Other things...

As you may (or may not) have noticed, I have not been blogging. If I remember correctly, my last post was also about not blogging. Other things have been going on. Like, our house is the cleanest it has ever been, and I am totally inspired to keep it up. Seeing fresh, clean spaces is making me want to organize more things, and make our home as comfortable and cozy as possible. I can't take credit for all of the work. Nic has been amazing.

Bennett is almost one. I really can't believe this. I have been working diligently on his "First Year" book, and will be scrambling to add a few Twins game and State Fair pictures before I hurriedly order it, in the hopes of having it in my hands by the time his big birthday arrives. I hope he has fun at his party. Of course I bought oodles of balloons to use to decorate, without having thought about the possible safety implications of balloon oodles (random pieces of popped balloon rubber to choke on). Well, we'll be livin' on the edge, I guess.

Good friends arrive from far away places this week. I have strategically shortened several work days. Happy times await.

What's with these two lately? It's like they got together one day when we were out, and had a pet conference. Kitty led the meeting, Suggie took notes. And when Suggie submitted the meeting minutes, they went something like this:

Item 1: Be sneaky
Item 2: Be naughty
Item 3: Get in fights with neighborhood cats and lose collars
Item 4: Generally make Nic come this close to getting rid of us

Ugh.

As in, ugh, I haven't blogged in forever! Since returning from a fantastic week off visiting family and hanging out in the woods, I just haven't quite been able to get back on track with the ol' routine. But for goodness sake - I could at least throw a couple of pictures on here, or something. Let's call this series "At the Cabin", starring Bennett.

Little Boxes

Well, I guess they're big boxes. Giant Instagrams! I just can't help myself - the Instagram is my new favorite thing because a) I really like how the pictures look and b) I don't have a nice camera, so I figure that mediocre pictures with cool effects will have to suffice for now. Happy Friday from the Land of Ludwig.

Kitty sits in the windowsill. He watches for birds, rodents and the neighbor's dog. When he sees these creatures, he does not move. He remains still and vigilant, plotting silently.



Suggie was exhausted last night. She had a big day, I guess. Her smooshy face is so cute. Since Bennett joined our household, the pets have definitely taken several giant steps down the ladder of importance. Sometimes, I feel kind of bad about that. I must remember to dole out more love to the loyal pets.



It finally cooled off enough yesterday for us to take a walk around our lake. I say "our" lake as if we own it. We do not own it, but we like it. And it is pretty much (more or less) in our backyard. One could almost mistake Minnesota for a tropical paradise this time of year. Almost.



He crosses his little chubbers feet. Just chillin'.

Climbing

Back in the long ago and far away days of my childhood, my sister used to climb trees. I never really got into it, but she looked like she was having fun... until that time she fell out of the tree and fractured her arm. I think Bennett is going to be a tree-climber. He didn't get too far on this giant oak tree, but what a good start!



Playing outside is the best. It cuts the number of times I have to say "no" at least in half.

Inside: No no, don't touch the dog bowls. No no, don't climb on the fireplace. No no, don't open the cupboards. No no, don't pull all of the toilet paper off of the roll. No no, don't crush the kitty. (Well, maybe you can crush the kitty for just a minute, because you think you're giving him a hug which is so sweet).

Outside in the big giant park with tons of space and trees: No no, don't eat that. And that's it! Pretty much just a few reminders not to eat things, and otherwise freedom reigns. Climb away, Bennett, climb away.







My little guy is ten months old today. The big one year mark is creeping up much faster than I'd like it to! Party planning has already commenced, of course.

Summer Fun

We are really soaking up summer these days. Grilled food, pool parties and the like. In a state where you really only get three-ish months of this stuff, you have to live it up while you can. Bennett's first Fourth of July was rather uneventful. We didn't stay up late to watch fireworks. We did have a picnic at the park, and Bennett thought that trying a taste of a cherry Mr. Misty (which are now apparently called Arctic Blasts, but I will never call them that) from DQ was pretty awesome.



I just watch this kid go and go and go. It seems like he never wants to stop! The piles of new information that find a place in his baby brain every day must be massive. The latest to be added to the pile: how straws taste.



And just look at this crop of blond summer hair! If you had told me 10 months ago that my kid was going to have my hair and complexion, I never would've believed you. I thought for sure he'd have daddy's hair. For now, it's blond all the way, baby!



Hangin' with Suggie is still a preferred activity. They really are best buddies. Too cute.

More winning! (Well, kind of).

We must be on a lucky streak. You know that phil&teds stroller contest we entered? Well, we got an e-mail last weekend saying that they really loved our entry, and we were the runner-up! So, technically we lost, but as a runner-up they gave us a $50 gift voucher, which is pretty cool. I consider it a win. The greatest part is that they are going to do a second round of competition, where people get to vote on their favorites. As soon as I figure out how that part of the contest will work, you best believe Bennett will be campaigning for your votes!

We went on a little road trip on Saturday to visit some of Nic's family. Sugar really loves road trips.



It was nice and sunny. We did things like hang out by the lake, look at baby roosters, and eat soft serve. Bennett enjoyed playing with my sunglasses and looking cute in his barely tolerated sunhat.



There is some planning going on in our household. And I'm excited. I feel a renewed sense of purpose. In general terms, the planning revolves around keeping Bennett and any future baby Ludwigs out of daycare, and in Daddycare. Think slashing budgets, clipping coupons, selling some stuff, being creative, and re-working priorities. There will be a plan in place to boost the chances of Daddy's successful return to work when that time comes. The end goal is happiness and fulfillment for all parties involved. We'll be starting immediately.

Yippee!

I don't usually win things. I play Bingo, I lose (and swear). I play Scrabble, I lose. I buy a lottery ticket, and don't even come close to matching any numbers. But finally, I won! I won a blog giveaway! So Emma shipped a beautiful hand-made beanie hat all the way from Australia to Minnesota. Bennett and I are thrilled!





Emma has a lovely blog that features her three lovely boys. Check it out! http://smallblessingsandsuch.blogspot.com

This blogging thing reminds me of being in elementary school and having a pen-pal from somewhere cool like Peoria, Illinois. Except this is way better.

Shortly after our awesome new beanie photo shoot, Bennett decided that it would be best to play with his favorite cat toy. I hate that he plays with this thing, because of course I think he's going to poke his eye out with it. But if I try to take it away, extreme sadness ensues. He thinks he's a little Harry Potter, or something, waving the thing around like he's casting spells. Mostly, he casts spells on Suggie Boogie.



In other randomness, I think I'd like to get a nice camera. And learn how to use it. I'll start saving my pennies.

Sleepy

I wish I could take a snoozle right now. I have been tired lately, and I don't really have a good excuse. I'm sleeping well at night, and my life doesn't seem to be inherently exhausting. Perhaps its the repetitive string of 9:00 to 5:00's (or 7:30 to 4:00's, in my case) that persist each week. A slow, sleepy rhythm of work, eat, sleep, work, eat, sleep is putting me into a mental stupor. Yes, there are precious moments of play that pop in when they can, but overall, the daily grind prevails. I miss my baby every day when I go to work.

Well, if I can't take a snoozle, at least Bennett can. Pouty sleeping lips are scrumptious. I love, love, love him more than I can say.



Oh, and you may have noticed that Playlist has inserted some choice advertisements in between songs. Like ads for killing bugs. Kind of ruins my vibe, so enjoy the silence for the time being.

Daddy's Day

Ok, so this picture isn't actually from Father's Day. We were too unorganized yesterday to snap shots during our mini golf adventure. But, despite the lack of photo documentation, it was a nice day, indeed.



Nic has always been an amazing husband. He now holds the title of amazing father. And he really is amazing - his patience, his kindness, his humor, his intelligence, his love... they amaze me (and Bennett) every day. Here's to Daddy!

Ugh... I've been a bad blogger.

Well, I have been rather blog-lazy the past week. I have barely taken any pictures, and goodness knows I don't have anything too interesting to report. But, we did enter a contest to try and win a free stroller, so I'll share our contest entry slideshow. Enjoy!

Happiness

We had a long weekend that felt, at moments, like a real vacation. Lounging by lakes, sipping icy drinks, dining out, connecting with friends. The best part, by far, was having hour after hour of free time with my Green Bean. I wish I could somehow make every day a three-day-weekend day. Here are a few bits of happiness from the last few days.

The boy loves his dog. And he's beginning to love playing in the grass. He rips it out by the handful, and sneakily tries to eat it. It seems like I'm saying the phrase, "no no, we don't eat that" about five million times a day. Items such as balls of cat hair, paper and dirty flip flops fall into the "we don't eat that" category.



Nic is not a fan of these cowboy boots, but I think they rock. The boots speak for themselves.



Sleeping all snuggled up with Mommy doesn't happen very often anymore, so I savor the moment when it does.



Hot hubby and darling baby at the lake on a beautiful day. Does it get any better?



I was totally convinced he was going to poke his eye out with this thing. As of today, both eyes are still intact.



This was the first time we tried putting him in a restaurant high chair. He did a great job! And he kept busy charming all of the wait staff.



He's so awesome I can barely stand it.



And one more stealth shot of the monkey. This time he's walking along like a good boy/monkey. Lovely.



Have a great week.

A little fun from Monday...

We ventured out yesterday evening for some free jazz at the Pavilion. It was quite the adventure, indeed. Bennett was being extra cute, as per usual.



So, we've seen this guy a few times now... just a walkin' around the lake with his monkey. That's right, a monkey. Not a particularily small monkey, either. He's about the size of, say, your average 18 month old. Once Nic walked up to this pair when they were lounging on a park bench. The dude warned him. "Better not come any closer - he likes to dig in peoples' pockets..." Oh my. And sorry - this is the best shot I could get without "getting too close".

The Green Bean is all over the place now. I can barely manage to keep him anywhere near the nice blanket we put down, let alone keep him from crawling dangerously near puddles of bird poo that happen to land near the pavilion railings. But hangin' with Daddy is his favorite, and that Twins hat provides a nice distraction.





I'm thinking that our new neighborhood is going to make for some special childhood memories.

Old Spice

I smell like Old Spice. This is because somehow I have managed to forget to purchase a normal ladies' deodorant for, oh, about the past month. But Nic has a stockpile of Old Spice, so...

If I don't secure my elastic hair bands in some fashion before bedtime, Kitty will tear them apart and eat them. Hair bands that are left sitting unprotected on the nightstand are in real danger. So now, every night they come out of my poor excuse for a hairstyle (pile o' hair that is supposed to be a bun) and get wrapped ever so carefully around the corner of my pillowcase, where they can remain safe until morning. My pillowcase has a ponytail.

The "Q" key on the laptop is busted. It falls off every time you come near it. Is it ok to superglue a broken key back to the keyboard? Probably not a good plan.

Is there anything worse than being stuck inside at work when the weather is perfect? Wait - don't answer that. Because yes, I know that there are worse things. At least I got out to enjoy some early evening sun and a nice breeze the other day. I wanted to stop about fifty times and take pictures of everything that looked spring-y and pretty. However, I did not stop too much, lest I wake the King of Snoozles. He does not like stopping.



Just one picture of an especially twisty tree. And blue sky that just wouldn't quit. And spring green leaves making their first appearance of the year. Ahhh.



Our good friends welcomed their first little baby to the world yesterday, and I was literally dancing around my office this morning when a snapshot of his cute baby face appeared on my phone. Babies are the best. I wish these friends didn't live so very far away, because I'd sure like to be there in person to give baby a snuggle, mommy a big hug, and daddy a high five.

New baby has me thinking about how far we've come. It was not so long ago when Bennett made his arrival, but it seems so far away. He grows and changes at lightning speed, and it seems like leaps and bounds now separate us from his new baby days. So, though today is not a particularily important milestone, (he has offically reached the age of 8 months and 6 days), I feel like looking back for just a moment and celebrating the then and the now.



Happy Thursday, folks.

Travel System

You know how they market those fancy stroller/carseat combinations as travel systems? Well, this is our travel system. This is how we roll.



It may not be pretty, but it sure makes me laugh. The cart is an oldie but a goodie that my mother-in-law found at a garage sale. We originally acquired it several years ago with the idea that our dogs could ride around in it. After all, French Bulldogs have rather short legs, and making it all the way around a lake with them would have been nearly impossible without the cart. Who would have thought that it could make such a sweet baby mobile? Some lady actually walked past us the other day and said, "boy, that baby sure rides in a Cadillac, huh?" And she wasn't being sarcastic. I was puzzled, to say the least. We pile up our loads of random stuff, secure the carseat with a few straps, and off we go.

Mother's Day was great. We took the travel system and went for a walk. We love our walks so very much. The lake was especially beautiful and peaceful. I think it knew I needed a little peace and calm, and it delivered.



In random order, other fantastic Mother's Day weekend happenings included:

Bennett learning how to swing. Well, at least he sat in his first real outside swing, and he seemed to enjoy it. Soon enough, he'll be asking to go higher and higher, and I'll be biting my nails.



After work on Friday, I came home to this beautiful masterpiece. Daddy and Bennett are so very creative.



I love watching him climb. He looks like a little tree frog.



Eyes closed smoochies for Mommy's Day. He is scrumptious.



Best picnic ever. The spread included cheese, chocolate and strawberries. Eating outdoors is so much fun!







I sat back on Sunday and really thought hard about how lucky I am. To be surrounded by so much love each and every day... that's just the most I could ever ask for. It is a privilege to be Bennett's mommy. It is a joy to be Nic's wife. It is, well, something, to be the proud owner of two relatively stinky pets.

Now, to continue soaking up the spring sunshine! Later, gators.