The Christmas Picture

After many attempts to get a picture for the Christmas card, I gave up and used the one where Ben had a mouthful of raisins.

Pie Dough

Now is the time of year that we begin to channel Granny and her wicked baking skills.  I think Granny would approve of these baking babies!

Ben and Prince charming are getting into the pie making action.  In case it has not been noticed yet Kate is in her fake smile stage.
Kate showing off her fabulous apron.  A must when making pies.

Benjamin

Ben is just a few days shy of being 20 months.  He continues to amaze us each day.  He can climb anything, holds his own with his sister and her buddies, does puzzles and then looks to us as if to say "that was so easy...why are you clapping?"  He is also starting to say lots of words.  His newest is "cheese" which means "please get me some cheese and I will take one bite and leave it somewhere around the house for you to find later."

Ben at a recent outing doing some arts and crafts.
Finding a way to get out his energy while trapped inside during the wildfires.
Apparently, his lunch was so good he fell asleep.

Dress-up Dance Party

Each night before bath Kate and Ben like to have a dance party.  It sometimes takes place in Kate's room and other times in the room with the computer so they can dance to the music on the computer.  Tonight, it turned into a dress-up dance party.

Kate as a witch, bunny fairy.  Doesn't every fairy wear a football jersey?
Ben as a pretty flower.  He thought this was hilarious!  He danced around like a ballerina.

Different Baby, Different Goggles, Same Age

Kate in the tub on 12/5/05.  At 20 months.  Just a few teeth.
Ben in the tub on 11/13/08.  At 20 months.  Many more teeth than his sister.

Dress up

Looks like Ben likes dressing up as much as his sister!

On the road

Looks like the kids might be planning a vacation without the parents...or an escape from the House of Crazy!

Looks like Ben will be driving.  He is a good So Cal boy and wears his shades to protect his eyes.
Kate is his trusty assistant and will navigate for him.  Just an FYI her face is painted like a leopard.  My friend and I took the kids to LA today to see their favorite kids singer Steve of SteveSongs where they got to do arts and crafts, get their face painted, and see the concert.  Kate and Ben both danced the hour away.

Kate's Best Day Ever!

Today was the day of the much anticipated Backyardigans Live show.  It met all expectations and we had a fabulous time.  Kate danced and sang and was just really happy to see her favorite show live.  It was made even more special that Kate got to go with all of her buddies.  A truly fun morning.  Kate is here showing off her souvenir t-shirt that she will be wearing to school tomorrow.

Fun in Chairs

I was in the other room and heard Ben laughing hysterically.  He and Kate were rocking themselves in the rocking chair.  Both giggling like it was the best thing ever!

Lounge Act

I feel pretty lucky that for the most part Kate and Ben seem to like each other.  Kate, of course, gets annoyed with her brother and Ben is frustrated that he is not as big as his sister.  On the other hand, Ben thinks Kate is absolutely hilarious and Kate loves it when her brother comes to get her up in the morning.  I hope they continue their good relationship in the future.  Here they are lounging around watching Backyardigans.

Halloween fun

We are gearing up for Halloween here in Long Beach.  We went to two parties (Kate's class party and the neighborhood gathering) today and visited the pumpkin patch a couple of weeks ago.  This is the year of the superhero.  Both parties were full of them!

Kate showing off her best Supergirl pose at the neighborhood Halloween party.
Have no fear...SuperBen will save the day.
Riding rides at the Long Beach Pumpkin Patch.  It is not really a pumpkin patch just an empty lot turned in to a carnival with lots of pumpkins for sale.
Ben with a pumpkin that probably weighs more than he does.
Kate among the pumpkins.

Questions

Questions one might ask about Ben...

Does he ever get dressed?  Yes, he gets to wear clothes out of the house.

Does he ever stop reading?  Yes, he likes to also throw the book, jump off the back of the couch, climb anything in his path, and eat the scraps of his sister's dinner.

How big are those feet?  Very big and an extra wide (courtesy of Grandpa Ben).

Will he ever get a tan?  Sadly, no.  The boy has to wear SPF 55 and even that does not do its job properly.

Katie-Bear

Just a shot of Kate.  She is doing well.  She likes school and just started her reading class which she is very excited about.  She is going to be Supergirl for Halloween with Ben complementing her as Superman.  She is getting ready to be a flowergirl in my friend Joy's wedding.  I told her that Nana saw her dress and that it was very pretty.   Her response was "that is nice but I am more excited about my Supergirl dress."

Ready for Bed

Ben loves to look at books.  He recently started getting into bed and taking a book with him.  He can't get into his own bed so he usually gets into his sister's bed.

All boy

This is a special picture for our friend Joan and her love of the back hoe!  Ben is all boy.  He loves trucks, dirt, eating said dirt, and climbing anything that might be in his sight.  This week there is construction on our street and Ben is in seventh heaven.  He has been standing at the window all morning with no signs of moving.

Then and Now

What a difference a year can make!  I was getting ready to post the bouncy on craigslist and Ben thought he would crawl in for a little lounge time.  I thought it might be fun to compare how Ben looked exactly one year ago (give or take a few days.)

Here is Ben on September 1, 2007.  At about five months.....such a delicious baby!!!!
Here is Ben on September 9, 2008.  Such an active and into everything toddler!

Pre-K girl

Kate started pre-k last week. She is very excited to be such a big girl.  Three of her best buddies are in her class and just the other day said "you know, my new teacher is actually pretty great." The adjustment to five days a week has been a little hard especially since I am gone two days a week now.  Overall, she is doing well and is excited to "carpool" with her buddies.

Utensils

Ben is learning to use eating utensils.  He works very hard and sometimes gets the food to his mouth before it falls off the fork or the spoon.

Here he is trying some oatmeal.  It sticks quite nicely to the spoon.
Using his fierce determination to cut up some green onions with a plastic knife.

Off in their rocket

I went to Costco the other day and came home with a box full of stuff.  Kate immediately asked if she could make the box into a rocket when I emptied it out.  Here is her masterpiece.  Kate loves art and recently has been getting into making things...puppets, a puppet theatre, the rocket, and the solar system.

Lollipops in the morning

Ben loves lollipops.  He has only had stolen licks from Kate's but he knows what they are and how they taste and he wants them.  Yesterday on the way home from picking up Jesse at the airport it was just a little too quiet in the backseat.  Jesse looked back to find Ben eating a lollipop with the wrapper on (we had just been to a birthday party where we seemed to get thousands of lollipops).  This morning, it was just a little too quiet and I found Ben with another lollipop.  This time he was able to get the wrapper off and was enjoying the sweet, sugary goodness.

Tyrone

Kate was a very good and helpful girl while Jesse was gone so I told her she could use a gift card from Christmas and get her most favorite Backyardigan, Tyrone.  The Backyardigans is by far her favorite show to watch and has been for a while.  She is looking forward to the live stage show in November.  She is so excited to have a Tyrone doll that he got to sleep with her and got his own pillow and blanket.

Chores

This is Ben and Kate "making the bed."  It was really a game of play in the sheet and hide.  They thought it was hilarious.

Monkey

Ben has a little furry monkey blanket.  I bought it for him when I was pregnant and it got stuffed in a box when we moved.  I found it a while back in a box and threw it on the ground and Ben just took to it.  He loves Monkey and it can bring him great comfort when he is upset or tired.  He always looks for the head of Monkey to cuddle and likes to hold Monkey over his shoulder or in his mouth. Monkey sometimes gets thrown in the toilet, bathtub, shower, and rubbed in the dirt.  Ben then becomes very distressed.

Monkey being chewed on.
The best way to carry monkey.
Monkey in the shower.

Camping Out

Here are a few shots from our camping trip this weekend.  We went with three other families..so there was a total of eight kids and eight adults.  Aside from Ben getting carsick and throwing up on the way there....we had a great time sleeping (sort of) in the tent, eating outside, and swimming in the lake.

Here are Ben and Kate lending Jesse a hand in putting up the tent.
This is how Ben looked all weekend...dirty!!!
Kate enjoying her morning oatmeal in the woods.

San Diego

We had the opportunity to go to San Diego with Nana, Aunt Kerri, Aunt Kim, and cousins Nick and Garrett.  We had a tight schedule of fun while we were there.  We went to Sea World, Legoland, and caught a little bit of Garrett's baseball game.  We had a great time.

Kate loves rides!  She is not afraid of any ride and especially loves roller coasters.
I used to laugh at the baby leash and said I would never put my child on a leash.  Then I had Ben.  The leash actually gives him freedom from the stroller and me peace of mind that I know where he is at all times.

A few a shots

Sorry for the lapse in posts but between computer troubles and my summer school I have had little time.  Here are some recent photos.

A conversation

Kate has a good friend Andrew.  They have seen each other at least once a week since they were six months old.  They play pirates, dress up, and babies.  When they are together they disappear into the bedroom , close the door and are not heard from for at least an hour or until they are hungry or need help with a costume.  Andrew recently returned from a 10 day vacation with his family.  We went to his house the day after they got home and this is the conversation that Andrew's mom, Debi, and I overheard.

Andrew:  Kate, you are my friend.

Kate:  You are my friend too, Andrew.

Andrew:  Kate, I love you.

Kate: I love you too, Andrew.

Debi and I about cried at the sweetness of the exchange.  It is just amazing to think that a four year old can express love and friendship.

Kate's desk

This is Kate at her new desk.  She loves to draw and can sit for quite a while doing her artwork.  Jesse and I both got tired of keeping Ben "out of her business" so we decided to give her a special, Ben free work space.  She goes in and closes the door.  We have seen very little of Kate since the desk arrived in the mail on Tuesday.
This is Ben being locked out of Kate's room.  It truly frustrates him.  He sits at the door and screams.

Ben's Tower

Ben has discovered blocks and building towers.  I remember teaching Kate to build and about a month ago I just happened to look at Ben and there he was building a tower.  Last night while I was cooking dinner he discovered the spice cabinet.  And again, I just happened to look over at him to find him building a tower with the spices.

Ben's first nectarine

The nectarine tree in the backyard is overgrown with fruit.  We have picked some to relive the pressure of the branches.  One of these happened to fall on the floor of the patio.  Ben, being one to smell food from a mile away, found it and decided to have a little taste for himself.  This is where he differs from his sister, who still wants her fruit cut up, Ben takes the whole thing and takes a bite out of it.  He would take a bite then look at me and say "MMMMMMM."