Bennett's First Food/Up North Weekend

Hi!

To anyone who gave me bubbles for my birthday, THANK YOU! I LOVE BUBBLES! I blow them in the house and outside all the time. I love to try to catch them (but they are really hard to catch!) This is my big bubble wand. It blows big bubbles! I love to pour out the bubble juice.

Bennett was sleeping in his Pack'n'Play and had his feet propped up on the side. His new thing is to turn himself around when he's laying on his back.

Here I am showing Ben how to play with finger puppets. He likes to put them in his mouth (wonder where he got that idea!)

Mommy bought Bennett a Bumbo seat so he can sit up and see what's going on. He loves it!

Now that he's four months old, the pediatrician (that's what they call the baby doctor... Mommy had to help me spell that word!) said that we could start feeding him cereal. Good thing we have the Bumbo... anyway, this was Ben's first time trying it. I don't know about you, but I don't think he likes it!

Last week we went to Mancelona and Gaylord to hang out with Aunt Mary Beth, Gramma Jackie, Hunter and Uncle Don. We had such a good time. Here we are eating suckers (my other new favorite thing) on the back deck.

Uncle Don and Bennett just chillin' out. Don't you think Hunter needs a new brother or sister?

Bennett is in to chewing on things... his fingers, his chewies, blankets, and now Gramma's chin!

I love this picture of pretty Aunt Mary Beth and me.

See what I mean about Hunter needing a new baby? He thinks that Ben is the coolest and loves to hold him.

On Friday we went swimming at Aunt Mary Beth's pool. Hunter had a life jacket and was jumping off the side into the pool. I liked being thrown in the air and also dunking under the water. Mommy says I'm a little fishy. On Saturday at Gramma's, we went to the pool again. Here we are in our sun hats getting ready to go. Oh, and Gramma put a cute skirt on me!

Mommy didn't take any pictures of us at the pool... she was far too busy making sure that I didn't jump in and drown. I was so fearless that I would stand on the bottom step of the pool and dunk my head all the way under and then jump up. Then I was jumping off the bottom step into a part that I couldn't reach. Mommy would either hold my hand or catch me. And one time I jumped when she wasn't looking. I got a time-out for that. But other than that I had a lot of fun. Hunter was tall enough to walk around the shallow end by himself. Hopefully I will be tall enough next year. I can't wait to get back in the water!



Later on Saturday, our friends Meghan and Kelly came over. We hung out and Kelly took us on an adventure in the yard. Then I went to bed because I was so tired from all the daredevil swimming I had done. But Hunter stayed up and played cards with everyone. He told me later that he won! He and Kelly are buds... here they are doing a fist-bump!

Here's Bennett after a long day sleeping in his swing. Gramma thought he might be cold... from the looks of it, I would say not!

On Monday, Uncle Will came home from Florida. He and Aunt Holly, Grampa Dave and Miss Jan went down for the weekend to visit his new medical school and apartment. We are so sad that he's leaving but we know he'll do well. Anyway, he stopped by to see us at Aunt Mary Beth's before we left. We played together for a little while before we had to go home. It was so nice to see him!

After we got home, Ben and I were hanging out on the couch. Mommy thought we looked very cute together! I have now learned how to say "cheese" for the camera. Although I usually ask to eat cheese after I have said it...

Bennett is getting to be such a big boy now. He is so smiley and he laughs a lot. He loves to be tickled on his tummy. Oh, and he loves to be at Aunt Melissa's... I think he has a crush on Kate. He thinks she's the funniest. She loves to rock him and gives him her tabby blanket, which he loves. We're not going to see them for a while since we're going up to Manistee for the 4th of July and the week after, and then to Gaylord for Uncle Will's going away party. We will miss them, but they are going to their cottage on the lake, too, so I hope they'll have fun!

Well, we have good news from our backyard! The deer are back. This one is licking the patch of dead grass where we set out the salt lick over the winter. We had thought they were gone, but now we've put the salt lick out again and they are also eating the bird food out of the feeders!

See? Here I am helping Daddy fill the birdfeeders... the birds do get to enjoy their food, but often in the morning we wake up and all the food is gone... Mommy says that the deer are eating it all! That's okay... we like having them around!





Daddy thought this was a sweet picture of Bennett asleep in Mommy's arms (still his favorite place to sleep!)


Okay, I know you can't see it, but I have a big boo-boo on my knee. It happened when I was going for a walk, but it's getting better now. You can imagine that although I have these cool Winnie Ka Pooh bandaids on, they weren't on for long. Anyway, Mommy kissed it all better.

Bennett still loves his bouncy seat with the jungle on it. He will play in it for hours. Now he's so fidgety that he scooted himself all the way out the bottom once, so Mommy has to buckle him in.

Shhh! Whisper! Ben is sleeping.

And it's time for my nap, too. We'll try to post from Manistee, but Mommy thinks we'll be spending too much time on the beach.

Happy Independence Day to all!

Love, Mollee

Birthday/Baptism Bonanza!

Hello, Everyone!

Well, I'm two years old now! I had such a great time at the party we had! We called it the Birthday/Baptism Bonanza because Bennett got baptized on the day of my party, so everyone got to celebrate with both of us! So many people came from far away... we were all happy to have everyone there!

Aunt Pat and Uncle Richie came...

Mommy and Hunter helped me open all my presents (there were lots!)

Aunt Melissa, Foxx and Kate came... I hope they thought it was fun! Foxx was really interested in the baptism part, but Kate thought it was too hot in the church (she was right!)

Here I am with Uncle Will, Aunt Holly, Aunt Melissa, Foxx and Kate eating lunch... hotdogs and tuna mac salad... hamburgers, potato salad (thanks, Gamma Penny!), pulled chicken sandwiches and chips! Then we had cake and ice cream!

I got lots of sprinklers and we all got to play in them before we went to church. Gamma Jackie is running through the water with me... but Hunter's doing it all by himself!

I got to get wet in my birthday dress... (not my birthday suit, of course!)

Aunt Jeanette came, too! It was nice to have many of my great aunts and uncles here.

Uncle Will is Bennett's godfather... and he dressed the part so well!

Here we are at the church where they poured water on Bennett's head. He didn't mind at all!

Parents and godparents, and the newly baptized Bennett!

Bennett would like to thank Aunt Steph and Uncle Will for being his godparents. Other family and friends that came (sorry we didn't have pictures of you!) were my godmother, Aunt Mary Beth, Gramma Penny (of course!), Gaa, Grampa Dave and Miss Jan, Uncle Adam, Mary Witucki and our neighbors Detlef and Heather Losert, who just moved to Germany. We had a packed house, but we really appreciated everyone spending their day with us! Thank you all for the wonderful gifts for both of us.

A few days later we went to the zoo. Did you know that my brother has wallabies?

Here's a picture of a mommy wallaby and her baby named Joey! (can you see him hiding in her pouch??)

We got to feed the budgies with bird food on a stick... they liked me!

They liked Foxx, too, but I'm not too sure he liked them!

Mom and Kate thought the budgies were neat!

Foxx and I got to touch the stingrays (don't worry, they don't have their stingers anymore!)

We thought that was very cool!

Kate loved the fishes!

She told us all about them!

Just taking a quick rest... it was a hot day!

On Saturday, Daddy took me and Ben to Purgiel Farms to meet some of his work friends and see the fainting goats and petting zoo. Daddy was very brave to take us both by himself... Mommy had to work. And since he couldn't find the camera (Mommy had left it in the basement), there aren't any pictures of that. But it sure was fun!

Being two is fun... I'm such a big girl! Yesterday we went to the jungle gym across the street where there were a bunch of other kids playing and I just went right up to them and said "Hi, guys!" Mommy doesn't know where I get this stuff... although later that day I told her "Later, dude!" when I was going out on the deck to play (that one I got from "Finding Nemo".) I still like to help with my brother... although sometimes I like to be baby, too, so I'll sit in his swing or his bouncy seat, which Mommy doesn't like (why should he get all the fun stuff?) And just this morning when we were upstairs getting ready, I found my blanket and popper and climbed on to Mommy and Daddy's bed and then over into Bennett's cradle (don't worry... he was in the bathroom with Mommy) and tried to take a nap. Mommy didn't think that was so cute!

Well, that's about all for now. We're going up to Gaylord later this week. We'll have pictures of that soon... Oh, please keep in your thoughts and prayers Aunt Peggy, Uncle Rod, Tighe and Carlee and their family - Aunt Peggy's mom just passed away (her dad passed away a few months ago), and also Uncle Dickie, who is in the hospital with pneumonia.

Hope to see you all again soon!

Love, Mollee

P.S. I know that it seems like I have a lot of aunts and uncles, especially for my dad being a only child, but it's really just a title of endearment because we love and appreciate our family and friends!

Summer is ALMOST here!

Sorry it's been so long since we've blogged. Mommy went back to work a few weeks ago, and I've been sick and we've just been generally busy. So I'll catch you up on what we've been doing this past month!

I love it when my daddy comes home from work, but I don't like it when he has his scrub cap on his head. I do, however, like it when it is on MY (or Bennett's) head!

I got to fingerpaint one afternoon that it was raining. First off, Mom took off my shirt because she thought I might make a mess (I don't know what gave her that idea!) and then I got to smear paint all over! I'm not so great at creating anything recognizable, although I am great at mixing all the colors together. Eventually the paint was more of a brownish-turquoise!

Mom thought that Bennett looked like a boxer getting ready for a fight here...

... he loves to put up his fists and hit Mom's hands! This is such a nice picture of Ben!

I SEE YOU!

"Hello, can you help me? My big sister wants to share her toys with me and I don't quite know what to do with them yet!"


"Oh, and by the way, will someone tell Daddy to wake up? Not that I mind resting here against him..."

Gamma Penny and Gaa came to visit us... it was so nice to have them here! Bennett told us a great story and we were all enthralled!

Gamma is putting Bennett in a trance by rubbing his forehead!

Okay... this time Bennett is sleeping and Daddy is awake... that's good!

I don't really remember who Ben was smiling at here... but these days he smiles so much, it doesn't really matter, does it? Hopefully soon he'll smile at you, too!

We loved this shot of Bennett playing Pinochle with Gamma... there was one of me with Bapa when he had a hundred aces and a run... I was about 6 months old at the time. I don't think Ben knows what to bid with this hand. We'll have to teach him!

Oink, oink!

We went to the John Ball Zoo with Aunt Melissa, Foxx, Kate and Rylan. We had such a good time and I learned all about the animals! And a few days later, Foxx and I learned all about rotavirus. That was NOT a good time.

Here we all are in the aquarium... but then Mom's camera ran out of batteries, so there aren't any more pictures of us at the Zoo!

Later that week, Aunt Beth and Hunter came to visit us. We had a great time together... we went to the jungle gym across the street to play.

Aunt Holly came over, too, and played with us. We love having her here and we're glad she's so close and has been able to spend so much time with us!

Super Bennett, flying in for a kiss from Daddy!

Since I got my cool kitchen from my Pepera cousins, we needed some storage for all my food. This is my little pantry, and somehow I managed to climb inside it. Mom still hasn't the faintest idea how it did it! I guess I'm a magician!

Well, we had so much fun with Hunter and Aunt Beth that we decided to go back up north with them for the weekend. Hunter showed me his backyard and where to shoot a deer (there's one in the back left corner of the picture that we had just gone to see...)

Hunter has this awesome swingset in his backyard. I even got to swing on the big-girl swing. I wasn't afraid and I didn't let go!

Don't mess with me... I have a bat and I don't know how to use it!

Hunter thinks it's cool to have a baby around. He's so helpful with Bennett... I think he needs a baby brother or sister, don't you?????

Gamma Jackie was taking care of these very strange looking creatures that she said were dogs. They are some funky mix of something and a dachshund. Their names are Lily and Tootie, and they are Coco's dogs. They were actually really nice.

Silly face!

On Mother's Day, Gamma came over to have lunch at Aunt Beth and Uncle Don's. We got to swing on the big swing on Hunter's swingset together! Bennett, too!

It was nice to be with Gamma on Mother's Day!

I think she enjoyed being with her grandkids, too!

While we were playing outside, we saw a garter snake. He was so cool... the dogs thought so, too, but I don't think Uncle Don liked him very much!

Back at home, there was a very cool Blue Heron in our backyard. We also have lots of geese and ducks, and my mom says that she's pretty sure they've had babies and that we'll see them marching through our backyard sometime soon! Click on the picture to see him better.

Well, we've been trying to get these photos online for so long, we already have more photos to post. We'll try to get those up by the end of the week... but it's my birthday on Monday, so I don't know if I'll have time in between unwrapping all the presents (he he he)...

See you soon!

Love, Mollee