Happy Halloween

From the ghouls!

The much anticipated Halloween costumes!  Ephraim is a pumpkin (this costume has now been worn by all three kids), Jameson is a pirate, and Delilah is a "beautiful butterfly" (she choose this)!

Jameson's first field trip!

Jameson was able to go on his very first field trip to Fontenelle Forest with his preschool class.  I jumped at the chance to chaperon and have the opportunity to observe him with his classmates.

Jameson's buddy Joonas rode with us in my car.  The talked the whole way there.  In fact, at one point I answered something he asked because I thought he was talking to me.  Jameson responded with "No Mom, I was talking to Joonas."  Oh well, excuse me!  It was so freaking cute to hear the boys chatting about pets, TV shows, their families, school...  Once we got to the forest, Jameson was so nervous that Joonas would get lost that he held his hand nearly the entire time.


On the way to the forest, Jameson and I had the following conversation:
Jameson: "Are we going to a REAL forest for the field trip?"
Me: "Yes"
Jameson: "Will there be animals there?"
Me: "Yes"
Jameson: "Will there be talking animals at the forest?"
Me: "Um, no.  I don't believe so" (While stifling laughter).

Well, turns out there was a little puppet show before we actually went into the forest, with -you guessed it- TALKING ANIMALS!  Whoops!  Anyway, they talked about their 5 senses.  The squirrel puppet said that he uses his nose to find food.  The kids all promised to gather some acorns and nuts in a pile by a tree for the squirrel to find.  Jameson did a great job of finding yummy treats for Mr. Squirrel!

The kids were asked to gather an armload of leaves.  They used their noses to smell the leaves.  Then they used their hands to touch the leaves.  And then -and this was one of the highlights for Jameson- they threw the leaves in the air to make a leaf storm!


After all of their hard work, it was time to sit down for a delicious snack.  It was just about a perfect day for a field trip to the forest.  So, they decided to have snack at some tables outside.  I just think this wooden chair was cute!
 

After snack, we still have some time before we had to leave, so the kids decided to explore the play area.


Overall, I'd say it was a pretty successful field trip!  Jameson is talking about taking the rest of the family the next time we go!

Weekend Recap

In typical Bennett fashion this weekend was another busy one!  We had lots of fun Halloween festivities planned!  The kids were chomping at the bit to wear their costumes and fortunately we had plans to attend a few events around town that required such attire!

Saturday afternoon, we hit up trick or treating at our Hy-Vee.  We thought it would be convenient to kill two birds with one stone – we needed some groceries and the kids could get some candy.  It was not the most organized event, but the kids didn't complain.  They got some candy and their picture taken with the Great Pumpkin.  What’s not to love?? 

Later that day, we stopped by the trunk or treat event at a friend’s church.  Each car had a different theme.  The kids had so much fun going from car to car gathering a bucketful of candy!  But toward the end, Ephraim had enough and started to get fussy.  So, we all grabbed a cup of cider and some popcorn on our way out.  Then we had ourselves a little picnic in the van while I fed the baby.

Saturday evening was Nannie Sandy’s annual Halloween party.  As you might imagine, the kids were the hit of the party.  Before going, Delilah informed me that the party couldn't start without them!  They immediately found the candy dish and began gorging themselves in M&M’s.  Then Jameson proceeded to ask everyone in attendance if they knew his name.  He then told me that he introduced himself to everyone at the party.  Such a little schmoozer already!  But, then Delilah fell while trying to get off a chair and Ephraim started to get fussy.  I decided that since 2 of the 3 kiddos were crying that it was probably time to go!

Sunday morning, we got up and headed over to Wenninghoff's Farm to meet Kellie and Maddie at the pumpkin.  It was a nice little place.  We got to see some animals and we went on a hay-rack ride.  But, I think the highlight for the kids was all of the different activities they were able to do.  There were different things to climb on, slide down, or crawl through.  We went through the corn maze.  The boys took off in one direction, while the girls (plus Ephraim) went in another.  I do want to point out that directed by our fearless leader, Delilah- the girls beat the boys out of the maze!!  Haha!

We were all pretty weary after all of our adventures, so it was time to head home for a family nap!!

Mommy Daughter Date!

Every year the preschool hosts a Daddy & Me night.  So yesterday, Jameson and Daddy left for their guy time and ate pizza and played in the gym at school.  This left Delilah and I to fend for ourselves for dinner.  We jumped on the opportunity to have a Mommy and Daughter date!  I asked Delilah what she wanted for dinner and she decided on peanut butter and jelly.  Well, who am I to question that?  So, it we decided to head to Panera (with Ephraim in tow, but he slept the whole time). 

We get our shoes and jackets on and get ready to go.  Delilah asks me what car the guys took and I told her that they took the Escape.  She responds with “Oh okay, then we will have to take my van.”  Huh, guess I didn’t realize the van was hers…  Haha!  So we load up and head out. 

It is so fun to see Delilah by herself.  She is absolutely infatuated with her older brother and feeds off of him – unless she’s straight up imitating him!  When it’s just here, you can see her individual personality shine through.  She is such a funny little person!!  So, as we enjoy our Panera dinner – followed by the all-important pumpkin cookie – I got a chance to enjoy my spunky little girl!!

Weekend Recap

Another weekend has come and gone. It has been a running joke in our house when R is on his weekend that I still have a full week of work ahead of me. Now don’t get me wrong, I actually do bust my booty when I’m caring for all these little ones, but it’s hard to call it work when I love what I’m doing and I get to do it side-by-side with my wonderful family!! It’s really funny to think about how the mood of Sunday has changed since now I just have to walk down the stairs for work.

This was a pretty busy week for me, plus all the wind and rain this week kicked my allergies into high gear, so it was another relatively low-key weekend. This week, I met with one and lined up two future daycare clients. Additionally, I met with a potential doula couple. So, I guess I had a lot of interviews this weekend! That’s on top of going out with some friend’s of R’s before one of them leaves on deployment. We were out for about 5 hours or so, that’s the longest I’ve been away from Ephraim since he’s been born! It was a lot of fun.

So, this weekend we took it pretty easy. The kids did get haircuts by the very talented, Jenny! And we finished up our last minute Halloween tasks. The kids got to pick their own pumpkins and gourds at the pumpkin patch. Jameson officially settled on a costume –Delilah has known what she wants to be for quite some time and Ephraim doesn’t get a say this year- but, you’ll have to wait to see their costumes! The last task is to get decorations up. That’s on the list for later this week!

Weekend Recap

So, this weekend was a bit of a deviation from our usual go-go-go!  Poor R had drill this weekend and decided to work, so he basically came home to sleep, shower and do it all over again.  So, the kids and I stayed home and I managed to get some work done around the house without them tearing up other parts of it too badly.  :-)

I made room for the rocker in our bedroom, in order to make room for D's toddler bed so that Ephraim can move into the crib soon (Waaaah!).  In the process, I purged a bunch of junk and added it to the pile that was already starting to accumulate in my living room.  So, then I took the initiative to schedule for DAV to come pick it up tomorrow!  Ah, that felt good!

And while I had the momentum from rearranging & decluttering our bedroom, I also gave the bathroom a little TLC that it had been missing.  Oh!  And I should mention that I squeezed in a solo trip to the grocery store, thanks to my Mama!  So, I was able to manage this weekend without any food runs!

So, I'm feeling pretty good.  We're steadily knocking stuff out on our list in preparation for the daycare licensing inspection.  I'm going to bed tonight weary and sore, but feeling quite accomplished.  And my reward for my hard work this weekend is that R has the next 3 days off!  We're going out with some friends without the kids tomorrow.  This will be our first night out since the baby!  I hope I make it!! :-)

Whose kid is this??

Today we took Ephraim for his 2 month appointment today.  We like to do as much as possible as a family – and now with 5, things can quickly become a circus.  And this doctor’s appointment was no exception!  But, Dr. Zimmerman took our climbing monkeys in stride.  Ephraim weighed in at 14.2 lbs (87%), was 24.25” (91%) long, and his head was 16.5” (88%).  He is waaaaaaay bigger than his siblings were at that age.  He may just turn out to be the BIG little brother.  Of course, everything was perfect.  E was already agitated at the appointment (I think he was hungry), but he was not a fan of his shots – but it was nothing a little Mommy’s milk and Tylenol couldn't cure!

These cheeks don't lie!  I'm a big boy!!

Ephraim is 2 months!

Happy 2 month birthday, Ephraim!  As you can see, our little guy is really filling out!  He loves the usual – eating and sleeping.  Haha!  Little Ephraim is such a cuddler!  He gives the best snuggles!  We are starting to get lots of smiles and a few coos.  He is still waking up every 4 hours or so, but he does have a solid bedtime routine – he’s usually ready to go down for the night between 8:30 pm and 9:30 pm.  Ephraim is loved by his brother and sister.  They are always talking to him and touching him.  They ask all the time to hold them and little E doesn't seem to mind the attention!