We were surprised and disappointed with the weather yesterday. Rain, cold, and high winds ruined our plans of having an outdoor party, of having a moonbounce. Oh well… we had a blast!!!
The “outerspace” party started with food- bbq sandwiches, hot dogs, meatballs, chips, fruit, astronaut ice cream, etc. Yum!
Then we moved on to games. The kids competed to drop the most clothes pins into a milk bottle. The studio was filled with loud pops and giggles as the kids tried to bust dozens of blown balloons. Then the race was on to find the most eggs in our Easter egg hunt throughout the house. After, we brought the kids back into the studio for a round of musical chairs.
Then cake (another gorgeous and yummy cake from Nadler’s). And then Ben got to open presents. He was thrilled with every gift and spent last night and today going through each toy, game, and book that he got.
For those of you who were here celebrating with us, THANKS SO MUCH for joining us and making last night such a wonderful time!!! And thank you for the great gifts!!
Awesome activities, happy kids, and beautiful weather!!! What more could one ask for?
Day One- Planting, watering, playing in the backyard. And Nathan and Ben headed out to camp on our lot. While there, they got invited to a neighbor’s get-together… bonfire, food, s’mores, and new friends. They had a great time!
Day Two- Mulching, watering, playing in the backyard, and bbq.
Day Three- La Cantera: Stride Rite for new shoes and sandals, Gymboree for spring clothes, Build-a-Bear so Ben could get an outfit for his dog, ice cream at Marble Slab, and the playground for fun. Wheeeee! And the day got better as we pulled off the freeway here in Boerne and ended up at the light, right behind my parents, who were on their way to our house for a visit.
Day Four- Workout at the YMCA and lunch and playtime at the Burger King (where we were surprised by friends Morgan and Landon showing up!!!). And wiiiiiiii!!!!!
Day Five- Took the boys’ portraits; played on the swings and in the sand box; fed the ducks; enjoyed the first snowcones of the year; took a walk through the neighborhood.
Day Six- Spent the day and night out at our lot. We jumped on the trampoline, played on the swings, ate a great dinner, went for a walk, sat around the fire; the boys drove their tractor. The stars were bright and the quiet was peaceful. Aaaaahhhhh…
Day Seven- Errands in San Antonio, fun in the backyard, and dancing in the living room. Mowing, edging, and ice cream!
We have pretty bright kids, but I can’t say they’re smarter than everyone else’s. I certainly can’t say ours are the sweetest or most thoughtful children. In fact, sometimes they can be rotten. And they’re not the fastest, most athletic, most social, or cutest (although they’re pretty darn cute!).
But I can say that Evan must be the happiest baby around. Squeals, screams, and giggles just constantly abound from his mouth, right from his belly. Strangers constantly comment on how silly he’s being, how happy he is. By all observation, he really must be having an awesome childhood and is simply just enjoying life.
Take last Saturday- We spent the day at the Agricultural Heritage Museum for their Chuckwagon Cook-Off. Evan enjoyed the kids’ area… dropping balls in buckets, throwing bean bags, laying ropes over PVC pipe (redneck golf), sitting on the tractors, etc. He had a constant smile and squeal. I’m really not sure he could have had any more fun.
And this week- We spent our days outside in the beautiful Texas spring weather. We gardened, watered, played on the swings, and searched for bugs. Ben and Evan even ran around the yard with Sophie making all kinds of noise. I’m sure the neighbors wondered what was going on!
And today- Evan had a great time playing with his toys and then heading outside. He even got to discover and splash in some puddles. The excitement was contagious, as we all laughed at how much fun he was having and how dirty he was getting. In the end, he was covered in mud and grass and had to go straight to the bath.
All of Curington’s first grade classes had a field trip to Main Plaza. So Evan and I tagged along, photographed the event, and joined in on the fun. It was something of a field day- they had a bean bag toss, hula hoop competitions, soccer ball dribbling, three-legged races, jump roping, washer toss, face painting, picnic lunch, etc. The kids had a blast, and Ben got to share cookies to celebrate his big day.
Then we headed to Emerald Family Fun Center to try it out for the first time. Indoors, they had a big train table, a dozen inflatable bounce castles and obstacle courses, an arcade, and a bowling alley. Outdoors was a putt-putt golf course. Evan was glued to the train table most of the time. But the boys did enjoy the bounce houses, and we all got to bowl.
Then it was off to O’Brien’s for dinner and home for cake. And Ben got to open his gift from us- a couple of Mr. Putter and Tabby books. “Make a Wish” and “Bake a Cake” were both about giving gifts and birthdays, both suited perfectly for his day.
Evan has really been enjoying his gymnastics class and is learning about a word a day!
We’ve spent a couple of wonderful days out at our lot jumping on the trampoline, driving the power wheel, and exploring… even found an old horse shoe on one of our walks!
We had an awesome playdate with Morgan, Landon, and Madison during a school vacation day.
Nathan, Ben, and Evan spent a weekend with Larry and Debbie in Ft. Worth, including a trip to the children’s museum where they all had a blast.
While they were gone, I had a ladies’ night. A bunch of friends showed up for appetizers, desserts, and margaritas! We had a great time shopping with Partylite and Premier Designs Jewelry and visiting with each other.
Then I got the wonderful gift of a week without Evan hanging off of me! Granmom Debbie and Papa Larry got to enjoy (and put up with ) the little guy while I… edited and ordered several clients’ orders, collected paperwork and inputed numbers for my taxes, ran errands by myself, took a couple of naps, caught up on some phone calls, made it to the dentist for the first time in years, etc.
We enjoyed a beautiful afternoon of snowfall. It was fun and was a gorgeous sight, even though it didn’t stick around.
And we just had a great weekend with the family. On Saturday Debbie, Larry, Bobby, and Loretta joined us for the Cub Scout banquet. Hungry Horse supplied a yummy meal; the silent auction made lots of money for our pack; almost all of the boys in attendance earned their rank or an award. (Ben earned his full-fledge TIGER RANK, and I even received a plaque to thank me for all my volunteer hours). Then we spent some time visiting with ”Uncle” Myk, even got in an afternoon out at the lot to show him around, to talk and dream about the future development, and plan future tubing trips. (can’t wait!!!)
Ben earned his Bobcat badge a couple of weeks ago, meaning that he has finished all of the introductory steps to Cub Scouts (learned and recited the motto, promise, and law of the pack).
At that meeting he also earned a handful of new beltloops- weather, astronomy, hiking, collecting, and map and compass. He has been busy!!!
Then he was able to build and race his own race car at the Pinewood Derby. Racing four times, his camo-painted car came in 4th, 3rd, 3rd, and then 2nd… giving him a 7th place standing overall out of 14 boys.
And last week, he got to go on a stockshow and rodeo outing. At the Boy Scouts’ area he got to learn more about the history of the group as well as take a mock rock climbing photo, acquire a new penny for his pressed penny collection, and participate in an obstacle course. Then we toured several buildings and exhibits throughout the stockshow so that he could earn a new patch.
What could be better than a four-day weekend for Ben? A four-day weekend full of neat activities!
Friday, I let him enjoy the wii. And since it rained all day, he played all day long! By the time Nathan got home, Ben had completed several levels on Lego Star Wars.
Saturday’s focus was the pinewood derby workshop. All the Cub Scouts met up at church to turn their pine wood blocks into awesome racing machines! We cannot wait for the race! (Saturday, January 30th if you want to come watch.)
Yesterday was the Monster Jam. Ben, Nathan, and Papa Bobby spent the afternoon watching the monsters race, crash, and destroy. Ben was super pumped about his exciting day with the guys. (Happy birthday, Papa!)
And today was a playdate with friends Morgan and Landon. Everyone had a great time here at our house, so we then headed to Burger King for more time together. And since everyone was still playing so well, Ben was invited and got to go over to their house for more fun. (Thanks, Paula!)
Well, we wrapped up the school vacation with a bang!
First, we split up as a family for a few days. Evan and I stayed home to play (which was uneventful). And Nathan, Ben, and Sophie made the long drive out to join Larry, Debbie, and Jenny at the cabin in the Davis Mountains. They made it to the base of the mountain by 11pm on Wednesday; Larry drove down to pick them up; his truck only made it half-way back up. So they then had to hike up the rest of the way, in the snow, with all their luggage. Bedtime was after 12:30am! Thursday they spent the day lounging around the cabin, playing games, eating, playing with the dogs, and watching the sleet and snow storm roll through. Friday the boys took the dogs on a 2+ hour hike around the mountain and Ben explored the wilderness. Then they spent Saturday on the road.
Sunday we had a wii competition/challenge, trying to beat each other’s scores on a bunch of the games.
And today we never stopped moving. First, Ben and I headed to KSAT 12 with the Cub Scouts for a tour. Not surprisingly, Ben’s favorite part was visiting with the weatherman and getting to use the green screen to do the forecast. Then we picked up Evan and headed to a great lunch and visit with Paula, Morgan, Landon, Erica, and Madison. After, we added more friends (Melanie, Calli, Megan, and Kiera) as we made our way to La Cantera. The kids had a blast as they each picked out and stuffed their own stuffed animals at Build-a-Bear and then got to play on the playground. It was such a great day, so much fun!
It’s hard not to compare your children. Yes, I did it. During Evan’s first year, I constantly was comparing his accomplishments to my notes in Ben’s baby book. And for the most part, he kept up. Physically, he was right on track with the rolling over, sitting, crawling, and walking milestones. But I was worried when I saw that Ben was already saying a few words before his first birthday, and Evan still didn’t have words by 15 months.
But he’s talking now! Dog, bird, deer, cow (and lots of animals sounds); phone, hi, and bye; train, tunnel, choo-choo; eye, nose, mouth, ear; Mommy, Daddy, Ben, Santa; car, truck, airplane, tractor, bus, ready, set, go!; eat, drink, and milk (and these are usually said very excitedly or in a demanding way seeing as he is always hungry and thirsty); swing, slide; no; door and knock-knock; moon; bubbles, book, ball; again; cold, hot (then he proceeds to blow on anything that’s hot); hat, sock, shoe (and he loves to run around the house with someone’s shoe on!), etc. His favorite word right now is “Mine!” (and we hear that a lot).
And he’s such an explorer! He’s into so much more trouble than we can remember Ben ever was. He enjoys pulling all of the wipes out of the package, going through wallets and purses, dumping diapers and clothes out of his dresser and onto the floor, getting out all of our cooking utensils and silverware to play with, and just making any mess he can get his hands on.
My favorite story lately was the day I realized the house was quiet while I was doing dishes. He typically is right by my side trying to climb in the dishwasher, so I knew he was up to something. I found that he had opened our bedroom door, walked into our bathroom, climbed up on the bathtub to get onto my counter area, and had turned on the water as he slid into the sink to splash! He was so proud of himself and was having so much fun! It was hard not to be scared and angry; it was very difficult not to laugh…
But as much trouble as he is, he is also such a blessing and a joy in our lives. He’s a chubby, cute, bundle of laughs who can brighten any room he walks into. He is a lot of fun to have around!
What a wonderful holiday- celebrating food, friends, family… Christmas!
Monday was Ben’s first official day off from school. We spent the day playing out at the lot and then came home for movie night. Dinner, popcorn, frozen hot chocolate and The Polar Express made for a wonderful date with my boys.
On Tuesday we played in the backyard and took Evan to his gymnastics class.
On Wednesday, I took Ben and Evan to The Children’s Museum where we spent a few hours playing. And that night I gave the boys their Christmas gift from me- an awesome weather station that measures the temperature, wind speed and direction, humidity, and more. Ben and Nathan were both very excited.
Larry, Debbie, and Jenny arrived Thursday afternoon for Christmas Eve celebrating at our house. We opened gifts amidst screams, squeals, and jumpings for joy!!! Then, when my parents arrived, we ate a wonderful dinner and opened even more gifts. We received lots of great presents from everyone (cd’s, dvd’s, tools, toy shopping cart, toy dump truck, books, etc). But the “awesome” award went to the wii and all of the games and accessories we got to go with it.
When we woke up yesterday morning, we found a few little gifts in our stockings and a big gift in the middle of the living room- a Power Wheels John Deere tractor!!! (Thanks Santa) Then we headed to Orange Grove to spend Christmas Day with my grandparents and family. We stuffed ourselves again with a delicious lunch, everyone opened gifts, and then we spent the day visiting and playing. All the kids were excited to get Zhu Zhu Pets, Nerf guns, and toy John Deere tractors. And Ben and Evan also got an r/c bus, more wii games, and construction tractors.
Today we spent a few hours getting more acquainted with the wii and then headed out to the lot with the Power Wheels. The boys drove it around the lot, helping us move more rocks (even Evan learned how to drive it!). And we spent time on the swing and playground and had a blast on the trampoline.
Thank you to everyone who spent the holiday with us, for making this Christmas so special and for all the wonderful gifts. We hope all you ladies are enjoying your jewelry from us (I had such a fun time shopping for all of the necklaces!). Merry Christmas to all who we didn’t get to see this week. We hope your holiday was merry and bright. And we wish you all a very joyous 2010.
Tuesday Ben had his last Cub Scouts pack meeting of the year, complete with lots of Christmas treats. At this meeting, Ben was awarded several beltloops that he earned- citizenship, art, photography, and pet care. Yay!
Evan had a Christmas storytime and started gymnastics classes on Wednesday.
Ben got to build and decorate his gingerbread house on Thursday.
On Friday we all went to Ben’s class’ Around the World Christmas party. The kids all went in their jammies; they all brought a dish from a country that they were assigned; they all got to exchange gifts (books!). Ben had been assigned Germany. So we made brotchen (German hard rolls), he learned how to say “Merry Christmas” in German, and we learned a few things about how they celebrate Christmas there. After the party, Nathan and Ben headed out for a Cub Scouts fieldtrip to the Toyota plant to watch the production line.
Yesterday Ben and I attended the Cub Scouts Christmas party. Our den mom provided food, drinks, a fire pit to enjoy and cook s’mores on, and a hike by flashlight. It was so much fun!
And today we headed out to Fiesta Texas. In addition to enjoying all the usual rides, we also got treated to thousands of beautiful Christmas lights and sledding down a snow hill!!!
Who knew I’d be writing a congrats blog to the Carollos again so soon? But their family was blessed with another little bundle of joy. Correction: big bundle of joy!
Joseph Laddi was born on December 6th at 12:18 am. He was 10 pounds, 6 ounces and 22 inches long!!! He is joining their sweet 4-year-old boy, Robert, and their firecracker 17-month-old little girl, Lillian.
Congratulations to John and Marli! We love you guys so much and are so excited for you!!!
December has been full of fun so far. The holiday season is certainly upon us….
Nathan and I attended the annual Rackspace Christmas party while Ben and Evan spent a fun night at Granmom’s and Papa’s. And the following night Evan, my mom, and I enjoyed watching the Christmas parade while Nathan and Ben rode on a float with our Cub Scout group. We got our Santa portraits done with both the boys. Evan and I enjoyed rockin’ around the Christmas tree at our music class’s Christmas party. We spent an evening baking breads (pumpkin, cinnamon raisin, ginger, and cheddar) to deliver to our neighbors as gifts. We drove out to the lot to decorate one of our cedar trees, jump on the trampoline, and hang a rope swing that Nathan made. I took the boys to the park. And today we walked with Ben’s class to the post office to mail all of their letters to Santa.
The weather has been up and down through all of this. We’ve spent all the warm moments outside, enjoying the beautiful days. We’ve bundled up for the cold. And we celebrate the one hour of snow that we got! Yep, snow flurries. Pretty exciting for us Texas folk.
Your cool and frienndle! Can I please have a wii? We can plae it! How fun is it to rid a sleigh? Do you plae games? Merry Christmas!
Love,
Ben
Complete list:
- wii
- tire swing (Note from Amy- Nathan doesn’t think our trees can handle a tire swing, so could you make it a little wooden disc seat on a rope?)
- hot wheels
We were surprised and disappointed with the weather yesterday. Rain, cold, and high winds ruined our plans of having an outdoor party, of having a moonbounce. Oh well… we had a blast!!!
Awesome activities, happy kids, and beautiful weather!!! What more could one ask for?
YMCA and lunch and playtime at the Burger King (where we were surprised by friends Morgan and Landon showing up!!!). And wiiiiiiii!!!!!
We have pretty bright kids, but I can’t say they’re smarter than everyone else’s. I certainly can’t say ours are the sweetest or most thoughtful children. In fact, sometimes they can be rotten. And they’re not the fastest, most athletic, most social, or cutest (although they’re pretty darn cute!).
It was an exhausting day!!!
Almost a month since my last post…
) the little guy while I… edited and ordered several clients’ orders, collected paperwork and inputed numbers for my taxes, ran errands by myself, took a couple of naps, caught up on some phone calls, made it to the dentist for the first time in years, etc.
Ben earned his Bobcat badge a couple of weeks ago, meaning that he has finished all of the introductory steps to Cub Scouts (learned and recited the motto, promise, and law of the pack).
What could be better than a four-day weekend for Ben? A four-day weekend full of neat activities!
Well, we wrapped up the school vacation with a bang!
It’s hard not to compare your children. Yes, I did it. During Evan’s first year, I constantly was comparing his accomplishments to my notes in Ben’s baby book. And for the most part, he kept up. Physically, he was right on track with the rolling over, sitting, crawling, and walking milestones. But I was worried when I saw that Ben was already saying a few words before his first birthday, and Evan still didn’t have words by 15 months.
What a wonderful holiday- celebrating food, friends, family… Christmas!
Tuesday Ben had his last Cub Scouts pack meeting of the year, complete with lots of Christmas treats. At this meeting, Ben was awarded several beltloops that he earned- citizenship, art, photography, and pet care. Yay!
Who knew I’d be writing a congrats blog to the Carollos again so soon? But their family was blessed with another little bundle of joy. Correction: big bundle of joy!
December has been full of fun so far. The holiday season is certainly upon us….
Dear Santa Clause,
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