Benny's Gifts

Ben was not at all interested in opening his gifts.
And as I sit here, 6 months later, I can't remember what he got.
Rest assured, he was spoiled though!


He was much more interested in showing his belly.
And such a cute belly it is!

Candles and singing were a big hit!
In fact, we did it a few times for him!

And, yes, the cake was a big hit too!

Abbie's Birthday Gifts

Lots of great gifts again this year!

No shortage of peace sign clothing here.

The aqua pets she asked for, that none of the adults could figure out!

We discovered she's quite the hula girl! Really!

Her gift from me and Andy was a new bike.
We actually bought two because we weren't sure what size she needed, an 18" or 20".

Turns out the 18" was too big.
No worries, we returned both back to the store and got her a 16" inch.
Even better because she got to choose it.
She picked one with black tires so that she could leave skid marks like the boys!

Six! I have a SIX year old!
We love you so much, Abbie!
We couldn't be more proud of how smart and beautiful you have grown up to be!

Birthday Party!

April 30, 2011
Today we celebrated Ben and Abbie's birthdays with our families.


The 2 birthday kids!

Abbie requested a cake with peace signs.
Lacey made her cake too.

Keep wishing big!

He's 2!

April 30, 2011
It's Ben's birthday!
Hard to believe my little guy is 2!
I think I'll stay in denial a bit longer.
So what were you up to at the old age of 2?
You love to play, you love your Abba, you like to wrestle with Will,
you're a good eater and sleeper (you still do that adorable little suckle thing when you're tired),
your vocabulary is limited, but you certainly understand our conversations and follow directions.
The problem is, you haven't figured out how to talk OVER the noise of your brother and sister!
You're a little helper! You are great at picking up and helping me vacuum!
You're funny! Full of facial expressions and silliness!
You're our sweet little baby and we love you so much!

Oh and you love Elmo, or Melmo, as you say!
Your godmother Lacey did a great job making your cake!

Easter Sunday

April 24, 2011
Everyone woke up on Easter Sunday to baskets full of goodies.

Among the favorite items were Little Debbie Cosmic Brownies and Oatmeal Pies.

This is the only picture that proves Ben was partaking with us.
In fact, these 3 pictures are all I have of Easter.
We were all busy getting ready for church and Easter lunch with Andy's family, which we hosted.
Busy times = no pictures!

Easter Eggs

April 23, 2011
After we got home from Aunt Brenda's we colored eggs for the bunny to hide.
Ben had a long day and was already in bed.

Pre-Easter

April 23, 2011
When we got to Aunt Brenda's we ate and visited.
The kids had an Easter egg hunt.

Daddy was good at getting the candy out.

Abbie and cousin Avery played together.
Will was off doing his own thing.

Abbie & Memaw shared some love.

Priceless

April 23, 2011
These moments make it all worthwile.
Driving to my Aunt Brenda's house for an Easter celebration, I turned to the back of the van and saw this...


Will and Ben sitting perfectly still holding hands across the aisle.
Beautiful!

And I'm back....

And terribly, TERRIBLY far behind.
Still.
Sigh....
So, here we go...April 21, 2011.
I'm so far behind I figured I better date the posts.


Abbie's first day of Easter Break, but no break needed.
She had her backpack on, got the boys geared up, book in hand, and school it was.
Well, school with Miss Abbie.

I love that Abbie is able to read now.
She's great about reading to Ben!
And as a sidenote, Ben no longer sports Abbie's old pink and purple Dora backpack.
He's much more masculine now with Iron Man!

Doctor, Doctor

I think this may have been Kadyn and Ben's version of playing doctor.
Or maybe she was just practicing being a mom.
She wiped his mouth and nose.

And gave his belly a wipe down too.
Ben was the perfect patient.
He laid totally still and let her take care of him.

Our Little Artist

Abbie won her first contest!
A coloring contest for both Kindergarten classes.
She won first place, which included $15 and a medal.
Unfortunately, we never got to see the picture.
And, unfortunately, the VFW spelled Kindergarten wrong.

Ruh-Roh Shaggy!

Can you guess why he's so excited?



He was so excited that he made cards to take.
He even made one from Ben.
Do you see "him" in the background?

Yep, that's right.
Scooby Doo!
He was at the Alton mall on April 9th so we headed over for a visit.
Memaw and Papaw & Nona & Nono joined us.



This is the only picture I got.
Paula has more so I'll have to try to get her memory card.
We put Ben in the picture too.
He was NOT a fan!
Will and Abbie enjoyed it.
Afterwards we went out to lunch with Memaw & Papaw, then they took the kids home with them for a sleepover.

This would also be a good time to document just how much Will loves Scooby Doo.
I'm pretty sure Papaw got him started on the show. He and Papaw watch it all the time when he visits.
Abbie & Will love catching reruns on Boomerang.
Will even has his own mystery gang.
It's him, Abbie, cousins; Josie, Emily, and Daniel, and Bubba (he finished our basement).
Often during the school year, Will would ask me to "call" his gang.
There were lots of mysteries.
Often there were "clues" in the bathroom. These clues were always paw prints.
I think we had a few moose mysteries downstairs.
Always entertaining....