Our Boy is One Year Old!!

This year, we had the privilege of having a full house two months in a row. First, for Maya's 3rd birthday party, and then for Ben's 1st birthday. Let's just say that the more and more Maya and Ben get to know the rest of the family, the more Lezlie and I feel guilty that we live three and a half hours away.

Well, we decided to have a mini-birthday party on Ben's birthday party with cupcakes for Mommy, Daddy, Maya, and Ben. We quickly learned that Ben does not like icing. He went ballistic because he could not get the icing off of his fingers. I don't know where he gets his cleanliness from. It's surely not me. I have a hard time eating lunch without dribbling something on my shirt. But, maybe it is just the new feeling/sensation of stickiness.

Not thinking, we also scheduled his 1 year doctor's appointment on his birthday (like he really knows). But anyway, he had to get his finger pricked and get a couple shots. I was dreading the finger prick since I've had bad experiences with those. But, he didn't even flinch. However, when they wrapped his finger with a band-aid, he went ballistic again. So, maybe he's just a little finicky about having things stuck to his fingers.

Ben's birthday party was on the Saturday after Ben's birthday. Lezlie and I decided that it would be a great idea to have sandwiches and chili. Sounded like a good idea, but we didn't bother looking at the weather. And of course, it ended up being in the 80s. But, everyone said they enjoyed the food even with the odd fall weather.

Because Ben has spent most of his first year playing with babies, batons, and doll houses, I made sure to tell everyone to get him some "manly" toys. And so he did. He got several trucks, a helicopter, and many other toys. To be honest, we haven't even opened them all yet. We like to stuff several of them in the closet for those times where we need some cheering up. Then, it is perceived like we are the best parents because we bring presents out of thin air.

Since he had the problem with the cupcake a few days earlier, Ben was smart enough that he didn't even really try to dig his hands into his birthday cake. We tried to shove some in his mouth but he would have nothing of it. But, he would take a spoon and attempted to eat the cake with it. Again, I don't know where he gets this from.

Thank you all for coming up to celebrate!!!

Cole Camp Fair 2010

Another year, another Cole Camp Fair in the books. This year was a little extra special for our family. Grandpa John was the Grand Marshall of the parade. It was pretty cool seeing him lead the parade--definitely a once in a lifetime moment. And to top things off, Mt. Hulda's float won "Best Float". So, it was a weekend full of pride for the Henning/Witt family.

Maya is finally getting a hang of the whole fair thing. I honestly don't think I'd ever seen her as much fun as she did with all of the fair's activities. They tried something new this year in that they sold wristbands each night. And of course, we ended up buying one on both nights. We ended up going from the bouncy house to the dragons to the slide to the cars to the carousel and back again, several times. At the end of each night, she was absolutely exhausted. So much that she didn't even have the energy to fight us when we said we had to go home. She just followed us.

Ben did get to ride any rides other than the carousel. We just weren't quite comfortable letting a 3 year old contain a 1 year old from trying to leap out of the cars. Maybe we're too protective. Oh well, there's always next year.

"Three"

Well, Maya has officially made it to 3. We had her party on Labor Day weekend, a week before the fair. A lot of the family made it up and we did the simple task of grilling burgers and hot dogs with our new grill. The weather could not have turned out better--mid 70s. And, the Tigers also came back and beat Illinois.

Maya got a lot of clothes and added to her baby collection. I honestly don't know how many she has now (probably 15 or so), but she loves every one of them. She has such a mothering instinct. I always forget to grab the camera, but she often lines up all her babies on the floor face down and then proceeds to find blankets for all of them.

Thanks to all of you who came up. We know it's a long trip, but it's great because Maya is really getting to know the rest of her family.

That same weekend, we also decided to visit the Botanical Gardens for the Japanese festival. We had the day off and it was something to do that did not involve us sitting at home (which tends to bore the heck out of our 3 year old). It was a pretty cool place. They have a playground area that even I didn't want to leave--tree houses, bridges, slides, water fountains. Maya was having one of her moments and we basically had to drag her into the playground. But, she quickly changed attitude and started to explore. After that, we caught a Japanese drumming show and caught a snack at the cafeteria. But then Maya started to get tired so we opted to leave. We hadn't even made it half way through the park. But luckily we have a membership and can go back and see the rest of it.

All Good Things Come to an End

Two weeks ago, Laura (Ben's teacher) notified us that she was quitting. She and her husband were moving and she had found a job closer to home. The funny thing is that 2 1/2 years ago, we were so nervous leaving Maya with a complete stranger. But, we were so blessed to have Laura help raise both of our kids. She spoiled them both, but also always kept us up to speed with their development. She wrote a letter to Ben saying that he was her favorite, but I'm sure all the kids' letters said that. But, it sure makes us feel good.We had a little problem at day care with the interim teacher, but that has been resolved. And fortunately, Ben's next teacher starting when he turns 1 will be Jennifer, who helped Laura in the nursery with both Maya and Ben. When we heard that, Lezlie and I were very happy.

Today, Maya officially transitioned to the 3-4 year old room. For the past month, Maya has really been resisting going to school. And, I think it was because all the big kids that she knew well had already been moved up. When she starting doing partial days in the big kid room, they said it went so well, they would make the official transition sooner. So, we'll see how things go. One of the teachers had been Maya's teacher before in the 2-3 year old room, and she once whispered to me that Maya was her favorite. Again, I'm sure they tell all the parents that, but hey, I'm gonna believe every word they say.