Heart Ache.

Oh Ben. You are breaking my heart. And when boys used to break my heart, I would write them a letter and fold it up and never send it to them. I needed some place to pour all that heartache. But you are a little different. It's the good kind of heart break. The kind of pain that can only come from crazy, huge happiness.

You are a big chunk of crazy, huge happiness. You are so yummy that I think you should be bottled up and spread on a bagel! Benja-yumminess!

So instead of writing a letter and shoving it in my journal for no one to read, ever, here is a very public love fest in honor of you! Just a few of the thousands of reasons I am totally in love with you!

- your sunny blond hair sticks up in the funniest places. I love to peek in on you first thing in the morning to see what is sticking up where!

- You have like 10 teeth. Really. You smile and look like a three-year old. We call you the "man baby".

- Your nose crinkles when you smile and its adorable.

- You say, "bee, bee, bee" and I am not sure if you are saying Ben, bottle, bed, bye-bye or nothing at all. But you don't seem to be frustrated by our lack of understanding.

- You are so chill. Your sister tugs on you. You fell nose-first out of your high chair. I kiss all over your face. And you take it all with a smile.

- You love your new trucks. Somehow you know just what to do with them.

- You give the biggest kisses ever! And lots of them. I love the wet, gooey kisses more than just about anything.

- You point to your Papa every time you see him, like you are saying, "you da man." You guys are buddies already.

- You love your new car seat and sit up like a man-king!

I could just go on and on and on. You make me smile and laugh every day, my love!

So yes, my heart is breaking. But its okay little man. No hard feelings. I'll shed a tear and long for these moments that are going by too fast. But the good news is that I know something even better is waiting for me with every sunrise! You are the first face I see everyday, and I think, "what will my son-shine bring today!"

Print. Cut. And Give Thanks.

Tis' the season to write thank you notes to those who love me and my family. I thought I would whip up a thank you note for myself - and to share with you. Print on a heavy paper. Cut. Embellish. And get to writing! This design fits a 6x6 square envelope - you can pick them up at Michael's or Jo Ann Fabrics.

I am not sure how to link a PDF to this site yet. So send me an email at marceystone@yahoo.com and I will send you the file. No need to write a note in your email. I hope to make this easy for you......just write "thank you" in the subject line and I will mail it right over to you!

Enjoy!

Jammies, Kisses and Other Stuff

Ben:

On Monday it was really, really cold here. Ben had on his one-piece flannel jammies. The kind with the feet attached. He was really, really warm. And I really, really didn't want to change him in to school clothes. So, I didn't. He got to do what I dream about doing - he wore PJs all day! I think his teacher was a little miffed. But, I get to be the big boss, and I decided he would wear those cute jammies all day. I loved picking him up in the evening, still in his flannel PJs. It is a treat that only babies can get away with!

Lily:

Could it be the Elf on the Shelf, or maybe she wants to be on Santa's good list....whatever the cause, Lily is a doll baby! Tonight at bedtime she told me that I did not have to give out kisses - it was her turn to kiss me goodnight. I was spoiled with no less than 20 kisses! Lucky me! But we all know that I will sneak in her room later tonight and repay the favor!

Other:

The winter solstice seems to have missed our house. But busy as we are there is no doubt it is Christmas. Our little traditions are taking shape. Maybe some will last forever while others change with time. For this season, we love listening to holiday music and watching classic Christmas movies. We've visited santa and baked cookies. The kids are making decorations at school and Lily performed at the hospital's holiday party. We are spending time with friends and sneaking away for a date night here and there. With cold weather moving in, we are wearing sweaters and indulging with hot chocolate and apple cider. Presents are wrapped, unwrapped and some not even purchased yet. Busy aside, this really is the most wonderful time of the year!

On The Move

Grainy photos, I know!

But here they are - kids on the move! Lily is showing Ben all kinds of tricks, including some new moves that get him in trouble.....like crawling up the stairs and slamming his fingers in the door. We are getting to use our supply of boo-boo ice again!

In five minutes flat these two can tear up a room. They are quite a team. Luckily they really, really like each other and I am enjoying that for now. They make each other laugh. Belly laugh. Lily says Ben is her best friend! Add Izzy into the mix, and we are out numbered!

Good stuff happening here! I have to tell myself that as I am picking up mess after mess after mess!

Speaking of stuff - have a great Thanksgiving and east lots of good stuff! Fattening stuff! Stuff that tastes so good you have to have seconds and thirds!

I had a moment last night.

Rocking my son.

I was combing my hands through his hair as I rocked him to sleep. He smelled like a garlic roll because he gnawed on a piece of pizza at dinner. His chubby legs were wrapped around my chubby belly. His head just where I like it - right under my chin. He started combing his fingers through his hair too - and our fingers met. He wrapped his around mine, tangled in his baby fine hair. And just held me there. Our hands resting on his head. And he fell asleep with a little smile across his lips.

Grow up sweet and strong my son. With passion and compassion. And love others with all your heart and you will get so, so, so much in return.

That's what I tell him at night. It took me a while to figure out what I wanted to say to him at night. What does a little boy need to hear from his mother? I'm sure it will change. My message to Lily has changed over the years. But for now, this seems right.

I think that grip on my fingers last night was his way of saying, I hear you mom. I am sweet, strong, passionate and compassionate. I smell like a garlic roll. And I will lay here on your lap for as long as you will hold me.

And, he did. We rocked in silence. Until his sister roared into the bedroom. And, then - well, we started all over again!

Milestone Update

As the Stone Family publication of record, I have to post a few milestones!

This little puppy is on the move. He started crawling on Halloween. I think walking is only a few weeks away. He crawls to the nearest ledge and pulls himself up. Nosey is an understatement. He is in to EVERYTHING! Able to tear up a room in seconds! His first two teeth came in early October. He is enjoying all kinds of foods - veggies, bread, pizza, fruit. Like his sister, he is open to new foods. And by bath time, he has dinner stuck in his hair and between his toes! Ben is a talker, too. He babbles on and on and on. His only real word to date is "momma" - so I am good with that! He thinks Lily is the "bee's knees!". He laughs at her until he falls over! And the kisses! Oh the kisses. I get the best, slobbery kisses these day! Lucky me:)

Lily is as beautiful as ever. She enjoyed Halloween so much. Parties, costumes and candy - oh my! Her awareness of holidays and festivities just makes everything so much fun. At school she is a super star. She can spell, read a little, count in two languages. She is loving the educational games on our IPad - and her growing mind just tickles me. I am so darn proud of her.

That is the quick update on the kiddos! As you all know, they bring us so much joy.

We took family pictures this past weekend - including Izzy - and it was hysterical. Just getting there was a journey. As we set up for the photos, Izzy was running around. Lily was pulling at her hair. Ben squirming all over the place. A mess. But that is how things are these days, and I love the chaos!

Happy Thanksgiving season to all. I am thankful for all the love you share with us:)

Halloween Caprade!

If you ever wondered what the tooth fairy looked like, here she is! Ta-dah!

Ready for her school party, Lily had just a second for this photo. She was so EXCITED about the party, should could hardly stand still. Her buddies ran from room to room eating, dancing, playing games, playing drums. She never looked back to see if I was around. Not even once.

Hmmmm.

She is really in to Halloween this year. Her class will come to the hospital on Friday to trick-or-treat. I have been waiting for this since she started school. This year, I get to wait for the parade of kids to stop in our hall. I know she will get a kick out of bringing her friends to "mommy's office". Every morning this week she has asked if it's Friday yet.....because on Friday she will be part of the Halloween "caprade"! That's how she says parade. And, I am not correcting her because it is about the cutest thing I've ever heard!

Happy Halloween!

Cute As Pumpkins

What is not to love about this time of year? It's the best. And this is why!

Who Needs Vacay Photos?

Well, I would love to share some with you.

But they are stuck in a camera with no battery power, and no charger to be found. One day, we'll find that charger stuck in between two couch cushions, but for now we will go with these blurry snapshots taken over the weekend.

Lily looking adorable in a dress and tights (we had 20 minutes of cool weather that morning). And Ben chugging his bottle with buddy Liam. These boys are too cute for words!

I'll save vacation stories for when I do get those photos of the camera.

For now, I can tell you the kids are growing like crazy. Buck and I talk about them all the time. They just amaze us.

Lily is loving school. She can spell. She adds and subtracts food from her dinner plate. She has a pet gecko in her classroom. And we talk about poop a lot.

Ben is holding his bottle. He is so close to crawling. I think he says mom (it sounds like this: muuuuuuuuum. muuuuuuuuuuuum. And usually has something to do with wanting to be held). He is 24 pounds and I love every drop of him! His first tooth came in last week and he looks like a jack-o-lantern when he smiles. It is down-right precious!

Fall is here. And, we have a lot to look forward to - and so much to be thankful for! Thanks for loving our family. More photos to come soon, I hope!

We All Need A Break!

Falling asleep last night I thought to myself - so this is how women just let themselves go. No make up. Wrinkled clothes. Laundry piled to the sky. Now I know how it happens because it is happening to me. I went to work this week looking like a complete mess. I could not find it in me to apply make up, press pants, accessorize. It was beyond what I could physically do. And I didn't even care.

Cook dinner? Huh?

Work out? Forget about it.

Make the bed? Are you crazy?

Vacation is coming just in time! A change of scenery to refresh the mind, body and spirit.

I know I won't totally fall apart. I can't. My kids need me to be in charge of our world. And, I like our world. I just need a break from it.

And, while I did not clean, press or put away this week - I did bathe the kids. And they make me laugh!

Picture Day

Here is my poor attempt at snapping a picture of the kiddos on school picture day. Boy, I hope the photographer did a better job than me. But, you get the idea. They looked really cute. I wish I could say I shopped and found the perfect matching outfits, but it just so happened that these digs were hanging in the closet. His from a consignment shop. Her top a gift from Grandma. So, it all just worked out!

We are buzzing in to Fall. Lily is counting on her fingers. Subtracting, too. We've even turned her recent potty training regression in to a math lesson. "Yesterday I had two pee-pee accidents. Today I had one. Maybe tomorrow I will have zero.....but if I add one, that will be two again." I am looking for the positive in the situation, so mastering addition is our silver lining!

Ben is so anxious to walk and eat real food. He gets so frustrated when his scooting falls short of his goal, or when he sees us biting into grilled burgers and french fries. Soon enough, my son.

We are 7 days from our Atlanta/Blowing Rock trek and it could not come fast enough. A break is needed by all.

I think about posting funny stories and tid bits several times a day. But alas, this is what you get. Sorry. I am hopeful that slower days lie ahead. Gotta have faith:)

Happy Fall to all!

Crackberry

I have joined the Blackberry cult. So far, I have avoided becoming a total bent-neck - checking email and text messages at all hours of the day and night. But I have to admit, it is a pretty cool toy! My favorite options is taking photos on the fly and emailing them to family or to myself. Not always the best quality - but great to capture life as it is happening. Here are a few shots over the past couple of days. Some blurry. Some really clear. All really special to me. These kiddos are as good as they get. 

If I am addicted to anything - it is them. I miss them so much during the work week. I wish I had more time. One thing this phone will do, once I master all the functions, is make me more efficient. I hope. Even a few more minutes a day, would mean a few more moments with my family. And more blurry photos to share with you!