Ben is 2!

Neil has been scolding me for not keeping up with our blog. Ok, I'm guilty as charged! So, I've decided I need to get back into the swing of things and try to post on a regular basis again. I'm starting with a big milestone, Ben's 2nd birthday! I can't believe he is already two. My how time does fly. His birthday fell on MLK day this year, so I was off work. I took him to daycare anyway though so he could celebrate with Miss Sue and the gang of kids there. That night we had his favorite foods for dinner: chicken nuggets, "oni" (macaroni), broccoli and french fries. Since he had cupcakes at his daycare party, we topped it off with chocolate chip cookies. Then he opened presents. He got very excited about his Elmo jammies and had to try them on immediately. Then he ran into our bedroom to check himself out in the mirror. He also received a dragon shirt, some books, a potty (made from recycled plastic in the USA, mind you!), and a basketball goal. It was a great second birthday I think! Then, this past Saturday we threw a big party with friends and family at our house. I think everyone had a good time. I know we did! My friend Jen made an Elmo cake that turned out really cute. Thanks to everyone for all the great gifts too! Enjoy the pictures from both days...

Indiana State Fair

We finally made our annual trip to the fair on the very last day! We were planning on going Saturday, but the rain kept us away. Sunday turned out to be a good day for it, since it was nice and cool outside. I remember roasting in the sun at the Midway last year, so this year was much better weather wise. We arrived just in time for lunch, which meant of course we needed to eat right away. Sofia had a corndog, I had my usual steak sandwich and so did Neil. Ben ate most of Daddy's sandwich and chips, and a bit of Sissy's leftover hotdog. Then we headed out to see the sights. We stopped by the old Hook's drugstore for a rootbeer float. We also saw a really interesting exhibit on the space program. Apparently most of the space missions have had a Hoosier onboard. Later Ben fell asleep for his afternoon nap while we saw some of the animals. My favorite are the baby pigs. We also ran into Sofia's Aunt and Uncle and their two kids, which was a nice surprise. Once Ben woke up we headed to the Riley park. We also had a good time with the big Lego activiy booths they had set up this year. Sofia played a quick game in the Wii park as well. After we had seen just about everything it was time for the midway. Since it costs an arm and a leg to ride anything, we just purchased a few tickets for everyone to ride something once and a funhouse trip for Sofia as well. Neil and Ben went down the big slide, and then Sofia and I went on a catepillar rollercoaster. Before we left, I succumbed to the deep fried twinkie. With full bellies and tired legs, we found our way to the car and went home to relax.

Walk, Dance, Play

From Summer fun 2009

There are so many milestones I have failed to capture this past spring and summer, so in an attempt to make up for that I am playing catch up now. Ben has suddenly become a toddler; walking, talking, throwing tantrums! He is very expressive and it is such a joy to watch him expand his vocabulary every day. Daddy is his favorite playmate, and says "Siistheee" if Sofia is out of sight. He wants to keep tabs on all of us. He dances and sings, and is totally obsessed with Elmo - much to our dismay! Our Miss Sue gave him a singing Elmo that holds a singing pizza and their song is stuck in all of our heads most evenings - so silly! Ben also continues his swimming lessons twice a week with Neil. He is holding his breath and going under water. Next week will be his last two lessons. I am really glad we decided to put him in the class because he really seems to love the water.
Sofia has turned 7, which is so hard for me to believe. Suddenly she is a big girl! Second grade started last week and she has been enjoying it so far. Homework is a bit more intense this year, with more spelling words and 2 small book reports due each week. She has also joined the board games club at school, which meets each Tuesday. She has always really like to play board games and cards, so I think this will be a good extra curricular activity as long as she remains a good sport. Our Sofia can be quite competitive! I have no idea where she gets that from. We had two fun birthday parties for her in July. One was at her Auntie AnnJee's house, and the other at ours. This weekend we will have a final celebration with Neil's family. Another milestone I have left out recently was Sofia's jazz recital that took place in early June. She had a lot of fun with this class, but I'm not sure if she will take it again.



Neil is finally finished with his summer semester. He has continued to work hard and receive excellent grades. He has also been acquiring quite the fancy set of golf clubs this summer, and hopes to put them to more use in the near future. As always it is difficult for either of us to get anything done but work and work and more work!
As for myself, I have been doing just that; work. I am looking forward to attending a conference in a couple of weeks that is taking place in Baton Rouge. It has been a long time since I have seen the South, and I am looking forward to attending my first professional conference. I dread flying though! Especially since I will be flying solo. I am positive that I will miss everyone terribly!
I also finally took it upon myself to see a doctor about my foot pain. This was only because I had a really terrible pain in my right neck/shoulder. I strained it and then kept carrying heavy children and purses and gym bags - all at once sometimes! I saw a sports medicine doctor and she recommended I seek physical therapy for my shoulder and feet. I am hoping that will be successful enough to delay surgery for a long while!
Well despite the fact that some of the stores are ridiculous enough to be peddling Halloween decorations at the beginning of August, it IS still summer and we intend on enjoying what remains! The recent storms took down a lot of trees in our surrounding area, and blew our chimney topper right off into the neighbor's yard. Luckily, we did not sustain any damage to our home. I am hoping that will be the last scary weather we see for a long while.
Enjoy the pictures from our parties!

Where did June go?

Time is flying WAY to fast! This blog has come full circle now, it has been over a year already since I started with my first post about family vacation. This year the kids and I stayed for (almost) the whole week. Unfortunately, Neil had to leave after the long weekend for work and school. We missed him but managed to have a great time anyway! Ben was quite the water bug and got to go on his first boat ride! Sofia was also able to boat, and had fun tubing with the cousins. We all really enjoyed spending time with family, the nice weather, and all the great food. I was even able to acquire a nice tan. Since we have been home the kids have been enjoying what little time we have left of summer before Sofia starts school at the end of July. Her charter school is on a year round schedule so she only gets six weeks off. I'm not complaining, but it does seem a little wierd to be shopping for school supplies in the middle of summer. She has been attending IUPUI's daycamp this week, taking swimming lessons and learning new games. She really likes going so we might try and send her for two weeks next year. Ben started his swimming lessons this week too. He will be going twice a week for 30 minutes in the water with Daddy at the Natatorium over the next 6 weeks. I think he is going to be the next Michael Phelps!
As usual I am completely confused by how fast time moves. We have been busy bees and that makes it even worse. I do try and stop every now and then to recognize how very lucky we are!

Quick Update

The Stinnetts have been chugging along! I finally got some plants in the ground in our new front flower beds. Neil is overly paranoid that his wall is going to cave in, but it is still holding! I planted a peony, a couple of miniature bushes, some petunias and my garden on the side. This is my first attempt at growing food. We always had a big garden growing up, but I never really participated in the process except for the eating part. So, I am trying to grow tomatos, squash, basil, and a potted strawberry plant. I keep eating the ripe strawberries so I don't know if it will ever bear enough for the rest of the family.
Sofia has a jazz recital coming up on June 7th at 1pm. It is being held at Beech Grove H.S. and anyone who wants to come is invited. There are no tickets to buy.
Since my last post Ben has started walking. He still has a bit of a drunken sailor swagger going on, but he is getting faster every day! His curly hair is becoming something of a mess, but I love it too much to cut. He is growing fast and keeping us very entertained with his sweetness and funny personality. If you laugh at something he will crinkle his nose and start laughing too. He has recently started saying "dooooor" and "bubble". For a boy he is quite the chatty cathy!
Neil and I both made A's in our academic endeavors. I received the highest grade on the final exam in my nutrition class, and Neil received many compliments from his professors. He is now in the throes of summer school and stressing over the load. We remain busy as always and looking forward to some summer fun!

Our Project

Neil worked hard all last weekend to finally finish our landscaping project in the front yard. Last year we decided to remove the "sooooo 1970's" bushes around our front porch. Then winter came and the front of our house looked rather dismal. Now that the weather has improved we finally decided it was high time to finish the project. Our neighbors all commented on how much nicer it looks, and on how hard Neil had worked! It was a nice pat on the back for his accomplishments. It really does look much better!
Last October:


Now:

Thank You Easter Bunny!

We had a great Easter this year. Ben was not happy about wearing his bunny ears, unlike last year when he had no ability to protest! We had pancakes for breakfast and then Sofia hunted for eggs. The Easter Bunny hides eggs in our living room every year. Both kids liked discovering what was in their baskets. Afterwards we all got ready and went to Papa Tim's church for another easter egg hunt. I took Sofia to Nana Vicki's to play with cousins Abby and Gavin, eat lunch, and hunt for eggs a third time. By the end of the day we had full bellies, full baskets, and were worn out from the long day!