Graduation

Videos aren't working right now...will work on it tomorrow.

So much going on

Well loyal blog readers, I'm so sorry to disappoint you with my lack of blogging.  There are many times in the course of the day's events that I think "Hmm, need to put that on my blog," but it doesn't make it.  We've had a busy week here.  Some high/lowlights:

• I'm on an antibiotic now for this respiratory infection I've had for weeks.  This means no more nursing for Benjamin.  Now I know many of you are probably like "what? He was STILL nursing?"  Yup.  And he had no intention of giving it up anytime soon.  This was forced on him, rather traumatically.  The first night was HORRID.  He's gotten a little bit better with each day and night.  It was going to happen by the time he turned two, but this forced it a little sooner.
• Daycare classes graduated last night so Addie will move up to the 3's room on Monday. Yes, she's been 3 since May, but they were at capacity when we started at this center, so she's been held back with the 2's.  There's actually a whole cohort of them who will move together on Monday.  Ben will move up to the 2's in November, when he turns 2.  Anyway, there was a whole program that was put on. I have video which I promise to put up on here this weekend.
• We've had a media circus going on here for days, outside of Joe Biden's house.  In the event that he was going to spill to the media that he was being chosen as Barack's running mate.  Well, at 3:04am my friend Barack texted me and told me Joe was the one.  I don't think it was the timing Barack's group was planning on, but nevertheless 3:04am it was. Cool.

Finally, I thought of one way you know each of my children is home at our house:

Ben- if the oven light is on.  He CANNOT walk into the kitchen without turning this light on.  I've never had to replace an oven lightbulb before, but I'm fully expecting anyday now I'll be learning how.

Addie- if her underwear and shorts/skirt/pants are on the floor.  Seriously, she's a nudist and proudly so.  Actually she's not a full nudist.  Kind of like people who are semi-vegetarians, Addie is a semi-nudist.  Luckily her semi-nudist comfort only seems to be at our house and Muddy and Guppy's house!

Things I love...

About Benjamin:

• His persistence.  Man, he does not give up.  Doesn't matter if he gets hurt, hears no, what have you. If Ben wants it, he won't give up.  Sometimes this results in him yelling, "Mommy, more" of the like, but I give him credit.  He'll also continue to jump/chase/play with someone long after they've lost interest.  He commits and that's it. :)
• His language.  He's saying everything nowadays.  He clearly knows all of our close relatives by name.  He also knows association to relationships too.  So Addie can't possibly get by with just mentioning Uncle Jeremy, Ben must chime in with Aunt Amanda.  I guess he's an includer as well.   Ben also gives love and affection freely.  He says I love you on his own now, and gives hugs where he buries his face in my shoulder that make me squeeze him tighter.
• His love of fun.  This kid is all about a good time. See the first bullet.  He'll jump off of anything, if he thinks it'll be fun.  He's got no fear. (DISCLAIMER: Ok, so I don't love his fearlessness. In fact, it terrifies me. Anyone who is here on a weekend with us knows most of my weekend is spent in near cardiac arrest, nearly fainting with anxiety and fear.)  Ben loves to laugh.  He loves to provoke the hard-can't-breathe-belly laughs on a regular basis

About Addie:

• Her sense of humor.  She gets it.  She understands tone and inflection and plays it up.  On many occasions we'll play "where's Ben?" This means Ben covers his eyes and he magically disappears from our sight.  Addie play it up so well.  She'll give the exact same exasperated sounding  distraughtness, "Oh my goodness, I can't find Ben anywhere.  Where could he be?"  
• Her hot-button.  As much as Addie and Ben pick at each other, when it comes down to it, she protects him so much.  The sure fire way to irritate Addie is to say that Ben belongs to someone other than her.  At daycare the kids have figured this out, so they go right for the jugular.  "Ben is mine, not yours," evokes a long tirade from Addie that is almost worth recording for prosperity.  Addie knows to go right to the authority, to double-check that Ben indeed is hers.  Miss Brandy, her teacher, tells me each day that so-and-so told Addie that Ben is theirs and all hell broke loose. 
• Her default dance.  Anytime music comes on that she knows, which is basically everything, Addie's default dance is "The Aloof" portion of "The Frug" which is a dance from the 60's.  Addie goes right into her arms straight out in front of her and alternates them up and down.  It's hysterical.  Wait til she hears the Jonas Brothers, the Frug comes out full swing!!

So many things...

Sorry for not doing a whole storyline here, but here are the current highlights in my life:

~ I have a fever for the first time in my adult life.  Weird. I feel like crap, but must go about my life as usual, because Hey, I'm a mom and an employee.

~ Addie and Ben love to play guessing games.  Just about every car ride revolves around me giving them clues, to figure something out.  Addie then gives me clues and sometimes I'm really blown away with her ability to reason and put descriptors together.

~ Love the Olympics, don't love the late night events. I know they changed them for the US, so it could air live, but man alive- I'm not waiting up each night to watch things.  Thank God for DVR and for the internet!

~ I attended my first M&M casestudy at work today...It stands for something... medicine moratorium or something....anyway- it revolved around a 5 year old boy who suffered a spinal cord injury while riding on an ATV.  He now uses a wheelchair and has no sensation or ability to move below his chin.  For real.  Makes me damn sure my kids will never be on an ATV and you better believe if anyone I know has one, I'll be sharing this story with them.  The poor kid is ventilator dependent now and is having a rough time in general.  Not fun.  As one of my social work buddies says, ATV means A Trauma Victim.  

Pictorial

My new desktop

Watching the Olympic opening ceremony with Aunt Kim and Brandy

Addie, Ben and their 5 year old cousin Matthew, who we met yesterday for the first time.  He's Guppy's biological son's son.

Guppy, who still manages to forget that the moonbounce walls are inflatable and nets...Yes, his bum is on the ground in this picture. 

I just thought this is a cool one of me. 

We enjoyed an awesome thunder, lightening and hail storm this morning, after going to breakfast with Onkteb and Aunt Gail!!

Let's try these pictures again....

"Hi, I'm Guppy and I enjoy lounging in moonbounces."

Can't get much better than both grandmothers bouncing together!

A rare photograph of Brian's Dad/Poppop

My ham of a daughter.  Cool that I'm in the background.

This is the actual angle of this picture.  Cool too.

A neat action shot, with Guppy looking on in the back!

Hey readers!

Ok, sorry, but there are errors uploading pictures right now....so no pics of this weekend to post right now.

We have so much to look forward to in the coming months!  There will be 12, yes, 12, of us going to Disney!! Isn't that awesome?  We are so psyched.  Addie and Ben have no clue! :)  Pretty cool to have that many people interested in spending time with my children.  That's humbling. 

Brian and I are going up to NYC to the US Open the last weekend of August. His parents will be staying with Addie and Ben that weekend.  That'll be a nice break for us.  We're looking forward to that.

Onkteb and Aunt Gail are moving to Hudson, MA next week.  Their new place is HUGE, so we may be going up to visit this fall, and maybe stopping by New Hampshire on the way. 

I love this time of year, as the fall approaches.

Oh yeah and starting in September, our Saturday mornings will be busy with gymnastics classes!!  Addie will be by herself.  Ben needs a parent with him.  I can't wait!