April

In April Ben started to play his first organized sport. He chose soccer. His Mom got him all organized with the right equipment thanks to a few knowledgeable clerks at the soccer store.  The soccer team he was on was a co-ed team called the Stars.   He took it all in stride and not once looked nervous going out to the field to practice or play a game. I think I was more nervous for him! 

Ben also got an award from school that month for helping to encourage and respecting others. He was quite proud to bring that home and we all made a big deal out of his accomplishment.

During this month my morning sickness kicked in big time…all day..every day. I would work, come home, pick up Ben and then Alexis and want to crash afterwards.  I did my best but often would got to sleep right after Alexis did at 7pm.  The only saving grace I felt from feeling so horrible was knowing that this likely meant the baby was doing great. Mom on the other hand, not so much.

March

In March my little, sweet princess turned two years olds. How fast the time seemed to fly by. We celebrated her special day with an outing out with just Mom. I asked if she wanted to go to a play place or a place to read stories. She is a book lover and asked to go read stories. Unfortunately a lot of book stores in our area closed, but we were able to snag a nice quiet reading session at the Reston Library. Following that, we went to Santini’s for lunch where Alexis got to taste her first chocolate milk. Her eyes bulged at the delicious flavor of this new found drink. Later that evening we celebrated as a family and Alexis got a blue doll Cinderella doll from her brother and a few nice presents from her parents.

The following weekend, we celebrated her birthday with friends and family at our house. We had a Minnie Mouse theme and she truly enjoyed playing with all the other kids. She might not of gotten the hang of organized games, but we tried them all and she felt like a big girl.

Later that month, while her Dad was on a business trip, her Mom discovered a new exciting journey for the family. I was pregnant with my third and when James returned from his business trip he was given the same little pair of blue shoes that I had given to him when I found out I was pregnant with Ben.  I told Nagymama while at her house one day that Alexis is going to be a big sister. She was taken back a bit by it while processing the information but was overjoyed at the thought of a new grandchild. Nagypapa was told by me asking what his plans are for November. He thought for a moment and told me he had a church related event but nothing else and what should he be planning for? He was of course ecstatic a new little being was being welcomed into the family. Gaga and Uncle Rick were also told one day while out our house by James that Ben and Alexis were going to be a big brother and sister. Gaga I guess didn’t at first get what we were telling her, but Rick sure did. It was fun to see their reactions.  James and I were just overjoyed at the thought of having another little person due on November 26^th. He or she was going to be our Thanksgiving baby.

February

February also proved to be another existing month. I went to Hockey in Heels where it is a women’s only event where we got to meet with the Capitals. I took pictures with Beagle, shot pucks with Wolski, Crabb and Thomas.  I also had quite a few laughs as my kids continue to entertain me daily with their questions and fun little actions.  One day when passing a skunk on the road I jokingly asked Ben, “Ew Ben, did you poop in your pants?” Boys this age love farts, burps and bodily functions.   Ben quite amused responded with, “Congratulations on your fart Dad! Way to Go!” Trying not to crack up, James responded with “Sorry son, I wish I could take the credit.” AHHH I guess boys never truly grow out the grossness of bodily functions.   

In February, Ben and I also had a double date with Aunt Amy and his cousin. We went to a Disney show where Ben feasted on a blue snow cone out of a Mickey Mouse mug. He had a fantastic time at the show and loved that he got to share his experience with his best friend and cousin.

January

January was a very busy month for our little family. We got to experience more of a lot of firsts and enjoy the kids interacting with one another. We also learned a few new parental tricks, such as if you use a stop watch with Ben, you can get a room cleaned faster because he always wants to beat his old time.   Ben and Alexis are growing like weeds.  Alexis is growing more and more from being a baby to becoming a toddler/kid. On one Sunday while we watched her Dad play football, her little self was out at the sidelines yelling at the players as if she was coaching them from the sidelines. I love her beautiful sweet side and so proud that she uses her voice.  Ben continues to surprise me as one morning when we were headed out the door, Ben said “after you” to me.  He is learning that it is polite to let girls go first and hold the door for them. I couldn’t be prouder of the little man he is growing into.

Ben truly still loves peter Pan and often talks about adventures to Neverland. He wonders when Peter is going to visit and he wears his Peter Pan costume quite often around the house and talking about pirates.

Alexis has a new fascination with Minnie Mouse ever since the Disney trip. She liked her a bit before, but I think the trip escalated that fascination with the character.

December 2012

After the Disney vacation, it was time to start with all the holiday festivities. We had our usual awesome Thanksgiving Dinner at Aunt Amy’s house where the kids played and had a fantastic time.   I also got an early Christmas present from James, which was a cruise to the Bahamas in the early New Year. That was interesting as I had to scramble to get a passport and hope it would arrive on time.   Then the Christmas season really began with all the fun day to day things, the preparations and the magic of the season.

Ben regularly cracks me up with his questions and/or stories. One morning our conversation went something like this:

Ben: I am five years old right?

Me: Yes (wondering where this is going)

Ben: Does that mean Daddy is seven?

Me: Sometimes….

I got a good chuckle out of his question and my response.

For Christmas this year Ben asked for a car (nice one buddy) and a guitar.  Ben told me that Alexis would like from Santa a baby and a house to play in.  Both kids got what they wished, but the car came as a two seat power wheels Cadillac Escalade.  Both kids found it in the garage on Christmas morning and were so shocked they didn’t know what to make of it. However their smiles were so big and they have been having fun with the toy since.

Also this year my family decided to host everyone at our house. It was truly our first big holiday meal.  We did a lot of prep work ahead of time and made desserts galore.  Of course with any event there are some hiccups here and there but we truly enjoyed having everyone over and both agreed we would like to do it again.

Disney Adventure

Right before Thanksgiving this year the entire family along with a Nagypapa,  Nagymama, Aunt, Uncle and Cousin all went on an adventure to Disney World.  Generiously Nagypapa and Nagymama expensed the vacation and with a lot of planning with Aunt Amy, we had a fanastic trip planned out of what park to visit, where we would eat and where we would all stay.  The fun part about this whole thing, the kids had no idea.

On a cool November morning, the kids and I woke up to eat our morning breakfast. Little did they know that suitcases were packed away in the car and we would be going to an adventure for an entire week.  Once we all got ready, we piled in the car. Ben was a little skeptical as he notices everything and wondered why there were suitcases in the trunk.  We told Ben that Nagypapa and Nagymama needed to borrow them for an upcoming trip. That satisfied him enough and he asked no more questions. We reached Nagypapa and Nagymama's house where the kids always love to go to and were welcomed by smiling faces. Nagypapa and Nagymama also knew that there was a secret to be told. We started off very casually but then ask Ben to come to the family room. He thought he was going to help Nagymama clean her basement that day, which as a child apparently Nagymama's basement was the mecca of treasures. He had readily agreed to this ahead of time. We then broke the news to Ben, that he wouldn't be cleaning the basement today. Worried and a little upset Ben asked why.  We then told him he would be going to Disney World. Hilariously, Ben had no concept of what that really meant and stated he wanted to clean the basement instead! He gave us all a laugh and we told him he would love it and that him and Alexis would get to share their first experience of riding on an airplane together. Ben liked the idea of flying on an airplane and thankfully he readily adapts to doing anything and going anywhere so we all hopped on the car to Reagan National Airport.

At Reagan it was quite interesting going through security. Ben had no idea why you had to take off your shoes to have them scanned. Alexis being very little and carried by her Mother did not have to.  That was a God send. At least TSA sort of knows the pains of putting on a toddlers shoes.  Once we passed through all the lines and reached our gate, we were greeted by Aunt Amy, Uncle Eric and the kids cousin.  The kids chirped about what their discovery was that day as none of them knew until that morning what they had in store for them for an entire week.  As we boarded the airplane, I was a bit apprehensive wondering how Ben and Alexis would handle the flight with their ears popping and the duration even if it was only an hour. Both kids did great. Alexis had her other "person" aka Aunt sitting next to her which she adores which was very helpful.  The kids did wonderful the whole trip there with snacks and watching the television screens on the back of the seats. Once in Orlando we took the bus to our hotels, which was Port Orleans French Quarter. Again, the kids did marvelous for the hour long ride it took to get there.  I couldn't really ask for better behavior.

Once at the hotel, we were happy to see how beautifully charming it was. The grounds were not vast, which was ideal to walk around with little ones. I had rented a stroller, which was in the baggage selection ahead of time and took that to our room. Ben and Alexis were excited about their hotel room with towel shaped animals on their bed and quickly explored every nook and cranny there was. Once situated we explored the grounds for a bit and then headed off to dinner to Mickey's Backyard BBQ.  It was a nice BBQ dinner and the kids had their first taste of Disney characters. Alexis was excited jut to eat and Ben's eyes bulged watching Mickey, Minnie, Goofy and Donald coming through the crowds. It was completly unexpected of him and we danced along with the characters and had a fantastic time.

Magic Kingdom:

The next day was our first day at the parks. Amy and I choose the Magic Kingdom as that would be the best start of any Disney vacation.   We all dressed and Ben decided he wanted to wear his Peter Pan costume, an idol he has had for quite some time. There was never a more appropriate time for him to wear this and I packed it just in case he decided tot wear it. I was happy he did.  We had breakfast at the Crystal Palace where more Disney characters would actually come to your table and you could have a picture taken with an autograph. We were greeted by Pooh, Eeoree, Tiger and Piglet. Ben loved it. Alexis wanted no part in this character greeting and promptly told Pooh to beat it. It was pretty amusing because she certainly doesn't put up with anything she doesn't want to.  After breakfast, we headed towards the castle and low and behold there he was....Peter Pan.

I couldn't be happier then to see Ben's idol who was the figment of his imagination for the last two years right there. Ben was a bit taken back and studied him a bit. Thankfully the line wasn't too long to meet him.  When Ben got up there, in true Peter Pan spirit, Peter remarked "hey its me" looking at Ben's costume. They both chatted for a bit. Peter Pan told Ben that the red feather in Ben's hat came from a red neverbird. Ben was in awe and it took everything in me to not bust out crying from shear happiness to see the wonder and magic of this moment.

Afterwards we had the time of our lives and got to ride on so many fantastic rides. Ben's favorite was the pirate ride and Peter Pans Adventure ride. Alexis hands down loved the Its a Small World ride. She commented and pointed about all the babies. She was in awe of that ride and I think we rode that one three times that day.  Alexis also decided on that vacation that she was not really going to use the stroller her Mom rented for her. She decided she wanted to be carried around Disney World. Her Mom was the most sufficient person there was for this task in her eyes and not even her Dad was acceptable to carry her most of the time. The only other person she would go to for this wonderful task was her Aunt Amy. Thankfully Aunt Amy was up for the task to help relieve her Mom a bit. Carrying anything especially a toddler really takes a toll on your upper body strength after a while.  While Alexis Mommy was on a ride with Ben, Aunt Amy and Nagymama took Alexis to the Country Bear Jamboree. It isn't everyone's cup of tea as Aunt Amy and Nagymama thought it was lame even for them, but Alexis certainly enjoyed herself.

That evening we had dinner in Cinderella's Castle. We were all greeted at the entry by Cinderella and escorted upstairs where the girls recieved wands and the boys all received swords. As we ate dinner we were greeted at our tables by most of the Disney princesses. Snow White, Jasmine, Sleeping Beauty and Ariel all took pictures with us and signed the kids autograph books.  Alexis decided that the princesses were okay but she did observe them first before becoming completly okay with it.

Hollywood Studios:

The next day was our Hollywood Studios day. Aunt Amy and Uncle Eric who have been to Disney several times in the past few years knew exactly where to go first. They got the fast pass tickets to Toy Story Mania and signed the older boys up for Jedi Lessons.  We then ate breakfast at Hollywood and Vine where many Disney Junior characters greeted us such as Agent Oso, Jake from Jake and the Neverland Pirates and June from Little Einsteins. Ben loved seeing Jake as he is quite a fan of that show. Alexis observed but wanted no part in the characters.

Afterwards we all headed out and enjoyed the rides. Ben really liked the Star Wars ride. Alexis like the Kodak Theater ride and the Honey I Shrunk the Kids section.  Later on in the afternoon, Ben and his cousin got Jedi training from a real Jedi master and then to everyones surprise Darth Vader appeared and both kids had to fight against the powers of evil.  It was certainly a awesome experience for both kids and they did really well fighting such a scary dude.

Later that evening we all dined at the Sci-Fi and dine and had yummy milkshakes. Uncle Eric really wanted to eat there and I think the kids dug the drive in experience. Afterwards we headed out and saw the Osborn Lights and the kids danced in the snow like crazy.  It was another one of those magical experiences.   Everyone was a bit tired especially Alexis, so we then headed home to rest for the next day.

Epcot:

We woke up gingerly for our day at Epcot and ate at the resort. The kids as usual got Mickey Mouse waffles as they served at all the Disney breakfasts.  After we headed to Epcot and enjoyed walking into each of the countries. Ben and his cousin enjoyed playing a Phineas and Ferb spy game and their Dad's helped them finding clues in the different countries. Alexis really enjoyed the drums show in Japan.  The older men also "drank around the world" and got a bit silly but were having a great time. We had lunch at Le Cellar in Canada and later had dinner at the Coral Reef.  Both had very yummy food. Coral Reef was pretty neat as we sat near the aquarium side and watched the fish swim by.  The kids enjoyed the Nemo ride, Soaring and the Viking ship ride.

Break Day:

On Wednesday we all decided to have a day of rest. We met up with Aunt Amy and Uncle Eric at their resort and had breakfast at the Cape May. Alexis finally accepted some of the Disney characters, but only if they were girls. Minnie and Daisy Duck were perfectly acceptable. Mickey and Donald were basically told to scram. On our break day we swam in the pools and explored downtown Disney. We ate at the T-Rex Restaurant where it was incredibly loud but the dinosaurs were pretty awesome.  Ben thoroughly enjoyed the lego store and we of course got a lego kit since he is such a huge lover of legos.

Magic Kingdom Part II:

The next day we headed to the Magic Kingdom again. The kids had another fantastic day with the rides. The teacups almost made their mother sick, which was quite hilarious to a few little boys. The Winnie the Pooh ride was enjoyed by all especially Alexis and of course we had to ride a few favorites from the first day of the trip, It's a Small World for Alexis and The Peter Pan Ride.  Later that evening Aunt Amy happened to get reservations on one of the first days the Be Our Guest Restaurant opened. We ate in the West Wing and the food again was very good. Ben and Alexis loved the occasional thunderstorms and the decor of the restaurant was true to the movie.

Animal Kingdom Day:

Alexis loved the Animal Kingdom as there were many animals all around the park.  She could sit and stare at a bird for at least 15 minutes if we allowed her too. The kids really enjoyed themselves but there was one dinosaur ride that even scared their mother. Alexis was too little to ride and I was glad of it. Ben decided he did not care for that ride and requested not to ride it ever again. I was more then happy to oblige because their scaredy cat mother didn't care for it much either.  I did however ride the rollar coasters with Uncle Eric and enjoyed hanging out at the park. Later that evening the families split up and gave a chance for Nagymama and Nagypapa to have a date night. Our family feasted on crab at the crab house and we all enjoyed the boat ride back to our hotel in the evening.

We were exhausted from the trip but had such a fantastic time. Everyone had such fantastic special memories that meant a lot to them.  I will never forget Ben's expression and experience meeting Peter Pan or how sweetly Alexis called all the people in It's a Small World "babies".  Disney truly was a magical experience for us and I am so grateful our parents thought to provide us with such a generous gift.

Holidays

Halloween

This Halloween was special not only because we had a new neighborhood to trick or treat in since we moved but this year two kids were in tow because Alexis joined us this year for a few houses. Ben decided this year he wanted to be a SCARY wolf. Of course his mother found him the cutest but scariest wolf outfit I could find. I decided since Alexis didn't care about what she was going to be, to theme their costumes and so she went as little red riding hood. The two were quite a pair and both thought the other was fun. It was so amazing to see the look in their eyes of the excitement of Halloween.

Alexis, Ben and Mommy set out at dusk and went to a couple of houses. The first house we went to gave us a Reese's cup and that was enough for Alexis. She wanted to be done right there and then so she could eat it but we prevailed and I took her a few more houses before Ben and I dropped her off back at the house. Ben and I continues until Ben was done as he wanted to go back and hand out candy. Ben loves handing out candy to everyone. I could of cared less at his age but he truly enjoys it!  It was fun watching all the kids come up in their costumes and many of them recognizing Ben. Only two months in school and kids already know him. I had a little flashback of Norm entering Cheers. Ben, if you want a reference and you're reading this when you're older just YouTube it.
In all Halloween was a blast!

Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving is one of my favorite holidays. For me it's a time of bringing family together. I reminisce about going to Cleveland around that time of year and wish my kids got to experience it, but life changes and new traditions are made.

We woke up early per usual. Having two small kids in a house it is a normal part of the day. James went and played football with his friends for a few hours while the kids and I sat back watching the Macy day parade. Lazy Thanksgiving mornings are the best.  Then after everyone was home, washed and dressed we headed over to Aunt Amy's and Uncle Eric's  house. The cousins had such a good time playing and the feast as always was delicious.  It was great watching the kids play. Sure there was some bickering but it reminded me of the joy in playing with my cousins during the Thanksgiving holiday. It was then I realized that my kids do have a piece of the memories that I had. Their grandparents close by loving their grand kids, yummy turkey and cousin play. I'm beyond grateful the kids have such a wonderful and loving family to see on holidays like this.
They have no idea how lucky they are.

Christmas

Christmas was big this year. We finally had a house big enough to invite our entire family for a sit down dinner and this was the first time we hosted a holiday meal. James ordered a turducken and a regular turkey. Everyone helped by bringing over different dishes and I was a baking queen making a chocolate chip pie, a pumpkin pie (made just for my sister), a apple pie, sugar cookies and pumpkin muffins. Ben  also had been looking forward for weeks having everyone over.
Everyone he loved was going to be there but he had some confusion to why his closest girlfriends weren't going to be they either. He considered then family!

Christmas morning started however with tr most anticipated present opening. Ben asked Santa for a guitar and a car. He was rather ambitious as I was hoping he wasn't asking for a real one but he could of been thinking about a plain remote control one. Instead he and his sister got a Cadillac eacalade power wheels car complete with two speeds and a working radio! Alexis also got a doll and a doll bed made by her great grandfather with new bedding made by her Nagymama. She loved it!

Christmas dinner went well. We did have one hiccup with having room for both the turkey and turducken and having enough time but thankfully Nagypapa and Nagymama live close and they were more then happy about sharing their  oven. We had a tremendous time sharing our home and memories with our entire family and hope to host many more holiday meals.

Spring 2012/Summer 2012

Spring and Summer was very busy at the Goldlust household. Alexis learned to walk right at 12 months, we went on a fantastic vaction with Ben and Alexis' Aunt and Uncle, visted a theme park, children's museums, civil war reinactments and even moved!

Below are some highlights of our busy time!



Our week day mornings are very busy in the household getting everyone ready and out the door. On one particular morning while getting last minute preparations complete, I turned around and saw Ben putting shoes on his sister. He wasn't asked to do this, but it was just a big brother helping out his little sister. Ben is so wonderfully sweet to his sister.

Easter was busy this year! We went to several egg hunts. One with their cousin. We were a bit late to the younger age hunt, so Ben went ahead with the big kids who had their Easter egg hunt at a later time. Ben did well especially with his cousin helping him out with those eggs! Alexis for the most part didn't mind, until a Easter Bunny tried to come visit her. She did not want that thing talking to her!  Easter Day was great. We all went to church as a family and then to Nagypapa and Nagymama's house later that afternoon for a Easter hunt and a Easter Feast. Alexis wore a sweet little houndstooth print dress that her Dad saw, bought and picked out especially for her.

As soon as the air got warmer, these two kids wanted to be outside as much as possible.  Their favorite thing to do is play on the deck with their power wheels car. Alexis loves trying to do everything her brother does. She certainly is a spunky little girl and Ben is so patient for the most part allowing her to take over toys that has for all these years been just his.

 Ben asked one evening if he could feed his sister a bottle. We were starting to ween her off from them, so I knew these days would surely come to an end very soon. Ben happily fed her a bottle for a while until Alexis got a little bit too squirmy for his lap. It was a sweet jesture!

One of Ben's favorite things to do is play hide and go seek and dress up. Most days he dresses up as Peter Pan, with a sword stuck in the elastic of his underwear but on this particular day he decided he was going to be a scary pirate. I had to try very hard to be scared and not laugh. He's so darn cute.

This is Ben's first portrait of his family. I labeled each of his family members so we could see who was who. I was assured that the circles on his Mom was knees and not something else. Ben's Dad had crazy hair, but maybe its a little kids way of saying he needed to cut his hair. Alexis I'm not sure if the ringlets on her face is hair or drool. However, I think it was a great photo and I certainly cherished the moment Ben proudly brought it over to show me.

 The family loves to go to Clemyjontri Park when possible, so we decided on a particular warm spring day to head over to visit it. Ben and Alexis had a great time and were quite worn out when the day was over.

With it being Ben's last semester in PreSchool, he was signed up again for soccer. His Mom always signs him up if there is a extra fun thing to do at his school. He was quite proud one day to come home with a medal and show it to his Mom and Dad for his soccer achievements.



Ben and Alexis are like two peas in a pod. Ben looks out for his sister all.of.the.time. He worries for her and actually demanded on day at day care that he wanted to see his sister to make sure she was okay. After he saw her, he went happily back to his class. Ben and Alexis do bicker. There is an occasional toy stolen from the other or Alexis may get too rough with her brother, but in general these kids love each other and love being around ear other. Just look at their little snack time routine below. This is truly all them.

 Alexis loves gazing out the window in our townhome. Ben used to love the same window when he was little. It was low enough to gaze out and the window sill made for a great table to put toys on it. You never know what you'll find on it.

 I love this captured moment. Alexis took her Dad on a stroll around the family room. She's such a peanut, but she thinks she is big stuff.

Alexis amazes me with her development each and everyday. Ben and her love to play with their wooden blocks. Often Alexis will try to knock down Ben's creations, but Ben for the most part had good humor about it.

 In May the entire family along with Aunt Amy, Uncle Eric and their cousin went to OBX. How they loved it! This is a very rare photo of Alexis actually awake on the beach. We went to the beach just about every morning and Alexis would promptly pass out underneith a shade tent that Aunt Amy and Uncle Eric brought. The boys loved chasing the waves and one time a crab tried to crawl on poor Alexis! Her mother just about had a heart attack.

Tropical Storm Berl came and visited us one day. It made for one day of rain, which in all wasn't too bad. I did get concerned with the amount of flooding, but everyone had fun with it. 

This is one of my favorite photos. Both kids dressed in their cute little Batman pajamas. They are so sweet!

 SUMMER 2012


Alexis certainly is quit e the steady walker and is into lots of things including her brothers toys. She loves seeing whatever he is into, which can be a tad frustrating for her brother at times. She especially loves the work bench!

 Ben graduated from PreSchool and even wore the same colors his Dad wore when he graduated from high school. he looked so grown up walking into recieve his little diploma. His parents, Alexis and Nagypapa and Nagymama were present to see his big day. We were all quite proud of him. His Mom had to try very hard not to cry when the graduation song started and they all walked in with their cap and gown.

 I loved seeing Ben in his little gown and the first thing he did when he received his diploma was use it as a telescope. He certainly is a sweet and funny guy!

We celebrated 4th of July a bit bigger this year. We started packing up to move and dressed all in our red, white and blue. Both kids loved watching the fireworks, but Ben had to watch them from the car. He was quite intimated from the loud sound, but I couldn't blame him. We had such a great view that they were right over our heads!

 Ben turned five. I know I wrote a blog for him, but had to share it once again. I can't believe he is five! I loved that he had to take a picture (he recieved a camera as a gift) before he would blow out his candle. He is certainly like his Dad and dedushka!

Alexis is quite the funny little girl. Look at her wear her brothers Power Ranger mask! She thought she was big stuff!

 Alexis as I have said loves getting into her brothers toys. Here she thinks she's writing her little autobiography. Its so funny how big she think she is!

 Another wonderful moment captured. We had Sonya over when Gaga paid a visit. She was eating a little snack and had quite the audience. Lucas, Joey and Sonya were all hoping she would drop something...anything.

 One of my favorite moments captured between Alexis and her Dad. Both were grinning at each other and thankfully I was quick enough to capture the moment. Alexis is also wearing the dress her brother HAD to get for her even before she was born. I love putting her in this dress because she not only looks adorable in it, but it reminds me of how surprising it was that her brother had to get her a dress while she was still growing in my belly.

Alexis LOVES hats. She makes everything into a hat. She even users the lego containers as hats some days. Here she is trying to look like Holly Hobbie. 

 Another photo of her in her hat. She thought she was big stuff walking around the family room. I think in this picture she looks a lot like her Aunt. I'm not the only one to think that either. She truly has a love of her Aunt, which is awesome to see. Alexis is a Mama's girl and rarely goes to anyone even for a moment, but she will go to her Aunt even for a moment everytime she sees her.

 The duo working togther to build a castle. Its sweet watching the kids actually play together. I think these moments are my favorite moments. There is nothing like watching your children play together, giggling and having a great time with no cares in the world.

 On one Saturday afternoon, we were rained out of Kings Dominion so we went to Richmond to visit the Children's Museum. It was a lot of fun! Alexis had a great time in the toddler room picking things out of crates and driving the cars.

Ben and Alexis both got to ride the carousel while at the children's museum. Ben choose a bear and Alexis rode a rabbit. I didn't get a picture of Alexis riding as Mom was not about to let her go to snap a photo.

 Ben loved digging around the sandbox for dinosaur bones and playing with the trucks the children's museum provided.

 Ben especially loved the school room at the children's museum. He pretended to be the teacher and promptly sat me down at a desk and told me to be quiet. He is quite the stern teacher!

 See how serious he is? Ben's class was getting lessons on how to write his name.

 Ben's Dad and Mom loved walking around Reston as teenagers and Ben's Dad even worked in an ice cream store for several years there. On this day we walked around to many stores and made our way to a water play area where Ben had a terrific time getting wet.

 Summer days can be so long, but so jam packed with activity. It is rare when the kids will both fall asleep in the middle of the day at the same time. I had to capture the moment while it lasted!

The day after I turned 30, the family, Aunt Amy, Uncle Eric and Alexis and Ben's cousin all headed out to Baltimore to go on the Urban Pirate experience. I loved the cobble stone streets and the kids loved taking a ride in the stroller right before their trip.

 Ben was quite serious with his sword. He wanted to be sure that if he was going on a pirate ship then he was going to have some protection with him!

 Ben the cutest pirate. He posed quite nicely right before the trip. The ship is in the background of the photo. It was quite cool!

Sailing on the ship. Alexis wasn't feeling great that day, but she was a trooper and did well for the hour tour.

 This summer we also went to see the live performance of How To Train Your Dragon. Ben absolutely loved it and really loved his Dragon wings. He flew around the house for an entire week!

 This is a typical afternoon with Ben. Both kids LOVE popcorn. I learned that they both need their seperate bowls. Ben on this day wasn't into sharing his popcorn.

 The last picture of both of the kids right before we moved. Alexis looks quite serious with a cracker in her mouth.

 On August 10th, we moved into a beautiful single family home on a quiet cul-de-sac with a fenced in back yard. HUGE bonus was the pool! The landscaping is so beautiful that the picture doesn't do it justice, but even with neighbors surrounding us, we feel quite isolated in the backyard. Alexis went into the pool a couple of times this year. However, Ben went in almost every single day! He is quite weary of learning how to swim, but has gradually made progress on getting his head into the water and actually walking around the shallow end. Ben has always been like this with most things from crawling, to walking, etc., but eventually he will get how to swim with a bit of help from his family.

Alexis and Ben both love walking around the backyard that is adjacent to the pool. The pool is large, but the backyard is large enough and has a nice play area to run around in. The kids love playing ball back here.

 On quiet afternoons, the kids love dumping out their toys in their new living room. Its peaceful and these are other moments I love watching.

 One Saturday afternoon, while Alexis and James were napping, Ben and I went out to Sully Station for a Civil War Reenactment. Ben loved looking at all the cannons, but didn't particuarily enjoy them going off. It was too loud for him.

 Ben requested a cowboy hat (it does look like one) and a sword. I asked him to pose and wasn't sure why he was so serious in this picture. I later realized a regiment of Civil War Soldiers were walking behind us and Ben was trying to look tough. The Soldiers laughed seeing how serious Ben was.

 Alexis hair is getting so long that we're able to style it now in little hair clips, bows, etc., This was the first day I put her in pig tails and boy does she look cute! Her Dad is still trying to figure out how to do her hair on weekdays when I have already left for work, but he certainly is trying!

 Another favorite game for both of the kid is playing hide and go seek. Alexis thought she was quite hilarious hiding behind the curtain.

 My sweet girl. She is so patient and loves dressing up. She sits patiently getting her hair done and has a great love of shoes. She really is a girly girl!

 It was a really busy Spring and Summer full of so many activities and so many fun memories. I love watching my kids form a bond together and seeing them grow. The days get hectic, but there is nothing like being a Mom to them. I am so grateful everyday that God gave me these two little beings and put them into my world. My world really is there world and I am so proud of both of them. I love them very much!