Thursday Night Dinner Now Featuring Jonathan

Boys,

Tonight was another Thursday night dinner, just the guys again, and we returned to having pasta this week. But Benjamin while we sat down to have our dinner Daddy placed you inside of your booster seat, and Jonathan sat inside of the high chair tonight. Jonathan joined us at the dinner table for the first time! Sure, Daddy had to feed him his fruit because he's not big enough to eat on his own just yet, but this wasn't a problem at all because this is one of the reasons my little baby is still a little baby and not a toddler just yet... Sooner rather than later Jonathan will be eating on his own and then you guys will be out the door heading to college... and Daddy is getting way ahead of himself. So, the three of us men of the household enjoyed dinner together.

Benjamin, you didn't waste any food tonight and you're getting a lot better with using your spoon. Now if we could get you not to throw the empty bowl to the floor when you're finished we'd be making progress. Jonathan, when you see you're at the last bite of your fruit you chomp down on your spoon so we can't just take it from your mouth. Almost as if the longer you bite on the spoon the more likely it is more food will appear. You're both extremely silly boys, but Daddy loves you both very much. Dinner time with my two little guys is the highlight of the day.

Of course there were some issues getting there. It's hard to cook dinner when Jonathan is having a fit because he's not being held for the entire night. Jonathan, Daddy understands you want to feel close, and that's great, but it's hard to go near an open flame with your legs hanging so close to it, so you've got to understand that while this is happening Daddy has to place you down.... and lock the baby gate so you can't get into the kitchen. Oh, yeah, now that you've learned how to hold yourself up in a standing position today you pulled yourself up the baby gate and cried through the holes for about a minute before Daddy picked you back up....and after he took a quick picture to show you one day how crazy you were.

So Jonathan you're learning how to stand on your own and Benjamin... you're discovering you can climb things. You climb on to the chair at the dinner table, you climb on the coffee table, you try to climb up the baby gate, you try to climb out of your crib, and... more recently you started climbing into your brother's walker. Sure it used to be your walker, but you don't need it anymore. All you have to do now is learn how to get out of it and you'll be fine.

The two of you are fast asleep now, and both went down without a fight. Thankfully. That's all Dad has for now, until the next letter. I love the two of you more than words could ever explain and I am so proud of the both of you.

Love,

Dad.

One Happy Meal, And One Boo Boo

Dear Boys,

Tonight is another Thursday Night Guys night while Mommy is at work. Instead of our usual pasta dinner Ben today Daddy went to McDonalds and picked up a Happy Meal for you. It was much easier this way and it would make this already hot house a little cooler not having the oven on. The two of you went in Grandma's swimming pool today so when Daddy came home you guys were getting ready to come home as well. Benjamin you noticed the Happy Meal box and ran right to it. After picking it up and running around the house with it for a little while it was time to settle down and enjoy some fast food! Since Mommy and Daddy have been on their diet for the last three weeks a little fast food wouldn't be that bad. You had your chicken nuggets and your french fries, with a chocolate milk. Daddy tried to help you drink the milk, but you wouldn't let him. Every time the straw came your way if you weren't the one controlling it you would slap it away. So, placing the milk on the coffee table might not have been a great idea because one second later you're tilting the milk all the way back while sipping on the straw, so milk went everywhere.

That didn't seem to phase you though, and not even a stern "No" worked either. I'm not sure if it's just because Daddy was a really bad problem child, but you don't respond well to the word "No" and instead you smile your little devilish grin and I think you plot in your head the next devious thing you can do. So after you had your Happy Meal you played with the toy inside. A green light saber from Star Wars. Jonathan, you weren't going hungry either as you were enjoying a nice big bottle of formula. I'm sure next week we will return to pasta as McDonalds isn't as cheap as it used to be.

Later on in the night Daddy was sitting on the floor with you Jonathan and we were putting away all of the Cars back into their carrying case. Daddy asked Benjamin to help and Benjamin took this as an invitation to throw two cars straight at Jonathan's face. Jonathan, when Daddy turned to tell Benjamin "No!" (Not like it would matter.) you decided to dive face first into the Cars carrying case, busting open the top of your gums. So, in panic, and blood soaking my shirt I called Grandma, who quickly came over with her shadow...I mean, Aunty Sara, and helped Daddy calm you down. After some teethers and a lot of wipes the blood stopped and you were back to your normal bouncy self. So much so in fact you crawled right back to the carrying case and climbed up it once more almost as if you forgot the destruction it just caused moments ago. You were fine and laughing again, but don't ever do that to Daddy again... almost made my heart stop!

You boys are fast asleep now, thankfully, and Daddy is about to turn in too. But he figured he'd write a letter to the two of you letting you now of the night one of you had a Happy Meal, and the other had a boo boo... and maybe even a fat lip.

Given A Run For His Money,

Dad.

Your First Wrestlemania!

Boys,

Daddy was watching some old wrestling videos recently, way back when he was younger, and although it's not nearly as good as it used to be, and people don't like it nearly as much as they used to... Daddy thinks he will always love watching wrestling, and in a way I've kind of pushed that on the two of you. Not as bad as I could have because it does come on after the two of you are asleep (most of the time), but you each have watched a Wrestlemania with Daddy.... not the full four hours, but the first half at least.

Benjamin, your first Wrestlemania you watched for the first hour or so with Daddy and Uncle Scott, but Jonathan you poor baby your first Wrestlemania ended sooner than expected because you had a high fever and Mommy took you to the Emergency Room with Grandma. Thankfully you were just sick and it was nothing too serious, but that was the first time you had a chance to view one. Your cousin Kali was here with Uncle Joe and Uncle Scott as well. Don't worry about it though there will be plenty of more Wrestlemania's for you to watch.

Wrestling has toned it down in the recent years so they could reach a younger audience, and this is the way I argue it to your mother when she says you two won't ever be watching it. Daddy has watched it ever since he can remember and turned out just fine...maybe. People are going to say it's lame and it's fake, but the majority of things on television are fake. The majority of things on television that those people like are fake too so it's really not a valid argument. So one day when you two are old enough to understand and you can make opinions for yourself hopefully you'll fall in line and be my wrestling buddies. Then we can have family outings to some of the shows when they come around here. Mommy will just have to go! You two big bruisers are going to be the future tag team champions!

Daddy can't explain why he likes it so much, maybe there was a connection when Daddy was younger and for some reason it just stuck. Just like those kids who watched Star Wars and still love that so much. It's tough to find someone who cares as much about something as they did when they were younger. We will just have to wait and see if you guys will love it as much as Daddy does, but one things for sure... Daddy is sure going to try.

Love,

Dad

PS: Daddy might be a little bias, but this might be the best picture taken of you Benjamin. It just looks right, and you are AWESOME!

Thursday Night Dinner

Dear Crazy Benjamin,

Crazy isn't even half of it! Tonight it was just the boys because Mommy had to go to work at the Hospital, and the dinner menu for us Ben was the same it's been for the past three weeks. Pasta! Daddy comes home from work, starts cooking, boils pasta while cooking the onions, green pepper, and mushrooms with the hamburger meat. Today was no different, instead you were sleeping when Daddy came home so it saved a lot of time cooking. Then I woke you up and you were fine. You ran straight into the kitchen, you were fine. You put up a fuss when Daddy was cooling off your food so you wouldn't burn your mouth and even then you were fine. When it was finally time to eat that's when the crazy came out. You started crying so bad your nose was running and you were trying to catch your breath. Daddy had no idea what was going on because the food wasn't hot and you had eaten it two weeks in a row prior... for a second maybe Daddy thought you were just sick of the food, but then you eat the same thing almost every other day so that couldn't be it. While this was happening Jonathan was in the living room being entertained by Chuggington. That's a letter for another day.

Once you came to your senses and calmed down Daddy tried to give you the pasta once more and you started right back up again. Pushing yourself high in the chair trying to escape. As my frustration began to grow Daddy figured he'd try to give you something else, because you had to eat dinner! So Daddy pulled out the meals you have and asked you to pick which one you wanted... you picked vegetables with mac and cheese.... pasta with cheese! After warming it up in the microwave you started to eat it just fine, no tears, no runny nose, no trying to escape from the chair, just eating it like you should have been eating the pasta, but as Daddy watched you lift some food up with your spoon by the time the spoon made it to your mouth the food had fallen off, and once again the crazy came out of you. This was why you freaked out in the first place. You dropped some pasta and you were upset about it.

The second we came to this discovery you wanted the pasta again, but as long as Daddy fed it to you. So, just like old times Daddy fed you the pasta. You have not been feeling well these last couple of days so we're going to say the reason you gave up trying to feed yourself is due to this and not because you realized feeding yourself isn't all it's cracked up to be when you have someone by your side who will just feed you when you're ready for it.

Oh, and while we were going through our emotions in the kitchen Jonathan crawled straight to us to see what he was missing out on. He crawled right over to the high chair and tried to scale up it to get your food. He is a little bully brother after all. Which leads Daddy to his next thought....Jonathan should be eating big boy food in a matter of months and then Thursday Dinner Night will be getting that much more exciting. Pray for us all.

Wishing He Had Three Hands,
Dad

Little Bully Brother

Jonathan,

Good news! You've learned to crawl the regular way and while for the most part you're still leaping from one place to another you have shown on more than one occasion you can crawl with the best of them... now for the bad news, and this isn't bad news for you, but bad news for your big brother Benjamin. You've become a little bully. Anything poor Benjamin has his hands on you want and you make your way over to him, sometimes slow, sometimes fast, but you always get to him before he realizes what is going on. It doesn't matter what he has in his hands if he is playing with it you want it... and you get it nine out of ten times from him.

Sure once or twice Benjamin has thrown the toy away so that he can run to it, pick it back up, and play with it in a new area, but now that you're mobile it doesn't matter where he goes. No one, and nothing is safe from the crazy little peanut!  Soon you'll be walking and then what? You're going to be a bigger bully to your big brother, but when you get older the two of you have to have each others backs. Mommy and Daddy will probably not have any more children so you two will always have each other. I know you'll be the best of friends because that's how we will raise you two. Right now though Jonathan you will continue stealing toys from your older brother just because you can.

So Jonathan please be nice to your brother. Today he was going through all of the books you two have, and looking to see which one he wanted to look at, and you were playing near the couch. You must have seen him looking at those books out of the corner of your eye because the second he caught your attention you crawled and leaped your way over to him and took the book he was looking at right from his hands and started biting on it. Benjamin got so upset he ran to the couch and laid down! Oh, the pictures included in this letter are before and after photos of your destruction. As you can see your brother originally had those cars and then you took them both with a big smile on your face. As well as the pictures of the books.

You also try to bully Daddy as well! If I'm playing my Xbox and sitting on the floor you think it's fair game to take the controller out of my hands! If we are sitting down near each other the remote for the television is up for grabs too! Once you have your mind set on taking something from one of us you don't stop until you get it. It doesn't matter if along the way you stumble and bump your head. Nothing will stop you from achieveing your task of taking what we have. Benjamin started taking things, and now you're starting to take things. You're lucky I love you you big bully!

Soon To Be Out Numbered,

Dad

Your Bedroom

Boys,

I was going through your bedroom the other day and I was thinking of how it was sponsored by Pixar...mainly Cars, and Toy Story...and I couldn't remember how my room looked when I was younger. I remember having a toy box, that I believe is still in your Uncle Chris's old bedroom, and bunkbeds (which hopefully someday you two will have, not the same one as Daddy and Uncle Chris though!), but I couldn't remember much of anything else. Mommy and me have put so much work into your bedroom that I wouldn't want you to forget what it's like when you guys get older. Right now it seems like every kids dream, toys, toys, and more toys.  You have your Cars foam play mat right in the middle of the room, a Cars throw rug right in front of your changing table, and many other things. Mommy has both of your special "Birthday Keepsakes" above each of your cribs along with your hand print and foot prints from when you were born. I still can't believe "Smallville" didn't make it on either one of those Keepsakes as "Popular TV Shows" in those years. I've got to write a letter to the creators of those.

Your bedroom is almost divided in the middle. One half of the room is Toy Story, your half Benjamin, and the other half is Cars, Jonathan's half. Which is too bad because Benjamin you seem more interested in Cars now than Toy Story. I think after making you watch Toy Story a couple more times maybe you'll shift your gears... maybe that last sentence was a poor choice of words if I'm trying to get you to stray away from Cars, but it's alright I hear they are making a Toy Story 4 someday down the line so maybe it won't be that bad afterall.

Now we won't be living in this home forever, and someday maybe each of you will have your own room and you'll be able to do whatever you want with it, but for right now this room will do. Don't pay too much attention to the blue paint along the top of the wall... it might look like a different color, but I swear it's the right one. The people at Walmart just don't know how to mix properly. and Uncle Steve and Daddy tried to finish the painting before Grandma could get back in and do it. It makes for a good story now, but boy was Mommy mad at the time.

One of the things Daddy likes the most in your room is the Toy Story Hamm piggy bank, because he's an actual piggy bank! Benjamin you like the Slinky Dog and he makes you laugh every time you're on the changing table and Daddy talks in his voice, so atleast we have that going for us for the Toy Story side. But considering your first word was "Car" and now Jonathan sounds like he is saying "Car" every time he screams I think the Cars section is going to overpower Toy Story in no time. But Daddy can't win them all. Daddy loved Toy Story when he was younger and Woody and Buzz are a better pair then Lightening McQueen and Mater, but that's just Daddy. Alright boys, while you go to sleep in your awesome room tonight know that whatever you end up liking when you get older...wrestling maybe? Please? Ok.... I love you both the same!

Hoping You're Both The Future Tag Team Champions,

Dad.

Happy Nappers!

Benjamin,

Every Sunday when Mommy goes to work we watch Nickelodeon for a little while and you're in love with one commercial. It's for a stuffed play pet that hides inside of it's "Home Sweet Home" during the night and during the day he comes out.

"One Happy Napper Please" --->

Every single time the commercial for "Happy Nappers" comes on you drop everything you're doing and rush to the television to get a front row seat. You laugh at the TV, you clap at the TV, you point at the TV and look back at me which makes me believe you want it. Too bad it's only sold online or by telephone.

Until today when Mommy and Daddy were out shopping and we stumbled upon "Happy Nappers" inside of a huge box!! It was great because we didn't have to pay high fee for shipping and handling and we could bring it home to you the same day! So Daddy literally went inside the box tossing around a bunch of the Pets looking for the Cow, but instead we ended up getting you the Puppy. By the time we got home Daddy put on the "Happy Nappers" commercial on the computer to refresh your memory and as you were smiling and staring at the screen I pulled out your very own Happy Napper and then what....Nothing! You tossed it around the room like it was a body slam doll, we played with it on the bed and you kept throwing him off of the bed. You did not want to hug your new playtime pal. I'm hoping it was just because it was really late and you were over tired and when you wake up tomorrow you'll be good to go and excited about your new buddy. Until then maybe while you're sleeping right now I'll sneak him in there and remove all the other things... then you'll have to hug him, so what if you'll be sleeping?

Love,

Dad

This one was just caught right in time before you decided to throw him off of the bed... multiple times.

Doing New Things Every Day

Benjamin,

As Daddy writes this letter to you, you are currently fast asleep (Hopefully), but today you did a couple of new things that you have been doing a little here and there, but today it seemed to really click for you. The first thing would be eating with a spoon and fork. Mommy and Daddy used to have you try to eat with these before, but you would always give up and go back to using your hands to shovel food into your mouth, but today you sat through two meals and used the fork, and spoon for almost the entire meal. I thought we had it good when you started holding your own bottle. I would think what could possibly be better than you holding your own bottle and feeding your formula to yourself? How about you feeding yourself with actual food. Sure, you still need supervision because you think the reason behind eating is to stuff as much food as you can into your mouth at once. I swear sometimes I think you're trying to store some things away for winter you're an animal! But, you're starting to eat on your own and this is one less thing you need help with from Mommy and Daddy. Another sign that you are getting older.

The other thing you did today, while not for the first time, was color in your coloring book. You did a few pages and although you are far from coloring inside the lines you're doing a great job. I'm probably a bit bias when I say that just one of your colored in pages has to be one of the best work of art I have ever laid my eyes on. I'm not surprised at how proud you continue to make me. You amaze me each and ever single day with the new things you do, and the new things you learn. I am happy and proud to be able to teach you these things along with your Mommy. Every time you learn something new I feel a sense of accomplishment with my life. It's like nothing else matters in the World, but showing you how to grow up. So, keep on eating by yourself, keep on coloring those coloring books, and please... try to learn some new words!

Love Always,

Dad

PS: I really should have put a bib on you before this picture was taken. Oh well, live and learn, right?

My Son The Leap Frog

Jonathan,

I guess the time of you laying in one place and not moving and all unsuspecting items of the household feeling safe have come to an end. You're not exactly crawling yet... but you are leaping. I know it strikes me as funny too that you get yourself up in the position to crawl, but instead you leap your whole body forward throwing all caution to the wind. I'm sure you've knocked your head a few times on the landing, but hey if you don't get a few bumps and bruises now, when can you get them?

So I'm guessing it's only a matter of time before you get this crawling thing down to a science, but I've read that not all babies ever crawl and some just go straight to walking. You have amazing strength right now where all you do is pull yourself up on whatever you can get both your hands on. We have to lower your crib before you think you're Spiderman one night and climb out of it. When your brother started becoming mobile it was awesome at first then it grew very tiring. He didn't want to sleep in his crib anymore because he knew he could move. He didn't want to lay in Mommy and Daddy's bed anymore because he knew he could pull himself up, he even took a tumble off of it one day. You are showing the same signs that you won't want to do these things much longer too. You don't even like to finish your bottle anymore because you know you can just toss it to the side, pull yourself up into a sitting position, and leap your way to toys. In a way I'm very excited for this next chapter in our lives. Two moving children that can get their hands into whatever they want. Excited? Maybe I just talked myself into changing my mind.

This does make Daddy sad as well. I'm losing my little baby boy. At least when Benjamin got bigger and started doing big boy things I had you to snuggle with and hold (Because Ben refused to anymore.), but now that you're getting bigger it feels like I've lost both my little babies. You guys are getting big way too fast! I know now why they say you have to cherish them while they are tiny, which in a way never really worked for the two of you because you were never really tiny. Your cousin Jordyn, he's tiny, you two? Not so much. But, I guess this is a part of life. You guys can only stay so small for so long before you're talking, running around, getting into trouble, and being kids. I'm getting a head of myself now because the two of you are still my babies. You might be a leap frog now Jonathan, but you're still my little leap frog. And one day when you're older.. much much older, and you think you're too old for kisses from Dad, you will still be my little leap frog. Love you son!

Not Missing The 2:00AM Wake Up Calls,

Dad

Maybe I'm The Monster?

Dear Boys,

I know in a previous letter I had spoken about how I was creating little monsters by showering you with gifts and toys all the time, but since then I've realized that maybe... just maybe the monster is me! It's almost an uncontrollable urge to buy this and that for the two of you. Well, not so much you Jonathan just yet, but that's because everything you could have was already purchased and given to your brother. I know, you'll forever get his hand-me-downs, but so what? How old could it possibly be by the time it reaches you? Six months? You'll be fine.

But back to the matter at hand here. Today we went out to the store because we received two coupons in the mail for Toys R Us. One coupon was for $30 off, and the other was for $10 off if you spent $50 or more, so of course we had to spend over $50 so we could save $10 right? That makes logical sense to me. So we go to Toys R Us and Benjamin you hit the jack pot! Cars, cars, and more cars...well, at Toys R Us you only got two Cars, and then three more at Walmart. But look how happy you are in that picture. When Daddy was trying to put it together for you so you could use it you kept trying to sit in it. Mommy and Grandma didn't help matters so of course I got frustrated, but it was about a hundred degrees in the house so it's understandable, and now Daddy is just rambling. ANYWAY...we go to Walmart to buy some household items and as we are leaving we walk by a huge aisle with nothing but Cars 2 things inside of it so of course we have to go down there. We found a few Cars for your collection Benjamin that we had been looking for. But, the thing is we did not have to get those Cars after we spent what we did at Toys R Us, but Daddy had to buy them for you because I am the monster that was created. 

Well once Daddy got the Car all made up with the stickers and the steering wheel it turns out you have to charge the battery for 18 hours before you can use it. So, currently the battery is charging and it's fine because it's too late now anyway to do anything with it. Tomorrow should be a fun day for the two of you. Mommy has the day off for the first time in a few months and Nana and Grandpa are coming to visit in the morning. Later on we will go the park or the zoo if the weather is good enough and when we come home the battery will be charged enough to drive the Lightning McQueen all over the yard because the major sellling point (Besides being almost 80 dollars off) is that it drives on the grass! So you can drive around the yard as fast as you want... or two miles per hour, and have a blast! What a fun filled day we are going to have tomorrow! But, I will continue to spoil the two of you as long as I can. Right now Mommy and Daddy are in a position to get you these things and this is why you have them. If things were different, and someday they might be, that will be a different story, but right now as long as we can get you these things there's no reason to not have them. Daddy was talking to someone today about it and he said "You can't spoil your kids, they are your kids, if you can't spoil them then who can you spoil?" which in a way makes perfect sense. You're my boys, you deserve it all and then some.

Oh no Benjamin.... it seems Jonathan has found he likes the Car too. Good luck Benjamin!

Much Too Late To Change,

Dad.