Ben Going for a Ride

He seems a little nervous. Guess we know who's the lead foot.

First Taste of Sugar

We fully expected the boys to go nuts the instant they were served something that contained sugar in it. So did everyone else. So when we all lined up, cameras ready to get them going for it, They were a little intimidated and just kind of poked at it.

First Birthday

Well, aside from their actual *birth* day. Matt and Ben turned one this last weekend. They celebrated by receiving their first toys that they can actually ride in, and looking confused while everyone waited for them to smash their hands into the cake.

Here are pictures of them opening their new cool riding toys, and Matt giving it a spin.

          

Nine Month Photos

Just in time for their first Birthday! So these are a few months old, but since their one year photos will be going up soon, I wanted to make sure I did get them up. Click any picture for a larger version.

   


  

Ben's First Haircut

So it was time for Ben's first Haircut. And so it was back to Cookie Cutters. This time we let them cue up a DVD for Ben to watch and lull him into a sense of security before coming at him with the water bottle. The boys actually don't watch a whole lot of Tv (Except for SportsCenter) so they both watched the Baby Einstein disc they put with absolute rapt attention.




The DVD helped. In fact it looked like Ben might make it through without so much as a wimper.


Eventually though he noticed the strange lady with the sharp things and the water bottle, and started to wonder if maybe something wasn't going on. A look of apprehension started to come over his face


Shortly after that he decided that yes, something he didn't like was going on and that he would make his displeasure known


Here's all Ben's haircut photos in one slideshow.

Matt with Donald Trump's Haircut

IMG_1582, originally uploaded by wetzel9.

Matt is on the Move

He's been on the brink for awhile now. Matt has decided he's tired of hanging out wherever we happen to set him down. I will sleep tonight in fear of the moment when they both decide to head in opposite directions

First Trip to an Amusement Park

So every year P&G rents out the Kings Island Amusement Park for employees and their families. We didn't think the boys would meet the minimum height requirements for most rides, but we thought we might be able to sneak them onto one or two. This actually proved to be more difficult than we thought.



The first ride we attempted to take them on required that children be a minimum height of 42 inches "Or accompanied by a responsible adult." After waiting in line we were told that the boys would require socks before they could ride. I'm not sure how having socks on made the ride safe for an 11-month old but who were we to question the powers that be at Kings Island. Conveniently, the gift shops at Kings Island sell toddler socks.

Here Ben seems a bit puzzled to find the ground moving.



The second ride also had a sign requiring a responsible adult. The staff at Kings Island waited until we were actually on the ride before asking me if Matt could walk. I responded that he could not and they kicked us off the ride. Walking was apparently an undocumented requirement to ride. So here we are in line after getting kicked off



Luckily the staff at the Carousel was far more laissez-faire when it came to socks, walking abilities, and height requirements.

The boys in Reds Gear

IMG_1542, originally uploaded by wetzel9.

So jess and I took Duncan to the Reds game last night. In support, the boys wore their Reds hats while they got ready for bed.

Thoughtful Ben

Thoughtful Ben, originally uploaded by wetzel9.

Ben has learned how to use a sippy cup. And also to gaze upon you with intellectual curiosity

Matt With a Giraffe Thing on His Head

IMG_1500, originally uploaded by wetzel9.

He gets very excited when you put things on his head.

Matt is *almost* there

So Ben has been crawling for a few weeks now. And Matt does not like being left behind. He's *almost* there.

Ben in the Circle of Pillows

IMG_1488, originally uploaded by wetzel9.

We've discovered he like climbing over things. He will barrel his way right over pillows, toys, his brother, the dog, etc.

Matt Makes Noises

Cincinnati Children's Museum

So its actually kind of struggle to find places to take the boys to where they can actually *do* anything. Now this is mostly because at 10 months old they really don't know how to do anything. Almost every place for kids requires the kid to be able to at least walk. So we go to the aquarium and carry the boys around and point at thing, and sometimes they even look. But that's really abolut it.

Enter the Cincinnati Children's Museum. Not only do they have an entire area for kids filled with things that are *extra* interesting to look at while being carried around by a parent, but they actually have an infants area, with a padded play area and a railing two feet off the ground so infants can hold themselves up. Its a fun little trip we've made a few times and were joined by Grandma and Grandpa Wetzel for this trip.


Here Matt demonstrates the railing while Ben watches from the play area.


A few more pictures are available here