third birthday party!

We celebrated Benjamin's third birthday this past weekend with a pirate-themed party! (For all party details, click here.) It was tons of fun and the birthday boy had a great time.

sweet boy.

I took these using my camera's self timer. I love them in black and white. And how is it that babies continue getting more and more adorable every day??

three.

Benjamin is three years old today! I can't believe how quickly the time is passing. I managed to bribe him with yogos so I could take some photos this morning. {sidenote: our mall has some awesome photo taking spots. I was excited. Oh, and I love my new camera.}
Some new things this year: Benjamin speaks in full sentences, using words like "assistance," "minuscule," and "gigantic" regularly. He can spell whale, turtle, mama, dada, grandma and grandpa. He recognizes all his letters (capital and lowercase and some cursive even!), and can count to at least 100 (and has gone higher). He can write A, H, and M, and likes to draw circles and spirals. Trains, trucks, and striped shirts are some of his favorite things. He has found a new love for pressing the numbers on the computer keyboard. He is pretty much potty trained, except for nap and nighttime. He likes to dance with mom and watch Duke basketball with dad. He likes to talk to Noah and make him laugh. Sharing is sometimes difficult, but mostly acceptable. Kai the turtle is still his best friend and necessary for all sleeping times (and sometimes drives the dump truck). Benjamin loves going to church. He thinks his grandparents are great and gets very excited when he sees them.
We are going to celebrate his birthday today with a few presents (when dad and Grandpa B get here) and baking cookies together. Next weekend we are going to have a pirate-themed birthday party for the kiddo - complete with treasure chests to decorate and mini-treasure chest cakes. But first, here's Benjamin on the day we met him...

five months (plus a few days)

Noah is five months old now (as of Valentine's Day). I can't believe how quickly the time seems to be passing!

New tricks: rolling from back to tummy, sitting with only a little help, attempting to eat his toes at every opportunity, gnawing on everything. He's still a sweet little baby who loves being cuddled and even likes mama's singing. :) He eats rice cereal, peas, and carrots so far and likes them quite a lot! Noah takes three naps a day, usually at 9, 1, and 4. He likes smiling and laughing (which we like too!), and enjoys staring at his big brother.

noah and mama go on vacation (aka baby tour '09)

Friday, 02.06.
Off to Durham! Noah did a fantastic job on the flights from Ontario to Raleigh: He slept from Ontario to Phoenix, continued sleeping through landing and announcements and noise and another takeoff (we stopped but didn't have to change planes). He woke up and was awake for an hour and a half or so, then went back to sleep only to wake up (happy) with about 15 minutes remaining in the flight. Our row-mates were wonderful and helpful, which made the flight go quickly. Mary met us at the airport with our borrowed carseat, where Noah flashed her his sweet smile. We picked up our awesome rental car: a white Chrysler Town and Country. Not familiar with this car? It's a minivan. Yes, a minivan for one mom and one tiny baby. It did come in handy later...

Saturday, 02.07.
We had Dunkin Donuts for breakfast (yum!). Then we took a couple of photos of Mary, me, and our cute babies!
Noah and I met Joanie and Phil at Elmo's for lunch. I forgot how YUMMY that place is!
Then I took some photos of Mary and Kalina.Sunday, 02.08.
I took photos of these adorable kids...
And these sweet big kids...
And Kalina "sort of" let me hold her. She was marginally okay with it.
Then I took some photos of the family. I love you guys!
In the evening, Noah and I went to The Refuge, the home church we had been a part of during our last year in Durham. It was amazing and wonderful and a blessing to us!

Monday, 02.09.
Noah and I had a playdate with Debbie & Maggie and Sally & Seth. It was so much fun to see Maggie, who was born in October!
Hmmmm, perhaps we can arrange a marriage between these two? What do you think Debbie? :)
The ladies.And I took Seth's photos! He's a cutie pie!Tuesday, 02.10.
I had brunch with Sarah and Daniele, which was so very much fun. We ate tons of waffles and blueberries and whipped cream and a little bit of fruit. It was great to catch up with these amazing ladies!
Merritt liked Noah's monkey:
The mommas:
Then I photographed Jamie and Adam and chatted with Meghan a bit.Wednesday, 02.11.
I went to my old MOPS group in the morning, then met Carolyn and her girls for lunch at Chick Fil A and then Crystal and Cadence at Southpoint for a little catching up and strolling.
In honor of the Duke-Carolina game Noah wore his dark blue. Sad that Duke lost, but we cheered!!
Thursday, 12.12.
We used this day for relaxing! Mary and Kalina came to Todd and Laura's house to hang out with us.
Then we met Jill for coffee and had dinner at Jeremy and Alisa's (just like old times!). It was a nice evening!
Friday, 02.13.
I enjoyed photographing Ivey and Jackson and having lunch and catching up with them! He's such a cutie, Ivey!
Noah had his picture taken with our gracious hosts Laura and Todd.Then Laura, Renee, Sally and I went to Danielle's baby shower, which was fun. I won this game...
Saturday, 02.14.
Before I left in the afternoon, Mary came over to say goodbye and bring Benjamin's birthday present over. I can't wait to see what he thinks of it! :)
For my last errand before heading to the airport, we ran over to Duke so I could get Benjamin a new t-shirt. I also got a quick photo of Noah and I at the chapel. I forgot how beautiful it is. The trip back was long (darn headwinds...) But, we had So Much Fun visiting everyone and meeting new babies (and introducing everyone to Noah!). It was a great, super busy trip filled with great conversations, tons of hugs, and God reminding me that I am very blessed to have some amazing girlfriends, even though I live 3000 miles from them. Keep in touch everyone! I'm sorry if I missed hanging out with you!

the boys

I love these kids...