Growing up-17 Months

He waves "bye bye," can sip from a straw, and is wearing more shirts without snaps. And, though I'm trying even now to block it from memory, he certainly did climb/fall out of his crib the other day. By all appearances, our Bennett bear is growing up.

Living in the day to day mess and excitement of it all, I often receive these newsflashes from other people-whether it be family, mom friends, or grocery store strangers. And with surprise I agree, "Yes, I guess he is getting taller" or "no I didn't notice his hair was so much more blonde." Sometimes it's the tags in the back of those tiny shorts which tell me my baby is getting bigger. Or the ever quickening disappearance of groceries. Didn't we just go shopping?

Anywho, it's July and Bennett is days away from 17 months. Oh.my.goodness. So I thought it was about time to give an update on my littlest boy. In true mommy fashion, I'll be writing about Evan next. Needless to say 3yrs is a hoot. A hoot. Back to B...I took this picture of him earlier today for "cow appreciation day" at our local chick-fil-a. Will "moo" for chicken...so cute!

Full of cool dude moves and curly blonde locks, he is a feisty, sweet, and endlessly hungry mommy's boy. He prefers crayons over cartoons, and loves playing with his big brother. His most common nickname lately is "baby-zilla" and you can imagine why. Most everything he touches turns to mess. So yes grocery store stranger, this one does keep my hands full.

My hands are full. I am so thankful for both of my growing boys!!!

And lastly, a few mommy markers for future reference...(that are likely just exciting and noteworthy to this mommy, feel free to tune out here!)

• Bennett has six teeth now, and more on the way. Praise the Lord for teething tabs!
• He is usually in bed by 7:30pm and wakes up a little after 7:30am. Just recently we've successfully transitioned from 2 naps to 1. He was much more ready than I was! 
• We've finally discovered one food he doesn't devour-watermelon! Who knew?
• For the first time EVER he's started to be interested in the TV for more than say, 2 seconds? Thank you Yo Gabba Gabba, I'm sorry I ever trash talked you. 
• Just moved up to size 4 diapers this month, say it isn't so! 
• Still fits well in 12 mo clothes, with some 18 mo(pj's) sprinkled here and there. 
• He got his first "goose egg" AND cut within 2 days of eachother, the first a misstep on the playground and the second a nasty fall involving a colored pencil.  I'm thankful we've avoided these bigger boo boos for 16 months, and hope to miss them for a while yet! However, it's becoming pretty obvious that we have BOYS. 
• He is becoming much more verbal now, especially when the paci is on a break. Outside of his many nonsensical musings, he clearly says dada, mama, hi and bye, ball, baseball, quack quack, crack-er, Piper, nana, what sounds like water and the beginnings of some two word phrases like thank you.

Picture Lane

Every once in a while I get this craving to pick up my camera and very simply shoot. I'm not sure if it's because these boys of mine are growing way too fast and I want to capture every moment, or truly because I just love taking these pictures. Like catching up with a close friend after a short season of silence, my camera doesn't sit idol for too long without calling out to me. And when I pick it up by it's pink polka dotted strap and hang the awkward weight of it around my neck, inspiration and focus and happiness abounds. Unless you're going for that perfect Christmas card photo, in which case...disaster lol.

On Saturday we had a post office errand downtown and I took it as the perfect opportunity to spy out some old and new photo ops.  Just for fun, this post is sprinkled with photos from the not so distant past. Remember this colorful place?

Bennett above at 16 mo, Evan below 19 mo

Sometimes I think I'd like to do nothing but just take a walk with my camera. Yes please.

Then and now...can you believe how quickly he's become a little boy?

  

I love these colors below. Somehow they remind me of Greece and no, I've never been there. I have seen "The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants" though, and surely that counts for something. ;-)

I love this one above but am kicking myself for leaving the good lens at home. Surely this smile speaks louder than portrait quality anyways right?

 

I promise there's much more than blue here.

 

And below, one of those really cool ideas gone awry. But, somehow I think I like this better...one for the "happy accidents" file. 

That concludes this photo stroll for the day, until next time old friend!

To Grandma's House we...went!

Last week the boys and I traveled to PA for our much anticipated trip to Grandma's house. Early Saturday morning we loaded snacks and sleepy babies and backed down our driveway for Bennett's longest roadtrip yet! Just 6 and a half hours later, we met Grandma and Grandpa Tim at the Pennsylvania state sign.

The boys loved every minute with Grandma! We ooed and awed at zebras and giraffes at the Philydelphia zoo, played big at the local Chucky Cheese, saw the sharks at the Adventure Aquarium and more! At home the boys enjoyed waking early(a toddler's version of sleeping in I'm convinced), playing outside with the ducks or at the park, and getting in as much snuggles in as possible.

I especially loved our time at the zoo. We couldn't have dreamt up a more beautiful day to go and the animals were stunning. The big cats were a bit stubborn but the giraffes, rhino and zebra's more than made up for it!

 This is Evan being a Bear. Boy does he make me giggle...

 Did you know turtles eat watermelon?!

 

Moving along, here are some more pictures from our trip. Our week went by unbelievably fast, and we're already counting down the days till our next Grandma fix. On our way home Evan came alive with stories from the zoo and the aquarium, and is still tickling my ears about sting rays and Mike the Mighty crocodile. :-)

While Evan was a wonderful traveler, Bennett turned out to be a bit of a handful. Thankfully this smile is worth every bit of car seat drama! Thanks again for everything Sharon, we love and miss you!

Meal Plan Monday!

Saturday-Lasagna and salad
Sunday-Cinco de Mayo fellowship dinner with church care group, Mexican style!
Monday-An unusually early 5:30 teeball game=dinner on the fly.
Tuesday-Chicken noodle soup, it's gonna be a rainy day after all.
Wednesday-Burgers on the grill, farmers market fruit/veggie of choice for sides
Thursday-Spinach tortellini...this is becoming a Trader Joe's staple
Friday-Breakfast for dinner, blueberry pancakes with oven baked bacon

You'll notice two new additions to this week-Saturday and Sunday. I rarely if ever plan weekend meals, but am trying to start. We do usually have one built in "go out" night during the week, but often veer off course on the weekends. Our grocery budget may squeeze into a new belt hole, but I know it's much cheaper than eating out and will save money overall. Unless you're talking Little Caesars that is....we are SO doing pizza for lunch this week!