Off to a Good Start!!

We all know that babies love to sing. Bennett has been rocking the 'Itsy Bitsy Spider' since before he could sit up. He's got that one down, he loves 'Rise and Shine (and Give God the Glory).' As his father, I feel it is my duty to make sure this kid grows up knowing right from wrong, good from evil. I would be completely remiss if I didn't do everything in my power to teach my son the glorious power of music.

Where does one start on this epic journey. Do I sit him down in front of the hi-fi and turn on Miles Davis? That might be akin to tossing him into the deep end of the pool with just his swimmies. As we all did, the Bubba needs to learn to walk before he can run.

Bennett's indoctrination education began early; his good friend Karrah gave the Bubba is first album, Bedtime with the Beatles. The Beatles are, of course, the basis for all things good in modern music. So where do you go from instrumental, mellow covers of Beatles songs? To the source, of course.

Bennett can now sing the entirety of the White Album with a perfect Liverpool accent. Well... his accent may need to be tweaked a bit, but the lyrics are all there... you gotta believe me!! Okay, he may be a bit far from the multi-layered complexities of 'Everybody's Got Something to Hide Except Me and my Monkey'. What he can sing, however, is the infamous refrain to 'She Loves You.' That's right, he can sing "yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah" with perfect intonation and pretty tight rhythm. What's more, he recognizes the tune (without words) and joins in at the right place. If he wasn't born of my flesh, I would say he's a genius. You know what, I'll say it. The man's a musical genius.


If that isn't enough to bestill every man out there in fatherland, I offer you the latest in Bennett's musical conquests: Phantom Planet. For those of you out there who don't know this group and go to look them up, please forgive the fact that they wrote the theme song for the OC. They're a great band, really. And much to the same end as 'She Loves You,' the first single off their new album was torn to shreds by my tiny rocker. That's right, Bennett has added Phantom Planet's 'Do the Panic' to his ever-expanding repertoire. Granted, Bennett's favorite line is Do-Do-Do, Do-Do-Sha-Doobie-Do, but you gotta give the kid credit for his gusto.


Bennett will be holding auditions to fill out the rest of his band, all interested parties should inquire within.

Snoopy

Hi All,
This picture was taken back in November when Bennett was not quite a year. He still makes this expression often, and we call it his Snoopy smile. This post was inspired by our friends the Stewarts. They posted a picture of their adorable little Ava making the same expression, and I just had to laugh. I think it is pretty sweet that though they are (approximately) 1500 miles and 12 months apart, our babies not only reach the same milestones, but they do things alike down to this funny little detail.

Thanks for the picture, Mandy and Eli; I can't wait for these two to meet!

And by the way, here is why we call it the Snoopy smile:

Finally Gonna Finish It

I started this book 2 years ago when we were still in New York. After finding out we were pregnant, I set it down and replaced it with four thousand pre-baby books. So Rob picked it up, and informed me that I should wait to read it after the morning sickness passed (apparently it gets a little gross).

So here I am, 2 years and one baby later...I am determined to finish it. It has an incredibly slow start, but come on, the cover shows a man and a tiger sharing a boat, it's bound to pick up.

I thought maybe blogging about it would compel me to get to the end. I am a super slow reader, because reading makes me want to fall asleep-this may explain my grades in school :).

Wish me luck!

Can anyone recommend something for my next reading conquest?

The Best Day

This was the best Mother's Day!



I woke up to a rose right before my eyes with the cutest little boy standing behind it, smiling and waving at me. Rob was behind him holding a tray of breakfast-my favorite-eggs benedict, w/fruit on the side. The three of us ate in bed together. I don't know if I have ever actually done that, it seems impractical :). Turns out, sitting in bed and enjoying fruit and tea with my boys is pretty great. It was particularly entertaining because Bennett thought this was a very silly idea. He laughed and said "mmm" while rubbing his belly with every bite. I want to add that Rob even played Ella Fitzgerald-my favorite-while we ate. He's the best!


Next, we went for a walk on the beach-my other favorite. Bennett fell on his face, and was a sandy mess for his nap, but he didn't mind.

In the afternoon, we visited the Japanese Gardens at CSLB. They have gigantic koi fish you can feed, and the grounds are beautiful. Maybe the pictures will persuade one or more readers to come for a visit? A girl can only hope :)...












For once, Bennett did not try to climb into the water-I think the fish intimidated him.

We met up with the Randalls later on for dinner. Bennett was far too interested in his cousins to actually eat anything!

Last year, we had a really sweet day also, but since Bennett was a 6 mo. old who didn't sleep well, I don't remember it! Today I spent the whole day looking at him and thinking about how grateful I am for him-he is becoming such a loving, funny, sweet little guy. I know it's called mother's day, but it is our day, really. And Rob made it so wonderful.

Thank you SO much to my boys for a perfect day. I felt loved and appreciated!!

The Latest Haircut

This was a little bit ago, but I wanted to share before and after shots of Bennett going from scruffy to clean-cut. I know I am biased, but I love how he looks right after a hair cut.He is great in the hair chair, by the way!

Here are the before shots-he was pretty scruffy :) !

Tah-dah! I think he likes it.

Birthday Wishes...

...to my big sister! We got to have breakfast together this morning with Colleen who was down for the weekend. Hope you have a great one!

PS-I shall not reveal her age ;)

Love,
Kelly

Girls Weekend

Once again, I am late in posting this, but better late than never, as they say.

The weekend of April 5th, Grammy (my mom) and Auntie Co-Co (my little sis) came to town. On Saturday, "just us girls" went down south to the bridal shower of a good family friend. I don't remember the last time my Mom, Tara (my big sis), Colleen, and I had a girls day -or a girl's hour for that matter- so it was really special.

Bennett, of course, loved his time with Grammy, his Aunties, and cousins on Sunday. My only regret that we did not take a photo of the four of us. :(. Next time.


Here are some memories:

My lovely sisters

The cousins at The Rainforest Cafe

Bubba and Me

Grammy took Bennet on his first carousel ride.
He liked it, but was still a little over-stimulated from the Rainforest Cafe!

We're In!

Hi everyone,
After a week and a half of being disconnected with the world -in other words, we had no internet-I am finally here to share pictures of our new home. The move has been a little rough; it is tricky to get things accomplished with a toddler around :).

We love our little house, though! Bennett is already enjoying the yard, and I can't wait to plant tomatoes and herbs.

This is the 7th move Rob and I have made together in our 4 years of marriage. We should just make a career out of it somehow.

Enjoy the pics!
Love,
Kelly






Bennett enjoys exploring the tiny closets!

This one was taken today. Can you see the scratch on his nose? He is quickly learning that falling on concrete is no fun!