Jammed Pack!

Though our day started off earlier than normal, thanks to our beloved son, we managed to tackle a lot. I went for a long walk with the kids and a friend of mine, and then came home to do some yardwork.

After a shower and short nap, we rooted Alabama on against Arkansas (thank goodness they won) with some friends, and then attended the Mizerany family reunion. This is no typical reunion, and is certainly different than a reunion on my side of the family (with 20 people).

Even in the middle of football season, there were over 75 people there! They ranged in age from 5 days to 85 yrs. Each family sat with each other, but everyone mixes and mingles. There were a ton of kids, so they were all running wild and chasing each other.

I'm still learning names, but am slowly getting better recognizing folks and knowing who is married to who. I was telling Steve it will take me another 10 years to get it all down, but hopefully my kids won't have that problem if they are around them a couple times a year.

Bennett with a few of her cousins

Preston's Birthday Party!

Though Sunday morning started off more chaotic than we could imagine, we still had a great birthday party for our baby boy! We invited family over, and had a casual dinner and a few cocktails. While we talked, the kids all ran around and entertained each other.








When we sang "Happy Birthday" to Pres, he got a little shy and embarrassed, but he liked "blowing" out the candles with some help from Bennett. After cake, Preston (with more help from his big sister) opened his gifts and then we watched the past year of his life condensed into a 13 minute video. I believe all of Preston's relatives know him well because all of his gifts revolved around trucks, trains and money (his three favorite things at the moment)! Thank you everyone for sacrificing some of your Sunday night to spend time with our special 2 year old. It meant a lot to him, and even more to us!

Thank you everyone for loving Preston so much, and doing all that you do for all of us. We love you!

No More Monkeys Jumping on the Bed

Today we are celebrating Preston's 2nd birthday with family. So Julie and I started our day dividing up duties detailed out on one of her famous "to-do" lists. I set out to cut the grass around 8:30 this morning. After completing "Steve Task #1" Jules informed me that Preston fell off the bed while playing with Bennett. He has taken many spills over the past year and a half, but this one was different. He kept holding his left arm and cried if we touched it. Soon it became apparent that our day was not going to go as planned. We called the doctor's office and they just sent us on to the Children's Hospital ER. Since Daddy handles tears and hurt kids better than Mommy, and since Daddy is slightly more patient than Mommy, I soon set off to the ER. Pres was so tired from the whole ordeal that he fell asleep on the way to the ER. I carried him into the waiting room and registered without even a stir. Fortunately, Pres and I beat the Sunday ER rush and were inside a room, talking to a nurse within an hour (Pres still asleep).

Within another half hour, we were back in X-ray and not only was Pres awake, he was pitching a complete fit. I don't know how many people have tried to get a two year old to hold still for a stranger to x-ray their arm, but let me tell you it isn't fun. The x-ray tech had to recruit a nurse for back up so we could hold him down. We finally finished with the x-rays and Daddy quickly bribed him with a CapriSun and Dum-Dums to calm him down.

Unfortunately, it turns out our little guy has a broken arm (a buckle fracture for you medical types)...and of all the days for this to happen! Unfortunately, we were not able to see an orthopedic today so the doctor put a splint and a sling on the birthday boy and sent us on our way. After he got his splint, Pres got another Dum-Dum and was in a much better mood. He was sure to say bye-bye to all the nurses and point out to them that his sucker was orange. They rewarded him with some Thomas the Train stickers and we were on our way back home. He will have to return later this week to see an orthopedic and will probably be in a cast for 4 to 6 weeks...bummer. Oh well, back to that list. Let the festivities begin!!

Happy 2nd Birthday Preston!

This day two years ago my baby boy entered our lives and it changed forever. John Preston you have been a special little man since the very beginning and we love you so much! As I have been looking through photos of you over the past year (I am putting together your 2nd year video), I can't believe how much you have grown up.

(Preston: 1 yr old)

Seeing photos of you with your longer baby hair, with just a few teeth, and watching videos of you babbling away...so sweet, yet you were a baby. Now at the ripe old age of two, you have turned into a small toddler...talking with a mouthful of teeth, bossing us around and starting to lose that precious baby fat. Where has the time gone?

Well, I'll tell you....it has been a busy 2nd year for you! You have attended the mothers day out program three days a week at our church, you have accompanied me on hundreds of walks, watched lots of videos and episodes of Curious George, spent a lot of time with both sets of your grandparents, pushed trucks all over the house (scratching the hardwoods in the meantime), fought, loved and played with your sister daily, spent countless hours resisting food and many more hours sleeping (if only you could sleep past 6am!).




You are a busy little boy Pres....going 100 mph all the time! I can't wait to see how you are when you get older and put that energy behind something you love, whether it is a sport or a job. I predict you will be very successful in whatever you put your mind. You are sooo smart (I really can't believe what you can do at 2 yrs)!!

Today for your birthday, we took a walk bright and early (in fact it was still dark when I pulled the stroller out). Then we got ready for the day and headed to the zoo to explore. You ran from one exhibit to the next with Bennett, took a train ride and only fell a couple of times. The only scary thing that happened was that a black swan bit your hand while you were trying to feed the turtles. It scared you to death, but you bounced back quickly as you usually do. Then we met Daddy for lunch (what a treat). Now you are taking a nap.....awww the easy life of a 2 year old.

(the mean black swans....)

We love you Preston - you bring so much joy to our lives each and every day. I thank God for you, and hope you know how much your mommy and daddy love you. Happy 2nd Birthday!!

ABC...easy as 1, 2 3

For the month of August (when we had NOTHING to do), we did a lot of puzzles and began practicing letters. Since Bennett was entered 3K, and I knew there would be an emphasis on learning her letters and numbers, I wanted to make sure she was prepared. Thanks to some handy flashcards and a video that a friend lent us (The Letter Factory), she is getting them down. The added bonus is that Preston has learned them alongside of her! Here is a short video highlighting his knowledge.

Deep and Wide

Yesterday our church kicked off their Wednesday night suppers again which will run through May. In addition to grabbing an inexpensive dinner with your friends, you can participate in one of the many activities that our church provides. This year Bennett is old enough to participate in the children's choir, and she had her first meeting last night. I plan to participate in a group called "Praying Moms," but it doesn't start until next week. Unfortunately, Preston is too young for anything, so he'll hang out in the nursery for 45 minutes after dinner with his other buddies. Since Steve is traveling so much, he elected to not join a formal study, but he may have a prayer group of his own with a few of the other dads waiting on their kids in choir.

When we got home from our first night back, I was playing with the kids. Bennett was doing a puzzle, and then she started singing some song I hadn't heard before. I asked her where she learned it, and she said at church. After sending an email to her new choir teacher, I learned that it's a short song called "Deep and Wide." It only has a few lines, but evidently it is quite catchy for the little ones because they have motions that go along with it too. Though our little girl doesn't have the best voice (bless her little heart), she loves to sing, and I think she will really enjoy children's choir.

The teachers don't allow you to watch them practice, but they put on two "shows" a year, so I will just have to wait until one of those! Don't worry....I will get it all on video and upload here for you all to see.