Independent Man

Ben discovered watermelon this week.  Apparently, now that he is one he is capable of getting his own snacks.  Spying the watermelon on the counter he quickly scaled the step-stool and helped himself.

Happy Spring!

The day Jesse has been waiting for...

Kate discovered "little" legos on our trip to Seattle.  She got some from Nana for her birthday and could not wait to play legos with Jesse.  I am not sure who was more excited to play, Kate or Jesse!  Here they are having just woke up and getting to work on those legos.

Happy Birthday Ben!

Ben is one today!  The year has flown by.  He is a sweet baby and has been such a joy.  A few of Ben's favorite things right now are: climbing everything,  chasing balls, spaghetti, and anything his sister does.

Here he with his first cupcake and candle.
The boy loves a cupcake.

The first taste of frosting

We decided to celebrate Ben's birthday a few days early and had his favorite meal (pasta) and cupcakes tonight.  Kate helped me make and frost the cupcakes during which there was an awful lot of tasting happening.  Ben, never wanting to miss out on the action, climbed up the step stool and helped himself to the frosting.  He immediately reached for more.

Siblings

The other day Kate was watching her beloved Backyardigans and I plopped Ben down on the couch to have a bottle while I ran around getting ready for the day.  When I came back into the room I found him cozied up to her...it was very sweet.  As can be noticed, Kate is not looking at the camera in fear of missing one second of The Backyardigans.

Tuckered out!

Ben fell asleep on the way home from the park.  He had a great time playing in the sand and going down the slide (head first).  He got a hold of Kate's juice box, poured it all over himself, and had to come home with no pants on as he was soaking and smelling of fruit punch.  All in all a good day for Ben.

Big girl Kate

It is hard to believe that Kate is about to turn four!!!  She is quite the girl.

Here she is having just figured out how to roller skate on her stylish Dora skates.
She is also becoming quite the helper in the kitchen.  She now requests things for us to make together (usually a dessert).  Here she is making some rice krispy treats.

She has recently come up with some zingers.  My favorite is her decision to be a scientist and her telling Jesse that she "is the child in charge of science when he is at work."

Ben's (exhausting) Afternoon

Here are a few pictures of a typical afternoon in the life of Ben.

First, he likes to get into his sister's stuffed animals.
Then after a snack and diaper change (after which he could not hold still long enough to get his pants back on) he likes to climb on top of the hearth and get stuck in the doll house.
Once he is hauled from the hearth, he heads over to the stove to pull pans out of the drawer.
Determined not to be left out of a cooking project he climbs the step stool.
Finally, the end of the day and bath time.