Those boots

After the above picture was taken, Aunt Kelly gifted the poor boy a pair of proper cowboy boots.

  I thought she would like to know that they still make it into the rotation. 

No worries!  The caped pajama pant crusader is here to save the day!



A Very Merry Christmas

Ben and Owen helped bake cookies for Santa on Christmas Eve.  I had intentions of giving away the majority of them out, but only crumbs remained by the end of the weekend.

Owen decided that we needed to leave chocolate milk for Santa with the cookies.  We had misplaced the carrots, so the reindeer had to make due with celery.  Many apologies to Rudolph and the gang.  Ben also left a sweet letter for Santa thanking him for stopping by our house. 

Our Elf on the Shelf, Shelfie, spent his last day watching over our household from the tree.   Surprisingly there were times that he spent the day perched in the same location as the one before.  I'm guessing there was a snowstorm at the North Pole or just maybe Ben and Owen behaved so well, that he did not need to report back to Santa.   

Ben slept in longer on Christmas morning than we thought he would.  He woke around seven to check out the loot in the stockings before bursting into our room to prod us out of bed. 

Amazingly the majority of their gifts were super hero themed. 

They even received a Super Hero Squad version of Chutes and Ladders.

When visiting Santa,  Owen put in a request for a walking, talking Captain America.  The big guy came through with Iron Man and Owen couldn't have been more pleased.

Ben's favorite gift is the giant coloring pages he recieved.  This guy has plugged many hours since on his works of art.

Our celebration was low key as it was just the four of us.  I made beef and barley stew for dinner and curled up on the couch with my new Kindle.  Which I love.  

Thank you Santa!



Wordless Wednesday; Roles Reprised

2008 Woody and Buzz at Halloween

Buzz and Woody at Christmas 2010

This makes me smile.  They might have grown, but the characters are the same. 



Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas to all our friends and family!



Pajama Time

Tuesday was one of the most anticipated days of the season.  The Pajama Party at preschool!  Ben had been counting down to this day from the beginning of the month.  Ben's excitement inevitably carries over to Owen.  He loves going to school with his big brother.

The obligitary pajama picture in front of the Christmas tree.

 A new surprise was in store for us this year.  The school had a "magician" for entertainment and the kids loved it. 

I kept a watchful eye on Owen throughout the party. He jumped and sang right along with the other kids and had so much fun.  I'm really torn on the decision of when to start him at the school.  He is definitely ready.  I'm not so certain that I am.

Back in the classroom Ms. Claire read a Christmas story, followed by snacks.  We were supposed to bring a healthy breakfast snack for the class to share.  Last year the class was much bigger and I think that I just put together little bags of Christmas candy for them to take home.  I do remember that the "healthy" snacks consisted of  donuts, cookies, and Little Debbie snack cakes.  A complete junk food smorgesbord.  

   

I tried but could not come up with a "healthy" snack idea that I thought the kids would eat.  Ben shot down my fruit salad suggestion.  I was the mom who thought cupcakes would be a good idea at 10 in the morning.  Only a few other parents were there and they brought clementines and frozen grapes. 

Can it be even called a party without chocolate frosting covered faces? 



A Christmas Tradition

Jeremy was off from work on Thursday. I took advantage of his being home to get a few things done before going to my parents house over the weekend for Christmas. We picked Ben up from school and told him that we had a surprise. I had heard that Santa was going to be at the Crown Center that day and we needed to see if we could find him.

Both boys were eager to see him and had lists a hundred miles long. When we arrived in the area, it was pretty empty, so the boys took their time following the trail, which was made with Crayola objects to walk on, slide down and crawl through. When it was time to sit on the big guy's lap, they both went silent. Santa asked if they wanted a barrel of monkeys and that jogged their memories enough for them to spill. Ben wants more super hero action figures and Owen told him that he wanted a walking talking Captain America. Santa saw the look on my face which was "What! They don't even make anything like that! How are we going to get around this?" He then told Owen that Captain America has been around a long time and doesn't know if he is still able to talk. That Santa rocked!

While we were there, we took the boys to Fritz's to eat at the "train restaurant". Ben had a gift card to the toy store burning a hole in his pocket from his birthday. While he was picking out toys, I would point to the things that we needed to get while we were there. Jeremy then went back and picked them up and got them out to the car while I kept the boys on the other side of the store. I just told them that Jeremy was in the bathroom.  Completely plausible.

With the Christmas gift list dwindling, we decided on one more surprise for the kids. It wasn't quite dark yet, but we headed to Longview Park for the Christmas light display. We arrived as the gate was being opened and didn't have to wait in the long line that was backed up behind us. I found the Christmas music station on the radio and was excited as the boys as we drove through the light display.

After they went to bed that night I wrapped the gifts that we were taking with us for the weekend. On Friday morning as I was getting ready for work Ben comes upstairs and says, "MOM! I found a present from Hannah to Ben!!!" I laughed and said "No, that present is for Hannah from you." He didn't say anything else about it.  When I came downstairs, the gift had been unwrapped and several of the gift bags had been dumped. Of course it was an "accident" and he didn't mean to. Jeremy re wrapped while I was at work. When I got home, we jumped in the car and headed to Grandma and Grandpa Uebingers for a fun but short weekend.

Only five more days until Christmas- Let the countdown begin!



Wordless Wednesday; Time with Dad



Cards of Christmas Past

Last week I was focused on getting a picture of the boys for the Christmas card. They were squirmy and it was practically impossible to get a decent picture of each of them together. I gave up and tried again the next day. Ben's party came and and so did the stomach bug. Christmas cards just were not my priority this week. I remembered them last night and finally got them ordered.

I love receiving photo cards, so naturally I send them out each year. Before facebook and blogs, exchanging Christmas cards was the only way I was able to see some of our friend's kids grow up. Jeremy is so sweet about it. He sets them aside so that I get to open the incoming cards. I get that excited.

I have been trying to get the millions of pictures from three different computers organized and I just happen to have these handy. Below are the pictures from the cards we have previously sent.

2009: It seems like this was just yesterday. Jeremy and I both thought that it captured their personalities and it made us laugh.

2008: This one below is from Portrait Innovations that I described in this post.  I think that this was the year that matching flannel pajamas became our tradition.  I am a little sad that it did not work out this year.  But I guess it is a good thing since they would have had on the same pajamas with a year's worth of wear on them. (They just have not outgrown them yet.)

2007: This is also from Portrait Innovations. I get a little choked up when I look at this one. The little guy managed to sleep through the chaos. Owen was so small and I hated being around all of the other kids and their germs at the studio. I am still in love with the sweater and those sweet little corduroy pants that Ben has on. Both boys were adorable in them. They hardly ever get dressed up so this was my version of a fancy dress, matching tights, pretty hair bow and cute shoes. All of that sounds a little exhausting, major props to moms of girls!

2006: Ben was an only child back then and had just celebrated his first birthday. I just want to go back and squeeze those cute little cheeks. We did not even bother to decorate the tree that year. We were sure that it would be destroyed moments after the ornaments were up. If I remember correctly, I cropped it so close because his hair was standing up in the back. Poor baby and his cowlick.

2005:   And finally, here is the shot that was our very first photo card.  I am a multi-tasker so it also doubled as Ben's birth announcement.  I can't quite figure out what is going on with all the Christmas patterns, but I am almost positive that one of the side effects of child birth is color blindness.   Right?

So there are our past Christmas card photos if you don't remember or have them handy.  I'm a Christmas card hoarder and have a very hard time getting rid of any of them that have pictures of their families.   

Is it not creepy at all that I could do a post exactly like this for many of our friends.



Ben's Birthday

                     

As of Monday, I have been a mom for FIVE years! 

Ben is such a happy kid.  He wakes up at the crack of dawn (or before) with a big smile on his face ready to start the day.  I'm continually amazed at what this boy can do.  This year he has learned so much and keeps us on our toes.  He learned to swim at the pool over the summer, ride his bicycle without training wheels, and is learning to read.  I'm sending him out to get a job next week. (Not really-I'll wait until summer.)

The school year is going wonderfully.  He is so excited to tell me all about what they talked about during circle time, his lunch and the fun that was had on the playground.  His best friends are a couple of the little girls in the class.  Last week he told Jeremy that he was in love with Emery.  Jeremy asked him what does that mean?  (Good answer Dad!)  Ben replied, "I just can't stop thinking about her."  Huh?  He is not allowed to fall in love for at least another twenty years or so.  Right?

We had a Superhero themed party for him on Sunday.  We invited kids from his class so I thought that we should have structured activities for them to do rather than run wild around the house.   The kids decorated their own superhero masks when they arrived.  This was a fun little project that they did relatively quickly and without a lot of help from a parent.

I had planned a few games for the kids that were a part of the Superhero theme.  I assembled a Superhero Training Manual for each of the kids.  We went downstairs to get started and I'm not sure what happened, but the kids were out of control.  I let them run wild for a while before pizza, cake and presents.  They seemed to have fun. 

Ben decided that he wanted The Salty Iguana (he calls it The Spicy Lizard), a Mexican place, for his birthday dinner, Monday evening.  Owen was asleep when we arrived so Jeremy carried him inside.  They were getting a table ready for us while we waited by the door of the restaurant.  Suddenly, Owen threw up all over Jeremy and on the floor.  Jeremy took him outside and it happened again on the sidewalk in front of the door.  Ugh.  Needless to say we didn't stay for dinner.  I felt bad that the employees of the place had to clean it up, but a part of me was just relieved that it didn't happen in the car or at home on the carpet. 

Ben was a trooper about missing his special dinner and the trip to the toy store that was to follow. 

Luckily he doesn't hold a grudge.  He says it was the best birthday EVER!  (Fortunately he can only remember the last two and I have intentionally set the bar pretty low.)

                               

Happy birthday buddy! I love you!



Thanksgiving 2010

We packed up and headed north to spend the holiday with Jeremy's family. We arrived Wednesday evening and ate nonstop until we left early on Saturday.

Donna had a spectacular spread for Thanksgiving which was enjoyed by the entire family. We had not been up there since Easter so it was great spending time with them. Ben even tried the turkey and some noodles along with his roll this year. As it turns out, Owen is a pie junkie. I actually think he might need an intervention from the pumpkin pie and ready whip.

When asked what he is thankful for this year, Ben's reply was the turkey and his mom and dad, and his brother. Oh and he loves his teacher Ms. Claire.

I asked the same question to Owen and his first reply was nothing. As in "I'm not thankful for anything". I explained what being thankful is and he concluded that he is thankful for Framp. His stuffed dog that he carries around and sleeps with. Well at least that's something.

Our Elf on the Shelf, Shelfie, arrived this morning along with the Little People Nativity playset. The playset is new to us this year and I hope that it makes it easier for the boys to understand the reason for the season.

We decorated the house for Christmas this morning. Jeremy put up the tree while I put up the stockings and the million other decorations I've accumulated over the years. Before I knew it, he and the boys had the tree decorated. No, I didn't take the ornaments off just to put them back where I wanted them. That would just be crazy. And I'm not...well, I did and I am so there's that.

I have been pretty terrible about taking pictures so here is a compare and contrast.

Then:

Now:

My how we've grown!



The last three weeks

Owen's birthday party was last weekend.  My parents made the trip out and we celebrated with our friends.  One of the best things about his birthday is that it is a great way to get rid of the Halloween candy!  We stuffed it into the Elmo pinata and sent it home with the neighborhood kids. 

Speaking of Halloween, we went to Trunk or Treat at Ben's preschool this year.  The boys have been on a Cat in the Hat kick and decided to be Thing 1 and Thing 2.  At the last minute I picked up a Cat costume and joined them.  I am not one that enjoys dressing up and have avoided it for decades.  They were so tickled with my outfit that it made it worth my discomfort.  We decorated the trunk of our car and Jeremy stayed to hand out treats. 

Ben was pretty bummed that he didn't see his friend Audrey while we were making our rounds.  She showed up at our car while we were hanging out with Jeremy.  Her mom said that the first thing they had to do before getting any candy was to find Ben.  The two of them are pretty sweet together.

During that weekend we had a Halloween party at our house.  There aren't many homes to go door to door in our neighborhood so we had a potluck and let the kids run around in their costumes.  We then loaded up and went to another section of the development and trick or treated a few houses there. 

Ben and Owen decided they wanted to be Iron Man and Spiderman that night, so I was just Mom for the party, but the Nunley's came out in full force.

After partying two weekends in a row, we laid low this weekend.  I didn't have to get out of my comfy pants for the past two days.



Owen's Slide show

I put Owen's 3rd slide show up the other day.  Just click on the tab at the top of the blog.  He is extremely excited about his Elmo party tomorrow.  That's all that I came here to say today.  Oh and thanks for the singing Sponge Bob card Aunt Shelly!  Owen just can not hear that often enough.



He Is Three

I am having a hard time dealing with the fact that my baby turned three yesterday.  He should not be that old yet.  Where did the time go?

On Thursday, November 1, 2007 I was working the evening shift at a store in Bridgeton, MO.  Around 9:45 pm I was chatting on the phone with my friend Devin when a customer came to the counter.  When I stood up I thought, "Now this is weird, surely I haven't wet my pants."   After ringing out the customer I realized that my water broke.  I was getting ready to close the pharmacy for a few minutes when the overnight pharmacist arrived.   I called Jeremy to fill him in and somehow we decided it would be best if I drove home before heading to the hospital.  I hadn't yet packed a bag and did not trust him to bring what I would need.  Never mind the fact that to get home, I actually drove past the hospital.

 When I got home our neighbor Sue was there to sit with Ben until my parents arrived. We stopped to take this picture before heading out the door.

At that point I was not having any contractions and we chatted excitedly half way to the hospital.  Then the contractions began.  We arrived at the hospital around 11:30 pm.  Owen was born at 1:31 am on Friday. 

Beside the fact that the epidural only kicked in right before it was time to push, this was probably the world's easiest delivery.  He weighed in at 6 pounds, 10 ounces and was 20.5 inches long.  My memory isn't that great so I had to dig out a birth announcement to remember the specifics. 

Fast forward three years to this sweet little guy.

Yesterday we dropped Ben off at preschool and went with Jeremy to pick out a birthday cake for his party on Saturday.  Owen's favorite place to eat is the T-Rex Cafe.  Jeremy and I decided to take him there and he had the undivided attention of both of us.  After lunch we picked up big brother and headed home for cupcakes to celebrate his big day.

Owen just keeps growing and learning and a lot of the times I have not stopped often enough to notice all of the changes that have happened this year.  Where did my baby go?

Happy birthday little man!



Wordless Wednesday; Characters



Winner Winner

We went to my parents over the weekend for a jam-packed two night stay.  On the way there I invited ourselves to dinner at Uncle Greg and Aunt Steph's so I could get my hands on Katie.  I had heard that she was growing and I have seen pictures to prove that she is starting solid food.  I was STILL amazed at how fast it has happened.  She is an absolute sweetheart.  Don't even get me started on those dimply legs. I honestly did not hear a single cry from her the entire weekend.  

In less than five months John and Emily will be getting hitched.  They have asked Greg and Stephanie, Ryan and Julie, and Jeremy and myself to be attendants. On Saturday, I went with the other women in the family to Indiana to get measured for bridesmaid dresses.  My niece, Hannah, must have tried on every single flower girl dress in the place.  She had a ball twirling around in the mirrors.  Oh, to have that energy! 

While we were up gearing up for the tape measure, Jeremy, my Dad and Uncle John took Ben and Owen to Flora to see a train at a park.  (Yes it does have a name, but those who know me well also know that it is one of the very few words that I despise.  In fact some of you intentionally taunt me with it.)  When we arrived back at the farm, the boys were excited to tell me all about the little unfortunately named train. 

Shortly after we arrived, we loaded up the kids to meet the rest of their cousins at Joe's in Newton.  Turns out now that we need a table for fifteen.  FIFTEEN!  After we ate, all fifteen of us went to the bowling alley.  We need had way too much fun for people wearing hideous shoes.

The kids were hysterical on their lane.  They would clap and cheer as the ball slowly bumped its way to the end.  I loved watching their faces as they watched the pins fall.  Sheer joy!

We have a few competitive members of the family.  I generally don't think of myself as one of them.  I was almost banished to the kids lane with my pathetic score after the first game.  Turns out that none of them are really that good at bowling.  I know this only because I had the highest score of the second game.  We quickly headed all the way back home while I could still be called the winner.  In fact, I may never bowl again.  But I probably will since the boys enjoyed it so much.

The things we do for our children.