These are a couple of random pictures with my sweet boys. We enjoy making some funny faces at the camera every now and then.

 The other day on one of our walks Alden wanted to ride the firtruck, it made me realize that it is Benson's size. We've been giving him little rides on it since. He loves it!

 These are a couple different preschool pictures of our math lessons last week. I really enjoy teaching. It's fun to see how much they're learning!

Musicals

 I love musicals, I almost always leave with a new desire to sing and dance more often. Also most have a good message with a lesson to be learned.
When I decided to do preschool at home. One reason was for Calvin's sake to have friends learning with him, another was to have funds to spend on fun preschool crafts, and the last was to have funds to spend on educational activities with my boys (plays, museums, ext.). (I guess another one is that I love doing it!)
It has been fun for me to find and take the boys to plays and places I otherwise wouldn't have.
This last month Michael and I went to Adam's family. ( fun musical but not one for my little ones.)
Then Alden and I had a special date and went to The Sound of Music.
At the beginning of the year Calvin and I will have our special date and go to "Chitty Chitty Bang Bang".

nice weather!! backyard fun!

 Benson loves when he can play with his brothers. The saucer swing is one of those places.

 Alden made this "sand" box. He got bricks and put them in a circle. We filled it with old wheat that I can't use anymore anyways. We also added a few oats. It is the one place I can put Benson down and in the yard because he puts everything in his mouth. Here he stuffs his mouth with the "sand" but since it's food it's all okay.

Halloween crafts

 I was putting away the Halloween things and realized I never got a picture of the crafts the boys did. The pumpkins were the craft I did with the preschool kids for letter p.  The house was our first build and grow. (Alden had been stuck on his house building idea and would ask every day, "mom can we build a house today?" I've tried to explain how you need to practice, make plans etc..to all of this Alden had a solution... He'd already built lots of houses with his blocks, he also started drawing plans each day ect.. The only thing he hadn't done was practice with wood. So that is what got me looking into build and grow I was excited when I saw a house is what they'd be doing. It was perfect!)

 Some more pictures of Benson. We sure love this happy snuggly boy!

Halloween

These pictures were taken the week before Halloween.  There were a number of activities that day.  We decided to go to Barns and Noble at non where they gave Alden and Calvin each a box of these connecting toys and then they played with the trains in the kid section.  We then went to Bookmans to see a magic show.  The boys loved the show.  The magician did a trick where he lit a stuffed animal bunny on fire and then turned it into a real bunny.  Alden was so excited to go home and light all of his stuffed animal bunnies on fire! He was sure he could turn them into real bunnies.  Luck-ally he was able to reason with me that it wasn't a good idea.

These three pictures are just a few random pictures from the week. Benson has just figured out the stairs and enjoys practicing.  Below the boys are riding a little merry go round outside the store we often shop at.  Alden used some of his Lemonade stand money so they could ride. (Alden thinks he is rich and will often tell people how he has lots of money, and if I ever say something costs too much money at the store, he will say it's okay Mom, I'll give you my money.)

(Above) Calvin and I went to the Halloween story time at the library.  It was just the two of us because it was Michael's day off.  It is always nice to go on a special outing with just one boy at a time.

Halloween morning! It is always fun when I can get things together enough to make a fun special meal. We woke up to eat pumpkins, ghosts, and spiders! Also I thought it would be fun to be dressed up when they came down stairs...couldn't think of anything until that morning.  Dressed in all black, put a ribbon tail on, and painted my face.  It was all so worth it.  Alden came down and I jumped out slowly so I wouldn't scare him too much, he did a little jump and then sat there looking at me for a long time then he started to ask how I got the stuff on my face, what I was doing, something about school.....etc. (Alden always has lots of questions these days.)  Calvin was on the stairs when Alden was coming down so he didn't get such a scare.  But I think I scared Michael a little bit too when he came down.  It was fun to make it just a little more special of a day! :)

Benson and I were buddies at home handing out candy!

These last couple of pictures were actually taken a day later.  I realized I never got a picture of my two supermans together so I had them get there outfits on again so I could get a picture.  I'd also forgotten to get one of Benson dressed up. (Benson was originally a skeleton but he had a blowout diaper on that outfit, luck-ally we had this back up pumpkin outfit for him. He didn't like it very much so we only left it on him while we were trick or treating that is why he doesn't have it on in any of the pictures taken on Halloween.)

Benson's 1 year old photo shoot

Benson at one:

Loves to smile.
Loves to put things in his mouth. (as long as it is not baby food)
Likes to go up and down the stairs.
Loves to get into the trains because they are right at his level.
Also loves the silverware in the dishwasher for the same reason.
Loves to have bath time with his brothers. Generally loves playing with Alden and Calvin when he can.
Loves the book "baby talk".
Loves being held and loves to go outside.
We all love having Baby Benson around, he is still called "Baby Benson". One of the friends that comes to play corrected her mom when she referred to him as Benson, and said, "No, his name is Baby Benson".  I don't know when he loose that title but for now he is definitely our sweet little baby Benson and we love him lots.