Where Were Me and Ben?

We're mid-way through our week-long celebration of Roman's birthday (these kids aren't spoiled; we just like to elongate the cupcake-eating window), and I guess the boys are feeling as nostalgic as I am.

Okay, not really, but in response to Roman's question "Where were me and Ben?" (more on that later), Birthday Boy and I went looking through the old photo archives. Here are just a few quick favorites:

Ben and Roman meet on Roman's Day 1:

Roman flexing his baby muscles at two months:

Almost 1, enjoying the zoo:

Just turned 2:

And finally, last year, enjoying the zoo before his 3rd birthday:

Now, the "Where were me and Ben?" story that led us down memory lane...

Roman saw this picture, which is on our dresser:

It's me and Anthony a few months after we met in 2004. We were on the most incredibly relaxing, beautiful, DINK trip to Ixtapa, Mexico. We were tan, well-rested and willing to be photographed in our bathing suits. Ah, sweet nostalgia.

Upon seeing it, Roman asked, "Where were me and Ben?"

I said, "Oh, that was before we had you and Benny."

Obviously a tough concept to grasp, Roman followed with silence. Then: "Were we in the car?"

Roaming Roman

Instead of his usual 2 a.m. arrival in our bed, Roman roamed into Ben's bed, where they both slept cozily through the night.

  

Rollin' the Dice

I like a good gamble, so twice this week I've dined at Wasabi, the new sushi place in town. 

That's right...sushi in the Midwest, a serious roll of the digestive dice.

But it came highly recommended from my friend Rebecca, chef and most trusted source on food. We went last week to begrudgingly mark her upcoming move from Wichita, and it was so delish that I returned with Anthony and the boys last night. 

And what's not to love: quick, kind service, tasty food, unbeatable prices ($3.00 for a beautiful, crunchy, creamy veggie roll. Three dollars!), and...well, 18 hours later and still no food poisoning. 

Jackpot!

See, I've read that Wichita ranks second (behind Dallas) in restaurants per capita, but it's all BBQ, fried chicken and Applebee's...a crappy food trifecta. So Wasabi, I thank you for bringing quality and a little culture to my city.

Also, thanks for letting us linger at the table while Roman learned to use chopsticks....

 

...then chopstick-ed himself right to sleep.

Weather Cycles

We see some quick weather changes around here - 30-degree summer temp hikes, overnight tree color changes, spontaneous Tin Man-rusting rain, snowstorms that leave us sedated in a poppy field...

But yesterday was especially sudden; as we packed the boys' bikes in the car, it was fall. By the time we arrived at Eastborough Park - a whopping two miles away - winter had arrived.

But that didn't stop the boys; they put on their jackets and learned that the only thing better than our favorite park is...laps and laps and laps around our favorite park.

(Roman: "Hello Mom! I'm getting some exercise when I ride my bike around.")

Ben-time Stories

In a family first, tonight Ben read our bedtime story. Yup, just like that, the kid can read.

And by "just like that" I mean: thanks to the countless, painstaking hours of his kindergarten teacher and aides.

Ben was so careful and patient and, even though he didn't know all the words, he knew enough to get the gist of Mouse Loves School, literary giant and a gift from our dear friend Jen.

Poor Roman couldn't quite stay awake for the conclusion, but we'll fill him in tomorrow. Spoiler alert: That mouse loves school!

Cribless in Wichita

We reached a big milestone around here tonight; Roman is out of his crib/toddler bed and into a cozy big-boy bed.

And a big bed, it is: it's our old queen, which was Anthony's post-college bed, which makes me thankful that "memory foam" shares no actual memories.

(To be fair, Ben sleeps on my old queen bed, which I purchased when I was just out of college. And...that's all I have to say about that.)

So, after five-plus years, we're cribless here in Wichita and my children officially have better sleeping quarters than I did for the first 22 years of my life. Is this what they mean by making a better living than your parents?!

Anyway, here's hoping Roman stays put and does his 2 a.m. sideways egg-beater routine in his own bed. Although I have a feeling I'll kinda miss it.

These Happy Fall Days

Posted today as a guest post on www.WichitaCityMom.com.  

These fall days are falling away far faster than planned, and my brain is swirling like leaves in the street. So before my thoughts are dissipated by my neighbor’s incredibly loud leaf blower (why, neighbor…why?!) I should jot down a few happy thoughts from a particularly busy week.

Behold, things that I love this week (in no particular order):

• This windows-open, fresh breeze weather. I want to bottle and shelve you for February.
• Being the mom of boys on picture day. One green shirt, one striped shirt, two pairs of jeans. Done.
• $1.99 Gladiola bunches at Dillons. For less than four dollars I feel like I live in a tropical wonderland. Or at least a much nicer home.
• The “Assembles in only minutes!” claim on Roman’s new bike box. Two grown men’s sanity and one hundred minutes later… 

• Roman’s new bike, a way-early birthday gift from Grandma and Grandpa.

• The new recycled clothing place in town (Fashion Bar, 21st & Woodlawn). Locally owned, unreal prices, and a potential new drop off location for everything but my leisure wear, which will only be taken from my cold, lifeless body.
• Evolution Futbol Club (EFC), Ben’s soccer program. They teach the value of real skills and the importance of sportsmanship. Naturally then, we try to play it cool on the sidelines. But, what, am I made of stone?! We all went bananas when Ben scored (three times!) last Saturday. 

• Dr. Kumar, the boys’ pediatrician since day 1, even though I don’t always love what he has to say. (Wednesday: “Ben’s hearing is fine, so it must just be a problem of his listening.”)
• My in-laws, who headed back to Denver on Monday, after an extraordinary food- and wine-fueled weekend. I adore them more with every visit, and double that for Ben and Roman. In fact, I wonder how they got into their car after Roman’s pleading: “Grandma, please just don’t leave.”

 

And while we’d love to be closer, their visits always help me re-open my eyes to what a great life Wichita offers us. And if ever I forget, I’ll just open that late-September weather bottle and take a swig.