No matter how long the night before, no matter how hard the day ahead of me might be, no matter how exhausted I may think I am, waking op to this face makes it all seem wonderful.
-Kim
Thursday, September 3, 2015
Bed head
-Kim
Tuesday, September 1, 2015
Ben's Birthday Party!
We had a small party for Ben's big second birthday. We kept this one pretty small for a couple of reasons. One is, well, Ben is only 2. I know he isn't going to remember this birthday. I of course want it to be fun for him, but he doesn't care if it is a giant blow out or not. Some cake and family is all he needs. Two- it kept costs down. This is always a consideration, but with twins on the way it is even more important we stay on budget. Three- instead of one big party, Ben had a couple of little ones. He got to celebrate in Arkansas besides his home party. We had planned to celebrate again with Uncle Jared, but sadly I got sick and we couldn't make that trip. I was seriously very bummed about that. Sorry, Uncle Jared!
I know we probably could have skipped the party entirely, but I just couldn't do that. I was a little sad we didn't have a big blow out, Ben gave me the easiest theme every this year. Mickey Mouse! Ben adores Mickey Mouse, and it really has to be the easiest party theme ever. Every party store has Mickey decorations. Pinterest has about a million ideas that actually seem doable. Fortunately I was able to reign myself in and not go nuts over this party. We did a simple Mickey theme. Pat grilled hot dogs (to go with the Hot diggity dog song), Meo and Omi brought over a giant Mickey balloon, and we had a Mickey Mouse cake. We also all watched an episode of Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, which is Ben's most favorite show ever. (It is the cutest thing ever. Any time we play the show for him he points and waves at Mickey, just so happy that Mickey came back to see him. I know he shouldn't watch much tv, but it is hard to deny him this true love!) There is actually a Mickey's birthday episode, how perfect is that for a birthday party?
That is it, the whole shebang. Meo and Omi came over to celebrate with us. We were lucky to have Auntie Laura come to the party too. We ate dinner, opened presents, had cake, watched Mickey and played. Ben loved it, and that is my favorite part. He really liked that his family and friend were over at his house and playing with his toys. We got him just a couple of presents, of course Mickey themed. (Seriously, he went from having one little Mickey toy to about a bazillion in one birthday.) His favorite was the toy version of the clubhouse. My favorite were the gifts of money for Ben's college fund. :) I know, not fun for Ben now, but he'll appreciate it later in life.
Overall, I think it was the perfect birthday for him right now. I am so happy we did the big party for his first birthday. First birthdays are a huge deal, and yes, I do feel it is important for the parents to celebrate surviving that first year. This one though was really all about Ben. He got to spend time with the people he loves (both here and in Arkansas). He got some gifts he really enjoys. And he got to participate in some of his favorite activities. My heart was so full seeing how happy he was at his party. His joy is what his birthday should be all about.
Last couple of things. The Mickey balloon is still alive and well. It is about as big as Ben is. He adores it. He hugs it, tries to feed it, just in general thinks it's the best thing ever. Dagger, on the other hand, abhors the balloon. She is seriously terrified of it. She will not come downstairs while it is out. We have to close it in the bathroom when Ben is asleep or we aren't home so she will come downstairs. It's actually kind of funny.
Ben actually ate his cake at this party! It took him a few minutes to settle down to eat, but once he got a bite he went to town. No, cake will not often be on the menu around the Cartwright house, but for birthdays it is okay.
I want to say a great big thank you to everyone who made Ben's second birthday so great. Thank you to Gramma, Grampa, Aunt Lindsay, Uncle Chris, Charlotte, Joe, and Ella for giving Ben a great birthday in Arkansas. Thank you to everyone who sent gifts and cards to Ben, we really do appreciate it. Thank you to Meo and Omi for coming to Ben's party, bringing the balloon, and celebrating with us. And a special thank you to Auntie Laura for always being such a great friend and loving my son so much. My heart is so full thinking about the love and happiness shared with my sweet boy, and that is really what is most important when celebrating a birthday.
-Kim
I know we probably could have skipped the party entirely, but I just couldn't do that. I was a little sad we didn't have a big blow out, Ben gave me the easiest theme every this year. Mickey Mouse! Ben adores Mickey Mouse, and it really has to be the easiest party theme ever. Every party store has Mickey decorations. Pinterest has about a million ideas that actually seem doable. Fortunately I was able to reign myself in and not go nuts over this party. We did a simple Mickey theme. Pat grilled hot dogs (to go with the Hot diggity dog song), Meo and Omi brought over a giant Mickey balloon, and we had a Mickey Mouse cake. We also all watched an episode of Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, which is Ben's most favorite show ever. (It is the cutest thing ever. Any time we play the show for him he points and waves at Mickey, just so happy that Mickey came back to see him. I know he shouldn't watch much tv, but it is hard to deny him this true love!) There is actually a Mickey's birthday episode, how perfect is that for a birthday party?
That is it, the whole shebang. Meo and Omi came over to celebrate with us. We were lucky to have Auntie Laura come to the party too. We ate dinner, opened presents, had cake, watched Mickey and played. Ben loved it, and that is my favorite part. He really liked that his family and friend were over at his house and playing with his toys. We got him just a couple of presents, of course Mickey themed. (Seriously, he went from having one little Mickey toy to about a bazillion in one birthday.) His favorite was the toy version of the clubhouse. My favorite were the gifts of money for Ben's college fund. :) I know, not fun for Ben now, but he'll appreciate it later in life.
Overall, I think it was the perfect birthday for him right now. I am so happy we did the big party for his first birthday. First birthdays are a huge deal, and yes, I do feel it is important for the parents to celebrate surviving that first year. This one though was really all about Ben. He got to spend time with the people he loves (both here and in Arkansas). He got some gifts he really enjoys. And he got to participate in some of his favorite activities. My heart was so full seeing how happy he was at his party. His joy is what his birthday should be all about.
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| Presents! |
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| I still get to help with the tape. |
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| Checking out his new computer |
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| Right away he let Omi share his new toys |
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| Surveying his loot. :) |
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| Loving the clubhouse! |
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| Watching Mickey with Meo and Omi |
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| The Mickey Balloon! |
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| I love this picture, he looks so happy! |
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| After we sang he jabbed his finger into the cake. His birthday, his rules. ;) |
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| Best birthday yet!! |
Ben actually ate his cake at this party! It took him a few minutes to settle down to eat, but once he got a bite he went to town. No, cake will not often be on the menu around the Cartwright house, but for birthdays it is okay.
I want to say a great big thank you to everyone who made Ben's second birthday so great. Thank you to Gramma, Grampa, Aunt Lindsay, Uncle Chris, Charlotte, Joe, and Ella for giving Ben a great birthday in Arkansas. Thank you to everyone who sent gifts and cards to Ben, we really do appreciate it. Thank you to Meo and Omi for coming to Ben's party, bringing the balloon, and celebrating with us. And a special thank you to Auntie Laura for always being such a great friend and loving my son so much. My heart is so full thinking about the love and happiness shared with my sweet boy, and that is really what is most important when celebrating a birthday.
-Kim
Thursday, August 27, 2015
Baby proofing enough- BFBN
Welcome to another Babywise Friendly Blog Network day! Today all the ladies of the BFBN are blogging about various aspects of safety. You can check out the pinterest page to get to all the posts!
Today I'm talking about baby and child proofing. I knew when Ben was born that of course I wanted to make his home as safe as possible. But we also wanted him to learn to navigate a world that isn't 100% safe. I mean, we planned to take him out of our home at some point, meaning he would have to face situations with dangers. We decided to baby proof just enough. Just enough to be safe and able to relax in our home, but not so much he would never learn to be careful. Here's how we did it.
1) Take care of the real, immediate dangers. What does this mean to me? It means to make sure anything that can cause instant terrible injury or death is baby proofed. All cleaning supplies and any sort of chemical that can be swallowed is behind a locked cabinet or up on a high shelf even I can't reach without a stool. Knives, scissors, sharp items are all well out of reach. Dagger's litter box is in the basement, which opens up into the living room, so baby gate is in place to allow Dagger access and prevent Ben from falling. Furniture is anchored to the wall. Outlets are covered. Oven knobs are covered. While we want Ben to learn to navigate the world around him, we also know he is a small child. He doesn't know what can maybe cause a two second owie, and what, frankly, could kill him. So while we are easy going on some baby proofing measures, legit safety is not one of them.
2) Decide what items you absolutely do not want broken. We have a few items that I know I didn't want broken. A couple of nice wedding gifts, a couple of knickknacks from Pat's and my relationship so far. Nothing that is super valuable, but it is valuable to me. I took the items I knew I in no way wanted broken and put them in an area Ben can't access. They aren't items I want Ben learning on. This also includes a couple of Ben's books. We have some that have been passed down from family and are really nice. We pull them out when we can read them with Ben, but otherwise they are put away so tiny hands can't destroy them. I don't want to set us up for failure, so why leave items I know I can't really replace out to be broken?
3) Leave a few practice items out. By practice items I mean things that I know I don't want Ben to touch, but that can't be broken easily. For us that one item that includes is the remote controls. Ben has never been allowed to play with the remote controls. That being said, they are often out. They are a perfect item to practice seeing something, but not touching it. Oh, he still touches it of course. Come on, he's two, he looooves buttons to push. He also knows he is not supposed to touch it. With the remote he gets to practice his self control, but it isn't really going to hurt anything if that self control doesn't last very long. He is also not supposed to go into the diaper bag on his own. It is often out and full of items he can handle with no big deal. With it out we practice resisting temptation and listening to mom and dad when they say don't touch.
4) Give the kid safe places to explore. In our kitchen there are two cabinets that are free for Ben to look at. They hold our pots and pans mainly. He can open those up, pull stuff out, mess around with them. Sure, it can be annoying to re-stack the pots, but he can't really hurt himself with them. He is allowed to play with the Tupperware as well. The good part of him taking things out of cabinets is we get to practice cleaning up. And honestly since he has free reign over those, he isn't super interested in the other cabinets he can't get into. His curiosity has been satisfied in a safe way. It also gives him something to do in the kitchen while I am cooking.
5) Be prepared for messes and incidental owies. Of course I do not want my son to get hurt. But you know what? If he backs into the coffee table enough he is going to learn to look where he is going. Sometimes Ben feels the need to put every book he can get his hands on all over the couch. Sometimes every toy needs to be on the floor. Sometimes he gets into the diaper bag when we aren't looking and the contents end up all over the place. Sure, if we had fully baby proofed all of these items this wouldn't happen. It would be a lot easier and cleaner. But what sort of lesson would Ben learn from that? I'm not exactly happy when Ben gets a hold of a box of tissues and pulls them all out. Did it hurt anything though? No. I'm willing to put up with some annoyances to work on bigger issues of listening and learning not to touch when told.
These are the main guidelines we follow. Of course with the new babies on the way we will have to tighten up our requirements for what is safe enough to be out. (Small toys put away, back to being more careful with paper books, etc.) This approach has worked for us so far. Ben is safe enough that we can be comfortable in our own home. He is also learning boundaries. I can see that it is working when we are at the office and at other people's homes. He understands that there will be items out he cannot touch. Sure, they are tempting. But most of the time he knows and obeys the 'not for Ben' command. These lessons don't take the place of actually watching him, of course. I don't expect my two year old to always resist temptation, but at least it has laid the ground work for doing so. Ben has age appropriate opportunities to explore and to learn about safety in the world. Works for us.
Be sure to check out the other ladies in BFBN for their posts on safety!
-Kim
Apffel a Day
Chronicles of a Babywise Mom
Faithfully Infertile
Giving it Grace
The Journey of Parenthood
The Moses Home
Team Cartwright
Wiley Adventures
You can also check out the pinterest board BFBN Pinterest to see lots of great tips!
Today I'm talking about baby and child proofing. I knew when Ben was born that of course I wanted to make his home as safe as possible. But we also wanted him to learn to navigate a world that isn't 100% safe. I mean, we planned to take him out of our home at some point, meaning he would have to face situations with dangers. We decided to baby proof just enough. Just enough to be safe and able to relax in our home, but not so much he would never learn to be careful. Here's how we did it.
1) Take care of the real, immediate dangers. What does this mean to me? It means to make sure anything that can cause instant terrible injury or death is baby proofed. All cleaning supplies and any sort of chemical that can be swallowed is behind a locked cabinet or up on a high shelf even I can't reach without a stool. Knives, scissors, sharp items are all well out of reach. Dagger's litter box is in the basement, which opens up into the living room, so baby gate is in place to allow Dagger access and prevent Ben from falling. Furniture is anchored to the wall. Outlets are covered. Oven knobs are covered. While we want Ben to learn to navigate the world around him, we also know he is a small child. He doesn't know what can maybe cause a two second owie, and what, frankly, could kill him. So while we are easy going on some baby proofing measures, legit safety is not one of them.
2) Decide what items you absolutely do not want broken. We have a few items that I know I didn't want broken. A couple of nice wedding gifts, a couple of knickknacks from Pat's and my relationship so far. Nothing that is super valuable, but it is valuable to me. I took the items I knew I in no way wanted broken and put them in an area Ben can't access. They aren't items I want Ben learning on. This also includes a couple of Ben's books. We have some that have been passed down from family and are really nice. We pull them out when we can read them with Ben, but otherwise they are put away so tiny hands can't destroy them. I don't want to set us up for failure, so why leave items I know I can't really replace out to be broken?
3) Leave a few practice items out. By practice items I mean things that I know I don't want Ben to touch, but that can't be broken easily. For us that one item that includes is the remote controls. Ben has never been allowed to play with the remote controls. That being said, they are often out. They are a perfect item to practice seeing something, but not touching it. Oh, he still touches it of course. Come on, he's two, he looooves buttons to push. He also knows he is not supposed to touch it. With the remote he gets to practice his self control, but it isn't really going to hurt anything if that self control doesn't last very long. He is also not supposed to go into the diaper bag on his own. It is often out and full of items he can handle with no big deal. With it out we practice resisting temptation and listening to mom and dad when they say don't touch.
4) Give the kid safe places to explore. In our kitchen there are two cabinets that are free for Ben to look at. They hold our pots and pans mainly. He can open those up, pull stuff out, mess around with them. Sure, it can be annoying to re-stack the pots, but he can't really hurt himself with them. He is allowed to play with the Tupperware as well. The good part of him taking things out of cabinets is we get to practice cleaning up. And honestly since he has free reign over those, he isn't super interested in the other cabinets he can't get into. His curiosity has been satisfied in a safe way. It also gives him something to do in the kitchen while I am cooking.
5) Be prepared for messes and incidental owies. Of course I do not want my son to get hurt. But you know what? If he backs into the coffee table enough he is going to learn to look where he is going. Sometimes Ben feels the need to put every book he can get his hands on all over the couch. Sometimes every toy needs to be on the floor. Sometimes he gets into the diaper bag when we aren't looking and the contents end up all over the place. Sure, if we had fully baby proofed all of these items this wouldn't happen. It would be a lot easier and cleaner. But what sort of lesson would Ben learn from that? I'm not exactly happy when Ben gets a hold of a box of tissues and pulls them all out. Did it hurt anything though? No. I'm willing to put up with some annoyances to work on bigger issues of listening and learning not to touch when told.
These are the main guidelines we follow. Of course with the new babies on the way we will have to tighten up our requirements for what is safe enough to be out. (Small toys put away, back to being more careful with paper books, etc.) This approach has worked for us so far. Ben is safe enough that we can be comfortable in our own home. He is also learning boundaries. I can see that it is working when we are at the office and at other people's homes. He understands that there will be items out he cannot touch. Sure, they are tempting. But most of the time he knows and obeys the 'not for Ben' command. These lessons don't take the place of actually watching him, of course. I don't expect my two year old to always resist temptation, but at least it has laid the ground work for doing so. Ben has age appropriate opportunities to explore and to learn about safety in the world. Works for us.
Be sure to check out the other ladies in BFBN for their posts on safety!
-Kim
Apffel a Day
Chronicles of a Babywise Mom
Faithfully Infertile
Giving it Grace
The Journey of Parenthood
The Moses Home
Team Cartwright
Wiley Adventures
You can also check out the pinterest board BFBN Pinterest to see lots of great tips!
Tuesday, August 25, 2015
Happy Birthday, Ben!!!
Happy birthday to my favorite little guy! I can't believe two years has gone by already. I know every mom says that, but it is so true! Every day you are learning and growing so much. We have so much fun with you. You bring joy to all those around you. I hope you always remember that you are loved, just for being you. I have loved the past two years, and I can't wait to see what else you have in store for us. Happy Birthday, Ben!!
-Kim
Thursday, August 20, 2015
Sunday fun day
I love Sundays. It's usually the one day a week we can be sure both Pat and I are home at the same time. (Although this isn't always true when tutoring sessions pick up.) Recently on a Sunday Ben and Pat sat at the table to 'work' together. Yes, in this case work for Pat meant reading the comics while Ben colored and played with stickers. Ben is used to hearing that he is going to do a quiet activity with a grown up while the grown up works at the office, so it made sense to him. And he looked so happy and proud to be sitting at the table like a big boy with his daddy.
Hmmm... if we keep this up, maybe Ben can start helping me work while I do the crossword every week. Good plan. :)
-Kim
Wednesday, August 19, 2015
Baking with Ben
Back at Fourth of July, it was my job to make a dessert to bring to the bbq Omi and Meo were hosting. I decided to do something easy and fun, and made a three ingredient ice cream cake. One of these basic three ingredients was smashed oreos. While I still try to do a lot of cooking while Ben is napping, I knew I wouldn't be able to get away with hammering a bunch of cookies while he was resting. I decided to quick smash them up while Ben was playing.
Well, as one can imagine the sound of something being destroyed in the kitchen drew Ben in instantly. He hasn't really been able to help me out with a lot of cooking or baking yet, so I thought this was the perfect task to count as his first baking.
Ben seemed happily surprised that we handed him his toy hammer and let him go to town on a bag of cookies. He loved the whole process. I like to think he is a natural, because he preferred using a wooden spoon like me over his toy mallet. He knows the tools matter. :) I am looking forward to cooking with Ben, but I am going to wait until he is a little bigger. He needs to be a tiny bit taller so he doesn't almost fall off his stool reaching for things. And I want to get a little more confident that he will respond to directions. But I am hoping for fun times ahead.
So far though, his first dessert was a success. Everyone loved it and was very impressed that Ben had helped.
-Kim
Well, as one can imagine the sound of something being destroyed in the kitchen drew Ben in instantly. He hasn't really been able to help me out with a lot of cooking or baking yet, so I thought this was the perfect task to count as his first baking.
Ben seemed happily surprised that we handed him his toy hammer and let him go to town on a bag of cookies. He loved the whole process. I like to think he is a natural, because he preferred using a wooden spoon like me over his toy mallet. He knows the tools matter. :) I am looking forward to cooking with Ben, but I am going to wait until he is a little bigger. He needs to be a tiny bit taller so he doesn't almost fall off his stool reaching for things. And I want to get a little more confident that he will respond to directions. But I am hoping for fun times ahead.
So far though, his first dessert was a success. Everyone loved it and was very impressed that Ben had helped.
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| Sweet, tiny baker! |
Monday, August 17, 2015
Fun with hats
When Ben was just a tiny dude, he rocked hats. I mean, he really knew how to pull them off.
Check this stuff out:
I know I'm his mom, but we can all agree. He looks awesome. Than sadly, he went through a period of time where he would not wear a hat. Not at all, hated them, pulled them off, refused. Yes, I'm the mom and I could have tried to force him. But that isn't the battle I wanted to have. He tolerated hoods, so we let that do for the winter. Sadly we missed the window on a lot of really cute hats while he wouldn't wear them. (Fortunately his hair grew in so I could stop slathering his head in sunscreen every day.)
Recently though, something wonderful has happened. Ben has started accepting hats again! Currently they are just for fun and goofing around. He doesn't like to keep them on for any real period of time. I am cautiously holding myself back from indulging in new, fun, cute hats for him. (I have to admit I am eyeing those sock monkey winter hats pretty hard.) I am letting Ben go at his own pace and lead the way back to hats. But you can bet I am really hoping this lasts into winter at least. He is so cute playing around in them!
Is it too soon to buy matching hats for him and the twins? :)
-Kim
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