Bedtime for Bonzos

Fresh from baths--aren't they clean and cute? Samuel is really starting to sit up well on his own. And today's fun fact is that pajamas that our chunky monkey, Samuel, is wearing used to fit on Benjamin just nine months ago!

Little Helper Part 2

Saturday was a busy day for Benjamin. He helped Jason with the yardwork in the morning and in the afternoon, he helped me make sure the frosting for Jason's birthday cake was just right.

He still hasn't quite figured out how to lick a beater; he kept licking the same spot over and over again!

(Not Quite) Picture Perfect

I convinced Jason to join in on the color cordinated fun in our family's outfits for church on Sunday morning because I was really hoping to get a few good pictures...The boys, however, just weren't feeling the photoshoot vibes. Sigh.
Here are the pictures, in order, of what a friend could capture: After this one, we gave up.

Little Helper Part 1

Saturday morning found Jason and Benjamin busy in the front yard. Jason was weeding and putting mulch down (and giving our front yard some much needed TLC) and Benjamin was busy being a curious two-year old. (Excuse the quality of the pictures--I was shooting through the front windows.)
Here they are, consulting about what needs to be tackled next: Benjamin's favorite part is the tools:

Happy Birthday Jason!

Yesterday was Jason's birthday! The BIG 3-0!! Is it wrong that I'm super excited he's advanced to the next decade while I still have two more years in the youthful twenties?? ;-)

Riding Lawnmower

Yesterday morning, Benjamin was outback while Jason was rummaging through our shed and trying to get ready to cut the grass. I happened to glance out our kitchen window and saw Benjamin trying to push the lawnmower. I guess he realized that it was a bit too much for him and went back into the shed to see what Jason was up to. The next time I saw Benjamin, he appeared at the shed entrance wearing his bicycle helmet. It wasn't until he sat on the front of the lawnmower that I understood his intentions--a riding lawnmower! We'll need to get our bikes ready for family bike rides since I think Benjamin is trying to tell us something!

Chia Baby Hair

Instead of a Chia Pet, we've got our very own Chia Baby :-) Notice that both Jason and Samuel are making the same face! Ha!

Many Uses of A Hose

Who knew how entertaining a simple washing machine hook-up hose could be for a two-year-old enjoying pretend play??
Discovering the hose:
Riding a horse:
Shaving like Daddy: A horn to toot: Watering the garden: (or the well pump!) Taking a shower: Making a circle:

Human Paper Shredder

Life with Boys

I know that neither one of the boys is looking at the camera but I still love this picture. I think it captures a small snippet of what our life is like right now. Having two boys, back to back, is a little bit wearying and some days Jason and I wish we could fast-forward through the hard years and resume life when Benjamin and Samuel are 4 and 5 and we won't need to haul a diaper bag everywhere because they'll both be potty trained and it won't take 10-plus minutes just to get out the front door and into the car because they'll be able to walk themselves to the car, open the doors, and buckle themselves into their booster seats!

But then I see a picture like this one, where it is obvious juggling a lap full of two young boys isn't always tickles and giggles, and I realize that we DO have a reason to smile. These baby and toddler days won't last forever and I know that at some point we'll be looking back at pictures and reminiscing about when they were little.

Baby Love

Man, oh man, do we love our baby!

What On Earth?

Sometimes I just have to laugh and wonder what on earth goes through my two-year-old's brain. Such is the case when I came downstairs this morning and saw this:

Golfing--Toddler Style

Grammi and Grandpa gave Benjamin his first set of golf clubs for his birthday. He's tickled pink about them and loves toting the cart around the house or strutting around carrying a club. He hasn't quite figured out how to swing the club and hit the ball but he sure likes to bang the club on the ground. Thank goodness his first set is plastic!

Benjamin's Birthday Bash Continued

After a fun birthday morning spent at the zoo, we continued Benjamin's birthday celebrations at dinner. Saturday evening we had both sets of grandparents as well as my Uncle Buck and Ann join us for a family dinner. As usual, I was more focused on getting pictures of the boys instead of everyone else...someone needs to break me of this habit!
Benjamin is definitely into firetrucks so I made a firetruck cake. Benjamin loves green beans. During dinner, the bowl of green beans ended up next to him and he managed to get ahold of the serving spoon and started helping himself to the beans! I guess this was just foreshadowing what he would do once he realized the whole carton of ice-cream was sitting next to him :)
While B was busy opening presents, Samuel was busy flirting with Grammi: I love seeing his little hand holding Grammi's hand Oh Dear! You talkin' to ME??