Advent

Mom decided that this year there would be no candy in advent. It has not gone unnoticed, but there haven’t been complaints about the replacement items either. So we’ll call the mild grumbling a success.

We always start with the Christmas Story in the bible. After that we started a new tradition. Each kid got a small tree for their room and they are getting items to go with their tree throughout the countdown. Mixed in with the tree accessories we are writing letters to Santa, going to the Christmas Train, baking, crafting, movie watching, reading and lots more.

It is so fun to look forward to a new gift or activity each day to grow the anticipation of the season!

Church Christmas Program

This was the first year that both kids have been old enough to participate in the church Christmas program. It was a little nerve-wracking wondering how Elizabeth would do on stage, but it went so well! The kids had songs to learn and motions to go with them. We had them to play in the car and they practiced every Sunday in class for several weeks. Elizabeth even got to where she knew some of Ben’s songs. They both did a wonderful job. E’s class went first and sang four short songs with motions. She sang most of the time and did her motions. She didn’t really crack a smile, but compared to the dramatic crying that Mom was worried about, she did a stellar job! Ben’s group was next. They had more elaborate songs and speaking parts. He did great and was also fairly serious about the performance. (Except for the photo above where he is rocking out!) He did an awesome job as well and even stood on the top riser without any issues. They are both growing up so fast! It was a wonderful night and such a blessing to watch our little stars shine for Jesus!

Farm Visit

We were able to head to “the farm” in Kansas over Thanksgiving. We were graciously hosted in a brand new house by Uncle David. The kids enjoyed racing around all four floors (basement, main level, loft and mini-loft) and exploring outside as well. We had a great visit with Baby Brynna and the cousins posed for some pictures (some more willing than others).

Thanksgiving Lunches

The kids each had a Thanksgiving lunch at school before the holiday. Mom got to go to Ben’s. There were so many great dishes to choose from, but all Ben seemed to find was the pumpkin pie. So much for a well rounded meal, but we decided it was a special occasion. The kids made and wore vests and headdresses and performed a song and a few rhymes. It was very cute and it was special to share that time with so many parents that were able to come.

Elizabeth’s dinner was a couple of days later. She also had a headdress to wear, but chose not to. She did wear her fruit loop necklace though. She enjoyed trying many of the dishes offered and especially liked the potato wedges – yum! After determining it was her idea, Elizabeth enjoyed a photo shoot with many faces and even posed with her little friends. Mom and Dad enjoyed visiting with the other kids and meeting some of the other parents as well. It is pretty hysterical to watch 2 and 3 year olds eat a Thanksgiving meal together!

We look forward to the school Christmas program now where Ben is reciting part of ‘Twas the Night Before Christmas and Elizabeth is singing Frosty the Snowman.

Trinity Kids Packs

Ben has been volunteering in his school’s food pantry almost every week for a few months now. It has impacted him greatly and he is very interested in helping donate food to the cause. Mom found a similar cause where we could pack up food packs specifically for children. We made a trip to Sam’s and got all of the necessary supplies. Ben built 18 kids packs to donate and did most of the work himself.

It was such a treat to deliver the packs and meet the volunteers that feed so many people in downtown Tulsa on a regular basis. For many, this might be their only meal of the day. The children that visit are also sent with these kids packs and they look forward to receiving them so much.

Ben made an impact on the volunteers as well and got to be highlighted in their recent newsletter. It is such a blessing to watch him develop such a generous and caring heart!

Happy Halloween!

We had a fun Halloween weekend! Ben started off with a carnival on Friday at school where he got to play games, get a few treats and enjoy some time with friends. On Saturday we got to go to Halloweeta. Halloweeta is a fun family event at Grandma and Grandpa’s in Coweta. Ben had prepared for it earlier in the week by hanging spider webs and making the place a little spooky. The grownups carved pumpkins while the kids went on a nature walk. There was lots of food and fun to be had. The kids had lots of craft projects that they enjoyed and they even got to decorate some Halloween cookies. The evening was finished with a costume parade and picture session. So much fun!

On Halloween Day, the kids had lots of events at school. Ben attended a trunk-or-treat and got way too much candy. :) He also had a party over lunch time with his class. Elizabeth had a party after naptime and enjoyed eating some special treats. Both kids got to wear their costumes all day and also paraded around the school for the other classes.

After school we ate a quick dinner and started getting ready to trick or treat. Elizabeth even wore her princess wig for the occasion. The kids looked great and loved going house to house. Ben commented on everyone’s decorations and was very eager to ring each door bell. Elizabeth requested a picture of herself with everyone’s decorations and then after politely thanking each person for candy she would squeal “Another house!” So she really got into it for the first time and both kids loved going around the neighborhood together. They also both enjoy answering the door and handing out candy so that is what we did next. Ben made sure to give each kid the same amount and was eager to open the door each time a new set came. He would also knock from the inside if he saw anyone on the sidewalk or street to encourage them to come up to our house. He was craving customers!

Disney in Detail

Warning - This is super long and only for those interested in what we basically did every minute in Disney. :)

Day 0

E was sick so the airplane rides there were not fun. We eventually made it to Orlando and got on the Magical Express to our resort.

At check-in the kids got balloons and “first time to Disney” buttons. We had planned to squeeze in a park on this day, but didn’t realize how late we would get in. We did a quick 45 minutes at Animal Kingdom to look around and then headed to Downtown Disney to dinner. We ate at Wolfgang Puck’s and headed back home to get some rest before our first full day.

Day 1 – Hollywood Studios

Breakfast at Chef Mickey’s – this was really fun except that E still did not feel well. That part aside, Ben loved meeting the characters and eating Mickey waffles. Our first visit to the Contemporary was also a hit as we got to ride the monorail as one of our legs to Hollywood Studios. We had our picture taken in our tie dyed shirts and were excited to start our first day.

After a monorail, ferry and bus ride we made it to Hollywood Studios. Here is a rundown of what we covered:

Honey I Shrunk the Kids play area – This was a huge hit. Ben did the spider web several times and both kids loved the slides and areas to climb around.

Photos with the Cars – Mater and Lightning!

Met Phineas and Ferb – a huge highlight for Ben

Lunch at Backlot Express – yummy food that everyone enjoyed

Met Winnie the Pooh and played games at the Magic of Animation area

Disney Junior Live show – both kids LOVED this – the only place you can see Jake and the Neverland Pirates

Shopping for goofy doll and Buzz Lightyear gun

Toy Story Midway Mania ride – loved this and rode twice

Ice cream snack and parade

We took lots of pics in our matching shirts! ;)

Went back to the room for quick naps and then headed to the Polynesian for dinner at Ohana’s. Dinner was a huge hit and became known as the meat place with the flower guy. They serve skewers of wonderful meats family style along with a million side dishes and yummy pineapple bread. There is a singer that roams around and encourages different activities and celebrations. He gave out leis and Ben made sure to get enough for the whole table.

After dinner we let Ben swim for a short bit at one of the pools and then off to bed to rest up!

Day 2 - EPCOT

Turtle Talk with Crush and Finding Nemo ride – Turtle Talk was a huge hit!

Circle of Life movie

Living with the Land ride

Lunch in Mexico – yum!!

Gran Fiesta Tour ride with Donald and friends

Mexico passport stamps

Norway passport stamps

China passport stamps

Germany passport stamps

Met Snow White! Both kids were wowed by her beauty. :)

Italy passport stamps and watched dance show

Took a ferry ride back to the other side of Epcot and headed back to nap

Returned to Epcot and started at Spaceship Earth – Ben was so stoked that we got to go in the giant ball and really liked the ride too

Character Spot – We got to see the big five and there was only a 20 minute wait! Mickey, Minnie, Donald, Pluto and Goofy

Dinner at the Coral Reef Restaurant – everyone enjoyed a yummy meal and we loved watching the fish swim by

Day 3 – Magic Kingdom

We started Magic Kingdom at Tomorrowland.

Buzz Lightyear ride x 2

Met Chip and Dale in their space outfits

Met Buzz Lightyear – this was huge for both kids. They are both huge Buzz fans now, especially E.

Astro Orbiter ride

Tomorrowland Speedway – a favorite for both overall

People Mover – a few “scary” tunnels that were too dark

Next we hit Fantasyland.

Mad Tea Party ride

Winnie the Pooh ride

It was nearing lunch so we hit the monorail and headed to The Wave at the Contemporary resort. It was awesome! So yummy and the kids meals were even better than normal.

Back to the Magic Kingdom. . .

Big Thunder Mountain Railroad – Ben and Mom were able to sneak away to this one during an opportune short line. Ben LOVED it and officially conquered his first grown up roller coaster.

Parade!

Small World ride

Philharmagic show – the 3D was a bit much for Ben and he did not care for the special effects, but Mom and Dad thought it was pretty fun!

We headed back for a rest and ate dinner at our resort to get changed into our costumes.

Back to the Magic Kingdom for the Halloween party – awesome parade and trick-or-treating! We weren’t able to stay for fireworks because the kids were too anxious, but the parade was really cool and we got a ton of candy.

Day 4 – Animal Kingdom

Kilimanjaro Safari

Rafiki’s Planet Watch – train ride, petting zoo and lots of trails, also met Jiminy Cricket

Pizzafari for lunch – so so meal, but let us refuel and rest a bit

Flights of Wonder bird show – a total surprise, but both kids loved this and wanted to go back and see it a second time

Triceratop Spin

Boneyard playground

Dinosaur – Dad and Ben were able to sneak off and enjoy this scary ride

Finding Nemo musical – everyone enjoyed this colorful show

Jungle Parade

Quick bath and rest time

Off to Downtown Disney for dinner at Planet Hollywood – not our favorite for sure

Lego Store

Disney Store

Day 5 – Magic Kingdom

Met Daisy and also took pictures by the fall pumpkin display

Peter Pan’s Flight ride

Dumbo ride – Ben became very impressed by Dumbo at this point since he was the only flying elephant. He also just loves those flying in a circle kind of rides.

Prince Charming’s Carousel

Jungle Cruise

Aladdin’s Carpet Ride

Fast Pass to the Princesses! – both kids loved meeting them. Ben claimed that they were for little girls, but when we got up there he turned to mush and was in love with all of them. The princesses really took their time with the kids and we had a great experience.

Stopped for lunch at the Liberty Tree Tavern and had some really great meals

Watched the Dreams Come True show

Took a rest break

Found Woody and Jessie for photos – both kids loved them as well

Magic Kingdom train

Teacups again for E and Buzz Lightyear ride again for Ben

Shopping and more show watching – dreams really do come true here many times a day!

Dinner at the Crystal Palace with Winnie the Pooh, Eeyore, Tigger and Piglet. Piglet was a favorite of E’s, but she also loves her some Winnie the Pooh. Ben got to be in a parade behind Eeyore and loved meeting wild Tigger too. It was a really fun dinner.

Day 6 – EPCOT

Test Track – Ben and Mom got on this ride with essentially no wait. Seemed all wonderful until getting stuck part way through. Had to wait for the cast members to come get us and escort us out. We walked the whole track and used the emergency exit stairs. They gave us a Fast Pass to come back later in the day. Wasn’t sure if Ben would be up for this or not, but he totally was!

Ellen’s Energy Adventure – too long and scary for the kids, oops!

Journey into Imagination with Figment – both kids loved this and shopped in the store afterwards, a definite success!

Canada passport stamps

United Kingdom passport stamps

France passport stamps

Morocco passport stamps

Delicious lunch in Morocco!

Japan passport stamps

USA passport stamps – all 11 countries complete!

Test Track (round 2) – Ben and Dad were able to complete the ride this time and Ben loved it. He lists it as his second favorite overall.

Back to rest and play at the resort a bit

Mom and Ben went for a chilly swim at “The Dig Site” bigger pool at our resort

We hit the bus and monorail to head to the Grand Floridian for dinner

We ate at 1900 Fair Park and had dinner with Cinderella, Lady Tremaine and her stepsisters – way cool! The kids both loved this and were so excited to see Cinderella again. The food was so yummy with lots of diverse choices on the buffet.

Last Day – Travel home

An easy trip home. The kids did awesome and E thought the view from the plane was just “so silly”. She loved seeing the tiny houses and squealed with delight. Ben enjoyed some in flight movies and video games.

Top Highlights (it is really hard when it was all so magical, but these were our very favorites) – meeting characters, Tomorrowland Speedway, Test Track, Mad Tea Party, Peter Pan’s Flight, getting passport stamps and eating awesome food at the countries, Big Thunder Mountain, Toy Story Midway Mania, Safari, and so much more!

If you made it to the bottom of this painfully long post, we posted way too many pictures on Snapfish if you are interested.

http://www1.snapfish.com/snapfish/thumbnailshare/AlbumID=4535070017/a=7424542_7424542/otsc=SHR/otsi=SALBlink/COBRAND_NAME=snapfish/

Pumpkin Patch

We headed to Carmichael’s in Bixby for our annual pumpkin patch trip. There are lots of animals to feed and pet, ponies to ride and even camels to ride this year. We started with feeding some animals and both kids enjoyed helping. Elizabeth was determined to pet some chickens, but we steered her to the soft lambs that didn’t have such pointy beaks.

Ben decided he wanted to ride a pony like last year so he got in line for that. Elizabeth just wanted to watch Brother and Mom didn’t blame her one bit. J Ben climbed right up on that pony and was so excited to be riding. One of the workers saw his giant grin and said, “I think he likes horses, don’t you?”

After the pony ride we went to pick out our pumpkins for the year. Everyone had a different idea about what looked the best so we ended up each getting our own and a few more small ones.

Ben was determined to go through this hay maze that is completely enclosed and pitch black. We agreed that he could go if he would go by himself as the rest of us weren’t interested. He was feeling brave and excited so he raced in and then never came out. . . Mom started yelling into the exit side for him, but he must have still been near the entrance. An older boy found him upset and helped lead him to the end to Mom. Both Mom and Ben were relieved. Mom’s theory is that maybe we shouldn’t do that anymore. Ben’s theory is that we should just bring a flashlight next year.

Go TU!

We got tickets to one of the Tulsa games this year through a United Way charity auction. We weren’t real sure what the kids would think since it was not Kansas, but thought they would enjoy seeing campus and watching some of the game. They completely blew past our expectations and became Hurricane fans in a matter of minutes. They screamed and cheered for the players. Ben picked his favorite and proceeded to yell through just about every play.

They passed out spirit sticks that night and the kids got a kick out of waving and beating those. We put them away after a while to make sure those around us could enjoy the game as well. They made it through the third quarter and were thrilled that TU was winning big. Ben even made us listen to the game on the way home to make sure that they won. Neither of them were ready to go.

Ben even cheers Rock Chalk Hurricane now thanks to Grandma Lyn’s invention so he could happily cheer for both of his new favorite teams.

Tulsa State Fair and Disney on Ice

We got tickets to Disney on Ice for the first time this year to get the kids excited about going to Disney and since it was Toy Story themed. Elizabeth was pretty excited about the whole thing and clapped and waved at the characters. Ben enjoyed parts of it, but kept asking when we could go ride rides. He had other priorities.

We ate some dinner after the show and hit a few rides. Elizabeth stood on her tiptoes to get to go down a giant inflatable slide. She climbed up all by herself (she's the little thing in the blue shirt) and flew down the slide. She loved it! Ben was able to do a couple other things and we all did the ferris wheel together which is becoming an annual tradition.

5 year old checkup

Ben is a growing boy and now we have proof. At his 5 year old checkup he was 45.25” (89%) and 46lb 10oz (82%). He is closing in on 4 feet and will tower over Mom before we know it! Everything else checked out well and he is just one healthy, growing boy.

Interview with a Five Year Old

What is your name? Ben How old are you? 5 What is your favorite color? Red and blue and yellow, because I like Jayhawks. What is your favorite toy? My new dinosaur game set. What is your favorite TV show? Chuggington What is your favorite food? Lunchables (This one made Mom sad, but they are a pretty special treat for field trips and other special events.) Who are your friends? Ryan and Preston What do you want to be when you grow up? Zookeeper What is the best present you got? The race track that flips cars and crashes them and the Nintendo DS Tell me how you celebrated your birthday. With KU stuff at Soccer City How tall are you now? I am not sure. Will you measure me? I know I am not 3 feet any more so I must be 4 feet. We really need to measure. Did the question say "How tall are you or how tall do you think you are?" What is your favorite part of school? Outside time What can you do now that you are five? Not sleep or nap as long Is there anything else you want to tell me about being five? We're #1!

Ben's Fifth Birthday

Our precious baby is now five! What an amazing journey it has been so far. We are greatly blessed.

The celebration started with the arrival of Grandma Elaine and Grandpa Larry. That meant it was officially birthday weekend. Actually the celebration probably started earlier that day as it was zoo field trip day. So it might as well have been the true start to the fun filled weekend. Mom got to go to the zoo and join in the fun. The kids enjoyed seeing lots of animals, eating a picnic lunch and riding the train. After that Ben and Mom headed home to start preparations for the big weekend.

Saturday was Ben’s 'friend' party. Ben had planned a Jayhawk theme and was eager to share his love for Kansas with his friends. It was a great turnout at Soccer City and the kids had a great time. The coach was really good with them and led all sorts of games and drills with the kids for about an hour. After that we all ate pizza and cupcakes. Ben opened what seemed like a mountain of gifts and got lots of neat things. There was some variety, but the theme for the day was definitely cars. He got a couple of race tracks, several sets of cars, a Cars shirt and the list goes on and on. He was pleased as could be.

We enjoyed more Grandma and Grandpa time through Sunday afternoon and had a little down time before more family came over to celebrate. Ben was ready to go again and was quite the host at his party. We enjoyed Jayhawk cake and ice cream sundaes this time.

In the midst of all of the fun we discovered that Dad had a kidney stone. He was a trooper through all of the fun and was able to be involved in everything even though he was miserable.

Ben stretched his birthday all the way to Tuesday on his actual day. Mom and Dad were able to join him for lunch at school followed by more cupcakes. That night he had swim lessons and got a balloon for his big day. What fun! We finished the day with Grandma Lyn and Grandpa David for one final round of gifts at Subway.

What a crazy, but mostly fun few days! Happy Birthday, Benjamin Clay! We love you!

Random News

School: Ben loves kindergarten. When asked if there was anything he didn’t like, his answer was that they counted too much and it made his mouth hurt sometimes. An honest answer! They are taking in so much and learning more and more each day. His reading is coming along more quickly than we could imagine and he still loves math. He has come home singing all sorts of new songs about the month, season, letter sounds, etc. He is also making new friends, but is able to see most of his old friends on the playground still. What a great blessing this has been for us all!

E loves her class and has really taken to being with the older kids (she is in with some threes). She has started doing some of the extra activities like brother and thinks that is way cool. Her favorite is probably Tumblebus. She talks about the teacher each day and asks if she will get to see him. She practices all over the house. She also desperately wants to know her letters and will ask to be read 500 books in a row if you’ll let her. :) She seems to be very social and often “calls” her friends on the phone at home to discuss the day’s happenings. Eavesdropping on these conversations is great fun!

Weekends: Ben is quite our social planner these days. He is either invited to a party or has some event to go to each weekend it seems. We have enjoyed connecting with his friends and their families. We also got to participate in Race for the Cure this month. Both kids enjoy that event. Elizabeth was pleased to get a cup of water from a race volunteer and some necklaces that were being handed out. Ben also enjoys the freebies, but really just wants to run the race. He got to run some with Dad this year and has announced that our team will all be running next year. The weekends have had wonderful weather lately and we have enjoyed some much needed outside time with lots of walks, playground time and some backyard baseball.

Swimming: Ben is taking lessons during the school year. His teacher is just right for him and is very encouraging and sweet, but also gets him to do things he has never wanted to do before. He even jumped off the board at his first lesson! He is trying so hard and is really making progress. Yea!

Disney: The countdown continues. The kids tell just about everyone we see that we will be going and talk about what we will do when we are there all the time. E’s version: “We will ride a plane, a boat, a train and see Mickey and princesses!” Ben’s version: “Sister, we will go on a big plane. It will be your first time, but not mine. We will first go to the place that has Phineas and Ferb and Cars. We will not see princesses first. I will ride lots of rides and there may be some that you are too small for.” They are a riot! We are closing in on the two week countdown – in hindsight it may have been premature to start the countdown at 50 days. Lesson learned. :)

Back to School!

The kids enjoy “Week of Summer” every year when the school closes to transition classrooms and do teacher training. Right before their week of time off, the director called and suggested they were thinking Ben might be a better fit in the Kindergarten class instead of Pre-K. There were a lot of positive advantages, so we decided to go for it and let him give it a try. Ben was really excited (even though he had no idea what kindergarten was).

Elizabeth also moved ahead a couple of classes and is in the same class Ben was in when he turned three. Both kids are just down the hall from each other rather than on separate floors as before, so that is nice for drop off.

They were both excited to start in their new classes and did great on their first days. Ben is showing off his new backpack full of supplies!

Drop off is a cinch and has never gone better for either kid – yea! Elizabeth is so smitten with her new teachers already, it is funny. She talks about them on the way to school, on the way home and claims they are her new friends. She told me she wasn’t going to one of the extracurricular programs anymore so she could stay with one of her classroom teachers longer. Guess she likes her new class! Ben’s class is unique as it is joined with the Pre-K class and he can roam between rooms when it is free time. So he sees lots of old and new friends and has more responsibility and freedom this year.

We’re off to a good start!!

Disney Unveiling

After the Branson trip we had gathered some Disney toys and trinkets to give to the kids to announce we were planning a trip to Disney World this fall. We have been planning the trip for a while, but haven’t wanted to tell them until much closer. Enough time to get excited, but not so much that they are asking for months on end when we are going.

They opened their surprises and Mom gave them clues as to what the prizes were for. Ben guessed after a couple of clues and they were so excited that they were going to meet all of their favorite characters and ride more rides. Elizabeth is looking forward to Mickey and princesses while Ben has scoped out which park Phineas and Ferb live in as well as the Cars characters.

After it all started to sink in, Ben quickly turned into the mini trip planner. He was concerned about where we would eat and if he approved. He wanted to make sure he saw Cars before princesses and that we only saw princesses one day. It is hysterical the things he is coming up with. He is planning to be on certain rides, watch certain shows and what everyone will pack. He is also telling everyone he sees and it is like a Superbowl commercial each time – “We’re going to Disney World!”

We are starting our countdown and enjoying looking forward to this trip!

Silver Dollar City

The kids finished up their last week of school with parties, lunches and all sorts of festivities. They were excited about all of those things, but Ben kept announcing as soon as those things were over that we’d be leaving for Silver Dollar City. He was very excited about our long weekend. The kids were going to be off for a week of school while the teachers got ready for their new classes and participated in training. We decided to do a short family trip and then the kids would spend time with Grandmas after that.

We drove Friday night and were ready to hit SDC as soon as it opened Saturday morning. We first headed to the measuring station as that was recommended for smaller kids so they wouldn’t have to get measured at each ride. Thinking this was just a small stop before our day began was not quite true. Ben did fine and got his bracelet with his height marked on it. Elizabeth wanted nothing to do with the process. She refused several times, and Ben and Mom ended up going on a roller coaster while Dad and E sorted out what she was going to do. Poor Dad ended up having to hold Elizabeth against the wall while the employees measured her. Then she was not a fan of the bracelet (which we put on her ankle), but at least the worst was over.

Ben loved the roller coaster and was ready for everyone to go on rides after that. We rode so many things! There was an elephant ride, a boat ride that was like a giant swing (E’s least favorite ride), a jumping frogs ride, and many more. The kids even did the water rides where the round raft goes in rapids and where the log boat goes down a hill into a giant splash. They loved them and begged for more. They also enjoyed the giant tree houses and playgrounds, and we made sure to take an ICEE break each day among other snacks and meals.

We were able to push the kids pretty hard and went without naps for two days straight. This made for some less fun bedtime routines, but overall they did so well and had a wonderful time. Ben even tried some new places to eat and surprised himself that he liked trying these new places.

We did SDC for two days and then the third day we hit the outlet mall and stopped by a cave on the way home in Arkansas. The kids did really well in the cave. They were both nervous about being in the dark, but did a great job. The tour guide was a little windy and ended up talking an extra 30 minutes or so, but they still hung in there. The guide even held Ben over the railing to touch a special formation that they allow visitors to feel. Mom was not a fan of that, but Ben came back in one piece.

This was all a weekend for fun, but it was also a test to see how the kids did in this setting in preparation for a Disney trip. They passed with flying colors!

A beautiful start to our trip - we saw a double rainbow on our drive to Branson!

Their new best friend

Our daily ICEE break

Fun on the splash pad

Swimming, Tacos and Family

We recently invited a couple of families with similar-aged kids over to swim at the neighborhood pool and then come back to the house for dinner. There were three 4/5 year-olds and three 2 year-olds. Everyone got along great and we had the best time! Ben and Elizabeth are still talking about our fun and Elizabeth screams at the top of her lungs each time we pass the pool, “SWIMMING! I SWIM HERE!” We haven’t gone a ton this summer and need to squeeze in a few more times before the pool closes for the season as it is a big hit. Ben has already planned to sign up for fall swimming classes among many other things (which we’ll have to work on narrowing down). Anyway, the evening was a success and my kids are eager for the next round.

On Sunday of that weekend we got the chance to have our cousins over and got to see Baby Miles practice his crawling. Ben especially wanted to interact with Miles and brought him tons of toys to play with and tried to get him to come to different parts of the room. E decided she would rather play ball and do some other things, but eventually was rolling the ball to him and joining in the group as well.

During our visit, Grandma Elaine arrived on her way to Dallas to see our niece/cousin for a few days. The kids loved playing with Grandma and enjoyed the evening doing bubbles, reading books and eating pizza. It was a full weekend of special times with friends and family!

Fourth of July Weekend

We started the weekend with the annual parade at school. It was an extra hot one this year so it was cut short at one lap around the building and followed by ice cream in the classrooms. Ben was shy when he saw us waving at him and made a funny mouth and looked away. Elizabeth was terrified by the whole experience and started crying as soon as she saw Mom, Dad, Grandma and Grandpa. They both looked cute though and E still has the dye spots on her scalp to prove her patriotism!

Saturday was another big day. We started with a camping themed double birthday party with some of our good friends who were turning 5 and 2. The kids had a blast doing all of the “camp activities” and are now determined to make s’mores at home all the time.

After nap we headed out to see Cars 2 with Grandma and Grandpa. We thought they would get a kick out of seeing the kids at a movie as well as hopefully enjoying the movie itself. Everyone got a taste of why Elizabeth should not be invited (she is a mover and a shaker!). And a few minutes into a shooting scene Ben climbed over Grandpa to get in Mom’s lap and plead his case on why the family should pack up and leave. Mom convinced him to hang in there and he was glad eventually, but isn’t sure he will want to watch it again. This one was a little dark and violent compared to the first. Winnie the Pooh is next on our list to lighten things up!

Sunday we geared up all day for the big party at Aunt Terry’s house. The kids were looking forward to water play, animals, fireworks and treats. We all had a blast and kept cool in the sprinklers, enjoyed cooling off the horses and had some great fun with friends and family. On the way home we were able to see lots of fireworks from the car. We were on the Creek bridge as the Riverwalk show was starting so we looped back around to have more time near the fireworks. Neither kid was impressed with that idea. E cried, “You scare me! I go home to my bed!” Ben was determined that our car was going to get hit and that we were driving way too close. He is not a fan of the noise either. So we headed home realizing that it would be at least another year until we can watch fireworks up close.

On the 4^th, we ran some errands and relaxed at home some. After nap we headed to some old friends’ house and enjoyed some swimming and grilling. The kids both had a blast in the pool and enjoyed the trampoline. They also enjoyed watching the older kids light “snakes” and do other small fireworks (with hands over ears if they had any noise). We headed home before the big show on the golf course. Hopefully in a couple of years we’ll be able to enjoy the big shows again.

Ellisms

E’s cutest conversations right now are if you can catch her talking to or about one of her babies.

This baby is so stinky! I need lots of wipes!

Baby, I am getting your boogers.

Baby is naughty – time out, baby! Let’s go check her, Mom.

Over here, Baby. I take your picture on my phone!

She also sings to her babies which is so sweet.

E’s best friends per her proclamation: Daddy, Grandpa, Kiva (teacher), Quis (teacher), Ben Hixon (boy in class), Jakey (boy in class), Cooper (boy that is in another class), Grayson (boy in class) . . . Other than her teachers, E is all about the boys!! Although at the very end, she got really shy and said “Claire” and giggled a lot. We have a sweet friend who is three and Elizabeth thinks she is pretty cool.

Recently E learned Mom’s and Dad’s real names. The best part is how she says them. Dad is usually Bandon or Bwandon and Mom is Kitty. She will often be yelling across the house, “Mom, where is Bwandon?” and then laughing hysterically. She will tell people “My mom is Kitty!” and after she gets a laugh she just beams and is so proud to have this new information. Thank you, Grandma Lyn! :)

E makes a kissy sound with her mouth.

E – “What’s that noisy?”

Mom – “I am not sure what that could be.” (Playing along for the hundredth time.) :)

E – “It’s in my mouth!!” Giggles hysterically and then starts over by making the noise again and asking what it is.

Benisms

Dad gave Ben a haircut at home for the first time and kept mentioning that it might need to be a “buzz cut”. After he was done, Ben told Dad that he liked it but maybe next time he would try a “Woody cut”. Guess Lightyear is the only Buzz that Ben knows!

“Mom, please tell Sister to be quiet – I am contemplating!”

“Wow, that is a big word – what does contemplating mean, Ben?”

“It means I am thinking hard. Maybe I mean concentrating. Anyway, please make her be quiet!”

“Mom, did you know that the taxi is a family member of the bus? I know that because Grandpa David told it to me!” “Did you also know that cars have computers inside? Isn’t that amazing?”

“Pirates don’t wear underwear!” This is a fun fact that was learned at school during pirate week that has come back to haunt Grandma and Grandpa. Ben streaks through their house and claims he is a pirate so he doesn’t need underwear. It was probably funny the first time!

A basket of bread with butter was served at our table at a restaurant. Ben's eyes lit up and asked if we would all get ice cream with our dinner. (He thought the little scoop of butter was vanilla ice cream.)

Garden 2011

We made our first attempt this summer to plant a garden. Brandon and the kids built a raised bed and we all helped plant the seeds. We planted eight sections in the 4x8 bed. There are two types of tomatoes, lettuce, carrots, green beans, cilantro, peas and watermelon (Ben's lone contribution).

The goal is to have a fun family project and see if it will encourage eating of more vegetables. We haven't made it to the second part yet, but we are getting ready to be able to pick some things and find out. In the meantime we have had fun and have really enjoyed watching everything grow.

We’re an Aunt/Uncle/Cousin!

We were able to make the trip to Dallas to meet our new niece/cousin over the weekend. She was just shy of four weeks when we met her and still smaller than our babies were at birth! So sweet and tiny!! The kids were not all wrangled into a picture together – we’ll have to be more determined next time. But they each spent time looking at their new cousin and touching her toes.

We asked each of them what they would like to tell their cousin. Ben thought he might start with some math as it would be important for her to learn someday. He also told her he hoped to see her again by the time she was two – um, hopefully way before that!! Elizabeth waved madly from afar and yelled “Hi Baby!” So the cousins will have all practical and social matters covered it seems.

We are eager to plan another visit and enjoy more baby time soon!

Father's Day

All Dad wanted for Father’s Day was really to just relax and watch some soccer and golf. We tried to accommodate him (not sure if we were successful on the relaxing part) and also added in a trip to the ice cream store, some Wii golf and some sweet presents the kids had made at school. Happy Father’s Day!!

Kiddie Park

We made the trek up to Bartlesville to see what we had been missing out on. There is a Kiddie Park with 25-cent rides that several friends have been to and love. We had been wanting to go and some of our sweet friends invited us to join them as they tried it out for the first time too.

It was such a cute place! There were about 15-20 rides and all were sized for preschoolers to about early elementary. Ben could have ridden anything there, but limited himself to the ones that “weren’t as scary”. Elizabeth could have ridden the majority of rides and wanted to. But when it was her turn and we put her in the seat she would freak out that we would actually consider leaving her on this thing. She was able to ride the things sized for adults though like the train and carousel.

Ben was acting weird during our visit, making uncomfortable faces and even got out of the Jupiter Jump early. Mom was sure he was going to be sick and asked him nonstop how he felt. It turns out he was just really tired from the bike races the night before and trying to hide his yawns so we wouldn’t have to go home. Sneaky!

We hope to go again and know that next time we won’t expect much out of E and we’ll also make sure the kids are more well rested. It was a really fun adventure though, and we are so thankful that our friends encouraged us to try it with them!

Tulsa Tough and Fiberworks

The kids enjoy watching the bike races and it has become a tradition that we watch the Blue Dome races on Friday night. Mom and the kids stayed downtown after school/work and waited for Dad to get off work. Grandma was also in town and rode in with Dad. We met up at McNellie’s and the kids did really well at their first downtown restaurant. Thank goodness for cheese quesadillas!

Fiberworks was also downtown at the same time and is an art show that both Grandma Lyn and Grandpa David made it into. Grandma won two prizes and Grandpa sold one of his works – yea! The exhibit was open to the public so we thought it would be an ideal time to take the kids. It also happened to be the same night as a fashion show. Both were in the same space so we stealthily looked at the works in the back of the space and had to take a raincheck on everything close to the runway. The kids did great though as we bribed them with fancy fruit appetizers and showed them Grandma and Grandpa’s names on the wall. Pretty cool!

After that we walked back to where the races were taking place. We ran into several friends and enjoyed wandering the area and cheering as the cyclists raced past. Ben rang our cowbell and cheered for our friend that was racing. After a while it got dark and we urgently had to get home. Ben could tell it was “darker than night”. He could tell a storm was coming and it did start raining as we headed to the car. It was late anyway though and we were able to beat most of the traffic.

We are already planning for next year though and look forward to this fun family tradition!

Mayfest

We headed downtown for Mayfest on Saturday. This year we got to bring along Grandma Elaine and met up with Mickey as well! There is a lot to see and do at Mayfest. One of Ben’s friends had been earlier in the week and had told Ben about the face painting. So that was first on our list as it was very important to Ben to get a Batman face too. He had never had his face painted before and I think he didn’t really care for it that much. He was determined though to look like Batman. The nice artist suggested a modified design that wouldn’t cover his whole eye area since he was a little apprehensive about her touching his face. Mom thought that was a great plan as it would also be less black to wash off. E thought she wanted her face painted until she got in line and then promptly changed her mind.

We looked at a few booths and watched a belly dancing performance for a bit that the kids were very interested in. Ellie liked the music as usual and Ben was very interested in their scarves and why they were playing peekaboo. We decided to get lunch before the lines got long and picked up a variety of super healthy snacks including bacon wrapped meatballs, corndogs and deep fried ravioli. Yum! We enjoyed our choices and then looked at more artists’ booths as we headed to another performance stage. This one had clogging. E again danced to the music and Ben even got caught up in it and tried to do a little jig with Grandma Elaine.

We decided it was treat time and also time to wind our way back to the car to head home for naps. We looked at another row of booths on Main and then hit the Dippin’ Dots cart. Yum! We saw some chalk art competition entries in progress which were pretty cool and got loaded back up finally to get home and rest. The kids did awesome considering it was past both of their nap times and then slept hard once we got home.

It was another fun family adventure and we look forward to many more this summer!

A Date with Ben

Ben recently requested to start going on dates with us. He can't fathom why Mom and Dad would want to go anywhere without him. So we planned a special date at Incredible Pizza this week (our first visit ever) while E was with Grandma and Grandpa. We all chowed down on the buffet and then hit the game area. Ben played a few games where you could earn tickets, but mostly wanted to drive. He drove a car, motorcycle, jet ski and snowmobile on different games. He was pretty pleased! He also earned enough tickets for an army man, ball and airplane to take home. Now the question is "when will we go again?"