Cookies

Not so long ago, our friend Anna came to play. Her mommy, Marie and I did a commissary swap. Marie stayed with my kids while I went grocery shopping, the when I came home, she headed to the store while I watched the kids! It was great, and I hope we can do it again soon!

While I was shopping I picked up some sugar cookie dough. I thought the girls would enjoy decorating some cookies with our surplus of sprinkles. I gave each girl her own jelly roll pan to contain the mess. I swear I only turned my head for a second and this is what found! (Notice the red cookie and empty container nearby!)


Do you think Sophie used enough sugar and sprinkles?




Anna had a little more self control with her cookies, but still managed to cover every surface in sprinkles.

Aren't they beautiful?

Marathon Man

A few weekends back, Nick did what most people would think impossible. He ran a marathon! It was actually his third time running The Marine Corp Marathon. He last ran it 10 plus years ago when he was at West Point. I vividly remember him telling me years ago, that I must never let him be foolish enough to run it again. He didn't heed my warnings, but he still survived and did great!

He trained hard for the last few months, and was in pretty good shape for his run. His hip has been bothering him and is progressively getting worse, so he knew this was his last chance to run in a marathon.




We had to be awake earlier than I care to remember on race day. Thankfully, another mother from Ben's school offered her husband's assistance in giving Nick a ride to the race (he was running too) so that I didn't have to wake the kids up so early.

The kids were able to sleep a bit longer, and when they awoke I loaded them in the car and headed to the Metro. I am proud to say that I successfully managed to get all three kids safely into DC on my own, on the train. They loved the ride!

We knew that it would be nearly impossible to see Nick start the race, or even to spot him along the race route (30,000 runners!!!). So instead we headed to Crystal City where they had bouncy houses, face painting, crafts, balloon animals, music and more. Needless to say, the kids had a blast! It was especially fun because we met our friend Anna and her mommy Marie. They had a runner also, John ran the Marine Corp 10k earlier in the morning.



Ben sporting his marathon shirt-My Dad runs faster than your Dad!

Sophie enjoyed some free cotton candy. It was the first time she had it, and of course she loved it. Her marathon shirt-Marathoner in Training, Catch Me If You Can!

The kids were all given cow bells to ring as the runners passed by the festival. It was incredibly noisy! Here are Sophie and Anna hoping to catch a glimpse of Nick running by.

After a few hours of fun, we faced the crowds, hopped on the Metro again and headed to the finish line. It took us awhile to find Nick, but eventually we did. He finished a little later than he had hoped. He took an Army PT test just two days before the Marathon. He didn't think it was going to be a problem, but the sit-up portion really wore his legs down. He was on track at the halfway point, but really slowed down after that.

Here are Nick and John post race.

After some healthy snacks and sports drinks, we headed to the Finish Festival. There Nick quickly replenished lost carbs by consuming two free beers!

We enjoyed the festivities for a bit, then headed home. We had all had a long day-Nick's longer than ours, of course! Nick was a trooper and posed for a picture with the kids. Addie's shirt said-Hurry Back For a Kiss Daddy!

Finally, here are the numbers:

Time: 3hours 53 minutes 16 seconds

Overall: 3714 out of 21,404 (8,500 didn't finish)

Sex: 2934 out of 12,972

Age (30-34 male): 472 of 1871

We are so very proud of our Marathon Man! We are looking forward to more racing in the future-just not 26.2 miles!

Pumpkin Playground

Monday was Columbus Day, and Benny did not have school, so we headed to the pumpkin patch! When we arrived it wasn't so much a pumpkin patch-there were no actual pumpkins in patches, but there was a super cool playground. (I guess that's why it's called the Pumpkin Playground!) We had been expecting a farm with a real hayride, pumpkin picking, yummy fall treats and lots of fun. We managed to get most of those-the kids played and played at the playground while Nick and I enjoyed hot apple cider. Plus we had a super fun time!

There were countless things for the kids to climb and play on-Monster Trucks included!




Addie wore here sweet little pumpkin sweatshirt coat for the occasion. If you couldn't tell, it was a very chili day!



Benny went down the slide more times than I could count! He even realized that if you flipped the rug over, you would go down faster!

The pirate ship was Benny's favorite. He must have played on it for over an hour. We would go try other activities, but we always wound back at the pirate ship. Wish we had one in our backyard!

After trying the slide several times on our laps, Sophie exclaimed "I do it myself!"-and that she did!

Addie and Mommy waiting while the kids played.

Ben enjoyed some good old fashioned tube rolling!

On our way out we helped ourselves to mini pumpkins! We plan on heading to the farmer's market soon to pick out our carving pumpkins!

A fun day was had by all at the Pumpkin Playground!

Sweet Addie

I've realized that the newest member of our family may not get the blogging attention that is rightfully hers. Poor Addie is often a spectator to the circus that goes on around here. I've only recently discovered this when I couldn't find a recent picture of her! So, the other day she was looking rather cute, and I decided to snap a few.

Occasionally she wears one of Sophie's 'pretty's' in her hair. She leaves them in much better than her older sister!

We've just finished our first round of teething with Addie, and it went pretty well. We had some night waking and a little bit of fussiness, but all in all it wasn't so bad. She has two new bottom front teeth to show for it! I'm sure she is working on some more already!

We've also discovered that she is becoming quite mobile. It won't be too long before the baby gates will always be up by the stairs. We used to lay her down on a nice big blanket in the living room. Now she gets tangled up in it, that is if she even stays on it! We recently left the room for a moment to come back and find her underneath the desk. She also likes to try to reach the curtains to chew on them. Baby proofing is in our near future! She isn't crawling yet, but she is a master roller, and does some schooching on her belly. As for sitting, that is coming soon too. We are very close!

We've just started to work on some rice and oatmeal cereals. Our doctor preferred for her to wait until six months. This past week, I think she may have actually eaten some of the cereal instead of spreading it all over her face! I'm sure some yummy fruits and veggies will be coming her way soon.

She seems to be putting on weight still and is fitting into her clothes a little better. All good signs that she is growing. Can't wait until her next checkup to see if she has made it on the growth chart!

Soccer Saturdays!

Our Saturdays have been jam packed the last few weekends-Ben started Soccer! In addition, Nick is preparing to run a marathon in late October, so he has run in local races the last two Saturdays. This means we are one busy family! We leave the house very early, Nick runs his race, then we rush to Ben's Soccer game. We are a one car family right now, so we have no option but to do this all together. The kids love watching Nick start and finish his races, and there is always something there for them to do-maybe I will do a blog post on that later!

Back to Soccer-Ben loves it! He practices on Wednesday night, and then has a game every Saturday morning. He was super excited when the coach pulled out jerseys and matching socks for all the players. We had no idea he would be issued a uniform. The kids decided to name their team the 'Blue Marlins'-of course at Benny's suggestion! The other mothers were laughing at the name, joking that the kids had no idea what a marlin was, so surely the coach suggested the name. I new immediately that it had to be the brain child of Ben. He had just been to a Washington Nationals game, and they played the Florida Marlins. When we were in the car I asked Ben if it was his idea, and yes, of course it was! Such a funny boy!

Two Saturdays ago, the Blue Marlins had their first game. They play 3 on 3 with two simultaneous games going on. The team has ten players so this means that only 4 children sit out at a time. 3 on 3 is more manageable for the players since they all chase the ball at once! This Saturdays game showed a remarkable improvement over last Saturdays. The basics of soccer are finally starting to click.





Here are the Blue Marlins chasing the ball towards the goal. It's doubtful that it went in, they have lots of room to grow!

Benny loves his Blue Marlins jersey and proudly poses for a picture before the game!

And finally, here are the Blue Marlins lining up to shake hands after the game. It's so fun to watch these boys. They are having a blast chasing the soccer ball around and learning the basics of soccer. Benny spent most of the first game cheering on his teammates. The only problem was that Benny was on the field too! It was incredibly sweet, but he wasn't paying attention to the game. The other team seemed a little bit more together than ours. They don't keep score at this age, but Benny is sure they lost the game. Now he's motivated to improve his skills!

The girls and I enjoy watching Benny play. Sophie plays with an extra soccer ball on the sidelines, and has even found another little sister to play with. And Nick? He has found himself as the assistant coach! Since they play two games at once, the coach needed a parent to be in charge of the other field. Nick gladly volunteered and is having lots of fun helping these little guys, even if his own knowledge of the sport is minimal! We look forward to lots more soccer fun!

First Day of School

Tuesday marked a big day for the Cook Family. It was Ben's first day of kindergarten! He has been anxiously awaiting the first day of school for sometime now. I guess anxious wouldn't be the right word since he wasn't nervous one bit. He was so excited! Nick woke him a little before 8 and Ben asked right away if it was finally time for school. He showered and then had a good breakfast before we walked him the half mile down the road. It's so great having Nick home this fall. It really takes the chaos out of our morning routine.

Here Ben is enjoying a big bowl of Cheerios before school

All ready to go with a new backpack, new lunchbox and new shoes!

In his classroom with his new friend Delaney

And finally sitting at his table wearing his name tag!

We are really happy with the school so far. We absolutely love the school hours. They work so well for our family. We don't have to leave until 8:50, and I pick him up at 4 (except on Monday's when he is done at 1)! This allows our girls to sleep in and get good naps in the afternoon. We are really thankful for that!

So far, Ben is having a great time at school and seems to be adjusting well. He is excited to go every morning, so I guess that is a good sign! Last night also marked his first soccer practice, and he was bubbling with excitement all night. We are so thankful that he is so happy and starting to meet some new friends!

Spectacular Six!

Last Friday, Benny reached a major milestone. He turned 6! I can hardly believe it myself. I don't know where time has gone. Six great years, and one wonderful little boy!

He started his birthday morning with some present opening. It was torturous for him to wait for Sophie to wake up. She chose his birthday of all days to sleep in! But, she really needed the sleep, so we did not dare wake her. The instant we heard her upstairs, Benny was ready to tear into his gifts!




He received some great presents and has really enjoyed playing with them all. He had presents for Grandparents, Aunts, Uncles and parents waiting for him. This year he is really into GI Joe's and LEGOs. He has spent every waking hour playing with them.

As a special birthday surprise, Nick took Benny to a Washington Nationals baseball game on Saturday night. It was a strictly boys affair, no girls allowed. They had a great time sitting out in Left Field cheering on the Nationals. It is rumored that Benny had an extremely large bowl of chocolate ice cream all to himself. He purchased a National's baseball hat with some birthday money and has hardly taken it off since. Notice the boys still wore their Tiger's gear!

When given the choice what Benny wanted to do for his Birthday dinner, his request was simple. He wanted to order pizza at the pool! We were thankful to have Ben's new friend Delaney and her family join us. Unfortunately, our few friends that we have here were out of town. But, we still had a spectacular time. The water was a little chilly, but that didn't seem to bother anyone. After about an hour of swimming, we took a break and enjoyed pizza and chocolate cupcakes. By the time we were finished celebrating, it was too cold to get back into the pool. Instead, we moved the party to the playground for a bit.

We are so thankful to have little Benny as our son (chocolate cupcake face and all)!

Fun at the beach!

A few weekends ago, we hit the road and hit the beach! None of our children have ever seen the ocean (well maybe Ben did in Europe, but he wouldn't remember), and the girls have never been to a beach!


On the way, we made a stop at Busch Gardens in Williamsburg. They offer free tickets to military families, and we had to drive right by to get to Virginia Beach, so we made a free day of it! We arrived a little before lunchtime and stayed to close down the park at 9. We had a fun, fun day in the hot, hot sun. The temp was in the high 90s, but we managed to find some relief from the heat throughout the park. One of our favorite places to do that was the German Fest Hall. It was surprisingly accurate (we do know our German fests!) and one of the coolest places in the park. Sophie loved the polka music and danced and danced. Sophie, Addie and I did a good bit of hanging out there while the boys rode some rides.

We were surprised at how much the kids loved the rides. Ben could ride on most everything in the park, and Sophie did her fair share of rides too. Ben wanted to ride a big roller coaster at the end of the evening, but thankfully we talked him out of it since we didn't want to stand in the long line. He did ride the log ride with Nick though and came and gave me a big, wet hug when he was done! Our excursion to the park was exhausting but tons of fun. Nick and I couldn't wait to get to the hotel and get everyone into the shower and then into bed.

The next morning we headed another hour down the road to Virginia Beach. The kids were thrilled to see the ocean, and even more excited when they discovered our hotel was right on the beach! Our trip was hastily planned, and we really weren't prepared to have Addie at the beach. We did however manage to sneak in some play time at the beach after breakfast each day before it was too crowded and hot. The weather was still in the high 90s and the water was frequently off limits for swimming due to the strong rip tide. Both the kids loved digging in the sand and made sand castles decorated with the beach treasures they had found. We have also discovered when you have small children, sand gets absolutely everywhere. We are still finding it in the stroller and in Addie's car seat!

After dinner the first night, we headed out for ice cream and a walk on the beach. It wasn't nearly as hot, and we finally didn't have to worry about too much sun exposure for the kids. A nice lady offered to take a family photo for us. It is one of only a handful that exist, AND no one is screaming!

Ben had fun trying to write his name in the sand before the water would wash it away!

Sophie tried to make her own version of a sand castle!

It wasn't all fun at the beach, we went to the Virginia Aquarium too! We figured it was a good way to escape the heat of the day. It's a good thing we went too, because it poured the whole time we were there. It was very relaxing to be in the cool indoors looking at the fish. We took our time at each of the exhibits. There was a nature center attached to the aquarium and Ben had a great time exploring. He even had the opportunity to pet a rat snake, and a baby alligator. Such a brave boy!

It was still pouring as we left the aquarium, so we decided that a beach side dinner was out of the question and headed to the Outback instead. An amazing thing happened as we were driving back to the hotel after dinner. Sophie fell asleep! Those who know Sophie, know that she does not sleep well if we are not home. She rarely even sleeps in the car. She crashed mid sentence while chewing some of her brother's left overs. (You know it had been about 15 minutes since she had last eaten, and since she is a human garbage disposal, she couldn't let Ben's food go untouched!) She even stayed asleep while Nick carried her in the rain into the hotel. What was even more amazing was that she slept until 6:30 the next morning. It was still quite early, so the boys ventured out for ice cream once the rain stopped while I stayed back with the girls. Thankfully, they brought some yummy frozen custard back for me!

Sophie and I hit the beach early the next morning for a walk. Her long sleep had rejuvenated her, and we couldn't keep her quite in the hotel room while the other two children were sleeping. It was a blast walking along the shore with her, and she was so excited to pick up sea shells to take back to Benny.

Our trip wasn't so relaxing, but when is any trip with three children relaxing? We had a great time exploring on the beach and look forward to many more beach trips to come. Next time we will be more prepared!

Ready for Kindergarten

Our little man is growing up and is all ready for Kindergarten!

This morning we completed our final step in preparing for the big day. Ben had his school physical. It all went great, especially since Ben had his 5 year old shots last year! The doctor checked him all over and gave him a big thumbs up. She had him draw her a picture and write and spell his name. He weighed in at 44 pounds and is 45 inches tall. Not super tall, but hopefully he won't be the smallest in his class. He should be one of the oldest though since he turns 6 in less than two weeks!

We are looking forward to next weeks Kindergarten Popsicle Playdate at his school where he will hopefully make some new friends. Then he starts school on September 8th. He can't wait!

A few people have asked what we are doing about school this year. We decided to enroll him in the public school that is just a half mile down the road. The girls and I will be able to walk him to school every morning. Nick can help too this fall while he is still a full time grad student! We looked into Christian/Catholic schools in the area, but they are just way too pricey-especially considering that we haven't yet sold our house in Kansas! His school has great reviews on the Internet, and the few parents I have spoken to have great things to say about it! Ben wanted to be home schooled for a few fleeting weeks, mostly because he didn't want to learn to tie his shoes! Silly boy. That aside, I don't think I could give home schooling the attention it warrants!

We are looking forward to a great school year!

Itty Bitty Addie

Our kids have never set any records when it comes to weight and height. They are happy to stay in about the 20th percentile. Sophie even ventured into the 5oth when she turned 2. However, Addie seems content to hang out way down at the bottom. Last week at her check-up, she weighed in at 10 pounds, 15 ounces, and was 23.5 inches long. That puts her in the 5th percentile. So, at five months old, she is just an itty bit!

It worries me slightly that she is so dainty, but I know she will catch up soon. Plus, she is as healthy as can be and is very strong. Ben goes to the doctor tomorrow for his school check-up, and I plan on asking them to re-weigh little Addie. Nick and I have tried at home and think she weighs more like 12 or 13 pounds, but it's hard trying to weigh her on the bathroom scale. The Doctor didn't seem too concerned, especially since Addie has great head control and can roll over both directions. This morning she was even trying to low crawl to a toy in front of her! We are going to try and give her a bottle of formula every day since right now she nurses exclusively. Hopefully we can get this Itty Bit to put on some weight!

For now, we will enjoy our Itty Bitty Addie as she is. When she puts on some weight there will only be more to love!

Growing Up

Last week Sophie did a little growing up. In an effort to tame her unruly mess of hair after a long nap, I tried to put her hair into pig tails. We had some success, and she was thrilled with her new do! The problem is that she has much more hair on the right side of her head. It's odd, but I'm sure it will even out someday!

Her she is sporting her new look!

Later in the week Sophie accompanied me on a trip to the beauty store Ulta. I needed to pick up some shampoo, and I though she would like to go for a ride. We grabbed the shampoo and then wandered aimlessly around the store looking at 'pretty' things. We eventually stumbled upon the nail polish. I decided to grab a bottle of base coat. Rather boring, but I was all out. We headed up to the cash register to pay, and Sophie grabbed the polish and stated "My nails!". I told her that it was for Mommy and then asked her if she would like some. Her response was "Yes, I want pink!". So, we ventured back to the polish aisle and she immediately pointed to the sweetest color of baby pink. She was so proud of our purchase, she couldn't wait get home and show it to Daddy.

Of course we had to immediately paint her toes (nails will come when she is done sucking her thumb!). She is still so thrilled with her pink toes!

Her she is holding her new bottle of polish!

And the finished result!

I can't believe how fast she is growing! After our beach trip I think her toes may need some freshening up! More on that trip to come!

Sophie's Big Girl Bed

We have been waiting for just the right time to move Sophie to a bigger bed. Adeline has been sleeping in the pack-n-play since birth, and that hardly seems fair now that she is nearing 5 months old. But with the move and all, we wanted Sophie to get used to her new room and get used to sharing her room with Addie (she was in with us in Kansas). We've been settled for about a month now, and the room sharing is going as well as can be expected, so this weekend, we finally decided to switch things around.

I debated and debated on what type of bed to buy for Sophie. Down the line, I would like for her and Addie to have matching beds, but that is still 2 years away. Also, I didn't think the girls room would be big enough for all of their furniture, plus a twin bed right now. So, we settled on a darling juvenile bed from IKEA. It will expand into a twin size, but right now we have it on the smallest position, so it is a little longer than a crib mattress (but much wider). Lets face it-our kids aren't setting any records in the height department, so it will work just great for Sophie. Ben tested it out, and he fits too!

We bought the bed last Friday, but didn't assemble it until Sunday night. We talked about it all weekend, and Sophie was very excited. By the time Sunday night rolled around, she could hardly contain her excitement for her new bed.

Nick promised that Ben could help him assemble the bed. Benny proved to be a great help! Nick didn't bargain on Sophie, Smokey and I helping too, but he still managed to get it together.




Taking a little break while Daddy finishes with the bed frame.





Yeah! Sophie is so excited for her new bed!

We immediately moved Sophie's favorite blankets, elephant and Daddy doll to her new bed. Once she had her things, she had no problem 'giving' Adeline her crib. However, she really wanted to 'share' her new bed.

The girls were so cute in Sophie's new bed together!

We were worried whether Sophie would stay in her new bed once we put her down last night. But to our surprise, things went very smoothly. She is now near the end of her first successful nap in her new bed too! Once we are sure she is settled, we will fix the crib up for Addie. Addie did sleep in it last night, but it still needs to have the bumper put back in. I also have cute wallpaper letters to hang over Addie's side of the room now.

I hope we have continued success!

Weekend Fun

We are taking advantage of our free weekends, and are trying to see the sites. Two weekends ago we took the Metro into D.C. and went to the National Zoo. I am not sure what was more fun for the kids-riding the train, or seeing the animals. I'll have to admit that our trip was a bit of an endurance test. The train and zoo were both very crowded, and it was a hot, humid day. Aside from that, we managed to have a great time!

Ben was really excited about seeing the Giant Pandas. He had not seen a panda before and was fascinated by the exhibit. He showed a lot of interest in learning about their vanishing habitat. It never ceases to amaze me his comprehension of things. He is still asking me questions about it a week and a half later.

Ben and a Giant Panda

Sophie had fun with some new found freedom. She spent most of the day out of her stroller. She's never had to ride in it much, and isn't very fond. Nick and I are struggling trying to find the best way to transport three kids on our adventures. We have a double stroller, but Sophie faces backwards and can't see anything. So on this trip, we took two small strollers. One for Addie, and an umbrella stroller for Sophie. Only problem was that Sophie didn't want to ride. That left us in a bit of a quandary because now we had two kids loose, two strollers to push, and only two adults to contain the chaos. Sometimes I put Addie in a baby carrier, but lately it's been just too hot, and our excursions are way to long to keep her in it all day. Any mommy suggestions???






Eventually, we found a system that worked for us to travel around the zoo and managed to see most of the animals. Ben's favorites were the reptiles and amphibians. He loved looking at the snakes. I had to practically pull him away from them! Ugh! I don't know where he gets it from. I would rather not visit the reptiles! Sophie loved the elephants and tigers and did not like the gorillas at all! She watched them intently until a silverback male came in and showed some aggression towards another gorilla in the pen. It's too bad she wanted to leave because there was a rather new baby that was adorable!



In between weekend trips, we finished up a round of swimming lessons. Both kids did wonderful and progressed so much. Ben moved on to the next level and started more lessons today. Sophie is very adventurous in the water, but just isn't tall enough or coordinated enough to do much more that Level 1 right now. She did start another round of lessons though to keep her confidence in the water high. After their last lesson Thursday, the had a little party to celebrate. The teachers handed out certificates and had doughnuts for the kids. Sophie thoroughly enjoyed her first Krispy Kreme doughnut and of course, Ben didn't try one. He doesn't know what he is missing!






Then on Thursday evening, we had our first visitors! My parents drove down from Michigan for the weekend. It's great to be only 10 hours from home. It is totally drivable in one day. It's been awhile since we have been this close. The kids were super excited to see Grandma and Big Pa, ever though it had only been a few weeks since they last saw them. They anxiously paced the front windows waiting for them to pull in. After all, we had a fun weekend ahead.




Friday we ventured out early to give Nick the day to finish a big paper that was due by Saturday morning. I wasn't up for driving into D.C. without Nick, so we decided to stay close to home. We ventured up to Mount Vernon, home of George Washington. Venture wouldn't be the best word, it's really just 4 miles up the road. My parents and I had visited Mount Vernon when I was a child, but that was so long ago, I didn't remember much about it. It's located on a very beautiful property on the Potomac River. The grounds and gardens are fun to walk through. Ben and Sophie had more fun than I thought they would touring the mansion. As usual, questions abounded from Ben. We looked at most of the out buildings, peeked in a few gardens and then decided to get lunch. It was a nice day, but just too hot for Addie in the baby carrier.

On the front porch of Mount Vernon

Running through the gardens

Saturday we drove into D.C. to tour the National Museum of Natural History (aka 'The Dinosaur Museum'). We thought that Benny's favorite exhibit would be the fossils, but instead he loved the Ocean Hall and the Insect Zoo. Sophie loved the insects too, but most of the displays were 'Yucky' in her words. Because of some parking difficulties, we ended up taking the Metro part way home which made both kids happy and all adults hot, frustrated and worn out. We had a great visit, but will have to go back to see everything. Good thing we have three years!

Admiring a mastadon fossil

Studying the insect display

Facinated by a horn worm

Sunday we went to church and spent the rest of the day relaxing indoors due to very stormy weather and very tired adults!

Grandma and Big Pa had to head home Monday morning, but not before they went to swimming lessons! They couldn't resist staying to watch the kids in the pool. The kids were so proud to show off their new swimming skills. We miss you already Grandma and Big Pa!