The Whole Box?

The conversation went like this:
Me: what do you want for a snack, Ben?
Ben: (looking around) hmmm... (looks in cupboard) crackers
Me: you want these crackers? (holding up Ritz box)
Ben: Yes!
Me: okay (I get a bowl out)
Ben: no, no mom. i'll take the box.
Me: the whole box?
Ben: YEAH!!!!

Snack Time...

Snack time used to be easy... I would simply make them whatever I wanted, set it out, and usually throw most of it away because they didn't want to sit still long enough to eat it. The sitting still part hasn't changed too much, but now they want specific foods in certain colored bowls and whatever kind of juice I haven't opened yet served up in the right cups...

Ben wanted Cheerios in a purple bowl and then wanted some ritz crackers with cheese on top of the O's....



Just crackers with cheese for Conner and he made sure he got his new blue cup with the cars...

Ring Around the Rosie!

This is Ben and Conner's version of "ring around the rosie".... they add a bit more danger to the activity and prove that you really don't have to follow along to the music!

Nightly List!

Almost every night we try to go through the list of things that the boys are not supposed to do in the morning before Mommy gets up... It goes like this... "No table" (they love to climb up on the changing table that they have nearly destroyed), "No closet" (their poor closet door!), and "No basket" (they think it's hilarious to throw all of the clothes from their laundry basket all over the place.. I disagree). They have been doing pretty well with this lately. Yesterday they discovered that it is very fun to jump off their beds... Last week we removed the side rails from their beds because the guys had really damaged them (I know... weird...) There have been a few nights where we hear one of them fall out of bed while they're sleeping but luckily they have just gone right back to sleep after we scoop them off the floor. Their beds aren't that far off the ground. The problem with jumping off their beds is that they get pretty wild with it and try to jump off at the same time and I can just picture them slamming into each other and getting hurt. Hopefully that won't ever happen! So for now, we will add "No jumping off bed" to our nightly list.



This morning while I was in the shower, I could hear them jumping off their beds and then I heard Ben start crying. I jumped out and ran to their room, but Ben was "all better" by then... not sure what exactly happened. I kind of wanted to get a picture of one of them jumping but I wasn't about to tell them to do what I had been scolding them for, so here's a picture of them after their jumping routine and before they both stripped off their jammies! Their hair is looking extra awesome this morning.... especially Conner's!

Updates...

I so enjoyed last week with Nick, Ben, and Conner here with me everyday. It was the best vacation we have ever had! We got to do so many activities and never had to go too far from home. The boys loved having Daddy here all the time. But this week, it was back to work and school...

Health Update... We have been blessed with zero seizures for the past month! We still have some medication issues to work out with Conner, but for now the meds are working! We have greatly enjoyed the break from all the seizure scares. We have stayed out of the hospital since last year, so we are loving that as well!

Potty Update... (sigh)... Someday we will get it figured out! They are both doing much better though. Conner pees in the potty on a regualr basis if he has his underwear on. Ben has made it into a competition so that everytime Conner goes, Ben says that he has to go more! This is not always the case and has led to a few accidents. They both refuse to believe that it is okay to poop in the potty so we have yet to experience that!

Speech Update... Ben is talking so good now. He surprises us all the time with what he says. New words everyday! Conner is really starting to catch up. His medications were hindering his speech (and they still might be) but he is starting to say new words now. It is nice to be able to have little conversations with the little guys!

Behavior Update... Ben is still his wild little self. Nothing slows that kid down. He is usually very happy and almost always excited about something! Conner is still our little observer. He watches everything! He is also getting quite the little attitude. His favorite pose lately is to cross his arms in front of his chest and say "no, don't want to." Put these two together and you always have a situation in which an adult must be present at all times!!! Although they can be very nice to each other, they also seem to fight more now too. I suppose that's just part of being brothers!

Just wanted to get a few updates jotted down to help you keep with us!

Wasserbahn!

On Thursday we traveled to Amana and stayed at Wasserbahn water park. The boys had soooo much fun!!! They loved the water! They also loved going down the water slide with Dad. (I wouldn't let them go by themselves!) I tried so hard to get them to look at me for a picture, but they had other plans...

After swimming and playing water basketball we went back to our suite (the equivalent of two hotel rooms!) and enjoyed snacks and hanging out together!

Conner started to show the first signs of being tired...

Conner and Ben found the pens and pads of paper and put them to good use...

Conner...

Ben...

We had a great time! The only thing that would have made it better is if two little boys would have slept in on Friday morning...

Fun, Fun, and More Fun!

This morning we found ourselves back at the Playstation. We figured it wouldn't be too busy and it would fill up our morning. We were right on both counts and it was very fun to watch the guys act like they owned the place!





Nick explored the whole place as well and he decided that this slide was his favorite!!!



The afternoon brought so much sunshine and as soon as the boys were done napping (another day that I use the term napping very loosely... they seem to have forgotten just how to take a good nap this week!) we went right outside and rode bikes, drove cars, mowed, used chalk and ran around for a couple of hours. It was a great time for all of us!

Of course the guys had to take time out from playing to help Daddy... one of their very favorite things to do!

Ben discovered that it was very fun to drive his car down the slope in the front yard and see how fast he could get going!



Then Dad would give him a ride back up the sidewalk!

Conner enjoyed this activity too, but he was very careful to not get going too fast...

Nick's idea of romance...

Back to Bikes...

After a very frustrating "nap time" (in which not much napping actually occured) we asked the boys if they would like to take their bikes outside to ride. They instantly started screaming "yea" and searching for their shoes and sweatshirts. They are definitely happier little guys when we can get outside! It was a little chilly but we all appreciated the fresh air!

Conner mostly stuck to riding in circles...



Ben got going a little too fast a few times so he took a couple of spills. He's a pretty tough guy though and we applauded his efforts to catch himself as he was falling. One time, Nick caught Ben as he was tipping over and Ben said "good catch Daddy!" We got a good chuckle...

Nick and I were both amazed at how the boys can reach the pedals so much easier now! They ARE actually growing!!! It was pretty cool to watch them...

Playstation Fun!

We took the boys to the Playstation this morning to use up some of their energy!!! I forgot my camera but I got a few pictures on my phone.

Nick and Ben in the ball pit...



Ben and Conner are up there... somewhere...



Ben is actually in this picture...



Conner crawling through the tube...



They had so much fun and now we can all enjoy a nice nap!

Basketball Day!

Conner and Ben had basketball day at school on Thursday! They both had a glorious time! Conner's teacher got some video of Conner's class while they played...

Click here to view this video

Happy Adoption Day!

It is time, once again, to celebrate one of our favorite days... Adoption Day!!! Two years have come and gone and I can still remember everything about that day... Words can never explain how we felt, but the finalization of our boys' adoptions that day signified the end of an 18 month journey. That journey had taken quite a toll but had given us so much more than we could have ever imagined!



We celebrated with presents of course!

After presents and playing, we went out to lunch where Conner threw a crayon at the people sitting next to us and then Ben proceeded to choke on a chip... it was eventful... We have spent the rest of the day lounging and playing. Nick is on vacation today and all next week so we have lots of fun "daddy days" in our future!

Happy Adoption Day Benjamin and Conner!!! There isn't a day that goes by that we don't remember what a miracle it is that God blessed us with two amazing sons. Everyday is truly a gift! We love you so much!!!

Welcome Back!

Conner and Ben welcomed their beloved cars back into their lives this afternoon! They were ecstatic!

Pirates!

Last night we ate dinner at Long John Silvers. Some of you may consider that to be cruel and unusual punishment, but the boys actually really like it. Especially since they were the recipients of some pretty cool pirate hats. Ben cuddled his hush puppies under his chin, obviously confused by the fact that the hush puppy has the word puppy in it, but doesn't actually resemble any kind of puppy that he's ever seen! Today the boys wore their pirate hats around saying things like "arg, matey" and "yoho."

Please Smile... PLEASE!!!

Conner and Ben were enjoying their new super cool pens this afternoon and I thought it would be a good time to get a picture. This is picture #8... it took that long just to get them both to look at me.... It was exhausting...



Once I got the picture I wanted, then Ben decided that he really wanted his picture taken...

Party!

The boys had a birthday party to go to today! I was a little nervous since the party was at this huge indoor playground and I wasn't sure how I would keep track of my little guys, but they proved that they can handle (a little) more freedom!!! Conner's favorite was definitely the ball pit, but I think Ben just enjoyed running around everywhere that his little legs would carry him!
Thanks to Bryker and his mommy and daddy for throwing such a great party! The boys had a blast. And it made for a wonderful naptime this afternoon!!!!



My heart pumped a little faster when I looked into the ball pit a couple of times and could only see Conner's little head sticking out the top, but he was a champ and fought his way out of the balls by himself everytime...

When we got home, the guys had fun going through their party favors and patiently waited for Mommy to make them some lunch...

It was a pretty darn good day! We even got a surprise visit from Nana and Gramps! We fit a lot of fun into one day!