Just some funny memories from the past few months...



Pint sized Danny and Benji take on their German big guy cousins Jonas and Jannis in foosball.



Every few months or so I like to pick out a couple of the funny things the boys say--things we don't want to forget as the years go by. So without further ado, here are some quotes we captured on FB.

Feb 8

So this morning I asked the boys what we should get Mama for Valentine's Day. True story, Danny said "what about a pretty dress? Or a gravestone?"

(Turns out he thinks gravestones are cement you can write stuff on and he would want to draw a heart.)

Feb 18

I woke up to Benji cradling my face in his little hands, studying me intently. Then he smiled, and just when I thought life couldn't get better, he blasted me with a mighty cough. Joy. Easy come. Easy go.

May 5

5 year old Danny: "Fine Benji, you're not a baby, you're a infant!" 3 year old Benji: "I'm not an infant! I'm an outfielder!" Still smiling.

May 31

Talking baseball with the boys, and asked them what position they'd like to play. Danny said shortstop. Little Benji replied that he wanted to be the vampire. Dear God, will they be this funny always?

July 12

Out of the blue my 3 year old announced today that I am old. Hmmmm... "Is Mama (Susanne) old too? I asked.

"No, she's new."

Kinda hurt, but totally cracked me up.

Aug 24

(While driving in stop and go traffic.) "Just make the beep sound. Then they will go faster!" The Gospel According to Benji –

Aug 31

Just wondering how our sons will one day answer online Security Questions" like "mother's middle name" or "mother's maiden name"? Secretly hoping they pick me. Susanne is right. I'm way too competitive!

Sept. 16

Danny was helping me pull weeds this weekend and when I pulled out a particularly stubborn one, he yelled out "oh your gosh!" (And just as I was about to say "oh my gosh!") My silly Danny!

Our #2 Son

Benjamin getting ready to hop on his bike. If Danny can ride without training wheels, so can he! (Not quite yet!)

This is 3 year old Benji. Our baby. Sometimes I think of him as an "old soul" though. It's like when he looks at you with those piercing blue eyes, it seems like he can look right through you. He is also very empathetic and picks up very quickly on when other people are upset. Nice boy he is, he always tries to make it all better. (Except when fighting with his brother. Then there is not a whole lot of empathy!)

He sometimes hates that he is the baby. Whenever his older brother masters something like riding a bike or getting something off a high shelf, Benji figures it's time for him to be able to do the same thing. And it's shocking sometimes how much he can do at his tender age.

Yes, he's growing fast, but in some ways, this is the perfect age. He gets to be a "big boy" and go to school and run and play, but then there are those precious times when he curls up in our arms and he is, for a few sweet moments, our little baby again. Not sure how much longer that will last, but I'm going to cherish it.

Our little superhero, AKA, Benji-MAN!

Our #1 Son

Picture of 6 year old Danny taken by a fellow student at summer school.

Funny how just looking at a picture can make one's heart swell with love and pride. Six years have gone by in a wink of an eye. What will the next six years bring? I'm guessing more love and pride. Have a great weekend everyone! -Monica

That is SO Cool!

Today is an exciting day at our house. After lots and lots of thinking and planning, we finally decided to take the financial plunge and get a central air conditioning system installed. The installers are here as I write, and I cannot wait until it is done. (It's a high velocity system that has small tubes that run through our closets.) This is a pretty expensive home improvement, but we are very excited to soon have better control of the temperature and humidity in the house. It will take a few more days for the installation to be complete so I'll try to be patient. But it's so exciting!

I think in some corner of my mind, I figured that this was a home improvement we'd make one day when we were thinking about selling to improve the value of the home, but then we got to thinking that it just made sense to go ahead and do it already so we could enjoy the benefits.

Susanne's mom VERY graciously contributed to our "AC fund" and we are so grateful. Hopefully all of her future visits to see her grandchildrn here in DC will be more comfortable from here on out. It's never just the heat in DC. It's the HUMIDITY. So excited that this system also dehumidifies as it cools. Thank you Nana!

To update you on Danny's thumb sucking progress, the icky tasting stuff has really been working. He's taken to wearing a glove on his left hand at night so he doesn't accidentally suck on it while asleep, and during the days he very quickly takes his thumb out the second it goes near his mouth. Yes it's aversion therapy, but nothing else seemed to be working so we are at peace with it.

We were telling our dear friend Patty about the "thumb project" the other day and he explained it to her in detail. Actually seemed proud that he was finally stopping with the thumb sucking. So overall we are super pleased and hope to be able to stop using it as soon as it seems that he's really stopped.

Other than that all is well. Danny has soccer several nights a week and Saturdays. Benji is liking school so far (and has Saturday soccer too) and both boys are extremely excited about Halloween coming (yes I realize there are 54 days til Halloween.) Danny plans to be a Knight and Benji a Pirate. Let's see how well they stick to those plans.

Have a great day and next time I write from home, I'll be cool as a cucumber. Yay! -M

Breaking Up is Hard to Do (Thumb Story)

So our dear sweet 6 year old loves soccer, drumming, Beyblades, his purple blanket, and one other very important thing. His left thumb. Seriously. He loves it. Specifically, he loves to suck his thumb. When he's tired, or stressed, or hot, or cold, or happy, or mad, or glad, or awake, or sound asleep, or...well, you get the picture. Whenever there is any "down time", Danny will suck his thumb.

Our dentist has been gently warning us for a long time that the sucking is damaging his front teeth and his bite. And we've tried everything from a special word reminder, to nagging, to begging to...well you get the picture. He continues to suck his thumb.

So. We finally decided enough was enough and after some research bought and yesterday applied a topical solution to his thumbnail that tastes awful! It is called Mavala, and oh how he hates it. Just a little bit is needed and it is almost impossible to wash off. (He took a very long bath last night hoping that he could get that flavor to go away.) In the middle of the night he apparently started sucking his thumb because he woke up very upset that the flavor was in his mouth (when he's awake he tastes it and pulls his thumb out right away, but in his sleep I think he sucked on it for awhile.) I gave him some honey and he drank tons of water and he agreed to wear a glove on that hand (something he'd previously vetoed) to prevent that terrible taste again. And he kept it on the rest of the night. As a mom who hates it when her kid is in pain, I can tell you that this is not fun.

He really does want to stop sucking his thumb. He is embarrased by it he says, and in fact this morning, let us put it on his thumbnail again without a struggle and vowed that he wouldn't suck on it all day. I really hope this is all worth it.

Thumb sucking. It's a hard habit to break. Wish him luck. -Monica