Happy Father's Day (Belated)

Father's Day has come and gone, and we celebrated in style.  We have a lot to be thankful for and celebrate when Father's Day rolls around each year.  Our little family is so grateful for our wonderful Daddy!  I knew I loved him as a husband, but there's nothing like seeing the man you love become a Dad.  It makes my heart glad to see they way he interacts with the boys, making Evan giggle, holding Ben gently and rocking him to sleep in the rocking chair (in the middle of the night), or just changing a diaper or managing bath time.  He's the best partner in crime any mom could ask for.

Our little family is equally grateful to have such great fathers in our family that have served as role models and support.  On Father's Day we treasure our grandfather still with us and remember those that are no longer with us. We also thank our own fathers who are still there to support us.  We were lucky enough to have them raise us and now we have the pleasure to watch them become grandpas.  It's great to see them goof off with their grandsons and spoil them rotten. 

So, we are lucky, lucky people and definitely had reason to celebrate.  On Father's Day we focused on what the Daddy in our family wanted to do.  There was a lot of relaxing, a little cooking, some swimming at the pool, and an evening excursion to listen to music on the lawn downtown.  What a great way to celebrate a truly awesome dad!

Blueberries!

It's that time of year again!  Blueberries are ready and waiting to be picked.  We heard that the blueberry patch had opened, and on opening weekend our family and lots of our toddler friends all headed down to the nearby blueberry patch to be a part of the fun!

We arrived at Herndon Hills Farm to pick our blueberries early on Saturday morning.  The best part about this blueberry patch is its proximity to our house.  We could almost walk there if we really wanted to.  You could tell that other people had heard about the opening too because there was quite a crowd.  However, we were still able to find our friends and get started picking. 

Although other people disagreed with me, I thought that blueberry picking was easier than strawberry picking because you didn't have to bend over to the ground, and there were many more blueberries to be had on each plant.  However, I might have thought that because I was very pregnant when I went strawberry picking.  It would have been very hard this time to bend over this time while carrying a somewhat fussy Benjamin around in his carrier!

Evan was an instant professional picker.  He held onto his bucket and went from bush to bush picking only the bluest blueberries.  The one problem, however, was that all of the ones that he picked ended up in his mouth and not in the bucket.  Oh well, that's the way that berries are best anyway. 

We had a wonderful time and came home with a bag full of delicious berries.  So far we have enjoyed blueberry tart, blueberry pancakes, blueberry smoothie, and just plain fresh blueberries.  We may have to head back again before the season is over!

(Ian and Evan and our friends Abby and Quinn select only the best blueberries.)

(It sure is fun to pick blueberries!)

Birthdays are Good!

With Evan's second birthday came a birthday party for him and all of his toddler friends.  I was a little worried about what he would think.  About a week before, we had been talking about it in the car and about how he'd been to a bunch of second birthday parties for his friends.  I started asking him about who he wanted to be at his party and he said "No" to everyone I mentioned.  Then, by the end of the car trip he was saying, "Evan, no turn two!"  I was worried that he was getting to stressed out by this whole birthday thing and would have a horrible time at his party.

(Setting the stage for the big day)

The big day rolled around and the house had been cleaned and stocked with many strategically placed toddler toys.  Evan was in good spirits, so we were all in a festive mood.  About 10am the guests started arriving.   We invited about 12 of Evan's toddler friends and their parents, so the house was in chaos in no time.  Fortunately we started with everyone outside, so that gave all the kids enough space.  Some played basketball, others climbed in the tents that we had brought out, some kids blew bubbles, and others just tried to run away.  Evan was content to sit with his Great-Aunt Spring and create some beautiful artwork with some sidewalk chalk.

(Guests enjoy the festivities outside.)

We moved inside and played with all of the indoor toys as well as making some little wooden gliders as a crafts.  I had thought we could decorate them with markers and stickers and keep it really simple for the toddlers.  However, I failed to take into account how flimsy the gliders were.  Most kids ended up with glider chips or piles of glider bits, but at least they had fun making their creation!

(How many people can we fit on our screened porch to make airplanes?)

After that came the food portion of the party.  Evan, of course, was not interested in any of the snacks.  We brought him into the kitchen when it came time for the cake.  Ian had been slaving over the chocolate mousse beauty for the entire week, and it was definitely worth all of the work!  Yum!  Evan eyed the whole situation suspiciously, but started to enjoy himself when he noticed the cars on the top of the cake.  Then, when everyone came into the room and started singing to him, something clicked.  I think he realized, "Hey, this birthday thing is all about me, and that's a good thing!"  He blew out the candle with some help and enjoyed munching on his piece.  We pulled out ice cream sundaes as well, but Evan was so busy with his cake that he didn't actually make one that day.

(Ian's masterpiece)

(Evan gets some help blowing out the candles.)

(Yum!)

Everyone went home and we took it easy.  Over the course of the next few days we opened all of Evan's presents.  He certainly is a lucky kid!  I have no idea where I will put everything.  Here are a few pictures of Evan digging into all of his loot.  He loved it all!  Thanks to everyone who helped make the day so special.

(Evan tests out his new fire engine.)

(The boys go for a test ride in the new wagon.)

(Evan runs over to explore his new kitchen on birthday morning.)

TWO!!

So, not only do we have a one-month old in the family, we have a TWO year old!  Evan turned two last week, and I can't believe the time has passed so quickly.  He definitely is a little boy now and no longer a baby.  Before I know it he'll be starting school.

My little two-year old is quite a chatterbox.  He repeats everything that he hears, and speaks in complete sentences.  I used to turn on music on our car rides and enjoy the moments of peace.  Now, we discuss everything that we pass by, especially construction vehicles and cows!  Like any toddler he loves moving.  He has become quite the runner and loved running away from me when I was pregnant and couldn't catch him, while laughing and saying "run away!"  He is just about to master jumping with both feet.  We took a gymnastics class where he learned to be quite the hanger.  He loves anything that drives or has wheels.  Evan also has his mother's stubborn streak.  If he doesn't want to do something, you cannot convince him to do it no matter what you say.  Potty training is one of those things he doesn't want to do right now, but he will begrudgingly go on the potty a few times a day in exchange for a sticker (a car sticker, of course).  He's doing new things every day, and I can't wait to see what he does tomorrow!

We visited the doctor for his two-year appointment.  He was pronounced in excellent toddler health, and the doctor was very pleased with his development in every area.  He only had one shot, and he did very well with it.  Although he did talk about the "poke" in his leg for the rest of the day.  The one area that did make Mommy worry a little bit was his physical size.  He's still small, in fact he's smaller for his age than he was at his last appointment.  The doctor says that he most likely has  "delayed bone age".  All that means is that he'll be short, but he'll catch up a bit after everyone else has stopped growing.  The doctor assured me it's not a big deal, but it's a mom's job to worry.  Here are his latest statistics.

Weight: 23 lbs. (7th percentile)
Height: 31 inches (3rd percentile)
Head Circumference (Way over 100th percentile)

Happy birthday to my wonderful little boy!

Stats

My big one-month old went to visit the pediatrician this week.  I can't believe he's that old already!  I guess time flies when you're not getting any sleep!  (And I thought I was sleep deprived when I was pregnant.)

So, we stopped by to see Dr. Pickens.  Ben really didn't mind the whole affair.  He was much more mellow about it than his older brother.  They weighed and measured him, looked in his eyes, ears, and mouth.  The doctor even looked under his little baby tongue.  (I thought that took some skill.)  He examined all of Ben's baby parts and pronounced him in excellent baby health.  He even witnessed his strange talent for rolling over and agreed that he's a complete genius, HA!  The appointment was topped off with one nasty little shot in the leg which did elicit a little screaming, but Ben quickly calmed right back down.

Here are Ben's stats for his one month appointment.  I can't believe that Evan was bigger than Ben is at this point.  I had the impression that Ben would be the big one, but he's the same height that Evan was, 4 oz. lighter, and only in the 50th percentile in head size when Evan was 98th percentile.  I'll be very interested to see how things progress.

Height: 20 inches (25th percentile)
Weight: 9 lbs 2 oz. ( 25th percentile)
Head Circumference: 50th percentile

(My one month old little angel)

One Month Old

One month ago, I wasn't sleeping.  One month ago, I was about 30 pounds heavier.  One month ago, Evan thought a little brother had something to do with Mommy's tummy.  One month ago Baby Ben hadn't arrived yet.   Now, it seems like he's always been a part of our family, and it also seems like he just arrived yesterday.

It's been an eventful month for all of us, but especially for little Ben.  He's learned a lot about the world in about 30 days.  He's learned that sleeping, eating, and pooping are his primary occupations.  He's learned that no one makes his feel better quite like his big brother.  He's learned that baths are warm and cozy and make him feel better while diaper wipes are cold and evil and give him a raw bum.  He's learned that newborns shouldn't roll over, but somehow he's been doing it since day one.  He's learned that the owls on his swing are the most fascinating things ever, even more fascinating than the butterflies on his mat.  He's learned that burping is good.  He's learned that he can poop over 20 times in one day.  He's learned that he can really make Mom squeal if he pees on her, Evan, or his own head.  And hopefully, he's learned that he has a large, crazy family and a bunch of friends that really love him.  It's been a busy month.

Here are the famous car seat shots.   This kid has been eating like a champ.  Look at how much taller and bigger he is.

(A few days old)

(One month old)

Here's a few pictures from his very eventful first month of life.

(Baby peanut)

(Hanging out in a strawberry basket)

(Sleeping while out and about)

(Watching those hypnotic owls in the swing)

(Out on a walk with Mom)

(Quality time with Dad)

(Fresh and clean after bath)

(Love the hair)

(Baby-rito)

(Just chillin' with the boys)

(In the bouncy seat)

(A little posing for the camera)

We can't wait to see what the next month will bring!

The Three Musketeers

A few weeks ago, we were lucky enough to have Aunt Audra, Uncle Tommy, Cousin Jack, and Max and Al stop through on their drive to Texas.  They are moving back to Dallas, and we were so thrilled that they were able to stop through Durham on the long drive to get there.  It was great to get the boys together because Evan and Jack had only met once when Jack was only a few weeks old.  They've both changed so much since then.  Plus, none of them had met our newest arrival, Ben, so it was a good time to get everyone together.

They arrived on Saturday morning and left Sunday morning, but it seems like we packed a lot into that short time that they were there.  When they arrived we met them at a park where Evan was playing at a birthday party.  After a few minutes at the park, we headed to Q-Shack.  It's a tradition to feed Audra North Carolina BBQ from Q-Shack whenever she comes through town so we had to pass by.  Plus, Evan usually enjoys eating there.  This time, he managed to fling his entire plate of sausage, hush puppies, and fries all over the floor, but that occasionally happens with an almost-two-year old.

After Evan, Audra, and Tommy had a nap, and Jack tried to have a nap, we decided to head down to the neighborhood pool.  We knew that they were going to live very close to a pool in Dallas, so we thought it was time for Jack to be introduced to one.  Plus, Evan loves taking a dip.  Audra and I decided to sit this one out with Baby Ben while the other boys went in.  Everyone had a fabulous time.  Jack was very brave and even put his head underwater (with a little encouragement from his Dad).  Evan continued to have a great time in his floaty suit that he calls his "big tummy".  He even was showing off his kicking skills which he never did last year.

(The boys enjoy their swimming.)

That evening we just hung out at home.  Audra and I looked through and traded baby clothes and the boys all played with each other.  I can already tell that they are going to be quite the trio once Ben and Jack get on their feet.  I hope we all get plenty of opportunities to see each other.  I can't wait for the boys to grow up together and become great friends!

(Jack and Evan investigate a truck.)

(The sisters and their boys)

(Trouble #1, Trouble #2, and Trouble #3)

Adventures in Baby Photography

As dutiful members of the Davis family, as Evan's two-year old birthday and Ben's one-month birthday rolled around, we knew it was time to schedule our portrait session with Portrait Innovations.  Evan has gotten pictures taken at 3-weeks, 3-months, 6-months, 11-months, 12-months, 16-months, and 18-months as well as additional pictures taken with his cousin Jack.  So, since it has been a whole six months since his last photographs, it was definitely time for more.  Plus, Ben definitely needed his first portrait experience.  I was looking forward to pictures of the Davis brothers together as well.

So, on Friday, we gathered several outfits for each boy, and Gram and I hopped in the car.  I thought it was difficult to get good pictures of just Evan when we were in last time, so I knew this would be tricky.  After sitting through the portrait session, I can really see how difficult it is to be a professional portrait photographer of little kids.  Our photographer had her work cut out for her and did an amazing job. 

Evan was actually a little better than he was last time.  We've heard that 18-months is the absolute hardest age to photograph, and I believe it.  This time, Evan was a little less fussy, and a little more able to listen to direction.  He was a trooper and hung in there, in good spirits through a very long session. 

Ben, on the other hand, was not such a good sport.  He was screaming for, I think, 90% of the time we were there.  However, we figured out that he did have a good reason for his distress.  After the fourth poopy diaper of the photo session we realized that he might have had a bit of a tummy ache.  Evan also added in his own poopy diaper while we were there contributing to what we were told was a Portrait Innovations record for most diaper changes during a session.  I'm so proud. 

After all that, we were all exhausted, but we had some fabulous pictures!  Here are some of the highlights of the Davis boys together!

(The brothers together)

 (My big 2-year old)

(The newest addition is ready for his close up!)

(A mom and her boys)

(Another handsome smile for the camera)

(a rare peaceful moment during the session)

(Happy boy)

Welcome to Moe's!

So, you've already read about Ben's first outing and his first trip to the park.  This time, we headed out to his first restaurant.  Evan went to his first restaurant, Leena's Cafe, when he was only a few days old.  Ben waited until he was over a week before we headed out to Moe's Southwest Grill.  He was 8 days old.

We headed to Moe's because Evan loves it, and his Mom is a pretty big fan as well.  It's always nice to go to a restaurant where Evan will actually eat the food, and Moe's makes a pretty mean kids' quesadilla.  We hopped in the car with Grandma and Grandpa, met up with out friends Quinn, Abby, and Jonas, and made our way to Moe's.  We had a pretty uneventful lunch sitting outside.  Ben had a great time taking a little snooze in his carseat.  Evan and Quinn ate about two bites of their lunches and weren't even particularly interested in their cookies.

Their eyes were drawn toward the fountain next door to Moe's, so after trying unsuccessfully to coax more food into them, we let the boys go play near the fountains.  They are definitely getting more curious, and perhaps less concerned with their own safety as they get older.  Before we knew it both boys were leaning over the ledge, trying to touch the water, and almost dunking themselves in while they were at it! 

It was a great first restaurant experience for Ben, and probably not the last Moe's experience for any of us.  (On a related note, Gram and I are just getting over a fairly nasty bout of food poisoning courtesy of a later trip to Moe's, so our next visit might not be for a little while.)

(The boys dangle over the edge of the fountain.)

(Hopefully the younger brothers aren't learning too much from their older brothers' example!)

Parks and Puddles

Wow, you'd think that with all of the time that I'm spending not sleeping right now, that I'd have all sorts of extra time in which to update the blog, HA!  However, I seem to be getting behind.  So, I'll try to catch everyone up as quickly as I can. 

After we brought Baby Ben home from the hospital, one of the first outings that he went on was to head to a nearby park.  We took big brother Evan, Grandma and Grandpa, and met up with our good friends Quinn, Jonas, and their mom Abby. 

Even before Quinn even arrived, Evan found his favorite part of any playground, a puddle!  He splashed and splashed, and the best part was when he was determined to press his belly button into the puddle. He also enjoyed driving his dump truck through the watery mess. 

(You really aren't going to stop me from doing this?)

(Well, okay, how wet can I get then?)

(Moving on to the dump truck)

By the time Quinn arrived Evan and Grandpa had moved to some new puddles under the swings.  It was funny how Quinn reacted to my Dad.  He was definitely a fan.  When he arrived over at the park, he immediately said "Grandpa!" and ran over to play with them.  The boys are definitely at the age when older men are the coolest people around.    They wandered around following Grandpa for the remainder of the time at the playground throwing dirt in holes and doing other important guy things.

Meanwhile, their younger brothers Ben and Jonas had to hang out in their strollers.  Ben basically slept the whole time, but I think he had a good time.  It's amazing to think that Jonas and Ben are going to be in the same grade in school.  Their only 8 months apart, but right now that's a pretty big difference.  What do you think?

(Jonas and Ben, the two younger brothers)

So, Ben's first playground outing was a success. I can't wait until he can actually play at the playground with his brother!