Benjy's Un-birthday

Benjy had his half birthday last week. I thought it would be a good time to do a special post about our little Benjy bear and what he is like right now at the age of 3 1/2.

Benjy is a creature lover. He is fascinated by all types of bugs and animals and loves to catch bugs and put them in his "cat hotel" (he picked that up from when Eli made a bug hotel in Joyschool, but I haven't been able to figure out where the cat part came from). When he finds one he calls it his "little 'migo." Every day Benjy asks me if we can go outside to find spiders. Little does he know there are way more spiders in our basement then we will ever find outside.

Benjy would wear pajamas all day if he could, and some days he almost manages it. He loves his "George jammies," which are fleece footie pajamas with monkeys on them, his space jammies, his Spiderman jammies, and his Lightning McQueen jammies. He had a pair of light blue waffle fabric pajamas with cars on them, and he thought that he could run really fast with those on, so he called them his "cheetahs." I had to retire the cheetahs sine they were size 18 months and had become pedal pusher pajamas. Now he has some sweat pants and a sweat shirt that he loves and he calls those his "cheetahs." You've gotta be comfy to run super fast, I totally get it.

 He also loves to be in his "tummy and legs," which means wearing underwear only. In the photo below, he put mittens on his hands and feet so he could be a bird.

We get comments all the time on how big Benjy's eyes are. They are beautiful and blue with long lashes... he is going to make all the girls jealous. His eyes are so large and round that when he was little he reminded me of Puss in Boots from Shrek. 

He likes to make shapes on the floor out of objects. I especially loved this "windowmill" he made out of plastic utensils, and the popsicle stick "Up" (he thinks the old man in the movie "Up" is actually named "Up").

Benjy is now fully potty trained after a few ups and downs. We started potty training him before Emmeline was born, but he was not ready for it then. He decided he wanted to be a "big boy" after she was born, and we've had a few ups and downs, but now he seems pretty solid. He always announces when he's going to go potty, and many times he won't go unless someone big goes in there with him. I guess he just likes the company. He also gives a recap after he is done. During the luncheon following my grandpa's funeral, Benjy came in after Justin took him to the bathroom and announced loudly to my sister, "Lene, I went poop AND potty."

As I mentioned in an earlier post, he wants Justin or I to lie down on the floor beside him at night and "sleep by-if" him. 

Benjy loves drawing and coloring. He draws pictures of spiders, robots, monsters, and other things. He is always eager to do an art project or craft. 

In the last few months since Eli has gone to school, Benjy has blossomed into a book lover. We used to have the hardest time getting him to sit still during story time, but it seems when he can pick the book and have one-on-one attention, he is all ears. He loves Harold and the Purple Crayon, I Love You Stinkyface, and other books. 

Some things I remember about Benjy from when he was littler (since I wasn't blogging then):

He used to want oatmeal for breakfast every morning. He called it "Mommy-o."

He loved to wear socks on his hands.

He had the funniest way of drinking- he would fill his cheeks with a huge mouthful of water and then swallow it in many successive gulps.

Remembering Grandpa John

Our family just got back from attending the funeral of my grandpa John. He passed away Thursday, November 13 surrounded by my grandma and most of his children. He was 89 years old and had been suffering from poor health for a number of years. I knew my grandpa well from having had the privilege of spending lots of summers and vacations with him and my grandma during my childhood and teenage years. He was sharp as a tack and had a true engineer's mind for numbers. He had a quick wit and loved to laugh. He was always bantering with grandma, telling jokes, and embellishing stories from the past to the indignation of those who remembered "how it really happened." As some of his friends recounted as his funeral, he was personable and genuinely interested in other people. He loved watching his  BYU Cougars and Fighting Illini play football and basketball. And of course, everyone who knew him knew how he loved his Chicago Blackhawks.

Emmeline and I took a trip in September to visit my dad and grandparents in Chandler, AZ where they were living at the time. They moved down to Arizona to stay with my uncle Rick about two years ago after my grandpa suffered from a fall on the ice at home in Rockford. They returned to Rockford just a few weeks before my grandpa's death, and he was able to pass away in their home of 50+ years surrounded by loved ones. It is sweet to me that I got to see my grandpa one last time before he died, even though his memory and mental acuity were greatly diminished. He got to meet Emmeline as well during that trip.  

 

Justin, the kids, and I flew out Monday night to be there for the funeral on Wednesday. We got to see family we hadn't seen in a long time, and in some cases, ever! I had never met most of my Waite relatives except for Uncle Willis. Willis is the husband of my grandpa's late sister, Beverly, who passed away three years ago. He and his four sons, Bill, Randy, Jim, and Tommy were there. 

The Gonzalez-Landgren cousins were also there. My Grandpa John's other sister, Shirley, was married to my Grandma Janie's brother, Andy. So my dad has a set of cousins that I call the "double cousins" who share both sets of grandparents in common (it's a little confusing- I'm not sure if that even made sense.) Anyway, those neices and nephews of my grandparents were there-- Bev, John Arthur, Sonny, and Joe boy. 

My grandma's only surviving sibling, Bill, and his daughter Kelle were also there. We got to see many of these relatives the evening before the funeral at Stockholm Inn, where my grandpa (who was a full-blooded Swede) loved to eat.

Uncle Willis and Tommy

Sonny and Bill

Bev, John Arthur and his wife, Grandma

Dad, Mom, and Rick

Jim Waite, Dad, Rick, Tommy Waite

My brother Dave and his girlfriend, Patricia

Uncle Willis and Rick

Mom and Jim Waite

Uncle Bill and Dad

John Arthur and his wife, Uncle Bill, Rick, Joe boy

Sonny and Kelle

The funeral service took place Wednesday morning at the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints on Alpine and Rural. My grandparents are lifelong members of the LDS church and have attended church in that building since the 1950's. The service was a touching remembrance of my grandpa, the life he lived, and the beliefs he held, including the eternity of families. 

Grandpa's good friends, Jack Ward and the Horsleys

Cutest people alive

Uncle Art with me and Emmie

My parents and their posterity

All six of us Landgren kids

Lena Clayton and Emmie

Lene and Benjy

Grandma with some of her grands and greats

Grandpa John's kids (minus Rick who was still at the grave site)

My cousin Becky Casillas and her husband, Nico

My aunt Nancy Piper and her family

Me and my cousin Shauna Clayton

The Clayton family

Nancy, Sonny, and Kristy

Emmie with Uncle Bill

Grandma with the Waite family

This is the obituary that was posted in the paper:

John Landgren

Obituary

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• "Thinking of the entire Landgren family during this sad..."
  - Kelly McDonald-Perry

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JOHN DAVID LANDGREN, 89 ROCKFORD - John David Landgren, 89, passed away peacefully, Thursday evening, Nov. 13, in his home, surrounded by his family. He was born October 31,1925, to Arthur and Bertha Landgren, of Rockford. He is survived by his wife of 63 years, Janie G. Landgren. They were married in The LDS Temple in Mesa, AZ. He was a loving and devoted father to Kristin Landgren, Los Angeles, Arthur Landgren, Rockford, Nancy Piper (Arthur Piper) Loves Park, John D. Landgren, Jr. and Richard Landgren (Lynnette), Phoenix, AZ. He is also survived by 10 grandchildren and 7 great-grandchildren. He graduated from BYU in 1950 and continued his education at the University of Illinois in Civil Engineering, graduating with honors. He was duly elected a member of the scholastic fraternity, Tau Beta Pi, class of 1953. He was President of the Holm-Page Co./General Contractors. He served as President of the Northern IL Building Contractors' Assoc. and was active in the American Institute of Architects-Associated General Contractors. He dedicated his life to service in the LDS church, serving as a Missionary in the Northern States Mission; Youth Athletic Director and Bishop of the Rockford Ward; Patriarch of the Beloit, WI Stake, (serving So. WI and No. IL) and a member of the Presidency of the Rockford Stake. He was an avid golfer, always enjoying the adventure of a challenging course. He played tennis, basketball and he enjoyed fishing. He acquired his love of ice skating and hockey from his father, a professional hockey player in Duluth, MN. He was loved and respected by all who had the privilege of knowing him. Visitation will be held from 9 to 10 a.m. Wednesday, Nov. 19, 2014 in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, 620 N. Alpine Rd., Rockford. The funeral will begin at 10 a.m. at the church. Burial will be in Scandinavian Cemetery. Arrangements by Sundberg Funeral Home Ltd., Rockford, IL.

- See more at: <http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/rrstar/obituary.aspx?n=john-landgren&pid=173180806&#sthash.6B0Fd3GY.dpuf>

   

Hey Pilgrims and Eli's Big Question

On Thursday Eli had his first school music performance. The K/1 kiddos sang songs and talked about Thanksgiving and the pilgrims. It was so, so cute to watch them and hear their cute little voices singing together. All the kids had a short speaking part, but we didn't know when Eli's was going to be. Luckily our camera was rolling when he recited his line. "They were looking for freedom and a better life..."

This was a couple weeks ago now, but I wanted to remember what happened one Sunday after church. Our lesson that day had been about protecting our homes against evil influences in the media. Part of that is establishing a good relationship with your children so that they can come to you if they've encountered material that is objectionable, whether accidentally or intentionally. One lady had commented and said that by age four or five, children have already established what things their parents are and are not comfortable talking about... the implication being that the kids aren't going to broach topics that the parents aren't comfortable talking about openly. It got me to wondering if our kids would feel comfortable asking us anything they had questions about. So on the way home, we talked about what Eli had learned in class that day, and then I told them that the parents had learned about not getting angry or upset when their kids told them the truth. I told the boys that their dad and I promised that we would never get angry or upset when they told us the truth. I also promised they could ask us about anything and we would always give them a truthful answer. Then I asked Eli if there was anything he wanted to ask me a question about. He started, 

"Well, yeah, um, I just..." 

I steeled myself for the worst, afraid of what he might ask but prepared to follow through with my promise...

"I just..."

(Deep breath)

"I just, I wish I knew how they made cars. Like, is it with machines, or how do they get all the pieces that go inside?"

(BIG sigh of relief). "Wow, me too buddy. I wish I knew how they did that. Let's go home and see if we can find out."

Whew. That could have been a lot worse. I don't feel like I'm ready for my sweet Eli to be asking tough questions... but that time will come before we know it. I may not be off the hook so easily next time, but for now I'll take it.

Apples and Artwork

The other day Benjy helped me core some apples for applesauce. We were lucky enough to get a bunch of apples from some church friends, so we spent the morning getting them prepared to cook. Benjy was super excited about making applesauce and kept begging to help. He actually turned out to be great at cranking the peeler corer thing. The coring attachment is a little loose and kept rotating away from the apple, so I would hold it in place while Benjy turned the crank. The apples came from our friends' yard so I let him munch on the "strings" (peels).

The kids have been making a lot of artwork lately. I feel like the kitchen counter is always brimming with papers and artwork Eli makes at school. Yesterday he brought home a "scary" Mayan mask he made at school. Benjy saw it and immediately wanted to make one too. So he made one with his own special touches, like the scary robot mouth. I don't know what I was doing when I was three, but I'm pretty sure I wasn't cutting and drawing as well as Benjy is. He cut out all the parts of the mask-- by himself (except for the little green scraps, which I cut and he glued on). After he finished, I tied some string on both boys' masks so they could be scary monsters. 

This is a picture of "Jackson"... Benjy told me the story behind it, but I couldn't remember it all and he wouldn't retell it, even when I feigned tears.

The last picture is of one of the worksheets Eli brought home from school. It asks what is one thing they learned from the John Smith and Pocahontas story. Eli wrote, "The indeens got sic frum the mscedos." That would stick with me too.