Ben, 4 years old

Ben, Mr. 4 Year old

• ''I like being four, cause I had a big 4, in my birthday cake."
• Still obsessed with dinosaurs
• Loves building things with legos/duplo/zoob pieces
• Has a strong personality when it comes to things he doesn't like
• Favorites phrases when he's upset, "it's not fair", 'this isn't funny", "'you're not listening to me".
• A complete fish in the water, loves diving to the bottom of the pool for toys
• Is excited about ski season
• Loves reading
• Has a very limited menu in terms of foods that he will eat
• Loves helping bake in the kitchen, his favorite ingredients are eggs (which he likes to crack) and brown sugar (which he likes to eat)
• Loves watching DVDs and will happily sit through an entire feature length movie
• Enjoys playing with his mother's stationery products
• Absolutely loves it when the package lady arrives at our house
• Has a lot of energy and can talk nonstop without breathing

A day in the life....

Today was a classic example of my true domestic dork self. Ben has come down with a bug and we've been stuck at home for the last couple of days. I took it as an opportunity to play in the kitchen. I made the recipe for Oven Baked Drumsticks from the Sneaky Chef cookbook (it calls for pureed cauliflower and zucchini). Then Josh and I made the Cheesy Cracker recipe from the same cookbook (secret ingredient: chickpeas and wheat germ).

I made a loaf of banana bread for a family who was blessed with the safe arrival of their 4th baby boy! Then Ben decided he wanted dinosaur cookies, so we made gingerbread dinosaurs and gingerbread men.

Happy 4th of July

Hot dogs, beer, picnic basket, fireworks? My fourth of July check list included: skis, helmets, poles, mittens and snacks for the children. Welcome to Independence Day in New Zealand! We celebrated by dusting off the skis and braving the cold temperatures. Wanaka was dusted in a blanket of fresh snow and the sheep looked cold as they were out in the paddocks. The best line of the day was when Ben took his first run off the magic carpet and when Dan asked if he needed any help he replied, "Get out of my way daddy." Kiwi fireworks?

Summer Vacation

The boys and I have been having a delightful time in California.  We've seen so many great friends and family.  Ben has logged in enough hours in the swimming pool to officially turn into one of those sharks we saw at Sea World.  Josh's vocab has grown with every day, he's not saying phrases like "go away meow" and "nana's car" and "bye bye pool".  Too many good times to be shared... so here's a highlight of a few summer fun photos.

Ben and Josh

Cereal

Cereal is the breakfast food of choice in our household. This morning was just another classic example of life in the Thiem household. Josh, who had already eaten a banana and a bowl of cereal earlier, wanted another bowl of cereal. He managed to open the dishwasher, stand on the door and call out for a bowl. I removed him from the dishwasher and went back to my morning agenda. I turned around again and he had pulled out a plastic plate and the box of cereal from the cupboard and successfully poured the entire box out onto the plate.

Let's just say there is now cereal everywhere....

Josh, 16 months

• Weighs at least 25lbs
• Eats just about anyting and everything... last week's latest favorite: roasted beets
• Runs most of the time instead of walking
• Obsessed with fire engines, sleeps w/ the "waa waa shirt", a NYC Fire Department t-shirt
• Interested in all trucks/tractors/machines
• Loves building things (legos or trains)
• Has figured out how to go down the slide, head first
• Very vocal, has the words for Mamma, Dadda, something that sounds like Ben, ball, waa waa, bye bye, uh-oh, bubba and often chooses to scream
• Very confident with signs (food, water, dog, cat, light, fan, helicopter, all done, hot, please, more, book, car)
• Idolizes his brother
• Loves playing outside, either picking tomatoes, digging in the sandbox or riding Ben's bike
• Enjoys sharing a room with Ben, although definitely enjoys sleeping with Dad on a regular occassions
• Loves reading and will often bring books up to us and sit down in our laps
• Is a climber, will happily stand on the top of the slide, the chair or the couch... also enjoys climbing through tunnels
• Discovered that one of his favorite toys: the cardboard box
• Favorite songs are row row row your boat and the wheels on the bus
• Has 5 teeth