Mino is THREEEEEE

What a little man he is too.  He learned about manners at daycare so says "Thank you mommy for cooking tonight."   He likes to take off his own shoes and likes to pick out his shirts.  He is a hoarder.  He comes to it naturally but will carry as much as he possibly can with him when he is supposed to go brush his teeth or help his dad in the car.

He loves the movie "Mr. Incredibles" and all things Ninja Turtle (Thanks Uncle Aaron for that one.)  And Batman.  He learned that eating vegetables gives him big muscles so whenever he does anything he talks about his big muscles but has his father's taste for veges.  He learned what shy meant and whenever we are in public he acts the part then comes home and talks about how shy he was.  He loves to run as fast as he can and calls himself Dash.  He needs his "Frozone Agua" at night  -  a sippy cup with ice cubes.  He learned how to tug at heart strings and yell "I want my daddy" as you are trying to walk out of his room at night in the most pitiful and pathetic little voice.  He listens to EVERY SINGLE word we say, so we have to be careful.  He repeats choice phrases back at us that we use with him "Don't talk to me like that Mommy!"  His favorite book right now is a picture book about Boston where he has to find different animals from Franklin Park Zoo that escaped into the city.   He gets scared very easily so we have to be very careful when we have the TV on.  He likes to wear socks.   He likes to take baths with his brother then flip himself into Jimmy's crib and wrestle with him before going to bed at night.  His favorite snacks are babybel cheese and cheddar bunnies.  He knows it is a special occasion when he gets hot cocoa in the morning to watch cartoons.

Look at that cheeseball chocolate grin.

 He is a little lover (unless he is hungry, then watch out.)  He has been in a daddy phase for the last year but loves us all.  He gives everyone in the house a hug and kiss before heading into his room to read stories before bed.  He likes to get his haircut.
Our little Benjarvis Green Bellies is three.

The above are from his birthday party in Clintonville, he couldn't quite get the concept of blowing onto the candle down.  Martin jumped in at the end to help him.  And while he is three, he ate only the frosting off his cake and made it look as if he got a smash cake again.

 He got the blow perfected for his actual birthday.

 Goofball.  We love you!

One month shy of one year.

We are almost there, almost had our "little" guy for a year.  I remember very vividly these days last year when I was terrified I was going to be in labor and miss Ben's birthday, oh how very wrong I was. 

The little widget wasn't loving the outdoors for this, so not too many smiles.  We taught him a new trick, or I guess as parent's say, he reached a new milestone.  His first words:  Uh oh!  We were driving over to WI this weekend to celebrate Ben's birthday and Ben said that and Jimmy instantly repeated him.  Then for the next 20 minutes they were just saying Uh Oh! to one another. And laughing.   And clapping.  He will repeat it any time, then you say "Jimmy say mama!!"  And he stares blankly.  You spill something and say Uh oh, and the tiny voice on the other side of the room says Uh Oh then applaud his greatness.  Based on Martin's fantasy performance this season we are lucky it isn't other 4 letter combinations. . . .
He is sooooooooooo close to walking, he will stand there on his own, then applaud his greatness, then try to walk but usually falls face first.  Good, not ready for him to do that yet.  We did get the gates installed, but still, not ready to have him walking.  His teeth are in even father on the bottom:

But he isn't drawing blood yet whilst nursing so that has yet to stop.  Food is a favorite past time, we had pancakes for breakfast and I ate the most, followed by Jimmy, then Ben. 

We went to go check out a pumpkin patch in Wisco as well, and had some good old fashioned fall fun.

It was small, the "patch" was really someone's yard with good priced pumpkins sitting on it in nice decorative rows, but it was cute.  Honestly, with everyone's moods it was probably for the best.  And Ben got a pumpking cookie, so all was right with the world.
Jimmy loves to pull the magazines and had an American Beauty moment with them:

 There must be Fire Safety week in October or something as Ben learned the infamous "Stop, Drop and Roll" at daycare and shows us every day how to do it, and the firestation in town had an open house.  They pulled out all the stops - fire trucks, car fire demonstrations, Jaws of Life being used in a demo

 The Flight for Life showed up and let people crawl around

 Fire hoses were set up for kiddos to practis putting out fires on burning houses.  Over all way cooler than I could have anticipated.

 This fall has been beyond picturesque, Nana and DooDoo came to visit while Martin was in Boston at a wedding and we walked around trying to find some cool stragling migrant birds.

 And Jimmy learned to climb, he can go up stairs and over things and into dishwashers. . .

Early Fall Adventures

Ben was invited to his first birthday party for one of the kids he goes to daycare with.  They had it at one of these places which I never knew existed.  Indoor inflateable bounce house play yards.  It was actually pretty fun.  We all went.  Talk about party crashing. Nothing like a 3 year old birthday party.

Ben and Jimmy have really been getting along.  Ben will flip his lid if Jimmy touches any of his things, and boy does Ben have things.  Martin calls him his little hoarder.  Whenever he moves from room to room he has to bring every possible possession he currently cares about with him, to brush his teeth, to change his diaper (yes his diaper - more on that after I leave this tangent), to eat.  God forbid Jimmy touch his dinosaur sticker or big frog. 

 We have been trying to enjoy the fall weather as best we can before the season whose name must not be spoken arrives.  We all know.  Winter is coming.  The wagon is good unless Ben has a pinecone or acorn or some hoarded item because Jimmy faces him and tries to grab it from him.

 We have been exploring the trails by our house.

 Dining at the Texas Roadhouse, where the ambiance can not be beat according to Martin.  Trial by fire, Jimmy is not allergic to peanuts.

 We went to Stillwater for lunch and Ben got the biggest PB& J I have ever seen in my life.

 We saw the lift bridge lift which I have never seen.

 We've gone to the park down the street to enjoy the new equipment.

 The light was coming in and Jimmy was trying to taste it and laughing at his hand when it looked so funny.  Then Ben got in on the action.

 It is rare that Ben gives a normal smile, this is not normal, but it is less weird than most.

 Jimmy likes Chicken Bones!

Sarah came and we went to a CE together (we can gas people now) and we took advantage of our 80 degree weather and went to Taylor's Falls for a little boat adventure.

 Family Picture Fail.

We attempted a day without a diaper with Ben after a day at daycare when I picked him up and the director told me he had gone potty in the toilet and he wasn't currently wearing a diaper.  I was excited, he was concerned because his pants were too loose.  A few days later we talked and talked and talked to him and got him dressed without his diaper.  He walked out to the porch and peed then screamed because he had peed, and walked, all over.  I cleaned it up, talked to him to let me know and we can go to the potty and he agreed.  45 minutes later, sitting at the table, Martin smells poop.  We attempt to get him to the bathroom and Ben proclaims "It dropped!!!!"  The poop.  Dropped.  All down his leg.  We got the pants off with poop from anus to heel on the poor boy.  And he peed.  We put a diaper on him for the rest of the day.  He didn't seem too concerned but did tell my mom the next day about getting poop on his leg.  Love that kid.

10 months and 2 teeth.

OK, two more months.  Two more months.  You can do it big mama.  Two more months.  I am the latest as I have ever been at updating the wee one's monthly stats.  Here it is though.  O and P have their little incisal edges poking through the gingiva on the lower.  Two new tubes have been installed in his ears.  Twice daily nebulizations are taking place for his terrible sounding cough and wheezing.  And yet he is happy.  Happy happy happy.  And sleeping in our bed.   Still.  His newborn phase we were really good about it, but alas now that he is nearly a toddler he is in our bed. He loves to be the crossbar of the H.

On the 15th we went to Children's Hospital in St. Paul to get ear tubes.  He has had an ear infection pretty much constantly since Memorial Day weekend, our PCP recommended checking in with the ENT who said he did have hearing loss and after needing Augmentin to start clearing his infections and fevers we decided that we should do the surgery.  It was touch and go for a while as he threw his highest fever yet the two days just before his surgery, but he managed to keep it at a low grade of 101 for the day of the surgery so it was a go.  The fastest thing in the world.  He definitely was sore afterward, he was pulling at one of his ears for a day or two but we have successfully gotten a cold and another URI and not gotten a fever.  He had a crusty ear which tells me the tubes are working and stuff is getting drained.  I didn't get a picture of him in his little hospital garb.

Jimmy loves his brother, and vice versa.  Ben and Jimmy have crawl races down the hallway.  Then Ben gets mad and grabs all his toys away from Jimmy's reach.  Jimmy laughs at him and loves him so.  He is walking along the furniture and speed crawling but has yet to take a step.  Good.  I want him to stay put.  He crawled up his first flight of stairs the other day, with  my behind him of course, but he is smart.  And still possesses his freakish strength and unusally dexterous feet.  Odd little fellow.   Oh.  And he squeals a lot.  Check this out: