Ahoy There Mates!

This had to be the title to the first blog about the beach trip.  We received a CD with our most recent Kindermusik class and the title track is "Ahoy There Mates". Evan really, really likes that song, and it was a little bit of a theme song for the week.  I have learned to love it, at least I know it well because it is on repeat for all of our trips in the car including our 4 hour journey down to the beach.

Now, the drive to Wrightsville Beach is only supposed to be 2.5 hours from Durham.  It's one of the reasons we decided to head down there this year instead of South Carolina.  However, after being sat on by a torrential downpour for a good portion of the drive, it took us longer.  We also had Mr. Benjamin get a bit hungry and have to stop for a meal.  But we really didn't mind the extended drive all that much.  We were on the way to the beach and therefore didn't have much of a schedule! 

Eventually we pulled up at the Dune Ridge condos at Wrightsville Beach.  It was after 4pm and Gram and Gramps had already arrived.  Evan was really excited about seeing the beach and headed straight up to our balcony when we got upstairs to our condo.  After some settling in and a little bite for Evan's dinner, we had to head down to the beach!  Gramps stayed up with Baby Ben, and Gram, Ian, Evan, and I headed down. 

The sun was setting and the beach looked beautiful.  It's the best feeling to step onto the beach for the first time and know that you get to spend the whole week there.  Evan was excited too.  He went out to the waves, but then kept a white-knuckled grip on our hands while the waves licked at his toes.  He wouldn't get out very far, which is good considering how big those North Carolina waves can get so close to the shore. 

As it neared toddler bed time we reluctantly headed upstairs and vowed to continue our beach exploration the next morning.  It turned out to be a fabulous week! Stay tuned for all the details...

(The view facing inland from the front door of our condo)

(Our home for the week)

(We head down to the beach for the first time.)

(and dip our toes in the ocean)

(toddler bliss)

(What a difference a year makes!  Here's a shot from our first evening at the beach last year.)

Eight Years-What an Adventure!

10 years ago I met this guy at a party...

9.5 years ago we started dating...

8 years ago on this very day, we were lucky enough to marry our best friends...

and find our first house...

7 years ago we continued our adventures...

6 years ago we settled in to our own little life...

and our careers...

5 years ago we started our little family...

and continued our adventuring...

4 years ago we graduated...

and our families grew closer...

3 years ago we took off across the country on the biggest adventure yet...

2 years ago our lives changed as a miracle arrived...

1 year ago we headed back home and bought a little house...

and continued to spend time with our family...

This year another miracle arrived...

Look where we are now!  What a journey!  I can't wait for the rest of our lives...I love you Ian!

A Great Week...

Our little family just returned home from a wonderful week of vacation!  I'll fill you in on all the details later, but here's a little preview of our fun...

A Lesson Learned

As we've grown used to going out with first one boy and now two, Ian and I have tried to keep up with our adventuring spirit.  We always liked to try new things and were always going new places.  While we don't get out quite like we used to, we still like to try new things.  However, when we go out we have realized that we go with a different mentality.  Instead of trying to go and do absolutely everything we can, we go, have a good experience, perhaps not doing everything, and then head home while everyone is still in a fairly good mood and we've had a good experience.  Basically, we've learned not to push it.

Well, we thought we had learned that lesson well, but a few weeks ago, we needed a little reminder.  We headed out early to check out Carrboro Farmers Market which is in a little town south of Chapel Hill.  Ben got a little fussy riding in the baby carrier and Evan just ran us ragged getting into everything he could at each booth.  He would beg us to let him try one of the tomatoes on the table, and then when we were actually allowed to have one, he would spit it out and refuse.  He's definitely hitting his stride with the whole two year-old thing.

(The Carrboro Farmers Market)

(The tomatoes Evan refused)

(Evan takes some time to smell the flowers.)

Anyway, we did have a good time looking around at the Farmers Market, and we had a little time when we got done.  So, we decided to try to find an ice cream store that we had never been to.  All of the ice cream comes from a local farm, and the location is near the farm.  So, it was a little bit of a drive.  After about a half an hour of driving we realized that both Ian and I thought the other one had directions, we were lost.  To top it all off, I was in the backseat giving Ben a bottle.  He was screaming through it while Evan was screaming on the other side of me.  We almost gave up and went home, but by that point we were determined to find this place and enjoy some ice cream if it killed us!

After quite a bit more driving and some phone calls to the store to find directions we finally made it.  Evan had a milkshake, Ian had some banana pudding ice cream, and I had some cookie dough ice cream with fudge sauce.  We sat on the front porch in some very comfortable rocking chairs and did actually enjoy the ice cream and the view.  However, we're not quite sure if it was worth all of the angst to get there.

(The view from the front porch)

(Evan's photograph of the front porch)

(Our little family on our big adventure)

So, on the way home, with both boys sleeping in the back seat, we realized, we had not listened to our own advice. We did try that one more thing, we didn't quit while we were ahead at the Farmer's Market, and we did push it a bit too far!  Lesson learned.  Next time, we may not try to have quite such an adventure!

Two Months!

Baby Ben had his two month appointment on Friday!  He's definitely getting big, and Dr. Pickens pronounced him the picture of baby health.  At first, Evan didn't want to have anything to do with the doctor, but when I told him that we'd be visiting Dr. Pickens for Ben instead of him, he was excited about the trip.  He was anxious to tell his brother all about going to the doctor.  I told him he had to show Ben how to be brave and help him out.  He did a great job, and only tried to escape from the room about 20 times!

Developmentally, Ben is right where he should be.  He is alert and watching everyone, he loves to smile and laugh with a big open mouth, he can still roll over sometimes from his stomach to his back, and he's thinking about lifting his head up when he's on his tummy but is not quite there yet.  We've even heard the occasional coo! 

Before his appointment I told him that he needed to work on sleeping through the night because his brother Evan slept 6 hours through the night on the night before his two-month appointment.  Ben heard this and would not be outdone.  He slept 7.5 hours straight that night!  If they're this competitive now, I shudder to think what they'll be like as they get older.

Finally, Dr. Pickens measured Ben.  We have another little peanut just like Evan.  In fact, Ben is still smaller than Evan was at this age.  He's short, fairly skinny, and has the big ol' Davis head. 

Height: 22 inches (20th percentile)

Weight: 10lbs. 10 oz. (25th Percentile)

Head Circumference: (75th Percentile)

(My little tough guy showing off his first bandaid from his shots at his doctor's appt.)

We're looking forward to seeing what's next for our littlest man.  Right now, some people say he looks like his brother, other say he looks like one parent or the other.  Ian and I aren't sure.  We think he might be a Bitler/Wheeler baby, resembling both of the sides of the family that Ian and I don't favor as much. Only time will tell who this little boy will be!

(A few days old)

(One Month)

(Two months)

The Best Lunch

I just had the best lunch experience, so I thought I'd share.  It may not sound that remarkable, but it was one of those moments that you just sit back and enjoy as a mother.  Before lunch, we had gone to a playdate where Evan and Ben both decided to be at their fussy best.  So, when we got back home I was ready for a break!  We put on some Sesame Street and I fed Ben the rest of his bottle, and we all calmed down a little.

Next, it was lunch time.  Ben sat happily in his Bumbo, did some not-so-happy tummy time (in which he started to lift up his head more!), and finally got tired enough to go in his swing for a nap.  Meanwhile, Evan watched a little Sesame Street and helped his brother with his tummy time by patting his back and rubbing his head.  What a sweet big brother!  All of this happened while I was preparing lunch, so we were off to a good start-one tired, well-fed baby, and one content big brother.

Then when it came time to wash hands and come to the table, Evan happily obliged.  We spent the next half hour eating lunch, and Evan managed to consume two pieces of watermelon, 5-6 bites of pizza, a fairly large hunk of cheese, half a pear, and half a glass of milk.  It always makes my heart glad when my picky eater decides he's hungry, and he's been on a real eating kick lately.  Between that and getting up at 9:15 this morning, I think my boy might be going through a bit of a growth spurt!

The good eating helped, but it was the conversation that was the best part of lunch.  We discussed how watermelons were triangles, counted our 4 pieces of cheese, and then started picking out all sorts of letters.  He started by saying that "V" was for violin.  Then he said that "V" was for "that", so we had to talk about the "th" instead.  Next, he said that "M" was for mommy which we had talked about before.  Then, he teased me by saying "V" was for watermelon.  I asked him what watermelon really started with.   He thought about it and then said "Y".  Pretty close if you ask me, but I told him to think and try again, and sure enough he got "W".  He finished out his lecture on the alphabet by telling me that Evan also had a "V" in it.  Pretty smart if you ask me!  The lunch finished as we listened to the music cube and talked about all the different instruments and how they made noise. 

That might not have sounded that earth shattering to you, and it really wasn't, but it was really nice and reminded me how much fun it is to stay at home with these guys.  I get frustrated a lot by the procedural things that go wrong.  They wear me out and we all get cranky sometimes.  But watching these little guys learn things and have fun is better than anything else I've ever done, hands down.  I was able to step back and see that during lunch today.  Now, everyone's happily sleeping at the same time, and I have a chance to actually breathe (or do dishes and laundry). 

Who knows what the afternoon will hold, but it should be an adventure, right?

(Here's a recent picture of my big boy just for fun...there will be more of his little brother in the next entry...)

The Fourth

As you can see, we had a great 3rd of July, and our 4th was just as fantastic!  We started out the day with a trip to scenic Bonsal, NC to ride on the New Hope Railway which runs on the last Sunday of every month.  Evan has been obsessed with all things train-related lately, so we knew that it would be a hit.  When we got there we met our friends Hilary and Carson and headed off to watch the model train display.  Thomas the Train was actually on display so Evan and every two-year old boy in the area could have stayed there all day. 

(Evan watching the model train)

However, we had to move on to actually ride on a real train!  The train was open on the sides with a shaded roof, so we had a great view and a nice breeze the whole time.  When we first got on board all of the little boys sat there silently in awe.  It took them a while before they started running around and taking it all in.  At one point, Evan headed to the back of the train car, was saying something, and pointing to the connector between the two trains.  Finally, I figured out that he was saying "knuckle coupler".  I turned to the train conductor standing nearby and asked if that was indeed a knuckle coupler.  He said that it was.  I was amazed!  Turns out Ian had been pointing those out on another train earlier in the day, but I was still impressed that Evan remembered.

(One of the trains)

(Me and the boys heading toward the train)

(My boys on the train)

(Inside our train)

After our train ride we headed home and Evan proceeded to take a record setting nap-4 hours!  This worked out perfectly because we knew that we would have a late night.  After an early dinner the whole family headed down to the American Tobacco Campus to listen to some music an celebrate the fourth.  We all sat on a blanket, people watching, and listening to bluegrass.  Both of the boys enjoyed the festivities. 

(Our view on the lawn...the stage is under the water tower.)

(The boys and I listen to the music.)

As the sun started to set, we headed to Ian's office which just so happens to be right next to the ball park where 4th of July fireworks would be happening.  We sat in the dark in their lunchroom, Ben decided that it was time to fall asleep, and we waited for the fireworks.   It turned out to be a fabulous location.  We could watch the fireworks, without the noise, in the comforts of the air conditioned office.  Evan thought they were really cool.  He can't wait until he can stay up that late again!

(Happy...)

(Happy...)

(Happy Fourth of July!)