October: Update on the kiddos.

The worst part about being so behind on the blog is missing out on capturing the funny day-to-day stuff the kids do. They grow so darn fast that you could never get it all down, but I like to think I can get enough recorded that I can look back and get a good idea of how precious they are at this moment in time. Though not near enough, here are some notes I jotted down last fall about the kiddies...
 

Ben

-Says startled and frightened. :)
-A+ on every test and every paper all year so far.
-night before his birthday he says, "I just can't stop thinking about Heaven. I think about it all the -time. How I'm only 7 and I know so many people there. On River Monster there was a boat that tipped and a 2 year old little boy died and I just can't believe it. He only got to live for 2 years...only 2 years of life."
-He was really proud when his teacher asked the class what they should eat more of on the Save A Turkey campaign and he said, Cheese-its!

-While talking about his rewards chart for staying in his bed all night, he tells me it's hard to stay in your bed all night when you have a mommy that cuddles so good.
-Wrote a song about Abraham Lincoln and George Washington and Santa getting in a fight on a roof top and it was actually really funny. 

-Boy in class told me Ben was the smartest kid in class and a girl in class says he chases her and talks to her in class.
-He unloads the dishwasher, makes me coffee, cleans his room AND his sister's room and helps me constantly.
-He worries constantly about being "good enough" for me, for his teacher, and for everyone's expectations.
-He is still so obsessed with football...like so, so obsessed. He won't even watch cartoons because he would rather watch replays of games on youtube or check scores on ESPN scorecenter.

Des

-His friend Nate told his mom that "he, des, grady, cole and Kevin Durant were gonna change the world." He also told her that "he, grady and cole were the only ones that could call Des, Des and everyone else has to call him Desmond."
-Des forgot to tell us that he had a girlfriend. Then at dinner he said, "Mackenzie was talking to Nancy at her center and she waited for their conversation to be over, then he asked her if she wanted to be his girlfriend, she said yes and he said Thank you! and ran away.
-He sleeps in a tent set up on TOP of his bed every night with 10 stuffed animals and a turtle that lights up.
-When Ben was talking about people we knew in heaven Des said, Desmond Roland's mom. (Desmond Roland is an OSU football player that lost his mom this season.) I told him Desmond Roland would be really happy that people he didn't know were thinking about his mom. He said outloud, "Desmond Roland, we are sorry about your mom. I bet she is really good and gives you lots of snacks and drinks like my mom does. I hope you are ok."
-He hugs me so tight and says, "I love you my highness."
-He crawls in my bed every night and wraps an arm around my waist or shoulder.
-He is our pickiest eater but will do just about anything for a dessert.
-PreK could not be going any better. He absolutely loves going to school and loves Mrs. Nichols so much. He says the worse part is "teaching time" when they go on the carpet and actually learn stuff. :) He loves lunch and recess and P.E. and music and center time. He loves all of his classmates. He is READING which we didn't even know until he just started reading the books outloud at bedtime and Brad and I were in SHOCK. He is so, so smart and so well-behaved. He has gotten a blue dot (the best color) every single day.

Genevieve

-Says Foo Foo! with her fingers pointed to the sky when she is excited.
-She tells me her dad is "impossible".
-She says things like "I have been going potty for ages."
-She says seriously all the time, Like, "Seriously mama? You not gonna let me have another chocolate?
-She still says Wee How! instead of Yee Haw!
-She bargains for everything.
-She says, "Watch me mommy!" for everything
-She is obsessed with My Little Ponies.
-She sings Twinkle, Twinkle and ABC like 5 hours a day. She knows one line from Itsy Bitsy Spider and sings it a bit and Wheels on the bus.
-She asks to go to Mimi's house a lot and wants to live there.
-She also wants to go to Oak City and Arkan-sauce (Oklahoma City and Arkansas).
-She LOVES oatmeal (she was calling it oat-pom for a while) and as soon as her eyes open she comes to our bed, nurses for just a couple of minutes and then says, "Daddy? You making me oatmeal today?"

-She says, "Mommy! You my best fwend! I say, I am? And she says "yes! Totally!"

-She was asking Ben if she could have some of his tic tacs. He says what are polka dots? I say oh she calls tic tacs polka dots. She says, yeah! I call dem polka dots for ages!

-She has been shouting "Girl power! To the rescue!" And jumping from somewhere high.

-She sang, "we are da girls...best friends forever! On a walk to gaga's.
-She said, "Thanks for doing yoga with me. You are the best at that. I love you so much. It's HARD work!"
-So often she shouts or hugs or squeezes me and says, "I love you so much." When I respond with,  "I love YOU so much". She ALWAYS says, "I know".

An interview with a SIX year old...

On the eve of Ben's sixth birthday we kept the tradition alive and I asked him a few basic questions for posterity. 

My favorite food is: Tacos

My favorite sport to play is: Basketball

The best show on television is: Phineas and Ferb

The coolest person on Earth is: My girlfriend

My favorite thing to learn about in school is: Math

The thing I do the most awesomely is: Football

If I could go anywhere in the world, I’d go to: Georgia because I want to.

My favorite color is: Orange. I know how to spell Orange. O.R.A.N.G.E.

When I grow up I’m going to become: A football player...I mean a basketball player.

My favorite song is: Jingle Bells.

The book I love right now is: Ben is Ten...I know how to spell that and then does.

Three words that describe me: Six, the best, and he loves Gaga.

Right now I’m thankful for: (I rephrased it what do you want to say thank you for?)  My family. 

When I was little, I used to: Take baths a lot.

My favorite season is: Winter!

The snack I like the best is: Animal crackers

One food that I do not like is: Corndogs

My best friend is: Case

If I had one wish it would be: That I could fly.

My best memory is: That I turned five. I still remember that.

My favorite thing to play is: Tag

What I want for my 6th birthday: A bicycle

None of these really surprised me except the Georgia answer. I'm stumped on that one. My favorite answer is that he is thankful for his family. And I think it's funny that he still doesn't get how to say words that describe him...but his answer is sweet.

I can't believe I will have a 6 year old tomorrow. A boy who has started school, lost a tooth, started to read, and carries some of the same weight on his shoulders as a grown man. He is serious, obedient, a perfectionist, and hard on the people he loves. He is competitive, thoughtful, and athletic. He is so smart. He still crawls in our bed every night not because he is scared but because he says he misses us in the night. He is beyond anything I wished for in a son.

Ben.

This boy is something else. He is such an old soul. He is wise, independent, responsible, detail-oriented, nurturing, shy, so so smart, and full of energy. He has a BEAST of a memory, especially with numbers and he loves rules. 

He saw a pic of Audrey on facebook and he said, "She looks so pretty!" I love seeing this relationship...though Audrey has some serious competition with all the girls at school. 

He wants to carry his little sister everywhere, he has his first friendship bracelet and already had his first sleepover (at our house!) He says he misses his family while at school but boy he is loving it! 

He talks about his birthday and santa a ton but his favorite thing ever is "traps" with his Papa. On Saturday mornings my dad takes Ben and Des on his errands around town. They look forward to it all week long and you should see the meltdowns Ben has when we miss it!

He has the scowl of a teenage boy when he gets mad or annoyed. He wants things the way he wants them or he crosses his arms, his brow furrows and he can be so so sassy. But he HATES being in trouble and cries so hard when I yell at him. Through his tears he says things like "I'll try to do better mama" or "I just hate when you are mad at me!" 

It's amazing how grown up he acts sometimes. He helps so much with Genevieve and gets up with her in the morning extra early to play with her. He cleans his room every night and helps set the table for dinner. He wants to cuddle me a lot after school and he is a lights out Mario Kart player. He still loves football in the front yard and wrestling his daddy. He is cautious and won't try many things until he sees his little brother do it first, like going high on the swing. He likes pallets on the floor and gets in bed with us most nights still. He's gotten into "relaxing" when he feels tired or worried. He'll say, "Mama...I need a relaxation plantation" which means we run a warm bath with some lavender salts and let him chill out awhile. 

He can problem solve like an adult, needs to know the plan at all times and makes sure things get done! He can remember scores from games and players' numbers and facts about sports that no one else can. He is so smart and so amazing. I love hearing what is happening in his mind. I love that he still wants to hang out with me and tell me every detail of his day. I love when he smiles or laughs or shows me something he has learned. I love every single bit of him.

Audrey and Ben

In case you were wondering, Ben and Audrey are still boyfriend and girlfriend. :)

We got the chance to see her a couple of times this summer. First, she and her mom came down to Seminole for the day and after spending the morning at the Children's Museum we hung out at our house for the rest of the afternoon.

This maze is crazy hard. We literally lost Des inside of it and couldn't find him for like 20 minutes. We were screaming his name and he wouldn't answer. There is a pond a few 100 yards away and I was certain he had wondered over there because it was HOT HOT HOT and I started to fret. Come to find out he was very near us inside the maze he just "didn't feel" like answering our shouts. Once reunited it took a good 30 minutes to find our way out! Insane!

Then another time we made our way to OKC to visit them in their new house! They completely remodeled an older, beautiful home and they did an amazing job. It was fun having Audrey show us around and be so proud of her new place. :) It was too hot to play in their awesome backyard so we just spent the day hanging out inside. Ben and Audrey spent hours playing house with all of the baby dolls and had some serious discussions about their future. They now want FOUR kids, 2 boys and 2 girls. They each got to name two. Audrey chose Pierson and Olivia and Ben picked James and Lyla. Audrey would nurse the babies and Ben would change their diapers and put them to bed. They made an amazing team. At one point Ben was taking a little break sitting on my lap and Audrey said, "Ben, come up here and sit with me and the babies." And he did! Heartbreak!

Now the story gets even funnier. Within a couple of days there was a new girl in Ben's class, Gracelynn, that had her eye on him. At the art center she cut out hearts and glued them together and handed them to him and said, "Here. Now we are boyfriend and girlfriend." As he was telling me this story I could see the stress. I asked, "What did you say." He shouted, "Mama! I didn't say ANYthing! I was FREAKING out! What am I gonna tell AUDREY!?!?!?"

Ben

We were picking up sticks in the yard and Des was throwing a royal hissy fit. Ben was explaining to him that this was part of being a farm boy. "I'm a farmboy. I have to take care of my donkey. I have to take care of my chickens when we get them. I have to pick up sticks."

When g was opening her birthday presents he sat beside her helping her and guiding her and being so grown up. He seemed so big and it really struck me when he said, "She finds that tag interesting on her new doll."

"I love you medium...because I love audrey more." {He talks about this a lot. It's usually posed as a question, "Is it ok if I love Audrey a little bit more than you? Or I love Audrey a teensy bit more than you because you are already married to daddy. And almost always there is a number attached. I love Audrey 104 but it's ok Mama, I love you 103."}

One night before bed he said, "I can only count to 109" I said, wow that's amazing and so then he did! But then he got to 109 and kept on to 111. Then he said, "Oh I can only count to 111." {Thank goodness he didn't count again!}

He loves to compare our feet and thinks his feet are almost as big as mine.

He loves to talk about when he was a baby. Everything that g does he asks, "Mama? Did I do that when I was 1? Did I do that when I was a baby? Did I ______ when I was Vivie's size?"

When eating spaghetti, I was talking about how different it is having a baby and having a 5 year old. I was describing how precious the baby moments are when they shove spaghetti in their face and it gets all over everything and everybody just laughs. Then in a blink of an eye they are 5 and you want them to be neat and tidy and eat all their food and yaddy yadda. Ben looked up at me and just started bawling. Huge tears and wailing so loud. He said, "Mama! I don't ever want to leave you. I want us to be together forever!" So I held my arms up and he ran over and jumped in my lap and when I told him he could stay with me always he cried even harder and said, "No, I can't. I have to go to college and then I have to get married and move away!" Oh my gosh. I was having a hard time not laughing OR CRYING so I explained that he could live next door to me and we could see each other everyday or he could live with me as long as he wanted to but that he probably wouldn't want to forever and man, my heart was breaking and I was relishing the moment where my baby boy wanted to be with me forever.

The diamond story:

"When I'm 20 will Audrey be 19? {yes} So, then can I marry her when I'm 20? {No. You have to finish college first and then you can get married.} Well, I need to buy her a diamond. {Ok. When you get a job you can save your money and buy her whatever you want.} No! Mama! I need to buy her one now when I'm a kid so she knows we will get married someday!"

Then later in the day..."Des. Did you know I have to finish college first and then I'm gonna marry Audrey?" And Des replies, "That makes sense!"

When we were in Walmart, we walked by the jewelry counter and he found a diamond heart necklace that he immediately loved and gasped and said, "That's the one! How much is that one?" {It's $20} The next morning he walked out with his piggy bank and asked if we could count how much he had. He had $15.75. He had a sad face and said "I really wanted to have enough and not have to use ALL my money." Then we talked about ways he could earn money by helping and doing chores and he finished it up by saying, "Yeah, or you could just buy it for me with your dollars."

(Dressed as an OSU cheerleader ???)

My gosh this little guy is just amazing. He has the sass of a teenager already and 1/2 the time he stomps around with his brow furrowed and his arms crossed in a huff. But even with the sass, my Benny is so fun right now. He is SO smart. We are blown away by what he says and what he is learning. He is starting to read and spell. He doesn't really sound words out it is more memorization for him. His math skills are outta this world and he is counting in 2s, 3s, 5s, 7s, and 10s. He can add and subtract big time numbers and it's all thanks to football. He loves his basketball hoop game that Santa brought and is really good at it. He is still obsessed with football and basketball. If he isn't playing on the field in the front yard, he is playing on the couch where each cushion acts as a yardline. He will even play alone if Des doesn't want to, acting as both teams and he isn't always OSU. His memory is crazy. Anytime there is a score, he can relate it to some football game we've watched. For example, we were at the OSU basketball game and at halftime he said, "Look, mama. The score is the same as when the Ducks played USC." And then in the car on the ride home Papa was talking about some dunk and Ben piped in from the back, "Yeah...that's when we made the score go from 29 to 31." WHAT?!? How does he do it? He is obsessed with rules and is in constant fear that the police are going to take him or me to jail. Everyday he starts asking first thing when he can run over to his pop and gog's house to see them. He loves to scooter in the driveway and to play wii and to wrestle and anything that is a competition. He helps set the table by putting out napkins and silverware and he basically just throws them in front of each chair. He's constantly talking, asking me to watch him, telling me about some game he is playing or imagining or that really happened. Someday he will make an EXCELLENT play by play announcer. I'm serious. Mark my words. He knows every team in the NFL and probably 90 percent of college teams...just by seeing their logo. He loves Dallas because of Papa, the Seahawks because of Uncle Brian, the Browns because of Brandon Weeden and the Jaguars because of Justin Blackmon. He says he wants to be a lawyer like his Papa and he is finally excited about going to school next year (though I think it's because he thinks he gets to play football!) I'm telling you he is a hoot. A really, really smart hoot that still loves for me to hold him like a baby, asks for 100 kisses, and treats his little sis like a princess. He is just the best.

An interview with a 5 year old.

Sticking to the tradition! Ben turned five if you can even believe it. We had a very small party for him in our new house amid boxes and chaos. Brad spent the weekend preparing the front yard to be a full sized football field with two endzones complete with field goals. It was all our little guy wanted so we made it happen! He had just a couple of friends over along with his grandparents. Even his daddy got to be there for presents and cake when he came home for his lunch break. It was easy and fun and here's how he sees the world as a big boy of five.

Inside the mind of a FIVE year old Ben:

My favorite food is: "pancakes."

My favorite sport to play is: "Football and basketball."

The best show on television is: "Phineas and Ferb and George and Spongebob."

The coolest person on Earth is: "Mommy and Papa and Gaga and nobody else."

My favorite thing to learn about in school is: "Trying to make a gingerbread house."

The thing I do the most awesomely is: "Be a fan."

If I could go anywhere in the world, I’d go to: "Cars Land and Phineas and Ferb Land."

My favorite color is: "Orange. O.R.A.N.G.E." (he spells it.)

When I grow up I’m going to become: "a Cowboy basketball player...a Cowboy football player I mean."

My favorite song is: "Twinkle twinkle little star"

The book I love right now is: "Mouse and the Motorcycle." Then he says, "Say what is my favorite mascot...so I do. He says "Pistol Pete and the mountaineer for West Virginia."

Three words that describe me: "handsome, cool, great." (I had to explain this again this year. I said what if you were telling someone about me and you said mommy is ____ and he said pretty, beautiful and cute!)

Right now I’m thankful for: "my mommy."

When I was little, I used to: “play a lot."

My favorite season is: "Winter."

The snack I like the best is: "Apples."

One food that I do not like is: "Corndogs and Quiche!"

My best friend is: "Audrey."

If I had one wish it would be: "Pop and Gog to go to the moon with me."

My best memory is: "My birthday party."

My favorite thing to play is: "Cars."

What I want for my 5th birthday: "A Braum's truck and another football field in our front yard with two goal posts."

My sweet, determined, stubborn, rule-following, sports-fanatic, fast-running, thoughtful and energetic 5 year old makes me smile every day. I can't believe it was five years ago that I saw the sun rise from that hospital room and my entire world had changed. What a time we have had!

Bean Dip

"Hello my love. I say 'my love' to make you happy."

When Des asked why there was a police car outside of the bank he said, "To keep people from robbin."

We talk about the new house a lot...and how much we are ready to be out of the rent house. But one day he said, "I love the rent house. You have made it so beautiful for us."

The boys are still sharing a bed and it's getting a bit harder to get them to sleep. They are already in that stage of trying to annoy each other by simply touching or looking at each other. We tried to ease it by running a blanket down the middle of the bed telling them they couldn't cross it. One day when we were talking about the house he said, "I can't WAIT for the new house. You know what that means! No more separating blanket! (They will have twin beds in the new house.)

"Boo ya, You're going down, and I'm taking you down" are regular features in his vocabulary.

He can quote every score from last years games and all of the ones from the year so far. He can also tell you what uniform the cowboys have worn in every game. The first thing he does in the morning is check the Sportscenter app on his daddy's iPad to see what games were played the day before and as soon as I wake up I get a fully commentated sports update. We have a scoreboard app now which has completely revolutionized all of his games. He and Des dress in the appropriate colors of whatever team they want to be (which isn't ALWAYS the ducks and cowboys, but usually) and then they keep score. He is a better commentator than most professional ones and he is a really good player too! It's crazy. I feel like he's gonna be famous at one or the other and when they ask him how long he's been doing it he can say, well, since I was about 2.

He can be one sassy soul, but he hates when we are mad at him so it makes for a pretty comical scene. He will sass off to us and then act so put out about something and then as soon as he sees our reaction he starts bawling and runs to his room. As soon as someone goes in there he puts on his happiest face and returns super over the top sweet. He usually only throws fits about not getting dessert, not getting to play football on the ipad, and not getting to play football or basketball the way he wants to...you know, the important stuff! :)

And while writing this post he curled up on my lap and whiningly said, "Mama, what are you still doing on the computer? I just want to be your baby."

Benversations #912

We were at Mimi's and I asked him, do you like the banana bread? He replied, "Oh yes...it tastes like love."





Des was in a new room at church and couldn't find the toilet so he peed his pants. Afterwards, Ben said wouldn't it be silly if you had pizza pants? (sounds like peed ya pants!)

He does not want to go to school and talks about it a lot. "I just don't want to go to school next year if I have to go EVERYday!" I said, ok...but if you want to play on a football team, you are gonna have to go to a school. "OK! I WANT TO GO! I WANT TO BE A CHIEFTAIN!"

And one more...last night he was telling me how small something was and he said, "It was tiny! Like the size of Genevieve's last little toe!" Ha!

Ben jammin

***I found this in my drafts and it is from way back in MAY! It's fun, so I'm gonna post it now...


To cousin Chris: "Do you know what a heart means?" Then whispered, "It means loooooove."

First thing in the morning, he shouts..."Let me look at that baby!"























When I asked him if there were pretty girls at school he said, "Yes, but Ms. Hannah is the prettiest."

He loves sleeping in the closet.


















He rolls his eyes...and harumphs.

He whines instead of asks.
























He got a daddy haircut and immediately looked 15.

He worries about everything. And thinks ahead.
























He says he's gonna be a chieftain with Turner.

He is absolutely the best big brother ever. He dotes on his sissy and plays with his brother.

He can't wait to move to Seminole and be close to Papa.
He is very particular about what he wears and it causes so much stress in the morning!






















He is the definition of a first born and the coolest kid ever!

say cheese.

"Mama. Take my picture."

"Let me see it. Wait. I wasn't smiling. Take another one."

"How did that one look? Huh. My eyes were closed. Try again."

"There we go. That's what I'm talking about."

benversations #315

"Mama. The Oklahoma State Cowboys are like, really good at football. So, I'm gonna play football there when I get bigger. We aren't so good at basketball, but that's ok. Don't worry. When I get there, I'll play for them and we'll be SO AWESOME."

Benversations # 130

When he was laying in bed with his Aunt Lala and they were both reading books, she couldn't help but keep looking at his cuteness and giggling a little bit..."Laaaaaa Laaaaaaa. Quit laughing at me! You're making me nervous!"

Uncle Ronnie's funeral was a hard experience on Ben. He went through a wide range of emotions including fear and confusion. Lala was holding him at the funeral and as they put the casket in the ground he asked, "So, we'll never see him again?" And Lala said, "No." And he said, "That's sad. Bye Ronnie." and waved goodbye.

After he and Desmond wouldn't take a nap and I was in my bed with g. they snuck out of their room and were playing extra quietly trying not to get caught. When they realized I knew they were awake they both came in with big puppy dog eyes and Ben said, "It's ok that we didn't take our nap Mama. We are doing amazing things out here."

He always has the craziest dialogue right when he wakes up. It's almost as if he was dreaming something that he had to share, or maybe all the words build up and he just has to spew them out as fast as he can. He will run in and launch into conversation that doesn't stop for a long time! And, guess what it's almost ALWAYS about? Football! Typically a replay of a game he remembers. For example, "Man mama. We really should have beat those cyclones. It was so close. We just had to make our field goal and we would be national champions. Too bad Quinn Sharp missed the field goal"....and on and on and on. He practically doesn't take a breath!

It was one of those times when he announced that "Justin Blackmon is the only the SECOND best receiver in OSU history." So I had to ask who was first then? And he condescendingly reprimanded me, "Maaaaamaaaaa...Dezi Bryant is first, of course."

And on that same line, he has been sad that the Dallas Cowboys aren't in the Superbowl. (They are his favorite team because that's Papa's favorite team. Des' favorite team is the Giants...even before they knocked the Cowboys out of the play-offs!) Anyway, he assured me that once Weeden and Blackmon got on the team they would make the super bowl "fa shure."

I feel like we are just now going through the "terrible twos." It's crazy that it's 2 years late! He's always been so well behaved. He loves rules and safety and approval which makes for a pretty easy kid!!! However, he's going through his "independent streak" as they call it, and it's too bad because now he is SO smart. He gets in trouble for being sassy or disrespectful and here are two perfect examples of why I wish we went through this two years ago.

If I get angry and put him in time out or yell at him, he immediately starts crying HUGE tears and starts whimpering, "But mama, I love you sooooo much. Don't be mean to me. I'm soooo sorry."

Or the other day he was screaming that he didn't want to take swim lessons and I told him to go to his room to calm down. He put his hand on his hip and sassily said, "No. Mama, we need to TALK about this!"

I have heard him call his brother "Bush League" on more than one occasion. Thanks Uncle Jack!

He wants to paint his new bedroom orange and I keep deterring him. I tell him will have orange pillows  etc. but he says, "NO. I want the WALLS orange." I used Des as an excuse saying, "What if Desi doesn't want orange walls?" and he replied, "Ooooh. I know mama. We'll paint two walls orange and two walls red!"

He woke up from his nap and carried out a purple teddy bear. He was rocking it and cuddling it and after a minute said, "This is my baby. I woke up and I was scared because I felt something in bed with me. I thought it was a monster or a giant, but it wasn't, it was my baby. It was in my belly yesterday and today it just came out!" And yes...the baby eats nana.

While reading his new Power Ranger book, he pointed to the yellow power ranger girl and said, "Mama. I wanna be married with dat girl." I asked why and he said, "Because. She is lookin' soooo cute!"

While we were doing school work he said, 'I'm making a christmas tree out of orange...That is just so beautiful!"

And he is constantly teaching his brother (or bossing him around). He tells him something and it is always followed by, "Now say OK!"

Rose berries.

Ben called this Genevieve's rose berries outfit. The whole time she had it on he would talk to her in a high pitched voice saying,

"Baby sis! You look SO cute in your rose berries."

"Mama. Baby sis is just absolutely adorable."

"Oh. Sis. Your shoes are soooooooo cute."

"Desmond. Isn't baby sis just the cutest? Her feet are so tiny! Her eyes are so pretty. She is just too cute."

"Mama, our baby is the sweetest baby in the whole wide world."

"I love your rose berries outfit. I love you so much baby sis. You look really pretty."

benversations #1208

Yesterday...

~While getting dressed for play group, he really wanted to wear his pajama bottoms and when I said, "Sure." he kinda acted surprised and then said, "Yeah, mama. It's just play group. They won't mind."

~Driving past a big blow up Santa he said, "Santa says, Ho Ho Ho, you better be nice and not naughty or no presents!" So, I take the opportunity to talk about ways to be "nice". He says really good things like "Sharing", "Don't hit Desmond", "Mind your mama", "Don't talk sassy". And then I added a few things and say, "I guess that's about it." He says, "No mama! We forgot one! We have to tell God thank you for letting us go to football games!"

~At play group he was talkin' a bit sassy and I jokingly said, "I think I'll just send Santa a text." He grabbed my phone and fell to the floor immediately balling his eyes out begging me not to!

~As soon as he woke up he ran into the living room where Des was standing and started hugging him. The first things out of his mouth were, "Desmond! Can you believe we beat OU!? Isn't it just so amazing!?" And they continued to talk about the game WHILE HUGGING for at least 5 minutes!

And then this morning he ran into my room and shouted, "You're NOT IN LABOR!!!" in the most excited tone!

Interview with a 4 year old.

Tomorrow Ben will turn four. It's been the talk of the house for quite awhile as we plan for his awesome OSU football party ( he's the main party planner) while Brad and I stare in and share our disbelief how fast the time has flown.

He is growing up SO fast.

I interviewed him this morning. He was unwilling to do it until I explained how it would be just like when Coach Gundy and Brandon Weeden are interviewed after the football games. (And then there was the promise of a little candy too.) Some of his answers surprised me, but I wrote them exactly as he said them...

Inside the mind of a FOUR year old Ben

My favorite food is: "Pancakes and waffles and candy"

My favorite sport to play is: "Football, basketball and baseball"

The best show on television is: "Alice in Wonderland and Phineas & Ferb and George and The Office"

The coolest person on Earth is: "Papa, Gaga, Mama and Ben and Des and Daddy"

My favorite thing to learn about in school is: "Painting!"

The thing I do the most awesomely is: "Football"

If I could go anywhere in the world, I’d go to: "See Pop & Gog and to see the football game"

My favorite color is: "Red and orange and black and blue"

When I grow up I’m going to become: "a football player"

My favorite song is: "Twinkle twinkle little star" (and he chants the whole thing while jumping)

The book I love right now is: "Berenstein bears"

Three words that describe me: "Playing football or watching football" (This was a difficult concept for him. He could use adjectives to describe others, but not himself. He said Liv was "pretty, had a lot of toys, and his girlfriend." I think what he ended up saying describes him more at this point than any other adjectives anyway. He should have included "talking about football uniforms" in there too though!)

Right now I’m thankful for: "Being just Ben and for coming to people’s houses and for Desmond and for God and for mommy and for daddy."

When I was little, I used to: “Fall back down and you’d pick me back up again” (singing the the song while playing air guitar and then per Des' request started saying “if I fall back down, you're gonna be my poop")

My favorite season is: "Fall, because we get to go to football"

The snack I like the best is: "Cheerios, crackers and honey"

One food that I do not like is: "Avocado is not my favorite"

My best friend is: "Desmond"

If I had one wish it would be: "I could fly"

My best memory is: "Going to Audrey’s birthday party" (then started singing happy birthday to her...this surprised me! It was back in September!)

My favorite thing to play is: "Jumping on the bed" (he said "football" first but I made him change it by asking "no, not a sport. your favorite toy or game...")

What I want for my 4th birthday: "a horse on a stick, a bullet pillow, a real helmet with a jersey and pants and football stuff"

I would say this pretty much sums up my almost 4 year old! Football is his everything. And he is mine.

Benversations #1108

While the list is short, here's a few funnies as of late...

While taking a walk around the neighborhood he would say, "Oooh, look at those smooky halloween decorations!"

When Brad asked him to bring him the broom, he returned and said, "Here you go Daddy. Here is your requested."

Whenever I say thank you, he replies, "It's my pleasure."

After getting dressed to go somewhere, he stands up on his bed looks in the mirror and says, "Do I look good? Oh, yeah."

We've been sick a lot lately, and one day we were out picking up our coop veggies and none of us wanted to be there. When I buckled Ben into his seat he said, "I feel like death." I kinda laughed and asked, "What does death feel like?" He said, "Bad. Like I can't even sit."

When telling Katie about the new OSU hats they all got he said, "Baby sis has a matching hat but it has a flower on it. It's sooooo adorable!"

When things are funny he says, "You've got to be kidding me" as he slaps his forehead.

When playing his NFL football app on the ipad he calls the Bengals, "the bagels" and the Vikings, "the bikens".

And to show where his mindset already is at age three:

While driving awhile back, he asked what college was. I explained that it was school where you lived. He asked where they were and I explained they were in all the different states. "Like football teams?", he asked. I said, most colleges had a football team, but not all of them. He said, "So I could go to Cowboy college? or Duck college? or even Sooner college?" And I said yes, or anywhere else that he wanted to go. He said, "If I went to Cowboy college I would get to see you at all the tailgates. If I went to Duck college, I would be far away in Oregon." I said, "Yes, that's right. You would be close to your mama and we could see you all the time." He thought about it a second and said, "Yeah, I think I want to go to Duck college!"

UPDATES on BOTH boys

Here's what's new with your two favorite little schatzies...

Ben (3 weeks shy of FOUR):

This little guy is hilarious. He still talks a mile a minute and never stops. He is just so smart and had so much to say, I guess! :) In the car he gives directions to places (correct ones!) and recognizes everything. The other day we drove by a chainsaw store that we went to over 2 years ago with Grandma Mary when he was 1 year old. He said, "Mama look! There's the chainsaw store where we got Papa a new chain saw. Remember? Grandma Mary was with us." I almost crashed I was so amazed. But he is like that with everything. If he has seen it or been there one time, he will remember it. He loves to do "school" at home and asks every day to do it. His favorite thing to do is cut and glue. He has spent a lot of time lately coloring, cutting and gluing together masterpieces that he says are "christmas presents" for people. (mainly just me and genevieve, but a few others too!) When he finishes he says "Ok, mama. Let's tie 'em up!" (his definition for wrapping.

I wasn't going to give him a party because, heck, I might be in labor on November 19th, and he seemed ok with it. But one day he said, "I think we should have a party for my birthday. But don't worry Mama, it will be realllllllly easy for you. I'll ONLY invite my friends and all we'll do is play football in the backyard and you can make us a cake!" It was so sweet and so thoughtful that I am happily obliging. Ever since, he has talked nonstop about who to invite, what teams everyone will be, who will be cheerleaders (me and mimi) and how HE is bullet when they run with the flags after touchdowns. The sweetest thing had to be when he walked up to his mimi at our baby shower and said, "Mimi. I'm having a football party for when I turn four and I'm only inviting my friends. Would you like to come?"

His days are FULL of jumping on the bed, playing football, tackling his brother, jumping from couch to ottoman, running from room to room, and completely bossing his brother around.

He has started to read to his brother which is just about the sweetest thing I've ever seen. If Desmond brings a different book, Ben will say, "I can't read this one to you. I don't know these words!" but usually will end up saying, "Oh, ok bubba. I'll try." and then make something up.

He is very, very excited about his baby sis and talks about her (and to her) all the time. He has asked many times if he can be there when she is born. He wants to know if she is sleeping, hungry, kicking, and how big she is at all times. I showed him a stuffed shark today when he asked how big she was and said, she's about this size. For the rest of the day, he carried that shark with him and talked to it like it was her. He even took turns with it when they played and gave it kisses. It's precious.

He is growing up so much and really looks different these days. I'm amazed at how big his feet are and how much more independent he is. He potties without even telling us, can change his clothes, gathers eggs and is assigned 1-2 chores every morning by brad. He is such a good helper and because he is such a rule follower, he has a huge tendency to boss des around and tattle on him for everything. "I'm the boss" is a phrase that I have to correct a lot and the thing he gets in trouble most for is yelling at or disciplining his brother. :)

Despite his HUGE vocabulary, he still pronounces certain words so hilariously. "Desmond" still sounds like "dammit" 1/2 the time and anything that starts with S sounds funny. He kept telling me he wanted a "horse with a dick" for his birthday and despite my horror, I eventually realized he meant a stick horse like he had seen at a friends house! Football dominates most of his airtime whether he is play-by-play announcing pretend games or making guesses about what uniforms the cowboys will wear next. He knows several players and their numbers, but my favorite is when he is commentating and shouts, "INTERSCHEPTION!" It's so cute.

He is full of drama, full of life, and definitely full of energy.

Desmond (2 years 2 months):

This little guy is blowing my mind lately! My once, barely speak a word, practically a mute baby is becoming quite chatty. And though his vocabulary might not be what his brother's was at this age, he certainly knows a lot more things! He COUNTS TO TEN! He knows ALL OF HIS LETTERS! He can name 8 COLORS! I don't mean to brag, but stuff that kids learn in school, he has already mastered! The way he says them might be a little funny, but he says them...ALL THE TIME. In fact, it's what he loves to do. He grabs a book and points out every single letter. Or he sits in the car and points out every color he sees. He counts a stream of numbers and then runs, or hides, or jumps. And he is so proud of himself...probably because of my overflowing pride! He is talking in other ways too. He mostly says 3 word sentences and can say just about any word, even if Ben and I are the only ones that can interpret. Some of my favorites lately are:

"mama, help me."

"hing pete hong (sing pete song!)"

"me eat tuptake" (cupcake)

But it's always like that. Everything in three words and it's just amazing to see how quickly he has gone from not ever talking, to just streaming conversation constantly. And no. He is not my quiet child. He squeals, he screams, he repeats consonant sounds over and over and over just to hear it. (think: ba ba ba ba ba ba ba...until you want to scream!) Even his running is loud. He antagonizes his brother endlessly. He loves to push his buttons and try to get him to react...or better yet, hit him so he can pretend to cry and come tell me, "Bubba hurt me." "Hit head. hurt." "Kiss head mama."

He does have sweet manners and will say, "Peas" and "Ank ewe" He sings the OSU fight song already and shouts "O. S. U." with the arm motions. What can I say, they both are brainwashed!

He has a super charming personality. He shows empathy for others and when he asks questions he furrows his brow and has such worry in his voice. Speaking of that brow of his. Just like his daddy's! He has a world class smile and flashes it all the time, but somehow in almost every picture he's got that brow furrowed as if he is sad or mad. But he's not. He never is. He is happy and carefree and funny. He SKIPS around the house. SKIPS. I never want to forget it. His nude little bottom with a skip of joy that looks more like a galloping horse.

He loves to wear underwear and we are still having pretty good success at the potty...though I wouldn't say he was trained by any means.

And what a loving little boy. He is so good at showing affection, even if at times it comes out a little on the rough side. He loves to take both hands and hit both sides of my belly, then say, "Mama? Hurt hiss? (sis)?" He still grabs both my cheeks and gives me kisses. He runs up to everyone, grabs their leg and says, "Heeeeeyyyyy!" And the pats. Oh the back pats. He will pat your back (or sometimes my belly) for ages. He loves to hug and rest his head on your shoulder and just pat your back. At bedtime he asks, "Mama? Lay here?" and pats the bed and then when I lean down to hug him he just squeezes so tight around my neck and pats.

He has started to find his way to our bed some nights. I hear his chubby feet coming and then he's looking over my bed saying "hi mama" in his sleepy, low voice. He curls right up next to me, says "right here" and then literally buries his head in between my back and the bed. I don't mind it too much at all except the night I woke up to him banging his head against my head. It hurt! And he was still asleep! Such a weird-o! He has vivid dreams just like Ben does, that wake him up, or cause him to shout in his sleep. Funny thing is the thing he shouts out the most is "NO BUBBA!"

He loves hide on the floor at the foot of my bed with my comforter over his head. Everytime he colors he gets more on his body than on the paper. He might be the dirtiest little boy I've ever seen. He loves kiwi and tomatoes but when he doesn't like something he goes, "Blech!" and pretends to spit. Everytime we read before naptime, when I'm about to read the book he chose he says, "Me pick!" He hates, hates, hates when I hold other babies and immediately reverts to infant mode and wants me to hold him. He is super cranky, cuddly, and quiet for at least an hour when he wakes up from his nap. And he is still melts my heart with those big brown eyes.