Looks Like Ben Found Photo Booth on the new iMac...

New Gadgets

I am blogging from our early "family Hanukkah present" -- a new iMac. The long story short is that Joel's Hanukkah gift from me (also early) was an iPad, but his Macbook was so old he couldn't get the iPad synced up to it. And my work laptop is so old (getting a new one soon I think) that I couldn't even manage to get the requisite version of iTunes installed on that either to help him out.

So instead of upgrading the operating system, he decided to buy a new computer. That's logical, right? But really, it is, since we had been talking for a while about needing a family computer that Ben can do homework on and that I can use instead of using my work laptop for personal stuff, which is what I'd been doing for a while. So we got the iMac, and it's awesome. And Joel got his iPad working, and that's awesome too. The only thing we need to figure out how to do now is to transfer his iTunes library from the old Macbook to the new iMac. And we need a printer. And a desk. But all in good time... Happy early Hanukkah!!!

The real Hanukkah starts Wednesday night, by the way. So expect some posts on that topic as the kids start getting their gifts.

And by the way, Happy Thanksgiving

Apologies for the slew of blog posts just now (and one more coming I think). It has been a great Thanksgiving weekend with my sister and her family visiting from MA. We will be sad to see them go tomorrow! Thanksgiving day itself was great, with great food (of which I can really only take credit for the turkey) and great friends and family! Hope everyone had as good of a Thanksgiving as we did!

Big Fish

Today my kids had school, but Abby and Mike and I took Charlie and Amelia to the Concord Mills mall for a day of shopping. While there we checked out the Bass Pro shop, home to what must be the world's largest catfish. I tried to get Charlie in the picture for comparison. The fish is definitely bigger than he is.

A Continuing Tradition...

...Of trying to photograph uncooperative subjects.

Discovery Place Kids

On Saturday we took the kids and their cousins to the new Discovery Place Kids which just opened in Huntersville. It was FANTASTIC! The kids all had a blast. It was fun to watch them become so absorbed in imaginative play in every exhibit. Ben especially, who I worried might be outgrowing such things, threw himself into each exhibit whole-heartedly. In fact I often had to prod him along from one area to the next, because he wouldn't leave on his own. We spent a whole afternoon there, and could have stayed longer. Except, well, it closed for the night. We will definitely be making a return visit.

Toddler Bed

On Thanksgiving Day, Rebecca and her best friend Amelia (not to be confused with cousin Amelia) decided they wanted to get in and out of Rebecca's crib, and in and out again, and again, and again. The trouble was they couldn't do this by themselves, and Amelia's mom and I got tired of lifting them in and out over and over. After a glass of wine on an empty stomach, the logical conclusion seemed to be to dismantle the crib and turn it into a toddler bed, without any discussion or "prepping" Rebecca for this transition at all. So that's what we did. And then Rebecca and Amelia occupied themselves with jumping off the bed repeatedly, without assistance.

Fortunately for me (because otherwise Joel would never have let me hear the end of it) Rebecca has done great every night so far. She has not gotten out of bed at all, except for 5 minutes after the first time we put her in the bed on Thanksgiving night. We put a gate in her doorway before we go to bed, and take it down in the morning, since our bedroom is on the first floor and we don't want her wandering downstairs in the middle of the night.

Becca is very proud of her big girl bed!

Plugged In

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The Perks of helping

... to make chocolate cream pie!

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First Sleepover

Here is Ben heading off to his first sleepover.... and since Becca also has a sleepover tonight (at her grandparents) that means its PARTY TIME! Heading to Fleming's for dinner with friends.

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testing

Blogging from my phone... but how do I post a pic? Hmmm... oh here we go.... this was Ben from over the weekend insisting he needed gloves even though it was 65 degrees.

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Peek-a-Boo

Becca's teacher Alex took this picture of her at school the other day, sporting her new hat (courtesy of my friend Jessica who made it for her). Jessica, she has gotten lots of compliments on her hat already! Even though it's not really cold enough to wear it yet ;)

Because you can Never Have too Many Videos of Becca Dancing...

Ben, Global Economy Expert

This was a conversation that took place a few nights ago at the dinner table.

ME: Kids, do you know where your Uncle Mike is right now?

BEN: Where?

ME: He's in China.

BEN: But how can he talk to the people there? Does he speak Chinese?

BECCA: Chinese? Chinese is food!
ME: Yes that's right Becca, Chinese food comes from China.

BEN: *Everything* comes from China!

ME: Oh yeah? Why do you say that?
BEN: Because every time I look at the tag on one of my toys it says "made in China"!

Is it mid-week again? Time for an update!

Rebecca had some adorable pictures taken at preschool last week - check out the proofs here. I think I like the first three the best, but I haven't decided what to order yet.

I got a new cell phone, the Droid Incredible, and it's, well, incredible. It's also a tremendous time suck to have the internet in my pocket 24/7. And the games, lets not forget the games... Ben gives two enthusiastic thumbs up to Fruit Ninja and Angry Birds.

Becca's parent-teacher conference was this morning. Her teacher called her "incredibly strong-willed and intelligent" and said sometimes it's hard to believe she only just turned 3.

Along those "strong-willed" lines, Becca frequently snaps at Ben, and Ben frequently cries when she does so. Yesterday in the car it happened AGAIN (Ben moved back to the second row in the mini van, I think he's afraid to sit in the third row by himself in the dark so anyway they fight in the car again now). I told Ben, "You have to learn how to deal with it without crying!" To which he wailed, "But HOW? They don't teach that in school!"

UPDATE- I feel it necessary to add to this post that I heard from Becca's best friend's Mom today that Becca apparently told her she wouldn't be her friend anymore if she peed on the potty. So her friend peed in her pants. So not only is Becca still refusing to be potty trained, she's now trying to coerce others out of using the potty, too. Add "manipulative" to the list of adjectives describing my daughter.

Mid-Week Update

Because some of you complain when I go four days with no blog post... KATHLEEN! ;)

Car update - the new leather seats look awesome and make it look like a brand new car! (Smells like one too now). The only problem is there's a little latch on the bottom back of the two second row seats that you use to tether the top of a car seat to, and they accidentally forgot to slit the leather to allow those to be accessible. So Rebecca's car seat is not properly latched, and I am waiting for the dealership to call me back... they are supposed to send someone out to fix it so I don't have to bring it back in. Otherwise, the new car is great and maybe the greatest part is that since Ben has decided to take up residence in the 3rd row whenever we go anywhere, and Becca sits in the second row, THEY DON'T BICKER ANYMORE! They used to bicker continually as soon as we would get into the car.

Ben update - Ben is off for Veterans Day today. This morning in the car on the way to drop off Rebecca he announced that not only is it Veterans Day, but it's also Diwali. Then he explained all about Diwali. I was impressed with his knowledge of world culture, even though I thought Diwali was last week...? He's out enjoying the day with Nanny and Papa today, with lunch and a movie on the agenda - lucky boy.

Becca update - Becca attended her first dance/gymnastics class on Tuesday, courtesy of Nanny and Papa who signed her up for lessons every Tuesday after school at The Little Gym. I didn't go with her on Tuesday since I had to go pick up my car from the dealership, but starting on Tuesday Joel's parents will pick her up and take her to the class, which starts at 5, and I'll meet them there around 5:15 so I can watch most of it. From what I heard about her first class, she LOVED it!

Cake Decorating

Here's Ben hard at work earlier today decorating a cake for Joel's mom for her birthday. Note the chocolate around his mouth - he had to sample the frosting to make sure it was up to par. Happy birthday Nanny!

Goodbye Pilot, Hello Sienna

On Saturday (with mixed emotions I admit) I traded in my 2008 Honda Pilot for a 2009 Toyota Sienna. We worked out the trade so it was pretty much even-steven, except for the fact that we paid a little extra for them to upgrade it to leather seats. The Pilot was practical in theory - it had a third row and could seat 7 or possibly even 8 people, it's just that some of those 8 people would be very uncomfortable and might possibly be required to enter and exit the car through the trunk. The Sienna seats 7 people comfortably without anyone having to climb over anything, and 8 people with maybe just a little bit of climbing... So far the kids seem to like the new ride, but Ben lamented about the loss of my Obama '08 bumper sticker. I told him we can get another in 2012.

Bedtime Routine

Rebecca's bedtime routine has undergone a shift lately. It seems that I am her 3rd choice to conduct the bedtime rituals. Joel is her favorite now, and if he's not around she turns to Ben, who is usually quite happy to comb her hair, brush her teeth, read her stories and sing her songs. Last night Joel had a late meeting at work, and so Becca as usual insisted on Ben doing all her bedtime duties. Mom was relegated to the position of camera man.

Rockin' the Vote (or boat)

Or, the "boat" as Rebecca called it - "come on, it's time to get on the boat!" I think she was disappointed, and confused when we arrived at the polling place and not a boat was to be found. Ben was disappointed that Barack Obama was not on the ballot, but he cheered up when we told him he could write it in.

Report Card, and Popcorn Update

Ben's first quarter conference was Friday, at which we received a copy of his report card. It was the first time that Joel and I got to meet his new teacher, Mrs. Day, whose class he's been in for only three weeks. His original teacher, Ms. Bean was at the conference as well, to provide input on Ben's progress during his time in her classroom.

As usual the conference was unsurprising-- Ben needs to focus on neatness with his handwriting, and on being more responsible with his belongings. On the 3-2-1 scale that's used until 3rd grade, he got a "2" (inconsistently meets expectations) on "takes care of materials", and 3s in everything else. His teacher also mentioned that he sprawls back in his desk chair (I used to do this too), and that can be very fidgeting in the hallways and in line.

I guess it's her job to make sure we understand all the things he needs to work on, because she only mentioned his reading as an afterthought, which has already surpassed the level the first graders are expected to achieve by the end of the school year. She also called him "sweet" and excited about learning, but she also - which Joel took great offense to - called him "average" as in, "he's a nice all-around average kid" or words to that effect. My kid? Average?!

For those of you looking for a popcorn update - the web site is having issues so it is not tracking Ben's online orders, so I don't know how much money Ben has raised online. I know Kathleen ordered (thank you!) and my mom tried (try harder!), but I don't know what his total is. He did, with Joel's help, sell $218 in door-to-door sales, however when I posted the $200 challenge I was thinking (though did not explicitly state) that this applied to online orders only (note the wild back-pedaling).

If you still want to order, the sale ends Wednesday I believe. Scroll down to the popcorn post below for the link, and read the comment I posted about what to do if it switches to saying "supporting no one" when you click through to make your order. The chocolatey caramel crunch, I can say with good authority, is DELICIOUS!

Very Frightening

Hammer-wielding ear-less Halloween kitty:

Halloween 2010