School Days

Ben had his first day of preschool this week. If I'm being honest, this is definitely something I've been a bit emotional about lately. There may have been a day where I may have cried a little bit about it... in public... when thinking about dropping him off. Then, I might have cried about it another at home too. So, Brant dropped him off on this first day, but I did pick him up. Things seemed to go pretty well and the report today was even better. Ben was excited to tell us about painting and a song he learned about 5 Little Monkeys and an alligator that goes "SNAP!", but I think he may be a typical boy who won't talk about his day and I may be the typical mom who wants to know everything! And so it begins.

Vacation

We just returned from a vacation with the Ausenhus family to Lake of the Ozarks. As most of you experienced in the past week, it was HOT, but lots of fun. Ben enjoyed swimming in the lake, boating, going to a water park, and going golfing with the guys. Abby enjoyed lots of arms to hold her and play with her... and we enjoyed that too!

Celebrating Grandma's birthday with one of Ben's favorites... cake!

Abby is ready for her first boat ride! It was short, mostly due to the heat, and partly due her not being a big fan of the ride. Hey, it just can't be comfortable in all that gear!

Ben swimming with Papa

JUMP! Ben could have done this all day!

This kid can't get enough of the water. The water park was a hit - especially this slide and the wave pool.

First Date

For my birthday, Ben's gift to me was taking me to the movie Cars 2. It was special night because just the two of us went together while Brant stayed home with Abby. I think I was looking forward to the evening as much as (or maybe more than) Ben. I told Ben that we were going to go on a "date" together. When the evening finally arrived, Ben and I had dinner together at Applebee's (per his request... and the fact that it was $.99 kids meals that night). I hope I never forget his precious little look with his slicked hair, just like a little man, sitting across from me in a booster chair. After dinner, we were off to the movie! We got popcorn and M&Ms (a favorite he and I share) and strategically found a seat at the top of the theater on an end where he'd have some room to walk around, should his three year old self not be able to sit still for two hours. It was delightful! He and I both enjoyed the movie: in particular, the car races for Ben, and the slightly too complex plot for a 3 year old for me. My absolute favorite moment from the entire evening was at the end of the movie, the girl spy car tells Mater, the rusty tow truck, "I'm still waiting for my first date." Ben looked at me and exclaimed quite loudly with big, surprised eyes, "She said date! That's what we're on!"

Forgive the blurriness of the picture, but this is part of how we spent our 4th of July weekend. We went to Mason City and stayed in Oma and Opa (Brant's grandparents) and spent the weekend with the Jensen side of the family. Ben loved, loved, LOVED playing with the big boys in the water and having his uncle Alex or Jensen cousins catch him when he'd jump off the dock. The weekend was lots of fun!

And now, on to my precious Abby. Poor Ben can't get a meal in peace if Abby is out of her high chair. She crawls over to his chair and "talks", or as I like to say, "begs" at him while he eats.

We can't get enough of those big blue eyes!

Growing Up

We have been thorougly enjoying our summer so far! It has been so nice to be home with the kids during the day. Abby, in particular, is definitely keeping me on my toes and changing so fast. She is at the stage right now where everything, and I mean EVERYTHING, goes right into her mouth. In addition, she is now trying to pull herself up on everything, from the couch, to chairs, to my leg, to the sides of cupboards - anything vertical, she will try to stand! Abby also has a new little trick that I adore. While holding her, if I say, "Hug!" she will snuggle her little head in and lay it on my chest. It is precious! The other thing about her that cracks me up lately is her thrill at seeing Ben. Whenever he comes into view, such as after nap, she lets out a thrilling little screech and her entire body gets excited. She can't get enough of him!

During Abby's morning nap, Ben and I get to spend some one on one time together. We've been doing art projects lately and Ben has been learning to use scissors and glue. We even used some glitter with glue this week, which was pretty exciting. Ben also dress himself entirely on his own several times this week while I was putting Abby down for a nap. The first day he did it, it seemed as though everything turned out fine. What a surprise to find he was wearing two pairs of underwear the first time he went potty that day! It was pretty darn funny!

Tonight, Ben was helping Brant with a landscaping project outside. There is a big rock Brant is trying to remove and he told Ben, "I need to get that puppy out of there!" Ben was quite puzzled by this, as he had never heard the word puppy used in that context. He then continued to use the word repeatedly and also told us we could call the rock a kitty too. I have a feeling we will hear this expression overused in the next few days!

Adorable!