A quick pic

This was from our trip to Colorado about a month ago. We met up with my sister and her husband for lunch at a Pizza shop in Denver. Liz joined us, too. The kids each got their own piece of pizza dough to play with at the table (what a great idea!).

Happy Birthday Hazel!

It took me two weeks, but I’ve uploaded the photos to flickr and managed to find half an hour to sit down to write this post- miraculous, and necessary, since we will be heading out on a fantastic trip to Denver on Friday and I need the space on the memory card!

Hazel turned 3 two weeks ago and I can still hardly believe it. For some reason two didn’t come as such a surprise, but 3, it’s bigger somehow. Yeah, I know, it’s a full year more than two and all of that, but what I mean is that it feels like she’s really growing up. So fast. We are now in little kid territory, not baby, not even toddler, but kid. Here’s that beautiful kid the morning of her birthday (and yes, I know that kids are baby goats, hush!)

We sang Happy Birthday to Hazel in bed that morning, and then asked her what she wanted for breakfast. Her reply was not too much of a surprise. We had donuts. John was thrilled (his first)…


John and Hazel ate theirs up, and John decided he wanted everyone to have a taste of his donut- he loves to share…

Darn these donuts are good!


A boy after my own heart…

I know, I know it’s Hazel’s birthday, but John was enjoying these donuts SO much… we just had to snap a bunch of pictures… More of the birthday girl coming soon!

Alright, on to the birthday girl… crazy as ever!

Running through the streamers



Come on, John, you can do it to!

Air guitar???




How old are you, Hazel?

Snack time!



Hazel’s cake:

And I’ll huff…

And I’ll puff…

And I’ll blow my candles out!

Hazel and her ladies in waiting

Princess clothes!

High heels!


Pleased as punch

It’s amazing how much they change in a year…

or even two…

or three…

Happy Birthday sweet girl. We love you SO much.

Coffee thief strikes!

Coffee Thief!

John is cruising like a champ and getting into everything. This weekend, while I was enjoying my a cup of coffee and watching John crawl around the living room. I was thumbing through a copy of Bicycling magazine, keeping him in the corner of my eye.

I look down to read a paragraph and by the time I am part way through, I hear John coughing and sputtering.

The little guy had cruised to the side table, reached and grabbed my coffee mug, which I had through I had set back far enough. The then proceeded to grab it with both hands and bring it to his lips, slurping down a swig of coffee and taking in a little too much. He sloshed some coffee on himself and looked up at me smiling, laughing and proud of what he did.

The rest of the morning, the little coffee thief was crawling like a crazy man, entertaining himself while keeping me on my toes.

Yesterday, as a test, Esther tried to give John some more coffee and we can confirm that he likes it… so we have to watch out now.

First Birthday Pictures!

And almost before Hazel’s birthday-I tried!

Here are the photos from John’s birthday and the last couple of weeks, pictures of Hazel’s birthday to come!

Sweet Birthday boy…

Hazel helped decorate the cake

Nom nom nom carrot cake!

My teeth are coming in and they’re making me make this funny face!

and this one…

I’m so cute it hurts

Hey guys, whats up?

I look just like my big sister

Dancing Hazel…

The kids exploiting our librarian friend…

And just a little preview, this is Hazel when she woke up on her birthday yesterday-

Birthday donut!

Also, Hazel wrote her name this morning, I’m super proud!

Pictures anyone?

As soon as I finish getting my online course up and running I will upload John’s birthday pictures (warning: this may not be until after I take Hazel’s birthday pictures!).

I think we can all agree that I am no longer a very diligent baby blogger- I suppose that’s what happens when the babies turn into toddlers

Half a year of video…

Oh how fast they grow…

VID00013 from esther benoit on Vimeo.

VID00030 from esther benoit on Vimeo.

VID00015 from esther benoit on Vimeo.

Christmas Interview

VID00026 from esther benoit on Vimeo.

VID00027 from esther benoit on Vimeo.

Another Silly “Interview”

VID00006 from esther benoit on Vimeo.

John is 1!

I’ve just realized I still have videos on my camera from before Christmas… I’ve been really bad about updating this year! Here are a few videos from the birthday party today- more to come (from the rest of the year!) later, with pictures of the big day, too! What a happy happy day!

VID00035 from esther benoit on Vimeo.

VID00036 from esther benoit on Vimeo.

VID00039 from esther benoit on Vimeo.

VID00040 from esther benoit on Vimeo.

VID00041 from esther benoit on Vimeo.

VID00042 from esther benoit on Vimeo.

VID00043 from esther benoit on Vimeo.

VID00044 from esther benoit on Vimeo.

VID00045 from esther benoit on Vimeo.

Birthday Eve

A year ago today I was a bundle of nerves. It was the day before John’s scheduled c-section and I wasn’t sure how things were going to go. Turns out everything went as smooth as could be and our little guy made his entrance without any problems. I can’t believe it’s been a year. We thought Hazel’s first year flew by and now she’s almost three. I can’t even believe our little guy is already a year old. He’s almost walking, he crawls faster than I prefer, climbs up the steps, says Banana and Hazel and every now and then Mama… He smiles at everyone he meets. John is the sweetest baby boy, although I should probably stop calling him “Baby” really soon! As far as two personalities go, John and Hazel are about as different as they come- John is mellow, laid back, content with a few toys or books. Hazel is always on the go, needing to be around as many people as possible. Where John is a “let me figure these things out” kind of boy, Hazel is a “play with me” kind of gal. The two of them make for such a fun little family. While they are different they both share a love of people- we joke that they are Mr. and Ms. Congeniality.

John is into everything lately- he climbs, rolls, stands, crawls (and crawls and crawls), and tries to keep up with Hazel. We are quickly realizing how much John enjoys vehicles of all sorts- anything that is loud and moves quickly (or slowly, as long as it’s loud!). He gets a real kick out of airplanes, trucks, and fire engines. It’s a good thing we live so close to the fire station!

I’ve got a few pictures to share today as I prepare to empty the camera’s drive for tomorrow’s birthday festivities. So without further ado, here are the pictures from the last couple of months. From a trip to the zoo with Jered’s Uncle Phil to Easter to playtime with friends and a sweet mother’s day photo, here they are:

riding on the train…

One of those days…

Have you ever had a day that is one of those days? Not the ones where you sigh and wonder if your day can get any worse, but the kind that you just know will stick with you for years to come? Today I had one of those days. That it happened to coincide with mother’s day will just help it stick out in my memory that much more.

The day started with breakfast in bed- prepared lovingly by Jered and his partner in culinary crime, Hazel. Eggs, fruit and bacon were on the menu and they were delicious. I was given a fantastic card by Hazel and John that was clearly selected by Hazel- it played a garishly punk-rock “My Mom is a Superhero” song when opened. This came complete with a dance and laughter and clapping from both kids. Just perfect. Hazel also made a lovely hand print picture for me at school that she gave to me this morning. I’ve already got a frame picked out.

The day got better from there. We got a new patio furniture set this weekend and we spent the afternoon cleaning and clearing the back yard for our new gear. Hazel spent the entire afternoon outside playing in her water table and anticipating the marshmallows we promised her we would roast in the new firebowl for dessert. We roasted jumbo marshmallows that Hazel ate in a bowl with a spoon. John ate an entire bowl of curry and managed to steal a marshmallow and nearly eat the whole thing before anyone noticed.

We put the kids down for bed and I went for a quick run (to burn off the jumbo marshmallows!). When I came home Jered tagged out and went for his run. I had positioned myself outside with tiki torches, magazines and the radio, ready to relax after a perfect day. Suddenly I see a very sad little girl at the back door, crying. I open the door to see what is the matter. Hazel comes outside and tells me sweetly that she needs me to be in the house. She needs me to be noisy. She needs me to make “racket” so she can sleep. She needs to know I’m at home. I pulled that girl onto my lap and we sat under the umbrella, watching the tiki torches and citronella candles flicker. She asked me why the neighbor girl (who is 17, by the way) was allowed to be outside and awake. I told her Katie is a big girl. She asked me if I was a big girl. I said that I was. She then asked if she was a big girl.

Not yet little Hazel. Not just yet. Be little for a while longer.

Both kids are tucked into bed now. I know I won’t forget today. It was the kind of day that you can’t forget. Easy.  Comfortable. Sweet. Nothing out of the ordinary, but yet completely extraordinary. I’m taking a snapshot of the day and putting it in a special place- a place where I can look back and remember how sweet this time is. I look forward to all of our new adventures together as a family, but today is getting earmarked.