A first....

It has been awhile since a "first" for Benjamin. But today, he had his first friend-to-friend phone call. Granted, he has talked to family members on the phone for years now. But, to hear him talking to "his best friend" was priceless. What do 4-year olds say to one another? Well, talks about lunch plans (whose house today???), what toys will be played with, where we are at right now (Benjamin explained we were at "cup of ice" which happens to be Sonic), and how long until we meet. Loved it! And when he hung up the phone I said, "what did Japeth say?". Benjamin, as only Benjamin would say, "he said a lot of words Mommy" HA HA!

Easter 2011

For some reason, I have really gotten the Easter "bug" this year. I try to put so much energy into each holiday, big and small, mostly for the kids. It seems I remember so many holidays growing up and different traditions. Mom always took out decorations, seasonal tablecloths, etc. So now I am trying to do the same for my kids. Big at our house are the seasonal placemats, which Benjamin calls "new mats!". The window decals are a hit too! Just minor amounts of cash turn the house into a mini holiday haven. This year, the egg coloring was the most fun I think it has ever been. Benjamin is at the age where he really KNOWS what is going on and gets excited. Alexis, wanting to do whatever big brother does, is right in the action. I am feeling myself let loose too and enjoy the moments. Who really cares about the mess they make?? They have fun! This morning, Benjamin went right to his Easter basket and started tearing through it. Alexis soon followed! Then the egg hunt began. Each egg heard a big "I found an egg" yell! Most importantly, although we did not go to church, I laid in bed with Benjamin last night and tried to explain what Easter is really about. Kind of tough to explain to a 4 year old but it is amazing how quickly they pick up things. I told him baby Jesus went to Heaven (and Ben said just like Rusty and Cosmo) then came back home 3 days later from Heaven. Course, he wanted to know if that meant Rusty was coming back! Well, hopefully all of this will make up for the 30 minutes it took me to grate 6 cups of carrots for the fresh carrot cake I made today (shaped like a bunny of course!). Not that I had the time to do this but hey, the kids will have smiles later on when we dig in!

Oh Benjamin....

the things that you come up with to say! Yesterday, we happened to drive past Chuck-E-Cheese. Now keep in mind that I have not even mentioned this place to my kids. I'm holding it in as the best kept secret because I know when it's out, oh man, no turning back! But dear sweet Benjamin tells me that we should go to that place one day. I say, "really, and why is that?" Benjamin says, "Well, because it's fun and they have pizza there and they have games there too!" I'm racking my brain trying to remember if I had ever said this to him or if maybe Mike mentioned something. Only way to find out was to ask him. "How do you know all that? Did somebody tell you that?" Benjamin says, "Yes! The t.v. told me that!"

Oh my...........

Miss Independence

My sweet angel girl has hit the "I can do it myself" stage at full force! Somehow, I do not remember this with Benjamin. Must be either a girl thing or a younger sibling thing. Yesterday, she spent 20 minutes trying to put her jacket on to go outside. I asked her many times if she wanted help and was answered with a firm shake of the head NO. She finally gave in when she realized Benjamin was happily playing outside! And temper tantrums...holy moly. Never experienced quite the degree of these with Benjamin either. She screams, she cries, she throws herself on the floor. What the heck?? No amount of talking, prodding, begging, anything will help. Now I understand the idea of just walking away and letting her cry it out. I do hope we can get the speech issue worked out though. I think this is a lot of the problem. She knows what she wants just can't express it (properly, anyway!). TEIS comes next week to evaluate. Good news is that her hearing is normal now.

Just got Benjamin's "graduation" pictures today. Yes, graduating from pre-school and off to the big K in the fall. I really cannot believe it. My little boy....sigh. But, what fun he is. He is really starting to experience the joys of childhood and boyhood. He has great friends who live 2 houses down and it is so neat to see the boys running back and forth through the yards. This is why we moved out here. The freedom to RUN! The chance to play with real rocks, real dirt, and run through real grass! No worries about odd cars driving through the neighborhood. Two dogs that would tear up anybody who tried to touch my kiddos (ok, a little over the top!)

Love this time of year! Excited for nice weather! Bring on spring!

Spring is Springing!

Wow...last post on January 14th. Where does the time go? Each time I write in here, I vow to write more often. It is so hard to just slow down, breathe, and relax. The last couple of months have found us fighting along with Dad to get better. The first 3 weeks in Alabama and here in Nashville since the end of January. I'm so happy to write that he is doing better, great even! Kicked the pneumonia, getting stronger every day, and now starting to eat again. Amazing the strength that a single human being can muster! As usual, Dad is teaching me a lesson. A lesson to always give your best and things will work out the way they are meant to be. Thank God He has decided that Dad's work on earth is not over!

Goodbye Christmas.....

hello 2011! So with the decorations away and the house back to normal, we say goodbye to another wonderful Christmas season. I have to say that I enjoyed this year WAY more than last! I had the energy to bake, plan, cook, and enjoy time with the kids. The Bradley Family Christmas was at our home this year and was so much fun! The kids had a blast and the theme of the night was Taylor Swift, of course. We also celebrated Christmas day at our house with my parents and my brothers and their families. Lots of good eating and lots of sugar! Benjamin really "got it" this year and was so excited to wake up to find Santa had come to his house! He even ate the cookies we left! Alexis was overwhelmed but dived right in to the host of toys. We were able to go see the lights at Opryland as well as the ICE production. And lets not forget the white Christmas we all woke up to! Many, many good memories this year and hopes that the new year will bring many more!