Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow!

"Oh, the weather outside is frightful.."



At least we'll have a white Christmas!

Dear Santa...

This is Hannah's fifth year seeing Santa Claus at the mall, and she handled it like a pro. She told him just about everything on her list and then chatted with him for a good five minutes about how sometimes Santa brings "special" gifts for girls and boys that they might not have asked for. Then he winked at mom.




Ben approached Santa this year, but still wouldn't sit on his lap. He did manage to whisper that he would like a Thomas the Train toy. Then Santa gave them a coloring book and sent them on their way. We'll see another "helper" Santa on Sunday at a kid's party, maybe Ben will be a little more friendly.

Magical Laundry Powers

Our son has super powers. No flying, no saving damsels in distress, and no hidden identities. But he can magically somehow climb into the laundry hamper that is taller than him.



Next week we'll find him on the roof.

Bottle for baby

As I'm trying to practice on the piano the other night, Ben comes up to my belly with a play baby bottle and decides he's going to "feed" the baby. Hannah of course then comes and wants to give the baby a toy. Their willingness to help is wonderful, but it will be a long time before the baby is drinking bottles or playing with toys. What will they think of next?

"Get candy, get candy, get candy!"

In order to even start this blog, I was "educated" on the "get candy" skit by the one and only Jerry Seinfield. After five minutes of non-stop laughing, I'm definitely convinced that my children are following in his footsteps.

But, let's go back to the beginning. Pumpkin carving. This is Ben's yucky face; he was all about scooping, but not touching.


Hannah was mostly interested in collecting seeds for the garden, to grow our own pumpkins next year. At this point, we'll have our own patch and will be selling pumkins at the curb next fall.


After drawing all kinds of faces on the newspaper, Ben decided on this for his pumpkin, it had to be scarey, with lots of teeth, I think I did okay.


Hannah drew her own faces, then daddy carved them in.


We're getting closer the the finale, here, them together in all their Halloween dress-up splendor. In case you need clarification Ben is Thomas the Train, and Hannah is Princess P from the PBS show Super Why.





After all the trick-or-treating was done (we did a full two hours), the kids enjoyed a piece or two of their loot, and some apple cider. We also had some late trick-or-treaters and the kids literally sprang to the door to pass out our last pieces of candy. They got to bed late, and actually slept in. And, like Seinfield, I think they felt fantastic this morning.

My Little Monsters

Boo! Halloween festivities really begin when the bags of goodies arrive in packages from various family. I'm not sure who sent these, but they were a big hit. Next, pumpkin carving, a pre-school party, and of course, trick-or-treating.



Have a Happy Halloween!

Pickin at the Patch

It seems that this past weekend was THE fall weekend for seasonal fun. We took advantage of it of course and headed to our favorite October place, Tim's pumpkin patch. We got to head out into a different field than last year (they rotate fields). Once we spotted the perfect place we went to picking. Hannah wanted a Hannah sized one, Ben a Ben sized one, and me, the roundest most pregnant pumpkin I could find, and I did.

Then we visited the animals, ate hot dogs in the grass, and played in the giant pit of corn. It was a wonderful day. We were all exhausted by the time we got home, and took a nap first before we cleaned up our prize pumpkins and displayed them in the front of the house.


This one is the monster daddy pumpkin, it's good for big hugs.


Happy October!

Brad Pitt Wanna-be

As a parent, you want your child to aspire to do great things. Ben here could spend the rest of his life walking around in a peasant cap doing Brad Pitt impersonations. I think he's just as handsome, and with sweet pudgey cheeks and gorgeous blue eyes, I'd rather look at my two year old all day. We'll still try to steer him in the direction of getting a good education and profession, but he'll always have a back-up.



Have a great week!

Another Look

We're just about half way there! The ultrasound picture is a profile. Other features are visible, too: a leg on the upper left side, the spine at the bottom, an arm in front and a hand above and behind the face.

We didn't find out the gender, although Hannah and Stacey both think it "looks like a girl." I think it "looks like a baby."



We also got to see the heart and measure the head, belly and leg. Everything looks fine; although we may have to go back again since the baby wouldn't turn over to get a good look at the spine.

20 more weeks!

Ike Hits Syracuse

Overnight Sunday into Monday the remnants of Ike passed over Central New York. The storm had long since dropped the 100 MPH winds that ravaged Galveston but was still strong enough to tear branches from our old Weeping Willow.



We woke to find the entire back yard covered in branches and the trampoline and a few chairs toppled.



Somehow, the stubborn dead branch that had snapped in an early spring storm refused to let go.



With the rainy weather Monday, we didn't get a chance to clean up until Tuesday evening. I told Hannah that "if we all work together, we can get it done before it gets dark."

She soon figured out that it was "no fun at all;" so Stacey told her to sing a song. "We're working in the yard work and not having any fun at all," was how her song started. We did get her to pick up a few branches and somehow kept Ben from poking anyone in the eye.



We did finish before dark after more than doubling the size of our brush pile. Not bad for an evening's work.



I'm still looking forward to the day when I can say "I'd like you kids to have the back yard cleaned up by the time I get home from work." For now, it was still nice to have the kids around, even if they only "helped" to pass the time more quickly.

Foreign Objects

For those of you who have not heard about our latest and greatest drama, sit down, because you're in for a good laugh.

Last Friday the Ear Nose and Throat Doctor's Office called with an opening for Hannah in the afternoon, we took it. We went there hoping to find the source of her unusual bad breath and nasal problems. The doctor found it alright, in the form of a sticker that has been in her nose for nine months. We did not see this coming. We were ready to have adenoids out, take her to a gastroentonologist, whatever, but a sticker in the nose! Hannah even remembers putting it in there during a naptime, probably last December, and forgetting to take it out. I'm still learning to never be suprised. But, we are thankful that the problem was not serious and she's already recovered from her former symptoms.

We're hoping to get some new pictures up soon, we're still figuring out our new computer.

Old MacDonald Has a Farm

About an hour north or so, Old MacDonald really does has a farm, a pretty fun one in fact. We went with the MEET group from church and Groompa, and spent the morning feeding goats, going on a hayride to see pigs and pasture cows, riding a trolley through the cow barns, jumping in the bouncy house, and playing putt-putt.

This is in "Goat Land", where about thirty goats ranging from newborn to old roam free.


On our hayride we fed some cows hay and cornstalks, apparently it tastes like dessert to them. I didn't get any pictures of the pigs, I was busy plugging my nose.


Yes, it's a goat on the roof.


Ben finally felt brave enough at the end of the morning to feed a goat some popcorn.


Hannah could just barely reach Magic the horse to give him a gentle pat.


The newest verse: "Old MacDonald has a reindeer, EIEIO". This poor reindeer named Poinsettia lives in a special Christmas barn and listens to Christmas music year round. It's antlers are velvety smooth and it was very nice.



We all had a good time visiting the farm and learned some new things. We got to see some new things too, a newborn baby cow (born that very morning), an alpaca, the reindeer, ponies, and more. Ben had his first head-butt in the rear experience, from the Little Orhpan Lamby. We guess it thought Ben was the perfect size to play, but he didn't like it too much! "Old MacDonald has a farm, and now it's time to go".

Christmas in July

Since Polar Express the movie has been banished in my house until the month of December rolls around, I decided to treat my children to a little Christmas in July. At our mall there has been a free Family Film Festival going on all summer. At ten in the morning you can come in, for free, and watch a fun kids movie then get a free ride on the carousel.

So this week was Polar Express, and it was awesome on the big screen. Hannah could barely sit in her seat she was so excited and she sang along to all the songs. To my total suprise Ben sat quiet and still for the entire movie, the bag of animal crackers and m&m's might have helped!

I'm sure December 1st the movie will back on our tv again, but until then we've had our fill of Christmas.

One Last Bun

We've told most of you already; but if you haven't heard, Stacey is pregnant again! We're all very excited.

Hannah, of course, wants a baby sister and Ben wants a baby brother. I'm not sure if those wishes will change when they realize one of them will be sharing a room. We haven't decided yet if we're going to find out the gender at the 20 week ultrasound. We did find out this week that there is just one in there.



The baby is upside down with the yolk sac to the right. We signed up for weekly emails from babycenter to keep track of how he's growing (because, yes, it is just as exciting the third time). You can use the big picture as a reference to figure out what the gray blobs are in the ultrasound picture. Right now we're at 9 weeks making the due date February 22, 2009 - an early birthday present for Hannah.

We also found out that the baby won't be delivered by the same doctor nor at the same hospital as Hannah and Ben. The old OB/GYN is now just a GYN. Stacey was referred to an OB that delivers at the other big hospital downtown. We've heard good things from friends who've had their baby's there; so, we're not too worried about it.

As the title of this post suggests, we're planning for this to be the youngest member of the family. Some people claim we're crazy for having this many while others say we make such cute kids that stopping now would be a trajedy. Who knows if our plans will change, but for now we're just looking forward to having one more healthy, beautiful baby.

Shining Moment

Hannah joined the YMCA summer soccer league. After two practices and a blowout win last week, today was the Tigers' second game. Was her "shining moment" a goal? No.

Today was also picture day and the uniforms came just in time. Did she "shine" for the camera? Well, of course she did, but that's not what I'm referring to. Anyway, these were the only pictures taken; her team didn't get pictures taken because it started pouring down rain when it was their turn.



Notice anything? Yes, the uniform is about three sizes too big, but other than that... What's that under her left eye? Let's zoom in on that.



A "shiner!" That's right. Hannah got her first black eye. At 2 minutes and 5 seconds into the 5 minute game, there was a forehead to cheek collision. Hannah came out of the game and iced it down. Three minutes later the team was called for pictures and the rest of the game was rained out.

It was still a good time. When we got home, the kids' feet were covered in wet grass, so we had them splash in the puddle at the end of the driveway. I'm sure that was Ben's favorite part.



As you may have figured out, we bought a new camera. Fortunately, we checked the forecast before the game and didn't bring it with us.

Antiquing

This Saturday's adventure-the Antiquefest at the park. We went for the reason of finding a piano bench (which we did not), but I soon realized the potential history lesson. At breakfast we had a long talk with Hannah explaining that not everything in the world is new, and if you take care of older things they can have value.

We spotted many interesting things and slowed the wagon down to take a look. Some of our faves: doll and baby carriages, metal dumptrucks, water pitchers and bowls, high chairs, and even an antique potty training chair. The question of the day seemed to be "can we buy that?" I could've left there with my arms full of little treasures, but I refrained. I'm satisfied with knowing that my child has some grasp on what life was like a long time ago, and old things can be made new again and loved.

Motor boat, motor boat

Motor boat, motor boat, go so slow
Motor boat, motor boat, go so fast
Motor boat, motor boat, step on the gas!

I heard this chant thirty times over breakfast this morning. My children thought it was quite appropriate to sing since we were going to the park to see hydroplaning race boats. Our lake park was hosting the Syracuse Hydrofest today. We packed a lunch, the folding chairs, and some sunscreen. It was definitely a big event, so much that it required "grass pointers" as Hannah called them, we told her they were parking attendents.

We found a spot in the shade and waited for the show. We weren't even close to where the boats were starting and it felt like we were at the races with all the noise. The boats were loaded into the water with a crane and then warmed up around the course. I thought this was very cool. My husband thought this was very cool. The kids though, were slightly more interested in sliced nectarines and the swings at the playground. Oh well, we did have fun, and even though we don't have any pictures, we'll remember it for awhile.

The Big Two

What a birthday weekend. We spent all Friday evening and Saturday getting ready for Ben's big 2 yr birthday bash. Everyone had a great time, despite the disappointment of rain. Today was a special day for Ben. Upon waking up he was ushered downstairs by Hannah to find wonderful presents and cards waiting for him. His faves: the TONKA CLASSICS Dump Truck and Matchbox Skybusters airplanes. He and Hannah played all morning long.

Later in the day we went to Chuck E Cheese's for some good birthday fun, a birthday crown and, of course, pizza. The kids scarfed down three slices each. After 50 tokens worth of fun, we came home and ate cupcakes.

I think Ben enjoyed having the spotlight for a change.


Then he ate his cupcake with no hands.


Last week at Toy's R Us, he thought the balloon was great and got another birthday crown.


So we're sorry we don't have more fun pictures, the digital camera is broken for now. We'll try to keep up with posts this summer as best we can. thanks to everyone who sent cards for Ben, he really enjoyed this birthday to the fullest (I think he's going to be sad tomorrow when he wakes up and it's not his birthday anymore). Don't worry, though, we have one more party when Daddy's family comes up in a few weeks. Love you all!

A Walk in the Parade

To Hannah's complete bliss, we were invited to walk in a "Mommyoriole" parade in a nearby town with the "Mommy and Me" group. All six of us(Grandma Hampton and Great Grandpa are visiting) were out of the house at quarter after eight for this adventure. And what a great time it turned out to be: sunny and eighty degrees, clowns, bands, fire trucks, helicopters, horses and ponies oh my, and the most important out of anything all morning: CANDY.











We hope your Memorial Day was this exciting, have a great week,we love you all.

A Happy Mom

Well, it's a bit late to be posting a Mother's Day blog, but hey, why not?
The kids, and my husband, were great all day. I spent lots of time doing things I love-being with my kids, shopping, relaxing outside, and eating a steak off the grill. Hannah treated me at the end of the day with a special foot bath, and Ben couldn't resist putting his hands in the water.







We're getting ready for a busy Memorial Day weekend, Grandma Hampton and Great Grandpa Nyberg are coming to visit. Hope everyone enjoys the holiday!

Wonder of Peas

Peas are pretty amazing I guess. I happen to like them when it comes to casseroles, but Ben is even more crazy about them. Especially when he "bonks a head". Nothing soothes a boo-boo like a bag of frozen peas.



Have a great week everyone, and Ben is fine now.

Spring Break

Last week was Spring Break for all the kids here in New York, even my kids. Mom had a break from work, and Hannah was off from pre-school. We did all the usual things spring breakers do, like hit the beach! Well, sort of. If hitting the beach means going to the park and throwing stones in the water. But we did have a nice time together.


Hannah practiced her bike riding skills at the park, where she doesn't have to worry about me yelling "stay on the side of the road"!


Ben enjoys having Hannah push him on the swings, it's the only time she's ever allowed to push him.


And of course, no spring break is complete without a little spring cleaning. The kids rolled up their sleeves and washed all their outside toys. They were going to need them; it was in the 80's all weekend!

Dancing with the Stars: Kitchen Edition

It started with "Mom, mom, can I pleeeeeeeeeeeease try this on?" Then it turned into "let's have a dance contest". So I broke out some Michael Bublais and we began the first kitchen edition of Dancing with the Stars.

All she's missing is high heels and a pound of make-up.


I tried my best to get Ben in his James Dean jacket, and to put some pants on, but all I could get was the hat.


Hannah consoles Ben after being disqualified for not wearing pants. Maybe next week the judges will be nicer.