Something Smells Funny....

Benjamin had a very stinky diaper tonight. He told us he made a sausage. Ha ha ha ha ha. :)

Games and Music

Tonight Benjamin made his water bottle really messy with pizza sauce.

Me: That's a mess!
Ben: You did it.
Me: I did it?
Ben: You did it. You made mess.
Me: How did I do it? I didn't even touch it.
Ben: I don't knoooo-owww (in a silly, goofy voice).
Me: I did it?
Ben: You did it. (pause) I'm playing a game.
He cracks me up.
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Yesterday Benjamin turned my iPod on. It had a Celine Dion song on (hey, we like a wide variety of music, and she has a few good songs). He ignored it. Next came a Gravity Kills song (an awesome St. Louis band that some label "industrial rock"). Benjamin started head banging to it immediately. I asked if he liked it and got a very enthusiastic "YEAH!" in return.

Benjamin also played the piano yesterday, banging around and making a lot of noise. He told me he was playing a rock song.
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Two Power Rangers in the House!

The debut of the Red Power Ranger, who has teamed up with the Black Power Ranger. Bad guys, be very afraid!

Soccer Begins...

Jacob started soccer last week. We weren't sure how he'd feel about this. Jacob's a perfectionist. Jacob doesn't like to mess up. Ever. He doesn't care if it's his first time trying something. He gets embarrassed easily if he isn't perfect. And he wouldn't let Greg teach him much because whenever he realized he didn't know something, he'd say he didn't want to play anymore. So this was basically his first time playing. And my first time being a soccer mom.

I took off early from work so I could make it on time to the first practice. I picked up some fast food for dinner and met Greg and the kids at the school. I've been receiving all of the correspondence about the soccer schedule and practice times, so I told Greg where it was. To anyone who knows me, this should have set off some warning bells.

So, we arrived at 5. The practice started at 6. We ate dinner and the kids kicked the soccer balls around. There was a soccer field near the school entrance (where we were) and there were several in the back. We didn't know which one we'd be using. I called the coach, and he said we'd just figure it out when he got there. It didn't rmake sense to me, considering the size of the school grounds. At 6:05, we still didn't see any kids practicing, only middle and high school kids. I called the coach again. I had the wrong school. In my defense, they had similar names. So what if it wasn't in the right township?

Jacob rode home with me.

Me: So, did you have a good time?

Jake: Yeah, but I messed up.

Me: That's okay. You're just learning. Everyone messes up. It's not a big deal. What'd you do?

Jake: I don't want to talk about it. (He looked very downcast.)

Me: Well, everyone makes mistakes, especially when they're learning. You can't know everything. You make mistakes and then you learn. Daddy made mistakes when he was learning to play soccer. He made mistakes after he learned how to play, too. Everyone does sometimes.

Jake: Well, I just didn't know only the goalie can touch the ball with his hands.

He finally agreed it was a good thing he learned that during practice instead of during a game.

Here are some photos from before the practice:

Out of the Blue

As we were sorting puzzle pieces....

Jake: I'm glad we have Benjamin because he makes a lot of funny faces.
Me: Is that the only reason?
Jake: No. I'm also glad because he helps pick up toys.
Me: That's all?
Jake: No. And because when he laughs, his eyes close.
Me: And because you love him?
Jake: Yeah. Because of that, too.
Me: And because he's your brother?
Jake: Yes. I everything him, Mom. (pause) Well, except for dislike and hate.

Jacob's First Day of Kindergarten

Today was Jacob's first day of kindergarten. He's been saying he's excited, but it might be only because he thinks we expect him to say that. He's going to kindergarten at his daycare, so a lot of his daily routine will remain the same. The hardest part for me is going to be remembering that I can't keep him home just because I feel like it if I have a day off.

So, we took a photo in front of the tree in front of our house.

It was only about 6:10 AM, so it was still dark out.

Jacob came home from school with this:

Jacob and Moron? Huh?

When I asked about this drawing, he said, "It's me and Mauren (sounds like Lauren)." I asked what they were doing. He said the guy in the middle was saying, "I now pronounce you man and wife." I asked, "So, you're getting married?" He said yes, but couldn't really give me any more details.

Hats Make Everything Better

Watching Greg cut the grass is very serious business.

Mini Builders

I'm having issues with Blogger. It lets me choose the size of the photo, but keeps only changing one of them... I don't know. I need a Blogger tutor. Anyway, on Saturday, we went to Home Depot for their monthly kid workshop. This week: School Bus Pencil Holder. Pretty cool! It was all going so well until I "helped" Jacob with his and accidentally put a piece in upside down. Luckily, Greg was able to take it apart again and fix it.

Have I Posted This Before?

Take Benjamin's face, Jacob's coloring, and make a sweet little girl...

Pool Time

Last Saturday, Greg's sweet Aunt Jama and Uncle Dave invited everyone over to swim. It was cloudy, which worked out perfectly... not too hot, and not too much sun!

A Very Short Visit

Have you heard of Silly Bandz? Long before they appeared in MY house I'd heard of them, and I was grateful Jacob hadn't discovered them. And then they came. One day home with a band from the treasure box at school... a few days later, another one... and so it started.

Jacob has become obsessed with them. He kept asking to get some, and I kept saying no. As long as he had one from school, that was enough. On our back to school shopping day, he was crazy over a t-shirt because it had a pack of silly bandz attached. Really? I explained that we don't choose t-shirts based on what's with them. He didn't get it and then tried to convince me that the shirt was really cool, too. We didn't buy it.

We headed to the mall next, but it was only 9 so the stores weren't open yet. A couple of lonely kiosks were open, including one exclusively for silly bandz. Buy two packs and get one free! So... we did it. Jacob carefully chose his packs. I told him he couldn't open them until we got home, but he did get to hold them in the car (unopened) after a couple hours of shopping. As we drove home, Jacob asked if he got to open them right when we got home. I said no, he'd have to eat lunch first. So... as I carried in groceries (we made another stop on the way home), he opened the first pack on the couch. So... away they went. He kept asking me about them, and I finally told him he wouldn't get them that day if he asked again. So he tried more roundabout ways of asking... just mentioning them, but not actually saying when.

I let him have a pack when Greg got home, and let him know he'd just have one pack for a while. We'd go through one pack at a time, and we'd give him more when his others ran out (they're even less durable than rubber bands).

The next morning, Jacob apparently took them from our bedroom before we woke up. We found him later in the morning with his arms covered in silly bandz. And, so away they went. For good. Yeah... we're mean.