1. Sorry for the lack of blogging. I’ve just been so busy playing with the boys and trying to do stuff around the house that I haven’t had much time for the computer or my camera for that matter. Next Sunday is Daylight Savings Time, so once I have more light outside when I come home from work, I expect to be getting my camera out ALOT more. I’m ready to give my speedlite a break and welcome the natural light again.
2. Another reason for my poor blogging is that WE’VE FINALLY STARTED THE BASEMENT! Holy Moly! I can’t believe it’s finally happening. We’ve only been talking about it for 2 years. I’ll be sharing progress pictures as we move along. Here it is before we started. Since these pictures were taken, 80% of the walls have been framed and we hope to have all framing and electrical complete by the end of the weekend.

   

   
   The left is going to be the living space. The right is the storage area. It’s not a big space, but once it’s done it will solve our problem of no guest room or office area.

3. Owen’s been enjoying his new toys from Christmas and his birthday. He really likes his computer. He has two different versions. A regular one and a Little Einsteins one. He likes them both. It’s also nice to have two because if Owen is playing one, I can give the other to Benny so there is no fighting… at least over that toy. Trains are a different story…

   

   Instead of all the new toys, Benny tends to play with the ones we’ve had forever. He’s recently discovered Owen’s nesting blocks. He likes to put small objects in larger ones right now so these are perfect.

   

4. No more real walking from Benny, but he’s practicing with his walker.

   

5. We having no luck potty training Owen. He’s being so stubborn. We’ve been trying every trick in the book. I guess it’s time to give him a break for a while and try again in a few weeks. I really want to get this kid potty trained b/c it’s just getting weird to change a diaper on such a big boy. If you have any special tricks or advice, let me know.

That’s all for now…not a full ten, but five is better than nothing!

1. I had the BEST three day weekend with the boys. We cuddled, played, read stories, etc. It made coming back to work today HARD. Very hard.
2. Spring Cleaning has begun and it’s fabulous. We took 2 bookcases, 1 bag of stuffed animals, and 15 bags of clothes to the Salvation Army this past weekend. I’m so happy we’re finally getting rid of the clutter.
3. We’re Spring Cleaning to get more organized and to make room to finish the basement into a storage area and a guest bedroom. The basement is now clear and all the lumber to frame the walls is sitting in our garage. Looks like Mike has a lot of busy weekends coming up.
4. Owen is so funny. When we were cleaning out drawers in our entryway table we found his Elmo sunglasses. He put them on upside down so I told him. He flipped them around the right way and then looked at me and said.”Look Mama… they are upside up!”. HA HA HA. He then proceeded to say “Hey Mama. Check me out.” Hysterical.
5. HOORAY… no more formula for Ben. Almost 2 weeks now and he’s doing great on whole milk.
6. Ben’s also off bottle. He’s only using sippy cups. Unreal. It took us until Owen was probably 18 months until he totally gave up the bottle.
7. Ben’s no longer eating baby food either. He’s 100% on table food. His favorite is pork BBQ. He goes nuts.
8. It was gorgeous out last week so when I came home from work, I found the boys outside playing with their Power Wheels. They really enjoyed themselves and it made me really anxious for the nice weather to arrive.

   

   

9. We went to Chocolate World yesterday. We were hoping Owen would like it this time since the past two trips he was scared…. remember?? Well the third time wasn’t a charm. He was even more scared this time around and we didn’t even get on the ride. The poor kid was terrified. He wouldn’t even walk. I had to carry him to get his cookie then all he wanted to do was bolt to the door.
10. I had a VERY quick photo shoot with Owen yesterday to try and get a decent 3 year picture. This is what I got. Not too bad for a child who HATES the camera and has a horrible case of PCS (photographer child’s syndrome).



Here he is being silly!



Happy Tuesday!!

Just a quick note to let you all know Ben took 6 steps yesterday and followed that up with taking 4 steps an additional 3 times after that! YEAH!!! Hopefully we have a walker soon! He’s been crawling for over 6 months, so I’m ready. And I know you are probably shocked, but I don’t have pictures. I relished the moment instead of having the camera up to my face.

Today’s a family day since I have off for Presidents Day! =) I’ll try to blog more this week. Last week was just a chance to relax and recover from the birthday bonanza over the past 2 weeks. See even the birthday boys were exhausted from all the partying.

It’s the day to celebrate love and we have alot of that in the Thomas household, especially for our two little guys. We love them so much!

No big plans today… we had lunch with Grammy and PeePaw Park and just relaxed around the house. We’re celebrating on Monday and taking the boys to Chocolate World. Less crowds so we can enjoy ourselves more. The boys won’t have to fight the crowds for their sweet treat.

We all wish you a Happy Valentines Day and hope you are spending it with your loved ones who are closest to your heart! =)

Yesterday was Owen’s 3rd Birthday!! We had such a great day!

Grammy & PeePaw Thomas came down to visit and we went to Build-a-Bear. The line was a little long because there was a party, but O was patient and it gave him lots of time to pick out the perfect new stuffed friend. First he picked a puppy, then a dinosaur, then he finally decided to get the puppy!

Owen’s really really addicted to the Wii and his favorite game is Mario Kart, so he named his new puppy “Racer” because that is what he calls Mario Kart. We also had to get Racer a Super Bowl Champion Steelers Shirt!

After Build-a-Bear we all met Mimi & Pop Pop at Red Robin, O’s favorite place to eat. They sang Happy Birthday to him and he was eating up all the attention. And he’s a ladies man just like his daddy because he got a kick out of this huge table full with a high school girls volleyball team that was clapping for him. I think the singing part at Red Robin was the favorite part of his day.

Following dinner, we all went back to our house for cake, ice cream and presents. PeePaw Park, Uncle Phil and Matt joined us for the celebration. The Wii/Mario Kart theme was carried throughout the day with his birthday shirt and his birthday cake that was made by Daddy. I had the idea to add the Mario Mushroom cupcakes. He just loved it.

To end the day, O went to MiMi and Pop Pop’s for a sleep over. The little dude had such a fun day devoted to just him.

So, our first born is THREE. Our red headed, blue eyed, tender hearted, lover of Thomas the Train, CARS, Noggin and Wii, silly big brother, cuddle bug, bed-time story fan, with the sweetest personality. That’s our Owen. He’s turning into such a dear little boy who steals my heart everyday.

Happy 3rd Birthday Owen! We hope you enjoyed your special day as much as we did!

1. Life has started again with a one-year old in the house. Ben’s definitely not a baby anymore. Not like much has changed in 2 days, I guess I’m just more observant now of all the ways he’s not a baby and noticing his toddler tendencies. He climbs over everything and is a little curious investigator checking stuff out. We still can’t keep him off the stairs or out of the bathroom. That is the first place he goes. He knows his favorite time of day, bath time, happens there and he’s also found that if the toilet seat isn’t down, he has a fun bowl of water to splash in. Fantasticly gross, isn’t it. At least it makes me keep my bathroom clean in case someone doesn’t put the lid down.
2. Ben’s video was a big hit at his party. Here is a link to view it. My eyes tear up every time I watch it. I just can’t get over how beautiful he is. I mean, I know he is my child, but look at those eyes and that smile.
3. Watching Ben’s video also makes my heart ache a little because I feel like the past year went by in the blink of an eye. It went so much faster than Owen’s first year. I just loved every moment of it, but also feel like I missed so much. I didn’t get a long maternity leave with Ben for starters. I had almost double the time off work when I had Owen. Owen was in daycare, so I helped get him ready every morning. Now, with Mike being home with the kids, we let Ben sleep-in. I use to pick Owen up from school and we’d get our daily Mommy time everyday before Daddy came home. With Ben, I came home to him at home already. I also couldn’t devote 100% of my time to Ben like I did Owen since with O, it was just him and with Ben, my time was split. Looking back I think this was probably the biggest difference in why the year flew by, but I’m sure all moms of two feel the same way. It’s not a bad thing at all, just a slightly different experience… then again, they are two different little guys so it’s not suppose to be exactly the same.
4. Benny got the greatest gift for his birthday… a Super Bowl WIN for our beloved Pittsburgh Steelers. We had a little party at the house to watch the game with Mimi, Pop Pop, Uncle Phil, my friend Andee, her husband John and their son, Ian. It was fun, emotionally draining at times, and very exciting! Gotta love Sixburgh!!
   
5. Benny has developed cute little mannerisms. Whenever he is sitting in his highchair, he’s constantly moving his hands and feet in circles. He bops to music. He curls out his bottom poutty lip before he starts crying when you tell him No. He gets so proud of himself when he climbs in and out of his Anywhere chair. But my favorite is when he snuggles his face up to yours and barries his mouth in your cheek like he’s giving you a big kiss.
6. The little dude is bigger than Owen was at this age. He’s already outgrown clothes Owen was just starting to wear when he turned a year old. I just hope he fits into O’s summer clothes or we’ll be starting a shopping spree soon so Ben doesn’t have to sport just a diaper this summer. I already know he’s going to probably need summer jammies. I got him 2 pair already. He still can’t wear regular shoes because he’s feet are too thick. Thank god for Robezz type shoes. I ordered him the cutest personalized pair from a seller on eBay for his football themed party.

   

7. Benny makes the cutest sounds. He can say maybe 4 words, but the two of us still have conversations in baby babble. I think it’s so sweet when he sometimes almost whispers things to you… like he’s telling you secrets. He usually does it when he’s happy or excited about something. He’ll lean his face in towards me and make the sweetest little whispy sounds. If I only knew what he was trying to tell me.
8. The last 3 are going to be my three favorite pictures of Benny from the past year. This was a TOUGH one… but I think these are the ones that strike a cord in my heart the most.

   0-3 Months
   

9. 3-6 Months
   
10. 6-12 Months
    

Here’s to you Benny Boo! I hope your 2nd year is just as fabulous and fun as the first! One is going to be so much fun!

HAPPY 1st BIRTHDAY BENNY!!

Today is the day… it’s Ben’s very first birthday. It’s bitter sweet. I think I’m in shock that he is 1 already. It’s very hard for a mother to see her baby turn one. While I’m excited to see him learn, grow and develop his own very distinct personality over the next year, I’m very much missing his baby days. He was such a great baby… slept well, didn’t fuss much. A pure joy. I’d love to re-do all over again.

Here is the birthday boy today in his Steelers uniform all ready for the big game tonight. Now we just have our fingers crossed he gets the best present ever for his birthday… a WIN for the Steelers in the Super Bowl!

The past month was a simple one for Ben. He….

• Started to say Choo Choo and Uh Oh and uses them in the correct context. When he sees Thomas the Train he says “Choo Choo” and when he drops something he says “Uh Oh”.
• Is standing very well on his own, but still not walking.
• Had his first taste of brownie & ice cream and loved it.
• Made attempts to crawl drown the stairs
• Did very well eating people food. He’s almost completely off baby food.
• Feeds you food and likes to try to give you a drink from his sippy cup.
• Is obsessed with the dog. He likes to feed her from his highchair so she’ll lick his hand, he follows her around, gives her kisses… I could go on. I think he thinks he’s a dog sometimes.
• Loves bathtime. He loves it so much he has been getting 2 a day. He lays on his belly and tries to swim and sticks his face in the water and blows bubbles. It’s adorable.

We had his party yesterday and it was a big success. The football theme was perfect. Mike and I’s favorite part of the day was when he got his smash cake. It was hysterical. Here are two pictures.

Well, I’m off to spend some time with the birthday boy… stay tuned because this Tuesday’s “10 on Tuesday” is going to be all about Ben in honor of his 1st birthday.