Benjamin Pictures

We went to get Benjamin's pictures taken last Tuesday. Our appointment was for 9:20am. We had to wait while the first wave of kids got their pictures taken. Unfortunately, these kids were not so coooperative. We got in at 9:30 and were out by 9:32. That's right 2 minutes! He smiled so much that the photographer ran out of poses and called it quits. These are the results.

Happy Thanksgiving!!

Last week was Thanksgiving. Our week was packed full of fun stuff. Daddy has been spending his time at home entering all kinds of contests to win free stuff. Last week, tickets to "Plaid Tidings" and "Sesame Street Live" were the big winnings. Nothing big happening in our world this November.

The biggest addition to the family. Four holes!!

Caryn has been asking to get her ears pierced for several weeks and last Wednesday was the big day. Not to be outdone, Elizabeth also joined in. After the piercing, we went to the Hallmark store where Webkinz were on sale. Alex couldn't have been left out of the festivities, so Elizabeth is now the proud owner of Daisy the turtle, Caryn has Rainbow or Princess or Princess Rainbow, whatever you want to call her is fine, she says. Rainbow is a unicorn. And Alex has been carrying around Rudolph the big nosed Moose since Wednesday.

Hoping to get our Christmas cards ordered today to take advantage of the CyberMonday deals everywhere.

Halloween

It's over. Here's a few pics from our fun Halloween. Benjamin slept through trick-or-trick and there's really not a good picture of him, but we'll have to cheat and put the costumes back on for a good group shot.

Probably can't tell, but this is a list of all Elizabeth's candy. I'm sure she'll be crossing them out as they're eaten too.


Auntie Jen
Aunt Jen with the Kids "Taylor Swift", "Tinker Bell", and the cutest little penguin ever
Taco Dip ala Mommy

Numbers

I had forgotten how much fun it was to take Caryn and Elizabeth out for walks when they were a little younger. We had fun racing each other to the next house and trying to recite the next house number quicker than the other.

Now, Alex has decided "House Numbers" is a cool game. He travels up and down the block shouting the numbers out. He usually starts out our afternoon walk just riding his bike, but always at the same house his game begins. The house across the street, with the big "for sale" sign in front of it. First, the same question about why the neighbors are selling their house, then the same answer: "because they're sick of hearing their 3 yr. old neighbor all day!"

I was surprised to hear him shout out the numbers at first, but then again, why should I be surprised. He looks at the clock and can probably tell time better than his oldest sister, he does "calendar" everyday at school and we read many books about numbers. Countless times we have read the "10 doggies" book.

It's a fun game and very soon, Daddy is going to take Alex on in a game of "House Numbers."

Aunt vs. Auntie

We invited Aunt Melissa over for dinner last night. Daddy said we were having company for dinner "Auntie Melissa!" Caryn looked at him strangely and said "Auntie?" Seems for some reason all the "Rebarchik Aunts" are Aunties while all the "Brefka Aunts" are Aunts. Why is that? Who knows, but it made for some fun conversation yesterday.

Aunt Melissa is in her first year at Carrol College and we went to pick her up after the end of the Packer game. Had her help Caryn with her homework, fed her tacos and brownies and brought her back to school before bedtime.

Here's a few pics from the weekend...Ted E. Bear was an overnight guest for the weekend too.

Eat Your Crust!

Last night, we had lasagna for dinner. For the last year or so, everyone has been eating their garlic bread, but leaving the crust. Last time we ate garlic bread, Mommy came up with an oddball way to get the girls to eat their crust.

"Eat your crust and your hair will grow!"

Why that worked is beyond me, but last night when we were eating our lasagna, Caryn proudly proclaimed, "Mommy, I'm gonna make my hair grow!"

Walking Quotes

Daddy took the boys out for a walk last night as it was a beautiful night and we won't be having many of them anymore. Plus, the girls wanted to watch High School Musical 2, and Alex was trying to get his way and watch Mickey's Christmas.

Daddy started out with the walk, and Alex requested as he always does to walk around the race track. Didn't happen as Daddy was pretty tired. The boys walked through many of the nearby blocks and happened upon a block with several houses for sale.

Alex proudly stated, "We need to buy a new house!"

Daddy asked, "Where are we going to buy a new house?"

Alex again did not hesitate with his quick wit, "At Pick 'n Save!"

Daddy was pretty much speechless and continued on with the walk pointing to all the other houses up for sale.

School Days

Can you believe that school has started already? Where has the summer gone? Can you believe Elizabeth is in 3rd grade? Better question, can you believe Alex is now going to school?

What a week!! School started last Thursday and we are all still getting used to the routine. Alex had a difficult time for the first few days. Mommy dropped him off the first day and he would not let go of her for a good long while. Daddy dropped him off on Friday and the same thing happened. Monday, Daddy walked him in and he stopped short of the door and wouldn't go in till the teacher invited him and helped him hang everything up. Tuesday, Daddy walked him in and said goodbye, but Alex had more important things to do...walked right in the room and handed the teacher his folder and off to work he went. Today, Daddy didn't even get a goodbye. Alex stood outside in the 3K line and walked in with the teacher without looking back. He is a big boy and starting to get more comfortable with school

Pictures from the first day of school.

More Pictures

Waiting for "It's a Small World" Benjamin was just not having enough fun.
We all needed to wait for the right color Dumbo to ride.
We all took a ride on the train.
Waiting for the bus Grandpa found a place to sit down. Grandpa said he was sad to admit it was actually comfortable and he could get used to it.
Alex was excited to watch the Playhouse Disney Show.
Playing in the water fountains was fun.
We really did have a great time at WDW last week. Smiles were plenty!!

Here's some quick pics from our Disney experience. We had an awesome time.


Time to chill with Nemo.
AHHH! The Seas was a great highlight of Epcot.
We visited every country and decorated our masks with emblems from each country. Alex had a bunch of yellow till he decided at the very end to pick one green dragon. So much for the yellow pattern.
Alex checks out the map in Morocco.
Life size Minnie, well, life size to a 1 year old.
Elizabeth visits Sleeping Beauty. The girls got to talk with Sleeping Beauty, Cinderella, and Belle. What a memory!!
Daddy loves spinning as fast as he can on the Tea Cups. Can't even see Hailey, Caryn and Elizabeth in this one.
Alex was in awe of all the bigger than life Disney. Lightning McQueen and Mater were a huge highlight.
Daddy and Donald.
Family time at the character breakfast.
Minnie, Donald and Goofy ate with us.
Caryn had a blast staying up late and riding the roller coasters.
Alex on the carousel.

The Bathroom

The one room in the house where we have been trying to get Alex to spend more time...and Benjamin to spend less time. Seems that the toilet has become Ben's "choice" toy lately. We are trying to train everyone else in the house to shut the bathroom door and if that doesn't happen, at least flush!! I'm not sure what the attraction is of leaving your "waste" in the toilet for Mommy and Daddy to see, but seems everyone here needs the positive reinforcement of a "job well done."

What Goes "GOO-GEE-GAAH"?

Alex has been having lots of fun riding Benjamin's new tricycle/hotwheel and enjoys driving from "lightpole to lightpole." These are the limits set naturally on our block. He has started to pretend these lightpoles are gas stations and has even come up with his own sound effects to pump the gas. If you've ever wondered what gas coming out of an imaginary pump sounds like, Alex has the answer!

Alex also came up with a new game yesterday with his newly turned 5 yr. old sister. The two of them were playing outside and decided to "pretend" that the back porch was their bathroom for the "pretend" house outside. Funny thing is, Alex didn't so much pretend to go potty on the back porch! Caryn came running in the house to tattle on her brother saying, "MOMMY!! MOMMY!! Alex just went pee-pee on the back porch. I'm not even lying!!"

Oh, the joys of summer continue...

What will we be pretending today??

Happy Birthday Caryn!!

Saturday was Caryn's 5th Birthday. We celebrated with a joint party for her and her baby brother Benjamin who turned 1 earlier in the month. It was a beautiful day and the cake(s) were delicious. Daddy's first attempt at making cakes in a mold. Mickey was a bit rough, but Mommy made it work while Minnie came out much easier.