Beginning of October

Conference Weekend. I love conference weekend, it is always relaxing and inspiring.  This year we did a number of different activities with the boys.  They built a tent and listened to be like King Benjamin from the Book of Mormon.  They also played conference bingo. Alden made a mini lego conference room.  The last thing we did was they each had a sheet with 13 squares representing the 13 articles of faith and they then found pictures in the old friend magazines that went along with that article of faith. 
(In my primary class we had been studying the articles of faith and then had a party after they all passed them off.  We did this activity at the party and I had a few left overs because a couple of people weren't able to come. It worked as a great activity to do during conference...I think I will do something similar each conference with the last 6 month of magazines so then I can feel as though they were well used and I can recycle them. :)  The boys did a great job afterwards describing the pictures they had chosen and how it related to the different articles of faith.

Snuggling with each other watching a show. Benson isn't in this one but they are often all snuggled together on the couch whenever we do watch something.  Fun to see them all together.

Benson's 4th Birthday!!

What a happy boy so excited for every little piece of his birthday.  His birthday fell on a Saturday.  We started the day off with a special breakfast and some presents.  He got some juice and a cereal that he likes.  He got four balloons on four presents which he was excited about. (I love this age and this boy because we can everything be so simple and he thinks it's the best thing in the world.)  On his birthday I had a piano group lesson with most of my piano students and then a piano recital afterwards.  Benson just felt like it was all part of the party and got involved in all of it.   

Morning snuggles with the birthday boy!

End of preschool!

First year of preschool completed!

Benson has loved preschool this year which has made it enjoyable for me as well. I love teaching preschool and love all the kids that come but my little guys are the reason behind it all! I wouldn't be doing it if it weren't for having them right there by my side experiencing all of the fun with me!

Benson turns 3 and pumpkin patch

 Benson is wearing his "happy shirt". This is his favorite shirt because of the little smiley face on it, he will always pick this shirt to wear if it is in his drawer, and he insisted on it for his birthday!! He was super excited about his mickey mouse balloon, animal balloon and happy balloon.

 He got a new cereal which he loved and juices.  He was as happy as could be eating his "treats" any time all throughout the day!

 We sure love this sweet little guy. He has been such a blessing in our life, we have learned a lot from him. It's been so neat to see how much he has grown over the last year.

Benson is now our big 3 year old.  He has been excited for his birthday for a long time.  He was really excited to find 3 balloons when he woke up in the morning. (Benson loves balloons) He was also really excited to have an ice cream cookie cake. One of the first thing when he came down in the morning after he walked around a couple of times with his balloons was he asked if he could help me make his cookie cake. (Benson also loves helping in the kitchen.) Later in the afternoon he helped me make his cookie cake..eating cookies along the way. We had all of his favorite foods. He had cereal in the morning, chili and corn bread, and chicken with broccoli later on.

 Not long after Benson's birthday we went to the Pumpkin patch. This time we got Daddy to come along as well!! It was a great day filled with a lot of fun things to do. I think it is on our to do list for every month of October!

 We rode the train a number of times, during the earlier hours and then again with the stars up, the stars sure were beautiful out there!

 Riding in the pumpkin!

 The boys all on top of the hay mountain.

 Picking out our pumpkin in the pumpkin patch.

 We made it through the corn maze. We were grateful for the map that help us make it through.

Potty training

 Benson has had no desire to go to potty in the toilet. Michael and I were starting to wonder if we would ever be able to get him to. We decided to try the weekend of Labor Day because I would have a couple of extra days because of there not being preschool on Monday. At first it was the same as before just a struggle. At one frustrating moment I started racking my brain what would help Benson have a desire to go to the potty in the toilet. It hit me, Benson loves the ocean we made in preschool, he carries it everywhere. The little beads are the fish, so I let him have some more beads (fish) that he got to put in his toilet and then I had him supply the water for his fish. It worked and he almost hasn't had any wet accidents since that time!

 For going potty in the toilet we celebrated with Benson's favorite meal corn bread and chili!

Benson

 Benson is about two and a half and is learning so much every day. It is fun to see him learn and grow! Benson is our big helper and wants to do everything in the house to keep it nice. When I tell Alden or Calvin that they need to vacuum, Benson always says, "me". He then will insist on vacuuming. (He will also do this with mopping, sweeping, doing the laundry, wiping off the table, and just about anything else that needs to be done.)
He also loves helping make the dinner, and will often get everything out so he can make popcorn. His favorite foods are any meat and cereal. He also loves apples.

 These are a couple of his drawings. He loves balloons so if you look closely you will see that is what he has drawn all over his papers. He loves drawing balloons and I love that he likes to use so many colors. He definitely is a little artist!

Basketball!

Alden and Calvin had planned to do baseball this season but there wasn't enough people signed up so they moved us to basketball! It has worked out really well because both boys have been able to be on different teams this time around but they practice at the same place and same time. I am not big into watching sports...basically I don't watch sports at all but I do love watching them play especially their age group.  In Calvin's group it is not uncommon to see someone drop the ball but everyone just lets them pick it up and continue.  Also I have seen players hand the ball nicely to others on the other team just because they almost caught it.  This is my type of sport, they are all just being kind and helping each other learn to play!
By Alden's age group the kids are starting to get competitive, I almost wish Alden could play with the younger group where they are so giving and kind.

These are just a few random pictures of my sweet little boys! Alden has now lost 3 teeth and has a couple more that will probably fall out any day.  Calvin is growing up so quickly, he is becoming so independent in so many ways, in preschool he can do everything on his own now and never needs help from me.  He can read and blend words all on his own and enjoys doing so!  Benson is also learning and changing a lot as well.  His vocabulary is taking off and his words are becoming clearer and clearer.  He even says Dada or Daddy now!!! (Daddy has always been Nana, we would correct him but he insisted it was nana, it wasn't that he couldn't say dada because he would use that for other things but Daddy was Nana.  Just the other day he said Dada for Daddy and will sometimes say Daddy now.  He will often still say Nana first but then will say how he means Daddy.) Benson loves gorillas and will talk about them all of the time, he also loves to sing songs, read stories, play outside, and be with Mommy.  It is fun to see how much he is learning, He loves to write as he has for a long time and will draw lots of circles and lines and sometimes balloons.  He knows some of his colors and some of his letters and just seems thirsty for knowledge.

It is fun to be part of seeing them learn and grow.

Usually we have an hour break in between Calvin and Alden's basketball games.  We have done different things each week.  First week we visited the DI, the second week we tried out a new library by where they play, these are pictures of them there, and this week we went to market on the move.

Benson turns 2!

These are the pictures from my phone on Benson's birthday.  He loved opening presents and having his special day.  If you asked him his favorite part of his birthday he would tell you, "Bayoon" He loves balloons and was so excited that he got to have 2! He carried them with him everywhere and had to have them when he went down for his nap.  I snuck them away for obvious reasons when he was asleep, as soon as I did he woke up and said, "bayoon"! He definitely loves balloons.

For Benson's birthday cake, I made a ice cream pie out of banana ice cream.  (really our banana ice cream is just frozen bananas blended up.) Benson loves banana ice cream, I was concerned about putting it into a pie shape because I was afraid he would not eat it. (Anything that resembles a baked good, cookies, cake, pie, bread, pancakes,..etc Benson will not touch.  I try to explain to him that I have made it with everything he can eat but he is afraid to try.) Well that is what happened he was afraid of it. I got out a bowl and pretended I was scooping ice cream from a container from the freezer and then he was willing to eat it.

He was glad when the whole cake thing was over with and he could get to opening presents!

One of Benson's presents was that we filled the sand box with sand! Benson was so excited to get back into the sand box! He love digging in the dirt!

Sabino Canyon and other things

We found water!! We have been to Sabino Canyon a couple of times, mostly because everyone has told us about all of the water that the kids can throw rocks in or play in.  The first time we went for a hike and never saw anything that gave hints that water would be there at some time. The next time we went to the visitor center and asked about a hike that would lead us to water.  The lady looked at us strangely and said, "water? I don't know of any short hikes that will get you to any water".  The last time we went we went a day after a big rain storm and their were little puddles that the kids threw rocks in. This time we took the tram and discovered their is tones of water, we were just hiking on the wrong side of the canyon. These pictures were taken when we first got to this spot, we stayed here for a little while.  By the end Alden, Calvin and I had pretty much been swimming in the water! It was a perfect Labor day activity.  We will probably go back and this time we will know where to go!

These pictures below were part of a history lesson.  We just finished up the Roman empire in history.  The boys each made the city of Rome with cookie dough, they then became the Vandals and the Visgoths and destroyed their city! 

I couldn't help but take this picture of Benson. He loves to snuggle, and is almost always found snuggling with one of us or one of his animals.  He especially likes this bunny that Grandma bought for him when she was out here.

This is Benson at the swimming pool. He often gets out much sooner then the rest of us and will go sit on a chair. This time he was playing peek-a-boo with his towel.

Benson in normal clothes!! Almost everyday Benson wears one piece PJ's because we have found it really helps his skin stay clear.  Even one day in pants can cause eczema on his legs.  His body has really been looking so clear for quite a while now that I've decided to dress him in normal clothes every now and again and see how it goes.  It sure is nice seeing him in normal clothes even if it is just for a little while.