Beep Beep Jeep

I came across a good deal at a consignment sale and broke down to buy a Power Wheel for the kiddos.  Ben started off to be a horrible driver, but is getting better as the days go on.  Ashley absolutely loves when Ben drives her around and always sits in it waiting for a ride.  She has attempted to drive it on her own, but doesn't quite understand to look up when she presses the pedal, luckily she is perfectly happy being a passenger or pushing the horn.  Today Ben was even using reverse to get around the obstacles of our backyard and we only once had to help him maneuver around a tree.

Also, Ben went to his first Royal's game of the year with Brian recently and he loved it!!  I think Brian enjoyed the fact that Ben had a good time more than watching the Royals as well.  Just the fact that Ben loves sports makes Brian very excited.  We'll see how it continues as the years go on and see if he continues to like sports.

Cousins Trip

All the cousins

The kiddos and I went to meet my family for a mini vacation to a small ranch near Cuba, MO.  It was a very long drive with two kiddos who do not enjoy car rides, but it was worth it.  Ben couldn't have had any more fun with his cousins and Ash was a little too young to enjoy much.  Had she been a little older it would have been a relaxing vacation.  There were moments when she was fine, but since the terrain was not very toddler friendly she often tripped and fell which was followed by the crying and not wanting to get out of my arms.  In her defense, I had just been away on a girls trip for 5 days and came home just in time to wake her up and put her in the car.  I was still able to capture some of her good times though and her talkativeness was only around the animals.  We call her our animal whisperer.

Enjoying her pony ride

The animal whisperer

Chasing around the kitty

Now Ben on the other hand would've stayed there for much longer had we been able to.  He loved running and chasing his cousins and even playing street hockey with his two older cousins who play as well.  When his cousins would run off to play he would ask where they went and then go play with them without me having to be there.  He turned into a little boy while we were there, but the second we got home he wouldn't play in the kitchen alone with his cars even though I was 10 feet away in the family room.

Ben trying to score on Sam

Pony Ride!!

Bingo!

Anyway, there were pony rides, fishing in the river, bingo (which Ben won the first game!), bonfires with smores, tennis, hockey, swingsets, swimming pool, hayride and good times with family.
 

Cart fell over on him - he thought it was hilarious

Hockey Time

Dance party with Molly and Ella

Cousins at the campfire

Swimming

This summer we had both kids in swim lessons and although it would have been ideal to have them at the same time, that just didn't work out by the time I signed them up.  However, it worked to our advantage since we were able to go to the pool for 16 days for less than it would've cost us to go just 3 times! Crazy, but worth it.

Ben is starting to really enjoy the water more than his first swim lessons, although he's still really hesitant to go under water or float on his back.  We're slowly working on those pieces, but he did go off the diving board his last day of lessons.  And when I mean he went off the diving board, one teacher handed him from the diving board to a teacher in the water.  Regardless, he got over the fear of not wanting to do it and then liked it.  And that is a milestone.

blowing bubbles

Ashey (as Ben calls her) is quite the opposite in the water.  She loves it.  And although she loves it, there is no fear in the water which scares me.  She will literally walk into the water up to her chin and then try to sit down.  Someone always has to be within arms reach of her at all times as we've had to pull her up from the water pretty regularly.  And when she gets up, she laughs and smiles and keeps walking deeper.   Trouble.....but she loves it so much.  She even enjoys the slides which Ben is finally not scared to go down this year.  Her independence is still going strong in wanting to do things herself and of course trying to do anything and everything Ben does regardless of if we want her to - take the good with the bad I guess.

Other random pics - bike day and car wash day.