The bedroom makeover is almost complete! I still want to add some more things, on the walls, but I haven't found anything yet. We ordered Ben's bed about a month ago and we've been looking forward to putting his "big boy" room together. Curt was able to pick the bed/mattress up yesterday and assemble it last night. We painted his walls green a couple weeks ago. The color turned out a little brighter than what the sample looked like, but now that all of the stuff is in his room we like how it looks. We also painted the dresser and bookcase black to match the bed (I should say that Curt painted them, because I just stuck to the green paint). :) I thought Ben might be nervous about his big bed, but he isn't at all. He loves it! I put his little stool near the end of the bed and he can climb up and down all by himself. He did not try to get out at bed or naptime (just like in his toddler bed). So, hopefully that will continue to happen. He told me that his bed is...

Over the weekend, we celebrated three family birthdays in Lansing. We had a good time visiting with Curt's family and eating lots of yummy food. Basketball was often on the television (I will admit that I was not an avid watcher). The girls got out of the house on Saturday to do a little shopping. It was fun to get out without the kids and take our time at the mall. :) The March birthdays: Tim, Abby, and Betsy Betsy getting ready to open her presents. Tim was very excited about his new shirt!

While we were in Lansing, I got some pictures of Ben playing soccer in the backyard with his cousins Jacob and Peyton. It was a little chilly out there, but they warmed up after running around. Ben had so much fun with all of his cousins over the weekend. He keeps asking if we can go back to Aunt Betsy's house to play with them. :) Ben and Jacob Ben running to get the ball in the goal. Peyton trying to get the ball past Uncle Curt. Ben and Peyton on the move.

We arrived in Lansing, Michigan last night and are spending the next few days with the Nickels (Curt's sister Betsy & family). The rest of Curt's family are joining us tonight, so that we can celebrate a few birthdays. Today we took the kids to a place called Jumpin Jax. It has lots of inflatables for the kids to play on. Curt was able to take the day off work, so he came with us for the fun. Ben was pretty nervous at first, but after a while he played on the inflatables without Curt or me helping him. His cousins Jacob, Jenna, and Peyton were so helpful and encouraging to him. Here's a view of some of the inflatables. Me, Ben, and Jenna getting ready to go down the slide. Getting off the slide at the bottom. Ben was really nervous climbing the steps, but as soon as we went down the slide, he wanted to go down it again. Curt and Ben trying out a different slide. Crawling through one of the small openings...this part made him really scared at first. After a while, h...

Ben loves to play with his cars and have them race each other. Doc and Luigi (from Cars ) are having a little conversation. Racing some more cars on the floor.   Ben and Mom We are enjoying a relaxing day together because the rest of this week/weekend is going to be VERY busy! 

It's been forever since we have gone on a road trip to someplace other than Michigan to visit our families. We thought a two day trip to Indianapolis would be fun. Since we've never stayed in a hotel with Ben, that was a whole new experience. We stayed in downtown Indy. It was beautiful out on Thursday and we were able to take a walk to the monument before we went to the mall for some dinner/shopping. Then, we spent some time in the hotel pool. On Friday, we went to the Children's Museum. Curt and I have been there many times (with visiting family/friends when we lived in Indy). But, this was Ben's first time there. It was interesting to see how it has changed in the last few years. There are many pictures coming up, so be prepared! :) It was a little sunny on the drive down. Ben had to put on his shades. Curt and Ben at the monument in downtown Indy. Ben and I sat in the grass by the monument for a picture. He looks like he is trying to run away. :) The tall build...

It is another beautiful day outside! I love to be able to play outside with Ben. This morning we did a little shopping at Toys 'R Us. I wanted to get Ben a baseball tee. He just started his Lil' Sluggers baseball class on Monday (it is 8 weeks long) and I wanted him to be able to practice at home. He was so excited to try it out. We only had about a half an hour outside before he needed to take a nap, but I promised that we can go back outside after he wakes up. Ben trying out his new baseball tee. I also picked up a few extra baseballs at the store. That was helpful so that I didn't have to keep chasing after one or two balls. Helping pick up one of the baseballs. Laying in the grass...he said he was looking at the rocks. My serious and sweet boy. :)

Our friends (Derek, Rachel, Jackson, and Luke) were able to visit this weekend and we had such a great time! They almost weren't able to visit because the flu struck their house last week. They waited until Saturday morning to come, just to make sure that no one else was going to get sick. Ben just had the flu a few weeks ago and that was not a fun time. Hopefully we will all stay healthy now. Saturday afternoon, Rachel and I went to see the movie Remember Me . It was really really really not good. We were at least able to laugh about how bad it was. The characters, plot, and pretty much everything just didn't make sense to us. I don't think I could ever sit through it again. It was fun though to get out of the house all by ourselves without the kids! Ben and Luke had fun playing with some toys. I tried to get them both to smile at the same time, but that was pretty much impossible. :) Jackson and Rachel in the food court. We went to the mall for some Chick-fil-a. Ben g...