FREE Day at the Zoo!!

Who knew there were FREE days at the zoo!! Our ward went for the weekly playdate. Of course it was packed so Tahnie, Brynner, Ben and I stuck together and explored the zoo while occasionally bumping into people we knew. We had a blast. It was hilarious to see Ben actually react to the animals this time. He would point at them and say "OOOhhhh!" while sucking in his breath. It was awesome. He is turning into a little boy more and more every day!

This is Ben riding a monster catapillar.

He wasn't too sure how he felt about being a turtle

But riding a crocodile was awesome!

Obviously not at the zoo, but how can you not love the naked bum running around! So mischievious this one!

We are getting a new washer and dryer next week which I am beyond thrilled about. But poor Ben has no idea that all of the knobs on his favorite toy are about to disappear! So sad!

What a Month!

It seems that Ben has grown up all at once this past month! He stood up in his crib all by himself for the first time. He sleeps ALL the way through the night. He waves bye-bye. He has two teeth on the bottom. He has figured out how to crawl, peg-leg style and is working on climbing the stairs. He babbles on and on all day. He has decided he does not want to be rocked before nap time, just a hug and a kiss will do. And he has successfully weaned himself and is loving real people food, especially cookies.


When I came in to get him from his nap, he was standing up clapping. So proud of himself

He loves to stand up and then plop on his bum in the tub.



Here are some other fun Ben facts:

Favorite Foods:
Oatmeal, graham crackers, apples, mac and cheese, juice, pizza, monster "pumpkin" oranges (thanks meg and luke!) cookies, and ice cream

Favorite Things:
Fold laundry, rides in the car and jog stroller, playing, hiding from daddy, tubby time, being carried by mom (as much as possible), anything involving dogs, turn lights off and on, play with the knobs on the washer, open and close doors

Not so Favorite:
He is TERRIFIED of door stops. You know the boingy things on the back of doors. He HATES going through the car wash


The "Peg Leg" Crawl.


Ben's babbles.

Christmas Favorite Moments

So I decided that to give the Christmas post its full glory, would take me almost a lifetime to complete. So I am now just posting highlights because let's face it, it is February already and Ben is doing hilarious things right now that I really want to show off. But don't worry I will still post my latest attempts at "photography" from S. Congress Street sometime soon.

This is what happened when someone else tried to hold Ben while I was around. Total meltdown.

Yeah for boats!


Ben really really did like swinging . . . the second time around.

Ben loved presents. Sally was such a great helper. She showed Ben how Ollie the pig oinked.

Ben and Weston in their big boy jammies. Wow. This was as close to still and happy and it got for the two of them at bedtime.

Cooking with Grandma!

Tutus for the nieces. Made by yours truly!

Ben thought the back massager was best used for tickle torture!

Christmas Eve

There is a street in Salt Lake called Christmas Street, and I thought that there could not exist a more festive street during the holidays. I stand corrected. There was this street by my in-laws house that went above and beyond when it came to Christmas decorating. We walked down it Christmas Eve to get into the spirit. Ben didn't make it to the end.

Christmas Time in Texas Part 1

This Christmas we took Ben on his first airplane ride ever to Austin, Texas. He was relatively good until we started the decent. Then he completely lost it. But we survived. (Luckily the plane ride home was MUCH better.) Here are some of the adventures we had while we were in Texas:
Our first adventure was "Linda's Famous Tour of Austin." We rode caravan style through Austin to get a quick yet close up view of Austin's best attractions. We went down to the river and drove over "bat bridge," we drove to the boys schools, through the city center, through the University of Texas campus and my absolute favorite stop was S. Congress Street. There will be multiple posts to come to show off my favorite parts.



We tried on cowboy hats and boots at Allen's Boots. By far the the most insane shoe store I have ever been into!! (Stay tuned for more sweet pics) Holy cow. They had sting ray boots. That's right, boots made out of sting ray skin! They only cost $4,000.00 Little pricey for my blood.

We had the most delicious cupcakes I have ever tasted in my whole life that were served from an airstream trailer in the parking lot. (again, more pictures to come) My darling husband stood out in the cold to get me one!

This is the face Ben makes when he sees me after someone has kidnapped him.

We visited the most outrageous costume store I have ever seen in my whole life. Any kind of costume or accessory you could possibly dream up was to be found in this store! Floor to ceiling and wall to wall costumes. Crazy!

All We Want for Christmas . . .

is Ben's first tooth!!! Shortly after I posted my laments about the horrors of cry it out I discovered the source of our problem. Ben was finally teething!! His first tooth broke through on Dec. 15th. It was such a relief to know that there was a reason for his crappy sleeping, but also a horror to realize I was about to get an education in sleepless nights with a hurting baby. This last week has been pretty horrific at night, but I know that he is waking up in pain, which makes it easier to take care of him. It does feel like I am starting over and going back to his one month sleep schedule. Poor little guy. Any secrets about teething from you expert moms?

1st Trip to See Santa

Once again Ben has proved to be my offspring. We went to see Santa and he was terrified. Oh man. He hated it, but we have really funny pictures of it. I don't have the picture from the mall up yet, but I will. He saw Santa again at a family party a couple of days ago and that is the one you see here. Enjoy!

Christmas Came Early!

Since we will be in Texas on the big day this year, we celebrated Christmas with my family before we left. We had a lovely dinner where Ben discovered Grandma's yummy rolls. Then we opened a few presents, went to Erik's choir concert and came home to finish up opening gifts. Ben was all about the presents, but mostly all about the bows! My favorite gifts are still family secrets so I can't spill the beans yet, but don't worry. You will know soon!

Missing My Pooch : (

My last post reminded me that this will be the first Christmas in 14 years that our little wiener dog Reeses won't be with us. So sad. Who will open the stuffed Barney doll and steal all the chocolate? Tear. Sigh.

Who Needs A Tree . . .

Since we are going to Texas this year for Christmas and our broken Christmas tree is a HUGE pain to put up and we won't be able to enjoy it on the big day, I figured that this will have to do.
Pretty much this is amazing! I LOVE this kind of dog. Scott thinks they are ugly, but I think they are beautiful. (Thanks Kim for posting this pic. It made my day!)

Nine Months Old!!

How did he get so big and grown up so fast?! I have tried to memorize him every day to make sure I don't miss anything, but it feels like I have missed it all!! Every day he is becoming more of a little boy and less like my little baby. He is so funny right now. Some of his favorite things to do are kick and scream with dad, anything involving water, splashing in the bath, eating broccoli stalks and quesadillas, talking on the cell phone, pulling all the magazines off of the coffee table, picking up very tiny objects, singing in the car, playing the piano, and being attached to his mother. He has always been a momma's boy, but lately he has taken it to a new level! Nobody except mom is okay. Which is wonderful and horrible at the same time.

Ben's First Hair Cut

Before . . .


During the Main Event . . .


After . . .




Wow. That was hard, and turned out incredibly uneven! So I had to get the barber kit and even it out later, but at least he doesn't look like he has a haystack attached to his head!

Eternal Cry It Out . . .

I am sick to death of cry it out. I can't stand it any more. It isn't working for Ben anymore. He is just constantly hysterical. I am at a complete loss of what to do. Stick to my program, because once I change it I have ruined everything? Keep listening to Ben scream? Or find a new approach. Any suggestions from you veteran moms out there? HELP!!??!

Goodbye Hair!

Well, not completely. Ben's hair is getting quite out of control. So I am attempting a trim today!! Wish me luck!