Cool Dudes

On a trip to target yesterday I couldn't resist buying Noah some Sponge Bob sweatbands. He's been a big fan of sponge bob lately, and the wristbands were $2. They came in a package of 4, so I suggested that Daddy could have a set. Mike obliged and Noah and he were "cool dudes." Mike asked Noah, "is Mommy a cool dude?" and Noah said sadly, "No" and shook his head. This morning he was asking if Daddy could put them on while he was in the shower. Ah the things we do for our children! Just one of many ridiculous things I'm sure!

Winter Boredom

We've been enduring another Chicago winter. This has involved the return of deadly icicles hanging off the house, snow piled up to the top of the mailbox out at the curb, and the dreaded cabin fever. So we've been taking this cooped up status and trying to make the most of it. This last weekend it meant a mohawk for Noah. He thought it was hilarious and kept checking himself out in the mirror and laughing at his shadow. His father and Uncle Josh on the other hand were NOT fans, but hey when mommy wakes up with him early on Saturday morning, this is what happens....

Big changes for 2010!

Hope everyone had a wonderful holiday season, we certainly did! Noah got to see the Rodriguez crew on Christmas Eve and got a really cool Elmo guitar that he likes to rock out on. Christmas day was spent with the Hewes crew where he got a variety of loud, obnoxious toys (thanks Uncle Josh!). And with the new year has come a new bathroom accessory, the potty chair! No, no I don't actually think I'm going to be able to train a cranky, no/mine monster of a near 2 year old. But I wanted him to at least start looking at it and trying it out (with clothes on). He's a big fan and keeps marching around the house saying "my potty" so we'll see how this goes. The biggest change coming for 2010 is another member of the family. We are expecting Baby Rodriguez #2 to make an appearance in late July, early August. Noah doesn't have the faintest idea, we try to explain it to him and I think he's convinced that my belly button is a "baby." But I'm sure he'll figure it out pretty quick when the little one shows up at his house some day this summer.

Benhart Family Weekend

This past weekend was the 2nd annual Benhart Christmas at the Lake. It was so much fun, all in all we had a total of 22 people staying at the house, it was chaos. We also had 3 cooking/baking competitions. There were 7 soup entries (Aunt Jo won that one) 2 muffin entries (I took that one) and 9 cookie entries (Jeaneen won that one). There was also a Christmas celebration and a birthday celebration for 5 people, whew! Noah had a great time playing with his 5 older cousins, and did his best to keep up with everyone. We rode home yesterday and he was out like a light. Can't wait till next year!

SANTA!

Last week Noah got to sit on Santa's lap. We weren't sure how it would go, he's seen Santa a couple times, but has never attempted the lap. But he did very well, he was hesitant at first, but then once Santa gave him a high five, it was all good. So, it's a much improved picture from last year (if you recall the female Santa at Petsmart). He's been saying, "SANTA" all week in a very growl-like voice. Who knows why, but once he sees the power of Santa, I'm sure he'll be his new buddy.

Preventing Cabin Fever

Our latest task in the Rodriguez has been keeping a near 2 year old busy and entertained during the cold weather. Let's just say it's gonna be a LONG winter! Recently we've been helping mommy clean while not wearing pants (not sure why that happened). We've also been building a lot of forts lately to drive our trucks into. And of course, visits from our BFF Fred are high on the list. The boys are getting so big now, they even ate lunch at a table all by themselves! This weekend we're heading up to the lake for the big Benhart/Hewes family christmas weekend. 20 plus people all staying at my folks place, should be fun!

Red Toes and Froze Nose

Our Mantra for this weekend was to entertain Noah to distract him from his overall crankiness. He hasn't been napping/sleeping well lately, so the result is usually a cranky toddler (not fun!) So I painted his toenails this weekend (much to Mike's dismay). And we took a trip to the LaGrange Holiday walk on Saturday night. Noah seemed to like seeing Santa's arrival on a fire truck. The petting zoo area was a bit mobbed, but Grandpa braved it with Noah and he got to feed some very pushy llamas, cows, and goats. This morning Noah got all packed up to go outside and play. This was part of the "wear out before nap" strategy that seemed to mostly work. He likes his mittens, but he doesn't enjoy how they inhibit his ability to play ball. Now we're officially in winter!