Finally Updating...

Wow, it's been a long time since I've updated this blog... Here is a quick rundown of what we have been up to lately.

Landis will be starting kindergarten next year. He has had a wonderful first experience with school at Space Coast Early Intervention Center, and is really looking forward to kindergarten. He has been having lots of fun doing gymnastics, and this summer we plan to do lots of swimming! He has gotten so tall recently, and really looks older all the sudden - maybe it's the two teeth he recently lost? He recently had a scary injury - he fell while jumping on his bed, and needed 6 staples in the back of his head. But the staples are out now and he is doing just fine. He still needs reminders to slow down and think before he does dangerous things.

Aaron Scott will also be making a big move in school next year - to middle school! He has had a great 6th grade year, and stays busy with Boy Scouts, cello, church activities and lots of reading when he is not hard at work with his classes. It's hard to believe he is getting so old. It seems like only a few years since I met him for the first time as a cute little preschooler. He's still pretty cute (don't tell him I said that!) He is an extremely active boy, full of energy. He has really enjoyed the outdoor adventuring aspect of Boy Scouts, and takes great joy in hiking, camping and exploring the outdoors. He is such a smart and fun boy, and I feel so lucky to be a part of his life.

Goat is still working at Avidyne, designing flight systems for small planes. He has been fortunate to have some really wonderful co-workers and an amazing boss. Recently, he joined a Crossfit gym, and we have embarked on the Paleo Diet. I'm still a bit ambivalent (I love bread!), but we are both seeing results - weight loss and feeling more energetic and healthier. Goat always has a project or 6 going, and some of his recent projects have been improvements to his boat. We are looking forward to spending time out on the water as the weather gets warmer and enjoying the new stereo system and new (working!) depth finder. He also recently purchased a Hayabusa, a very fast motorcycle. It's pretty snazzy, although it makes me nervous that he felt the need to bypass the limiter that reduced the top speed to 188 miles per hour. Yikes!

I will be graduating from UCF with a BA in History on May 3. I am so relieved to be completing that (long) chapter of my life. I'm not yet certain what I will do next, but I am excited to move forward. This semester, I have been driving to Orlando twice a week, about 1 hour 15 minutes each way. It is exhausting! I know some people have a daily commute that long or longer, but I don't know how they do it. I have also been volunteering with Rolling Readers, a local organization that works with public schools to promote literacy, and the Florida Historical Society. This February, I participated in the Month of Letters Challenge and wrote 44 letters to family and friends. If anyone would like to send or receive a letter, let me know! Once I make it through these last few crazy weeks of class, I am looking forward to catching up with the beloved family and friends I have been neglecting in the end of semester rush, and being able to spend more time with my husband and boys.

We have been incredibly blessed to have the support of many wonderful people, family and friends, as we learn and grow and move through new seasons of life. Thank you all. We love you so much!!

Old Family Picture

Goat, Aaron Scott, Landis and me at Landis' first birthday! Landis and Aaron Scott have grown sooo much in just 2 years.

Birthday Party Pictures

Landis had a great 3rd birthday party! He had so much fun with his big brother, uncles and friends.



We had the party at a local park, and Landis had a blast running around near the lake...


...and climbing trees with his friend Guinnevere!


Caleb had fun climbing too..


...so did Josh and Aaron Scott!

Big boy bed

Landis got a new big boy bed! He loves it. He picked out his own sheets - Thomas the Tank Engine, of course! He loves to snuggle his Monni or Daddy in his new bed and get lots and lots of books read to him before bedtime. When Aaron Scott was here last weekend, they tried to have a sleepover in the big boy bed but they were both too excited to sleep!

I can't believe how fast my little boy is growing up. He gets bigger and more independent every day. It is so much fun to watch him grow and change!

Big Update Post

I've been neglecting this poor blog because we have been busy recently!

Goat is still working like crazy, making a valiant effort to do 6 people's jobs. In his spare time (Ha! What spare time?) he has managed to complete several computer and truck related projects, as well as taking over Monday and Wednesday evening Landis wrangling duties because...

I am back in school! My schooling was put on hold by the arrival of a certain 2 year old we all know and love, and I am finally going back. I'm taking classes at Brevard Community College - a speech class for the first half of the summer that meets Monday and Wednesday evening, then a Humanities class that meets Tuesday and Thursday evening for the rest of the summer. In the fall and spring, I plan to take a few last general ed requirements and several prerequisite courses so that I can begin the UCF education program in either the summer or fall semester of next year.

Speaking of school, Aaron Scott is out of school for the summer. He will be in 4th grade next year, and will be 9 years old in August. Time is flying by! He is an extremely fun and active boy. When he is here, we almost always end up spending a lot of time outside, running, jumping, riding bikes, going for walks, swimming etc. He has some exciting travel plans with his mom and stepdad this summer, and we hope to see a lot of him when he is not traveling.

Landis is also getting ridiculously big! He starts swimming lessons Monday morning, and I hope that he will be swimming by the end of the summer. He loves swimming at his Grandma and Papa's house, at the public pool and in the little kiddie pool in our yard. He has been really interested in learning about letters and their sounds recently, and enjoys playing on the Starfall website.

Josh had been visiting for the past week, which has been so much fun! We always enjoy having him around. We baked scones and a pie, went to the beach and pool, Goat took him target shooting, and now the guys are fishing. He has also been a huge help, keeping Landis occupied so I can get some projects done around the house. He even offered to mow the grass this weekend! We went to several garage sales yesterday and the best find was a 9 cube organizer similar to this one for $5! It fits perfectly in the boys' room.

Caleb is coming to visit next week and we are excited about spending some time with him. I am so fortunate to have 4 wonderful little brothers!

We are looking forward to going up to North Carolina to see Johnny and meet his girlfriend Andrea later this summer. It will be nice to have all of the siblings together.

It should be a fun summer!!!

Aaron Scott, Actor

We went to Aaron Scott's school play yesterday. It was great! The play was about the cheese from "The Farmer in the Dell" not wanting to stand alone. Aaron Scott played the farmer, and did a great job. It was a very cute play! They started out with the nursery rhyme, and then the chesse went to cheese town and the kids sang Aaron Scott's favorite song from the play. Eventually, the rat stood up for his friend the cheese and they all lived happily ever after. Goat and Landis were lucky enough to get the advance performance Friday night on the way back from his parents' house. Aaron Scott sang every single song in the truck.

After the play, Aaron Scott, Landis and Ethan had a great time running around and playing for a few minutes. Aaron Scott is such a great big brother. All of his younger siblings adore him - and I can't blame them! He is such a wonderful, fun boy, and I feel blessed to be part of his life.

Landis is really into wishing recently. Today he told me, "I wish Aaron Scott had a truck with a trailer on, and a boat on the trailer. Then we can swim* in the river together."


*Landis has not yet figured out the swim/sail distinction. To him, if it moves in or on the water, it is swimming. He means they will sail together.

Blue Eyed Boys

Gratuitous cute pictures of our adorable blue eyed boys!


How did they get so cute????

Silly Ludwig Brothers

The Ludwig brothers are so silly! While Aaron Scott was here last weekend, I asked him and Landis to sit down together on the couch so I could snap a picture of the two of them. They sat down, and decided to show their brotherly affection by elbowing each other in the ribs.

What in the world are we going to do with these silly boys?!?

I am so proud of my brilliant step-son

Hooray for Aaron Scott, science fair champion of the 3rd grade! He is such an amazing kid!

Cute Ludwig Brothers

I couldn't resist putting up a few of the cute pictures from last weekend. Aaron Scott and Landis had a great time playing together in the back of Daddy's truck. They were playing some sort of game trading acorns back and forth, and happy as can be in the sweltering hot bed of the truck. Silly boys!

Then, we stopped by the grocery store, but Aaron Scott had forgotten his shoes. Fortunately, Goat had an extra pair! Aaron Scott looks quite silly in his Daddy's shoes, but he had a great time walking through the store and seeing people's reaction to an 8 year old wearing giant shoes!

We're in Gainesville..

And just look what those crazy Benton uncles have done. Poor Landis! He is covered in temporary tattoos. He ran to the back of the house to play with Aaron Scott and the uncles, and ran out a few minutes later looking like this.

Foolishly, I let him go play again, thinking they had done their worst. Now his face is painted in a greenish brown color! I guess he is ready for some recon missions now. I'll have to watch him like a hawk or he will be crawling on his belly through some high grass. If I lose sight of him, I may not be able to find him.


We are headed to the Ichetucknee River for some tubing in a few minutes. Landis will stay behind to have some quality Nonnie time, but Aaron Scott and the uncles and I will have a great time tubing in the cold, cold water.

I Love These Boys

So, So much!

Aaron Scott, Landis and I had such a wonderful weekend. We picked Aaron Scott up from school on Friday and ran a few errands. Then we headed back to the house and went for a bike ride. We rode around the neighborhood for a bit and then explored a grassy path that runs along the creek. After a while, we went back to the house, Goat got home from work and we headed to his parents' house. They boys and I went swimming there. Aaron Scott had his shark mask, gloves and fins and had a great time pretending to be a shark. Landis has lost all of his fear of the water, which on the one hand is great, but makes me worry. He jumped in and "swam" towards me when I was playing with Aaron Scott and not looking, and when I scooped him up after a second or 2 looked really proud of himself. It turned out fine, but it worries me that he thinks he can swim when he can't.

We ate dinner and then watched a Harry Potter movie with the beloved "AmmaPapa"* and then headed home and put the exhausted boys to bed.

Saturday, Goat had to work again. :( We woke up in the morning and went on a 2 mile nature walk with the Ludwig grandparents. It was fun! We saw lots of neat animals - an armadillo, several different kinds of turtles swimming in the creek, fish, a tortoise walking next to the path very slowly, and lots of insects. Aaron Scott and his Papa had a great time communicating by walkie talkie when we took separate forks in the trail.

After the nature walk, we brought Goat lunch at work and walked next door to check out the rock gym. It is really expensive! I was thinking it might be a fun thing to do every once in a while, but it would cost our family more than $70 to get in for the day. Yikes!

The boys and I went home, Landis napped and Aaron Scott played on the computer for a little while. Then we went on another bike ride. Unfortunately, Aaron Scott took a tumble and scraped his knee. We went back to the house to wash it off and get a band aid, and then he was ready to bike some more. We rode for a little while longer, then went home and packed up to go to the beach.

Aaron Scott is such a social kid! We hadn't been there for more than 10 minutes when he found another boy about his age and they started playing. Landis really wanted to play with them, but he just kept getting in the way of their games, so I took him a little ways down the beach and we played in the surf together. After a while, we walked back to where Aaron Scott and his new friend were digging in the sand. Landis figured out a game he could play with the big boys - tag! He chased them up and down the beach. It was too cute! Then, Aaron Scott and his friend headed out into the waves, about waist deep. Landis really wanted to go out with them, so I walked out near them, but after a few minutes of Landis trying to dive into the ocean, we headed a little bit closer to shore. He really wants to do everything his big brother does! The boys played for a while longer, but the sun was setting and their faces were starting to turn the same shade of blue as their eyes, so we headed home.

As we were getting the boys to bed, Aaron Scott made the funniest comment. I control the thermostat during the day and keep the house on the warm side, but as soon as Goat comes home from work, he keeps it much cooler. Aaron Scott said that it had been too cold the night before and asked for an extra blanket. He said, "Your house is like the desert. Hot during the day and freezing at night!" He is the funniest kid. We are so lucky to have such wonderful boys!



*Grandma and Papa Ludwig. Landis says both of their names as all one word. He loves going to "AmmaPapa's House!"

Happy Birthday to Aaron Scott!!

Aaron Scott, almost 6, at Goat's UF graduation.




Aaron Scott a few days ago.



Aaron Scott is 8 years old today! It's hard to believe that he is so old. He is looking forward to starting 3rd grade next Monday.

We picked him up for his birthday dinner. Like a good Ludwig, he chose to eat sushi, his favorite. The sushi was delicious! Now we are settling in for a fun evening of computer games!

Landis, Aaron Scott and Caleb Pics :)

A few pictures from Caleb's visit to Melbourne.

Aaron Scott and Landis. Just look at those big blue eyes! I think Landis is looking more and more like Aaron Scott as he gets older.


The 3 boys together. They are so goofy!


Caleb playing with Landis. Caleb is a very fun uncle!


The big boys, absolutely thrilled to be running errands. Goat had 2 oil changes to do, on the Honda and the Z, and one boy helped with each oil change. He got them each a nice cold orange soda to drink after working out in the heat, so they have matching orange mustaches.

Caleb is vising for the week. We are having LOTS of fun. My mom drove us down on Tuesday and we ate dinner together (Goat makes an amazing lasagna!), took a walk, got ice cream, and then she drove back. :( We tried to convince her to stay overnight, but since Josh decided to stay home rather than enduring the long car ride, she wanted to get back. Wednesday Caleb helped me make bread, we took another walk, did some gardening and had a Dr. Mario tournament. Fun! Thursday we took the bike and trailer, which carries both Landis and Caleb without a problem, to the park. Caleb had to use the gross park bathrooms. He was really upset that someone had written "women's bathroom" on the inside of the door in the men's bathroom. Caleb and I played Risk II and he beat me. Nooooooooo! Today, we are picking Aaron Scott up from school at 1 pm and we will have lots of fun with him. I will probably take all 3 boys to the park if the weather is nice to run off some energy. I do not want 3 overly energetic boys bouncing around my house! Caleb is attacking me with a glowing spoon from his cereal box, so I had better go...

More pictures!

Can you tell that I'm excited that Goat found the connecting cable for the camera?

The adorable Ludwig brothers. How did they get so cute?



Landis enjoying his swing.



The swing and wind chime. I love this section of our backyard. It's so cool and peaceful.



Aaron Scott and Landis having a friendly wrestling match. They have so much fun together! (Also, our messy room. Try to ignore that.)



Landis and his friends Aerin and Tea hiding in the cabinets. It is one of their favorite games!

Today was a productive gardening day. Landis (my sweet little helper with his very own little shovel) and I weeded one of the new beds, added compost and got the watermelons and bush bean seedlings in the ground. I can't wait for watermelons! The basil, spinach, yellow squash, zucchini and pole bean seedlings are still growing in their containers and aren't quite ready to be transplanted yet. We're still waiting for the sunflower and marigold seeds to sprout. We have enjoyed using the basil, thai basil, rosemary, cilantro and green onions for a few weeks, and today we ate our first banana pepper. Yum! It is so much fun to watch Landis' face light up as he eats something delicious from the garden. There are tons (I stopped counting at 35) of tomatoes ripening on our plants, a few blueberries and strawberries, and 3 bell peppers. The corn is now taller than Landis and continues to grow very quickly. This week I plan to start lettuce, red onions, carrots, cucumbers, radishes and butternut and spaghetti squash, weed the last bed so that the seedlings have somewhere to go, and put up the teepee for the pole beans to grow on and the boys to play in. Hopefully Aaron Scott can come help build the teepee structure. I think he would enjoy it. He is a lot like his dad in his love for making and building and fixing things.

Sun 'N Fun

Goat, his parents, Aaron Scott, Landis and I spent Friday at Sun 'N Fun in Lakeland. It was great. The boys really enjoyed both the event and the opportunity to spend the day with their wonderful Ludwig grandparents. We saw all kinds of planes, from tiny ultralights, which look like go carts with gliders or parachutes, to huge old military planes, and everything in between. There were also helicopters, some so small you could carry them with you in the back of your pickup truck, and others so large they could carry a dozens of people. Aaron Scott found a small helicopter that seats 2 and is painted to look like a bird and now he really wants one. Maybe he will be a helicopter pilot when he grows up.

Avidyne had a booth and we were able to see the keyboard that Goat has spend countless hours designing. It looks great! It was nice to see the product of so much of his work shown off for everyone to see. I am so proud of him! We were also able to see a plane which used the old Avidyne flight system, which looked great.

In the afternoon, there was an air show. It was amazing to see the planes perform dizzying feats in perfect formation, shooting straight into the air, plunging down at terrifying speeds, flipping, looping and spinning through the air. Landis loved watching the planes, pointing whenever he saw one and trying to get the rest of us to look.

Toward the end of the day, when both boys had had about enough of the show and the heat and the crowds, we found a shady, deserted grassy spot, perfect for the brothers to practice their wrestling moves on each other. They love wrestling. Aaron Scott falls down dramatically when Landis tackles him, and picks Landis up and swings him around before depositing him carefully back on the ground. He is such a great big brother!

Garden

Aaron Scott and I planted the first plants in our garden last Monday. We have been planning this for a while. A few months ago, we constructed a wooden frame for the garden, so that we could fill it partway with soil and small plants could be protected from the wind. On Monday we weeded, dumped soil into the garden and planted 8 plants: blueberry, strawberry, banana pepper, 2 tomato, 2 cilantro and a basil plant. They are growing really well - one of the tomato plants is already 2 or 3 inches taller than it was on Monday! There is still room for several more plants, so next Monday we plan to go shopping and pick out a few more plants and/or seeds. Aaron Scott is a great helper in the garden. Like most 7 year old boys, he enjoys the chance to play in the dirt. He managed to be very patient with his little brother too. Landis wants Aaron Scott to pay attention to him all the time, and in typical toddler fashion is very insistent about it. I can't blame Landis - Aaron Scott is a really fun brother!

After we finished gardening, Aaron decided he would like to dig a hole down to the water level. We directed him to a corner of the yard and he dug and dug. Unfortunately, he wasn't able to reach water by dinner time, but he did manage to dig a hole about as deep as he is tall. Pretty impressive! I can't find the cable to connect the camera to the computer, but once I do I will post pictures of the garden and hole.