The Binker Family Blog

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noreply@blogger.com (Mark and Marla) — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 01:46:00 +0000

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Happy Birthday Max!

noreply@blogger.com (Mark and Marla) — Mon, 08 Mar 2010 13:38:00 +0000

Max celebrated his 3rd birthday at Chick-fil-A with 14 of his friends and a visit from Baby Cow. He could not have been happier playing in the play area, eating chicken, fries and fruit, demolishing a cupcake, and dancing with the cow. Thank you to everyone who helped make his special day so wonderful!

and here's a slideshow of all the photos:

and a few videos!

Spanish for Fun Birthday Party

noreply@blogger.com (Mark and Marla) — Fri, 05 Mar 2010 01:13:00 +0000

Today Max celebrated his upcoming birthday with his class at Spanish for Fun. Since it is his friend Connor's birthday just one day after Max's, he shared the spotlight and the cupcakes.

A Pirate's Life for Max...

noreply@blogger.com (Mark and Marla) — Mon, 01 Mar 2010 20:56:00 +0000

This week, our Monday playgroup explored the life of pirates. Max and his friends dressed up, listened to stories and rhymes about pirates, decorated a pirate picture, and went on a treasure hunt. Hungry from all that hard work, they had a pirate snack, too. Thanks Danelle!

Zing Zang Zoom! The Greatest Show on Earth

noreply@blogger.com (Mark and Marla) — Sun, 28 Feb 2010 19:36:00 +0000

Last night we treated the boys to the Greatest Show on Earth, Ringling Brothers' style! Everyone had a great time, despite the crowds and the nosebleed-section seats -- we had an awesome view of the entire show from the very top row. The show that came to the RBC Center in Raleigh is called Zing Zang Zoom.

First we visited the elephants, tigers, horses and zebras at the Animal Open House. It was a bit cold and Max wasn't sure he wanted to be so close to the tigers. Then we went down to the floor to check out the pre-show. Mason tried on a circus costume and met a few of the stars. There were so many people that we couldn't see much of the painting elephant or the clown act, and we headed up to our seats.

When the show started, the boys were mesmerized. Mason's favorite parts were the human cannonballs, the clown on the motorcycle, and the acrobat who jumped through a flaming hoop. Max's favorite was the clowns. Mark liked the tigers and I liked the elephants and tigers.

Robot Theater

noreply@blogger.com (Mark and Marla) — Tue, 23 Feb 2010 02:19:00 +0000

Happy 22th!

noreply@blogger.com (Mark and Marla) — Tue, 23 Feb 2010 02:15:00 +0000

Today, February 22nd, is the 18th anniversary of Mark and my first kiss... yes, I remember the exact day, place (on Chia-Hui's bed in AMR II, Johns Hopkins University), and what it felt like to finally be kissed by that intriguing boy... I am so very glad that Nancie told him I liked him and oh-so-glad he decided to act on her advice. I love you more than I can say, Mark, and I can't imagine my life without you. Happy 22th.

Robot Playgroup

noreply@blogger.com (Mark and Marla) — Tue, 23 Feb 2010 02:00:00 +0000

Today was our turn to host our Monday playgroup. Since Max has been very interested in robots lately, I chose that as our theme. We read "Hello Robots", made robot puppets, and, of course, had a robotic snack.

A Rare Treat for Max -- Only Child for a Morning

noreply@blogger.com (Mark and Marla) — Tue, 23 Feb 2010 01:41:00 +0000

Mark took a week off from work to do some things around the house and spend quality time with the family. On Wednesday, we decided to give Max a special treat -- going to the Museum of Life and Science while Mason was in school. It was wonderfully empty (those of you who have been there on a sunny Saturday understand why this was wonderful) and Max had a blast exploring the Dinosaur Trail, toddler area, and space stuff. In the butterfly house, we watched the first flight of newly emerged butterflies; one landed on Max's hand and another hit him on the cheek. He was thrilled to have the undivided attention of both his parents, but he missed his brother and definitely prefers NOT to be an only child.

Happy Valentine's Day!

noreply@blogger.com (Mark and Marla) — Tue, 23 Feb 2010 01:33:00 +0000

Valentine's Day started bright and early; the boys woke up at 6:28 am and marched in to present me with the cards they had made. Mark made chocolate chip pancakes for breakfast, we opened cards from grandparents, bought new Legos at Target and spent time putting them together and playing. In the afternoon, we watched the Olympics and played Mariokart... a fun and relaxing day for all.

Building Project #3

noreply@blogger.com (Mark and Marla) — Tue, 23 Feb 2010 01:25:00 +0000

After playing in the snow, we headed to Lowe's to build something... this time it was jewelry organizers. The boys made one for me for Valentine's Day and another to give Grandma Fran for her Raleigh home. Perhaps not the most exciting project for little boys, but they do like hammering!

Another Snowfall

noreply@blogger.com (Mark and Marla) — Tue, 23 Feb 2010 01:13:00 +0000

On Saturday, February 13th, we had yet another decent snowfall. This time it didn't stick to the road and therefore didn't shut down the city. Not enough on the ground for sledding, but there was enough for a snowball fight. The best part was that we weren't too sick to enjoy it!

Día de San Valentín a Spanish for Fun!

noreply@blogger.com (Mark and Marla) — Tue, 23 Feb 2010 00:09:00 +0000

Last Friday, Max and I spent the morning celebrating Valentine's Day with his class at Spanish for Fun. The kids danced and sang, made necklaces for their moms, created playdough shapes, and played outside. Later they shared Valentine's cards and treats with each other. Max had a great time, and I enjoyed getting to know his friends.

Valentine's Playgroup

noreply@blogger.com (Mark and Marla) — Thu, 11 Feb 2010 15:12:00 +0000

Max's Monday playgroup re-convened this week after a long holiday break. We celebrated Valentine's Day with stories, dancing, a pinata, and lots of treats. The kids made gifts for Mom and Dad -- thanks again Tracy! -- and had great time.

And a few videos to get the full effect of the dance party...

A few videos...

noreply@blogger.com (Mark and Marla) — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 22:48:00 +0000

For more, visit the MBinker Channel on youtube.

Snow!

noreply@blogger.com (Mark and Marla) — Thu, 04 Feb 2010 16:39:00 +0000

On Saturday morning, we woke up to this...

about 6 inches of white stuff on the ground. In Raleigh, that is a LOT of snow. It shut down school for 3 days and there was not much to do other than play in the snow and watch movies. Unfortunately, a nasty stomach bug ran through our family at the same time, limiting our enjoyment... but we did all try sledding for the first time, make snow angels, throw chunks of snow at the car... lots of family fun.

What happens when you put a 6-year-old and an almost-3-year-old on a sled together:

Rrraaaawwwrrr!! Like father, like son?

Max made a new friend...

Our Baby is Growing Up

noreply@blogger.com (Mark and Marla) — Mon, 25 Jan 2010 20:40:00 +0000

On Sunday, Max woke up like this...

and went to bed like this...

Yes, we sold his crib and changing table and bought him a big boy bed. He loves his robot comforter and is quite happy with the whole thing (not so big brother, who was distressed that things are changing). Hopefully he won't fall out of it every night like he did last night. Now, if we could just get him to use the potty consistently, we'd really have a big boy.

Building Project #2

noreply@blogger.com (Mark and Marla) — Mon, 25 Jan 2010 20:34:00 +0000

On Saturday we returned to Lowe's for another Build and Grow Workshop. The boys made tic tac toe games. Once again, it was a ton of fun!

Batman and the Princess

noreply@blogger.com (Mark and Marla) — Mon, 25 Jan 2010 20:29:00 +0000

Most Friday afternoons, Mason attends a Spanish class with several of his old friends from pre-school. While Mason is learning to read and write in Spanish, Max is upstairs playing with the younger siblings... sort of a bonus playgroup for him. He has a lot of fun dressing up with Princess Arden and Coco and Dylan... this Friday they practiced turning Ms. Melissa into a frog with their magic wands.

A few videos...

noreply@blogger.com (Mark and Marla) — Fri, 22 Jan 2010 01:02:00 +0000

Here are a few recent videos of the boys doing their stuff. If you're interested in seeing more, check out The MBinker Channel on Youtube.

I am a Paleontologist... that's who I am, that's who I am, that's who I ammmmm.

noreply@blogger.com (Mark and Marla) — Wed, 20 Jan 2010 13:11:00 +0000

On Monday we took advantage of the school/work holiday and a warm day to visit the Museum of Life and Science in Durham. The museum has a new Dinosaur Trail exhibit and the boys loved it. (For those of you mystified by this post title, please refer to Here Comes Science by They Might Be Giants, our boys' current favorite cd. We highly recommend it as a fun and educational for the whole family.)

Mason's Dinner Project

noreply@blogger.com (Mark and Marla) — Tue, 19 Jan 2010 16:16:00 +0000

To earn a feather for his Y-Guides' vest, Mason, aka Growling Wolf, had to plan, prepare, serve, and clean up after a meal for the most important woman in his life (that would be me). His assistant Snoring Wolf and he chose this Sunday to complete this mission.

When asked what I might like for dinner, Mason decided that pork chops, broccoli, and bread would be good. Mark helped him pick a recipe with apples and onions and added rice and brownies to the menu. We all went shopping on Sunday morning to procure the necessary ingredients.

Baking challah takes a lot of time, so they had to start first thing in the morning. Then they had a break until later in the afternoon, when it was time to make the brownies and knead and shape the dough. But the real action started later -- cooking pork chops and rice on the stove. Max and I watched a movie during much of this exercise.

Dinner was delicious, and Mason did a great job. Mark did an even better job remaining patient, explaining everything, and giving Mason appropriate tasks. I think they may have even had fun.

Aarrrrrgh!! Avast ye scurvy dogs!

noreply@blogger.com (Mark and Marla) — Tue, 19 Jan 2010 16:06:00 +0000

Mason and Max really like their new pirate jammies.

Builders in Training

noreply@blogger.com (Mark and Marla) — Tue, 19 Jan 2010 15:52:00 +0000

Last Saturday morning we took the boys to a building workshop at Lowe's. They made coin banks. The class was perfect for Mason -- he was very into hammering the nails and figuring out how the pieces fit together. Max needed a little more help... We will definitely go back and build something again soon!

New Year's Eve

noreply@blogger.com (Mark and Marla) — Sun, 10 Jan 2010 19:23:00 +0000

We celebrated New Year's Eve with this crew -- the Bradley Foo family and the Taylor girls. We've known both families since we moved to Raleigh, so they are among the boys' "oldest" friends.

Mark made a few new friends...

The kids played, the adults ate appetizers, and at 6 pm we rang in the New Year blowing horns.

Then it was time for some more fun -- the Bradley Foo boys taught the Binkers how to play Mariokart on the wii.

What could be more fun than games and food with friends?
Happy New Year to all!