Sleeping Bambino

 

The other night, the boys fell asleep during story time. This is what I saw when I went to go get Jeff to his own bed... Ben with his 4 bunnies and Dorothy, the sting ray. The boy sure loves his bunnies!

 

My 3 Boys

 

Just hangin' out, doin' a little tummy time... :)

 

 

Papa and the boys

 

We went over to Gommie and Papa's house this week to celebrate Gommie's bday. Here are a few pics of Papa and the little guys!

 

Milk Time...

 

Apple Picking Time...

 



Soccer Game 2

 

Ben had his second soccer game this past weekend. He is definitely getting better and more confident but still very foggy on what he is supposed to do or even what the concept of soccer is. We practice at home and he does a great job kicking the ball in the goal but when you add in all the other little kids chasing the ball, it gets pretty confusing. 

 

He got to play against one of his good buddies, Emerson, who was also clueless. Although there are no winners or losers in this league and no score boards, we are certain that Emerson's team whopped our tushies. All of us parents are convinced that the opposing team raided the local 1st and 2nd grade classrooms because they were big and mean and knew what they were supposed to do with the ball. Whatever, the kids had fun and so did we!

 

Best Weekend EVER!

For those of you that know our Ben, you know he is OBSESSED with planes, rockets, shuttles, helicopters, fighter jets... pretty much anything in the sky. So... this weekend just happened to be the best weekend of Ben's whole 3 years. You are probably asking "why?" Let me elaborate...

 

Exhibit A : While the Space Shuttle Endeavor was on its retirement flight from the east coast to southern California, it made a 'fly by' in front of the Monterey Aquarium. Along with all the news crews and revelers, Ben waited almost 2 hours (which is like a lifetime to a 3 year old) for the Endeavor to pass by. Keep in mind that when Ben You-Tube's all the NASA rocket launches, his favorite that he always goes back to is the Endeavor which made this day all that much more special. On with our story... Just shy of 11:00am, the Space Shuttle Endeavor (on top of a 747 Jumbo Jet and followed by a fighter pilot, no less) literally buzzed the aquarium, so close Ben could practically touch it. Needless to say, this was beyond a highlight for our little man and he couldn't stop smiling or talking about it for days. Until...

 

Exhibit B : This past weekend was the Salinas Airshow. As long as I can remember, the airshow has been a big attraction in the early fall here on the Monterey Peninsula. Not that I've ever been or had any interest in going. That is until I birthed a fighter jet loving little boy. As you can see from the pictures below, Ben showed up in his fighter jet jump suit and ear plugs ready to enjoy an amazing day. The sun was out, the fighter jets were loud, the Air Force Thunderbirds buzzed just over head and Ben actually got to go inside an Air Force freighter plane.

 

According to Ben, this really was his best weekend EVER!

 

Happy Birthday, Gommie!

This Tuesday is a very special day for all of us... we get to celebrate Gommie's birthday! Love you, Gommie, we can't wait to celebrate!!

 

Huh??!?

 

Napping and bed time have never been at the top of Ben's "to do" list. In fact, it is probably his very least part of the day. So... when he passed out, literally, on our bed a few weekends ago, we knew the kid must be EXHAUSTED!

 

Ben and his Band Aid Obsession

What I've learned from my 3 year old is that batteries and tape can fix just about anything in the world. Band Aids, too, fall into this 'fabulous fix it' category and not only fix real 'owies' but they heal the very elusive pretend owie, too. Ben is a firm believer that the more band aids, the better. And if it is a Toy Story band aid, well, that is just the best thing EVER!

 

Beauty and the Beast

Ben and Brody each got to go to their first musical the other weekend. There is this fabulous outdoor theater in Carmel, the Forest Theater, where they put on a few different musicals per year. This past month has been Beauty and the Beast so of course, we brought the boys. It was an unusually warm day in Carmel so we brought our picnic lunch and had a great time watching the show. Ben did really well for the most part and even ran into one of his friends that he got to run around with for a little bit. Brody had one bottle and you guessed it, slept thru 90% of the performance!

 

Nap Time...

 

I get a real kick out of Brody's napping positions... Take a peek at the most recent nap below, he looks pretty comfortable, I will give him that!

 

Brody's First Smiles!

Yep, he's started smiling! Let the fun begin!!

 

Kinder Kicks Soccer

Ben started soccer this past weekend, Kinder Kicks soccer to be exact... pretty much a pee wee soccer league. We had been looking forward to soccer starting for pretty much the entire summer and finally Saturday arrived! His friend, Catherine, was on his team and all in all, he had a great first game.

 

This pee wee league has no goalie, doesn't post scores and lets everyone play an equal amount of time... basically to teach the kids about soccer, to have fun and not be too competitive. So... we start the day off with Ben in a uniform that is literally about 4 sizes too big even though they swear the extra small is equivalent to a 3T. Then when we arrive, all the kids who were supposed to be between 3-4 were mostly 4 and just about to turn 5. So... these kids had all played before and understood the concept of kicking the ball in the goal. Even though we had practiced with Ben in the back yard, he didn't quite get this concept. So... there was a lot of running in circles, pretend falls and slides and stopping mid kick to watch the plane over head. Ben did get one assist and threw the ball in from the sidelines twice so we will consider that a great showing. Ben did have a great time, though, and can't wait to go back this weekend!

 

 

Brody is 2 Months!

Brody turned 2 months old yesterday and boy he sure is changing! We have our 2 month check up later this week so vital stats to follow... Last night, though, Brody grabbed onto the hanging toy from his bouncy chair for the first time. Luckily, all of my boys were on the floor together and the camera was around the corner so I was able to catch this big event! (It is hard to see from this pic but he is grabbing the blue ring on the left) 

 

Bolger Boy Trifecta!

Jeff and his mini army of Bolger boys were relaxing the other night watching You Tube and the following is what happened... Of course our energizer bunny, also known as Ben, doesn't look the least bit tired...

 

Sleeping Brody

I caught this cute pic of Brody sleeping the other day... arm up, passey in, totally unprovoked and totally cute...

 

Greek Festival, Part II

The live music at the Greek festival was a real highlight for Ben. So much so that he pulled his Dad to go dance on stage with all the Greek dancers. Of course a big crowed follwed him and the following event below occured. Oopa!

 

Greek Festival, Part I

Every Labor Day weekend is our favorite festival of the entire year in Monterey... drum roll, please... The Greek Festival! This year we got to drag both boys to the fabulousity. Both boys were asleep when we got there so we put them in the double stroller and strolled around til we could find the perfect table for 1) easy access to the food and drink stands & 2) unobstructed people watching.

 

If someone is a 'Franc-o-phile,' they love all things French. Whatever the word is for a lover of all things Greek aptly describes me and Jeff and now the newest devotee, Ben! Brody, just wait til next year little man and you can become part of the club!

 

Here Jeff and I are thoroughly enjoying our gyro and Mythos (Greek beer we had daily on our honeymoon) :

 

 

Ben has just woken up from his nap and has zero idea how lucky he is about to become...

 

Now he is! You can't tell from this pic but he has just had his first bite of gyro and for the boy who does not like meat, he devoured an entire gyro! His second course was dessert... Greek donuts (Loukomedes...sp?) dipped in honey and nuts and he devoured those, too!

 

Part II of the Greek Festival to come tomorrow!

Pre-School Highs and Lows

Ben has been in pre-school for a week and a half now and here is a quick re-cap of the highs and lows we've encountered to date...

 

HIGHS

1. Ben loves school. He wants to go back every day even though it is only 2 days per week. (This one trumps all the 'pre-school lows' you are about to read but they are still worth mentioning)

 

LOWS

1. Ben got a small cold on day one. Nothing major but still a cold.

2. Mom got an eye infection. Not pink eye but still an eye infection. Not fun.

3. Ben has learned the word 'turd' and is very happy to use it multiple times a day.

4. Ben really loves Spiderman because Sebastian had a Spiderman backpack on the first day of school. Ben doesn't know Spiderman from President Obama but he still loves Spiderman.

 

 

Jakey Goines Comes to Visit!

Jakey Goines and his fam came to visit us over the Labor Day Weekend. Of course Ben was looking forward to Jakey's visit for an entire week prior to his arrival. The minute Jakey's van pulled into the driveway, Ben was up on the entry bench with the window open yelling, "Jakey Goines Jakey Goines! Come play with me!!" I am sure the entire neighborhood could hear him yelling for Jakey. It was pretty darn cute. They had a fabulous time and even a week later, Ben is asking when he will go to Jakey's house to play.

 

1st Pony Ride at the Fair

The grand finale of the fair was Ben's first pony ride. He had a great time on 'Blue' the brown pony and really did not want to get off. Here are a few cute pics of Ben and Blue.

 

Monterey Fair, Part I

Ben has been going to the Monterey Fair every year of his life to date and always has the best day. This year was no different except he got to enjoy it with his new brother. With the sun out in full force, Gommie and I escorted the little men through one of their favorite events of the year.

 

At the entrance sitting with my favorite big guy!

 

 

The Monterey fair is very 'small town.' The 4H groups have contests to see who has the best cow, chicken, goat etc etc. One of Ben's favorite parts of the fair is to go tour the livestock. The cows are always a crowd pleaser but this year, Ben got a real kick out of the ducks and bunnies.

 

For whatever reason, fair food is oh so tasty even though it is oh so naughty. I promised Ben a treat if he had all his lunch earlier in the day and when we got to the fair, all he wanted was an ice cream sundae. Little did we know it would be enough for 4 people to split. Ben didn't mind its big size, though... with caramel oozing from every side, he had a great time devouring the dessert!

 

Finally, I can go on rides with Ben again since I am not pregnant anymore. During my pregnancy, we went to every possible place for kid roller coasters that I had to sit back and watch Ben go on and have fun with his Dad. Now it was our turn to go on the Wacky Worm and Ben looooved it! So did I... big time!

 

Gommie and Ben's fair traditions always include a go on the carosel and as you can see, Gommie was really having a great time!

 

Ben REALLY wanted to go on the kayak ride 'all by himself' so he took a spin. It wasn't as fast or crazy as he'd like so he only took one spin around the track.

                                   The entire time at the fair, Ben wanted to go on the pirate ship that went almost in a full circle. Adults weren't allowed and he said he would be fine going solo so up he went all by himself much to his mother and grandmother's chagrin. But... when the older girls climbed in next to him and behind him, his swagger came out in full force and he seriously showed off for them. Lord help us!                                      

 

Part II to come tomorrow... stay tuned!