The Past Month

Today, I looked at the date and realized that over a month has gone by without me writing about our lives.  We've been busy and have had many "blog worthy adventures". We'll just say that we are too busy living life to write more often or something else cheesy like that. It's totally not because I forget to download the pictures off my camera until my card is full and don't think to write unless there are photos to go along with my ramblings!  To my credit, I did bring my tablet to my mother in law's house to write while I did laundry (our washer is kaput!), but we got to talking and the writing got put off until nap time.

This past month, Daddy brought out his Lego set and helped the boys construct some impressive creatures, space ships, and pirate islands.

The boys construct their own islands using the larger blocks (the only ones I allow on the floor now that there is a baby afoot.).

Tim and Beniah also deconstructed our broken coffee grinder just to see what it was like in there.

A couple in my life group at church invited the boys and I out to visit their new foal. Both boys were nervous about meeting the horses, but Beniah was the only one brave enough to come close to them. There is talk about horse back riding in the future. I'm excited about that since I haven't ridden a horse since I was a child.

We also went walking with a friend and stopped at a playground where Isaac shared his first swing ride with his new buddy, Titus.

I also turned 29 this month. I don't have any photos to show me opening my presents of 7 flower seed packets from Elijah and the tally counter from Beniah (so I can count how many questions he asks me). I don't have any photos from our fun dining out experience at Olive Garden (the boys were really good there. Shockingly good.) or of the planet cake that I made for my birthday to help show how the earth has an inner core. Why do I not have any of those photos, you ask? They were deleted off of my camera before I uploaded them to the computer. Nooo!!!
On the bright side, since I don't have proof that I turned 29 that means I won't be turning 30 next year, right?

The Hustle and Bustle of Christmas - Part 1

It's been a month since Christmas and I have yet to write about how wonderfully full and busy the season was for us. I guess that is what I should expect since we now have 4 birthdays, Thanksgiving, and 3 Christmas celebrations just in our immediate family between November and January. 

Tim had to "make" his own birthday breakfast since I was still recovering from my multiple surgeries. He opted for store bought doughnuts, which the boys loved!

Elijah was very disturb with how dirty he got from eating a chocolate doughnut. 

I had my mother in law take the boys out shopping for Tim's birthday while I recovered from the c-section at home.  

They were very excited to have Tim open his present.

I found this wonderful beard t-shirt website that had the perfect shirt for Tim.

   After Tim's birthday celebration, my mom took Beniah and Elijah down to Roseburg for a couple of days so that I had some time to recover from my gall bladder surgery without two boys trying to cuddle up to me and bumping and pushing on my belly.  Two days later, we headed down to Roseburg for the Luse family Christmas celebration and to introduce him to his Auntie,Uncle, and cousins.

Isaac didn't cry when he first saw Ravi! A first for one of my boys.

   Beniah had his first slumber party at his cousin's house while he was down there. Elijah wanted to have his own slumber party, so he crawled into bed next to grandpa and slept next to him the whole night. Grandma got kicked out to the twin bed in the spare room.

So far, every time we've been in Roseburg at Christmas time, Beniah has been able to go onto the stage to perform with his cousin. It's massively cute to see how excited (and slightly confused) he is to be singing with Jeshu.  It has set a precedent though. I have to had remind Beniah that he will not be going on stage when we visit Roseburg again.

After church, it was time to gather together... 

...to pray and speak a blessing over Isaac... 

...and open presents before the night was through.

because we had to leave the next morning so Tim could get back to work.

Partying Like a 5 Year Old!

The past two days has been party central here at the Whittaker household. Yesterday was Beniah's 5th birthday which we celebrated as a family with banners, balloons, and singing galore.

Beniah kept grinning a goofy, embarrassed grin whenever he got "Happy Birthday" sung to him.

 Since Tim had to work that night, we did the majority of the gift opening in the morning after breakfast.

Beniah requested pancakes for dinner, so I made him some birthday cake pancakes from a Pinterest recipe.  Silly mama that I am could have made him some of my regular blueberry pancakes and he would have been just as happy.

Cake (made by the lovely Grandma Whittaker so that I could rest more) soon followed dinner.

Which was then followed by calls from Aunties, Uncles, and cousins.

  Proof that he was listening to your singing Auntie Jo and not just reading his book! :)

Soon, it was bedtime (much to my relief) for the next day was the highly anticipated bowling alley birthday party at Big Al's!

 There was bowling!

 We love Beniah's arm flap of excitement!

 Elijah got a spare on his first frame (with a bit of help from his Daddy) which made him SO excited 

but left him disappointed in his bowling the rest of the time.

There were friends and friends who are also cousins!

There was even more bowling!

 There was pizza and cupcakes!

There was presents!

Yeah for really cool planets that can hang from your ceiling! 

Beniah tried to convince me to hang them up before his rest time after the party. Ha! Nice try kiddo.

There was the assembling of presents with Daddy once we got home!

 There was leftover pizza for dinner (since Mama was WAY too tired to cook)!

(Apparently the Hot & Delicious Pizza made just for me was made by the Devil himself!)

Beniah had a wonderful time bowling and asked as we were getting ready to leave, "Mama, when can we come back to Big Al's?"  I'm thinking this is going to become a monthly family game day (as long as it's over before nap time.

A Whole Handful!

Five years ago today, Beniah came in and rocked our world.

It has been amazing watching this adorable baby boy grow into a fact absorbing little boy... excuse me... BIG boy who does not like being called a little boy.

He is so creative and is constantly telling me, "Mama, I have a present for you!" and hands me the drawing that he was working on. Sometimes it's a red dot in the middle of the page and other times it's a sweet note from him.

It reads "I (upside down) heart you"

 He is very inquisitive and asks questions that keeps my tired pregnancy brain in overdrive.
"Mama, how high does 10,000 Daddys, 5 Mamas, 200 Beniahs, and 1 Elijah reach?"

(FYI - That would be 10.35 miles which would barely reach up to the stratosphere. The poor suckers at the top wouldn't be able to breathe due to the lack of oxygen. Yes, my exhausted mind went there. No, I did not share that bit of information with Beniah.) 

"Mama, why did God create penguins?"
"Mama, could twins be born on different days? Could they be born in different months?"

His favorite topic is space.  He has gone to the bookshelf and pulled my college astronomy textbook out and read through some of it and looked at the pictures. Grandpa and Grandma bought him some space books for his birthday which he read for over an hour this evening. (Hence why I am actually blogging about his birthday on his birthday!)

Beniah is all goofiness and laughter and is a "teaser just like Daddy!"

Beniah, our whole handful of a boy, we love you very, very much and are so happy that you are a part of our family!

A Trip to the Aquarium.

  This past Wednesday was my birthday, so to celebrate we drove to the Portland Aquarium to see some fish (but not eat them as Beniah kept insisting on the drive down).  All morning Elijah chattered, "I so happy! See fish!"

 

 

 

 

 The aquarium had a large petting tank that held rays, small sharks, and puffer fish. It was very interesting to watch the rays swim right up to our hands as if they wanted to be petted.  The sharks were a little more snobbish so I didn't get to touch one.

 

 

 

Then it was off to see some more fish and other underwater creatures.

 

(Elijah is looking at a seahorse)

 (Garden eels. Weird looking creatures, but interesting nonetheless)

 

 (The boys were desperately trying to find the invisible giraffe in this tank. Silly Daddy!)

 

 

The aquarium also had a bird aviary that you were allowed to walk in and hold the birds.

 Elijah liked it until the bird tried eating the airplanes off of his coat.

 All is well though when you get to end by playing with wooden beads on twisted wires.