First Birthday

I cannot believe it has been a whole year since Elizabeth joined our family.  I can remember being in the hospital with her.  I enjoyed being there, having time just the two of us, knowing that when we got home just us would include 3 others.  I could not get enough of her.  I always wanted to be with her, to hold her, touch her.  Even after we got home and she had a hard time sleeping at night I loved it.  I loved holding her, sleeping next to her.  I could tell from the beginning that she was a very sweet happy girl and she has become the sweet, happy girl I knew she would be when she was born.
There is always that sadness to see my baby growing up, but I wouldn't stop it for the world.  She is so fun to play with!  She lets me read to her now, she LOVES to explore different textures and sounds.  She enjoys climbing and sitting on her brothers, and tickling their bellies.  Elizabeth has an amazing ability to pull Benjamin out of a bad mood.  She laughs at just about everything now, and is always smiling.  She loves to play with big Lego's and knock over block towers.  She has been walking for 2 months now, and when I catch her with something she shouldn't have she turns to look at me, gets an impish grin on her face and runs for it.  She is such an imp.  She is our princess, but she is an into everything, always busy, lots of trouble princess, and we love every minute of it!
The morning of her birthday came and I was trying to get the house clean after being sick for a few days.  I started on the dishes and Benjamin started crying, he had thrown up and was running a fever.  So I called all of the grandmas and honorary grandmas and canceled the birthday party.  I had already baked the cake and wrapped the presents so I decided we would have a quiet family party.  I left off the house cleaning to take care of Benjamin only to find out Elizabeth was sick too!  Happy birthday, huh?  We ended up having a lazy day and then after dinner called John in Virginia.  We got on the computer and we set up Elizabeth's high chair in front of the computer so daddy could see.  We gave her her presents and she actually tore the wrapping paper off!  She got some books from mom and Grammy as well as some Dulpo Lego's.  Then I brought out the cake.  She tore into that like there is no tomorrow.  She picked up this huge piece and just started shoving it in her mouth.  It was a lot of fun to watch, especially considering that Glen didn't want his cake because it was sticky and he hated being sticky, and Benjamin wasn't interested at all in cake on his birthday.  She was the first one of our kids to go at it and we all enjoyed watching her immensely.
Even though three of us were sick, over all it was a good day.  I am so grateful for my sweet, happy girl.  She brings us so much joy! I am also grateful for the technology that allowed us to share her birthday with her daddy, even though he is on the other side of the country.  Happy birthday to my smiley, book loving, imp of a princess.

Words to encourage and uplift

Today I was paid a high compliment. Let me back up.

Today for my birthday dinner we went to Noodles and Company, one of my very favorite restaurants. They have all sorts of noodles, soups, salads, and sandwiches. Something for everyone. I got a bowl of spaghetti to share with Benjamin. You know how kids eat spaghetti, or really anything for that matter when they are under 2. He had a lot of his meal under his chair, I even dumped noodles out of his boots. :D Seeing the big mess I decided to clean up. I got down on the floor, hands and knees in my dress, and picked up all of the food from under his chair. I was told by a lot of people that there were people paid to do that I could leave. I knew that, but i also know what a pain it is to clean up after a little kid, after all I have two. I also figured this was more then your usual run of the mill mess and since this is a place where you don't leave tips I couldn't just leave a big tip and feel ok.

So there I was with spaghetti on my skirt, thanks to an extra large glob he dropped, trying to figure out if a fork or my fingers was more effective and I hear a lady make a comment. Not a snide comment either! She said to her companions that I was a good mom. Then another woman, her mom I think, told me that my boys were lucky to have me. I was setting a good example for them and they would grow up to be good, polite boys. She said they were cute and I was doing a great job.

Sometimes I feel discouraged. I worry that my kids are missing all the little lessons I am trying to teach them. But I know that they are learning. They see my example and they follow it. To you I would say, do not become discouraged. Your kids are watching what you do, they want to be like you. You do well and they see that.

These two sweet ladies really made my day. It means a lot to me what they said and I hope some day they realize it.

Glen's birthday

So I realize, now that it is about a month later, that I never wrote anything about Glen's birthday. Glen turned 3 last month. This is a picture of him with his gift. He wanted a Giddy'up and Go Horse so badly and I found one on a great deal so I bought it. The whole family bought it actually. It cost so much that everyone in the family went in on the gift together and for days he was in love. He didn't want to play with anything else. He would put a blanket over the horse at night, he named it Black Beauty and it was his "Favorite horse, the best horse ever!" And then it happened, it got old. It has been less then a month and already the horse is no longer the best toy, he has gone back to his old favorites. It's discouraging really to see a toy I tried so hard to find and spent so much money on lose his interest so fast. But do you know what is encouraging? The pillow I made for him months ago, my first, and therefor not my best, pillow, is one of his favorite things ever. He has to sleep with it every night, he brings it with him when he sleeps in my bed, it even has a place of honor on his bed. He smooths it out and when he lets someone else use it he is showing a lot of love.

So what's the moral to this story? It's not the price, it's the love. I made that pillow out of lover for him. I made it knowing he would love it and hoping that it would be more then *just* a pillow to him. I could argue that I searched for the horse and spent the money out of love, but it's different. It's the difference between the Horse Blanket I bought for him and the horse blanket I made for him. I made it and perhaps to him it's like part of me, it's like having me with him. I know that the blankets that are the most special to me are the ones people I love made for me. They mean more to me then the shirt I was given, even if it did come from the mall. There is just something about making something for some one, putting a little extra love and thought into it that makes it just that much more special.

Wow, now that I am done with my rambling deep thoughts, happy birthday to my sweet guy. Every day he amazes me. Let me tell you some of the amazing things he does.

• When he is angry he walks away and put himself in time out (most of the time) pretty amazing for a 3 year old if you ask me.
• He talks like a 6 year old
• He has started to read words (his first word was horse, surprised?)
• He loves to bake and play with horses
• He shares with and helps take care of his brother
• He has recently begun to love baseball again.
• He like to sweep, vacuum, and do dishes. (I sure hope that one sticks around)
• He has a great imagination, you should hear some of the stories he tells.
• He is polite, the first thing he does when he gets food is ask who made it ans then thanks them.
• He gives great hugs and says "I love you so much, you mean so much to me." It just melts my heart.

Glen is very special to me in his own way. Each of my boys have their own pace in my heart and Glen's is different then Benjamin's. He is my brave, sweet, compassionate, angel, and I love him so much!

18 months

A little late I know, but here it is. Benjamin is 18 months old now, he is growing up so fast.

Just before he turned 18 months I gave Benjamin his first haircut. I put it off as long as possible because it seems like the first haircut is the milestone that takes my kids from baby to big boy. They just looks so much older and there is no turning back. Silly I know, but he will never be a baby again, although he will always be my baby boy.

Benjamin didn't really like the razor, the noise bugged him and the buzzing tickled his head. One side is a little longer then the other because before I finished he let me know in no uncertain terms that HE was done. Oh well, he still looks so handsome.

We threw Benjamin an unbirthday party because on his first birthday he was still very sick and

he didn't enjoy much of anything. Benjamin was so sick for the first year and a fe

w months of life that we nearly lost him more then once, I did not fully realize how sick he was until much later when he got better. He played, learned, laughed, talked, and enjoyed everything. He didn't spend everyday throwing up or just laying in my arms. I thank the Lord that he survived, he is a miracle.

He

sure loved the cake we made him. We made cupcakes and frosted half to look like different balls since he loves balls and the other half was frosted to look like a bat (thanks to my friend Miranda who made my "creation" look like a bat instead of a club. :)

Benjamin has discovered true love, ,in the form of ketchup. He doesn't even need it on food, he will take it straight from a cup or use a spoon. Often he just uses the food as a spoon and sucks the ketchup off after he had scooped it up not even taking a bite. He lives for ketchup. He wants it at every meal and snack and he wants it on everything, even fruit or PB&J's One day at lunch he wasn't eating very well (and he is a BIG eater ) so I put some ketchup on his plate, and he went from picking at it to eating it faster then I had ever seen him eat. Ketchup completes any meal for Benjamin.