Ben's 23 and 24 Month Pictures

It's been a month today since Ben turned 2. I've been working on his blog book of his first two years and realized that not only did I forget to post his 24 month pictures but I also forgot to post his 23 month ones. So, I am combining them into one post. I only took monthly photos of Cruz up until 24 months so I will do the same for Ben.   I am a little sad to see it end but David is rejoicing. We have taken those monthly photos of our kids for the past 48 months straight.  We only had one lap-over month when Ben was 1 month old and Cruz was 24 months.  It's not always been easy to do, but I am thankful I was able to keep it up. I'll treasure these photos forever.  Just as I did for Cruz I'll be printing out a book of all of Ben's monthly posts. It will include all of his well-baby check-ups, his first and second birthdays, and a few of him and his brother. I did not do a separate baby book for either of them so this is like their baby books to me. These books will be precious to my heart as the years pass by.

Here is Ben at 23 months-

And here is my sweet boy at 24 months-

(picking flowers for his mama)

Little Boys are Treasures
Author: Unknown

Little boys are treasures
Who are worth their weight in gold.
And charm everyone around them
From the time they're minutes old.

They're Mommy's little darling,
They're a special pal to Dad,
And they bring the very happiest days
A family's ever had.

Ben's 2 Year Check-up

Ben recently had his two year well baby check-up. It was his first one in the States. We had it done at a local children's clinic here in Brookhaven.

my sweet little guy when we arrived at the clinic

playing while we waited to be called back

When they called his name he stopped playing and walked straight through the door to the back.  It was as if he knew the drill already.  The nurse thought it was soo cute.  He's just getting soo grown!

He weighs 23 pounds and is 33.5 inches tall

His entertainment while we waited.  He got a little restless but was WAY more chilled than his brother would have ever been!  For the most part he is such an easy child and mild mannered.

me and my silly boy Ben

he is precious to my soul!

I just love that sweet smile

He got a good check-up.  He received a few vaccines that he lacked and needed before we return to Guatemala.  He handled them pretty well.  He picked out a blue sucker and Spiderman stickers so that made him smile all the way to the car.  He is growing up way too fast for this mama's heart but I'm very grateful that he is healthy and growing strong.

Easter Sunday 2014

This was the first time in eight years we have been in the States for Easter Sunday.  It was our boys first time ever.  It was also their first time to get Easter morning treats and our first time to dress up and go to church as a family to celebrate.  I did enjoy it very much and mostly because who knows how many years it will be before we'll get to do it again.  Here is how we spent our day-

Almost every occasion these days in our home has a super hero theme.  I love having boys!  This is their Easter morning surprises.

Cruz gets SO excited and the expressions on his face make my heart smile.  Ben, on the other hand, does not always wake up in a great mood so it takes him a while to warm up to the excitement.

checking out their new stuff 

After a French toast breakfast we went out back to take pictures.

Our family on Easter Sunday 2014 

Sweet brothers

David had the bright idea to tell them to say "wee wee" to get them to smile.  Well, they smiled, BUT they also grabbed their "wee wee's".   Life with boys...

We went to church with my mom at Shady Grove Baptist in Hazlehurst.

Mimi, Cruz, me, and Ben 

After church we drove to Crystal Springs to be with David's family.  We all gathered at his grandmother's house.  We had a huge covered dish meal and then had a little family birthday party for Ben.

Happy birthday, again, sweet Ben! 

Since it was Easter Sunday I decided to just do an Easter themed party.  David's Aunt Libby always makes a rabbit cake every year so I told her to put Ben's name on it and we'd use it for his birthday.  I bought this cute pinata at Wal-Mart and a few decorations at the Dollar Tree and we were set. 

Ben's rabbit birthday cake 

the boys immediately started picking the M&M's off and eating them

Ben blowing out his #2 candle.  This is the same candle Cruz had when he turned 2.  I think I'll continue that tradition for years to come.

Why wait for a knife to cut the cake and plates to serve it on.  Let's just dig in and enjoy it NOW.  ha

opening birthday presents 

No party would be complete without a pinata.  That was the Guatemala touch I added to this party.

This is Cruz's favorite part of any party.  Why?  because pinatas equal candy- lots of candy! 

cousins 

Larsen, Sawyer, Kaylie, Ben, Zack, Brandon, and Cruz

we then had a family egg hunt 

Later that afternoon we went for a walk around town.  It's one of my favorite things to do when we are at Maw Maw's house. 

Ben loved playing in the town water fountain. 

I always like to take pictures of the kids in the town Magnolia tree. 

Crystal Springs is David's hometown.   

Larsen and Cruz 

As we walked we saw this beautiful flower covered cross at the Methodist Church.  It was beautiful! We ended up returning to take a few family pictures in front of it.

Those are real flowers.  Isn't it pretty! 

our family at the cross 

 Ben, Robin (David's sister), Maw Maw Farmer, Larsen, Memaw (David's mom), David, and Cruz

Ben, me, Robin, Maw Maw Farmer, Aunt Terry, Aunt Lisa, Larsen, and Memaw Linda

Isn't this gorgeous!!!  It was dark by the time we returned to our home but we got to enjoy this beautiful sunset on the drive back.  What a pretty way to end our fun day.  We hope you had a happy Easter as well.  We were very thankful to get to spend ours with family this year.

Celebrating Ben's 2nd Birthday

I have made it a tradition to go in and sing "happy birthday" to my boys when they wake up on their birthday morning.  Cruz has always loved it.  This is Ben's second year and so far he is not a fan.  Last year he cried and this year he would not look at any of us.  When Cruz tried to go over and hug him he resisted.  Oh well, I'll keep doing it anyway.  Maybe one day he'll appreciate it, ha.  Here is his birthday morning video-

 After singing we invited him to go into the kitchen and see what he could find.  He took off running.

this was him when he walked in to see all of his stuff

They both immediately started exploring.

Both of my boys love books.  When Ben saw this book he got very excited.

He grabbed it and sat down to "read".

This was his face when he realized that drawer was full of tools.  Yippee!!!

David put his tool belt on him.

fun times!

For his birthday breakfast I made blueberry pancakes.  I decorated his with whipped cream and mini M&M's.  I shaped it into a number 2.

After eating and a little more play time we got dressed and headed to Jackson.  I let Cruz skip preschool and we visited the Mississippi Children's Museum.  It is such a cool place and I thought it would be a fun thing to do for Ben's birthday.  We last visited this museum back on October 16, 2012 to celebrate Ben turning 6 months old.  You can click HERE to read about that first visit.  It kind of felt like a tradition to go back, ha. 

David and the boys outside of the museum

my boys love playing in vehicles so this car was perfect for them to explore

This will be a reality before we know it.  yikes!

the reality of this won't be so bad though

learning how to milk a cow

Cruz wore this vest and hard hat almost the whole time we were there.

Ben's very favorite thing of all was pushing these buttons to hear the animal sounds. 

This was his reaction every time he would hear one.  We were laughing out loud.  It was too cute!

They all three loved playing here. 

What little boy doesn't love playing with water?

...or fishing

...or working a crane?

Cruz was CRAZY about this crane.  I think we revisited it at least three times.  We would be in other parts of the museum and he would cry to go back here.  He has already told me that he wants to go play with that crane again for his birthday, oh mercy. 

The White's

I tried to get a picture of Ben with his letters but he would not sit still.  So, instead, I just took a picture of his name.

chillin' in a catfish

Our family celebrating Ben's 2nd birthday at the Mississippi Children's Museum in Jackson, MS. 

We had a picnic lunch before returning home.  Later that afternoon we had visits from some of our neighbor kids and we enjoyed sharing birthday cake with them. 

Annie, Ben, Maggie, and Cruz

They are our next door neighbors and my boys are crazy about them.  They play together almost every afternoon.  They are precious girls!

Memaw and Larsen also came to see Ben on his birthday. 

Cousins- Ben, Larsen, and Cruz

Cruz helped Ben open his birthday presents from Memaw.

We picked up a pizza for supper.  It's one of Ben's favorite foods.  We ate and then watched his new Curious George movie before going to bed. 

What a fun day we had!  I love celebrating with my boys everyday, but especially on the day of their births.  Those are by far two of my favorite days of the year.  It makes me stop and thank God for the miracle of birth, the privilege of being a mom, and the joy of raising kids.  It's not always easy, but it's a blessing that I try not to take for granted. 

(And, just in case you are interested, you can read about Ben's first birthday celebration by clicking on the blue link.)