Little Man

Benjamin is my little man.  He is still perfect.  He is sweet and cuddly and curious, and he is definitely a little monkey - climbing up onto EVERYTHING.  I found Benjamin on the entertainment center a few weeks ago, pressing the buttons on the thermostat.  He had the heat turned down to 52.  

Benjamin thinks he's old enough to hang with the bigger kids, but he also loves to tag along with mom.    He is already starting to prefer the bar to his highchair.  He likes to play with all of Michael's car toys.  He thinks Laurel is his second mom, "jumping" into her arms from the coffee table.  (Laurel thinks she's his second mom too.)  He loves to go outside and ride the plasma car and tricycle.  Sliding and swinging are favorites too - especially the slide.  He's into everything, leaving a mess in his wake wherever he goes, and he likes to color on the refrigerator and walls when Laurel leaves the crayons out.  (That's my favorite!)  

It's all very adorable.  I love my little man.

Projects

So the past several weeks have been spent doing lots of projects.  I have loved this time that I have had to "get things done."  Most of my projects have been geared toward the house.  Painting, decorating, organizing, hanging pictures, etc.  I seriously have had the most severe case of nesting I have ever experienced, and I'm not even pregnant!  But, Erik will be coming home in mid-March, and I have been eager to have everything PERFECT for his arrival.   Here's hoping I can get everything that way before then.  

Two small projects I worked on over the weekend were a new "Valentine" dress for Laurel, and a new Lightning McQueen blanket for Michael.  Laurel asked me last week to make her a Valentine dress to wear to her Valentine party at school.  How could a mom say no to that?  So, we went off to the fabric store and we picked out fabric, buttons and ribbon.  On Monday morning before school Laurel told me, "Mom, this is going to be the BEST Valentine's Day EVER because I have a new Valentine dress to wear to my party!"  - I'm so happy I could accommodate.  Did I mention that Laurel design the button pattern?  It HAD to be a pattern.  Very important, evidently.

While we were at the fabric store, Michael found a Lightning McQueen applique that he fell in love with.  (MY question is - what Cars parafinalia does he NOT fall in love with?)  I figured I could do something with it, so, after purchasing a little fleece, he got a super soft blanket out of the deal.  Glad I could make the boy happy too.  I mean, look at that face.  That says happiness.

I would post pictures of all my hard work on the house, but I will have to save that for after Erik sees it all.  I love surprises.

Down Time

Normally I dislike January.  It is generally too cold for my taste.  The days are short, and it seems dark and dreary and depressing.  Wouldn't you agree Jacob?  Halle?  You guys could tell me all about a dark January.  BUT, with that being said, I have to admit that I am enjoying January this year.  With all the events that take place during the holiday season - trick or treating, feasting, preschool parties, parades, gift exchanges, holiday choir practices, Christmas programs, traveling, and more - our family can add in all 5 birthdays and an anniversary to the mix.   So, needless to say, I am thankful only one holiday season will pass without my husband here AND - for the first time in a long time - I welcome the dark, boring days of January that have brought me and my family some down time.

Laurel trying out her new headlamp.

Michael playing with his new train set from Bampa and Grandma Biz.

Loading up the Nerf gun Daddy bought him for Christmas.

Good thing we have Benjamin around to retrieve the darts. 

The boys having fun.

Benjamin trying to get in on the treadmill fun with Mommy.

Playing Doctor - "Doctor Michael, at your service."

You need a shot.

Bandaging the wound.

And Benjamin's new trick.  Little Stinker.

Christmas with Grandma and Pa

Since school was out and Christmas was coming, we loaded up the van and drove to Grandma and Pa's house for the holiday.  It was a fun break with good food, a warm house perfectly decorated, good company, and lots of entertainment.  My sister and her family joined us, and it made everything a little more crazy and a lot more fun.

Anyone who knows Michael knows he loves anything with wheels.  This includes Pa's tractor. 

Pa took him for a ride and he had a great time.

Laurel on the swing.

Laurel's turn with Pa on the tractor.

Christmas Eve.  Dressed and ready for bed.

 

Santa brought Laurel a new Jessie doll. 

Michael got a race track - that was the world's greatest gift.  Man, Santa's on a roll with Michael.  The giant dump truck last year and the race track this year.  He's good.

Michael and Pa had to try out the stocking stuffers.

Erik and I gave the kids sleeping bags this year.  They had to try them out right away.

Baby Ben got cozy in Laurel's bag.

We got lucky and it snowed on Christmas day!  It was beautiful to have a white Christmas.

Michael enjoyed the snow.

We took a trip to visit Great-grandma and Laurel and cousin E sneaked outside to jump on Aunt Karen's trampoline.   They had fun - for a limited time.

A couple nights during our visit the girls put on a "show" for all of us after dinner.  E played the guitar and Laurel was in charge of the dance moves.  It was very entertaining.  Very.

Of course, we had to have fat noodles.  A tradition in my family.  Every year after Christmas the ladies of the family rise a little earlier and make homemade noodles for a delicious dinner that night.  Laurel did a great job jumping in to help.  She knows how to keep tradition alive.

It was a Merry Christmas.

Christmas Program

Each year at preschool they put on a little Christmas program for the parents.  The Pre-K acts out the Nativity each year, and lucky Laurel was chosen to play Mary.   The girl was ecstatic.  She loved being Mary and did a good job too.  Here's Laurel with her good friends -  a wise man and an angel - before the show.

The Nativity

Michael had his debut in the Christmas program this year, although he wasn't as excited about performing as his sister was.  He sang sometimes.  But he did ring the bell and look really cute.  Good show, guys!

A Little Snow

I have relatives who live in Alaska and Minnesota that will laugh at our meager 2-3 inches ( I mean, what is it really compared to the 4 foot snow drifts that covered their windows?).  BUT, 2-3 inches here warrants a snowman and outside playtime for sure.  Of course, we're not really equipped, so we don't last long, but we have a good time.

SNOW!!

 So, Laurel's class Christmas party was the same day and they all made reindeer hats and had red noses.  She's lookin' pretty fly sportin' the red nose and dancing the happy dance.  

 They named him Thomas.

 Cutie.

She THINKS she's gonna belt me with that gargantuan snowball, but she got the neighbor instead.  It was awesome snow for a snowball fight.  Man, Erik, you missed out.  I would have totally destroyed you!  (Well, I can say that because you're not here, but we know what would have really happened.)  Good times, good times...

Happy Birthday to Me

For my birthday this year Laurel and I enjoyed a matinee show of Disney's The Lion King.  Erik and I saw it 8 1/2 years ago in LA when we were dating.  I thought it deserved a second visit.  Laurel was my date this time.  She enjoyed the show.  

Afterward, we picked up the boys from a friend's house and went and got Chinese take out.  We enjoyed dinner at home and a little ice cream cake.  Laurel sang Happy Birthday to me.  It was pretty awesome.