What I want to remember

Weekends are pretty busy around our house.  Who am I kidding, any time with a toddler can be pretty busy.  :)  This past weekend was no exception.  Between cooking for the week, cleaning, laundry, trying to get outside time, playing with Ben, and trying to get what seemed like a million other little things done, it felt like we didn't stop.  Somewhere in there though we had one quiet moment that I know I will treasure always.  My fur baby and my baby, snuggled together on the couch, just enjoying each other.  Okay, I'm sure Dagger was leaning more towards tolerating each other rather than enjoying each other. ;)  But in all the busy-ness of life, I am so thankful for these little moments that help me see and remember what is most important.  

Any time I get to spend with these two little loves is a good time, and these two make everything I do worthwhile.

My little loves.

I am so lucky.

-Kim

Broom Ball

Well, I think it might be time to start saving money for Ben.  No, not for college or the future in general.  I am thinking it is time to start the broken window fund.  Today Ben grabbed his toy broom and started whacking a ball around.  Yep, not even 21 months old and he taught himself how to play broom ball.

Line up the shot!

High sticking!

Best game yet!

Good thing he's still too little to do too much damage... for now... ;)

-Kim

Smart Kid

I was hesitant to post about this, as it is something that might probably embarrass Ben when he is older.  But not in a bad way, if that is possible.  Sure, it will be a little embarrassing, but I think the cuteness level and the fact that he is so young will make it okay.  I hope so at least. (My apologies, Future Ben!)

Without boring people with too much detail, Ben has begun to express some interest in the potty.  Now we don't have any big goals to have him potty trained by a certain age, nor do we think when we do potty train we will knock it out in a couple of days or anything.  My plan is to go completely off of Ben's readiness.  However I am a person who likes to prepare, so we already have a potty book we read with Ben.  We also already have a couple of little potties for him to use when he is ready.  As I said, Ben has started to become more aware and interested in all this.  I decided to pull out one of the potties so he could get used to it and to gauge how interested he really was.

As I said, he isn't ready to actually use it yet, but he got a few things down right away.

He grabbed his book first thing.

Later it was the remote, which looks a lot like a phone...

Smart kid!

So... yeah.  He might not have the mechanics of it all down, but apparently some things don't need to be taught.  It is a good reading chair.  :)

-Kim

Happy Mother's Day

Happy Mother's Day!  I want to thank my mom for being a wonderful mother to us.  Thanks for all that you do for us, Meo!  Thank you to Pat's mom for being a wonderful mother to us as well.  Thanks for all you do, Gramma!  Thank you to both Meo and Gramma for being wonderful grandmothers and loving my sweet boy so much.  A special Happy Mother's Day to Aunt Lindsay too.  You are a wonderful mother and a great friend to have in the busy-ness of mothering these little people.

And finally, thank you to Ben for making me a mother.  You are the sweetest, most wonderful little boy, and I am so blessed to be your mother.  I love you and will always love you.  Thank you for being you.

My sweet boy and me

Adorable!

I love my special guy.

-Kim

When naps attack

There you are, just hanging out, having a little independent playtime.  Then, Bam!  Nap attack!

Sometimes you just need a little bonus rest.  My little sweetie. :)

 -Kim

Meanest mom ever... again

Yep, world's meanest mom, back in action.  My crime this time?  Thinking that since it is 80 degrees outside, Ben should wear shorts.  Apparently, I was very wrong about this.  It is pretty funny, seeing as this kid rebelled against the wearing of pants when the temperatures dropped this past fall.  Let's not even get started with going sans socks.  Again, this is the kid who cried, and cried hard, when we had to put socks on him in the fall.  Ben used to love going without pants and socks.  In fact nothing made him happier.  Now, it's pants and socks and nothing less will do.

I'm sure he'll come around in time.  I mean, he doesn't cry over wearing socks anymore.  If it gets too hot out, he is going to want shorts.  I'm sure he'll get used to the idea.  Until then, I'll save these pictures to embarrass him with when he's older. ;)

So sad...

Why is this happening?

All I want is my pants

Pants!  I win!

My silly little dude.

Sigh, kids are confusing.  But I love him!!

 -Kim

Noodles

If you ever come over to our house and find an elbow noodle on the floor, I apologize.  It is because of this fun activity.  A new go-to toy for when Ben wants to be in the kitchen with me is to have him  help by making his own pasta.  He puts the noodles in different containers, he stirs them around, and of course, he spills them all over the floor.  I try to get them all cleaned up, but I'm sure I missed one or two somewhere.  It's worth it for him to have fun while I get things done. And it's probably good practice for when he gets bigger and leaves Lego's all over the place. ;)

Here are some older pictures of Ben enjoying his noodles.

He's shaping up to be a fun cook!!

 -Kim