That Thing You Do

Oh my little Benjamin. While I can't express how appreciative I am that you are now sleeping from 8:30 p.m. until about 5:30 a.m. I would be even more appreciative if you could just sleep maybe like 45 minutes longer o.k. Well, at that magical (albeit) early hour there is this thing that you do. After you have eaten you start to get sleepy again and I know I should get back up and put you back in your bed, but, some days I just don't and those are the best days. See, you do this thing, this wonderful little thing that I love. Just as you are falling asleep you always reach out and grab my hand or my arm and then you finally give in and go back to sleep. Some days you even reach out and put your tiny little hand on my cheek. Most of the time I fall back asleep too and Daddy finds us fast asleep holding hands when he comes back from the gym to get ready for work. I just wanted you to know that I love that moment and I know when you get bigger I will remember it but you might not, thank you for those moments.
Love Always,
Mommy





Oh "Tan"enbaum

Generally when its time for Christmas Trees it's generally pretty cold here in Connecticut. This year, however, we are having some freakish weather, including a giant snowstorm in October. Well, after bundling the kids up and getting my fur-lined Uggs ready for our annual trip to Jones' Tree Farm to pick out our tree I realized that it was possible we may have been a little bit overdressed. Where in years past we were bundled in our scarves and mittens and fought some bitter, whipping wind, this year we had a balmy, super-sunshiny 70 degree day! It was a beautiful day for being outdoors but definitely weird for picking a tree :)


Daddy was the only one smart enough to wear sunglasses

In past years we have gotten pretty big trees and have had some definite "experiences" getting the tree up in the house. (Daddy will tell you all about it when you are older!!) So, this year we decided to maybe get a smaller tree. Lucky for us it didn't take too long to find one that was just right. We found it with no tears, yelling or swearing, can you belive it?



We tried to take some family pictures so we would remember Benjamin's first Christmas Tree but we were half-blind from the sun.

And here is a picture of our 2011 Christmas Tree! Christmas here we come!!!!!



It's a Funny Thing

One of the joys of watching your baby grow up is seeing those first smiles, hearing those first giggles, and watching their eyes light up in recognition when you walk in a room. Of course there is also that sweet baby smell, and the gentle reassurance of your baby's breath as he breathes while sleeping on your chest. Just this week in just such a moment Daddy turned his head and said, "Some people just don't deserve Benjamin's smiles, he is just too sweet for some of the rude people in this world." And while its possible that I might be biased I do think that Benjamin is just the sweetest, happiest little boy on the whole planet.

Autumn Traditions

Anyone who knows me knows I am obsessed with forming traditions. Be it Apple Picking, Pumpkin Picking or the annual Pumpkin Party you can pretty much count on the fact that I have something planned around the season of Autumn. And while its fun to walk away with a freshly picked bag of apples and a camera full of pictures, its about making my kids know that spending time with them is my number one priority. Its easy to get caught up in our daily activity its even more important to me to set aside that time to make memories whether it be in an orchard or on a farm. This year, of course is no exception. We made our annual pilgrimage to March Farms and had a blast wandering through the trees on a beautiful sunny day. We were lucky this year in that our friends Ray, Kim, Leticia, Nathan and Andrew were able to accompany us as well. I hope that in the future the smell of a fresh baked apple pie conjures happy memories of family time in Connecticut for our kids.

Later in the autumn we deviated from our normal routine and went to Schreiber's Farm to pick our pumpkins this year. While we have always enjoyed our Pumpkin Picking experiences in the past, this year proved to be extra special because the new farm provided a more rustic experience for us, i.e., bouncing through the fields in the back of a tractor and being invaded by cows. Again, we were blessed with glorious weather and we were able to absorb the fun of the day despite heavily breathing cows who can't take a hint ;)

Oh and I must now mention that some people, who shall remain nameless {Jack and Dean} have now become obsessed with Star Wars. In a fortuitous stroke of luck I was able to find two Darth Vader winter hats the day before our adventure. And despite the fact that it was nearly 70 degrees you will see that the hats were a MUST!

Oh, and in case it escaped notice we experienced a historic winter storm on Halloween weekend this year, Winter Storm Alfred. And while we were lucky to not have experienced any of the problems that many others in the state did have, we were surprised to get nearly a foot of snow in October. This was the scene when we left the grocery store after our weekly journey to the store.

But we could not let the snow deter us from our Halloween fun!

And while Jack was Luke Skywalker, our little buddy celebrated as a little puppy :) (Jack's picture to come)

"Sum-mer-time and the livin' is easy"

So, we finally make it home and despite all of our adjusting we did manage to make time for some fun this summer. After many hours of practice and several different games we have discovered that Jack is none-other than a little card hustler. I know those of you who have kids that are in the 4-5 age range are aware of their constant need to win games by whatever means necessary and that you understand when I say my son has now become a little card hustler. Oh you don't believe me, do you? Just take a look at the picture below and take a glance at his eyes, this is his true Poker, or "go fish" face if you will.

We also made sure to get ourselves to our favorite place, the Wall Street Beach in Milford. We find ourselves there time and time again no matter what time of year. Each time we go we make a new batch of memories, from Jack collecting seashells, to Daddy and Jack skipping rocks during a time in which I can literally see time slow down and recognize the preciousness of every minute of it, to Benjamin getting his first glance at the ocean.

And of course we all spent time bonding with Benjamin and letting him know that he will always be loved, protected and cared for by all of us, his family.

And So It Begins...

2011 has been and will continue to be an amazing year for our family. This is the year when we were blessed with our newest addition, Benjamin, and the year that Jack is officially a "big kid." Along with becoming a Big Brother, Jack also started Kindergarten and started playing soccer. And so yeah, the times they are a'changin' for us and what time is better than now to start documenting how much? I would like to say I have been keeping meticulous notes on everything that has happened over the past 5 years, but that is not the case. While everyone warns you that youth is fleeting and that your children grow up in the blink of an eye, I never realized how true that was until I realized my baby is turning 5 this year and I still haven't finished, or more accurately, ever even started his baby book :) Now that Benjamin is here I know that I had better make an effort to document as much as I can before I blink again and I am an old woman.

On August 4th, 2011 at 10:07 a.m. we welcomed all 8 lbs and 1 oz and 20" of Benjamin Matthew into our family. It was an amazing day culminating in the birth of our little "Peanut." And while he came out screaming, he has since become a peaceful little man. I swear for 30 minutes after he was born he was yelling, I would imagine he was pretty comfortable where he was and didn't appreciate being removed. Jack was given the distinct honor of naming his little brother and while another name was in the running, upon entering the room Jack greeted his little brother saying, "Hi Benjamin!" Jack was so proud to be a big brother and to have been given the task of naming his brother and brusquely corrected anyone who tried to call his brother "Ben," by reminding him that his brother's name was "Benjamin Coconut." It's amazing how in an instant Jack went from being my baby to a "Big Boy" in just that one day. All of a sudden his hands were bigger, his feet looked like boy feet and he no longer had his little baby face. He was now the "big brother" and watching him look at his little blue-eyed brother and recognizing that we were now a "two-kid" family is something that really can't be put into words, but is something that I will never forget.

After what seemed like eternity, but was actually just 5 days we were able to go home and start the new phase of our journey of Mom, Dad, Jack and The New Guy. Of course adjusting was difficult for all of us; waking up every two hours to eat, not being the only kid anymore, going back to work on no sleep, splitting who eats dinner and who sits with the baby being some. And of course not all adjustments are easy but we did have some new fun as well, like Jack thinking its the best thing in the world when Benjamin peed in the bathtub for the first time, or snuggling on the couch as a family and eventually walking Jack to school each day together as well.

Due to a freak storm, Tropical Storm Irene, Jack's first day of Kindergarten at The Salem School was delayed an entire week and he didn't get to start until September 7,2011. We had been looking forward to "New School" all summer but when we went to orientation Jack was initially uncharacteristically shy. He wanted to stick by my side and not venture off to explore his new classroom. But his amazing teacher, Mrs. Cope, had the magic touch and drew him right out of his shell. And while the test bus ride for those kids who would be riding regularly would seem like a fun adventure for any kid, Jack was pretty nervous. Moms and Dads weren't aloud on this little adventure so it was a little worrisome, upon returning Jack was disappointed to discover that he would, in fact, be walking and not riding the bus. Afterwards Mrs. Cope read the class a story and gave each kid a little heart for their parents to pin on their shirts on the 1st day so that their child could touch it all day and know that someone was thinking of them and loved them very much. Story time seemed to be the gateway for my little chatterbox because in the "get to know you" time after the story he was not shy about raising his hand at every opportunity and telling Mrs. Cope all about his new sneakers and how fast he can run in them and his new Gap socks that Gigi got for him. Eventually the 1st day did come and while Jack handled it well, Mommy spied in the window from the stairs and saw her baby becoming a boy and definitely shed some tears while Daddy laughed. For a little while Mommy was able to be at home and was able to pick Jack up from his after-school program and enjoyed nothing more than our walks home from the YMCA and hearing the excitement of those first days of school and here it is the commencement of a new year, a new and improved family, a new life, a new blog....and so it begins :)