Thursday, December 27, 2007
Ben's First Christmas
When we went home, we each opened a present. Jason got Spiderman 3 from me. I got a wonderful gift from my mom and Sue. They worked with Ben to make a Christmas tree out of his hand prints. The Christmas ornaments on the tree are made from his thumbprints. I love it. It is so unique and made by my little boy. I gave Mom a ducky frame with a picture of Ben in is duck bath tub. The funny thing is that she got the same exact frame for me! Sue also got a picture of Ben. Can you tell what our theme this year was? :) It was all about Ben!
Ben wore a new pair of Christmas pjs to bed. We got up around 7 and let him open his stocking and some of his presents. I found we needed to take a lot of breaks with him because he would get over tired. Around 10am, Jason's parents and brothers came over for Christmas. We had a nice brunch with an egg strata, coffee cake and fruit. It was a nice way to spend Christmas morning. Then we began opening the rest of the presents. A couple of my favorites for Ben were a push cart from Jason's parents. Ben can either use it to stand and walk with or he can sit in it. He look really cute walking with it. They also bought him a nice wooden sled. I can see it lasting a very long time! Mom and I both got him trains which he loves playing with on the wooden floor. He's very cute chasing them around. Auntie Sue got him a toy farm with animals. All in all, I think he was a little spoiled this year. I know we went overboard but it's his first Christmas. We also got very good deals on everything we bought for him. It was a fun Christmas.
When Sue, Chris and I were little we would take pictures every Christmas with our Christmas presents on my parent's bed. I decided to do this with Ben. I just remember as a kid organizing everything and being so excited. It's nice to be able to look at those pictures now and see the toys that we had back then. I want Ben to be able to do the same thing and to see the difference in every Christmas.
We had a great Christmas. The only thing that would have made it better would have been to have my brother, Chris, here for Christmas. He was able visit before Christmas and to see everyone. Ben loved seeing his uncle! I'll try to post pictures of his visit with us tomorrow. I hope everyone had a great Christmas! Here are some pictures of our Christmas.
Thursday, December 20, 2007
Benefit Supper
Ben and I did have a great day together. It was a snow day for me so we stayed in our pajamas all day. We had a lot of fun just playing and hanging out. He's such a funny little man now!
This week at school has been rough. We lost a little boy on Sunday because of burns on him. I've never experienced losing a student and I have to tell you that it was tough. Monday was quite hard. I've never had to explain to children that someone has died. I hope I don't have to do it for a long time.
In the tragic accident, all three children were burned. The little boy that died was the most severe which brings me to the title of the posting. Some people at my school are putting on a benefit supper to help these two families out. Neither family has a lot. It is tough time of year and to deal with this extra burden is just too much. Please consider coming to the benefit supper and/or sending in a donation to help them. I think in life we are giving opportunities to pay it forward and this is one of those times. I'll be there volunteering in some capacity. Hopefully not as a cook since I'm not very good at cooking!
Here are the details.
BENEFIT SPAGHETTI SUPPER PLANNED
FOR DAVIS and BIRNEY FAMILIES
whose children recently experienced fire tragedy
DATE: SATURDAY, JANUARY 12th
PLACE: Boofy Quimby Memorial Center
Intersection of 219 and Quimby Road
North Turner, Maine
TIME: 4:30 to 7:30 p.m.
Come and enjoy a delicious spaghetti dinner and homemade desserts while supporting the Davis Family in their time of need.
*Donations will be accepted at the door.
If you would like to make a donation, a memorial fund has been started at Community Credit Union in Auburn.
Make checks payable to: Davis/Birney Memorial Fund, C/O Community Credit Union, 40 Stanley Street, Auburn, Maine, 04210
Volunteers will be needed to help set-up, cook, serve food and clean up. If you would like to help in any way, please feel free to call Sherri Jordan at home #225-5295, cell #212-7111, or email her at turnerbenefit@yahoo.com
Thank you and I hope to see all of you there!
Sunday, December 16, 2007
Christmas Tag!
Wrapping paper or gift bags?
I do both depending on my mood. Gift bags are easier but I sometime I enjoy wrapping presents too. I volunteered at a wrapping booth when I was in band in high school and get really technical about how the gifts should be wrapped.
Real tree or artificial?
Definately a real tree! Fake trees just are not the same. I need to have the smell of the tree even if I find pine needles for the next 6 months.
When do you put up the tree?
We usually put it up a week or two before Christmas although this year I'm realizing that I would like to put it up sooner so we can enjoy the decorations longer.
When do you take the tree down?
A couple of days after Christmas.
Favorite holiday theme?
I don't know that I have one. I really like Rudolph though and snowmen. Those seem to be my favorites.
Favorite gift received as a child?
That one is really tough. I think maybe when I got my cabbage patch kid although I've loved every Christmas regardless of what gifts I got.
Do you have a nativity scene?
No, but I would like one. They have a great nativity seen with the willow tree angels. I think it is just beautiful.
Hardest person to buy for?
My mom
Easiest person to buy for?
Ben
Worst Christmas gift you ever received?
A radar detector. (I won't mention who gave it to me!)
Mail or email cards?
Definately cards although I always find them to be a bit of a pain. But I love receiving them and seeing everyone's family pictures.
Favorite Christmas movie?
I love Christmas movies so it's hard to pick only one. My top favorites are It's a Wonderful Life, Rudolph, and The Grinch Who Stole Christmas.
When do you start shopping for Christmas?
I usually start on Black Friday. It is my favorite day of the year to shop! But I do keep my eyes out through out the year for items I think someone in my family will like.
Have you ever recycled a Christmas present?
Yes but I'm not saying who I gave it to! :)
Favorite thing to eat at Christmas?
This may sound odd but anything with spaghetti/pasta sauce on it. I don't know why.
White lights or colored on the tree?
Colored lights. White lights just don't have any personality to me.
Favorite Christmas song?
I love Christmas songs too so it's really hard to pick just a few. My favorites are Mary, did you know, Have yourself a merry little Christmas, where are you Christmas and Oh come all ye faithful.
Travel for Christmas or stay at home?
Stay home. Traveling is not the same.
Can you name all of Santa's reindeer?
Yes, but only with the help of the rudolph song.
Angel on the tree top or a star?
Sometimes a star but this year it's an angel like what we used to have when I was a kid.
Open the presents on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day?
We open one present on Christmas Eve and then the rest on Christmas Day.
Most annoying thing about this time of year?
The gimme gimme attitude of some kids at this time of year. I don't always think that parents tell their kids what Christmas really means.
What I love most about Christmas?
The surprises-mine and my families. Being able to help others at this time of year.
Ok! Now it's your turn. just copy and paste my answers in your blog and modify the answers for yourself. I'm tagging my mom, Sue, Stacy, Mary, Sarah, Jessica, and Linda to tell about your feelings on Christmas. I know this is a busy time of year but I'm expecting some answers! :) Merry Christmas everyone!!
Monday, November 26, 2007
Happy News!
Saturday, November 24, 2007
Black Friday Fun!
When we went to Walmart, it was about 4:30 so we had to wait outside for 30 minutes. It was a little cold but not too bad. We had fun talking to the other people in line. When we were finally able to go in, it was a mad rush. I went one direction and Sue went in the other. I was looking for Spiderman 3 and Fantastic Four which were advertised as the secret deals for $12. I couldn't find them anywhere! It was so frustrating! I must have asked 4 or 5 people. Either they sold out or they were in a place no one seemed to know about. In the end, we got a dvd for $3, a HUGE bag of megablock for $10, a set of 2 pajamas for $6 and 2 dvds for $10. We had fun but we were so frustrated about the $12 dvds! I really wasn't impressed!
We finished at Walmart at about 5:30 and went over to JC Penney's. They had these picture coasters for $6 that I wanted. You can put a picture in them which I think is really cool. After that we went to Bath and Body Works. No great deals there which was a really big surprise. Usually they have a lot of great stuff. Big disappointment there.
After that I dropped Sue off at work. I wanted to check out CVS but they weren't open yet so I headed back over to Kohls to see if I could find something for Sue. I found what I wanted then headed to stand in the line which was MUCH longer than it had been there when we were there last. I started to talk to Sue on my cell phone. This was when my day started to take a turn for the worse. Sue was interested in the Little People's Circus set so I told her I would go back and get it for her. While I headed back there, I ran into my cousin, Mary and her daughter. I told Sue I would call her back and stuck my cell in my pocket. I talked to them for a minute and then got the toy. I went back in the line and then went to call Sue. My cell phone was gone! I looked everywhere-in all my pockets, in my pocketbook. I mean everywhere!
So I started thinking that maybe it was in a toy that I had given my cousins because they were interested in it and my mom had already bought it for Ben. I thought maybe somehow it had gotten in the box. So I looked all over the store for them. I finally found them and the cell wasn't in the box. I was in tears! I was so upset knowing that we didn't have money to replace my cell phone. I know it's more of a need than a want but it's nice to have it if something goes wrong. I looked all over in the areas I had been. I stood back in line to pay for my stuff. When I got to the front of the line, I asked the lady directing people where someone would turn in a phone if they found one. She said customer service and called back there for me. Luckily someone nice soul had found it and turned it in. I was so relieved! I went back there to get it and got out of there before anything else happened!
I then went to CVS to get these digital photo chains that had been advertised for $17.99. They display your photos so you can show cute kids like Ben off. :) When I got there, they didn't have any left. I asked them to call the Lewiston store for me which they did. Lewiston had 2 left. I needed 4. I asked them to hold them for me since I wasn't going to be right over. They said they wouldn't since they were in such demand and they were also going to be limiting it to one a person which was ridiculous since the flyer said the limit was 4. I was so mad! I rushed over there and the two were still there. I figured I would try to buy both of them and the cashier didn't give me a hard time. But I still needed two more. So I called Sue and had her call to different CVS stores around the store. She found one in South Portland that had a lot of them and asked them to hold them for me. They were wonderful! They said no problem. So I went home, got Ben and headed down there. Of course I got lost since it was an area of South Portland that I didn't know. It was awful. It took me forever to get there but I finally did and got the things I needed.
Ben and I then headed towards Toys R Us. I wanted to get him the Baby Einstein Santa which was on sale for 6.99. I found the last one. Yeah for me! We were in and out of there in 5 minutes.
Then we went to the Christmas Tree Shop. I love the Christmas tree shop. I found a present for mom and some other stuff for Christmas and then we finally headed home.
It was a long day and mostly a good day. A little frustrating but I still love getting all the deals and going out.
On another note, my new passion has been cutting coupons. Jason lost his job about a month ago so we have been all about saving money where ever we can. I have found some great sites for ideas about coupons and deals like
Being Frugal,Freebies for mom and the grocery game. It's helped us save a lot of money. Sue and I went to Shaws last night. My original total was 38.45. With coupons and sales, I only ended up spending $10. We are stocked up on pasta and cheerios for a long time! It is so much fun finding these deals. If we've got to scrimp, we might as well make it fun, right? :)Sorry there were no pictures of Ben this time but Momma had too much fun yesterday and even Moms need days off! :) We're on our way to a family get together so I'll say goodbye for now.
Thursday, November 22, 2007
Happy Thanksgiving!
Ben turned 32 weeks the day before Thanksgiving. We took a picture of him while he was playing on the kitchen floor. On occasion, I let Ben sit on the floor and bang a pot with a spoon. He's not too loud and it let's me get some things done. It's really funny too when he does it!
This Thanksgiving was the first Thanksgiving at our house. My mom and sister were there of course since they live with us. Jason's brother, Kyle, is staying with us for a couple of days and Jason's parents came over for Thanksgiving, too. My brother, Chris, is in Florida so he wasn't able to be here with us. We really missed him. We're hoping to see him for Christmas. (Chris, if you're reading this we tried to call you today. Call us when you get a chance. We have a plan for Christmas!) We had a lot of fun. There was a lot of great food and it was nice to see everyone. Ben was dressed in a button down white shirt and blue cordoroys. He looked really cute and like a little boy! For our meal, Ben tried out mashed potatoes. He did not like them! I think it was the consistency. He tried a couple of times and wanted nothing to do with them. Oh well! There's always next year! :)
Here's a slideshow of our week.
Sue and I are going shopping tomorrow on Black Friday. It's our favorite day of the year to shop. We have so much fun finding deals and fighting the crowds. We mapped out our plan tonight of where we're going first. It should be a lot of fun!
Tuesday, October 30, 2007
A trip to the doctor's
http://www.kidshealth.org/parent/infections/bacterial_viral/bronchiolitis.html
They used a nebulizer on him at the doctor's to get all the mucus out of his lungs. We have to use it every 4-6 hours for the next 3 days. We go back to the doctor's on Friday to see if it's better. The doctor couldn't tell if he has conjunctivitis or not but we're using some ointment just in case. It's so awful seeing your child sick. I hate it! He's in such a good mood for someone who is sick. He was smiling at everyone at the doctor's and laughing. It's absolutely amazing! :)
I used the nebulizer on him last night and Sue took some pictures of the poor little pumpkin.
Saturday night, Ben went with my mom and sister to a harvest party at my cousin, Stacy's church. Ben dressed up as a scarecrow. They had a lot of fun visiting with everyone.
Jason and I went to our own Halloween party with our friends, Tom and Melissa. Jason dressed up as a monk. I dressed up as a tired mommy. :) It wasn't a far stretch! I took an old t-shirt and put some baby food on it. Then I melted some chocolate chips and put them on the shirt to make it look like poop. I also put on a baby carrier with a doll in it. The party was a lot of fun and it was nice to have a night without the baby.
Jason and meTom and Melissa
Sunday was Ben's Halloween party for daycare. He dressed up in his scarecrow costume. It was cold so we put a sweatshirt under it to keep him toasty. We got to see all of his friends. They all kept coming up to give him loves.
I'm hoping Ben will feel better in the next couple days with the help of the nebulizer. We'll let you know!
Friday, October 26, 2007
What a big boy!
Ben has started to eat food at daycare. He is a messy eater even at daycare! We are going to a Halloween party on Sunday for his daycare. It'll be fun seeing all the kids dressed up in their costumes. Wait to see what Ben's costume will be!
Ben turned 28 weeks on Wednesday. He didn't want to stay still. After we took his picture, he went after the paper with the number of weeks on it and started to try to eat it. He likes to go after anything paper like these days. He also likes the remote and phones. Typical man going after the remote! :)
I love making Ben laugh. It is the best feeling in the world! Here is a video I took of Jason making Ben laugh.
Sunday, October 21, 2007
A Playdate!
Ben turned 27 weeks on Wednesday. He was so tired that day after his play date. We started taking his 27 week pictures while he was sleeping. Then he started to wake up and be grumpy. Here are his pictures.
We stopped at Jason's parents' house yesterday to visit. We put Ben on the rocking horse that they bought Ben last Christmas. It's still way too big for him but it's really cute. When you press the horse's ear, it makes galloping sounds and the tail and nose moves.
Ben goes for his 6 month appointment. I'm curious to see what he weighs but I'm not looking forward to him getting his shots. It's never a fun experience!
Monday, October 15, 2007
Toes, toes, toes!
We took some pictures of Ben near our pumpkin. He looked much cuter in real life but I love the pictures anyway. We bought the onesie at the Fryeburg Fair. I love the tie dye!
Ben rolls all over the place now. I was working on my room one day and set him on the carpet. He rolled from one side of the room to the other. Then he made his way to a pile of clothes I had on the floor. He is such a funny guy!
Last but not least here are his 26 week pictures. My little baby is turning into a little boy! It's happened so quickly!
Friday, September 28, 2007
Pruney Ben!
Ben turned 24 weeks on Wednesday. He keeps trying to move around so much. I know he can't wait to crawl.
Mom and Sue moved in on Thursday. Everyone did a lot of work to get them in. Ben was so excited to see his Grammy and Auntie early this morning. It was such a surprise for him!
I gave Ben prunes for the very first time last night. I know. What was I thinking? At first he made the most awful face and I didn't think he was going to eat them at all. But then he dived right in! :) He kept trying to grab the spoon and feed himself. Every time he let go of the spoon, he would touch his face or his leg or some other body part. He kept getting progressively messier and messier! It was awful but so funny!
Mom and Sue bought Ben a Rainforest Jumperoo. Sue put it together tonight and Ben tried it out. He was so funny bouncing around it. He loves to move!
Monday, September 24, 2007
Ben's Pictures
Sunday, September 16, 2007
I've been tagged
1. When I was a little girl, I loved Cinderella. I loved the movie and the book and everything about Cinderella. I loved it so much I used to call myself Cinderella Jo-Jo.
2. At 13 months and 18 months, I stopped breathing due to a seizure caused by a high fever. The first time it happened my mom was holding me. The second time it happened I was with my Aunt Jeanne. Both times I was rushed to the hospital. My mom tells me that the second time they went to the hospital with me, she refused to leave until they told her what was wrong with me.
3. I was so homesick when I went to college for the first time that I decided to try to drive home on my first weekend there. I thought that I93 north would take me to Maine. I ended up in the White Mountains of New Hampshire and then proceeded to get stranded there when my clutch on my car burned out. My mom received a call from the New Hampshire state police and had to come get me at 3 in the morning.
4. I have such small, bad veins that the only time I tried to give blood I was turned away. I was told to come back when I grew veins.
5. I love cooking shows. I don't know what it is about them. I love watching all the food that they prepare on the shows. I never make any of them and I really don't like to cook but I love watching them and thinking about how the food would taste. :)
6. Near my 22nd birthday, I decided to go to the dealership and trade in my perfectly good automatic Cavalier for a new car. I got talked into a shiny red car that I loved but that was a standard. I hadn't had a standard since burning out the clutch on my very first car and really didn't know how to drive a standard still. I left that day with a car that I couldn't drive. I don't think my mom has ever been so mad at me as she was that day.
7. My husband and I worked on our house together while I was pregnant with Ben. I ran wire, cleaned, hung electrical boxes and god only knows what else. I worked on the house with Jason until right before I had Ben. There were many times when I had moments of hatred for this house because of all the work we had to put into it. But now I'm grateful we did so much work for it and love my house.
8. I would love to have a big family. I love doing family get together types of things and would love to have a bunch of kids. Jason jokes that he would like a baseball team of kids. I'll stop at 4 and that will be enough for me. I love being a mother and hope that I have the opportunity to be a mom to at least 3 more kids.
I love being a mom to my little boy. I never realized how amazing it would be to have a little boy. I always imagined my first child being a girl. I'm so glad that I had a boy and wouldn't trade him for anything. He continues to amaze me with how he grows and changes.
We watched the Toy Run last Sunday. We go every year and watch it. Motorcycle riders ride with toys to Augusta for needy kids. We love seeing the bikes and wouln't miss it. It was a little noisy for Ben and I had to cover his ears. I couldn't believe that he fell asleep during it even with all that noise.
After the Toy Run, we went to an annual family picnic that is held after the Toy Run every year. The Bauers are long time family friends of Jason's family. There is always a lot of food and is nice to visit with everyone. It poured during the picnic. That part was awful. We tried to keep cozy with blankets so it wasn't too bad but I couldn't believe how much it rained.
Here are Ben's 22 week pictures.
I have a friend who's mother made Ben a beautiful sweater with mittens and booties before he was born. It's just become cool enough for Ben to wear them and I took a couple of pictures of him in it. He looks so cute!
My sister bought Ben an orange pumpkin hat a long time ago. I put it on him today and his eyes look so blue in it!
I promise to update sooner this week! I will get better at this! :)
Tuesday, September 4, 2007
We survived!
My mom and my sister bought Ben an excersaucer to play with. He loves it! He moves himself all around to play with all the different toys. He loves hearing the animal sounds. It's so fun to watch him.
Ben turned 20 weeks last Wednesday. He is such a character now!
Create Your Own
Ben tried sweet potatoes for the first time on Sunday. Surprisingly, he didn't like them as much as he liked the peas! He made all kinds of funny faces but he still at them.
Create Your Own
My friend, Julie, dropped off some clothes for Ben today. Her son, Matthew, will be a year in October so Ben will have a little friend in the future. The clothes were so cute! We played dressup and here are some pictures of Ben.
It looks like I'll get my laptop back by the end of this week so hopefully I can be better at updating. I'm trying and I hope that people are enjoying hearing about Ben.
Sunday, August 26, 2007
Sigh!
Sigh! That's about all I can say about the last week or so. Ben caught his 1st cold about a week and a half ago. He was all congested and sneezing and coughing. Well then his cold moved into his eyes and he got conjuncitivitis. We went to the pediatricians to take care of his eyes and discovered he had the start of an ear infectiion. So now Ben is on medicine for his eyes and for his ears. The poor baby! On top of that, my little guy managed to pass along his cold to me, his dad and his grammy. What a good little sharer he is! We're all starting to get over our colds and Ben is feeling much better. The conjunctivitis cleared up after only a day of medicine. I have to say he was in such good spirits the whole time even after being so sick. He is such a good baby!
Ben spent two mornings at daycare the past couple of weeks. It went really well. They are just all in love with him there. He's the youngest baby and getting spoiled! They are keeping a journal of what he does while at daycare so I won't feel like I'm missing everything although I probably still will.
I took a couple of pictures of Ben with a teddy bear my mom bought for him. It's really cool because the bear lights up with different colors. It also has a remote wand that you can use to change the colors.
My brother, Chris, came up from Florida to visit for a couple of days. He's living down there now and hadn't seen Ben since he was about 3 weeks old. It was nice to see him and nice for him to see how much his nephew has grown. Chris bought Ben a couple of onesies as well as a little stuffed moose. Ben was so cute playing with it the other day.
Cool Slideshows! |
Here are Ben's 19 week pictures.
Cool Slideshows! |
We went yesterday to a lobster bake that was held by Jason's father's work. They had lobsters, clams, steak and lots of other good food. It was held on Cousin's Island in Yarmouth. It was beautiful out there and there was a nice breeze. It was a lot better than being stuck in town where it was so hot and the lobster was good!
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Finally, I go back to work tommorow. :( My time with Ben is at an end. My mom is watching him on Mondays as she has every Monday off. Ben's first official day at the daycare will be Tuesday. I know he'll be ok but I'm just not ready for it. I'll let you know later how everything goes.
Wednesday, August 15, 2007
What a big boy!
I also brought him to the pediatrician's on Friday for his 4 month check up. He is getting to be a big boy! He's 15 pounds 9 ounces and 25 inches long! I can't believe sometimes that he's the same little boy that I brought home from the hospital. He got 4 shots while we are at the doctor's. The poor little guy. He did really well though. He cried for a couple of minutes and then was fine. He wasn't even fussy the rest of the day.
Our pediatrician, Kristy, told me that we could start him on some rice cereal since he seems to be getting hungry more often lately. So on Sunday I gave him his first taste of rice cereal. He was so funny! I don't think he knew what to think of it at first but then he got right into it.
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Finally, Ben turned 18 weeks today. I don't have any pictures yet but here's a video I took today.
Sunday, August 12, 2007
A long update!
Last weekend, me and Ben and Ben's Auntie Sue drove to
Rockland for the lobster festival. It was a nice drive up and we saw a beautiful field of sunflowers in Leeds. I had never seen so many sunflowers!
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It was really hot when we got to Rockland so we ended up only staying for an hour and a half. But we had fun looking at everything and eating some bad food. :) I had some great Thai food there and Sue and I shared some fries. Neither one of us got any lobster because the line for the lobster tent was way too long! But we still had a great time.
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Ben was 17 weeks this week. Here are his oh so cute pictures!
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On Thursday, we met two of my friends from school at a beach in Wayne. Sara has a 2 year old little girl, Piper, and Morgan has a 7 1/2 month little boy, Nolan. We went in the water and had some lunch. Ben loves looking at other kids. It was fun seeing him interact with them.
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Yesterday we went to Popham Beach in Phippsburg. This is only the second time Ben has been to the ocean. He really seemed to like it even though the water was a little cold. It was so fun to see his little feet in the water.
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I'll try to be a little better next week about keeping everyone updated. Things just got way too busy this week. Oh well! :)