He really can talk

I keep telling people that Ben's vocabulary is really increasing and that he talks quite a bit. I don't think they believe me though since he freezes up when I try to get him to talk on the phone or while recording him. He definitely comprehends a lot of what you tell him. He tries to repeat a lot of what we say to him. And sometimes he will say something out of the blue and we have no idea where it came from.

Some of my favorite words/sayings that he uses (mostly just because they sound so cute when he says them)

-fat bubble

-apple juice (or more like apple ju)

-abba gabba (for yo gabba gabba which is a silly tv show he likes)

- oh my mum-mum

-thank you mum-mum

-happy feet (a movie about dancing penguins)

-batball (which is sadly starting to sound more like baseball now)

-baby seat (anytime I tell him we are going somewhere, he wants to make sure we are bringing the baby's carseat)

-wow (what he says when he likes what you are telling him)

-race car (his favorite movie is Cars which is about a race car)

-big truck and fire truck

-elephant

-hi people

his latest thing which just melts my heart is dada best friend

Don't you just want to squeeze those little cheeks?

Our first weekend away

This past weekend, the four of us headed down to Fresno for the night. Lewey had been down there for the past few weeks and we thought it was time he came home (I am sure Loree was agreeing). It was also a good chance for Jack to meet some of his Great Grandparents. The thought of going away for the weekend with a 2 year old and 1 month old which would include five hours in the car might seem a little scary and overwhelming to some. It sure did to us. I'd have to say though that it all went very smoothly and we had a very good time.

We started Saturday morning out with Ben's gym class and then headed from there to Fresno. Jack slept the whole way there and Ben watched movies on his new dvd player (which we later had to remove from the back of the seat since he kept kicking it). As we pulled up to Drew's parent's house, Ben got so excited and I think he even let out a little squeal. He wasted no time and got right to work seeing what he could get into. It was good to see him having so much fun. It was also nice to see Drew's parents enjoying their Grandchildren as much as they do. Cary spent the whole time we were there running around with Ben and following his order (Ben has become quite bossy at times). Loree spent lots of time holding baby Jack and rocking him. It's neat to think that is the same house that they did that kind of stuff with when their boys were younger. We also got to visit with all of Drew's Grandparents and were very appreciative that they all came to the house to see us. The amount of time it takes to get Ben and Jack ready and out of the house is actually quite a bit. We made it home by Sunday afternoon and had just enough time to unpack and get things ready for the beginning of another week.

Unfortunately my camera never made it out of the car the whole weekend. Here are some pictures that Loree took from the weekend though...

Jack with Cary's mom, Marian

Jack and Noni (Loree's mom)

Papa and Noni with their second Great Grandchild

Sweet baby Jack

This makes me laugh...

These are all so Benjamin...

Ben likes to wear my shoes around the house. Today, he

got into one of Drew's dresser drawers and pulled out

his snow gloves to complete the look.

This makes me smile...

1 month and we're hanging in there

The past month went by extremely fast. Part of it is a blur from sleep deprivation. Part of it has been spent getting used to having two little ones. The rest of it has been spent taking it all in and trying to enjoy the days as much as possible. Jack has already changed so much in just a month. He has grown quite a bit thanks to his healthy appetite. He spends a lot more of the day awake and is very alert. He even gives us little smiles but I'm not sure if they are really smiles for us or smiles because he has gas. He rarely cries, only if he is really hungry. He can be put to sleep by stroking his cheek or rubbing his head. Speaking of his head, the poor boy is going bald. A few days ago, he started losing all the hair on top of his head. He still has a ton on the sides and the back but I am guessing he will be losing that hair also. Ben is a great big brother and loves his baby Jack. He gets very excited when we let Jack sit on his lap. He gives him lots of kisses every day. As much as Ben loves his new brother, he also loves it when Jack is sleeping and he gets alone time with mom and dad. We are very proud of how well Ben has adapted to the big changes we have had. He continues to amaze us every day.

Brotherly love...

See what I mean about the balding

I think he looks like an old man here

A sad goodbye...

After a great visit with my dad this past week, he got a very sad phone call right before he was getting ready to leave Wednesday afternoon. My Grandfather had passed away. Although we knew the phone call would be coming at some point, it was still very sad to hear the news. I have been very lucky to have grown up with all four of my grandparents. It is hard to believe that there is one less now. It saddens me to know that my Grammy has lost the person she spent her life with and how much she must be hurting right now.

Today they had a service for my Grandfather in Colorado. Please keep my family, especially my Grammy in your thoughts.

Ben with his Great Grandfather in March, 2009

Ben's "big boy" room

Now that Ben's furniture finally arrived, his room is complete. He really enjoys being in his room and definitely knows how to make a mess in there. If you are wondering why there are waves on the walls along the with the balls, the waves were on there when we moved in. I wasn't too crazy about them in Ben's sports room so I tried to cover them up with the balls.

Happy Friday

Videos

The quality of the videos are not very good. I think the recorder lens got a little dirty from someone's hands.

Ben playing with his Grandpa...

Jack, becoming a chunky monkey...

Ben and Jack from April 8. As you can see, it didn't go to well trying to prop Jack up next to Ben.

Happy Friday

My camera battery has been dead all week and I finally charged it yesterday which means that I will be taking more pictures now. These were all taken this morning.

Could they be any cuter?

Our Family of Four

Yes, we look sleep deprived

Proud big brother