Steps in a Process

Mommy is teaching expository writing. For those of you who are not in fourth grade, that means, steps in a process. Let's try it.

Finding the perfect tree can be a challenging process. (catchy topic sentence.) First, you must search though hundreds of possibilities.

Look to your left, and your right. Be careful so you don't miss it!
Then, you get the saw and begin cutting down your tree. It is important to wear safety goggles and have the proper assistant. (transition, with detail sentence)
Next, you send your tree through this fancy machine that binds it up, really tight. whirrrrrr (notice the use of onomatopoeia)
Once you get the tree home, let it rest for 24 hours. Then, you can begin decorating. Carefully hang the ornaments, near the bottom of the tree so the kitties have something to play with.
Then, place the star on top of the tree.
Finally, enjoy! (final step) Follow these simple steps, and setting up your tree will be a piece of cake! (you really should never use cliches in your formal writing.)

Who's on your list?

Countless reasons to be grateful, including you, my dear family and friends, and our president elect - of course, barack reads B's blog!

One Lucky Two Year Old

Bennett's Numero Dos

I get my smooth moves from daddy

Supper Time

my dinner time routine includes exercise immediately before, after, and during meals...

Happy Halloween!

hey, guys! happy halloween! i know what you are thinking... yes, i am pretty cute. (FYI - lately, every picture of me is taken in mommy's lap. that is because all i want to do is LOOK at the pictures. so, as soon as i see the camera, i make myself comfortable, and wait for the show to begin.) for tonight's celebration, i am TIGGER! i love to jump, and watch other people jump, so the outfit is rather appropriate.
in honor of the great pumpkin, we made cupcakes. i LOVE cupcakes, and mommy let me mix (after i got over my fear of the mixer) and even better, lick the spoon! i am still wondering why we had to bake those silly cakes, they were just fine from the bowl.
then, we carved pumpkins. daddy let me scoop out the insides, but it was pretty yucky, and i am not a big fan of yucky on my hands. i rather enjoy crunching on salted seeds, and watching the pumpkins glow. i am quick to show any guests "daddy's pumpkin" (not mommy's, just daddy's).
ohhh, but wait, there is still - all the candy. we have been sampling candy all week, so we can provide trick-or-treaters with the best selection. last night, mommy said "enough candy". i was not impressed with this new rule. i put forth my best argument...
hoping you get many more treats than tricks!
xoxo

Official Take-over

So, it is official. I have taken over the house. Check out my new PLAYROOM!!! Mommy and Daddy spent most of last weekend painting (ok, so it was mainly Daddy, but not because Mommy didn't try. Her painting skills are not the best.) I love my new space, I don't have to pick it up every night, like I do the living room. Also, the black paint you see is really not paint - it is chalk board!! Yep, not only can I keep my toys all over the floor, but I can write on the walls! Now, if I could only get my purple head-band back...

back to school

Last weekend, I started school again. Andy thought it was very important to take my picture on the first day. I began a 2 year Masters program though the University of Saint Mary's. It is a weekend program, that meets 1 or 2 weekends a month. It is kind of difficult to transition from teacher back to student, and I know this will be a true test of my time management skills. I would like to give an official "THANK YOU" to my support staff. Andy for organizing his schedule to coordinate with my class, Grandma Rita and Papa for helping the first weekend, Grammy J and Grandpa for helping on future dates, Shannon for being the best back up ever, and Leom for helping me "reflect and process" each day.

#59

Yesterday, was my Great Grandma and Great Grandpa's wedding anniversary. They have been married 59 years. Wow-za! Happy Anniversary! Love you!

happy birthday, papa!

happy birthday, papa!! today is my papa's birthday, and last weekend, we went to celebrate with grandma and papa. we had papa's favorite; strawberry shortcake w/ freshly made whip cream
(strange but true - this is papa AND grandpa's favorite) papa needed a bigger cake, because it was about 50 candles too short.
after about 15 minutes, ella and i decided "visiting" was much too boring. grandma R busted out the playdough for us. ella busied herself by makes various shapes, and telling mommy and auntie amy what they were. she made dogs, bunnies, circles, stars, snowmen, and triangles. she knew all their colors and shapes. i, of course, know all my colors and shapes, but i couldn't tell mommy because my mouth was full of playdough each time she asked.
after we tired of playdough, i sat down to give gracie some much needed attention. i read her my favorite book about trains. she is a good listener.
so, if you see my papa today, please tell him happy birthday! xoxo

that's me

you all know how fashionable my grandma jane is. i have found that she has the best accessories, so i borrowed (for ever) her purple headband. i wear it EVERYWHERE, much to my daddy's delight. but, i have to add my own bit of style so i wear it like this...
when mommy and i were at the farmers market, i started dancing in front of one of the street musicians. this guy was really good, and i was getting into it - showing off my sick moves. i, of course, had on my purple head-band. in the heat of the moment, i hiked up my blue shorts (so my diaper was sticking out all over), tapped my foot and stuck my butt out. i was creating quite the stir, and a crowd was gathering. one of my fans came up to mommy and said, "well, he is quite the odd duck, isn't he?" i only have one thing to say to that lady...
quack. quack.

prose family fun day

here is the prose family. the cool thing about this pic is that it is a recreation. grandma rita has this favorite family picture, taken on a picnic table just like one below. the difference, below everyone is about 20 years older, and this picture is missing my uncle dan. soon, we all joined in. ifor the record, i was not crazy about all these pictures. there was a problem that you can not see in the photograph. the problem was, we were sitting right next to a swing set that has a slide. not just any old regular slide, but a slide with a pool at the bottom! mommy and daddy made me sit and smile, all the while this slide/pool combo was calling my name...

lauren and ella swinging - notice their dry clothes.
stephanie was all smiles, but noah was pretty sleepy. he is a big, growing boy. and introducing...
BABY GRACIE!!!! auntie amy brought baby gracie for me to see! gracie is beautiful. she is little, and sweet, and amazing. i was excited to meet her, but i was not excited when mommy was holding her. really - she is cute, but i must draw the line when it comes to my mom's lap.

abrazos y besos

thanks, T

i love it when my T comes to visit. she loves me and always gives me kisses and reads to me, and we play the best games. but mommy said she may never be allowed over again...

leather

number three leather is strong, yet flexible, warm and strong.
for these reasons, i love him more each day.

stats

i finally made it to my 18 month check up - at 20 months. i kept putting it off, but really, i had nothing to worry about. here are my most recent stats:

weight 23.5 lbs

height 34 1/4 inches

that puts me in the 20% for weight and (drum roll please...) 80% for height!!! yes, i am finally catching up to my full-term peers. doc denise was very pleased with my growth, especially considering at my last check i was in the 2% and 3%. mommy talked about her 2 'concerns'. 1) i don't eat very much 2) when i get really mad, i can hold my breath until i fall over/turn blue. i have only flopped over limp 2 times, but that is enough to give my mommy a heart attack. doc denise told mommy i was 'totally normal'. she smiled at me, and said "oh - your one of those boys..." and told my mommy i should grow out of my tantrums - hopefully before kindergarten. mommy was skeptical, because she is certain i get this behavior from daddy.

so, all is well in the growth department. i also am right on track for speech and motor development. i showed off by telling the doc all my body parts and animal sounds. of course, i had a shot. i was very brave - and did scream at the nurse. (i didn't pass out, however.) she, in turn, blew some bubbles at me, and all was right in the world again.

peace out.

please send your love

beaux and family need a little extra love these days. beaux's grandpa thyen died last week, and everyone is mourning the loss. please send your love and good vibes to beaux, andy, cort and family. we are all thinking of them.

family pictures

on sunday, we had our family pictures taken. our friends, doug and tamara drove a long way to take our pics. we had a wonderful time spending the afternoon at munsinger gardens and the splash park. doug and tamara are excellent photographers. they were amazing with bennett, very patient and kind. they had so many ideas for us, and we tried to take direction well. if you are in need of photographers - please check them out!

http://ringeisenphoto.com

the strong man and jayda

today we went to the sauk rapids food festival. they had a ton of food, and crafts, and beer, and games... but, most importantly, they had a real strong man competition! it was fantastic! these crazy guys lifted an obscene amount of weight, and pulled semi-trucks. there was a lot of shouting involved. i was very impressed with these men.
i think i will be in a strong man competition one day, but i will not wear spandex.
just when i thought my saturday could get no better, guess who showed up? jayda rae came over to spend the evening with me. from the minute her parents pulled out of the drive, i knew we were about to have some fun.
i showed her all my toys, and shared each and every one - almost. it was hard to share my mommy's lap, but i did my best. jayda needs to practice being a big sister, so i let her help my mom change my diaper, and put my PJs on. she was very helpful.

next time, we should go out to dinner, and leave mom and dad at home! i'll buy, you drive.

mad-city

last weekend, mommy, T, and i went to mad-city to see colie. we had a blast - right, T? on saturday, we went to the best farmers market in WI. there are vendors selling everything; flowers, fruit, plants, vegetables, honey, syrup, meat, and of course - CHEESE. we picked up some necessary items for that evening's BBQ/Summer Solstice Party. (which is an entirely different post...)

the market wraps around the capital. it is beautiful. and, they have musicians! below is a pic of colie and me dancing to this guy singing johnny cash. i heart colie and the man in black.

colie spends her days working for the greater good of womens' health care. we stopped by the booth - i showed my support by trying to distribute all the stickers on the table to people gathered around.


i am glad i got to spend some quality time with colie, and i am grateful T made the trip w/ us. she always makes the drive much more interesting. mommy laughed so hard on the way down, if she were driving, she would have had to pull over.