Happy Birthday, Nico!

Sweet baby boy, it is hard to believe that you are already a whole year old!  Where did the time go?  It seems like only yesterday that we were meeting you and your wonderful birthmom in the hospital.  You were darling and sweet then, and you are even more so now.  Your personality and smile can light up the darkest of days.  You are charming and can get a smile out of anyone when you put your mind to it.  You ADORE your big brother-even when he is wrestling you to the ground to steal a toy away from you.  You follow him around with your eyes wide watching everything he does.  You love your cousins-especially Drew.  You crack me up (and make Drew's day) when you go to the stairs, bang on the baby gate and yell "REW!! REW!" at the top of your lungs.  You give the sweetest hugs-always patting my back when you hug me-and sloppy, open mouth kisses.  You LOVE to dance and can't stop yourself when you hear music.  Even when you are crawling, if there's music on, you're shaking your hips and bobbing your head.  You took your first few steps on your birthday and it looks like you will be ready to take off running any day now.  You are so easy going and happy most of the time, but boy oh boy can you work up an amazing temper tantrum when you get mad!  Your Daddy laughs at you when you do your "silent cry" where you are so mad that you don't breath for 10 or 15 seconds as you try to scream.  You only do it when you are mad and throwing a fit-the rest of the time you rarely, if ever, cry at all.  You love to be cuddled, especially by Mommy.  When you snuggle in against my chest and pop your two first fingers in your mouth, my heart melts every time.  Sweet Nicolas, you are an amazing miracle, and we love you so very, very much.  Happy First Birthday, Bitty Boo!  I am looking forward to celebrating many, many more with you.

Love,
Mommy

Cheap entertainment....

When it gets too quiet around here, I have to go investigate.  Last night this is what I found.  Definitely cheap entertainment!

Conversations with Ben

Ben is a really, really funny kid. And he talks waaaay more than any 2 year old should talk. Will and I were talking the other day about how we really had to start writing down some of the things he comes up with, so I'm going to write a few of the funnier conversations we've had so far this week here on the blog. 

Conversation #1

Me: Benicio Jose, get off the back of the sofa!
Ben: Mama, this not a sofa.  This my dragon.
Me: Then get off your dragon.  You cannot be up there.
Ben: Why not?
Me: Because you will fall off and get hurt.
Ben: (with a complete look of exasperation) But Mommy, every boy falls off his dragon sometimes.

What do you say to that?  I mean, seriously, how can I keep a straight face with that sort of logic.

Conversation #2
Me: Ben, do not pick your brother up by his feet! (as he is holding Nico, wheel barrow race style)
Ben: Why not?
Me: Because you are going to hurt him.  He could bump his face on the ground.
Ben: But he likes it, Mommy.  Really. (And it is evident that Nico does, indeed, like it as he is laughing hysterically about it)
Me: It still isn't safe.  Put your brother down and don't pick him up by his feet again.

This is just a small sample of the hundreds of wacky things Ben says and does in a week.  I really do have to get better about writing them down!

FFF: New

This week's theme for FFF over at Nora's blog is New.  We have a lot of new things going on, so I picked two of our most fun "new" things around here.

This is Ben playing with his NEW barn that Grandma bought him.  He LOVES this thing!

And this is Nico's newest thing: he can walk behind this push toy!  And I think it won't be too long before he is walking on his own.  Where did my tiny baby go?

For more FFF's, click on Nora's name above!

Random December pictures

I have been a bad blogger this month! I've been too busy enjoying my babies and trying to keep up with them to have time for much blogging. So, this is a hodge podge of pictures from our December fun!

Ben with his new "farm" that he has been begging Grandma for since Thanksgiving.  He was THRILLED and plays with it all the time.

Ben as a donkey in the kid's Christmas pageant at church.  Nico was a sheep but the only pictures of him have other people's children so I can't post those.

Not sure why this pic keeps turning itself sideways even after I edited it, but this is Ben with his (Guatemalan) stocking.  He got some rockin' dino magnets in it and was so interested in those I was sure he would open any presents after that!

Ben and the big boys (Drew on the left, Tony on the right) opening gifts.  Ben was too cool for sitting with Mommy this year-he had to join the big boy crew :-)

Ben and Nico at the Indiana State Museum

The little boys and Tony playing at the new train table.  Notice the giant amount of books, toys, etc in the background?  My living room looks like a toy store exploded most of the time.

Drew, Ben, and Nico riding the LS Ayres train at the Indiana State Museum.  It's a replica of a train that used to be at the downtown LS Ayres store back in the day.  They each got a paper snowflake and a story about each person being unique.  Ben loved it!

Haircut

Okay, so I caved.  It wasn't because others thought I should.  It wasn't because everyone thought he was a girl.  It was because it had become virtually impossible to keep it tangle free and clean.  The ends were tying themselves in knots that were difficult to get out on a squirmy baby who doesn't sit still.  And don't even get me started on the amount of food and such that ended up in his hair.  So, I decided to take the plunge and get it cut.  What do you think?

Before

During

Can you see how upset he was about getting his hair cut?

After

Who knew all of those curls were hiding under there?  (Well, I sort of did since it was like this when he was a newborn, but I thought it was just baby curls!)  Unfortunately as it dries it gets less curly and more poofy, so we are working on that now.  It was far less traumatic for me than I expected.  I cried like a baby when Ben got his first haircut because he suddenly looked like a little boy instead of a baby.  Nico actually looks younger to me, so less trauma for this momma!

FFF-Christmas Colors

I'm not sure that the pics I'm posting really fit the theme, but they are my favorites from this week, so I'm using them anyway! We have had a busy week-one day at Chuck E. Cheese, one day at the Eiteljorg Jingle Rails exhibit, and one day at the Children's Museum. Busy, but fun!

This is at the Children's Museum.  This is the face Ben makes when I tell him not to smile.  Cracks me up!

Ben loves this giant snow globe and that he could push a button to start the snow.

This is Nico's "cheesy grin" that he does when he is trying to be extra cute or get someone's attention. And it works like a charm every time :-)

And this is Nico's look of awe over something he saw or heard.  So sweet!

For more FFF's be sure to click on the button above and visit Hannah's blog!