Home for a visit

We have been enjoying visits with family members who have come to see my mom. Here is Aunt Mary Beth and Uncle David with Abby!

They brought some fun gifts with them!

We celebrated Jeremy's birthday a little early.

So precious!

Abby is getting so big. She is a teething machine and she is doing so well with body control. Check her out in the exersaucer! She is ready to run!

Took Benjamin on a few boat rides...

And visited with Tricia. This is Abby's classic lip pout. Hilarious when she does it!

This week at our house, we had several visitors as well for play dates. Benjamin and Claire played while her mommy and I got pedicures. Thanks Jeremy for the treat!

They played so well together. Unfortunately, the next play date with another little girl involved sand throwing. 

Forgot this photo up above... 

Back at our house...

Benjamin and Claire played in his climbing dome. They were hiding from the lions. :)

My friend Tammy came over. Benjamin and Dominic played, and Leila and Abby kept each other amused. They are four days apart in age...Leila just has a little head and Abby has a big one. :)

Benjamin got creative with the markers while making a card the other day.He had a skunk stripe on his nose and markings all over his arms. We had a lengthy chat after that. The next day, he found a marker and started in on his own lecture... "Only on paper. Not mommy's bed. Not my belly button. Not my bed, not the wall. Just paper."  

He is so funny. He begged me to go to Kohl's the other day to see the toys. "Mommy, I want to go to Kohl's. Please Mama! Let's see the toys"

I told him OK, but we weren't buying any. 

While there, I snuck in one purchase for Christmas. I tried to make sure he didn't see. But, he heard Jeremy mention it was for Christmas. On the way out, he said, "I want to go to Christmas." 

I said, "Christmas isn't a place. It's a celebration in December. Like a birthday party for Jesus that we celebrate at church."

He started singing, "I want to go to Christmas. I want to go to Christmas."

Finally, I said, "OK! In  December."

A few minutes later, I pulled into a parking space and heard a very indignant Benjamin declare,

"Mommy! This isn't Christmas. This is a store. It's Kroger!"

Kings Island!

It was SO exciting to go to Kings Island with Benjamin today. We had two girls from church watch Abby, and we headed to the park to arrive right as it opened at 10 a.m.
Benjamin and I looked at photos online the night before, so he would have preferred if we went right then.
The first ride we tried was a roller coaster! I think Benjamin was a little nervous, but he was a trooper! He held on tight and didn't once admit to being scared! We are in the second to back car.

Next we did the bumper cars. He saw them on a Leap Frog video and wanted to try them out. Unfortunately, he couldn't make his go anywhere except in a circle.

Next, he rode on an airplane! He really did enjoy it. :) 

Then, we rode on the Snoopy Sky Ride.

And, we tried out this sky bus thing that went up and down. Prior to this, we refused to go on the drop tower ride, which looked and sounded a bit intimidating. I think he would have been fine, but he had too long to think about it in line. 

He REALLY wanted the RED car, but he settled for orange as he rode off on his own. 

Look Mom! I can drive!

The steam engine train was next. Benjamin was SO excited to ride on a train that looked like Thomas.

We don't have a photo from his favorite ride, because we all rode the log ride. He begged to go again, so we went at the end of the trip. He said, "weeeeeeee!" the whole time and loved the giant hill slide.We bought a magnet with our photo coming down the hill. The best part about today was that there were hardly any lines! And, food was only $1 for the end of the season! So, B and I ate first while Jeremy rode the Diamondback coaster. Then, we switched and I  rode.  

B loved the swings, and smiled the whole time.

He also enjoyed the carousal.

Blueberry ice cream... so exciting!

B cried when we left, and he stared at his new magnet the whole way home. You would think he would have napped, but he is still on his high... Next time he wants to try the water park too!

Family photos

Jan took some great photos of Abby and the family. Just thought I would post a few to share with those of you not on Facebook.

Here are a few from earlier in the summer with Jeremy's family. I couldn't move them easily to the bottom, so they are stuck in the middle of the spread. :)

I love this one of the four grandchildren. It was such an impromptu thing, which makes it even greater. 

 We had story time with Nana before bed. I will miss these moments most of all when my mom is gone. She is such a wonderful Nana!

 Benjamin walks around talking about how things are not too cold and not too hot, but just right. He loves the story of the three bears!

 Abby watched from afar.

Little miss personality already has an attitude. haha I am sure we will see this look when she is a teenager. 

She is usually a very happy girl with a big smile. It melts our hearts every time!

 Here are the Hilty family gathering photos! It is quite the crowd!

Three months

Abby is three months old today, and she is as precious as ever! We don’t have a doctor visit this month, but she weighs a little more than 13 pounds, and she is quickly outgrowing three- to six-month clothes!

This little girl loves to smile! I will post a few wonderful examples when I get on the laptop. Jan took some amazing photos of sweet Abby, so I will post those along with a few family photos too!

She is really good at sleeping, usually… She can go up to seven hours, though during growth spurts, she sleeps only two or three. She is very strong, and likes to sit with help or stand holding on to us. Her favorite places to nap are either in my arms or in her Ergo carrier that her great grandparents got her. She doesn’t really have a feeding schedule…just whenever she is hungry. I love that I am home and can feed her without having to worry about bottles and schedules! She really is getting into a bit of a schedule, though, and she naps around the same times every day. That makes it nice for me to plan when I can get things done! Right now, she is taking a cat nap next to me on the couch in the same position as I took this photo.

Abby loves soft things, and rubs them against her cheek or touches them over and over with her hands.

 

Abby and Benjamin have been getting along so well recently. Benjamin likes to hold Abby, and he is getting good at putting her pacifier in her mouth for her.

 

 

I try to do special things with just Benjamin, so he doesn’t feel left out of the action. The other day, we made homemade pretzels. He LOVES to help me cook. I caught him “reading” a piece of scrap paper. “It says, don’t add the eggs yet,” he said. Benjamin talks quite a bit now, and we have funny conversations. I will post a blog about some of them in the near future.

Here he is painting the egg onto our pretzels.

B LOVES corn on the cob. He ate three ears of it outside on the deck, and when I glanced out the window, I saw a very elaborate experiment going on, where he would drop the ears together and then one at a time. He did it over and over again. Then, he lined them up and started bringing over sticks and acorns. I came outside and he said, “Look Mommy! Railroad tracks!.” To say that boy is obsessed with trains is an understatement!

We decided to go on a treasure hunt, and I said, “Quick! What should a pirate wear?” I put some shorts on B’s head. “Silly Mommy! Those are shorts,” he told me. Then, I said, “Well, how do we become pirates?

He replied, “Pirates go aaaarrrr! Ahoy mate!” 

He has been doing so well playing outside by himself. I send him out there with popsicles and ice cream. He loves getting all dirty in the sand box, chasing balls, or just relaxing.

Aren’t they darling!? I am having so much fun with them! We have really adjusted well to our new routine.