Happy Birthday Ben!

It's official according to Jake he told me I know longer have a "baby!" My "baby" has turned one! We are on to the next most blissful 8 months of life...NOT! But who's complaining, because honestly this kid is the sweetest. We just love him so very much.

Pancakes for his birthday breakfast..

He learned to clap on his very first real birthday! I was totally excited and so was he!

His cute little face he always makes...

Then the screaming face he always makes...

Here he is showing off how happy it makes him when we clap with him and yell, "Yeah!!"

Clapping all the day long now...

Here's to birthday cake #2. Because tradition at our house is that the first birthday cake MUST represent something funny or quirky about the child. So with the obvious feature that just is noticed by one and all...his lovely mop of hair! So of coarse it HAD to go on the pumpkin cake.

Which he LOVED.

 

He's going in for the kill...

YUM!

 

So good...his second time around he totally figured out what to do with it...EAT IT ALL AT ONCE!

I'm one blessed Mommy to have such a darling sweet little boy. I couldn't be happier with my little one year old baby. I love every ounce of him.

He's done being sticky and no longer wanting to be eating cake or taking pictures! Lucky for him it was off to a bath and bed. We had a great day celebrating with our family. Happy birthday my little baby!!! Oh, before I forget to mention he has started walking. Funny enough he's been cruising around from appliance to couch to railing, to where ever. It's ADORABLE. He's my very first baby to learn to take multiple steps before his actual first birthday! Good job Benny!

Random Happenings

So, a regular occurrence at our house is having a LOUD thud hit our window. I used to think it was the boys tossing balls or toys up and accidentally hitting the window. Until I'd look around and realize the boys are with me. So we have learned that when that thud hits the window it's a bird or two. It's honestly SAD. Not once, not twice but multiple times each week we have birds hit our windows. We've had some land and die (sadly) on our table out on the patio. Or we've had some lay there for several minutes then get up and fly away. It always gives me the shiver...ahhh

Well, this morning Uncle Riley (The Wildlife Biologist) happened to be there when two birds hit the window. So out he went to the patio and he swooped up the bird lying there and brought it in to show the kids. My boys ended up becoming brave enough to pet the little birdie.

Then there is Krista's daughter brave enough to hold the little chipper bird until it took a little snip at her finger and off she let it fly!

 

Once silly morning my kids had found all their babies...

I  love their imagination and how well they play together. I hope as cheesy as it sounds that they will remember how good of friends they were as kids.

Four kids on Ben's first birthday.

My favorite chubby clean baby. I realized an entire year went by and I haven't taken a chubby bath picture. Sad!

I love him!

We had our first snow storm of the year! The boys were in HEAVEN! Let's just say Jake was THRILLED he got to play in the snow when Alayna had to run off to the school bus. Look how cute Caleb is waving to me! I love this happy child.

They played all morning long.

Bring on the winter...baking, sewing and playing inside doing puzzles, games, reading. Oh, I really do like how life slows down. Love it! (But don't get me wrong I do want blue skies and sunshine!)

Early Birthday Celebrations

We had a family dinner last night with family that wouldn't be able to share in the celebrations with Ben's real birthday this upcoming weekend. So to include one and all I decided to make a cake. Well, lucky Ben he was born days before Halloween and his Middle name just happens to be Jack. So what else could I make other than a "Jake-o-lantern"

The best I could come up with after a very busy Sunday...They are always super crazy days...

One excited little boy...with yes, always crazy hair...if only I had put hair on the pumpkin...
Yeah. Do you see him holding up his number 1 finger to notify us all he's one...Yeah, that was totally planned...or just lucky!

Not sure he is enjoying the texture of the frosting...We all know he likes to be dirty, so it must be something else...

The siblings who were SO SUPER EXCITED to celebrate his birthday early!!! (I love that Jake put a pumpkin on Ben's head! And that Caleb is totally CHOWING multiple pumpkins in his mouth!)

Yum.

Loving his cake.

One happy One year old...soon to be in a few days! We love you our little baby!!!

A few hours in the life of my boys...

So these picts are from several days ago, but they are still hilarious to me. These boys decided that after doing their jobs of vacuuming that they would make an obstacle course. It was hilarious video of them running, jumping, rolling and making their way around the vacuum hose.

 

I found Ben stuck in the bathroom. I was just glad the toilet was closed! Honestly, how did he get himself there. The funny thing was he wasn't even crying. I just realized he was missing and then I found him. I was tempted to have him stay there a little longer, but I did rescue him after I took a few photos.

 

He managed to work his way up to the toilet...and enjoy some delicious toilet paper for an appetizer before lunch.

 

Caleb is in a little neighborhood (old ward) preschool. He loves it. The moms take turns teaching a few days a month and it's so fun. I had a BLAST coming up with some activities.

This was the letter M sticker worksheet.

The other day Jared took Jake to get his first library card, since he turned 5. Well, apparently there is no age limit any more so Caleb also came home with his own. He was hilarious though because apparently Jared gave the boys quite the lecture about WHERE the library books are allowed to be in our home. Because Caleb came running inside and showed me this receipt and said, "It says NO library books can go in your room. They MUST stay downstairs on the bookshelf!" It was priceless. I of course took video of him telling me all about him getting his very own "Cwedit Cawd" So funny.

Ben has discovered our back deck. And since the weather has been so great he's been playing out there nearly every day! He walks along EVERYTHING because he's learned quickly his knees don't like to crawl on the rough tile.

He also cruises walking behind his little push toy. It's adorable to see him go racing by!

By Benny! The other boys doing what they do best. Playing imaginatively...doing who knows what, but it's either, playing house "Dad and Big Brother" or "Santa" or "Disneyland" or "Vacation" - I just love these boys. Honestly, my mornings are so enjoyable with them!!!