Yippee!!

This week each of the Mizerany children have accomplished big hurdles, yeah!!

About a week and a half ago, we stopped putting any diaper/pull-up on Bennett at night. The accomplishment is that she hasn't had any accidents and has woken up dry every morning! She
had been doing great for awhile, rarely tinkling at night, so I thought why not give it a go! She is turning three this weekend, so what a great milestone to reach. She is doing fabulous, but I am sure an accident will happen sometime in our future, so I better purchase some rubber sheets soon.

Our other big hurdle is probably more for me than Preston, but I am just happy that we have BOTH made it through this week. He has kicked the bottle! YEAH!!! I know some of you are counting in your heads how old he is, and thinking "shouldn't he have gotten rid of it months ago?" Well yes, but I messed up and let him rely on that for comfort. A friend told me that I just needed to cut it out cold turkey, and I knew it would be tough, so I decided to do it this week while Steve was out of town. The first day was hard enough, just eliminating his morning bottle (he took three a day), so I caved at naptime and bedtime. However, I stayed strong Tuesday and didn't give in even when his whining and crying was relentless. Wednesday was easier, and today he didn't even ask for one.

So happy we have less things to pack for our summer trips!

Congratulations Maria!

Next weekend our niece, Maria, is graduating from high school and moving onto the next stage of her life....college at the University of Alabama. Today was the scholarship ceremony at John Carroll High School, where they announce all of the scholarships that the seniors have been awarded. Of course, many of them were known to the students and their families if they were given by the universities themselves. However, several were applied to by seniors all of the city or nation, and were announced today. It was great to be there to see her receive a handful of awards. One was a special designation, The Pat Sullivan Scholarship, given only to one athlete with a high GPA....and she received it!

None of these really surprised me as she is in the top ten of her class, and has excelled in athletics all four years of high school - doing especially well in track and field the past two years. Of course her hard work during high school has really paid off, and the family couldn't be more excited to see her at every Alabama football game this Fall. Roll Tide!

Congratulations Maria, and best wishes for another exciting and memorable four years! We love you with all of our hearts!

Sofa Fort

The past couple of days the kids have had so much energy to burn before bedtime, that I have had to get creative so they don't destroy my house. I built them a sofa fort the other night and it was a hit. The first time they just played inside and jumped on the sofa cushions, but tonight they stepped it up a notch.


I was in the kitchen washing dishes, and when I came around the corner, this is what I saw....both of them on top of the cushion roof. I kept waiting for it to collapse, but it didn't. Then they started diving off the top (as seen below)....



















So am I bad parent to let me them do this? They were sweating from playing so hard, and Pres passed out within minutes, so I guess it worked. Does that make it okay?

"You're My Best Friend"

Lately Bennett has started telling people that they are her friends. The first time she told me that I was her "best friend" I felt so special, until I heard her say that about one of her classmates, then her father, then a neighbor friend....all in the same day. However, it was pretty cute when she kept telling her cousin, Henley, that she was her best friend over and over this weekend.

My niece (and god-daughter) was dropped off at 8am on Thursday for two days while Brian and Shannon went to a wedding. Since I can count on one hand how many times she has let me hold her without crying, I was hoping it would go smoothly. Thankfully it did, and we all had so much fun! I saw a completely different side of her (talkative, laughing, and slightly independent). She immediately took to me and Bennett, and had more of a competitive relationship with Preston (Steve was out of town for part of her stay, so she wasn't quite sure about him).

Bennett was so helpful, and really enjoyed doting on her as if she was her mommy. She kept taking her hand when she wanted Henley to come with her, and would talk to her in a "baby voice" (much like I do to her and Pres). When I dropped my kids off at school on Friday, Bennett told Henley "good-bye," and then gave her a kiss as soon as she got back in the car that afternoon. The girls shared a room and it worked out well. They both sleep so heavy that neither of them were awakened by the other.

This morning, Henley woke up almost 2 hours before Bennett and was forced to play with just Preston. She wasn't happy, and really didn't talk or do much. But as soon as Bennett jumped off the last stair, Henley had a smile on her face. Bennett walked right up to her and said "Hi Henley" and gave her a hug, and Henley reciprocated. It was so stinking cute! We decided to venture out for breakfast this morning and went to support the local boy scouts for their annual garage sale and pancake breakfast at our church.

When we got home, all three kids got their suits on and we headed out for a dip in the baby pool. It was our first time bringing it out this year, and it was definitely a hit with my kids. Henley was a little more timid, and barely got her toes wet.

When the pool got boring, the kids would take turns playing on the swingset. We even got the sprinkler out for them to run through, though they didn't quite get the hang of it. I had to run through with them. After a couple more times, I expect they will be running through and sliding around in the grass. I think we have a fun summer ahead of us!

NeNe and Poppy Come to Birmingham!

My parents have been in Birmingham for the past 10 days. Their visit was initially planned because they were babysitting Christian and Henley for 5 days, and it conveniently worked out that Bennett's dance recital was a couple of days later, so they stuck around to watch her perform. Though we got together with all of the children a couple of times, we didn't get to spend as much time with them as we usually do when they visit. However, the last few days were spent with them staying here entertaining our kids.

They played outside, visited the library, played hide-n-seek, had tea parties, did puzzles, played chase with Poppy, and just shared fun times. Though there were some tears (as there always are, every day, with toddlers), there were also a lot of laughs. Bennett and Preston really love their grandparents (all of them), and love the attention. Unfortunately I didn't take nearly enough photos, but here are a few of my favorites.

Above is a photo of my mother at the bird exhibit at the zoo, she kept gathering up the little birds on her hands, arms, shoulders so the kids could get a quick pet before they flew off. Then the other photo is my father hiding during a game of hide-n-seek. Pres found him the first time, but then everyone wanted to take a turn hiding in the same place.

Until next time....

Bennett's 1st Dance Recital

This morning was spent with family cheering Bennett on at her first dance "recital." I say that word loosely since it was really just like one of her weekly dance classes, but they were all dressed up in new tutus. Each little girl was measured back in January, and then they received their new tutu last month. Since Bennett wears one of her tutus about 5 days out of the week, it has been difficult keeping her from wearing that one (especially since she can dress herself).

When today finally arrived, and I told her she could wear that tutu, she was so excited. I told her that she was going to have a large crowd there to watch her, and she was happy. Thankfully one of my friends volunteered to keep Preston for me, so I could photograph her, while Steve held the camcorder. I thank all of our family that came to watch her (my parents, Steve's parents, my sister-in-law, Shannon and my brother-in-law, Dan). Bennett loved looking out at the audience and seeing so many adoring faces.

As much as she loves dancing, there are days when she is just not in the mood and does not participate. She has not been herself the past week, so I must admit that I was a little worried. However, she did great! She smiled, followed instructions and really just had fun.

She felt special when we gave her flowers after the performance, but I think what made her most happy was being told there was a party down the hall. She made a mad dash down the hall so she could be first in line for goldfish crackers and cookies!!

It was a fun way to spend an hour, and I look forward to many more recitals in her future. We are taking the summer off, but we have already signed up for the Fall. Seeing all of those sweet little girls tip toe around that room just made me love my little angel even more.

We love you Bee, and are so proud of you!