Saturday, October 25, 2008
My little cowboy...
I know it's pretty hard to decipher between the real John Wayne and my silly three-year-old in the photos below...but give it your best shot (ha ha...no pun intended!). We went to "Boo at the Zoo" at the Akron Zoo last night with Papa and Nana. It rained the WHOLE time and we were pretty much all soaked, but Ben still had fun collecting treats. His cowboy hat did a nice job of keeping his face dry! Now I just have to figure out how to clean his muddy chaps before he Trick-or-Treats next weekend. Although, I somehow doubt that John Wayne's mom washed his chaps inbetween all his cowboy adventures. Maybe I'll just leave them muddy... :) 
Tuesday, October 21, 2008
Seven things about me...
I've been tagged (by my friend Sheila) to post seven things about myself....this is hard....and I'm not creative...but I'll give it a whirl!
1 - I was born with a hole in my heart. It closed on it's own by the time I was 10 years old, but I still have to visit a Cardiologist every so many years to have it checked. I have a minor heart murmur because of it. Glad I never had to have heart surgery!
2 - I love all things salty! I put salt on everything...even before I taste it....pasta, pizza, veggies, etc. You name it, I salt it. I even salt some sweet things, just because I like the mix of salty and sweet. I'm weird. I think Ben has inherited this love, as well. He asks for the salt shaker at restaurants before our food arrives so he can pour himself some and dip his finger in it. :)
3 - I was a really late bloomer. It wasn't until the end of my sophomore year of high school that I actually grew. I was 4'11 until then and under 100 lbs. I HATED it! I had to sit on a pillow when I got my drivers license. I looked like I was 10 years old. I grew six inches in six months between my junior and senior year. I am a whopping 5'4 now and weigh MUCH more than 100 lbs...I can tell you that much!! :)
4 - I was a cheerleader in high school. I can't believe I'm admitting this, actually. I was even the captain for a couple of years (ha!). We cheered for every sport...boys and girls...even girls volleyball and wrestling! I think I only made the squad my freshman year because I was so small and they thought I might be good to toss around or place at the top of the pyramid (this was before the aforementioned growth spurt).
5 - Mike, Ben and I have been on several different billboards and commercials. The staff at the good ol Wadsworth Rittman Hospital asked if they could take our family picture, after Ben was born in May of 2005, for some promotional materials they were creating. I didn't think it was that big of a deal because I figured they would just use it on a couple of brochures or something. Well, I was wrong. About three months after Ben was born, I was driving home from work and looked up to see our faces on a billboard near the entrance to my neighborhood. I was shocked! We ended up on commercials, in the newspaper, and all kinds of other places. People still ask me..."Is that you I saw on the side of a bus?" Don't you think after three and a half years they could get a new family? :) (They were very nice to give Ben a $500 savings bond and to pay off our hospital bill though...so I guess I shouldn't complain too much!)
6 - In between my current pregnancy and Ben I lost two babies to miscarriage. I would never wish this on anyone, but I have so many friends and family who have gone through the same type of thing. I am so thankful to God for the blessing of another baby. I look forward to the day when I'll get to meet the other two little ones in heaven. I was recently reading a really inspirational blog I like to follow and learned that October 15th was the National Day of Rememberance for pregnancy and infant loss. If you have ever lost a child, it's a really great blog to help you put everything in perspective. (I hope I haven't offended anyone by posting something like this on my list of seven things about me. I surely didn't mean to! I know these are typically pretty lighthearted! Sorry!)
7 - I'm a pretty boring person (in case you haven't gathered that so far). By boring I mean...predictable. I'm not the type who seeks change just for the sake of change. I'm pretty content most of the time. I like living in a small, suburban town. I like knowing that I have a secure and stable job that I can go to and I'll be happy to work the remainder of my career there (probably will...knowing me). I'm just not all that adventurous....I think it's the worrier in me. I think I got this from my mom. :) Mike usually has to talk me into big purchases (like cars or a house, for that matter). I can always get there...but it just takes me a tad longer than some, I suppose. :) I like to think that I help balance out the "less change resistant" behavior that my hubby possesses.
Well...I think that's all for now. Hope I didn't bore anyone. My guess is that you probably didn't get far enough to read this if I did. I tag anyone who feels like doing this and hasn't before (Katie and Annie...I'd like to read yours!). :)
1 - I was born with a hole in my heart. It closed on it's own by the time I was 10 years old, but I still have to visit a Cardiologist every so many years to have it checked. I have a minor heart murmur because of it. Glad I never had to have heart surgery!
2 - I love all things salty! I put salt on everything...even before I taste it....pasta, pizza, veggies, etc. You name it, I salt it. I even salt some sweet things, just because I like the mix of salty and sweet. I'm weird. I think Ben has inherited this love, as well. He asks for the salt shaker at restaurants before our food arrives so he can pour himself some and dip his finger in it. :)
3 - I was a really late bloomer. It wasn't until the end of my sophomore year of high school that I actually grew. I was 4'11 until then and under 100 lbs. I HATED it! I had to sit on a pillow when I got my drivers license. I looked like I was 10 years old. I grew six inches in six months between my junior and senior year. I am a whopping 5'4 now and weigh MUCH more than 100 lbs...I can tell you that much!! :)
4 - I was a cheerleader in high school. I can't believe I'm admitting this, actually. I was even the captain for a couple of years (ha!). We cheered for every sport...boys and girls...even girls volleyball and wrestling! I think I only made the squad my freshman year because I was so small and they thought I might be good to toss around or place at the top of the pyramid (this was before the aforementioned growth spurt).
5 - Mike, Ben and I have been on several different billboards and commercials. The staff at the good ol Wadsworth Rittman Hospital asked if they could take our family picture, after Ben was born in May of 2005, for some promotional materials they were creating. I didn't think it was that big of a deal because I figured they would just use it on a couple of brochures or something. Well, I was wrong. About three months after Ben was born, I was driving home from work and looked up to see our faces on a billboard near the entrance to my neighborhood. I was shocked! We ended up on commercials, in the newspaper, and all kinds of other places. People still ask me..."Is that you I saw on the side of a bus?" Don't you think after three and a half years they could get a new family? :) (They were very nice to give Ben a $500 savings bond and to pay off our hospital bill though...so I guess I shouldn't complain too much!)
7 - I'm a pretty boring person (in case you haven't gathered that so far). By boring I mean...predictable. I'm not the type who seeks change just for the sake of change. I'm pretty content most of the time. I like living in a small, suburban town. I like knowing that I have a secure and stable job that I can go to and I'll be happy to work the remainder of my career there (probably will...knowing me). I'm just not all that adventurous....I think it's the worrier in me. I think I got this from my mom. :) Mike usually has to talk me into big purchases (like cars or a house, for that matter). I can always get there...but it just takes me a tad longer than some, I suppose. :) I like to think that I help balance out the "less change resistant" behavior that my hubby possesses.
Well...I think that's all for now. Hope I didn't bore anyone. My guess is that you probably didn't get far enough to read this if I did. I tag anyone who feels like doing this and hasn't before (Katie and Annie...I'd like to read yours!). :)
Monday, October 20, 2008
The Gerber's!
We spent the weekend in Indiana with our good friends, the Gerber's. It was a fun and relaxing weekend. We loved visiting with them and spending time with their little man, Will, again. He is 21 months old and almost the same size as Ben (just slightly shorter...pretty much the same weight!). He is adorable and it was fun to watch him and Ben interact. Even with some of the sharing issues that seemed to happen, they still had a blast playing together!
The highlight of our trip was the ride we got to take on a combine on Saturday morning. Ben was in heaven! We were amazed at how ENORMOUS this piece of machinery was. It was really fun!
Thanks for such a fun weekend, Gerber's, and for all your hospitality! :)
Wednesday, October 15, 2008
My funny little man...
Some recent comments and funny stories from Ben...
- We were watching an episode of Extreme Home Makeover last Sunday night. You know how whenever the family sees their new home and their new bedrooms they always respond with an enthusiastic "Oh my gosh!" because they are so overwhelmed and amazed at what they see. Well, my mom was in town and we had been painting and decorating Ben's new big boy bedroom last week. We had just finished that evening and he walked into his room to go to bed that night and gave us an enthusiastic "Oh my gosh!" with his hands up on his cheeks. It was TOO funny! He says it ALL the time now about anything and everything!
- Ben has learned some random words in other languages from shows like Diego and Dora, etc. Well, the other day we were talking about how to say goodbye or farewell in several languages, so I had him saying "Arrivederci" with his best Italian accent...mostly for laughs...don't worry, I'm not teaching him multiple languages or anything...I'm not that good! HA! Anyway, the following morning I was leaving for work, and I said goodbye to him and gave him a kiss and he said "Arrivederci, Mommy!" :)
- Mike, Ben and I were driving somewhere in the car last weekend just having a nice little chat. I can't even remember what we were talking about, but Ben chimed in from the backseat with a "You can't be serious?!" :)
- Since Ben turned three, he has definitely been asserting himself more. Well, lately, when he gets good and mad about something he will sternly tell me "If you do that one more time, I will have to spank your booty!" I can't imagine where he has heard this?! :)
- Recently, when his Granny (Mike's mom's mom) was watching him, he asked her, in reference to her belly..."Are you having a baby like my Mommy?" She politely responded letting him know that she just has an "old granny belly" and that there was no baby inside!!! I gotta be honest, I'm glad it was her and not some stranger!
- Ben has really been noticing the differences between girl stuff and boy stuff since we found out we were having a girl. On several occasions he has seen commercials for girl items, such as Barbies or Princess things and has said to me "I would like to buy that for my sister." :) :) (He also seems to think that the baby is going to come out of my leg?! Not sure where he got that idea or how that would acutally work....but somehow it sounds more appealing than reality!)
- As you know, we've been working hard on potty training for awhile now. He has made great strides, but STILL has not mastered the pooping part (I'm at a loss....my only thought at this point is that I can't imagine he will be pooping his pants when he's in high school, so eventually it will work itself out...right?). Anyway, recently we caught him flushing his undies and jogging pants DOWN the toliet. Unfortunately we were too late to catch him before he flushed the undies, but we did witness him pulling his jogging pants out of the toliet. When asked why he did this he said they were "dirty." Did he think the toliet was the washing machine or what? What a NUT!!!!
- Finally, he has recently developed a love for all things cowboy related. When asked what he wanted to be for Halloween, he said "John Wayne!" Nice! He and his Dad have enjoyed some time together watching John Wayne movies and he REALLY watches them...even the boring parts. I don't get it. We purchased a cowboy costume for him at Children's Place. Now we just need some boots and he'll be ready to go!
Just have one picture I thought I'd throw in here. It really doesn't align with all of the nutty stuff I've mentioned above, but oh well. Here he is very focused on some "monster truck" game he and Daddy were playing on the computer this evening. I just love his little profile. :)
- We were watching an episode of Extreme Home Makeover last Sunday night. You know how whenever the family sees their new home and their new bedrooms they always respond with an enthusiastic "Oh my gosh!" because they are so overwhelmed and amazed at what they see. Well, my mom was in town and we had been painting and decorating Ben's new big boy bedroom last week. We had just finished that evening and he walked into his room to go to bed that night and gave us an enthusiastic "Oh my gosh!" with his hands up on his cheeks. It was TOO funny! He says it ALL the time now about anything and everything!
- Ben has learned some random words in other languages from shows like Diego and Dora, etc. Well, the other day we were talking about how to say goodbye or farewell in several languages, so I had him saying "Arrivederci" with his best Italian accent...mostly for laughs...don't worry, I'm not teaching him multiple languages or anything...I'm not that good! HA! Anyway, the following morning I was leaving for work, and I said goodbye to him and gave him a kiss and he said "Arrivederci, Mommy!" :)
- Mike, Ben and I were driving somewhere in the car last weekend just having a nice little chat. I can't even remember what we were talking about, but Ben chimed in from the backseat with a "You can't be serious?!" :)
- Since Ben turned three, he has definitely been asserting himself more. Well, lately, when he gets good and mad about something he will sternly tell me "If you do that one more time, I will have to spank your booty!" I can't imagine where he has heard this?! :)
- Recently, when his Granny (Mike's mom's mom) was watching him, he asked her, in reference to her belly..."Are you having a baby like my Mommy?" She politely responded letting him know that she just has an "old granny belly" and that there was no baby inside!!! I gotta be honest, I'm glad it was her and not some stranger!
- Ben has really been noticing the differences between girl stuff and boy stuff since we found out we were having a girl. On several occasions he has seen commercials for girl items, such as Barbies or Princess things and has said to me "I would like to buy that for my sister." :) :) (He also seems to think that the baby is going to come out of my leg?! Not sure where he got that idea or how that would acutally work....but somehow it sounds more appealing than reality!)
- As you know, we've been working hard on potty training for awhile now. He has made great strides, but STILL has not mastered the pooping part (I'm at a loss....my only thought at this point is that I can't imagine he will be pooping his pants when he's in high school, so eventually it will work itself out...right?). Anyway, recently we caught him flushing his undies and jogging pants DOWN the toliet. Unfortunately we were too late to catch him before he flushed the undies, but we did witness him pulling his jogging pants out of the toliet. When asked why he did this he said they were "dirty." Did he think the toliet was the washing machine or what? What a NUT!!!!
- Finally, he has recently developed a love for all things cowboy related. When asked what he wanted to be for Halloween, he said "John Wayne!" Nice! He and his Dad have enjoyed some time together watching John Wayne movies and he REALLY watches them...even the boring parts. I don't get it. We purchased a cowboy costume for him at Children's Place. Now we just need some boots and he'll be ready to go!
Just have one picture I thought I'd throw in here. It really doesn't align with all of the nutty stuff I've mentioned above, but oh well. Here he is very focused on some "monster truck" game he and Daddy were playing on the computer this evening. I just love his little profile. :)
Sunday, October 12, 2008
The fun never ends...
There are lots of different farms and orchards near our home, so we spent the afternoon with Nana and Papa at Ramseyer Farms and The Barn. Ben insisted on pulling the heavy, pumpkin-filled, wagon the whole time we were at the farm. The warm weather hit and it was 80 degrees today. A little too hot for me, but I guess I shouldn't complain since it's October!
Saturday, October 4, 2008
Fall fun with Grammy and Pops!
Grammy and Pops arrived into town this weekend and we've had a lot of fun so far! Warning: Lots of pictures ahead...sorry!
Walsh Farms on Friday evening...
Baumann Orchards this morning...we picked apples, went on a hayride, and saw how the apples were made into cider.
This afternoon we went to Stan Hywet Hall and Gardens (a big castle in Akron on awesome property). They have a Fall festival going on this weekend. Ben had a blast painting a pumpkin, getting his face painted, and walking through the "Butterfly Sanctuary."
Just a couple of random shots!
I figured I had better post something before I collected anymore pictures! My dad heads home tomorrow, but my mom is staying through next week to help Mike and I with some painting and home stuff. By the way, I realize I have the same gray sweater on in every picture I've posted recently. I have limited options these days!! More to come...I'm sure! :)
Thursday, October 2, 2008
Bedtime Laughs!
Ben and I were being silly last night as I was putting him to bed. He was snuggling in between all of his stuffed animals and we were saying goofy things to make each other laugh. I love my buddy!
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