Tuesday, August 25, 2009

Me and my buddy

Xavier and I have been soaking up some quality time with each other because Ben started school on Monday, but Xavier doesn't start until Thursday. We've been doing some therapy activities, having lots of fun, and today we got to meet his new paraprofessional, Lauren. She will be by Xavier's side this year in Kindergarten and I have a feeling they will become fast friends. Xavier took to her right away, and wanted to hold her hand. I can't express how happy this makes me. All the staff at his new school has been so welcoming and are really putting effort and enthusiasm into making sure he has everything he needs. This is going to be a great experience for him and our family. JOY!!!!

So, here are some self-portraits of the two of us, enjoying our together-time. Ugh, I just love this little boy endlessly.
 

 
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Mallory

By now, everyone knows that we see a lot of our friends Will and Courtney, and their kids, Gabe, Clara, and Mallory. Well, one day last week, X, B, and I spent the afternoon with Mallory, and although it was busy (she was fussy due to teething) it was really a fun time. She went to karate with us too in the afternoon, where she showed off her new skill of clapping countless times. :-)

You know me and photo opportunities. Mallory loved this little tunnel :-)
 

 

 

 
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I assure you, that is lead-free paint on the car. Ben thinks it is so cool that Mallory loves his "Lightning McQueen" ":-)
 

Please excuse Xavier's partial nakedness in these pictures...he was hot, and I was lazy, so it all worked out just fine. HA!
 

Ben wanted to take some timed shots. He loves acting goofy in these.
 
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Tiny baby clapping = very cute.
 

 

I love these next 2 because I have a picture of Nick tempting Gabe when he was just about Mallory's age now, with a piece of steak. Ben's taunting her with a cracker, but she has the same longing look in here eyes. I'll have to dig out that old pic and post it...
 

 
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This one also makes me smile, because Ben said to me as I was taking it. "She's scaring me with that spoon. I think she's going to whack me with it." I told him, "Oh, no, Ben. She's not going to." Then, as if on cue, THUNK, right on B's forehead. I laughed and he yelled at me for laughing. :-)
 

Teething :-(
 

 

 
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A clever move!
 

Poor baby had ouchy gums. She was chewing on everything and anything. :-(
 
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Can't get enough of that little Malibu. We love you, sweet girl. :-)

Shopping

Sunday, August 9th, we took a trip out to Lodi Outlet Mall to do some back-to-school shopping. In all actuality, we just wanted something to do. It was crazy hot, but we were in and out of a/c all day, stopped to get soft pretzels (which X "mmm'd" about the whole way through), and had a pretty great trip. You wouldn't guess it from this photo though! LOL -
 

Ben had piled on top of Xavier, claiming he was "soo very tired". Just look at them. So funny that this occured while Nick was looking for new work shirts. I guess that's B's way of saying - "hurry up, this is just not exciting enough for me."

What was very exciting for Ben was ... a TRAIN! There's a track that winds through the mall and all around the grounds. This was a huge incentive for Ben to mind his manners and be patient while we went to stores. The reward was a train ride.
 


 

The beginning of the well-deserved reward:
 
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Rogues Hollow Fest 2009

August 7 and 8th, Doylestown held its annual street festival and parade. I was scheduled to work that evening, but with the help of two great friends at work (Sara and Annette!) I was able to take some time off to see Bennett in his FIRST PARADE!! Alright, so he was just walking with the Vacation Bible School group from church, but still...this is big-time stuff in the land of parenting.

Here are some pictures of Xavier, Nick, and Nick's parents waiting for the parade to begin. Xavier was seriously loving all the attention he was getting.
 

 

 

X has made great strides in tolerating crowds, noise, and commotion in general. Chaos no longer makes him anxious, instead he deals with it well, and really, I'd go so far as to say that he enjoys it. Two years ago, the parade was a challenge for him. This year, he was totally enthralled. He laughed and shrieked with happiness through the entire thing and kept saying "MORE!" He was especially thrilled with the bands. We all know how Xavier loves music. :-)
 
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Here's Benny, walking by us in the parade. Actually, at the moment I snapped this, he saw us and promptly decided he was done walking because he had spotted a giant Spiderman balloon and came to me to beg for it. HA!! That's Aunt Court there right behind him, with the classic, "Oh-my...what is Bennett up to now!?" look and body positioning. All adults tend to have this particular expression and stance at some point when interacting with Ben. I love him, but he's crazy fast and curious. ;-)I can't look at this picture without laughing.
 

After the parade, we met in the church parking lot to have a treat. Here's Clara...
 

...and Ben (wearing the shirts they made at VBS)...
 
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...and B and Gabe enjoying their ice cream bars...
 

The mini horses had their trailer in the parking lot. Ben and Clara were excited to watch them walk by.
 

And Bennett snuck in a little pat. :-)
 

Mallory and Xavier entertained each other for awhile too. She's a glasses thief. Sneaky girl is distracting X, getting him to laugh at her, so he doesn't expect what's coming.
 

Now, she quickly moves in for the swipe...
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...and success!! (so funny - look how pleased she is with herself! and how bewildered, yet patient, X is ;-)
 

 

 
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Saturday night, Nick and I risked our lives to go out onto the roof to catch the festival fireworks. Well, Nick wasn't risking his. But, clearly, I am clumsy, and therefore was risking mine. I guess it was worth the gamble though, because there was a perfect spot right through some trees where we could see the entire show.
 

(didn't know I was zoomed in so far on this one...)
 

This also makes me laugh. Nick was not pleased with my use of flash. HA!
 
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