At the farm

We took advantage of the long weekend and took the boys to see MeMe.  We had planned to go over Christmas but Caleb's UTI kept us home over the holidays.  The boys were so excited to be going to to MeMe's (great-grandma).

MeMe has a nice big back yard and thanks to some beautiful weather, the boys were able to spend quite a bit of time outside.

Benjamin mowed the grass.

I want to take a quick side note here to chat about Mr. Benjamin.  When he turned 3 last month I really got to thinkin' that I better potty train this kid.  I kept thinking that he would just decide to train himself or something, like he would wake up one morning and just want to use the potty.  I realize now that was crazy thinking.  Benjamin was perfectly happy in diapers and showed no interest in the potty, at all.  So I did a bit of research and several people recommended this 3 day method, kinda like a crash course in potty training.  The lady that developed it insists that your child will be potty trained (even overnight) in only 3 days.  Sounds perfect, right?  Basically you have your child throw out all the diapers and put undies on them right away.  Then you pump them full of fluids, don't leave their side (not even to let the dog in because your child will pee on the floor-not that I know this from experience or anything).  So I stayed with my eyes glued to Benjamin for 3 days, I barely left his side and tried to catch him before he had to go and rush him to the potty.  We didn't leave the house for several days.  It was a very. long. frustrating. process which involved the washing of many undies and cleaning the carpet on more than one occasion.  I can't say he was completely potty trained in 3 days, but after day 5 he was no longer having any accidents and was letting us know every time he needed to pee.  He has even stayed dry the past 3 nights!  So, I think I can safely say that Benjamin is in big boy undies and is doing very well.  Potty training is ridiculously hard and I suspect it is harder the longer you wait, in hindsight I wish I had started a bit sooner.

Okay, let's move on.

The boys had fun blowing bubbles in the backyard.

Because of Izzy and her giant crate we didn't have room for Caleb's wheelchair which meant he had no choice but to use his walker the entire time.  He did really well all weekend.  It's hard work for him and I know he gets so tired but he did great.

And no trip to MeMe's is complete until you take the riding low mower out for a spin.  The boys had way too much fun.

Sitting by the water.

MeMe has a bit of land with some cattle so we took the boys to see the cows.

Caleb feeding one of the cows.  I was so proud of him, in the past he has been very nervous around the cows because they are quite noisy when they all get to "moooing".  He was still a bit anxious but he actually had fun this time.

Another side note:  While we were out on the land feeding the cows Benjamin had to pee, so my big boy peed outside for the first time.  I'm pretty sure that is a right of passage for boys. (I don't have a picture of that-which I am sure Benjamin will be thankful for)

I just thought this was so sweet.  A mama and her baby.  Ahhh.

Izzy Bell was totally in her element while we were there.  She loved having all the space to run and explore (although she was terrified of the cows).  And I mean terrified.  It was hysterical.  I guess if I was a 30 pound dog I would be pretty nervous around a bunch of huge cows!  After all, she is a bird dog, not a cattle dog. :)

It was a really great weekend and the boys had so much fun.

Labor Day at MeMe's

Prepare yourself for a lot of pictures.  We took advantage of the long holiday weekend by going to visit MeMe (great-grandma).

MeMe has a lot of land (with cows) so it is necessary for her to have a tractor that can shred all the grass on her land.  This orange tractor is brand new and the tire is almost as big as Glenn.  We had to get a picture of Caleb sitting in the tire.

Tried to get a picture of Benjamin in the tire too but he was grumpy after the long drive and wasn't having any of it!!

Caleb exploring MeMe's back yard with his walker.  I am just amazed at his endurance.  We took his wheelchair with us but it stayed in the car the entire weekend, he didn't use it once.  I am in awe of this boy!

Going for a ride in the wheelbarrow!  It's funny how the simplest things are so entertaining to kids!  The boys had so much fun during our visit.

Picture with MeMe.  How cute is it that Caleb is holding Benjamin's head?

MeMe's house is not child proof...at all.  And Benjamin had a ball with all the things he was able to get into.  All of our cabinets at home have latches on them so he can't get in them, but not at MeMe's house!  The boy could not get enough of all her cabinets and all the fun things that were in them.  I am amazed at how fast that booger is.  Man, you just turn your back for a second and he is totally out of sight and in another room!  He really keeps us on our toes.

Benjamin having a quick snack when he woke up Sunday morning.

Benjamin was just too cute drinking his orange juice at breakfast.  His little hands around that little cup just begged me to take some pictures.

So cute.

Oops, spilled some!

Caleb's cousins live just a few houses down from MeMe and they were kind enough to let him try out one of their toys.  Caleb has never been in one of these cars before and I've always wanted to see how he would do.  He did awesome and he absolutely LOVED it!  The kid could not get enough, unfortunately it ran out of juice after a few minutes.

Having too much fun driving a Ford pickup!

Uncle Mike was nice enough to take Caleb for a quick ride on the big orange tractor.

My sweet boys sitting on the tractor with their daddy.  These kids had so much fun this weekend.

I just thought the look on Benjamin's face was super funny. It's like he is saying "What are you looking at?"  He even has one eyebrow raised.  He just looks like he is about to get into trouble.  Little booger.

On the lawn mower with daddy.

Video of Caleb driving the Ford.

It was a great weekend at MeMe's.  The boys had a blast and were absolutely exhausted by the time we got home today.

At MeMe's

We took a trip to MeMe's this weekend.  It's been a few months since we've been able to visit her so it was a nice trip.  Here are a few pictures from our weekend:

Caleb and I at a restaurant.  

Benjamin at the restaurant.  His favorite thing to do now is to take his food and throw it on the floor.  When we got up to leave there was a lovely pile of food under his chair. 

MeMe's backyard.  It was a beautiful day on Sunday so we spent some time outside.

Glenn took Caleb for a ride in the wheelbarrow.  Poor Benjamin was napping and missed all the outdoor fun.  

Caleb in the wheelbarrow.

Me and my big boy.

Benjamin loves Caleb's wheelchair so we sat him in it.  

We had a good time at MeMe's.  We had to cut our visit short because Caleb started throwing up and we weren't sure if it was something serious (shunt malfunction or kidney infection) so we decided to come home just in case we had to go to the hospital.  Caleb is fine now so I guess something just didn't agree with his tummy. 

Caleb and the minnow

Here is a cute video of Caleb trying to hold a minnow...a minnow that wanted to get away!

At MeMe's

We are spending the weekend with MeMe. Grandpa Joel and Aunt Morgan are here too. Caleb is having a great time, he always has fun when we come down here to visit. Here are a few pictures that I have taken so far, I have some cute video to post too so I'll try to get those posted in the next couple of days.
This was taken when Benjamin woke up this morning. I just thought he looked so cute sitting on his activity mat. I like how the buttons are open on his pj's and his little tummy is peaking though.

Caleb and Aunt Morgan watching "Charlotte's Web"

Caleb got to do a little fishing this afternoon. He wasn't too interested in catching fish, he just liked holding the pole and playing with the minnows (I've got some cute video of Caleb holding a minnow...video coming soon)

My favorite picture so far. We decided to bathe the boys together tonight. Benjamin had a blast in the big bathtub and Caleb seemed to enjoy having his baby brother in the tub with him.

At MeMe's

We have been visiting MeMe this weekend. MeMe's house is always a lot of fun, we took Caleb to the farm so he could see the cows and the new babies. We also did a little fishing, didn't catch anything but we saw a bunch of snakes in the water! Here are a few pictures that we have taken so far.

Caleb and Glenn outside fishing. Caleb stayed outside for hours yesterday, he had so much fun.

Finally mommy makes it to the blog! It occurred to me that there are very few pictures of me on the blog so here is one of me and Caleb.

Daddy taking Caleb across the zip line. Caleb was grinning from ear to ear.

Caleb covering his ears when we went to the farm to see the cows. He had been begging all morning: "let's go feed the cows" and then when we went to feed them Caleb began to rethink the whole thing. The cows are huge and of course they moo rather loudly. Caleb was understandable anxious but I think he had a good time anyway.

I had to include a picture of some of the cows.

All 3 of my boys sitting outside on the porch this morning.