Friday, Saturday, Sunday...

FRIDAY:
We've had a somewhat busy but good weekend. Friday, after I got off work, I went over to Dennis and Natalie's and stayed for a cookout. It was a gorgeous day and a great way to wrap up the week. The kids had a ball and it was nice to spend time with adults at dinner time! However, it did make for another late night for the boys.
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SATURDAY:

Saturday proved to be another beautiful day. Benjamin had been invited to a birthday party for a girl in his preschool. So, I had my helper come and babysit Samuel while I took Benjamin to the party. They had a huge moonbounce in their front yard and the kids had a great time. It was about 82 degrees out and Benjamin was a sweat ball from head to toe.

After we took the sitter home, the boys and I stopped at the library. We had a bunch of over due books (oops) and picked out a bunch of new ones. We LOVE the library and we LOVE books! Although sometimes we find it hard to part with some of the ones we become really fond of. As Benjamin returns them into the return slot he says goodbye to each and every book. I think it's so cute because by the time we return the books he knows the title of each book by heart.

I was exhausted last night and put the kids to bed a little early. We read all of the new and exciting library books before bed then I curled up with a book and found myself dozing off at 8:30 p.m. So, I went to bed. I actually woke up before the kids this morning and felt pretty refreshed for once. I guess that's what happens when you go to bed at 8:30 on a Saturday night!

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SUNDAY:

This morning we went to church. We have been going to Heritage Baptist Church, here in Ashburn, for about 5 years or so. Today was the first time Benjamin ever witnessed a baptism and boy was he full of questions! Benjamin pipped up a few times "Why is Pastor in the water?" "I don't want to do that, Mommy." as well as a few other comments. I know I hushed him more than once during the moments the baptisms were going on. Once we got in the car, I tried to explain (in 3 year old terms) what a baptism meant. He held his opinion that he would never do that. hmmm.

I just love his innocence. Tonight at dinner we prayed then he said, "Mommy, what is Jesus' name?"

A couple of weeks ago after we read his children's daily devotional (that he received from Uncle Tim, Aunt Caris and their boys for Christmas) he declared that he didn't "want to go live with Jesus in the mansion in the sky". Then he went on to tell me that I could go but he didn't want to because Jesus has a beard. And, for those of you who have been keeping up with my blog, you know that Benjamin doesn't much care for beards. That was an interesting conversation.

This afternoon we ventured out to Target then we stopped at Moe's for dinner. Luckily when we got there the place was pretty empty. But as I paid and the lady put my food on two trays I realized that I was going to have trouble with Samuel in my arms and a diaper bag and purse slung over my shoulder getting that food to the table. It is a rare occasion that I actually stop and spontaneously take the boys out to dinner by myself. And this is why! I always find myself a little short handed. Literally. Luckily God had sent me a lil angel and a lady came up to the register at that moment (while I was paying) to ask if chips came with her food. Anyways, I was asking if they could fit the food on one tray and the lady offered to take the trays to a table for me. I know it was no grand gesture but at the time it seemed like a total life saver. Sometimes it is just the little things that people do that really make a world of difference (at that moment in time). I was very thankful to her. We sat down and enjoyed a yummy dinner. Benjamin loves those quesadillas and Samuel loves the chicken tacos! I just love not having to cook. The boys were very well behaved which made the outing even better.

Our Meeting with Mrs. Bush

Tonight we went to a book signing of Laura Bush (and Jenna Bush)s' new children's book, "Read All About It!". This was all our friends, Natalie and Dennis' idea which I thought was a little crazy at first. "Waiting in line with 4 kids all ages 3 and under to have Laura Bush sign a children's book? hmm. Okay, I'm game."

Natalie went to pick up the tickets at the Books-A-Million in Tysons Corner, Virginia on Monday while the boys were at preschool. And Tuesday I ran to the local Books-A-Million to pick up 9 copies of her book (which came out on Tuesday). We were each allowed to have up to 3 copies autographed so Natalie, Dennis and I were each armed with 3 copies of the book!

I left work a lil early today, ran home to walk the dogs then was off to pick up the boys and follow Dennis and Natalie to the bookstore. It was about a 45 minute drive there so when we got there around 6 p.m. there was a pretty good line. The signing didn't start until 7 p.m. So, Natalie had made chicken nuggets for the big boys and a hot dog for my lil hot dog lover, Samuel. They were actually pretty good for the two hours we spent in line. I had brought a Diego Colorforms set, crayons and coloring books and a stock of lollipops. Eventually, we made it to the front of the line. But we were only allowed to take photos from a designated area from some distance away so I have no idea who is in my photos besides Laura Bush!

When we got up there Dennis and Natalie went first and Mrs. Bush was very friendly and chatty! They had 6 books between them so they had a lil bit more time with her. So, I got Benjamin out of the stroller and he went right up there. I pushed the stroller with Samuel and they were both eagerly looking at Mrs. Bush. She said to Benjamin "What's your name?" and he said "Benjamin" very quietly but definitely understandable. And she said "Benjamin, do you like to read?" He responded "yes." Then she said "And Benjamin what is your little brother's name?" and he said "Boo!" quite excitedly. It made me a little nervous because I wasn't quite sure what was going to come out his mouth next so I said "His name is Samuel." And Mrs. Bush said "Hello Samuel" and looked right at him. By this time Samuel was a lil eager to get out of the stroller and he seemed to be peering right at her smiling. (What a flirt!).

So, that was our brush with fame... a benefit of living in the Washington D.C. area.

For any of you interested in the book it is called "Read All About It!" and is an illustrated short story about Tyrone Brown, a student at Good Day Elementary School who thinks he hates to read. (But by the book's end, Tyrone decides reading isn't so bad after all.) Benjamin's highlight was that it has a dragon in part of the book!

Now the kids are both fast asleep and I still have a ton to do before I get to bed for the night.

And on that Farm...

Today was a busy day!

We went on a field trip with Benjamin's preschool class to Temple Hall Farm in Leesburg, Virginia (which is actually a regional park). We enjoyed seeing lots of farm animals... pigs, sheep, cows, horses, ponies, turkeys, chickens, peacocks, etc. Benjamin's highlight was the horses. He loved picking the grass and feeding it to the horses. His low point of the outing was being pecked by a turkey. He exclaimed "OUCH!" but otherwise was fine. No tears, no drama, and no more fingers behind the wires (where they weren't supposed to be). This wasn't a petting zoo it was a farm that's part of the Northern Virginia Regional Park Authority. They had newborn calves and piglets that were oh so adorable.

They also had a nice play area which was a big hit with all the kids and Samuel loved going down the slides. He also has some weird fascination with mulch lately. He picks it up and wants to throw it. He has a pretty good arm so I really have to watch him close with that mulch.

On the way home from the farm Samuel fell asleep and Benjamin looked exhausted. Samuel continued to nap for a bit once we arrived home. So, after lunch Benjamin took a good nap and I laid down for a brief nap too until Samuel woke up.

It was a gorgeous day today so we spent a lot of time outside this afternoon. The water table is a big hit and both boys enjoy splashing around in it. We took a walk outside and spent a little time at the playground nearby before we headed back in for dinner. After dinner I decided we better make a trip to the grocery store or we would probably run out of milk tomorrow and there were plenty of other odds and ends we needed anyways.

Benjamin LOVES a trip to the local Harris Teeter grocery store so he was pretty excited. Boy does that store know how to entice a kid. He pushed a kids' sized cart around the store and was pretty helpful. The boys got free cookies and balloons as we left the store and headed for home. Just in time for bath time. Only they were both so thrilled with their balloons that I couldn't cut into their play time for bath right away so I watched them dance around with the balloons. If you want to see happiness and excitement just give Samuel and balloon. The world is a happy place when Samuel has his balloon.

Well, I still have laundry and dishes to finish up along with about a gazillion other things I should do as well so I better end this post now.

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(Please remember to click on the photos if you'd like to see them bigger.)

What a Difference a Year Makes

I just happened to be going through some photos on the computer today and found this photo dated April 22, 2007. So, here are our lil guys last year on this day versus this year on the same day! (Of course, last year the photo was taken right after church and today Samuel was already in his pjs before I even attempted taking this photo).

It's amazing how much they grow and change in a year... physically and personality wise as well. It was definitely much easier taking a photo of them when Samuel wasn't so mobile! Benjamin was practically wrestling him to get this photo (see photo attempts below).

They are both "ALL BOY". They love to wrestle around with each other which I did not expect already

at this age. Samuel is all about tackling his brother, literally

throwing himself on top of him. And they love to snuggle up in Benjamin's bed together and wrestle around. Benjamin often says "I know, Huggie, I know." (Yes, Benjamin still calls Samuel "Hug", "Huggie", "Huggie Dough", "Doughie" and I have no idea where this came from but it has stuck and so sometimes I find myself calling Samuel "Hug" or "Huggie Dough". Poor guy. I guess it could be worse. Benjamin also calls him "Jeffy" sometimes and I have absolutely no idea where that came from either). They are so fun though and really feed off of each other's laughter. I love it! I love them. And I can't wait for Don to be right there in the action wrestling around on the floor with them. As a Dad, that's his livelihood and I think Benjamin has already picked up on it and maybe that's why he is the way he is with Hug.

On another note, Don is traveling this week which generally means I don't hear from him for a few days via e-mail. Please keep him in your prayers. With so many praying friends and family, it is reassuring to know that God is watching over him (and us!)

Crunch.

I have a bunch of blog entries floating around in my head but haven’t made the time to actually sit down and make one. Until now that is.

Last week amidst all the fun times we had going the parks and enjoying all the gorgeous weather I had a bit of mishap. The boys and I met Nelly and her kids for dinner at California Tortilla then the kids enjoyed some time at a play area. It was a good night and Benjamin actually did pretty well listening to me.

Then we got in the car to go and this is when the dreaded accident occurred. Just a lil bump but still a wound to an otherwise pretty perfect outing.

So, how does one break it to their husband that they did something totally stupid? It’s bad enough when you have to fess up to those things over the phone or face-to-face but by e-mail. Ugh. Well, here is what my e-mail to Don said that night:

"Okay, we just got home from dinner with Nelly and the kids. We had a great time and Benjamin was a surprisingly good listener (something he has not been lately).

Then we got in the car to go home. As we backed out of our parking spot Benjamin started to fuss about a spider in his window. So, I was trying to figure out if it was on the inside or outside. Then I rolled his window up then back down. The car started to beep to signal something in the way behind the car. But before I knew it, I had backed into a fire hydrant. Ouch. It was one of those moments in life that you just wanted to rewind 20 seconds and redo. I couldn't even believe it myself. (I'm sure this was somewhat how you felt as you backed into Dale's* car).

Somehow the spider on Benjamin's window quickly became so insignificant. I got out and took a look and there is a pretty good dent. Once we were home, I took some photos which I will attach.

The entire ride home from the Wegman's plaza area (where we had dinner) I was so annoyed with myself. I relived every second of the episode. Then I started to put it in perspective and I decided a lot worse things could have happened in life. I guess I was just due for a lil bump in my road (literally).

Well, Benjamin is back out of bed saying he has to go potty.

Love you,

Sue"

And to my surprise his only comment back was “What did Benjamin say about the back bumper?"

Phew. Survived the dreaded confession of being a slacker in the parking lot. Now I just have to find the time to get my lil mess cleaned up because the sad bumper I have is just a constant remind of how absent minded I can get.

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*Dale is our neighbor. The husband of our wonderful neighbor Katie who spoils us. He called Don "Crash" for awhile after the incident but it certainly didn't ruin our relationship with our wonderful neighbors.

Fun in the Sun (and Rainy Days)

Last week the weather was beautiful. We took every opportunity we had to spend time outside. I've been meaning to post some photos and am just getting around to it now.

It has been raining since Friday night. Actually, it has been pouring and thunder and lightening. Along with us all spending more time inside than we had been recently our dogs are going stir crazy too.

Our dog Campbell is a bit spoiled and does not care to get his lovely paws wet. So, when it rains he refuses to go out in the backyard. Finally, last night at 11:30 p.m. he gave in and went outside! Hooray! I think he and I both felt better about that. Him for obvious reasons and me because I was trying to figure out how I was going to get out and walk him in the rain with the boys at home. ugh. No more worries. The rain has taken a break from time to time today and we actually managed to make it outside.


Unfortunately, my helper called this afternoon and said she wasn't feeling well so the anticipation of getting a few minutes to do things without interruptions and walk the dogs were lost. Bummer. I noticed it had stopped raining after dinner so I called my super neighbor Katie and asked if she was up to helping me walk the dogs and the boys. She's always game for my silly antics and met me outside. I think she enjoys the entertainment! The dogs did great and enjoyed every second of being outside of their small fenced yard. And Benjamin put on his puddle jumpers and set aim on the biggest puddles he could find. He had great fun and I just set aside any desires of interrupting him and planned on a bath afterwards.

Back to work tomorrow which is always something to look forward to by the time Monday night arrives.

Jump

One of Samuel's recent accomplishments is that he's learned how to jump (only his feet don't quite leave the ground yet). I took this video of him trying to jump the other night.

(And, yes that is a bruise on the lil' dare devil's forehead. From what? Who knows. One of his recent stunts I'm sure).

Fun-Filled Days

We've been having some busy days and totally enjoying the awesome weather.

Thursday night we went to dinner with Natalie (the boys' babysitter) and her two boys. We went out for pizza at a place Don and I used to frequent pretty regularly (The Brickoven Pizzeria which is not far from our house). After that we walked to a playground and the boys had a blast. Benjamin and his best buddy, Jack enjoyed every second of exerting all their energy and Samuel loves the slides and climbing on anything he can.

I'm including a photo of Benjamin and Jack from Thursday. They both just went through some growth spurts but Benjamin is still almost a head taller than Jack.

Saturday finally came and the boys slept until almost 8 a.m. I couldn't believe it. (Of course, the dogs had me up at 6:45 a.m. So much for sleeping in). Nelly called Saturday morning to see what we were up to and we decided to go to a place called Leesburg Animal Park. The kids are all so into animals and it was a huge hit and an absolutely perfect morning for the occasion. We arrived around 9:30 a.m. Benjamin and Brooke had a blast running around looking at all the animals (ducks, rabbits, monkeys, small leopards, etc). And Samuel was right behind them pointing at everything and pulling himself up on all the fences to get a closer look. Then they opened up the petting zoo. We had food to feed them and I was actually pretty proud of myself for being as brave as I was with Benjamin. (I'm not too keen on sticking my hand up to these animals for them to choose if they want to munch on the food or my fingers but I did alright this time).

Brooke and Benjamin were also really fond of this turtle shell they could crawl into. As well as the playgrounds they had and a craft table.

The kids all ended up being covered in dirt and sand and baths were in order. But not before we stopped for some lunch at Arby's.

I thought for sure Benjamin would just collapse after his bath and all the outdoor time but although he spent some quiet time playing he never did fall asleep. So, we spent some more time outside in the afternoon playing in the backyard and then taking the wagon and a ride on toy around the block. It was just too beautiful out not to. I think I heard it hit 82 degrees on Saturday.

After dinner we headed out to the new Cold Stone Creamery nearby and indulged in some ice cream with our neighbor Katie. There is a great new playground right outside Cold Stone and it was a huge hit with both Benjamin and Samuel. Samuel was beaming from ear to ear. It had a lot to offer for kids his size and he was able to climb all over the place (just his thing).

Much to my delight, the kids slept in again this morning! Benjamin actually slept til 8 a.m. (I think this makes the idea of giving up naptime more and more appealing!) I didn't think we'd make it to the Sunday School hour at 9:15 a.m. but somehow we did.

Today was MUCH cooler and we didn't go anywhere besides church which was a welcome thing since we've been out and about so much. Samuel slept from 1 p.m. until 4 p.m. today which is not like him. So, he must have needed the downtime as well.

Don called this afternoon and got to speak to both Benjamin and I. It was great to hear from him and according to his count we are down to less than 6 months. He reported that it's now about 5 3/4 months. (But who's counting? ha. More like, who isn't?)

Our Handsome Samuel

I took this photo of Samuel today at the Leesburg Animal Park and I just love it! I think it's my favorite photo of Samuel so far... even though he looks so serious I think he looks so stinkin cute.

I have lots of other photos to share but it's been a long day and I still need to do laundry, shower and relax.

I'll post more photos tomorrow.

A Beautiful Day

Another busy but beautiful day. It was in the 60s today and just gorgeous out. So, much of my day was spent outside. As I put the boys to bed tonight I wasn't sure who was more tuckered out... them or me.

While Benjamin was a preschool this morning Samuel and I ran to Target then I tackled some yard work while Samuel slept. The drought we had last summer really did a number on our yard not to mention the fact that our dogs are not walked as often as they had been before Don deployed so they have carved a distinct path of dirt/mud along the fence line. ugh. So, after weed whacking I planted some grass seed and hopefully I can stick to it and get some to actually grow (this is usually Don's department so I hope I can make him proud here).

Benjamin had a napless day and we enjoyed some time outside while Samuel took an afternoon nap. He played in the new water table. And he loved watering my grass seed and everything else in the backyard. Then we planted a few flower seeds in a flower box. Hopefully they'll take and he'll be excited to see them come up (as will I).

Samuel has recently discovered that he can now climb onto the kids' activity table we have in our front window. It is right in front of our picture window and he totally acts like he is on stage as soon as he gets up there. The problem is, cute as it may be, that it's really not the safest thing for him to be dancing around on. So, I find myself constantly after him about getting down. I can't remember what age that they actually start to listen but I hope it's soon! I snapped a couple of pictures of him up there before I removed him from the table... again... and again... and again. ugh.

Samuel is quite the funny lil guy these days. Today when we picked Benjamin up from school Benjamin received his token sticker from his teachers for the day then they asked if Samuel wanted one. So, they placed a sticker of a baseball on his hand. He seemed rather indifferent about it and then at the end of the day I had him place it on Benjamin's Potty Poster (which is still up just because it gives us a great place to put stickers!). So a little while later, we were in the middle of our bedtime routine of reading books and Samuel was trying to open Benjamin's bedroom door and escape. He was making quite a racket about it so I eventually opened up the bedroom door. He immediately ran right into the kids' bathroom and found that sticker on the potty poster. It was so cute. He'd come back into Benjamin's room then run back to find his sticker. He did it a few times. He was so proud of "his sticker." Just like big brother.

I just had to post this picture of Benjamin looking too cool! He is living in this visor these days (which he rarely leaves the house without) and he's really been into trying on his sunglasses too.

Moon Sand and Other Stuff

Today was a busy but productive day. And, after several missed calls over the past few days, finally talked to Don (twice actually!). Don called while Benjamin was at preschool and we talked for awhile. It was nice to just hear his voice (as usual). Sometimes we have e-mailed so frequently during the week that there isn't anything new to really say but it's just nice to hear each other's voices and even though our house is sometimes a lil crazy, I'm sure it is nice for him to hear all that's going on here... the kids playing, crying, laughing, dogs barking, etc.

Samuel took a great morning nap today which I actually had to wake him up from in order to go pick Benjamin up from preschool. During Samuel's nap I was able to get somethings accomplished in our yard. Finally! I did a clean sweep of the lovely land mines the dogs have left over a period of some time and then I tackeled getting all the leaves and debris that was in our side yard cleaned up. It was an undertaking I've been dreading but needing to do. It's hard to believe we only have one tree in our yard with the amount of leaves that blow into our yard from the common areas. I filled one huge bag full of yard waste (and when I say "huge" I mean it. This bag was industrial size and probably 4 feet tall and 3 feet wide).

The boys and I had a nice afternoon and Samuel took another decent nap! Phew! I am experimenting with the idea of Benjamin giving up his naps from time to time and today was a napless day which makes bedtime a cinch (although he had a bit of a meltdown tonight before bedtime; he hasn't gotten out of bed once!). Daddy-O called and talked to Benjamin and he was so excited to talk to him. It's so cute to see him actually hold a conversation and sing to Daddy-O. I love it! (and I'm sure Don does too).

Benjamin has totally been into arts and craft projects and today was no exception. Actually I cannot really remember a day in the very recent past that he hasn't painted, colored or something of the sort. Today we played a board game, colored with crayons and then markers and eventually brought out the "Moon Sand". Benjamin had received this Moon Sand as a gift awhile back and today it finally made it's debut at our house. Not sure how soon it will return for another round. It was a huge mess. My helper arrived just about the time we were getting it out and they stayed very entertained with it for at least a good hour. I put the Moon Sand on cookie sheets but it still was everywhere. This stuff is like a combination of play dough and sand. It would be more appealing if it wasn't so sandy! It just ended up all over the place and stuck to Benjamin's clothes. He had to change from top to bottom after that. (I would highly NOT recommend the Moon Sand! Although he was highly entertained with it.) Next time it will be an outdoor project!

After accomplishing so much this morning I didn't have too many things to tackle with my helper there. So, I took the dogs for a good walk then we headed out to the new "Red Robin" hamburger restaurant which is close to our house. We enjoyed a good meal then we dropped our helper off.

When we returned home the boys both went to sleep pretty easily. Ah. Another day done. And with every passing day, one day closer to the return of Daddy-O! 6 more months! I don't remember looking forward to something more than that day in my entire life. Seriously.

(The photos of the boys posted here were taken yesterday after church).

Saturday Stuff

Today was a fun-filled day! It was a little chilly this morning but proved to be a beautiful spring day and our cherry tree is almost in full bloom! Benjamin has been admiring it daily as it has slowly been turning more colorful. If I could just get him to hold still long enough to get a good photo of him in front of it (maybe tomorrow). He is really appreciated all that nature has to offer these days and the signs of spring have all been so exciting to him this year. He has taken notice of the grass turning green, daffodils and crocus blooming, buds on trees, etc. It's so fun to see him re-discover all God has put on this earth.

Well, we met Nelly and her kids at a consignment sale at 9:30 a.m. I LOVE the consignment sales and there are usually about 3 big ones each spring and fall. Last year I managed to make it to one with the kids in a double stroller so I decided to try it again. We were there for almost an hour and they all did great! The sale, however, was a little disappointing. I only bought two things. I'm not sure if the selection of things are going down hill at these sales or just the fact that we have so much now that I'm more selective. It's still fun to go!

After that we all headed to the mall. Nelly and I each had our missions. Mine was to get the kids their summer crocks (or imitation crocks anyways). (If you're not familiar with "crocks" they are these plastic rubbery sandal type shoes that even my fat footed boys can wear!) On the way to the mall I asked Benjamin what kind of crocks he really wanted and without even seeing them at the store he declared he wanted "blue and white with all the colors". That typically describes everything the child wants if given a choice. He will be the first to tell you that his favorite colors are "blue and white." Well, Payless Shoes just happened to have blue crocks that have like a tie-dye look to them. Very colorful. Not my top choice but he loved them. Samuel ended up getting the same ones as well. I'm sure you will see photos with the boys wearing them in many blog posts to come.

Our trip to the mall was an overall success. The kids were all well behaved and they enjoyed time at the play area there, lunch, cookies as well as a ride on the carousel. As we left, before I could even pull out of my parking spot, Samuel was asleep. We were all a lil tired. So we went home and all took a much needed nap.

Don called twice while we were out. We were bummed to have missed his calls but hopefully he will call again tomorrow.

This afternoon we enjoyed some outdoor time at our local playground and basketball court. The weather was beautiful and both boys enjoyed running around, swinging on the swings, etc.

I think the fresh air did them some good because they both seemed pretty tuckered out tonight.

"Hurry Hurry to the Fire"

I'm posting two video clips that I took Thursday night. This firetruck ride-on toy had been in the garage for awhile until Samuel spotted it the other day and it ended up back upstairs.

The toy is much more appealing to me when it doesn't have batteries in it! But the boys love the songs it plays and it has a firetruck scene on the front of it that they love to watch. So, now that I thought this noisy toy had sunk into retirement after Benjamin's fun loving days with it... it is back for round two of "Hurry, hurry to the fire..." a tune that really gets annoying and stuck in your head! (It really doesn't sound that loud or annoying in these video clips but it is! As I'm sure Don will fondly remember as well.)

Some Pics from This Evening

Just wanted to share a few photos that we took tonight. Benjamin is becoming pretty good behind the camera! He took this photo of Samuel and I tonight. I was really surprised at how well he framed the shot! The magic of digital cameras and the fact that he has a screen to look at while he's taking the photo probably helps a lot! But he actually managed to get Samuel to smile for the camera too.

Then we tried to get a photo of the three of us together which was not as successful but still fun!

I also got a pretty decent photo of the two boys together. I feel like it has been awhile since I've taken a decent photo of the two of them together. Benjamin has not been as excited about getting his photo taken as he had once been. Samuel on the other hand is beaming from cheek to cheek as soon as he sees the camera in hand! You'd never know by this photo that they were actually fighting over a toy when I piped in and said smile for a picture!