MY OTHER CAR
IS A GARBAGE TRUCK
---
MY LIFE IS BETTER
THAN YOUR VACATION
IS A GARBAGE TRUCK
---
MY LIFE IS BETTER
THAN YOUR VACATION
6.29.2011
6.28.2011
Mommy-Son Weekend!
Being the wonderful wife and mother that I am, last weekend while Andrew & Naomi were sick/recovering from a horrid stomach bug... Ben and I had a wonderful weekend hanging out downtown and going canoeing and swimming on a lake. :) Here are a few pictures from our grand weekend. :)
After this Ben decided he wants to be a "cwazy dancer" when he grows up. :)
And here we are, I am not so great at the self-portrait thing... but Ben and Lara look nice. :)
Ben and I went to visit Jonathon & Becki who were camping... and wonderful Aunt Becki spent an hour + in the lake with Ben. Apparently it was not the warmest water because when he got out and came to get his towel he looked down and his hands and feet and asked, "Mommy, why can't I feel myself??"
Ben being Ben.
We took our friend Lara downtown and had dinner at Chai Pani and then walked around downtown, visited the drum circle and found these guys. Ben LOVED watching them... and first he would just yell AHH-HAAAAAAHAA any time they did something cool... but then I taught him to clap when he liked something... so he then became quite an enthusiastic clapper. :)
After this Ben decided he wants to be a "cwazy dancer" when he grows up. :)
And here we are, I am not so great at the self-portrait thing... but Ben and Lara look nice. :)
Ben and I went to visit Jonathon & Becki who were camping... and wonderful Aunt Becki spent an hour + in the lake with Ben. Apparently it was not the warmest water because when he got out and came to get his towel he looked down and his hands and feet and asked, "Mommy, why can't I feel myself??"
Ben being Ben.Naomi: 14 Months Old
This little girl is growing up way too fast! Where does the time go! She hasn't been my baby for a long time, but she is a little girl now! So sweet, feisty, determined and just plain cute! She is busy, busy, busy... but ever since her stomach bug a couple weeks ago she has been a little more cuddly and actually lets me READ to her sometimes! Ben has been all about books for a long time, but Naomi has just discovered them... but as with everything in life... she jumps in with both feet... so we could spent an hour "reading" her books (she does like to flip pages rather fast)!! I am just eating up the time with her on my lap!
She has slimmed down a lot, but she is still perfectly squishy. :)
Never thought I would have a pebbles, we Naomi has a reverse mullet... short on the sides and LONG on the top... it makes for some awesome little fountains on the top of her head. :)
She has slimmed down a lot, but she is still perfectly squishy. :)
Never thought I would have a pebbles, we Naomi has a reverse mullet... short on the sides and LONG on the top... it makes for some awesome little fountains on the top of her head. :)
And man can this girl climb. Here is a picture from a couple weeks ago. Once she decides what she wants there is nothing that stops her.
6.27.2011
Words :)
Naomi: Da-do-da-do-da-do
Ben: Mommy, she is telling you about the crooked watermelon!
N: da-do-da-do-da-do
B: Now she is talking about ladders and birds!
---
Andrew (after getting Ben to side with him on the shade of a particular paint color): Out of the mouth of babes...
B: Don't call me babe!!
A: Why not?:
B: Because I am NOT UNCLE RYAN!!!!!!!!
Guess we know what Mers calls Ryan all the time... :)
---
After trying to describe what Asian means, and talking about China (his current favorite place)...
Leah: Ben, we have a friend that was born in China... can you guess who it is?
Ben: Uncle Micah??
---
Leah: Drew, I think we should go to the B-I-L-T-M-O-R-E today. (We have learned that we should always spell these things so we don't get hopes up only to come crashing down when they don't happen).
Ben: Mom, I want to go to the S-P-Q tomorrow.
L: Oh great, I love that place. Anywhere else?
B: Umm... let's go to the O-T-X on Saturday. That spells Splasheville.
---
B: Mom, what if I were a firetruck, what would happen?
L: Well it depends, but if someone was hurt you would turn your lights on so everyone got out of the way and go to help the person that was hurt or in a burning building...
B: What if I were an ambulance, what would happen?
L: Well, you would sort of be like a firetruck and go and pick up people that were hurt and take them back to the hospital.
B: What if I were a wee-ooo car, what would happen?
L: A what? A real car?
B: No mom, a wee-ooo car.
L: A wheel car?
B: NO! A WEE-OOO car!!!
L: OH! You mean a police car, that goes wee-ooo, weee-oooo?
B: YES!
We play this game often, everything thing from being sun glasses, to a stop light, to a street sign, to a tire, a bird, an ant. And sometimes we turn it around:
L: Ben, if you were a glass of water? What would happen?
B: You would drink me weally weally fast to take your vitamins.
Ben: Mommy, she is telling you about the crooked watermelon!
N: da-do-da-do-da-do
B: Now she is talking about ladders and birds!
So glad I have a translator!
---
Andrew (after getting Ben to side with him on the shade of a particular paint color): Out of the mouth of babes...
B: Don't call me babe!!
A: Why not?:
B: Because I am NOT UNCLE RYAN!!!!!!!!
Guess we know what Mers calls Ryan all the time... :)
---
After trying to describe what Asian means, and talking about China (his current favorite place)...
Leah: Ben, we have a friend that was born in China... can you guess who it is?
Ben: Uncle Micah??
---
Leah: Drew, I think we should go to the B-I-L-T-M-O-R-E today. (We have learned that we should always spell these things so we don't get hopes up only to come crashing down when they don't happen).
Ben: Mom, I want to go to the S-P-Q tomorrow.
L: Oh great, I love that place. Anywhere else?
B: Umm... let's go to the O-T-X on Saturday. That spells Splasheville.
---
B: Mom, what if I were a firetruck, what would happen?
L: Well it depends, but if someone was hurt you would turn your lights on so everyone got out of the way and go to help the person that was hurt or in a burning building...
B: What if I were an ambulance, what would happen?
L: Well, you would sort of be like a firetruck and go and pick up people that were hurt and take them back to the hospital.
B: What if I were a wee-ooo car, what would happen?
L: A what? A real car?
B: No mom, a wee-ooo car.
L: A wheel car?
B: NO! A WEE-OOO car!!!
L: OH! You mean a police car, that goes wee-ooo, weee-oooo?
B: YES!
We play this game often, everything thing from being sun glasses, to a stop light, to a street sign, to a tire, a bird, an ant. And sometimes we turn it around:
L: Ben, if you were a glass of water? What would happen?
B: You would drink me weally weally fast to take your vitamins.
6.15.2011
Oh That Face...
Why this face you ask?? (Yes, I know I am a horrible mother for photographing my crying child, I am working on it...)
Because of THIS: Yes, that right... our old, DEAD vacuum.
This vacuum started breaking about 2 days after we got it... yet we managed to make it limp along for almost 5 years. I am pretty sure the past year and a half it has blown out more than it has sucked in. Anyway, after purchasing a new one last week (thank you tax return) I said something like... "Say goodbye to our old pathetic vacuum... you weren't very good and we aren't gonna miss ya!" I wheeled it out to the garage and turned around to find the face you saw above... but huge tears, sobbing over our vacuum. (Poor boy, he has probably seen me vacuum a total of 15 times in his LIFE). It took me 10 minutes to stop the sobbing and for the next half hour he just kept crying over the vacuum and saying things like, "it is just so sad" and "I weally, weally loved that vacuum". Funny child. :)
Because of THIS: Yes, that right... our old, DEAD vacuum.
This vacuum started breaking about 2 days after we got it... yet we managed to make it limp along for almost 5 years. I am pretty sure the past year and a half it has blown out more than it has sucked in. Anyway, after purchasing a new one last week (thank you tax return) I said something like... "Say goodbye to our old pathetic vacuum... you weren't very good and we aren't gonna miss ya!" I wheeled it out to the garage and turned around to find the face you saw above... but huge tears, sobbing over our vacuum. (Poor boy, he has probably seen me vacuum a total of 15 times in his LIFE). It took me 10 minutes to stop the sobbing and for the next half hour he just kept crying over the vacuum and saying things like, "it is just so sad" and "I weally, weally loved that vacuum". Funny child. :)
Here we go!
That's right folks... a ponytail!
This part of having a girl actually scares me less than some of the other parts. :) Growing up with 4 brothers I always loves to braid and brush hair whenever a girl came to visit. We have done barrettes but this thing ponytail is just plain fun! :) Sadly, I think poor Naomi inherited my whispies curse.
This part of having a girl actually scares me less than some of the other parts. :) Growing up with 4 brothers I always loves to braid and brush hair whenever a girl came to visit. We have done barrettes but this thing ponytail is just plain fun! :) Sadly, I think poor Naomi inherited my whispies curse.
What do YOU learn from National Geographic?
Ben loves looking at the pictures in National Geographic each month, he will usually spent an hour or more just leafing through... this month he got fixated on this picture. So, I indulged him and introduced him to the world of Pringles. :) So now THIS has been the conversation in our house this week:
B: Mom, can I have some pringles?
L: Sure, here you go.
B: But Mom, can I have mooorreee than three?
L: No, I think that is good for today.
B: But MOM! ONCE YOU POP YOU CAN'T STOP!!!
Life of Late
Ben earning his keep. :)
The first Tuesday of the Month is free at the Western NC Arboretum. We have a fun, albeit HOT day... the kids were like magnets to the water. :)
Despite the water being FREEZING Naomi just plopped right down and didn't want to move.
We were able to meet up with our friends Gabriel & Isaac! (And their mama Brooke).
On our hike... soaking wet. :)
We LOVE downtown, and find any excuse we can to go down there. On Friday night we went out with Jonathon & Becki and some other friends and after the drum circle stopped off at the ice cream shop where we finally convinced Jonathon to plan on the cool old piano!
On Sunday we went to an Asheville Tourist's (A Baseball) game. I love baseball but I have to say this picture was pretty much the highlight of the game. :-P The game started an hour late because of rain, and it still continued to drizzle. By the top of the third inning the other team was up 9-0... we lasted until the 4th inning. :)
Ben liked the idea of the mascots but once he got close was mortified... can you see him pressing his body into my brother? :)
Benjamin Growing Up
Perhaps we are horrible parents... but we sure do have fun. :-P
And this one I took last night. I love watching him think as he talks. :)
The requested picture. :)
Recent Videos :)
I pray these two will be the best of friends.
We have officially reached the "goofy" stage with Ben. :-P
I would be okay if it ended tomorrow. :)
Naomi while camping. :)
I tried so hard to catch her shaking her milk jug on camera... sadly I only caught about 3 seconds... the first three of this video. :)
6.11.2011
Summer is HERE!
Fresh strawberries, peaches, cherries, blueberries, and now SWEET CORN! Life is Good.Blueberry Picking/Eating :)
We went and picked the first blueberries of the season this morning! Ben had a blast following grandma around... his job was to only pick "big, fat, juicy ones" and he did a great job! He was REALLY great and picking the "big, fat, juicy ones" out of grandma's bucket. :)
We are so thankful that Naomi has pretty much grown out of her berry allergy! This little girl LOVES blueberries and couldn't get enough today... she didn't quite get picking the blue ones... but man could she eat them once they were picked!
We had to take Naomi's bucket away so she would look up. :)
We are so thankful that Naomi has pretty much grown out of her berry allergy! This little girl LOVES blueberries and couldn't get enough today... she didn't quite get picking the blue ones... but man could she eat them once they were picked!
Ben, and his bucket of Big Fat Juicy Ones. :)
We had to take Naomi's bucket away so she would look up. :)6.06.2011
Thumbs Up... Sort Of...
Here my my attempt to teach Ben how to use "Thumbs Up." He got the meaning down just fine... but getting that thumb (and nothing else) up was a bit of an issue. :-P
Close enough... right?
6.03.2011
Fun Stay-At-Home Weekend
We had a great long weekend and did nothing but stay at home and be tourists in our own city. On Friday we visited our local camping gear store and got a few more things we needed for camping (including a kitchen sink!), and then headed downtown to the drum circle (which I have blogged about before) and had dinner at an Indian Restaurant too! (Thank you Groupon!)
We got to play in the water a little... we love Splasheville downtown!
(And yes that little girl is drinking the water... ewwww yuck!)
We visited the Biltmore on Saturday with the sole purpose of getting the kids tired... so we made them walk everywhere... it worked. :)
They had a sheep shearing demonstration... Ben loved it.
On Saturday night we went to a surprise birthday party for my sister-in-law Becki. Here is Naomi riding the huge fake horse while waiting for a table. :)
And to top off our amazing weekend, our good friend Sabella from our college days was coming through town on her way home from a weekend! I am sad it was only one night, but we made good use of the time and stayed up until 2am talking! :) As you can see Ben loved his new friend.
We also got some R&R in, a few home projects checked off and I sent the kids out with Andrew for a morning and swept, mopped, vacuumed and scrubbed until... well it didn't shine... but it was a lot cleaner. :)
We got to play in the water a little... we love Splasheville downtown!
(And yes that little girl is drinking the water... ewwww yuck!)
We visited the Biltmore on Saturday with the sole purpose of getting the kids tired... so we made them walk everywhere... it worked. :)
They had a sheep shearing demonstration... Ben loved it.
We played cornhole.
On Saturday night we went to a surprise birthday party for my sister-in-law Becki. Here is Naomi riding the huge fake horse while waiting for a table. :)
At Papa's and Beer they make a big deal out of birthdays. They all sing... VERY loudly... you get to wear this amazing hat... and if you are lucky (like Becki was) they will smear whipped cream from your dessert all over your glasses.
And to top off our amazing weekend, our good friend Sabella from our college days was coming through town on her way home from a weekend! I am sad it was only one night, but we made good use of the time and stayed up until 2am talking! :) As you can see Ben loved his new friend.
We also got some R&R in, a few home projects checked off and I sent the kids out with Andrew for a morning and swept, mopped, vacuumed and scrubbed until... well it didn't shine... but it was a lot cleaner. :)
Popsicles!!!
My brother Micah got me THIS amazing toy. That's right folks... it freezes popsicles in 9 minutes!!! We have had so much fun with it! Our first attempt was watermelon pops as you can see below... we have since tried Key Lime Pie pops and last night we made Marble (vanilla and chocolate layered) Cheesecake Popsicles... were they ever good!!!!!!! Next on the list is the chocolate/peanut butter ones... yummy! Thanks again Micah!!!
I banished the kids to the deck while eating drippy, sticky things...and two minutes later this is what I found. :) (Sadly, about 10 seconds after I took this picture Ben fell off the top and cut his ear.)
I banished the kids to the deck while eating drippy, sticky things...and two minutes later this is what I found. :) (Sadly, about 10 seconds after I took this picture Ben fell off the top and cut his ear.)
6.01.2011
Ben
Well, it is getting harder to write down the little things he says... because they are now more discussions than little one-liners. :) He is growing so fast, and I feel like I am talking to a 12 year old, not a 3 year old.
This past weekend Ben was introduced to Star Wars. So, last night:
A: Good Night Ben, I love you to the moon!
B: I love you to the stars!
A: I love you to the stars and back!
B: I love you DARTH VADER!
---
In the car:
A: Ben, what are you thinking about?
B: Why are there back guys in the world?
(Let me know what the 3-year-old answer to this question is :).
---
I have loved watching him grow in his knowledge of Jesus. Yesterday while playing by himself I overhear... "Dear Jesus" and a few other things and then he turns around:
B: Mommy, how do you END?
L: You mean while praying? Well first you say Dear Jesus and then you thank him for...
B: Yes, I know that mommy... I already prayed for the sun to shine on Melanie... what do you say at the end?
L: Oh, well... um... at the end you say... In Jesus' Name...
B: Oh yeah... In Jesus' Name... Amen!!
This past weekend Ben was introduced to Star Wars. So, last night:
A: Good Night Ben, I love you to the moon!
B: I love you to the stars!
A: I love you to the stars and back!
B: I love you DARTH VADER!
---
In the car:
A: Ben, what are you thinking about?
B: Why are there back guys in the world?
(Let me know what the 3-year-old answer to this question is :).
---
I have loved watching him grow in his knowledge of Jesus. Yesterday while playing by himself I overhear... "Dear Jesus" and a few other things and then he turns around:
B: Mommy, how do you END?
L: You mean while praying? Well first you say Dear Jesus and then you thank him for...
B: Yes, I know that mommy... I already prayed for the sun to shine on Melanie... what do you say at the end?
L: Oh, well... um... at the end you say... In Jesus' Name...
B: Oh yeah... In Jesus' Name... Amen!!
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