Bennett and Ali

Bennett's bestfriend is Ali. They have their own language. Ali's mom and dad are great friends and we're lucky we all get to enjoy watching these kiddos grow up together.

Jump!

More gym footage. We have no fear!

More Gym Footage

We had gymnastics this morning and I think we're turning over a new leaf. For the first time, Bennett got a stamp at the end of class for actually following Coach Sam's instructions. He did great, but for the moms sitting in the waiting area, it's comic relief.

Beau is getting so big. It's amazing how fast he's changing....I think I find a new roll of chub on his thighs daily. He's starting to make his little sounds and Fletcher caught him on video.

A Few Pics

We had a wonderful weekend with some good family time and lots of catching up on sleep. Just wanted to post a few family pics of my boys. Hope you had a great weekend too.

Birthday Parties

Group Picture in w/ Fireman Hats

Bennett Driving the Truck

Sparky the Fire Dog

Old Firetruck

Lily and Bennett

This morning we had two birthday parties. I unfortunately only got pictures of the first party held at the Marietta Fire Station. Bennett was in heaven. All morning he told me he was the fireman. We're into roll playing these days. He loved all the different fire trucks. Little did I know this particular fire station is also a museum and had a firetruck dating back to 1879 (the only other one in the US is in DC in the Smithsonian). The firemen were great hosts and even gave the kids stickers and hats to take home. Thanks, Andy, for inviting us!

Cat Fight

I picked up Bennett from school today and the teacher started apologizing. That's never a good start....but bless her heart, she was so worried about what I was going to say when I saw Bennett. Bennett is a rough-hosier (not sure I spelled that right). He's all boy! His buddy in school is exactly the same. We actually find comfort in the fact that those two are in the same class, so they can entertain each other without getting too rough with the others. Apparently, today they were playing in the house and when the boys came out, Bennett was a little wounded. They said no crying was involved. I could only get a picture of one side, but rest assured, the other side of his face looks just about the same. I know this is just the beginning of a world with boys, so thank goodness for dial soap and neosporin.

Valentine's Day w/ Bampa & Grandmother

This weekend we went up to Nashville to visit with CeCe and Pops and to make a special visit to Bampa and Grandmother at their new digs. They've recently relocated to a facility where they can get more care and we wanted to make sure both were getting settled in. Bampa and Bennett had a great time playing with his balloon and Beau enjoyed the extra attention. Grandmother looked excited to see the boys as well. We can't wait to get back up there for another visit. Until then, we hope Bampa can keep up with the growing boys through the blog. We love you, Bampa and Grandmother!

Burning Leaves...

Last Monday I took Bennett to his weekly gym class. When we returned, this was the sight....Fletcher was burning leaves. I was alarmed at first. Let's start by saying his intentions were good. He was trying to salvage what little yard we have for Bennett to have a place to play. BUT this house did burn previously and our neighbors weren't thrilled with the ash-filled air, etc. And I have to add that we received a reprimanding email from our "lady" landlord. So glad we have a sense of humor....and thanks to that informative email, we are fully aware of any burn regulations in our area. :)

My Little Puppy Dog

Okay, so here's one more from gym class. Bennett has been great with Beau since we brought him home, but the one thing we have noticed is that he tends to act like a puppy dog some. He had never done that before, so for us it's a new thing (and often entertaining). The kid can stay in character. We play fetch and I'm embarrassed to admit, but he's even tried to eat his dinner like a puppy a few times.....you pick your battles, right? He went into "puppy mode" at gym class for a bit, so I thought I'd let you see what I'm talking about. Please tell me this is normal. :)

Bennett's Gym Class

For Christmas this year, Papa and Grammy gave Bennett gymnastics classes (really as a favor to me). I thought it would be a great way for him to burn some energy while possibly (and hopefully) improving his desire to follow instructions. Well, he's definitely burning some energy and we're still working on the latter. His pal, Ali, is in his class and for us moms, it's just about comic relief watching them practice their skills. Bennett likes to do his own thing and the teacher is a saint. She's a great sport about letting him "explore". The foam pit is the hit. And getting a running start on the trampoline makes it even more adventurous. I'll try and get more footage next week.

Nina and Pa Come to Visit

Pa, Nina, and the Boys

Pa and Bennett Playing in the Leaves


Me and Beau


Family Picture



Bennett Showing Pa the Creek

Pa and Bennett at the Park

Blowing Leaves

Bennett and Pa

Pa and Beau

We're so blessed to have such a wonderful family. Nina and Pa came to visit this weekend. Pa hadn't gotten to meet Beau yet and Bennett was looking forward to showing him all his new tricks. They played outside from sun-up to sun-down (literally). The weather couldn't have been better, so we spent Saturday afternoon at the park. We laughed, drank wine, and I got to sleep in. Thanks Nina and Pa for a great visit!

More Pics

Grammy, Papa, and the boys

Good looking bunch

Grammy and Beau

Papa and Beau

Bennett's new "hoop" hat

A few more pics from Grammy and Papa's visit.

Grammy and Papa Come Visit

Grammy and Papa hanging w/ the boys

Grammy got a smile out of Beau

Brotherly Love

Bennett LOVES The Junglebook

Fletcher and Bennett at the Atlanta Aquarium

Bennett playing on the Seahorse

Grammy got some great pics!

Bennett loved the moving sidewalk

Jellyfish (I liked this pic)

Petting the stingrays

Beau and Papa napping

Beau bonding w/ Grammy

Bennett showing Papa his cowboy skills

Snuggling w/ Papa

Bennett playing w/ his trucks

Beau hanging out during dinner

Bennett made it through dessert (barely)

My silly boy

Aunt Annette meeting Beau

Uncle Seth and the little man

There are those puppy dogs

Uncle Seth in Papa's boots and hat

We were so excited about our visit from Grammy and Papa. It had been way too long since we've gotten to spend some time with them. Thank goodness for webcams which have allowed us to visit pseudo face-to-face, but we've missed getting to see them. After a long delay in Amarillo (due to bad weather in Dallas), they finally made it out here Wednesday night. Bennett and I went to the airport to pick them up. Bennett was so excited that he didn't go to sleep until 10:00 that night. Thursday Grammy and Papa babysat Beau while I ran some errands and Bennett was in school. That afternoon, we played and played....watched movies, rode horses (rocking), and tried to nap (unsuccessfully). Bennett was spoiled with lots of attention and presents. We visited the aquarium on Friday and had Aunt Annette and Uncle Seth in town for dinner on Saturday. Where did the weekend go? It went by way too fast! Thanks Grammy and Papa for a wonderful time. And thanks to Grammy for all of the wonderful pictures. Y'all come back now ya hear! :)