Memorial Day Camping Trip

We had a busy weekend! In addition to the yard sale we went camping at Rough River Lake with Seth's company. We had a blast! Benjamin and Talia did well sleeping in a tent. (We weren't sure what to expect.) Benjamin was in rock-heaven. Our camping site had a gravel driveway that kept him occupied the entire time! Talia was just as congenial as ever. Nothing ever phases that girl. :)

We arrived Sunday evening, meeting up with our friends (aka: one of Seth's bosses--although he doesn't like to be called that) with whom we were sharing a campsite. We set up the tent, which had two little "wings," one on each side, the perfect size for housing little hobbits. Benjamin's nifty camping bed fit perfectly in one while the mattress from Talia's pack 'n play went in the other. It was long past Benjamin's bedtime when we were finally ready to put him down, but he climbed right into his little tent without a fuss and was asleep in no time.

Monday we met up with the other half of the group, camping at a different site. One of Seth's coworkers has a boat so Seth and I got to go out for a couple of hours while the kids stayed back to take naps. Seth experienced knee-boarding (like snowboarding on water, except on your knees) for the first time, and according to the guys who know how it's done, did exceptionally well. He got up on his second try!

Although it was a short trip, we had a great time! We definitely want to do some more camping as a family this summer.

Yard Sale Fun

Today was our first ever post-kids yard sale hosting experience. We had a great time! Several couples from our Sunday School class participated so we had a nice big attractive sale. We sold lots of stuff that has been taking up space in our storage shed since our two big moving purges. I always feel so cleansed at the close of a well-attended yard sale!

Benjamin and Talia had a great time, especially Benjamin. He loved running around the yard and being the center of attention. His biggest attention-attracting "trick," however, was not so fun--he fell on the sloping driveway and is now sporting a quarter-sized bruise/bump on his forehead.

Here are a few fun pictures from our day!

Companion Word

Well, at 19 months old, Benjamin has finally learned the "n" word. (Not that we were pressing for this milestone.) He doesn't say it defiantly ("NO!"), more as if he has considered your request and decided to respond in the negative ("mmm...no."). For example, the other day he was waddling down the hall, shirt hiked up to his chin, with his big-ole belly hanging out enticingly. I was sitting on the floor with Talia in my lap, and so was unable to tackle and kiss him as I felt the urge. So I asked him, "Benjamin, can you come to Mama? I want to kiss your belly." He took a hard left, steering himself safely around to the other side of the coffee table. Once he was out of reach he responded innocently, "no."

Time out...for Mama

The purpose of this post is two-fold: to brag on my sweet husband and to sound the need for an occasional respite for tired moms (husbands, take note). Last week was a pretty stressful week with the kids. I can't remember exactly all the difficulties--maybe I've blocked them from my memory--but by Thursday night I was just worn out and stressed and overwhelmed. Maybe it was prompted by the huge sigh I heaved as I cleaned Benjamin's hands mid-dinner (as he was refusing to eat...again) that Seth left the table and returned a minute later with the car keys and a Starbucks card. "I want you to take these and go. I'll take care of the kids." My sense of duty and my super-mom complex almost protested. ("I'll be fine." "I'm just tired." "You've had a hard week too.") But really I knew I desperately needed a break. Not long after I was on my way to Starbucks, book in hand, for a time out. I sat in an armchair, drinking my decaf nonfat caramel machiato, reading Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (book 7 comes out in July, you know, I'm in my pre-release preparation mode) for an hour or so. I paused at the end of a chapter, took a deep breath that released in a smile, and closed the book. It doesn't take very long for a mom's batteries to recharge. What a difference an hour makes! As I walked to the car I called Seth. "Can I come home now? I promise I'll be good."

True Confessions

Before Kiersten has a chance to post this, I will. Last week we were at a friend's house and us guys, including Benjamin, were out playing frisbee. Benjamin was fascinated by it. Well, Benjamin has a couple of mini-frisbees here at our house. So tonight we were playing outside and I was throwing his frisbees around. Well, I tried throwing it to Benjamin ... I was aiming at his chest ... but it went a little too high ... and hit his lip. So Benjamin is going to bed tonight with a slightly fat lip. Sorry, buddy.

Mother's Day, Take 2

I posted 5 Mother's Day pictures on my original Mother's Day post, but for some reason 4 of them were having trouble loading. Hopefully posting them each individually will solve the problem.

Mother's Day, Take 2

Mother's Day, Take 2

Mother's Day, Take 2

Laughing

Talia is officially laughing! She had been making a funny "breathing in" kind of sound that was kind of a laugh, but Sunday (Mother's Day :) ) she all of a sudden came out with this great big belly laugh! She is so happy and social. I love it! She is definitely all girl when it comes to communication and socializing. If someone just looks at her she dissolves into a huge smile and she "talks" almost constantly to you if you hold her facing you and give her your undivided attention. Benjamin is so busy I sometimes forget to post Talia's "small" accomplishments, but she is growing up so fast!

Captain Kid

Benjamin has lately taken to wearing his "blankie" around the house like a cape. It is seriously cute :) Check back in a couple of days--I will try to capture a picture to post here.

I guess it's our new favorite word!

I think I mentioned in the last post that I've been having trouble getting Benjamin to eat green beans, as well as other vegetables, lately. (Some of you are probably thinking, "give it up, Kiersten!") Today I brought a hot dog and some, you guessed it, green beans to our play group for his lunch. He ate the hot dog right away, no problem, but he refused the green beans as usual. I told him, "Benjamin, this is all we brought to eat. If you don't eat the green beans you are going to be hungry. Do you want to be hungry?" He looked at me very seriously and gravely answered, "Yesh."

Yesh!

In effort to get Benjamin to eat the green beans he has been rejecting lately for lunch, I put several dots of ketchup on them. (I'm beginning to discover Benjamin loves ketchup. I guess he's normal!) Anyway, he did eat some of his food and then began to play with the rest. I told him to keep eating, which induced a major pout. You have never seen such a grumpy face. "Do you want some more ketchup?," I asked him. Immediately his pout changed to a wide-eyed expression of sheer delight. "YESH!," he shouted exhuberantly.

Happy Mother's Day

Today my husband and children blessed me with...a "hand" -made card (colored by Benjamin with Benjamin's & Talia's handprints traced inside), an awesome Starbucks mug, lunch at Penn Station (yummy, yummy east- coast- style subs), lots of smiles (courtesy of Talia), hugs & kisses, and hand-picked flowers delievered one at a time by Benjamin. My family is such a blessing!

New Words

Benjamin's vocabulary has exploded recently. Most of what he says is still largely unintelligible to the average passerby, but it's fun to see him trying. :) Some of my favorite new words are:

-the "b" group: ball, bottle, bath, baby, book
-"Jesus" and "Bible" (prompted by his love for the song "Jesus Loves Me")
-"ba-bo" (I don't know what this one means, but he says it ALL the time)
-all the "sound words" in "Mr. Brown Can Moo, Can You?": pop, eek, hoo-hoo, boom!

Done!

Seth just announced that he is finished with the last revisions on the last paper he has to turn in for his last class...ever! (This being his LAST degree.)

This leaves him with comprehensive exams next semester and then his dissertation (planned to take a year). It's hard to believe there might actually be an end to school for us. :) We are definitely both ready.

Talia's Dedication

Talia was dedicated to the Lord (as we publically committed to raise her according to the standards in God's Word) Sunday, May 6th.

Sweet Smiley Girl

Linus

"Uh-Oh"

This is a great Benjamin story:

The other day Benjamin brought me his book containing pictures of various family members. In preparation for our upcoming trip to California, I decided to try to begin to teach him to say names. We started with the grandparents.

"Can you say 'Mima'?"
"Meh-MA!"

"Can you say 'Grandpa'?"
"Pa-PA!"

"Can you say 'Papo'?"
"P-PO!"

"Can you say 'Mamacita'?"
Blank look.... "Uh-oh."