The BEACH!!

We were so excited to get a chance to go to the beach. This was another first for Ben. He seemed to have a good time, he wasn't crazy about the sand, but he did taste it a couple of times.

Aunt Laura and Addie heading across the board walk.

Ben digging into the sand.

Bennett getting some loving.

Burying Daddy.


We gave Daddy a beautiful mermaid tail and a few other things.

Nana and Ben trying to hide from the sun.


Building sand castles.









Ben was 'helping' Nana get all of the air out of the beach ball.

Easter Sunday

I know there are going to be a ridiculous number of pictures from our trip. I took over 700 in 10 days. I know I have a problem.
Here are more . . .


Addie and Ben got a little guitar from the Easter Bunny.

Ben got a ball and he was soooo happy about it.

Bennett loving on his Aunt Laura.

All dressed up for church.

Nannie and Ben all ready for pictures after church.


A family photo


My sister, Laura, and Nana + our family

I love this picture, they are so precious.

Our Nana.

Getting some pool time. It was not really warm enough to be in the pool, but they had a great time.


Addie and Aunt Laura watching the Princess and the Frog.

The wisteria was in full bloom and it was gorgeous. I love how it grows wild in very random places. My parents have a ton that grows right next to their house. We would go for walks at night and the smell was so strong it was beautiful.


My mom has been collecting bunnies since I was a kid. One of the bunnies in the tub was a gift to me when I was 2 years old. Addie had a great time snuggling with all the bunnies.

We all had a wonderful Easter Sunday. It is always nice to be with family on such a special day.

The Adventure Begins

I can't believe that it has been two weeks since I last posted. My parents offered at the last minute my parents offered to fly us all out for Easter. This was the first time Ben had been on a plane and the first time we had flown as a family of four.



The kids liked the shuttle to the terminal.




We got checked in early so then we had some time to kill before our flight left.


The kids were so cute wrestling.

Jon was great and had both kids with him on the second flight. I was in the row right in front of him in case he needed some help. I got to sit by myself for most of the flight and I even got to do the crossword puzzle. It was awesome. Both kids did great flying.





We got in pretty late and we had over an hour drive back to my parent's house. Addie and Nana were in the back seat and both of them took a nap on the way home.


The kids were in love with my parent's pool. If the door was open both kids were outside in a flash. Addie even figured out how to unlock the dead bolt, that was special.

The next morning we hit the ground running with an Easter Egg Hunt. The kids are still getting the hang of finding eggs. Addie was happy once she had two.

I love the boys in their matching shirts. They both looked so handsome.







Nana took Addie to get her face painted.


Our happy little boy. He loves to clap his hands.


Addie getting to visit with her friends Daniel and Lucy.

Ben meeting Lucy and bonding over empty Easter eggs.

One clean baby and one happy Nannie.

Something New

Warning: This post is about nursing. Don't worry, the picture is of Ben with a bottle.

I was sick a couple of weeks ago, mostly allergies that led to a bad sinus infection and then a little stomach bug, but that little sickness had big ramifications for Ben and I. I nursed Addison until she was a year old. She took a few bottles but for the most part it was all me. Ben and I were on the right track to do the same thing, until I got sick. When I went to the doctor they gave me an anithistamine that I could take while nursing, but it did cause some problems and then I had no appetite and got dehydrated, not good when you are nursing. Bennett aslo hit a growth spurt at this time, and cut his top two teeth. Do you know what a baby does when they are hungry and not getting enough to eat? They bite down. While I was sick I knew Ben wasn't getting enough so I gave him a bottle to see if he would take it. Up until that point he had taken exactly 1 bottle, ever. He was hungry enough this time that he took it like a champ. I was so happy, but so torn. I really considered trying to get my milk supply to come back, but I was afraid that it would just be stressful for both of us. Our little man has taken to formula so well, and boy does he go through it. He was definitely going through a growth spurt last week so I am glad I made my decision, even though it was very difficult for me. It became difficult for Jon when I had to start buying formula. We really didn't know just how expensive it was! I know this won't seem like a big deal to everyone, but it was a very hard decision for me. I am thankful for everyone that has supported me through making it.
Here is a picture of Ben holding his bottle for the first time. I don't usually do this, but I was in a hurry to go pick up Addie so we made it work.

Easter Playdate

We had our Easter Playdate today at our friend David's house. There was a good turn out and Addie, Ben and I all had a great time.

We had a little Easter Egg Hunt in the back yard. Addie remembered doing this last year so she was ready to go get some eggs. She was a good big sister and helped find some for Ben too.
Looking hard.



Addie and Ben sharing.




Our happy little man.




This was our group today. We had three tiny babies here today, they were so precious. The big kids all played well together, and everyone enjoyed their chocolate. We had so much fun.

Nap Time Battle

On days that Addie goes to school she usually sleeps while she is there. This week she didn't nap at school and by the time we got home she had decided she didn't want to take a nap. She really needs nap time and so do I so I put her in her room for nap time. She played and read books and would not sleep. I finally let her get up and she was eating her snack in the kitchen. I went upstairs to check my email and things got really quiet downstairs. I came down and I thought Addie had escaped. I started to panic a little until I saw this.

It was already 5:30 by the time she fell asleep so I started fixing dinner. She didn't wake up for almost 30 minutes. It was so cute, but thankfully she napped just fine in her bed today. I am not ready to let go of nap time for Addie yet.

Yummy Pancakes

Jon has been doing breakfast time at our house for the last couple of weeks. He gets up with both kids before he goes to work and feeds them so I can get a couple more minutes of sleep. He really is the best husband ever. This morning he had to leave early for work so I was back on breakfast duty. Addie saw me up this morning and when I asked her what she wanted for breakfast, of course, "Pancakes".
I got Ben settled into his chair with his usual banana and cheerios. He was watching me cook and he started to get very excited. I made Addie's pancakes, Mickey Mouse with a chocolate chip face, and then Ben started screeching at me for one of his own. I made a little pancake and gave it to him. He was so excited, he ripped into the pancake. I went to snap a picture and realized it was upstairs so I ran up to get it. By the time I got back downstairs the pancake was over halfway gone. He ate the whole thing and wanted more. Here is a picture of him digging into the second pancake. He was so excited, it was precious.



And here is Addie enjoying her pancakes.


When I was cleaning up the breakfast dishes I realized that Ben ate more than Addie and I both. I knew boys ate more, but I really had no idea. I am going to enjoy cooking for my hungry little man.