One busy girl!

Earlier this week Helena spent a good bit of the day 

with her Duplos and ABC building directions.

Look how far she got!

Benjamin

By now he has lots of nicknames: Benj, B-Boy, Buddy, Benja-booty-boo.  He's 17 months old, so still a toddler, but also such an independent person.

His smile is one of those that everyone comments on.  When he smiles, it's obvious everywhere - his mouth, his eyes, his cheeks, his forehead, even his ears.  He loves to play laughing games with his sister and mom, and he loves it when his thighs are tickled.  He still thoroughly enjoys peek-a-boo, but now prefers to be the one "hiding" the other person's face.

He is such a good picker-upper.  You say, "Benjamin, it's clean-up time" and he immediately picks up his trucks and puts them in their spots.  If you say, "Benjamin, it's nap time", he will start cleaning up and will not want to come with you until he's decided the room is clean enough.  Besides trucks and balls, his current favorite toys - the kids' broom and dustpan.

He has an inclusive heart.  If one person gets a hug, he wants to make sure everyone gets one.  If one person is putting on shoes, he'll get out the other people's shoes and try to gather everyone up.  One night Benjamin woke up at 2 a.m. and was crying for water.  After his drink, I said good night and went back to bed.  Two minutes later he's crying again.  I go back and he is insistent that I give his sister, who is sleeping a few feet away from him, a drink.  It took me awhile to convince him that I did not need to wake Helena up for a drink of water!

He's a boy of few words but still full of communication.  He says baa (ball), bye-bye, wa (water), meh (milk), hi, and uh-oh.  Through body language, he can ask why and where, plus express a bunch of thoughts.

He loves hats, mittens, bike helmets, and boots.  He loves to put things in the garbage for us, which we thought was great until we noticed that things are starting to go missing.  He's finally only crying for a few seconds after we leave him in the nursery.  He's figuring out how to put Duplos together and loves to play construction site.  He loves to do whatever his sister is doing, and always wants to be on the counter watching when I'm cooking.  He loves to stand on the stool and he detests having his teeth brushed. 

I wish he would stay at this stage forever and I can't wait to see what he's going to be like 3 months from now.

Helena's First Women's Event

I coordinate baby and wedding showers with a few other ladies at church, which means Helena hears about the events.  She has been asking - the correct word would be pleading - to attend one with me but they have always been too late in the evening.  So when a friend asked me to come over for tea one evening, Helena immediately asked if she could come too. 

That night Helena asked if she could dress up for her first Women's Event. As John took a picture of us before we left, she said "Daddy, take lots of pictures, as this is a night you're going to always want to remember."

Melissa turned the evening into a special "Women's Event" for the three of us, with treats and a special teapot and teacup for Helena's orange juice.  Helena was great, asking questions as to be involved with the adult conversation (such as "Miss Melissa, is your baby wearing your clothes?" (meaning hand-me-downs or clothes Melissa had purchased).  She was also very careful to not interrupt and not talk with food in her mouth.  When we left, she asked Melissa if she could come to another Women's Event sometime.

I can't wait to take her to more events, real ones or otherwise.

Leaf Fun

Snowflakes were falling this morning. It's time to accept the fact that warm fall days are over.

 

But speaking of warm fall days, Remembrance Day was fantastic. We went out for a ceremony which my kids did spectacularly at, I must add, and then we simply enjoyed the sunshine & its warmth while playing in the leaves.

The kids had a fantastic time.  Benjamin likes to walk through the pile, back and forth, back and forth, back and forth.

Helena likes to run and jump!

I know every parent feels this way about their children, but it must be said anyways.  I'm so lucky to have these two kids as mine.

Happy Halloween!

Third year of a rainy Halloween, but also third year trick or treating with friends!