There is a first time for everything...

One of the rewards of being crazy enough to have your kids so close together is that you get to experience a lot of fun things all at once. The past couple of weeks have been full of "firsts" and we wanted to share a few of our favorites.

Clara had her first taste of "real" food, the always tasty organic rice cereal! She loves sitting in her high chair and eating like a big girl. Clara has been watching Ben eat for months just waiting for her turn. Ben thinks it's grand entertainment, he pulls up a chair, grabs his sippy cup and watches intently. He even helped feed her a few times.

Ben went to a buddy's birthday party at the movie theatre. This was his first big time movie experience and he was mesmerized by it all- it looks like we have another cinema enthusiast in the family. His adorable little friend Taylor (4 years old) was mesmerized by Ben, from the minute the party started she made sure to have Ben by her side. When the lights went down for the movie to start she reached over and grabbed Ben's hand! We have been having so much fun teasing Mark that his two year old son is smoother with the ladies than he ever has been or ever will be.

Tonight we returned home from the church picnic with two tired kids. We decided to try out giving Ben and Clara a bath together and it was a complete success. Ben loved splashing and washing baby sister and Clara was in hysterics and glowing in the undivided attention of her big brother. Pure joy all around. We are a little crazy, but oh so lucky.

Maka Charlie

Leah's grandfather, always known to the kids as "Maka Charlie," passed away late Sunday evening. Maka held a very special place in Leah's heart...from the early days of dancing on his feet, to camping adventures and explorations, to helping fix her first car, to bouncing his great-grandson on his knee, Maka always made his granddaughter feel special and loved.

He was a gruff and quiet, but had such a tender heart for those he held dear, especially the love of his life, Bernice Elizabeth, Leah's grandmother. Perhaps, now they are together again, out on the road they loved, having new adventures.

Maka always ended a visit with a kiss on the cheek and a whisper to Leah to "Be a good girl now." Leah will continue to try to be a good girl, just for him. Goodbye Maka Charlie, we love you.

Clara's Baptism

Today was a special day of celebrating Clara's baptism. She was welcomed into God's family with open arms. We were thankful to have Mark's parents and Leah's mom in town to share in this wonderful occasion. It was a sacred moment to watch Mark baptize his daughter and he also arranged for music from our wedding to be sung during the service. What a blessed little girl to be surrounded by so much love.

Training Days

It is baby boot camp around here. The past couple of weeks both Ben and Clara have been in training with often times laughable results.

Clara loves mat time and wants to roll over, sit-up, scoot and basically wishes she was able to move like her big brother. Ben was always a slowpoke but this little lady is ready to move.

We introduced Ben to his potty (Leah is SO dreading this phase of parenthood) last week. The first few nights before his bath he was eager to give it a sit, read a book or two and beam proudly. Now he wants nothing to do with the thing...so we will wait and try again in a few months. Yes, our lives really are this exciting.

Another feeble attempt on our quest to be responsible parents is to get Clara on a sleep schedule. Maybe because she is our baby girl, dangerously cute and her first few months were in the midst of all of Leah's thyroid cancer treatment, well,...she is spoiled. She loves to cuddle and be held and wants nothing to do with the concept of falling asleep on her own.

Ben has always been a kid to choose fun times and happiness over being right, his tantrums are dramatic but swift. Clara for the most part is laid back and cheerful but we are also discovering she is stubborn, persistent and will not change her mind, very much like Mark in his pursuit of Leah back in the day! So to sum up our sleep training success, the past two nights she slept in our bed, but she had a cold!!

And lastly, we have introduced into Casa Watson the Naughty Chair. Ben either is excited to go to the Naughty Chair- as he is in the midst of misbehaving he will chant "Naughty Chair! Naughty Chair!" or he is distraught for the entire minute his bottom is in the chair and then stands up and says "OK" and all is well. How is a parent supposed to keep a stern, straight face when they are hauling their kid to the Naughty Chair while he pleads "No, thank you. No, thank you."

We will let you judge who is training who.

Five Months

Clara Elizabeth is five months old...it is hard to believe, yet we cannot imagine life without her. Her personality continues to emerge- Clara is thoughtful, focused, loves to be in the midst of people, strong, physical, cuddly and the sweetest baby we could ever hope for.

Papa Rob was out visiting this past week and we had many fun adventures. We visited the Humane Society (Ben loves doggies and kitty cats), Chuck E. Cheese (first ride didn't go so well, but Mark's video game skills wowed), a trip to the charming mountain town of Blowing Rock and of course, shopping for toys! Ben loved playing with "Pop Pop" and Leah's dad loved bonding with his first granddaughter.

We are thrilled to see the calendar hit September and know that fall is quickly approaching. The folks at Casa Watson are ready for humidity free hair (Leah), no more bug bites (Clara and Ben) and tolerable lawn mowing and grilling temperatures (Mark).