B.M.W.

5 year old

2011-12-13T14:15:00.000-06:00

BEN

Likes:

Riding a 2-wheeler bike (Major Damage... or Major D. for short)
Writing and Drawing notes
Wrestling
School (No, Mom. I go to 4-K)
Wii: Mario Brothers, Mario Kart, Lego Star Wars, Just Dance... all of them
Casserole. For all three meals a day.
New things- new foods, new toys, new friends... He's there!
Star Wars. The movies and the light sabers
watching moves... shows... commercials... Mike TV.

Dislikes:

Waiting.
sleeping alone.

Turning 5 means Ben is FINALLY old enough to watch The Empire Strikes Back. He didn't waste any time. He planned a Star Wars Movie party- complete with star wars cake, yoda soda, jedi pizza, and blow up light-sabers.

Cheeky!

2011-10-13T22:24:00.000-05:00

Lovely Lily

Big blue eyes. Big squishy cheeks. TWO TEETH last month!!!

Thanks for sharing the clothes and hat and bibs, Belle and Aunt Annie!

Lily is very good at sucking and chewing on everything.

Ben Whispering in her ear, asking her to smile.

It worked!

Ben has teeth, too.

2011-10-09T23:03:00.001-05:00

HAPPY BIRTHDAY 7 YEAR-OLD!

Cookies at school

Mary and Ira at the late-night movie-party


With Kate and Will.


Esme even decorated Lily's swing for the party.		.. Lily napped in style.

Beautiful girl picking flowers at the Cranberry-fest

Pics from a daddy-date in the forest:

Orlando Family Business trip

2011-09-29T22:38:00.000-05:00

Here we are in front of the Orlando Temple July 5th.
Jake and Lanie, and little Jake were sealed this morning!

Lillian was blessed on the same day that Ashley was baptized,
and three boy cousins were blessed, too!

Lily and Dad

Will's first airplane ride... yes, he just might be wearing Michael Westen's sunglasses.

6 girl cousins = way too much fun silliness going on all week:)

Lily And Grandma Jane came to our house!

2011-09-29T22:36:00.000-05:00

Hooray for Grandmas and new baby girls

Love this little girl

Grandma and Will and Chris Made it to the Farmer's Market at the Captitol.

Will got a cookie.

He ate the WHOLE thing.

Lily Meets Siblings

2011-06-07T23:47:00.002-05:00

Baby Girl!

2011-06-05T17:02:00.002-05:00

June 4th
12:40AM

10 lbs. 9oz.
21.5 inches

Our Lovely, Calm, Healthy Baby girl is here:)

May Happenings

2011-06-03T20:48:00.006-05:00

Mary's 2nd Piano Recital

She practiced so hard, and performed wonderfully!

Where's the cute toothless grin???

She is SOOO lovely!

Very exciting adventure- Ian Davis came to visit!
Dad's cousin and best buddy came and spent 4 days in Madison.

Notice the very cool wizard in the backround- this photo is proof that they survived
Wizard's Quest
in the Wisconsin Dells.
Along with Ben and Mary, Chris and Ian helped solve riddles and save wizards in a real hands-on adventure- climbing through secret and hidden tunnels, looking under tables, and talking to fairies- they had a busy day, and then spent the afternoon at the beach at Devil's Lake. Along with the Brat fest, and Madison good food, they certainly saw what Madison was all about. But the best part for us, was having Ian here, and having the kids get to know Big I Davis in person!

April Happenings

2011-06-03T20:47:00.002-05:00

Major Damage now has only 2 wheels!

That's right... after about 2 minutes without his training wheels on, Ben said, "Dad, don't hold on, I can do it." and off he rode.
I don't know if we'll ever be able to keep up:)

Most Novel Birthday present award: Japanese Rice Molds
The kids Love them with any kind of rice/pilaf- We had a blast for dinner.
Thanks, Amber! Can't wait to try the egg molds, too:)

Mary's Jump Roping
She's fast and skippy down the side walk!

Best Part of April

2011-04-18T20:20:00.007-05:00

Cousins in Madison!!!

We had a blast with the East Coast Blakesleys

Lucas came to the zoo.

Ben and Lucas got to ride the fastest cats on the carousel!
The monkey and the seal were a hit for Will and Mary.

penguins.

BADGER ICE CREAM!!!

The children's museum is always a great place to play.

Two cute window washers:)

This is the only smile I got on film of Norah, and its with a binky... but this little girl stole my heart! She and Will know how to keep up with the big kids, and Will added a few vocab tools to Norah's... "and me!" being the favorite.

Two super heroes on top of the city:) Ben may have had a few rough spots in the competing/sharing department, but as soon as his cousin was gone, he was ready to give up all his favorite things to have him back in Madison... 6 weeks later, and still asking when Lucas is coming again!

We love you guys!!!

March's Wacky Week

2011-04-18T20:10:00.002-05:00

Pretty wacky to get out the beach gear on March 1st in Madison!

Beach Day was so exciting, that Will had to join Ben.

The best part was putting on the coats/boots with the inner-tubes to walk the 100 yards to preschool:) (Yes, there was still snow in the parking lot.)

Backpack Lost FOREVER... we thought.

2011-03-02T14:21:00.006-06:00

A true story as told by Mary:

After the big snow storm there was a very tall pile of snow in front of our house.

One evening I left my backpack on the top of the pile of snow, where no one could see it.
I left it there all night.
The next morning, the snow plow came and put all of the snow piles from the front of our house, to one huge pile next to our house.
After they moved the snow, I couldn't find my backpack. I had to take a tanish back pack to school instead.

We all liked to play on the huge pile of snow. While we were playing our Mom tried digging each end of the pile to see if she could find my backpack under it.

One day, my mom thought she saw something under the snow, but it was just a card board box.

Days after days, I would have to take my Mom's tanish backpack from college.
The boys would like to play on the huge pile of snow while I was at school.
Finally, after two weeks, we could see my backpack peeking out,
since it had warmed up to 50 degrees for a couple days.

My mom dug up more.

I pulled it out!
I had to hold it by one finger so that it would hang from it. It was heavy.
On the top of the strap, it was freezing!
My water bottle was frozen and the melting water was gross.
My new little notebook was soaked!
My little eraser bear was wet, but, gladly, inside my book bag was dry.
It was a little stinky, but we got it clean and dry, and after a few days I could take it to school once more.

MORAL OF THE STORY: Never leave your backpack out overnight. If you do, be sure to realize it BEFORE the snow plows come, or else they might put it under a big pile of snow, or take it on a truck out to the lake, and you might never get it back again!!!

THE END

Febuary Happenings

2011-02-23T14:37:00.005-06:00

Mary's 1st Piano Recital

Mary only officially started lessons two weeks before, but she was ready to perform.

She was the first student to play. She played "Sailing", a duet, with her teacher (and Primary President) Jenny Jones.

She may have a shy smile for the camera, but she was all confidence and played perfectly without a pause or second thought.

Valentine's Fun

Ben helped me make my valentine treat- a red velvet heart-shaped cake- for each of us, and for our new neighbors. Yummy!

Somehow... with the tablespoons of red food coloring he helped measure... Ben had a few red stains on the hands and tummy for a few days:)Here he is after scrubbing for a few minutes:

Mary loves to have her hair curled at the bottom, and she feels it looks best if we spray the curls, and then brush them out. Cutest girl on the block, I must say.

Even fancy in the tub!

January Escaped!

2011-02-23T14:16:00.004-06:00

Uncle Judd came to Wisconsin to buy a dog a few weeks ago.
It was a short trip, and Ben and Mary both agreed that seeing uncle Judd was better than the puppy- and the puppy was pretty cute and fun.
We miss you uncle Juddy!
Glad we got to meet Lady Badger- Wisconsin is full of all kinds of good things.

From the Mouth of Ben: on the way to get the puppy, Mary and I took turns playing on Judd's IPhone. We most like to play on the Ipod is Ninja Fruit, we also like to play move the pig that's a ball, and try to get into the other shooting thing. When we got home with the puppy, she was like "where are we, what home is this?"

Luckily, Uncle Judd and the puppy made it out just before our big snow storm of the year:)
It snowed and blew all night, and here is how much snow we had to push just to get the front screen door to open:

Everything was buried- including Ben's all important bike, Major Damage.

After Chris dug out his bike, it still looked like this:

Here's Ben in the snow to walk to preschool the next day.

Happy Birthday to Will!

2011-01-02T21:28:00.005-06:00

He's two years old!

How did that happen?

Affectionately nicknamed el jefe, William runs our house, and wins over every stranger and passer-by in seconds. This kid is in charge, in control, and has serious people skills! (proof that children come with talents outside of heredity) He recently spent his sister's visit to the doctor charming the Doctor and had her laughing for 15 minutes after checking out Mary. If Mom says "no", or leaves him in his bed for a nap, he has learned to call for "Dawsh"(Aunt Char), or Nana.

This boys eats, sleeps, and breathes "choo-choo"s. It is often the first thing he asks for in the morning, and after putting the toy trains to "bed", he needs a choo-choo book to sleep with.

Grandma and Nana knew just what would make this boy happy on his Birthday:)

Toby, Stanley, and Salty are a fabulous new part of the chugging family, and the thomas reader is already out of batteries!

Ben loves that Uncle Mike and Aunt Sam made Will a matching shark hoodie. Ben's favorite thing to tell people, when they are dressed alike is:

"Yeah. We're teaching Will to copy me."

Happy Birthday 2 year old!

Don't know what we ever did without you:)

Christmas Preparations

2010-12-19T22:15:00.003-06:00

The Nativity is out.
Will the Thrill spends 15 minutes at a time on the chair at the window sill.
Arrange, rearrange, throw, gather, arrange...

Mary's great idea: A GINGERBREAD HOUSE... you mean a house you can eat?
Dad's game for that!

Ben, too.

Yummy treats!

Sunday Mornings

2010-12-12T21:23:00.001-06:00

Don't we look nice?

We've been offline for a few months... But life has been busy, and we'll play a little catch up game to get back in the swing of things. Here's what's been going on:

Mary:
- took a trip with Mom to see the Blakesleys in Utah
- started kindergarten.
- will read long words, unless Mom is watching
- turned 6 years old.
- lost 4 teeth
- Played on her first t-ball team, and is finishing another round of ballet this week

Ben:
- still loves the world's finest preschool twice each week
- turned 4 years old.
- took a trip just with Dad to Gma and Papa Blakesley's
- rides a bike named "Major Damage"
- teaches Will to copy everything he does
- played on his first indoor soccer team

Will:
- copies Ben... most of the time
- Talks, talks, talks
- sleeps and wakes with the words "choo-choo traian" on his lips and a Thomas book in hand
- continues to know his mind and direct the rest of us until he achieves his goal
- keeps us laughing

If you're curious about Old Mom and Dad:
they have just been working...
Dad is the world's finest dissertator, and has been presenting at conferences from here to CA, and is interviewing for jobs. He was a world-class t-ball coach this summer.
Old Mom completed calculus! Though, she is still plugging away at a few more online classes to complete her bachelor's degree, four kids in tow:)

The beach pictures are from Topsail Island, NC. We spent a Gillespie week there with 13 kids and 14 adults in one big house:) One of the best reunions, ever!

Good News of the Day

2010-06-08T19:18:00.002-05:00

No Cavities!

And, BONUS, new tooth brushes!

Which is awesome, because Mom left ours at the beach on Saturday...

Easter Girl and the Boy who will not be fed

2010-04-11T21:56:00.004-05:00

told by Will:

Here's my pretty sister trying on her new skirt from grandma!

Happy Easter, Mary!

Grandma also sent fancy things to decorate eggs with... I did not get to help. Ben and Mary made 2 whole bowls full.

When I finally did get one during the Easter Egg hunt, I was sure there was candy inside- like the eggs that open... so I pulled the whole thing apart, and only found squishy white and yellow inside- what a rip off! But it was fun to smash onto the floor for 30 seconds before Mom found it...

****(if you don't like messy food pictures, stop here)******

New rule around here- I feed myself! And I am VERY happy about it.

I'm not a baby-

I can hold a spoon, and a bowl, and licking the bowl works well, too.

I will not take a bite from anyone but myself.

I was born with a great strategy to not be fed... instead of turning away from a spoon, or holding your lips closed, just lunge forward, GRAB on with both hands, and THROW the spoon and food to the ground. It works everytime!

I know how to work it- Hat and all:) Maybe some of it got in my mouth first... but only if I put it there, myself!

St. Patty's Visitor...

2010-04-09T19:47:00.005-05:00

Told By Ben

I do not like Leprechauns. One came into our house while we were sleeping.

Now I ask every night to make sure he isn't coming back. I told Dad that Santa needs to fight leprechauns, so that they never come back.

He turned our milk green. Mom turned everything else green for our picnic... applesauce, eggs, and celery...

It was fun to have Audrey and Mary here. They combined their ongoing "Little House on the Prairie" game with a leprechaun game, and we called them both "Laura the Leprechaun" all day...

They did find the chocolate gold that the little green man dropped on his way out of our house...

but I would trade the treats back for peace of mind. I'm glad the footprints are gone!

Fabulous Week

2010-03-12T09:26:00.004-06:00

Guess who had a turn being the child of the week...

(poster a little dismantled, since the wild boys at preschool spent a week with it... )
Benny took in all his favorite trains to show his friends, and Popcorn, cheese and apples for a snack.
That is our best movie night food, so it was fun to share it.

New favorite snack:

fruit kabobs- rolled in yogurt, sprinkled in everything!
(sugar sprinkles, chocolate chips, nuts, the possibilities are endless...)

Sometimes my brothers take turns smiling the same smile. They also have the same laugh.

Tub time is the best... usually more than once everyday,
but it makes everyone happy AND good smelling.

I don't always get in the with boys... but usually within 5 minutes they talk me into it.
Sunday, I just enjoyed my time in the hall outside the bathroom- with no boys to get my drawing, but close enough to be with everyone. That's pretty much how I like it.

Photo shoot with my Best Girls

2010-02-12T09:31:00.005-06:00

Today Mom helped me set up a hair studio and photo shoot for my dolls.

Can you tell who's who? They might be my sisters...
Ben needed to get in on the photo shoot, too.

This is his favorite sport, toy, and weapon.

We had to include Will, too.
A train and a hat are good accessories for a baby.

Here's the Daddy/daughter Hat picture I took on my own.
(Ben likes to pretend these are his daughters, too.
This is fine with me until he throws them by their hair...)

I could take pictures of these girls all day...
and I did...

These are some of her favorite things.

Ben Made the Family Night Treat

2010-02-09T21:23:00.002-06:00

If you want a tablespoon of sugar, that tastes like strawberry/tangerine jello, Ben has your recipe! The hardest part is waiting for them to freeze... 6 hours is a long time for us kiddos!

But FHE was a blast, and Ben timed his freezing treat just right!

Here's a lick from Will!

My, Ben makes a great LION!

Why do we post about treats so much?
YUM!

If you want a chuckle, Ben was the spotlight, and he loved being interviewed by Dad:

What is your name? Ben
When were you born? in ten years
How old are you? 3
Who is your mommy? Emily
What does your mommy do? She works
Who is your daddy? Chris
What does your daddy do? He works
What is your favorite color? Lellow
What do you want to be when you grow up? 4
What is your favorite food? Rice Krispies
What food do you not like? I can't remember
What is your favorite animal? Lion
Where do you want to live when you grow up? Madison
What do mommy and daddy do after you go to bed? They have to go to bed
What does daddy say? "Benny is going to sleep!"
What does mommy say? "Benny is going to sleep in darkness"
What is your favorite song? I am a Child of God
What is your favorite movie? "Thomas" and Pink Panther
What is your favorite flavor of ice cream? Chocolate
Where is your favorite place to eat? On the bench at the table.
Who is your favorite person? My Mom
Who is your best friend? Mary and Maya and Newsick
What is your favorite book? Thomas and a Jet
Who are your brother & sister? Will and Mary
Where did Will & Mary come from? From America
What is your favorite thing to do? To draw.

Glad to know that I was grown up when I turned 4 last year!

Child of the Week

2010-01-26T22:46:00.002-06:00

I was the child of the week at preschool this week!

It was awesome. (a lot of things are "awesome" in my life right now)

Here is the poster that was on the wall at school this week:

I brought in my favorite snack: Yogurt Parfaits. (Vanilla Yogurt, blue and strawberries, and graham crackers on top) Everyone loved them, except one boy, but he ate the graham crackers, so it was okay.

I got to be the helper and have another poster all about how old I am and my favorite things. This year my hair is not just blonde, but blondish-brown. See how much can change in a year? Did you know my favorite food is spaghetti, just like last year? It's not really, but I just wanted them to write that, because I couldn't think of another favorite.

Ben will get a turn next month, so stay tuned for his poster and favorites. He and Will are pretty handsome! They both look tired... or dangerous...

Trains & Nana's House = Busy Day!

2010-01-18T20:23:00.002-06:00

Last month we got to visit all of our family! Everyone! We had sleepovers and play dates in more places than ever, but where are the pics, Mom?
Here's one of the best parts of the holidays. More trains than usual to load toys onto.

10 Cousins and counting!

2010-01-06T15:16:00.005-06:00

Kitty-cat and Shark

2009-11-17T21:58:00.002-06:00

We make the cutest animals after bath-time, just one more bath, Mom?
We've only had 2 every day for a week.

We love the tail and fin, and monogrammed names! Thanks Aunt Amber!

Blakesley Root Beer of 2009

2009-11-16T20:31:00.002-06:00

This summer Dad and Mom took us to a really old restaurant on the way home from vacation.
Its a really old drive in, but Uncle Judd found it, and it won the Blakesley Root Beer party this year, so we had to check it out in person.

Very cool place. I like fizzy drinks, and root beer floats... but the dogs were not my favorite. Maybe they should just call it "Suds".

Great Root Beer!

Ben likes the corn dog, or the car?
I said no to a picture this day...

But its such a cool drive-in, that they have old cars come for a car show here on summer nights.
Papa liked looking under the hoods at the cool old engines.
Ben and Dad liked this one the best. It reminded Mom of her favorite show "Burn Notice", so she liked it, too. Maybe Ben will build a car like this to drive when he's big.
(Me and Will must have been too busy for pictures this day.)
It was a good summer.

My Brother is Three Years Old

2009-11-11T20:12:00.003-06:00

We spent half of Ben's birthday at the zoo.
When Ben was two, and we saw the tiger for the first time, he cried and told us that the Tiger cannot look at him. He is a very showy tiger guy, and he must have known that Ben was bigger this time. The tiger paced in front of Ben to say happy birthday about 10 times! It never got old (He's the cute boy in green stripes... not the stangers next to him):

Here's the rest of us, too. We love the giraffe family, and always discuss which is the Mom and which the Dad. They are cool. Ben and I like to hang on the rails like monkeys.

Remembering the Motorbike

2009-10-15T20:49:00.003-05:00

Here's a highlight from our Summer:

Benny and Uncle James went super fast!

Don't worry, he had his Binkie, and Ashley hold on pretty tight;)

Benny was totally relaxed about the ride.

Nice glasses Uncle Jamsie!

New Things

2009-09-10T14:19:00.006-05:00

We had an amazingly overbooked summer, sorry not to keep you up on life with my brothers... but first things first:

My baby brother has two new things in his mouth this week!(and slightly less fluid in his ear than last week...)

And after moving to a new house (which Ben calls our clean house, since our old house got so full of boxes and suitcases that we couldn't walk through it for a couple of days...)
Here are the two best things that got moved:

We LOVE our new house. You should see it. It has stairs. It is closer to my school. My room is huge.

June at last, June at last!

2009-06-07T18:16:00.003-05:00

Check us out- Ben can say may name!!!He no longer calls me "Tha-tha". I am now "May-wee". Ben won't let me help him much anymore, he doesn't want to be a baby. He says "I do it myself" at least every 2 minutes. He likes to be the story teller, and he likes to sing the teamwork song, but only if no one sings with him... ?

We're having happy days in nice weather:)

Green leaves on the trees in our forest make for nice adventure walks.

The ducklings are getting bigger. They are kid ducks now.

The Mom and Dad ducks hiss at us- even while they are picking up the bread we feed them!
We thought they might bite us... but they didn't.

Ben was contemplating the sail boats out on the lake.

Daddy, what's on your lip???

June has come, the mustache has gone. Mom is thrilled.
I liked it. Ben asked Dad if he can grow one this month, but not until Saturday night, he says.

The Recipe

2009-05-27T11:42:00.002-05:00

Yesterday we made "the recipe".
Aunt Amelia taught it to me a couple years ago.

She only used two ingredients- my two favorite foods!

She is a genius.

Here are my handsome (long-haired) boys a couple weeks ago...

Ben and I take care to include Will in everything we do:)
If only we would remember to be as nice to each other!

4 Months!

2009-04-30T20:16:00.002-05:00

Happy Un-Birthday William!!!

Our baby brother is actually zero, but he was born 4 months ago, today!!! He loves me, his sister, the most of anyone in our whole family, so I tell them that everyday. Whenever I talk to him, he smiles!

The things he loves the most are:

1. Me
2. Mom, Dad, and Ben
3. grabbing his toys and trying to eat them, or just trying to eat his own fingers:)
4. Bouncing on Mom's knee and doing Baby Yoga
5. being tickled by Dad
6. NOT being in a car seat
7. Smiling at himself in the mirror
8. Smiling and Laughing when anyone talks to him
9. NOT taking baths (he did enjoy his first shower today, though... enjoyed meaning he didn't scream once during the process of being washed)
10. Sitting in his bumbo on the table during family dinnertime.

Don't you just want to kiss those chubby-chubby cheeks???
We LOVE this baby!

Nonas and Ceecee

2009-04-24T20:41:00.002-05:00

aka: Thomas and Percy:

Guess how much Benny loves his choo-choos?
He got Dad to let him take them to Bed. When Mom came home to kiss him goodnight, he murmered in his sleep "choo-choo's here", and showed her without opening his eyes.

What a cute brother!!

Badgerland

2009-04-20T19:52:00.005-05:00

Three years and two baby boys later, We are Badger fans!

Dad took us to meet Bucky on Saturday. The best part was (obviously) that we got to ride on his bus to his school! I think he picked out our shirts, though, so that we could show our pride for something...

Go Badgers!They gave us awesome toy footballs- what's this guy doing writing on Ben's? He and the cheerleaders signed both of ours- just in case I wanted to grow into a football player, and Ben into a cheerleader.

Ben didn't want to be Rocky today:)

The Magical Breakfast

2009-03-20T19:52:00.004-05:00

You'll never guess who Mary and I saw for breakfast in Disneyworld. Mom and Dad took us to meet up with our cousins, the Davis's, and our friend Rob, and we got to meet movie stars!!!
Mary Poppins came right up to us and said hello! She was really nice and as pretty as in her movie!

Then the Mad Hatter came up, so I decided to sit with Dad and not talk to anyone else for the rest of the meal.
But Mary got to meet more people AND hug Pooh Bear and Tigger!

Cousin Gracie liked Mary Poppins, too. I'm not sure why her accent was a bit different than in the movie, though...
The Grand Floridian was the really fancy hotel that we had breakfast in. Mom just liked the Disney motto or something on the banner...

The Magical Day in The Magic Kingdom

2009-03-15T20:38:00.006-05:00

This is me on My Dad's Shoulders: The classic way to see all amazing things involving Mickey Mouse at Disney World.

We had such an e-citing day there! (But it was so busy with fun-ness, and Mom was the only one to get out the camera, so the pictures do NOT do it justice.) At this show in front of the castle, I got to see all the princesses dance with their princes, AND Maleficent, AND Captain Hook. But he's Ben's favorite, not mine.

Here's Ben and Dad watching the parade. Captain Hook was also there, AND all the princesses.

I got to go on a big roller-coaster there. A FAST choo-choo train one. I did NOT like it. I sat between Mom and Dad, and said to them "I don't like this! I don't like this!" the whole time, while Mom held my body and head close to her. The Slow Choo-Choo was better.
Mom tried to talk me into going on another one at night, a dark one, It was Mom's favorite, but I went on the tea-cups with Dad instead.

Papa and Ben liked the slow choo-choo, too. Actually, Ben liked everything there! Especially riding in the stroller and looking at everything. He didn't get e-cited about things like me. He was just plain happy.
Me and Gracie were kind 0f wild animals, but just little ones.
We were really happy to wait in line together. It's fun to have a girl cousin to hold hands with! I think Gracie is so cute, we got to play together at Pooh's House, too.
Here's proof that we went on the baby elephants. that was fun, and just like the magic carpet ride.
Here's our only picture with Nana and Aunt Sha-she. (I told you it was TOO short of a day, and Mom must have A.D.D. to have such lame pictures of such a fun place! We got to try a little of everything in a hurried way- I guess that's why people spend a week there at time!)
The girls all took Ben on Pirates of the Caribean. Dad told me about that one, so I turned around and left the line. NO THANK YOU!I also loved Swiss Family Robinson- one of the best Movies-
"here 'lil elephant... I wouldn't hurt you..."

Our favorite- Mine and Ben's- was the steamboat ride. It said choo-choo, and we could see a train once, and we could see indians once, and we didn't have to wait in line, or sit down. We took Mom up and down the stairs to all 3 decks, and pretended to fix the boat the whole time! I told Mom that we were just like Tom Sawyer and Becky Thatcher. They are also my favorites.

I do not like fireworks.

But I like the "Dreams Come True" music and words afterwards, and Baby Will was in the Bjorn, so I got to ride in the stroller all the way out of the park:)

Ben and I each got a special toy... they only kept us up for a few nights:)
"When you wish upon a star..."

Daily Happenings: COCOA & the BINKIE

2009-02-16T23:12:00.003-06:00

Why go outside on a cold day, unless you can have a warm treat when you get back in???

OOOOOH, YUM!

This is how we get our daily serving of milk:)

Now, check out my new binkie tricks!

I call that one the binkie chain.

Its a happy life to be 2 and have still have binkies... I smile and RUN to my bed for naptime!

This one is my "double prizes":

and here's our cute little guy?
Sweetest and softest back ever! Maybe when we get to Florida it won't have to bundled under 4 layers at all times:) But he has successfully gotten over his first runny nose without getting a cough!
I get to kiss this Bee-bee every time I bonk him with a toy by mistake- aren't you jealous?

Hibernating- with an awesome baby!

2009-02-09T00:32:00.017-06:00

"BEE-BEE Zilzam".

that's what I call him. (it may be spelled THil-Tham... but who can tell?)

(aka:Baby William)

Its great to have a brother. When I bring Mom a diaper for a change, I lay next to bee-bee, and tell Mom "zilzam FIRST". I'm great at taking turns!

Why isn't this boy blonde like me? His hair is very cool, and curly when wet. what a cool trick!

Thah-thah (aka: Mary) is a great photographer, eh?
even her self-portraits are gorgeous!

This one is on movie night! If it's going to be freezing for months at a time, we might as well camp inside the apartment! Nice and cozy in here:)

AND when I get bored, I practice doing the dishes:) Its great to be 2!

Here are the STRONG Blakesley Men:)

I also shared my first runny nose of the year with my Bee-bee. We are doing pretty great, and only cough once a day to scare Mom, and make her remember NOT to leave the house, and that we could be lot more sick if we got RSV germs... hehehe. I guess we're hibernating a little longer...

If we survive, what are we going to do next?

WE'RE GOING TO DISNEYWORLD!

Unsupervised Playtime

2009-01-10T15:31:00.003-06:00

Two Kids in the bed...

This is the night Mom and Baby Will came home.

Turns out we sent the right message, and now Mom and Dad know that Mary and I need playtime after the bedtime routine before we can go to sleep. If Mom and Dad don't let us do our thing for half an hour after prayers, we play for at least an hour with the lights out!

That's the best part of having a new brother around- Mom finally lets us play together! She was definitely holding us up before, because now that she has another boy to take care of, Mary will finally play with me. She even plays cars and trains with me most of the time:)

Will likes hanging out on Mom most of the time.

This is our favorite little squish face:)

He's a great sun-tanner, too.

We love little William!

Our New Brother!

2009-01-01T17:56:00.005-06:00

WILLIAM JOSEPH

My Brother was born on Tuesday morning at 9:45 AM.

He is little and cute and chubby-cheeked!

Mom says he's the biggest baby yet, at 8 lbs 14 oz, but I think he's pretty small...

Who knew my big, strong Dad loved little babies so much, too! We've got the girls out numbered now:)

Mary loves to hold him and hold him and hold him. I just liked the treats at the hospital.

We are having a VERY happy New Year with my Mom and new brother home:)

HAPPY NEW YEAR TO ALL!!!

and Happy new baby, too!

What New Baby?

2008-12-21T21:05:00.001-06:00

I may be playing it cool, but I know there is a new baby coming, so I'm doing my best to get Mom and Dad prepared!
That's why I got up every hour last night, and spent most of the night awake between Mom and Dad- kicking and singing them songs- that's what my new brother is going to be doing to them...
That's also why I will no longer be distracted or consoled when I want my Binkie. I will cry until I get it, 10 seconds or half an hour, I'm up for it- that's what my new baby may do, so Mom and Dad need to be ready!
I'm even getting the infant car seat warm for him:)

This is serious business, and Mom needs all the support I can give her in this:) Baby Choo-choo is on his way. BUT, if he isn't here by Nana's birthday in January, then the gig's up, and he is never going to get here. Maybe they are just tricking me after all.

Here's the forefead shot from our nieghbor's Christmas party last night. I am not just a happy Christmas boy, I'm tough! maybe I'm a rhino? Dad thinks I'm a Christmas Darth Vader.

Happy Christmas Week!

PS- Mary just told Mom, as the goodnight kisses were given in bed, that she is "feeling sick. Sick from hearing about choo-choos, and seeing choo-choos and talking about choo-choos." I can't imagine what she's talking about, we only play with choo-choo once every hour, and we haven't watched a Thomas show for at least 3 hours!

Merry Choo-choo dreams:)

The Nutcracker Ballet

2008-12-21T20:45:00.003-06:00

Today the Blakesley girls in Wisconsin had a date to lunch and the Ballet.

Mary was as pretty as a Christmas tree!

Yummy skittles during intermission:)
The girls went with a group of friends from church and ballet class.

For some reason, Mary's favorite part was when the little brother breaks the Nutcracker, and then when Clara throws her shoe at the rat king. I'm sure it has nothing to do with me, her little angel brother, who would never do such a thing... (Too bad in the ballet, she MISSED him this afternoon... but for some reason, he fell down dead anyway:)

I got to go sledding with DAD!

We went to the big sledding hill at the elementary school.
We didn't go as fast as a Choo-choo train, but I keep telling everyone that we had to do this: "blah!" because Dad slowed us down with his feet the first time, and we go snow in the face!

Wisconsin White Christmas!

2008-12-12T20:15:00.005-06:00

...And a bonus of an extra 4 months of WHITE.

What's better than a blizzard the 2nd week of December? Very festive.
Can Mary lift a foot thick of snow onto the shovel?
...no. but she is great at helping Dad clear the car!
and she can pull me on the sled.

It's a marshmallow world in the winter:)

The First Dusting of Snow

2008-12-08T11:38:00.002-06:00

2 weeks ago
Who thought, after over 100 inches last year, that we'd EVER be excited for snow in Madison, again:)

We busted out the moon boots- but we didn't need snow pants a week ago.

Mary taught me how to eat snow... yum?
Nana sent the warmest, BEST mittens- that go halfway up my arm, and tighten at the wrist- every one and two year old should wear some! They are from Osh-Kosh, and called "thin-sulate" If you want dry hands in the snow, get some!

Just wait til we post pics of this week! It is gorgeous for December, but we won't be seeing the grass for the next four months, now.

Blue-Eyed Banditos

2008-12-03T13:29:00.005-06:00

Mary and I are the best of friends. This morning, we woke Mom up while playing puppy, and I was really good at barking for a whole hour, while Mary made me a puppy bed and took care of me. She also invented a game for the bathtub. We make Mom pretend to go to bed first, and pretend that she made us sleep in the tub. Then Mary tells me to sneak out and gets both of our jammies on. Mom is surprised every time when she comes to check on us and we're in our beds! I think we're getting ready for Mom to have a new baby- she keeps saying that he's coming, but I think she just wants more naps...

Blakesley Boys are so handsome! I don't know if I left any good-looking genes for my new brother... but maybe he'll let Mom cut HIS hair without a fight, and she'll stop worrying about mine:)

HAPPY BIRTHDAY BENJAMIN!!!

2008-11-07T20:06:00.002-06:00

Dear Ben:
Mom and Dad and I love you!
You make our life so fun! We are so glad that you were born 2 years ago!!! I love playing with you, everyday. Thanks for playing tag with me at the children's museum today.
Love,
Your Tha-Tha

PS: I promise we can eat your birthday cake with Dad gets home from his conference tomorrow!

Trick or Treat

2008-11-05T14:33:00.007-06:00

Or as I like to say "TEET, Peese!"

We got to get candy from all the stores in the mall- and hear a funny Halloween concert.
Isn't Mary's tail cute? It made a good choochoo to hold on the back... but she didn't like that.

I wouldn't let Mom help with my big bag... it had candy inside!
And Don't worry, Dad came home and took us too all the houses in our neighborhood- well as many as I could walk to, on the bottom floor, only.
Yes, I did eat two suckers at the same time, until I left them to brush my teeth... I never did see those two again...

Pumpkin Train

2008-10-22T08:07:00.010-05:00

Instead of a pumpkin patch this week, we rode a little train that stopped in a pumpkin yard! I got to pick my very own. It has a great stem, so I can hold it in one hand. Mary is not allowed to hold it for me.

We were tuckered out by the time we got back to the train station. Good thing they had a bale of hay to sit on.

Here comes the Choo-CHoo! Mary taught me to hold my ears so that the whistle won't scare me.

The train went FAST through the forest. Mom got pretty nervous without a door or windows to keep me in. I sat in my seat the whole time, and even held Mary's pumpkin for her

Does my sister look like a giant, or what? the train was just our size!

My last look as the Engineer backed up to stop at the water tower and pick up the next group. The train was blue- JUST LIKE THOMAS!

All- Aboard! We got a whole train car to our selves! CHHHHEEEEEEEESEEE! and hi from Mary.

Am I mad? Does Mary think the Diesel train is stinky? Autumn at the train yard is gorgeous:)

I have a little Asthma when I get a cold, so I've had to use my nebulizer all month to get albuterol in my lungs. I used to cry, but then Mom gave me my first official TV time- I get to watch Thomas and Freinds videos while I do it- so Now I want to do it ALL THE TIME! I don't know if I'm addicted to the medicine, or the Choo-choos, but choo-choos are the best!!!

PUMPKIN TIME!!!

2008-10-17T23:15:00.008-05:00

A PUMPKIN picked from our very own garden! (Mom's only planted pumpkin seeds 3 or 4 times in the last 2 years... she finally got one to grow! We think that a fairy god-mother must have said bibbity-bobbity-boo for us this time)

Dad knows how to stir the caramel for apple-dipping! Isn't he handsome in the kitchen???

Yummiest- Stickiest - FHE treat EVER:)
Can I really bite this thing???Ta-DA!!!
Mom May have had to finish 3 of the apples, but maybe our new baby brother needed some, too:)

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MARY!

2008-10-01T23:22:00.000-05:00

Today , my sister turned 4 years old!

Doesn't her new dress look great? The cupcakes were wonderful. I got Mom to give me one with the other kids before lunch, again during lunch, and then I nibbled one when I sat down for dinner, too.
For Mary's Birthday Dinner, Mom offered everything in the book that she ever makes for dinner. Mary chose her Birthday Lucky Charms, corn from yesterday's farmers' market, and canned peaches.
I got to help blow out candles tonight... my sister gets a little shy when we all sing to her...

Now that Mary's 4, she gets to sleep on the top bunk. I talked Mom and Dad into letting me try out the bottom bunk, rather than my crib...

I didn't stay there long. So, Dad helped me down from Mary's bunk and into my crib. Then we both fell asleep quickly.

Happy Birthday, Mary!!!

The Great Outdoors in August

2008-08-28T23:08:00.000-05:00

Here's our family after a long hike up a little mountain at Devil's Lake. I was pretty tired when we got to the top... sitting in the backpack for a whole hour would wear you out, too!

We mostly play at the parks near our house, though. Mom thinks that if she lets us play at the playground, then we'll be good while she does a 20 minutes of gardening... obviously she hasn't learned, and the mosquitoes haven't lightened up, so I'll keep on climbing.

Mary's a pretty good climber, too. She chases me down the slide and tries to race me up the ladder. I'm going to catch her one day soon!

Dad is an old guy

2008-08-12T12:31:00.000-05:00

Dad turned 30 last week!

(and uncle Jeremy did the week before that)
But he could still breathe at the top of Pike's Peak, so I guess he's not THAT old.

And he is finishing his PhD and having his third baby, so I guess his years have been productive.

And he is still Super Strong.

But that is a LOT of candles!

(30 candles for each of them... on one yummy chocolate cake... with thirty Gillespies around... singing 7 birthday songs... it got a little waxy:)

We love you DAD!

Mary's Hair

2008-07-09T20:44:00.000-05:00

It is a sad day that Mary's hair is not as tempting to pull. The car seat rides are pretty dull without the blonde shining long hair next to my arm...

I guess Mary really likes it. She asked Mom all day, and then was very matter of fact in getting it done and had no worries. They didn't have time at the fun hair place for kids, with cartoons, but she still wanted to go to the daddy place that is lame.

Her neck has been sweaty for too long, i guess. They kept offering to cut my hair, too...?

Today Mary drew our family picture and told us that now she draws her hair like a boy, not long and curly like she draws Mom's. She is the cutest girl I know! She's still a really big sister. She now wants to name our next baby "Adios" if its a boy, or "Hola" if its a girl.

Drop Everything and Drive to the Beach!

2008-06-30T13:48:00.000-05:00

Mom, Mary and I had our first real family road-trip vacation to the beach last week (Dad couldn't come. He had to work 12 hour days at school, to get ready for his big conference next weekend).

We hopped in the van and drove from Madison, Wisconsin to Madison, Alabama. Mom's teaching us to like road trips, and Mary gives me one of whatever treats Mom hands back to her. Sometimes, she even shares her leap-pad with me... but usually I get a book and just have to watch... The best part is when we stop at a park and get to run around for half an hour, while Mom tried to wipe the peanut butter off my face, and shirt, and hands, and hair.

My cousin's house is the best. The girls are nice, but Baby Michael is the coolest. I get to eat all his cheerios, and blow raspberries on his baby-belly. He really likes me to hold him.

The Gulf of Mexico is really fun. We had a long path to the beach from our campsite, and I got to chase beatles the size of my hand, and birdies the whole way to the beach! Then I got to throw sand at Mary and the girl cousins, and sit in big waves- until the crabs came. Then Aunt Charie tried to catch them, and we got our of the water.

Aunt Amelia got Krispy Kremes for breakfast one morning:) I stole 2 of Mary's after she took one bite... so she decided not to leave them on table.

Here are the sand Angels, before I threw sand on them:)

Spring is Here

2008-04-22T21:29:00.001-05:00

Benny Boy learned how to hold on to the other bike I like to ride(it belongs to our neighbor, but he shares with me when he's not outside). It has a bucket on the back just right for Ben to hold. He "pushes" me for 10 minutes at a time.

We've spend two or three days outside. Our park is finally dry enough to play on! We had a picnic lunch outside in the sunshine yesterday, but Mom made me eat my ba-sgetti dinner in at the table tonight, even when I told her I was too hot, and eating was going to make me hotter! But then we did get to play FHE tag outside and have ice cream cones, so then I wasn't too hot.

Ben 's 1st haircut:

Here's our handsom boy!

Mom wouldn't let me have the scissors, and Ben didn't want Mom to have the scissors. The fishy crackers went swimming and were soup about half way through... so Mom says we'll have to finish another day.

isn't it is gross that Mom took a picture of the baby-locks?

Learning to Pray

2008-02-05T21:29:00.000-06:00

Every night we have family prayer. It is usually after Benny is in bed. Actually, for the last 3 weeks he cries through all other prayers because everyone closes their eyes, and he can't make anyone laugh... But Benny learned a new trick this week. Folding his arms!!! He even did it at church. On Dad's lap, Dad said "fold your arms" and Benny folded his arms DURING a prayer.

(MOM LET ME TAKE THIS PICTURE)

He has also learned to climb on EVERYTHING(especially the little rocking chair), so when Mom says "sit on your bottom", Benny now sits down and grabs each elbow to fold his arms! Then he says "dis, dis" until everyone else folds their arms. Then he laughs and starts climbing again.

He is a very smart boy. Since he learned it on his own, I like to teach him to fold his arms more, but then we have to say extra prayers.

I was also allowed to take a picture of my ponies:

Ben STOLE my Toothbrush!

2008-01-22T11:15:00.001-06:00

I told Mom he could keep it.

I got a bigger MyLittlePony one from Santa, anyway.

I guess Benny likes my Dora one. He stands up there with it as often as he can sneak into the bathroom. When the door was closed this morning, he found Dad's phone and put it in the breadmaker. I think we should let him play in the sink with a toothbrush, instead. His new molars are VERY clean.

Ben and Mary's Dairy Heaven

2008-01-21T20:06:00.000-06:00

Today I fell in love with a baby cow.

He was at the children's museum with us, and Ben found him first, but I went back to feed him and take care of him 3 times. I'll be going back to take care of him again soon- he misses me.
(As do Abbey and Tanzy. I still pray for my dogs every night, and I cry when I'm tired, because they miss me. I'm glad they have Grandma and Papa to take care of them.)

The children's museum was very fun today! Mom thinks its funny that Madison only has very earthy things in the museum. A big garden room, with a farmer's market and juice bar:

A city building room- all very energy conscious, a dairy farm room, where you can milk cow statues the old way- with your hands, or the new way with a machine to suck the milk out. A room with a tent, jeep, and dinosaur bones... (Mom wouldn't let us dig in the sand, though?!?)

And there is one room that is very earthy and wooden and fancy- with lots of toys

and a rock sink! (Benny's Favorite Part... But I sang him the song of "At the Soap and Water Fountain- and showed him which part of the water was the pretend soap)

I was a little sad to leave my baby cow- he was the best part!

Dear Santa...

2007-11-28T20:26:00.002-06:00

BIKES OR BARBIES?!?!

Mom is really relieved that I've gotten past my wish for a bike this year. (Even though she had it all arranged to fly the bike back home from Salt Lake AND Denver) But now she's not sure that Santa Claus will bring a Disney Princess Barbie to a 3-year old girl...

But my best friend has two!

I MIGHT be happy to wake up to an SUV and car seats for my doll house family... but I might not.

Should Santa start my Barbie phase of life this Christmas???

OUT & ABOUT- the Midwest to The Big Apple

2007-11-25T21:06:00.001-06:00

WISCONSIN DELLSAfter my number 3 birthday last month, we went with Spencer and Allison to The Dells for a few days. Spencer taught me how to play guitar hero.

Daddy helped me climb all the way across the lilypads!

This breakfast place was a real-true-disappointing tourist trap!
...but the statue looked cool.

I was great at collecting firewood. Owen was a good helper.

KIDS IN THE CITY
On the subway... with suit cases and a stroller???

At DYLAN'S Candy Bar:
I'm licking my lips, just like a kid in a candy store... hmmmm...

At FAO Schwarz:

I'm no Tom Hanks, But Kristi and I were pretty good on the piano.

The Seinfeld Diner:

Mr. Benjamin is 1 year old

2007-11-25T20:27:00.000-06:00

Benny had a BIRTHDAY!

Here are the best things about my brother this month:

1. He laughs when I'm behind him and he thinks we're playing tag.
2. He eats more than me at every meal.
3. He thinks its funny that he can find belly buttons under everyone's shirts and then scratch and pinch it like he is tickling.
4. He is cutting 4 teeth at the same time, so he drools on me an extra lot.
5. He knows how to sign and say "all done" when he wants out of his high chair.

We celebrated his Birthday in New York City. And Grandma Jane took Ben and Me to the Children's Museum there, as well as a few trips through Central Park- not all of which were on purpose:)

2007-10-22T11:27:00.000-05:00

THE BEAN

Mommy let me glue black beans onto the letter "M" for an art project last tuesday... but then I found one on the table after dinner, and it looked just the right size to fit in my ear.

I think about my ears a lot 'cause they used to always tickle me.

Well, it did fit. And I couldn't get it out! I told Mom that I put a bean in there. She could only see it when the light shined just right, cause it was all the way against my ear drum.

Well, we spent from 8 until midnight in the ER. That'a not the Doctor, its the hospital. They gave me medicine to make it hard to talk, and to make me sleepy, but I didn't want to go to sleep, so I just watched a show about funny pets, and people doing weird things.

Daddy wouldn't let me even have one bite of a cookie until we left. Benny was fussy so Daddy took him home for bed.

The Doctor could not get the Bean out. I did NOT want to leave until he did, but he only tried once. So I screamed for 2 hours, while Daddy came and got us and then half the night.

In the morning, I woke up and asked Mom if the Bean was gone. It wasn't, but I didn't mind so much now.

Mommy took me to a new doctor, not Doctor Cooper, and they had wagons for Mom to pull up the elevator and all around the building. Ben and I had a fun time waiting for the new doctor. After beating around the bush for a long time, the intern put a little camera in my ear and we could see the bean!

I decided that I didn't want him to reach in there and get it though, so I screamed even though Mom was holding me. Then Ben screamed. So 5 mmore Doctors and nurses came in. One held Ben, the others held me down on Mom, and I screamed and kicked until they had a second to reach into my ear, and then it was out.

My cheeks were a little RED. But they let me take the bean home... I didn't want it at first, but then I liked seeing it. I got 7 princess stickers. Then we got to go and meet Dad at school and eat Badger Ice Cream by the lake. It was a great adventure:)

Now Mom's phone getting put in the toilet by Ben, Mom falling and hurting her ankle, and Mom and Dad not sleeping for 5 days to finish a project... those are stories for another day... What a great few weeks at the Blakesley house:)

Animal Style

2007-09-22T21:06:00.001-05:00

We went to the ZOO today!

Mom took us to see all the am-nimals. The first I saw were my favorite- penguins. I waved and waved at them, and then one shook his tail to wave at me! I shouted "Hi" and waved at him for two more minutes:) They were so cute.

Mom's favorite were the 3 brand new giraffes. But obviously Ben and I weren't quite as impressed.

The Zoo has a fence around it, that's what I told mom the whole way to the zoo, and I was right. It is a free zoo, but the carousel costs some dollars. I got to give the lady 2 of them before we got on. Then I got to ride on a jaguar, just like Diego's friend Baby Jaguar. So while we rode, mom and I took turns saying "raar, RAAR!"

Ben was just on a Hippo, but Mom couldn't twist far enough AND hold him on the seat to get a real picture.

We had our snack on a bench by the rhinos. Mom said she thought I was ready to go home because I called them stoopid rhinos 3 times. So then I decided to call them just silly rhinos.

Ben didn't really care about the zoo. He just wanted to walk. He's getting really good at walking... and at bending down to pick up rocks. Mom is getting really fast at pulling them out of his mouth.

About my "Buther"

2007-06-27T11:10:00.000-05:00

Today I want to tell you about Benny. He is my little buther.
He is 8 months old now.
He has two sharp teeth.
His newest trick is picking up his own peas and kix cereal and bread to eat.
He laughs every time I make eye contact with him.
Last week he fell asleep eating a grahm cracker...

We had to make his crib mattress lower today,
because he has been trying to get over the bars.
I told my mom that we should switch beds.

Everyone we meet thinks my buther has red hair,
but Mom says he needs to grow a little more to be sure.
Right now, I call it Strawberry-Lellow.

I love my buther! He's getting big like me.

My Auntie Amber lives in New York.
I pretend to go there all the time.
She sent me new clothes last week-
This is my new favorite skirt.

I did not like Fireworks on the 4th of July.
They're noisy, I creid and told Benny to cry so that Mom and Dad would take us home.
It worked.
But I did like swinging with my Mom and riding my bike with a flag waving on the back!

Top Ten Things we've done this month

2007-06-13T16:46:00.000-05:00

It's been a long time since Ben or I have posted on our blog, so I thought I'd make a list of some the fun we've had over the last month:

1. Aunt Sam MADE me a new dress!

So they made me sit in the grass for pictures...

2. Benny got a new tooth
and drooled a lot on all his shirts everyday.

So they made him sit in the grass, too.

3. Mom and Dad came home from date night with ROCKY ROCOCO'S pizza
and big funny glasses.

4. We planted our first garden!

We have a big garden plot and Grandma Jane and Papa Jimbo spent part of thier vacation helping us prep and plant the whole thing! The tomato plants are blooming already... but I'm only aloud to dig AROUND them.

5. I got a Bike trailer!!!

I keep asking Mom to leave Benny at home, but she always makes me scoot over and share it with him. We have taken lots of naps, and we wake up all over town.

6. Mom bought me my own bag of cinamin twists!

7. I got my first Hair-cut, and Grandma Jane MADE me a new dress.

8.We went to our first Major League Baseball Game.

9. I played in my rain coat and boots in a lot of warm rainstorms! (My boots fill right up with water when I'm wearing a dress. I don't even need a bucket!)

10. My first Corn Dog! ...it was hot.

11. I met a Dairy Queen...

princess... she showed me how many fingers for the number of dairy servings I need everyday. and let me pet baby cow!

Home Again, Home Again, Jiggity Jig

2007-05-06T20:43:00.000-05:00

We Found Daddy at the airport in Chicago! He took us downtown to see this GREAT city from a tall building, and we got to play at some parks and a big fountain. THEN, they finally drove me to my home in Madison, ba-Consin. Hooray!

Here's me and Daddy playing the computer game in Chicago, where I thought I could check my emails, but Daddy just wanted to play the game;)

Here's a few more pictures from our downtown DENVER adventures. We had so much fun seeing Nana and Papa and Charie-a and Auntie Annie (and Uncle Jake!).

Mommy's Birthday

2007-04-19T23:25:00.000-05:00

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MOM!

Here's a tub of Ben and Marys!!!!

Today was My mom's birthday. She and Nana had to learn about fruit for thier class today, so they made fruit platters... and then, I got to help Nana and Aunt Charie-ah make a BIRTHDAY CAKE!

Mom has a hard time blowing out candles, so Aunt Charie-ah put all 24 in a tight heart shape for her... It was fun to sing around a real fire on the cake!

Benny really liked it!

By the time we got the pool of wax and wilted flowers off, it looked yummier than ever.

I got Mom to give me the first piece, and then, when I ate that one, I got another piece!

Nana gave Baby Ben his first three bites of cake... he thought he needed more, too.

Ben and I talked it over, and for Mom's birthday, (since she just wanted a nap...) we decided the best present from us would be to go to bed early. So we did (well on time anyway), and I only ask for one story, and I didn't even cry. Neither did Ben. He fell asleep with Papa, and didn't wake up when they put him in bed:)

Life in Denver

2007-04-17T01:50:00.000-05:00

Today, I was just showing Benny how to eat a grilled cheese on a carrot stick...

He said he'd cry if he couldn't have a bite, too.

Welcome to Ben and Mary's

2007-04-04T18:35:00.000-05:00

Here we are! Me and my little brother. He's so cute. And I am a good big sister.

For introductions to our Blog, Here is how we got our names:
My name is Mary Ann. The day I was born, Mom and Dad didn't know what to name me, and all that my dad could say was that I looked like my great-grandma Marion. That night both of my parents thought of the name "Mary" for the first time, and couldn't stop thinking about it until the next day when they talked about it. It was decided that there could be no other name for me.
I was named for my great grandma Marion, and for my auntie Annie: Mary Ann.

Benny's name, on the other hand, was the only name Mom and Dad could agree on for months before he was born. (Partly because Mom thinks that "Ben and Mary's" instead of "Ben and Jerry's" is hilarious) One of Dad's most favorite parts in all scripture is King Benjamin's address to his people in Mosiah, so Mom favored naming thier little boy after the King. But after a tricky year full of life lessons, Mom also wanted to name her baby boy after a man that she holds in the highest esteem: my Dad.
So Christopher Benjamin he is.