Our Memorial Day Weekend

We have been quite busy lately! Last Friday evening my cousin, Kim, flew in from Boston. She has three daughters ages 6 and under and her husband graciously agreed to hold down the fort so she could come help me out for a weekend. The boys really ate up all the attention she showered them with and we enjoyed catching up too.

As a child I used to go spend time with her family when we visited Massachusetts and my Mom's family in the summers. It was always something I looked forward to. Now, years later, we have lived in some of the same areas of the country but unfortunately at different times.

Saturday we took the kids to a nearby park and they enjoyed exerting some energy before lunch and nap time. That evening we went out to Fudruckers (one of Benjamin's favorite restaurants these days) then out for ice cream at Maggie Moos. Kim spoiled me by doing load after load of laundry for me and helping me sort through some of the kids clothes, etc.

Sunday came before we knew it and we were off to church then stopped for lunch at California Tortilla on the way to the airport. Benjamin was really sad to see her go (as was I, of course). But it hit him much harder than I could have imagined. That night as we got ready for bed I asked him if he missed cousin Kim and he sad he did and that she didn't read him books that morning as we had planned the night before (kids remember everything!). So, we called Kim and family Sunday night and boy did he light up. He was excited to hear her voice and to talk to all three of her girls. It was really cute to hear them on the phone together. And Kim said that her girls were asking for every detail about her visit here. So, she told them how Samuel likes to eat bananas in the peel and if you take them out of the peel he won't eat them and how Benjamin dumped a cup of water over Samuel's head in the bathtub. So, the girls asked Benjamin "Why did you dump water over your brother's head?" Of course, this is common occurrence at our house so it didn't phase him and he didn't know what they were talking about!

Don called Sunday morning and it was great to talk to him. Benjamin talked to him briefly and Samuel even got some phone time too (which mostly consists of trying to press the buttons on the phone and breathing heavily into the phone while Daddy talks to him).

Monday the boys slept in! Samuel almost til 7 a.m. and Benjamin almost slept until 8 a.m.! I couldn't believe it. Unfortunately, the clock strikes 6 a.m. and my internal clock alerts me. ugh. Monday afternoon we headed up to the kiddie pool with our neighbor, Katie. Benjamin didn't nap and was trying my patience the entire time but overall the kids had fun in the water and then Samuel came home and took another nap.

Today was a rather productive day. Samuel had a good morning nap then we were off to the library for story time! They both enjoyed it and we checked out some great new books from the library. Always a highlight at our house.

I had a book called "My Daddy's in Iraq but I Want Him Back" put on hold for us and we read it twice already. It's a great book. I cried both times. But it stimulated a lot of conversation and I'm glad we checked it out. I think every 3 year old with a deployed parent should have a copy. The book is written from a 3 year old boys perspective of his Daddy being in Iraq, from the time he left until he returned. I think it gives a renewed hope that this deployment will end and that life will return to normal for my lil guy someday (in less than 5 months actually!).

Tonight my helper came by and I managed to get some more things done then we took the boys outside for some playtime before I took her home. Next week I think we'll attempt taking them to the pool when she's here (provided the weather cooperates).

Our Silly Sam

While I was uploading the videos for the prior post I came across these two somewhat entertaining videos of Samuel that I took a few months back that somehow I never got around to posting.

I think I didn't post the one of him dancing on the kids table mainly because the video turned out so dark. But you can still see what he's doing and I think his laughter in it is the best! You can't help but get tickled watching it!

The other video of him at our kitchen table was a behavior he was quite fond of for awhile (even out in public). Thank goodness he has curbed both behaviors and I'm happy to report that he is no longer standing on the kids table and he is no longer blowing raspberries on tables!

Enjoy!

Our Busy Bee

Here are a couple of videos that I took of Samuel at the beginning of the month. He was just being a busy bee while big brother was napping. I love the way he entertains himself!

Fire Station Open House

Last night I put Samuel down for bed at 7:30 p.m. opposed to his normal 8 p.m. bedtime and this morning I woke him up at 9:15 a.m. Who knows how long he might have slept if I hadn't woke him up. But we had to get out the door for church so off we went.

Don did call this morning before we went to church. It was good to hear from him. He's still a little tired from his trip this week but it sounds like he is being pretty productive with his correspondence coursework. He is still counting down the days til he returns (of course) and reports that we're down to less than 5 months now! (Although that may be more like the time he actually departs Iraq versus the time he arrives here with us). Still all stuff to look forward to.

He and Benjamin spoke for awhile and Benjamin told him all about his trip to the zoo and all the other fun stuff that's been happening around here. He was quite chatty today.

After church we had lunch and I put Samuel down for a nap. I had a sitter come over and Benjamin and I went to the Ashburn Fire Department Open House. They have this twice a year in our town (Spring and Fall). We hadn't been in awhile and he was thrilled. The only problem was that it started sprinkling as soon as we walked out the door to go. By the time we got there it was a pretty steady rain but there were people there so we joined them. It actually worked out really well because the rain was not a down pour by any means and the lines were relatively short for everything.

We rode on top of a fire truck (in the rain with numerous other crazy people) and Benjamin got to participate in a whole bunch of stuff. He got to spray a fire hose and shoot down a pretend fire in a little house and also knock down some cones with the spray of the hose, he crawled through a little smokey house which showed the kids to stay low and out of the smoke, and he got an I.D. card from the Sheriff's department.

The firefighters were incredibly friendly and kind to the kids. They really took the time with Benjamin to show him things today and to talk to him. I don't remember that happening in prior visits so I don't know if it's because he's getting older and the firefighters figure he understands more or if it is because it was rainy and not as many kids there. Anyway, I did notice and appreciate the time and effort they took with our son. Although he played the shy card with the firefighters which I am always surprised to see from our outgoing lil man.

He also got popcorn, a blue balloon, a balloon that was twisted into a blue fish per his request, and blue cotton candy. As you can imagine, he was delighted and smiling from ear to ear as if to say "What possibly could be next?"

Well, we had stood in a pretty good line for the free photo I.D. from the Sheriff's department but I'm so glad we did. Benjamin was so proud of his I.D. Then we finally got up to the front of the line where he was weighed and measured then he sat for his photo. When he sat for his photo he said "Cheeseburgers!" followed by an obnoxious wide mouth face which is precisely when the photo was snapped. So, after we got his fish balloon creature we went back to pick up his I.D. and there it was... amidst all the content looking kids... our Benjamin's I.D. silly face and all. True to personality.

As we got in the car and were all ready to go I heard Benjamin pipe up "I got to go potty." The dreaded works when we just walked away from the Fire Station (where we would have had easy access to a potty). So, I attempted something we had never done with him before. "See those trees over there Benjamin?" You get the idea. We were in a rather secluded area where we parked and it worked. Mission accomplished.

We spent a good 2 hours at the Fire Station (it stopped raining after about an hour and a half). It was awesome spending time alone with Benjamin. Spoiling him with my undivided attention and seeing him delight in all the exciting stuff we were able to see and do at the Fire Station.

Then we stopped at the grocery store for a few things. I also took advantage of having a sitter and walked the dogs before we headed out for dinner at Moe's then to drop our sitter off. The boys truly adore her as does she them. We are so fortunate to have found her!

It turned into a beautiful afternoon and the boys were really enjoying the evening air so we spent a little time in our backyard before heading in for baths. Samuel really enjoys the sandbox and loves to dump the sand right over his head and attempts to dump it over his big brother's head as well. Needless to say, they earned their bath tonight.

It's been a busy weekend so I must finally cut out and go collapse because even though Samuel slept until 9:15 a.m. my early bird, Benjamin was up a few minutes before 6 a.m.

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I had a ton of photos I wanted to share so they're small. Please click on the photo if you'd like to enlarge it!

Zoo-perb Day

I figure I can either sit back and watch time pass or I can keep on moving and let time fly by...

So, today we were off to the National Zoo with Nelly and her kids. And after a cool and rainy day yesterday, today proved to be the perfect day for the zoo! When we left the house around 8:30 a.m. it was only 60 degrees but as we headed home around 1:30 p.m. it was 77 degrees.

Benjamin was thrilled to see the hippos because as he says he "LOVES hippos!" They are his "favorite animals." I was surprised to find out that hippos can hold their breath under water for up to 6 minutes at a time. So, we waited at an exhibit to see the hippos for what seemed like 10 minutes but was probably more like 5 or 6. And finally this huge hippo submerged briefly. Benjamin was in awe so, of course, it was worth the wait.

We also timed it so we would see the orangutans on their open lines above the zoo. It is definitely something to see! We found a park bench right under the line and enjoyed lunch and the orangutan show (and a lil show by our own monkeys too but that's to be expected). First we did the ape house and as we came out of there a zoo volunteer had a model of an orangutan foot and told Benjamin and Brooke all about it.

Make an on-line slideshow at www.OneTrueMedia.com

As we were heading out of the zoo we noticed there were tunnels for kids by the Prairie Dogs exhibit. So the kids could pretend they were going through Prairie Dog tunnels. Samuel had been getting antsy in the stroller from time to time so this was the perfect opportunity to let the kids get out and exert some energy. The kids had a ball acting like Prairie Dogs and tunneling.

Overall it was a great time, great company, good kids, and a pretty good lunch. Probably the most challenging time was when Nelly and I navigated 2 double strollers into the women's restroom. 4 kids and 2 adults does not make for an easy pit stop. Luckily we opted to change the babies ahead of time on blankets so we were able to leave them in the strollers while we had the bigger kids use the potties.

I think, considering the fact that Nelly and I were outnumbered with kids we did great. We got there early enough around 9:30 a.m. and it was not crowded and parking was easy. But the park opens as early as 6 a.m. (with the actual buildings opening at 10 a.m.) So, we decided if we did it again that we would try to get there even earlier (if possible). Her kids are early birds as is Benjamin. The only hang up would be my sleepy head Samuel who is not the best napper but typically has no trouble sleeping until 8 a.m. (or close to it).

Samuel fell asleep as soon as he was in the car on the way home from the zoo. He was totally tuckered out. Benjamin on the other hand stayed awake. When we got home Benjamin went down for a nap and Samuel fought it. I tried to put him down twice this afternoon and he never ended up doing more than playing around in his crib. ugh. I think I managed to get a 10 minute nap in (because walking around that hilly zoo pushing 70+ pounds of kids in a stroller really wore me out!)

Eventually, Samuel got to go into Benjamin's room and wake him up. Samuel loves waking his brother up. He climbs right into his toddler bed with him and climbs on him. Benjamin doesn't seem to mind though. He generally wakes up in such good spirits and after a good long nap he was happy.

After dinner our super neighbor, Katie, called to see if we would like anything from Maggie Moos (ice cream). Of course! And she already knows "Blue for Benjamin, right?" So, when she returned she came over to join us. It was nice to visit with her because it seems like it'd been awhile since we really chatted.

Well, another highlight of my day was hearing from Don! He's been traveling this week so he has not had e-mail access. Which meant I hadn't heard from him since Mother's Day. When he travels I still try to e-mail him as if he was still there reading my e-mails and when he returns he catches up on my e-mails so this is what his e-mail today said:

"Sue,

I returned to Victory today and thoroughly enjoyed your emails. Now
after not sleeping last night and working most of today, it is time for
me to go home and crash.

I love you and miss you very much. I can't wait to hug both of our boys
and really get to know Samuel and spend lots of time hugging and playing
with him. There will be two little boys for me to wrestle day and
night. Rocket ships and even getting Samuel to like upside down flips.

Don"

Fun Friday

Today was colder than it has been and rainy. Samuel woke up earlier than Benjamin which is not the norm at our house. I was surprised to hear him stirring at 6:30 a.m. but he was up and ready to go, go, go! So, by 7 a.m. we were all up. I woke up with a sinus headache and more misery. It was one of those morning that I felt like I could barely function myself let alone take care of two boys. But by 8 a.m. Samuel was back in bed for his morning nap and Benjamin was content spending some time catching up on his favorite cartoons. Thank goodness because I was able to catch a little cat nap on the couch and felt much better after doing so.

After that Benjamin really wanted to make cupcakes so we did that together. He loves to bake and help in the kitchen. But mostly, he LOVES to lick the cake batter. In fact, I think he'd be happy just making the batter and wouldn't even miss the actual cupcakes.

Benjamin and Samuel have really been into pulling cushions off the couches, gathering blankets and piling everything up. Not necessarily building a fort but just being silly and stacking pillows, crashing into them and laughing. A lot of laughing! So, I thought it was a good morning to pull out the pup tent. The boys were thrilled. Benjamin snuggled up with all the blankets and pillows in there and once Samuel woke up he loved playing peek-a-boo through the top vent of the tent.

Since Samuel took such a great morning nap I decided we would head out to Target and get a few things we needed. Of course it was nearing Benjamin's nap time by this point and he did carry on a great deal about wanting the "Blue" toilet paper and not the "Red" toilet paper. Because, as you know if you keep up with the blog, blue is Benjamin's favorite color and everything in his world needs to be blue. Who knew putting the package of Charmin with red lettering versus the blue would set him into an all out festival of tears and carrying on. Quite the drama in Target as he declared over and over... and over "I want blue toilet paper not red."

Eventually, we made our way away from the toilet paper and into the toys section and it seemed as though all was forgotten. But as we headed towards the checkout sometime later he muttered "I wanted blue toilet paper."

After that adventure we headed straight home for nap time! Both boys went to sleep right away. Sweet! I on the other hand got to work on the yard. I had a flat of marigolds that were going to become dilapidated if I didn't get them planted soon so I got them in the ground finally and did some other yard work, laundry, etc.

Then our friends Nelly and Dave called to see if we were up for Chucky Cheese tonight. With the boys taking such good afternoon naps I was in.

It is a little challenging going places where the boys want to go off to do things. So, I brought the double stroller in and it helped a bit but Benjamin still wanted to run off and try as many video games as he could (I think he gets that from Don). The boys both ate really good especially considering all the distractions. Overall, it went well. Benjamin and Samuel both had a great time and sometimes it's so worth it to put myself through a little extra just to see them light up. The bonus was that they both went to bed really well tonight (hopefully they'll both sleep til 7 a.m. too).

State of Confusion

Thursday Morning on our drive over to Ms. Natalie's house:

Benj: "Maheee! I see the flag of the United States of America!"

Me: "Yes, that is the flag of the United States. Good job. And what state do you live in?"

Benj: "The state of Virginia."

Me: "And what state do Grandma and Papa live in?"

Benj: "Illinois."

Me: "And what state do Jack's Grandma and Papa live in?"

Benj: "Minnesota."

Hmm. I couldn't think of anyone else that didn't live in Illinois or Virginia that he would know right off the bat where they lived. But we had visited Disney in Florida right before his 2nd birthday and we had told him that was where Mickey Mouse lives. So...

Me: "And what state does Mickey Mouse live in?"

Benj: "Mickey Mouse Clubhouse."

Bye-Bye Grandma and Papa!

Grandma and Papa left to head back to Illinois on Wednesday morning. We enjoyed a nice visit during their 10 day stay with us. And I must say I could definitely get used to the extra hands especially at bedtime and doing the dishes after dinner! (Two times of the day that Don is always extremely helpful with as were my mom and Harry).

Now we shall settle back into our routine until our next round of company arrives later this month. We're getting quite spoiled with all the visitors we've had... hmm... maybe that's one perk to having a deployed spouse.

We have nothing planned for the coming weekend so we shall see what comes our way. Since I am still battling a bit of a stuffy nose and sinus headache I'm hoping to get a little rest.

Mother's Day

We had a nice Mother's Day.

Don called early in the morning and although our conversation was short (due to the amount of calls the soldiers would be making on Mother's Day) it was sweet. Awhile back Don had sent a package and told me to save it for Mother's Day as well as cards from him and each of the boys. He sent me a mother's ring with birthstones of the boys as well as each of us. I love it and Benjamin thinks it's pretty neat. He keeps telling me that the blue one (stone) is his. He loves blue so it is perfect that sapphire happens to be his birthstone.

After church we all went to the Original Steakhouse and Sports Theater here in Ashburn. We had been there for Mother's Day in the past while my mom had visited and she loved their salmon. On top of that Mother's eat for free on Mother's Day (from a limited menu but a choice of salmon, steak or chicken!). The boys were both pretty well behaved during the meal then we headed for home. I'm still battling a cold as is my mom, Harry and the boys so a nap was definitely in order! It started to rain as we left the restaurant and we didn't do much of anything else the rest of the day. But it sure was a good day for napping!

I'd have to say one of my highlights of the day was hearing Benjamin sing my new favorite song (which he learned at school) about "Mom" over and over! Enjoy!

Fun Times with Grandma and Papa

We've been keeping busy this week and have really been enjoying our visit with my Mom and Harry.

Monday afternoon Benjamin and Papa got their hair cuts together! Benjamin dreads the trip to the hair dressers but he did an excellent job. They both got their hair cuts at the same time and at one point Benjamin looked over at his Papa and said "You're doing a great job, Papa. You're so brave." Then he went back to eating his lollipop as he sat on the booster seat getting his hair cut. He didn't whine or fuss a bit once he was actually getting his hair cut. So, who was really the brave one?

On Wednesday Benjamin's class had their Mother's Day celebration and all the mom's in his class were invited to tea. My mom and Harry watched Samuel while I went to see Benjamin at school. It was really a nice time. We made soap with the kids which was fun, the teacher read a book about Moms, the kids sang a song about Moms, we had tea, and a snack and the teachers handed out a booklet in which each child answered some questions about their mom. It was really a fun time.

Benjamin and my mom have been enjoying a new "Horton Hatches the Egg" Dr. Suess book just about every night. And it has shorted our bedtime routine a bit which has been nice! One less book I have to read. Not that I don't totally enjoy reading to my boys because I truly love how much they enjoy books. But I must say that it's a nice break to have someone else reading to them!

Samuel has really been energetic and fun-loving. He always is I suppose but it's just a joy to see him share that same spirit with his grandparents. Even though the boys don't get to see their grandparents often when they do it's pretty amazing to see the bonds they share. My boys have been blessed with such wonderful grandparents.

We've had our share of rain the past couple of days. Today I had the entire day off so we started our day off at IHOP! The boys were pretty well behaved for the hour or so we spent there and we all enjoyed our breakfast. After breakfast, the rain had slowed a bit so Grandma announced that she wanted to take a walk in the rain. She had brought the boys new umbrellas so it was the perfect opportunity to try them out. So, what kid wouldn't want to take a walk in the rain with their new umbrella. Benjamin was beaming as he and Grandma strolled up the street and back. Some times it is just the simplest pleasures that can thrill a child. I love that. I must have acquired that from my mother!

Dinos and Butterflies

Now to let you know what we've been up to lately...

Friday Grandma and Papa arrived. We have been having a great time! The boys have been so happy to have company and are being spoiled with all the attention.

Saturday we got moving early and went down to D.C. to the Smithsonian Institution National Museum of Natural History or as Benjamin affectionately calls it "The Dinosaur Museum." Benjamin has really been into dinosaurs lately so I told him that when Grandma and Papa visited we would try to go. He was thrilled Saturday morning when I told him we were going to go. We got to D.C. around 10:30 a.m. and found pretty decent free parking within close proximity to the museum.

Benjamin was in awe as we entered the museum and he saw all the dinosaur bones. His jaw just kind of dropped and he had a blank stare as he took in the enormity of the dinosaurs. We spent some time looking at all the different dinosaur bones. They have quite a collection. And I must say that as a mother of boys I now have a new appreciation of dinosaurs! I don't ever recall being so thrilled about them or thrilled about visiting museums with bones from dinosaurs but to live through Benjamin's eyes of excitement was enough to really make dinosaurs magical for me now.

Not only did they have the dinosaurs but they also recently opened a butterfly exhibit at the same museum. And Benjamin also has a fascination with butterflies and bugs right now. His class at preschool is called the "Blue Butterfly" class which has made butterflies all that much more exciting. And they recently had caterpillars in their classroom which they watched form cocoons and turn into butterflies. Just last week they set their butterflies free. So, this visit to the museum could not have been timed better.

So, we were off to check out the Butterfly Exhibit and the Insect Zoo. I would have to say that although it was absolutely thrilling to Benjamin at age 3 and a half, it was a bit disappointing to me. (Years ago, before Don and I were married [or even engaged!] we had gone to Niagara Falls and there we had visited some botanical gardens with butterflies that were stunning compared to the rinky dink exhibit at this national museum). There was a fee to get into this exhibit and no stroller allowed. So, Benjamin and I paid our $11 and went into the "Butterfly and Plants" exhibit. They gave us a chart with pictures of butterflies to look for and Benjamin studied it closely and really wanted to look for blue butterflies (of course, everything exciting is Blue in his world). Luckily, we didn't have to hunt long before we came across blue butterflies. And one landed on me a couple of times. We didn't realize he was blue until he spread his wings. I think Benjamin could have stayed in this part of the museum much longer than the 15 minutes we spent in there (he could have spent all day in there, in fact).

Once we got to the Insect Zoo I set Samuel free from the constraints of the stroller. He had a ball climbing through a life size replica of an insect tunnel which was just his size! And pushing all the buttons on another exhibit. It doesn't take much to entertain him at his age.

Before we left the museum Harry convinced my mom to take a peek at the Hope Diamond. Then we were off to enjoy some fresh air and some lunch on the National Mall. It was a gorgeous day reaching 82ish.

We left D.C. around 1 p.m. and the boys both fell asleep. They were completely wore out and continued to sleep for awhile once we got home. It was a nice way to kick off our visit with Grandma and Papa!

Our Silly Boys

Just a quick blog post to add some photos I took last week of the boys being silly with stuff out of our dress up bin.

While Benjamin was putting the bandanna over his eyes I told him that's what you do when you swing at a pinata. A little while latter he wanted the bandanna back on his eyes and he said "Mommy, I want to be a 'pinatador!" Not sure exactly what a 'pinatador' consists of but apparently they wear a bandanna over their eyes (maybe this is a sign that he's been watching too many episodes of the "Go Diego Go!" cartoon which places some emphasis on teaching kids Spanish. Anyways, in honor of Cinco de Mayo, I thought it appropriate to add that story).

We have been enjoying a busy but fun time with my mom and Harry visiting us. They arrived on Friday and all has been good. Great weather, extra arms for hugging and helping, and snuffly noses. Well, I guess all has been good except that Samuel has contaminated our entire house and now Benjamin, Mom and I are all a lil down with a cold.

I will post again soon with photos from my mom and Harry's visit.