Stinky Camels

This morning I took both children to the zoo. Thankfully I met Brian and Shannon (along with Christian and Henley) there, because I needed the extra hands much of the time we were there! We went as soon as they opened at 9am, but it was blazing hot already and just continued to warm up. Of course everyone who knows me knows how bad I sweat, and poor Bennett got my sweat genes! Her upper lip was sweating, her hair was wet and she was flushed much of the time. Pres is a little hot box too, but he doesn't seem to mind it as much.

Anyway, we had a good time starting off at the petting zoo, and then watching the sea lion show! Christian and Bennett were as sweet as ever together, holding hands at times and just staring at the animals in amazement. We even had strangers ask if they were twins (they do look as if they could be siblings). When we walked by the camels, and they saw other children riding them, they wanted to do it too (well, maybe we encouraged them some). However, when it got time for them to actually get on the camels, Christian decided that he only wanted to watch, so Brian had to ride with them to coax him. Of course, they both loved the experience when it was over, and asked for "more" when they got off.

Following the zoo, we all went to lunch before heading home for naps. Since Preston woke me up at 5:30 this morning, I took a nap too (and it was glorious). Steve meanwhile worked like a dog today in the heat. He is building a fancy gate and arbor to our backyard, and then he mowed the lawn! That is typically a job that I enjoy doing, but I was thankful he did it this weekend since the heat was almost unbearable for me. Scary that I am complaining about the heat already and it is only April....ahhh, it is going to be a long summer!

Silly Kids

Yesterday Bennett got down on the floor after dinner and started playing with Preston. It was so cute because she was doing it all on her own. They were both giggling so much I made Steve get the video recorder to capture it.

3 Blissful Years

Gosh it is hard to believe that Steve and I were married (only) three years ago. We have had such a fulfilling three years and done so much...gave birth to a beautiful little girl, buried a beloved dog, bought a new home, gave birth to happy and handsome little boy and I made a wonderful career move to stay at home with our children! It truly has been a whirlwind, and all in a very good way!

I love you Steve, and I feel

so blessed that you entered my life 5 years ago. Your patience and continual love for me (even when I am not a very nice person) is a testament of the person you are. You are respected by everyone you know, but it is your kindness, humor and intelligence that I love.

I will never forget the day I remember meeting you. At first I just thought you were the funny guy, but over the next several weeks after playing golf with you, sharing drinks with you at the bars, and then dancing with you...you have the best moves...I knew I was falling for you. You are the whole package Miz (yes people, I call my husband my his nickname)!

It has been a wonderful three years and we have two gorgeous children as products of our love for each other. What a great beginning to the road that will lead us over the next 50 years of our lives! Thank you for being so "subtle" with your moves and choosing me to spend the rest of your life with. Happy Anniversary Honey!

Another Photo Shoot

Last week we took the children for another photo shoot with our wonderful photographer, Heather Swanner here in Birmingham. Though I didn't see my children smiling that much, she was able to capture those few seconds when they did over and over again. Preston was 7 mos and Bennett 23 mos in these photos.

Enjoy...www.heatherswannerphotography.com/mizerany

Dreary Sundays

Yesterday the kids spent the entire day inside...which can make for a VERY long day for them, and whoever is spending the day with them. Since I was at a baby shower for a girl friend that afternoon, it was Steve. This look on Bennett's face pretty much sums up how she felt...BORED! However, I think Steve enjoyed spending a little one on one time with both children, since he has been traveling again and working later hours.

Once I got home, we colored, made dinner and then had fun in the tub! Bennett loves to bathe with her brother, so that is always a special treat for her.

Preston is still "swimming" on the floor, as can be seen here. This picture cracks me up because he recently has "found" his tongue, so he likes to stick it out now, roll it in his mouth, spit, etc. If you are a reader of Lindsey's blog then you'll see loads of photos of her little girl, Lydia, sticking out her tongue like this. Too funny...

7 Months and Growing Bigger Daily!

Preston turned 7 months old yesterday! I imagine he weighs about 19 lbs. He is just getting so big, so quickly! He is very good at sitting up now, as long as we put in the position. Though I know he likes the new perspective on life, he still prefers to roll around to his desired destination. He has found his feet, and is scooting backward on his back more and more. He is eating any stage 2 baby foods, but still loves his bottle.

He brings us loads of laughs daily, and is the best snuggler. He is a mama's boy, but his daddy has the touch (and strength) to carry him around until he falls asleep almost every night. We'll keep you posted when he becomes more mobile....which we expect will occur within the next month.

Happy Easter - 2009!

We have been fortunate to be around our family for the past week, celebrating Easter daily since Wednesday! It all started with Bennett's Easter party at school and then her very first Easter egg hunt. It was great because she was able to have her Nene and Poppy watch her "hunt" for the eggs that were so strategically placed. She quickly grasped the concept and started racing around her playground picking up eggs. It wasn't until we were finished when she saw some of the other kids opening up their eggs that she figured out there were goodies inside!


Thursday she enjoyed a fun day with her Nene and Poppy at the zoo! She really likes animals, so she was excited to see them all. Unfortunately they had bad luck, with several exhibits closed, and many of the animals sleeping. I honestly think Nene and Poppy were more upset than she was. She just enjoyed the outing and the special treats that they gave her at the zoo (a shared ice cream cone with Poppy and an entire box of animal crackers for herself)! It was so cute because when she came home I asked her what she saw, and she said in her sweet little voice "awligadoors" and then squealed. She is talking more and more, and is a happier child now that she can express herself more easily.

Friday we painted her first batch of Easter eggs with Nene and Poppy. Since she is known to be clumsy (and I am anal about dirty clothes), we stripped her down to her diaper for the experience. I am thankful we did too, because Daddy and Nene got stains on their hands and shirts from the dye. Bennett loved dipping the eggs, but of course wanted complete control over them all, so there was no creative dyework like Steve was hoping. But that is okay, it is about the kids, right? She also got to open her Easter basket from Nene and Poppy (since they were



leaving to go to Brian and Shannon's for the rest of the weekend). She was ecstatic to see more candy and then her first washable markers. She loves to color, so she immediately wanted to break in her new coloring books. Thankfully she is somewhat obsessive-compulsive, so when we told her to put the caps on the markers after she used them, she agreed. She opens one up, colors with it, and quickly puts the cap on it before using the next marker (I love it!).

Saturday, we did another Easter egg hunt in Mountain Brook. It was a chilly morning, but we thought it would be a fun way to spend 30 minutes. Thankfully they let the 3 and under crowd get a headstart because they allowed children up to age 10 to find the eggs (more like grab them up and knock every unstable toddler to the ground in the process). I thought she would really enjoy it again since she had done it once before, but the Easter bunny was there and she was very cautious around him, constantly keeping an eye on his whereabouts (as seen in this photo). She is just petrified of him, and didn't want him near her. She doesn't cry when she sees him, she just likes to admire him from afar. After her afternoon nap, her cousins Maria, Sara and John Michael, came over to help her hunt for more Easter eggs in our backyard. She had a good time running around, and had an even

better time eating the candy in the eggs. I swear she has never had so many sweets in her lifetime! It is so bad too, because we have really created a little monster...she LOVES candy now!

This morning we did our mad rush to make church on time. It is always chaotic in the morning, but once we are there, it is nice. Of course, this being Easter Sunday, it was just packed! As is the tradition at our church, we had a family photo taken in front of the flower packed cross. It is a gorgeous day, so we went to lunch as a family and then brought the kids home for their afternoon naps. Tonight we are going to dinner at a neighbor's home (a family that we met at our nearby park). They have two young daughters, so it should be a good time!

Followers

I used to be told by my parents in high school that I should never want to be a follower, but rather a leader. In fact, I can recall my parents saying "If so and so were to jump off of a bridge, would you follow?" Well, I am encouraging you all to follow me and become followers....followers of my blog. I have been told by several friends and family members how much they enjoy reading my blog, but because they don't have a google email, they don't comment on our posts. It is okay, I don't need to hear from all of you (unless you want to comment of course), but I would love to actually know WHO is reading this blog. So I am asking you to become a follower of the site!

It is easy! All you need to do is scroll down our home page, and on the left side of the page click "become a follower." You will then need to either enter your email address of one of the three carriers listed, or create a new generic email (that you never have to use again if you don't want). This will allow you to then become a follower of my blog, and any others that you are reading. In addition, you can then comment on blog posts.

I certainly like to know that the time and effort I spend updating this blog is read by others, so please sign up!

My Boys

This morning Preston was playing with his Valentine's Day gift...his mini basketball hoop. Bennett has been enjoying it for the past two months, but now that Pres is sitting up, he too can enjoy it. He loved hearing the crowd cheer and smiled himself when he heard it. It was something we bought to encourage his balance when sitting because he has to handle the ball and grab onto the various things on the hoop. You then can raise the basket as he stands and grows. He is doing so well. He started to sit up a couple of weeks ago, but would quickly lose his balance and topple over. However, within the past week he has gotten better at looking around and playing with various toys while still sitting. He now can sit for several minutes and loves the new angle on life.

He is still not crawling, but he loves to "swim" while on his belly so we are hopeful that will be soon. Since he can get just about anywhere by rolling, he isn't as motivated as I thought he would be. Recently he also started this reverse crab crawl thing...while on his back, he pushes off his heels and scoots backwards. He has started doing this on the changing table, making it much more difficult to change his diapers.

He is so stinking sweet, and his smile can light up a room. He loves his big sister, and his "dog dog" as Bennett calls him.

The Mad Cycle

For those who wonder why I haven't been posting much lately...it is because we have been fighting this mad cycle of sickness! It all started two weeks ago when Bennett woke up from a nap with a fever, which continued for several more days and evolved into a runny nose and cough. Well she finally started to round the corner, but then Preston began showing the same signs. However, being such a little guy, his turned into a double ear infection. After 7 days of antibiotics, he is feeling much better. Unfortunately, I caught something this weekend, and have been fighting a major head cold for the past 5 days....with a headache, running nose, itchy eyes and sore throat! You would think that we deserve a break, but poor Bennett has it AGAIN! Daddy captured the moment perfectly today while at the doctor's office with her:

Our little girl had to have her finger pricked to get her white blood count to determine whether or not she had pneumonia. Fortunately she does not...only another bad cold. Though she isn't quite herself, and she is a little pathetic at times, a sucker always puts a smile on her face!