Avalon 2008

Sorry for the lack of blogging lately, but we just returned from our annual trip to the Jersey shore. Why there you ask? Because my cousin has a beautiful home right on the beach, and the town of Avalon is so charming! We have used her home as an anchor and an excuse to gather my mother's side of the family annually for the past 6 or 7 years. Since our families continue to grow, our family rents one home and my cousin, Lisa, and her family and my aunt and uncle stay with Debbie and John. This year we had a five bedroom home practically across the street, so it was very convenient!

Since the beach thing was new to Bennett (she obviously didn't recall last year's trip when she was only 8 weeks old), we weren't sure how she would do with the sand. Surprisingly she didn't try to eat it too often, and loved playing in it with her cousins. Each day we would coat her with 30 SPF and just let her go. She was very timid around the freezing cold water (which was fine with us), but she loved people watching. The seagulls also provided endless amusement for her, as they swooped down to devour any food that the kids didn't finish.

Brian and Shannon purchased a baby pool for our deck too, just to offer them a break from the beach. Sometimes in the morning they would splash around in that before we made our way to the beach. We had the best weather (not a single day of rain), and lower humidity the whole week. So we all got terrific tans and came home well rested. It was the first time Bennett and Christian have spent so much time with one another, so it was fun to watch them interact. Now that Bennett is walking, they are closer to being on equal playing fields. Needless to say, this did cause some problems as neither one is accustomed to sharing and both thought every toy was just theirs. However, I think the fact that Christian is talking, helped make Bennett more vocal.

They also had a great time playing with Lisa's children (Jenna, Kurt and Grace). Jenna was a great little babysitter and loved entertaining them. Bennett just loved the interaction and attention. It was great to have so many extra hands. Debbie (my cousin) has three boys, although they are really men (15, 18 and 20 years old!), so she loves the little ones. It is amazing to watch her in action too. They all gather around her like she is Mary Poppins. Bennett really took to her and it was sweet to see her reach for her when we left to give her one of her signature open mouth kisses and hugs.

Overall a good time was had by all since we all love to eat and drink. Debbie had the whole week's menu organized by which family brought the signature drink of the night, the appetizer, the main dish and the dessert. That way one person wasn't responsible for the whole thing any one night. It worked out perfectly since we have such a large group of people (20), and eating out really is not conducive. We ate like champions every night, but tried to burn some calories by taking our morning walks on the beach. Steve and I rented a jogger with huge wheels that we could use on the sand, and it worked great!

Bennett with her daddy

The Bantas & Mizeranys

Nene & Poppy with grandchildren

Hovans, Blairs and Forreys

Surprisingly, the kids did pretty well on the airplane. Though the wait in the airports didn't go as smoothly. The traffic can be bad leaving the beach on Saturday mornings since renters are forced to leave by 10 am (they rent from Saturday to Saturday). Of course the traffic wasn't bad, so we had the challenge of trying to entertain the little ones in Philly for 2 hours. Brian got us into Delta's crown room, but that didn't go over very well. After being strapped in carseats for an hour and half, they were both ready to run around and exert some energy. However the other guests of the crown room didn't appreciate the chaos that we brought, so after many dirty looks and "shh's" from the staff in there....we left. Though the accommodations weren't as nice with the rest of the commoners, it served us better. After all of the running around, both kids slept during the flights (thank goodness!!).

Now we are home and just trying to get settled back into our routine and prepared to return to work. UGH! If only we could take a week off every month! Thank you Mom and Dad for a great vacation!

Defiance?

Steve and I often joke about who Bennett gets her stubbornness from, or her temper. Of course I always say that it came from the Mizerany/Phillips side, and then he quickly tells me to look in the mirror...

Hmmm, I guess it depends whose point of view it is. Anyway, as I understand it, as toddlers become increasingly independent, they begin to test the limits more and more. What I just read recently in one of my magazines though is that those children who test their defiance a ton are shown to have a higher IQ. So perhaps that means Bennett is going to be a genius!


She certainly loves to test, and then retest our rules (hoping we might change them this one time). However, we try to stay strong and have a united front against her. She has become very good at throwing tantrums lately, which are certainly hard for us to listen to and watch. I didn't realize how early they would start, I always thought it would be part of her "terrible twos." However, we have found that if we walk off and ignore her, she tends to calm down quicker than if we stand there and watch or try to talk her out of it.

Any advice from you mommys with older kids is always welcome....

Finally on the move...

As you will see, Bennett is finally walking. This week she has decided that walking is better than crawling. And though she hasn't mastered it yet, she is on her way! It has been a process since she doesn't like to fall down, but I think she is enjoying seeing life from a different angle.

The Power of Prayer

This weekend I heard some terrible news regarding one of my oldest friend's mother from Peoria. I heard she had developed cancer. It snuck up on her, like it does so many, and now she is fighting the battle. When I hear heartbreaking news like this, it makes me feel so blessed to have my health and I realize what a true gift it is. So, for those like her and others in her same predicament...let's say a prayer. Today I ask you ALL to add her to your prayer list, and to your church's prayer lists. Her name is Susan Taylor, and because she is a fighter I know she will put up a good one. However, everyone can benefit from the power of prayer, so I ask you for yours.

For more updates on her health and her courageous fight, visit her newly created blog at:

www.set-taylor.blogspot.com

Thank you!

Sizzling Summer

With the 90+ degree heat that we have been having, the Mizeranys have been couped up inside, or at the pool! Speaking especially for this pregnant momma...it is ridiculously hot! Though the idea of summer always sounds nice, I really don't like this season because of the humidity and heat (remind me of this if I complain in January). However, we are trying to stay busy.

We continue to practice walking with Bennett. She doesn't trust herself to take off yet, though I know she could do it. We walk her all over the house while she holds onto one finger, which offers her little to no support. Since we are heading to Avalon beach in a couple of weeks, we really want her to be more mobile. With over 20 people in my cousin's house (where we spend the majority of our time and all of our meals), it is just not safe to have her crawling around. Though I assume she'll still be wobbly if walking, at least she'll be upright and we won't have fingers to worry about stepping on all week.

Bennett is continuing to grow into quite the ham. She now has almost four teeth, with a fifth one starting to break through up top, and she loves to show off her pearly whites. She is also "talking" quite a bit. Though most words are still unintelligible, she can say dada, mama (though never to me), hi, yeah, dog and "what tat." She continues her exploring in the house, and testing our limits. She is usually very kind and loving to Spence, but not always to us. This sweet little baby spits! We used to think it was cute when she would "blow bubbles." However this has grown very old with the force that she now has behind it, causing us all to become wet with her efforts. Though all of that is quickly forgotten when she gives us hugs and her infamous open mouth kisses!

Moving along to baby #2, I am officially 25 weeks now. Instead of counting towards the 40 week milestone, I have decided to count down how many weeks I have left (it feels like less to me for some reason). So, because I am hoping that I will be induced a week early, I have 14 weeks to go! I went in for my monthly exam yesterday and thankfully passed the glucose test, yet they found me to be anemic. Thank goodness I have something to blame my exhaustion on! Now with the iron supplements I will be taking, hopefully my energy level will improve. This son of ours is quite active, he really kicks the majority of my day, so I know he has been sucking it out of me. Otherwise, everything continues to go smoothly with this pregnancy and all of us!

Sex in the City

Last night was a nice night for me. After coming home from work for a short bit to hang with Bennett, I left for a girls' night. I met a group of girlfriends from church and my friend Karen for dinner and a movie. We just met at Panera for a casual and quick meal before seeing the movie "Sex in the City." After hearing all of the rumors about the story line, I didn't know what to expect. However, I was anxious to watch it and see how the lives of those crazy four girls from New York turned out. I must admit that I was very happy with the movie, and the ending. I won't spoil it for those of you reading this that intend to see the movie, but it really was a good movie. It has been a while since I have seen a movie, but I must admit that I was shocked to spend $9.68 for a sandwich and drink at Panera and $9.00 for the movie. Though it was a nice break from being a mommy for a night, I was still surprised with the cost of my four hours out.