Here's Lookin' At You, Kid.

Last night while playing with the kids, Abby looks at me and (being silly) give me this look. How the heck did this child learn to do this?!? Keep one eyeball straight while the other is cross-eyed? Freaked me out! We were half laughing, half grossed out, and half telling her to not do that again (but not before I got a picture). And here's a few of Ben for good measure.

Ben's Dedication at Church

Last Sunday we had Ben dedicated at church. As long as he didn't spit up all over Pastor Dave, I would consider it a success. And we had no spit up and Ben even smiled for everyone a few times. Yes, I did all that color coordinating myself. I was hoping to get our family 'Christmas card' picture too that day. Yeah...that was a no go. But we had a great breakfast with Jason's family afterwards, and it was a nice relaxing day.

Leave It to Abigail

This girl is loving leaves this year. Three year olds and leaves are just one big pile of fun waiting to happen. After a neighborhood walk one afternoon, I thought the two of us could be productive and rake/bag leaves while Ben napped. Silly Jenn. After many unsuccessful attempts to get Abby to help and then realizing I didn't have any yard bags anyway...I said 'to hell with it' and we had a blast.

Our Day with Thomas the Train

This was a big deal in the Chiodo household. Abigail LOVES Thomas the Train. Personally, I find the TV show to be a little dry. I don't understand how it entertains kids, but somehow it does. Well, Veronica found tickets for Thomas the Train coming to the Essex Steam Train Station. When the day finally arrived, the weather was gorgeous, the lunches were packed, the tickets were bought, and we were LATE!!! Yes, Jason and I enjoyed one too many cups of coffee that morning and found ourselves driving like a complete nutjob trying to get to the 10:30 train on time. When we finally got there, the 10:30 train was loaded and I was running with elbows out and a "get out of my way" look on my face. We made it to the gate only to have the station master tell us it was full. We pleaded and begged to get on while Abby had this horrified look and instantly burst into tears. We must have done something right because the guy told us to come back for the 11:00 train and he would make an exception and let us on. I told Jason, "We suck sometimes at this parenting thing." But...it all worked out fine. We took the later train and caught up with Dennis & Veronica and Ole & Dawn and the girls for lunch. The day was quite enjoyable and a fun experience.

Time to Bake

Yes, yes I know. I haven't blogged in awhile. What can I say? I am one busy woman. But here's a quick look at recent activities. Jason was gone for about 4 days on a business trip at the end of October. So Abby and I made cookies one day and then proceeded to eat way too many of them. This is why I love to bake but I just don't do it that often. Abby got way too interested in the dough and Ben...well, he just wasn't interested. :)

Three Months Old!

Today Benjamin is 3 months old. Here's a few highlights:
1. He's trying desperately to roll over.
2. He sucks on his hands and fingers like they are chocolate candy. I try to give him a pacifier and he usually spits it right back out. "No thanks, Mom. I want to slobber all over my hands if you don't mind."
3. He peed all over Abby's face a few days ago. We put his blue tub inside the regular tub. Works great to get them both bathed at the same time. She leaned over him and it was the perfect angle to let 'er loose. It was way too funny. The look on her face was priceless.
4. He is one happy boy. This kid smiles and coos and belly laughs A LOT! I do not remember Abby doing that so much at this young age. The minute he locks eyes on your face, he just starts grinning from ear to ear. And those belly laughs are quite contagious.
5. He got his first haircut.
6. He took his first airplane ride(s). And he was a trooper...that white airplane noise put him fast asleep.
7. He is quite the "talker." In the last week, he has started doing a lot of baby talk. He's loud and goes on and on like "I have something to say, people!" I just talk right back to him and we have many a lively conversation.

Our 3 Year Old Shoplifter

After getting home from our trip, we had to go out for some groceries and a wedding gift. There was a wedding shower at church last night...so I just dropped off the gift without staying since I was a zombie from traveling. We go into Bed Bath and Beyond to grab the gift before heading over to Stop and Shop for a rotisserie chicken and groceries. Jason is pushing Ben in the stroller with Abby walking with him while I get the shopping done. While in BBB, our sweet Abby was grabbing fun looking items within her reach. We did a lot of "No!" "No!" "Put that back now!" The kid had been traveling all day and had not slept for more than 15 minutes. We finished quickly there and walked over to the grocery store. Got our stuff and headed back to the car. While putting the stroller away, Jason found 2 stuffed toys that Abby had snuck into the stroller when we weren't looking. He was not a happy daddy. I finished loading the groceries and Ben into the car while he hauled her back into Bed Bath and Beyond. When they got back to the car, he said Abby was very remorseful and said she was "Sorry" to the people in the store. Jason said the lady he was talking to just smiled from ear to ear the whole time and "she wasn't helping me out much with that grin!" Part of me thinks she doesn't quite get the whole concept of buying something to own it. But we did know that she knew we said "No" to the toys she was touching and she decided to sneak some in anyway. Needless to say, she fell asleep on the way home (around 6:30 p.m.) and we took her directly to bed because she was completely gone. And the girl slept soundly until 7 this morning.