This Christmas, the boys received almost every lego, star wars and GI Joe ever made. Bennett loves Santa and had to be removed from his lap at the mall. Charlie, not so much.

The biggest news of all is that Natalie got engaged! Congratulations to the future Mr. & Mrs. Brad Yamaato. We are so excited to welcome Brad to our family.

Pumpkin Farm Fun!

We visited a Pumpkin Farm this weekend and had a blast. Bennett loved the slide and bouncy area. Charlie could not get enough of the Corn Maze...he raced through each section in record time! The highlight of the day was our first ever viewing of a Pig Race (3 races in total). We'll definitely be returning to Southern Belle Farms next year.

Bennett's new school

After much discussion, we decided to move Bennett to Kids R Kids daycare. This is the same place where Charlie attends kindergarten. We thought it would be good for both boys to be together and it makes it easier on us to pick-up and drop-off in the same place. It was a tough decision b/c we loved the Treehouse. There were a few tears on his last day.

Bennett was a little annoyed that he couldn't be in kindergarten with his brother but his room has more toys including a play kitchen which made him very happy.

Mommy and Daddy are happy that both boys are now wearing uniforms which is so much easier in the mornings. And less laundry!

tee-ball

Charlie is playing tee-ball. His team is the Durham Bulls. His games are at 9:30 am on Saturdays so feel free to come cheer with us. It is so cute to see these 4 and 5 year olds hit, run and try to catch the ball. Their favorite part is getting to run the bases at the end of an inning, giving "good game" high-fives to the other team, and the snack afterwards. Bennett likes to cheer for his brother but more importantly, likes to get a donut at the ballpark concession stand.

Chuck-E-Cheese

The boys were invited to their first birthday party at Chuck-E-Cheese. We've heard the horror stories of how chaotic this place can be and its all true. But, the boys had a blast and as you can see, Bennett is now in love with Chucky. He made sure to say goodbye to him when we left. He also wants to know where he goes to sleep at night. It was really cute to see.

Daddy's trip to the zoo

This time, Brian was able to chaperone Charlie's field trip to the zoo. Even though we are in the middle of a heat wave, the kids had fun. Thank god for the misting stations! I heard that the baby Panda and the giraffes were the highlight of the trip.

Charlie's 5th birthday

No birthday in our house is ever celebrated with just one party. We like to make week long parties with different themes, etc. So we knew that with 5 being such a big milestone, we had to do it big. Charlie's actual birthday - the 12th - was on a Tuesday. I snuck around the night before applying balloons and posters to tomato stakes. The next morning, I woke up early and set them out in the yard. When he woke up, we told him to look outside and he was so impressed that the 'neighbors' decorated his yard. I get no credit but that's OK.

At school, he had a class party and brought jello to share with his friends. It was a big hit and Bennett was able to come to the big kid room and share with his brother. All of Charlie's classmates made him cards, and 2 girls in the class drew hearts on their cards but he insists he doesn't have a girlfriend.

For dinner, we had all of his favorites - watermelon, hot dog and pizza complete with a juice box. More parties and pictures to come.

Bowling Field Trip

Mommy got to accompany Charlie on his field trip to Midtown Bowl. Every Wednesday is a field trip day and they've had amazing adventures this summer. They've been to the zoo, the Coca-Cola Museum, Stone Mountain and more. This was a special trip since Mommy went too. Charlie loves to hang out with the older kids and teach Bennett new words. He even requested we listen to Lady GaGa last night.

Gymnastics Recital

All year, both boys have been taking gymnastics at school. We loaded up our cameras and video equipment and headed to the big end of year recital. The boys even had special gym shirts to wear. Unfortunately, I think Bennett had stage fright, because he didn't want to do much of the routine. He wanted to sit with his favorite teacher, Ms. Yolanda, and just watch his friends. Charlie did OK but we didn't witness any Olympic moments. All in all it was cute and the kids had fun. Maybe better video and pictures next year!

riding on the bus

With summer camp, comes field trips and riding on a school bus. Because Charlie is the youngest in the class, he has to wear a seat belt harness on the bus. Of course this is great news to Mom and Dad and as you can see, Charlie doesn't mind one bit. He is so excited.

Easter

We had a great time in Tallahassee this year. Nana took us to Wakulla Springs where we took a boat ride and got really close to a few alligators. We also went to an Easter brunch with the Easter Bunny. Charlie and Bennett wanted nothing to do with the giant bunny, but they were appreciative of the candy he left for them. Bennett did give him a high-five when we left and his photo made it onto the hotel website. Bennett is now famous in Tally.

Aunt Nat and Brad took the boys to see Hop. It's a cute movie and we found out that the real Easter Bunny's name is E.B.

Sarah doll makes a comeback!

When my sister and I were little, we received matching dolls as gifts. Somewhere along the way, they became known as Sarah dolls. Our good friends had the same dolls, so we all played with them together. They have seen better days. One is missing an arm and the other has sharpie "make-up" on her face. A while ago, we went to Nana's house and Bennett fell in love with his new Sarah doll. She has taken many trips with us and we always get looks. She is almost as big as Bennett and she wears 18 month sized clothes. It has been fun to see our childhood friend's kids playing with their Sarah dolls too.

tennis lessons

This is the first time that both Charlie and Bennett can do a sport together. Technically, beacuse Bennett isn't 3 yet, he wasn't supposed to be allowed in the class but the coach agreed he was ready. They both enjoy it and Bennett is overjoyed to play with his big brother. He is so excited about his new racquet from Papa and Mimi. Even though it is a kid racquet, it is almost as big as he is but he seems to manage. Who knows, maybe we'll have the next Federer or Sampras in the making.

manly man tour

One of the Dad's from daycare does legal work for a rock quarry plant so they invited the boys in Charlie's class to check it out. Charlie loved the big trucks and all of the rocks. The highlight of the trip was being able to drive down to the bottom of the mine. Apparently, the other parents had smaller sports cars while Brian drove the minivan that day. So of course, it only made sense for Brian to drive everyone through the rocks and mud to the bottom. Brian was a bit nervous but the kids loved it. At the end, each kid got a rock, a hard hat and coloring book. Pretty cool tour!

aquarium

Grammy Vicki and Poppy aka big poppy aka grandpa came for a visit. The boys got to spend the day at the aquarium with them. Yes, a bit ironic that they live in Honduras on one of the largest coral reefs in the world -- to visit an indoor aquarium. The boys had a ball and mommy and daddy were treated to yummy home-cooked meals, and a beer or wine waiting for us when we came home from work. I could definitely get used to that! Grammy and Poppy were also treated to snow while they were here.

Mardi Gras

Once again the law firm has embraced Mardi Gras and the kids were treated to a parade complete with floats (made out of boxes and carts), beads and moon pies. Charlie heard that treats were being handed out so he rode a float for a while with a giant grin on his face. (he's wearing the red coat) Anything having to do with candy will motivate that kid. Bennett, who is normally "not shy" and will try anything, decided he didn't like the parade and cried. Maybe next year.

MLK day

In honor of Martin Luther King, Jr., the kids talked about his speech and what they wanted to be when they grow up. Charlie said race car driver and drew a picture of himself as the driver and a car. It was cute to see what the kids said. One girl said she wanted to be a consultant and drew a woman with a suitcase. I assume her mommy travels :)
At any rate, we are happy with Charlie's current profession choice. For a long time he wanted to be a garbage man and said that Bennett could ride with him in the truck.

Atlanta Snow Event 2011

According to the weather man, this hasn't happened in the city for over 100 years. So they say... In Mableton we got about 6 inches. The kids snow boots really came in handy. )Thanks Nana and the L.L. Bean outlet.) We didn't have any sleds so we improvised with our plastic kiddie pool. Work, and pretty much everything in our area, was shut down for 4-5 days. We were able to walk to Walgreens and Publix to stare at empty shelves. One it all melted, we were all glad to get back to work and daycare. Cabin fever is rough! In anticipation for the next "100 year event" the boys now have snow pants, googles and water proof gloves. I may even get some sleds.