Boots and Bikes

I'm excited about the graduation gift I got for Nathan:

A pair of Lucchese boots! Sweet!

Today we went to a boot store so Nathan could pick out the pair he wanted.

At first, he was really attracted to the alligator skin boots, but as they were $800 (!), we moved on to some that were a little more reasonable. I love the ones he picked out. Don't they look good with jeans?
Initially, Nathan chose these boots for the dark brown color, which he liked a lot. I think it was a great choice. Also, this particular pair is great because they'll work for both casual and dressy occasions.

The other fun thing we got today was Noah's first bike! Nathan and Uncle Andrew picked it out together. It's still a little big for Noah, but we figured he'd grow into it.

He had a lot of fun going for his first few rides.

I think this is a great picture with my dad.

Welcome to Texas, Beneshes! Time for boots and bikes!

Stream of Consciousness Review of Lauren's First Days in Houston

Hot.
Flat.
Mosquitoes!
Lots of concrete here.
Miss my cute Victorian house.
Oh my gosh, it's hot.
Don't have clothes cool enough for this climate.
Have to drive so far for everything!
Reverse culture shock = a little deflated.
Neat to see Noah's grandparents love him so much.
Neat to see Noah loves his grandparents so much.
The grass is really green.
It's nice to sit outside in the evening, even in the humidity.
The wind in the trees is nice.
Can't wait to have my own grill.
It'll be fun to be grown-ups now.
Did someone mention a Texas-shaped waffle iron? I really want one of those.

Nathan P. Benesh, Ph.D.

I'd like to introduce you to my husband: Dr. Nathan Benesh.

Noah-isms

Noah is so funny these days. What's so great is that because he's talking more now, we're getting a better picture of what's been rolling around in that little head of his. Sometimes he surprises us with the things he comes up with, which is delightful. Here are some things that have come out of his mouth lately:

"That's funny." He says this a lot these days, and there are a couple of things that make it extra funny to us. First of all, he often says it in a deadpan voice. I mean, there is a little giggle behind it, you can tell, but he doesn't say it like he's shouting it from the rooftops, as his typical enthusiasm would imply he'd do. Rather, he'll see something funny, give a little laugh, and say, "That's funny," then continue laughing to himself about it. Another thing that cracks us up about him saying this now is that sometimes it's hilarious to see what he thinks is funny. For example, the other day, Nathan said something like, "Come on, Noah, we're all going to get in the car." And Noah just stopped short, started cracking up, and said, "'All?!' 'All!' That's funny." Like we had just made up a ridiculous word or something. The word "all" just struck him as a funny word.

"I know, right?" Have you ever heard anyone say that? It's fairly common, but I am not sure where he got it, because as far as I know, I don't say that. But somehow Noah has picked up the idea that you should put "right?" at the end of the phrase "I know."

"Bye, Mommy. Have fun, Mommy." Whenever I drop Noah off anywhere, I always say, "Bye, Noah. Have fun." And as of the last couple of days, he has started saying the same thing to me whenever I go somewhere. It's very cute and sweet and thoughtful of him. I like it. Not to mention that it probably is also a bit revealing about what he values in his little life (fun!), since he's kindly wishing it for me, too.

I have to say, it really is fun living with a two year old. Don't let anyone tell you different.

Sad News and Prayer Requests

Hello blog peeps,

I typically do not put terribly personal things up on the blog, especially goings on that might be particularly sad. But we've had some things going on lately, and after some thought, I decided that rather than keep some sad things to ourselves, I'd prefer to check in with the members of the family of God that read this blog and ask you for your prayers.

I already shared with you that last Monday, Nathan's uncle died suddenly of a heart attack. Well, in addition to this family tragedy, Nathan's grandfather died yesterday, as well. This was not as unexpected as Uncle Bruce's death, but it is still a sad loss. Nathan was really hoping to see Grandpa again, particularly to have him see Noah and Jane. To that end, we had planned to make the drive up to see him the first weekend we were able to do so after moving back to Texas. Unfortunately, he just didn't make it that long.

Because of everything we've got going on right now in Boston (wrapping everything up before our move, etc.), Nathan was not able to attend his uncle's funeral. But he really wanted to make it to his grandfather's funeral, which is this coming Wednesday. Unfortunately, the timing of it just did not work out. He would have needed to be in and out of town in a 24-hour period, and the flights were just not scheduled in our favor.

So I have some prayer requests for you. Pray for Nathan, because he is sad about this passing. We also have a lot going on this week (the movers come tomorrow, Commencement is on Thursday, and we fly to Texas on Saturday), so pray that things go smoothly. Pray that we can still feel the joy and significance of this graduation. Pray for our hearts as we leave the place where we've lived for six years--the place where we have spent most of our marriage and where we started our family. Pray that everyone else stays well! No more unexpected anythings! Pray for Nathan's parents, who have really not been home for a week and won't get home to their house until after flying to Texas with us on Saturday. I imagine they are running low on physical and emotional energy. And please pray for Nathan's dad, who has lost a brother and his father within a week of one another.

Thanks in advance for petitioning the throne of God on our behalf. How honored we are that you would do that for us.

Like in Real Life

I saw these at a drugstore recently and could not walk by without taking a picture.

They're HD glasses. Because we all know real life is too low res without them.

It just cracked me up.

Yesterday

Because my mom has been on me for pictures of the kiddos, I made it a point to take some yesterday. Here you go, Mom.

Here is Janey, after her bath.
Cutie pie.

She loves to suck on her fists. In fact, lately we've been hearing her slurping from a couple of rooms away!

On the way to Nathan's advisor's house for dinner, Noah was in a pretty foul two-year-old mood. This is the look he was giving me.

So I decided to play a game with him. I started taking pictures of him and showing them to him on the camera. He thought it was fun to see all the faces he could make. This is what he did when I asked him to smile.

Then I asked him to make a funny face.

Then I got the sweetest smile from Jane.

Which was in dramatic contrast to this face.

Trying to get the game going again, I suggested he stick his tongue out.

Then I asked him to show me a happy face.

Luckily, the game sort of worked. He cheered up a little.

And here is Nathan with his "Dr. Nathan" cake at the dinner in his honor.