We took our first four-person family hiking trip today.  I think it was actually only our second hike since we had Ben. I've said multiple times in various places throughout this website that I'm trying desperately to be more active and most of the motivation for that comes from the fact that I don't want my children to have to struggle to be "on their feet" kind of people instead of "sitting around" people. Hiking is also something that I enjoy doing and I want to share that with my boys.

For our first hike we wanted something pretty easy because it was our first hike with two little kids and doing anything with two little ones, especially the first time, is always a crap shoot. :) We decided that we'd hike on Fort Ord. They have a bunch of paths and trails and what not and the advantage was that it's very close to our house and wouldn't be especially hilly (for the little and the fat among us). The downside to this was that apparently ...

I was so proud of myself today. We were all more or less clean, we were all dressed, I had Eli in my Beco carrier for the first time and we were going on a walk because today and tomorrow are supposed to be the last nice days for awhile. Rain is apparently coming on Sunday and staying until Thursday so I thought we should take advantage of the weather while we could.

All was golden until I realized that Ben had found his Cinnamon Toast Crunch Hot Wheels car that Nonna had sent him and had it clenched tightly in his fist as we were walking out the door. He normally loves to go on walks and before Eli we went on at least one a day so I thought *maybe* there was a chance that he would be content just to walk and hold the car.

No dice. He wanted to drive the car. Still being optimistic I thought this could still maybe work out. So I walked to the bottom of the front steps and stood there for ten minutes waiting for Ben and the car to make it down the six steps. Sin ...

We went for a walk today and at one point Ben stopped to pick some little flowers beside the sidewalk and then sat down and played with them for a few minutes.

Me: "Ben, do you know who made the flowers?"

Ben: "Nonna!"

Me: "Nonna can do a lot things, but I don't think she can make flowers. God made those flowers for us." I was a little conflicted telling him that God made the flowers because really they came from seeds, but I figured we'd save the more detailed explanations for later.

Ben: "Yeah, God."

Me: "That's right. He made the trees too."

Ben: Yeah. God made the flowers too. God made the flowers pretty for Ben."

I just thought that it was such a sweet little thought that the flowers were pretty FOR HIM, just like he gets presents that are for him so why should ...

During my alloted seconds minutes of browsing on the internet while listening to Ben babbling over the monitor..."dump trucks are awesome" and watching Eli wake himself up from another teeny tiny insignificant nap I came to a website where you could enter your measurements and answer some questions about your lifestyle and it would tell you if you're at a healthy weight or not.

I figured I was game for this so I put in my weight and height and that kind of thing and then started answering their questions....

Are you pregnant? I click the (thank heavens) no circle.

Are you breastfeeding? I click the yes (around the clock circle).

Have you been breastfeeding less than or more than six months? I click the less button.

Do you have any amputations? I don't click anything because I'm very busy re-reading this to make sure I've got it right. Amputations?&nb ...

Yesterday morning Ben woke up with a serious case of bed-head. I mean, it was sticking up like crazy everywhere. He was standing in the hallway and I was in our bathroom putting makeup on.

Ben: "What's that?" Pointing at the wall

Me: "That's your shadow."

Ben: "No. What's that?"

Me: "That's called your shadow Ben. The light makes it."

Ben: "No. It's a monster."

I cracked up. He thought it was a monster on the wall because of the way his hair was sticking up!

I detailed what has to be done for me to leave for church in a blog for last Sunday. So this Sunday while I was going through all that again I ended leaving for church wearing the following:

Pants with tea splashed on them as I helped Ben walk up the steps.

Tanktop with breastmilk splotches because Eli sometimes stops nursing and lets the last mouthful of milk drip out out of his mouth.

Shirt with spit-up on the shoulder from burping Eli.

(In my defense, the tea spots were down by my shins so you couldn't see them, the tanktop was under my shirt anyway so that wasn't visible although a little damp, and I scrubbed the spit-up so it was not too noticeable)

This was the first day that we took Eli to church. Sundays are a little crazy here because Andrew has to be at church at 8:30 for worship practice, but church doesn't start until 10:30. During my life before Eli it wasn't a big deal, sort of annoying, but nothing to get your panties in a knot over. Ben and I would drop him off and then we'd go to Target, hit Starbucks and just kind of chill until it was time for church.

Now, there is no chilling. Maybe chill days will come again, but for now they're gone. So this Sunday was the first Sunday that we were trying to get everyone out of the house in time. We knew that I was going to have to come back to the house after dropping Andrew off because a) Target is not a leisurely trip anymore and b) I haven't yet mastered corraling two children and a coffee cup and c) I wasn't ready. So, we all pile in the car, take Andrew to church and then the boys and I come home.

During my time at home which when counting in travel ...

I've started talking to Ben about what food does for his body...carrots help you see, chicken makes you strong, etc. So he was drinking some water the other day and I couldn't think of anything specific to say so I just told him that "water is good for your body". He gave me a confused look and then said, "water is good for my MOUTH"...

Ben was running around today and he tripped. He sat up and said, "I dropped me."

Ben was sitting on the potty and had just finished peeing. I said, "How about some poop?" And he said, "How about no?"

I'd just like to advance this notion on behalf of women who are "great with child" everywhere. Do NOT ask somoene close to her due date if she is "still pregnant". We don't like it. The closer we get to our due dates the less we like it. Once we're past our due date it makes us think violent thoughts about you and due to pregnancy hormones there are no promises that these urges will be met with restraint. Besides, if you are standing there talking to us it should be fairly obvious whether we are pregnant or not. If you're far-flung family on good terms with us the chances are that we're not going to forget to tell you about the birth of a child.

So, that's that. Moving on.

Since my last post things have improved. I don't know exactly what happened, I guess the baby moved farther down, but I am exponentially more comfortable than I have been for weeks. It's been about a week now that I've felt so much more comfortable that I c ...