Help me! I have a NINE year old!

I have two October babies. Ben celebrated his 5th birday on October 5th and Nicholas just had his 9th birthday on October 20th. I can't believe he is nine. He is my hot or cold child. He is either really happy or really mad. He'll be really excited to go somewhere or to do something or he'll throw a huge fit because he absolutely does not want to go anywhere or do anything. I have to make him go most places and in the end he has the most fun out of all the kids. As a baby and toddler he always had something in his hand. He started with a baby sleeper and then moved on to a blanket. As a toddler and preschooler he would walk around with a plastic hammer and then downsized to a plastic kids spoon. He was the most difficult one to be potty trained. I'm glad that was over with several years ago. I love to see him excited about things. He enjoys playing the piano which he just started in February. In our backyard, we often find science experiments that he has been working. Allan wasn't so happy about the yellow grass or the messes that we find at the end of the day. We are so thankful for our 9 year old boy and how much he is learning and growing. He is halfway to manhood. He'll one day make a wonderful husband if we can just get him to do his chores more consistently. We love you Nicholas!!



Here Nicholas is helping Allan put together the girl's bunk bed.



Nicholas is waiting patiently to open up his birthday presents.

He picked out a chocolate mousse cake with strawberries on top.

Look who's FIVE!!!

I can't believe Benjamin is five today. He has been waiting for this day for 364 days. Since he has an older brother & sister, he always wants to be older, bigger, stronger, smarter, taller, faster, and the list goes on. So today he is officially OLDER. The last month or so he has had a lot of changes or accomplishments in his life. First, he learned how to ride a bike with no training wheels. I can't believe I don't have a picture of this to post. It is so cute to see him riding on his small bike. His pedaling reminds me of that old women/the wicked witch of the west from "The Wizard of Oz." I can hear the music playing now... Da, dat, da, dat, da, da, da.... He also learned how to swing himself by pumping his legs. His older brother patiently talked him through that. Another accoumplishment is that he learned how to travel across all of the monkey bars on our backyard playset. He has been practicing that for quite awhile. He started school this September. It is called Transitional Kindergarten for kids whose birthdays are in late summer and fall and their not quite ready for Kindergarten. He LOVES it! Mom loves it too!! Victoria & Nicholas love that their younger brother isn't bothering them. He has made a lot of friends! You know that show "Everyone Loves Raymond". Well that's what we say about him, "Everyone Loves Benjamin". He has that smile that can melt anyones heart. His joy and laughter are contagious. He also keeps getting taller or thinner. I'm not really sure which one. I'll have to measure him one of these days. I just know that most of his shorts & pants have trouble staying around his waist.
Today, as we were driving home from dropping Victoria off at choir, Benjamin asked me, "Mom, when will I turn six?" I said, "You won't turn six for another 364 days." He pondered that and responded with, "That's a LONG time mom." I told him to enjoy five, soak it in, just be five for awhile. Well as you can see we love this fun, energetic, cute guy and it is so exciting seeing him get bigger.

Here is Benjamin on his first day of school.
He even has a backpack & takes his lunch everyday.

Benjamin has just mastered going across the monkey bars.

Benjamin working hard on the swing.

Victoria & Benjamin - Don't they look alike?
Victoria made him an original, one of a kind
Bey Blade holder.