Sunday, April 26, 2009

Self Portrait

We just got back from a very fun trip to the Texas Hill Country (future post) and I was looking through pictures on the camera from our trip when I came across this picture along with a few others of random walls in our house. At first I thought our camera must have been malfunctioning, and then I remembered that this past week Benjamin brought the camera to me saying "mommy's, mommy's, mommy's" as he often does when he brings me things he's not supposed to have. At the time I was just relieved that the camera still turned on and seemed to be working and that he hadn't done any damage to it. It never dawned on me that he might have turned it on and taken a few pictures. So, drum roll please......here is his first self portrait. :-)

Tuesday, April 21, 2009

Help! My Son Said a Bad Word!

One of the funniest things about Benjamin learning to talk is that sometimes what he is trying to say comes out very different than the way it should. His latest word is chip. Since Corn chips are something he can have even with his allergies, we often send them to church nursery for him to have instead of crackers, take them to restaurants, etc. He also has a Disney book based off of Beauty and the Beast in which Chip is hiding from Belle on each page and Benjamin loves to find him. But alas, this word comes out backwards, without the "ch" and pluralized. We went out to eat this past weekend and took food for Benjamin, including some corn chips. He dropped one on the floor and as we were leaving the restaurant he saw it and pointed it out very loudly. We left quickly, hoping no one was staring. Then today I went to the grocery store to get some things and went down the chip aisle. I never usually go down this aisle, but we are getting away this weekend and I just felt like something fun and munchy for our trip. As I wandered down the aisle trying to decide on what to get, Benjamin kept saying "chips, chips, chips!" Except of course it did NOT sound like chip. I'm pretty sure the lady stocking candy across the aisle must have either been chuckling, or thinking I was a terrible mother. Meanwhile, I don't know whether to correct him loudly (which I actually did about 10 times), or let the laughter I'm feeling on the inside come out and let the lady in the aisle really think I'm setting a terrible example for my son. But let me tell you, while I may have refrained from laughing in the store, I'm getting it out now while I type. :)

Thursday, April 16, 2009

A Baby Shower

Two weeks ago Benjamin and I took a little trip to Indiana to visit my sister Rachel and her husband Craig and to throw my sister a baby shower. It was so much fun to see my sister's cute pregnant belly and to feel their little miracle actively moving around. I'm pretty sure that little one kicked my hand a time or two. :) How exciting for Benjamin to get to meet his little cousin in a couple of months! It was also great to get to see the rest of my family the day of the shower. My dad took Benjamin out with the boys and got some grandpa time in during the shower, which allowed me to actually host the shower. Then we all got to hang out the rest of the afternoon, which was fun.

Benjamin did SO well on the plane. I know that was God's hand on him because he is such an active little kid and sitting still on a very full plane for over two hours is not something he would normally do cooperatively.

I took well over 100 pictures while I was there, so deciding which ones to post was really hard. Be warned that there are a LOT. :)
My sister Abby loving on Benjamin
I love my sister Beka and her fun personality!
Gift opening! (My sisters Melody and Esther at the ones in the background.)
Presents!
The Diaper Cake and the fabulous edible cake made by my sweet sisters.
Yummy Food!
Rachel and her friends
The baby bottle hot potato game

Opening more gifts
And yes, it did have to snow while I was home, just to show me how much I LOVE Texas weather. :)
Cute preggo profile!
Where there are parks, Benjamin is happy!
Benjamin just loves "U Cai" (Uncle Craig)


My sweet hubby sent me flowers while I was in Indiana. It's a little scary when a big guy comes to the door of a home you don't live it and says "I'm looking for Sharon." Especially when said big guy doesn't even bring the flowers to the door until he's verified that he has the right house. But the flowers were beautiful and brightened my day!
My brother Joel had to work the day the rest of my family came up, so he came up later in the week to see Benjamin (and me as well)

All dressed up for the cold in Aunt Rachel's slippers
We went to this place called Science Central and had so much fun. Here I am attempting to pull both myself and Benjamin up with a pulley. Lets just say my upper body strength could use some work. ;)

Ah yes...The fun mirrors. This is me and my sister showing off our sexy long legs and stubby short tops. heeheehee!
Above: Benjamin playing in the water at the Science place. There was a whole area for kids his age, but he was much more interested in the big kid stuff.
Below: Benjamin riding the animal that he thought was an elephant outside Science Central.

Monday, April 13, 2009

Big Boy


This has been a big weekend for us. I'm not usually one to get teary-eyed over milestones, but I confess I've been close to tears several times the past couple of days as it seems Benjamin is becoming such a little boy and is no longer my little baby. First off, he told me on Saturday that he needed to use the potty. Unfortunately I was unprepared and had not yet purchased a potty seat for our toilet, so he was too scared to actually use the big potty, but it was a milestone none the less. And the second milestone was that Benjamin moved to a toddler bed last night. It's really not a huge change. It's still a crib, just with one side removed, but for some reason he just looked so big getting into his bed by himself and acting like it was no big deal. He stayed in it all night did really well. And when he woke up this morning it seemed like he was talking even more clearly than before and acting so grown up. So this morning as I sat outside and looked at the toys all over the yard and listened to Benjamin making truck noises as he drove his truck up my leg, I was struck once again with how quickly life changes. Two years ago I didn't even know if God would ever allow me to be a mom, and today I'm thanking God for giving me the incredible privilege of being Benjamin's mommy. Life with a toddler is definitely crazy, but I wouldn't trade it for anything in the world!

Saturday, April 11, 2009

Mirror Image

I know it's been a while since I've updated, and I'm still recovering from travel and also preparing for Easter, so this isn't really an update either. But I wanted to post this cute picture of Benjamin that was taken when I was in Indiana. More pictures and updates coming sometime next week!