Too hot to play outside...

so we spent most of the day indoors in the a/c. This picture was Benny's idea - "I sit with Xavier! Mommy take picture!"


Xavier sitting in his "bumbo seat" playing with one of his favorite toys.




And here's Benny, after he used the potty (oh, to be potty training...) for which he got a sticker. He said, "ah, Mommy, its perfect!" Too cute.

1/2 mile bike trip!

Benny broke the 1/2 mile mark on his tricycle last night! Here he is in his moment of glory, shouting, "hooray!"


My 3 boys enjoying our evening stroll.

More kitchen progress!

Old door-


New door! (sorry its not the greatest picture, but you get the idea!)


We love this change, it lets so much more light in! Nick is finishing up the wiring (there aren't really any interesting pictures to take in that department...) and next we're on to the cabinets!

Unfortunately we had to take some time from kitchen work to make repairs and replace items that got damaged when our house was struck by lightning 2 weeks ago. It fried several different outlets, lighting fixtures, our phones, our tv, our dvd player, our garage door opener, the outdoor lighting and our washing machine to name a few things. So its been quite a task repairing/replacing - but we must admit - fun to shop for new things for the house!!
Here's a picture of one of the light switches that was affected:

Little Monkey

Ben started a gymnastics class a couple of weeks ago and it has proved to be a wonderful thing for him! He loves climbing on all the equipment and he is doing a better job at taking turns and following directions as part of a group. His upper body strength is amazing and the activities are also helping him focus on his lower body which is still a bit uncoordinated at times.

Walking on wobbly foam shapes using the parallel bars.


This is absolutely his favorite activity (and the most tempting distraction) - hanging upside down on any bar available. He now does this on the trapeze on our playset in the backyard all the time too, shouting "I'm hanging upside down!!"


The instructor sets up a "course" for the kids, which usually includes doing a forward roll, a balance activity, and a climbing activity. Here's Ben doing the balance portion of the course:

Xavier's getting a move on!

Xavier is doing so well in his gait trainer! Our patio has a tiny bit of a down slope to it, and it's just right to allow Xavier to gain some momentum and walk by himself about 15-20 ft. As soon as we put him in it, he 'talks' very loudly and smiles. We can tell he is very proud of himself. We're always amazed at how tall he is - when Ben stands next to him he's at least a couple of inches taller. Ben likes to clap for him when he walks and says "Great job Xavier!"

Here he is, proud to have just finished a walk on the patio!


And a side view to show just how straight and tall he stands - this is actually an action shot, he was walking at the time, both feet just happen to be on the ground at this point.


Another way Xavier is getting around lately - in our new car! Here he is trying out the driver's seat- playing with the steering wheel.


And here's the new car itself - a Toyota Scion xB. Nick loves it so much that I catch him sneaking peeks at it while we're playing outside...and he said he made a special trip to a window at work, just to check on it today. :)

Happy 3rd Birthday Benny!!

Ben turned 3 years old on June 15th! He was so excited - he burst out of his room at 6:45 that morning and shouted "Its my Happy Birthday!!" All he could talk about all day was his party, cake, and balloons. When he woke up from his nap about an hour before the party and all the balloons were out and our backyard set up for the party, he could barely contain himself with excitement. He kept singing happy birthday and took a big bouquet of balloons everywhere he went. The look of pure happiness on his face before, during, and after the party was enough to bring tears to my eyes!

Lots of pictures to share!

Guess we'll be getting one of these...

This weekend we visited friends who have a "zip line" between 2 trees in their backyard. Benny the Dare Devil had a blast. So, this will be the next addition to our backyard - Nick says we will somehow make a harness for Xavier to enjoy it too! Look for pictures in the near future. :)

Our Two Cowboys

Xavier's summer session of hippotherapy has started! He goes every week on Thursday mornings, and Benny now comes with us because he has his gymnastics class immediately before, right down the road (I'll try to get some pictures of that this week, what a monkey he is!) I don't know who enjoys the time at hippotherapy most - Xavier or Ben. Xavier of course loves riding CJ and Ben, well, he loves the things most little boys love - dirt, big animals, and tractors. So its a fun time for all!

Ben preparing to get dirty.


No hands! Xavier is sitting on the horse without anyone holding onto him!


Ben with Cowboy and Angel. He likes to feed them hay, 1 piece at a time.


Ben with Ziggy, saying "I can't reach him!"


Backwards buckaroo!


Xavier and CJ race Ben at the end of every session - this time it was a tie!

Backyard Bliss!

We're having lots of fun in our backyard this year! Xavier loves to "play catch" rolling a ball back and forth with another person.



Ben in "the fort" on our swing set.


Ruby "smiling"


Stewart, enjoying his favorite activity, napping -

A picnic in the park

This past weekend we were able to enjoy some beautiful, warm, sunny weather and decided to have a picnic in a park near by. Silver Creek is a Metro park with lots of nice nature trails, and a big lake with a beach/swimming area. We had a nice lunch and then walked around a bit, but it was very hot (almost 90!) and we decided to cut it short.

Ben enjoying his lunch-



Xavier clapping after finishing his lunch (it was very yummy apparently!)-



Go Ben Go!! There was a big hill near our picnic table that Ben decided he needed to go down on his tricycle (although I think Nick might have come up with the plan originally??) I watched apprehensively, fearing a big spill, but Benny managed to keep himself upright and did it again and again and again...Its amazing how strong he is...he's able to pedal on the grass as well as on a smooth surface!

A rare moment, indeed!

Getting both boys together for a picture is truly a challenge, so although this is not the best picture of either of them, they are both sitting (look how well Xavier is doing!) and right next to each other, so I decided to post it!

I swear, I did NOT put him up to this!!

Creative Mr. Bennett has mastered the fine art of bologna face making, without any help. We're so proud (HA!) Here he is with his first creation - entitled (by Ben himself) "Face with Two Eyes". I snapped some shots of the obviously proud Ben after finishing his masterpiece.