Well, it seems to me that I had about a million little tidbits to write, of course that was on Friday, and mommy brain has kicked in and now I can't remember anything of interest. So, here goes with today's pointless musings:
This is officially the hottest summer on record for Austin. We have had 67 days of temps 100 or higher this year. Two more days and we tie the 1925 record of the hottest year ever, three days and we break that record. It probably won't happen this week though. A cold front blew through the other day and dropped temps to the mid - upper 90s, yeah 99 is a break in the heat! Actually, for the first time in months yesterday morning it was cooler outside than inside, we actually opened the windows for a few moments. It was 74 degrees outside ;-)
I have just finished reading my 30th book of the year. I don't think there is enough time to get 20 more read by the end of the year, it was a noble goal but probably unreachable.
School started in the area this past week. While it doesn't directly have anything to do with us, it is nice being out and about at some of our favorite spots and not having to battle 500 kids, almost all of whom are bigger than A & B!
It rained this week. Notable only because that just doesn't seem to happen much here these days. In fact we got a good soaking on Thursday night, enough so that the sand volleyball pit at the park was still wet. Alex was thrilled to be able to build sand castles Friday morning.
I bought a stevia plant at the farmer's market yesterday. It's an herb that is naturally very very sweet. I have some wonderful tea with stevia in it. Now I can't wait to harvest my own leaves. Generally it is used dried or as a syrup that has boiled and set to steep for 24 hours prior to use. I actually ate one of the leaves right off the plant and it is so good, really interesting little plant!
Alright, I think I have sufficiently killed enough time to ensure that everyone is down for their nap and I can now take mine!
Oh - only 2 more weeks until curling, yay!
Sunday, August 30, 2009
Wednesday, August 26, 2009
Story Time
Most libraries and bookstores have a designated kid's story time. We are fortunate that the Barnes & Noble bookstore that is closest has a really talented and engaging man lead the story time/activities for the kiddos. He has puppets and sings songs and dances with his ukulele and the stories he reads are just the right length.
Today, for the first time both Alex and Ben sat and paid attention for the whole show. And, they even wanted to stay and do the art project afterwords (coloring a snail and gluing on his shell). I hesitate going to story times because I know Alex will sit still but Ben usually doesn't. I guess he has finally reached that age where his attention span lasts more than 30 seconds!
Today, for the first time both Alex and Ben sat and paid attention for the whole show. And, they even wanted to stay and do the art project afterwords (coloring a snail and gluing on his shell). I hesitate going to story times because I know Alex will sit still but Ben usually doesn't. I guess he has finally reached that age where his attention span lasts more than 30 seconds!
Tuesday, August 25, 2009
Naked Boys
It's almost bedtime. Alex has stripped off all of his clothes and is running around naked. Mike and I should really be paying more attention to them right now, but we're not. So just a minute ago Ben comes streaking by - yep, he's naked too. Alex, being the good big brother that he is, "helped" get Ben ready for bed. All I can say is I'm really happy the diaper that was laying in the middle of the floor was only wet...
Sunday, August 23, 2009
Sleepy Time
You just never know how sleep is going to happen in this house. I am so accustomed to not getting more than 2 or 3 hours of uninterrupted sleep that when Ben has a really good night where he actually sleeps through until 5 or 6 I almost feel that I've had too much sleep!
But really, that's not the point of this post. Ben put himself to sleep yesterday for nap and then for bedtime. At nap he had fallen asleep in the car and didn't quite transfer to his bed. Everytime I went to get him he would smile and close his eyes pretending to sleep. Eventually he stopped wiggling around and actually just went to sleep - he never fussed or grumped. For bed, I read him "Ten Apples Up on Top" and he said he wanted to put himself to sleep. Again, I put him in the crib and walked out of the room. I went to check on him a few minutes later and he was sound asleep clutching his little yellow matchbox truck (he refused to go to bed without it!!).
I can't decide if this new found independence is good or bad. It's not often that he wants to snuggle with me so naptimes and bedtimes are always kind of nice. On the flipside, it's also nice to not have to sit with him for 20 or 30 minutes while he tries to fall asleep thinking of all the other things I should be doing. Anyway, who knows if it will last or not.
And Alex, yeah, he still wants one of us to lay with him for a little while before he falls asleep. At least now he knows we won't stay for more than a few minutes.
But really, that's not the point of this post. Ben put himself to sleep yesterday for nap and then for bedtime. At nap he had fallen asleep in the car and didn't quite transfer to his bed. Everytime I went to get him he would smile and close his eyes pretending to sleep. Eventually he stopped wiggling around and actually just went to sleep - he never fussed or grumped. For bed, I read him "Ten Apples Up on Top" and he said he wanted to put himself to sleep. Again, I put him in the crib and walked out of the room. I went to check on him a few minutes later and he was sound asleep clutching his little yellow matchbox truck (he refused to go to bed without it!!).
I can't decide if this new found independence is good or bad. It's not often that he wants to snuggle with me so naptimes and bedtimes are always kind of nice. On the flipside, it's also nice to not have to sit with him for 20 or 30 minutes while he tries to fall asleep thinking of all the other things I should be doing. Anyway, who knows if it will last or not.
And Alex, yeah, he still wants one of us to lay with him for a little while before he falls asleep. At least now he knows we won't stay for more than a few minutes.
Thursday, August 20, 2009
Snake Farm & Playmates
I had intended to post some pictures, which is why it has taken me so long to post an update. But, I don't have the camera handy now and I'm just plain too lazy to go get it. So, use your imagination, or do a google search, or whatever :-)
Mike had his last 3 day weekend of the summer a couple of weeks ago. We decided to do something fun for his last Friday off and ended up at this Snake Farm in New Braunfels. That's about an hour south of here, just on the outskirts of San Antonio. We had driven by the place dozens of times and I actually had a friend who said it was pretty fun. Now, the place looks like a total dive. It's right off the highway, you exit and have to stop pretty darn quick so you don't drive right on by. We paid our little entrance fees, bought a bag of feed for the petting zoo and set out for the mini adventure that was the Snake Farm. It was actually pretty cool with an impressive display of reptiles, lots of snakes, some alligators, turtles, etc. There was even a smattering of scorpions and tarantulas. We got to get up close and personal (with a glass wall between us) with a king cobra, pythons, rattlesnakes, and every other kind of snake you can imagine.
Out back was the other part of the Snake Farm - a petting zoo and some "exotic" animals. The petting zoo was quite fun although Alex got his finger nipped by a goat - no harm done, not even any tears actually. Alex was trying to reach into the bag of food to get some for the animals but he is shorter than they are and the goats were in a hurry. One of the goats started eating the bag with Alex's hand and the food still in it! Anyway, in addition to the goats there were pot bellied pigs and ducks and a llama, and I don't remember what else. As for the exotic animals, well there were some monkeys, a breed of really itty bitty tiny deer, a zebra, some parrots, and a few other things. Anyway, it was a fun day and another reminder that things aren't always as they seem on the outside!
Part 2 of this post is playmates! We've had a lot of tot company the past couple of weeks. A friend of mine had a baby 4 weeks early. The long and the short of it is we ended up helping take care of her older daughter (she is nearly 3) while mom & new baby sister were still in the hospital. It was our first experience with a sleepover and everyone had a blast. I'm happy to say that the 4 week preemie baby is doing great. We have also had that same little girl over to play a couple times since the new arrival, just to give her some non-baby play time. It's great because it keeps A & B from fighting. Not so great, because it runs me ragged. Earlier this week I had the little girl and another child plus my 2 ALL DAY LONG! Crazy day, and I don't think I've yet gotten enough sleep to make up for it. I have another friend who has recently bought a house. While they are having some work done prior to moving their belongings in we have been hanging out in the big empty house to keep them company. They also have a little girl who is almost 3. It's fun seeing Alex & Ben play so well with other kids. And, they actually all play together. Gone are the days when the kids sit and play side by side with their own toys. They build things together with blocks, race cars together, and generally have a good ol' time.
Well, preseason football is on, Alex & Ben are sleeping, and I'm done wasting my time up here :-)
Mike had his last 3 day weekend of the summer a couple of weeks ago. We decided to do something fun for his last Friday off and ended up at this Snake Farm in New Braunfels. That's about an hour south of here, just on the outskirts of San Antonio. We had driven by the place dozens of times and I actually had a friend who said it was pretty fun. Now, the place looks like a total dive. It's right off the highway, you exit and have to stop pretty darn quick so you don't drive right on by. We paid our little entrance fees, bought a bag of feed for the petting zoo and set out for the mini adventure that was the Snake Farm. It was actually pretty cool with an impressive display of reptiles, lots of snakes, some alligators, turtles, etc. There was even a smattering of scorpions and tarantulas. We got to get up close and personal (with a glass wall between us) with a king cobra, pythons, rattlesnakes, and every other kind of snake you can imagine.
Out back was the other part of the Snake Farm - a petting zoo and some "exotic" animals. The petting zoo was quite fun although Alex got his finger nipped by a goat - no harm done, not even any tears actually. Alex was trying to reach into the bag of food to get some for the animals but he is shorter than they are and the goats were in a hurry. One of the goats started eating the bag with Alex's hand and the food still in it! Anyway, in addition to the goats there were pot bellied pigs and ducks and a llama, and I don't remember what else. As for the exotic animals, well there were some monkeys, a breed of really itty bitty tiny deer, a zebra, some parrots, and a few other things. Anyway, it was a fun day and another reminder that things aren't always as they seem on the outside!
Part 2 of this post is playmates! We've had a lot of tot company the past couple of weeks. A friend of mine had a baby 4 weeks early. The long and the short of it is we ended up helping take care of her older daughter (she is nearly 3) while mom & new baby sister were still in the hospital. It was our first experience with a sleepover and everyone had a blast. I'm happy to say that the 4 week preemie baby is doing great. We have also had that same little girl over to play a couple times since the new arrival, just to give her some non-baby play time. It's great because it keeps A & B from fighting. Not so great, because it runs me ragged. Earlier this week I had the little girl and another child plus my 2 ALL DAY LONG! Crazy day, and I don't think I've yet gotten enough sleep to make up for it. I have another friend who has recently bought a house. While they are having some work done prior to moving their belongings in we have been hanging out in the big empty house to keep them company. They also have a little girl who is almost 3. It's fun seeing Alex & Ben play so well with other kids. And, they actually all play together. Gone are the days when the kids sit and play side by side with their own toys. They build things together with blocks, race cars together, and generally have a good ol' time.
Well, preseason football is on, Alex & Ben are sleeping, and I'm done wasting my time up here :-)
Monday, August 3, 2009
Ben
It's high time I dedicate some space to my little Benny :-)
His favorite book is "Ten Apples Up on Top" by Theo LeSieg (a.k.a Dr. Seuss, but this was written prior to taking on the Dr. Seuss name.) We read it at least 3 or 4 times each day, always before nap and always before bed, and often times in between. He walks around saying "read up on top". It's actually only been the last couple of months that Ben will actually sit through an entire story, he never seemed to have the patience for it before. Now he will read for hours (OK, maybe not QUITE that long, but a really long time for a really little guy!)
He loves to wear my shoes, and I certainly leave him plenty of opportunity as I seem to have a hard time putting them away. The other day he was getting a little frustrated because he was having trouble walking in my Z-CoiL sandals, so I let him wander around in my gym shoes for awhile - too cute!
Ben is definitely attached to Daddy right now. When Daddy isn't with us on our daily excursions he does just fine with me. But, whenever Daddy is around, that who Ben wants and mommy might as well cease to exist. That's alright, big brother Alex went through the same phase. I'll get over it :-)
There are a million and one cute things he does every day, it's hard to pick one or two to share. He's so sweet and I don't even have the words to express it! We're so lucky to have him, and even luckier to have two kiddos like that. I often take it for granted, especially when I have to deal with their VERY bad days, but the truth is even on the awful days I wouldn't trade it for anything!
His favorite book is "Ten Apples Up on Top" by Theo LeSieg (a.k.a Dr. Seuss, but this was written prior to taking on the Dr. Seuss name.) We read it at least 3 or 4 times each day, always before nap and always before bed, and often times in between. He walks around saying "read up on top". It's actually only been the last couple of months that Ben will actually sit through an entire story, he never seemed to have the patience for it before. Now he will read for hours (OK, maybe not QUITE that long, but a really long time for a really little guy!)
He loves to wear my shoes, and I certainly leave him plenty of opportunity as I seem to have a hard time putting them away. The other day he was getting a little frustrated because he was having trouble walking in my Z-CoiL sandals, so I let him wander around in my gym shoes for awhile - too cute!
Ben is definitely attached to Daddy right now. When Daddy isn't with us on our daily excursions he does just fine with me. But, whenever Daddy is around, that who Ben wants and mommy might as well cease to exist. That's alright, big brother Alex went through the same phase. I'll get over it :-)
There are a million and one cute things he does every day, it's hard to pick one or two to share. He's so sweet and I don't even have the words to express it! We're so lucky to have him, and even luckier to have two kiddos like that. I often take it for granted, especially when I have to deal with their VERY bad days, but the truth is even on the awful days I wouldn't trade it for anything!
Adventures in Scale Modeling
I think everyone who reads this knows of Mike's great love (and, in my opinion, wonderful talent) for scale modeling. From the time Alex was a teeny tiny little baby Mike has talked of "one day" getting the boys some models to build. He has built special airplanes for both the boys and probably has so many more projects planned to involve them in that I have no clue about. At any rate, a few weeks ago he thought it would be fun to get some little snap kits that the boys could paint. We found some fun sporty little car models that also seem pretty durable (of extreme importance with kids under age 4!) and Mike put them together, well mostly together anyway. He didn't glue the tops on just yet, but left the cars in 2 separate pieces so that the boys could paint the inside AND the outside. Alex's car was molded from red plastic and Ben's from blue. Alex had a blast painting his own car, Ben really just wanted to play with his. At any rate, here are some pictures from the painting session. Enjoy!
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