Ben Ben Ben

What to say about Ben. The best way to describe what Ben’s been up to is to tell a few stories. He’s 2 ½ and living every minute of it.

A few weeks ago we were finishing up supper and Ben had already escaped to the garage. After a bit I hear a strange noise and immediately I think, “Oh man, Ben’s driving the 4 wheeler around the yard.” You might wonder why I would think that, well he had gotten into the habit of jumping on the 4 wheeler and starting it up. We knew that he knew how to shift and that the throttle makes it go. So, a little scary for a mom in the house thinking her 2 year old is driving the 4 wheeler around the yard. I hurry to the garage and realize it is not the 4 wheeler after all – it is my car! I had also known he could start the car, he’d done it a few times before. This time was a little different – he was revving the engine! Oh how I wish I could have videotaped what happened next. So, I’m trying to be upset, telling him to get out, not to ever do that again. Ben is so excited that he isn’t listening to me at all. For those of you that know Ben, you know that when he’s excited, telling a story, he’s a hoot to listen to. He takes breaths between almost every word and his face and body all tell the story together. He goes on to tell me that the car is stuck and he’s spinning the tires to get it out (the previous day he had been with his uncle Cory in the tractor, stuck in the field). He was so excited that I couldn’t get too angry. He called Curt to tell him all about how mom’s car was stuck and he spun the tires to get it out. Luckily he can’t actually get it in gear (yet!) otherwise he would have done a nose dive down our concrete steps.

About a week after the car episode, we were camping. He’s a busy kid to keep up with because he is usually very willing to take care of what he needs by himself. We were all by our camper preparing lunch. Curt was grilling and I was going in and out of the camper. Hummm, wonder where Ben might be? He thought something needed to be ‘fixed’ on the top of our camper, so up the ladder he went. His response, “Dad, I’m fixin’”.

These are the days with Ben. He’s cute as a button, feisty, loving, a bully, smart and definitely in his 2’s! He adores and looks up to Jake, copies everything he says (much to Jake’s dismay). He gives great bear hugs (usually after contemplating whether or not he has any left), he’s in constant motion and loves to be outside. He’s also busy watching Jake do all the things that he’d like to do – T-Ball, swimming lessons, pedal pull… He’s pretty awesome and we love every inch of him.

1st Place (again)

Saturday was Munichfest and Jake participated in the Pedal Tractor Pull again this year. He got another 1st place! He was determined he would get first place (he told me so before we left home) and well I guess he was right. As you can see from the pictures, the weather was anything but ideal but it certainly didn't get any of the kids down. It was a good time - my boys loved the puddles afterward and luckily dry clothes weren't far from town.

After the pull we stayed for the parade - the rain was timed just perfect, I think it quit about 3 minutes before the parade started. Lots of parade candy (let me know if anyone needs some).
The boys and I headed home after the parade to change clothes and let Sam catch a nap - he really is a trooper - hardly fussed at all through the rain and cold weather.

Curt and his team competed in the Fireman's Water Ball fight again this year. The boys really wanted to watch so we cut Sam's nap short and went back to town. It was fun to see, they took 2nd (1st place last year). We had some more burgers, hotdogs and tacos in a bag, played the cake walk and called it a day. Curt and I enjoyed the night out while the boys stayed home with sitters.

Jake giving it his all - might help a little that he pedals everyday and Grandpa Ken has a similar ride!

Receiving his trophy.

Proud Man!
Cory and Curt standing ready.


For those that aren't familiar with this sport... The goal is to push the keg to the other side of the middle line and keep it there. 2 out of 3 wins the round, double elimination.

More on Sam

Sam enjoying a bottle before bed while relaxing in Dad's recliner.

In the last blog I said Sam was getting big, well that hasn’t changed, but a lot of other things have.

He’s an accomplished sitter now and would LOVE to be a crawler but he just isn’t quite there yet. He tries but it always turns into a beached whale event. Oh he still manages to get around, just not by crawling. He wants everything that everyone else has and already enjoys taking Ben’s tractors when he isn’t looking.

He’s been eating well. All my babies were chubby and Sam is no exception. He does really good with some finger foods but I haven’t been very good about giving them to him. Baby food really is easier – no cutting and chopping. He’s slowly losing his interest in baby food so I think I’ll have to get going with the real stuff.

He’s holding his bottle all by himself. I don’t really remember it being a big deal when Jake or Ben starting doing this but it sure has made things easier around here this time. He’ll sit in his highchair and have his bottle while I get things ready in the morning, he’ll lay back in his stroller having a bottle while the older boys are busying doing one thing or another, he’ll even lay next to me in bed and drink one while I catch a little break. He still demands some snuggle time, so all isn’t lost.

Sam made it through his first school year. He was one week old when we starting hauling Jake into and home from preschool two days a week. Preschool is over and Jake may miss his friends but our little Sam doesn’t miss all the running around. He can take a nap and wake back up in the same place.

He also has 2 teeth now. I think the first one broke through about 2 weeks ago and the second about a week later. They are so cute. Doesn’t look like any of the others are even close yet.

Big brothers are really great. They make Sam smile all the time and often fight over who gets to talk to him. Jake can really get him going – they usually enjoy some play time together while Ben naps. Ben loves his brother too but also loves to plow him over and throw things at him. I’m sure one day he’ll get his payback.

Sam is such a good baby, we couldn't ask for anything more (well Curt still thinks he should sleep better but I don't complain since the rest of the time is really pretty easy). He spends hours in his stroller while the rest of us are doing things in the yard and when we're camping. He hardly ever complains. If there are people to watch and puffs to eat, he's happy.

That’s all till next time.

Sam's getting big

Can't believe our baby is already nearly 8 months old. Oh heck, I can't believe our first baby is 5 already.

Sam is generally very easy going and always full of smiles. Lately he is particularly fond of his dad. It surprises me because this time of the year Curt isn't around much at all and sometimes with little ones, that makes them more scared. Not Sam, he always had a huge smile saved up for Curt when he comes home.

He's starting to self feed some - loves those Puffs! Most of the time they actually get in his mouth. For the most part he's still eating baby food - I tried small bits of banana but those cause strange concoctions of the face!

The last 6 weeks were very up and down with sleep. We tried Zantac, seemed to help for a bit - then he caught a cold, then he had an ear infection, then he was just plain old uncomfortable all the time. I think we are back on track now. He certainly does not sleep through the night but at least he sleeps in between waking up!

Sam has had his first 4 Wheeler ride and seems to enjoy that. We've been going for walks to the shop more often so that Ben and Jake can ride their bikes. He's just OK with the stroller and manages to put up with it for his brothers' sake. His favorite thing to do right now is to be on the floor maneuvering around - his hands are constantly busy reaching and searching for whatever he can get.

Everyone says how chubby he is but I still think he's the 'thinnest' of the 3 of them. Sure, he has a nice round belly and a few rolls in his arms, but what's that?

Thoughts from a 2 year old

Here's another interesting thought and it doesn't have to do with the weight of his mother!

Ben wanted more milk in his cup tonight. I said, "how about I just give you half." He looked at me and said, "You're going to cut it?." The slow mom I am was a bit confused and asked him again. Same response. Ding ding - "No Ben, I won't cut your cup, I"ll just fill it half full." "Oh."

Oh my Jake

Here's another one from Jake (note: he said this with a complete straight face and with total honesty).

I was giving the boys a little more food tonight and there were just a few small pieces of carrots left in the pan. I ate them while I was putting the other food away. Ben was asking why I was doing that. I simply said I thought I'd just eat them rather than waste them. Jake's contribution to the story, "Well, I guess it is better to get fat than to waste." Hmmm....

The Boys in their PJs

The boys in their PJs that Grandma Linda gave them for Christmas.