Love this photo of my 3 guys... so handsome, even if I do say so myself.
And clearly I also love zip-neck sweaters! Haha!
Saturday, January 1, 2011
Cousins!
The boys sure do love their cousins. This is Kyle, who is just from February to October younger then Ben. He comes in right between Ben and Jonah, who has a birthday in January. We were at a funeral visitation here, so that was unfortunate, but the boys were happy to see their cousin. They both greeted him with a hug.
Growing up I had cousins around all of the time. I wish for the boys that they had more of that sometimes, but then I suppose that it wouldn't be quite as special. When I mention a cousin they always want to know when they can see him/her!
I love that!
Angela
A Snuggi & a Wii!
(Sung to the tune of "All I Want for Christmas")
All I want for Christmas is a Snuggi & a Wii
A Snuggi & a Wii
A Snuggi & a Wii..
The boys have wanted a Wii now for 3 Christmases but Jason and I had a good list of reasons not to get them one for the first 2 years. They have a big yard and we want them to play in it. Our old game system, the PS2, was really enough. We didn't want them to become video game junkies. etc.
We caved.
They still won't be allowed to play on school nights, just weekends. And I guarantee Owen will end up being grounded from the game as much as he has allowance to play it. I joke that we gave them ds games last year just to ground them (mostly Owen) from them! I'd also like to work out a plan to give them time to play kind of like an allowance (instead of paying cash) for doing chores. Not sure how that will work yet so if anyone has suggestions, let me know.
Anyway, in the weeks leading up to Christmas, Owen must have said at least a dozen times how he wished he had a Wii. It was all I could do to keep the secret. We gave it to them in the morning on Christmas Eve and let them play in their pjs all day. We all played Mario Cart and another Mario game (I can't keep them straight). It was a lot of fun. I got the Zumba Wii game as a gift and I've tried it once. Ben laughed. Owen tried to join in, but ended up on the floor in my path. That didn't go well. We intentionally tried it when Jason wasn't home so that he wouldn't laugh. Owen told me that he'd punch him if he laughed. I like the sound of that... although I'm clearly not condoning punching, and esp of his parent or any other adult! ha!
And about the Snuggis... Aunt Tammie told me last year that she was getting the boys Snuggis and embroidering them. I thought, note to self, remind them to be gracious even if they want no part of the gift. To my surprise they've had a lot of fun with them. They've been Jedi robes, Harry Potter robes, and just plain Snuggis in the morning when they are sitting on the couch watching tv or playing video games. Who knew?
I'll miss the morning cuteness and sweetness when I go back to work in two days!
Angela
Missing: 1 front tooth!
Ben's front tooth had been hanging loose for weeks. He wanted it pulled out, but I'm not man enough for that. It really gives me the chills to even think about it. I pulled one before for him and the little "crunch" just before the tooth came out... well I'll pass on pulling any more!
Anyway, we kept joking before Christmas that it might come out. Then on Monday after Christmas he was eating his chocolate Christmas tree at Grandpa & Grandma Kaiser's, and out it came. I noticed immediately that he seemed to talk a little different, and boy did he look cute. It won't be long before the permanent one is in though; it is already peeking through.
He held onto the tooth until we got back home on Wednesday night and put it in his "tooth box" on his dresser that night. He got two Sacajawea coins in exchange for his tooth, and with a generous spirit, shared one of those with his brother. He told Owen that he had two more loose teeth, so he would be getting more coins anyway.
Love those sweet moments, few and far between as they are sometimes!
Angela
Children's Museum on New Year's Eve
Here's a pic of Ben, Cooper & Owen at the Children's Museum.
We hadn't been to the museum in months... with soccer, basketball and tennis it has been hard for us to find time to visit. This was the first trip, besides Ben's class field trip in the Spring, where he hasn't been able to play in the Playscape area. He was a little sad. He and I left Owen with Heather and Cooper and went to the Ruby Bridges/Anne Frank/Ryan White exhibit. He was especially moved by the Ruby Bridges story this time. I actually thought he might cry. He kept asking why the kids were mean to her, then kept repeating that it was because of the color of her skin. I love that he's such a sensitive little guy.
It was a good day!
Angela
It's 1-1-11!
It's a new year and we're making a blogging comeback again.
No excuses, we just haven't had time to blog. I love reading the old posts though, so I'm really going to try to do better!
It's New Year's Day (barely) and both boys stayed up to see the ball drop. We had a late night last night because we stayed up watching Star Wars. Then both boys were up before 8am on New Year's Eve, excited about a trip to the Children's Museum with Heather & Cooper. After a long day at the museum, we had dinner at the Putnam Inn and then the boys worked on Ben's Pinewood Derby car and played Wii (Harry Potter) until just before midnight. I told them I'd need a kiss from them at midnight, and Owen said "I will give you one NOW!" He took off my glasses (he likes them off for some reason) and gave me a nice big smooch!
They didn't really get the "big deal" of New Year's but they kept me company while I watched Dick Clark count it down. At midnight Owen was jumping up and down on my bed yelling "Happy New Year!" By bedtime 15 mins later they were both in meltdown mode. Tomorrow should be interesting!
Happy New Year!
Angela
No excuses, we just haven't had time to blog. I love reading the old posts though, so I'm really going to try to do better!
It's New Year's Day (barely) and both boys stayed up to see the ball drop. We had a late night last night because we stayed up watching Star Wars. Then both boys were up before 8am on New Year's Eve, excited about a trip to the Children's Museum with Heather & Cooper. After a long day at the museum, we had dinner at the Putnam Inn and then the boys worked on Ben's Pinewood Derby car and played Wii (Harry Potter) until just before midnight. I told them I'd need a kiss from them at midnight, and Owen said "I will give you one NOW!" He took off my glasses (he likes them off for some reason) and gave me a nice big smooch!
They didn't really get the "big deal" of New Year's but they kept me company while I watched Dick Clark count it down. At midnight Owen was jumping up and down on my bed yelling "Happy New Year!" By bedtime 15 mins later they were both in meltdown mode. Tomorrow should be interesting!
Happy New Year!
Angela
Wednesday, January 6, 2010
2009 in Review... SPRING!
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.
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.
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
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