Year in Review...

1. What did you do in 2008 that you'd never done before?
Joined a board... the one at Ben's school... kind of against my will. No worries. It will not happen again, at least, not under the same circumstances as this year.

2. Did you keep your new years' resolutions, and will you make more for next year?
No, my one resolution was to get to church on a regular basis, but Simon became rather anti being without mommy and it kind of killed our church-going-groove. But, it's a new year and we have a plan!

3. Did anyone close to you give birth?
Tons of people. I'm in that age group where everyone I know is either trying to get pregnant, pregnant or has a baby and doesn't want to get pregnant for awhile or ever again.

4. Did anyone close to you die?
Thankfully, just a fish or two.

5. What countries did you visit?
None. :( Not even the Epcot ones!

7. What date from 2008 will remain etched upon your memory, and why?
May 11th -- Mother's Day and Simon's first birthday!

8. What was your biggest achievement of the year?
Probably successfully hosting Simon's birthday party at our tiny house

9. What was your biggest failure?
Not getting to church regularly, also that I now somehow have TWO picky eaters

10. Did you suffer illness or injury?
Lots of colds, one round of stomach virus, cut my thumb slicing tomatoes at least a hundred times

11. What was the best thing you bought?
My Canon!

12. Whose behavior merited celebration?
Benjamin - he has turned into the most awesome kid ever (not that Simon is not equally awesome... but he's not 4 yet.. 4 has turned out to be so fun!)

13. Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed?
The usual suspects

14. Where did most of your money go?
Insurance deductible, copays, new patio/deck

15. What did you get really, really, really excited about?
Disney/Vero last January, Ben's birthday, Simon's birthday, the beach, Anastasia's birthday, Christmas

16. What song will always remind you of 2008?
I'll get back to you on this as soon as I get the stupid Hippotamus for Christmas song out of my head

17. Compared to this time last year, are you happier or sadder?
a little sadder... while my own circumstances are fortunate and I am quite happy with my life and grateful for my health, my family and all I am blessed with, the world itself kinda sucks right now and I'm not sure I see it getting much better and it kinda nags at me.

18. Thinner or fatter?
About the same, though that stomach virus knocked about five pounds off overnight! Yeehaw!

19. Richer or poorer?
Unchanged, for the most part

20. What do you wish you'd done more of?
Appreciating getting to play outside when the weather was warm... even when it meant I had to haul two kids, two bikes, a scooter and a bag of toys across the street and back home again. It was still better than being housebound with two kids and it being freezing outside

21. What do you wish you'd done less of?
Wasting time on the internet... though I doubt I'll ever kick that habit

22. How will you be spending Christmas?
Same as this year, I hope! It'd be kinda fun to be perhaps looking forward to the birth of another niece or nephew, but who knows. ;)

23. Did you fall in love in 2008?
with my camera! ;)

24. Any one night stands?
Remind to just delete this stupid question next year.

25. What was your favorite TV program?
Lost, when it was on.... and House. Also discovered How I Met Your MOther... LOVE that show!

26. Do you hate anyone now that you didn't hate this time last year?
nah. Hate is too much work.

27. What was the best book you read?
Multiple Blessings by Kate Gosslin. I know she is controversial and everyone thinks she is overbearing and evil. But the book itself was inspiring... lots of great Bible verses sprinkled throughout and in a context that makes them really uplifting to moms. I thought it was a great, quick read and highly recommend checking it out if you need a pick-me-up as a mom.

28. What was your greatest musical discovery?
Again, when Hippo leaves me head, I'll get back to you.

29. What did you want and get?
A digital SLR and a steam cleaner!

30. What did you want and not get?
My L.L. Bean Duck Shoes that I have asked for for the last five six years or so... WHAT DOES MY HUSBAND HAVE AGAINST SHOPPING OFF OF LISTS?!?!?

31. What was your favorite film of this year?
NO idea...

32. What did you do on your birthday?
How sad that I do not remember. I guess I could check the blog!

33. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?
Getting into a better routine with weekly cooking, grocery shopping...

34. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2008?
Mom casual

35. What kept you sane?
My mom

36. Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most?
None

37. What political issue stirred you the most?
The election was fascinating

38. Who did you miss?
I always miss people I've lost touch with

39. Who was the best new person you met?
?

40. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2008:
Children are ALL different, even when they have the same parents. The lessons you learned raising one will not necessarily apply to subsequent kids or to other peoples' kids. Kids humble you FAST!

41. Quote a song lyric that sums up your year.
I want a hippopatumus for Christmas... jfkdalfjkdalgjh&%*$(&%*( drat.

Bleh.

Stupid stomach virus is picking off everyone i know one by one. (sigh) If you haven't had it yet, I seriously suggest not leaving your house until March. I've decided that the germs involved must actually leap from person to person as opposed to being transferred by the usual coughing/non hand washing methods. It's ridiculous how many people (entire families) I know who were taken out by it. And there we go, my 16th straight day of discussing vomit. LOL. I'm going for a record.

In other news, Ben had a little meltdown last night when Tom asked him if he missed school. He burst into tears and said, "Yes!!" Then he continued, "And I'm SO sad because when school starts, I wont' go back to the same place!!" Apparently, all this time we were talking about "kindergarten next year" he thought we meant in January. Poor little guy. He was fine once we reassured him that he was just on a preschool break and that Monday he'd be going back to the usual place with the usual people.

Wow. September might be more wrought with anxiety than I thought...

And Simon... he now (thanks to his little remote control car he got for Christmas) says, "Car car go go!" I don't know why almost everything he says is doubled like that... "ball ball" "no no no no" but it's his trademark. ;)

Also, on the topic of remote control cars? The Tonka Bounceback Racer is just not a very good toy. All you need is a stiff breeze between you and it and it just stops going. It has been a major disappointment. I know my neighbor had the same experience. Anyone else? Also, it's on the same frequency as the little bus I got for Simon... (I bought the bus instead of a second BBR to AVOID this very problem... ) ANNOYING.

What Do I Do With This?!

So my four-year-old just informed me completely out of the blue that 3x3 = 9 because 6+3=9.

Unaware that he even knew what "times" meant, I asked him who told him that (assuming he had heard it somewhere and just remembered it) and he said no one, he just knew it.

i called my husband at work to ask him if he had explained multiplication when I wasn't paying attention. He said Ben had his calculator out over the weekend and asked him what all the different symbols were. Tom said he explained that the "X" basically added numbers... like 2X3 is just like 2+2+2. He swears that's all he said on the topic.

Seriously. What do I do with this? His understanding of math at four blows my mind. I didn't do times tables until I was in third grade and even then, it was more memorization than anything else. I'm sure my grasp of what it really was was hazy, at best.

I don't want to turn math into work for him, he'll get enough of that all too soon at school... but he seems to enjoy it so much (ew!)... so I'm wondering what can I do with him to teach him new concepts and not screw up whatever they'll teach him in school in the coming years? Honestly, I'm kind of curious to see how far he could go before he doesn't understand something...

ETA: Being the skeptical mom that I am, I asked him what 4x3 was... "12." 5x3" "15"... 4x2? "8"... sheesh. He really does get it. WTH?

Two Funnies in One...

I am finally sitting down to type this out because I want to make sure I don't forget it. It's just another little nugget that shows Ben's personality...

Yesterday, while sitting on his bedroom floor fiddling with some new toys and talking to himself, he said,
"It's like I can feel the excitement of ALL the things we did this year... like Simon's birthday party! And all the iced tea!"

I laughed out loud at the first part... and then turned to Tom and said, "Iced tea? What is he talking about?"

Ben chimed in, "You know, all the iced tea from Chick-Fil-A!"

For practically every event we host at our house, we pick up a gallon or two of Chick-Fil-A iced tea. Apparently, he finds it very memorable. ;) Anyway, it's just so cute that he gets so into the events of the year. He also asked me what the next big holiday is for which we we get to decorate. Guess I'll be shopping for Valentine's decorations this year. ;)

----
And Simon, lest we forget him...

He has learned to not just shake his head no, but now say the word... over and over and over again. It's his new favorite thing. Actually, it's rather helpful. But it's also too funny. "Simon, are you tired?" "No no no no!!!" "Are you hungry?" "No no no!" Or, our favorite, yesterday my mom asked if she could help him with something, "No no no no no!!"

If you get no answer, it means yes. ;)

Benjamin is 4-3/4! (and two days)

His 4-3/4 day was not overlooked... just impossible with all the Christmas activities... So here it is, three months from five.

List from 4-1/2 , copied, pasted and edited where necessary. ;)

Likes: (in no particular order)
Gymnastics
Reading
Having chapter books read to him - he got several new ones for Christmas, so we are getting ready to embark into Ralph S. Mouse and Roald Dahl land! So excited! :)
School
Christmas, holidays... anything festive
Shiny, sparkly things -- he really digs anything gawdy. LOL!
Turtlenecks and overalls
Making up math problems for himself
Costumes, but currently, not as much as in recent months
Riding his bike down hills very fast
Running
Waffles
Jumping off of high things
Playing outside with his friends
Digging in the dirt
His brother (about 75% of the time)
His cousin, Anastasia (100% of the time)
Singing
Shrimp Tempura
Making up stories... he has an incredible imagination!
Blues Clues

Dislikes:
most veggies
Going to bed
Injustice (or, what appears to be, in his eyes)
Bare feet
Having to go inside
Playing games in any way other than by his own rules
Not being able to go outside because it's too cold
When Simon takes his stuff
When Simon won't give him something he wants

Fears:
Bees
Spiders
Dogs
Any number of other things that may change on a daily basis... you just never know

New Skills:
Cutting with scissors
Writing letters other than the ones in his own name, and some numbers well
Skin the cats at gymnastics
Reading
Simple math

Interesting to note that he doesn't have any real obsessions going on right now. I can't remember a time when he didn't have a "thing" he was 100% into.

He's reached an absolutely, dare I say, delightful stage. He is probably the least challenging he has ever been at this moment in time. We have very few really difficult days, unless he is very tired. I am very much enjoying this age! :) True to how he has been since the day he was born, he is very intense and very serious (you can probably see this in my pictures), but also has this wonderful, imaginative, happy side. He is sensitive and kind (except to his little brother sometimes) and for the most part, well-behaved. His excitement for things is contagious and makes every event a little more interesting and magical for everyone who loves him.

Next up is the big oh-five! :) It'll definitely be an exciting ride getting there. I'm sure of that!

Final Analysis...

I think it's safe to say there was not a single dud gift this year. Today, away from the chaos and massive gift onslaught, both kids have played with every single thing they received. They have just bounced from thing to thing, happy as clams! They both say thank you all the wonderful people who thought of them on Christmas! :)

It's heartwarming to watch them play so contentedly... and frankly, refreshing to see some new things added to the scenery around here. I already did my annual toy purge/attic banishment, so it doesn't even feel like we were deluged. Plus, it was also nice that we all scaled back this year... I like this whole "simpler Christmas" thing!

Christmas 2008 in Pictures...

We'll start with Christmas Eve - we went to church with my family... we wised up this year and went to our (okay, my, Tom never went there or liked it) old church that has Sunday school on Christmas Eve. Ben had a blast and Simon did great in the service with us.

We tried for a few pics of the kids in front of the tree before we headed out... First, the decent one:

Ben (in bad need of a haircut, but what can you do?)


Bring in the little brother...
Attempt #1:

Attempt #2:

Attempt #3: (please note that the problem here is really not the BABY...)

Attempt #4: (c'mon Ben, can't you just sit and smile? Just once? Please?)

Attempt #5: (woulda been good except Simon was blinking)

Attempt #6: (sigh)

Attempt #7 (I give up. This is as good as it gets)


I feel bad that I didn't get one of Simon alone in front of the tree... you know for when he's older and goes through my photo albums trying to prove he was not loved as much as his older brother. But honestly, if any of you have been around Simon lately, you will understand why making him sit any longer than was absolutely necessary is just not a good idea. (nor really possible these days) I more than made up for it on Christmas morning because, you'll see, there were WAY more pics of him than Ben, who was too busy to look at the camera. ;)


After church, we headed to my parents' house for Christmas Eve dinner and gifts. Dad wasn't there because he was STILL at church with four more services to play the piano for. Sheesh.

Here's Simon drawing on my mom's chalkboard table:


Ben got to go on a treasure hunt to find his gift from Aunt Debbie. Here he is consulting the map:


...and finding a clue on the Christmas tree.


X marks the spot... what's behind this door?


A castle!!! With mood lighting! Ben was quiet and just took it all in. Simon, on the hand, actually, said, "Oooooooo!!!!!"


... and then had a duel with Aunt Debbie.


Later on, Simon opened some presents. He loves his Little People airplane!


Ben, dressed as a knight (because you HAVE to have a knight costume if you have your own castle, duh) with grandmom


Sir Ben with Aunt Debbie, the giver of all things castle-related. Again, Simon just wanted nothing to do with sitting on laps for pictures. Not my fault!


One of only THREE gifts that Ben ever actually continuously asked for... his "coat vest". He also asked for earmuffs, but he was a little late on that request and the bug kit... but that was coming the next day. ;)


After all that excitement, we headed home for a long winter's nap...

Then came Christmas morning!

Ben peeking down the stairs... (Simon would have been in this picture, but he was ticked that I left him upstairs with daddy so I could take the picture, and was screaming his head off at this point, yeah, he's awesome like that lately)


He spotted the present pile!


Santa brought the boys a trampoline! Mommy is thrilled! ;) They immediately got to work jumping while we waited for our guests...


... have you ever seen such restraint? Ben actually is always so overwhelmed by Christmas that he has to be prodded to get started opening things. So they just waited here like this for probably 20 minutes...


Ben with his stocking


Opening another joint gift...


Can you guess what it was?


Boing!


Finally, guests! Breakfast! Present opening!


Cool mask from grandmom!


Boys on a trampoline... another failed attempt at a picture of them together...


After breakfast, we headed over to Nanee and Pap's house!

Anastasia liked licked her present... ;)


Simon needed some alone time, apparently...


Strike a pose!


Ben got a new book!


Being tackled by Anastasia


Ben and Nanee


SImon and a new book


Ribbon tastes good too!


The bug kit from Aunt Sarah and UNcle Taylor! He played with this all evening when we got home....


Simon and his piggy... he loves this thing!


Anastasia liked it too


Christmas makes her happy! So does Uncle Taylor yelling, "Yayyyy!!!"


Mine! All mine!


A girl and her ride


And that was our crazy Christmas... man am I tired. Happy to sit around the house today and do nothing...
More later, maybe... but Simon is squawking from his crib. :)

Merry Christmas!

What's Christmas Without a Visit to the Pediatrician?

Ben had been worrying me for almost two weeks with his constant cough, stuffy nose and, the last four days, low-grade fever. Until the fever, I was chalking it up to allergies. Then he got all lethargic and had no appetite, but had just gotten over that stomach bug... which I also blamed the fever on. Then after a day or so, the bug was gone, fever stayed... cough, runny nose, fever. (sigh) I was pretty sure I knew what it was because, but of course, I can't write prescriptions, so off we went...

Verdict? Sinus infection. Poor kid. He's on the mend now that he has his medicine though, so Christmas is saved.

... or is it?

Simon has had the same on again, off again runny nose since just before the stomach bug. Of course, whatever cold virus it was is long gone... (I actually don't even remember him really having a cold!) But it's Simon, so now he's coughing. Which means more asthma medicine... and it will most definitely mean a trip to the pediatrician for antibiotics for the inevitable pneumonia it will turn into. I even said to the nurse at the ped's office yesterday, "See you Friday with the other one!" (because it's clearly not pneumonia yet and if I take him in too soon they won't give him anything and I'll be back two days later)

It. Never. Ends.

Christmas, Part I...

Last night we had our Christmas with Tom's Babby and Granddad. We had a lovely time and the kids had a blast with both new toys and old. Doesn't take a whole lot to entertain two toddlers and a four-year-old... new scenery work wonders!

I can't put my finger on it, but there is something I just love about this picture. It was one of the few I was able to get before I had to start using the flash and I dunno... the boys were opening Simon's present from Babby. I love how Anastasia is looking on from a distance and Babby is in the background watching everything. To quote Ben, it "gives me a happy Christmas feeling." ;)


The boys playing with Babby's fishing game... they ALL love this thing.


Doesn't she look like she's up to something?


Anastasia with her daddy/Ben and Simon's Uncle Marc

Anastasia with her mommy/Ben and Simon's Aunt Krystyna

Simon delivering a present


Anastasia and Simon checking out Anastasia's new shopping cart! I like this one because you can see how big they are relative to each other. It's really funny! They are only three months and two weeks apart! You can also see Simon's silly hair in rare form. LOL.


Ben helps daddy with a present. Ben wants to help EVERYONE open their gifts this year. I'm going to have to restrain him on Christmas morning lest he open everything under the tree!


So that was our evening... well, late afternoon anyway. It all feels like evening these days. Thanks for having us, Babby! :) We had a great time!

Today, I think I might take Ben to the pediatrician. I think he has a sinus infection, poor guy. He sounds all nasally and his nose has been stuffy for over two weeks and now he has a cough. I had chalked it up to allergies, but then he started with the cough and being kind of lethargic and having no appetite... so time to get it checked out. :( I want my house 100% healthy by Christmas!