Curls gone

Max pre-haircut.

Benny helps.

Almost there...

Curls on the front doorstep.

Now I look like Daddy and Benny!

Cousins

Whenever the "Bartlette Pair" come over to play or when we see them at Papa and Nona's house, Max wants to hold baby Jane. He's a sweet cousin and thinks baby Jane is so cute. I think he even told me once that she smells good.

These are Bart and Collette's girls. Bart is JB's brother and Collette and I lived together at the time I met JB.

Max and Emily said something about getting married to each other when they grow up. I laughed and say this isn't England or Canada in the 1800s.

By the way this December the four grandchildren will be ages 4,3,2 and 1, which is pretty cool. Ben and Jane have December birthdays. Emily was 3 last April; Max 4 in July.

What are little boys made of

Here are my little helpers making cookies. It comes with a lot of me saying "Wait!" and "Don't do that!" and "Hold on, don't put that in the bowl yet!" and "Don't put your hand in there!" But I think we all have fun.

At night they love to take things to bed. Sometimes I'm surprised to see what they sneak in. Max always places his item next to him on the pillow then carefully sleeps next to it.

Benny rolls around and ends up the other way from where he began, so I don't know how he managed the ball and baseball bat. But I love how all boy he is.

Cowboy up

Our church had a big cowboy/western roundup dinner party last weekend. We only own one cowboy hat in our home so we took turns wearing it.

Benny's favorite part was the pony. Max was excited until he sat on it once. Then he refused to do it again once they got the picture backdrop set up. Benny hollered when his turn was over.

In the picture below, the little horse had just stepped on my toe.

JB's birthday

Last week was JB's birthday. I made a carrot cake with orange cream cheese frosting from scratch (success!) and found this present for him, also a success. It's an antique coca-cola cooler chest. He had been admiring some current Coca-Cola freezer-chest-fridge-type-things he has seen, like at Lagoon. I had it hidden in the garage and brought him outside to show him it on his birthday.

Benny thought it was a perfect size for him to hide in.

When JB was looking at the more recent models, he thought it would be fun to have one for parties and BBQs, to store ice and sodas in. I found this one at a downtown antique store and thought for a while it could be used for drinks, but JB knows the value of an antique more than I do! It's now on display in our living room. JB found a lining for it and is going to make a lid for it, and we will either use it as a toy chest or window seat or both.

Benny still thinks it's a perfect size for a bed.

Of books and DVDs

I have not blogged in a week because I have taken your suggestions to heart and been at the library twice in the past week. I now have books for me (and I am happily, hungrily immersed again) and books for Max and Benny.

The first trip I was overwhelmed by the children's books. Our neighbors a few years ago gave us a bookshelf and books to fill it that their children had outgrown. So I haven't really needed to go get more books for the boys until now.

We wandered in to the children's section; Max and Benny ran to play with the toys, and I tried to figure out which of all. those. books. would be educational and entertaining enough for my boys. As I agonized over all the shelves, Benny wandered by, and PHEW was he stinky. So that shortened that trip. I grabbed some books randomly off the shelves and so did Max. It was hit and miss. We didn't have any trouble picking some DVDs though.

Today I went back to the library, to return"Hip Hop Harry" (for Max) and "The Pajama Game" (for me) I had a better idea of some children's titles and authors to look for. But if anyone has some suggestions for those too, let me know!

Gimme gimme gimme

I just finished all the Harry Potter books again and I am in withdrawal. I need a new book to read. Preferably a series of books, because I love a good story that goes on and on.

I just adore getting swallowed up by the pages. Hungrily turning to read what happens next. Mumbling "Uh huh" to toddler questions beside me. Secretly staying up late by the light of my cell phone to squeeze in one more paragraph.

I may start The Foundation, LOTR, Anne of Green Gables, or Little House on the Praire again because those are all series and I own them. But I kind of want something totally new.

Anybody have a suggestion?

Party

Every year our street gathers in the middle of the block and has a BBQ. We eat, visit, eat and play. Two years ago at this very party Max fell in love with the neighbors' little car. They let us borrow it. We returned it last summer, because he was getting too big for it and they had a grandchild getting old enough to use it. He still asks about it though, tentatively wondering if we could trade our little red wagon for it.

Well, this time Benny found it.

(I'm in the background on the right in the striped shirt. I saw it in my picture album the other day in a photo of my 24th birthday. I really should go shopping.)

Max was very nice and let Benny play with the car. Probably because he realized he couldn't squeeze into it comfortably. It's kind of like that scene in "Pillow Talk" when Rock Hudson tries to bend himself into a tiny car next to Doris Day.

Max had fun getting his face painted (then promptly smearing it) and eating popsicles.

These are the funnest parts of summer.

4 years ago...

Four years ago last week this darling blonde boy with the luscious lips slipped into the world after 14 or so hours of labor. Don't worry, I won't hold it over his head. The epidural was wonderful.

Max wanted a chocolate cake with blue frosting so I obliged, and I surprised him with 4 new "Cars" figures on the top. He would watch that movie every day if I let him.

He was surprised though by the end of the day that he wasn't grown up yet. He asked why he wasn't big like momma and daddy. With a start I remembered one of my earliest memories, asking my mom a similar question on my 5th birthday.

JB took the boys to Shivers for a birthday treat. They loved the ice cream almost as much as the toy train in the middle of the restaurant that kids can climb on and eat in.

At one point he wanted a trumpet or guitar or recorder for his birthday but I think that may be a little too loud. For the neighbors of course.

The big 3-0

I've been 30 for more than a week now, and, thanks to some practice before the big day, I don't squirm too much when thinking about my new decade.

I tried out the feel of saying "I'm 30" for a few weeks before my birthday. I said it to my family, the teens at church, people at work, people on the phone, grocery clerks. This may ahave made the age feel less weird to me but probably made me look a little weird.

Here I am showing off my cake with my crown left on my decorated porch by a good friend.

Max snuck into the picture in the corner. You guess what he's doing.