First we went to Flagstaff, a town three hours from Phoenix which looks and feels like an entirely different state (reminded me a lot of the mountains in Utah).
Then we went to San Diego area (La Jolla) in July so the kids could see the beach for the first time.
Benjamin of course was up at 4:30...
Now for a summary of the latest cute-isms:
Benjamin
- Although he has a lot of common interests with his older brother Andrew (playing cars, throwing/kicking balls, being outside, etc), he is about the exact opposite personality-wise. Whereas Andrew can be a bit impulsive and dives into everything head first, Benjamin tends to be more tepid. Often he will quietly observe a situation for a while before making a move. Sometimes he will stand around and watch kids play at the playground for a half hour (a long time to just quietly stand and watch for a 18 month old) before deciding to join in.
- Likes soft blankets. He could care less about the color, but is very picky about texture. (His favorite is a soft pink organic cotton Gerber blanket that we got at Rebekah's baby shower.) I might even call him a blanket snob.
- Doesn't like sand. Most parks here in Arizona are built over sand, so basically you are dealing with a large sandbox every time you go play. This has been the bane of my park existence, particularly when they are in diapers (think: wet sand). Kids can't help throwing sand or digging themselves into it. Benjamin plays in a little bit but then comes out "asking" me to wipe his hands off. As if I couldn't love this baby any more...
- Likes to get himself trapped so you come and rescue him. He can't open doors, but he can shut them. He has used that to his advantage in the following manner: Benjamin goes into a room and shuts the door. Calls "mommy" until you come get him. You go looking for the one door that you might have accidentally left open (open shut, open shut). Then when you find him he squeals in delight. Repeat multiple times every ten minutes or so...
- Has learned quite a few words, but his first was "no." He would wag his finger at you and say "no, no, no, no..."
- Gives everyone kisses before he goes to bed or down for a nap. He does the open-mouth slobbery kisses
Andrew
- Currently in preschool (same in-home preschool that Rebekah attended). Doing well and making friends. According to his teacher he plays when its time to play and learns when its time to learn.
- Asks for a lot of socialization. First words every morning: Where are we going? Then, even after he gets back from somewhere: Where are we going after my nap? Sometimes he just says "I want to go to anyone's house"
- Starting to lose his naps. Still takes a nap about half the time, but they are getting shorter.
- We enrolled him in preschool since he seemed lonely after Rebekah started school. Before his first day, we told him "Maybe you can make a new friend in preschool." To which he responded, "No, I just want to make a Rebekah."
Rebekah
- Spends most of her free time drawing. Often she has captions and does entire story boards to go along with her pictures. She is good at doing very expressive faces on her people
- Currently we are teaching her the value of money. In response to her request for something that cost $15, she stated she would just go buy $15 at the "money store"... (she also sometimes goes into her room, shuts the door, and comes out a little while later informing us she was working and now has earned a thousand dollars.
- Some of her sample art work:
Here is a mini cartoon she did a few weeks ago:
Her I'm sorry card when Andrew was taken to urgent care with a bleeding head:
