Memorial Day weekend

We hit Davenport this past weekend.  It was a nice trip.  We left Saturday morning, which we normally don't do (usually Friday night).  Chris had to work at Hy-Vee Friday night.  Have I mentioned that Chris has THREE jobs now, while I have one?  And when I say one, I mean I stay at home and watch soap operas and eat bon-bons.  

Chris works full time for EW Wylie recruiting truck drivers to drive flat bed trucks across the country, part time for Hy-Vee as a cash counter on Tuesday and Friday nights AND part time as a usher/ticket taker for the Iowa Speedway on weekends that there is a car race.  He is a busy man as I still make him do all of the laundry and change the cat liter!  Poor guy...

Anyway, we went to Chris' cousin Todd's graduation party on Saturday evening.  That was fun.  There were a couple of kids there that Harrison played with.  It is fun to watch him interact and a little scary to let him go.  They played hide-n-go seek so they were running around the house and stuff.  He is getting so big!!!!

Sunday, Greg and Pam had a cook out.  Pam's sisters and their families came.  All seven cousins were there.  That is always a good time!  The boys played bags and we all just sat around for the most part.  I like holidays like that!  

We came home Sunday night with plans to go to an ICubs game on Monday.  That didn't materialize, but Chris did get the basketball hoop up.  My Gma DeBolt gave it to the boys last year and it has just been sitting there, begging to be put together.  Mission accomplished!

The three day weekend led to an eventful day today.  Kari went back to work for the end of the school year so I got Will back for the next 7 days or so.  And he brought his brother!  That is 5 boys in my house under the age of 4.  It was a busy day - to say the least.  I only got to watch part of The Young and the Restless! 

Mother's Day Tea

Harrison had a Mother's Day Tea at his school on the 8th.  It was really sweet.  When we got there, all of the kids were sitting in a circle.  They had a little performance for us!  This is Harrison pointing at me while singing "Skidamarink."  LOVE that smile!
After the performance, the kids went around and told their mom's what made them special.  Harrison was last.  He followed suit and said "Because she gives me hugs and kisses" like a lot of the other kids.  At least that is what I thought.  His teacher, Miss Margaret, stopped me later and told me that they practiced what they were going to say ahead of time and that she asked Harrison to go first.  And she was glad because he said 'hugs and kisses' and that started the group off on the right foot.  Ahhhh - he is such a good kid!!!!!

Then it was time for the tea.  Harrison was a gentleman and took me to my seat where he presented me with a flower!

Then he served me little cucumber sandwiches and tea.  Very cute.  After all of the moms were served, the kids got to have their snack.  It was very fun and the kids were just so excited to do this for their moms.

School is over for the year.  They had a day at the park on the 14th and then the last day was the 22nd.  It was a good year.  Harrison never got a bad report home and he always wanted to go!  I guess that makes me lucky, but it also makes me very proud.  He seems to be one of those kids that lets his steam off at home, but follows the rules at school.  I hope it stays that way!  Next year we go 4 days a week.  Can't wait!

Oh Rainy Day

It was icky and rainy here all day.  Rainy days aren't all bad but today was miserable because the temp was really annoying.  It was super humid and it kept going from hot to cold in the house.  I almost shut the house up and turned on the air conditioning.  It got me to thinking about a rainy day earlier this month that the boys enjoyed.  Everyone likes puddles, right?

It all started like this - Bennett wanted to watch the rain.  

Harrison often wants to join Bennett - especially if he has a good idea first!  Harrison, of course, always takes the idea to the next level.  The screen is open and they are sticking their heads out of the window to get their hair wet.

This soon led to "Can we?!?!  Can we?!?!  Can we?!?!" from Harrison.  So out they went.

It was brotherly love for awhile.  Aren't they the cutest?!

Then they got dirty.  I have the funniest video of Harrison splashing really big and getting Bennett really wet and dirty in the face.  Bennett cries a little and walks toward me.  Then he suddenly turns to Harrison and yells "NO HARRISON!  NO THANK YOU!"  Attitude of a 2 year old.  I try not to mess with it to often!

They played outside, in the rain, for over an hour.  It was so fun to watch.  Those are fun rainy days!  Here are some more pics.

Harrison insisted on making a mud puddle.  Why does he have to get as dirty as possible?
Bennett continues to be as photogenic as possible.  Stinking cute!

Although, these two pics don't even look like the same kid!

And here was the end result.  Two very dirty but very happy boys!

Straight to the bath tub...

Much Ado About Nothing

Not much going on in our household as of late.  Harrison finishes school tomorrow with a giant ice cream party at 11:00 am.  I bet he will be real hungry for a nutritious lunch.  School has been great for him.  I don't get a lot of feedback from his teachers, but he seems to come home everyday in a good mood and has stories about his friends.  Today he told me he was the kid and Will was his dad and Lauren was the mom and they went on a picnic and he didn't have a time-out because his dad Will doesn't believe in them.  What a riot! 

Harrison has been learning about bargaining lately.  Today he got in trouble (pinched Bennett) and he decided to come to me with a plan.  "I think that I need about (pause) hmmm, (pause), 5 minutes to think about my choice and then I will be ready.  You will play with me when I am ready, right?"  Mostly he tries to figure out how to get his way, which is very typical, but very annoying.  I pick and choose my battles, but somehow he seems to get his way most of the time.  He is very convincing.  And very cute!

Bennett continues to be a terror.  Right now he thinks his body is the funniest thing ever.  "Watch, mommy!"  "Look at this, mommy"  And every time I watch or look he is shaking his head fast or jumping over a toy or trying to do a spectacular cart-wheel.  And every time he is looking for a laugh from me.  It is very hard not to give in.  He is very cute!

Overall, I guess I am just a big pushover and my kids are going to be holy-terrors because they are always getting there way! 

 

Oh - and speaking of holy, I was reading Tome's blog the other day and it reminded me that Harrison said something very funny and VERY inappropriate last Sunday.  As as preface to the story, Harrison is fascinated by all of the portrayings of Jesus in the church.  So, we were walking up to church and there is a water fountain out front that has just recently been turned on.  Since Bennett was with us (he usually is not)  Harrison wanted to show it to him.  They were looking into the water and what not and Harrison's eyes were looking around.  Suddenly he noticed that a statue of Jesus is at the head of the fountain and he said "Oh my God!  It's Jesus!"  I was mortified as there were others standing around the fountain.  I quickly stifled my laugh and bent down to remind him that we say gosh.  He looked at me and said "Oh yeah (pause), but do you see Jesus?  I see Jesus!"  We quickly left the fountain and proceeded inside!    

But seriously,...

Bennett is almost like a whole new person lately.  He still does all of the crazy things he has always done, he just does them a whole lot better and then some!  He is still way adorable and has a smile that melts me almost every time.  He just recently got himself and Miles in trouble with that smile.  It was nap time and I usually sit in the chair while Miles and Bennett get settled in bed.  Instead of getting settled, Bennett was being all squirrely and making Miles laugh.  This all culminated by Bennett standing on his bed acting like a gorilla.  In turn, Miles stood up in his bed and started mimicking Bennett.  So at this point I have two frustratingly cute monkeys that are supposed to be going to sleep.  I looked at Bennett to tell him to stop and he flashed me that famous smile.  I couldn't keep a straight face.  This little episode got Miles sent back to my bedroom to take his naps.  We will see if they are allowed to be in the same room again - it might take some time!

Here are some more of his wonderful talents:

• He is getting more and more acrobatic.  Last weekend he was balancing between two landscaping rocks saying "Watch, Mom!  Watch, Dad."  He also likes to go off the couch hands first and balance like a wheel barrow.  And he dives, head first, into the pack-n-play.  That was scary the first time I saw it.  It was like watching someone attempt a somersault but not tucking their body into themselves.  Crazy kid! 
• He walks up and down the deck stairs without holding the rail.
• He runs with his elbows tucked up into his sides and says 'Run, run, run...'  Way cute.  Like a mini man on a mission.
• He comes up with more words and phrases everyday.  The newest one is "Oh, o.k."  He says this anytime I give him a direction to go do something and he is agreeable to the idea.
• He uses the potty.  By this I mean he goes and stands in front of the toilet and lifts up his shirt.  He then stares at the water and waits.  After he is 'done' he looks at me or Harrison and says "Bye-bye potty" and we flush the toilet.   
• He is constantly telling me to "Come here, Mommy."  He then usually says "Watch this!" and laughs at whatever wonderful feat he has managed.

I just don't know what to do!  I think he has grown 2 inches since his 2 year well baby visit.  His face has elongated and he looks older!!!!!  How did this happen?!?!  I miss my baby, but I am completely in love with this wonderful toddler!

Oh - and the reason for the blog title:

But seriously, will he ever stop drooling?!?!

No! Harrison's!

Now here is a funny phenomenon.  Don't give anything green to Bennett.  We have different colored plastic dishes that the boys use for dinner, snacks, etc.  I handed one to Bennett the other day and he turned it away.  "No green!" he said.  I was a little confused, but didn't want to argue over it at the moment so I switched it out and gave him a different color.  This morning, I gave him a green cereal bowl and I again got "No green!"  I had already poured the milk into the cereal so I pressed the issue and said that he was using that bowl.  He looked at me and said "No!  Harrison's!"  

Looking back on some different situations, I have noticed that Bennett gives everything that is green to Harrison.  He got 2 funny looking balls for his birthday from Pam and Greg.  One was green and one was yellow.  Right away he said 'Harrison' and gave the green one to Harrison.  This has also happened with balloons and some of our garden tools.  I wonder if Bennett will have a favorite color of his own someday? :)

Sneaky!

So Chris and Harrison were just at Hy-Vee.  Did you know that Hy-Vee gives a free balloon to every child if they go over to the Floral Dept and ask for one?  Well, anyway, they were at the Hy-Vee that Chris works at and they were getting a balloon.  The lady blew up an orange one for Harrison and gave it to him.  He said thank you and then asked if he could have a green one for his brother.  She said sure and then he looked at his dad and whispered "The green one if for ME!"  Little sneak!!!!!!!!

Grandpa

My grandfather passed away 1 week ago.  The nursing home called Gma sometime around 3:30 am and she and my Uncle Randy went down to see him.  He was having some trouble breathing and getting comfortable.  He passed away around 4:40 am on April 24th.  His obituary was very nice and his passing was a blessing.  And I mean that if you can not beat cancer then you are better off not suffering.  That part was the blessing.  But I am very sad that he died.  I believe my Gpa was too young to die.  He was only 80 and he had so many more good years to be on this earth.  This last year was hard though and he was not happy.  Soon after he had his kidney removed the cancer was found and it just went downhill.  He didn't have the strength or feeling of wellness to do anything and that made him miserable.  

But, those are not the things that I will remember.  I will remember how unhappy I was as a child that I couldn't have a horse.  Oh, I wanted a horse!  But, grandpa didn't like horses and that was the end of the discussion.  I don't know if I ever got the whole story but something in his youth put a distaste for horses in his mouth.  But, I suppose he made up for it by calling me his favorite granddaughter.  That is how he introduced me to everyone and I was always so proud.  Most people knew I had a brother and 2 male cousins, but he didn't remind them I was his only granddaughter.  He just called me his favorite granddaughter!  I will also always be reminded of the woodworking he did in his retirement.  I have several pieces through out my house; my roll top desk, my bed (our wedding gift), tables in the living room and probably the most special is the cradle that Harrison, James and Bennett used.  Someday my grandchildren will use it and it will make it all the more special!  I will remember that he was stubborn (understatement!) and that I didn't inherit any of that from him!  I will remember him getting thrown by a cow and then years later I was pinned by a cow and I remembered being grateful I wasn't thrown like him!  He had broken ribs, I had a few tears.  There are so many memories and I could go on.  Thankfully those memories will overshadow the last year.  Good-bye grandpa.  I miss you.

23rd Psalm - read by my dad at the burial:

The Lord is my Shepherd; I shall not want.

He maketh me to lie down in green pastures:

He leadeth me beside the still waters.

He restoreth my soul:

He leadeth me in the paths of rightousness for His name' sake.

Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death.

I will fear no evil: For thou are with me:

Thy rod and thy staff, they comfort me.

Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies;

Thou annointest my head with oil; My cup runneth over.

Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my like,

and I will dwell in the House of the Lord forever.

Happy 2nd Birthday!

My baby turned 2 on April 20th!  When he is not in the room I can't imagine that it has been 2 years since I was pregnant and 2 years since I went through a delivery sooooo much easier than Harrison's!  Of course when he is in the room I feel like it was 20 years ago that he was born and isn't he in college yet?  Or at least out of my house!!!!!!

We had a party on the 18th, after Harrison' Bam-Bam game.  I love parties!  There were lots of guests at the party.  I need to figure out how to entertain more often.  It is so much fun but I never seem to talk to everyone.  That will be one of my goals this summer!

One of Bennett's favorite words is basketball so I made him basketball cupcakes.  Just ask him!  He also says basketball hoop but it comes out 'basketHOOP!'  Very funny.  The cupcakes were a big hit!  

He got way too many toys, but one of his favorites he got from Harrison.  A drum and some instruments.  That has been fun in the house!  We only get that out on occasion...

Bennett's birth story is maybe not as long as Harrison's and that is a lucky thing!  Bennett was overdue as well.  His due date was sometime in-between April 3rd (my timeline) and April 13th (doctor's timeline).  Having an April baby isn't really that big of a deal, I mean diamond is his birthstone!!!!  But their were a couple of days I wanted to avoid.  April 1st - being a fool wasn't something I really wanted to associate with my baby.  April 8th - Easter that year - I am not really into holiday babies - they always seem to get robbed of something.  April 13th - It was a Friday in 2007 and I am not really superstitious but I didn't really want to press my luck.  And April 20th - National Pot Smoker's Day.  Now some of you might not be familiar with this holiday and I would consider yourself lucky.  But my luck is just the opposite and even though I never celebrate the holiday I now have to spend the rest of my life hoping that my son never celebrates his birthday the way Willie Nelson celebrates every day.

So anyway, the doctor's set my induction date as April 20th at 7:00 am.  I wasn't happy but I was also overdue and as big as a whale.  In the back of my sick head I was hoping that this labor and delivery would take as long as Harrison's and maybe we could push on into April 21st.  No luck there.  I went into natural labor around 4:30 am so when we arrived at the hospital at 7:00 I was ahead of the game.  The day was pretty laid back.  Gpa Greg and Gma Pam, Gpa Gary and Gma Marilyn and Chris were there the whole day.  Much smaller crowd than the previous birth.  The real excitement came around delivery time.  I think it was around 3:00 pm and we knew that Bennett was going to be born in the next 2 hours.  Chris decided to go to Uncle Sam's and pick up Harrison so he could wait with Gpa's and Gma's and be there when Bennett was born.  He left and the nurse came in to check me and hold everything.  I was dilated to 10 and ready to go!  I quickly called Chris and luckily he had just made it to his car and was able to turn right around and head back upstairs.  The Gpa's were then dispatched to go get Harrison and Chris came back to help me!  And holy crow, luckily he did.  After 2 more contractions and not much pushing Bennett Wilcke Neipert was brought into this world at 3:42 pm.  He was 7 lbs 16 oz and 20 inches long.  And he was beautiful!  My entire emotion was being so thankful and relieved.  I was honestly scared of another labor and delivery like Harrison's and this one was just so different.  Everyone came in soon after Bennett was cleaned up.  Harrison didn't take to Bennett right away.  He never does anything very well when there are expectations put upon him.  And that was fine with me.  He sat with me for a little while and played on the floor and then it was time to go get dinner.  

Of course Bennett was an easy baby.  He slept all the time and ate like a champ.  I kept him in the room with me just like with Harrison and I got all the sleep I needed.  And I know that sounds like heaven to some of you out there, but let's remember the Bennett that we know and love today; non-stop running, talking, and trouble-making.  Happy Birthday, baby!

I am looking for some pictures of his birth.  I don't seem to have any uploaded on the computer and I don't know why.  Hmmmm... 

Bam Bam

On April 18th my little boy had his first baseball game.  Our chest's were swelling with pride - until we couldn't stop laughing because of how funny the whole thing was.  I mean, these kids are 4.  Do we really expect them to know where to find first base?

First - the rules of Bam-Bam ball.  There are approximately 6 players on a team.  When the players take the field, they do so with their parents as well.  They line up in sort of a semi-circle in front of the bases and wait for the ball to be hit.  The batters use a large plastic bat and hit a small rubber kick ball off of the tee.  They get one base only as the 6 players on the field tackle each other trying to get the ball.  The fielders then try and get their little hands around this ball to throw it to home base.  The last batter gets a home run and the bases are cleared. 

Harrison's team was out on the field first.  They did really well for the first 'real' game (they had 2 previous practices).  Willy, Jayden, Cooper, Bennett and Gavin are Harrison's team mates.  Cooper and Bennett are twins and their mom must have her hands full.  They kept tackling each other to get the ball.  I think in the 2nd or 3rd inning, their dad put Willy in between them so that they wouldn't have that opportunity anymore!  Harrison fielded the ball several times and only twice did his dad have to come tell him that we were here to play baseball, not mess around with our team mates!

Batting was great!  Harrison was the lead-off batter and he hit the ball off of the tee on the first time all three times.  He even ran the bases correctly!  We were all very proud

And when I say all, I mean that there were approximately 20 people their to watch these 2 teams battle each and 10 of those people were their to see Harrison.  Gpa Greg and Gma Pam, Gpa Gary and Gpa Marilyn, Ryan and Kaylee, Marc and Emily and then of course Bennett and I.  What a cheering section!!!

It was a great time and the part Harrison liked the best was the snack they got at the end of the game.  All the players get to go to the concession stand and pick out a free treat.  Harrison picked Skittles!  Go figure...

Now, game 2.  It was rainy and cold.  We didn't really think they would be having games, but I guess since it wasn't lightning, they don't want to hassle with rescheduling.  Harrison shivered the whole time, but he participated.  And when I say participated, he batted and ran the bases.  He did absolutely no fielding.  He wouldn't even move when the ball came at him.  "I'm too cold!"  He and dad had a talk about that on the way home!

We are looking forward to the rest of the season (4 more games!) and to many more years of little league.

Cereal Mommy, cereal.

This doesn't happen every morning, but it is the norm.  Bennett wakes up, stretches and then says "Cereal Mommy, cereal.  Cereal Mommy, cereal" while climbing out of bed and walking to where ever I may be.

On this particular morning, I was still in bed because it was 5:45 am.  Once he found me, he just  kept repeating, 'Cereal Mommy, cereal' until I rolled out of bed to make his wish my command. 

And then the rest of the day will be spent listening to 'Watch Mommy, watch.'  And if I don't give him my undivided attention right away it will become 'WATCH Mommy, WATCH!'

I really love him.