that it's because he's grown so big from cleaning his plate several times in the last week! ha! Whatever keeps him eating well though!

This pic is from practice.

This last pic is of Gracie, Stella, Ben, Owen and Scot. Owen's pretty confused about why he can't play... especially since the other little brothers and sisters (Stella and Harris) who sat out with him in the Spring are NOW playing!

Funny stuff tonight...

I'm going to work backward on some posts...hopefully catching up on the last couple of weeks. Our internet is finally back up to speed so I will try to do better now!

Tonight Ben was talking about his day at the sitter's. "Miss Janet" is his sitter and has 2 girls of her own... Rylan, who is in Kindergarten, and Kaylyn who's a year behind Ben in pre-school. There are two other kids there during the day, Holton, who's Ben's age, and Kylie (Miss Janet's niece) who is a couple of months older than Owen. Janet has told me several times that the girls fight over Ben... who will get to sit by him or play "Littlest Pet Shop" with them.

So tonight Ben was telling me that when Rylan is at school, Kaylyn wants to lay by him at nap time. And Owen wants to lay by him AND Holton wants to lay by him. He sighed and shook his head, then said "there just isn't enough of ME for everyone!"

Now they're deer hunting. Here are some pictures. They're going to kill the deer and then make meat out of him.... THEN fix him up like a vet does. Hmmmm....

Oh and one funny from last night. Owen decided to put THREE ninies in his mouth at bedtime. He knows how I like it when he does "two ninies!" so he put in three and then started saying "three ninies, three ninies!!" with them in his mouth! Here's a pic. Right side up, then upside down!

A big week...

It started on Saturday at Holiday World... then on Monday when we returned to Greencastle we went to hunt for "interesting rocks." First we ventured to the Sports Park next to our house.. where Ben tired of looking for Indian beads within minutes. Owen came along and reinvigorated the search for a few minutes, before we headed for home.

That night though, Jason had the idea to go to a creek bed on a neighbor's property. Unbeknownst to us, this is a hot bed for fossils... Ben and I did some advance research and learned that "indian beads" are really ancient fossilized crinoids, or sea lilies, that lived 350 million years ago in an ancient sea that covered Indiana. I was actually pretty excited to know this and head to the creek... as were the boys.

When we got there, the lure of the water and mud overtook them and the fossil hunting became a minor distraction. MOMMY hunted fossils while the boys splashed. Until of course my dear husband hatched a plan that involved me walking in the creek while splashing madly to drive the minnows upstream to where he was standing with a ziplock. He finally caught one and the boys thought it was cool. That said, they liked the baby frogs that I found and caught better... and I didn't have to splash in the muddy water as much to retrieve those!

Soon, Owen was sitting, then practically laying in the water. It was getting dark and we had our hands full, or we'd have had some pretty funny shots. Later in the week when Owen recounted the event for my mom he said "we found wocks (rocks) in water... and I got my buuutt (pronounced with 2 or 3 syllables) all wet."

Tuesday night the boys played at Justin and Cody's house while I had a meeting and Jason worked. Then Wednesday it was the big "nursery graduation" at church. Yes, there were caps for the graduates... and cake and punch. Owen got to say goodbye to the nursery (he hated the nursery... has cried every Sunday for 2 yrs when we have dropped him off!) and hello to the new preschool area. He's now in the same area as Ben so I'm expecting big things.

Then tonight (Thursday), Ben's first Fall soccer practice! Everyone on the team is from our church.. .with the exception of 1 little guy. Ben enjoyed it and said that his cleats "make me so fast that I shred the grass!" Don't worry about his self-confidence! Owen was a very supportive little brother and kept saying "good job Ben" while Ben was playing. When Ben came out for water breaks, Owen was there with the bottle for him. I'm sure it won't last, but it sure was cute tonight! On the way home the conversation went like this....

Owen: "good job Ben. good job at soccer."

Ben: "thanks Owen. say you're welcome, Owen, when I say thanks."

Owen: "thanks Ben, good job. you're welcome. "

Ben: "thanks Owen, good job saying 'you're welcome'"

Owen: "thanks Ben"

Ben: "you're welcome"

I was watching the exchange in the rearview. Sure beats the fighting I'm usually witnessing!

Oh and lest I forget... Ben's first day at Pre-K was on Tuesday. Here's a pic of him before we went. He says it's "okay -- not as fun as the 4s class." Apparently they have to work more and play less... in their 2.5 hr class. I can hardly wait to see how full-day kindergarten is received come next August! He did tell me at dinner the first night... "I hang out with Scot. There was a girl chasing me but I ran away. At first I wasn't really running really fast like I can but then I did and I was like woosh... gone away from her. And then I told Scot to run and he did and he's fast but not faster than me. So me and Scot, we just like hung out together because we're like friends like that."

Later that night I was talking to Scot's mom, Melissa, and she said that she had asked Scot if he made any new friends at school. Apparently his response was much like Ben's... nah, my friend Ben is there so I don't need anyone else! They're 4 and they've already formed a clique!

Tomorrow (okay, today, now) is Owen's first day of preschool... I'm sure I'll have stories about that one by tomorrow night!

Holiday World 2008

We went to Holiday World last Saturday. It was a fun trip that Jason and I, the boys, my brother, nephew (Jonah), Aunt Tammie, and my mom and dad did together.

The night before we all went to Mom and Dad's to stay and shorten the drive a little on Saturday morning. Owen was so excited on Friday. I told the boys that it was going to be warm enough to do the water park.. which made Owen do a little dance that include foot stomping and fist pumping while saying "oh yes, yes, yes, I gonna WIM!! (swim minus the "s" sound). Then Ben pointed out to him that we could leave him behind.. like we did last year. Owen, lip protruded, said "why you leave me at home?" Poor guy. Big brother is probably going to give him a complex!

The boys were very good at Holiday World. Ben's favorites were the water park and the birds (the big ones that swing around on chains). Owen liked the boats (canoes), water park, and birds... mostly because his brother did. Jonah's favorite was the log flume. Grandpa rode with the boys on the birds but nearly couldn't get himself out when the ride was over... so that was his one and only ride adventure!

It was an eventful day, but for the life of me right now all I can think of are the moments in the van on the way there and back! All 3 boys were in the back seat together and fussing all the way there about one thing or another. Thank goodness for bucket seats! I only put Owen back there so he wouldn't feel left out... we'll go with left out over all of the fussing for sure next time! On the way home we stopped at a gas station and got tootsie rolls, among other things, for the boys. Owen kept asking me to turn the light on so that he could see to unwrap the candy. I was watching in my rearview mirror as he focused very hard on the wrapper to get it off. After awhile I realized that while I had seen him unwrap MANY, I had never seen him EAT one. You guessed it... unwrapped tootsie rolls everywhere! When I asked where they were and he started moving his legs and looking in his car seat, I knew we were in trouble!

Anyway, we returned exhausted, but having had a great time. More later when I remember the other funny moments with the boys!

See all of the holiday world photos (my battery died on the trip!) at: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=32802&l=b8081&id=518670535

Indiana State Fair

We went to the Indiana State Fair in early August. I have gotten so far behind on blogging and had such trouble w/photo uploads due to our internet service provider, that I have just given up on catching up. I did want to share some funny stuff... despite the lack of photos... about our trip to the fair.

I just asked Ben what the best parts of the Indiana State Fair were for him... he said:

• seeing all of the real live animals that lived and that kind of stuff
• seeing the bones and the fish and the turtle shell and those rats and the African wild goat (I don't recall the African wild goat... but whatever!)
• I really liked to eat the wild animals (apparently the turkey leg qualifies?)
• AND you know, helping the animals... giving the animals food

Owen said the best parts were...

• riding rides (we didn't ride any)
• John Deere tractors
• and the golf cart

My favorite part was the LEASH! I probably mentioned before that after our return from Kings Island and an incident w/Owen running from me in the mall, I bought a backpack/leash. The boys discovered the backpack in the van before we left Greencastle. Owen thought it was so cool... and kept saying "that for me?" and "my packpack?" Ben was complaining because he didn't have one. Finally I said "Ben - just wait.. you'll see..."

So we get to the fairgrounds and we're in the parking lot... and I have the back of the van open and both boys are standing in it. Jason was already in the fairgrounds having been there to work all day... So I put the backpack on Owen and get him all fastened in ... and Ben is STILL complaining about not having his own backpack. Then I get the "leash" part out and attach it to the backpack. Ben, seeing this, yells (pointing to Owen and the leash) "Ha! You're on a LEASH!!"

Owen starts turning around like a puppy trying to get something that is on his back and saying "no WEASH (he has an "L" issue)" and "don't put me on a WEASH!" All the way into the fairgrounds, surrounded by other fair-goers, he is saying over and over "not a WEASH!" "pwease take off the weash!" People were actually stopping to feel bad for the boy.. and then he was stopping and refusing to move and then I'd have to pull him ... much like a stubborn puppy that won't move.

When we finally reached the fairgrounds and met up w/Jason, he felt bad for Owen and insisted that I remove the leash. We took it out once more when he got called out and I was trying to wrangle both boys amidst a crowd of kids and parents that were trying to feed the goats.

It was pretty pitiful... so we probably won't do it again anytime soon. Anyone need to borrow a kid-leash?

As I'm writing there has been a big dispute over the fridge magnet that plays the ABCs. Ben just said "OWEN I am SO TIRED of hearing that song!" I am betting it has been played no less than 50 times since we have been home tonight. On the upside, Owen is really good at his ABCs now! Gotta go intervene...

Actual Portrait Studio Photos...

I have dreaded it all week.. going to the portrait studio to get photos done of the boys. We actually went and bought a nice digital camera after the last session a year ago... and vowed to stay out of the studio after that terrible trip. My in-laws needed a 2-yr studio photo of Owen though... to go on the wall with the other 2-yr old photos in the family... so we went.

The studio was really good and despite me having to move the appt 3 times to find a time that would work for all of us to drive over to Plainfield AND having had Owen wake up in a terrible mood today that wasn't the least bit improved by lunchtime, it went pretty well. We used our reverse psychology on Owen... "Don't go stand by your brother.." and "Don't smile.." The photographer said she'd never seen any kid respond so well to the commands that were really the opposite of what we wanted from him! Ha!

Anyway, enjoy... this is my favorite. Check out the rest on Facebook using the following links (check both - they didn't all fit into one album): http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=31347&l=0ca2d&id=518670535 and http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=31348&l=43cc8&id=518670535

Oh and the photographer said that this was the best jump she ever got on film!

Our Trip to Lafayette...

Last Thursday, I ended up taking the day off at the last minute and decided to take the boys to Columbian Park in Lafayette. I had not been there since having kids but drove by a couple of weeks ago on my way back from Chicago and saw that they had a very cool pool.

So we went first to Tropicanoe Cove... the swimming pool. I didn't keep my camera with me much, for obvious reasons... we had a great time and I felt like the play area for the boys was comparable to Holiday World's water park but a heck of a lot cheaper ($10 for us all for the day!). The boys loved the sprayers, of course, and surprisingly... the lazy river. Owen was really tired, so that was probably part of the reason that he enjoyed the floating for awhile.

After the water, we went to the FREE zoo. They don't have a ton of animals, but do have a couple of monkeys and a few big cats, plus prarie dogs, a bald eagle, and a farm petting area. You have to check out the video of Owen in the petting area... he loved it. Of course he was bossing the animals! Ben briefly dressed up as a farm veterinarian too. Funny thing was that their costumes were right on... plaid button up shirts!

The park also had a great series of play sets and a big pond plus a couple of carnival rides and a train that circled the park... all FREE, aside from the water park. It was a great day!

See all the pics on Facebook.

When Laura Came to Stay...

So our regular sitters are at church camp and Laura came to stay w/us last week to take care of the boys. Today will be the first day in a week that she hasn't been there when they woke up! She did a great job and the boys had a lot of fun w/her.

Friday night she got an especially exciting opportunity... she got to wrangle the boys at the Greencastle Park while I sold candy for Tri Kappa! I think they wore her out!! Ha! Then I gave her a money bag to carry with us because BEN wanted to walk around and sell candy, which we did do. Me, Ben, Owen and Laura sold frozen candy bars for $1. Well, Owen is another story really... he was carrying a bag of frozen snickers. Frozen VERY solid. He swung them and hit himself in the head. So then he was whining about that! I asked Laura to get the wagon... so we just loaded them up and let them ride while we sold stuff. I looked over and Owen was chewing the frozen snickers open!! Ugh. Needless to say there are several that did NOT get sold.

Laura and I also got away from the boys for a bit and went to the thrift stores to shop for school clothes. Check out the stuff she got on my FB photo album. We had a thrift store fashion show! She got lots of other cute things.. but these were some of our favorites.