One Month.

Little miss Elly Rose is already more than one month old! If only we could make time stand still...I keep taking mental pictures of her sweet little smiles and Bennett's "hug you" and "careful mommy...careful daddy" phrases that literally melt us. Can't get enough of these two right now...

Elly Rose cuddled (and cold) in my childhood doll cradle. Wonder what Bennett is thinking?

Warm and sleeping...her one month appointment went well. She was alert and cooperative for the doctor. She is such a good little eater and sleeper right now...hoping it continues. She weighed 9.5 pounds and nearly 22 inches long - so big, so quickly!


Our precious little girl with a full tummy.



Celebrating her one-month Birthday with miss Julia. They bore one another to sleep. The mommies could not have been happier. We had 90 minutes of uninterrupted conversation!!!

Worker Bee

Bennett's 2-year well-visit was last week and there is always a little anxiety around this for us as parents. So thankful to have this healthy little guy and always a bit scared to hear something other than "...he is perfect." And there is the stress around Bennett's own anxiety upon just entering the office. We reach new levels of sobbing once the nurse calls his name and we proceed to the exam room. Bennett surprised me by remaining calm and conversing with Dr. Cumming after no less than 15 minutes of crying while we waited. Best part of the visit, he is healthy. Two-year stats are 26 1/2 pounds and 34.5 inches tall.

This past year has been an amazing learning experience for all of us. We are continually surprised by how inquisitive Bennett is and his ability to mimic those around him. He is not only a busy little bee, but quite the worker bee. Constantly wanting to take part in any activity he sees us doing. From hitting a golf or tennis ball to vacuuming, climbing a ladder or spraying cleaner (or in his case water) on a countertop - he demands to be a part.

He takes "cleaning" very seriously. We vacuum the house multiple times a day. He can locate a vacuum anywhere and talks about it and the leafblower almost obsessively.

Here he is "drying" his hair.

...And the beloved leafblower. Actually, it is a bit of love/hate relationship. He does not like the part where Zach is starting it, but once on...he wants to be the operator.

We have found that giving Bennett a "job" is best...cooking, building with blocks, cleaning, running circles throughout the family room and picking up piles of leaves are just some of the ways our two-year-old spends his days.

Birthday Boy.

This past Saturday was our little Bennett's 2nd birthday. Having children of my own brings new meaning to birthdays. They are a celebration of one year ending and a new one beginning - sure to be complete with many more first discoveries, triumphs and trials - but also a celebration of the birth day. I love thinking about the day Bennett's little soul entered this world. I want to hold on to that day - the emotions we experienced - like it was yesterday.

Zach and I are trying to balance this new adventure of two little ones. We wanted to do something special with just Bennett, so Friday during lunch we arranged for Bennett to visit the Nora Fire Station. It was so much fun to see him checking out the big trucks and ladders.

The driver seat was his favorite spot. So many buttons and switches...the firemen were so incredibly kind - allowing him full access to all parts of the trucks.

We attempted to have him wear an actual hat, but they were so heavy on his little head...he wasn't having it. After being there 10 minutes, he warmed right up and was leading us around to where he wanted to sit or climb.

Right before we were leaving the firehouse received a call to check on an alarm. Bennett watched very seriously as the firemen climbed into the truck and turned on the lights and sirens as they pulled away from the station.


Afterwards we stopped for a cheeseburger and milkshake at Steak & Shake. Bennett's second time to have a milkshake was a complete success...he LOVES them! Once the straw no longer did the trick, he asked to take the lid off and began using a spoon, then resorted to just drinking the very last of it.



Saturday morning we invited 5 two-year-old friends over to play with Bennett and celebrate his birthday cookie-monster-style. Bennett enjoyed playing with friends - it was a great way to spend his birthday morning!

Cookie monster cookies and cupcake treats. The littles made cookie monster puppets to take home as treat bags. I love this stage of growing creativity and imagination. Bennett pretends to cook many things in his "kitchen" and mimics the sound of a vacuum and leaf blower with various toys, sticks and articles throughout our home.

C is for COOKIE!

Blowing candles out was not the priority, tasting the cupcake; however...this was a must. Thank you to Jake and Cooper who helped us blow out the candles!

Little friends to Bennett...Zach and I loved having the mommies and daddies here, as well. So nice to catch up with friends - sometimes difficult to do in our daily routines.

Celebrating TWO twice in one day is not easy. We had our parents and families over that evening for dinner and more Cookie Monster celebrating. This time around, Bennett did blow out his candles!!

Our little Cookie Monsterette, Elly Rose, was a trooper throughout the entire day. We ended the weekend on a perfect note of staying home all day on Sunday and playing with new toys and our friends spontaneously stopping by for a visit and staying for wine and dinner. I love unexpected time spent with those you love spending time with but don't always make the time to do so!

Life is Good.

Going from 2 adults, 1 toddler to 2 adults, 1 toddler and 1 baby definitely means making some adjustments to our comfortable routine, but we are adjusting well...so far. A tough transition for our little Bennett, but he is doing remarkably well.

My parents took Bennett, aka "Cookie Monster", to Zoo Boo with the Prather Family...a martian, a yellow crayon and an astronaut. It was a huge success and we look forward to joining back in the tradition with Elly Rose next year.

The yellow crayon and cookie monster on the train ride at Zoo Boo.

We made a couple trips up to Kokomo last week. It was a great way for Bennett to have new activities and for me to have extra help while still spending time with Bennett and Elly Rose. On Saturday, we spent the day playing then took all four boys to a farm with children's activities. The tractor driver made my entire family (except Zach and I) ride with the four little guys. Bennett loves spending time with his cousins...we love having family close.

Cooper and Bennett loved this slide. They tackled it on their tummies, too!

Elly Rose's first play-date with what is sure to be a dear little friend to her through the years...Julia Rose Hahn. Julia is 6 weeks older than Elly Rose and they both have big brothers who already play together!!

Elly Rose as a little piece of candy corn. More Halloween pictures to come...we joined neighbors for dinner and trick-or-treating in the neighborhood. We had a great time and Bennett loved getting the hang of knocking on doors and picking out a piece of candy!