Chicken Nuggets

I noticed that most posts tend to be more focused on Ben and I apologize, but Sofia is at more of the "silent movie" stage of her existence where as Ben has something to say to everything and he has a hard time not talking. Well, to make all of the Fia fans in the world happy, we have another Sofia story...

Lunch time on Friday was like any other lunch time. Ben wanted a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, because that's what Ben likes, and Sofia, the carnivore, wanted meat. The easy cure for a meat craving in our house is the Mickey Mouse chicken nuggets from Costco which I plug because they are cheap, and they make me feel like a good mom because they have whole grain breading. (I know, who am I kidding, right?) So I make Sofia a sensible portion of nuggets, 3, which she eats with ketchup for dip and a giant scoop of cottage cheese. I will also add that she ate a banana about an hour before this. Three nuggets down and Ben asks for nuggets. When I get the bag out of the freezer Sofia points and says, "more plate." Which means she wants more nuggets on her plate. (I think it's obvious what she means, but I don't want you to be confused dear reader.) 2 more nuggets on a paper towel and she seems happy. I got to put the nuggets away and I hear, "more plate." Where the heck did the last 2 go. I scan the floor for the dog and utter something to myself, it probably does not bear repeating. 2 more nuggets in the microwave and I leave the bag out. I go and tell Charles that his daughter is eating nuggets number 6 and 7. I come back and the next two go in the microwave. I am seriously questioning her ability to eat all of this food. So after nugget number 8 is down and number 9 is missing an ear, I put the nuggets away and tell her I am cutting her off. I think she could have eaten 11, maybe 13, but I REALLY don't want to see what nugget puke looks like. All in all, Sofia amazes us with her ladylike appetite and the way she burps during a meal to make more room for meat!

Washable Markers

So most of you know we are gearing up for another move. Hooray, really, but I HATE to pack. I also hate to unpack and I know that this time around is going to be messy since we have had things in boxes for the last 10 months and we've managed to survive. BUT, that is not the point of this entry. Since we're moving, I've been trying to pack a box or two a day on the days that I am not super busy. Thankfully, today was one of those days. I figured, since I was at the kitchen table I could pack a box and let Ben and Sofia draw on the windows with the AWESOME window markers their Grandma and Papa Jackson gave them. I could hear the gentle squeak of marker on glass and wasn't worried when I hear Ben shriek, "Mom, Fia's coloring herself!" And indeed she was. She had eaten half the tip of the marker, so her lips were a vibrant purple color, and she had managed to get a good coat of crayola purple on her belly and both arms. Me, being the picture of motherhood, took her out to the car to get the camera rather than washing it off. We did eventually make it into the bath where all of the evidence easily soaked away, but it made for an interesting morning. I promise to post the evidence this weekend. For now, I'm off to bed.



'Night.

Happy Birthday Dear Benjamin!

Can I just tell you how much I love my little boy?!?! I see so much of what I like about people bundled up in one little person. Don't get me wrong, Ben has more than his share of "moments" when he would rather die than share, can absolutely not be reasoned with that ice cream or gum are not breakfast items, REFUSAL to even think about going poop in the same room as a potty, but then I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE that Ben:

1) Dresses up his sister in jerseys and uniforms so she can look like a real athlete.
2) Calls Sofia, "my fia."
3) ONLY gives kisses on your lips, not cheeks.
4) Would eat peanut butter and jelly every day if he could.
5) Watches "yo, gabba gabba" and jumps around saying, "my name is Benjamin, I like to dance."
6) Can make a game to play with any ball.
7) wears jerseys to play in and to sleep in.
8) Knows most of the NHL teams by their logos.
9) answers, "sure, sure, sure," when I ask for help with anything.
10) Cuddles in bed with me every morning.
11) Rubs my back when I hug him.
12) Calls his Daddy "Charles" when he wants to get his attention.
13) Could sit and read every minute that he isn't playing sports.
14) Gets excited about going to the mall. (it does have a carousel after all)
15) Sings songs even if it is just the chorus over and over and over again.
16) Grows and grows and grows everyday and I get to watch.
17) Likes going to the ball store almost as much as going to Disneyland.
18) Gives his stuffed animals voices and they talk to him and to each other.
19) cares so much about animals - especially dogs.
20) Cherishes his friends and family so much, even at his young age.

Benjamin was worth the wait. We love you so much sweet boy. Thank you for all that you do to bring fun and love into our lives.

xo

A perfect Disneyland day!

Saturday was designated a Disney day way back in January when we realized our annual passes would soon be expiring. We splurged for Ben's second birthday and decided to take advantage of the fact that neither kid would need a pass or a ticket for a whole year, so $500 later we had two little pieces of plastic in my wallet. Another $59 on top of that and we would get "free" parking. Awesome.

Our last Disney day of the year started out looking a little depressing. It was POURING rain here, so we wore warm clothes and figured we'd do what we could. The drive was miserable, can't see in front of you, speeding down the freeway kinda scary and we arrived at Disneyland with hardly a sprinkle in the sky and so few cars we thought the place must have been closed. The kids were great in the car, we ran through "Mickey and Friends," and Ben announced the first ride he wanted to go on was a bus. Wahoo! So we rode the tram to the front gates, towed our umbrellas, stayed dry amidst the drizzle and packed them away before we left Main Street. We rode on Buzz, Dumbo, the Carousel, the Storybook Land train, Autopia, Pirate's of the Caribbean, the Winnie the Pooh ride and saw Tiana, Mickey and the Tiki Room before heading to dinner and returning for the Pixar Play Parade and a trip on Toy Story Mania and the under sea carousel. Charles and I both got to ride Screamin' before we picked out a treat and headed for home. We pulled out of the parking structure to POURING rain. We stopped in San Juan for AWESOME burritos, got home, put the kids in bed and then collapsed.

Seriously. Almost no lines, no rain, no tantrums... a PERFECT Disney day.

I'll post pictures as soon as I find the adapter for the camera. It might take awhile. I have a feeling a golden-haired girl might have put it in a "purse" and tucked it away for safe keeping.