Brandon's 3rd Birthday!!

Brandon with his new tool bench from mom and dad for his birthday!


Brandon at Chuck E. Cheese for his birthday party!

Brandon's 3rd birthday was a big success! Thank you to all of you who helped him celebrate..he had alot of fun! My favorite part of his party was definitely when Chuck E. Cheese came out to sing and dance for Brandon and Brandon said, "Thank you Mickey Mouse." Good thing Chuck E. Cheese has a sense of humor and found it funny as well.
I can't believe that he is 3 already! Before I now it he will be starting school...YIKES!!

Mr. Bossy

Well, as you all know tomorrow is the day...the day my oldest baby turns 3!! Where has the time gone? When did he grow up? You never really believe people when they tell you to enjoy your babies because they grow up too fast..you never believe that that is until you become a parent and realize your child is growing so fast right before your very eyes!! Brandon is so much like a little man now (an assertive one at that). The other day as I was getting into the drivers seat of the van Brandon yelled at me, "Put your buckle on mom!" This is only one of the numerous "friendly reminders" that he tends to give the rest of the Bennett household (poor Jacob gets it the worst). Brandon has done SO well on the potty!! :) He wears big boy underwear all day and only pull-ups at night!! Mom and Dad couldn't be more proud of him!!

Jacob learned to jump the other day! It is adorable!! He also got a couple back teeth on top..a couple more and we can officially say "Bring on the red meat!" Jake is a very soft spoken and thoughtful child who worships the ground that his big brother walks on (not always a good thing). We have discovered recently that if Brandon is away and Jacob has some alone time with mom and dad he really breaks out of his shell so to speak. Don't get me wrong Jacob will stand up and defend himself but not so much in the assertive way as Brandon. Funny how two children can be so different?

We set up our old television and dvd player in the boys room that we let them watch Spongebob on occasion..BIG hit with Brandon..Jake could really care less!

I took this picture last night in hopes of sneaking up on them (it didn't work). They are looking at a photo album together on Brandon's bed and Brandon is pointing to everyone and telling Jake who they are. It was priceless!! Brandon loves to look at photo albums!! That's all for now!

Out of the Mouth of Babes

Just a short funny story to hopefully brighten your day: This morning I took the boys to Wal-Mart with me to get some groceries and as the check out lady was ringing us up Brandon proceeded to tell her, "My daddy beats me." The lady starred at me horrified and I dumbfoundedly tried to muster up a reason why my almost 3 yr old son would say such a thing! When we arrived to the van i tried explaining to Brandon why you cannot say things like that (hopefully it sunk in). I was humiliated to say the least and anyone who knows Allen would know that is in no way true. I'm sure there will be more embarrassing times ahead, just hopefully they can learn what they can and cannot say to people...

The Day Has FINALLY came....(I hope)...

Brandon is on his second day with NO ACCIDENTS!! WHOOOO!!! Even yesterday during his two hour nap he woke up dry and asked to go to the bathroom as soon as he woke up! We are SO SO proud of our big boy!! :) He still will not wear his cool big boy underwear though. I don't know what to do? Any suggestions?? He will only wear his pull up but at least he keeps it dry :)

On another note Jacob started saying "Mine" today..OH BOY!! Let the fights begin! Brandon, as many of you know, likes to claim things as his..everything as a matter of fact! Brandon looked at Jake in shock this morning when Jake shouted "mine" back at him (then proceeded to say "no Jakers, it's Brandon's" and shove him).

Hope everyone is enjoying this wonderful warm weather we have been having!

Jake's Big Boy Cut..Brandon's Potty and a Graduation Party

Jacob got his first big boy haircut...and he HATES it!! He likes to twirl his hair around his fingers when he is tired and he can't do that anymore. He looks so grownup with it though! (My baby boy is disappearing WAY to fast!) He is saying more words now..such as.."Da you"(Love you), "Tanks" (Thanks), "No, Jaker" (He learned that from Brandon telling him that so much).

Brandon is really starting to get the hang of going potty. THANK GOODNESS!! He still has some accidents and has to wear a pull-up at night but he is doing really well! Mom and Dad are SO proud! :-)

We had my little brother, Jared's high school graduation party on Saturday in Oelwein. Congrats Jared!!I loved seeing everyone and catching up! The boys loved playing with all the little kids. Brandon still asks me, "When is Baby (Brandon's Aunt Abby) and Ava (my cousin's daugther) come to see Brandon?" Hopefully soon!! Well, that's all for now. Hope all is well with everyone!

"No!" "No!"

"No" and "Nah daddy" are Jacob's new words. And Yes, he says no to everything!! He has really gotten down his walking skills (hasn't tried the running..yet). Both of the boys are really enjoying the wonderful weather we have been having. They love to be outside which is great other than the fact they are so pale and blonde. I had to make an emergency run one day to WalMart for the strongest SPF sunscreen I could find (SPF 60)!
Brandon is doing well. His vocabulary and sentences are phenomenal! They are both such smart boys =) (some days too smart).Hope everyone is well and hope to see everyone this summer!

Update...

So much has been going on. Sorry for the lack of posting. We got a new housemate a few weeks ago!! His name is Moo Moo, he is over 2 years old and has a very laid back personality (which is great with two little boys who tend to somewhat get "over excited" and a little too rough with him)...he is our new CAT!!!



The boys absolutely love him and he does really very well with the boys. He will let them pet him (more so Brandon - he tends to be less rough), and he really actually quite social and loves people to pay attention to him. He fits right in!! :)

In other news, Jacob is officially walking!! Which I have yet to determine if it is such a good thing...now rather than the normal 30 min for the house to be destroyed it is about 10 with two little ones on the loose!! He is getting 4 more teeth in...ouch. Brandon is doing great. Says new words and sentences every day. The other day in fact I asked him what his deal was and why he was so grumpy and he looked at me very seriously with a little hand on his hip and stated; "Mom, Brandon has an attitude!" Oh boy, can't wait till the teenage years then ;)

We took them to the park on Tuesday (thanks for coming along great grandma gage) and they LOVED it!! Brandon had so much fun on the big slides and Jake really liked walking around and the swings!! Mom and Dad enjoyed it as well, the boys were so tuckered out and went to bed early that night...HOORAY FOR WARM WEATHER!! Allen and I are doing well too both staying busy with work. Allen has been working outside alot doing siding at work...working on that farmers tan :) Hope all is well with everyone and enjoy this wonderful weather!

The Munchies and The Tantrums

This is a regular everyday thing...Jacob stealing other people's food (we do feed him), but usually Brandon is not so forgiving and does not share like shown in this picture! Jacob could eat 24/7 and I think he would still be hungry, and the kid never gains weight (wish I had that problem)! We really have to watch what Jacob puts into his mouth, I swear he thinks EVERYTHING is edible...crackers, doughnuts, crayons, toy balls (he actually did bite the end off of one and try to eat the Styrofoam)! Both boys are doing very well. Brandon is getting into the horrible 3's! He can be awful when you take him to stores and he can't get whatever he wants! It turns into a BIG temper tantrum!! (Anyone want to take him until this stage passes?)




Allen is doing good as well, working alot! We both have been working out on the Wii Fit (highly recommend it)! I have been excepted into the Nursing program at Kaplan University. I start classes April 15th!! Hope all is well with everyone!

Updates...

I know it has been way to long since I have posted anything on here (sorry for that). Well, Jacob had his first birthday party, which went very well, he no longer has a bottle, eats from a spoon by himself and only gets his pacifier at nap time and/or bedtime (or if we go on long car rides). He is growing SO fast!! He is also VERY stubborn...he will walk if he is holding on to something (your hands or a piece of furniture) and he will stand up straight and get his balance but he will not take that first step...he also REFUSES to drink out of a sippy cup it has to be a regular cup with a straw!




Brandon is doing well too. His vocabulary is defiantly getting broader and easier to understand for the most part and he is defiantly taking the "big brother" job seriously...he will let us know if Jake falls, cries, pushes him, gets into something...ect. He does ok with potty training, although we still have a ways to go yet with it!

I am going to a new position at work starting next week. I will work every weekend and be home Monday thru Thursday during the week (which I love, I can spend more time with Allen and the boys). I am going next week to enroll back in school and hopefully fulfill my dream of becoming a nurse. Allen is doing well too. Sorry again for not posting sooner. I hope everyone is well...and think Spring (maybe then it will come sooner)!

Its been a long month

We know its been a long time since we posted on this. Lets see where to begin. Jake finally got some more teeth so hes is up to six now. Jake was also in the hospital for a few days in the middle of January. He was running a temp of 105 so we took him to the hospital where they kept him for a few nights. The Dr.s where never quite sure what was going on with him, but hes better now. Durning all this time Brandon was such a big help. We started potty training Brandon. He has days where he goes all day in the big boy potty and others where he does not care. Keisha is on vacation this week and is going to keep him home with her for some one on one training. Jake turned one last week. Man where has the time gone? And since he turned one we took the bottle from him. He has gone since last Friday afternoon with out one! Nothing new with Keisha and me. Well I think that's all hope to see everyone this Saturday

Brandon the Peeper...

Picture this: Last night we went to Texas Roadhouse to eat for supper and Brandon came into the bathroom with me. A lady comes into the stall next to me and Brandon says,"I wanna see", and peers under the stall...definatly Allen's boy! It was funny and embarrassing all at the same time. Another one of those stories to embarrass him with later.
The boys are doing great! They are into everything!! Jacob loves walking with his walker and is getting much better at it.

Well that is all I have for now. Will post more later.

Mr. Innocent and His Begger

Jacob has started to stand at the bottom of Brandon's chair (as captured below) and "beg" for food. Heck, forget having pets...we have kids!! Brandon, being the generous boy that he is usually does try to give his brother some of his dinner, the more Brandon doesn't enjoy it, the more "scraps" his brother gets! Jacob, is getting alot better with eating people food, but he still only has four teeth so alot of foods are still on the can't eat list.



Brandon has started this "Mr. Innocent" routine. If he does something wrong and you ask him if he did it; usually you will see those big blue eyes of his turn sweet and him go, "No mommy." As if to say, "Me...do something I'm not supposed to...NEVER."

They both are growing like weeds and constantly keep us on our toes; but everyday they bring a smile to your face and more love to your heart.