Camp Cookie

Say Cheese!

2010-10-25T11:08:00.003-04:00

I have found it nearly impossible to take a good photo of Sophie lately. I think it must be a 3 year old thing, because it seems I recall Ben going through a phase like this too. She forces her smile and she absolutely refuses to look at the camera! During one particular stubborn moment this summer, I took this series of photos. What can I say! We love our silly Sophie!!!

Summer Fun

2010-10-24T20:38:00.005-04:00

I can't even begin to catch up on my non-blogging of late, so I decided that I would just upload some photos from our fun summer. Then hopefully, I can dedicate a little bit more time to birthdays, the start of school and the fun trip we just took! So here is a brief overview of the Cook Family's summer of fun (in no particular order)!

Adeline in a fountain in Charlevoix, Michigan. She was hesitant at first, but quickly discovered that is was great fun to run through the jets of water!

The Cook Family on the beach of Lake Michigan

(I do believe that Addie is pulling my hair. She wasn't thrilled to be trapped in the backpack)

Sophie proudly displaying a shell she found on the beach

Addie running from me on the beach. She is in her jammies because we camped ON the beach in Grand Haven Michigan. It was so fun and so beautiful!

Another of Sophie and Lake Michigan

Our little ham-I should probably post the series of these photos because they were hilarious.
Sophie has sand and sunscreen infused hair with a bit of humidity too.

Ben on the beach in Grand Haven, Michigan

Our friends Anna and Joshua before they moved to NY this summer

Ben and Sophie by our pool. We spent every morning at swimming lessons, then did a little extra swimming, had lunch and then headed home for naps. Both kids could jump off the diving board by the end of the summer and swim to the edge. Sophie was a force to be reckoned with at the pool-swimming seamed to come naturally to her. (I should probably note that she was the first to jump off the board, only then did Ben try it. There are no life vests or floatation devices allowed at our pool, and the kids have to be able to swim freely to the edge before they are allowed in the deep end.) We can't wait for next summer!

One of many picnics we enjoyed at a park on the Potomac River in Old Towne Alexandria

And I swear there is more to come! I have to admit that I miss blogging and will have to find time to fit it back into the schedule!

Our littlest patient

2010-06-15T15:30:00.004-04:00

Sweet Addie has been as very good patient as of late. She's had lots of practice. We've been to doctors appointment after doctors appointment over the last three weeks. She isn't gaining wait very well. She has always been small, but has only put on 5 pounds in the last year. The good news is that she is staying on a growth curve, the bad news is that her curve isn't on the charts. The technical term is Failure to Thrive (FTT), and I would have to disagree. Although she may be tiny, she IS thriving! Her developmental skills are right on track, she eats well, and is a happy, social baby. Nevertheless, her pediatrician decided we better look into her growth issues to be on the safe side. There was also that pesky problem in which our little bugger pulled most of her hair out and had a fascination with putting it in her mouth. The technical name for that condition is Trichotillomania. That's more than a mouthful if you ask me! Unfortunately for Addie, we shaved her head back in the winter, and that seamed to put an end to her hair pulling for now.

Our pediatrician referred us to a pediatric gastroenterologist at Walter Reid Army Medical Center which is on the north end of DC. We were very happy with the facility and the staff. We got to know them quite well. The pediatric department is sizable and great with the little ones. They even have a pediatric lab, which came in handy for all the blood work and tests she had to endure. The only drawback is the commute. We live in Northern Virginia on the south side of DC. The drive was taking me anywhere from 45 minutes to nearly 2 hours one day. DC traffic is just the worst! We are thankful for all of our friends who helped with Ben and Sophie over the last three weeks. We couldn't have done it without them! I think we made the commute 6 times, and it would have been really hard to take all three kids!

Anyhow, back to Addie. The doctor tested her for everything under the sun. She had blood work to test for any abnormalities and/or nutritional deficiencies . That came back normal! She was tested for a bladder infection which can cause stunted growth. That came back normal. There was the lovely stool test which tested for lots of things which I didn't really understand. That came back normal. We went in for a cystic fibrosis test one morning. that was a very interesting procedure and thankfully that came back normal as well!

We met with a dietitian and provided food logs for her. Addie was consuming nearly enough calories and had a good balanced diet. We've switched to Pediasure for 2/3 of her milk calories. She also now gets to eat canola butter on her vegetables and gets canola oil mixed into some of her food. The highlight is that she is permitted/advised to have a small scoop of full fat ice cream for a treat! Trust me, she is loving that part. I'm not loving the greasy/buttery food. It means she needs a bath more frequently. But anything for my sweet, little girl!

The final test was an EGD-Esophagogastroduodenoscopy! The procedure itself is not that complicated, but they did have to put her under for it. The purpose was to look for any abnormalities in her esophagus, stomach and small intestine that may be preventing her from growing properly. They were also going to look to see if there was a mass of hair in her stomach that was preventing her from properly absorbing nutrients. And finally, they would take small biopsies from the three sites to test for Celiac disease (Gluten intolerance).

We were all nervous wrecks as the day of her procedure approached-last Tuesday. We had a 5 am arrival time. A wife of one of Nick's friends came and stayed with Ben and Sophie, so Nick and I could leave at 4am. Ouch!, but we discovered that there isn't much traffic at that time. There was a lot of waiting, but eventually she was prepped for surgery. She was the oldest of the three babies in the pediatric wing that morning. The pediatric anaesthesiologist was a bit concerned that she would have some separation anxiety once they took her back since she was too little to understand what was going on. He decided that she should have some oral drops that would make her sleepy before they carried her back. The result wasn't so much sleepy as it seemed she acted a little tipsy. After the drops and for the next 2o minutes, everything was hilarious to her. She laughed and laughed at Nick and I. She would wriggle free from our arms on her bed and then dramatically fall down, roll over and laugh. She lightened a very tense mood and allowed us all to laugh.

When it was her turn to go back, she gladly went into the anaesthesiologists arms. We each gave her a kiss and she waved goodbye to us like she was going on a grand adventure! The procedure took less than a hour. The hardest part was watching her wake from the anaesthesia. It took her a really long time to come to, but once she did, she was her old self again. She found the oxygen mask enormously entertaining, and tried to put it on both Nick and I and the nurse. She cuddled with me and her favorite blanket and new stuffed kitty. We were trying to have a sense of humor about this somehow (hairball). After awhile she was allowed to have to juice. It was her first time! She loved it and guzzled it down and wanted more. Soon we were moved to the floor where she was allowed to have more juice, eat and we were discharged.

The doctors said that everything looked good in her stomach and small intestine. There is no obstruction or hair ball that is preventing her from growing. We are still waiting for the results on the biopsies for Celiac disease. Frankly, that is something we can live with. It would be a lifestyle change for us all, but is very manageable. I promise to let you know when we get the results! We are so blessed so far that nothing has come back positive. It's likely she's just little and will grow more in due time.

Random Spring Photos

2010-05-03T17:46:00.004-04:00

I haven't been very good about updating the blog lately. Sorry! Blame the beautiful weather-we usually play outside until dinnertime everyday. Blame the start of t-ball, gymnastics, or the 3 busy kids! Here are a few random photos from this spring, especially for the grandparents!

Here is Addie in Sophie's Easter bonnet!

A decent (?) family photo on Easter day.

The best shot of the three (Especially for Kristen-your not the only one who finds it impossible to take a good photo of three kids! Notice big brother choking Addie?)

Easter Egg hunt-we came out with a grand total of 8 eggs! (Sophie found 7, Ben 1)

Cherry Blossom Festival in DC

Sophie 'melling' the blossoms!

Ben on the National Mall

Sophie before the egg hunt-it was very humid that day. Notice the curls?

And finally Addie with her birthday quilt from Aunt Pam! (Promise to get a better photo for you Aunt Pam!) She's sleeping with it every night now.

More to come I promise!

Sophie turns 3!

2010-04-28T10:41:00.004-04:00

March 31 marked an important day in the Cook household. Sophie turned 3!

Benny was on spring break from school, so we decided to take a little trip. Shopping trip that is! We had been waiting for a good day to take Sophie to the mall to make a Build-a-bear, her reward for being fully potty trained. The malls here are CRAZY on the weekends, so we decided a mid-week trip suited us just fine. After all, who wants to go to an overly crowded mall with three small children and a husband who does not enjoy crowds. Not I!

Of course, the first thing we had to do at the mall was make her bear. She picked a coconut colored bear and named her 'Heart'. She also dressed her as a ballerina. She had a blast going through the process of stuffing her bear, washing it, brushing it, then deciding on clothes for it to wear.

Next stop was the day salon for little girls. Now, don't think I am crazy. I didn't really take Sophie to a day spa for her third birthday. That would be ridiculous. She did get her hair trimmed though for $5! I couldn't believe it-$5! Last time she had her hair trimmed at the salon I was going to they charged me $25! (Highway robbery I say, and I nearly had a heart attack!) Anyway, after her haircut, the stylist painted a little glittery heart on her cheek. Sophie was more than excited and decided she was a princess. After all, the salon was designed for little girls and was all pink and glittery. We will definitely go back next time we need a haircut.

We ran a few more errands at the mall, and then headed home for naps. Benny and I had work to do, frosting Sophie's cake and getting her presents ready.

Meanwhile, a friend picked Benny up at our house and took him to a new playground. When the girls woke from their naps, we joined them . Everyone had a great time exploring the new playground equipment. Probably too soon, we had to head to the Metro to pick up Daddy, and then head home to celebrate.

We had an easy pizza dinner and then chocolate cupcakes! Sophie had been wanting a Mermaid cake. We had originally thought we would have a joint party for the girls, but with spring break and Easter, most of our friends were out of town. We decided a party might be better another time. It seemed silly to order a big cake, after all there are only 5 of us, and Benny won't eat frosting. So, I concocted a Mermaid cake of sorts out of two colors of aqua frosting, some sprinkles and cupcakes! I think it turned out alright, and Sophie was thrilled!

Later we did some present opening. She enjoyed opening some clothes, puzzles, and best of all a pink cozy coupe! She loves riding around outside in her new wheels. A few weeks prior, Benny and I had a chance to do some birthday shopping. He decided to buy his little sister a birthday crown, stick on earrings (a huge hit!), and a Fancy Nancy beauty set which included body glitter, lip gloss, and nail polish. Our girly girl really thought she was now a princess and is seen here wearing her new crown.

Here is Sophie with her new bear and lots of pink presents!

We had such a wonderful day celebrating our little girls 3rd Birthday. She continues to be such a blessing to us!

Happy Birthday Sophie!

Sweet Adeline turns 1!

2010-03-22T12:57:00.003-04:00

She is sweet, she is little, and now sweet, little Addie is 1!

Adeline turned 1 on Saturday, and we just had to have a little celebration! This is the first time Nick has been home for one of his children's 1st birthdays! We didn't do much, but we tried to make it special. And, we do plan on having a combined party of sorts in April for both girls. (Sophie turns 3 next week!)

I stumbled upon this cute birthday shirt last month, and I just had to get it for Addie. It reads 'Birthday Girl'.

Sophie helped me make cupcakes, pink of course. We love the book Pinkalicious at our house, so it just seemed natural that Addie's cupcakes would be pink. Sophie also found this headband at the party store last week. Addie wasn't so much a fan, but I did manage to get a quick picture before she pulled it off.

Addie was thrilled when we sang Happy Birthday to her. I'm sure all of the neighbors heard too, as we celebrated out on our deck. It was a beautiful 75 degrees!

Pinkalicious was too cute in her 'pinktails' enjoying her pink cupcake.

Addie poked and prodded her cupcake, but I'm not sure she ate more than just a little bit of strawberry frosting. This was as messy as it got, and she soon started hollering to be cleaned up!

I have to say that I'm not so sure I'm a fan of pink cupcakes, but Sophie loved them. We will try chocolate for our next little girls birthday.

We had a lovely day and we are so thankful to have sweet little Addie as part of our family!

One lost, two gained

2010-03-16T10:58:00.002-04:00

Teeth that is! We seem to be in the business of teeth these days. Addie is working on numbers 7 & 8, but most importantly Ben lost his first!

The tooth in question had been loose for about 5 weeks. I had no idea it could take that long for the little bugger to fall out. Ben was super excited about it, especially since most kids in his class have already lost their first. He couldn't have been a bigger boy about it. We wiggled it daily, he let us pull on it, but to no avail.

At the end of last week, the tooth was listing from side to side. It would turn sideways. It was just gross! Finally after dinner on Friday night, I told Ben "that tooth just has to come out this weekend. Dry it off, and try to pull on it again." He did as instructed, and out it came with one pull!

He couldn't have been more excited! By some amazing timing, Nick called just at that moment to tell us he was on his way home. Ben told him the news, and then excitedly made phone calls to his grandparents.

Here is a peek at his new smile!

Ben was really intrigued by the idea of the tooth fairy. I had bought him a sweet little tooth fairy pillow at Harrod's in London when he was just a little guy. He immediately went upstairs to dig it out of his dresser.

I asked on Facebook what was customary for the tooth fairy to bring these days. A dollar seems to be the consensus. Daddy decided that since it was his first tooth, he would get $2, but $1 for all the next.

Ben was up early Saturday morning to check that pillow, and you better believe he was excited! I think he is still more excited about the tooth though!

Random Thoughts

2010-02-25T11:35:00.002-05:00

Lots of things have been going on at the Cook household lately. We are busy, busy, busy with three very active kids! I have not been as good at taking pictures as I would like to be, but I just can't seem to find the time! There have been lots of sweet moments here lately, not all especially blog or picture worthy just yet....

Ben has his first loose tooth! He refers to it as his 'wiggly' tooth. It rocks freely back and forth in the tooth socket. It no longer hurts. It has been 'wiggly' for almost three weeks now. So, we are patiently waiting for this stubborn tooth to exit Ben's mouth so he can use his tooth fairy pillow. I also promised to take him to see the new tooth fairy movie staring 'The Rock'-that is if it is still in theaters!

Sophie is still a whirlwind of energy. The other day I was upstairs in the bedroom, when I heard a chair slide on the kitchen floor below. I ran downstairs to find Sophie sitting on the counter with the can of formula and a bottle. Apparently she heard Addie awake on the baby monitor and was going to fix her a bottle! She has also recently hoisted herself up on the counter to feed Ben's beta fish. She is trouble all around, but so much fun!

Addie is on the go. She crawls, she stands, and she spends her day cruising-around the furniture that is. She loves to push things too. She will push Bitty Baby's crib, toy baskets, chairs, and the kids art easel. She consistently takes a step or two on her own, but then she falls down. She has discovered that she can cruise around the kitchen holding on the the cupboards. Then one day, she discovered that she can open them too! It wasn't long before she was digging around in the pots and pans cupboard when out she came with the cheese grater! How is it that kids are magnets for things they shouldn't have? Daddy has since put locks on all of the cupboards and we are officially baby proofed (or at least I think we are!).

Addie has also discovered the stairs. We live in a three story townhouse with high ceilings. We have two big flights of stairs, plus steps leading from room to room on the main story. So, we have LOTS of stairs. We have the gates to some, but it really is impossible to block them all. Now that she has learned how to climb them, she is practicing her new trick at every chance. One moment she'll be crawling along behind you, the next she will be 8 steps up. When I catch up to her, she just smiles and giggles.

Addie is a very sweet natured baby. She is very content, loves to cuddle and barely fusses. We are so blessed. But now, her emerging personality is coming forward. I think it is safe to say that we may have another 'Sophie' on our hands. She's developed a knack for trouble and is just a little stinker lately! She has also discovered her voice. She makes all kinds of sounds and says a few words. But her favorite thing to do lately is to scream. She screams loud. So loud in fact that Nick started to yell at Sophie the other night for screaming when he realized that the noise was coming from Adeline. Sometimes in the morning, I can't tell which girl is awake and babbling on the baby monitor. They sound so much alike!

We are hoping that these winter days will soon be over so we can spend some time outside. The sidewalk to school is nearly cleared so hopefully we can resume walking next week. For the time being we have been carpooling with a friend. Sophie and I have been working a little each day at clearing the remaining snow out of the bushes and off our parking spaces (yes, we had that much snow!). Next week Sophie is taking a trial gymnastics class at Little Gym. She is very excited to "hang"-from the bars that is! If it goes well, we will likely sign her up for a session. Ben starts tee-ball in March and is anxiously awaiting meeting his new teammates.

I promise to post some videos of Addie walking soon, and hopefully some cute pics of Ben with a toothy grin!

Warmer Days

2010-02-11T16:33:00.003-05:00

As we are still 2 feet under snow, I thought I would post some pictures from a warm January day. We took advantage of the nice weather to try out Ben's new bike, Sophie's new helmet, and my new camera!

I somehow managed to NOT get a picture of Ben on his bike, but here is one of him on his scooter!

Sophie has a new princess helmet, but nothing to ride! Poor girl is too short for Ben's old bike, we gave Ben's old trike to the Goodwill, and she isn't coordinated enough to do the scooter just yet. Don't worry, someone has a birthday coming soon!

Wishing for more warmer days ahead!

Snowpocolypse

2010-02-08T17:01:00.005-05:00

Snowpocolypse, Snowmageddon, Superstorm.... Those are a few names swirling around on the news to describe our current snowstorm. Whatever you choose to call it, it is a lot of snow!

We are going a little stir crazy here in the house. Luckily we were able to play outside a little yesterday and also today. Ben has played with every toy he owns, we have made forts, treats, watched movies and colored in the kitchen by the fireplace.

Here are a few photos from the latest storm. We received about 24 inches of snow over 30 hours. School was cancelled Friday (before it even started snowing!), today (Monday), tomorrow and Wednesday. Oh, and due to a mini storm last week, and a four day weekend, Ben only attended school on Tuesday and Thursday last week. We are now 5 days 'in the hole' for snow days, one will be made up on President's Day, the other four possibly on Saturdays, or tacked on to the end of the school year, sending Benny to school until almost July (I'm serious!).

We are expected to have another storm starting tomorrow accumulating another 10-20". Tell me, where will we, or should I more accurately say Nick, put this snow? We have run out of room!!!!

Here is Benny in his 'Snow Fort' or large hole he dug in the snow.

Sophie enjoyed sliding around in the snow too!

Here is a front view of our townhouse. Notice our narrow driveway and the amount of snow already piled in our tiny yard (if you can call it that!).

Here is the view from our garage before Nick started the big dig out. This photo was taken in the morning before it snowed an additional 6 or 8 inches.

And finally, here is the picnic table on our deck!

We are prepared as we can be for the next storm coming tomorrow. I went to the grocery store to try and refill our cupboards. Unfortunately, they were all out of meat and most produce from last weeks big stock-up pre-Snowpocolypse. I did manage to come up with a few meal ideas as well as picked up staples for the kids. Things may get a little interesting at the Cook household over the next few days, but I know we will survive.

If you have any great ideas to entertain our kids, please pass them on!

Christmas

2010-01-11T14:38:00.004-05:00

Here is a quick Christmas recap from the Cook family! We decided to brave the trek home to Michigan-an 11 hour drive! It went quite smoothly this time. Ben kept himself busy in the way back with his Leapster system, coloring books and toys. Addie was an angel baby and somehow entertained herself or slept for the entire trip. Sophie was her usual self and needed to have constant interaction with the parent in the passenger seat. The last hour and a half was a little hairy, but otherwise we managed to keep her somewhat happy. Luckily, Smokey did not make this trip with us, but instead stayed at a kennel in Virginia. He's a good passenger, but rest stops get a little chaotic with three kids and a dog!

We arrived late on the 23rd, just in time for bed. The kids were so excited to be at Oma and Little Pa's house!

We brought our stockings from home and actually took a picture of all three kids with them on Christmas Eve (this proved to be much more challenging on Christmas Day).

Addie fully enjoyed the present opening. Of course she loved the paper, boxes and bows, but she seemed to enjoy her presents too! She still had to perform her usual tricks-'I love my doll, but I love to stand more!'

It was a very princess Christmas for Sophie. We are still finding glitter on everything! She received a princess crown, princess dress up clothes and princess shoes! My parents also gave her a box of Disney princess dolls. She loves them! She is very into matching her princess shoes to whichever doll she is currently playing with.

Here is Sophie admiring her box of princess shoes from her Uncle Steve. (And of course she is dressed as 'Mermaid' or Disney's Ariel.)

Ben had a great Christmas too. He had so much fun with his grandparents, Uncle Matt and Jackie, Uncle Steve and Maria, and all those seconds cousins and great aunts and uncles! Christmas is the one time of year where our kids can be with all of their extended family. It was so good for them to be so showered with love and attention!

Our journey home was a very looooong one. Poor Addie was sick (but slept most the way) and Sophie split her tongue as we were getting ready to get in the car. Needless to say we got a later start than planned. Sophie couldn't eat anything for most of the ride home, although we were lucky to find jello at one stop and a yogurt parfait at another. She was cranky, cranky, but understandably so. Now about 10 days later, her poor tongue has just about healed but will probably have a scar.

Our rough ride home was brightened when we walked in and the kids realized that Santa had visited Virginia too! He brought a new, bigger bike for Benny, an art easel for all of the kids, and a kitchen for Sophie. It's been way too cold for Ben to take his bike out, but Sophie loves her kitchen! She makes lots of treats for us, but her specialty is making coffee while talking on the phone......

I hope you all enjoyed the many blessings of Christmas this year!

A little bit of Christmas Part 1

2010-01-04T15:12:00.003-05:00

I'm not much for News Years resolutions, but one thing is sure-I will be a better blogger in 2010!

We are still recovering from our trip home to Michigan, but for now, here are some highlights of our pre-Christmas festivities!

One of the great things about living in a major metro area, is there are so many things to do. We recently took advantage of this and headed into DC to see the National Christmas Tree, or as Ben now refers to it, The Obama Tree. It was a cold, cold night, on the eve of our huge storm (more on that later-we got 24 inches in 24 hours!), so we bundled ourselves and the kiddos up warmly and braved the elements.

Addie was one her usual 'best baby ever' self and barely made a peep the entire trip. She smiled so sweetly for the camera.

This next picture was taken at the end of our adventure, and is a bit out of order here. We finally let Sophie out of the stroller so she could get a better look at Baby Jesus. This was the highlight of the evening for her and a source of contention for the rest of us. She screamed most of the evening because she wanted her picture taken with Jesus. Since it was both freezing and crowed, we had initially refused to let her out of the stroller. Eventually, we had to pull her away, telling her that Jesus had to go to bed. She screamed all the way to the car, and most of the way home. (Note: this put a bit of a damper on the evening for the rest of us!) Still, she looks so sweet here.

Here is a rare family shot, you have to look closely for Addie in the corner!

This photo was taken early in the evening, and as you can see, Sophie is one unhappy camper! If you imagine, you can see her feet kicking the stroller in the photo. Quote: "I want my picture with Jesus, I want Baby Jesus!" Repeat about a thousand times...... Her love for Jesus may melt your heart, but anyone within earshot of her would disagree!

Here are Nick and Ben with The White House in the background.

And that's it for that adventure!

On a previous snowy Saturday, we braved the roads and took the kids to see Santa Claus. It was well worth the trip. Sophie and Ben both enjoyed Santa this year! The line wasn't too long, and had a Polar Express theme that the kids liked. When it was their turn to sit on Santa's lap, Sophie was a little hesitant at first, but then warmed up and told Santa she would like a princess doll. Ben was all business and asked Santa for some GI Joes. (Santa filled both requests!)

Decorating the Christmas tree was a lot of fun this year. Ben already has his favorite ornaments that he likes to hang, and Sophie is old enough to understand the concept. Well, she gets the general idea. As you can see from the picture below she chose to hang many ornaments on two very special branches. Over the next few days, she would move them around, but they always stayed very close to one another. We did have one ornament mishap this season-Sophie tried to eat a cinnamon ornament our friend Marie had made years back in Germany. Sophie came into the kitchen with a armless snowman and asked for her face to be washed. No harm done, and just a few days ago she pointed to some cinnamon ornaments (about 10 on one branch) and told me they were "gucky". Lesson learned!

More of our Christmas to come!

Cookies

2009-11-24T21:36:00.002-05:00

Not so long ago, our friend Anna came to play. Her mommy, Marie and I did a commissary swap. Marie stayed with my kids while I went grocery shopping, the when I came home, she headed to the store while I watched the kids! It was great, and I hope we can do it again soon!

While I was shopping I picked up some sugar cookie dough. I thought the girls would enjoy decorating some cookies with our surplus of sprinkles. I gave each girl her own jelly roll pan to contain the mess. I swear I only turned my head for a second and this is what found! (Notice the red cookie and empty container nearby!)

Do you think Sophie used enough sugar and sprinkles?

Anna had a little more self control with her cookies, but still managed to cover every surface in sprinkles.

Aren't they beautiful?

Marathon Man

2009-11-24T17:06:00.009-05:00

A few weekends back, Nick did what most people would think impossible. He ran a marathon! It was actually his third time running The Marine Corp Marathon. He last ran it 10 plus years ago when he was at West Point. I vividly remember him telling me years ago, that I must never let him be foolish enough to run it again. He didn't heed my warnings, but he still survived and did great!

He trained hard for the last few months, and was in pretty good shape for his run. His hip has been bothering him and is progressively getting worse, so he knew this was his last chance to run in a marathon.

We had to be awake earlier than I care to remember on race day. Thankfully, another mother from Ben's school offered her husband's assistance in giving Nick a ride to the race (he was running too) so that I didn't have to wake the kids up so early.

The kids were able to sleep a bit longer, and when they awoke I loaded them in the car and headed to the Metro. I am proud to say that I successfully managed to get all three kids safely into DC on my own, on the train. They loved the ride!

We knew that it would be nearly impossible to see Nick start the race, or even to spot him along the race route (30,000 runners!!!). So instead we headed to Crystal City where they had bouncy houses, face painting, crafts, balloon animals, music and more. Needless to say, the kids had a blast! It was especially fun because we met our friend Anna and her mommy Marie. They had a runner also, John ran the Marine Corp 10k earlier in the morning.

Ben sporting his marathon shirt-My Dad runs faster than your Dad!

Sophie enjoyed some free cotton candy. It was the first time she had it, and of course she loved it. Her marathon shirt-Marathoner in Training, Catch Me If You Can!

The kids were all given cow bells to ring as the runners passed by the festival. It was incredibly noisy! Here are Sophie and Anna hoping to catch a glimpse of Nick running by.

After a few hours of fun, we faced the crowds, hopped on the Metro again and headed to the finish line. It took us awhile to find Nick, but eventually we did. He finished a little later than he had hoped. He took an Army PT test just two days before the Marathon. He didn't think it was going to be a problem, but the sit-up portion really wore his legs down. He was on track at the halfway point, but really slowed down after that.

Here are Nick and John post race.

After some healthy snacks and sports drinks, we headed to the Finish Festival. There Nick quickly replenished lost carbs by consuming two free beers!

We enjoyed the festivities for a bit, then headed home. We had all had a long day-Nick's longer than ours, of course! Nick was a trooper and posed for a picture with the kids. Addie's shirt said-Hurry Back For a Kiss Daddy!

Finally, here are the numbers:

Time: 3hours 53 minutes 16 seconds

Overall: 3714 out of 21,404 (8,500 didn't finish)

Sex: 2934 out of 12,972

Age (30-34 male): 472 of 1871

We are so very proud of our Marathon Man! We are looking forward to more racing in the future-just not 26.2 miles!

Pumpkin Playground

2009-10-14T11:21:00.004-04:00

Monday was Columbus Day, and Benny did not have school, so we headed to the pumpkin patch! When we arrived it wasn't so much a pumpkin patch-there were no actual pumpkins in patches, but there was a super cool playground. (I guess that's why it's called the Pumpkin Playground!) We had been expecting a farm with a real hayride, pumpkin picking, yummy fall treats and lots of fun. We managed to get most of those-the kids played and played at the playground while Nick and I enjoyed hot apple cider. Plus we had a super fun time!

There were countless things for the kids to climb and play on-Monster Trucks included!

Addie wore here sweet little pumpkin sweatshirt coat for the occasion. If you couldn't tell, it was a very chili day!

Benny went down the slide more times than I could count! He even realized that if you flipped the rug over, you would go down faster!

The pirate ship was Benny's favorite. He must have played on it for over an hour. We would go try other activities, but we always wound back at the pirate ship. Wish we had one in our backyard!

After trying the slide several times on our laps, Sophie exclaimed "I do it myself!"-and that she did!

Addie and Mommy waiting while the kids played.

Ben enjoyed some good old fashioned tube rolling!

On our way out we helped ourselves to mini pumpkins! We plan on heading to the farmer's market soon to pick out our carving pumpkins!

A fun day was had by all at the Pumpkin Playground!

Sweet Addie

2009-09-27T19:28:00.003-04:00

I've realized that the newest member of our family may not get the blogging attention that is rightfully hers. Poor Addie is often a spectator to the circus that goes on around here. I've only recently discovered this when I couldn't find a recent picture of her! So, the other day she was looking rather cute, and I decided to snap a few.

Occasionally she wears one of Sophie's 'pretty's' in her hair. She leaves them in much better than her older sister!

We've just finished our first round of teething with Addie, and it went pretty well. We had some night waking and a little bit of fussiness, but all in all it wasn't so bad. She has two new bottom front teeth to show for it! I'm sure she is working on some more already!

We've also discovered that she is becoming quite mobile. It won't be too long before the baby gates will always be up by the stairs. We used to lay her down on a nice big blanket in the living room. Now she gets tangled up in it, that is if she even stays on it! We recently left the room for a moment to come back and find her underneath the desk. She also likes to try to reach the curtains to chew on them. Baby proofing is in our near future! She isn't crawling yet, but she is a master roller, and does some schooching on her belly. As for sitting, that is coming soon too. We are very close!

We've just started to work on some rice and oatmeal cereals. Our doctor preferred for her to wait until six months. This past week, I think she may have actually eaten some of the cereal instead of spreading it all over her face! I'm sure some yummy fruits and veggies will be coming her way soon.

She seems to be putting on weight still and is fitting into her clothes a little better. All good signs that she is growing. Can't wait until her next checkup to see if she has made it on the growth chart!

Soccer Saturdays!

2009-09-21T07:13:00.005-04:00

Our Saturdays have been jam packed the last few weekends-Ben started Soccer! In addition, Nick is preparing to run a marathon in late October, so he has run in local races the last two Saturdays. This means we are one busy family! We leave the house very early, Nick runs his race, then we rush to Ben's Soccer game. We are a one car family right now, so we have no option but to do this all together. The kids love watching Nick start and finish his races, and there is always something there for them to do-maybe I will do a blog post on that later!

Back to Soccer-Ben loves it! He practices on Wednesday night, and then has a game every Saturday morning. He was super excited when the coach pulled out jerseys and matching socks for all the players. We had no idea he would be issued a uniform. The kids decided to name their team the 'Blue Marlins'-of course at Benny's suggestion! The other mothers were laughing at the name, joking that the kids had no idea what a marlin was, so surely the coach suggested the name. I new immediately that it had to be the brain child of Ben. He had just been to a Washington Nationals game, and they played the Florida Marlins. When we were in the car I asked Ben if it was his idea, and yes, of course it was! Such a funny boy!

Two Saturdays ago, the Blue Marlins had their first game. They play 3 on 3 with two simultaneous games going on. The team has ten players so this means that only 4 children sit out at a time. 3 on 3 is more manageable for the players since they all chase the ball at once! This Saturdays game showed a remarkable improvement over last Saturdays. The basics of soccer are finally starting to click.

Here are the Blue Marlins chasing the ball towards the goal. It's doubtful that it went in, they have lots of room to grow!

Benny loves his Blue Marlins jersey and proudly poses for a picture before the game!

And finally, here are the Blue Marlins lining up to shake hands after the game. It's so fun to watch these boys. They are having a blast chasing the soccer ball around and learning the basics of soccer. Benny spent most of the first game cheering on his teammates. The only problem was that Benny was on the field too! It was incredibly sweet, but he wasn't paying attention to the game. The other team seemed a little bit more together than ours. They don't keep score at this age, but Benny is sure they lost the game. Now he's motivated to improve his skills!

The girls and I enjoy watching Benny play. Sophie plays with an extra soccer ball on the sidelines, and has even found another little sister to play with. And Nick? He has found himself as the assistant coach! Since they play two games at once, the coach needed a parent to be in charge of the other field. Nick gladly volunteered and is having lots of fun helping these little guys, even if his own knowledge of the sport is minimal! We look forward to lots more soccer fun!

First Day of School

2009-09-10T13:56:00.002-04:00

Tuesday marked a big day for the Cook Family. It was Ben's first day of kindergarten! He has been anxiously awaiting the first day of school for sometime now. I guess anxious wouldn't be the right word since he wasn't nervous one bit. He was so excited! Nick woke him a little before 8 and Ben asked right away if it was finally time for school. He showered and then had a good breakfast before we walked him the half mile down the road. It's so great having Nick home this fall. It really takes the chaos out of our morning routine.

Here Ben is enjoying a big bowl of Cheerios before school

All ready to go with a new backpack, new lunchbox and new shoes!

In his classroom with his new friend Delaney

And finally sitting at his table wearing his name tag!

We are really happy with the school so far. We absolutely love the school hours. They work so well for our family. We don't have to leave until 8:50, and I pick him up at 4 (except on Monday's when he is done at 1)! This allows our girls to sleep in and get good naps in the afternoon. We are really thankful for that!

So far, Ben is having a great time at school and seems to be adjusting well. He is excited to go every morning, so I guess that is a good sign! Last night also marked his first soccer practice, and he was bubbling with excitement all night. We are so thankful that he is so happy and starting to meet some new friends!

Spectacular Six!

2009-09-08T19:00:00.003-04:00

Last Friday, Benny reached a major milestone. He turned 6! I can hardly believe it myself. I don't know where time has gone. Six great years, and one wonderful little boy!

He started his birthday morning with some present opening. It was torturous for him to wait for Sophie to wake up. She chose his birthday of all days to sleep in! But, she really needed the sleep, so we did not dare wake her. The instant we heard her upstairs, Benny was ready to tear into his gifts!

He received some great presents and has really enjoyed playing with them all. He had presents for Grandparents, Aunts, Uncles and parents waiting for him. This year he is really into GI Joe's and LEGOs. He has spent every waking hour playing with them.

As a special birthday surprise, Nick took Benny to a Washington Nationals baseball game on Saturday night. It was a strictly boys affair, no girls allowed. They had a great time sitting out in Left Field cheering on the Nationals. It is rumored that Benny had an extremely large bowl of chocolate ice cream all to himself. He purchased a National's baseball hat with some birthday money and has hardly taken it off since. Notice the boys still wore their Tiger's gear!

When given the choice what Benny wanted to do for his Birthday dinner, his request was simple. He wanted to order pizza at the pool! We were thankful to have Ben's new friend Delaney and her family join us. Unfortunately, our few friends that we have here were out of town. But, we still had a spectacular time. The water was a little chilly, but that didn't seem to bother anyone. After about an hour of swimming, we took a break and enjoyed pizza and chocolate cupcakes. By the time we were finished celebrating, it was too cold to get back into the pool. Instead, we moved the party to the playground for a bit.

We are so thankful to have little Benny as our son (chocolate cupcake face and all)!

Fun at the beach!

2009-09-05T20:51:00.005-04:00

A few weekends ago, we hit the road and hit the beach! None of our children have ever seen the ocean (well maybe Ben did in Europe, but he wouldn't remember), and the girls have never been to a beach!

On the way, we made a stop at Busch Gardens in Williamsburg. They offer free tickets to military families, and we had to drive right by to get to Virginia Beach, so we made a free day of it! We arrived a little before lunchtime and stayed to close down the park at 9. We had a fun, fun day in the hot, hot sun. The temp was in the high 90s, but we managed to find some relief from the heat throughout the park. One of our favorite places to do that was the German Fest Hall. It was surprisingly accurate (we do know our German fests!) and one of the coolest places in the park. Sophie loved the polka music and danced and danced. Sophie, Addie and I did a good bit of hanging out there while the boys rode some rides.

We were surprised at how much the kids loved the rides. Ben could ride on most everything in the park, and Sophie did her fair share of rides too. Ben wanted to ride a big roller coaster at the end of the evening, but thankfully we talked him out of it since we didn't want to stand in the long line. He did ride the log ride with Nick though and came and gave me a big, wet hug when he was done! Our excursion to the park was exhausting but tons of fun. Nick and I couldn't wait to get to the hotel and get everyone into the shower and then into bed.

The next morning we headed another hour down the road to Virginia Beach. The kids were thrilled to see the ocean, and even more excited when they discovered our hotel was right on the beach! Our trip was hastily planned, and we really weren't prepared to have Addie at the beach. We did however manage to sneak in some play time at the beach after breakfast each day before it was too crowded and hot. The weather was still in the high 90s and the water was frequently off limits for swimming due to the strong rip tide. Both the kids loved digging in the sand and made sand castles decorated with the beach treasures they had found. We have also discovered when you have small children, sand gets absolutely everywhere. We are still finding it in the stroller and in Addie's car seat!

After dinner the first night, we headed out for ice cream and a walk on the beach. It wasn't nearly as hot, and we finally didn't have to worry about too much sun exposure for the kids. A nice lady offered to take a family photo for us. It is one of only a handful that exist, AND no one is screaming!

Ben had fun trying to write his name in the sand before the water would wash it away!

Sophie tried to make her own version of a sand castle!

It wasn't all fun at the beach, we went to the Virginia Aquarium too! We figured it was a good way to escape the heat of the day. It's a good thing we went too, because it poured the whole time we were there. It was very relaxing to be in the cool indoors looking at the fish. We took our time at each of the exhibits. There was a nature center attached to the aquarium and Ben had a great time exploring. He even had the opportunity to pet a rat snake, and a baby alligator. Such a brave boy!

It was still pouring as we left the aquarium, so we decided that a beach side dinner was out of the question and headed to the Outback instead. An amazing thing happened as we were driving back to the hotel after dinner. Sophie fell asleep! Those who know Sophie, know that she does not sleep well if we are not home. She rarely even sleeps in the car. She crashed mid sentence while chewing some of her brother's left overs. (You know it had been about 15 minutes since she had last eaten, and since she is a human garbage disposal, she couldn't let Ben's food go untouched!) She even stayed asleep while Nick carried her in the rain into the hotel. What was even more amazing was that she slept until 6:30 the next morning. It was still quite early, so the boys ventured out for ice cream once the rain stopped while I stayed back with the girls. Thankfully, they brought some yummy frozen custard back for me!

Sophie and I hit the beach early the next morning for a walk. Her long sleep had rejuvenated her, and we couldn't keep her quite in the hotel room while the other two children were sleeping. It was a blast walking along the shore with her, and she was so excited to pick up sea shells to take back to Benny.

Our trip wasn't so relaxing, but when is any trip with three children relaxing? We had a great time exploring on the beach and look forward to many more beach trips to come. Next time we will be more prepared!

Ready for Kindergarten

2009-08-25T11:09:00.003-04:00

Our little man is growing up and is all ready for Kindergarten!

This morning we completed our final step in preparing for the big day. Ben had his school physical. It all went great, especially since Ben had his 5 year old shots last year! The doctor checked him all over and gave him a big thumbs up. She had him draw her a picture and write and spell his name. He weighed in at 44 pounds and is 45 inches tall. Not super tall, but hopefully he won't be the smallest in his class. He should be one of the oldest though since he turns 6 in less than two weeks!

We are looking forward to next weeks Kindergarten Popsicle Playdate at his school where he will hopefully make some new friends. Then he starts school on September 8th. He can't wait!

A few people have asked what we are doing about school this year. We decided to enroll him in the public school that is just a half mile down the road. The girls and I will be able to walk him to school every morning. Nick can help too this fall while he is still a full time grad student! We looked into Christian/Catholic schools in the area, but they are just way too pricey-especially considering that we haven't yet sold our house in Kansas! His school has great reviews on the Internet, and the few parents I have spoken to have great things to say about it! Ben wanted to be home schooled for a few fleeting weeks, mostly because he didn't want to learn to tie his shoes! Silly boy. That aside, I don't think I could give home schooling the attention it warrants!

We are looking forward to a great school year!

Itty Bitty Addie

2009-08-24T14:09:00.003-04:00

Our kids have never set any records when it comes to weight and height. They are happy to stay in about the 20th percentile. Sophie even ventured into the 5oth when she turned 2. However, Addie seems content to hang out way down at the bottom. Last week at her check-up, she weighed in at 10 pounds, 15 ounces, and was 23.5 inches long. That puts her in the 5th percentile. So, at five months old, she is just an itty bit!

It worries me slightly that she is so dainty, but I know she will catch up soon. Plus, she is as healthy as can be and is very strong. Ben goes to the doctor tomorrow for his school check-up, and I plan on asking them to re-weigh little Addie. Nick and I have tried at home and think she weighs more like 12 or 13 pounds, but it's hard trying to weigh her on the bathroom scale. The Doctor didn't seem too concerned, especially since Addie has great head control and can roll over both directions. This morning she was even trying to low crawl to a toy in front of her! We are going to try and give her a bottle of formula every day since right now she nurses exclusively. Hopefully we can get this Itty Bit to put on some weight!

For now, we will enjoy our Itty Bitty Addie as she is. When she puts on some weight there will only be more to love!

Growing Up

2009-08-24T13:49:00.005-04:00

Last week Sophie did a little growing up. In an effort to tame her unruly mess of hair after a long nap, I tried to put her hair into pig tails. We had some success, and she was thrilled with her new do! The problem is that she has much more hair on the right side of her head. It's odd, but I'm sure it will even out someday!

Her she is sporting her new look!

Later in the week Sophie accompanied me on a trip to the beauty store Ulta. I needed to pick up some shampoo, and I though she would like to go for a ride. We grabbed the shampoo and then wandered aimlessly around the store looking at 'pretty' things. We eventually stumbled upon the nail polish. I decided to grab a bottle of base coat. Rather boring, but I was all out. We headed up to the cash register to pay, and Sophie grabbed the polish and stated "My nails!". I told her that it was for Mommy and then asked her if she would like some. Her response was "Yes, I want pink!". So, we ventured back to the polish aisle and she immediately pointed to the sweetest color of baby pink. She was so proud of our purchase, she couldn't wait get home and show it to Daddy.

Of course we had to immediately paint her toes (nails will come when she is done sucking her thumb!). She is still so thrilled with her pink toes!

Her she is holding her new bottle of polish!

And the finished result!

I can't believe how fast she is growing! After our beach trip I think her toes may need some freshening up! More on that trip to come!

Sophie's Big Girl Bed

2009-08-10T16:12:00.005-04:00

We have been waiting for just the right time to move Sophie to a bigger bed. Adeline has been sleeping in the pack-n-play since birth, and that hardly seems fair now that she is nearing 5 months old. But with the move and all, we wanted Sophie to get used to her new room and get used to sharing her room with Addie (she was in with us in Kansas). We've been settled for about a month now, and the room sharing is going as well as can be expected, so this weekend, we finally decided to switch things around.

I debated and debated on what type of bed to buy for Sophie. Down the line, I would like for her and Addie to have matching beds, but that is still 2 years away. Also, I didn't think the girls room would be big enough for all of their furniture, plus a twin bed right now. So, we settled on a darling juvenile bed from IKEA. It will expand into a twin size, but right now we have it on the smallest position, so it is a little longer than a crib mattress (but much wider). Lets face it-our kids aren't setting any records in the height department, so it will work just great for Sophie. Ben tested it out, and he fits too!

We bought the bed last Friday, but didn't assemble it until Sunday night. We talked about it all weekend, and Sophie was very excited. By the time Sunday night rolled around, she could hardly contain her excitement for her new bed.

Nick promised that Ben could help him assemble the bed. Benny proved to be a great help! Nick didn't bargain on Sophie, Smokey and I helping too, but he still managed to get it together.

Taking a little break while Daddy finishes with the bed frame.

Yeah! Sophie is so excited for her new bed!

We immediately moved Sophie's favorite blankets, elephant and Daddy doll to her new bed. Once she had her things, she had no problem 'giving' Adeline her crib. However, she really wanted to 'share' her new bed.

The girls were so cute in Sophie's new bed together!

We were worried whether Sophie would stay in her new bed once we put her down last night. But to our surprise, things went very smoothly. She is now near the end of her first successful nap in her new bed too! Once we are sure she is settled, we will fix the crib up for Addie. Addie did sleep in it last night, but it still needs to have the bumper put back in. I also have cute wallpaper letters to hang over Addie's side of the room now.

I hope we have continued success!

Weekend Fun

2009-08-03T17:02:00.017-04:00

We are taking advantage of our free weekends, and are trying to see the sites. Two weekends ago we took the Metro into D.C. and went to the National Zoo. I am not sure what was more fun for the kids-riding the train, or seeing the animals. I'll have to admit that our trip was a bit of an endurance test. The train and zoo were both very crowded, and it was a hot, humid day. Aside from that, we managed to have a great time!

Ben was really excited about seeing the Giant Pandas. He had not seen a panda before and was fascinated by the exhibit. He showed a lot of interest in learning about their vanishing habitat. It never ceases to amaze me his comprehension of things. He is still asking me questions about it a week and a half later.

Ben and a Giant Panda

Sophie had fun with some new found freedom. She spent most of the day out of her stroller. She's never had to ride in it much, and isn't very fond. Nick and I are struggling trying to find the best way to transport three kids on our adventures. We have a double stroller, but Sophie faces backwards and can't see anything. So on this trip, we took two small strollers. One for Addie, and an umbrella stroller for Sophie. Only problem was that Sophie didn't want to ride. That left us in a bit of a quandary because now we had two kids loose, two strollers to push, and only two adults to contain the chaos. Sometimes I put Addie in a baby carrier, but lately it's been just too hot, and our excursions are way to long to keep her in it all day. Any mommy suggestions???

Eventually, we found a system that worked for us to travel around the zoo and managed to see most of the animals. Ben's favorites were the reptiles and amphibians. He loved looking at the snakes. I had to practically pull him away from them! Ugh! I don't know where he gets it from. I would rather not visit the reptiles! Sophie loved the elephants and tigers and did not like the gorillas at all! She watched them intently until a silverback male came in and showed some aggression towards another gorilla in the pen. It's too bad she wanted to leave because there was a rather new baby that was adorable!

In between weekend trips, we finished up a round of swimming lessons. Both kids did wonderful and progressed so much. Ben moved on to the next level and started more lessons today. Sophie is very adventurous in the water, but just isn't tall enough or coordinated enough to do much more that Level 1 right now. She did start another round of lessons though to keep her confidence in the water high. After their last lesson Thursday, the had a little party to celebrate. The teachers handed out certificates and had doughnuts for the kids. Sophie thoroughly enjoyed her first Krispy Kreme doughnut and of course, Ben didn't try one. He doesn't know what he is missing!

Then on Thursday evening, we had our first visitors! My parents drove down from Michigan for the weekend. It's great to be only 10 hours from home. It is totally drivable in one day. It's been awhile since we have been this close. The kids were super excited to see Grandma and Big Pa, ever though it had only been a few weeks since they last saw them. They anxiously paced the front windows waiting for them to pull in. After all, we had a fun weekend ahead.

Friday we ventured out early to give Nick the day to finish a big paper that was due by Saturday morning. I wasn't up for driving into D.C. without Nick, so we decided to stay close to home. We ventured up to Mount Vernon, home of George Washington. Venture wouldn't be the best word, it's really just 4 miles up the road. My parents and I had visited Mount Vernon when I was a child, but that was so long ago, I didn't remember much about it. It's located on a very beautiful property on the Potomac River. The grounds and gardens are fun to walk through. Ben and Sophie had more fun than I thought they would touring the mansion. As usual, questions abounded from Ben. We looked at most of the out buildings, peeked in a few gardens and then decided to get lunch. It was a nice day, but just too hot for Addie in the baby carrier.

On the front porch of Mount Vernon

Running through the gardens

Saturday we drove into D.C. to tour the National Museum of Natural History (aka 'The Dinosaur Museum'). We thought that Benny's favorite exhibit would be the fossils, but instead he loved the Ocean Hall and the Insect Zoo. Sophie loved the insects too, but most of the displays were 'Yucky' in her words. Because of some parking difficulties, we ended up taking the Metro part way home which made both kids happy and all adults hot, frustrated and worn out. We had a great visit, but will have to go back to see everything. Good thing we have three years!

Admiring a mastadon fossil

Studying the insect display

Facinated by a horn worm

Sunday we went to church and spent the rest of the day relaxing indoors due to very stormy weather and very tired adults!

Grandma and Big Pa had to head home Monday morning, but not before they went to swimming lessons! They couldn't resist staying to watch the kids in the pool. The kids were so proud to show off their new swimming skills. We miss you already Grandma and Big Pa!

A Skirmish

2009-07-24T09:00:00.008-04:00

Last weekend we took advantage of the beautiful Virginia weather and headed to Fort Ward for a Civil War re-enactment. We were looking for a Saturday activity that wouldn't take all day and completely wear us out. Fort Ward is just up the road from us, and Ben loves anything to do with the military so it seemed like a good choice for us.

Fort Ward isn't a very big fort. It was used during the Civil War to protect the Capitol from the South. We were able to walk around and view the various activities going on. The kids watched a cannon firing demonstration, although they never actually fired the cannon. Bummer.

Later we watched a drill by the 5th New York infantry Zouave. Benny loved their red uniforms.

Benny had the opportunity to practice his rifle carrying skills. He loved the one on one attention he received from the re-enactor.

Finally, we watched the 3rd U.S. Infantry perform a skirmish firing drill. This was the highlight of the day! The soldier's used blanks, so they actually fired their weapons. Every time a rifle fired Sophie would exclaim "POW!".

We couldn't leave without a little souvenir, and since Benny loves to dress up and roll play, a Civil War era hat seemed the perfect fit! Although, we aren't sure why he chose one from the South! To his credit, he did chose a Cavalry hat.

More fun to come!

A Recap in Photos

2009-07-12T13:57:00.009-04:00

I'm feeling a little crunched for time these days.....There is so much to do while our busy, busy two year old is napping. So, I decided to recap our last few weeks in photos!

Nick and Sophie at a Junction City General's Game

A little sibling rivalry-Ben and Sophie fighting over who will hold Addie for this 4th of July photo.

Happier Moments....

4th of July-Ben made these Indian hats for everyone at the BBQ-11 people. He was very excited to find goose feathers down by the river and decided that everyone needed a hat for the 4th of July. Oma happily obliged and spelled out everyone's name for him to write, so we could each have our own personalized hat! Even Addie had her own hat!

Sophie playing baseball with Uncle Matt

Ben at the Air and Space Museum by the Wright's first plane.

Sophie had to have her picture taken too!

Nick and Addie in front of The Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception

Nick enjoying a Father's Day beer at the Fish Market in Old Towne Alexandria

The Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, Arlington National Cemetery

The girls new pretty yellow room

Ben's new room-he's over being mad that he doesn't have the same curtains from his room in Kansas!

And finally, our new house!

Nick is enjoying his grad school classes that he started this past week. He has night classes Monday thru Thursday, but Wednesday's class meets online, so he doesn't have to travel all the way to Capitol Hill for school. He is home all day with us, and will be until New Years. After that, he will have both grad classes, and will work during the day on the Hill. We are enjoying our time together very, very much. Our biggest challenge has been trying to make and eat dinner by 4:30 each day before he leaves for school. I'm sure we will figure it out. He gets up really early to do his reading and schoolwork before the kids wake up.

We are still working on unpacking, but are getting closer to being done every day. The basement still needs a lot of attention, but we will get to it soon.

We have enjoyed seeing old friends from previous duty stations. We have had a few dinners with the Childress Family (from Anna Log-under our friend's blogs), who were stationed with us in Germany. They have a daughter Anna, who is a year older than Sophie, and a son, Joshua who is three days older than Addie. Anna is such a sweet girl, and we look forward to many play dates and more fun times.

We have also met up for lunch with the Garcia family, also from Germany. Kenny was a platoon sergeant in Nick's troop, and his wife Sandy is a lovey German woman. They have two girls, Kira and Kelly, who are one year older, and one year younger than Ben. Ben had a great time with them this week at Uno's Pizza. We also look forward to spending more time with them.

Further afield is my friend Angie, who was stationed with us at Fort Riley. Currently he husband, Theron is on a short deployment to Afghanistan and should be home by the end of the summer. Nick looks forward to catching up with him. Angie came down from Maryland on moving day to help me unpack. Thanks Angie!

We have only had one major outing with the kids. We took them to the National Air and Space Museum, and they had a blast! There was so much to see and do, I think we will have to make several trips before we see it all. Thank goodness, the admission to the Smithsonian museums is free! We took the metro into the city, and that in itself was a huge treat for the kids. We had a great time, but the trip made us all very, very tired. It's two days later, and I think we are still recovering. We can't wait for more adventures.....

While we waited

2009-06-28T20:39:00.005-04:00

Lots has happened since my last post. We did get the townhouse in Kingstowne, which is an area of Alexandria, Virginia. It is a really nice community and we will have access to unlimited playgrounds or tot lots as they are called here, pools, fitness centers and jogging trails. Originally we had ruled out a townhouse because we thought they were too small, but they are surprisingly spacious on the inside. We will be losing some square footage from our house in Kansas, but I think we will be just fine. We may need to downsize a bit, but we probably needed to do that anyhow.

Tomorrow the movers will be here to deliver our stuff from Kansas. I am excited, but dreading the work ahead of me. Nick has to work all day, but thankfully my friend Angie from Kansas will be here helping me for awhile. She lives up in Maryland now, and is in town visiting another friend and offered to stop in and help. I jumped at the chance because moving can be a bit hectic. Every box has to be accounted for on the inventory, and you have to tell the movers where to put everything. It will be fabulous to have help!

Nick and I have been keeping really busy while we have been waiting for our things. Most recently we have been cleaning, cleaning, cleaning. The previous tenants apparently cooked with a lot of oil, because the kitchen was very gross and sticky. It took us hours and hours to clean it up, but it was by far the worst room in the house. The carpets had been cleaned before we moved in so we were thankful for that. It took me awhile to dust this place because it has lots of pretty decorative woodwork. It only took a few days to get it up to our standard of clean, and then we were able to enjoy our weekend.

Over the past two weeks, Nick and I have been trying to do things here in the DC area that would be harder to do with small children. We figured while the kids are with our parents would be the best time, because who knows how long it will take to find a good babysitter. We have visited downtown DC a few times. Our first trip was an adventurous one. Our car got towed!!!! You would think that as seasoned travelers, we would have know better to read the signs fully. We thought parking was free after 4pm. So we paid the meter up until 4. Apparently, after 4pm you get towed! There is so much traffic here that they open up some of the parking areas into traffic lanes during rush hour. It wasn't too difficult to retrieve our car. We also received a $100 dollar ticket. So we figured we paid about $33 dollars an hour to park in a prime location! We have learned our lesson-always read the parking signs completely!

One Saturday Nick and I visited Arlington National Cemetery. He had been there recently with his boss to see the Iraq/Afghanistan area to pay their respects to their fallen comrades from the 1st Infantry Division. But he didn't get to see much else on his trip. We visited the grave sites of the Kennedy's and also visited the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. The cemetery is definitely overwhelming.

The next Sunday we visited the Holocaust Memorial Museum. It was a very sobering experience. There isn't much to write except it is just very troubling how cruel humans can be to one another.

On a lighter note, we went in to Old Town Alexandria several times. There are lots of cute shops, restaurants and bars in this area of town. It is right along the river, and there is a festive air about the place. On Father's Day we enjoyed a nice meal at the Fish Market. Another night we had Thai food, something we couldn't do with Ben in tow (Sophie would probably love it!). We've also been for Indian food, one of my favorites. We hadn't had Indian food since Germany, and it did not disappoint. (We just couldn't seem to find an Indian restaurant in Kansas). Last night we decided to celebrate our anniversary a little early, and we dined at the Melting Pot, a fondue restaurant. It has been a place we have always wanted to go, but never had the chance. It was a bit pricey, but it was very, very delicious. Dessert was our favorite, and I probably would have licked my plate clean had I not been holding Addie.

This morning, we attended Mass in downtown DC at the National Basilica of the Shine to the Immaculate Conception. It was a beautiful cathedral and a beautiful service. We will definetly take our kids back, and visitors too!

We miss our kids terribly, and cannot wait until we see them on Friday. Life has just not been the same without them. I have never been away from either Ben or Sophie for more than one night. We are so thankful to our parents for taking such good care of them while we have been gone. We really couldn't have been able to house hunt and get set up with three kids in tow! We call them frequently, but they are usually too busy to talk to us. They have been having so much fun of their own. They have been swimming, to baseball games, to the zoo, to breakfast on the farm where they got to give a bottle to baby calfs. This weekend they went camping out at Nick's Aunt Amy and Uncle Kevin's house. I am glad that they are so well adjusted. I think Sophie has been giving everyone a run for their money though. She is currently infatuated with sticking things up her nose! Cheerios, corn, an onion and a piece of a hamburger to name a few. Don't worry, Grandma and Oma, we are on our way soon!

I hope to post some pictures of our new place soon! I will probably add some pictures to this post soon also, Blogger is giving me a bit of trouble right now.....

Waiting.....

2009-06-23T07:28:00.002-04:00

I just wanted to give everyone a quick update. Nick, Addie and I are still staying at Fort Belvoir temporary housing while we find a place to live. Actually, we have found a place, but it is taking forever to get the lease drawn up and to get the final stamp of approval from the owner of the townhouse we will be renting. Hopefully it will go through today or tomorrow, otherwise we may have to start the whole search over again. Needless to say, we are frustrated. I think it was easier and faster to buy our house in Kansas, that it has been to lease a place in the DC area.

Last Wednesday we started looking on our own at houses that we had found on the Internet. We were sure that we were going to find a nice house with a nice yard with an easy commute for Nick. Ha ha! How wrong we were! The first house was very nicely done, had a great Turkish owner (who talked to us forever) and was in a great location. But, it was tiny, tiny. We kept wishing it would have just one more room because there was no way we could cram ourselves into it. We left that house hopeful of finding something similar but bigger. No luck. In fact, all that we could find were 'Moldy oldies' (just as you advised Marie). I actually cried after we went into the last house. It was so awful inside, I don't think I would have let my dog stay there! That night we called our friends Marie and John, who we knew in Germany, and are now living here. Marie had lots of great advice, which helped us a lot on Thursday. On Thursday we switched gears and started looking at townhouses. There are everywhere here, are usually well maintained and close to the commuter lines, and are surprisingly spacious on the inside. We had originally ruled out a townhouse because of the size of the yards, but after Wednesday's tours of the moldy oldies, we decided a newer townhouse was the way to go. There was actually a great unit for rent just across the street from Marie, but by the time we called on it, it had already been leased. We were disappointed, but continued our search with the help of a realtor this time. To shorten things up, we looked at 5 units, and the one we chose was a clear winner. This unit has three bedrooms all on the same floor (sometimes a rarity in townhouses), three and a half baths, a finished walkout basement, a separate dining room, family room, eat in kitchen and a garage. It even has a small fenced backyard for Smokey. It is not as newly updated as Marie and John's place, but it really is a nice space and should suit us well. Now, if only the realtor will call us with some good news.

We'll keep you all updated as we have more news to share. With any luck we will have a roof over our heads soon and have our things from Kansas delivered before we go get the kids in Michigan next week!

We're not in Kansas anymore......

2009-06-13T08:29:00.002-04:00

That's right, the Cook Family is on the move! Things have been a little busy lately, and we haven't been able to post. The movers came last Monday and Tuesday, and miraculously packed and loaded our house in just two days. We spent the remainder of the week sleeping at a hotel and working on the house during the day. We were sad to say goodbye to 517 Tallgrass, but bigger and better things await us.

We are currently in Illinois, and will be to Michigan this afternoon. We've split our trip into two travel days since we have three kids now and our 100 pound dog! 14 hours is just out of reach for a one day trip. As usual, Sophie is not happy to be trapped in her car seat for hours on end. Benny is doing a great job entertaining himself in the far back with movies and coloring books. Little Addie slept the entire trip yesterday which made us very happy! And finally, Smokey is great but nervous, especially since he was boarded at the vet all week and has no idea what is going on. We're hoping today's trip goes smoothly......

Our plan is to spend a few days with our parents, and then Nick, Addie and I will head to the DC area to search for a house to rent. Hopefully we will find one quickly, get our things delivered and be back to Michigan by the 4th of July to retrieve our children and visit with family and friends. Our plans are all up in the air until we know more about Nick's schedule. He starts orientation for his fellowship on the 22nd and starts grad school at George Washington on the 7th of July.

We can't wait to see some of you in the next few weeks!

Graduation!

2009-05-26T15:26:00.006-04:00

Thursday evening Ben graduated from preschool! It was a bittersweet time. It's hard to believe that he is about to start kindergarten. He started at St. Xavier preschool when he was just three years old. Almost three years later he is more than ready to move on. When he started he was a shy little boy ready to learn and explore. Now he knows all of his letters and numbers, days of the week, months of the year, continents and so much more. Most importantly, he has great self confidence and is so outgoing.

Pictured below are the graduating students. Only about 1/4 of them are from Ben's class. The others are morning students and students from the other class. Ben is in the upper left corner.

Mrs. Whitaker was Ben's teacher for all three years at St. Xavier. Next year will be her first year teaching without Benny in her class! We are really going to miss her. We wish that Sophie and Addie would have the opportunity to be in her class.

Graduation consisted of a musical program sung by the students. The kids sung about 15 songs with the help of Mrs. Whitaker and Mrs. Rubash at the piano. Our friends Jennifer, Christian and Taylor came and brought Benny balloons. He was so excited to see them in the audience. We sure will miss our time and friends at St. Xavier. We will miss playing outside everyday after school, and I will miss all of the fun projects that Benny brought home.

I tried to film some of the musical program. Enjoy these sweet preschoolers singing about God and their parents.

A Day at the Dairy Farm

2009-05-26T13:29:00.003-04:00

Last Wednesday Benny's preschool class enjoyed a trip to a working dairy farm. It was a very fun, and very stinky day! Parents and siblings were invited too, and we had a great turnout. Nick was unable to join us, but I brought along Sophie and Addie. I think that Sophie may have had a better time than her big brother. The first thing she said to me when I woke her up on Wednesday, was "Cows, cows!". I told her that first we had to go to church group and play (she goes into the childcare there). Her response was "No play, cows!". By the time lunchtime rolled around, we were leaving church and heading to the dairy farm which is less than two miles from our house. I never knew we were so close to the farm, and now understand why it is so stinky here when we get a north wind!

We were taken on a tour of the farm when we first arrived. We saw the bottling room, the sterilizing room, and the the milking room (above). The boys especially were fascinated with the milking room.

After we saw the inner workings of the farm, we got to see the best part. The cows! The kids were able to get really close to these black and white girls, but the cows were pretty shy and would pull back.

After we saw the adult female cows, our tour guide took us to an open barn where they kept all of the baby cows. This was the highlight of the day! The kids loved looking at all of the baby cows. There must have been about 50, and two of them had just been born the day before. Ben and Sophie ran from pen to pen exploring. Sophie must have said "Oh, baby cow!" about 100 times on Wednesday and talked about the baby cows for the rest of the week.

"Oh, baby cows!"

I'll have to say that our day at the dairy farm was a hit! When we were finished with our tour the staff gave the kids cookies and samples of milk-white, strawberry and chocolate. I think Ben had three glasses of white milk while Sophie enjoyed some chocolate. I'll leave some videos of Sophie to sum up our fun and stinky day!

Playing Catch Up

2009-05-18T14:07:00.003-04:00

We've had a quite few weeks around here and not much to blog about. After Easter our home showings really seemed to drop off which was both a relief and a worry. I've been relieved because Nick is gone TDY (temporary duty for you non-military folks) for the third time in three weeks. As I mentioned before showing the house is stressful since you get hours notice to get everything clean and get out of there with the circus in tow. But, this past week, things picked up again and we had three showings. For the third time we were on some one's very short list, but again, they picked the other house. We were really bummed, and are starting to get nervous that we won't sell before we move.

Nick is working crazy hours and they still haven't found a replacement for him. The General jokes about keeping Nick around, but luckily he's already signed Nick's leave form and our packers are scheduled for the second week of June. We're hoping that anytime now they will find a replacement so we can get ready to get out of here! Nick usually works from 6am to 8pm, and has worked three of the past four weekends. It's not much fun because frequently he doesn't even see Sophie, and will only see Ben for an hour before he goes to bed. Thankfully, this craziness should be coming to a close. Last weekend however, we did get to enjoy a perk of the job. The USO brought the Lt. Dan Band to Fort Riley for a concert. The Lt. Dan Band is headed by Gary Sinise who is a huge supporter of the Army and the USO. He also happens to be a personal friend of "the General". Nick had to escort the General to the show, and I was invited to come along! It was great fun because we all rode together in the General's Army van and got VIP treatment. Now Nick had to work, but Addie and I tagged behind. First we went to a VIP party, and then we got to go into the Green room and meet the band! I was thrilled because, I am a big Gary Sinise fan. Unfortunately, I didn't get to shake his hand, but Nick stood right with him and the General for quite some time. Nick said he was very down to earth and humble. The Lt. Dan Band put on a great show. Gary doesn't sing at all, but plays the bass. The band is a cover band, and they covered everything! It was a long and loud concert and Miss Adeline slept through the entire thing! (Our other two children were with a wonderful new babysitter. Why is it that we find a great babysitter now that we are leaving?) It was fun to have a night out, even if it involved some work for Nick.

Soldier's who just returned from Iraq had the priority up front seating. Luckily we sat back from the speakers since we had Addie with us. The noise still didn't bother her though.

The next day was Mother's Day. It was great to celebrate being a mother to my three beautiful children! Ben and Sophie brought flowers into the bedroom while I was getting ready for church. They each had their own bouquet for me and were so proud! Some of the flowers are still living and Sophie keeps telling me "Mommy's flowers". Nick tried to teach her to say Happy Mother's Day, but all he got was "Happy Mommy". It still melted my heart. After church we had a big dinner with our friends Jennifer and Christian. Our priest, Father Al even joined us. He has spent lots of time lately with Nick and Christian. They meet with him weekly for a drink at his house while the kids are at CCD. Funny to be friends with a priest!

I'm still working on getting that 'perfect shot' for Adeline's baby announcement. She is turning two months old this week, so I probably should get around to that before the move. I did take these photos of her this morning. She was so alert and smiley that I couldn't resist having a little photo session.

We have a big week this week. It is the last week of school for Ben. On Wednesday we a taking a field trip to a working Dairy farm. That should be interesting with 15 preschoolers. On Thursday night we have Benny's preschool graduation, which he is very excited about. Friday Nick's parents will be joining us and meeting Addie for the first time. We will also have Addie baptised on Sunday. So, I promise lots more blogs soon!

Sleeping Beauty and Sweet Smiles and Kisses

2009-05-04T17:55:00.004-04:00

Our Baby Adeline is a Sleeping Beauty. We joke that it's her self defense mechanism against the chaos of our household. She has some wakeful time in the morning and in the evening, but during the hustle and bustle of the day, she is usually fast asleep. It doesn't help that I have to drive Benny to and from preschool each afternoon. Buckling her into her car seat is the fastest way to ensure that she falls sound asleep. She even sleeps through trips to the grocery store when I put her into the Baby Bjorn carrier. (How else does one make it through the store when you have two little ones? I have to have room in the cart for babies AND groceries!)

She still likes to sleep curled up in a little ball. She doesn't mind being swaddled, but she does prefer to be loose with her arms up in the air. If you look closely you will notice that her legs are pulled up out of the sleeper. When she wakes, she will start crying her absolute loudest because she can't straighten her legs out. It makes her really mad! At nighttime we put her into a gown to avoid this problem.

In the past week or two she really has begun to smile. Now I am certain that she is happy to see us and that her smiles aren't because of gas!

I tried to catch a few of her sweet smiles yesterday. (It's just so hard to get the camera to snap at the right time!)

After taking a few pictures of our smiling girl, I decided to try and catch the smiles of all three kids. This was not an easy task, and after taking about 10 photos, I still didn't get the perfect shot.

Sophie loves for Nick and I to read to her in the chair in her room. I had propped Adeline up in the chair to try and get a cute picture of her, and Sophie decided to join her. Before long, she was hoping in and out of the chair 'reading' Adeline her favorite books.

After reading time was complete, we made some time for kisses.

Don't worry-I'm always just an arms reach away from these two when they are together. My worst fear is that Sophie will treat our real baby the same way she treats her baby dolls. (Which is gentle for the most part, but the babies are frequently dropped or thrown on the floor when she is done with them.)

Cute as a button

2009-04-27T16:12:00.004-04:00

Not much has been happening here at the Cook Household. Nick has a new boss, so he is once again the Aide de Camp (General's Aide). He was not supposed to be in this position since we have orders to move, however, Fort Riley has failed to hire an aide to replace Nick yet. So, Nick is working really long hours and we don't see him much. He has spent the last several days in Washington D.C. with the General. We miss him terribly, but the upside is that he was able to scout out some neighborhoods to narrow our house search. He's coming home tonight, and the kids are really excited to have their Daddy back.

The house showings have seemed to slow down now that spring break time is over. I'm relieved that I don't have to keep loading the kids and dog into the car and finding someplace to entertain everyone for an hour. But, I'm starting to get a little nervous that we haven't sold it yet. It's only been six weeks, but we need to leave here by the first week of June. Our real estate agent is really optimistic though, so we are keeping our hopes up for now.

Adeline is growing like a weed. She sleeps and eats lots and is generally a very content baby. During an awake period the other day she was making the sweetest faces. She and I were snuggling on the couch, so I decided to grab my camera and take some photos of her. I'm finding it really hard to take many photos these days. Something is always going on here at home. But here are a few new ones.... Enjoy!

We still can't decide what color her eyes are. Benny's were blue from the start, and Sophie's were dark brown from day one. Adeline's seem to change by the day or the light. Just when we are convinced that they are a lighter shade of brown, there will be a day when they look really blue. I guess time will tell.

Benny has been an especially good helper lately. He often holds Adeline for me in the morning. This gives me a chance to do some dishes or feed Sophie her breakfast without having to put Addie in her bed or baby bouncer. She loves the attention, and Ben is so cute with her.

Sophie does ok with Adeline. I have to really watch her because she is constantly poking at Addie. She tries to give Addie her baby doll bottles. Sometimes she covers with blankets or gives her a rattle. Her intentions are good, but it still makes me nervous. Lately she is fascinated with Addie's mouth, especially when Addie has a pacifier. Sophie is constantly pulling it out and then exclaims "Uh oh, Baby's mouth, Baby's crying". More often than not, Sophie is playing with her baby dolls and mimics what I do. The other day I walked into the family room and found her holding her baby on the Boppy pillow. It was so sweet.

More sweet moments to come!

Easter

2009-04-17T10:44:00.005-04:00

Our Easter Festivities started off with egg dying on Good Friday. At first Ben only wanted to use three of the colors, but finally decided to use most of them. I was really impressed when he wanted to dye some eggs red. His reasoning? He said the red dye represented the blood of Jesus. I guess he has been paying attention at church! We started the egg coloring after Sophie was in bed. I feel a bit bad about it, but we were all exhausted from two house showings (aka cleanings), and I just didn't want to deal with any more messes than I had too. She'll have here chance next year.

Our eggs turned out great, although of course we couldn't get Ben to try one.

The next morning was the St. Xavier egg hunt. Grandma and Big Pa were able to join us and see the kids hunting for eggs before they headed home to Michigan. Since our church hosted the event at a local park, there were a lot of familiar faces and kids from Ben's school. Of course Ben's best friend Nicky was there, and as usual they never left each others sides. Ben managed to pick up lots of eggs and treats and even won a kite in the raffle following the hunt. He can't wait for a warm and windy day to fly it!

It didn't take Sophie long to master the art of picking up eggs. Nick helped her a little at first, but then she got the hang of it. It was so cute watching the under three crowd searching for eggs. There was more than enough to go around, and the parents had to help the kids pick up the last bits of candy.

After the egg hunt, Sophie enjoyed a Tootsie Pop. She was very pleased with her stash of candy.

On Easter Sunday Sophie arose first which is unusual, so we decided to wake Ben so the two could hunt for eggs together. The Easter Bunny delivered lots of chocolate treats as well as a few small toys and books. We tried to keep the focus more on Jesus and less on the Easter Bunny. The Easter Bunny even brought chocolate crosses instead of chocolate bunnies! Ben is absolutely infatuated with the two eggs of silly putty he received. Sophie just loves her new marker set and wants to color all of the time.

After our fun egg hunting, we cleaned up for church. The kids both wore their new Easter clothes which they also wore to have their pictures taken a few weeks ago. (Those photos will go out with the birth announcements.... sometime!). Ben helped pick out their matching duds on a trip to Topeka earlier in the spring. He insisted that we buy him the tie that matched his dress shirt. It is the first time he has ever had a tie, and to our complete surprise, he actually wore it and didn't complain one bit!

Later in the afternoon, we joined our friends Jennifer and Christian, and their daughter Taylor for a great dinner at their house. We dined on smoked brisket and lots of other yummy things, and the kids had a great time playing together.

I hope you all had a blessed Easter!

Sophie's 'Happy' Day

2009-04-12T15:25:00.004-04:00

Finding the time to blog has been a bit difficult lately. I thought I would have more time to catch up over the last week, because my parents were visiting, but somehow I managed to do less. Hopefully, over the next few days I can play catch up and get everything up to date.

Sophie turned the big 2 on March 31! On her actual birthday, we celebrated with a nice dinner, a few presents, and of course some chocolate cupcakes! I had taken both Sophie and Adeline to Walmart, our first real venture out, the day prior. I let Sophie pick out the cake mix, frosting, and cupcake papers. Much to her brother's delight, she picked chocolate cake and frosting. She very much enjoyed her cupcake, but didn't get nearly as messy as I had anticipated. I guess she is growing up!

She opened her presents that had arrived in the mail from both sets of Grandparents, as well as a new Vera Bradley purse from Mommy and Daddy that matches Adeline's diaper bag. She was thrilled with her new clothes, and the purse that promptly became her baby's diaper bag. It's so funny to watch her play. She's filled the purse with a play bottle, rattle and plastic spoon. Bitty Baby also received a birthday outfit which Sophie wanted her to wear right away.

We had to save her big present for the small party we were planning for Sunday. Sunday was also the day we were having our first open house, and we didn't want too many playthings out for everyone to see. Saturday my parents arrived to help for a week, and to meet baby Adeline. Sunday evening Sophie was able to open the remainder of her gifts. She received the sweetest little play cottage. It's made of fabric that covers a metal frame. There are two halves that push together to make a house. Inside, it came with a stove and some kitchen accessories. We have a few more things to go with it, but are waiting until after the upcoming move to put them together. The house has curtains and a door with a mail slot and is really just too cute! She and Benny have had a blast playing 'house' together. Benny pretends that he is the husband, and Sophie is the wife. It's really sweet.

After presents we had a treat. Ice cream cake! We sang Happy Birthday again and Sophie was thrilled. Nick tried to teach her to say Happy Birthday, but all she'll say is 'Happy'. Now, every time she sees a cake she exclaims 'happy'!

And really, she is the happiest little girl. I can't quite believe that she's two years old now!

Surviving the 1st week home

2009-03-30T16:48:00.004-04:00

Well, we have been home just over a week, and we are surviving. The phrase "You don't have to be crazy but it helps" runs through my mind frequently though! Nick was off from work last week, but returned to his normal schedule today. Luckily, normal means he is home by 5:30 everyday!

Daddy with his girls

Adeline continues to change and grow right before our eyes. She is really starting to get chubby cheeks and a double chin. She still has those chicken legs though! Tomorrow we go for a check up, so we'll see how much weight she has gained. At the beginning of last week, we weren't getting much sleep. Actually, she was getting sleep, but we weren't. She is a content, easy baby so far, but really likes to be cuddled at night. She'll happily sleep all day in her bassinet, but until Saturday, she wanted nothing to do with it at night time. The last two nights have been better, and I am starting to feel human again.

Both kids love to hold Adeline

We've made a few outings uneventfully too! Thursday we went to pick up some essentials at Target, and she was so good that we stayed out to have lunch at Panera Bread too. Saturday we received more snow than we have the rest of the winter combined, so we laid low until Sunday when it warmed up enough for us to go out to church. Today, I even ventured out myself with both girls to Walmart to pick up some birthday supplies for Sophie who turns two tomorrow!

Sophie helped with Addie's first sponge bath

Now for the crazy part. Last week we showed our house three times! For those of you who have never had your house on the market, this means that you live very, very clean. Then you get a call that someone wants to see your house. Sometimes they call the night before, but twice we've had just an hours notice. At this point, we all run around like crazy, cleaning even more. Then all 5 of us, plus our 100 pound dog hop into the car and drive around for an hour. It's great fun...... Luckily, Nick and I have the home staging thing down to a science. The hardest part is keeping the kids busy, and not letting them make more messes while we clean. This is especially tricky for Sophie who always wants to help. She has zero interest in the tv, so we try to give her a chore to keep her busy. Hopefully, someone will want to make an offer soon!

Sophie has learned a few tricks this past week too. When she wants to see the baby, she goes into the bathroom and gets the stool so she can look into the bassinet. She also now fetches the stool to help me put clothes into the washer. The trick that isn't so great is that she has learned to open doors. Now, all of those clean and protected rooms are no longer Sophie proof. She loves to go into Ben's room since it's a virtual treasure trove of toys. Now, nothing is safe.... Help me!

If one 'pretty' is good, then 6 must be better!

As crazy as our week has been, we are so blessed to have Adeline as part of our family. Nick and I are so thankful for our three beautiful and healthy children. I haven't been the greatest about taking pictures this week, but I promise more to come soon!

Sweet Adeline

2009-03-22T12:52:00.003-04:00

Our first day home has been uneventful. We have pretty much just been cuddling on the couch with the kids and the new baby. Sophie is absolutely fascinated by the new baby. She wants to hold her and touch her all of the time, and every time she leaves the room she says "Bye baby". Sophie gets a little upset when we don't let her hold the baby by herself. I have to say that it will be a while before we trust her, since her track record with her baby dolls is not so good. We had a long night, but I hope that it will get better soon.

Nick and the kids are at church, Adeline is napping, and I am supposed to be resting. Of course that means I've showered, picked up the kids toys, started the dishwasher and some laundry, and now am on the computer. I wanted to post a few more pictures of our sweet little one (and big ones too). I promise more to come!

Here is a thrilled big brother, holding his new baby sister. Benny has been so wonderful and patient over the last few days. He does everything asked of him, and has been so sweet with his newest baby sister. However, his patience with Sophie has not increased, and who could blame him since her mission seems to be to terrorize him! (We can't count how many Lego creations have been destroyed!)

Sophie loves to hold Baby Addie. So far, she hasn't been jealous-just a bit curious. She wants to be right there in the middle of the action all of the time. She fetches burp cloths, sleepers and blankets for the baby. I guess she thinks we need to change her clothes more often. Yesterday, I was explaining to Sophie that I had to feed the baby. She ran off into our bedroom and came back with a pacifier for Adeline. I think she was trying to help!

Finally, here is Baby Adeline in her huge car seat before we left the hospital. The outfit I bought for her to wear home was way to big, so we had to settle on this one. She still looked cute though!

I promise to post more pictures as soon as possible!

A Pirate or an Alien?

2009-03-14T16:36:00.002-04:00

Here at the Cook House, we are anxiously awaiting our newest little one. I am predicting that it will be any day now, but who knows! We had a very busy week last week, full of doctors appointments. Baby Cook has dropped significantly, and earlier in the week, my midwife was concerned. I had been measuring right where I should be (36 weeks, 37 weeks), and then I dropped back to 32 weeks. I was sent for a myriad of tests including two ultrasounds, two non-stress tests, and an extra appointment with my midwife. All is well with the baby, she is just on the small side (about 6 pounds), and is sitting very, very low. She could come at anytime!

On Wednesday I had two appointments, and Nick and I had to juggle the kids around. Sophie went to the YMCA for the day to make things easier for us. Ben went to Church group with me, and then Nick picked him up from Church and took him to work on post. Ben was thrilled to go to Daddy's office for a few hours. I went to my ultrasound appointment, and then we all met up to take Ben to school and get a quick lunch. Ben was so excited about being at Daddy's work and having a quick Happy Meal in the car that he couldn't stop talking about it when he arrived at school. His teacher decided to sit down with him and record the mornings events. Just to preface, Baby Cook is still to be named. Ben is convinced she should be named Elizabeth, which is both my and Sophie's middle name. We are afraid we have used that one too much (sorry Mom). We'll let you know her name when we finally decide! Also, the picture from my ultrasound, was not very good. It is a front on picture of the baby's face, and Nick can't even figure out where her eyes and nose are. This is Ben's take on the mornings events...

We were in the car having my McDonald's meal. My Mom and Dad were eating some of my french fries. Then my Mom showed my Dad the picture from my Mom's doctors appointment. I'm naming her Elizabeth, that's my new sister that's in my Mom's stomach still. Her eyes looked like one had on a pirate patch and then the head looks like a skeleton head. She looked like a t-shirt a little, like there was sleeves in the picture, like long sleeves. That was her body. I saw no feet in that picture. I was like 'this is an alien baby'! The first time my Mom had the pictures taken, the baby looked like she was an alien. It creeped me out!

I sincerely hope that our sweet baby girl will look nothing like a pirate, or an alien for that matter. Hopefully, we will find out very soon!

Our Next Move!

2009-03-05T17:59:00.003-05:00

It's been a little while between posts. That virus the kids had finally caught up to me, and then Nick had his Lasix surgery last Friday. It was a rough weekend, but we are all on the mend now, and finally have some news to share!

Nick was accepted into the OCLL (Office of the Congressional Legislative Liaison) Fellowship program! It will be a three year assignment in the Washington DC area. We are more than thrilled! We have lots of friends in the area that we are anxious to catch up with, and we can't wait to experience all of the cultural attractions.

This year, the fellowship program has changed in that now it will include a Masters program as well. Nick will be attending The George Washington University, and over 18 months will earn his Masters in Legislative Affairs. This was a huge surprise to us! The original program did not include the opportunity to earn a masters. The other big surprise is that he has to report in late June! We were planning on arriving in August. Needless to say, we have swung into full gear here, and even met with our realtor today. We were planning on putting our house on the market next month, sometime after the baby arrives. Now, we have been forced to move our timeline up 6 weeks.

Nick will start classes just after the 4th of July. In September, he will begin orientation on Capitol Hill for the OCLL program. In January 2010, Nick will start a one year term as a Congressional Aide. Basically, he will be a military advisor to a Congressman (let's hope he gets a good one!). All the while, he will be taking his Masters classes. The following two years will likely be spent working at the Pentagon, although we are not exactly sure.

We are very excited about our upcoming life changes. Most people focus on either having a baby or moving, but we've decided to take both head on at the same time! The biggest thing weighing on our minds is selling our house in this terrible market, but our realtor seemed optimistic. Keep your fingers crossed!

A little fresh air!

2009-02-25T13:56:00.003-05:00

Yesterday was the second day home sick from school for Ben. We were all getting a little stir-crazy to put it mildly. I hadn't stepped outside since last Friday when I picked Ben up from school, and I had to get some fresh air. Luckily, we were blessed with a warm February day for Kansas, 62 degrees! Yesterday was also the first day that I would say Sophie was finally 100%. She was back to her old trouble causing, funny self (i.e. she found lipstick under the bathroom sink!).

We took the opportunity to get outside and play on the swing set for the first time this year! Both kids had a ball, Sophie especially loved climbing up the ladder to the slide, and trying everything that big brother could do.

Having a first go on the big kid swings!

And finally, Sophie tried her hand on the trapeze bar. She would hang and hang, and then looked kind of panicked like she wanted to get down, but was afraid to let go. What you can't tell very well from the picture is that she was about 18 inches off the ground!

When we had had our fill on the swing set, we took a short walk up the street. By the time we came home, Benny and I were both more than ready to head inside. Poor Sophie wanted to stay out and play some more, but I really needed some rest. It's official, we have Spring Fever!

One Step Forward, Two Steps Back

2009-02-22T13:38:00.004-05:00

After I blogged yesterday, Sophie woke from her nap in a much better mood! She had a few snacks and even a little dinner. We gave her some Gatorade, which in her words was "Mmmm Mmmmm". She still didn't seem 100%, but definitely on the mend. She even wanted to help Benny and I make giant chocolate chip cookies (Benny's favorite), but I didn't think she should be near our food just yet. We had lots of tears over the matter and finally we let her watch. Nick had to eventually finish up the cookies because Sophie was fading fast, and only wanted her Mommy.

However, Benny awoke several times in the night, calling for Nick. His eyes hurt and he wanted a cold washcloth. When Benny gets sick, it always seems to start in his eyes for some reason. He is rather dramatic about it, and always demands to have the lights dimmed and for his face to be covered with a damp washcloth. On the second call for help, Nick realized that Ben had a fever. This is not a good thing since Ben downright refuses to take Tylenol. It's been two years or longer since we have been successful in getting him to swallow some. We had prior luck with "Magic" Ice Cream or pudding in which we disguised the Tylenol inside. Benny is too smart for that trick now, and inspected everything we brought to him this morning as if we were Russian spys trying to poison him.

Nick made a deal with him that if his fever didn't go down some by the time Nick returned from Church, that Ben would have to take the Tylenol. Sure enough, when Nick came home Ben's fever had spiked to 104.7. That was taken in his ear, and I think was probably falsely high, but still, too high to ignore. I am happy to report that we were able to get him to swallow, three Tylenol Meltaways, followed by a giant chocolate chip cookie. Few, one battle down! He is now resting more comfortably in our bed, watching nothing other of course but Star Wars.

Oh, and Sophie seems to be about 90% or better today. She is almost back to her normal self! (Maybe I should have let her help me with the cookies last night!)

A Good Read

2009-02-21T15:52:00.004-05:00

Sophie has been very much into reading books lately. We read a select few over and over, all day long. A particular favorite is A Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle. I think she loves this book because of all the pictures of food! She really enjoys picture books of animals, and books that have different textures to touch. She loves the books that we sing to her too, like Wheels on the Bus and There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed A Fly.

Nick took this photo of her just before her nap on Sunday. She wore that sweet yellow dress to church with tights and church shoes, but had to exchange her nice shoes for her ruby red slippers when we came home.

We are enjoying this photo so much right now, because it was the last image of Sophie looking healthy. We have been battling a horrible GI virus or possibly Rota virus this week. It has taken a really long time for her to recover. Just when we think she is going to snap out of it, she takes two steps backward. We have been reading lots and lots of books and snuggling in the recliner all week long. Slowly, she is starting to seem herself again. She needs to make a recovery soon, because we have a busy week of doctor's appointments next week. I turn 36 weeks soon, and Daddy should be having lasik surgery on Friday. ( I say should because the Army could still deny his surgery since Nick's vision is sooo bad. The Dr. has to give the final ok on Monday). We are crossing our fingers that the baby won't arrive too early because Nick will be unable to drive for a few days. Yikes!

A Sweet Treat for Valentine's Day

2009-02-15T14:18:00.003-05:00

The excitement for Valentine's Day has been building in our house all week. As usual, Benny had two parties at preschool that we had to prepare for. When we sat down to sign his valentines for school to our surprise, shock actually, Benny insisted on writing all the names of his classmates himself! I figured that I would write his friends names on the valentines and he would sign them. It was great practice for his letter writing, and he did such a good job! We had a few challenges, such as some very long names (like Catherine) that had to fit on a tiny card. But Benny prevailed and finished all of the cards himself. He is making so much progress at school, and we are thrilled!

Sophie and I attended his party on Thursday. We even picked up pizza for his class. Apparently, preschoolers love pizza! I brought three medium cheese pizzas, and eight preschoolers ate every last piece! Some kids even polished off three pieces each! I would much rather have them eat pizza, than fill up on cupcakes and goodies anyhow (plus Ben won't eat most of the goodies). We had so much fun at the party. The kids all handed out their valentines, and then they had dance time and story time. Sophie was very much at home in the classroom. I think she would love to be in preschool! Benny was so happy that I stayed for his whole party. I am glad that he isn't embarrassed by me yet!

On Saturday Nick and I put out a few little goodies for the kids. I just love the holiday, not for romantic reasons, but I think it is a great way to celebrate the ones you love. Both sets of grandparents had sent some things also. The kids were so excited to see their packages in the morning!

Sophie was overly excited at opening her 'purse' with fun things inside. She was delighted by the Hello Kitty bandaids and had to put one on immediately. She has lots and lots of imaginary boo-boos lately. Grandma sent an outfit for her Bitty Baby, and Oma sent a cute new dress. Benny was so excited by his new Playmobile's and a new Star Wars action figure. Oma and Pa sent him a gift card to McDonald's with instructions to take his family out for a treat.

After a fun morning, we had to head out to Topeka to run lots of errands. The baby is due in five weeks, and Sophie was a full two weeks early, so we needed to get some things in order before she comes! We've decided to keep Sophie in her crib for now, and plan on moving her to a big bed this summer when we move. So, we needed to pick up a pack n play for baby #3. We've decided to let her sleep in our room for the time being (we'll see how that goes), so she won't disturb Sophie in the night. Hopefully it won't take long to get her into a good routine so she and big sister can sleep together in the same room. We also needed to pick up some new spring clothes for the kids, Easter clothes for the kids, and some baby items from Babies R Us. For those of you who have been to Kansas, you know that the shopping here is limited. We try to make a Topeka run every few months and stock up on what we need. Valentine's Day seemed like the perfect time to go. We could have a nice lunch out and get the things we needed. We had a very successful trip, including finding Birthday presents for Sophie (she'll be two in six weeks!), and we had a great lunch at Ruby Tuesday.

Before we headed home to Junction City, we asked Benny if he would like to stop for a treat. He decided that he would like to take us to McDonald's for hot fudge sundaes. He was so proud to use his gift card to buy us a treat. He took his wallet in, placed our order and even used the card himself in the machine. He was proud as punch to do everything himself. When we sat down, Nick and I thanked him over and over for taking us out for a treat. He responded that he had been wanting to take us out forever, but he didn't have any money. It was just so sweet! He thanked us for the nice day, and it was a great way to finish our trip to Topeka.

Here is Benny with his sundae, chocolate face and all.

Of course Sophie was very excited to dive into my Oreo McFlurry. She was happy to have an ice cream treat too! This particular McDonald's had a 50's theme, and the rock n roll music kept her grooving the whole time.

We are so thankful to have two sweet kids to spend Valentine's Day with!

A first trip to the dentist....

2009-02-05T16:44:00.003-05:00

I finally got around to taking the kids to their first dentist's appointments. I know, I know, I should have taken Benny long ago, but I always found an excuse. Besides, he doesn't eat anything, so I knew his teeth had to be in good shape! His diet is actually quite tooth friendly, lots and lots of cheese and milk, and hardly any sweets. I figured that while I was taking Benny, I should get Sophie in too. She is almost two, and has all of her teeth including those two year m0lars!

I made the kids appointments forever ago, hoping that Nick would be able to accompany me over Christmas break. No luck, this office is very popular, and they didn't have any appointments until this week. I took the kids to Little Apple Pediatric Dentistry in Manhattan. Benny was super excited about going, because they sent him a welcome package back in December telling him all about the great things at the office. Both the waiting room and exam room had a train on the ceiling that the kids could push a button to make it run. There were also flat screen tv's above the exam tables playing Disney movies. It was great!

Benny had to go back for his cleaning, exam and x-rays by himself, per office policy. I actually thought this was a great idea. I knew that if I was present, he would be much more hesitant. If he was by himself, he had no choice but to be brave. We don't have any problem brushing teeth at home, but still, Benny is not really accepting of new things......especially new flavors in his mouth. Most of you know that he is very, very picky. Apparently, all really went well. When they came to get me, Benny was already done, and calmly watching a movie. His had been a bit nervous about the dentist's toothpaste, and despised the fluoride treatment. But, they had no problems at all cleaning, examining and x-raying his teeth. I was so proud that he let them do everything that they needed to do!

Benny got a clean bill of health-no cavities or problem spots. I am so thankful for that! We had quite a bit of drama once we left because he wouldn't stop complaining about the banana fluoride treatment. In fact, he refused a Happy Meal before school because he was afraid it would taste like bananas. I even offered a trip to Panera's for a chocolate chip cookie, but that was a no go too. All he wanted was a bottle of water. So, we swung into Target and picked up a few things, including a new Star Wars action figure and a bottle of water. Funnily enough, he was so thrilled with his new figure that he never even drank the water. Go figure, the banana couldn't have been that bad! On another funny note, he told me that he was terrified that he would swallow the x-ray films. Oh, the drama!

Sophie didn't have much done. The dentist sat her up on the table and took a look at all of her teeth, and her bite. Unfortunately, she is a thumb sucker, and all of her sucking has pushed her front teeth/jaw out a bit. We may need braces down the road. She was thrilled to pick out a new toothbrush, and a sticker. For the rest of the day she kept saying 'teeth' and smiling a huge smile. Every time she enters her bathroom at home now she wants to brush her teeth with her new pink toothbrush. I'm trying to limit her to three times a day. Good habits start young, right?

Happy Brushing everyone!

Back up and singing

2009-01-17T18:32:00.005-05:00

Sorry, we have been out of touch lately-our modem went out on our computer, and we were without the Internet for about a week. I felt so disconnected from the modern world!

Not much has been happening here. It has been pretty cold, so we have spent lots of time indoors. We've worked on the house a little, hoping to get it on the market sometime this spring. We don't know for sure where we are going, or have orders, but we are planning ahead. We've also been working a little on potty training. I didn't want to start training Sophie just yet, but she has a sudden interest in using the potty. All in all, we have had success about a dozen times. Nick and I are so excited because Ben was a whopping 35 months when he finally decided to stop being stubborn, and learn to use the potty. To his credit, he did it in just a few days..... I think it will take Sophie longer, seeing as she is only 21 months, but at least she is getting the idea.

I haven't taken many photos lately, because we haven't really done much, but I did manage to shoot a few videos. The other night as we were finishing dinner, Benny announced that he had learned two new songs at school that day. Then, he sang them for us. It was just too cute not to get on video. I hope the grandparents all enjoy it!

I wasn't familiar with the Tiny Turtle song, but I certainly knew the next song!

I should have been recording Sophie during this song too, because she was copying everything that Benny was doing. Maybe another time!

Putting Baby to Bed....

2009-01-06T16:12:00.003-05:00

Sophie is really a rough and tumble little girl, and she eagerly plays with all of big brothers boy toys, but she really loves her dolls. And, I might add, she is a really good mommy. She loves to feed her dolls, change them, take them for walks around the family room, and now that she has a crib for her babies, she has been putting them to bed. Nick and I watched her do this the other day with much amusement, and finally decided that we needed to record it.

At one point she had the mobile spinning so fast, we thought Bitty would need motion sickness tablets.

Now in this video, the baby is put to sleep much more gently that she had been doing it previously. She had been slamming Bitty in, cramming her between the crib rail and the mobile. Then she would force her arms and legs into the correct positions.

Warning: What you are about to see, does not in any way, shape or form represent how little miss Sophie is put to bed (well, except for the kisses).

Our Christmas

2009-01-01T17:36:00.005-05:00

This year we found ourselves spending Christmas in Kansas. There were many reasons for our decision. Mainly, we have never spent a Christmas in our own home with the kids. Nick and I did spend our first Christmas in Germany, but Ben wasn't born yet. We were excited to start some of our own traditions as well as keep up some favorite family traditions. Also, another main reason for staying in Kansas is that Sophie is not much of a car traveler, and Nick and I didn't think we could take 13 plus hours of trying to entertain her (she rarely sleeps in the car....). We did debate on flying into Michigan after Christmas for a week or so, but this pregnancy has not been so easy, and we were nervous about buying tickets and then not being able to travel. That being said, we really did miss our families, but we had a wonderful time here!

We attended church on Christmas Eve, figuring that it would be far easier than pulling the kids away from their presents on Christmas morning. It was a beautiful service, and everyone looked so nice, all dressed up. Unfortunately, we did not take any pictures. We came home and had a nice dinner and then put Sophie to bed. Benny stayed up a little longer to help prepare for Christmas day. We went outside and put out the Reindeer food we had made, and sprinkled our Grinch dust too. He also put out cookies for Santa and helped to hang his stocking. Finally, we read the Night Before Christmas and he went to bed. He was so excited for the next morning, but fell asleep promptly. Then Nick and I went to work. We had so much fun wrapping and putting out all the presents for the kids. Our Christmas seemed a bit overwhelming mostly because all of the kids presents were sent here, instead of being spread out over our families homes.

Christmas morning started out great with both kids sleeping in past eight, and then waking at about the same time. I was able to get the Christmas casserole in the oven, and make cinnamon rolls before all the excitement began. When Benny woke, first we did the last part of our Advent calendar-he put up Mary, Joseph and Baby Jesus. Then he sweetly sang Happy Birthday to Baby Jesus. Next it was time to open their stockings. Sophie was more interested in what Benny had in his, and didn't seem to realize that she had one of her own. Then Benny surprised me and declared this the best Christmas ever! I was so happy that he was happy, and he hadn't even seen the presents! We munched on cinnamon rolls quickly, and then headed downstairs to the basement to see the Christmas tree.

It took us about two hours to get through all the presents! Benny opened a few toys as he went along, and it always took Sophie a few minutes to open hers. I was up fetching screw drivers and batteries, and we were constantly worried that we would lose things in all of the paper. Sophie was so excited about the new bed and highchair for her Bitty Baby that she received from my family. She immediately tried to get into both, so I had to go get Bitty and show her what they were for. She was also very excited about her new fuzzy slippers. Benny was thrilled with all of his new toys and games. I can't even tell you what his favorite toy was, because he has played with them all every day since Christmas. He spent the rest of the morning putting together the Playmobile Roman set that he received from my parents. I was so proud that he knew just what to do. He was bursting with pride that he had done almost all of it himself. Both kids received big bean bags from Santa, and they were a huge hit! It was so much fun watching the joy in both of their faces. I wish everyday could be Christmas!

Later in the day, we went to our friends the Curtright's house for dinner. They were having more of a southern Louisiana style meal, so we supplied the more traditional fare. We had turkey (which the men fried outside), smoked brisket, dirty rice, cheesy potatoes, potato salad, strawberry jello salad, cranberry sauce, cheesecake and pumpkin pie. It was a delicious meal and a great time spent with dear friends.

I hope you all had as wonderful of a Christmas as we did!

Baby Jesus Birthday Party, Our little angel, and a visit with Santa

2008-12-21T14:43:00.007-05:00

We have had a very busy week here at the Cook house hold. We have had four parties (all potlucks), a small Christmas pageant, gift exchanges, and a trip to the mall to visit Santa. We are relieved that all of our running around is finished, and that we can finally stay at home and prepare for Christmas.

Ben attended two Baby Jesus Birthday parties at preschool. The students all bring in presents for Baby Jesus which are then donated to Birth Line, a local shelter for moms in need. They even have a cake and sing to Baby Jesus. I only attended one party, because it is a lot of work to take Sophie into the preschool classroom. Nick and I always sing "Markers, and Scissors and Glue, Oh my!" when we take her into Ben's class. She is like a kid in a candy store, and I can barely keep up with her. Anyway, the kids had a great party, and Sophie and I had fun too!

On Wednesday evening, Benny's CCD class was part of the CCD Christmas pageant. Some kids from the fourth grade class read from the gospel of Luke, and the preschool class arrived as angels. They were the cutest little angels you ever did see. Benny was so excited for "his play". He was worried that we wouldn't be able to remember his lines (he didn't have any....).

Finally, yesterday we braved the crowds at the mall and went to visit Santa. We were pretty sure that Sophie wouldn't sit on Santa's lap (she wouldn't), but Benny really wanted to go. Benny was 3 before he would sit on Santa's lap. We waited in line, and when it was our turn Benny marched right up to Santa and sat next to him. He told Santa that he had been a good boy and that he would like some Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (this was news to Santa....), and that his sister would like some things to go with her baby doll. And then it was done. Luckily they let us take our own photos. I can't believe a picture with Santa cost anywhere from $13 - $24!!! Seems like highway robbery in these times, and where is the Christmas spirit? We had a nice lunch at the mall, and then left the crowds in favor for a cozy afternoon at home. Can't wait for Christmas!

Grinch Dust and Reindeer Food

2008-12-21T14:29:00.002-05:00

Earlier in the week and for the second year in a row, Benny and I made a batch each of Magic Grinch Dust and Reindeer Food. We packaged up our creations for all the students in his preschool class. The recipes are simple to make, and Benny has so much fun helping. It is even more fun to scatter the Dust and Reindeer Food in our yard on Christmas Eve.

Reindeer Food is simply oatmeal and red sugar. Grinch Dust is crumbled graham crackers and green sugar. It takes a lot of sugar for it really to show amongst all of the crumbs. Sophie helped too, but she was more interested in eating the graham crackers.....

Our finished products:

Each recipe has a little poem that goes along with it, so we attached them to the bag. They go as follows:

Magic Grinch Dust

Don't let the Grinch steal your Christmas, you must be on your guard. Before retiring on Christmas Eve, sprinkle this dust out on your yard. The Grinch will see your magic dust, and know you've taken great care, to protect you home and family, and keep Christmas in the air.

Reindeer Food

'Tis the night before Christmas, And since every year, You feed Santa Claus, Now feed his Reindeer.

1. Wait until Christmas Eve.

2. Open bag and sprinkle on the lawn.

3. Hop into bed.

4. Shhh! Listen for Santa.

5. Close your eyes and watch the sugar plums dance.

Contents: Enough reindeer food for eight reindeer and Rudolf.

Dreaming of a White Christmas

2008-12-12T16:45:00.005-05:00

Earlier in the week we had a few very cold and stormy days. We did get a little dusting of snow, but not much that actually held on for too long. Wednesday night, Benny was at 'Church School' as he calls it (really CCD), and I decided that it would be the perfect night for a bath. Sophie loves to take baths too, so I decided that we could bathe together. In our master bath we have a large tub that hardly gets used, so we opted for a big bubble bath. This was a first for Sophie. I filled up the tub, and we hopped in. Now, I seriously underestimated the amount of water I would displace at 6 months pregnant. When I sat Sophie down, the water came up to her chin! Fear not, our little water bug had a great time. She loved the bubbles, and kept trying to float on her back in the deep water. I think we may have a new Wednesday night tradition-at least in this cold, cold weather.

How to Cook a Turkey

2008-11-25T15:48:00.002-05:00

Every year at preschool, the teacher sits down with each student individually and asks them how to prepare the Thanksgiving turkey. This years version is just as funny as the years past. Maybe Benny needs some cooking lessons........

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

How to Cook a Turkey
by Benjamin Cook

You get a gun and go outside and shoot them, then eat them. You cook it in the oven. It's served in a bowl with tomatoes, salad, lemons, and that's all. Cook it for 6 hours at 42 degrees. It's done when the microwave beeps. Then you take off the feathers, then you eat it. Then when you are done eating you take out the bones and throw them away!

It's Another.......

2008-11-21T20:35:00.003-05:00

Today, we finally had the ultrasound! It seems like we have been waiting forever!

The baby looks great and we are going to have another......

Clue #1: Benny will not have to share his bedroom!

Clue #2: One gender will outnumber the other!

Clue #3: Benny wants to move to California, or maybe Michigan with Daddy and Smokey!

That's right, it's another girl!

We couldn't be happier! We would have been happy with either a boy or a girl, but at this stage in the game, a girl will be easier for bedroom sharing. Plus, all of our baby girl gear is much newer than the baby boy stuff! Benny had been hoping for a little brother, instead of another troublesome little sister, but already he is happy about sweet baby #3. I'd have to say that Nick and I are happy too!

Halloween Fun

2008-11-01T13:01:00.005-04:00

Our Halloween Festivities began on Thursday with Benny's first of two school Halloween parties. Since he goes all 5 days to school, he is technically in two different classes, so they have parties for both groups. Thursday's group was boy dominated, as they only have one girl in their class. Sophie and I stayed to help with the party and we brought cupcakes and sugar cookies. It was fun to watch Benny play with his school friends. He is a natural leader and seems to direct a lot of their free play. We were able to help out with a Halloween craft and Sophie tried to color one too. She really was more interested in taking her crayons out her cup and then putting them back in again. Eventually, we had to head for home to take a nap. When Sophie gets tired, she becomes destructive, and I was having a hard time keeping up with her dumping things out in the classroom. We came back for the last few minutes of the fun, and joined in a little on Friday's party too!

Benny really, really wanted to be a Clone Trooper from Star Wars for Halloween. I was hoping he would change his mind to a costume that was a little more original, or for one that we could make at home, but he wouldn't give up on the idea. After weeks of discussion, I finally caved and bought the costume. He was thrilled, and couldn't wait to put in on for school. Originally, I wanted to dress the kids as some sort of theme. I wanted Sophie to be Dorothy from the Wizard of Oz (we do live in Kansas you know), and Benny to be either the Tin Man, Scarecrow or Cowardly Lion. He didn't agree, and wondered why Sophie couldn't order the baby Yoda costume he had seen in a catalogue. I didn't want my sweet baby dressed as Yoda (although it could have been cute), so we decided that our theme idea wouldn't work.

So, I set out to make Sophie a Dorothy costume. Yes, I said make! I have only sewed burp cloths and goody bags for the single soldiers, so my experience is very limited. I have never attempted clothing of any sort. I went and picked out the fabric, and the most simple pattern I could find. I procrastinated for weeks, talked it over lots with my mom, and eventually bit the bullet and put it together. I had a few slip ups, but it really did turn out cute. I have plans to make her a polka dot dress out of the same pattern soon. It was really hard to get her to sit still for a picture, and as usual, the overpowering sun washed out most of the pictures. She would only leave the bow in just long enough for us to take a photo. She has a cute little dog that went as Toto, and she carried one of those famous Poland baskets! Oh, and of course she had ruby red slippers (which she loved!)!

Thursday evening we headed to downtown, where the kids could participate in a Halloween Parade and then Trick or Treat at the local businesses. It was so much fun to see everyone dressed up. There were hundreds of children and parents, and even dogs in costume. Sophie loved to see the dogs and would wave frantically from her stroller at them.

Nick was able to meet us there on his way home from work. I was grateful to have the extra set of hands to help. Eventually, the crowds were just too much for us, and we headed home to carve pumpkins.

On Friday night we were eager for the Trick or Treating to begin. Ben's friend Taylor and her mom, Jennifer, joined us. We all went Trick or Treating to a few houses on our street, and then Nick headed back with Sophie to hand out candy at our house.

He's all ready to go!

We tried and tried to get a picture of all three kids, but we couldn't get the older two to calm down and Sophie just didn't want to cooperate. She wanted to put all of our candy into her basket. She had recently discovered the stash by the front door and was very intrigued by it. After some tears by Sophie, we were able to get away from the basket and make our way down the street.

She's off to see the Wizard!

This Halloween was really fun, because Benny finally fully understood the process. He said Trick or Treat and thank you at every house, and didn't fuss when people put candy he didn't want into his basket. Sophie mostly observed, but did walk up to a few neighbors houses. Her fun came later when she handed out candy with Daddy at home. She delighted in all the kids in their costumes and loved putting candy into their baskets. She threw another fit when Nick tried to take them inside. She wanted to sit on the porch and watch and wait for the trick or treaters. She was also very intrigued with the jack-o-lanterns we had carved the night before. She even learned a new word-hot!

Sophie was thrilled to see us when we came home and was ready to dig through Ben's candy. She even helped herself to a sucker!

I hope everyone had a Happy Halloween!

Pumpkin Carving

2008-11-01T12:45:00.003-04:00

Thursday night was pumpkin carving night at our house! We got a later start than expected because we had been downtown for some Halloween activities. By the time we had dinner and a bath for Sophie it was pretty late. Sophie turns into a pumpkin every night around 7:30, so we decided that it would be best for everyone if she just went to bed. Benny was super excited to carve all of the pumpkins he had picked out at the bison farm. We even had a few little ones that he brought home from school. We have two Mr. Potato Head sets that were perfect for the little pumpkins. Benny has a vampire and Sophie has a witch. Benny happily did both his and his sister's pumpkins.

Benny is generally a clean kid and doesn't enjoy getting very dirty. He was intrigued by the pumpkin 'guts' as he called them, but didn't want to touch them. He did help us scrape out the insides as long he didn't get dirty.

Here he is busy working on cleaning out the largest, or 'daddy' pumpkin. When he was picking out the pumpkins at the farm, Ben assigned one to each family member.

I couldn't resist scaring Benny with the pumpkin goo!

We had so much fun on pumpkin carving night. We listened to Halloween music and danced. I think our finished products turned out pretty great!

Field Trip to the Nature Center

2008-11-01T12:18:00.005-04:00

Last Wednesday, Benny's preschool took a field trip to Milford Nature Center. This is the third year we have taken the trip, but there is always something new and exciting to discover at the nature center. New this year was a giant eagle's nest that the kids could play in. The boys hopped right in while we were waiting for our guide to arrive.

Although our weather has been quite pleasant lately with the afternoon temps reaching near 70, our mornings have been frigid. Our trip started at 9am, and on the ride up to Milford my car warned me that the temperature was right for ice. It was 32 degrees! I had the kids all bundled up in their winter gear and lots of layers. I had planned to put Sophie in the stroller inside her nice German sleeping bag, but she had other plans. She wanted to play on the playground with the kids!

Later in the morning after our nature hike was complete, the weather had warmed some and Sophie and I went to visit the exhibit of rescue birds. She loved looking at the Golden Eagles and didn't want to return to the playground with the other kids. She practiced making bird noises and was so excited to see the birds she tried to climb the fence to get closer.

Her favorite Golden Eagle was eager to let her look and point. It even put on a little show for us stretching it's wings and strutting around. The eagle looked to be as big as Sophie!

During our nature hike the guides handed out binoculars to the kids. They loved looking into the trees and over the lake for wildlife. Ben kept announcing that he had seen an Eagle, but I don't think he really did.

Since Sophie wouldn't ride in her stroller I had to carry her. It made me incredibly nervous to take the trail by the lake. She kept pointing at the water and desperately wanted to get down. I think she may have wanted to go for a swim!

After the nature hike we went indoors and had a scavenger hunt. I don't have any pictures because I was busy chasing Sophie around and helping Benny look for the animals on his list. Sophie was trilled to see all of the native Kansas creatures-snakes, lizards, spiders, birds and prairie dogs to name a few. I wasn't thrilled to see many of them.....

Later we enjoyed a picnic lunch and the kids played and played on the playground. Eventually it warmed up enough to take off our jackets. Benny was pretending to be Indiana Jones in this photo!

I hadn't realized how much Sophie would enjoy the trip. She is an outdoors girl. We plan to visit again when the weather is right!

It's official-Sophie is part monkey!

2008-10-30T16:44:00.002-04:00

Yesterday after a busy morning of a preschool field trip to the nature center (post to follow), we came home to rest and have naps. Sophie had been in her room for more than an hour. I assumed she was sleeping, because usually if she is not sleeping, she is talking or banging on the wall. Benny and I were having some quite time when we heard a loud crash followed by crying. Sophie had fallen out of her crib! I am not sure how she managed it yet. The gate came up to her chin and she didn't have anything to stand on to help her out. She was quite shaken up, but seems no worse for the wear. Has anyone else had a child do this???? Needless to say, Daddy lowered the mattress last night. It seems we have survived yet another dare devil stunt by Sophie!

Our Trip to the Bison Farm

2008-10-22T16:41:00.009-04:00

Being from Michigan, it is tradition that in the fall you visit the orchard. You pick apples, have freshly made cider, donuts and goodies, take a hayride, pick pumpkins and have fun! Here in Kansas, we do not have orchards-but we do have bison farms! It seemed like a reasonable alternative to a trip to the orchard and a good way to spend a beautiful fall day. So, Sunday after church, our family headed an hour west to Smoky Hill Bison Farm. The farm boasted a corn maze, corn cannon, gourd slingshot, giant slide, tour of the bison farm, and lots of fall fun. As I mentioned, it was a beautiful day-70 and sunny and very, very windy. But here in Kansas, I find the sun too much sometimes. There wasn't a cloud in the sky and we have very little shade. The wind comes out of the plains at a rapid rate. I have heard that the average day in Kansas is windier than a windy day in Chicago. I don't know if its true, but I believe it! Once we reached the farm we have to put on sweatshirts and sunglasses to protect ourselves from the elements. Once the kids were busy with all the fun things to do, we seemed to forget all about the sun and the wind, and had to race to keep up with them.

First we visited the toddler area where the kids played in a huge box of corn kernels. This was endless fun for both of them. Sophie wasn't sure about it at first, but in no time she was burying her feet and digging, digging, digging. Eventually, Ben spotted the 'big kid' activities and wanted to move on.

After playing briefly in a toddle maze, we moved on to the big corn maze. There are clues throughout to help you get through. We picked up the American History clue sheet. You have to get the answer right to receive the right directions. To be safe, we also picked up the toddler version. Oddly enough, we did have a few discrepancies. Once Nick was insistent on his answer and I have to refer him to the toddler question. The directions weren't really much help because you had to make countless turns in between clues, but at least we felt we had some guidance.

Nick and Ben lead the way with Sophie and I bringing up the rear. Here is one cute shot of our little explorer.

Sophie was growing restless, so we had to put her down after awhile. She was so interested in everything around us, it took forever to move down the rows. She had to examine anything that looked different or seemed out of place. Eventually she resumed her position on Daddy's shoulders.

All in all, it took us over a half hour to work our way through the maze. We were very relieved to find the end. After a drink and a snack (thank goodness I packed Goldfish, because all the food was bison meat) we headed off for more fun. Next the boys took their try at the corn cannon, and the gourd slingshot. Nick was able to get his to fly about 250 yards.

After the slingshot we headed over to the play area where there was a giant slide down the side of a big hill. They had layed plastic down and you had to sit on a burlap bag. Hands down, this was Ben's favorite part of the day. He must have slid for a half hour. I stayed at the top with him and helped him onto his sack.

He flew down the hill so fast it was scary. The first time I thought 'There goes my baby!' He wanted to do it over and over and over and kept right up with all the big kids. Sophie enjoyed watching Ben from the comfort of the toddler area. Finally, we had to stop the sliding and pick some pumpkins. We weren't able to snag a wagon until we were in line to pay so I don't have any pictures of pumpkin picking. By this point Sophie was exhausted, and Nick's arms were full of pumpkins. Benny picked out all of the pumpkins and assigned one to each of us. He can't wait to carve them next week.

While we were in line to pay we were surprised to meet up with our friends the Hogans. They had been there most of the day too, but our paths had not yet crossed. I took a quick photo of the kids-Emma, Anja, Ben, Nicky and Sophie. Ben and Nicky see each other everyday at school, at CCD on Wednesday night and play together twice a week after school. They just can't get enough of each other. Nicky's little sister, Anja, has developed a crush on Ben and talks about him constantly. The kiddos played together a few minutes and then we went our separate ways.

Our trip to the Bison Farm was fun! It certainly can't compete with a trip to the orchard, but it was a great way to spend a fall day!

Mommy-Daughter Day

2008-10-10T21:20:00.003-04:00

Please excuse our absence from the blogging world. We haven't had very much going on lately. We had some plans for both the previous weekends, but Benny who never gets sick had flu like symptoms both weekends. So, we missed out on the fall festival at Fort Riley called Apple Days. We have been the past two years, so at least we know what we missed out on, but Benny always enjoys it. We had been looking forward to Sophie having some fun this year. Last Sunday, we missed out on the St. Xavier school carnival. I had signed up to work a shift at the preschool booth, so I still went and watched all the kiddos having fun. It broke my heart to think Ben was home with a fever. Maybe we will have better luck this weekend!

On Thursday, Sophie and I had our first Mommy-Daughter day. Even though Benny is at preschool for three hours everyday, I find that we either run errands, or come home and take naps. We never take the time to do something fun! Plus, three hours isn't really enough time to venture too far from home. Lately, we have had an arrangement with my friend Dot. On Tuesdays I pick up her son, Nicky from preschool and bring him home to play with Benny. She returns the favor on Thursdays. The boys both enjoy their extra time together, and it gives Dot and I one day a week where we don't have to be back in three hours for pick-up. So, this Thursday we took advantage of the extra time and took a trip to the zoo!

Sophie has been to the zoo more times than I can count, but this was really the first time she noticed the animals. Plus, since it was Thursday no one was there and she was able to get out of the stroller and walk and explore. But, we did not take this adventure alone! Our friends Piper and Jackson were back in town, and they joined us for our fun day. Jackson is Sophie's friend who is just 17 days older. You may recall that his Daddy, JJ, worked with Nick for the past few years. Now JJ has left the Army and is working in Arkansas. They still haven't sold their house yet in Kansas, so Piper and Jackson come back from time to time to stay.

First we met for lunch at Panera Bread. I am thrilled that I can take Sophie to eat there, because picky Ben doesn't like anything there but the chocolate chip cookies. Sophie ate most of her grilled cheese, some of Jackson's turkey sandwich, and was thrilled by her yogurt in a tube (I found it messy, but she really did like it). We joke that Sophie is our human garbage disposal because she will eat most anything. Jackson wasn't so thrilled with his lunch, so he was sneaking bits to Sophie, and she was gladly accepting them. After our lunch, we headed to Sunset Zoo in Manhattan. It was the most beautiful fall day.

I missed a cute moment in the above photo. The kids had been trying to hold hands as we were walking. Of course I couldn't get them to do it again for a picture. Notice that Jackson is in a much more comfy stroller. By the end, we had traded because Sophie kept climbing back into his when they got out. Plus our stroller was easier for Jackson to push around, and he was very entertained doing so.

The kids stayed in their strollers for the first half of the trip. Most of the animals were sleeping, and there wasn't much they could see. Once we got to a spot in the zoo where there were a lot of exhibits right in a row, we let them get out and walk. They did stop though for a few breaks.

Jackson is much more affectionate than Sophie is. He is always trying to give her hugs, and she is always trying to avoid them. I was trying to sit her on this little ledge to get a cute picture. Jackson came out of nowhere to give her a hug. It didn't end pretty folks. In the picture it looks like they are going to tip backwards into the sunken flower bed. However, they both fell forward instead and crashed onto the sidewalk. Luckily there weren't any injuries.

I tried again for a picture of Sophie, but I couldn't get her to pay attention. She is wearing her favorite new shoes from Target that we picked up earlier in the week. She loves them and wants to wear them everyday. We are running out of things to match the raspberry color! Sometimes she wears shoes with her pajamas because she loves to have them on so much (which is different from last fall when I couldn't keep them on).

After viewing most of the animals, we hit the playground. It was so nice because for awhile we were the only ones there and the kids had the run of it. The double slide was a big hit as was the bridge. I didn't get many photos because our daredevil kids were scaring us, and we didn't feel that our four arms were enough to control them. Piper is helping them down the slide to prevent them from venturing too far onto the playground. After a few minutes, they both had so much courage that they were running too fast and trying to do things that 18 month olds just shouldn't do. Soon, Piper and I were too stressed out to let them play any longer and we moved them on to the petting zoo.

I thought that Sophie would enjoy the petting zoo more than she did. She fed one piece of food to a goat, and that was enough. She didn't want to touch them and after a few minutes just wanted to get back into Jackson's stroller. Benny has always loved the goats, so I assumed Sophie would too. She has no fear around our dog, Smokey, and the goats were much smaller. Jackson loved the goats and even brushed them. Poor little guy tripped though trying to get to one and took quite the nasty fall. Word has it that he has his first shinner.

We had a wonderful time at the zoo, with our wonderful friends. We will miss them so much when they leave Kansas for good! After a few hours our kids were officially tuckered out, and it was time to head home. Thanks for the fun day Jackson and Piper!

I promise more posts soon!

Our little helper and BIG news!

2008-09-15T17:35:00.005-04:00

Lately, Sophie has become quite the little helper. She has become quite bossy too! She is always babbling at us, in her own Sophie language, directing us about the house. She loves to help with the laundry. It doesn't matter if it is wet or dry, clean or dirty, she likes to pull things out and sometimes put non-clothing items into the dryer. In the background of this video you can hear Benny having a world class meltdown because he wanted to help with the laundry too and was jealous that we wanted a video of just Sophie. As you can imagine, Benny is actually a good laundry helper, and I like him to help out. Sophie causes more trouble than anything, but it is sure cute.

Sophie also likes to help me feed Smokey and throw away her dirty diapers into the garage. When we put her to bed at night, she directs us the entire time about where she wants her two blankets. She then points to the side of the crib to make sure we put it up. Finally she points over to her music box so we don't forget to play it for her. It is so fun to watch her personality develop!

Once Benny was finished with his jealous episode, we let him come help with the laundry too. Some day I will be begging these kids to help me with the chores!

Now for the BIG news! We are expecting baby number 3!!!! My blogging absence in August was primarily due to awful 'all day' sickness. I have no idea why they call it morning sickness, because mine only heightened during the day. Poor Nick has put up with me after several weeks of not wanting to cook or even smell dinner. This pregnancy has been by far the worst of all of mine, maybe even all the others combined. But at 12+ weeks now, I am starting to feel much better and have more energy. Besides feeling sick all of the time, everything is going well. I have even had an ultrasound and the baby looks great. I am due in late March just before Sophie's 2nd Birthday! Of course we won't be able to resist finding out if we are having a boy or a girl. We don't really have a preference, but long term were thinking a girl would be easier so she and Sophie could share a bedroom. Only time will tell!

Benny is super excited about becoming a big brother again. He actually wants another brother and another sister. He wants the brother to be his twin. Poor kid, he still can't grasp exactly what a twin is. He says either way he will be happy, but a brother would be better than a sister. He was the first to know a few weeks ago. I showed him my ultrasound pictures and he guessed right away what the pictures were of. Soon he was telling everyone, so we decided to finally share the news.

For now I am getting an idea what is like to take of three. Nick had hip surgery last week, and I swear it is like having another child at home. He had been a great patient, and is moving around quite well now. It still causes extra work around the house but it won't be for much longer. Unfortunately it looks like he is going to have to have another surgery in the future. He has a very uncommon hip problem and very few surgeons can preform the surgery to correct it. Sometime he will probably has to have an 'open-hip' operation that should correct the problem. Even having the scope here last week was a big deal for the hospital. His surgeon does 4 knees a week, but only 2 hips a year. Physical therapy sent him home last Friday without any treatment because they had never had anyone before with Nick's condition and didn't know how to handle him yet. He seems to be making a speedy recovery and really, it has been nice having him home so much!

The First 5 Years......

2008-09-09T13:57:00.003-04:00

Happy 5th!

I wanted to do a bigger post for Benny's birthday, but it was crazy here last night when I was trying to blog. It's quite for now, so here's a quick trip through the first 5 years. We love you Benny!

Asleep just hours after he was born...

1 year old.....

2 years...

Blowing out the candles on his 3rd Birthday...

Apples Days at Fort Riley near his 4th....

Many more memories to come!

Benny's Birthday Weekend

2008-09-08T20:22:00.003-04:00

Last Thursday was Benny's 5th Birthday! I can hardly believe it, the time just seems to be flying by. We had a bit of a bumpy start on his birthday, but the end of the day, Benny stated that it was his 'best day ever'! Late Wednesday, he complained that his eye was bothering him. On his birthday, he awoke with it almost completely swollen closed. I was pretty sure it wasn't pink eye but I still kept a close eye on it. By mid-morning, I had to make the call that he couldn't go to school and have his birthday celebration as planned. Instead, we headed to the doctor. Poor kid, he took it like a trooper. Nick met us at the hospital, and it was a good thing, because we were there nearly four hours. The family doc decided that it looked like a scratch and not an infection. So, they irrigated his eye, and then put in glow in the dark drops to look for damage to the cornea. In case you were wondering, this did not go well! Eventually, we ended up with an eye patch and instructions to go see the eye doctor upstairs right away. The process was pretty much repeated upstairs with much better success this time. The eye doc decided that he really only had a small scratch, but was having some type of allergic reaction to something. We still don't know what caused it, but his eye is pretty much back to normal now. After an afternoon at the hospital, we headed home, ordered pizza (Ben's favorite!) and opened presents.

Here is Ben holding up both hands, showing he is the big 5! This year he is really into 'boy' things. He loves action figures, Star Wars, super heroes, and is still really into Playmobiles and Legos.

The next day we were able to celebrate his birthday with him at preschool. He had a Spiderman cupcake cake that the bakery graciously held for us an extra day. The cake was a hit, as the kids loved the black frosting (I swear it was red in the picture). Sophie had a great time at preschool too!

This year instead of having a big birthday party we decided to take a family trip. We tossed around a few options and ended up heading to Kansas City for a Renaissance Festival that we read about on the internet. It was supposed to be a beautiful weekend-80 and sunny. It turned out to be about 65 and slightly rainy instead. We had a good time though. It was a huge festival, and seemed to go on forever. There were so many cool costumes (and weird ones too), and much to see and do. We actually ran into some neighbors from Germany in the parking lot-the Army is so small!

Here is Ben posing as St. George, one of his favorite knights!

Nick and Ben decided to try out a little archery. Benny had so much fun shooting the arrows. I think he could have done that all day. First he needed a little instruction from Daddy.

Now, he was ready to try it out himself!

After we had enough of the dreary weather at the Festival we headed to our hotel for the night. We stopped and had dinner at the outdoor mall first. We ate at the Saddle Ranch Chop House, which is a Hollywood take on an old western restaurant. The portions were huge. I think we probably could have shared two dinners instead of the four we ordered. In the middle of the restaurant there is a huge bull ring with a mechanical bull. Benny got a huge kick out of watching a group of middle aged men (and one woman) try to ride the bull. All but the woman were thrown off eventually. It was great entertainment! After dinner, we headed to the hotel and finished the night off swimming in the pool. The next day we did some much needed shopping for fall clothes for the kids and then headed home.

Benny had a great birthday weekend. It's just so hard to believe that 5 years have gone by since he came into the world! I think tomorrow I will do another post recapping his first 5 years! I have to get caught up, because Nick is having hip surgery on Wednesday and I know I will be busy taking care of him!

Bubbles, Bubbles, Everywhere!

2008-08-28T11:03:00.003-04:00

This summer we purchased a bubble machine, and I tell you, it was the best $10 ever spent. Both of the kids love it, and so does our four legged friend, Smokey. I'm sure that if you have ever visited us, we have showed you Smokey's bubble trick. He LOVES to chase bubbles. I think it the best exercise he can get. He has considerably calmed down in his bubble chasing lately, and is really careful around the kids, but it is still one of his favorite activities. The bubble machine never fails to entertain!

I took several videos, but I think this one was the best!

After about 15 minutes we had to retire the bubble machine, as Sophie's eyes were all red from getting too close to the bubbles, and Smokey was foaming at the mouth from ingesting so many. Fun, fun, fun!

A Week of Firsts

2008-08-25T11:39:00.002-04:00

I have been on a bit of a blogging break. We had a few non-eventful first few weeks of August, and then suddenly, we were busier than we have been all summer. Like most sports loving people in the World, we have been glued to the Olympics every night. We joke that Sophie will be the next Shawn Johnson, with her small, powerful body. Ben has trouble pronouncing Olympics, and instead calls them the Olymfics. He isn't super interested in the sporting events, but he did check out an 'Olymfics' book from the library that he and Nick read every night.

So, I am going to do my best and play catch up for the past ten days or so.

We have had a lot of 'firsts' here in the last few weeks. I recently signed Sophie up at the Armed Forces YMCA, which is an hourly watch care place for military kids. She has been twice now, and has a great time playing with all the other one year olds. I was worried that she would cry when I left, but both times she has been so busy checking out the toys and kids that she hasn't even noticed that I am leaving. It has allowed me to have a few hours of free time and do some things that aren't easy to do with a child in tow.

You all know that Nick has a new job, and with that comes lots of changes for both Nick and I. Last Sunday we attended our first Hail and Farewell with his new unit. This is a time where the unit says goodbye to departing families and hello to the new ones. The only difference this time is that we are among just a handful of Captains (four I think!), and nearly everyone else is either a Colonel or General. I was very intimidated to attend, but we had a nice time. This week I also attended my first Ladie's Coffee for Nick's new unit. This is the group that consists of just the wives of the soldier's who work with Nick. Again, I was scared, but it all turned out ok. And finally, for the first time here at Fort Riley, I decided to join the Officer Spouses Club on post. I have done it at other posts in the past, but never here at Riley. Most of my friends have moved or are moving, and this will be a way for me to meet some new people.

Last weekend we had the pleasure of having the Murray family visit a few times. Many of you know that they stayed with us for a few weeks last fall, but this was the first visit for Alexis, now almost 10 months old. The kids had a ball playing, especially Ian. Ian was nearly beside himself with excitement at how many cars Benny has to play with. At one point, I think we were all a little worried that he might hyperventiate saying "Cars, cars, baby car, truck, cars, cars, cars!" He was especially thrilled with a magnetic car that Ben has that will race up the fridge or metal doors. I tried to get a video of him, but he was just too excited to hold still. He kept saying "Car, door, car door, door car, car, car, car!" Needless to say, Ian slept well that night after playing with Ben's cars, and sure enough Julie said he woke up saying "Car, car, car!"

A few days later, Julie brought the kids over to play again while Brian was at work. Ian was sad to find out that most the cars were "Night, night", as Ben was sleeping in an abnormally long time that morning. Luckily, Ben woke up a little bit before they had to go pick up Brian, and Ian was able to get some car time. Meanwhile, Ian and Sophie played, and Sophie showed Ian one of her favorite spots to hang out-inside our leather ottoman. We had a great time visiting with the Murray's, and we look forward to seeing them again in November when Brian comes home from Iraq for good!

Last Wednesday was the much anticipated first day of preschool for Benny. He wore his favorite camo shorts and new tennis shoes and was so proud to carry his new red backpack. He is really into the color red lately, which is a nice change from brown. (What other four year old loves brown?) However, he decided to wear his favorite brown polo shirt, a compromise since I wouldn't let him wear a t-shirt on the first day. He is making lots of new friends, and I am having a hard time keeping them staight. He goes to school every afternoon, so there are different kids on MWF than there are on TTh. So far he is friends with a boy named Bryce who also goes everyday, Nicky Hogan and another 'new' Emma. We know four Emma's now, and Ben has a different name for each of them to keep them straight. On Tuesday's and Thursday's Ben is friends with "the twin in the purple striped shirt". I will have to learn what his name is tomorrow when we see him again. Funnily enough, Bryce told his mom that Ben was his twin and his new best friend. It looks like they are going to have a lot of fun this year.

Here are Benny and Nicky Hogan. They know each other well, but this is the first year they have been in the same preschool class.

Finally, to finish up this week, Benny had his first sleepover! In a previous blog I had mentioned that our neighbors John and Wendy had moved, and that Ben really misses their kids, Jordan and Anna. On Saturday they came back for a visit! John and Wendy had a wedding to attend, so we volunteered to take the kids for the night. Benny was so excited to have his favorite friends spend the night. They all insisted on sleeping together on the floor-with Benny in the middle. We kept them up late with the idea that they would be really tired and crash and hopefully sleep well. Luckily, we were right! At 10 we laid them down, read a story and said goodnight. There was about 5 minutes of chatter, and then silence until 7:30 the next morning. All the kids had a really great time and look forward to doing it again.

More first moments to come!

Bad in Plaid

2008-08-05T15:58:00.008-04:00

We have been wanting to have a 'Bad in Plaid' party for ages, and this past weekend we finally did it! Some of you may remember this event from our days in Germany, when the Scatinni family hosted it. For years we have been wanting to throw our own version. So, we sent out the invites, and went on a search for bad plaid. It is actually much harder than you may think to find that ugly retro bad plaid. After countless trips to the thrift stores, we finally had some good items to choose from.

Nick's brother Matt and his girlfriend Jackie joined us from Michigan for the occasion. Luckily, Matt brought his own bad plaid and even an extra pair of bad plaid shorts for Nick. Nick's shorts are tan and white, so it is hard to see the plaid, but trust me, they were horribly bad and polyester plaid. (Did I mention short?)

All of the guests were told to wear bad plaid, and come prepared for a cut-throat match of croquet. First we had a BBQ and waited inside for the weather to cool down. Unfortunately, the weather never cooled much. It was about 102 when the party started, and by the time we moved the event outside it was still in the high 90's. Some of the guys braved the hot weather while Nick grilled the food.

You may have noticed that two of the guys came dressed alike. Funnily enough, they say it was a complete accident. They both went to the Dillard's clearance rack and picked out the same outfit! They were the first guests to arrive, along with their wives. They all made a beer stop on the way, and I can only imagine the funny looks they must have received in the store.

We awarded a prize to the best male and female best (or really worst) dressed. Here are the finalists. There was a lot of plaid at the party, but since it is popular again, not much of it was really 'bad plaid'.

Benny couldn't wait to play croquet, and he finally convinced two guests to play a practice round with him.

Finally, we decided to head outside and play croquet. Nick and Matt had set up the course the night before. Nick also had brackets set up, and we were all assigned teams. There were 6 teams competing, and everyone joined in on the fun. It took so long for all six teams to play that by the end, we were using flashlights to see the balls and wickets.

Here is the home team-myself, Matt and our neighbor Danny. This photo was taken before the last round when we won the tournament! It must have been that home field good luck. The last game took forever, and it was nearly 11 pm before it finished. Danny's wife Casey was on the opposing team, and she really gave us a run for our money. Apparently she plays croquet at her mom's house, and she was really good. She finished before the rest of us were half way through.

All in all, everyone had a great time. It was hilarious to see everyone's bad plaid. Maybe next year we will host Bad in Plaid 2! Hopefully it won't be so hot!

Ice Treasures

2008-07-31T12:52:00.003-04:00

I saw the greatest idea on a friend's blog the other day. You can see the 'whole story' on Paula's blog http://www.mylittleschoolhouse.blogspot.com/ You freeze 'treasures' in a large bowl of water. Once frozen, your child can dig them out. We just had to try it. I froze all kinds of Ben's little toys-legos, marbles, plastic animals, coins and a key. The next day, I emptied the bowl into a large plastic bin and set him to work out on the deck. I gave him a bowl of Kosher salt, a spray bottle, a lemon zester, and a plastic orange peeler to help him dig out the goodies. The Kosher salt worked great, because it was easy for him to pick up, and melted the ice really well. All in all, it took Ben over an hour. It was great fun on a hot day!

Later, even the neighbor boys helped out!

We have another ice treasure waiting for us in the freezer when Benny is ready!

Farewell Friends

2008-07-31T12:21:00.006-04:00

Summertime is often a big time for military moves, and this summer is no exception. Nearly everyone we know here has already moved, or will soon. Since we decided to stay here an extra year, that means most everyone that came in at the same with us is due to leave. Even our next door neighbors who are not military decided to move! Needless to say, this has been a big adjustment for Benny. He doesn't remember our other moves, so this is new to him. He doesn't understand why all of his friends (and ours) are leaving. So, we wanted to bid a fond farewell, to some of our favorite friends!

Jordan and Anna from next door were Benny's first friends here in Kansas. Jordan is three years older, and Anna one year older than Ben, but they always played so well together. We will miss them terribly, and our summer days have not been the same since they left. The kids could usually be found outside riding bikes, playing baseball or pretending to be pirates. Poor Anna is the only girl on the block (besides Sophie), as there are 11 boys within 5 houses. However, she was the closest in age to Benny, so they were great friends. Have I mentioned that we will miss them? (We miss you too, John and Wendy!)

Ella is an Army friend. Her Daddy worked with Nick, and our families were in the same big group of friends. Benny and Ella survived the deployment together, and both became older siblings while their Daddy's were gone. Lately, we have enjoyed meeting Ella at the pool, and attending General's baseball games together. And there have also been all of those Army parties together! Ben misses Ella already, and she just left yesterday!

Benny starts school in three weeks, and I am anxious for him to go so he can meet some new friends. I believe he is the only returning student. All of the other kids either moved away, or have moved on to kindergarten. He should be just fine though, he is a really outgoing little boy!

Singing in the Shower

2008-07-18T09:51:00.004-04:00

Last night Benny decided he wanted to take a shower. This is a rare event in our house, as he usually prefers baths. I was working on the computer when I heard him singing. It was so funny I had to get him to do it again. This is actually take three, because at the end he kept opening the curtain and I didn't think anyone cared to see Benny fully nude. Enjoy!

Happy 7th!

2008-07-15T09:37:00.003-04:00

Yesterday Nick and I celebrated our 7th wedding anniversary! Actually, we celebrated it on Saturday. We had our babysitter come (what did we do before her?), and we went into Manhattan to a really nice restaurant named Harry's. We had a fabulous meal, and then went out for drinks. We had a great time. I don't have any wedding pictures on our desktop-our wedding was at the dawn of the digital age. But, here is a photo from our honeymoon in Maui!

Happy Anniversary Nick!

Happy 4th!

2008-07-06T15:17:00.003-04:00

Happy 4th! Our family has been very busy over the last few days enjoying Independence Day and all of the celebrations! Junction City has a fest over the week of the 4th called Sundown Salute. We have spent a lot of time downtown watching shows and fireworks, listening to good music and riding a carnival ride or two.

Here is our "Little Sparkler" in the backyard on the Fourth. She loves waving her little flag, and had tons of fun waving it at the parade. In fact, I think she waved at everyone who walked by during the parade. She was exhausted at the end, and so was I! Nick had to work at the parade, so I took the kids by myself. The parade was huge and lasted a full hour and a half. By the end, we were very hot, sunburned and tired. I had no idea that is would last so long. The kids did have a lot of fun though. There were so many floats and trucks and motorcycles. I have never seen anything like it. There were even airplanes that flew overhead! Ben collected lots of candy and goodies. People in the parade also tossed out hot dogs, Popsicles, bottles of water and flags. It was quite the event!

On the evening of the 4th we decided to brave the carnival downtown. Ben was really excited to ride on the kiddie rides. Here he is in the front car of the kiddie roller coaster. He had a great time.

After the roller coaster, he chose to ride on the mini airplanes twice! We became very familiar with the man operating this ride. The first time Ben got on and then just before the ride started we had to pull him off because we could tell that he had to go to the bathroom really, really bad. After a quick trip to the restroom, we got back in line. Again, Ben jumped into the same orange and black plane. Soon after the ride started, he somehow managed to get his elbow stuck behind him. Ben was screaming and the man had to stop the ride to get him un-stuck. Meanwhile half of the kids on board started to get off because they thought the ride was over. We caused quite the commotion, but Ben really had a lot of fun. He even went on the plane ride again the next day.

On Saturday we headed back to Sundown Salute. We saw an Extreme Canines show and Wild about Monkeys. Ben laughed so hard at the crazy baboons. He also spent lots of time in the bouncy houses and on the one-man tug of war.

Finally before we left, we asked him if he wanted to get his face painted. To our surprise (shock actually), he said yes! Ben has never been a kid who was interested in that sort of thing. He has never had his face painted before, and until recently wouldn't even put on a temporary tattoo or even a band aid. He decided he wanted to be Batman. I'm not sure what we were thinking when we said yes. His Batman mask was a whole lot of black paint, and it was 92 degrees out. He thought it was great though, and I was happy that he tried something new.

We hope you all enjoyed your 4th of July Celebrations!

Toga, Toga!

2008-06-26T09:49:00.002-04:00

Over the weekend, Nick and I went to a Toga party! It was a first for both of us-somehow I made it through college without attending such an event.

The Triumph was held on Fort Riley at the House of Labournii (Major Laybourn that is), and the host and hostess went all out with this themed party.

Here are bits of the hilarious invitation:

Please dress appropriately! Guests are reminded that is is 32 B.C. so no futuristic fanciful outfits will be tolerated; only tunics, gowns, togas and other appropriate ancient attire. Yes, even barbarians from Britannia, Gaul and Germania are welcome to wear their customary dress.

Tribunes and Matrons only please, as it would offend the Gods if children who have not yet reached their 21st year attend.

To appease the God's, please bring an appetizer or bottle of wine for your sacrifice.

So, we found a baby sitter and hopped online to order some costumes.

Nick went as Mark Anthony, and I as Hera, Goddess of Olympia. I chose my costume since it wasn't slit up to the waist, and had a fair amount of fabric. I hadn't realized all the costumes had become 'sexy'!

Our baby sitter told us we were 'cool' for going to a toga party, and Ben was pretty upset that he was not invited. He does love to dress up. As we were leaving the house, Sophie kept staring at me as if to say "What have you done with my mother?".

Here are two of my friends from our Thursday night dinner club. Angie went as Discordia, the Goddess of Disarray and I'm not sure who Karen was, but she looked very nice. Tom Laybourn made all of the decorations, and was very proud of his columns. Butterscotch the horse greeted guests as they arrived.

Only a few brave soles did not come in costume. The party was a huge hit, and it was apparent that everyone spent much time and consideration on their costumes. There was a wide array of Romans, Gladiators, Senators and Goddesses.

Below, Tom Laybourn, Caesar himself, and Nick pose for a picture. Nick actually came in second for the best men's costume. What a great party idea!

Mr. Toad's Wild Ride

2008-06-19T09:27:00.003-04:00

We named him Teddy, and thank God that he has escaped! Little Pa built Benny and Sophie a sandbox in our backyard over the weekend, and almost immediately Teddy appeared. Benny has never been much for touching slimy things, but he loved playing with this little toad. I'd bet that they played non-stop for two hours in the sandbox, and on the neighbor's swing set. Yup, poor Teddy went down the slide. Teddy also drove Ben's dump truck, and took a little rest in Ben's crocs.

When it was time for dinner, we convinced Ben that Teddy had to remain outside in the sandbox. Thankfully for Teddy, he escaped while we ate. Poor guy, I was beginning to wonder how much he could take.

I'm sure that we will find Teddy or a close relative again sometime soon-that is if we haven't scared the toads off for good!

Farewell, 1-4 CAV

2008-06-16T17:11:00.003-04:00

Today, we said farewell to our second tour with "the CAV". This morning, Nick relinquished his Command of Apache (formally Anvil) Troop, 1st Squadron, 4th US Cavalry Regiment. I think it's possible that Nick holds the record for positions held within the same Troop of the same Squadron. Nick has held the positions of Tank Platoon Leader, Scout Platoon Leader, Executive Officer, and Troop Commander all in A Troop, 1-4 CAV. Really, it's just a strange coincidence that Nick took Command of this Troop when it moved from Germany, but it must have been fate! His time with the Troop has really been memorable, and it is bittersweet for us to move on.

Before the ceremony, Nick's commander, LTC Jim Crider awarded him with the Meritorious Service Medal for his time Commanding in 1-4 CAV. Sophie loves to have her picture taken, and as you can see, she is waving to the camera! We were really lucky to have Nick's parents join us for the occasion. Between three adults, we were able to keep Ben and Sophie still for the ceremony. Unfortunately, we didn't get a picture taken with all of us.

If you aren't familiar with Army tradition, this was your typical ceremony. The guidon (red and white flag pictured below) belongs to Nick's Troop, and flies wherever Nick is located. It was outside his office while he was at work, and was also in Iraq with him. Here Nick is taking the guidon from his 1st Sergent. After Nick took the guidon, he then passed it to the Squadron Commander who in turn presented it to the incoming Troop Commander. Then the Squadron Commander made some nice comments about Nick. Next Nick made a speech about his time in Command. Finally, the incoming Commander made a few short remarks.

Here is Nick, his Squadron Commander and the incomming Troop Commander, CPT Adkins.

We have so many memories with 1-4 CAV, it will seem strange to move on. But, I know that it is time. We have spent 6 long years (some longer than others) with this unit. Our next unit is going to take us in very different directions, but we are up for the challenge. As Nick said when he closed his speech today, "Apache 6 Out!"

Cute Moments

2008-06-07T16:40:00.006-04:00

Sophie has taken an interest in wearing other people's sunglasses lately. We bought her a sweet little pink pair of her own, but she refuses to leave them on. While we were home in Michigan she found this pair belonging to Nick's Aunt Sue. She entertained herself for quite awhile with these.

Doesn't she look beautiful?

Sophie learned how to play peekaboo while we were home. I had yet been able to catch her on film doing it though. Today Nick was able to get her to perform!

Last night the four of us went to a Junction City Generals baseball game. The General's are a semi-pro team here in town, and the games are really fun. They are very family friendly, and we always have a great time. As we were driving to the game, I realized I had forgotten my camera. I figured it wasn't a big deal, because we would probably be going to a game every weekend for the rest of the summer. Boy was I wrong! I missed several cute moments!

While the rest of us sat up in the stands, Benny wanted to be a little closer. He found the perfect seat right up behind home plate. He's a friendly kid and was all smiles as people passed. Eventually the General's mascot came by. Before we knew it, Benny was down on the ground doing push-ups with him. We could see the mascot directing Benny to do things, and then Benny would do them. It was really cute. When the General left, Benny came running up to us to tell us all about it. Nick asked him what the General had told him. Ben's response? "Silly, mascots don't talk, you know that!" What a funny boy!

Ben resumed his seat up close. A few innings later, we saw a young female employee talking to him. Next thing we know, they are climbing up the stands to ask us if Benny could be a guest announcer during the sixth inning! Benny was all for it, and went with the girl back to his seat. She had a microphone with her and they sat right there and announced the inning. She would whisper to Benny what to say and he would repeat it. First, 'Hi, I'm Benjamin, and I'm your guest announcer!" Then he announced each player and their position as they came up to the plate. He even got to yell "Home run!" when the General's knocked one out of the park. Each time after he spoke he would look up at us and smile and wave. He was so excited. It's going to be hard to top that at the General's game next weekend!

Such a cute moment, and no pictures to prove it!

More cute moments to come......

Michigan Marathon

2008-06-05T16:32:00.013-04:00

We have just returned from a two week trip to Michigan, and we are exhausted! Our trip was jam packed with fun and family. We didn't get to do as many things are we had hoped, and we certainly didn't get to see all of our friends, but we came close!

Memorial Day weekend started with Nick and his Dad taking Benny to a parade in Grand Ledge, Nick's hometown. Benny had a great time and proudly came home with a big American flag.

The next day, Nick's brother Matt and his girlfriend Jackie came into town. Along with Nick's parents, we all went to a Lansing Lugnuts baseball game. It was kid's day, so there were many activities for Ben to do. Here he is meeting the mascot, Big Lug!

On Memorial Day, Nick, Matt, Big Pa and Little Pa golfed 18 holes while the girls went shopping. We had a BBQ to celebrate later in the day.

Later in the week, Nick and I took the kids to Potter Park, the zoo in Lansing. We had a really fun day. The zoo is small, but really nice. Ben played on the playground, and Sophie went in a swing for the first time. I can't believe she hadn't been in one before, but by the time she was big enough, it was winter here. Don't let this picture fool you-she really wasn't sure about the swing. I'm not sure she breathed for the first 15 seconds in, but gradually she seemed to enjoy it a bit more. Sophie insisted on walking most of the small zoo. For the first time she also seemed to take an interest in the animals. After the zoo, we went to East Lansing for dinner at El Azteco-our favorite local mexican dive. Nick and I really like to eat there when we are in town.

Believe it or not, our big day continued after dinner. When we finished eating, we headed to a hockey game! Nick's cousin Jonathan plays in a high school league, even though he is in 8th grade. Ben had never seen hockey before, but now proudly declares it his favorite sport! He loved watching the game up close. You should have seen him jump when the players hit the glass!

Friday night was date night for Nick and I! We haven't been on a non Army event related date in over three years! We really, really need to find a babysitter in Kansas! Nick's parents kept Benny for the night, and my parents took Sophie. Nick and I had dinner, did a little shopping and then had ice cream at Coldstone. The best part was that we were able to stay at the Wild Goose Inn in East Lansing. It is this amazing little Bed and Breakfast right next to the campus at MSU.

The next morning we were off again! My cousin Sam, was having his High School Graduation Open House. There we were able to see all of my mom's family. It was so nice for Nick to see them too, as it had been a long while. It was a great party, but somehow I don't have any pictures!

That night we headed an hour south to see my dad's family. My Uncle Gerry was having a retirement party. There we were able to see my dad's large family. Again, we had a wonderful time.

The next day brought us two more parties! A graduation breakfast for Sam, and a Welcome Home Nick/50th Birthday party for Nick's mom, Kim! (Now you know why I haven't blogged in two weeks-we were non-stop busy!)

Here is Nick with the awesome cake we had for the party. He was so busy talking, I don't think he ever had a piece.

Ben stopped playing for a minute to take a quick family photo minus Sophie who was napping.

The party mostly consisted of Nick's very, very large family. Everyone was there, which is hard to believe considering how many people that is. Nick and his brother are 15 and 10 years older than their next cousin. After that, there has pretty much been a Cook baby born every year. Here they all are together, plus Benny and Sophie. By last count there were 13 cousins ranging in age from almost 2 to 30!

Here is another family photo, this time of Nick's parents, Matt, Jackie and our family. This may be Nick's mom's Christmas card photo!

As you can see, we had a very busy two weeks. I didn't get to see any of my friends. Hopefully there will be time for that later in the year. We would love to head home to Michigan later in the summer, but with Nick's new job, we don't know what his schedule will be like.

Thanks to all of our family who made our time home so special!

Let them eat cake!

2008-05-20T08:28:00.003-04:00

We finally had a belated birthday for Sophie and her friend Jackson. I figured these two needed to eat some cake. We did have plans for a bigger party, but by the time both Daddy's returned from Iraq and got settled in, it just never seemed to transpire. So, on Sunday, we had a little cookout with Jackson's parents, JJ and Piper, and our friends Ben and Adrianne. It was a beautiful day for a BBQ and we had a wonderful time being together.

Here are the guests of honor!

I made a very messy chocolate layer cake that really seemed to be affected by the 85 degree heat. By all accounts it tasted good, it just wasn't very pretty. We sang to the kids and put them in their high chairs to get that first taste of chocolate. Of course Sophie dug in right away and thoroughly enjoyed her treat. Jackson was not so sure he wanted to touch my chocolate mess and didn't eat much. For that matter, he didn't make a mess either-no fun! I think Sophie stayed relatively clean considering her food usually ends up in her hair when she gets bored.

Happy Belated 1st Birthday Jackson and Sophie!

Everything's up to date in KC!

2008-05-19T09:06:00.004-04:00

Last week we took a mini vacation to Kansas City. Nick has started leave, so we figured we should do something fun!

Our trip started out at the Great Wolf Lodge in Kansas City. For those of you who don't know, Great Wolf is a huge indoor waterpark and Wilderness themed hotel all in one. We reserved a room with a special kiddie corner complete with three bunks and it's own TV. Ben loved the bunk beds and enjoyed watching cartoons from the top bunk. Before we checked in we stopped at the Cabela's store (where that now infamous baseball hat came from), and Benny bought an old-fashioned wooden pop gun. He had many opportunities to 'hunt' in our room. He spent so much time shooting the deer, moose and raccoons that were featured in his bunk area. He was having so much fun that he wasn't sure he wanted to go to the waterpark!

Eventually, we got the kids in their suits and headed to the park. There were all kinds of slides, a lazy river, hot tubs, and a huge fort that is full of sprinklers, water guns, and has a bucket that dumps 1,000 gallons of water every five minutes. We all had so much fun! I didn't take the camera to the waterpark for obvious reasons, but trust me, it was great! We spent some time on the fort, but our favorite area was the kiddie pool. It had a zero depth entry, so Sophie could walk right in. She loved the water, and had a great time splashing. We had to put her in a little life vest when she got too daring. Ben is not very adventurous, but he did get really good at going down the mini water slide and landing on his feet in the pool. We even put Sophie down the slide once, but she looked terrified so we didn't do it again. Here is Sophie in her swimsuit cover-up ready for the pool.

We swam a little bit the next day, and after check-out we headed to downtown Kansas City. There we went to Union Station-the train station for KC. Union Station is full of museums and exhibits. We went to Science City, an interactive kids science museum. Again, we had so much fun! I think Benny's favorite part was digging for dinosaur bones. This exhibit was really neat, because the 'dirt' that covers the fossils is really pulverized rubber from old tires. We looked for bones for awhile then went on to explore the human body, a music room, a space ship and many other fun things. Ben also spent a lot of time at the water table with Nick trying to create dams and rivers and then float a boat through.

After we were exhausted by our trip to Science City, we left to find another hotel. Nick got us checked into a Holiday Inn while the kids were napping in the car, and then we headed on to find another adventure. This time we headed to a big mall in KC. When the kids woke up, we took them in and had dinner at the Rainforest Cafe'. Ben's favorite part was watching a man make balloon animals at the customer's tables. When it was his turn, he decided that he wanted a white monkey. After dinner we headed back to the hotel. Ben wanted to swim, but we discovered that the only pool was outdoors. Thankfully, we convinced him that it probably wasn't warm enough to swim outside. I think we were all too tired anyhow.

The next morning we were off again. We had tickets for a Kansas City Royals/Detroit Tigers baseball game. We met our friends Ben and Adrianne and their daughter Emily there. The kids were all really good at the game. We were all rooting for the Tigers, our favorite team, but they couldn't manage to pull out a win for us. We really felt like the outsiders in all of our Tiger's gear in Kansas City. We would have been rooting for KC had they been playing anyone else....

We had a fabulous time on our little mini vacation. We are getting ready to head home to Michigan soon. Nick is really excited to see our families after being gone from home for so long. We had thought of taking another mini vacation to Chicago from Michigan, but now we are rethinking-maybe we should just rest.....

Mother's Day

2008-05-12T14:35:00.002-04:00

Happy Mother's Day to all my mommy friends! I am so thankful to God and to my children for making me a mother. What a wonderful thing to be! We celebrated the day by going to church followed by lunch. Later, our friends Ben and Adrianne came over for a simple dinner. We tried to take some family photos by our Iris, which are in bloom. However, Sophie was more interested in trying to pick them (and eat them). We had a wonderful day. It's so good to be a mommy.

Ceremonies

2008-05-10T17:13:00.003-04:00

This week has been full of Army Ceremonies. With 4th Brigade, Infantry Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division fully redeployed from Iraq, there have been lots of Change of Command and Award Ceremonies. We attended just two of these events this week at Fort Riley.

On Tuesday, the kids and I went to an Award Ceremony for Nick's unit, 1-4 CAV. Some 450 soldiers received awards such as the Army Meritorious Service Medal, Army Commendation Medal and Bronze Star. It really was a sight to see. The ceremony lasted nearly 2 hours. Both kids did great sitting through all of the awards. Pictured above is Nick's, XO (Executive Officer), Lt. Koky Sisoura receiving his Bronze Star from Lt Col Crider, the unit Commander. Nick received one also, but someone walked right in front of me while I was taking the picture.

On Thursday, we attended a Change of Command Ceremony for the 4th Brigade Commander, Colonel Ricky Gibbs (aka the big boss!). This was by far the coolest Army Ceremony I have ever attended (and I've been to lots). Fort Riley is steeped in tradition, since it is the home of the Cavalry. Custer was stationed here before the Battle of Little Big Horn. There was a Period Cannon Demonstration, and all the other usual Army Ceremony events such as Inspection of the Troops, Passing of the Colors, remarks by the outgoing and incoming Commanders, and the playing of The Big Red One Song and The Army Song.

Pictured above COL Gibbs and Commanding General Durbin inspect the troops. Six Battalion sized units stand behind them in formation. They are riding in an antique half-track vehicle, which is normally on display at the Cavalry Museum here. Ben really loved it when they drove by us twice!

At the conclusion of the ceremony, the troops all pass by the Commanding General for a second inspection. This is called the Pass and Review. Below you will see Nick's unit, preparing to pass by. Nick is the second soldier from the left.

Here at Fort Riley the Commanding General has his own Mounted Color Guard. At the beginning of the ceremony, they presented both the incoming Commanders wife and outgoing Commanders wife with roses. In turn they presented the horses with a basket of carrots. Here the horses are in formation preparing to pass by the General. The soldiers riding them wear period Cavalry uniforms. It is their full time job to work with the horses.

The conclusion of the ceremony was our favorite part. I only wish I had a video of it. Unfortunately, I had already put my camera away. After they fired the cannon to conclude the ceremony, the Mounted Color Guard did a Cavalry charge down the length of the parade field. The whole time they were firing their pistols. It was really, really awesome to see the horses running at full speed just 20 feet in front of us. Ben loved it!

Nick will be having his Change of Command on June 16, after we return from 30 days of leave! He is both excited and sad to leave. He really will miss working with his soldiers, but at the same time, he really needs a break! I am not sure his next job will be very relaxing, but at least he will not have to be responsible for 90 guys. What is his next job? It has finally been confirmed that Nick will be the Aide to the Commanding General here at Fort Riley. This will allow us to stay here at least another year and a half. Nick is really excited for this opportunity. The current Commanding General is a West Point graduate with an engineering background just like Nick. He is also an Armor officer, just like Nick. I think that Nick is going to have a great mentor. It is not a deployable job, but Nick will have to accompany the General on any short trips he may make around the country and to Iraq/Afghanistan. Anything will be better than 14 months away from home!

Wii are having fun!

2008-05-06T12:19:00.002-04:00

Some random fun things from this past week:

I'm not sure what possessed a fully grown man to climb into a crib, but he did. When Sophie woke up from her nap, Nick went to get her. When he didn't come back, I went to check on them. This is what I found!

Yes folks, we bought a Wii, I don't want you to think my spelling is that bad! Nick and I have always said that we wouldn't do video games with the kids. However, I think the Wii is different, and lets be honest, it's really more of a toy for Nick! If you aren't familiar with the Wii, it's a video game system that is fully interactive. The sports are really fun. You have to swing the controller like a golf club or tennis racket. Those are my favorite to play. Nick and I played 9 holes of golf while Ben was at school the other day. Of course he won, I may have to practice while he is at work. We also have the Olympic games disc which is really fun. Last night we played with our friends from Germany, Ben and Adrianne. We had so much fun competing and cheering each other on!

More on Ben and Adrianne.....Ben returned from Iraq last week, and is finishing up some time at Fort Riley before he 'gets out' of the Army in June. It is so much fun to have them here and get to see their little girl Emily.

Here are Sophie and Emily. This is a rare photo of Emily with a bow. Sophie does not like them in her own hair, so she usually removes Emily's too.

Here are all of the kiddos posing on the couch. Ben is holding Sophie so she wouldn't jump off!

This photo was just too funny not to post. Sophie was trying to play the drums on Emily's head-notice there is no bow. Poor Emily....

Sophie had her 1 year check up yesterday. She weighed in at 19 pounds, 15 oz and was 28.5 inches tall. That puts her in the 25th percentile for both. It's funny, because neither of my kids have ever left the 25th percential-ever. Nick was supposed to accompany me to the hospital, but had to go to a meeting instead. So, I had to take both kids. I really should have found someplace else for Ben to go, because he cried harder than Sophie did when she got her shots. He knows he has to get shots when he turns 5, and is already dreading it. Then he really fell apart in the lab when she got her finger poked. I really tried to convince him to stay in the waiting room, but he insisted on coming. Poor boy, he's so sensitive.