Vacation

Midland, then Ruidoso, then back to Midland again! Benjamin had a blast on his summer vacation. He spent the first several days acting shy, then became Mr. Personality. Paige (22 months) was a little uncertain of "Baby" and "Amanka", and she never did warm up to Greg. Big Daddy (my dad) showed Ben the geese at the pond, which Ben found hysterical. Kate (my mom) introduced him to M&M's, another big hit. And sweet Paige shared her Mr. Potato-Head with anyone who would play with her. Ben's favorite part of the whole trip was swimming in the blow-up pools and the big pool at Ruidoso!

Tasty treats

Today Ben had his first popsicle.

He much preferred blue Crayola marker.

Summer nights

Mosquitos, rides in the red wagon, and Mom's Frappuccinos . . . That's summertime in The Woodlands! For the record, Ben cries if I don't share my Starbucks with him.

Loves me, loves me not

She loves me.Loves me not.

SHE LOVES ME!!!

How big is Ben?

SO BIG! At fourteen months, he thinks he's big. Big enough to start the dishwasher. Big enough to get on the elliptical (and fall off of it, too). Big enough to use a cell phone. The list goes on and on. He's still our tiny-mite, no matter how big he gets.

Triple Threat

Three's never a crowd with these cousins! Three's trouble for us adults, though! Ben, Caitlin and Jacob enjoyed a late evening sugar high at the golf course.

My camera is back!!

Fridge Art

Click to play | Make your own Smilebox

Table Manners

Etiquette is something that goes by the wayside with this little boy! He loves to gobble up rice cakes (never mind that he still won't eat PB&J), while he rests his toes on the table. A rice cake can go a long way during the cranky-before-dinner hour. I have to put Ben in the high chair so that the dogs don't take his cherished snack!

Boys Day Out

After a bunch of dental work yesterday morning, I needed some R&R, so Greg and Ben enjoyed a boy's day out. They hit the park, Home Depot and WalMart. And of course, they had a blast!

April news

Since my camera is in 'the shop', I've neglected the Blog a bit. Thought I would give all my far-away friends an update on Benjamin, sans pictures. Ben loves to say "Daddy", "Doggie", "Uh-oh". He can say "Mom", but I don't think he knows it's me yet. He loves sweet potatoes, French toast and blue berries. Loves, loves, loves walking around the house with a blanket draped over his head, and yes, he does run into things. He loves his MP3 Player from Target. Loves rough-housing with his Daddy every night. Loves to dance. He walks everywhere now, and has started to run just a bit. He does some version of touch-down, high-five, and sticking out his tongue. He gives really big open-mouthed kisses to anything and everything! He HATES peas and green beans. He's not crazy about corn, either. He cries every time we pull down the attic stairs (the sound, maybe?). He's scared of a little yellow bear that talks, and a green glow worm that sings a night-night song. That's all for now . . . Stay tuned for pictures as soon as I get my camera back!

Reality

I've been posting all of my favorite (sweet, posed, perfect) pictures over the last year, and some 'real' pictures seem long overdue. Ben loves, and I mean loves, sticking his fingers up his nose. I ignore him, and yet he persists. I suppose he is rewarded often enough for his efforts. Gross. And the last picture is his "I'm so cool, I did a one-armed touch-down for Mom" face. I love this kid.

One is fun!

Lots of firsts . . . First birthday, first candle, first massive dose of sugar. Ben had a great day! He seemed to know the festivities were planned, and so skipped his afternoon nap. He was quite the prince. When the last guest left and the sugar high wore off, thankfully, he took his nap.

Life with dogs

Benjamin loves, and I mean loves, his dogs. He also loves their accessories. Yesterday I found several pairs of my underwear in their water bowl. One morning Chloe was barking in the utility room (where I keep the water bowl), and the bowl was so full of Ben's toys that she couldn't get a drink. It's rare, but Ben does hang out in their dog bed from time to time.

My sanity . . .

Tonight I was washing out a pot, when Greg yelled "AMANDA!!!" and ran across the kitchen to rescue Ben from, well, himself. I think I aged five years. Two minutes later, I opened the dishwasher door (camera in hand, just in case) and Ben climbed up like he'd been doing it all his life. He took his first steps yesterday. Pray for Ben's safety, then pray for my sanity!!

Double Trouble

Ben and Paige kept the grown-ups on their toes this weekend at the cabin. The babies played with tennis balls, then swapped some spit and shared their colds. We had a great time!

11 Months!

Eleven months, already. Ben has moved out of the infant tub and into the big boy bath. He loves this time of day, and I think would gladly play in the bath for hours each night if I'd let him.

Berries

Benjamin loves his berries. Raspberries and blueberries seem to be the current front-runners. Thank heavens for Oxy Baby!

We think the first step is right around the corner. He's been standing for about a week now. Ben is into every little thing in this house, and slowly but surely learning how to stay out of the dog's water bowl!

 

TGIF!

 

Touch Down!

The latest trick. Just in time for the Super Bowl!

 

Night, night.

The burst of energy we get out of this kid every night just before bed time is unreal. He's all giggles, catch me if you can, silly little boy. Reminds me more and more of his silly daddy.

 

Gonna Git You!!!

This is our favorite new game . . . "Gonna Git You". We play it all day long. Benjamin makes this incredibly high-pitched squeal sound, crawls over to me as fast as he can, then dives into my lap. And giggles. Then we both giggle. A lot.

 

Merry Christmas!

Merry, merry, merry Christmas! We had such a fun day, and Benjamin even slept until seven o'clock, a great Christmas present for Mommy! Our house is now filled with primary colored plastic noise-makers, as Ben made a haul. We ate cinnamon rolls, read Luke Chapter 2, opened gifts, and enjoyed watching Ben discover all of his new goodies. We wish each of you the merriest of Christmases, and always His perfect peace!

Christmas Lunch

An early Christmas lunch with the Burketts and the Bulcrofts. Ben wants to type, here it goes . . . hn n h76gg7ybg. That's "Merry Christmas" in baby-talk.

Tool Bench

We decided to open a couple of Ben's presents a little early this year. Christmas morning will probably be more than a little overwhelming to Benjamin . . . He loves his new tool bench (thank you Big Daddy & Kate). Yesterday I got to open my new digital camera (thank you Jim and Diane), so a little practicing was in order! Very merry!!

Santa's Little Helper

The back of these jammies have embroidered "Santa's Little Helper", as if they weren't cute enough already. Ben stays away from the tree, but occasionally plays with the presents.

 

So Silly!

Silly is as silly does. Benjamin was determined to get me to play with his foot. I guess that's more fun than posing for a picture. Thank you Sarah for the darling Christmas bib. And thank you Jim for the on-going camera loan!