Metamora on a Beautiful Day

We drove to Metamora today. It was the perfect day. Bright, sunny, beautiful, but not too hot.

Playing a little "swing the toddler up in the air" game.

Jacob watching out the window on the train.

A forced smile from Jake and Benjamin not even trying.

Sarah's BIG smile. Note the tiara/crown/wreath thing. It had long streamers attached. She bought this right before we went into the "Leather Hatchery." That was interesting. I had to buy one, too. I mean, it's what all the cool kids do.

He'd smile for Daddy but not for me. Brat.

Jake sat with Aunt Sarah on the train ride, so I don't have as many photos of him during the trip.

Benjamin was fascinated. Whenever the train whistle blew, he'd open his mouth as big as possible. It was really cute.

Reminiscent of our first trip to Metamora. They discourage photos like these. I forgot about the whole "window may close on its own" thing. We won't be having any more photos like this.

Up by the engine!

Both kids actually fell asleep during the return trip. It was pretty adorable. Benjamin fussed for a minute and then passed out on the seat next to me. We then noticed Jacob (who had moved to a seat by himself) sway and then almost fall backwards. I went to sit next to him while he slept so he wouldn't tumble down the walkway.

Some day I will have a gorgeous family photo. For now, this will have to do.

Benjamin said he didn't want any ice cream. Greg and I both got chocolate chip cookie dough waffle cones (there was a man in there making the waffle cones ... yum!). Jacob got strawberry ice cream. Greg and I offered Benjamin some of ours, but he only wanted "pink." Jacob is a wonderful big brother and willingly shared with Benjamin, feeding him little bites whenever Benjamin said, "More pink!"

Goofy and Happy

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.