TECHNICAL DIFFICULTIES

We haven't forgotten about adding pictures to the blog but instead are unable to put pictures up right now. Dave (yes, I'm totally throwing him under the bus and finger pointing... all in love, of course!) got a virus on the computer, which has since been de-bugged. However, for some reason I can't get any pictures posted.

So I asked Dave to fix it and he couldn't figure it out. So he told me to call the support number for the virus program. I came back with, "Well, you got us this virus, so you need to call customer service." (Again, all said with a smile... no bitterness...) Needless to say, neither of us has called yet. We'll see who's the first one to give in... it'll probably be me but maybe he'll come to my rescue!

Anyway, sorry there are no pictures with this post. Here's what we've been up to...

Playing a lot in the backyard. We LOVE Ben's "playhouse". Ben had some friends and their parents over Sunday night to enjoy it.

We've been swimming! A couple of our friends have neighborhood pools that we've been visiting. Ben loves the water. He refuses (screams and tantrums really) to wear swimmies or his lifejacket. So we got him a $1 tube which he loves! He jumps in the water and kicks his little feet everywhere... all with a huge smile! It's nice that I don't have to hold him because now it frees me up to put Maaike in the float so she can enjoy the water also. We only stay in the shallow end if it's just me with the kids but he doesn't seem to mind.

I've been braving the beach with the 2 of them by myself...and my friends! We go once a week with some of our other friends from my mom's group. There's safety (and sanity) in numbers, that's for sure! Ben wants to spend most of the time in the water and is pretty good about not going out farther than the Mom who's supervising in the water. Maaike's already over being in her beach tent. She wants to be where the action is! So she hangs out with the crew who's sitting by the edge of the water. She enjoys eating sand (don't worry it won't hurt her and I try to regulate that amount of sand she's eating) and when the water comes up to her, she gets this very surprised look on her face followed by a huge, dimpled smile! It's quite precious!

Ben has discovered the joys of peeing in the ocean!

Maaike is using a walker in the kitchen. It's Ben's old one that he scooted everywhere in when we were in NY. It took her just a few days to figure out how to move forward in it. She's growing up so quickly!

I'm back at the gym and the kids are doing fine in the child care there. Maaike just charms all the ladies there and Ben has a blast playing with all the toys. Every time I come to get them, he wants to keep playing... a good sign! One of the ladies also told me she sees such a change in him in the 8 months we've been away! I was so happy to hear her say that! He's becoming more gentle with other kids and playing well in there. Yeah!

Ben's becoming more of a Daddy's boy as I hear things like this during the day "I miss Daddy" "Poor Daddy... at work" "Daddy coming to the _____? (wherever it is we're going during the day)"

Alright, I think that's enough of an update! I'll probably break down and try to fix the picture problem soon so you can all get your Ben and Maaike fixes!