Monday, December 20, 2010

occupation confusion

It has been SO long since I've been on here. We've been so busy. Hopefully with the new year, I can get back in the habit!

Today Ben was sitting on the potty and the TV was on in the living room. Jeopardy game on and they were giving everyone's name and occupation. One of the contestants is a "tutor." Ben looked at me and laughed and said, "Mom, that guy said 'tooter.'" He thought he meant a person who "toots" a lot. He laughed and laughed.
When he was done, we walked into the living room and I said, "Ben, tell Daddy what they said on TV."
Ben: "That guy's a poop guy."
Jer: "What?"
Ben: "Mom, what was that guy?"
Me: "A tutor."
Ben (giggling): "Dad, that guy's a tooter."

Thursday, December 9, 2010

a new target

Wow! I was doing so well for such a long time. Sorry "fans" that I have been slacking.
Anyway, Ben is going through some regression phase. He's crying about EVERYTHING and all of a sudden can't go to the bathroom by himself.
I was sitting with him today while he was sitting and peeing on my toilet. He had to go bad and was aiming very carefully. This caused him to bend over slightly. While he was "watching" (I'm assuming, I don't know what boys do), he drooled into the potty.
He watched for a second. Then I saw him "adjust" a little bit. He looked up at me and said, "Mom, I just peed on my slobber."
I knew he was aiming.
Then, he hopped off the potty and said, "I need to go tell, Dad!"
And he did!

Thursday, December 2, 2010

The Little Mermaid

One of our favorite movies these days is The Little Mermaid. It was one of Jeremy's favorites, so he got it for Christmas a few years ago.
Benjamin and Hadley got a Dora Kitchen from some friends of ours. With it came some plastic forks. Benjamin came over to me and said, "Mom, can I dingle hop your hair?"
We spent a few minutes brushing our hair with small plastic forks!

Tuesday, November 30, 2010

Bed time kisses

So, Ben goes in spurts where he likes to lick my face instead of kiss me. While we were getting ready for bed, I asked him for a kiss. He walked over and kissed me. The lights were out in his room, so I couldn't see his face, but it was abnormally slimy.
He smiled really big and said, "That was a kiss and a lick!"
We laughed at him, and I said, "Can I have a nice kiss on the cheek?"
He came over and licked me again. So, I grabbed him and licked his cheek.
He stood up, wiped off his face, and said, "I'm a boy. People don't lick boys. That's really gross!"

Friday, November 26, 2010

Another prayer story

We went to Kraynaks today with my brother and sister-in-law, niece, mom, and the kids. We had a great time! While there I hurt my finger in a tragic cart accident. I don't know what I did, but it involved a pop and now it's swollen and bruised. I was telling Jeremy about it on the way home. Ben heard us talking and asked what happened.
Ben: "Mom, did your finger hurt? Did it pop? Is it bruised? Do you want me to pray for it when we get home?"
Me: "Yes, my finger hurts. Yes, it popped. Yes, it's bruised. Of course, I want you to pray for it when we get home!"
When we sat down for prayers tonight, I asked him if he would pray for it. He said, "Thank you God, for making Mommy's finger all better."
Then, he looked at me and said, "Can you pray for my kids?"
(Because Jeremy and I are both teachers, we always say we have to go to school to work with our kids. Benjamin now has "kids" and a "teacher" of his own.)
Me: "Of course, I can pray for your kids what's wrong?"
Ben: "All of their fingers popped!"
We prayed for his kids fingers to get better!

Wednesday, November 24, 2010

War of 1:00

There was a HUGE battle this afternoon for a nap. Benjamin was NOT having it. We did everything, but most things ended in screaming and NOTHING resulted in sleep.
At one point I took him into my bed and laid down next to him, hoping that he would give in. Instead, he laid with his eyes open staring at the wall, window, ceiling, etc.
I said, "Benjamin, close your eyes."
He moved his eyeballs so that he was looking down and said, "They are closed."
Me: "No, you're just looking down."
Ben: "No, I'm not. I closed my eyes."
Me: "This is how you close your eyes." (I manually shut his eyes for him.)
Ben: "No it's not."
Me (again): "This is how you close your eyes" (I shut my eyes.)
Ben (squinting): "Like this?"
Me (giving up): "Yes. GO to sleep!"

Tuesday, November 23, 2010

Just like mom

There aren't many times when Benjamin and I say things that are very similar. He's so much like his dad! However, he changed that today.
I don't know about anyone else, but anytime my brother and I competed as kids I always ended up quitting. I figured I couldn't lose if I wasn't playing.
That strategy still works for me today. When Jeremy starts winning (or starts off winning), I quit so he can't win. He counts it as a win, but I reply "oooooh you beat me and I wasn't even playing." I always take the mature route! Ben has taken a similar route - all though a little more mature.
Every night, Ben and Jeremy race to the sink for Ben to brush his teeth. They start in any number of places and Ben says, "Ready, set (he starts to run), go!"
Tonight, he didn't race. He rode on Jeremy's back. When they got to the sink, Jeremy declared victory. Ben replied, "You can win tonight. I wasn't racing."
As I type this, Jeremy and I have continued the argument. While I clarified Ben's quote, Jeremy said, "He's like you. He lets me win because he doesn't want to play."
Me: "I don't let you win. You can't beat someone who isn't playing."
Jer: You know who says that? Losers!"

Monday, November 22, 2010

I'm big now, Mom

Benjamin has been telling us now that he is three, he's bigger. He actually told me that he felt taller when he woke up the day of his birthday!
Today he went to the doctor for his 3 year check up. Dr. Guru had him jump on one foot, walk on his heels, and do some other things. Now, he's officially BIG.
He's helped pick up today - he did boss his sister, which caused a few arguments! He does a lot now that he's BIG.
As we were getting ready for bed, we were putting stickers on his door.
Background: In an attempt to establish a routine, Jeremy and I decided to give Ben stickers every night on a chart. He gets stickers for picking up toys, brushing teeth, reading, sleeping in his own bed, and not getting time outs. The chart was a great idea, but he didn't get that the stickers went in the neat columns that I made under the cute pictures. He filled the page with stickers, and then his door. Now, he has a beautifully stained door covered with Clifford, smile faces, jackolanterns, Spiderman, you name it.
Anyway, he put his stickers on his door, and turned to turn out his light. I'm pretty sure yesterday he couldn't reach that light! I said, "Ben, thank you for turning that out."
His reply: "I'm big now, Mom."

Not sure I can handle having a "preschool aged" child!

Thursday, November 18, 2010

Ben's prayer

Ben: Thank you God for my family. Thank you for my friends. Thank you for Grammy. Thank you for Aunt Ra. Thank you for my fishies to be gone.
Dad, are my fishies gonna be gone?
Jer: Yeah, I think they are gonna die.
Ben: Then we get new fishies?
Jer: Yeah, we'll get new fishies soon.
Ben: Thank you God for my family. Thank you for God. Thank you for Jesus. Thank you for my fishies to be gone, so I can get new fishies.
Daddy, can I get new fishies?
Jer: Ben, are you done praying?
Ben: Yes. Amen.

Wednesday, November 17, 2010

out of the habit

I've been trying to discipline myself to stay off facebook and my computer. Because of that I've been trying to not bring my computer into my bedroom when I'm going to bed, so if I don't blog before that I forget. I've gotten out of the habit of writing things down.
So many things have happened. Ben had his birthday. We bought Ben fish. Ben's fish are slowly dying off! Really exciting stuff!
So, life has been exciting in the Burnett house. As things get crazy I'll do my best to keep up with the funny stories. Here are a few.
My mom and I made plans for her to come over for dinner tomorrow. She's home alone on Thursday nights and Jeremy has conferences tomorrow until late. However, she forgot that she'd already made plans to go somewhere later that evening. She came running up to me at church with an almost panicked look that freaked me out. She grabbed my hand, opened it up, and hit herself in the head with it. Then she told me she'd double booked herself.
I told her it wasn't a big deal and that she freaked me out more than anything because I thought something was wrong.
I told Jeremy that story in the car on the way home. Ben heard and asked question, but I just told him Grammy was silly.
While we were saying prayers, he said, "Is Grammy's head okay?"
Me: "Yeah, Grammy's head is fine."
Ben: "Did you just like shake it or something?" (now Jeremy and I realize what he's talking about!)
Me: "No, she came to me and went like this" (I put my hand in his hand and hit him in the head.)
Ben: "Why she do that?"
Me: "Grammy's crazy!"

A Ben story as told to me by Jeremy (What Jeremy said was actually funnier than what happened)
Jeremy came out of the bathroom and told me this:
So, Ben was reading my book while he was sitting on the pot yesterday. (When Ben has to poop he likes to have reading material. Usually he "reads" whatever Jer reads while Jer poops!) Then he used my bookmark to wipe his butt!
I gave him a funny look. Jeremy continued:
Yes, my bookmark was a piece of toilet paper, but that's besides the point!

Friday, November 12, 2010

Body parts again

I was changing Hadley's diaper this evening and she'd pooped A LOT. Ben asked where her butt was. I made a general sweeping motion with my hand and said, "Right there."
Ben: Why?
Me: Because God put it there.
Ben: Does God live in her butt?
Me: No, God doesn't live in her butt.
Ben: Does God live in my butt?
Me (attempting a theological conversation with an almost 3 year old (in less than 24 hours :(): Well, God doesn't live in your butt. He lives in your heart after you ask him to be your savior.
Ben: Oh.
How that didn't end with more questions, I don't know. I think God knew I didn't really know what to say yet! He did relay the story to my cousin Alley - and if you've never heard Ben tell a story you are missing out.
Ben: I say 'Is God in my butt?' Mommy say, (in a really funny voice imitating me) 'No, God's not in your butt.
Alley: Where is God?
Ben (with a slight duh in his voice): In your heart!

Thursday, November 11, 2010

It's getting bigger

This is another blog that is not for the faint of heart.
My sister was over tonight and she was helping me get the kids ready for bed. Benjamin has a few pairs of underpants, also known as unders, that are getting a little small. Cara was trying to pull them up over his butt and accidentally snapped him - in the "front."
He cried a little, looked at me and said, "Mom, Aunt Ra hurt my dinger."
I said, "You're okay, babe. Your unders snapped you."
Ben: "Why?"
Mom: "You're growing. Your dinger is getting bigger."
Ben (to Jer with underwear fully covering ALL body parts): "Dad, my dinger's getting bigger. Look."
Jer: Gives Ben the "Jer look"

Wednesday, November 10, 2010

It's Bedtime

Jeremy brought Ben home a book that he thought would be good to read before bed. Our usual bed time routine involves reading a book and then reading something from the Bible.
Jeremy got a book from another teacher about a little boy named Ben who is getting ready for bed. Ben didn't want to go to bed alone, but he didn't want any of the toys his mom offered him. This book was extremely true to our daily routine.
Jeremy didn't actually read the entire book, he just saw that it was about Ben and brought it home.
We sat down to read it together tonight. Benjamin was captivated as Jeremy read about Ben in the book not wanting his dog, or his bunny, or anything. What Ben really wants to sleep with is ...
a scary looking stuffed monster complete with a pointed spikey tail and crazy teeth. Ben's reasoning for this is that it will scare all of the monsters and ghosts away and keep him safe.
Benjamin asked a number of questions about the monsters picture: "Why's his tail like that?" "Why are his teeth like that?" "What's he doing?"
We played it off as just a crazy teady bear and he fell asleep without asking any other questions. Although, I have laid all blame on Jeremy for bringing home the scary book that says Monsters will keep you safe (after we've had lots of conversations about Jesus keeping you safe) and he will be fielding any questions that come from it!


Bonus Benism:
Ben and Jeremy were looking at the stars after church tonight.
Jer: Ben do you know who made those stars?
Ben: Yeah.
Jer: Who made them?
Ben: God made the stars.
Jer: Did you know God knows all of their names?
Ben: Yeah.
Jer: You do? What are their names?
Ben: They're stars.

Tuesday, November 9, 2010

Best friends

After dinner this evening, Jeremy and I were trying to get things cleaned up. Jeremy was packing up left overs and I was trying to get somethings cleaned up so that I could get Hadley out of her high chair.
She started to fuss and wiggle to get out. I asked Ben to talk to her and keep her company.
He sat in my chair and pulled the high chair close. He talked to her and asked her questions, and tried to show her her ears - Jeremy told Ben that we need to teach Hadley where her ears and nose are (Hadley did find her ears at dinner with a handful of cottage cheese).
It was a sweet moment. He is a great brother!

Monday, November 8, 2010

Three Bears

So the last few days have been so ridiculously crazy! Ben doesn't know what to do! He keeps asking where we are going to day or what we are doing.

We went to see my sister at Malone on Saturday. On the way home my mom tried to entertain him by telling him the story of Goldilocks and the Three Bears. That resulted in some of the following questions:
Mom: There were three bowls of porridge on the table. Do you know what porridge is Ben?
Ben: Yeah.
Mom: What's porridge?
Ben: What's porridge?
Mom: You tell me.
Ben: You tell me.
Mom: Porridge is a fancy word for soup.
Ben: Why did they have porridge? Why was the porridge too hot? Why did Goldilocks eat the porridge? Why did Goldilocks go in the house? What did Papa Bear say? Why did the chair break? What did Papa Bear do with the chair? Why did Baby Bear cry? What's porridge?

Saturday, November 6, 2010

It's a mushroom

I haven't been on in 3 days! It's sad to say, but two of those days I wasn't with Ben or Hadley long enough to get a funny story!
Last night was a long night. We took the kids back to Bloomfield to watch me play in the student staff charity volleyball game -which the staff won, by the way! Afterwards (and now 12 hours later) I could hardly move. I'm so sore. I helped get the kids in bed and laid down with a rice bag.
Jeremy and I started watching M*A*S*H, when we heard little footsteps coming across the living room. Ben walked up to Jer and said, "Look what's on my finger."
Jeremy: "Is that a booger?"
Ben (obviously trying to think on his feet): "It's a... It's a .... a... It's a mushroom I think."
Jeremy: "Did it come from your nose?"
Ben: "Yes."
Jeremy: "Theeen it's a booger."

I know Jeremy has more to add to that, so make sure you read the comments. When he gets up I'll add more!

Tuesday, November 2, 2010

Avoiding sleep

I have written a number of times about bedtime. While it has been getting better, there are times that this is the most stressful time of the day. There is almost always crying from one room or the other, and occasionally screaming. There are potty breaks. There are requests for water. There are a lot of things going on!
Although it hasn't happened for a while, sometimes Ben will sneak into Hadley's room and play with her if she's awake, or wake her up sneaking around. Hadley had been crying for a while when Ben came out to use the potty. Jeremy sent him back to bed because he went twice before bed.
I heard giggling. This was the first clue that something was wrong. Bed time NEVER induces giggling! Then I heard two separate giggles! Jeremy went to check on who was giggling and their location. As he left our bedroom, Ben came out of Hadley's room with his finger in the air. He walked up to Jeremy, showed him his finger, and said "Hadley just bited my finger."
He said it with such conviction - as if she was going to get in trouble for biting.
Jeremy put Ben to bed after a strong conversation about not being in his sister's room. Then he stopped at Hadley's door, told her to sleep and quit biting her brother!

Monday, November 1, 2010

Advice for Papa

My brother-in-law Andrew got a deer this evening. He stopped by to show us the deer and pick up the dinner I owed him for watching my kids on Friday. To his credit, he didn't ask for the dinner, I offered it because he saved us!
Ben asked a TON of questions about the deer.
  • Why did Andrew shoot that deer?
  • What's Andrew gonna do with that deer?
  • Why did he shoot it?
  • Why did Andrew shoot that big deer?
Are you sensing a theme!
I told him Andrew likes to hunt. The reply: Why did Andrew hunt that big deer? I really wasn't winning. So I told him, "Andrew's gonna go home and cut that deer up and put it in the freezer. Then, he's going to eat it later." For whatever reason, that satisfied his curiosity.
A little while later, I was on the phone with my dad. Ben wanted to tell him thank you for the Halloween candy and quarters - My dad's signature is giving out rolls of change for special events. It's the greatest thing. In this case, he gave Ben a roll of dimes, but to him it's all quarters.
Ben said, "Thank you for the candy." That was followed by something that neither of us understood.
Then, the following advice came from Ben (out of the mouths of babes):
"Andrew shot a big deer. You need to shoot a big deer. He's going to cut it up and put it in the freezer. Then he's gonna eat it later."
For those of you who know my dad, he did NOT need the advice from an almost 3 year old. Although he did find the humor in it. I am sure that I hinted a touch of disappointment that Andrew got a big deer on some property that is close to one of Dad's hunting grounds... He may be headed out soon!

Sunday, October 31, 2010

Cornicopia of Chaos

Jeremy picked the name for this blog in honor of the upcoming Thanksgiving season!
I have a multitude of stories today. We could call them "Benism's."
Ben and Jer carved a pumpkin this afternoon. Ben wanted it to have 6 teeth and 3 stars. He ended up with a pumpkin that has 3 teeth and 2 stars (one for each ear). Ben had a great time, until he decided it would be more fun to eat cheese. I think when Jer finished I heard something like, "Hey, Mom, do you see the pumpkin I made?"
Jeremy and Ben went downstairs to stack wood that Jeremy had thrown down. Ben had a great time working with Daddy. At one point he looked at Jer and said, "Daddy, you're the best one I see." We aren't sure what he was comparing that to, but Jer won the contest!
While they were working, Ben was on one side of the pile and Jeremy was on the other side. He was trying to get Ben to come to his side so he could show him what to do. Jeremy bent down to pick up a log and felt a sharp pain on the side of his head from the stick Ben threw him over the pile. Benjamin felt really bad and told Jer over and over that he was sorry (probably because he was afraid of a time out). When they came upstairs, Jeremy kept saying that his head felt funny. Being the medical expert that I am (I'm sure that's proven in previous posts), I decided to shine a flashlight in his eyes to see if his pupils were funny. That's what they do on TV. I figured I might be able to diagnose a concussion. I'm pretty sure he's okay!
Benjamin wanted to aid in the medical care. He took the flashlight, put it about 2 centimeters from Jer's "gash," and with an EXTREMELY concerned look said, "awwwww, I'm really sorry Jer!" He continued to look at the cut for sometime which made both of us nervous because, by the look in Ben's eye, I'm pretty sure he wanted to put the flashlight ON the cut!
Benjamin also proved an uncanny likeness to his mother this evening. We were sitting together watching the end of a football game when he yelled, "Get a homerun!" When that didn't work, I'm pretty sure I heard the words, "Get a homewalk!" but it can't entirely be proven!

Saturday, October 30, 2010

Potty Picaso

Benjamin has often been referred to as the "Master of Distraction." When bed time comes his ability to distract kicks in to FULL gear and he pulls out all of the stops. Usually it's a strategically timed bathroom break and he knows that it takes longer to poop than it does to pee, so that is usually the desired "break" that he needs. Jeremy will occasionally call his bluff and Ben will go to sleep. I often chicken out at the risk of having a midnight mess to clean up.
Tonight was no different. We were getting ready to pray and he announced that he had to go potty. Jeremy had him sit and pray first - probably because he was sitting on my lap, not Jer's. We prayed, and Ben headed out to go potty. A few seconds later he yelled for help because he couldn't get his jams off - yes, he has to be completely naked from the waist down to do any pottying and feety pajamas make that difficult! So, I helped him get his pajamas off and went to clean some dishes while I waited for him to poop.
I went back to check on him and his entire left leg was green - from hip to toe. He'd reached into the bathtub, grabbed one of his few remaining bathtub crayons and colored himself! Not only that, he didn't even poop! He'd only peed!
The bathtub crayons are a story themselves. When we were redoing the bathroom in our bedroom, Jeremy and I had to use Ben's bathroom to take showers. We used to write nice "Good Morning, I love you " notes on the bathroom walls. Ben liked the tradition and has continued it LONG after we have moved back to our own bathroom. He has recently taken to coloring the potty while he's pooping.
Back to the green crayon. I washed off his leg, told him that there would be no more potty coloring and handed him to Jer to dress. I grabbed a rag and while I was wiping the green (and orange from a previous poop session) crayon off of the seat, something caught my eye. There were green crayon markings IN the toilet - like in the water, in the bowl - IN the toilet. So not only had he decorated his leg, he'd also been coloring in the pee water!
So, not only has the tradition of potty coloring ended, but so did the life of Ben's green crayon!

Thursday, October 28, 2010

Just like Dad

My kids have a nature uncanny to their father. They LOVE to pick on me. Benjamin is always pulling some trick - especially when he's been prompted. Hadley is joining in. She runs (as much running as she can) to me, climbs in my lap and tries to bite my face! It doesn't matter what I do to stop her, she laughs and laughs and laughs.
Tonight I was picking her up to put her to bed and she leaned into my face. I leaned back to get out of her way just as she was making a kissing noise! She leaned in and kissed my face! Noise and everything. Then she gave Jer and Ben a kiss!
She may be a little more like her dad than I thought!

Wednesday, October 27, 2010

prayers

We have been sitting and praying with Ben before bed for about a year now. We've always prayed for him, but we've been working on allowing him to pray for things. He prays for random things some times, but we try to listen to what he's thinking and what he's worried about as he prays. Lately he's prayed a lot for his friends. It is the greatest thing knowing that he's developing friendships and learning how to socialize!
Today, we sat in his room for a while and sang songs with him, so I got the idea to sing his prayers. I just started singing random lines and he'd sing somethings with me. When I was finished, I said "Aaaaaaamen" (with a great melodic tone, I might add).
He looked at me, bowed his head, and really said a prayer! It was so cute. He prayed for his friends Kai, Oulice (Alice), RaeLynn, Kai again, Oulice again. Then he prayed that he would sleep all night (Jeremy and I amen'ed that part of the prayer!).
I'm glad that he takes talking to God seriously - not that my song wasn't serious. He prays for us occasionally if we are sick and then declares us well again. It's so exciting to see him grow in his simple, child-like relationship with God!

Tuesday, October 26, 2010

Snowman

Ben has decided he wants to build a snowman. Where he heard about snowmen, I have no idea. We had snowman decorations last year, but we never actually went outside to play in the snow. One year, after his first birthday, we went out in the snow. His snow pants and coat were so puffy and his boots were so big that he couldn't walk. We spent 30 minutes getting bundled up, got him onto a sled, he cried, and we came inside! Last year, Hadley was still little, so time outside was limited.
How he heard about snowmen is a mystery.
As it rained and rained this evening, he'd say, "Mom when can we build a snowman? The snow's gonna come from way up to the sky."
I tried to explain it to him - I even reverted to science (and if you follow this blog, you'll know that reverting to science seems to backfire see Just a little dinner conversation). I tried to explain that it needed to be 32 degrees and it was 57 - that comment got a look from Jer. I showed him the weather alerts on my computer and showed him the rain and that no snow was coming. It still didn't matter.
I talked to my dad on the phone this afternoon. When Ben got the phone to talk to Papa, the first words out of his mouth were, "When it snows will you build a snowman?"
My dad responded with "It's raining, do you want to build a rainman?" Thank goodness that went over his head!
While I'm glad he's picking up on things and excited for winter, He's going to be awfully disappointed when it snows for the first time and no snowmen come because it was just a flurry!

Monday, October 25, 2010

Growing up

I can't believe how my kids are getting so big!
Hadley is walking ALL over. She moves all across the room. Tonight, she walked over to Jeremy, jumped on him and tried to bite his face!
Benjamin is learning songs now. All of a sudden he can sing complete songs.
I sat on the couch and listened to him sit in his room and sing to himself. Yes, he was supposed to be sleeping, but it was peaceful to have him sing "Jesus Loves Me." Now, he's sitting on his bed crying because I went in to cover him up and he tried to hit me when I took a blanket he wasn't supposed to have ... funny how things change!

Saturday, October 23, 2010

Mommy's protector

There are times when Jeremy and I pretend to "fight" because it's funny to see Ben's reaction to what's happening. Usually, one of us gets "in trouble" because of something and he yells at us.
Last night before bed, we were picking on each other and if one of us "cried," the other one got yelled at.
We also argue over who Ben's boy is. Usually, if I ask he's "Daddy's my boy." A lot of times, he's "Daddy's my boy" and "Mommy's my sunshine."
We aren't his boy or sunshine, he just answers us the way we ask.
Tonight, I was hiding under his covers when he came in to bed. He thought it was funny. Just before we started to pray, he jumped up and said he needed to potty and ran away. I got back under the blanket. Jeremy started picking on me. When Ben came in, I was laying on the floor, "crying" because "Daddy hurt me."
He hugged me, jumped up and punched Jeremy as hard as I have ever seen him hit anyone.
He ran back, got right in my face (slobber and all) and said, "It's okay, I punched on him."
Then, he looked at Jer and said, "Don't hurt my Mom!"
I said, "Are you my protector? Will you keep me safe?"
He looked and smiled and said, "Yup!"
I don't care what Daddy says, that's my boy right there!

Friday, October 22, 2010

special candy + 1

We struggle almost nightly to keep Benjamin in his bed all night. Usually, by 2:00 he’s crawling into our bed. Many times it’s earlier than that. As often as I can, I try to get him back to his bed- or at least get Jeremy to get him back to his bed. When he does stay in his bed all night, he gets some of Jeremy’s special candy – candy corn (which, even though I hate it, I may have to stock up on to last us a year!).

Last night, Ben stayed in his bed ALL night. It’s actually to the point that I check on him when I get up to make sure he’s okay. I don’t sleep well past 4, if he’s not with us because I start to worry something is wrong! We were on our way home from shopping this evening, and Jeremy and I were going head over heels about how proud of him we were for staying in his bed.

Jeremy said, “You know, when you get home, you can have special candy.”

I added, “And TOMORROW you can have more special candy if you sleep in your bed again!”

Ben smiled, really big, and with a sweet voice said, “No, I’m gonna sleep in your bed tonight.”

**Bonus story**

Since I didn’t post last night because I was sick, I’ll add a little to tonight’s.

We were having the boy/girl discussion again last night. This time, my mom and sister were over. He said, “I am a boy. Daddy and I are boys.”

My sister, the instigator that she is, said, “What makes you a boy, Ben?”

I have to pause here for some background. Benjamin’s favorite Bible story is David and Goliath. He can recite most if it by heart. When he says, “Goiliath,” it’s always with a deep, growly big man voice.

Back to last night.

Cara says, “What makes you a boy?”

Ben’s response, “Goliath makes me a boy.”

If this were a sitcom, the cameras would now pan to Jeremy, who says, “That’s what I’ve heard, Ben. That’s what I’ve heard.”

Fade to black.

Wednesday, October 20, 2010

When she wants to

I feel bad because I never blog about Hadley, but she's so quiet and independent. I really can't wait until she talks and starts telling stories like Ben. I know we'll never get her to be quiet then.
It amazes me how different my kids are. Ben was running before he was one; Hadley is 13 months and walks only when SHE wants to. Ben started babbling before he was one- I remember telling everyone "Thank you" at his birthday party; Hadley says "Stella" and a few other words when SHE wants too. Benjamin is at my side all of the time, playing, reading, wrestling; Hadley plays by herself most of the time. She'll join us when SHE wants to-noticing a pattern!
She wrestles with me sometimes. She likes to "knock me down." She's kind of a "picker" like that. If Jeremy's laying on the ground, she'll crawl over to him with her little butt shaking attitude crawl and climb up on him... BUT (say it with me) only when SHE wants to.
But, then there are the moments in the morning, when I have to wake her up, get her out of bed, put on her coat and load her into the car seat. Those are the moments when my heart breaks, because in those wee morning hours, she holds her blankie, nuzzles in my chest, and occasionally (when SHE wants to) wraps her arms around my neck. Those are the only time she snuggles me. Those moments are what get me through the day!

Tuesday, October 19, 2010

working on colors

All of a sudden, Ben is beginning to understand colors. He will correctly identify them, instead of everything being blue or green. While I was giving Hadley a bath tonight, he was standing on the potty and found some of her hair bows.
He said, "Look, Mommy, a blue one and a green one." He was right! I was so excited, I said, "Go show Daddy!"
He did the same thing for Jeremy.
He came back and found one of his bath crayons and asked me what color it was.
"Orange," I said. He ran out of the room.
I heard him say, "Look, Jer, Orange." For those of you who don't know Ben well, he loves to call his daddy, Jer (when he's really angry, it's JEREMY - with a hint of a growl)
Jeremy continued to sing his praises.
When he came back to the bathroom, I had another hair bow for him. I said, "Go tell Daddy this is lavender."
He ran to the kitchen, "Jer, this is lavender."
I'm not positive of Jeremy's response, but Ben came back and said, "You're a dork."
I gave him another bow and said, "Go tell Daddy this is fuchsia."
He ran to the kitchen, "Daddy, this is fucha."
I followed him this time, just to see what Jeremy's reaction was.
Jeremy said, "I don't even know if that's right." Meaning, he was unsure what the color fuchsia was.
Ben came running to me. "You're not right!" he yelled!

Monday, October 18, 2010

another bonus!

We have had a special speaker at church. If you are friends with my Momma, you know she has laryngitis and can't talk... at all! We were upstairs having "snacks" after the service and Ben took my mom for a walk. Then went "to find her voice."
Mom said that he walked her all over the church looking for it.
When we were sitting down for prayer, Ben prayed for his sister and family and friends like he does. Then he started to say "Thank you God for finding, Grandmas 'boice.'" He stopped praying, looked up at us and said, "Did somebody take her boice?"
We talked about it and tried to explain that she has a cold, but it's getting better.

Hopefully, The Little Mermaid hasn't traumatized him!

Just a little dinner conversation

Today's blog is not for the faint of heart. Just FYI ... I use some "words."
Ben has been asking a lot of questions about boys and girls in the last 4 or 5 months. He wants to know why we are "different." Today, he informed Jeremy and I that he was a girl.
He said, "Daddy, you are a boy. Mommy and Baby and I are girls."
Jeremy in his infinite wisdom decided to quench the argument with logic.
He said, "Ben, boys have dingers (that's what we call "those parts.") Girls don't. Do you have a dinger?"
Ben said, "Yes, I have a dinger right here." He pointed to the appropriate area.
Then he asked, "Mommy what do you have?"
I looked at Jeremy. I didn't know what to tell him. SO, I in my infinite wisdom, decided to appeal to science. All the "books" say to tell kids the real name for things.
My response: "Boys have a penis. Girls have a vagina." I figured quoting the sex ed teacher from American Pie is always the best way to go when having "the talk."
Ben looked at me with the serious look that I'm sure you've come to love hearing about and said, "No, Mom, Boys have a dinger. Girls have a China."

Sunday, October 17, 2010

a bonus

So Jeremy ALWAYS tucks Ben in. For whatever reason, he's cooler than I am and Ben always wants him to put his covers on. Since Jer is sick, I told Ben that I would tuck him in tonight.
Now, Ben sleeps with a lot of stuffed animals. We had to make a rule that only 2 could go to bed with him because he never had room for all the animals and his little body.
I let him take an extra animal tonight. He had his stuffed cow - about 3 feet long - against the wall. I put his alligator - about 3 feet long - above his pillow, and his monkey next to him. He was sitting in his bed and said, "There's no seat for me."
I laughed out loud and said, "yeah there is. Lay right here."
He looked at me and said, "Could you go get Daddy?"
Epic fail! Jer came to the rescue!

Daddy's sick

Jeremy isn't feeling well today. He took a nap this afternoon, and I let him sleep even after both kids woke up. Benjamin really wanted him to come play. I told him no for a while, but then let him got wake him up. Jeremy needed a little more sleep, so we let him go. Ben asked and asked and asked for his dad, so finally, I let him get him again.
Suffice it to say, Jeremy did NOT want to get up.
I intervened and brought Ben back out to the living room. Jeremy came out and Ben hugged him and hugged him.
"Are you okay, Daddy?" he would say.
Jeremy would just fold him in his arms and soak in his hugs. He brought him his blankets from his bed and curled in his lap. It was one of the sweetest moments they've ever had.

Bonus story:
Ben had the hiccups. After he'd hiccuped a number of times, he looked up and said, "Bazinga!" That's for all of my BBT fans!

Saturday, October 16, 2010

beautiful girls

So, I'm going to try and explain this without making my husband sound like a creeper.
You know that growly, purry noise that guys make at hot girls... well, it creeps me out. I seriously hate it, so my husband does it just because I throw such a big fit about it. Now Ben does it. That creeps me out even more!
We went to a wedding today (a really cool wedding at that). On the way to the wedding, Ben said, "I don't like weddings, I don't want to go." Even after we got there he kept telling me how much he hated them - I didn't even know he knew what hate meant!
After we got home, we asked him about the wedding. He said "There were girls there, beautiful girls. I said rrrrrrrrrrrr to them."
Jeremy said, "You growled at them?"
Ben said, "No, rrrrrrrrrrrrr."
At this point, I realized what he was doing, so I yelled, "Jeremy, he's making that noise!"
Aaaaaaaahhh! First of all, I didn't know that boys knew that girls were beautiful when they were so little. Second, I did not think that I would have to work on keeping my son from making the creeper growl at girls when he was this little either!!!!!

Friday, October 15, 2010

The Wasp

My father, the wonderful man that he is, inherited a Fisher-Price play house, which he then passed on to us. Jeremy set it up in the basement this afternoon so that Ben can play with it throughout the winter. Ben and Jeremy spent some time in it this evening. I went down to see what was going on -- I do have to admit, my presence was requested, I did not voluntarily venture downstairs because it was too cold and I was writing a paper (mostly because it was cold). Jeremy was sitting on the floor and I stood behind him. I think I had my hands on his shoulders or head or something. Suddenly, a wasp dive bombs us out of nowhere - as fast as it could being that it's cold in the basement and wasps don't operate well in the cold.
I saw it bombing out of the corner of my eye, screamed a little and jumped backward.
I do have to give some background here. I have a fear of wasps. When I was little, a childhood friend told me that when a wasp stings you, it actually takes chunks of your skin off of your body. I think the conversation also involved wasps biting through WWII helmets or something. Either way, it was traumatic and because of it, I don't like wasps.
ANYWAY, back to the basement.
The wasp comes, and I jump back. In my jumping, I inadvertently pushed Jeremy forward, an action I still do not remember. Jeremy jumped, I don't know why, my reaction was totally legitimate, and flicked the wasp off of his shoulder, very possibly getting stung, but the jury is still out on that.
After a dramatic wasp killing, I left because I was cold. Jeremy then proceeded to tell Benjamin that Mommy pushed him into the wasp and it bit him. He then used his cell phone to call me - remember, he was in the basement and I was 8 feet away in the kitchen - and put Ben on the phone. Ben proceeded to yell at me for pushing Daddy in front of the wasp.
Fast forward to bed time.
Jeremy brought it up again, which resulted in me getting yelled at again by my son. Benjamin looked at me seriously and said, "Next time I see a wasp, I'm gonna push you into it and it will bite you."
I started to "cry" because that usually gets sympathy and he changes his mind.
He looked at me, again seriously, and said "Not right now."
At least I'm safe for a while!

Wednesday, October 13, 2010

fire, six, seven

Jeremy and Ben were playing basketball tonight. Ben does pretty well. He can get a "real" basketball into his Fisher Price hoop from a few feet away. Jeremy also does pretty well. He was sitting on the opposite side of the room and made a few shots in a row.
Jeremy said, "Yeah! I'm on fire!"
Ben made a shot. He said, "Yeah, I'm a six!"

After a while, Ben looked at Jer and said, "Jer, I'm only on fire."

Tuesday, October 12, 2010

ox in my ox and other stories

Benjamin and I went to watch the Bloomfield Cardinals play soccer at Badger. As we walked towards the stands, small rocks got stuck in his shoes. He said, "Mom, I got rocks in my shoes. It's like ox to my ox." Ox to my ox is how Ben refers to the book Rocks in my Socks.

As we were leaving the school, we passed the playground. Ben asked if he could play with that. I told him when he went to school he could . I tried to explain that next year he could go to preschool and the year after that he could go to that school. He asked me, "When I go to school, can I drive?" I told him someone else would drive him. He told me he would drive all of his friends to school someday.

The latest bedtime issue .... He needs a space for his "remote" (which is not real) on his bed, and he needs to lay so that he can see his TV (also... not real).

Monday, October 11, 2010

Chicken Chops

It is a daily occurrence when we pick the kids up from the babysitters that Ben will ask, "What's for dinner, Mom?" I answer him and then he runs to Dor and says, "We're having _______ for dinner."
Today was no different. While I was snuggling Hadley after a long day away and Jeremy was packing up their bag, Ben asked, "Hey, Mom, what's for dinner?" Instead of getting into a discussion about having Chicken Alfredo and Angel Hair Pasta, I simply said, "We're having chicken." Following normal routine, Ben looked at Dor who was standing right next to me and said, "We're having chicken, Dor!"
By the time we were in the car, "We're having chicken" evolved into "We're having chicken chops." Jeremy said, "Not chicken chops, chicken alfredo." This actually sparked an argument as one might suppose. The boys argued all the way home over whether we were eating chicken chops or chicken alfredo. I counted my blessings that it was only a short ride!
When we got home, Jeremy spurned the argument as he often does when it comes to logical matters with Ben. They bantered back and forth for a while.
Jeremy looked at Ben and said, "I'm going to chicken chop you."
Ben looked at him in all seriousness and said, "That would be bery (yes, he said 'bery' that's not a typo) gross!"
That was the end of the argument.

Sunday, October 10, 2010

Nap Time

I was so exhausted today. Last week was crazy and then I went on Fall Retreat and came home even more tired. Church was fantastic today! We are so honored to serve at Rock of Grace. We were so overwhelmed with blessings from God and from everyone there.
I came home and laid down as soon as the kids were asleep. I woke up to get work done, checked my facebook and fantasy football teams and laid back down. I heard Ben get up and planned to get up. I had to use the bathroom and heard Ben come into our bedroom looking for me. I yelled for him.
He said, "I thought you were sleeping. I came to check on you."
I said, "I had to go potty."
"Take a nap," Ben replied.
I wasn't going to argue. As I was lying down, he said, "Do you want me to shut the door?"
As he shut the door, he told me he loved me and I relaxed. I actually wanted to read a book. I read for a few minutes and then heard him at the door. I put the book down and closed my eyes. He just peaked in and went back out. ... just checking on me.
He's so sweet!
I actually fell back asleep!

Saturday, October 9, 2010

Nature lesson

So, I went on a women's retreat overnight last night. It's the first time that I have left everyone and gone off by myself since before Hadley was born. Great trip! It was so good to come home
though!
While I was gone, Jeremy took the kids to visit with my in-laws. Trips to "Grandma Papa's" are always filled with golf cart rides. The golf cart has been a great enjoyment for a long time now (It was originally bought by all of the "kids" for Grandpa Burnett). Ben's excitement now lies in going on trips to the "new water" with Grandma and Papa. The "new water" is a pond that has "grown" where beavers have built a dam. Since he's been going on trips there, he's seen all kinds of animals and things. Recently, the beavers have chewed down a tree. I don't know if "chewed down" is the technical term, but we'll go with that.
As Jeremy was tucking him in - I'm not allowed to tuck him in anymore - they called me back in the room, so that Ben could tell me some stories. One involved a guy burning his "neck down" (really he burnt his deck down). Another involved climbing on "the rocks and soil." I have NO idea where Ben ever heard the word soil, but apparently he plays in that now instead of dirt.
Then, he started to tell me about the beavers: " The beavers go, like to the store, and get their lunch and then they bring it home and put it in the frigerator. Theeeen, they go to the tree and get the sticks and eat them."
My father-in-law was trying to explain hibernation to Ben and that the beavers were saving their food. He compared it to when we go to the grocery store and come home and put our food in the fridge for later ... Ben took that to mean the animals actually have refrigerators and keep their food in them. It was a great attempt at an analogy ... however, it was lost on Ben!

Thursday, October 7, 2010

Stinky feet

Ben has gas - really bad gas. He's not old enough to control it - not that the "big boys" control it either. Tonight my sister came home for a few hours, so everyone came to our house to hang out for a little bit.
Ben kept "tooting." He tooted on the football that we were all playing catch with, so my dad told him that the ball was stinky now.
As everyone was saying good bye, he plopped down and tooted on my dad's foot.
Dad said, "Ben, you just made my foot stink. Wipe that off."
Ben bent down and pointed to wear the stink "was" and asked if it was right there.
Jeremy said, "Go wipe that off Papa's foot and rub it on Aunt Ra."
Ben bent down again, wiped off my dad's foot, ran over to my sister and rubbed it on her foot.
I love that he thinks that worked!

Wednesday, October 6, 2010

Comforting heart

I've started to look for things to blog about now. When Ben or Hadley do things, I wonder how to write it down and make a story out of it. I also wonder how to make it entertaining! The pressure is on now, since people tell me they look everyday - even my dad! While it might not always be the side splitting humor that you are used to hearing from the Burnett house, I'm starting to learn the importance of writing what I learn as well as what I don't want to forget.
Tonight, Ben called me back into his room to tuck him in. This is an every day occurrence that happens multiple times. Usually one of us is ready to pull out hair - either ours, Ben's, or each other's. Many times he has to change positions, go potty, fix his sock. You name it, we have to make sure it's correct so that sleep can occur.
I walked in tonight and he was sitting up against his wall. His baby wasn't wrapped up right. So, I fixed baby. I told him to lay down and he said, "My dad said I could sit like this."
So, knowing Jeremy probably gave up the fight to sleep in the horizontal position, I said, "Whatever, Ben, just go to sleep." I covered him up and gave him his bear. (Yes, tonight there's a baby, a bear, and a 3 foot tall Elmo - who probably loves him!) He covered his bear up and said, "My bear is sad." So I kissed both the bear and Ben, said "I love you" and walked out. As I was turning the corner, I heard him say to his bear "What's the matter?"
I know it's a bear, and I know it's probably a ploy to get out of sleeping; but there is something comforting knowing that he'll sleep sitting up for his stuffed bear's pretend problems. He's gonna be a good kid!

Tuesday, October 5, 2010

Who I love

One of Ben's favorite stories now is Elmo Loves You. It goes through all kinds of things that people love. We read through it almost everyday. I try to change the words and make sure he knows that Mommy and Daddy love him too.
He told us today that he loves his mom and his dad. Then he said, "And I love God and I love Jesus." We were so excited. We were telling him how good that was and that Mommy and Daddy love God and Jesus too.
He got serious and said, "And Elmo loves me."

Monday, October 4, 2010

a growing girl

I spend a lot of time talking about Ben; probably because he has conversations with us and is hilarious! But Hadley is growing too! SO fast.
Jeremy took her for her 1 year check up today - yes, it is two weeks late.
She's 24 pounds 2 ounces and 31 1/4 inches. Her height is off the charts. When she was born, she was covered in hair... her little forehead was so hairy. I told Jeremy, if she's going to look like my dad, I really hope it's not because she's covered in hair! Hopefully, since all that fell out, she's just getting my dad's height!
She walked from the refrigerator to the living room today. The problem is she only walks when she wants to and it's usually not when we are looking or want to. I thinks she gets that attitude from my dad too! Don't tell him I told you that!
She likes to play catch with Ben. He whips the football at her face. We catch it. She giggles and laughs and then pushes it back to him.
I'm sure it won't be long before I have to post one story for each of them every night because of the funny things she's saying!

Sunday, October 3, 2010

Learning in the nursery

So, Ben is learning about Noah in the nursery. He's read the story over and over at home, so I was pretty confident he knew what happened.
Today I asked what he learned in the nursery. We talked basic ark knowledge. Then he told me about the dove. Apparently, while Noah was trying to get fish on the ark, a dove told him, "NOAH, fish don't go on the ark."
I asked him to retell the story to Jeremy when he got home. He told Jer, (mind you this is an abbreviated version because I don't remember his exact words) "The dolphin bit Noah, so the fish bit the dolphin. Theeen God came and got the fish not to bite."
Jeremy repeated the story back to and Ben said, "Yeah, God told them not to bite."
Obviously he's learning more in the nursery than any of us know!!!

Saturday, October 2, 2010

New Hats

Jeremy needs a new hat for winter. For the last who knows how many years, he's wanted one of those lumberjack hats that has the floppy ears and fur or fluff or whatever sticking out around the edge. I've finally caved and let him get one. The s-t-u-p-i-d (we aren't allowed to say that word in our house, so we spell it) thing was $10. Jeremy, of course, thought it was a bargain! Even though it says Guinness on the side (we still aren't sure if that's the beer or just the hat), he fell in love with it. AND so did his son! While I wondered through the women's clothes looking for a last minute deal, Jeremy and Ben dashed back to the little boys hats to see if they could find Ben a matching hat that fit his head. And they did! Ben wore his new hat all the way to the check out line where he announced that, really, he liked Daddy's hat and "Jer could get a new one."
We'll see who's wearing what hat when winter comes. Jeremy has said that we may be buying ben an s-t-u-p-i-d $10 hat just so they can have the exact same hat!
It is cute to see them dress like "twins." It could get interesting when the need matching boots and snow pants too! Ben won't fit in Jer's pants!

Mystery Solved

Some of you have heard the "imaginary" friend story.
Benjamin has been telling my mom, my sister, and Jeremy and I about his friend Susan Biddle. She goes to school with him, so he says. We have asked EVERYONE who comes in contact with him if they know a Susan or a Biddle or any combination there of. No one has any idea who she is. I didn't know Ben even knew anyone named Susan.
This morning we were watching Reading Rainbow. Just as the "narrator" was getting ready to read Martha Speaks, she announced the authors name ...dun da da daaaaaa ... Susan Meddaugh, which sounds an awful lot like Susan Biddle - Even Jer thought that's what they said.
Everyone can sleep soundly now that we know the answer!

Thursday, September 30, 2010

Future Plans

I took Ben with me to watch the Lady Cardinals play the Lady Braves in a volleyball game tonight. He wasn't too impressed with the buzzer, but as the night wore on he started to become a volleyball fan. On the way home he asked me why "those were my kids." I explained to him that I was a teacher and when I go to school in the morning I help those kids learn. He asked what they learned and I told him that I teach them how to read, read stories, and help them to write.
He pondered that for a while. He then began to excitedly tell me that someday I was going to stay home and he was going to "drive the blue car to your school and teach your kids."
"What are you going to teach them? I asked.
He replied, "to read."
When he relayed the plan to his father, he changed his mind enough that I would be allowed to go with him, but he was going to do the teaching.
I love to watch his wheels turning as he calculates, plans, and analyzes. I can't wait to see what he really does with his future. We all know it will be big things!

Wednesday, September 29, 2010

Bed Time

Bed time is always an... exciting time at the Burnett house. You never know what is going to be said or done or promised in an attempt to get both kids to sleep at a decent hour. It usually ends with multiple trips made to Ben's room for covers, prayers, watching out for elephants... you name it. Occasionally prayers bring fun conversations. Since Ben has been struggling with a fear of elephants - thank you Baby Noah - we have to make sure all windows are shut and other such things. One night he wanted to pray for Grammy (my mom). He said, "Is Grammy sick?" I said, "nope, but you can pray for her anyway." He looked at me with extreme concern and asked "Does she have elephants at her window?"
There are times when one or both of us fight against "Mel Gibson rage" (a term coined by my friend Sam). Tonight Jeremy went running to a yelling Ben. Ben said, "She's tackling me, she's tackling me." The she in this quote refers to his baby that sleeps with him.
At the risk of digressing, Ben has a baby doll because at the time we found out that we were pregnant with Hadley, he was in the habit of body slamming all stuffed animals and baby dolls. We thought that if he had a "baby" of his own he would learn to be gentle.
Anyway, his baby was "tackling him."
Jeremy's response: "She's fake. Tell her no."

Tuesday, September 28, 2010

Train a child

Ben is showing big, big leadership skills! He likes to tell EVERYONE what to do including his sister. Today he got two time outs at the babysitters for not being nice. He told Jeremy that he was mean because "I'm the boss."
Hadley on the other hand, just wants to do EVERYTHING by herself and does not want help from her brother - or anyone else! It's very interesting to see them grow so differently.

Ben quote for the day:
Last night while attempting to get Ben to sleep, he kept telling Jeremy that his legs were stuck. Finally, extremely frustrated, Jeremy said, "Ben, I'm going to remove your legs."
Ben's reply, "No, Jer, people need their legs to walk!"
He has an answer for everything!

Monday, September 27, 2010

In the beginning

This is my attempt to record the funny things that happen in my house. For whatever reason, it is easier for me to log them on the internet than write them in a journal. Ironic, isn't it?
Now the funny things Ben says, or the crazy events that happen only in this house will be available for the world to see.