I absolutely love watching my kids learn new things. Their excitement is contagious and their smiles at that moment are so adorable. This week something clicked for Christian and he has figured out how to go down the stairs. He's been going up for weeks and could go down if I got him started, but he'd always try to go head first if I didn't turn him around. This week, without any prompting, he went to the stairs, turned around and went down without trouble. He was so proud of himself! You could see it in his face. I was so happy for him. I finally managed to catch it on video today. Of course, I forgot to button his outfit so he looks a bit funny, but just ignore that part.
I'm so proud of my little boy. He is growing so fast. He wants to walk so badly. He never wants me to set him down on his bottom. Whenever I try to set him down, he straightens his legs so I have to hold his hands and walk him around the room. He will often try to let go of something and turn to something else without falling, but independent steps haven't come yet. He is so close, though. I'm sure he'll be walking very soon. I can't wait to see it. He is so incredibly cute, I could stare at him all day. What a blessing he is. He eats great, sleeps great (no longer screams himself to sleep), and is almost always happy. What more can you ask for in a baby?
Wednesday, July 27, 2011
Sleeping Beauty
She may have officially stopped napping, but as we learned with Benjamin, that doesn't mean there aren't days when she really could use one. We restarted gymnastics today and it wore her out. There was only one other kid in her class so she didn't have much down time watching other people and she worked very hard to impress her new teacher. When we got home she was clearly exhausted but refused to take a nap now that she's a big girl who no longer naps. So, not 30 minutes later, I came out of my room to find this:
She'd put on her princess dress and laid down by my door to wait for me to come out. I hadn't been in there 2 minutes, but it was long enough. She slept peacefully there for an hour until Christian woke up from his nap and the darn creaky floor woke her up as I tried to step past her to get him. It brought back memories of those days when Benjamin crashed in nearly the exact same spot (and on the stairs, and on the floor of his room, etc. etc.) Such funny kids. Why do my kids fight sleep so hard?!
She'd put on her princess dress and laid down by my door to wait for me to come out. I hadn't been in there 2 minutes, but it was long enough. She slept peacefully there for an hour until Christian woke up from his nap and the darn creaky floor woke her up as I tried to step past her to get him. It brought back memories of those days when Benjamin crashed in nearly the exact same spot (and on the stairs, and on the floor of his room, etc. etc.) Such funny kids. Why do my kids fight sleep so hard?!
Sunday, July 24, 2011
Busy and Fun
Yesterday was so full of fun things that I didn't know which to pick, so we just did them all. The first was a concert at the Scarab Club in downtown Detroit. It was a chamber music concert for children 5 and under. I've wanted the chance to expose my kids to live orchestral music but most symphonies are not places for small children. So I was excited for the chance to take them somewhere that would understand if they got fidgety and noisy. This performance was a lot like Peter and Wolf, in that they told a story and the instruments were the voices of the characters - the old man was a bassoon, the bird was a flute, etc. The narrator would tell a part of the story and then the musicians would play a piece illustrating it or sometimes play as the narrator spoke. It was wonderful and my kids loved it. Benjamin leaned over to me a few times and made comments like, "The old man is sad, so now they're using the low instruments," when the cello and the bassoon did a duet. After the concert was over, the kids were allowed to meet the musicians and play their instruments. Benjamin wanted to try the violin and Bella was most interested in the flute. They both stood in line repeatedly to get a chance to play. Everyone was very friendly and complimentary and made my kids feel like musical prodigies. It was a wonderful experience that I hope we get to have again soon. And next time I'll remember to take pictures! I was so mad after we left and I realized I had forgotten to take a single one!
After that, we went right next door to the Detroit Science Center - the science museum for kids - and went to the planetarium and the museum in general. It was their first time in a planetarium and it was so fun to see their reaction as the sky rotated overhead and they both thought the room was spinning. "Why are we turning, mommy?" Bella also loved the young kids' area and was absolutely giddy about the animal print feather boa vests and butterfly wings.
After that we picked up Kelly and Christian at home and headed to Maybury Park to go on a tractor ride to the beehives and learn about the honey harvest. Unfortunately we didn't get to assist. Kelly and I were so stoked at the idea of donning the beekeeper suits and getting in there, but we simply rode past the hives and then went back to the main barn for a demonstration. A bit of a letdown. We were shown a hive with the honey still in the comb and taught how it's made and how it's extracted. The kids got to wear a beekeeper's hat at least, and they had a great time.
After that we went to another nearby park for a potluck "Ancestor Party" - Pioneer Day party, Michigan style. We had great food and told stories about our ancestors, while the kids played super heroes in a huge sand pit and Bella took a dirt bath. A good time was had by all.
Such a full day and so much fun. Summer really is great, even if it's blazing hot. It's sad that Bella doesn't nap anymore, but I love having the extra time to do fun things and have a day like this.
One last thing I wanted to blog about - the kids were playing in the pool and Benjamin got a gallon-size ziploc bag, filled it with water and then tried to throw it on me. In an effort to convince him to use his energy for good, I suggested he try to throw the water into cool forms and we'll take pictures to see what they look like as they go through the air. He was immediately excited and we ended up throwing the bag about 20 times before he'd had enough. Here are some of the best results. I love how some of them look like giant water monsters chasing him.
After that, we went right next door to the Detroit Science Center - the science museum for kids - and went to the planetarium and the museum in general. It was their first time in a planetarium and it was so fun to see their reaction as the sky rotated overhead and they both thought the room was spinning. "Why are we turning, mommy?" Bella also loved the young kids' area and was absolutely giddy about the animal print feather boa vests and butterfly wings.
After that we picked up Kelly and Christian at home and headed to Maybury Park to go on a tractor ride to the beehives and learn about the honey harvest. Unfortunately we didn't get to assist. Kelly and I were so stoked at the idea of donning the beekeeper suits and getting in there, but we simply rode past the hives and then went back to the main barn for a demonstration. A bit of a letdown. We were shown a hive with the honey still in the comb and taught how it's made and how it's extracted. The kids got to wear a beekeeper's hat at least, and they had a great time.
After that we went to another nearby park for a potluck "Ancestor Party" - Pioneer Day party, Michigan style. We had great food and told stories about our ancestors, while the kids played super heroes in a huge sand pit and Bella took a dirt bath. A good time was had by all.
Such a full day and so much fun. Summer really is great, even if it's blazing hot. It's sad that Bella doesn't nap anymore, but I love having the extra time to do fun things and have a day like this.
One last thing I wanted to blog about - the kids were playing in the pool and Benjamin got a gallon-size ziploc bag, filled it with water and then tried to throw it on me. In an effort to convince him to use his energy for good, I suggested he try to throw the water into cool forms and we'll take pictures to see what they look like as they go through the air. He was immediately excited and we ended up throwing the bag about 20 times before he'd had enough. Here are some of the best results. I love how some of them look like giant water monsters chasing him.
Sunday, July 17, 2011
Festival Fun
I love summer festivals. This area has a ton of them. Founder's Day festival, Art Festival, the Spree, Ragtime Music Festival, etc. It has been a lot of fun to see the various artists and their work, the kids' rides, the bands and entertainers, etc. So far our favorite has been the Founder's Festival in Farmington this past weekend. They had a mini carnival for kids with rides (blow-up stuff, ferris wheel, mini train, etc), ponies, petting farm, face painting, balloon animals, free food, and entertainers. We spent all day and had a blast. The entertainer, "Amazing Clark," did 3 shows that day and did something a little different in each one. We watched the puppet show and the magic show. Bella was most amazed when he ate fire. He asked her to move away from the stage but she was so enamored that within moments she was back up front. She also loved the ponies. Although, her choice was really more of a horse. It was the biggest one they had and the lady was half way through saying, "Are you sure you want this one, honey, because we have that little one over there," but before she could finish, Bella was already climbing onto the biggest one, happy as a clam and excited to get going.
When we're not going to the festivals, we're at home in the water or riding bikes.
We've been trying to save gas this summer and enjoy the weather by riding our bikes anywhere we can. Not easy in a city built by the car industry. But if I know there will be a sidewalk the whole way somewhere, we'll take our bikes. It's been a blast and Benjamin has become a real bike riding pro - 8 miles in one day last week. Not bad on his little 12-inch wheel bike. Of course, his favorite thing is to go back and forth in front of our house showing off. His newest trick is the standing ride. He can do it on one leg too, but haven't gotten a picture of it. I know I wasn't doing stuff like that at just barely 5 years old! I remember the day I figured out how to ride without holding the handle bars! I was so proud! I think I was at least 10!
This is how Christian prefers to travel. :) The kids love dumping all the legos out of our container and then riding around in the kitchen, repeatedly crashing into my legs as I make dinner. Fun times.
I have spent these last few weeks doing incredible amounts of laundry. Couldn't figure out why until a few days ago when I realized that Benjamin has discovered a secret - it's much easier to throw your clothes into the laundry hamper than it is to fold them and put them in your drawer. Once they're in the hamper, your mom eventually folds them and puts them away for you! Smart boy. Smart, manipulative boy. "Ugh, these pants really stink!" he'll dramatically declare as he holds the nearly-new item at arm's length over to the hamper. So his entire outfit - pants, shirt, and pjs (rather than just underwear and socks, as it's has been in the past) have been going in the laundry every day. This may be normal for some, but I'm of the wear it until it's dirty or stinks school of thought, so this once wear business isn't working for me. This week, Benjamin is on laundry duty. We'll see how it goes.
When we're not going to the festivals, we're at home in the water or riding bikes.
We've been trying to save gas this summer and enjoy the weather by riding our bikes anywhere we can. Not easy in a city built by the car industry. But if I know there will be a sidewalk the whole way somewhere, we'll take our bikes. It's been a blast and Benjamin has become a real bike riding pro - 8 miles in one day last week. Not bad on his little 12-inch wheel bike. Of course, his favorite thing is to go back and forth in front of our house showing off. His newest trick is the standing ride. He can do it on one leg too, but haven't gotten a picture of it. I know I wasn't doing stuff like that at just barely 5 years old! I remember the day I figured out how to ride without holding the handle bars! I was so proud! I think I was at least 10!
This is how Christian prefers to travel. :) The kids love dumping all the legos out of our container and then riding around in the kitchen, repeatedly crashing into my legs as I make dinner. Fun times.
I have spent these last few weeks doing incredible amounts of laundry. Couldn't figure out why until a few days ago when I realized that Benjamin has discovered a secret - it's much easier to throw your clothes into the laundry hamper than it is to fold them and put them in your drawer. Once they're in the hamper, your mom eventually folds them and puts them away for you! Smart boy. Smart, manipulative boy. "Ugh, these pants really stink!" he'll dramatically declare as he holds the nearly-new item at arm's length over to the hamper. So his entire outfit - pants, shirt, and pjs (rather than just underwear and socks, as it's has been in the past) have been going in the laundry every day. This may be normal for some, but I'm of the wear it until it's dirty or stinks school of thought, so this once wear business isn't working for me. This week, Benjamin is on laundry duty. We'll see how it goes.
Sunday, July 03, 2011
Happy 5th Birthday!
Five years old! I remember when he was a baby and I thought 5 year old boys seemed so huge and wild and well...stinky and messy and terribly unappealing. :) Now I have a 5 year old wild and often stinky boy and wow, do I love him!
He amazes me every day with his intelligence, humor, athletic ability, and generosity. He also drives me crazy with his violent temper that will flare in an instant and his perfectionism that leads him to give up on anything he can't master at first try. But it's not like I don't know where he gets that! For Benjamin's birthday he got his two wishes - an RC car and a two-wheel scooter. We also got him a slip-and-slide. Between those three gifts, the rest of the day was set.
Not to mention his race car birthday cake and design-a-face pancake dinner at IHOP (where they sang and gave him an ice cream - which he shared with Bella of his own volition - remember how I said he was generous?). He had a great day. Even tonight he prayed, "thank you for my birthday yesterday." That made me feel better because I had some mommy guilt about not throwing a party for him. I just didn't have it in me after our long trip these last two weeks and the BBQ with friends we're having for the 4th. Kelly says that's the only child in me - having had a party on every birthday - he says it's okay not to have one every time and I'm trying to listen to that. ;)
Benjamin will start Kindergarten this fall and he's so excited. He's met his teacher and likes her a lot already. He's going to do amazing things. Happy Birthday, Benjamin! We love you so much.
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