Little Boys and Super Heros

I am not a Star Wars fan. Spider-Man, Batman, Super Man and even Wonder Woman never did much for me. But, when Ben decided Buzz was the hero for him - I jumped right on board. It is too much fun to watch your little boy discover the joys of make-believe. Soon after Ben first saw Toy Story, he realized that he has "buttons". Super hero powers that enabled him to move just a certain way, fly off his bed to "infinity and beyond", and of course, a laser. I fully support these buttons and even help "fix" them when they are broken. Rob found a toy Buzz Lightyear at a resale shop in town. It's perfect and Ben adores his very own Buzz. There was a brief moment when we had to explain that this Buzz was special and therefore was grey instead of white and came with a backpack instead of wings. In his easy-going way, Ben accepted that and Buzz became a full member of the family - often eating dinner with us at the table. I was not at all surprised when Ben announced he would be Buzz Lightyear for Halloween. And, when we asked Ben who Liam would be, the answer was simple - a cowboy named Woody.

Here is Ben in one of my all time favorite pictures - loving his very own Buzz. A little boy and his super hero. I love that.

Buzz in action! Rob found the perfect laser for Ben. In our pre-Halloween trick-or-treating, Ben was more interested in "lasering" people than actually trick-or-treating. Oh, and for the record Ben has had on his costume more than actual clothing this week. He understands that he can't sleep in costume (even Buzz wears pjs to sleep) but the second (and I do mean second) he wakes up - he is striping off his clothes and looking for his costume.

I dare say, that is the cutest cowboy I've ever seen. I think Liam actually likes being a sheriff. He has a hat to throw on the floor, a shiny star to chew on and lots of attention from on-lookers who can't get over how cute he is.

We did our early trick-or-treating with my nephew and niece. Riley was Link - from a computer game - I'm told. His mother said, "No one will know who you are". WRONG. We tricker-treated in the dorms at the college where Rob went and now works. All the college kids knew who he was and were very impressed with his costume - which his mother made - way to go, sis. Little sister, Maggie was an elephant - not the political kind - the very cute and sweet baby girl kind. And, this was the best picture we could get of all four. Oh well. We tried.

Two Great Dads. Not a great picture but major points for the dads that were trying so hard to help out the moms who are always looking for just the right photo. We had a great time with The Ninja - so adorable.

Finally, had to include this one of my little guys. Liam is sporting the pumpkin costume and Ben is in full Buzz form. I am the mommy in the background - so thankful to have these little heros in my life.

It's the Great Pumpkin

We had to take the pumpkins measurements first - a lesson Ben apparently learned at school. This great pumpkin measured 30 inches in diameter. Wow.

Rob was thrilled to see I had given Ben an ice pick to assist in the pumpkin decorating. He didn't get hurt but I did hide the pick when we got finished.

And, here's our Great Pumpkin - ears and all. The boys were so proud.

Here comes trouble

I left the room for maybe a minute and a half. When I came back I found Liam standing ON the fire truck. Grinning at me. Leaning over the gate. Laughing. HELLO - he is not even 10 months old yet.


Now this scene would not be possible without a big brother leaving the bag of cereal on a low table. But could the mess get any bigger? Sure - just add milk.


"I can do anything he can do." - I am pretty sure that will be Liam's first sentence.

Our future is so bright

We've gotta wear shades.

Gratitude

Liam gets me up most nights - at least three times - it can be as many as five or six. But, when he snuggles his little face in my neck and holds on so tight I am reminded how fortunate we are. We are holding our son. His sweetness fills our home. I am amazed and humbled by both my boys. How they became ours is a miracle beyond my understanding. In both cases, the adoptions of our boys went flawlessly. Certainly, it was hard. I cried - a lot. I thought it was unfair that we had to wait - that they had to wait. And, in fact, the waiting is long and unfair. But, then I see my boys faces. I smell their sweet scent. I hear their laughter and joy. And, I am grateful. So, so grateful.

Happy Birthday!

Ben has discovered his singing voice and I love it. He sings all the time now - Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star, Old Mac Donald, Row Row Row Your Boat, Little Bunny Foo Foo, Happy Birthday, and the list goes on. Here is a sample of his sweet voice. Of course, this is my favorite version of Happy Birthday. (The real celebration is in April but who cares - he can sing it year round if he wants.)