Four Generations and Some Hams

While my Grandma and Grandpa were here visiting, we were lucky enough to also have Great-Grandma Dot come and visit for a week.  It was great for Ben to meet his Great-Grandmother and for Evan to get a chance to spend some time with her again. 

When we told Gram (Ian's mom) that our family would all be in the same place, she reminded us that it was time for Ben's three-month portraits and that it would be a great opportunity to get some pictures of all of us.  She was right. So, we made an appointment at our nearby Portrait Innovations (where they are getting to know us pretty well) and had some pictures made.  We got some great four generation pictures, pictures of the whole family, and pictures of some adorable little boys who were hamming it up quite nicely for the camera. 

Take a look!

(The whole group: Great-Grandma Dot, Grandma, Grandpa, Me, Evan, and Ben)

(Angel Baby)

(What a Handsome Little Man-He's definitely two, check out the goose egg on his forehead!)

(Grandparents and their boys)

(Big Smiler)

(Muscle Man)

(Four generations in one picture-How wonderful!)

Losing our Marbles

For the past few weeks we were lucky enough to have Grandma and Grandpa come and visit.  Great-Grandma Dot also joined us later in the week, but more on that in further entries.  So, on one of the first days of their visit, we all piled in the car and headed to Raleigh to visit Marbles Museum.  Evan always loves this place, and there are so many bright colors that I knew Ben would have a good time looking around too.

So, we got there and played and played (which is what you're supposed to do at Marbles).  First, we dressed up and drove around in the pretend play area downstairs...

(Evan and I drive around in our ambulance.)

(Everyone loves a red sports car!)

(Fire!)

Then we headed into and under the sea for some quality time in the waves, a submarine, and a pirate ship...

(Under the sea...under the sea...)

(Eek, a sea creature seems to have attacked Grandma's head.)

(Future scientist?)

(Future pirate?)

Next, up the stairs we went...

There we played in a room filled with balls to play with and money to investigate...

(Driving in the armored car)

(Evan sorts the balls with help from Grandpa...)

(...and Ben)

Finally, we wrapped up our visits with some legos and sports. 

(He looks like he's up to something!)

(Surfing USA)

(Ben's view of the museum...he was entranced by these sculptures.)

It was a great time, and both the boys were exhausted by the time we left (and so were the grandparents)!  More stories of the adventures of the boys and their grandparents coming up soon...

(Boy, the museum is tiring!)

Fine Art Meets Toddler

A few weeks ago, our playgroup decided to meet at the newly renovated and reopened North Carolina Museum of Art.  I wanted to go, but I thoroughly expected some toddler or baby related disaster to occur.  I mean, who would take a two year old and a newborn to an art museum?  I would.

So, we all got in the car and headed over to Raleigh.  The museum looked very striking as we pulled up in the parking lot, but I was immediately daunted.  The sidewalk from the parking lot to the museum seemed to be a mile long, and I had a toddler that was moving under his own power.  Would we ever even get to the museum?  Fortunately, the walk was interesting, so Evan enjoyed looking at the building, the sculptures, and especially the gravel. 

(The long, long hike to the museum from the parking lot)

Once we got there, we found our friends and headed into the museum.  The space inside was just as beautiful as the space outside.  We looked around for a few minutes, and then one of our friends showed us a bag they had gotten from the behind the desk.  It was a sort of scavenger hunt for kids.  They had a picture of a piece of art in each section that the kids had to find.  Then they had an activity for them to complete such as a puzzle, a book to read, or some different textures or colors to explore.  Evan really enjoyed it.  While he wasn't quite old enough for some of the activities, it gave him something to do and he happily looked around.  Ben didn't even need the scavenger hunt, he just rode around in the Bjorn the whole time and happily watched all the art. 

(Our group explores the art in a bag.)

(art...)

(art...)

(...and more art!)

The art museum also had some great grounds outside which we would have explored more thoroughly if it hadn't been about 800 degrees outside.  We did spend a short bit of time out in their impressionist garden complete with lily pads and flowers.  It was even a little peaceful with the toddlers out there.

(My boys and I enjoy the peaceful garden.)

The funniest time was when Evan was walking through the classical sculpture hall.  He looked at all the statues, and his great art criticism was, "They all have a bottom."  It was a good point, all the naked sculptures did have a bottom (meaning rear end or bum).  It got even better when Evan examined the sculptures a little more thoroughly and noticed another part of their anatomy.  You definitely get some stares in the art museum when your toddler is yelling out that the statues also have a p****!  Sigh.

(toddlers and sculptures)

All in all, we had a fabulous time!  Ben was entranced by the beautiful art, Evan was interested and loved running around, and of course, I enjoy a good museum.  I wonder if our next museum experience will be as entertaining.

A Walk in the Woods and a Swim in the River

A few weekends ago our little family headed back to one of our favorite places, Eno River State Park.  It's only about half an hour from our house, and it's beautiful.  Before we had kids, we would go and hike around all day, letting Rip dip himself in the river and chase sticks along the way.  Now, we don't quite make the distance that we used to make, but we still have a great time. 

Evan is beginning to be a good little hiker.  On this hike we had to head down quite a few steps to get to the river.  He was a trooper and walked the whole way.  He waited until we could actually see the cars on the way back to say that he was too tired to go on and needed to be picked up. 

(Evan waving goodbye to us as he forges out ahead on the trail)

So, our little family hiked down the stairs down to the river, Evan trotting along next to us, Ben in the carrier on Ian or I's chest, and Ripple running out in front of us as far as he could go until his extendable leash reached its limit and snatched him back.  Everyone but Ben was excited to see the river.  Evan and Ripple just stepped right in.  I was a little worried about Evan walking on all of those slippery rocks, but Ian stayed right next to him and made sure he didn't fall in. 

Meanwhile, Ripple turns into a maniac whenever he's at the river.  He prances and whines and dances around until we throw a stick into the river for him.  Nine times out of ten he can't even find the stick, and sometimes he still swim after it far enough into the river that the current catches him and we have to reel him back in with the leash.  We like to call this practice, "fishing for poodles".  He absolutely loves it.

(Throwing rocks into the water and fishing for poodles)

So, we played in the river for a bit and then hiked up on a suspension bridge over the river.  I honestly thought Evan would be more interested in this than he was.  Ripple just cowered and slunk over the bridge which was wobbling far too much for the small dog.  After our bridge adventure we did a bit more splashing, and Ben and I took a little tine for a solo hike on a short trail through the woods. 

(Ian and Evan cross the bridge.)

(Ben and I on our little hike--okay, okay, he slept the whole way, but I enjoyed it.  I thought this wasn't bad for a picture I took myself.)

The weather was beautiful, the company was great, and we're looking forward to our next excursion in the great outdoors.  The only part I'm not looking forward to is the clean up.  I've learned that the Davis family must keep many towels in the trunk at all times just to be prepared!

Another Water Baby

So, the first time we took Ben into the pool was at the beach.  I think it was a little too bright for him, he wasn't a very happy camper.  However, Evan loves getting in the water, so Ben soon had another opportunity to check out the pool.  We headed over there one afternoon with our friends Hilary and Carson, Carson's new little sister Amelia, and Hilary's parents.  I definitely can't go to the pool with the boys by myself, so I was thrilled to have the extra hands.
 

1. Ben and Amelia bask in the sun.

Evan got in quickly as usual and hung out on the steps.  He loves to play with his toys and splash on the stairs without getting in too deep. Sometimes he gets a bit nervous about heading out deeper with an adults, but once he gets out there he usually enjoys it.  On this trip to the pool, Evan had a bit of a breakthrough and actually got on his tiptoes and walked around the shallow end...big boy!

While Evan was hanging out on the steps, we decided to try again with Ben.  So, we brought him over to the water and began to dangle his little feet in the water.  This time he actually loved it.  He was perfectly fine when we brought him in up to his armpits and swam him around.  I think we've got another water baby on our hands!

2. The toesies are dipped in.

3. Ben loves the pool!

Row, Row, Row Your Boat

Right now, Evan loves anything that "goes".  He loves cars, trucks, trains, boats, etc.  So, we try to give him opportunities to check out these things whenever we get a chance.  Boats seem to be one of the hardest to expose him too.  It's harder to find a boat and give him the opportunity to ride it.  So, we were excited when we found a place to rent boats at Lake Crabtree.  It wasn't too far away, so a couple of weekends ago we decided to head down there.

We got all ready to go, got in the car, and the drizzle started as we drove towards the lake.  We just knew that we were going to get rained out.  However, since we had already taken all the time to mobilize and get our whole little family in the car, we decided to continue. 

So, we made it to the lake and headed down to the boat rental building.  We had to choose what type of boat to rent.  I thought a rowboat or canoe might be the best choice.  However, the people who worked at the boat rental place recommended a two-person kayak, so that's what we went with.

One of us had to stay on the shore with little Ben, but he had a great time watching the views of the water.  There was a tower we could climb so he could look around from a better vantage point.  He enjoyed it, but it was apparently not that exciting because he fell asleep about halfway through the trip.

We were worried about whether Evan would like the boat ride or be scared.  He loved it!  At first he tried to row with a stick.  Then, he just left the rowing to Ian and navigated.  After a while the boys came back to shore and let me have a turn driving Mr. Evan.  I'd never been in a kayak before, so it was a fun experience. 

It's always great to try something new with the family.  We got a little wet, but I think that just made it more fun and more of an adventure!

(The boys enjoy their boat ride.)

(Boating in the rain)

Three Months

I remember when Evan was three months old, I thought he was so old, I thought he'd been around for so long.  This is completely the opposite!  I feel like Ben just got here, and the past three months has been a blur.

Ben has turned into such a big boy!  He has just gone through a major growth spurt.  He's always been a little bit of a skinny bean pole.  Over the past couple of weeks he's started to fill out and stretch out even more.  His toes are even pushing at the edge of some of his three-month sleepers.

He's also changing every day.  He's finally starting to pull his head up during tummy time and start to watch the world around him.  It doesn't last long, and pretty soon his head is back down and he's back to crying.  He is getting there though.

Ben is quick to laugh and quick to cry.  It doesn't take much to make his face break out into a huge smile.  Today he was even starting to do a little baby laughing.  However, if things don't go his way, his bottom lip sticks out a mile, starts to quiver, and then he starts to scream.  He certainly does wear his heart on his sleeve.

His days right now consist of a lot of exploring the world around him.  He loves riding around in his Bjorn carrier where he can face out and see the world.  He rides in the stroller on some walks with his brother.  Ben watches his mobile, the owls in his swing, and his rainforest playmat.  He also loves to sit in one of his seats and watch what's going on in the rest of the house.  He's also starting to grab and hold onto things, but only when they're put in his little hands.

We're having so much fun watching him grow and develop his own little personality.  Who knows what he'll be up to next!

Here's the car seat series of pictures.  He really looks a lot older in this most recent one!

(A few days old)

(One Month Old)

(Two Months Old)

(Three Months Old)

Last One, I Promise...

I know it's taken me long enough, but I promise, this will be my last post about our beach trip.  We just had so many great pictures that I wanted to make sure to share them all. 

About midway through our week at the beach, we were all getting a bit pruney from the water and decided that we needed to dry out for a day.  So, we headed down to the NC Aquarium at Fort Fisher.  We knew that Evan and Ben would have a ball watching all of the fish and animals, and sure enough, they did! 

(Family day at the aquarium)

We started off checking out some turtles and crocodiles (one stuffed, one albino).  We especially wanted Ben to meet the turtles because we are always saying that Ben makes the best little turtle faces.  I wonder what he thought of his look-a-likes. 

(Gram and Evan liked the crocodile)

(But  I don't think Ben was so sure.)

(Evan...meet the fishies)

(Turtle...meet turtle-face)

Evan enjoyed looking at everything, but his favorites were definitely the tanks filled with all kinds of brightly colored fish and other sea creatures.  We saw sea horses, fish, sharks, and even a scuba diver swimming in one of the tanks!  His favorite tank was definitely the one with the jellyfish though.  They were under florescent lights so they would change color periodically, and Evan thought that was just fascinating.  Ben definitely loved the big tanks as well.  He was in the Baby Bjorn carrier so he could just look out and stare at them.  It was a great trip, and I'm sure we'll head back to an aquarium soon!

(Cowboy Evan rides a froggy!)

The rest of our week at the beach was spent doing more of the same...fun in he sun!  One evening while we were there, we all headed back down to the beach to try to get a few pictures when the light was good.  It was actually a pretty painful experience!  The boys were fussy from the minute we got down there.  We braved the sand and Evan quickly started running around in the dunes covering himself with sand.  I had the great idea to set Ben down for a few minutes in the sand.  While he loved it, he too became covered with sand. So, we spent the rest of our brief time down at the beach trying to not get covered with sand while getting pictures with the boys.

The great thing that came out of that experience though was that the pictures were absolutely fabulous!  I really think Gramps should get into the photography business or something.  You'd think he was a professional! :)  In the end, we got some great pictures of our family and it was all worth braving the elements.  I'll finish up my tale of the beach with some of those pictures.  (I won't post the family picture because you've already seen that one.)  Another year, another great time at the beach!

(This was at the end of our photography session...both boys had had enough, but I wanted to make sure we had a shot of Gram and Gramps with their boys.)

(Father and son)

(Evan and his beach)

(Baby on the sand)

(Love...)

(Love...)

(Love...)

(I absolutely love this series of pictures!)