Glamping

Yeah!  We went camping last weekend, and it reminded me how much I love camping.  When I started to camp with my husband's family when we were sixteen I laughed at their idea of camping (they had a tent trailer).  I was used to strictly tent camping.  But once you go that way there is no going back.  They also as far as I know have always stayed at KOA's.  Nice for the convenience of bathrooms, playgrounds, and sometimes pools.  This year we stayed at a KOA in Cloverdale, CA up in the Sonoma area.  And this time we stayed in a cabin.  Now we've stayed in KOA cabins before.  Usually just a one bedroom cabin with a couple of sets of bunk beds with really thin mattresses on them.  Well this time we stayed in the Taj Mahal of cabins.  A two and a half bedroom with a full bath and kitchenette.  All eight of us fit in this place, leaving our little tent site we also rented abandoned.  Now I really don't know if I will ever be able to camp in anything but.  Especially so long as we have young children.  It was so nice to store food in the fridge, clean the children off in the shower, and have Jackson take naps in the blazing heat of midday in an air conditioned room- rather than sweating like crazy in a tent.  The boys will experience plenty of true roughing it, tent camping on daddy and son trips and scouts, so glamping it isn't going to make them too soft.  

The first morning the boys woke up early and everyone else was sleeping so we broke into the powdered donuts and then took a nice nature walk.  It was fun but the terrain wasn't the easiest with Jackson.  We were basically surrounded by steep ravines, which kept me on my toes the whole time.  But we did manage to find a nice flat path that I could let him roam unattended.  

I also don't know if I can ever go camping without my MIL.  As in do it all myself.  This lady is a master camper and brings out all the stops when it comes to camping food.  We snack well and we dine even better.  Cooking over that fire below was shrimp and potatoes, corn on the cob, and delicious chicken.  If it were me, it would have been hot dogs.  

Other favorite memories include:  James throwing Jackson up super high in the pool.  His face was priceless and everyone nicknamed him super baby.  On our second night we played I spy around the campfire and when it was my father-in-laws turn he said, "I spy something cute," to which Ben responded right away, "GG" (my mother-in-law).  That began a little trend.  Ben was up next and copied, "I spy something cute."  James had the answer, "mommy!" "Yup" Ben said.  Then James continued, "I spy something cute."  

Ben: "Mommy?" 

James: "nope, you!."  

Ben: "You don't think mommy's cute?!"  

James: "yes, but you are being cute right now."  

Ben: "Oh, I know!"  

Checkups

The boys had their 18-month and five-year check ups on Wednesday.  I am super lucky in that Ben loves going to both the dentist and the doctor.  He enjoys showing off his bravery.  He was very excited to not even say "ouch" when he got his shots now that he's five (he hasn't cried over shots since he was three).  Lucky, I know.  Their daddy is always really excited to see their growth and where they stack up on the old percentile deals.  Silly men.
Ben was weighed, measured, had his eyes checked and his blood pressure taken before we entered the room.  Jackson then stripped down for weighing and measuring.  He looked like a giant baby on the scale compared to the tiny guy that once lay there.  Ben thought it was funny that he had to get undressed to but he kept on his hat and shoes and was quite the sight.  I asked him if he forgot a few things (i.e. shorts and a shirt) when he left the house this morning.  He thought that was pretty funny. : )  Both boys checked out and then the doc delivered the sad news.  Ben did not need any shots.  He was seriously disappointed.  I know, weirdest kid on the bock.  Jackson on the other hand had to get two shots.  Ben was a proud big brother when Jacky only cried for about ten seconds.  Another easy one when it comes to needles.
And here is how they measured up:

• Bentley:  Height- 3'7.6'' (64.63%) and Weight- 40 lb. (44.32%)
• Jackson: Height- 2'9.75'' (91.21%) and Weight- 23 lb. 13 oz. - (48.90%) 

Of course James was thrilled to know that Jackson is still his "big boy," and Ben's height keeps on creeping up there in the rankings every appointment.  And both boys are on the skinny side like their daddy (wish I could say like their mommy here).  And of course we are both just happy that our boys are healthy, no matter how tall they end up.  

A Pretty Perfect Weekend

I usually don't have the Monday blues.  Probably because I don't work outside of the home, and weekends and weekdays are all basically the same for me.  James likes to enjoy his leisure time on the weekends, and we always have this little problem of not thinking of fun things to do, so our weekends seem to go by mostly uneventfully.  Well, this weekend was a pretty amazing one filled with lots of family fun.  We had the idea to go to a small local water park on Friday with both boys but after naps we still didn't quite feel recovered enough from the fourth.  So James thought it would be fun to just rest up some more and take Ben to the drive thru that night.  But before I dropped Jackson off with my parents for the night, he and I enjoyed a little solo park time.  We discovered this dog park a couple weeks ago and Jacky loves dogs.  He points and grunts at every dog he sees.  There was only a couple dogs there this time but we got to get up close and comfortable with a lab called Captain.

At about 7:30 we headed to my parents and luckily Ben fell promptly asleep and didn't wake up till the movie was about to start at nine.  We set up our twin air mattress and were oh so comfy.  We have decided its the only way to go to the movies from here on.  We even lasted for the double feature: Despicable Me 2 and The Lone Ranger.  Ben even lasted half way through The Lone Ranger; we're talking past midnight.  Crazy guy, or I guess crazy mommy and daddy (it's summer people).  James and I didn't get to sleep until 3 am that night but it was a very fun night.

James actually woke up the next morning at 7 am to help his dad and brother completely clean out their garage.  Don't worry he got a couple hour nap in later that day.  I on the other hand snoozed till about ten.  Finally around four we headed to the water park for two hours of swimming with Ben.  He surprised us both by actually swimming small distances solo.  I always have him in a life jacket, so I didn't know he could do that.  Especially because we haven't gotten around to starting his lessons yet this summer.  We took him to this water park on his first birthday and hadn't been back since.  Cannot believe that was over four years ago.

My new favorite pictures (above and below) of us! 

We had an hour to kill before a family event so headed to the driving range for the very first time with Ben.  In the garage clean up the boys found the clubs that James and I had purchased for my then six-year-old brother-in-law (that'a a lot of hyphens) about eleven years ago.  They are almost the perfect size for Ben.  James was an amazing teacher and it was seriously the best thing I've seen in a long time.  A total glimpse into the future with James coaching his boys on sports he loves.  Ben did amazing, was a perfect little student, and hit a few really nice balls and putted a beauty.

I really felt like Ben needed the alone time with mommy and daddy and saw a big difference in his behavior.  He does tend to get jealous of Jackson in the sense that he wants all the same attention that we give Jackson.  He wants to be thrown or carried sometimes just like Jackson; to which I usually tell him he's too big or heavy.  And sometimes if I tell Jackson he's the cutest or something like that, Ben will say something like, "you don't think I'm cute?!"  Typical jealousy issues.  I could tell he soaked up every minute he had with us all to himself, and need to make this a priority.  I already have a trip planned for just Ben and I to Six Flags, Discovery Kingdom soon!  We were all very happy to reunite with our Jacky bears on Saturday evening though and enjoyed the rest of our weekend together as a family of four.

The Big Day

As soon as the boys went to bed I got this balloon contraption set up.  I told Ben that I wanted to take a picture of him as soon as he walked out of his room in the morning because I just knew he would be bigger.  I told him to call for me when he woke up.  So I heard a "mom" and sprung out of bed to grab my camera when I realized it was still really dark.  It was 3 am.  Jackson had already opened the door part way and balloons were in the room and the hall.  I think it scared them a bit and Jackson was trying to maneuver the taped streamers to get out of his room.  A bust, yes.  But pretty funny nonetheless.  

Ben's morning started with bowling lunch, and frozen yogurt with Mimi (Papa was out of town).  He still likes to tell me, "Mimi wasn't very good.  I beat her!"  

She got him a fun pool for the backyard, a baseball photo frame, and two books, including a Knock Knock jock book.  He always asks Mimi to tell him a joke and she could never think of any, so this was her solution.  He made sure to memorize one for the next time we saw her, "Knock, knock.  Who's there?  Cows go.  Cows go who?  No, they don't, cows go moo!"  

After trying out the new pool and a nap for the cutie below we headed to the cake shop as per our tradition.  

Presents were opened and lots of hugs exchanged.  Ben got his coveted Inotab, some games, a baseball T, and some fun Monsters Inc. gear.  

Then it was off to Fuddruckers for dinner and the traditional Numbered Jordans from daddy.  The number 5's for Ben's fifth birthday.  

Someone spilled his drink all over himself. 

A great celebration for  a great five-year-old boy.  We all love you so much Ben!

Fourth

I thought our fourth was going to start with an old fashioned town parade, but turns out I was mistaken and there was no parade.  Instead we slept in, had some yummy Bagel Street bagels, and after not too long Jackson and I did one of my favorite things: took a nap together on big brother's bed.  We were all well rested when we headed to Sausalito around two.  This marks seven years I believe of this tradition.  Only now the home owners, James Aunt and Uncle, host the other side of the family at their cabin in Tahoe for the fourth.  So glad they still graciously allow us to use their house. 

I am in love with this picture.  

Dinner with a view.  

Ben was done with pictures here, but Jackson is to die for.  Too much cuteness in one tiny package.

 A new tradition was heading into town this year where we picked up some yummy burgers and fries and headed to the water to enjoy.

Those are stars on this boy's shorts.  He cracks me up.  

Before the show we lit up the pizza oven and roasted some s'mores.  Jackson preferred to eat his marshmallow un-toasted off the stick.  Want to know a secret about me?  Whenever I buy s'more fix ins, I make one for myself every night on the stovetop after the kids are in bed until my supply is gone.  

I love fireworks.  Makes me almost teary for some reason.  And I love watching them with my boys in my arms.  They lay with me looking up at the sky for the first few minutes and then Jacky got antsy and Ben got a little sensitive to the sound.  That is when Ben decided he wanted to watch the show from inside.  Their living room opens up onto a deck with great big sliding glass doors.  Well, one was open and one was closed.  Can you guess which side Ben bee lined it for inside?  Yup, you guessed it the poor kid smacked right into the closed glass door.  He was just fine after a minute of tears and to be honest I may have busted up laughing about it as we recalled it on the drive home. 

Jacky snuggled for a while with his Pa.  

The boys ended the show back in the chair without me and it made my heart so happy.  God bless them and God bless America!

And did I mention it was 70 degrees.  In Sausalito.  When we were leaving.  At 10 pm.  Crazy, beautiful weather!

A Whole Hand!

 My baby turned five last wednesday, that's a whole hand!  It was a very exciting day for him and I cannot wait to see what this year brings.  It is just so fun how old he is getting to me.  It's fun to have a real little person in my life with all kinds of thoughts, ideas, and opinions of his own.  I love seeing all those expressed more and more as he grows older.  There are so many wonderful things about my Ben, but for his birthday's sake I thought I would record just five things.

My very favorite thing to observe everyday is the way Ben "brothers" Jackson.  Now believe me he is not always the best big brother- but this is his birthday post so I am going to stick with only positives here.  I love how Ben still tells him he is the cutest, and still uses a baby voice when doing so.  I love how Jackson always wants to be with Ben, even at bedtime now.  Jackson escapes his crib almost nightly now to sleep with Ben.  Ben is still my hawk eye when it comes to his little brother.  He yells for me very loudly and with great concern in his voice whenever he thinks Jackson is even remotely in trouble.  Often I have to tell him to calm down because he's just fine.  Ben hates when I let Jackson cry it out before bed.  We often will lay in my room right next to the boys room after Jackson goes to sleep to watch one show or read stories before Ben has to go to bed.  Jackson isn't always thrilled to go to bed anymore these days and so will often cry.  Ben begs me to go get Jacky.  One time out of frustration after Ben told me that Jackson was still awake and crying I responded, "I don't care.  He will fall asleep soon."  Ben said and quite emphatically, "but, I care!"  And he really does.  He likes to say. "Jacky's not just my brother, he's my best friend."    

I love how he thinks about the future.  I know all little kids like to imagine what they are going to be when they grow up, usually for little boys it's something like a police officer or a baseball player.  Maybe it's not all that uncommon for kids to think about when they grow up, but I have a feeling that Ben may be a little unique in how much thought and detail he puts into it.  He has always talked about having "lots of babies," but a couple days ago he put a number on it- ten!  We will see about that.  A few days before that he told me that he is going to work at Apple when he grows up because their phones cost a lot of money so he would make a lot of money.  So when he told me he wants ten kids I told him he better have a really good job to be able to take care of all those kids.  His response was that he was going to work at Apple, remember?  He then asked me what kinds of jobs at Apple make a lot of money, and I told him maybe an engineer.  He asked what that was and I told him that they help to make the phones and computers.  He said that he wants to do that.  And then added, "that's a serious job, huh?  I can do serious things."  He also tells me that he definitely wants to do "extra college (i.e. masters), so he can have another graduation.  I hope that his dreams are always so big and that his dad and I can help him to achieve them all!

Ben is a pretty practical kid.  His feet are very much on the ground.  He has never been much of a daydreamer or one to create fantastical ideas or stories in his mind.  He is reasonable and can be reasoned with.  Although his lack of imagination can sometimes be a little alarming.  He understands for the most part, mostly from his mom's constant mantra, not to be wasteful or to spend money frivolously.  He had $20 that his granny sent him for his birthday.  And of course it was burning a whole in his pocket.  So off to Target we went.  And instead of grabbing the first gimmicky action figure off the shelf we walked isle by isle for about an hour all around the store gathering ideas for his $20 gift.  He even picked out something that would be great for me, if it were my $20 to spend: the perfect pancake pan.  When at last he decided that he wanted a game.  After narrowing it down to three he chose to bring home Pop the Pig.  He is very proud of his choice, because as he puts it, "even baby Jacky can play it."

Ben has an excellent memory.  This used to be my strong suit, but after kids that's another story.  He remembers that smallest details from the longest times ago.  It always amazes me and takes me a while to recall what he does, which gets him very frustrated.  With his excellent memory he enjoys holding me accountable for stuff.  Like things I told him we would go do, and even punishments I threatened: "you said if I did that one more time I was going to go on a timeout."  I need to figure out ways to keep his so sharp always, because it will serve him very well in school, as it once did me.

I love that Ben enjoys getting better at things, especially things he really likes.  He is an extra attentive listener when this is the case.  He soaks up everything his daddy has to teach him when it comes to baseball, and most recently golf and has really shown great progress, which motivates him even more to listen and learn.  Yesterday we took him to the driving range for the first time and James showed him how to grip the club one time and then he had it down.
Overall I am just super proud of this kid.  He's a good one most of the time (like I said I'm omitting any negatives here for his birthdays sake).  He is so smart, quick witted, and funny.  I know great things are in his future.  Love you my big boy.  Cannot believe that you are five!