Hello from Camp Crandall!

With no plans or mothers day out and my mommy friends out of town this week, I decided to break up the routine and extend our weekend at my parents' house by an extra five days! My sister commented that it's kind of like going to summer camp, and I have to agree.

Ben seems to be getting along ok here...

And Katie Beth isn't hurting too bad either with a few extra hugs and kisses each day!

But who could resist this face anyway?!

The food at Camp Crandall has been terrific!

And so was getting to play with friends we don't see very often!

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There have been ducks to feed,

new parks and playgrounds to explore,

and Curious George even made an appearance!

So yeah, don't worry about us. We're homesick for Daddy, but...

...we're doing just fine!

PS - We do miss Tyler though and hope that he is remembering to eat and not sleeping at the office. Tyler, remember to eat and sleep!

Summer in Canada

Chandos Lake

summer holiday 2009

Prentice family together again!

the smallest branch of the tree... We had a wonderful visit with Tyler's family in Canadian cottage country last week. The "cottage" where we stayed was a virtual summer camp: a sand volleyball court for games of tag, two beaches for castle building and feet burying, a dock for catching rays and rockbass, a couple canoes for exploring, a jetski for doughnuts and wave jumping, a boat for tubing, kneeboarding and wakeboarding, a teepee for pow-wows, an atv for pulling hayrides, and a firepit for marshmallow roasting...of course.

And Ben? Ben had a blast! Great naps, good eats, and fun times all around - some of which we captured here.

...still more to come...

Easter Extravaganza

I like to drag things out. For instance, my birthday celebrations just ended this past weekend, although my actual birthday was weeks ago (Thanks to Kelley, Jess and Tyler for wrapping up the festivities)! So it should come as no surprise that Ben participated in not just one, but four egg hunts this year and wore his Easter outfit at least 10 times - which called for overnight washings on two occasions.

On Good Friday, Ben stayed home with my sister, visiting from San Francisco. They had lots of QT together and then met me at his school for the annual Spring Fling. The teachers really had put a lot of work into the event which included an egg hunt, sac races, cupcake walk, pin the tail on the bunny - and every kid got a personalized Easter basket and lots of prizes to put inside. Somewhere between the first egg hunt at Dawson (where he was flattened by the stampede and managed to put one solo egg in his basket) and this one, Ben picked up some crazy egg-hunting skills and charged out of the gate like a pro! Doubleclick the slideshow to view all captions

Immediately following the Spring Fling, the three of us caravaned to Nashville to spend Easter weekend with our parents. (Tyler takes his orthodontics boards on the 22nd, so he spent the weekend locked inside our house with his books and flashcards.) Ben got to discover my parents' house for the first time as a mobile person, and just wandered from room to room taking it all in. And then he took over - always leaving evidence of his tornadic presence in his wake.

He slept wonderfully is his new-to-him crib at Grandma's house, and provided constant entertainment for all, including changing and feeding responsibilities, which I'm always willing to share. :)

And on Easter morning, he stumbled upon two Easter baskets filled with a cell phone, bubbles, sippy cups, a Cars dvd and matching diningware, and Cadbury eggs, which he graciously saved for his daddy.

We celebrated as we've done for 25 years, Easter brunch at the Head's. I hunted eggs here for years, later hid them for the younger children and really enjoyed having my own baby to participate in the fun this year. I do not however have video of the event b/c in the flurry of excitement, I brilliantly had the power turned off when I thought it was on and vice versa. So lots of footage of the eggs in the grass, not so much of the little boy who was hunting them. Tragic.

I was able to manage documenting the weekend in pictures at least:

And that concludes the Easter Extravaganza of 09. (But in case you just haven't seen enough, you can check out my mom's pictures here.)

We went to the beach!

We just spent a quick, but action-packed weekend at Seacrest Beach with our friends Nick and Susan, and Scott and Kelley (plus Kaitlyn and Carter, respectively). We had a lot of fun, and despite foreboding weather reports, no rain and even a perfectly timed burst of sunlight so we could catch some rays while the babies caught some z's! I'll spare you the details (and you know how I like details) but have instead prepared a multi-media presentation for your enjoyment.

"So I just stick my finger right in it, Dad? Cool."

Family shot - Ben likes sitting directly in the sand more than I do.
Sigh, I'm the mom of a sandy, sweaty, dirty little boy. But I love it!

My handsome fellas

Ben needed a little help learning how to walk again on this wet, smushy and unleveled terrain.

But he soon got the hang of it!

Sand-glazed Ben conked out the moment he sat in his stroller.

Thanks for inviting us guys, we can't wait to do it again!

More fun with Austin

In all the excitement of Birthday Week, this post got left on the cutting room floor. But I thought we'd bring it back now because it really was fun to see these two little guys together after so long since our last visit.

Here they are at The Curry Pot where we met Austin's family, Jess and Michael, and Tracey and Matt for lunch upon arrival in the Noog.

"We want food! We want food!"

And, with acknowledgments to SNL's Weekend Update, this begins a little segment we like to call, "Really?! with Mommy and Daddy"

Daddy: "So, Ben. You won't eat scrambled eggs, chicken nuggets or waffles. Really? You scoff at mangos, and hurl pasta onto the floor. Really."

Mommy: "But this, you'll eat? With leg-spinning fervor?! Really?! Tikka Masala and Spinach Tofu something-or-other? Stuff I wouldn't dare consume until six months ago? Really. Wow."

Thank you, thank you.

Uncle Michael giving Ben a good belly jostle after his big meal!

"I like it at your house, Austin. The windows are just the right size!"

You put your right side, you put your right side out!
You put your right side in, and you shake it all about!

(watch it with that hammer, Bud.)

Birthday field trip to the museum

Might sound kinda lame until I clarify that it was Chattanooga's Creative Discovery Museum, and dedicated to the kiddos. We'd planned to visit Charlotte, North Carolina this weekend, but didn't make it past Chattanooga. Which is always ok by us, as we got to spend time with Jess and Michael and catch up with our friends.

By this point in a baby's life, they've usually been to a museum a time or two, and probably a zoo and aquarium as well. Not little Ben though! We've been holding out on events requiring a ticket purchase until "he can really enjoy it." And seemed like his first birthday was a good milestone to see if he was ready. I'll admit I had my doubts when he spent our first 1/2 hour playing with Fisher Price toys in the baby room...we pay $30 a day for him to do that at daycare! But he just needed a little prompting. When it comes to putting on a show, the kid just does not disappoint!

Thanks for sharing in the fun times, Aunt Jess and Kirsten and Austin!