Playing Catch Up - June

So, I'm staring at piles of rubbish.

What are you staring at?

I'm going to try to update you on what's happened in the last month, but it's all scattered over my tiny desk and I don't know where to start! We went to Colorado last month for Jason's family reunion, which was wonderful. I usually write little ditty's about the boys on my calendar. It's a good way to keep it all together and since it's on a calendar, I know when they said it and how old they were. Sometimes even I can have great ideas! Well this works well...when you write stuff down. If you are like me, you've pulled your calendar off the wall, to reference some important date, and forgot to put it back up for three weeks. If your like me, you went on vacation and wrote little Ben and Andrew-ism's on napkins and printouts of maps, hording them in a glove box like precious gems. If your like me, you can't even remember if last week even happened, because you were so caught up in Vacation Bible School at church!

I have resigned myself to the fact that I've missed something. Some precious thing they either said or did has been forgotten, because I didn't write it down. And although it's nothing that will stop your world or mine, it's a lost nugget that I would have attributed to either their precociousness or mischievousness.

Hopefully you'll make due with what I do have! And so it begins...

Our anniversary was June 3rd. Jason and I have been happily married for eight years. We got married in another lifetime it seems. One where we were young and staring the world in the face, hand in hand. We were married three years before we had Ben, and I can honestly say that we can barely remember those three years. It feels more like three days. So, anyways...eight years. Jason always said that he picked the year, because whatever the year was, that was what anniversary it was. So, he'd never be trapped by the "how long have you been married?" question. He's a thinker, ladies and gentlemen! And he's mine! Anywho, so we went out to celebrate and my mom watched the boys for us. I'm sure they did fun things that no mother would ever let her kids do, but it's OK to do with Nana. Near the end of the evening Ben looked at Nana and said, "Nana, you're old." She kind of laughed and said, "I am? Can you think of anyone older than me?" And he said, "No." "Well, what about your Meena, or Papa?" she asked. "No, you're older than them," he said. "Well, maybe not Papa Great." So we were promptly informed when we got home that the only person older than Nana is Ben's great grandpa!

Before we left for our trip to Colorado we got Ben and Andrew new toys to play with when we got there. Ben has been asking for a pirate ship for a long time now, so that's what we got him. We meant to show it to him when we got there, but the morning of our trip, Jason came to tell me that Ben found it. I had hidden it on my side of the room in a trash sack. I either don't hide things well, or he can sniff out a new toy. So, the whole way there, (which took us almost two whole days) we were asked, "Mom, Dad, we need to get the pirate boat out." We kept telling him that it was for the lodge and it had too many little pieces. "But I just want to LOOK at it," he kept telling us! So, he settled for staring wistfully at it for awhile and over the hours the boat kept creeping closer to him in the car, and the next thing we know, it's sitting square on his lap and he's gently fingering the sails.

Ben's favorite part of the trip was the hotels. He loved the pools, the elevator and the food. He kept telling Jason, "This hotel is fun. Can we stay here?" He also learned how to say "Ladies first" when the elevator doors opened.

In the van, Ben said, "This sure has been a fun day. First we were at the hotel, swimming, now we're going to the mountains!"

Our biggest problem on the trip was bathroom breaks. Thank goodness we have boys! I'm not sure if you all know this, but between OK and CO there is NOTHING! There are barely bathrooms along the way, and I don't know what it is about little kids, but they basically turn to water if the sit still for too long. We would be about 5 miles from an exit saying, "Ben, do you have to go to the bathroom?" It was always, "No". And we were inclined to believe him, because he just went an hour or two ago, and he doesn't go that often at home. So we'd pass an exit and 10 miles later, you'd think it was leaking out his ears, as bad as he said he'd have to go. He watered many a wildflower in Kansas. On one occasion he decided he had to go and started thrashing. We tried taking his mind off it till the next exit and he'd calm down. The next we know he says, "Hey! My pee gave up! I don't have to go anymore!" Later that same day, it happened again, except we heard him say, "Hurry, my pee's not giving up!"

We ate pizza one night and Jason asked Ben if he wanted another piece. Ben promptly pulled up his shirt while gesturing to his dad, "Look at my belly, Dad. Does it look like it can hold another piece of pizza?!"

Although Andrew isn't talking very much yet, he is still very active. He likes to imitate noises and actions, especially his brother's. He says, "All done" sometimes when he's done eating. When we sit down to pray he holds out both of his hands for Daddy and I to grasp while Ben prays. And it's his job to push the garage door button when we get home. He's a very happy content boy. Unless you try to take something from him. If Ben tries to take one of markers back from Rew, he will howl and scream. If you even look at the toy in his hands he'll screech and holler at you. But he also loves to give hugs and kisses. We were in the backyard this afternoon, and I was sitting and watching the boys in the pool. Andrew climbs out of the pool and wanders in my direction. He comes over and "talks" to me for awhile and it sounds like he's saying "lap". Next thing I know, his chubby little knee if working it's way onto my lap and he's hoisting his drippy body up into my lap. He sits on his knees on my lap, looks me in the eyes, and starts talking quietly and gently to me. Then he puts his head on my chest and hugs me. It was terribly sweet, even with the sopping lap.

And those are my boys. I think you can glean a little of their personalities from these stories! I hope you enjoy hearing about them, as much as we enjoy being with them! We love you all!