My B-day In Pictures!

I'm falling behind yet again, but I had such an awesome birthday that I want to make sure I write about it.  Aside from the fact that we left Benji with my mom for the night, it was the perfect day.  We missed the little man like crazy, but we also enjoyed some much needed adult time.  I kicked off my b-day weekend with some cupcakes from my co-workers.   As if it isn't hard enough to focus on work on a Friday afternoon,  it got even harder when I had to figure out which cupcake to eat first... YUM.

Since many of our favorite get away locales have a 2 night minimum on the weekends, we decided to go out on a Sunday and take off of work on Monday.  (Bonus: awesome 3-day weekend is followed by a 4 day work week!)  After giving Ben over 1 million kisses, we headed to Lake Geneva!  Believe it or not, our first stop was...the farm!  Andy had never gone horseback riding before, so I figured, why not?

I am not exactly sure why we have so many horse pictures.  Maybe Andy was afraid I was never going to want to do this again so he had to make the most of it.  How is my posture, Anna?

RC and Ranger did not disappoint.  I was a little very concerned that there were no helmets, but thankfully the horses were going mighty slowly...

As if it wasn't odd enough that it was my idea to go to a farm, I should also mention that there was a petting farm there as well.  Despite the fact that I am not a huge animal lover, I must say that we had a fantastic time.

Even though horseback riding is not exactly athletic, in my opinion, we worked up quite an appetite so we were off to find some food.  We found a quaint little spot where we could eat outside and of course enjoy some beverages.  There was an artisan fair of sorts going on along the lake, so we wanderer around there for a bit after lunch.  We did some window shopping before ending up at one of our favorite places.

We love, love, love LG for many reasons, but one of the most obvious reasons is because it is where we got engaged.   We had to go to our favorite wine bar, Pop More Corks, and play scrabble like we did on our engagement weekend.   It was fairly nice out (totally HOT) so I kind of felt like a bum being inside, but when we learned that there was a piano/cello duo playing, it was obvious that we were staying inside.  It was so relaxing that I might have fallen asleep if my brain wasn't working so hard trying to beat Andy at Scrabble.  (He did not even let me win on my birthday.)

This is the only picture I could find from our Scrabble game a few years ago.  Such a young pup!

While I am pretty sure we would have/ could have stayed there until they kicked us out, we decided to continue our day 'o R&R by checking into our room.  Although we love a good B&B, we decided to check out the Grand Geneva this time around.  We knew we were going to like it when we were waiting in line to check in and they were offering complimentary champagne.  Even though champagne nearly came out of my nose when the lady at the desk told Andy to have a "grand"-tastic day, I'll take service with a smile (and a drink) any day.  I will also take a view like this any day.

I almost forgot to mention how super cute Andy was in preparing for our night away.  He did all of the research and planning!  Since we are kind of obsessed with picnics, he went all out on my picnic favs.  He even went in search of a picnic basket but didn't have any luck.  He brought fancy cheeses and crackers, fruit, chips and salsa, a baguette, and I'm sure there are other things that I am forgetting.  These goodies paired with some vino from Pop More Corks?  HEAVENLY!!!

Andy even did his research on nice restaurants in the area, but after our picnic, we weren't really hungry for a big meal.  We decided to continue relaxing (and cocktailing), so we checked out the pool/hot tub for a bit.  We did go in the water, but I must have forgotten to take pictures of that...  I did, however,  manage to snap a shot with Will, Kate, and George when our mirror turned into a TV.   :)

After feeling sufficiently relaxed, we opted to hang out at the bar in the lobby instead of going out.  It was so nice to just chat!

We attempted to sleep in on Monday morning, but I was up with the sun, of course.  We enjoyed our view and peacefulness a little longer before heading home to the outlet mall.  As I told Andy, how often do we get to go to the outlet mall during the week?!  Being the super shopper hubby that he is, he readily obliged. :)  We grabbed a quick lunch before heading home to our babe.  I seriously missed him soooooo much!!!  I had a great 30th year and I'm looking forward to year #31!  A HUGE thank you to my wonderful husband for making my birthday awesome!  I know I've said it before but he is just the BEST.

Weekend Recap: Triple Date & Shoe Shopping

Our (super amazing 3-day) weekend was so jam-packed that I'm going to break it into 2 posts.  As you may have guessed, we kicked off our weekend at the beer garden!  If it makes us seem any less crazy, we have gone with different friends every time, and every time fun is had by all.  It is seriously the best place to go for the babes and the adults!  My bff Sarah and her hubby and baby girl met us on Friday after work.  We always have a blast with them and the best part is that Ben gets to hang out with his girlfriend Maddie.  They unfortunately got off to a rough start when Ben greeted Maddie by knocking her down.  Instant tears for Maddie as I (unsuccessfully) tried to teach Ben how to be gentle.

Luckily, she was able to forgive him and they were able to smile at each other a few times.  They basically ran around while their dads chased them, but we are anxiously awaiting the day when they can play nicely with each other.  And of course the day they get married too.  ;)

I like to think that Ben and Madds are working on sharing.  Ben made sure that he had time to flirt with Maddie's mom for a bit and to make sure that he was still on her good side after invading Maddie's personal space.  I think it is safe to say that they will all be joining us at the beer garden in the near future.

On Saturday, Andy had a kickball tournament, so it was girls + Ben day.  My mom, Auntie Anna, and and I headed to Madison to visit our super cool aunt.  We had big plans of going to the farmer's market, out to lunch, and then shopping til we dropped, however we ended up only having time to head to one of our favorite stores---The Shoe Box!  It has been a tradition for the past several years to go "back to school" and shoe shopping, but since no one is going back to school, we had to settle for shoes only.  :)  We all, Ben included, found a couple pairs of shoes.  Believe it or not, Ben slept through the first half of shopping before waking up to find this train set.  He seemed to be more into the trains than the shoes.  So much to learn, my little guy.

We were home in time for dinner and we decided to go eat outside somewhere because it was BEAUTIFUL out!  We made a last minute decision to check out Zoo a la Carte, and we are so glad we did!  It was totally packed, which I usual don't like, but the weather was so nice that we didn't want to leave.  While eating outside was awesome, the best part of our night was watching Ben check out the animals. He has paid attention in the past, but he was REALLY paying attention this time around.  He was grinning from ear to ear every time one of the animals would move.   Bears seemed to be his favorite.

Although he was acting like he owned the place while walking around in his new shoes, when push comes to shove, this boy loves to be carried.  We didn't mind.  We even let him stay up past his bedtime he was having so much fun.  We didn't want him to get too off of his schedule because Sunday was Nana sleepover day!  More to come on my birthday celebration soon!

Pointing...always pointing!

The Fair!

I'm not feeling like much of a Wisconsinite, but I just do not have a ton to say about Ben's first trip to the State Fair.  However, thanks to an ample number of pictures, it gets its own post anyway.  I guess I had never really thought about it much before, but thanks to some farm-loving coworkers, I started thinking about the whole basis of the fair.  While I am pretty sure the rides and games in the midway outnumber the animals, those darn creatures are the reason for the season!  That being said, there were barely any animals left by day 8 of the fair.  Ben did get to go to the fair with Nana earlier in the week though.  He made sure to pick up a 6-pack of creme puffs to go while he was there.  Such a thoughtful guy.  He didn't even eat one!

Back to the animals.  The one animal that there was no shortage of was the cow.   I suppose this makes sense since we are in Wisconsin and all.  There were a few more cow pictures, but then I realized the cow was pooping in the pics, so I opted to leave those out.

I'd say Ben was mildly impressed, at best.  However, he did seem to enjoy driving the "got milk?" truck.

We met up with some of my friends from work and ate and drank some fair food.  I think the most disgusting exotic option was the krispy kreme donut cheeseburger.  While you couldn't have paid me to take a bite of that thing, apparently it is a surprisingly tasty combo.   I decided to go for the...chicken sandwich.  

After wandering around for awhile, we came across the kids farm area, which helped the game/ride to animal ratio.  Oddly enough, this is also the time that Ben got hungry, so he missed most of these animals.  

Although the animals didn't really do it for Ben, he was quite intrigued by the sky glider.  Thankfully, he didn't ask if he could go for a ride. 

He was equally interested in one of the games with lots of lights.  (And the goofy guy running said game.)  Again, I am happy that he happily settled for (free) momma smooches instead of wanting to play a game or go on a ride!

All in all, it was a great night.  Then again, what night with my guys isn't great?

11 Months (8/13/13)

Dear Ben,

How is it even possible that you will be ONE in a month!?!?  I cannot believe it!

GENERAL:  You are about 16#14oz and 29inches, I believe.   You are still the sweetest, funniest, and most loving little guy ever.  You are soooo busy and you do not like to sit still!  You are quite attached to your momma these days!  When I am trying to get ready in the morning, you cry your little eyes out if I am not holding you.  The same thing happens when I get home from work.  After I am out of sight though, you usually will find something else to satisfy you.  You sure love your daddy too!  You love watching him vacuum, cut the grass, and pretty much anything else he does.

EATING:  You are slowly but surely starting to like eating a little bit more!  You seem to eat better with Nana than you do with momma and daddy.  This is probably because she gives you real food like plums, raspberries, cheese, and turkey.  You still just have your 2 bottom teeth but we can just barely see your 2 top teeth wanting to make their way through! You still take a bottle 4 times a day (usually around 6 ounces/bottle).  We are working on getting you to use a sippy cup.  You typically have 3 meals a day. You love having blueberry, strawberry, peach, or banana yogurt for breakfast!

I know, I know...total choking hazard here...

You love listening to music at the park!

SLEEP:  You are (finally) essentially sleeping through the night!!!  Every once and  a while you will get up between 10:30 and midnight, but you will usually fall back to sleep after you get some snuggles or a bottle.  You usually wake up around 5:30-6:00.  Sometimes, we'll give you a bottle when you wake up and then you go back to sleep until 7!  You are even going to bed awake and then falling asleep within a few minutes of being put into your bed.  You are still taking 2 naps a day, usually for an hour or so each nap.  We are loving your sleep patterns these days!!  We have brought back the sleep sack and that seems to have helped quite a bit.  I imagine it's cold without it!  Plus, you're such a snuggly guy and it is hard to snuggle without covers (or your momma.)  You get to come into our bed in the morning for a bit, and you climb all over us and laugh.  There's no better way to start the day!

FINE/GROSS MOTOR:  You have been walking up a storm for the past month or so!  I am amazed at how quickly you went from pulling yourself up to walking to running!  You never crawl anymore, and whenever you fall, you get yourself right back up and keep on going!  You can quickly climb stairs and you even climb on your toys or pillows if you want to get up a little higher--to reach things that you should not have.  :)  We have put up baby gates to keep you off of the stairs and out of the kitchen!  You love going in cabinets that you do not belong in.  You also like emptying your toy basket and you like pulling books off of the shelf.  You've been putting everything in your mouth lately, including every crumb or little piece of paper you can find.

Such a little stinker!  (And such a smart guy!)

COMMUNICATION/COGNITION:  You are still babbling up a storm.  Your favorite words are "mamamamamama," "dadadadadada," or "MOM!" and "DAD!"  You might be saying them to correctly identify your parents, but not all of the time...yet!  It also seems that you might call Rosco "Ra."  You at least like to share toys with her.  You are really good at waving when daddy and I leave for work in the morning and you get SO EXCITED when we come home...lots of happy squeals!  You are also doing a lot of pointing and grunting/whining if you want something.  You're getting good at turning lights on and off when we leave or enter a room.  If I say, "Where's daddy?" you will look around until you find him.  You love other kids and you especially like watching the kids next door play basketball.  While you are still a friendly little guy, you are getting more shy lately.  You will (occasionally) tuck your little head into our shoulders or chest if a stranger is talking to you.  And last but definitely not least, I think you're reeeeaaaallly close to giving me a kiss!  Such a sweetheart.

I (we) love you so much, little guy!  I love every second I get to spend with you!  My favorite part of every day is when I get to see you!  I will love you for ever and ever, sweet boy!

Weekend Recap: Beer Gardening, Running, & Sweatband Wearing

You know it's going to be a good weekend when we kick it off at our new favorite place...the beer garden!  We heart the beer garden.  We are pretty sure Ben does too.  His favorite part is watching all of the other kids play, even though I think he would prefer if he was playing with them.  I tried not to go into Momma bear mode when the kids were not being that nice to him.  (I get it, they don't want to play with the baby, but they weren't even using that green football Ben had his eye on...)  He even wore real shoes for the first time!  He is growing up sooooo fast!!

But who needs the big kids when you have your good ol' dad, right?  And if dad can't make you smile, maybe a super-sized soft pretzel will do the trick.

And if all else fails, Nana never seems to be more than 5 feet away.  That would be 2 Friday nights in a row where she just so happened to be at the same locale as us... ;)

Another one of our summer favorites is the farmer's market.  For some reason we haven't been going as much this summer, but it is always fun when we do go.  Since Ben was boycotting his stroller, we carried him around for the majority of the time.  Not sure if it was the safest move, but we finally were able to put him down when we came to a bridge by the market.  Mr. Curious was loving the river.  Daddy, of course, was loving Ben's interest in nature.   I think they were discussing their plans to go camping in the picture below.  He was telling me about how he could climb beams.  I don't think so, bud!

Saturday afternoon brought yard work for Andy and the zoo with some friends for Ben and me.  He was again boycotting the stroller so there were not enough hands to take any pictures.  I think we're going to go again this weekend so we'll have to try again.  We had a low-key Saturday night in preparation for the Color Run on Sunday!  Ben got in his warm up before the big race.  I CANNOT get enough of him in this sweatband.  He has the best hair EVER.

Although I had many concerned friends, for the record Ben did not actually participate in the Color Run.  He watched and cheered from a distance with Grandpa.

Before & After

Despite the name the Color Run, it felt like Andy and I were the only ones running.  Even though we have not run at all since the half, we were able to crank out the 5k in less than 28 minutes.  (Thank you, 2 weeks worth of Insanity DVDs.)  This includes stopping and kissing Ben whenever we saw him and my dad.

Again, in love with my boy in his sweatband.   While it was not the most, and perhaps the least, competitive run we have done, we still had a blast!

We ended our Sunday evening by celebrating Andy's dad's birthday at his parents' house.  We grilled out and Ben got to play with his one and only cousin, so of course he had fun!  Unfortunately, I forgot to take some pictures, but rest assured it was a fantastic ending to a fun weekend.  Happy Monday!

Weekend Recap: Beer Garden & Birthday Fun

I'm late on the post, again, but that means we're that much closer to the weekend, again!  Woohoo!  This week has been busy, but I am currently enjoying a glass of wine and some "Friends" with my super hubs, so I cannot complain.  Now to see if I can remember what we did over the weekend.  Friday night was pretty relaxed.  We went to the park for the second night in a row.  Ben LOVES the park.   He cannot get enough of watching the kids play basketball next door, so as soon as the kids were done shooting hoops at the park, we had to let him run up and down the court.

We have been having picnic dinners at the park for the past several Thursdays, but we are so much fun that sometimes we have to extend the celebration another night.  In fact, my mom and John and Auntie Anna caught wind of our wild Friday night plans, so they had to crash the park party.   Ben showed them how it's done.

We do the same things every time, yet somehow it never gets old.  And we also learned that it is much quieter on Friday night than Thursday nights.  I'd say we could switch our picnic in the park night but we found a new gem that we are planning on visiting on a regular basis--a beer garden!!  More on that in a moment.

Daddy looks like he is in pain after momma got off...hmmm....

Saturday morning brought a lot of productivity at our house...I wish I could say that it was thanks to us!  We actually owe a HUGE, GINORMOUS thank you to my mom and John for all of the yard work they did on Saturday morning!  If there is one thing, yes, only one thing, that we are less than awesome at, it would have to be yard work.  I just do not enjoy it, but I do like it to look nice.  Go figure.  We had approximately one million weeds, sticks, and logs to get rid of, and it looked SO much better after they left!  Thank you!!!  We appreciate it so much!  You're the BEST!

For the record, my mom and John did all of the work.  Andy was gone and Benji and I watched. 

I actually met up with a coworker (at the bar) to work on an educational conference we are hosting in the fall, so I wasn't totally worthless on Saturday.  :)  After this, I came up with the brilliant idea to go the new neighborhood beer garden!  I unfortunately did not take more pics, but that is only because I was too busy stuffing my face with food and wine.  There are a bunch of picnic tables, strands of lights (my fave), and you can bring your own food.  After a quick stop at Trader Joe's, we were set.  We met up with some friends and then ran into other friends while we were there.  It was essentially the perfect evening.  You can even bring your own beer stein and the BEST part---HUGE SOFT PRETZELS!!!  Those are probably on my top 10 list of favorite foods, and although I did not get one this time around, I see one in my near future.   Last, but definitely not least, I have to mention that Saturday was my dad's (aka grandpa's) birthday!  Benji wished him an extra special day in preparation for our Sunday celebration.

On Sunday it was time to celebrate my dad's birthday.  We went to our favorite outdoor dining location for brunch.  The air and water show was in town, but thanks to the state fair traffic, it was so late by the time we got there that we did not have time to watch the show too.  We did get to see the planes write in the sky though!  Despite having a good nap, Ben was not that interested in enjoying a nice relaxing brunch.  After he played musical chairs with Uncle, Auntie, Andy, and me, he ultimately ended up with the birthday boy.  He was not digging the food we were offering him, but he grabbed a pickle and much to my dismay (pickles gross me out), he was LOVING it!  Unfortunately, this is the only pic we got with gramps, but needless to say, this was the highlight of Ben's outing.

Thanks to my dad for taking some pics of Ben and me!  I'm trying to take more of the 2 of us because I feel like I didn't take enough with him when he was a teeny tiny baby.  Ben was able to pull off his classic trick on Auntie Anna.  Just when she thought Ben was moving in for a smooch...off go the glasses!  Gotcha, Auntie!!!

As busy as he was during brunch, he still had time to give momma some love.

And a few more pictures from grandpa.  Happy birthday, dad!  We love you so much and hope you had a great day!! XOXO

We wrapped up our Sunday with a walk.  Even though Ben was more interested in Rosco peeing for the 87th time, he still made time to smile for a pic with his momma.

Happy hump day, from my clean little Alphalpha!  Thanks for the 'do, Nana!