Benjamin's New Hat

I got this adorable corduroy hat on clearance at The Children's Place. I think I paid about $2 for it.

Pretty cute right?

This is outside of Caleb's school.  Benjamin loves going to pick Caleb up from school in the afternoons.  I let him walk around and he has a ball picking up leaves and just checking things out.

He had enough of the hat and took it off.  I don't know if you can see it good but he has a nice stream of drool running down his chin.  Still drooling people, still drooling.  Will it ever end?

Hat hair!!  I put an arrow to show everyone that Benjamin does indeed have some hair.  Not a lot, but some.  He'll probably be 6 years old before he needs his first hair cut.

I had to include a picture of Caleb too.  I love how he has the remote in his hand!  Despite all my worries, Caleb seems to be doing great in Kindergarten.  He just rolls right in the building every morning with a smile.  Glenn had lunch with him today and got to meet a couple of his friends.  We've both signed up to read to Caleb's class a couple of times this month.  That should be fun.  I just need to find a couple of really good books that a room full of Kindergartners will love.  Any suggestions?

Buyer's Remorse

Buyer's remorse is the feeling of regret after a purchase.

I am suffering from Buyer's remorse after buying Benjamin this "Corn Popper Push Toy"...

Benjamin loves to push things along the floor, he often gets my cutting boards with the handles and just pushes them all over the house.  So, I thought he would get a real kick out of this toy.  It's a classic, I had one when I as a kid.  We picked it up at Wal-Mart and he pushed that thing throughout the store.  And it was loud. Really loud.  People were staring.

I am about ready to pull my hair out.  One strand at a time!  It is making me crazy.  But Benjamin absolutely LOVES it!  It's amazes me how the simplest of toys can be so entertaining.  I don't buy the kids toys very often because I think most toys are a huge waste of money and it seems like the simple toys are always the favorites with my boys.  Caleb and Benjamin would be happy as clams if all they had were a few Hot Wheels cars and Monster Trucks.  And now, this crazy loud Corn Popper toy is a new favorite.

How cute is he in his little jeans??

Had to share this picture of Benjamin yesterday playing with Caleb's forearm crutches!  He just has to do whatever big brother is doing.

ZOO!!

Before I get to the zoo pictures I wanted to show a couple of pictures from this morning before church.  We were actually running a little ahead of schedule (a rare occurrence) so I wanted Glenn to take a picture of me with my boys, since I am almost never in pictures.  This is what I got:

I guess Benjamin wasn't in the mood because he just had a fit.  This is him arching his back and throwing his head back while screaming.  Poor Caleb is just looking at his maniac brother in disbelief.  Well, at least I am smiling.

Caleb and I decided to just leave Benjamin out of this picture, and I think it came out much better without a fit-throwing toddler in it!

Ok, now for the zoo pictures.  The weather was absolutely gorgeous today and since we had some free zoo tickets we thought it would be a great day to go.

The boys patiently waiting to ride the carousel.

I discovered today that carousel rides are for children, not adults (at least not this adult).  Can I just tell you that I was so nauseous on this carousel...and we rode it TWICE.  I may never get on another carousel again.

We rode the monorail which takes you on a nice tour throughout most of the zoo.  The boys seemed to really enjoy it.

He's so cute.

Benjamin checking out the penguins.  This kid was so not happy in his stroller today.  He just wanted to climb out and walk around.  If you are "friends" with me on Facebook you know that I am now considering getting a leash for this kid.  I think he would have been so much happier walking with a leash on than having to stay in the stroller.

 Benjamin throwing a fit because I needed him to get back in the stroller.  I just love how he throws himself down on the ground, and if you try to pick him up he just goes limp making it impossible to pick him up.

We just had to take pictures on all the different statues!

We had a great afternoon at the zoo.  It is so fun taking your kids to do things like this.  The boys just had such a great time.

On a different note, I just wanted to say thank you to all of you that posted such nice comments after my "Monet" post.  I appreciate all of you so much and it meant a lot to me to hear from you.  I love our little community.  I am thankful that I don't travel this road alone.  Sending all of you big ((HUGS))!

Benjamin's Week

Here are some pictures of Benjamin that I took throughout the week.  It is just Benjamin and Mommy all day while Caleb is in school so we have to find ways to keep us busy!

I took Benjamin to the local activity center on Monday.  They have a "Toddler Time" a couple of days a week.

He was a little slow to start playing, I think he was a bit overwhelmed by the huge gym and all the kids.  But then he found a ball to play with...

He just kept throwing this ball and then chasing after it.

Cute shot of him bending over to get the ball.

Future soccer player perhaps???

I just couldn't resist this shot!  He was rummaging through the cabinets the other night as I was making dinner and I glanced over and saw his cute little tooshy!  If the soccer thing doesn't work out, maybe a Plumber?

He loves going into Caleb's room and playing with the trains at the train table.  Of course, I have to be in there with him because the child is not happy unless I am within 2 feet of him.

He has more fun pushing the train up and down the track.  He'll say "choo choo" the entire time.  I have been surprised by how much he talks.  I tried to make a list of all the words he says and I know there are probably close to 40 words, maybe more.  Caleb was sooo quiet and didn't really start talking until well after 2 years old so Benjamin's language is such a shock to me.

I can't believe he is going to be two years old in three months!  Good grief, where does the time go?  I am telling you that this child is such a stinker!  He still drools like crazy, although I do think it has gotten somewhat better.  He still loses his noodle every night around 5 when I start making dinner.  He gets put into time out often when he throws his fits.  It's so funny because he will be in the middle of this huge fit, I'll sit him in time out, and then he just turns the fit off completely!  He'll just stop, and smile!  He's absolutely rotten.  I really need to get it on video, it is quite funny to watch.  But he is also my little cuddle bug.  He'll go get a book and then say "couch" because he wants me to sit on the couch and read the book to him.  He loves to sit in my lap while he plays or he'll keep one foot on my leg while he plays just to make sure I don't go anywhere.  He just has to be touching him momma.  I just love him to pieces.

I am a Monet

 

 I think everyone is somewhat familiar with the painter, Claude Monet.  He has several paintings that I think most everyone recognizes.  His paintings look very put together from far away but as you get closer you can easily see that they are kind of a mess.  There really aren't any crisp lines like you might have thought when looking at a distance.

I am a Monet.

There is a fellow mom at Caleb's school that often comments on the fact that I always seem "so put together" in the mornings when I drop him off.  She points out that not only do I have make-up on but that I even managed to get some earrings in my ears.  Like my morning meeting with "Cover Girl" and "Maybelline" must mean that I've got it all together.  Well, I don't have it all together.  I will admit that I have had a rough few weeks, really since Caleb has started Kindergarten.  I can't quite put my finger on what it is that is causing me such stress but it is there, it is very present.  I think I work very hard on the things that I can control, because there is so much that I have absolutely no control over.  And it drives me crazy.

I think at first glance, maybe if you don't know me well, it appears that I've got it together.  I have people tell me all the time that I am doing such a great job with Caleb, and that they can't imagine how I do all the things I do, and that they could never manage all the things that must be managed in order to keep Caleb healthy.  They say that I am such a great mom.  Well, I'll tell you that I don't feel like such a great mom most days.  I feel like I fail all the time.  I question myself constantly.  Did Caleb and Benjamin get enough of my time today? Did I hug them and kiss them enough today?  Am I doing enough to help Caleb be as strong and as independent as he can be?  Why wasn't I more patient today? And the list goes on and on...

Can I just admit that I worry constantly.  I worry about everything.  I have been in a constant state of worry since Caleb started Kindergarten.  I cry at least twice a week over it.  He brings home incomplete work because he isn't finishing it at school.  This concerns me because Caleb is a pretty compliant kid (at least for other people), I can't imagine him just flat out refusing to do his work at school.  So I wonder why isn't he finishing it?  I worry that he spends all of recess playing in the wood chips.  I worry that he feels left out in P.E. because there are things that he just can't do.  Again the list goes on and on...

And those are just the things that I am worrying about right now.  That list doesn't include all the worries I have for Caleb's future.  Good grief, if I let myself think about all the "What if's?" I would probably go insane.

I worry about Benjamin too.  People always comment on how small he is so that makes me worry that he isn't growing or something.  Why is he so small?  I know this is absolutely ridiculous, and I probably sound like a crazy person.  But I'm being honest.

So, I'm trying to take a deep breath.  Why am I stressing out over Kindergarten?  It's just Kindergarten.  And yes, Benjamin is small but he was also a preemie and I am only 5 foot 3 inches so the kid may just take after me!

So for any of you that think "Man, that Cassie has it all together."  Know now that I do not.  Just look closely. I am an absolute mess sometimes.  I am a Monet.  

And just maybe there are some other Monet's out there too!

Flashback Thursday

Seemed like a good day to look back at some blog posts from the past.  Here are some flashbacks from September 23rd of years past.  Enjoy!!

September 23rd, 2009

Video of Caleb making Benjamin laugh.  Too cute! Benjamin is as bald now as he was then!

September 23rd, 2008

I was pregnant with Benjamin and we gave Caleb a new big boy room so that Benjamin could have the nursery.

September 23rd, 2007

Evening with some friends.  Caleb was only 2 years old in those pictures.  Little stinker is just too cute!

Hope you enjoyed this little trip down memory lane!

Baseball and Birthday Party

Caleb played his very first game of baseball this morning.  He is playing through the Miracle League.  He is on the "Pirates" team, he looked so cute in his little uniform (he has baseball pants too but it was just a little too warm for them today).

Caleb walking around the bases, checking out the field.  This field was made specifically for the Miracle League, so it is very walker and wheelchair friendly. It was absolutely perfect.

Look at that big smile!  Caleb had so much fun this morning.  All of the kids that were playing just had the biggest smiles on their faces.  It just absolutely warms the heart to see all of these kids so happy.  Just a simple game of baseball brought so much joy.  I found myself getting all teary-eyed several times.

In the outfield.  Caleb just had so much fun, and he is already talking about next Saturday when he can play again.  What a blessing to have something like this available to him and to all the other kiddos.

The Coach had an extra hat so he let Benjamin have one!  While Benjamin didn't play any ball he had so much fun exploring and spending time with Gammy, Grandpa Al, Aunt Rachel, and Grandpa Joel.  I was happy to have them there to keep Benjamin busy so that I could watch Caleb.

Gammy keeping Benjamin entertained.

Here are a few videos of Caleb playing ball.  I was so proud of him for walking around all the bases with his walker.  He did get tired after that and opted for his wheelchair the rest of the game.

This afternoon we had the pleasure of going to Autumn's 2nd Birthday Party.  I had never met Autumn or her family before but I have followed their blog for awhile and have "talked" with her mom (Lacy) through Facebook.  I also got to meet Joshua and his mom, Heather (another SB momma).  It is always nice to meet other mom's that live in the SB world.  I already felt like I knew them and their kids from seeing pictures and watching videos, but it was nice to see them in person.

This is Gage, Autumn's older brother.  I have no idea what he and Caleb were talking about at the table but it sounded important.

Joshua

Birthday girl, Autumn!

Tummy bug and Kindergarten craft

It feels like it has been forever since I've blogged, but I guess it has only been a week.  I know all of you are just dying to know what is going on with our family so here ya go...(according to my "blog follower" list there are 46 of you that are dying to hear about us)

We had a lovely tummy bug move through our house over the weekend.  Benjamin got it first and handled it like a trooper.  He would play, stop to vomit, and then just go right back to playing.  No big deal.  Then I got it and I WAS NOT a trooper.  I thought I was going to die and I was hoping that I would just die because I was miserable.  And then Glenn got it!  So both Glenn and I were dying but we still had 2 kids to take care of.  There was a lot of movie watching for the kiddos that day (our kids got minimal care from us)!  Glenn and I could barely make the boys their lunch without hurling, it was terrible, the worst thing ever.  Anyway we are feeling better and somehow Caleb managed to avoid the tummy bug all together (at least we assume so since he has yet to get sick).  Fingers crossed.

Caleb had a project to do for Kindergarten.  He came home with a cut-out person that he had to decorate to look like himself.  I took some pics...

Caleb cut out a picture of his face from a photo to use as the head of his figure.  Caleb has a little trouble using scissors so I bought a pair that are spring loaded so that the scissors open back up on their own.  It makes cutting a lot easier for him.

Putting the finishing touches on our little Caleb.

The finished product.  Caleb also cut out a picture of his walker and we glued it to the back.  I thought it came out pretty cute.

Watching his big brother color made Benjamin want to join in.  Those little hands are so cute!  

Caleb is starting baseball through the Miracle League this weekend.  We just got the schedule and he has his very first game this Saturday.  His on the "Pirates" team and he even gets a uniform!  I'm really excited about it because I think he is really going to have a lot of fun playing baseball.  There will definitely be pictures to come of my big boy and his very first game!