Mom's group, retail therapy, and Cailey

I've had a very busy week. We went to the playground on Monday and then walked around the mall for awhile. On Tuesday I joined a new mom's group and took Ben to a playgroup at an indoor playground. It was fun for Ben and I enjoyed the company of other moms. I have been really resistant to the idea of a playgroup ~ it just seems like so much work and so contrived to get together with people you really don't know and then talk about kids the whole time...has anyone seen Little Children with Kate Winslet?...that's how I envision myself at playgroups...not really a "team player" with the other moms and not as rigid in my parenting style...so I find I don't have a lot in common. But (sigh), I need to get Ben some social time with kids his own age and I am getting tired of spending time at the playground all by myself. I guess I am still trying to adjust to being a SAHM :o) Anyway, I like the mom's group I joined. They do a lot of activities and there are about 30-40 members...but, not all show up for all the events so I will get to meet a lot of new moms each time. I am going with an open mind and hoping to meet some new people with similar interests and, of course, some new friends for Ben.

I also tried a little "retail therapy." I went to the mall on Sunday, by myself!, and spent an unreasonable amount of money ~ I won't even say how much I spent because it's the most money I have ever spent on clothes! I have no intention of keeping most of the things I purchased. It was just nice to wander the mall and spend some money on myself. I never imagined that retail therapy worked ~ but it does and I felt much better after I got a chance to spend a little money (or a lot of money!)...even though I already returned or will return most of the items...I still felt a little surge of renewed self from my little outing! AMAZING! I have even decided that walking the mall is a great way to spend the mornings with Ben and great exercise for me. We spent Monday and Thursday at the mall and had a great time! We like to stop at the pet store and play with the puppies and the bunnies. So much fun to see Ben get excited over the animals!

Cailey is getting older ~ obviously :o). But last night I got yet another affirmation of this fact. My all time favorite children's book is The Monster at the End of This Book (a Grover Sesame Street book), and I have read it to Cailey several times since she was a baby. Now, each night we have Cailey choose a book to read to us so she can practice her reading. Last night she chose The Monster at the End of This Book and read the whole thing through without any help! As she read I kept having visions of her as a baby, sitting in my lap as I read the book to her ~ she would giggle when we made funny voices or we exaggerated any of the words/phrases. Now, here she is reading me the story and I couldn't help but feel very proud, old (ha), and very good about this point in our lives. I have loved every stage and every milestone that Cailey has reached thus far and I am very excited to see what her future holds for her.

Happy Friday and have a safe and fun Labor Day weekend!!!!

Hiking in Colorado

We took Ben on his first hike ~ in the backpack ~ and Cailey's first independent hike...no more backpack for her! They both did a great job and we hiked for about an hour and 45 minutes. Ben fell asleep in the backpack on the way down, but woke up in time to wade in the river...a little family tradition :o) It was nice to get out of the house and spend time together without spending a lot of money :o) Of course, we had to stop at the Beau Joe's Pizza place in Idaho Springs after our hike...another tradition! Cailey did much better than I thought she would...with several "rests" ~ her idea...because Mom and Dad didn't need to rest..nope, no way, not us...we're in perfect shape (HA!). Cailey also loved finding walking sticks along the way. We told her how Grandpa Rich always finds a walking stick for our hikes and she loved the idea and used a walking stick for most of time. Ben loved the sound of the echos through the mountains and he loved all the dogs that we saw along the way ~ people sure do love to bring their dogs on hikes. We stopped at the top (well, almost the top) and ate our oranges and rice krispy treats...yet another tradition, thanks to Grandma Kathryn! We got some great pictures and we are planning on another hike this weekend...I hope! It's great exercise for all of us ~ especially Scott who gets to carry Ben (yikes!) in the backpack ~ that's no small feat and I admire my husband for being able to manage the hike with Ben on his back :o)

Hiking is so much fun!
Resting to eat snacks before heading back down the mountain:

A little exploring out of the backpack:

Wading in the river:

Aaaahhhhh ~ now that's cute!

What is going on with Ben?

I think Ben has officially started the terrible twos...or at least something is going on. I guess it could be that he is cutting four molars, or that Scott came home yesterday and he's out of sorts (Ben ~ although the same could be said for Scott...HEE HEE), or maybe Ben is just being two. In any case, he is grumpy, whiney, and in a general bad mood. He has cried and thrown tantrums so much that now we are all at our wits end! I am hoping it's just teething and nothing more ~ like an ear infection...which, it should be noted, he hasn't had since he has been out of daycare for the past four months!!! Poor Cailey has been trying to stay calm even when Ben is clearly trying to pick fights with her!! She's a wonderful big sister and now that Ben is tucked snuggly into bed with a dose of Motrin for the teething, we are going to roast marshmallows in the fire pit outside. She deserves a little special treatment since Ben has been a terror all day and taken most of the attention :o) We are all hoping that a good nights sleep will do everyone a world of good!

Last day

Scott comes home tonight!!! Yeah!! Yipee!! We sure have missed him!

Ben and I went to the park this morning to try and pass the time. Ben has been asking to go for a couple of days and I finally broke down and took him :o) Thankfully, he is now a full fledged two year old and hates it when I hover at the playground...he just wants to play without me following him everywhere. I am still more than a little anxious about him playing on the tall/high parts of the playground set (I have visions of him falling and breaking something :o/), but I know I have to give him some space. today, I was able to read a little and just watch him play, which is a nice change and I enjoyed it very much. Ben made some friends ~ girls, of course. The one little boy that was there was promptly told to "go away!" ~ don't worry, I properly chastised Ben for being rude and threatened going home...which works beautifully because Ben hates to leave the park. I guess he was just trying to eliminate the competition in true male form :o) :o) It still fascinates me the difference between little boys and little girls. Ben is so much more rough and tumble (but not aggressive, just more willing to take a fall and move on to the next thing). He can be a bit intimidating to the little girls, but they seems to warm up to him quickly and then follow him all over the playground...he's really a chick magnet :o) :o)

The new dentist

We went to the kids' new dentist today. I really like her and her staff ~ it's a refreshing change from what we have experienced in the past. This was a pediatric dentist and the office was set up just right. Cailey did great ~ considering she has been traumatized in the past and doesn't really like the dentist. She sat very still and let them clean her teeth and take x-rays! Ben, on the other hand, didn't do as well. I was so surprised ~ I thought he would be fine...silly me. He cried the minute we stepped back into the room! I was really, really not expecting that. He hated the whole experience and I had to sit with him and hold his hand ~ so no pictures of him actually getting examined, but I did take some of him playing with their toys :o)

No cavities or concerns with either child! YIPEE, YIPEE, YIPEE! I can't imagine trying to get cavities filled with these kids! Cailey has great teeth and Ben's "look really beautiful!" The dentist seemed to be pleasantly surprise at how clean and white his teeth are ~ that's because he loves to brush his teeth and play with the toothbrush...which is why I thought he wouldn't mind the dentist ...hhhmmm

Ben playing with the toys in the dentist office:

Cailey getting her teeth cleaned ~ she did a great job, but you can see how tense she is:

Ben playing with the elevator while we wait for Cailey to go to the bathroom ~ "I'm not doing anything Mom.":

A healthy dose of fright

Ben got his first real dose of fright today. I dropped Cailey off at school and let Ben play on the playground while I talked to some of the other moms. I saw Ben standing next to the slide looking around ~ I was just out of sight next to one of the other moms...Ben couldn't see me. All of a sudden Ben starts crying/screaming "MOMMY" while running towards the sidewalk that leads to the front of the school. Of course, I start after him (he's super fast when he wants to be!) and yelling, "I'm right here, Ben, I'm right here." Ben turned around and flung himself into my arms and wrapped his arms around my neck so tight I thought he was going to cut off the circulation! He cried while I assured him I would never leave him like that! Of course, the other moms are saying "ooohhhhh" (while laughing and smiling) because, quite frankly, it was the cutest thing to see...I mean I hated to see him so distraught, but at the same time it's nice to know he would care if I did leave ;o)

Later, we went to the Post Office and he stayed right next to me. Like I said, I think it was a healthy dose of being scared out of his wits...he suddenly realized that he could get separated from me ~ and he didn't like that one bit!!!

Too much pizza

Ben had a rough night last night. I believe it's from the 2 and 2/3 pieces of pizza that he ate!!! The kids go through peaks and valleys with their appetites. When they are going through a growth spurt they eat like full grown adults and then the spurt is over and they will go days with only enough food to fill up a bird. So, last night Cailey wanted pizza. We picked up a medium Pizza Hut pan pizza (cheese) for dinner. Ben scarfed down 2 pieces and then asked for a third. I asked him if he really wanted it and he said yes ~ not unusual for him to eat a lot when he is going through one of those growth spurts. He ate about 2/3 of the third piece and then went and played for about an hour and a half before I laid him down for bed. He woke up about 45 minutes later with a low, groaning kind of cry...very unusual for Ben...once he's asleep he stays asleep. I picked him up and tried to rock him, but he couldn't get comfortable and was very irritable. I figured he had a tummy ache from all the pizza so I gave him a children's Pepto and tried to rock him again. Finally, I was able to get him to sleep but he woke up again about 30-40 minutes later crying for water. Poor thing...I think his tummy just couldn't take all the pizza. Anyway, he was better after he had some water and now we know that 3 pieces of pizza is just too much for him ;o) You'd have to see it to believe it ~ a two year can eat that much, but not without serious tummy consequences!