Our First 5K

Recently Ben has gotten into fitness, specifically running and biking. He wants to do a triathlon in August. Last weekend he signed up for the Dadfest 5K run. Apparently, you did not have to be a dad to run in this race, as there were a lot of women participating. The race was at eight in the morning so it was relatively cool yet. Originally Ben was going to run with Lila in a jogging stroller (that we had borrowed). But when we got down to the site, she decided she wanted to sit in our regular stroller and eat her snack & juice. Since Wyatt doesn't yet have a vote, into the jogging stroller he went. Then all the racers got behind the start line.

It's always easy to find Ben in a crowd. (Note the yellow arrow if you're having trouble.)

I took this picture right as they fired the start gun. A couple of things to notice: First, the serious runners are in the front row... and they're all setting their watches (something I didn't notice but Ben did.) Again, note the yellow arrow. Second, Dadfest has a mascot... a large-headed Dad (to the right of the yellow arrow). I guess it wouldn't be a "fest" without a mascot?? After the runners went past us, I asked Lila if we should go to the finish line to watch for Daddy. To which she said, "And the man with the big head?" So apparently, the mascot made an impression on somebody.

Here's Ben and Wyatt at the start of the race. I figured Wyatt would enjoy the ride and watching all the people. What I hadn't counted on was the stroller being a wee bit too big for him and the bouncing motion pushing him farther down in the seat. So after Ben crossed the finish line, this is what I found:

Wyatt had scooted all the way down and was hanging on with clenched fists!

Peek-a-boo. 

Seriously, isn't that cute or what?

They had some other random activities for kids. Home Depot had simple wood projects and kid aprons (which the little boy in the picture is holding). Above, Lila is petting Elsie, the Borden cow. They were there to promote the health of drinking milk. And because what kid doesn't want to pet a cow? (That's my sis next to Lila. She came over to watch Ben race too.) We also snagged a balloon animal for Lila before we left. All in all, it was fairly entertaining for us watching, and Ben had a good time. Plus I learned that my daughter will not go potty in a Porta-potty. And really, who can blame her? :)

Little Crayon Apron

This past fall at our church's Women's Retreat, a group of us ladies were talking about how we'd like to try our hand at sewing. Or, in my case, try my hand at sewing again. Yes, that's right... I made a pretty stylin' pair of hot pink & purple shorts when I was in the 8th grade. April, a very dear friend of mine who QUILTS (which takes a master's degree in sewing) volunteered to give us a sewing lesson. Now, what kind of project did I want to tackle? Fortunately for me, I stumbled across this little sewing project, the crayon apron. I thought it would be cute and not too difficult.

Of course I can never keep things too simple so I decided to add a little embellishment - some button "cherries" - to the pocket which I hand sewed. I borrowed my sister's sewing machine, which she uses to sew on scrapbooking projects. As nice as it was of her to lend it to me, I decided I didn't want to attempt sewing this skinny rickrack with that machine (let's just say it's ideal for stitching on thin sheets of paper!). April was kind enough to let me use her sewing machine to finish my project... and continue to tutor me along the way. 

Here's my little artist, modeling her apron for me! It really was a fun project and not too difficult at all. I think if you had a boy, you could make a waist-apron (getting rid of the top half) and with some tan fabric, it would sort of be like a man's tool belt. Hmm... maybe when Wyatt's a little older I'll have to try it!

The Worm Technique

Well, here's the video of Wyatt's "worm" technique to getting around. He seems to be in no hurry to actually crawl -- but he also has no problem getting to where he wants to go :)

Starting Early

You've heard of the Von Trapps? Meet the Von Halens :)

Bunnies!

Last week, a very kind lady, Miss Jackie, from church invited us and some friends to her house to eat lunch and play with her bunny rabbits, Buttons and Bows (the speckled bunny). Lila LOVED petting and feeding the bunnies! I was impressed with how well they did around her... not nearly as skittish as I thought they would be. Miss Jackie had several stuffed bunnies around to play with too... she even let Lila take home a realistic-looking stuffed bunny. Every morning for the next few days, Lila would use clothes, toys - whatever she could find - to create a little burrow for her bunny to sleep in. Thanks Miss Jackie for making such a great memory!

Petting Buttons (who has a white "button" nose)

The largest stuffed bunny in the house!

Miss Jackie helps Lila feed the bunnies one last Craisin before we left. Here they are in their three-story "condo".

Hold it!

This week I heard for the first time a request that I'm sure I'll hear for the next 15 years or so. "Mommy, can you move him back to his blanket?" Ok, so maybe not that EXACT question but the basic gist: I don't want my little brother around right now! She was playing with some blocks and he came over to investigate. One time she tried to move him herself, and I told her she is not allowed to pick him up. Shortly after that, I caught her rolling him away from her. (She always finds the loopholes!) But most of the time, she loves to play with him and bring him toys. The other day she asked to hold him on the sofa, so here are a few pictures of that. (The first picture gives you a good idea of how much his hair has lightened up.)

Blushing Dog? Eh, no.

As parents, we get to create all kinds of rules for our kids that we never imagined we would have to create. Newest rule: Do not use the sidewalk chalk to draw on the dog.

A Little Bit of Me After All?

Now, I know what you are all thinking... "wow, look at that nice drawing Ben made for Lila." Well, folks, that wasn't Ben, although he admitted it was pretty close to his best efforts. No, it was Lila! She came over and said, "Look at the little boy I drew, Daddy." And lo and behold, it ACTUALLY looked like a little boy! Head, check. Arms and legs, check. Eyes and mouth, check. Everything where it is supposed to go... amazing! Perhaps this little girl will take after her mama after all.

T.I. Zoo Day

Here are a few pictures from our trip to the Zoo two weeks ago. I guess we've been pretty busy recently because that seems like awhile ago. Anyway, every year T.I. sponsors a weekend for its employees and families to go to the Zoo for free. We tried to be there for the coolest part of the day but when we left at lunchtime, we were ready to get out of the heat!

My handsome guys.

Watching a wild animal? Well, sort of :) He was watching Lila.

Lila's favorite exhibit: the penguins. This one penguin kept swimming right next to all the little kids.

By the end, everyone was ready for a little nap. (Don't worry. Those cute toesies were covered with sunscreen.)

Backyard Fun

A few weeks ago we bought a swing set for our backyard. Ben had a co-worker volunteer to help him put it together over Memorial Day weekend. We are so thankful for his help. I took the kids and ran some errands while they worked. Lila was so excited to come home and see it all put together! They did a great job; it really looks nice. Lila likes to ride on the glider - she can make that go by herself. She also likes to push Wyatt in the swing (he loves it too!).

Lately

Well, as usual it's been awhile since I posted anything. I have quite a few pictures to add too, but I'll start with what we've been up to lately. 

Wyatt: he's getting his top teeth in! I just noticed yesterday, and one had already broken through... so guess I haven't been paying too much attention. But on the other hand, they must not be bothering him because he hasn't been fussy. Right now I am LOVING my little guy. I feel bad writing that because of course I have loved him every step of the way, but right now he is just so much fun! He's also sleeping from 9-7 at night and taking good naps which certainly doesn't hurt :) He is sitting up much better on his own now. He will still occasionally lose his balance and fall backwards, but he's much more stable than a few weeks ago. AND he can move! No crawling though. Why crawl when you can give your upper body a much better workout? I'll try to post a video soon of his "worm" technique. He's also eating a lot better. He still doesn't like cereal (we tried again last night) or Cheerios (boy, was THAT a funny face!) but he really likes fruits and most veggies.

Lila: we've gone to some aggressive potty-training in the past week. I call it Potty-training-in-the-nude, or PTITN for short. Basically, if we are at home, she has a bare bottom. She hasn't had any accidents when she's PTITN. She will just go sit on the toilet and then tell me "I went potty." It has also really helped her go #2 in the toilet. But we are still working on choosing to go #2 in the toilet when you have underwear on. We've made progress. I am hoping as she gets more and more comfortable using the toilet, it won't be such a big deal. Otherwise, she is her usual curious, talkative self who keeps me entertained on a daily basis!

"Hmm... what is this?"

New tricycle... Lila likes to give her "friends" a ride.

We got a bike trailer so Ben could give Lila (& Wyatt when he's old enough) a ride.

Dress-up is always fun. A girl can't have too may purses right? 

You say Easter hat, I say Sombrero.