Let's Go Predators!!!!!

Sorry to not post in so long, but we have been pretty busy around here getting ready for Christmas and finishing up just a few last-minute presents. One present (of sorts) that we got from our good friend Jeff was tickets to a Predators Hockey game last week. Being that he and the other four friends we went with LOVE our babies, we thought it would be a fun way to experience their first live sporting event. Well, it was fun for most of us. But poor little Ben was just terrified of all the loud noises and lights. Every time we scored (which was a lot that night) Ben just shuddered into my shoulder and cried. So, Michael and I did our best to help him see that it really wasn't scary, and that it was supposed to be fun. The only thing he really liked was the flying sabre tooth tiger that dropped prizes in the crowd. Other than that, he was not impressed.

Drew, on the other hand, spent the whole game laughing, clapping, jumping and squealing at the top of his little lungs. He loved it. And that was a suprise to both of us since at home he tends to be the more cautious and reserved of the two. Anyways, it was fun to watch him experience it.

Here is a picture of us girls, and below that is Drew being mesmerized by what was going on on the ice. Oh, and one more of the boys helping me "cook" dinner one afternoon while we wait for Daddy to come home. This is how we spend most of our afternoons...banging on pots and pans, and singing to the songs we make up until Daddy walks through the door and the boys drop everything to run to him. It's really becoming my favorite part of the day.

I'm sure I'll have tons of pictures to post after Santa Claus comes to visit us. But until then, I hope you all have a wonderful holiday season with the ones you love. Merry Christmas!!!

The Jelly Incident and Santa Claus

A temporary lapse in good judgement, and I thought that letting the boys try a little blackberry jelly on their waffles for breakfast was a good idea. You know, in the spirit of being a good mommy and letting my precious babies experience all the good things in life. Well, needless to say, they loved it. Loved touching it, eating it, putting it in their hair...just plain loved every bit of it. So I guess I got what I was after...I just didn't realize at the time the mess that would come with it. Oh well, they are only little once and it was worth it to watch them enjoy something so much.
This is the boys' newest favorite place to play: on the stairs. Now that they can easily get up and down by themselves without any trouble or help, they love to hang out there, eat snacks there, touch the christmas tree through the spindles, or just talk while I clean up the kitchen or make dinner. It's really kind of cute.

Here are a few pictures from our Breakfast With Santa that our church puts on every year, and just for fun, here's our picture from last year's too. It's hard to believe that a whole year has passed, and this is the boys' second Christmas. Whew! At any rate, the boys had a great time sitting in his lap and touching is beard. They weren't scared at all, which was a little surprising to me. The food was wonderful, the decorations were just precious, and we had such a great time worshipping with the other 400+ people that were there. Thanks to Miss Janet, Miss Melanie and all the other people who worked so hard to put on such a great event!!!

That just about covers our superbusy weekend. Hope you had a great weekend too. Blessings to you this week!

1-Year Pictures and More

My wonderfully talented friend (and backdoor neighbor) Amanda took these beautiful pictures of the boys at our house for their 1 year portraits. Didn't they turn out GREAT! These are just a few of my very favorites. Thank you, sweet friend! We love all of them!!!



Here are a couple of pictures I have snapped here and there while the boys have been playing. I just love watching their little personalities emerge more and more. They both have such sweet little dispositions and are almost always happy boys...as long as they get good naps, mind you. They love to explore the house, and this is what I found when I walked back into the laundry room from putting away some clothes:
now, I don't know exactly how Drew got into the dryer, but I do know that those two were having a BALL when I walked in and found them. When I finally stopped laughing long enough to pull them out of the dryer, they immediately tried to get back in. Ahhh...never a dull moment!

November? What November?

...is what I have been asking myself lately. It came and went in about two blinks, and I'm sure that most of you out there are feeling the same way. We traveled to my grandparents farm in south Georgia for Thanksgiving, and I must say that Ben and Drew are troopers. They did great in the car until we were about an hour from home, and then they let us know that they had had quite enough of being in the carseats. Nonetheless, we all had a great time playing and being together. The boys loved running everywhere they went all over that beautiful land, playing in the leaves, picking oranges and persimmons off the trees and chasing my cousins dogs. Lots of fun!Michael and I are getting our first taste of real parenting now that they have been so spoiled by grandparents, great grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins. When we got back home on Monday morning and they heard the words "No, No" for the first time in days, they looked a little bit confused. It was definately worth it to be able to watch my children with my grandparents, who I love so much. We are home and settled in, and are all ready for Christmas! Lights are strung and the tree is up, and I seem to be spending much of my days putting BACK the ornaments that mysteriously end up in the toy box. The boys love the tree, and love touching the lights. But more than anything else, they love the presents and bows underneath the tree. I thought they weren't supposed to really "get it" this year, but they sure seem to know what to do. They are getting so big, and are trying to repeat more and more words every day, but still depend on their signs to tell me the basics like "juice" or "eat" or "paci" or "more". They are running everywhere they go, and are constantly into everything they see. It's such a fun stage of life. But I think that what I like best right now is how affectionate they are to each other and to Michael and I. They love to hug and give kisses and pat. Very sweet. Anyways, that's what the boys are up to these days. Hope all is well in your world!

...And they lived happily ever after

I know this blog is usually dedicated to the fun stuff involved with Ben and Drew. But today is a special day, and I just wanted to share it. 2 years ago today, I married my best friend, and the most wonderful man I've ever known. The time has flown by, and yet, it's hard for me to remember life before him...I guess that's what happens when you've found the right one, and I have done that. In these short two years we have been on a fun ride, filled with ups, downs, and even several sharp curves. We always said when we were dating that no matter what, we wanted it to be an adventure. And our life has certainly been that. I had prayed for the man that God had in store for me since the time that I was 13 years old, and He has faithfully answered that prayer by bringing Michael and I together in His perfect time.

Happy anniversary, babe! Thanks for the best 2 years of my life. I can't wait to see what God has in store for us!

Tell Me Something I Don't Know...

Your Linguistic Profile:

50% General American English

45% Dixie

0% Midwestern

0% Upper Midwestern

0% Yankee

What Kind of American English Do You Speak?

so I was looking at my friends' Blake and Moriah's blog today, and she had this fun little link on it. So I took the quiz, and above are the results....no one here is surprised, and I'm sure you're not either if you've ever heard me say more than a sentance. Moving on...

I took the boys to their 12 month check up today, which is becoming harder and harder to do by myself. I think that I will have to start scheduling shots on days that my wonderful, hard working hubby can come too. Afterward, when we were loading back up in the car to come home, Drew was still crying "Daaaaa Daaaaa Daaaaaaaaaaaaa!!!!" at the top of his poor baby lungs. It was heartbreaking. Like he was saying in his own babytalk way "Mommy, you held me down while that lady put the shot in my leg.....where's my Daddy?!"

So, here are the vitals, in case you're interested:
Ben - weight: 16 lbs, 15 oz, height: 28.5 in (10th percentile), head: 17.91 in (25th percentile)
Drew - weight: 17 lbs, 12 oz, height: 29 in (10th percentile), head: 17.32 in (3rd percentile)

No, today was not our happiest day. So, I thought I'd include a couple of pictures from when they were in better moods! Happy Thursday, everybody.

Three for the price of one!

We have been having so much fun lately celebrating such a fun time of year, and we've also been busier than ever. So since we've been running around like crazy doing so many fun things, you get to see not one, not two, but THREE - yes, three! - of the things we've been up to.

Last Wednesday night at church we had our annual Parade of Bible Characters. All of the kids in the church choose someone or something out of the Bible to dress up as, they give the emcee three clues to read to the audience, and the audience gets to guess what they are! It is just precious!!! All of the babies in our lifegroup (yes, all 10 of us!) dressed up as the 7 days of creation. Here is a picture of "Adam" and one of the animals that God made on the 6th day. Get a load of those fig leaves. One day when Ben is a teenager and Michael and I pull these pictures out, he'll just have fits. But Wednesday night, he just walked across the stage with a big smile on his face. The audience LOVED it.

And then Friday night our life group had a costume party, and we had SO much fun. It's been a while since either of us had dressed up, and we had a great time. Michael and I were a cowboy and indian.And then we ended the fun weekend with Trunk or Treat. Everybody fills up the parking lot, opens their decorated trunks and passes out candy to the Trunk or Treat-ers. So many cute kiddos. Ben and Drew were supposed to be "Lions, and Tigers, and Bears (oh my!) with Brax, but Ebay took longer to ship the bear than they were supposed to. With my luck, it'll show up today. No biggie, though. They were a super cute dalmatian puppy and tiger. Here is a shot of most of the kiddos in our group posing as "the zoo"....which is definately what the parents felt like we lived in after we let the boys try candy for the first time. Needless to say, they liked it. Enjoy all the pictures of our cutie pies. Happy Halloween, everyone!!!

The Birthday Bash!

So, I know that this update is coming a little late. So, I apologize for the delay in birthday party pictures. But in case you were wondering, since the birthday party, we've had quite the week here in the Blankinship house. First off, these colds that the boys have had for a while (that nothing could cure) turned into bronchitis for Ben and a sinus infection for Drew. So that alone makes for one busy mama. But then, just as we were all beginning to feel somewhat better and get just a few precious hours of sleep, we hit another bump in the road....literally. On our way to the doctor's office for one year shots, the boys and I had a flat tire...in the rain. Eventful to say the least. Anyways, as for the birthday party itself, I think it couldn't have been better! We had a great time celebrating with all of the boys' friends and our family. The boys were in great moods, and as you can see from the pictures, they liked their cake. I think Drew enjoyed eating his cake, and Ben just enjoyed playing in his. Hindsight being what it is, bibs might have been a good option, but whatever! Thanks to everyone who came and played and sang Happy Birthday to our big one year olds! We love you all, and can't wait to share this next year with you!!! Enjoy a few of the pictures of the boys. This is Aunt Chelle and cousin Dresden who came all the way from Missouri, and below is Aunt Britt. We'll post more as soon as things get a little more back to normal. Oh, and p.s.....much to the dismay of my side of the family, UT won the game. Go Vols!!

Riding the Rocking Horse

Thanks to the help of my good friend, Heather, I MAY have this thing figured out. We'll see. This isn't the video that I've been trying so hard to post...it's a newer one of the boys enjoying part of their first birthday present from us. They love it! Ejoy watching the boys! Oh, and just ignore the fact that it's the middle of the day, and they are playing in their diapers.....what can I say? You can take the girl out of Alabama, but.....well you know! ;)

I'm not as high-tech as I thought I was.....

....because I've been sitting at this computer for what feels like eons, trying to post this video that i took about a week ago, of Ben taking a few steps. But, until I figure this out a little better, you'll just have to suffice for some regular ole pictures. So, hopefully the video is coming. But we'll see.

Anyways, that is the big deal in our world these days: Ben is walking and Drew is taking one or two steps at a time. He seems to be the more cautious child, always watching his brother and observing everything...that kid doesn't miss a thing. Ben seems to be the more adventurous one, fearing nothing, and finding everything that he's not supposed to play with. This is SUCH a fun stage!

Okay, so an update on Ben's doctor's visit. We are going to begin synthroid and then we will go back to Vanderbilt at the end of the month to see if it helps his thyroid and brain communicate a little better with each other. We feel so blessed to have such wonderful doctors. God is so good, and He continues to take care of us.

Enjoy a few pictures of the boys!!! I've been so consumed with videoing the walking that I haven't taken very many pictures. But don't worry...we'll post more after this weekend. Have a great week, everyone!!! No milk-mustache just yet...but a GREAT milk-beard. If he weren't so stinkin cute, I'd think it was gross.

Enjoying the beautiful weather at the park!

Our Doctor's Visit

So we went to Vanderbilt on Monday morning to check on Ben. In a nutshell here are the highlights: We will take him back in 1 week to do one more set of tests to check for a few more obscure things; As long as those tests come back the way they anticipate, we will begin Synthroid (a thyroid medicine); We will go back to check how he's responding to the medicine in one month after that. They said that so far this hasn't affected his development, and with the treatment, it shouldn't be affected. It'll probably take both boys about 2 years to catch up to where they need to be on growth charts. He could have to be on the medicine for 2 years, or as long as the rest of his life......but at least we know what's going on inside his little body now, and we have a treatment plan. It's comforting just to have a course of action.

I can't tell you enough how much I appreciate all your prayers for us. I definately felt peaceful and at ease going into the appt, and the boys' mood couldn't have been better. We serve a powerful and compassionate God!!!

We'll keep you posted on how they're doing, and I'll try to get some pictures on here soon....since that is the REAL reason you come to this blog!! ;)

Quickly...

as i sit here and type, Ben is destroying Michael's office here at home book by book, and Drew should be waking up from his nap any second now. So, I'll be quick about this.

Many of you know that the boys have had trouble gaining weight, and after some blood tests, we think we know why now. Ben's (and only Ben, so far this isn't affecting Drew) hypothalamus (that's in the brain, i think) is for some reason telling his thyroid glands to produce too much of one hormone. That's why he can't seem to ever gain any weight, and grow like he should. They call it a hyperthyroid condition that we'll probably start treating with medicines.

At first we were obviously a little upset. But our wonderful pediatrician Dr. Leeper says that it's definately treatable, and we've caught it very early on. He shouldn't have any long term developmental problems, and we thank God for this!

Anyways, the boys and I go to Vanderbilt Children's Hospital on Monday to talk to a Pediatric Endocrinologist. Please pray for our son and his health. God has had His hand on us every step of the way, I we trust that He'll continue to do so. But there's no such thing as too many prayers. And also, pray for Michael since he'll be away from us for a little bit due to work, and I know that he hates that.

We'll keep you all posted as soon as we know more. Much love to you all!

I'm in a New York State of Mind....

Last week Michael had to travel to New York to do a little business, and invited me to come along with him for a little break by ourselves. I know that this blog is supposed to be all about Ben and Drew - and I promise I'll get to that - but I just have to take a second to brag about my wonderful husband. He treated me like a princess, and it was just so wonderful to be able to spend time laughing and enjoying each other. We each have a baby in our arms and diaper bags to contend with most of the time. So to even be able to walk down the street holding hands is a treat.
Even the timing of the trip was pretty special. We were there on September 12th; five years and one day after the attacks on the twin towers. So we visited Ground Zero to pay our respects. It was very moving.

This is St. Paul's Church, across the street from where the twin towers were located. It was a refuge for all the first responders and volunteers, and is also the city's oldest public building still in use.
We shopped, had great food, and I went to the Today show to see Meredith Viera's first day while Michael had meetings. I even made it on TV for like 3.2 seconds, which is a pretty big deal to me since that show has helped me make it through many crazy mornings around here. Anyways, enough already. I love you, hunny, and I had a great time!


And I just had to include these two pictures of my sweet little boys having a ball at the park. I don't know how I was lucky enough to capture both of these cute pictures, but Drew is having a great time on the swings. Just look at those teeth! And Ben (if you can't see it) is shoving hand fulls of dirt and mulch into his mouth and having a wonderful time. I make him yummy food every day that he flatly refused to eat because he'd rather play. But dirt, he'll gladly eat. Ugh! Boys will be boys, I guess.

Have a happy Monday, everyone!