Love the White Stuff!

It snowed most of the night and this morning so Benjamin and I enjoyed some time outside this afternoon. My first priority was to shovel the driveway, but as soon as I got out there, our neighbor, Barb, rushed out and said she'd do it for me. Ever since I told her I was pregnant, she has been so hyper-vigilant about any strenuous activity she sees me doing. So, I managed to get 1/4 of my driveway done while she did the remaining 3/4, and the entire sidewalk. Very sweet lady. So thereafter, Benjamin and I headed to the back where we played soccer, threw snowballs, and mostly played in his swimming pool which he still feels is the most fun outdoor toy he has, summer or winter. In winter it's great for filling with snow or for standing on and jumping off. Here's a few pics of our adventures. The funniest thing about Benjamin in the snow is that his snow outfit is so bulky that when he falls, he can't get up, so he spends almost as much time face down as he does running around.

Independent Play

Benjamin is someone that really doesn't play well alone. It's something I've been working on with him for a while, but he didn't make a lot of progress until we got our piano recently and he's been forced to entertain himself for at least 30 minutes every day while I practice. At first he threw a fit anytime I even walked over to it because he knew he was about to be ignored, but I really want to finally get better and not waste the 12 years of lessons I took, so I stuck with it. Now he whines right at first, and then quickly finds things to do. Most of the time, they're harmless. However, not always. The problem is that when I'm playing, I kind of zone out everything else and as I finished my last song and turned around, this is what I discovered today! Maybe this independent play thing isn't such a great idea! :) Fortunately, he helped me clean it all up again.


This evening Benjamin's friend Maya came over to play. They did really well together and did a lot of running around and chasing each other. I also loved having Maya around at dinner time because Benjamin wouldn't eat any of the food until he saw that Maya liked it and then he decided he'd try it too. It's the best he's eaten at dinner in a long time. Gotta love peer pressure. Thanks Maya! Here's a couple of pictures of our musical virtuosos. The pianos seemed to be their favorites all night.

Toddlers are exhausting

I try to keep this blog positive and optimistic as much as possible. Because we all know that there's plenty to complain about and stress about and feel guilty about when you're the mother of a toddler - a slightly obsessive compulsive, perfectionist mother, no less. However, I just have to be blatantly honest today and say that I'm exhausted! This kid rearing gig is hard work! The older he gets, the stronger he gets and the more willful he gets! Don't do things the way he wants and he lets you know it! The earpiercing screams, the tantrums, the toys flying at your head, etc. all make for a very challenging day. So, a couple days ago when he suddenly fell asleep (hours from nap time) in the hallway from the shear effort of it all, I said a little prayer of thanks. Did I try to move him into his bed? And risk waking him - no way! I tucked him in and went about my business as quietly as possible. It was a glorious, much needed moment of peace. My consolation is that I know all mothers of toddlers go through these same things. It only feels like I'm the only one in the world, but I know I'm not. There's lots of well mannered 5 and 6 year olds out there, so obviously their mothers survived and despite zero prior experience, managed to pull it off. I'm just glad God made Benjamin so cute, because sometimes that's the only thing that saves his little hide.

The Dalton Infirmary

Today was a great, relaxing Saturday. Both Kelly and Benjamin are little sickies, so we stayed home today and hung out. Benjamin is on antibiotics for an ear infection and Kelly is coughing and blowing his nose so often that I had to go to buy tissues at Costco to ensure we wouldn't run out!

However, we made the most of our sick day and as Benjamin is, you'd never know he was sick from the way he behaves. He's still a ball of laughter and energy and never shows any signs of slowing. I actually took him in to the doctor because he was coughing and she told me he had a "nasty" ear infection - technical term, apparently. I would never have known. Today, though, he seemed to be getting bored of his toys and started making mischief by tearing everything off shelves and climbing on things he shouldn't, so I decided to start making toys out of anything I could find. We built towers out of full paper towel rolls, forts out of couch cushions, hats out of tupperware and horns out of empty paper towel rolls, and finally looked through my old yearbooks finding pictures of me. He'd get so excited when he'd find one! He'd point to the picture and then to me and back and forth and then he'd rest his face against the picture and try to hug it. So cute. It was a lot of fun, even for me. The reason my yearbooks were out was because we also watched President Hinckley's funeral today and I recognized the man playing the bagpipes at the grave site as my old pre-calc teacher from high school! Here's a couple pictures I managed to get of Benjamin enjoying his make believe time.




On a side note, I'm going to miss President Hinckley so much. I've never met him personally, but it's amazing how you can feel so close and connected to someone you don't know. I loved him dearly and have sobbed bitterly many times since I learned of his passing. What an amazing man. I know he was a prophet of God and I thank him for the countless ways he taught me and enriched my life.

Finally, here are some pictures of Benjamin I took a while ago on a rare warm winter day at the park. I don't know why I never posted them. I think they're really cute.