My Boys

I have two boys at my house that get the Sunday afternoon wiggles...

Actually, this is pretty much a daily occurrence.  :)

Twenty-Six!

Our favorite husband & daddy just turned

TWENTY-SIX!

We celebrated by visiting the Foshay Tower in downtown Minneapolis (Ben's been wanting to see it)--pretty cool, but glad we didn't have to pay (we got free passes from the library!)...

It's an awesome view of the city...but I was surprised about how nervous I got being up so high!  Minneapolis really is a cool city with lots of skyscrapers.

Poor little Abram was sick!

(I thought the music on the building was cool)

We had baked coconut shrimp for dinner (Ben's request)--
Abram didn't have any but loved the tropical rice. :)

...opened gifts...

...and after Abram went to bed, 

watched March Madness on the quilt my mom made for Ben while we had 

homemade fresh mint ice cream (also Ben's request) with homemade brownie mixed in--

really unique and really yummy!

Wishing many more happy years to a wonderful man who truly lives happy, fulfilled life.  I'm so grateful for him and his example.

Love you, Ben (and Daddy)!

The Side Swig

Abram presents:

the side swig [thuh sahyd swihg]

noun

1. the most efficient and sophisticated method of sippy-drinking

ABRAM'S LATEST
His FAVORITE thing is going outside--
playing in the sand or dirt,
following squirrels,
going down the slide,
watching other kids,
receiving compliments about his "beautiful, golden hair" from the Asians,
going off exploring on his own and not even looking back,
running away (basically) from mommy when it's time to go inside...
and when we're not outside--
he's looking out the window
or bringing his shoes to me so we can go outside.

He folds his arms for prayer (for about 3 seconds)
and loves to show us his crib tricks after naps (bouncing & "running" back and forth in his crib).
He also loves getting new board books from the library (especially ones with car pictures)!
He now has a grand total of 10 teeth, including a few molars.

His recognizable vocabulary consists of:
"pss" (please)
and
"no" or "doh" (meaning yes!)
He seems to understand much of what we say to him (go find your shoes, where's your jacket, let's change your diaper (after which he runs away, ha), where's daddy?, let's go outside, fold your arms...)

Sweet little boy!

God Will Lift Us Up

Just when I started focusing on myself, I saw this...

Go Abram, Go!

Abram took his first real steps on Leap Day this year (how appropriate!)--

just out of nowhere like it was no big deal.

He mostly crawled for the next few days, taking a few steps and then crawling again,

and then one day all he wanted to do was walk...

(umm...yes, we're first-time parents :)

Valentine's Day

Ben and I had a really fun Valentine's.  The Saturday before, we went to a really yummy restaurant that only uses local produce/ingredients (Muffaletta).  We had fun reminiscing about past Valentine's together...

like our first one in 2008 when he said "I love you" and I said, "um...me too...?"  :)

Unfortunately, the ice skating rink we wanted to go to this year was closed, but Ben put me on a scavenger hunt to his Valentine gift...I love how creative he is!

On actual Valentine's Day, I made a special dinner and dessert, which I always look forward to doing!

These days, Ben remains busy with school, church responsibilities, and basketball twice a week.  

This has been his lightest semester in grad school though, which has been nice!

This winter has been really mild compared to last year...I can even run the garbage out to the dumpster without putting on my gloves, hat, scarf, and boots!

Lately, I've been reading book-club books, trying new recipes, trying to make it to the gym, and am currently picking the house apart and taking a big load to Goodwill...it feels good but I'm kind of in denial that we're moving in a few months!

Cheerio Soup with Love

I've recently hired on a sous-chef for some help in my kitchen.
His strengths:  emptying cupboards and cookbook shelves faster than anything I've ever seen,

taste-testing,
"helping" stir,
jabbering and making pleasant company,
and,
 last but not least,
making cheerio soup.

Concentrating hard.

Tasting before adding more seasoning.

Stirring, stirring, stirring.

Sometimes hands are the best tools.

And there ya have it, folks.  Cheerio Soup.

When he's not slaving away in the kitchen,
he can be found intently watching snow plows and maintenance vehicles.

Or having the time of his life in the bathtub.

Or jabbering expressively.

Or laughing with Daddy.

Or "accidentally" taking a step or two before getting down and crawling.
(Unless he's using his push-toy, in which case he races across the room!)

Or making monkey sounds ("Ah ah ah!").
Or car sounds ("Oooph, ooooph.").

Or insistently feeding himself...but I have to say, he's surprisingly good at using his fork and spoon!

(He always crosses his legs...high chair, carseat, etc.)

And most of the time,
you'll find him smiling...
and making his mama smile!