Recent Happenings

Not much has been going on with us lately. We've had some beautiful fall weather in Bellingham, but the days are getting to be grayer (and wetter) so that means more days inside the house for me and the boys. It's not so bad yet since Benjamin is pretty content with helping me in the kitchen (he's great at helping to unload the dishwasher) and reading stories. A recent favorite is this library book:

Our ward recently had a chili dinner and Pinewood Derby. Paul raced a car that he made for the Construction Management program's Pinewood Derby a couple of years ago. He came away with second place and awards for "Most Aerodynamic" and "Best Wedge Shape," but the person who won first place only borrowed the car from someone else and didn't actually make it. And it was pink. So... you know what I'm saying? A lot of love went into the making of Paul's car, so I think his victory carries a little more weight. Not that I'm competitive.

Here's Paul's car ready to race (third from the left):


And here's Benjamin showing off the prize:

Benjamin is definitely "two," which is a statement that I hope speaks for itself. As I mentioned before, he loves reading books so we've been doing that a lot lately. It amazes me that he can sit through some lengthy stories and ask for them over and over again. Other things he's not so good at sitting through. Like shopping. Recently he's taken to demanding to sit in a "baby chair" when we go to the grocery store. That's those carts with a plastic baby seat for infants. If he sees one, he absolutely refuses to sit in another shopping cart.

Here's a recent shot of Benjamin putting toys away. I was pretty impressed with his idea to ride the Pooh car while pushing the shopping cart full of toys in order to get them both to the bedroom.

And this is the most recent picture we have of Rhett.

We may have already posted it but I didn't check before writing this. Dozens of people told us, after watching the billionth slide show of baby Benjamin pictures, that we'd never take nearly as many pictures of subsequent children. I never doubted the truthfulness of that prediction, and I'm glad I didn't because it's true.

Rhett is just as cute and lovable as any 4-month-old can be. I just love his babbling, and his smiles just melt my mama heart. As far as milestones go, he's been rolling over for a little while. I'm not really on top of milestones and such, but I'm sure the doctor will be when I take him in next week. Now, I'm not one to boast about my kids' percentiles because I just don't think it matters that much as long as they're normal and healthy. I've known some people whose babies were just small, and they worried enough about their babies' growth without having their friends boast about their 99th percentile chunks. And really, I'd rather my kids not be taller and, especially, heavier than 99% of their playmates. So I probably won't be posting any stats when we get them, no matter what they are. But I do want to share that Rhett, just shy of four months old, is wearing a 9-month sized outfit today. Although, with how they size baby clothes, that could mean very little. (Still, Paul is itching to sign Rhett up for BYU's football roster.)

That's all I have to say for now, since Benjamin has unpacked the contents of the camera case and is trying to plug things into the computer.

Proud Mama Moment

Benjamin said his first sentence today: "Dada goes fast."

He said it as Paul was pulling away in the car to go back to work after lunch. And no, he wasn't speeding.

He often puts multiple words together, but up until now I've never heard him say something grammatically correct. I know most people really don't care, but thanks for reading this anyway. Like I said, it's a proud mama moment.

(The picture is a couple of months old. We're still working on getting him to hold still long enough for a decent portrait.)

Harvest Fun

This past weekend we enjoyed a fall visit to Stoney Ridge Farm. It was a beautiful clear fall day. We went on a hay ride, picked a pumpkin, wandered through the apple orchard, Benjamin went on a kids train ride, we purchased apple cider, and had a good time.

Blackberry Treats

Where we live in Washington blackberries grow abundantly. We have a decent production going on in our back yard, but they can really be found about everywhere you go in town.


If I was more ambitious I might endeavor to make blackberry jam or something - free berries, after all. But for now I'm not. Instead, we've devoted many a juicy blackberry this summer to a tasty concoction referred to in our house as "Blackberry Treats." Paul's mom shared this cobbler recipe with us when she came to visit this summer and we're sold on it. So simple. So quick. So, so tasty!

Easy Blackberry Cobbler

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Place 4 cups fresh blackberries in a lightly greased 8-inch square baking dish; sprinkle with 1 Tbsp. lemon juice. In a medium bowl stir together 1 egg, 1 cup sugar, and 1 cup flour until mixture resembles coarse meal. Sprinkle over fruit. Drizzle 6 Tbsp. melted butter over topping. Bake for 35 minutes or until lightly browned and bubbly. Let stand 10 minutes. Serve warm with ice cream. Makes 6 servings. (Or, if you live in our house, 3 or 4 servings.)

Could I say it any better than this?

Baby Benjamin

I had the sincere intent of writing a heartfelt post on Benjamin's second birthday. But that was a week ago. It's been hard to find enough time in a day--especially a birthday--to write on the blog.

However, for the past week I have not ceased to be amazed by my two-year-old little boy. He's all grown up, or so it seems.

I look at three-month-old Rhett in my arms, and it seems as if just a few months ago that was Benjamin. And wasn't it just a few months ago? Just 24 short months?

It seems that 24 months is all it took to turn my little baby into a little man. And I know it's only going to go by more quickly from here.

He made a surprise, but oh-so-welcome, entrance into the world on a beautiful September morning. When the nurses in the delivery room announced that I was "ready to go," suddenly I didn't feel so ready. Tears came to my eyes as I realized that my life was about to change forever. And I wasn't sure I was ready for what was about to happen. Not because I didn't want to be, but because I already loved that baby boy so much that I knew I would have to be better than I was to deserve him.



He has been lighting up our lives ever since.

Seven weeks

Twenty-two months

He loves his dad and his brother, and he loves doing boy things.

Seven months

One year

Nineteen months

Twenty months

Twenty-three months

Two years

Like any little boy, he loves to explore his world. And he's usually not tidy about it.

Thirteen months

Fifteen months

Eighteen months

Twenty-three months

Two years
(Who needs food or dishes for a new kitchen when you've got a tool set and race cars?)

He is so sweet to his mama (with the obvious exception of those Terrible Two moments), and is my best helper.

Four months

Seven months

Ten months

Nineteen months
(This is actually when he stayed with his grandparents for a few days. Don't you love how he's putting real food in the shopping cart? I do.)

Twenty months

Two years

He loves the Cougars! This is obviously something that Paul and I have promoted, but he has run with it like I never expected! He loves to don his Cougar attire and can be heard several times a day cheering, "Rah rah rah rah... Cougars!"

This is his "Cougars Hat" which I made for him in case it was cold at the BYU vs. UW game (it wasn't). He is in love with it! On this particular day he insisted on wearing it while we went grocery shopping, and Paul said he looked like a homeless boy.

We celebrated the big day fairly quietly. With a coupon from Fred Meyer I brought home a free "fancy cupcake." When Paul came home for lunch we stuck two candles in it and let Benjamin practice the big blow-out.

Later we had some friends over to sing and help us eat the cake and ice cream.

He didn't eat any of it. Can you believe it?

So what can I say about this boy after 24 smile-filled, laughter-filled, love-filled months? Not nearly enough. Only that he really does light our lives.

Every single day.

Move Over, Soothie...

Unlike Benjamin, Rhett has been very fond of the pacifier. But recently he has discovered the self-soothing capabilities of his thumb. He's not consistent with it yet, so he still uses a pacifier, but I'm voting for the thumb. Like I said, self-soothing. Our kids will probably have braces anyway.

Snoozin' Update

Benjamin's sleep in his big-boy bed has gone so much better since the first nap! We think he just needed time to get used to it. Still, he doesn't always sleep soundly. And he doesn't sleep late anymore. The past few mornings he has been up early. And it's nearly impossible to get him to go back to sleep. This morning we wound up with the whole family in bed together: Rhett because he's always there anyway, and Benjamin because something woke him up early and he wouldn't go back to sleep by himself. He was like a little sleepwalker this morning, something I hope doesn't become a habit.

Today he was nearly falling asleep at his high chair at lunch so I put him down for a nap. I had to return him to his bed a few times before he finally fell asleep. About halfway through his nap I heard a loud thud, and a cry. I think he fell off the bed. But it was quiet after that. A while later I went to check on him and found this. Apparently when he fell off the bed he only made it part of the way back on.

Official