Happy Father's Day!

Today we celebrated Ben's first Father's Day as a daddy of two amazing children.  Even though Father's Day fell smack dab in the middle of Ben's pilot year of his EACBSA Atchafalaya Swampbase and he was super busy, we managed to get in some quality time with the best daddy on the planet.  Ben's Father's Day gifts were super fun to make this year with two little ones and judging from his reaction, Ben thoroughly enjoyed them.

One gift we made Ben didn't turn out exactly how I had envisioned, but it still got the point across.  We found a sweet Daddy poem, printed it out, and the kids stamped their hands and feet around the words, then mod podged it all to canvas.  I will post a pic of it below, but would like to share the poem we used for the project, written by Helen Bush.

"Walk with me daddy"

Walk alongside me, daddy

and hold my little hand.
I have so many things to learn

that I don't yet understand.

Teach me things to keep me safe

from dangers every day.

Show me how to do my best

at home, at school, at play.

Every child needs a gentle hand

to guide them as they grow.

So walk alongside me, daddy

We have a long way to go.

The next gift we gave Ben was equally fun and challenging to make with a four, nearly 3 month old, and spoiled rotten mutt.  I bought the letters D, A, D from Hobby Lobby and took pics with Will holding the D, Will, Lily, and Lulu holding the A, and Lily holding the other D.  As anticipated Will's pics were quick and painless to take, while Lily's and Lulu's were not quite as easy.  Lily had been smiling the whole morning of the photo shoot, but as soon as I put the dress on that she was wearing for the picture, the smile turned upside down and she was not having it.  So, after a much needed break and little nap, I got her smiling again.  Then, as I started getting pics of her smiling the camera battery died, so I had to recharge it a few minutes, take a pic, recharge, take a pic, etc.  This process continued for about 30 minutes.  After finally getting a good photo of Lily, I had to take the pic of all three of the kiddos, which was equally as challenging.  I had to get Lily to smile, Lulu to actually look at the camera, and Will to stop asking, "When are we going to be done?"  It was priceless.  The process was definitely challenging, yet memorable at the same time, and the final product turned out great!

Finally, last but not least, Ben's final present was a big hit...more so for myself and Will then for Ben.  Over the past year, Will has really been into superheros and loves to play superhero with Ben.  We thought it extremely unfair that only Will had the actual costumes.  And, seeing that Will's favorite superhero up to this point has been Batman, it only seemed logical that Batman's sidekick, Robin or his arch nemesis The Joker, would be an appropriate costume choice for Ben.  So, after much deliberation, Will decided to get his daddy a Robin costume.  Need I say more?  Please enjoy the pics!

All joking aside, Ben in case I haven't told you lately, you are the best daddy in the world and everything good that has happened or will happen to our kids in their lifetime will inevitably be in part because of you.  So,  Happy Father's Day Darlin!  We love you more than you will ever know!

Trike a Thon

Along with many firsts Will has encountered at school this year, he participated in his first trike a thon in an effort to raise money for St. Jude.  The fun started a few days before the race when he had to make a decision about which of his many riding toys he was going to bring.  He for some reason wanted to bring his little tricycle, but thankfully took Ben's and my advice and took his big boy bike.  The day of the race came and true to form, Will was a little hesitant to ride with all of the parents watching.  However, as the trike a thon rolled along, he got the hang of it and started riding more quickly even making a few strategic passes which made his daddy proud :)  Once the ride was over he enjoyed a delicious snack of cheez its and water.  All in all it was a successful event.  Thanks to both sets of grandparents for sponsoring Will in the race!

Obviously a little apprehensive at the beginning of the ride.

Action Shot

Motivating cousins

Mock...(Yeah)...Ing...(Yeah)...Bird...(Yeah)...

I have no idea why, but one day I was singing the song "Mockingbird" the way Jim Carrey and Jeff Bridges do in "Dumb and Dumber" and Lily seemed to LOVE it. She laughs every time I sing it and more recently has begun to coo along with the song.  Ben's exact words as she watched her mom sing were, "Oh no, she [Krissy] has a fan."  Like I really need the motivation of a fan to make me want to sing.  I am so looking forward to turning her into a singing and dancing machine just like her mommy.  I sure hope she loves it as much as I do!

Thumb Sucker #2

As most people know, Will has been a thumb sucker since the womb (in all of his ultrasound pics) and still sucks his thumb mostly at night or when he is getting tired during the day.  Lily never sucked her hands in the first few weeks of life so we assumed she would be a paci baby...until today.  While I was cleaning bottles, I heard a squeaking sucking noise behind me.  Low and behold, I turned around to see our sweet girl sucking away on that cute little thumb of hers.  She is still trying to learn where to put the rest of her fingers while sucking.  As of now she uses the open hand approach where her thumb is in her mouth and the rest of her hand is spread across her face, sometimes almost gouging her eyes out.  I figure if she scratches herself enough, she will eventually get the hang of it ;)  I have a feeling it won't be long until she figures it out.  I'm sure her big brother will show her the most effective and efficient way to suck her thumb in the near future.

And just as a side note, I understand most people frown upon the whole thumb sucking thing and it reminded me of a time when Will was a few months old and I was shopping in Alexandria and some stranger saw him sucking his thumb and decided she needed to tell me "He shouldn't be doing that.  You better get that thumb out of his mouth."  I remember thinking what I wanted to really tell her, but instead gave her a polite (and fake) laugh and went about my day.  As a mom, I think you need to pick your battles with your kids and there can be so much to worry and stress over.  To me, thumb sucking is not one of them.  If both my children are still sucking their thumbs as they drive away to college, I may start to worry, but other than that I think they'll survive ;)

Look Who's Cooing Now!

The day before Father's Day our little Lily Belle decided to start cooing loudly.  Her cooing is more than just making a few little noises.  Our little Sassy McMuffin is cooing to get attention and she does it with a little smirk on her face.  It's as though she is having an actual conversation with you.  The best is when she tries to coo, but can't seem to make any noise and once she remembers how to do it, she won't stop.

Grammy and Grampup Meet Lily

Grammy and Grampup came back down South from their rest and relaxation in Michigan to meet Lily, grandchild #3, first granddaughter, for them.  I'm not sure who enjoyed their visit more, Will because he had someone to play with 24/7 or Ben and me, who enjoyed both their company and the much needed distraction from the newly exhausting (but fun) world of having two children.  While we really enjoyed watching Grammy and Grampup enjoy meeting Lily, we especially appreciated the fact they went out of their way to make Will feel important, which is hard for new parents to do in those first few weeks of having a newborn who stays up ALL NIGHT LONG.  We really treasured our time with Grammy and Grampup as we knew we wouldn't be able to get up to Michigan this summer.  Their next visit will be around Thanksgiving when they come back down South to thaw out a bit.  I think the pics below paint a good picture of what a fabulous time was had by all!

Mother and Son

Playing with canoes in the sink.  (sorry for bathroom shot, but too cute to pass up.)

Sleepy time with Grampup

Painting dinosaurs

Snuggle time with Grammy

She didn't have to tell this one to "stuff it."  Ha!

More snuggle time!

Water fun

Smiles with Grampup

Aww

Proud Grandparents

Happy Mother's/Baptism Day!

This was a very special Mother's Day for me.  Not only was it my first Mother's Day as a mom of two sweet children, but also we had our sweet girl baptized today.  And as an added bonus, we got to spend the occasion with both of our moms as Grammy was visiting from Michigan.  What a blessed day!

Godmother:  Carrie (Proxy, Jan); Godfather:  Philip

Nonna and Poppa

Grammy and Grandpup

The Hoover Clan

Sweet Babies