Early Morning Wake Up Calls

For some reason, Ben's been waking up early this week and we say early, we don't mean kinda early but crack of dawn early... and after you have breakfast and run around down stairs and torment the dog out of her slumber, what do you do since it's still soo early? Well, if you're Ben, you do the following:

1) Sit like a king on his throne and throw all your books on the ground 

(notice it is still pitch dark outside)

 2. Rummage thru Mom's drawers and run around the upstairs wearing dark sunglasses and feeling oh so cool.

 3. Take a 2 minute break to read a quick book before repeating #1 & #2 over and over and over...

Weekend Mornings 'ala Jeff & Ben

What is the best part of Saturday and Sunday mornings if you're Jeff and Ben? Anyone? Anyone? Well, it's juicing, of course! They toss a ton of fruit in the juicer and make a special Bolger concoction that only the two of them like. And with Ben under the weather, this is the perfect fever remedy.

Have a good weekend!

Jeff & Ben

Happy Friday!

Have a fantastic weekend!

Love, Ben

More Weekend Water Fun

After Ben's fun with the garden house (see Tuesday's post below), there were puddles galore in our back yard. Is there a better way to end a warm weekend afternoon then jumping and splashing in puddles? According to Ben Bolger, there is DEFINITELY no better way.

As you can see from these pics, Ben had the best time EVER splashing and jumping. He ended up pretty wet (see last pic for evidence) as did his little friend, Sophie Lou, who had zero interest in being splashed.

Here, Ben has just realized there are tons of puddles just waiting to be trounced upon and was pretty darn excited about his discovery!

 Here, Ben is almost ankle deep in water and loving every minute...

 Very wet toddler = Time to go inside & dry off



Fun with a Garden Hose

Ben's new favorite warm-weather activity is playing in the back yard with the garden hose. This past Sunday, he learned how to turn it on and off, probably not the best thing for him to learn?! Regardless, this boy loves water, spraying water and playing in water.

BEFORE

DURING

AFTER

(someone got a bit wet hence the topless pic but notice in the next pic below that Ben doesn't give up and yep, won and conquered the hose after all and then went back for more water fun)

Beach Day

This weekend was very summer-like, nearly 75 degrees both days! (Sorry to boast to our friends in Chicago, Colorado and everywhere cold and snowy). We took full advantage and went to Carmel River Beach on Sunday. Of course Ben loved the beach... the freezing water didn't phaze him and he loooved playing with (& eating, yuck!) the sea weed that had washed ashore. Not a bad way to spend a Sunday afternoon!

MLK Day Hike

Jeff had MLK day off on Monday so Jeff and I went on a (gasp) hike. Yes, its true. I willingly went on a hike. He took me on a 5 mile hike in Toro Regional Park and it was just beyond gorgeous weather so it was a great date day.

Afternoon Stroll

The weather this weekend was beyond beautiful... 70 degrees in mid-January, not bad at all! We took full advantage of the weather and were outside as much as possible all weekend. One of Ben's favorite activities is an afternoon stroll in our neighborhood... sometimes he walks, sometimes he drives... it just depends on what mood strikes him. Sunday was all about the car. So he grabbed his milk, his parents and his dogs and led a little tour around our neighborhood.

Bussi Time, Play Time

Ben and Maxine loved play time together. Below are a few of the cutest pics of the evening.

Here, Ben is showing Maxine his golf clubs which are probably his most favorite toys. Cute, at first. But, when the kids start swinging the clubs at each other and the dog, cute turns to scary and golf clubs vanish into the garage.

 Much like our time in Hawaii, Ben loved to sneak up on Maxine and try to steal her dinner. Problem is that her food was already gone. Sad for Ben.

 Pre-hug or massage?! No one knows but the love birds.

 First kiss? Nah... just Ben tickling Maxine's ears. Not romantic, just sweet.

Love Birds on the Love Seat

Ben and Maxine are very comfortable with each other and got quite cozy on the love seat. Hold your horses, kiddos... don't get too close... not yet, anyway.

Love Birds Reunite

Paul, Nicole and Maxine Bussi came for a short but very sweet visit on Thursday to the Peninsula. They were in state from Maui and it was fabulous to see our great college friends and also for Ben and Maxine, the love birds, to reunite. The love birds were shy at first but very quickly rekindled their amore.

The stairway never disappoints and afforded us parents a good 10 minutes of sitting in one place to catch up while the kids went up and down the stairs then back up and back down then for round 3, 4 and 5.

 

Where's Your Belly Button, Ben?

Yep, he knows where his belly button is. I think we have a genius on our hands!

Hide and Seek

Today we were playing a quasi-game of Hide and Seet. I would face my back to Ben as he would very sneekily (is that a word?) crawl under a side table, behind the rocking chair and hide behind the pictured white end table. He thought this was hilarious and was laughing uncontrollably while hiding so, as you can guess, it wasn't too difficult to find him. Here is the pic of when he was first found, still giggling a ton. Perhaps in time, he will learn the technique of being silent while hiding???

Ben's First Haircut

Ben's hair had grown way too long and it was time for a real, go-to-the-barber haircut. We had given him a trim back in August but Sunday marked his first true haircut ever. Ben wasn't too sure about the lady walking around him with shiny silver things in her hands but he hung in for the trim. Now he looks like a real big kid!

Big Boy Shoes

Ben's new trick is finding Mom and Dad's shoes, putting them on (not always on the correct foot) and clomping around the house in shoes that are 5x the size of his foot. This pic was from Tuesday morning, Jeff and I were trying to get ready for work and Ben decided it was time to play dress up and for him to get ready for work, too. Pretty funny way to start the day.

PS Today is Ben's 18 month birthday so happy half birthday, big Ben & happy 'anniversary' Jeff & Jen!

New Year's Eve in Palm Desert

We spent New Year's Eve in Palm Desert for the third year in a row. We made a fabulous dinner and watched a movie but fell asleep well before midnight. Such a change from the all-night parties before parenthood but we wouldn't change anything about our quiet yet wonderful New Year's Eve!

Ben's New Friends in Palm Desert

Albert Einstein and...

 Ben Franklin, whose eye glasses needed an adjustment, according to Ben Bolger.

Palm Desert for New Years

We had the week off of work between Christmas and New Year's so we drove down to the Bolgers in Palm Desert for some rest and relaxation. The highlight for Ben, on top of seeing Grandma and Grandpa Bolger, was hot tubbing in their back yard. As you can see from the progression of pics, Ben 1) really loves water, 2) really loves splashing in the water and 3) has no fear of the water. Jeff, though, is more of an innocent bystander to Ben's splash attacks.

Christmas at the beach

What would Christmas be without a trip to the beach?! This year, though, it was pretty darn cold after having rained the day before. But we toughed it out for a few minutes and of course, Ben had the best time ever running in the sand with his cousins.

A special gift from the Rocklin Jacobses

Jen's brother and his fam came to Monterey the day after Christmas for a few days to celebrate the holiday. Uncle Jon, the car enthusiast, got Ben a very special gift this year for Christmas. At first, Ben had zero interest in unwrapping the gift as you can see from the first two pics. But... once he actually got the box opened, a fabulous treat appeared...

 Yep... that is a motorized car. Ben pushes a button in the steering wheel and he can drive the car all on his own. The background to this gift is that Jon has got Ben all of the appropriate cars for each stage of life. Once he was able to sit up on his own, Jon got a car that we could push Ben in. Once he was running around on his own, Jon got him an ATV-ish motorcycle that was not motorized. Now, there is a motor... God help us! It's actually a really fun gift, Ben loves it and it really doesn't go that fast. Lucky little man to have such a fun Uncle!