Playing Catch-up

Then:

And now:

So I'm a little behind but here's a review of our staycation with Candy and Ava.
We had so much fun together and Bennett and Ava were instant buddies. Bennett was quite transfixed with Ava's imagination and by mid-week they were making up songs together and playing all kinds of made-up games. I think Ava was a little taken aback by Bennett's wild side and had to get used to his tendency to run around naked after every potty break until I tracked down his shorts and underwear. They were quite the pair.

Ava was overjoyed with these tiny toads they found at my parents'. She kept them in a watering can while she ate dinner and was horrified when Jon asked her if she wanted him to eat one. Unfortunately for the toad, he wasn't joking.

A day at Adventureland (the first time there for ALL of us!)

Ava's expression is priceless :)

Both of them cashed out after we hit the waterpark.

We actually got to do a few things without the kids (the highlights of the week...any parent can understand!). One was the 1st Annual Iowa Improv Festival. Huh-larious. (Those random people in the shot are improvers)

We hit the fountains at West Glen on the last day:

Dawson trying to get in on the action:

A few more things we did that aren't pictured were a trip to the library, a short day at the zoo (until we got caught in a torrential downpour)and Prairie Trail park. The week was wonderful and exhausting :) We definitely made up for the 3 years since we'd seen each other. The kids were definitely ready to have their own spaces back by the last couple days but I could have spent a whole other week with Candy. She and I are dreaming of the day we can take a vacation together sans kiddos. Sounds heavenly.

This was Ava's face on the entire ride to the airport. She didn't want to leave : (

Bennett keeps asking if we're going to see "that new Ava" again. I wish we were...

Soaking up the sun

Not too much blog-worthy news lately. We've just been enjoying this weather (doesn't get any better than its been this week). We got this pool off of Craigslist after seeing how much Bennett's been loving his cousin, Piper's. But its not a permanent fixture. A) because there's a tiny hole in the top blown-up ring that we have yet to find and B) because we're pretty sure you can't have a pool this big (its probably chest deep on Bennett if it were filled all the way) without a fenced in yard. So anyway, its fine as-is for the time being but we'll probably re-sell it and find a replacement.


In the pool with our neighbor kids-- Bennett gets SO excited when he sees Jack and Sophie (on the right) outside and bolts for the door (usually before I get any clothes on him. Our whole neighborhood has now seen my naked son):

This is Bennett's latest pool progress:

I'm so proud of him! Now we just have to get those water wings off.

And Dawson, happy as a clam, with our good friend, Caitlin:
Don't let his smile fool you. He's actually been quite a beast at home lately. Mostly because he's been teething nonstop but he also gets so mad and just yells and yells if he has to wait at all for food. I've desperately been trying to teach him the sign for "more", thinking that'll help! He's a very determined guy already and won't sit still for a second. Bennett freaks out whenever Dawson heads for one of his puzzles he's working on. I've been hearing this a lot lately: "Put him in his saucer, Mom." He's already cruising around furniture and climbing. I found him on top of my sister's coffee table the other day! At this age, Bennett would sit completely in awe for an entire Baby Einstein movie. I tried one once for Dawson and I'm pretty sure he didn't look at the TV for more than 3 seconds. He's exactly like his brother, though, that if we're out of the house, he's perfectly content. Thank the Lord for that.

More to come soon...my best friend, Candy, arrives from CA in 5 days!! We're packing the week full of fun stuff. I cannot wait!

Just a couple bums

Based on the rear-view, you'd certainly never know these two were related!
I have a feeling they're going to disown me during their teen years based on my obsession with their adorable cheeks and the frequency at which I've displayed them for the world to see.

Success at Last!

I know this is one of those posts that's much more exciting to me than anyone else, but just indulge me :)
Bennett is officially potty-trained! He's been in strictly underwear since Thursday morning and hasn't had a single accident!! And the most shocking thing to me...he's woken up dry for the last 3 nights too! I can hardly believe we've crossed this milestone. I've been so proud of him. Although, he still doesn't quite have down the social rules of potty-use. I warned them when I dropped him off at Sunday School this morning that this was his first week out in underwear and to just be ready to take him to the bathroom. I heard afterwards that part-way through class he dropped his drawers to his ankles and shouted, "I have to go pee-pee!" (Two weeks baring it all at church...sheesh! People are going to wonder if this boy ever wears clothes at home! Ummm...he doesn't. Ha!) He kind of made up his mind about all of this on his own. For several weeks, I've made him leave his diaper off at home if we happened to be at home all day (this would be maybe one or two days a week) but he usually put up a bit of a fuss and always preferred his diaper. And then, boom, all of a sudden, after a full day at home this past Thursday, and Friday at his Nana and Poppy's, he says, "I don't wear diapers anymore. I wear underwear." And that's that!

3 short years

And so much life. How do you sum up 3 years of life with a child? Tiring, invigorating, stressful, calming, hard, wonderful, emotional, joyful...parenting brings out the best (and often worst) sides of your personality and character. I've realized how methodical and scheduled I am but with enough spontaneity to let a boy be a boy. I've realized how selfish I am when I begrudge my children the fact that I can't eat when I want (or at the temperature at which I prefer my food!) or read or relax when I want. I've realized how strong I can be when I'm beyond exhausted but can muster that last bit of enthusiasm and energy to still have fun and be patient with him. I've realized no matter what life brings, I will still take over an hour to get ready in the morning. People said I'd learn to move faster...I haven't. I'm just later. I've learned how much I love to learn and to teach, because I get the most joy out of watching Bennett learn new things. I've learned how much pride goes into parenting and that watching your child succeed at something is just as satisfying (if not more so) as succeeding at something yourself. I've been confirmed a hundred times over that being a mother is and always has been my greatest calling in life. I hate even working two days a week and feel so loved and fulfilled when every time I've been away for more than 5 minutes, Bennett shouts, "Mom!" when he sees me and runs full force to me and hugs me. These years are hard and I truly look forward to when our kids are a bit older and we can do all kinds of fun things together but with age comes far fewer snuggles and kisses and "Mom, can you sleep with me for a second?". I love consoling Bennett after he gets hurt in the way that only a mother can. I hope he always wants me to read to him. I hope he always needs me. I hope he always knows that he's a part of me- a huge part of my heart walking around on this earth, vulnerable and fragile. He's exactly what I imagined he'd be- wild, sweet, rough, sensitive, smart, funny and caring. And so much more. God created a one of a kind and he's amazing.

1st Birthday

The first time he came out of the bath with curls...I remember trying so hard to get this picture so they'd show!

2nd Birthday

If he had no toys and only books, he'd still be content!

June 6th, 2010. My attempt at a special birthday breakfast in the rush to get to church!

We love you Bennett. More than you'll ever grasp...until you have kids of your own!

Wild Thing, you make my heart sing!

The big day finally came...and went. We had Bennett's third birthday party on Saturday and he officially turned 3 yesterday. I love planning and celebrating birthdays and this year I commissioned my mother-in-law because she's the party theme queen. She's creative and crafty...two areas I can always use help in. We had so much fun planning a Where the Wild Things Are party for my very wild boy. I searched the blogosphere and found some adorable ideas. It started with this (which I copied from here):

My friend, Elizabeth, is my go-to-gal for a lot of things. I knew I could ask her help on making these invites. They turned out perfect. She's pretty much a super-mom. She has 3 kids under 4, and one on the way, which in its own right, qualifies you as super-mom. And yet she does a million other things on the side, including awesome photography. So anyway, maybe she never cleans and sleeps 4 hours a night. I know that's not true, but it'll make the rest of us feel better.

We kicked off the royal rumpus with storytime:

The "wild things" were instructed to roar and gnash teeth and show claws at the appropriate times:

Next was the Pin the Tail on Max game:


Judie outdid herself on the Max costume. I'm sure there won't be any mischief from this sweet thing!:

I love how their personalities came out in this pic:

And the piece de resistance (copied from here):


So proud of himself : )

And some wild presents:

The goody bags with color coordinated candy, of course!:

And then things got even wilder...

I couldn't think of a better way for a 3 (or 30) year old boy to end a birthday party!