Cunningham Falls and Antietam: July 2, 2011

David's brother Jae flew into Baltimore for the long fourth of July weekend. On Saturday, we journeyed to Cunningham Falls for an afternoon 3 mile hike. Although it was a hot day, the shade from all of the trees made our hike quite enjoyable. The kids did great. David carried Jacob in a backpack and I ended up giving Kate a piggyback ride on the return trip. Kate loved using her hiking stick...even when I was carrying her! The falls were pretty, but mostly it was just nice to enjoy nature and get some exercise.
At the top of the trail there was a nice little nature center that the kids enjoyed. Amanda got some cute pictures!


After our hike we ventured on to Sharpsburg, MD to the Antietam battlefield (the bloodiest single day of the Civil Way). As a teenager, Amanda's family visited Antietam for their traditional concert and fireworks show. It was a great night, although we had to park more than 2 miles away. I was grateful David was smart enough to bring the double stroller. We enjoyed listening to the Maryland Symphony Orchestra and watched some great fireworks. I was nervous that Jacob would be scared, but he ended up being the least scared of the three! It made for a long day and a late night, but definitely well worth it.

Washington D.C.: June 28, 2011

Ben, Kate, Jacob and I ventured to Washington D.C. for the first time thanks to Amanda, my sister-in-law. She and her kids made the incredibly long trek from Texas to visit us....and of course all the sites we are near. The kids were so excited to have their cousins visit. It had been a long time coming for them! During our day in D.C., we successfully navigated the Metro and were able to first see the Library of Congress. It was beautiful. Ben was quite disappointed that they did not have kids books that he could check out!



Next, we walked to the Supreme Court Building. Unfortunately they were in session so we were not able to go inside, but we did take some photos on the outside.

Amanda was able to get tickets for a Capitol tour which we did next. I really enjoyed that and again marvelled at the beauty of the Capitol. My favorite part of the tour was viewing the dome. It was incredible. I was hard to believe that the Statue of Liberty could fit inside the dome and the painting on the top was larger than 4,000 square feet.


We really enjoyed D.C. but, it definitely wore us out! It was like going through airport security every time we went inside a building. Although I understood the importance, it was tough to do with 3 little kids. Next time....I'm bringing David! This is a picture of us on the metro on the way home. Kate was wiped out and I wasn't too far behind!

3's Preschool Graduation: May 26, 2011!

Kate had a wonderful year of preschool. She is definitely a social butterfly so this was no surprise! She was so excited to get her bug kit (she remembered Ben getting one the year before). She was very insistent that she would be getting one. I informed her that she wouldn't be getting one, but what do I know? She did!


Kate loved all of her little friends, but John was her favorite.

Kate can't wait to be in the 4's class next year. Who wouldn't...in the 4's class you get to be the trash helper!

Kindergarten Graduation: June 14, 2011!

Ben loved every second of Kindergarten. He was spoiled with a brand new school and he absolutely loved his teacher, Mrs. Cox.

I teared up at the graduation ceremony when the kids sang, "The World is a Rainbow." They were all wearing tie dye shirts they had each made. I wasn't expecting to cry, but somehow I wasn't surprised! Ben learned and grew so much this past year! We were all surprised to see David show up at the last minute. It took great effort for him to be there. Ben was so excited when he spotted him in the crowd.


And of course, whats Kindergarten without your first crush? This is Olivia and I have to admit I was proud of Ben's choice. I thought she was the cutest too.

Our First Visit From the Toothfairy!

Ben has had two loose teeth for quite some time. We attempted to convince Ben to let us pull them out but he was determined to let them fall out at school. If they fall out at school they get to go to the nurse's office and get a special box for their tooth. Ben got sick of waiting and asked David to pull the first tooth out. He was so excited when it came out and even more excited when the tooth fairy came. He even wrote her a thank you note and drew her a picture the next day at school. He had to figure out how to give it to her so he asked David to pull out the second tooth the very next night. What a true Behrmann.....you get a taste of money and you'll do anything to get more.....even if it's only a dollar! Ben informed me that the tooth fairy would be leaving him two things on the second night. One for the tooth....the other because he worked so hard to make his handwriting look extra nice on his card. He's a smart boy. How can you disappoint that?


If you look closely you can make out the bunk beds (Ben is on the top bunk, Kate the bottom). The tooth fairy has a dollar in her very large bag, the tooth is on top of the ladder, and the light fixture is on the ceiling!


We have two little boys in our house.....one losing his teeth....the other working so hard to get them. Together they now complete the full set!

Kate's Surgery

Little Miss Kate held onto her original ear tubes for 3 years. And they only came out because they were surgically removed a couple of weeks ago. She was a perfect angel the entire day. She didn't even complain that she couldn't eat and was so excited to go to Daddy's work. She loved every minute of the attention. My favorite part was when she woke up from her anesthesia. One second she was fast asleep and the very next she shot straight up in bed. You can't keep her down for long! In addition to removing the tubes, the ENT took a small deposit of fat from behind her ear to create fat grafts inside her ears to close the holes. Hopefully they will take. On the way out, I asked her if she had fun. She said, "YES!" Then I asked her if she wanted to do it again tomorrow. "Um........well....no that's okay." She thought about it though!

Green Machines!

Ben has really enjoyed t-ball this season. He is proud to be a member of the Green Machines. He has definitely improved from the beginning of the season. When we first started he use to run to every ball, regardless if he was playing 3rd base and it went to 1st. He has mastered his ready position and now stays put in his "area." The team has graduated from the tee to coaches pitch. Ben gets a piece of it every now and then.....definitely something we need to work on. Maybe it would help if we bought him a bat?! Sometimes I wonder if he can see when he wears the helmet or if one of these times he just might bite that tongue off. I was grateful at the beginning of the season when he seemed to be the only one who would keep his white pants clean.....didn't last long. His favorite part.....running the bases and sliding whenever he gets the chance. Kate LOVES going to the games. She remains the social butterfly of every game and of course can't wait for snack time! And Jacob...happy to be a spectator...as usual.