Make me smile :)

Here are some pictures from the week:). Ben is getting serious about his books.

He likes going to the playground and he is exploring a lot. Tes took some pictures of him earlier this week. She also took a really cute video of their music class, but it won't load for some reason. I'll put it up soon.

Caleb is enjoying preschool and he likes to wear his backpack into his classroom. His teachers adore him, and say he is so funny. If you know Caleb, you know he is very curious about everything. Apparently he is curious what everyone brings for snacks, and the teachers have to take the snacks out of kids bags as soon as they arrive, or else Caleb gets them. Guess we need to work on this at home...

This afternoon, the boys rolled playdough with Tes and made cookies:)

Love these sweet little boys!

No matter what the day brings, these boys always brighten my day and make me smile!

Some of our Favorite Things

Some of the boys favorite things right now are:

Playing with trucks

And being outside

We ended our trip to the park this evening with a beautiful sunset. The red wagon crew headed home for chicken nuggets and macaroni and cheese - another favorite around here, by all :).

Happy Anniversary

Happy Anniversary Dad and Mom P! May your love shine bright for many, many years. We love you.

Random Pictures

It has been a busy week. Two new families moved in this past week, and both have young children...yay for lots of playmates close by!

We are enjoying some new things around the house. Caleb loves his new shoes from Uncle Aaron that he received when he was born:) He shows them to everyone at school and is so proud of them. Thanks Uncle Aaron, glad they finally fit! Caleb also likes brushing his teeth with his new toothbrush that lights up.

 Ben is getting so playful. He crawls very fast, and he and Caleb play together more and more. He really wants to be like his older brother!

This past week Ben got 2 more teeth - the top two on both side of his front teeth, and he now has 7 teeth total!

Caleb does a good job sharing toys with Ben most of the time. But don't step between a boy and his guitar! This ended up being mom's guitar:)

Love these two little boys!

Keeping Busy

We kept busy this weekend. We bummed around the house, went to the park, and got out and about. On Friday, the boys and I went to Tes's church. We sang songs and listened to God's Word, and I couldn't help but notice how excited the people were to be worshipping. I really felt God's presence that morning. Caleb and Ben went to kids church and they had a great time too. Caleb made a craft and played with other kids, and the ladies loved on Ben. The people were so nice and welcoming, and we are thankful for the nice morning and plan to return.

The last two weekends, I was invited to baby showers. Both ladies are expecting baby girls, one at the beginning of October and one at the end of October. It was nice to get together with some other ladies, and to have fun celebrating their upcoming arrivals. The decorations were so creative and cute, both hosts did a great job planning the showers. We ate good food, played fun games, and the baby girls got lots of nice gifts.

This afternoon, some friends came over so we could meet their new baby boy. He is 2 months old and pure sweetness. Cinha cooked us some amazing Indian food, which was delicious! We had a good time talking, playing with the kids, and stuffing our faces. It was fun to get together and love on their new baby boy!

And here are a couple of cute videos from the weekend. Sorry they are sideways :).

                                      

                                     

Arts and Crafts

The Embassy began hosting a kids craft class once a week. Tes and Ben go to the class and play at the Embassy while Caleb is in preschool. Ben was so happy to go this morning, he decided he would stand on his own for a picture!

 Today craft was squirrels in a tree and a butterfly. It was such a creative idea, and Tes said Ben had a great time painting with the sponge and tearing tissue paper.

 Twix thought the butterfly was her toy.

 And I guess it turned into hers...

 Caleb had a great first full-week in preschool! He had several tear-free drop offs this week, and when he cried it was only for a short while. Every day I picked him up, he was having a blast. He says bye to his teachers and friends, we can tell he really likes his preschool. When I picked him up today, he gave me his molded and painted hand. I love these kinds of crafts to keep as memories from this age, and to look back and see how much he has grown!

We had a good week, and are ready for the weekend!

Ben is 11 months old!

Happy 11 months old, Ben! You are growing so fast, and seeming less and less like a baby. Admittedly it makes me a little sad, but so joyful to have this sweet, happy little boy in our lives.

Ben is enjoying pulling up on things around the house. Last month he was a bit wobbly on the legs, and now it's easy does it! He is even getting brave enough to take some steps while he holds onto his music table or train. It won't be long before we have a walker!

 Ben is getting more expressive about what he does and does not want, and he babbles all the time. He likes to smack his hands on anything or anyone he touches, and he enjoys playing with whatever toy is in front of him. Ben is starting to like being read to instead of eating the books, and he likes to play peek-a-boo and to crawl away from you really fast and laugh. He's turning into quite the character!

Ben is still wearing 12-18 month clothes, size 2 shoes, and size 4 diapers. He now has a 5th tooth on the left of his two bottom teeth. Ben nurses in the morning and night, has a bottle every 3-4 hours, and he is an incredible eater! Ben takes 2 naps a day, and he sleeps from about 7:30pm - 4:30-5:30am. Hopefully he will break this early rising soon...

Caleb and Ben play nicely together, and Caleb likes to crawl around the ground with Ben and to make him laugh. We are so thankful for these sweet boys, and love watching them develop a brotherly friendship.

Happy 11 months Benjamin! We love you!!

Across the world at Pizza Hut

 You can easily eat your way through this country. In addition to all the American chain restaurants you could imagine, there are many great restaurants from across the Middle East, Asia, and Europe. With all the good eating, we decided to eat at Pizza Hut today for lunch :).

The pizza tastes great, and we especially love the cheesy stuffed crust. Today's meal was a Hawaiian pizza, salad bar, and soda. You can't tell from this picture, but this Pizza Hut is on the Gulf, and the view of the water from our table was very pretty. It was a clear day, blue skies, aqua colored water, and a nice 100+ temperatures! Unfortunately, the service was less than stellar, but we did get our food and left pretty full.

 

 

 We were able to take a family nap this afternoon, since both boys fell asleep on the way home. This evening we went to play at the park. With this nice playground and field, Caleb was only interested in the sprinklers!

 And he was soaked from head to toe by the time we went home!

Ben sat on the astro turf soccer field and chowed down on an apple. This little boy just popped his 5th tooth on the bottom left. He wouldn't let me get a close-up of his mouth, but rest assured, he is getting plenty of practice with those teeth :).

Caleb's First Day of Pre-School

Last night we had Caleb's pre-school orientation, and he started school today! His teacher is Ms. Grace, from Romania, and she is very sweet. Caleb is in a class of 18 kids, and all of them are of Middle Eastern descent. We are excited that he will be immersed in the culture, and for the new friends he will make.

At orientation last night, Caleb walked right into the classroom and started playing with the other kids and toys.

 The school has an area called 'The Village' where kids can play and pretend. There is a post office, bank, fire station, supermarket, pizzeria, and doctor's office. Once we got to the Village, we had a hard time getting Caleb out because he was having such a good time.

 He's ready to ring up your groceries and take your money!

 There is also a nice covered outdoor play area that the kids visit a couple times a day.

Caleb was excited to go to pre-school this morning! The first week the kids only go for 2 hours a day, and next week they start half days.

 Getting ready to walk into school!

He walked right into his classroom and started playing with the kids. When he realized I had to leave he started crying, but that stopped shortly after I left when they brought out he bunny and turtles :). When Nathan picked him up this afternoon, his teacher told him that everyone in his class was scared of the rabbit, except for Caleb. They said he walked right up to it and grabbed its ears, haha! He has had a lot of practice with our cat...poor Twix!

We love you Caleb, and we know you will have a great year at your new school!