Bennett's Birthday

Well we had a pretty good birthday for Bennett Boy! I had wrapped all his presents the night before, so they were sitting out when he woke up.  We videoed the whole thing, from him getting out of bed, to walking downstairs, to opening all his presents, so we don't have any pictures! But he was definitely spoiled. 

I went upstairs to get dressed and this is the result of what happened in those two minutes! He somehow climbed up on the piano and grabbed my cake platter that was holding these (and other...) cupcakes and pulled it onto the floor! Luckily they were covered in plastic wrap because it kind of held them in place... Needless to say, some of them survived, but these were the unlucky ones! 

This called for an early birthday cupcake...

... he mostly just liked the frosting!

After nap time, we got a package in the mail with some presents from Grandpa and Grandma Dowse! He liked getting to open more presents... 

Then we painted with his watercolors that he got.

We had to work on dipping in the water and then ONE color... he liked to dip, dip, dip!

We played the piano a little... sometimes he gets a little crazy and likes to put his feet up there! Gross. I'm trying to kick that habit.

 LITERALLY 30 seconds before everyone starting showing up, he was running and tripped on the rug under the coffee table.  He caught his whole body weight right on his head, and we heard a loud crack! This was followed by screaming bloody murder and a HUGE popped blood vessel/goose egg.  I felt so bad! It freaked me out to look at it.  He has definitely had his share of bonks and bruises, even goose eggs, but I had never seen anything like this. Poor baby...

This is the dinosaur cake! Definitely not perfect; I am for sure an amateur at cakes... but I will always give it a shot!

Bennett was so cute and blew out both of his candles by himself! AWESOME! (we videoed this... hence no pictures.)

The Group... it was a little crazy, but so fun! You can kind of get a glimpse of my lovely 9-month pregnant body... blah. Get this baby out of me!

He liked his cake and ice cream :D Happy in spite of the ginormous bump on his head! Lets just say that some children's Tylenol may have helped his mood a little bit...

All the kiddos!

Yum!!

Happy Birthday Bennett! We love you so much. 

2 year old Bennett

I know, I know. Too cute to handle, right? Well guess what? This boy is turning two!!!

I can't believe it's been two years since he was this little...

Bennett-isms:

"I YUV that!" (I love that. He'll say this most enthusiastically! He will sometimes add in "I yuv blank" when talking about something specifically)

"I jumped very so high" (Gotta love those filler words!)

"Oh my word", "Oh my goodness", "Oh my gosh" (all things he repeats from yours truly! Although the last one I don't like hearing from him... so I'm trying not to say it much ;))

"Mama, what am I sinking about?" (he asks this question all the time, and his answers are so genuine and hilarious! He'll say 'doors' or 'blankets' or 'bablanas' {bananas}, etc. What a cutie!)

"Woah, you see dat?" (when he does something he thinks is SO cool :D )

"Um, hmmm. Yeah, I tink so" (this is his response to MOST questions... it's so funny! I don't know where he got this from, but he will usually say all three together.)

"Yeah, dat's right" (another statement he uses frequently that he  got from yours truly!!)

"I need help!" (I taught him to say this instead of just whining or crying about something... it comes in handy!)

"What's my name?" (He'll ask this and then respond with "My name BENNETT!!" Then he'll say "What's Mama's name".  I always smile and tell him "Mama, silly!". Just yesterday I said that, and then he crinkled his little nose at me and said "Ma... SAL!" in sort of a 'you can't trick me' kind of voice! I guess Bryan calls me Sal most of the time :D It's hilarious the things he picks up from Bryan and me!)

"I gotta be so careful!"

"Quarter, Quarter, Half Note" (I teach piano, so he hears me doing this with my students, and will walk around repeating it long after they leave!)

And so many more...


Bennett's Favorite Things:

He loves building forts, reading stories, singing songs, doing puzzles, playing with cars and dinosaurs.

Some of his favorite books are: The Three Billy Goats Gruff, Wolf's Coming, We're Going on a Bear Hunt, Seven Blind Mice, Bearenstein Bears: The Spooky Old Tree, etc. He loves reading stories!

Some of his favorite songs (that he will sing with/for me)are: Rock-a-bye, don't you cry (a Grandma Hamblin special!); Let me call you Sweetheart; The Itsy Bitsy Spider; Three Little Monkey's jumpin' on the Bed; ABC's; "The Temple Song" (I Love to see the Temple); Jesus wants me for a Sunbeam; Once there was a Snowman; I Love Trash; etc. (I know I'm forgetting something!)

Favorite songs that he doesn't sing:  "The Jesus Song" (I'm trying to be like Jesus); Whenever I hear...; etc.  He will usually ask for "Just ONE more song, mama" after every song... :D

He is starting to tell me when he needs to go to the bathroom.  This is awesome news for potty training! I am not quite ready to tackle this task, though. I think I'll wait until Elise is at least a few months old... He likes to sit on the "big boy potty" though! Just the other night he sat there and said in a strained voice: "I know it's coming..." TMI??? Sorry, it was so cute!

Recently he has been on this kick where he will buzz or roll the beginning of a word if the second letter is an "R" or and "L".  EX: blue, please, bread, etc. Silly boy.

He is sleeping in his big boy bed! We are soooo impressed and relieved that he has transitioned to this so well... although sometimes when we go in to check on him before we go to sleep, it's like playing hide-and-seek because he will climb out of bed and fall asleep in funny places!

He speaks LEAPS AND BOUNDS over what is "normal" for two year olds... he amazes me everyday!

He will walk up to me with his blankets and say "Mama, I need to cuddle" and then lay his head on my shoulder.  So sweet!

Another one of his silly favorites is to be "wrapped up".  He'll come up to me with his blankies and then wants me to wrap him up like a burrito so his arms are tucked in, but he can still walk around.  

He knows how to turn the piano on, and more specifically, the demo songs on. Then he will sit there and move his fingers like he is playing the songs! So funny!

He will climb on the piano bench and say "Sing the I Love Trash song!" This comes from the Reader's Digest Children's Songbook, and he will sit on my lap with his hands on my hands while I play and sing.  Then he will want to sing She'll be Comin' round the Mountain and many other fun songs in the book. This is one of my favorite times!!

He hates if there is something weird on his finger, or if a finger nail has broken and it's hanging off.  He will hold out his hand and say "Mama, fix my finger". 

He LOVES Daddy.  When daddy is home, he will always want daddy to do puzzles with him, or daddy to get him some juice, or whatever it is. 

He knows all of his colors. 

He can recognize the letters: R, O, B, and S

He knows all the names of his dinosaurs. (He'll tell you the color too! Ex: Blue triceratops... with excellent pronunciation :D )

He will count to about 15 before he starts getting confused with all those "teens"!


The NOT so sweets: 

He still LOVES to throw all the books on the floor.  He will just run up to the book shelf and swing his arms back and forth to knock them all off.  I think he mostly loves my reaction to him doing this, so I have been trying to not show any emotion when he does this, but just ask him to help me clean up the big mess.  Then he'll sing the "clean-up song" while we put them all back on. I would love to be able to kick this habit, but I don't think it will happen anytime soon! 

Lately he will go grab any picture frame he can reach and throw it on the ground.... Of course this results in broken frames and glass.  Ahh! One of my biggest pet peeves.... Anyways, I've had to move them to avoid this, but then I am left with these big empty spaces in my decorating. Hmmm... oh well. 

Sometimes he will still go play in the potty.  This is only if he is REALLY riled up, but nevertheless, it's icky! I try to keep the upstairs doors closed as much as possible, but sometimes they get left open. 

"MINE".  I hate this word, and I don't know where he learned it. He will say this now when playing with his friends.  It usually comes out in a grunted "miiiiinnnnnneeee", so we always have to have talks about how, yes, that may be "yours", but we are going to share our toys with our friends so they will share theirs with us!

He used to throw HUGE tantrums where he would throw himself on the floor and scream and cry for sometimes 30 minutes, but he hasn't done this in a while.  At first, I think my reaction to this would cause it to be prolonged, but I prayed and prayed about how to deal with this.  I feel SO much more calm than before and can just allow him to cry (in the corner) until he is done.  Because he is not getting a big reaction from me, he might scream for a second, but he knows I'm not going to give into what he wants, so he stops.  It has been so nice! I think the biggest part is communication.  I just tell him what is expected and give him choices, then he can choose from that.  It has worked wonders! I love having a good communicator! 

............ 

Wow, I could go on and on about this sweet boy of ours! He truly is SUCH a joy in my life.  Bryan could tell you that it's almost every night that I sigh and say "Oh I just love my Bennett boy!" He is busy and curious and sweet and smart and I just love him to pieces.  It breaks my heart to watch him grow up so fast, but I am trying to cherish EVERY moment with him. 

HAPPY BIRTHDAY BENNETT! I LOVE YOU SO MUCH!

Philadelphia Zoo

We went to the Philadelphia Zoo yesterday! We just got a year pass (thanks to Grandma and Grandpa Duffin) and LOVED it! It was definitely not the most ideal day to go, just because it was snowing, but it was so nice to not have crowds.  Bennett could run and see all the animals without fighting for a spot to see.  It was awesome! It is nice to have this so close so we can go pretty frequently.  Bennett, Elise and I will definitely be coming here a lot! Oh and we can bring two guests with us, so when YOU come to visit, you can come too :D Here are some pictures from our day.  

I love that he is starting to smile again for the camera.  He went through this phase where he wouldn't ever smile when the camera came out.  Now he gives us his awesome "cheese" grin! Love it!

So handsome!

Bennett LOVED the reptile house...

This turtle was having a hay day and was swimming right up against the glass like he was trying to get out.  It was hilarious! B loved it...

Our friends, the McGhans, got year passes too, so they came with us.  Here are two of their three cute kiddos. Oh and Bryan and John :D

Hello!!! Bad dad moment... he was scolded right after I took this picture. haha That scared me so bad! (PS: Bryan is the BEST dad... it was just a moment of not thinking!)

What could be more fun than chasing the geese?

Looking at the Zebras

Bennett, Lottie, Chaplan

Cutest little thing

Stopping for a lunch break in the Monkey house.  He loved watching the orangutans and gorillas!

 It was so much fun.  We can't wait to go more when the weather gets warmer too! It was also good for this pregnant lady to get out of the house and walk around.  Whew! Just a few more weeks left! 

Speaking of that... Here is a picture of Bryan taping off Elise's room for painting.  I can't wait! Her room is coming together.  I'll definitely show some pictures when it's all done.  

We have been doing LOTS of projects around here lately.  We painted a dresser for Bennett's room and painted our kitchen chairs.  Yesterday we also found (with the help of the McGhans) and awesome buffet for our dining room area.  I have been looking for one, but this one is perfect! So our house did a little rearranging yesterday. HAHA! Anyways, once it's a little more organized, I'll post some pictures.  

PS: My mom flies out a month from today for the BABY! I hope she comes early... crazy!

Boston Trip

Bryan has had this whole week off for spring break, which is RARE  for him being in school and studying non stop.  So we took advantage of that time and went up to Boston for a few days to stay with my cousin Claire and her family! We left Friday morning and loved the drive up there.  It is so fun to live so close to so many states and big cities... it was such beautiful countryside too! 

Saturday morning Claire watched Bennett for us while we ran to the Boston Temple to attend a session.  The Philadelphia temple has had a few delays with the construction, and our temple district is DC, which is a 3 hour drive! Needless to say, it's hard to get there. So while we were staying just 30 minutes from one and had a baby sitter, we decided to go! It was SO nice and relaxing, a much needed time.  Claire was so kind to bring Bennett to the temple, so when we were done they were waiting there for us! 

Then we headed straight downtown and parked at the Boston Commons to start the Freedom Trail.  It was freezing cold outside and Bennett didn't have much of a nap, so he was kind of a grumpster. AND I'm a fat, waddling pregnant woman and my feet get sore after just a bit of walking. YAY! But we braved it for a bit and enjoyed walking through the city! 

We had to stop and watch these street performers dancing.  Bennett was entertained for quite a bit!

My two handsome boys.

This is what he really wanted to be doing the whole time! One busy boy...

On Sunday: Bennett in his sunday clothes! He got this cute little outfit from Grandma Mimi.  

After church on Sunday, we got to have dinner with some of my good friends from back home that also live in the Boston area: Lindsey (Newman) Rhodes and Karlie (Ady) Rhodes.  They used to be in Claire's home ward growing up, and then moved to Alpine and went to Lone Peak with me.  Then they were all in the same ward in Concord, MA before Claire and Michael recently moved into their new home.  Anyways, it's a small world, and it was so good to see them and their cute families!

On Monday, Claire took us to the Museum of Science in Boston.  This was SO much fun! She has passes for a year and can bring guests with her, so we are so grateful that we could go with her.

Bennett fell asleep on the way there... at first I couldn't tell because he was wearing his sunglasses, but he's definitely konked out!

Looking at the big T-rex

Poor little B had a bad cough that day... just one of those dry asthma coughs. Ahh! I hate that.

Looking at the Triceratops skeleton. He LOVED looking at all the dinosaurs.

Going in one of the Apollo replicas... I am so bad and can't even remember what the actual name is! It's the one that landed on the moon for the first time (I think...) :)

Claire and I with all the kiddos!

He was so apprehensive to touch this little stuffed bear! 

Love this face :D ("Is this ok, Mama?")

Cute Jay... He is such a happy baby!

So many things to touch and explore...

He loved pulling out all these drawers and looking at the animals inside. 

This was a cool little contraption where these balls would drop through all sorts of different things... you could watch this all day!

A fun little children's play place... 

We had SUCH a blast! Every night, Claire, Michael, Bryan and I had a big game tournament.  On the last night we tallied all our scores from all the previous nights and found the overall rankings.  Bryan pretty much CREAMED us all for some reason... haha he does not usually have that great of luck, but he just kept winning everything! 

Anyways, it was an awesome trip, and we had so much fun seeing family.  So close, yet so far! Thanks again Owen family for the fun vacation.