Scavenger Hunt and Smuckers

Apparently all of our weekend activities start with the letter "S", as is evidenced by my last three posts....sorry, I'm running out of creative titles! Anyway, we visited the headquarters for Smuckers this weekend. They have a store and cafe inside a big red barn in Orville, Ohio. They were having an ice cream social and had activities for kids. Benny won a jar of hot fudge topping during a bean bag toss, so I can't complain. :) He also wanted his picture taken with the Pillsbury Dough Boy...who wouldn't? (Pillsbury is apparently part of the Smuckers "family of brands"...I didn't know that.)

Oh..and yesterday afternoon some friends of ours who moved away a few years ago were in town and stopped by for a quick visit. Aubrey (bottom left picture) was born two weeks before Ben and the two of them had fun playing together for a bit yesterday. We wish they still lived in town so our kiddos could hang out more...us too!

I was trying to think of something fun to do with Benny late afternoon yesterday, so I came up with the idea of a scavenger hunt outside. He's been begging me to let him take pictures with my camera lately, so I thought I'd try to combine the two. My camera is big and heavy, but he was able to take each of the pictures below (with the exception of the one of his own hand holding the tiny rolly polly). I did do some cropping to fit them all in the collage, but he found each item and took it's picture. It was pretty fun, actually. It was a little too easy, but I think he mostly just wanted to use the camera. :) He was proud.

Silliness and Sitting Up

Ben notices everything and pays attention to so much more than I realize. He is constantly repeating things he has overheard from us or seen on television. He is even getting better and better about using what he's learning in the right context. It's always funny when he makes a mistake though. Like the other day when he told Mike he was illiterate???! :) Anyway, I just wanted to share a couple of recent examples of his funny little brain at work...

Wonder Hangers... This week Ben, Nattie and I were up in her bedroom and he noticed some plastic hangers sticking out of the trash can in her room. He said, "Mom, are those Wonder Hangers?" I was thinking..."What the heck is a Wonder Hanger?" He then proceeded to tell me all the uses for a Wonder Hanger and also informed me that they come with Bend A Hangers and a cool light for your closet. He told me that the Bend A Hangers bend different directions to hold your clothes. I went downstairs and did a quick Google search on the Wonder Hanger to find THIS. I laughed outloud at the level of detail he used in describing this entire infomercial. What would possess a four-year-old to sit through an entire informercial about some goofy hangers?

Power to the People... We were all in the car the other day when Ben blurted from the backseat..."Power to the people!" We started laughing and asked him where he had heard that. He said, "You know, that one commercial. The one about health insurance." We racked our brains for a little while and finally figured out what he was talking about...click here. Ok, so it's NOT health insurance...but he did pick up on the insurance part and WHERE did he hear about health insurance anyway??

Here he is putting together a puzzle this week. He has always loved puzzles, but has recently been into the more challenging ones. He doesn't need my help anymore either. He sorts all the straights into a pile first and goes from there.

In Nattie news, she is getting really good at sitting up with no support. I can hardly believe she will be six months old in just a few days! She still shows little interest in rolling over though...hasn't rolled either direction yet. I guess she'll do it when she's ready, right? Here's the happy girl...

Baby Food, Buddies, Science and Sunshine

This is another one of those eclectic posts...though I think the title gives that away. I put Nattie in the highchair for the first time this week. She's still a little too small for it and was holding on for dear life. She is getting better and better at swallowing down her baby food versus spitting it all over me. Although, I do love the random sneeze when her mouth is full of sweet potatoes! We both need a good bath by the time she's done.

I love the way Benny loves her so much and how she lights up whenever he talks to her. They look so different, don't they? I love how unique they are from one another...in every way!

Today we headed to downtown Cleveland to go to the Great Lakes Science Center. We had never taken Ben and we thought he would enjoy it. It is right on Lake Erie, so we walked around down by the water afterwards and checked out the BIG boat. It was only in the upper 60's, so it was awesome weather to be outside.

Ben on the moon...

Love it!

I just had to post the picture below in a blog of it's own. It might be my favorite picture of Nattie ever. I just LOVE that big smile on her face and that chubby body. Ben was jumping up and down in front of her on the couch and she, apparently, thought it was hilarious. I wish I had recorded the hysterical laugh she was giving him. She was, seriously, cracking up.

This week...

Benny and his buddy Nate playing together in the basement.

What? You thought I would post without including a collage of Natalie...I've tried...I can't.

We went with Papa and Nana to the Italian festival in downtown Akron after church today. I don't know what all the bounce houses had to do with the Italians, but Ben sure had fun. Can you see him sliding down the Titanic? :)

Trip to MO (5) - Happy 4th of July and Everything Else!

Just like last year we took pictures of the kiddos in their red, white, and blue attire. It was nothing short of a miracle to have gotten as many cute photos as I did. We had a fun day of eating giant steaks, watching fireworks, and playing Balderdash.

And finally, here are some other photos from the week that I liked, but couldn't find a good place for anywhere else. I'm positive you have seen enough of my family to sufficiently hold you over until next July or maybe forever. :)

Mom, Dad, Adam, Jenny, Emma and Eric....we had a blast spending the week with you! Thanks for making it so fun. We love you!

Trip to MO (4) - Visit with Grams and Cute Cousins

We went to visit my Grandma Schweiss one afternoon. This was the first time she was able to meet Natalie, so it was fun being able to spend some time with her. She is so sweet and even made us a cherry pie.

Emma and Natalie had a couple of matching outfits, so we had to, of course, get some pictures of their cute little mugs together. My sister-in-law, Jenny, took just as many pictures as I did of them...and we both agree that, at some point ,as they get older we might drive them nuts with this. Oh well, it's fun for now!

Trip to MO (3) - Elephant Rocks and Cathedral Canyon

We made another trip to Elephant Rocks and had fun exploring. Ben and Daddy went off the beaten track and we thought maybe they were stuck under some rocks...but they eventually caught back up with us. I love my adventurous little guy.

It was a hot day and Natalie slept the afternoon away in the stroller. Isn't the picture of Ben "holding up" the rock kind of cool?

One morning my brothers, Mike and I decided to go on a hike we had read about in Backpacker magazine...Cathedral Canyon. We finally found the location after about 45 minutes of driving down various dirt roads. It was completely unmarked and in the "boonies" of rural Missouri...think Deliverance. I had the theme song in my head the whole time. The trail was covered in giant fallen trees due to a recent storm, so we had to go off the beaten path quite a bit. My brothers are not what you'd call avid hikers...so everytime I'd turn around I'd get a face like the top right picture. They survived (not without a significant amount of whining along the way though). The trail ended at some pretty cool scenery that we didn't even know existed in our own "backyard." That's what I love about hiking. :)

Trip to MO (2) - Benny's B-day (Round 2)

As is tradition, we always celebrate Benny's birthday with my family each summer when we visit, since they can't make it to his party in May. He specifically requested a "dog party" from the Birthday Express magazine when my mom was in town last. She didn't forgot and he had fun opening presents and eating cake...who wouldn't? :) He received some fun additions to his GeoTrax and a giant squirt gun. He was pumped.

I kind of think the party hat looks like a dunce's cap on Natalie though. :)

Trip to MO (1) - Fun in the pool!

After Brad and Christina's wedding, we headed to Missouri to spend a week with my family. We had a great time just relaxing and spending time together. It was Natalie's first time in a pool and she LOVED it. I put her under several times and she would come up smiling. She was a little fish and she looked cute in her tankini too! :)

My other little fish. He swam all over the pool all by himself in his little vest.

A few other pool shots. Emma was such a cutie in her little yellow hat.

By the way, I'll just go ahead and apologize now for the absolutely obnoxious amount of pictures I'm about to post. Just want to remember all the fun we had! :)

Mr. and Mrs. Moser

Mike's brother Brad got married last weekend and we had a blast being a part of the big day. They were married outdoors at Christina's grandpa's fruit farm. It was an awesome setting and a beautiful sunny day. I am happy to have another girl in the family. :)

Here are few pictures from the rehearsal dinner. The bottom left picture is of Ben holding an itty bitty frog he found near the pond. :)

The beautiful bride and handsome groom...

The cutest ringbearer in the whole wide world.

Just some more of my crazy little man and one of Nattie too! Ben had a blast dancing the night away with his cousin Ellie. He was so cute tapping the glass at the reception to get Brad and Christina to kiss too.

Finally, just a few family shots...

It was a beautiful ceremony and fun reception. We were honored to be a part of it all. Welcome to the family Christina! So, now that the wedding is behind you, when are you guys going to have kids? Joking (kind of).