What a Boy Likes

Holy Hanna, where have we been?  Well this Momma has gone back to work which has caused some adjustments.  It has taken us a bit of time to figure out our new roles and many tired nights and marathon training meant that this blog had to go on the back burner.  I am trying to bring it back though.  I commit to write at least a few times each month.  I figured this might be a good time to do some catching up because all my little stories have been missing so we have missed boys growing and changing. 

So the boys are helping me out tonight as they watch Funniest Videos and eat apple slices.  So here we go (see my comments in brackets):

What is your favorite thing?
Ben: Grenade launcher (oh my, we have enough toy weapons for every kid in the neighborhood.  I try to keep my mouth shut about it so as not to make them even more attractive but I have had to set some limits!)
Jack: Nothing (clearly we have some 5 year old attitude here)

What is your favorite thing to do?
Ben: Play guns with my friends (sense a trend here?)
Jack: Nothing (and yet another trend)

What is the best thing about Mom going back to work?
Ben: Nothing (awwww, major bonus points for Benny)
Jack: Nothing (by the way Jack thinks I am a security guard because my office is in the same building as the security department at the university I work at.  He thinks this is cool so we haven't really corrected him.)

What is the worst thing about Mom going back to work?
Ben: That i don't get to see you (More points for Ben)
Jack: Nothing

What is your favorite thing to do with Daddy?
Ben: Play guns (oh boy)
Jack: Play guns (pretty sure he just repeated after his brother on this one!  At least it wasn't another "nothing")

What is your favorite thing to do with Mommy?
Ben: Watch America's Funniest Home Videos with you
Jack: Mine is the same as Ben's

What is your favorite book?
Ben: Holes
Jack: Do we have to do this?  Max and Ruby.  Do I really have to do this? (in his very best whiney voice)

Enough for tonight, we will pick this up later.  Little Jack just pulled up for a snuggle and since these are likely to be in short supply I am more than happy to oblige. 

First Communion

They grow and they grow and they grow!  All of the sudden it seems my biggest boy is ready for his first communion.  It was a great day and I must say I did not expect to be so moved by the ceremony.  It is a rite of passage and Ben took it all very seriously.  I remember feeling almost sick to my stomach at mine I was so nervous but not my Ben.  He is a gulp in life kind of guy and loved it.

Poor Jack was not so into it and had a grand mal temper tantrum at having to change his clothes to go to church.  Always lovely when the grandparents are down to visit!  We found out why at the church though as he very quickly fell asleep with Don.  It turned out nicely though because when it was time for the parents to go up to the front for the first communion my dad came with me because Don had his arms full.

So there we were, three generations celebrating a special moment.  Could not help but shed a tear.  Ben of course was totally excited to eat his treat and happily skipped through the church.  Gotta love his spirit.

A New Passion

From the moment Ben discovered he could use his arms and legs to get around he has been going.  When he was little friends used to be amazed at his energy.  We were told many times how he seemed to have more energy than any other child they had ever seen.  I believe them!  

I think though that we may have found his niche.  The perfect sport to fulfill a child who needs lots of action and a little danger.  A tough combination for any mother to accept.  Good golly I will some day have nerves of steel!  Sorry, got off track.  Sooo the new passion is BMX biking and I must say it is cool!

From the first moment he went down the steep hill to pick up speed you could see the pure and utter joy on his face.  It went on for two hours and he was amazing.  He quickly learned how to balance himself at the start gate and hopes to have a BMX career. 

We found a used bike online and Don got it all painted up for him.  He is thrilled with it.  I am so happy he is happy.  This was the sight I found the morning after his first evening after the track.  I think it says it all.

Baker Boys

Last week was Don's birthday.  It was also my birthday.  Yeppers, we share the same birthday, though not the same birth year.  I will always be the younger gal in this relationship.  I thought it would be cool for the boys to have total control (yeah, this was hard for me because I like to help...too much) over making their dad a cake.  But bake they did and an awesome job too. 

Benny read the instructions and measured the ingrediants while Jack mixed it all up.  They were super thrilled with themselves.  The most exciting part I am sure was mixing up the frosting!

Once their creation was baked they set to work to carefully decorate it.  I had bought two containers of frosting so you can imagine just how much there was to get onto the cake.  But very carefully and with love they got it all on.  Most of it piled into the center of the cake (believe it or not there was a hole in the middle of that cake)!

The result was a fantastic gift for their dad.  Of course we all enjoyed eating it.  Well, except for Jack who is far too picky about his cake. 

Sleepover Time!

I love love love a good sleepover so we have lots of them!  I think Ben started having sleepovers when he was three years old.  On this night we planned a huge sleepover with kids from four different families.  The moms are my besties and everyday we collect in the cul de sac so the kids can play, dinners with each other, parties with each other.  All the good stuff besties bring.  In fact I love that saying "friends are family you choose" because these ladies and their children have really become more like family than anything else.

Anyhoo, on this night we had eight kids for a sleepover.  The boys and I prepared carefully.  the right snacks, entertainment and a craft of course.  I would say that we hit a home run with edible play dough. 

By the looks of it I would say we had just as much fun making it.  We made it the night before so it could harden in the fridge over night.

It looks kinda gross here but it was quite tasty.  Peanut butter, flour, corn syrup, and margarine made this dough both playable and eatable!

As the sleepover got underway there were of course kiddies running around everywhere but the play dough quickly became the center of attention.

There were oohs and ahhs as everyone realized that eating it was not only ok but encouraged.  These became even louder as they realized that it actually tasted good!

As the night wore on I put some movies on up in my room.  Due to the basement finishing underway there are two futons up in my room along with our king size bed so it only made sense to let all the kiddies take over my room.  They watched some Smokey and the Bandit and with minimal threats were all off to sleep by 11:30.  They had an awesome time.

And in the morning this was the sight on my couch.  Tired kids snuggling with me on the couch.  Successful mission and a wonderful memory for my boys!

Great Wolfe Lodge

This is the boy who fell asleep only one time ever before bedtime.  What could possibly make him sleep like this?

And this boy too???  How did we do it you ask?

Great Wolfe Lodge!  One Wednesday deep in the dark part of winter Don and I knew we needed to get out of our house.  we have wanted to go to Great Wolfe Lodge forever so we figured this was the perfect time.  We booked a room for the following night and the look on the boys faces when they learned where they were going was priceless.

We scurried around buying our supplies and getting ready to leave the next day.  While we did this Jackie decided to do some recreational chair jumping in his brother's room.  Unfortunately this resulted in a quick side trip to the ER.  That poor kid scraped most of the skin off his nose and it was swollen!  Luckily the ER doc assured us the chlorinated water would not affect his nose.  Thank goodness because we could cancel the room and the whole point of going there is for the huge indoor water park!  Disaster averted.

The hotel was totally amazing.  We spent our time going from the water slides to the gift shop where Jack built a teddy bear complete with karate suit and where Ben bought a huge cup full of candy (which would later give him a very sore belly).  In the evening we hit the arcade in the basement.

The arcade was perfect for them and for 40 bucks worth of tokens they each got to choose some army men to take back to the room with them.  It was a great trip and we all had a blast.  The water park was impressive, big enough that you had a hard time finding each other if you got split up (or if you left your glasses in the room-I wandered for a good 20 minutes at one point).

Ben set up his 'room' in the sitting area complete with cup o candy and movies on the laptop.  He actually ended up staying up after all of us went to sleep.  He was feeling pretty grown up that evening!

It was a great trip and we will be back next year.  It is a great way to get out of those winter blues!

Karate Grading

Benny is such an enthusiastic fellow.  I can't think of a time where I have suggested he try a new activity where he didn't jump up and say sure!  Right now he is enrolled in karate and soccer and he hopes  to give BMX biking a whirl this summer.  A natural born adventurer to be sure.

The karate class we attend is held in a community hall and the people who run it do it because they love it because at 20 bucks a month they sure aren't making any money!  It does take a bit longer for the kids to move through the belts but really Ben does it for the pleasure of participating not so much for the belts.  This has been a big year for Ben.  He has really matured and changed so much.  No longer is he the boy bouncing off walls, he has harnessed his energy and this was noticed in karate and so this winter he earned his yellow belt.  Proud boy?  You bet!  I think he knew that this recognition symbolized a new era for him.  A chance for him to be an example for the younger kids.

We were oh so proud on this evening.  So was Ben.  We celebrated with a stop at Tim Hortins on the way home.  A doughnut well earned.