"My airport is Closed"

Tonight at dinner Joseph was helping Benjamin eat his required amount of food. (We do three bites of the main course and three bites of vegetable to correspond with his age). Anyway Joseph was doing the airplane. Benjamin covered his mouth and insisted "my airport is closed." We couldn't help but laugh.


Earlier today we went to the library and the second hand store in Chittenango. They had a Zurg toy that we quickly acquired. Ben of course loves it and his new belt. It's just like Daddy's and he is so proud.
I couldn't resist the chance to post the two belted boys.
Some other things that I ought to document are the ward Christmas party, Christmas at the farm and my new Christmas Stockings.

Benjamin was a cow in the Church nativity. He was so cute. He came in the chapel and ran to me on the back row and then ran to the stable. His Daddy was the narrator. He was okay with Santa Clause he didn't really cozy up but was willing to sit on his lap. At the farm he didn't want to sit on Santa's lap and in fact asked my father on Christmas day..."Are you Santa Claus? The conversation continued as Benjamin rattled alone something like this "You look like Santa? Do you have a Santa Costume? I have a dragon costume. I like to dress up."

I made Christmas Stocking this year. I really like them. I've looked for years for ones that I like. While we were in Boise I found this pattern and loved them. Four stockings now adorn our living room fireplace.

My parents gave us a pig for Christmas. They we as always very generous and gave us some Christmas books and other misc. things. I loved the delivery method of the pig and thought that I would share. Wrapped in a box was this note.

It reads, Joseph & Diane, I will come to your freezer about Jan 15th. I need to know how you want me cut. We laughed hard. I thought it was clever and of course we'll love the pork.

Finally, I thought that I would post pictures of my boys watching the last BYU football game.
And last but not least this is Benjamin's latest. He lines his crew up to watch the car races. He's got Handy Manny, Jessie, Woody, Buzz, Rumblin Chuck, the Wac-a-moles, Mater & Speed McQueen all positioned and ready for the big race. I was lucky that he willingly looked up for the picture.


More to come soon. Joseph got me a new camera for Christmas so I am working on learning it's ins and outs. Happy new year to all!

All I want for Christmas

Poor Benjamin got an ear infection for Christmas. This morning at 5:00 a.m. he woke us up and was feeling miserable. I got him to fall asleep for another hour but he wanted to sit up by 6. We ended up watching some early morning TV and calling the doctor as soon as they opened at 9. I love our pediatrition and there office. They got us right in and sure enough the left ear looked bad. His right ear was on the way to being infected too. I am thankful for Augmentin. Benjamin responds so well to it. Two hours after the first dose he was much more himself.
He is tired tonight though and just fell asleep. Santa should be coming in an hour or so, so I might wake him up. I'd hate to have him miss the big guy.

Two nights ago this was the scene in our upstairs bath-tub. Benjamin loves his "diver flippers". He now reports that he wants to be a diver or a fireman when he grows up.

And for anyone who is wondering....we are surviving the blizzard. Another one is projected for Sunday. We got 40+ inches of snow. The next week's forecast is for snow every day. We should have a white Christmas.

The Woody present

We received a present from Benjamin's birth mother. Here is his take on it:



...and a big THANK YOU from us.

Boise n Logan

We got home late last night from Boise. We went for Thanksgiving and stayed thru the next week. We had a great time visiting family in the west. We flew in on Thanksgiving day, spent the next day in Boise and got to participate in the annual Ward doughnut party and then on Saturday headed down to Logan, UT where Aunt Karen and her family and Uncle Dennis live. We even got to see Uncle Jason which was a treat! We didn't have snow in NY so the snow was fun for the kiddos.


One of the favorite things for the girls is a trip from Aunt Diane because I will put make-up on them.
Having girls around was fun and Benjamin loved palling around with Alyssa. We would often find them on (or under) the couch looking out the window.

Then after a very quick trip to Lehi to see Joseph's sister and Jason's wife who was unable to come to Logan it was back to Boise. On Wednesday we got another large snow fall and schools were closed. We played on the toboggan and made an adorable snow family.

We were grateful for the lovely fireplace in Grandma's family room.
One of our most favorite things to do in Boise is go to Joseph's parents cabin. We thought that we might have to snowshoe in but the caretaker had plowed a trail and we were able to walk right up to the front door. The cabin is lovely. Benjamin had a ball. He climbed up to the loft and back down so many times I lost track.




This last picture was taken as we waited in DC to board our flight. We had a 4 hour layover. After sleeping Benjamin was ready to go. Joseph tied him to the chair and he loved it. Oh if only I had his energy!

Hard Hat

Ben doesn't want me to get on the computer or the phone lately. When the phone rings he says "don't talk Mom", so much for being Relief Society President. And, I'm too exhausted at the end of the day to post so, sorry for the lack of updates.
The other day Ben found Joseph's hard hat. He was in heaven. Of course he was mostly naked, because he tends to strip down given the chance and then the chase is on.
He has been so cute lately. He got an early birthday present (a Jessie from Toy Story) that he say's "I love her" about.
School has been going well. I am loving the parenting class that I get to attend for the last 45 minutes. The kids have free play time and we parents go to the next door room.
We are going to Boise for Thanksgiving. It will be fun to see my sister and brothers too. We will sneak in a trip to Logan along the way. We hope to see some of our friends too while out west.

Mom and Dad and Jenni and the kids came over last night to celebrate Mom's 68th birthday. We had a lovely time. It was so fun getting together. The kids love it. Especially Benjamin. We miss Kenneth and Heidi and their kids. Hopefully they don't stay in CA too terribly long.

Our dinosaur

We went trick or treating this evening. Here is a picture of our little dragon and then one showing his tail. He was so cute. At the first door we said "Say, Trick or Treat", (he had been practicing since he left our driveway) His response was "no, just do it." After being shy with the next-door neighbor he said it for the rest of the evening. We only went to about 10 houses in total. It was cold and rainy. It made us feel great that most of our neighbors and the people down Benedict Manor know Ben's name and have been watching him grow. I like where we live.


I read somewhere that "children will bring you more joy than you ever suspected existed in the universe. Even when they're driving you crazy, you'll fall in love with them again and again. I've never laughed so hard or found so much beauty in simple things since becoming a mother. It's an impossible contradiction. They're frustrating and glorious. They throw you life into uproar and they teach you contentment. You'll remember every mistake you make as a parent and yet your children will love you anyway. I'll tell you nothing on this earth can compare to a spontaneous, heartfelt hug from a toddler."
I so appreciate Benjamin's birth mother for filling these empty arms and helping heal my heart. He is the joy of my life.

Misc Musings

Tuesday we celebrated Joseph's 37th birthday. Ben and I got him a Wii. He has always joked about owning a Nintendo. Now he has one. We have had fun bowling and playing golf. The missionaries came over last night and enjoyed it too. In the picture Ben was helping Daddy unwrap his gift. Ben also gave Daddy a Rocky and Bullwinkle movie. Ben says "Hey Rocky, watch me pull a rabbit out of a hat." Oh, the things Joseph teaches him.
A new family moved into our ward. They are lovely. We had them over for dinner Sunday and the kids loved dressing up.
This was Ben milking a cow at the state fair. He loved the tractors and hands on displays.
Lastly, this was taken on the Hill Cumorah. Joseph and I did a temple session with some friends of ours and split child care. While I was at the temple Joseph and Ben ran up the hill. Notice Woody in the grass. One of the toy story guys is never far behind.

School

A little nervous on his first day of school. Our school district has a 2, 3, and 4 year old program. There are 11 kids in Ben's class. He really wants to ride the bus.
Walking up the sidewalk to Park Hill Elementary.
He wouldn't take off the backpack.
Benjamin officially started school this week. Actually his first day was last weeks orientation and the picture is from last Thursday. Yesterday was his first real day of school. He of course loves it. I think he was nervous on his first day. He wouldn't pose for pictures and he was tired. School starts at 12:00 and we are done at 2:15. It is only on Tuesdays and Thursdays and I get to be there with him. He loves gym, and having a cubby, and snack time. He used all his best words and said please and thank you. I was so proud of him. He is a star!! He likes having friends and being involved. I will admit it's a nice outing for mom too.

Videos

I mentioned that I had purchased a flip. Our computer is older than the new technology of the flip so it took me a while to have Joseph teach me how to upload. Here are some cute videos of our cutie:

Our adoption blog

I put away the cradle, infant car-seat, and boxes of cloths and supplies that we took to Maine today. They had been behind a sofa in our formal living-room up until now. We stowed them there when we unpacked the van and left them until I felt like I could take care of them. It felt like some closure to the failed adoption. I keep telling myself that we will need to be very ready the next time around and therefore we had to have everything well packed and prepared. Hopefully that is the case.

So...this is the perfect time to launch our new adoption blog. www.countingonmiracles.blogspot.com. It’s not totally done but done enough to put it out there. Please give us your feedback and share it with anyone and everyone that you know.
Be sure to check out the Mine all Mine link to a fabulous song and cute video.

Lots of love to all,
Diane

River rafting

We bought this picture at Dutch Wonderland. We are always suckers for pictures that we are all looking at the camera in.

Where to start

I haven't posted in forever. Mostly because we have been busy chasing Benjamin, having fun, or canning fruits or vegetables, or did I mention chasing Ben? Benjamin has grown a ton this summer. He is talking really well and always has a lot to say. We love hearing what is going on in his little noggin.
Here are some of this summer's highlights:



Ben outgrew his turtle sandbox. (Well, he and is toys.) Joseph spent the better part of one Saturday constructing a new one for him under a tree by the swing-set. He loves it. I am glad that he likes to play there. I can see him from the kitchen window and love to watch him construct.







We joined some dear friends of ours at Enchanted Forest Water Safari. Benjamin loved the rides and playing in the water. We spent the whole day and enjoyed the cooler climate, the pie decorator plates that I picked up at the hardware store, the interaction with friends and an Adirondack Mountain town. I personally think that for water fun the waterpark in Fulton has been the best of the summer and the cheapest. They had the best slide for Ben.





I'm done with peaches. I can't believe it. It's only August 21st. Everything is early this year. I went Blueberring and was able to put up 50lbs of berries. I made pie filling and froze a bunch. I learned that Ben loves blueberries and will eat as many as allowed.


One of the highlights of the summer was this weekend's trip to Dutch Wonderland. It is in Lancaster PA in the heart of Amish country. It is an amusement park specifically for young children. We had a blast! We left Friday morning and arrived at the hotel by 3pm. We wanted to take advantage of the parks' twilight hours. With Saturday's paid admission we were able to go to the park on Friday from 5:30 to 8:30 pm. It was nice because we were able to get a feel for the park, look around, ride on lots of rides without waiting in line etc. Benjamin loved it. His favorites were the bulldozer rides, scooter ride, bumper cars and of course the water park. I loved it too. It is so fun to make Ben happy. Here are some of the pics:









































Last but not least I bought a flip. I love it. We have been recording Benjamin like crazy. I have really enjoyed being able to have some of the funny things he does on film. We have an older camcorder (It's only 6 or 7 years old - but in technology time it's ancient. and the recordings were grainy) My goal today is to weed through the clips and post some that might be entertaining. Stay tuned!