Didn't Want to Forget This One!

Sam, Ben and I were at Wal-Mart the other day wandering up and down the Christmas candy aisle when Ben looked up and said, "Mommy, there's Christmas Daddy." I had no idea what he meant until I turned around and looked up to see a 4 foot cut-out of Santa Claus hanging from the ceiling. I immediately burst out laughing and told Sam that Ben just called Santa Claus Christmas Daddy. Sam proceeded to laugh hysterically. Ben realized he just said something humorous and began chanting "Christmas Daddy! Christmas Daddy" over and over while giggling and giggling.

Sam and I still laughed about it later that night. Christmas Daddy-can you believe it. I'm still chuckling.

Benny

Ben is an absolute delight! Here are a few funny things about him.

• Ben says the sweetest things. He is currently sitting on my lap saying, "you're a nice mommy" and giving me kisses on my arm.
• He loves to say what is his favorite (which is anything he likes at the moment). "Going to the store is my FAVORITE! This train is my FAVORITE! These scissors are my FAVORITE (an actual quote)!"
• Ben LOVES apples. I find him with a whole apple a couple of times a day and most of the time he eats the whole apple right down to the seeds. Other days I find several apples with a few bites taken out of them (that is not so cute!).
• Ben refers to himself as Big Boy. He does not like any references to being my baby. He says B-E-N spells Big Boy. He is not my little boy either. It is Big Boy!
• Ben is a TALKER! He talks and talks and talks all day long. He is also a screamer! If he does not like something or is unhappy about, the entire neighborhood knows.
• Ben LOVES his grandpas! He talks about Grandpa Zee and Grandpa Thomas all the time. It is quite adorable.

Well, those are a few things about my Big Boy. He is currently begging to watch himself and Cookie Monster (an old post) so I must sign off before he yells any louder.

Happy Birthday Ben!

Today my baby turned two! He was so excited it was his birthday because he knew that meant presents! He had a hard time when it was Sam's birthday and we told him on his birthday he would get presents-he remembered! We had Grandma T and Thomas over for dinner, presents, and cake and ice cream. I'll post pictures soon (I always say that don't I).

Ben is a great kid and he fills our house with love...and screaming. Ben has a very strong personality and often vocalizes his opinions very loudly. He is not timid or afraid of much (except dogs due to his run in with a roaming dog in the backyard). He is always willing to give a hug or blow a kiss. He loves Emily and Sam so much and is sad when they are sad. He loves to cuddle and read a book but also loves to play with trains, trucks, balls, dinosaurs, blocks, or whatever Sam is playing with. He is excited to show off his new room to anyone who visits our new house.

I am always amazed at Ben and the happiness he brings to our family. Ben can be a handful (those of you who know him, know what I mean) but he is worth every minute. Emily and Sam adore him and put up with so much because they want him to be happy. Lately Sam and Ben have been buddies and they play with each other a lot. It is sweet to see these two brothers play with each other and take turns. Emily loves to baby Ben and he eats it up.

It has been a crazy two years since Ben was born. We got a house ready to sell, sold a house, finished residency, moved across the country, started a practice, and bought a new home. Wow! Happy Birthday Ben! Your family adores you!

No Nap for Ben

Ben will be turning two on Sunday and he thinks that now he is old enough to stop taking his naps. He is only napping maybe 4-5 days a week. Today, he stayed in his crib for about 45 minutes just talking and asking for me. I finally got him out when I went to pick up Emily from school.

I really need Ben to take a LONG nap every day. He wears me out so that I need that nap time to recoup my energy and get something done. Also, if he doesn't nap, he is a mess by 5:00 pm.

Emily was about this age when she stopped napping. When did your kids stop napping?

Daily Musings of Nothingness

I have a few minutes and thought I would blog some of my musings.

• The new house is coming along nicely (sorry about not posting pictures yet). The master bedroom was has been demoed and repaired. The electrical work is done. We added 10 new recessed lights in the master bedroom and 3 in the kitchen. The cabinet work is supposed to be done tomorrow or the next day. The windows are being trimmed today. So exciting.
• The intercom system at the new house is kind of fun. Brad and I messed around with it today. You can talk to whoever is at the door from any intercom in the house. Cool.
• I feel the need to organize a bit before I start moving. Today I sorted through Emily and Sam's room. Emily consented to give up a few things but not as much as I hoped.
• The kids did something to my m key on my keyboard. I have to press really hard to make it work.
• Ben is a stinker! He turns 2 on Sunday and is starting to throw temper tantrums. He can be very stubborn. If he wasn't so lovable, I think I would go crazy.
• Ben fell out of his crib last night. He refused to go to bed and tried to climb out before I even got out of his bedroom. Thunk! Emily had mastered climbing out of her crib at 16 months or so and Sam sometime around 18 months. I guess I should be grateful he waited until now. Although maybe that fall might keep deter him.
• We were supposed to go to Utah this weekend and see Vicki's baby blessed but I have come down with a cold and Emily and Sam have had the stomach flu. So much for spending spring break at Grandma's house.
• I spent last night organizing my primary stuff (I'm secretary). It feels so good to finally be organized. It was driving me crazy!
• I leave for Boston soon! It will be fun to spend time with Angela and cheer her on as she runs the Boston Marathon. Angela is amazing!
• It is time to make dinner and I would rather blog (the kids are outside-whoo hoo!). I really hate making dinner. So did my mom. Darn they are inside, now my fun ends. Waffles for dinner tonight.

Daily Musings of Nothingness

Back by popular demand: MORE DAILY MUSINGS OF NOTHINGNESS!

• Ben is talking up a storm now. Two of his first two word sentences: Make mess! (More about this later) and See dog (he wanted to watch Blue's Clues while we were waiting for Emily at gymnastics).
• Thursday was a hectic day. I spent 4 1/2 hours at Emily's school doing PTO things (Pizza Party for Read-A-Thon winners and PTO meeting). When I got finally got home, Ben hadn't taken a nap and was soooooooo cranky. Emily was crying because she didn't want to go to gymnastics and then Ben dumped an entire box of goldfish crackers all over the living room floor followed by a basket of glittery confetti that Emily was supposed to have thrown away (But Mom it is so pretty!). Hence, Ben's first two word sentence, "make mess!" Meanwhile I was on the phone trying to figure out why our new home owners insurance policy was $1,000 more than other quotes. I didn't realize what was happening until Sam turned on the vacuum. Out of that chaos, Sam was my hero that day. Wow, this musing could have been it's own post.
• I have been elected PTO secretary for next year. I'm really excited to get more involved in what is happening at the elementary school.
• I am the most disorganized person lately. I have stacks and stacks of things I need to go through. I really hate not being on top of my clutter. It makes me moody.
• I stopped really organizing stuff lately because I figure I have to move it all soon. It will all catch up to me soon.
• We sign our part of the house closing paperwork tomorrow morning. It should all be taken care of by Tuesday.
• We bought our fridge, microwave, and cook top last weekend. We saved a bunch of money!!! We picked out the cook top we wanted and got prices at two places in town. We came home and googled the model number and found a brand new one on Ebay! We saved $350. It came yesterday and looks great! For the fridge, we bought the floor model and saved $500. I love getting a deal!!!!!
• We went shopping for our granite counter tops yesterday. I am so overwhelmed by making the choice. It is so expensive that I don't want to mess up. Any advice?
• I have dirty laundry stacked up to my ears.
• My sister, Traci, and her family are planning on visiting this weekend. I LOVE having visitors come to my house, especially family.
• I have two people who have offered to help me with decorating my house. I am so relieved! I am really bad at it.
• I really need a haircut. So does Ben. I refuse to cut my kid's hair.
• I really do need to get to that laundry so I'll end here.

Have a great week!

Daily Musings of Nothingness

Ben was sick last week and now he is back to his happy, giggly, messy self. Sam is sick this week. I would rather my almost 5 year old be sick than my almost 2 year old. Not that I want Sam to be sick but he just lays around, rests, and is willing to be cuddled. Ben cried and was irritable, constantly. Any questions.

I went to the school this morning to get the Read-A-Thon daily prizes organized. The principal forgot to draw the winners and announce them. Tomorrow I'm going to do it for her and give her a written note to read and hope it gets done correctly tomorrow. If you want something done right....

I went to Brad's office after the school. I didn't have much to do. Tobie showed me the inventory list we have to do for tax purposes. I really hate stuff like that. We'll do it later.

We had someone come over tonight and talk about renovations on the new house. I wonder how we will pay for them? Cash or loans. Now or later. convenience or total inconvenience.

I miss Rochester's library. A LOT! My new one only lets me check out 50 books at a time. Can I get a gold card for the library. They don't know who they are dealing with. 50 books at a time; what a joke!

I reread Twilight. It was better the second time. Just like the movie.

I spent Monday cleaning my house. I got rid of all the little clutter piles that mysteriously appear around the house. Today you could never tell that that was how I spend President's day.

Yesterday Ben wrote on the wall with a pencil and on my computer screen with a pen. Brad said that he was lucky it happened while he was at work.

When Rick came over this evening he asked Emily what grade she was in. Her reply, "I'm in first but I read at third."

Ben loves to wear shoes. Especially mine, Brad's, Emily's and Sam's.

I took a nap today and I didn't even feel guilty about it. It was lovely. Unfortunately, the kids made a mess in my office. It was worth it.

I made dinner tonight (shock!) and everyone loved it and ate it (shock again!!). Emily even gave me a hug for making the best dinner ever. Hawaiian Haystacks: 2 chicken breasts, cooked and cubed added to 2 cans of cream of chicken. Dilute with milk to desired consistency. Serve over rice. Top with Chinese noodles, cheddar cheese, olives and add a dash of lemon juice. Emily will have the left overs for lunch tomorrow.

I love Emily's lunchbox-sized thermos. It keeps food hot or cold. Makes packing a lunch much more imaginative.

Even though I had a nap today, I'm going to bed now. Thanks for reading my random thoughts. I should do more posts like this. So easy!

Trick or Treat

Halloween was a highly anticipated event in our household this year. As with most children, the thought of buckets of free candy is one of the most exciting events of the year besides Christmas. Emily and Sam kept asking how many more days until Halloween. Emily informed me that we should have a countdown to Halloween just like we have at Christmastime. Emily kept asking when would we decorate, when would we carve pumpkins, when is it time for trick or treating, etc, etc, etc.

Here are the kids in their costumes. Isn't Emily adorable. Somehow she did not have her pom poms with her for the picture but she was in too big a hurry to get the picture over with so the fun could begin. I neglected to take a picture of her during her school Halloween parade (I forgot my camera, what was I thinking!) My neighbor took one for me but I haven't got it yet.

Here is my valiant knight in shining armor. He looked so handsome and brave in this costume. As you can imagine, the sword was the best part. This pose was his idea.

Now here is my adorable Benny. One thing about Ben-he LOVES dogs. I mean LOVES dogs. Whenever he is throwing a fit or being difficult all I have to do is say, "Benny, lets look out the window and see if there are any dogs" (our neighbors have two small dogs that occasionally are outside). His strong desire to see a dog usually saves my sanity. So when I was digging through the Halloween costume box, I was so happy to find Sam's old dog costume (he wore it when he was 2 years old). I knew it would be perfect for Ben.

Sure enough, Halloween night he allowed Brad to put the costume on him and was even delighted to be wearing it (he wore it all night without a fuss). When Emily stood in front of the door to have her picture taken, Ben waited for his turn and wanted me to take his picture as well.

I couldn't resist taking a picture of the back of the costume. Isn't that tail the cutest? When I tried the costume on Ben, I pointed out the tail to Emily and Sam. Ben then turned to see and looked just like a puppy chasing his tail-around and around. What I wouldn't have given to have a video camera at that second. My kids were so excited to go trick or treating in our new neighborhood but we found out that the neighborhood does a trunk or treat instead. Our kids were soooooo disappointed. They did not want to trunk or treat. That was until I asked Emily's neighborhood friend if it was fun. She gave Emily the low down i.e. You Get Tons of CANDY!!!!!

Emily and Sam did not have school on Friday and so we spent the afternoon making paper bats and spiders and Kleenex tissue ghosts to hang up in our car for the Trunk or Treat activity that evening. The kids had a ball and made a huge mess. But it was totally worth it to see how hard they were working and how much fun they had doing it.

Brad's mom was able to join us for our evening festivities despite recovering from a nasty sinus infection. We had our traditional chili dinner, then dressed up, and headed to the Trunk or Treat activity. I thought the car looked pretty cool and we got many compliments on the decorations. I was surprised that we were one of the few to decorate. Party poopers!

The Trunk or Treat was a success and sure enough we got plenty of candy (and gave out plenty). Ben was SO EXCITED!!! After the first two cars, he realized that people were giving him candy. He would hold up his hand and they would hand him his candy and he would walk away giggling and giggling and giggling. He would not wait for Emily or Sam but continue on to the next car where he would hold up his hand or reach into the bowl, he was not shy at all, and get the candy. Then he would walk away giggling and giggling and giggling. It was a riot to watch him.

Sam said to me as we were walking around, "Mom, I really like Halloween."

After Trunk or Treating we headed over to Grandma T's. It was so fun to spend the evening with Dianne and have her a part of our holiday. Here she is with our crazy gang. Do you like my Hippie Witch costume? I bought it on clearance an few years ago for $2.90. I get so many compliments.After seeing Grandma at her house, we went to Steve and Tobie's to go trick or treating with their family (we promised the kids they could do some traditional trick or treating). Emily, Sam, Mikey, Ben and Sean had a great time trick or treating the neighborhood. I should have got a picture of them. What was I thinking! The fun continued with more candy, giggles, running from house to house, and more candy. Sam and Mikey got tired and all the boys headed home. Emily wanted to keep going and so Tobie and I walked one more cul-de-sac with her. She scored because every house gave her a handful of candy. I think it was because she was so darn cute.

It was a fun Halloween spent together as a family. As we drove to Steve and Tobie's, we passed the hospital and Brad laughed and said, "Ha, Ha I'm glad I'm not there." It hit me that even though Brad works hard all week long, his weekends and holidays are free to be with us. I am so happy about that!

Ben's Pumpkin Experience

While we were carving pumpkins, Ben was:

• Playing with the little pumpkins
• Dancing
• Plundering
• Climbing on the table
• Trying to eat the pumpkins, pulp, and/or seeds
• Trying to grab the pumpkin carving tools
• Trying to climb back on the table
• Fussing
• Showing his tummy
• Being silly
• Getting in the way
• Being delighted by the carved pumpkins
• Awed by the lighted pumpkins
• Trying to play with matches
• Put to bed

Here are the pictures to prove it.

Toy Rotation

I am a firm believer in toy rotation. Not only because it is a good practice in home organization but because I am a recovering toy buying freak. It is true. I went through a period a few years back where I bought an insane amount of toys. Just ask Brad...or anyone else who visited my house. (BTW someone once asked me if I ran a day care because of all the toys)

Most of these toys were from the line of Fisher Price's Little People. I love these toys. I love the imagination they spur when children play with them, I love the memories I had playing with Little People toys with my sisters, and I love that Emily played with them for hours on end when she was younger.

Now I have the space to display all these toys but not the desire to either
A) See them scattered about my entire house while I freak out that the construction set is getting mixed up with the airport set and the airport set is mixed up with the zoo set, etc. (I am a little compulsive that way.)

or

B) See them sit there while no one plays with them and than I feel bad that they are not being used and memories are not being made creating fun Little People adventures with each other.

So to make sure the above mentioned things do not happen, I store each set with ALL the pieces (if a piece is missing I can't rest until it has been recovered-I know, I know-totally compulsive). Then I store the sets in plastic bins and place them in my storage room until the time is ripe for toy rotation. I had the house set out but now no one is playing with it so I packaged it up (no missing pieces, much to my relief) and stored it away for another playtime in the future.

A few days ago, I needed to get a few things done so I took out the Little People Amusement Park and Construction set bin and let Ben and Sam have fun. Here they are digging in. Sam had exclaimed, "MOM, I forgot about these. I LOVE THESE!" It was just like Christmas morning but in October and it didn't cost me so much.
Sam can hardly wait to figure out what adventures the Little People will experience today.
Ben is thrilled with new toys. Although, every toy is new to him.

So the moral of this post is that toy rotation is a great thing. I makes your old toys new again. Brad told me we didn't need to buy anything for Christmas, we just needed to wrap up their old toys and give them to the kids again. As much as I would like to do that, I do still have that insane toy buying freak deep inside of me. It sometimes sneaks out at Christmastime. Oh boy, oh boy!

A Can of Worms

One day while I was trying to work at the computer, Ben was persistent about climbing onto my lap so he could pound on the keyboard. I gave up all attempts at working and decided to let Ben sit on my lap and "play on the computer". The pounding grew more fierce and in an attempt to distract him and save my keyboard I decided to let him view a YouTube clip of a childhood favorite, Cookie Monster singing "C is for Cookie".

Here is brief clip of Ben's excitement. The clip starts out with a cow mooing then the song starts.

We watched Cookie Monster about a million times. After I decided it was time to watch something else (Elmo's Song), I left the room for a minute and when I came back he had used the mouse and clicked back onto Cookie Monster and was watching C is for Cookie again. I was shocked that he had figured out how to use the mouse on his own.


After a few more minutes it was time to pick up Sam from preschool but Ben REFUSED to leave the computer. I carried him upstairs kicking and screaming. I think I opened a can of worms.

Here are few shots of Ben at the computer. He is mesmerized. (Please ignore the messy computer desk.)
One more time please!
Ben dancing and jiving to the music. I love those chubby arms!

Ben's New Trick

Here is Ben's latest trick.

Ben's Walking Progress

Emily was a very early walker. She took her first steps at 9 months 1 week. It didn't take long before she was walking everywhere. Sam started walking at 10 1/2 months and by 11 months he was walking exclusively.

But Ben has been a different story. He is now 1 year and almost 2 weeks but is still crawling. He can cruise along while holding onto the wall or furniture. He can push a walker toy with no problems, but he has no desire to walk.

This really bothered Brad for awhile. Mostly because from a doctor's point of view he should be walking by one year old. It hasn't bothered me because I can justify that he is just a heck of a lot fatter than Emily and Sam (he already weighs more than what they weighed at 2 years old or older). He is very content crawling. It definitely hasn't slowed him down; he plunders like a maniac.

But since the weather turned somewhat decent for Minnesota, Ben is dying to go outside and play. As soon as the door opens, he bolts for the door. The kids have to quickly shut it or he's out of the gates crawling at record speed. So why don't I let him out? Well, it really bothers me to see him crawl on the cement (he hates being on the grass). Why? I'll explain:

1. It ruins his cute little fake Robeez's shoes.
2. It makes his pants so dirty and dusty.
3. I'm afraid he is going to wear out the knees in his pants before he grows out of them.
4. I hate seeing his hands on the cement. I have this weird tactile phobia (I hate touching certain things) and to see his hands touching the cement really makes me want to wash my hands and smother them with lotion and file my nails. I know-it is crazy.

Call me strange and a freaky planner but one reason all my children have been born in the spring is because I figure they should learn to crawl and walk during the winter so by spring/summer they should be walkers. This makes summer time much more fun. The thought of a crawling baby at the beach or the park gives me heart palpation's? I figure if they are walking, there is less chance of sand, dirt, bugs, and/or rocks in their mouths.

So everyday Ben and I have walking practice. I hold him and try to get him to take a few steps towards Emily or I have him stand up against the couch and try to get him to come to me. He generally takes one step then falls toward me giggling. But today we were practicing in the kitchen and I stood him up against the dishwasher and had him walk toward me. It was the same as usual. But then I was holding him and he was facing the dishwasher and suddenly he took one, two, three, four and five little steps all so he could press the buttons on the dishwasher. Well, I of course cheered, hugged, and kissed him and made him do it again, and again, and again. Generally the buttons on the dishwasher are off limits but hey, if this is what gives him motivation then by all means walk and press away (I'm sure I'll regret that later).

Maybe he will be walking soon, but until then, I'll still cringe every time he crawls on the cement. Lotion anyone?

Emily is the Best!

One of the frustrations of having a house for sell is that I feel like I have to have the house looking perfect every time we leave. Yesterday I was talking to Brad on the phone debating whether or not to mop the kitchen floor before we went to story time at the library. We decided that the chances of a showing in the middle of the afternoon on a Wednesday was slim. Brad told me to relax, let it go, or else I would go crazy.

Well, just as I was telling the kids to get into the car, the phone rang. It was a realtor who wanted to show our house (while we were at the library). Frantically I tell the kids we have a showing and we can't go to the library yet. Fortunately, I had everything "show ready" except the kitchen and living room floor. As I'm grabbing the mop and mentally calculating how long it will take to tidy up and can we still make it to story time, Emily comes to me and says, "Mom, what can I do to help?" Oh, my heart filled with joy and relief. With her help I knew we could probably make it. She cleaned the entry way and vacuumed the living room floor while I gave the kitchen a quick mop. Then as I was finishing up, she carried Ben to the car and buckled him in his car seat and had Sam do the same.

We got the house ready and we were only a little late for the library. I'm so grateful for Emily's willingness to help. When the call came, my first thoughts were that the kids would complain about missing story time and/or get in my way while I hurriedly cleaned up. But it went so smooth and I was able to leave knowing that the house looked pretty good. They didn't complain about being late and cooperated while we rushed into the library.

Here is a picture of Emily reading a story to Ben. When did she grow up?

Happy Birthday Ben

This weekend Ben celebrated his 1st Birthday. I can't believe he is a year old! To help him celebrate, Emily made him a birthday hat. Isn't it cute?We gave him a few presents. Emily and Sam piled them on top of the couch pillows (I'm not sure why...)He was so adorable opening the presents; although, his brother and sister had a hard time not helping too much help. He loved the tent house. He crawled in and out and looked out the windows.
But his FAVORITE toy was a play phone. I picked this one up on clearance after Christmas knowing Ben would like it. HE LOVED IT! Ben loves phones and to have one that he can push the buttons and have all to himself was so exciting for him!
He would not put the phone down. He knew just what to do with it. He "talked" and "talked" and "talked" and loudly protested when Sam and Emily wanted a turn. It was so fun to see him so happy.
On Sunday we had a few friends over for dinner and cake and ice cream. Ben had a little help blowing out the candle (do you like Sam's Spiderman hat?). He obviously enjoyed his slice of cake.

Sam was more than willing to share his ice cream with the birthday day. (Do you see their matching shirts? Sam loves to dress the same as Ben.)Happy Birthday Benny! We love you so!

He's So Proud of Himself

Today during conference Brad had Emily and Ben on his lap. Somehow Ben flipped his head and bonked Emily in the face. She started to cry (he's done it to me before and it really hurts). I was holding Ben as Brad was comforting Emily. Ben looks over at Emily and Emily cries out, "He looks so proud of himself!"

It was really funny! Maybe you had to be there but Brad and I found it quite hilarious.

My Three Girls?

Emily really wishes she had a sister (and a pet) so she uses her little brothers to act out her dreams. Here is a picture of her brothers dressed up as her little sisters (we took it tonight).

The boys are so excited to be a part of her play that they are more than willing to do whatever she wants (well, Ben doesn't really have a choice). I'm sure in a few years Sam will be mortified that he dressed up in "girl" clothes (you should see some of the pictures I have-hee hee). Earlier this evening she had Sam crawling around on the floor with a jump rope leash, pretending he was a dog.

I'm glad Sam is willing to play because there is no way we are getting a pet (who knows about a little sister-or brother-just to clear up any speculations).

You know he's our third baby when...

It is interesting how things change with the more children you have. With the first baby everything is by the book. You read up on what food to give when, what to expect each month in regards to milestones and abilities and make sure you do it all according to what they say.

With the second you try hard but you're busier. You hope to do everything the same as with the first but you just don't have the time like you did. It is harder to keep a second baby on a schedule because child #1 has play dates, school, or just sometimes needs to get out of the house before everyone goes crazy.

With baby #3 everything goes out the window!

Case in point: When Emily was young she didn't get her first taste of candy until she was almost two. I held back on fruit snacks (choking hazard!) and lollipops (never!-way to sticky) for so long.
When Sam came around, Emily was already "exposed" to all that and so he was introduced to sweets much earlier but still within reason.

But BEN. Now he has 2 older siblings who gets way to much candy from holidays, parties, school, etc. They love their little brother and are so willing to share. See what I mean: "But Mom he likes it!" We (or should I say they) have created a monster!
He's only 10 months in this picture. What have we done!

Emily and Ben

Emily is the best big sister in the world. She loves her little baby brother Benjamin so much. Despite the fact that he is 21 pounds and she is not quite 35 pounds, she packs him around the house (even down the stairs which she is not supposed to do). The other morning I was in the shower and she decided to get Ben out of the crib. So she climbed into his crib, lifted him over the rail, and handed him to Sam (who is not strong enough to carry him around). Sam then laid him down on the floor. Then Emily picks him up and carries him to my bathroom. I was out of the shower by now and she brings him in. I, in a somewhat calm voice, ask how they got Ben out of the crib (there was no crying as far as I could tell). Emily calmly tells me how and says, "And we didn't even drop him once!"
Ben loves Emily and he smiles and gets excited when she comes home from school. He is very tolerant of what she does to him and is happy to be included in all the fun. Here is Emily dressing Ben in her dress up clothes. He was quite adorable and he even left the headband on for awhile (then he chewed it.)
Emily is a great helper with Ben. One morning I woke up to Emily, Sam, and Ben all in Ben's crib. Emily was getting Ben dressed. She had changed his diaper and was putting on his clothes. It was so wonderful to wake up to three kids all dressed and ready for the day!
Thanks Emily for all your help! You are a great girl and I appreciate how much you help me. You even do it with a smile!

Ben in Time Out

Somehow, Ben ended up in the time out corner. I'm not sure if he had help getting there (i.e. Emily or Sam). But he was was too cute sitting in the corner, eating a slipper, to not take a picture. So here is my cute baby. Excuse the slobber and runny nose, just look at those chubby arms. He definitely has not done anything that would send him to time out-he's just too adorable and sweet natured!