Wonderful Wednesday

So much has been going on at our house in such a short time -- Ethan is now sitting at the kitchen table like a big boy, mainly because Benjamin kept unlocking the highchair tray and hitting Ethan in the head with it. Both Ethan and Benjamin love the new arrangement.

Today we went here: http://inkfun.org It is a great place for kids to pretend. They have a post office, grocery store, bank, doctor's office, vet, diner, very cool train set, and many other places that you would encounter every day. Benjamin had fun at several of the rooms and loved the train. Looks like trains will be in our future.

Ethan in the toddler room in the castle.

Ethan and I on the old fire truck from City of Gainesville -- yep a real fire truck.

Papaw and Ethan checking out the trains.

Ethan playing on a toddler play set. He loved going down the slide.

Benjamin and I on the fire truck. He did not want to wear the hat!

Benjamin and Papaw as conductors of the train. They even had real train sounds.

Benjamin picking up a few thing for the big weekend. This weekend is the Super Bowl and also we are celebrating Benjamin's second birthday.

We are anxious for Brian to come home and we know that Brian is anxious for his big meeting in the morning to be over. We love you daddy and wish you luck!

Yes Ladies and Gentlemen....

We have a walker! Ethan took his first steps this morning.

Catching Up

Time to play catch up tonight..... Brian has been traveling a lot lately and for a woman who is usually 5 steps ahead, this has been a week of 10 steps behind. I am planning to REALLY get organized this week, as there is much more business travel in the future. We are thankful that Brian continues to have a job though!

I love, love, love bath pictures. This is from tonight. The boys were a huge mess -- we tried out a new burger place near our house -- Benjamin loved to dip his fingers in ketchup and lick his fingers. Occasionally, a french fry makes it to the ketchup!

The weather was so nice here today, that while Ethan napped this afternoon, we played outside.

A shot of Ethan's baby blues and his two teeth. Still just two -- he is going to need to play catch up soon as well. Ethan is a little behind in the teeth department. Ethan continues to stand by himself and is cruising but is not walking yet.

These were from a few weeks ago when my uncle and aunt visited. I hear that they are safely back home -- a cold 12 hours north of here.

Benjamin still asks if my uncle is coming over. Guess that you guys will just have to come back soon!

The boys and I have several adventures for the coming week -- stay tuned for updates. Brian has a big meeting with Lowe's this week as well. Keep your fingers crossed for us.

Out for a Stroll

Yes, folks it has been cold here. And, the boys were anxious to get out. Here are videos of our stroll this afternoon.

The 12 days of January

So, I have just realized that it has been 12 day since my last post. WOW! I know that is way too long to go without new pictures of the boys. We have had a busy 2 weeks at our house.

Here are the highlights from the last 2 weeks: * We had my Aunt and Uncle from Michigan here. They met Benjamin when he was 4 months old and had never met Ethan. We were so glad to see them -- they boys loved having new people to play with. In fact, Benjamin asks everyday when my Aunt and Uncle are coming back! * Ethan's two teeth are much more visible (see picture below) and he seems to have a few more on the way. * Ethan is climbing the stairs (yes, all the way to the top), but not walking on his own yet. We think it will be very soon though. * Benjamin can recognize all his letters and can count to 10 now. * We signed Benjamin up preschool -- he will start in the fall and go 2 mornings a week for 1/2 day. Benjamin is as excited about his "new school" as we are!

The Boys on the landing of our stairs. It has become a new play area for them!

Still on the landing -- notice the gate in the background (so Ethan does not go upstairs alone).

Benjamin with his snack:

Benjamin watching Sesame Street Videos on www.sesamestreet.org

Benjamin and my Aunt at an educational kids place -- he loves playing in the water there!

No only can Ethan climb up the stairs, he is climbing on Benjamin's chair to get a peek outside.

Ethan at the educational kids place -- he is watching Benjamin paint.

Ethan proud of climbing to the landing -- also look closely and you will see two little teeth on the bottom.

You will notice that in most of the pictures, the boys are in fleece sleepers. It has been really cold here and the boys are wearing fleece sleepers all day and all night -- yes, we change them into clean sleepers at night! Stay warm and sorry for the long post.

When Dada is away...

....this is how we play:

Staycation comes to an end

As Brian and I get ready to return to work and the daily grind of life, we are sad that our staycation has come to an end. We have enjoyed playing with the boys together for the last 10 days. If you are not looking forward to a return to reality tomorrow (like us) then take a minute and enjoy these clips.

Benjamin has a chicken car and when you shake it, it clucks. For some reason, Benjamin makes this face when he hears the clucking sound. He loves the car -- thanks Grandmother!

Enjoy the videos and I hope you are eased back into reality tomorrow!

Happy New Year

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