Ben's First Shiner

Well, in the life of a very active little boy, accidents are bound to happen. So, here it is, Ben's first shiner! It was an accident of course by his cousin, Carly. Ben was hiding under a blanket while playing hide and seek. He was hiding so well, that his cousin did not see him and ran across the floor and proceeded to kick him. ouch. All is well, and he is all better now. No harm, no foul.

In the Garden with Ben, Maddie and Carly!

Last week we had a really fun afternoon of picking tomatoes. Ben has become really interested in gardening. He wants to know about how everything from eggplants to lemons grow. His favorite book right now is "How Groundhog's Garden Grew". I've started becoming quite a savvy library user (isn't that the best- free books???!!) and, I have been searching for all children's books on gardening-vegetables-or both. This book seems to be his favorite- and thanks to this latest obsession, he even enjoys watching Everyday Italian on Food Network . No, I am not kidding. He wants to meet Giada. Duh. So here we are at our "cousins" outing at a local u-pick farm. There were so many great photos, i had to do a slide show. The heat was almost unbearable, but it was a great lesson to the kids on just how difficult farming is. These photos bring back such sweet memories for me - I was really taken back to summer's at my Grandparent's farm - I am lucky to have these memories, and I want my children to have some too- so here's to a big....well, ok, a garden next year! I hope you are reading, Pa Paw!
The last photo is of the owners of the U-pick farm- they were just great. They usually specialize in blueberries, but this year, the frost got them all. bummer. But the tomatoes were sure good!

That's What He Said

So, Ben is a real talker. I am a pretty good listener, but really, do you realize how many times in a day a three year old can say, "Hey Mom, you know what?" Let's just say it is an inordinate amount. But somewhere wedged in between that constant, are these new sayings,

while settling down for a nap aka "rest time" he has been know to say...

"Mommy, we just have one small problem, I'm not very sleepy" - I swear he says that- verbatim.

also, he is starting to say words that seem so funny to hear coming out of such a little body, such as :

In fact,....

Actually,...

and terribly

All seem to be used correctly so far!

Then, right before this posting, I we were sitting on the couch talking. I must preface this story by saying that yesterday I had a much needed trip to the chiropractor for a really bad neck-ache (another story altogether) and Ben had heard all about it. So, tonight he asked, "Mommy, why did you go see the firecracker?" (chiropractor)

As for Maddie, she seems to be adding new words daily. Currently she can do a killer imitation of Daddy snoring, and she can sound like a kitty- meow meow. Also added to her repetoire is bye bye, cool! and hi. oh, and of course she can say NO!

One year ago- a look back

I was glancing thru some old photos- thanks to the easy to use Picasa- and looked back at one year ago this month. It is encouraging to see what I survived! So, today, just when I think things are getting hard, I am going to think of my journey! whew.

Boots Maddie

This was just a great funny moment. Maddie is really growing- and she is into everything! She can now say "Night Night" and "Ma Ma". She loves the swimming pool and is not at all afraid to put her head under water. She still loves pink blanket- many thanks Aunt Donna. The days are long, but the years are short!

Painting Day

Every Wednesday, Ben has a play date with his buddy, Jeffrey. This past week, we got double the fun and invited his sister too so Carly could have a playmate. They had a fun filled day, and you can almost see the heat on my fogged up lense! This project was painting with tempra paint mixed with clear liquid detergent. It washed right off. Tom Sawyer would have been proud.

Happy Birthday to Me!

Well, I couldn't let this kodak moment go by without documenting what my sweet husband did for me on my birthday. He singlehandedly made a great steak dinner complete with a birthday cake. What a sweetie. It was a very very thoughtful gesture that stay with me a long time! It was an all around great day. It is great to be 39 again!

Movers and Shakers

It has been a busy few weeks here at the homestead. The Bro and family are moved in and still getting settled, and the cousins are having a great time! Carly started 1st grade and really put a crimp in Ben's Social calendar. Maddie has enjoyed hanging out with her now 8 month old cousin, Jessie! They are all a handful, but also lots to love!

Serious Fun Family Times

So, I have been a bit behind on the whole blogging scene. Many apologies to my huge fan base. Life has been a bit hectic. My Brother and family have been moving into their new home while undergoing painstakingly slow renovations, and my parents have been here to help us all- while looking for a home themselves- as their home in Mphs is on the market. No preschool for several weeks means lots of fun for me, and Todd is in the midst, trying to work and manage his OCD with all of us to love.

But the highlight of this entry is what happened a few weeks ago- We had a family reunion! It was really fun and with the help of our Tullahoma connection- we had a blast. Thanks to Uncle Wade and Aunt Donna for some realy Southern Hospitality!! Ben is still talking about it- and we are still catching up on our sleep- LOL. I hope you all can enjoy the slide show- relive some memories!

There Goes the Neighborhood!

Today I am so happy. My brother and sister-in-law and two neices are moving to our neighborhood! Now, we just have to walk over the hill to see family. I know lots of great memories lay ahead. We are so blessed. Now, we just need to get thru the next big move- Mom and Dad!!!!! To see more of the bros new home, check out www.makingournest.blogspot.com

Two for the Road

Here are two cool dudes going out for a Sunday afternoon ride. Like father like son.

A Big Shout Out to My Honey

Hey Todd- if you are reading, which I sincerely doubt (in the nicest way) I just wanted the rest of the world to see how I still felt about you even after 18 years! Yep, that's right, this Sunday is our anniversary.....my how time flies. It is a bit blurry now, but life is sweet when you can share it with someone you truly love. Happy Anniversary Todd! You're the best.

The Letter Factory

So, finally one of my garage sale purchases paid off. I found a set of alphabet cookie cutters for a whole 25 cents recently, and voila, an afternoon of fun was found. As many of you know I am a huge fan of Leapfrog's "Letter Factory" We have moved on to the "Word Factory" and now the "Storybook Factory". This product is genius. My 3.5 year old knows all his letters now, all the sounds each letter makes, and he can even read small words (hop, pop, hat, etc.) I really just want to shout it out to the world- so there. I know, I know, my teacher is coming out- but I swear I never used a single flashcard, and we only watch the videos in the car, (ok, we are in the car a lot!) but they are just great! Ok, I really digress....back on track, So Ben wanted to make letter cookies, and thanks to a Betty crocker mix we were able to do just that! Maddie hung out and discovered the playsdough "fridge". She has also enjoyed a few cookies too.

Shout out to Sam and Corey G!

Aren't they cute!! This was taken a few weeks ago during a visit by Sam and Corey G! We were so thrilled to have them as guests- but not nearly as thrilled as Ben! We had a fun time- here we were at Wild Wings Cafe - yum. I hope to have more photos of you two as you take on adulthood- despite what others say, adulthood is quite fun, take it on full speed. Stick it out, you too. You are great for my blog- you make my posts so PURTY !

Gardening 101

I have mentioned before Ben's love of anything that grows, and tonight just bolstered that passion for him. Thanks to kind friends like Farmer Tim, (many thanks Tim and Susan!) Ben was able to sample some of natures goodness. He was especially helpful in crawling under the truck sized tomato plants to pick a beautiful yellow tomato. It is noteworthy that the plants came from seeds that were over 100 years old!! Now, if I can just get Ben to eat tomatoes, we will be in good shape. Maddie on the other hand had no problem sampling natures bounty. She had her first blackberry, and by the looks of this photo, she really enjoyed it. Don't you just love summer!

Our Trip to the ZOO!

I started to label this post as "How I Won the Au Pair Lottery", but I didn't think it would be altogether acurate, so I settled for the above. You might be wondering how I got an Au Pair for the week, well let's just say you have to ask for things you would like to have- that's what I tell Ben constantly.
Ben: "I want some milk"
Mom: "How do you get things you want in life?"
Ben: "Please may I can have some milk"
Mom: "That's my boy!"
Anyway, once again, I digress.
Last Monday I was at a lovely birthday party when I saw my friend, Tiffany, the Regional Director for Au Pair Care. We were catching up, and I jokingly said, "If you ever have an Au Pair that needs a place to stay, give me a call!" and she said, "Well...it just so happens..."

Come to find out, she had an Au Pair that had been in Oneida, TN for one month and was being switched to another family. She needed a place to stay/work for possibly 2 weeks. I jumped at the chance. Her name is Antonia, and she has been a nice addition to our family. She is from Budapest, Hungary and given her situation, she has adjusted very nicely. I have learned that I probably would not benefit from an Au Pair, as I seem to gravitate to the host role way too much! My final summation is that I would make a horrible manager! Antonia is going to move on tothe Detroit area, so we wish her well. She has about 11 more months to go!

She was interested in seeing the Zoo last Friday, so it turned out to be a lovely day. It was overcast and cloudy, so it wasn't too hot and the animals were out and about.

By the way, if you are still reading, I am an official member of the Zoo!!!

Maddie is In the House!

Maddie was having a great time the other day in the log cabin that was graciously given to us by our new neighbors. I can tell she is going to like "playing house". She loves opening and closing doors.