Sorry for the delay in posting these!
Monday, March 29, 2010
Friday, March 19, 2010
Super Hero Squad
Right now the boys enjoy the educational preschool type shows you find on PBS Sprout and Disney Channel. Jack also has started to get into superheroes. But, most of the superhero shows are too dark for kids his age. I recorded a couple of the new Batman cartoon but they are too scary for him. Jack has been playing with the Super Hero Squad toys which look like very cartoon versions of all the Marvel characters. Turns out they recently made a show out of it. It reminds me a lot of the old 80s cartoons like He-Man, Thundercats, G.I. Joe, etc. Jack really likes it.
It is very weird seeing my little guys so interested in a show that I would have liked at their age as well. Surreal.
It is very weird seeing my little guys so interested in a show that I would have liked at their age as well. Surreal.
Tuesday, March 16, 2010
Black Iron Man
Jack wanted an Iron Man toy while we were in Florida. But, he wanted the Red Iron Man for himself and the Black Iron Man (aka War Machine) for Ben.
Granny was happy to oblige.
We went to Target and they both found an Iron Man toy they liked. When we got back to the house, Jack realized they were both RED. He was upset.
"Where is Black Iron Man? Ben needs Black Iron Man because I am Red Iron Man!"
The next day Granny went to another Target and got two smaller action figures for the boys. One was Silver Iron Man and the other was Crimson Dynamo. Both were not sufficiently Black Iron Man.
A couple days later we hit another Target and found the Super Hero Squad mini toys. It was a two pack of (Red) Iron Man and War Machine. Excuse me, Black Iron Man.
This was okay for Jack. We eventually found a bigger Black Iron Man which Jack still wants. I think the closer we get to the movie release of Iron Man 2 the more toy options there will be.
Granny was happy to oblige.
We went to Target and they both found an Iron Man toy they liked. When we got back to the house, Jack realized they were both RED. He was upset.
"Where is Black Iron Man? Ben needs Black Iron Man because I am Red Iron Man!"
The next day Granny went to another Target and got two smaller action figures for the boys. One was Silver Iron Man and the other was Crimson Dynamo. Both were not sufficiently Black Iron Man.
A couple days later we hit another Target and found the Super Hero Squad mini toys. It was a two pack of (Red) Iron Man and War Machine. Excuse me, Black Iron Man.
This was okay for Jack. We eventually found a bigger Black Iron Man which Jack still wants. I think the closer we get to the movie release of Iron Man 2 the more toy options there will be.
Monday, March 15, 2010
Bensplosion!
Something happens when we go on vacation. The boys always return with something new up their sleeves. This time Ben came back with dozens of new words. And sentences. Ben is now fond of saying "Don't want that" or "I want this." It is very cool to see him with developed language. I have a sneaking suspicision the don't and no phrases will become his go to answers. Sigh.
The vacation was very good. The boys had a great time. I will post photos soon.
The vacation was very good. The boys had a great time. I will post photos soon.
Wednesday, March 10, 2010
Planet 51
Jack has moved past Meatballs, which he still asks for almost daily, and is now obsessed with the movie Planet 51.
It is a far inferior movie to Meatballs, but both boys like it.
After 100 viewings, I am sure I will like it too. Or want to break the DVD.
It is a far inferior movie to Meatballs, but both boys like it.
After 100 viewings, I am sure I will like it too. Or want to break the DVD.
Thursday, February 25, 2010
Cloudy X 100
Jack is OBSESSED with the movie Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs.
Since it hit DVD on 1/5, he has watched it at least 50 times and asks for it DAILY. Ben even can quote some of the funny moments in the movie. Sometimes as soon as it ends, Jack wants to watch it again.
The worst part is, I have not gotten tired of it.
After it got a horrid review on At the Movies, I had little hope for it. But, if you are a fan of the current SNL cast, you will like it. The humor is definitely aimed at adults as well as kids. I find myself finding hidden jokes each successive time I see the movie. It cracks me up and we all quote dialogue around the house like inside jokes.
I have a feeling this will be played multiple times on the drive down to Florida next week.
Since it hit DVD on 1/5, he has watched it at least 50 times and asks for it DAILY. Ben even can quote some of the funny moments in the movie. Sometimes as soon as it ends, Jack wants to watch it again.
The worst part is, I have not gotten tired of it.
After it got a horrid review on At the Movies, I had little hope for it. But, if you are a fan of the current SNL cast, you will like it. The humor is definitely aimed at adults as well as kids. I find myself finding hidden jokes each successive time I see the movie. It cracks me up and we all quote dialogue around the house like inside jokes.
I have a feeling this will be played multiple times on the drive down to Florida next week.
Monday, February 15, 2010
Profound
9:15am - Jack had to poop and he asked if I could take him to the potty, which I did. He sat and said he was almost ready and then he went. He was very proud. We wiped and washed hands and he was very proud of himself.
10am - Watched Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs, their new favorite movie.
12pm - Jack said he had to go potty again. We went and sat on the toilet. He asked for a magazine. He flipped through US Weekly to an article about the women on The Bachelor, who Jack said were all "fat."
He only had gas, so we flushed and washed hands. While washing hands, Jack asked why Flint's mom died (the mother from Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs). I said because she got very sick and sometimes when you get sick you don't get better because there is not enough medicine. Jack asked if that meant she was alone. I told him she was not alone because her family was there with her. I promised him if he ever gets sick that Mommy and I will be there to take care of him. He said OK.
12:30pm - Eating corndogs.
10am - Watched Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs, their new favorite movie.
12pm - Jack said he had to go potty again. We went and sat on the toilet. He asked for a magazine. He flipped through US Weekly to an article about the women on The Bachelor, who Jack said were all "fat."
He only had gas, so we flushed and washed hands. While washing hands, Jack asked why Flint's mom died (the mother from Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs). I said because she got very sick and sometimes when you get sick you don't get better because there is not enough medicine. Jack asked if that meant she was alone. I told him she was not alone because her family was there with her. I promised him if he ever gets sick that Mommy and I will be there to take care of him. He said OK.
12:30pm - Eating corndogs.
Friday, February 12, 2010
Smooshi/Soosee
Jack recently tried saying sushi and it came out sounding like the title of this post. Just a random observation. Speaking of which, here is some of the latest about the two Maidy boys.
Jack:
He is very verbal these day, more than ever before. He asks tons of questions and some of them are very deeply layered. It is very cool watching him grow up like this. Sometimes I forget that he is only 3 years old. I will have to post some of the amazing things he says so that anyone reading this knows what I mean. He has taken to telling me that I am his best friend and he loves me very much. He also says this to Taylor, Ben, and Sam.
The best example I can think of came last night:
"Jack, you know tomorrow is the Valentine's Party at daycare, right?"
"Party? It is not my birthday."
"I know, it is a party for Valentine's Day"
"It...is....not...my....birthday....I said!"
"I know Jack, it is a party to share Valentine's cards and show everyone how much you love them."
"Oh...(exasperated groan)....I'm busy."
-----
Ben
Ben is a big kid. He also has a terrible temper. He is constantly swiping and scratching Jack. Jack does not retaliate, which is good. Ben also screams. He will yell and it is impossible to tell if he is happy or mad. He will also let loose a tirade of yells and crying if he is not fed promptly at each meal time. It can be very, very frustrating.
Below is a somewhat comprehensive list of Ben's words these days:
Banana
Yes
No
Bye
Thank You (more of a sound than a word, but he knows what it means"
Notebook
And Beyond
Mama
Dada
Fish
I am sure I am missing some. He needs to communicate more and I am sure it will alleviate a lot of his frustration and anger. I hope.
Jack:
He is very verbal these day, more than ever before. He asks tons of questions and some of them are very deeply layered. It is very cool watching him grow up like this. Sometimes I forget that he is only 3 years old. I will have to post some of the amazing things he says so that anyone reading this knows what I mean. He has taken to telling me that I am his best friend and he loves me very much. He also says this to Taylor, Ben, and Sam.
The best example I can think of came last night:
"Jack, you know tomorrow is the Valentine's Party at daycare, right?"
"Party? It is not my birthday."
"I know, it is a party for Valentine's Day"
"It...is....not...my....birthday....I said!"
"I know Jack, it is a party to share Valentine's cards and show everyone how much you love them."
"Oh...(exasperated groan)....I'm busy."
-----
Ben
Ben is a big kid. He also has a terrible temper. He is constantly swiping and scratching Jack. Jack does not retaliate, which is good. Ben also screams. He will yell and it is impossible to tell if he is happy or mad. He will also let loose a tirade of yells and crying if he is not fed promptly at each meal time. It can be very, very frustrating.
Below is a somewhat comprehensive list of Ben's words these days:
Banana
Yes
No
Bye
Thank You (more of a sound than a word, but he knows what it means"
Notebook
And Beyond
Mama
Dada
Fish
I am sure I am missing some. He needs to communicate more and I am sure it will alleviate a lot of his frustration and anger. I hope.
Thursday, February 11, 2010
New URL
I decided to change the address for this blog. I know it is something simple, but peanut2006 just didn't fit this blog anymore. The address is now http://banjifudge.blogspot.com, which is exactly who this blog is about. Please update your favorites and/or links.
Friday, February 05, 2010
Jack the Chef
Jack helped Taylor make pizza last night and it was really good! He enjoys making food so much that I think he may be a little chef when he grows up. Or maybe not.
The time between getting home from daycare to dinner is usually a wildcard. No matter how good of a mood the boys are in, Ben tends to get cranky as his hunger grows. Jack can be plied with helping make dinner or a little milk and a TV show, but Ben cannot wait. Even if you give him a snack, he will not relent until the full meal is ready.
The only solution? Rough-housing.
If I take the boys into the room and wrestle around, throw them in the air, tickle them senseless, and just all around do boy stuff, they are fine. They laugh and giggle and have a great time and usually it can hold them off until dinner is served.
I don't know what Taylor would do if I was making dinner because she cannot lift 70 pounds of kid even though they would love her to do it. I would walk in and find her passed out from just trying.
It is fun that they are substantial enough and old enough that we can play roughly. Of course there are limits to how rough you can toss them or tickle them, but they are not babies anymore and I love smiling along with them.
The time between getting home from daycare to dinner is usually a wildcard. No matter how good of a mood the boys are in, Ben tends to get cranky as his hunger grows. Jack can be plied with helping make dinner or a little milk and a TV show, but Ben cannot wait. Even if you give him a snack, he will not relent until the full meal is ready.
The only solution? Rough-housing.
If I take the boys into the room and wrestle around, throw them in the air, tickle them senseless, and just all around do boy stuff, they are fine. They laugh and giggle and have a great time and usually it can hold them off until dinner is served.
I don't know what Taylor would do if I was making dinner because she cannot lift 70 pounds of kid even though they would love her to do it. I would walk in and find her passed out from just trying.
It is fun that they are substantial enough and old enough that we can play roughly. Of course there are limits to how rough you can toss them or tickle them, but they are not babies anymore and I love smiling along with them.
Thursday, January 28, 2010
Heavyweights
We weighed Jack and Ben last night on the home scale. Jack is 36 lbs and Ben is 35 lbs.
Wow.
Looking online, Jack is in the 90% range for 3-4 year olds and Ben is in the 95%+ range. He is big, but all of the websites I visited said that percentiles do not mean anything negative unless they fluctuate severely or if they are not in proportion to height and head circumference, which Ben's are.
Even so, he is over a year younger than Jack and only 1 pound lighter.
Lets hope Ben slows down soon...or Jack speeds up.
Wow.
Looking online, Jack is in the 90% range for 3-4 year olds and Ben is in the 95%+ range. He is big, but all of the websites I visited said that percentiles do not mean anything negative unless they fluctuate severely or if they are not in proportion to height and head circumference, which Ben's are.
Even so, he is over a year younger than Jack and only 1 pound lighter.
Lets hope Ben slows down soon...or Jack speeds up.
Wednesday, January 27, 2010
Don't Stare at the Sun
I actually had to tell Jack not to stare at the Sun this morning. He got upset and asked why. I told him because he will go blind. So, he turned and looked again.
Monday, January 18, 2010
Back to Boca
We decided to take another trip to visit my family in Florida. After weighing the options, we are driving again. Even though Ben still flies for free, it is way to expensive to fly. As it stands right now we are driving straight through again, but we are keeping the option open to stop for the night if necessary.
The trip last time was a bit stressful if only because Ben was smaller and had more restrictions of eating and moving about. While we will need more stops for them to stretch their legs, I think this trip will be a lot better. Also, since we are going earlier in the year, we hope Jack does not have another heat/allergic reaction on the way down.
The best part of this trip will be that we do not need the massive stroller, the walker, the extra toys, the two kinds of milk, the child specific snacks, etc. We are also making sure that no dress up occasions will be planned so that this will strictly be a shorts and t shirt type of vacation.
Knowing this is coming in just 2 months makes the bitter cold outside seem a little more bearable.
The trip last time was a bit stressful if only because Ben was smaller and had more restrictions of eating and moving about. While we will need more stops for them to stretch their legs, I think this trip will be a lot better. Also, since we are going earlier in the year, we hope Jack does not have another heat/allergic reaction on the way down.
The best part of this trip will be that we do not need the massive stroller, the walker, the extra toys, the two kinds of milk, the child specific snacks, etc. We are also making sure that no dress up occasions will be planned so that this will strictly be a shorts and t shirt type of vacation.
Knowing this is coming in just 2 months makes the bitter cold outside seem a little more bearable.
Saturday, January 16, 2010
Stuffed Peppers
Jack's picky eating has gotten somewhat better over the past week. Since he was sent to bed without dinner his appetite has gotten better. He even tried a brand new recipe which he tends to sometimes hesitate with.
I made stuffed bell peppers for dinner. I looked at recipes online for the basics but essentially made it my own as I prepared it. They look fancy but they were incredibly easy to make. Now that I know they taste good, we can try different filling ingredients.
Jack was not interested at first. Right now if he sees things mixed together he picks out the offending vegetables or seasonings and eats the bare bones meat and rice. But, as soon as he saw the "bowl" was edible he was intrigued. While he did not actually eat the pepper itself, he did have a fair helping of the inside.
I think that next time, with some minor tweaks, the dish will taste even better.
I made stuffed bell peppers for dinner. I looked at recipes online for the basics but essentially made it my own as I prepared it. They look fancy but they were incredibly easy to make. Now that I know they taste good, we can try different filling ingredients.
Jack was not interested at first. Right now if he sees things mixed together he picks out the offending vegetables or seasonings and eats the bare bones meat and rice. But, as soon as he saw the "bowl" was edible he was intrigued. While he did not actually eat the pepper itself, he did have a fair helping of the inside.
I think that next time, with some minor tweaks, the dish will taste even better.
Monday, January 11, 2010
The Jerks
Sometimes it is hard to remember that they are only little kids.
Sometimes you get very mad and have to bite your tongue because they don't know any better.
Ben has an ear infection and has been very cranky. He also has a short fuse when it comes to mealtime and if he is not fed promptly he screams and whines and cries. As soon as he eats, he is fine.
Jack has entered a picky phase. He does not eat for very minute reasons and will forgo some of his favorite foods for no apparent reason. These are common 3 year old things to do.
But they are very frustrating and annoying.
Today, stepping back, the boys were pretty good overall.
Ben screamed when he wanted lunch.
Jack was very picky about lunch.
Jack would not stay down for his nap.
3 issues in an eight hour day. Not too bad. They seem worse in the thick of it because I have lots of work to do and they can get very loud.
After they go to bed and I think back I am sure I will realize it was rough but not Armageddon.
Sometimes it is easier to think they are pissy little men rather than tiny little kids.
Sometimes you get very mad and have to bite your tongue because they don't know any better.
Ben has an ear infection and has been very cranky. He also has a short fuse when it comes to mealtime and if he is not fed promptly he screams and whines and cries. As soon as he eats, he is fine.
Jack has entered a picky phase. He does not eat for very minute reasons and will forgo some of his favorite foods for no apparent reason. These are common 3 year old things to do.
But they are very frustrating and annoying.
Today, stepping back, the boys were pretty good overall.
Ben screamed when he wanted lunch.
Jack was very picky about lunch.
Jack would not stay down for his nap.
3 issues in an eight hour day. Not too bad. They seem worse in the thick of it because I have lots of work to do and they can get very loud.
After they go to bed and I think back I am sure I will realize it was rough but not Armageddon.
Sometimes it is easier to think they are pissy little men rather than tiny little kids.
Sunday, December 27, 2009
Snow Days
We are at almost a foot of snow from 12/24 through 12/26. The boys finally got to play in it today. It is light and powdery and not too cold outside. They both loved it. In fact, Ben is steadier on snow than on normal flat flooring. Silly rabbit.
Everyone is doing well. Back to work Monday. Weekends are not long enough!
Everyone is doing well. Back to work Monday. Weekends are not long enough!
Friday, December 25, 2009
Merry Christmas!
Ben and Jack love Christmas.
Jack opened everything this year and had genuine excitement.
Ben didn't like opening, but he loved playing!
After killing 5 fish on Christmas Eve, 1 Crowntail Betta survived...so far.
Ben LOVES his fishy!
The last minute superhero toys were a huge hit. How the heck does Jack know who Iron Man is??
Jack and Ben have watched Mickey's Twice Upon a Christmas 10 times...so far. Good thing Mickey's Once Upon a Christmas is on later today.
Taylor and I did not do gifts for each other this year, only the boys. So, no Lost Season 5 for me....oh well.
It is a White Christmas...and still coming down.
Food was good. Great Korean stuff, my stuff was so so.
The kids are happy, so Christmas was good.
Jack opened everything this year and had genuine excitement.
Ben didn't like opening, but he loved playing!
After killing 5 fish on Christmas Eve, 1 Crowntail Betta survived...so far.
Ben LOVES his fishy!
The last minute superhero toys were a huge hit. How the heck does Jack know who Iron Man is??
Jack and Ben have watched Mickey's Twice Upon a Christmas 10 times...so far. Good thing Mickey's Once Upon a Christmas is on later today.
Taylor and I did not do gifts for each other this year, only the boys. So, no Lost Season 5 for me....oh well.
It is a White Christmas...and still coming down.
Food was good. Great Korean stuff, my stuff was so so.
The kids are happy, so Christmas was good.
Friday, December 18, 2009
Christmas Pageant 2009
Ben got to join his brother in this year's daycare Chriatmas show. Neither sang nor danced. Buncha crumb bums.
Thursday, December 17, 2009
Syd the Kyd
It has been too long since Sydney Lim was born and we have not posted anything.
She is as sweet as her sisters. Ben and Jack have a new friend and partner in crime.
She is as sweet as her sisters. Ben and Jack have a new friend and partner in crime.
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