May / Beach

Mother's Day 2013

Love...

Flowers...

And smiley face blueberry pancakes...

What more could a mom ask for : )

Frank made it a special day as we celebrated being parents of two... 

13 Weeks

Sometimes I forget that I'm even pregnant because I have been blessed with another easy pregnancy and Benjamin keeps me very busy : ) 

The week before our family beach vacation Benjamin woke up with pink eye and a double ear infection. Poor baby. He was a trooper and still played hard (with a few extra snuggles). After a few days on the antibiotics he was ready to go. 

We flew from Memphis to Atlanta to Jacksonville, NC

Benjamin gets a "B+" for traveling on the airplane. No major meltdowns or screaming but need for constant snacks and entertainment. Not too bad for a 18 month old. 

My favorite moment on the plane.

After finding out that our bag didn't make it on the plane to the beach we headed to the Outer Banks. Delta delivered our luggage to the house the following day just in time to put on our swim suits and go to the pool.

A beautiful site after a long day of traveling.

Hello Ocean

Two things I can always count on at our beach vacation...

Good food and fun games.

Above is my Uncle Ed's 21 layer chocolate cake made from scratch. Yes, it tasted as good as it looks!

Everyone needs a "Crazy Uncle Ed"

We are a game playing family. Marbles is one of our favorites. 

Warren Family Rule: Play with your friends but always cut the deck

"Ok momma I'm ready to go!"

Benjamin LOVED the beach...not so much the ocean.

 What you can't see in the picture is that he was screaming at the water approaching. 

Son and Father footprints

(Or a man with a small left foot and large right foot) LOL.

We went out every day to the beach to play

Benjamin's favorite this year was his bucket and shovel

Drizzle castles

Frank's favorite this year was his shovel too. He dug a large pool so that Benjamin could be in the ocean water minus the scary waves.

Shrimp for lunch

My sister-in-law Brandy is amazing at finding beautiful shells

I found a white shark tooth while walking on the beach. Typically the ones you find are black because they have become a fossil, but this was was fresh from a sharks mouth!

Took a break from the sun and went to the NC Aquarium at Pine Knoll Shores.

Benjamin loved running up to each exhibit and pointing at the sea life

Actual Size

Fun in the gift shop

Dinner out at our favorite restaurant Tony's in Morehead City

Uncle Michael and Aunt Brandy

Being Silly

We enjoyed getting to spend time with my parents, Michael/Brandy, and my grandmother. 

Pool Time!

Benjamin throwing the ball into the bucket. He actually has a pretty good arm. 

Loving. Every. Minute.

All Tuckered Out and ready for a nap

One morning we went out ocean fishing on my dad's newest addition to his boating family. I caught the first spanish mackerel of the season! I enjoyed the time in the sun and on the water however after awhile it kinda got to me and I lost my cookies (well breakfast) over the side of the boat. Maybe my pregnant self can't handle the waves. 

15 Weeks - Baby is the size of an Orange

 

Playing on the porch

Peak-a-boo

The trip home was a little easier since we had a shorter layover in ATL

It didn't take long to get back into our daily routine

Breakfast

Play Time

Errands

Lunch on the porch

And visits to the Memphis Zoo.

We are very proud of the grizzlies for making it into the NBA finals! 

Grit and Grind

Oh you know...just sittin' in a basket

I think Benjamin had more fun playing with the paint bottles then actually finger painting

Final Masterpiece

Benjamin loves hanging out at work with daddy

He is the official "fountain water tester". I believe he has touched every fountain in Water Works.

and at Nana and Pop's House too.

May's house project included fixing a pipe leak from the master bath down to the basement. Our bathtub was out of order for a week so Benjamin took baths in a big bucket. 

The fix required taking down the wall in the playroom.

Gotta love plaster walls

There's your problem

Josh helped Frank with the solution

After taking down half the wall Frank kept going and we plan on exposing the rest of the brick on the back of the chimney...because it looks cool : )

Benjamin helped with the clean up from the project just in time for Frank's "Risk Guys Night". With Frank turning 30 at the end of May he felt the need to conquer the world.

I made appetizers and desserts and the guys grilled out.

Yes, Justin M. fried hotdogs in bacon grease.

After a long night of tense war games...Frank did conquer the world!

May 31st 2012

"My dad turned 29"

May 31st 2013

"Oh no! My dad turned 30!"

I had intended to retake one of Frank's favorite pictures from 2012 (I even made the sign and set up the pillows the same) however Benjamin was not feeling particularly cooperative. 

Oh well...maybe next year. LOL

April

April 2013

Picnic and playtime with friends

Benjamin learned how to sip from a straw...mostly out of necessity because I had left his sippy cup at home.

Enjoying a snack while watching the sea lion show at the zoo

For all you numismatists out there: This is an 1832 penny given to Benjamin from his Great Grandfather. It's now worth about $15-20

Saturday Morning Pancakes

A family tradition that I would like to continue from my childhood : )

Benjamin is actually big enough now to sit in a chair and play! 

New adventures at the park this month with his ever-increasing mobility!

He discovered crawling through the tunnels...

climbing...

and the swing with mommy.

Here is Benjamin sliding for the first time with my parents during their visit

My mom caught this awesome pic of him pressing his cute face up against the dome - lol

RANDOM SIDE NOTE:

For those of you who know me well you know that my love for our cat Marley has diminished since

Benjamin arrived. Despite my husband's and mother's words of wisdom/encouragement to "be sweet" it has been a struggle for me the past 18 months to really love this cat...anyone want him?...just kidding. So I was reading in my Bible and read this verse: 

Proverbs 12:10 "The godly care for their animals, but the wicked are always cruel."

Wow...enough said! My heart is being changed (slowly). 

I had the pleasure of helping host a baby shower for my sweet friend Diane! She is expecting a baby boy in May. God used Diane in my life to keep me in Memphis after a tough first semester at UofM. After that we were fast friends!

Our friendship over the past 10 years (has it really been that long?!) has been such a blessing and now our kids will grow up together. 

Our babies will only be 6 months apart. Not Benjamin, but our new little one : )

That's right, I'm due November 15th - The same week as Benjamin's 2nd birthday (Nov 20)! Although the thought of another winter baby almost makes me want to cry (JK...not really). We are truly excited about how the Lord has blessed us! 

Can you believe that I waited 10 weeks to tell my parents?! It was tough, but I really wanted to tell them in person this time since they had planned a visit in April. It was quite a surprise as no one was expecting this big announcement. 

Mimi and Grandy played with Benjamin all weekend while Frank and I went camping with some friends. They had a blast!

My mom taught Benjamin how to play the harmonica...Now he won't stop

We went camping at Village Creek State Park in Arkansas without any kids!!! It was our first weekend away from Benjamin and it was awesome (love you son!)

 Yes...that is a picture of three men actually looking at a map! 

I planned all the meals and did the shopping and Frank was our grill master for the weekend. We had bacon/eggs/biscuits/pancakes/steak/fish/corn/potatoes/garlic bread/smores all cooked over the fire.     We even figured out how to cook a biscuit on a stick!

With three pregnant ladies (18 weeks, 8 months, 10 weeks) we visited the bathroom often. Thankfully I kept from getting up in the middle of the night because it was sooo cold. It was 38 degrees the first night! Not exactly the spring weather we were hoping for even though the guys didn't seem to mind it.

It warmed up during the day and we went on a a nice walk where the guys naturally began a rock throwing contest. We ate a picnic by the lake, played cards, and went fishing. 

Shawn caught a fish...the girls named him Jake...

...and then the guys ate him. 

We had a nice time getting away for the weekend without the kids. Thanks again mom and dad : )

After the cold weather passed - spring is officially here! The flowers in my neighborhood are amazing.

It's no wonder they call it Central Gardens

Benjamin makes me "stop and smell the flowers". I do love watching him discover the world. It makes me stop and appreciate the small things in life that I usually just pass by. 

**********************CONSTRUCTION ZONE**********************

Not as pretty as those flowers, but Frank has made some amazing progress on our guest house this month! Remember that chimney that Frank spent a few weeks repairing??

Yeah he decided to take it down brick by brick...

it only took a few hours one afternoon. 

Apparently the chimney needed to come down so that he could straighten the guest house correctly.

It has been quite a process...

but now it's level and straight! It doesn't sound like much but it has been half the battle. At least now we know it won't fall over. 

He put up the sheathing (fancy word for walls) and has started to build the enclosed staircase. Funny, Lowe's is Frank's preferred hardware store and you can see their motto here: "Lowe's, Never stop improving". Ironic huh?

 Benjamin loves to go outside and check out the progress.

I will end this blog with a funny video of Benjamin dancing! Enjoy a good laugh : )