House Warming... A Year Late

Back in May, when DH asked what I wanted for my birthday, I said I wanted to finally have some sort of "house warming" party, and his gift to me should be helping to get the house ready.  And that is what we did. Thought you might appreciate an online version, since the house was clean enough to do pictures for once!

 

The Living Room. The front door is just to the left of the picture. Coffee table was a great gift from my parents. Those baskets make or great toy storage. Curtains were made by my MIL Thanks!!

The Living Room from the other end.

Our Dining Room. We LOVE this room. That is pop-out window with a bench seat.

Our Kitchen, with lots of  party food on the counter.

The other end of our Kitchen with my "green corner." I LOVE all the green outside these windows.

Guest room. Least exciting....

Our Master Bedroom

The other end of  the Master. Great space for when we wanted the crib in our room!

Bathroom. I love the new shower curtain! Also, love the built in storage.

Another view of the bathroom.

Our first floor laundry room/office.

To Little Boy

I swear, in the last two days, Benjamin has lost what remaining babyness he had in him This morning DH was holding him and I just couldn't believe how big he looked. His face is a different shape. He just looks like a little boy. I know I have said this before, but over the past two days it just has really come to a head.

He has his own language now. He is constantly talking, weather or not we can understand him. We understand more everyday. He tries to say everything we ask him to, and gotta say his "I love you" is too adorable.

He is currently obsessed with his stroller. Every time he sees it he wants to go out for a ride.

His sleep has been very good the last three nights (and his naps as well). I hope it keeps up.

Cool Summer

I guess, since its June, that probably makes it summer. I just admitted this recently and asked on facebook for some summer cocktail recipes.

It was easy to "pretend" it wasn't summer, because it has been a very cool year. To me, a nice relief from last years hot temperatures. As of recently (I forget which day exactly), Duluth had had 9 days over 70 degrees in 2013. On the same day in 2012, there had been 23 days over 70 already. Today was the first day that touched 80 in some places in the area. April this year was the snowiest month in recorded Duluth history... not the snowiest April, the SNOWIEST MONTH.

But. It is summer now. It was 80 degrees today. Benjamin and I walked down to the playground three blocks from our house. It was PACKED with kids, and low and behold, Benjamin's best friend from daycare was there. Apparently they live very close to us, a fact that had escaped us over the long winter (or last summer when both boys were too young to be out and about). They were fun to watch, and seeing all the things the other boy could do, who is about a month older than Benjamin, made me let him try to do more, and Benjamin could!! He can climb the steps on his own, go down the slides on his own, get off the slide on his own. He is growing and changing so fast it is incredible to watch and we are having the time of our life. Funny, last weekend a woman told us that the age we are at right now with Benjamin is "the time that is the most fun". I do not know if it is true, but it is pretty damn fun.

17 Months Old

Yesterday Benjamin turned 17 months old!

I did not get any pictures taken yesterday, because he came down with a fever, had to be picked up from daycare, and spent the day sleeping on my dad's lap and watching the tractor channel.

He is changing so fast!

First thing's first. he has now been in the Toddler room for two weeks, and is doing well. He is adjusting nap wise and now is taking 2 hr naps. He loves to be in their and play with all the new toys and do all the bigger kid/more involved activities, and he loves that he can go out in the play yard. The teachers are very impressed with his adjustment and how smooth it went.

He continues to develop his language and tries to say new things all the time. He is working hard to make "Tractor" not sound like Dada. He babbles a ton.. I think in his head he is talking but to us it doesn't make much sense.

Climbing is now old hat. He can get up on the couch and down without thinking about it. He is experimenting with methods for sliding down the stairs. He fell once at my parent's house because he tried to stand on the back of his little chair.

He still loves books. His obvious favorite is "things that go" with pictures of boats, cars, planes, trains, and all sorts of other things. He also likes the "I SPY" books at my parents house. He also likes "The Red Caboose" and a book from the library we got that is called "Truck Duck".

He is a bit obsessed with the computer. He now knows that it plays ELMO videos, and he loves those. But we still limit time a lot. He also likes to watch trains and ships videos, or google picture any number of things.

When I read last months update, I think "wow, that was all only a month ago? He is SO much bigger now!"

In the less ideal department, he has started throwing food when he is done eating at meals, and has become a fussier eater. He wants what is on my plate, even if its the same as his.
He points and points and points and then when you offer him something he says no and gets upset. We also have had some rough bedtimes and night times lately.  In general, he has become more demanding, which is part of toddlerhood.

He now has a bike (like a big wheel), his own hockey stick and pucks, and lots of balls to play with outside. He likes to take walks around the neighborhood.

Time flies when you are having fun :)