Ben's Girl

Isabella a.k.a. Bella. My son's first crush. Benjamin is smitten with Bella. They've known each other since birth but it's just as of recently that when he sees her his whole demeanor changes. He caters to her, loves on her, holds her hand, makes sure she's got enough blankets and pillows when they watch a movie together, gives her his teddy bears, snuggles beside her the couch, and always lets when her know that he'll be right back if he needs to leave the room (meaning when I need to change his diaper). They play together without any tantrums and he actually shares his toys with her and enjoys it! My little gentlemen. I wonder what it is that attracts a 2 year old? What makes her different than the other 2 year old girls that he knows? Personality, looks, (ahem) pheromones, or all the above, who knows but it's really cute.

Benjamin's Prayer Part II

We've been letting Benjamin lead the prayer before we eat more frequently lately. I know I've already posted about this once before but he said another really cute prayer Sunday afternoon after church. It had me laughing so hard I had to excuse myself from the table. The prayer went like this:

Thank you God for food,
thank you for Seth,
thank you for Seth and Jesus birthday,
thank you for Chuck E Cheese
AMEN!

For the record, we weren't eating Chuck E Cheese. We were eating McDonald's take-out.

Christmas in Waco 2009

We had a very merry Christmas in Waco this year. Benjamin stayed busy playing with Abby and Andrew the entire time. We were there for several days and I feel like I hardly got to see him at all. Grandma Nancy made many delicious meals and we're so grateful for their generous hospitality. It was such a joy to spend good quality time with family. I always leave feeling so refreshed after time with them all.

Abby and Savannah












Andrew and Benjamin playing in the snow on Christmas Eve












Benjamin enjoying the snow












Nice pose Savannah












Andrew, Abby, Benjamin












The Josephs












Granddaddy, Grandma Nancy, Andrew, Abby, Laura, Benjamin












Same group except Abraham replaced Benjamin












Savannah on Christmas morning












Hugs for Savannah on Christmas morning












Benjamin riding his horse from Granddaddy and Grandma Nancy












Snow princess

















Two peas in a pod. Watching Wow Wow Wubzy on the laptop together.












This is a train set from Granddaddy and Grandma Nancy. He played with this for 4 hours the night we got home. During that 4 hours he only took 15 minutes to eat dinner and another 15 minutes to complete his bathtime routine and he was always right back in this position playing with the train. He LOVES it! Right before he went to bed I realized the train takes batteries so that opened up a whole new world of fun for him.












Not happy about leaving the train for bed time.

God's Promise

Saw this hanging on the wall at my in-law's house over the holidays. I thought it's worthy of a post.

God hath not promised skies always blue
Flower-strewn pathways all our lives through
God hath not promised sun without rain
Joy without sorrow, peace without pain
But God hath promised strength for the day
Rest for the labor, light for the way
Grace for the trials, help from above
Unfailing sympathy, undying love

Happy Birthday Seth!

Sunday we celebrated Seth's 3rd birthday at Chuck E Cheese. We had a great time, except for the fit that Benjamin threw as it was time to leave. This boy really knows how to make a scene. He even went as far as lying on the ground kicking and screaming. Anyone who knows me knows I hate being the center of attention but because of my very vocal 2 year old I feel like all eyes are on me lately. Hence, why I wear a hat most days...makes me feel protected from the glaring eyes.....

Benjamin and Seth

Benjamin's Prayer

Benjamin has been doing a great job leading the prayer before dinner lately. Mostly it's just a bunch of whispers with an occasional "thank you for wonderful food" then a bunch of whispers and then a "thank you for Jesus" then some more whispers and finally he'll say "Amen". But tonight the entire prayer was clear as day and went like this "Thank you God for food, thank you for Jesus, thank you for everyone. Amen." He's gettin' it!

Odd Sleeper

When I checked on Benjamin the other night before I went to bed, I found him asleep on the floor and he had taken off his socks, pj pants, and diaper. Sweet little guy hardly even woke up as we put everything back on him and laid him back in bed. I know I keep saying this but he really does keep us laughing.

In Sickness and in Health

Here's my lighthearted prayer to God "Could you please change the rules a bit and make it so that mothers of small children never get sick?"

1. I've completely lost my voice (something I think David is secretly happy about). I've come close to losing it about twice in my life, but I've never completely lost it until now. I'm at a point where I'm only able to communicate with a soft whisper. I think Benjamin likes it too. Have you ever tried to scold a child with a soft whisper?

2. My lungs are filled with congestion and it hurts everytime I cough.

3. There are times that my head is so filled with sinus pressure that I really think it will explode. My head is so heavy that I fully expect to see a bowling ball in place of my head when I look in the mirror.

4. My nose is stuffy and runny at the same time. I've been through 2 boxes of Puffs in 24 hours. I blow it so much that my nose is raw and I cringe at the idea of needing to blow it because of the pain. However, I know once I do I'll get some relief even if it's just for a few moments.

I keep telling David, it could be worse. I could have a fever and I could be throwing up (which is my least favorite symptom of all). So I'll take it. Life is good.

Oh My Sakes!

On our way to meet Benjamin's friend, Seth, for a Christmas train ride we decided to take a quick detour and look at the Christmas lights on all the houses. Benjamin's response to them all was "Oh my sakes!" Obviously he got his expressions wrong. He mixed "oh my goodness" and "goodness sakes" together. This kid is keeping us laughing all the time these days.

Daddy and Benjamin getting ready to take off on the Christmas train.












Tracey and Seth












Off they go!












Hugs for his best buddy. They were so happy to see each other they were squealing with delight!

Feeding Time for Frederick

To everyone out there who knows what a "boppy" is....Benjamin was sitting on the couch and put it around him. He then says he's going to feed Frederick. David and I got a good laugh out of that one. He stayed there long enough for me to get a picture.

Dinner Club Christmas Party

Some of the girls in our dinner club met for a Christmas party last night. One of the members brought us all matching (really comfortable) socks. We decided to ditch our heels and wear the socks all evening (the party was at a house - we weren't out in public). So instead of a group picture of us all, we decided to take a picture of our feet. Silly good times!

Christmas Party

We had a Christmas party at Natalie's house yesterday and it was a blast. Thanks Becky for hosting.

Tea party with Mimi












Miss Mimi












Miss Paige












Mr. Benjamin












Josh and Christopher












Miss Savannah

















Miss Natalie












Miss Lily

Savannah's Tree

I finally got around to putting Savannah's tree up. Better late than never, right? I'm still in search of a tree skirt for it. Okay, so it's a little tacky but it's the thought that counts....can someone say GAUDY??? Bah humbug.

Static

This is what happens when you stick your finger in a electrical outlet....just kidding.

Susie

My mother's dog, Susie, passed away last week due to a brain tumor. She's been part of our lives for 8 years. She was my mom's little buddy, companion, and best friend. She was found on the street and had obviously been abused and came to live with my mom. Susie was our dog's (Frederick) best friend. He loved her so much and would always get so excited when we would tell him that she's coming to visit. He would sit and whine at the door until Susie arrived. Her snores, snorts, and grunts which seemed so annoying at the time, are now deeply missed.

London

Note to self: Eight month old babies and 9 hour plane rides don't mix well. Use extreme caution, or better yet, avoid at all costs.

Except for the ride there and back, London was fabulous. It was nice to actually take time to see the city instead of flying in to jump on a plane to somewhere else. The most amazing thing that happened on the trip is that Savannah slept 18 hours once we got there. We put her to bed on Saturday night at 6pm, she woke up 6 hours later to nurse, and then went right back to sleep until noon. I actually had to wake her up at noon. What a sleepy head. Where's Benjamin? He hung out at both sets of grandparents for the week.

Here are some of our highlights:

First stop - McDonald's. Sadly, no iced coffee at Mickey D's in London so I settled for a cappucino.












Savannah's first London pub experience and believe it or not, we weren't the only parents with a baby in this pub! Funny. We have a similar picture of Benjamin and me in a pub in Scotland so we had to do the same for Savannah.












Shopping at Harrod's. The place is massive. It's a full block and 5 levels. I'm not much of a shopper so we only made it through 2 levels. But it's definitely a shopper's paradise.












A poster in the Underground. We thought it was funny.












David and Savannah in the tunnel waiting on the train.












The Highgate tube station where David lived.












Savannah was pooped! She's sleeping peacefully in her backpack as we hike all over London.












Savannah and David eating at David's favorite pizza place (Pizza Express) while he lived in London. Yes, she's in pj's and all I have to say is that it was REALLY cold and all of her warm clothes were dirty. At that point I didn't feel like figuring out the odd washer/dryer combo in our apartment so she spent the day in pj's....












A picture of David and Savannah in front of where he lived in London.












Me on the very long escalator in the tube. It actually frightened me at first, I hate heights, but we rode it so many times I got used to it.












Another funny sticker in the tube. Did you see how big the "rucksack" was in the picture above with Savannah in it? Yeah, so, we hit a few things here and there with it...and people too. Crazy Americans.












Kelly and Savannah in front of the British museum. Yes, it's there, can't see it in the picture though. But we did actually go in it.












Kelly and Savannah in front of Big Ben and Westminster.












The street that our "flat" a.k.a. apartment was on.












Don't let the sweet smile fool you...she was an absolute bear all the way home on the plane. Glad that ride is over with.