Christmas 2009

This year was a wake up call that we dont have a baby anymore. Ben got more BIG trucks and toys that it looks like a toy store in our house now. We hosted Christmas at our house this year and had fun doing it. Family came over and enjoyed a great meal. Reagan and Benjamin couldnt wait to open presents.

Santa was very good to Ben this year and was a big hit. This was the first year that he really noticed things like Santa eating all his treats, decorations and of course our newest friend Duncan the Elf.

On Christmas Eve we got ready for Santa by making Rice Krispie holiday houses. Ben decorated his by just dumping all the candy onto his and really didnt want to participate and just wanted to eat all the gum drops which he did.

Mommy's House

Daddy's House

Benjamin's House

Happy 3rd Birthday Benjamin

I can not believe my little peanut is 3 years old. He has done a ton of growing up this past year. He learned to talk our ears off, his ABC's, counting, colors and plays more like a big boy. His biggest accomplishment is potty training. When I look at him I dont see a baby anymore but a little boy. He loves to give mommy and daddy hugs and kisses and every morning tells me "Good morning mommy." Ben moved into a very big boy bed this year and got rid of his paci.

Nana and Pa drove all the way from Indiana during a true blizzard to be with us for his birthday. Ben didnt need any warming up time this visit he ran right up and hugged them. He made them read books, play with all his toys and never let them sit down for long.

Due to the blizzard we could only get a few family members over for his party. We had a great time and Ben got some wonderful presents from everyone. Of course his love for Disney's Cars hasnt weakened any so this years theme was Cars. We were suppose to have a kid party the next day however again due to the weather we had to postpone it. Over all Benjamin had a great 3rd birthday. We have great family and friends that never let Ben's birthday get lost being so close to Christmas.

3 year doctor appt

Today we went for Ben's 3 year appointment. As expected he is in the 90% for height and has bumped up to 90% in weight as well. Last year he was only 50% for weight.

Stats:

Height: 39 1/4 inches
Weight: 33 1/2 pounds
Head: good size
Blood work: good iron

Benjamin actually got to pee-pee in a cup for his first time. He did great and everything is fine.

Potty Time!!!!!

Last Monday I started potty training Benjamin. He has done awesome and only had a couple of accidents the first couple of days. He is a pro now at going to the potty and LOVES to get a sucker after each trip. I bought Dum-Dum suckers, Spongebob gummy crabypattys, M&M's and mini tootsie roll pops and mini candy canes. It is all in a big jar for when he goes.....well of course all he wants is a "Big sucker" (Dum-Dum) each time.

The first day he filled up his potty chart (which only had 5 spots) and is almost done filling up the big potty chart. When we does this he gets a big tow truck. Ben is super excited and so is daddy. We are so proud of Ben for becoming such a big boy.

Christmas Cards

This year with everything going on our Christmas Cards will be sent out late. Usually I already have them mailed out but we didnt get out family portrait done. I am waiting until I get Ben's birthday portraits done next week.

We have enjoyed the cards we have already received and can not wait to see more. Happy Holidays.

Goodnight Moon

It seems if you have a child you own the book Goodnight Moon by Margaret Wise Brown. This is Benjamin's favorite book thus far. I read it to him every night. We recently misplaced the book and yet I have read it so many times I can still "read" it to him. Ben even likes to read it to me. If you do not have this book then please get it. Your child will love it.

Elf on the Shelf

If you have never heard of Elf on the Shelf it is awesome. I first heard of this from my friend Jill when she got it for her oldest son. The Elf sits somewhere in your house and at night goes up to the North Pole to tell Santa whether or not the little boy or girl was Nice or Naughty. Nana and Pa got this for Ben so we could start our tradition.

Our elf has shown up in our kitchen, the ledge on our staircase and this morning up in our lighting fixture. Benjamin loves to find him every morning. Before he goes to bed I manage to take the Elf and hide him so Ben thinks he has already left for Santa.

This morning I just asked Ben what the Elf's name is and he told me..........Duncan. I have NO idea where in the world he got that name from but hey it works and I will call him that every year. So far Ben tries to be good and understands but I think he wont fully understand until next year.

The Elf comes with a book to read the little ones about what he does and why he is there. This has been a great new tradition in our family and wanted to share it with everyone else. Stay tuned to where Duncan goes next.

First Snow of the Season

Today we got a BIG surprise and got a ton of snow. We knew that the weather people were calling for a couple of inches but like always they sure were wrong. The day started off with some rain and by 9:00am we had huge snow flakes. It was awesome to watch everything get coated with the white stuff. Benjamin was very excited and wanted to go outside right away to play in the snow. I told him to wait until after his nap so that there would be more snow to actually play with.

Ben all dressed for snow

Our snowman
After Ben got up from his nap we all got dressed up nice and warm and went outside to play. It was very very cold out and since Ben is still getting over his cold we didnt stay out there long. We did manage to build a very sad looking snowman but hey it's Virginia for pete sake. I'm sure with the temperatures tomorrow the snow will be long gone by lunch but at least we can say we got snow this winter.

Ben wanting to build a snowman

The backyard

Thanksgiving

We always host Thanksgiving and because Ben was sick this year was no exception. Jeremy made the perfect bird again as he does every year. We had all the fixing's of mashed potatoes, green bean casserole, stuffing, rolls and of course turkey. We had Jeremy's parents over as well as his brother Brian. We ate until we were stuffed then sat around and talked. It was a great holiday over all.

We hope everyone had a great start to their holiday season as well.

Cold cold go away

My poor Benjamin has had a cold for 10 days and counting. While he is better today he still has a cough that does not sound so good. His face on the other hand needs some major TLC. He has wiped his face raw and poor boy wont eat because he is afraid of opening his mouth. The cheek and lips are chapped.

Let's hope this is the worst cold he gets.