Ben Says...

Welcome to this Century!

We've had a little lighting project going on in our house. This marks the first updates we are making to our new house!

Before:

After:

The Latest, Greatest, and Not So Greatest

The Greatest: Does this kid love wearing hats or what? And really, could it be any cuter?

The Latest:

1.) Using a spoon - Tonight at supper I didn't even have to touch Ben's food except to cut it up and clean it up. It was SO lovely!

2.) The Wiggles - In case you aren't in the "toddler know", The Wiggles are a group of four Australian men who sign and dance in the midst of vibrantly colored sets. To be honest, it is pretty weird, but Ben loves his Wiggles DVD. It has been a lifesaver to make our transition back home at the end of the day much smoother while I try to start supper. These are one of the things I thought I'd never do, but...

3.) Bathtime - One month ago, bathtime was a total scream-fest. I couldn't figure out why Ben was detesting his bath so much and we dreaded it. However, the problem has been solved and bathtime has become simply wonderful. Ben now gets to pick out his toys, throw them in the tub, take off his own clothes (mostly!), and at the end of bath, he gets to stay in until all the water is drained and the toys are put away. Seriously, it is the little things that make a big difference!

4.) "Rachel" and "Brant" - Somehow, Ben has put together that Mommy and Daddy have another name. Every now and then, he will look at me and say, "Rachel?" Brant thinks it is really funny, so to be fair, I've also taught Ben how to say Brant.

The Not-So-Greatest: We have finally beat our first time dealing with the flu, and yes, it was most likely H1N1. Although Ben has had his fair share of ear infections, we had been lucky that was pretty much the extent of his illnesses. However, this flu made us feel like brand new parents all over again. We were somewhat unsure what to do and probably completely over-worried and over-protective. We did have to make a trip to the ER when Ben's fever spiked to 104.4, which was a little scary. On the upside for Ben, he got to eat his favorite chicken nuggets and as much orange juice as he wanted every day for the entire week he was sick (because those were the only things he showed any interest in). All in all, we made it through and things in our household are now back to normal.

I Love This Age... And Here Are Some Reasons Why!

Home Sweet Home... almost

It's been a week and half since we moved into our new house and it is definitely feeling like home... except for all the things that still need to be put away. However, all of our living areas are relatively organized and liveable, so we have been functioning well. Now that we have finally gotten the internet up and finally started receiving mail on Friday, we are functioning even better.

Ben is going to be 19 months old this week and is such a true little boy these days! He is really into trying to climb on everything, loves to play outside, and always seems to be a bundle of energy. His talking continues to get better and better. He has lots of two word phrases and repeats pretty much everything we say, so yes, it has become important to censor! One of my favorite things he says lately is, "What!?" in a really high pitched voice, much like Brant does when something surprises him. He also loves to watch the ducks and geese on our pond. It has become a daily routine every time we get in or out of the car to look for the geese. If he sees them, he starts to count, "One, two..." We also have lots of squirrels in our yard and whenever he spots one, he says, "Quirrel! Quirrel!"

It is nice to have the move behind us. We love the new house and the property it is on. I'll love it even more when the "stuff" part is all over and I can move on to other more exciting parts to making the house our own, such as painting and perhaps picking out a few new light fixtures. We have had our first really chilly week of fall and I was reminded that all of these things will be great winter projects. I'm sure that will come faster than any of us would like!