Findlay Balloon Festival

Friday we took the boys to the Findlay balloon festival. After a few mishaps driving around Findlay, we arrived just as the balloons were taking to the air. Ben thought it was pretty cool and I was able to get a lot of great pictures that I hope to frame for the boys' room.

These were new to us this year - two bees, a boy and a girl. The girl bee took off, but the boy bee never left the ground

 Then daddy got Ben a blue snowball. Yeah, that was a spectacular mess.

 Then the balloons came back to the field for a glow. I have to say, this balloon festival is pretty awesome. The announcer guy was saying how other city's they go to charge as much as $25 a person or $15 a car. Findlay has some really good corporate sponsors so this is all free. They even had a movie - Toy Story 3 - playing on a giant screen after the balloon glow for the kids. They have even more stuff on Saturday, but we have yet to undertake a Saturday trip. Maybe next year

 The glow is really best shown in video.

A New Friend

Nick has a new little friend - a stuffed doggie that talks and sings to him. Nick seems to like him quite a bit. If you put the doggie on the floor, Nick will scootch over to him and try to eat him which normally turns on the music/talking.

5 Months (give or take)

I was a little deliquent in the 5 month pictures. They are only 2 weeks late... poor Nick - Ben had all sorts of photo ops, various outfits - the works - by 5 months. Nick, ah well, he has his month pictures and a few other snapshots here and there, but he's totally suffering from 2nd child picture syndrome. But he does get better post processing than Ben did!

D'em Babies

Today was the first official meeting of the Balyeat second cousins - the whole lot of them. And yes, there were a lot of babies! Jenny, Jimmy, Grant and Maddie made their first trip to Toledo and we made sure to stop by and see them. What little cuties! Ben was way more interested in the views of the river and golf course. At the age of 2 Ben has already decided these are the most important things in a home and told me, 'No, I live here now. This my house'. Seriously. Those were his exact words.

Look at all those blue eyes! (Yes everyone in this picture has blue eyes)

 Not the best picture, but I love how Nick and Maddie are holding arms

Baby smiles! (And bald heads)

Grant and Maddie

Maddie and Nick discussing the finer points of Frieddie the Firefly and Captain Calamari

Nick was pretty fond of the old school swing, circa 1981, Aunt Carol found at a rummage sale. Jenny and I were looking at old pictures and one of us (either me or Sarah) were in a swing EXACTLY like this one! The little red logo at the top was in blue in the old picture. But it still worked and Nick was happy. They sure don't make 'em like they used to...

Yay for Daddy!!

Yay for Daddy!! Tonight was his very last class in his MBA program. The boys and I are very proud of him and are very excited to have him back full time now!

The Sweet Spot

I consider this time right now the 'sweet spot' for brotherly love. The boys are starting to play and interact and Ben still think Nick is pretty cool and Nick adores Ben and they rarely make each other upset. But the key to this 'sweet spot' is the fact that Nick isn't moving too much. I expect the sweet spot to expire in about a month or two when Nick is fully mobile and Ben won't like him playing with 'his' toys and then the fighting will start and I won't get another 'sweet spot' for about 22 years, give or take.

Nick's Baptism - Party Time!

Then it was the time Ben had been waiting for allll morning - the party! Nick got some awesome gifts and Ben was lucky enough to get a few, too!

MMMmmm, yummy cake from Wixey's

 

Here is what happens when Ben and Cameryn say goodbye with a hug...

Nick's Baptism - Family Pictures

The official family pictures. Note: Ben was tired and just wanted to go home to the party. We had to trick him to get him to look at the camera - we asked, 'Ben, is Cameryn in the back of church?' (but she had already left). Ahh, parenting at it's finest.

Nick's Baptism

Nick: The Rock Star of Noon Mass. Nick was baptized this Sunday at noon mass at St Rose. They normally don't do baptisms during mass, but at a special ceremony after noon mass. But they didn't have one scheduled for this past weekend, so we ended up doing it during mass. The priest, Fr. Schetter, was just ordained last month, so this was probably his first baptism as a priest - he seemed pretty excited about it. And Nick, well he was just eat'n it up! He was a little ham ball for the first half of mass and took a little snooze for the second half. After the official baptism, the priest took Nick to the alter and did a little Lion King, presenting him to the congregation. It was pretty cute.

Nick in his little John-John bubble outfit! I love it!!

 With his godmother, Auntie Dre

 A little leery of the water, but still didn't make a peep

 

Ben got to help blow out the Easter candle after church. And Ben was a very good boy during church. It's amazing what a little threat of no party if you are a bad boy does to a two and a half year old.

Hair? What Hair?

I couldn't stand Ben's hair and it was making him all hot and sweaty, so Adam and I took the matter into our own hands and buzzed Ben's hair! It didn't turn out too bad, especially considering it was getting pretty dark outside when we finished up. It was the first time in probably a year that Ben didn't freak out about getting his hair cut. I think it was because he was outside and we had a fan on so the hair didn't get in his eyes (can't say the same for myself, though). Grandma took these pictures and they totally crack me up!!