Sep 30, 2011

Month of the Blog - It's Been A Blast!


Well, I thought this picture was appropriate for the last day of the Month of the Blog. It was fun for us, so I hope it was fun for you. I think we're going to cut back on the blogging for a bit - but not too much. Maybe every other day with a big update each weekend. I hope to have some stats for you - we've exploded! Our blog has been viewed over 500 times in the past month. I mean, it's no Google or Amazon, but it's damn good for the Family Bishop.




Good night! We'll see you shortly!

PS - Let us know if you liked the last month! Leave us a comment to show the love.

Sep 29, 2011

Updates

piggy back continued!

















Ben and the sea lion continued












Ben's first carousel ride at Brookfield Zoo! We'll have to do that again!







I'm still learning how to upload videos using You Tube which are so much clearer than the old way I do. So, I'll spare you that until I get further in serviced! Pictures today and little updates.

In reviewing some of Brian's blogs, I would like to defend some of our actions as to avoid CPS being called. The previous video of Hailey in the bouncy chair. Although super cute, it was done while I was at work, and Brian, we strap her in now! As for the piggy back rides? Yeah, that was just funny and I had a heart attach a little bit there.

Ok, updates.
The Bishops as a whole: we bought a minivan. Yup, we've joined the ranks. Now all we need are the stick figure people in the window representing each of us and a soccer ball in the back. In all seriousness, WE LOVE IT! I went to the store this morning and it was SO much easier getting the kids in and out. I loved that Pilot, but this will be handy. It's pretty loaded, does just about everything but drive for us.

Ben: potty training back on track for sure! He's even going without using the colors (see previous post...)! He's wearing underwear most days with very few accidents. One thing he can't get is that poopy goes in the potty too! Today he went in his pullup then walked in the bathroom and expected me to then put it in the potty. Frustrating!

His little imagination is going crazy! I love watching him pretend. He's definitely blossoming in that area! He's also getting kind of...stubborn! Constantly trying to cut deals with us! Eating is still an issue. It's a constant negotiation. I don't get it! He is ADDICTED to milk. We continue to hold it hostage until post meal, but now that doesn't even work. He just looks at me and says "Ok, I have water." He knows he only gets water if he doesn't eat. So, now I've lost that bargaining chip. He won't starve. He'll eventually eat.

Hailey: oh, sweet Hailey! She is such a happy baby! She just wants to be talked to played with. She now rolls from back to tummy and sometimes tummy to back. She does better going onto her tummy which I think is a little backwards. Most nights now she flips herself over and prefers sleeping on her belly. Makes me a little nervous, but not much I can do about it.

She found her feet for sure. When she's on her back, she just grabs on and LAUGHS! She's laughing a lot these days.

Eating: Every 2-4hours. Day and night suddenly. Which equals a little less sleep these days. Hoping it's just a growth spurt still! I'm up about twice a night again. She eats and goes right back down most nights at least.

Sep 28, 2011

Month of the Blog - Hailey and the Toys


We have concentration. Whatever happened in the past two weeks, her neurons and synapses gelled. Hailey's VERY interested in picking things up, grabbing, pulling, and the such.

See for yourself!!!



Patti bought her a mobile - bigger and better than those that come with the cribs. We'll see how this helps with her hand / eye coordination. Well, at least, we'll see how it helps her sleep.

Now that's another story!

- Brian

Sep 27, 2011

Month of the Blog - Bishops and the Minivan

Sigh. It happened. We bought a minivan tonight. So this is why you don't get a good blog for the day.  However, check this out!

http://www.chrysler.com/hostc/vsmc/vehicleSpecModels.do?modelYearCode=CUC201108

Touring-L! Dual DVDs, leather, awesome other perks - and we negotiated over 10% off the monthly payment! Seriously, with the margins that the auto industry is getting nowadays, 10% is huge. VERY excited for my first new car!



- Brian

Sep 26, 2011

Sep 25, 2011

Month of the Blog - Ben and the Sea lion

Well, Ben is a big boy. But must be a bite size snack to a sea lion...




As you guys know, the family went to the Brookfield Zoo last week. Well, everyone but me as I was at work. The sea lions are a big attraction for the kids. But it looks like the kids are a big attraction for the sea lions too.

Hilarity ensues.

- Brian

Sep 24, 2011

Month of the Blog - Hailey and the Evidence

So, I had the kids today because Mommy was supporting the family at work. Hey, we get cash and don't have to shell any out for daycare! Win, win in my book.



Well, to prove that Hailey went and got some tummy time, I made this video. Tummy time EPIC WIN!

- Brian

Sep 23, 2011

Month of the Blog - Ben and the Potty

Well, if Ben only liked the toilet this much at home....



We are still making the potty training fun. We've had to up the stakes though. Chocolate milk, pretzel M&Ms, and Matchbox Cars.

If he's dry when he goes, he gets an M&M
If he's dry all day long, he gets Chocolate Milk with dinner
If he goes dry all day in underwear, BOOM! Matchbox Car.

I can see this getting out of hand soon, when he starts to get better and better. But I'd gladly give up a collection of cars for not having to change one of the two kids.


- Brian



Sep 22, 2011

Ben the gorilla

Quick, because apparently I was supposed to do a blog post today. A good week. Me, Ben and Hailey went to the zoo with my friend Jen and her 2 month old baby Breena. It was Hailey's first trip to the zoo. I realized when I got home I took about 5 pictures and Hailey was in none of them as I was too busy chasing Ben around. So here are a couple. There was a gorilla named Ben and this was the best I could do to get him to pose with his picture. I did get some cute video that I will try to get time to put on soon.

Also, I went a little crazy at the store today and got the kids some new, fall, pjs! Too cute!






Sep 21, 2011

Month of the Blog - Brian and the Jury


Okay - I got home a little early today. Why, you ask? Well, I was at - wait for it - Jury Duty!

Opened an unassuming letter in the mail a few weeks back and, BOOM, I was served! A subpoena to appear as a standby juror was all it was, but I had to show up to do my American duty.

And boy, it was boring. The highlight was watching a tape (yes, VHS) of a mustachioed Lester Holt telling me what it is to be a juror. There were 20 people sitting in my section, 11 women, 9 men, mixed races - a veritable cross section of Chicago.

I was kind of excited to find out what the judicial system was like from the inside. Then we waited. And waited. And waited. And got an hour and a half lunch. And waited.

After all the waiting, we got dismissed - apparently there were no crimes in Chicago to prosecute today (yeah right). A hefty $17.20 for all that sitting and we wonder why our government is broke. Plus, who gets hour and a half lunches anyway? Seriously?

All in all, it was a day off of work and a bunch of sitting.

I'll leave you with this though....you must turn up the sound.




- Brian

PS - I'm not sure I like the new YouTube feature which adds a soundtrack. We'll see...


Sep 20, 2011

Month of the Blog - Ben and the Turtles


Ben got a Play-Dough set this past week after being good (relatively) at Target. He LOVES the little play-dough press that makes turtles. He likes turtles. No, seriously.




But does he like them more than this guy????



For my parents - just You Tube the phrase - I Like Turtles. Watch the original and all the remixes. My son will go viral. Guaranteed.

- Brian

Sep 19, 2011

Month of the Blog - Ben and MORE MILK!

The boy needs more milk. We buy two gallons a week, but the boy NEEDS more milk. He won't eat. He won't sleep. No seriously, he won't sleep...





He needs more milk.

Does a body good, right?

- Brian

Sep 18, 2011

Month of the Blog - Hailey and the Crocodile



Did I ever tell you about the first time Hailey met Steve Irwin?







It was the last time Hailey met Steve Irwin.


- Brian

Sep 17, 2011

Sep 16, 2011

Month of the Blog - Ben and the ??? - Part II



Happy Fun Quiz of Happiness!

Which body of water is this?

A) Atlantic Ocean
B) Lake Michigan
C) Bering Sea
D) Canada

The Month of the Blog will never tell???


- Brian

Sep 15, 2011

Month of the Blog - Ben and the ???



Fun Time Quiz Time!

Which body of water is this?

A) Atlantic Ocean
B) Lake Michigan
C) Strait of Gibraltar
D) Canada



The Month of the Blog will never tell!

- Brian

Sep 14, 2011

Sep 13, 2011

Two days of cuteness. SMILE!

Ok, I'll do another day in Brian's "Month of the Blog" quest, but no promises after this. I go back to work for the rest of the week.


Ben does this weird dance singing "Talkin a Robot!" We don't know where it came from, nor does his babysitter. He's not doing the hand gestures full out here, but you get the idea.


This was just too cute. Maybe I think it's so cute beacuse I'm her mother, but hope you enjoy.


This was just this morning. She's been grabbing at things a lot, and I keep thinking that it's possibly an accident. This video shows quite clearly that this little girl is learning how to use her hands!!!! You can actually see her learning in this video! Sorry about all the drool. It's amazing how much she drools right now. I'm covered. And anxious to work tomorrow to not be covered in drool. Of course, a lot of my patients drool, too....Ok, that was just wrong. Sorry.

Sep 12, 2011

Month of the blog?

Brian told me last week he had this great idea for the "The Month of the Blog!" This excited me seeing as since HE started the blog 3 years ago, he's done about 3 entries. I was also pleased since I am back at work and the fatigue from this transition is setting in. But, I see the "Month of the Blog" lasted about 5 days of the month. His computer time is pretty busy, though. We are at that magical time of year when Fantasy Baseball and Fantasy Football overlap! But, I had some cute things to pass on anyway so here I am.

Hailey: LAUGHING A LOT! She has become one of the happiest babies I have ever seen! She's sleeping most nights, through the night. From about 8:30pm till about 7:00am. Unfortunately, it seems the nights she needs to get up happen to be when I have to work the next day. It also tends to be about 3am, so I'm up A LONG TIME on those days. Then there are days like today, when she slept till almost 7am (not working today), woke up just talking up a storm in there. Then, when I peak my head over her crib she laughs and laughs at me! She's trying desperately to roll and will roll towards me then away just smiling and smiling!

We're working on tummy time A LOT! I am determined not to have head shape issues with this baby, and she seems to be growing at the same high rate of speed that her brother did. You see, the heavier the baby, the heavier the head, the harder to control, and the harder to hold up! But, like her brother, she sleeps really well (I know, I'll shut up about that), so she's on her back 12 hours a night, and 2 good naps throughout the day. So, when she's not sleeping, I'm on high alert keeping her off her head. She's at least tending towards sleeping on her side!

Ben: He's making some clear points. He's wanting to drink from a bottle suddenly, interesting since Hailey rarely eats from a bottle. We're back to struggling to get him to eat anything outside of drinking milk. I'm holding it hostage until he eats something. Slowly this is getting better. He actually ate his veggies the other night without crying throughout!

I'm also hearing this more and more throughout the day: "Mommy, you put Hailey down and you play with me! PLEEEEAAASE!" So, I am. Hailey nap time is Mommy and Ben time! He also loves "helping" with her, including tummy time, and now playing in the saucer. He generally climbs into the saucer as soon as Hailey is removed. Again, some pretty clear messages.

Potty training: We took a hiatus. But, the last week has looked promising! Incentives didn't work. Treats, stickers, we did it all. Then, I thought, ok I'll try the Cheerio thing. I've heard it from multiple sources. Have him aim for the Cheerios! HE LOVED IT! Dry for days! Then, that kind of got old. So, the other day I had just finished cleaning the bathrooms and the water was still blue from the cleaner. THIS WAS COOL! So, light bulb came on. Now, warning, this is descript. We got food coloring out! Ben squirts the color of his choice in there, maybe 2 colors, then uses his pee pee to "stir it"! Hey, it works. He's wearing underwear again today! We'll see how this goes....

Enjoy the videos. Ben had his first "Little" boat ride last weekend. We met Mom and Dad at the boat. It was quite windy and the lake was pretty big so no "big" boat ride. But Grandpa was wonderful and took Dad and Ben out on the inflatable. Ben LOVED IT and cried when we got home because he wanted to go back to the boat!

Sep 8, 2011

Month of the Blog - Ben and the Ducks

Well, I hope you've gotten the swing of things now - MONTH OF THE BLOG!

Besides the beach (Sandbridge ROCKS!), the other theme for the week is....wait for it....

love.

That's because Ben LOVES sooooo many things. He's very much into how much he loves things as well. If he likes a game he's playing, he wants "to play this all day long". If he likes the banana he is eating, he wants "to eat bananas all day long". Watching Little Einsteins? Yup, all day long...

Well, he loves Grandma and Grandpa's pool all day long...



Flinging those ducks has made his month. They were left overs from Melissa Carroll's baby shower held at my parent's house. He brought a few home and is still flinging them to this day.

All

Day

Long



...sigh.

Sep 7, 2011

Month of the Blog - Ben and the Crab


I hope you see the beach theme here at Major League Bishop - Month of the Blog.

We got alot of good shots down at Sandbridge - I mean, it was a great time AND Sandbridge was still standing (pre-Irene). The waves were big (but not too big), the breeze was blowing (but not too hard), and the wildlife....well, see for yourself.



Ben has never been to a beach with salt water or sea life. Jelly fish did some damage on day one, but were gone after that. But the crabs, they kept on comin'. After a while, Ben got over his creepy crawly fear and dug after them.

Patti, however....that is another story for another day.

Sep 6, 2011

Month of the Blog - Hailey and the Beach

So, the Month of the Blog continues! Hope you like the daily interaction - I'm liking the daily posting. As I hope you know, we have 2 kids. One a bit older, one a bit younger - well, 2+ years younger. And she loves the beach too!





Hailey took to the surf and sand as well. The wind was the bane of her existence though. Patti, always the dutiful mother, hid her as well as possible and brought her out to enjoy the sun when possible. And boy, when Hailey came out of the covers, she was a HAPPY girl.


It looks like we'll have to go back - awwww drat!


Sep 5, 2011

Month of the Blog - Ben and the Sea

Another day in the Month of the Blog!


In the middle of August, we decided to trek with our family (minus one dog) down to Virginia to see the family. After a whirlwind week, we have way too many videos and pictures to put into one blog. So I've decided to give you a little bit at a time.





Ben is a beach boy. He loves the water and sand - maybe a little too much. But that is a conversation for another day... He runs around with both of his arms out (airplane style) and yells that he's SURFIN'!

This wasn't the last attempt either - well, maybe the last in that deep of water.

Sandbridge Beach rocks!


Sep 3, 2011

Month of the Blog - Lucy and the Pool


So here starts the Month of the Blog! Each and every day this month, we will give you a new blog - some larger, some smaller - but all a peak into the daily lives of the Family Bishop.




Lucy is Mom and Dad's new golden retriever puppy. She loves them, loves Ben, loves running and jumping - but does she love the pool?

This was the best attempt, I think...

- Brian

Hailey Slideshow

Slideshow for you!