Brooke's Birthday

Brooke had a mermaid themed birthday party while we were in town, so Josh was lucky enough to get in the middle of all the girly action. They dressed up in mermaid tails, painted their faces (Josh wanted none of that), went on a treasure hunt, and raced a crossed the room pretending to swim.

The kids had so much fun!

Nights in Bunkerville

The nights in Bunkerville usually looked just like this during our visit home.

There's pretty much nothing that makes me happier.

Sweetheart

Lately Josh has turned into the biggest sweetheart! Not that he hasn't always been sweet, because he has, I guess the difference now is that he's started to voice his feelings. It's the best! He tells me at least 10 times a day that he loves me SO much, and loves to give hugs and kisses. He also tells Beau and I that we are his best friends all the time.
He's really into emotions in general right now. He recognizes the different emotions around him and likes to point them out. He's told me a few times lately to stop being mean if I'm getting after him for something, and if he hears a child who is crying in a store he says, oh no that boy is sad, with a concerned look on his face. He says, "that's sad," or "that's good" multiple times a day.
It's been a nice stage for a few different reasons, but mostly because it's helped him to realize that when he's doing good, he and everyone around him are happy. I've seen a big change in his attitude when it comes to making good choices. He likes it! And he likes telling me when he's done something right. He points out when he's sharing with Benson, or when he eats all of his food without me asking him to, or when he helps Benson to do something. Also if Benson is doing something against the rules like standing in the tub, Josh proudly points out that HE'S not standing up :).
It makes me happy and proud to see him acting this way. I hope it's a lesson that he can really internalize and remember throughout his life.

Eating The Cake

So Cute!

The first of many posts

We spent the last month in southern Utah and Nevada with family, and I have lots to post about. I'll start with this...

We made Easter sugar cookies with the girls. There was a lot of dough eating and even more mess making, but the kids had so much fun and the cookies that made it to the oven were delish.

Grass

Someone does NOT like the feel of grass on his hands!

The Big ONE

Benson's ONE!

This little cutie is SO SO much fun! He's so full of energy and happy as can be. He's the center of attention at our house because he's such a crack-up, always doing something to make us laugh. Josh is so sweet with his little bruver and they are becoming really good friends.

A couple things to remember about Benson at 1:

• He is so sweet! He loves to be held and cuddled.
• He is also very busy! He spends a lot of time going from one thing to the next making as big a mess as possible. He can turn a room upside down in no time.
• He's a mama's boy :) but is not shy with strangers. He's actually quite the flirt.
  
• He's not interested in walking. Since Josh walked at 9 months, it makes him seem younger than he is when I'm comparing them, but I love that he doesn't walk yet. He's the cutest crawler. We call him the rhino because he crawls very stiff and loud, and leads with his head. When he's excited and crawling towards someone, he headbutts them until they pick him up.
  
• Still the messiest eater ever! As soon as he gets his hands completely covered in food, he starts rubbing it all over his face and hair....every meal.
  
• Amazing sleeper and loves his crib. He sleeps from 8:30-8:30 and has two 2 hour naps, one at 11 and another at 3.
• He just got weaned 4 days ago :/ It was hard for me to quit, but it's SO nice now! It's been almost two years since I've had a normal apatite, and I can feel a huge difference already. It was amazing to me how much more I had to eat and drink while I was nursing. I seriously felt hungry 24/7...I don't miss that.
  
• His favorite toy is his walker.
  
• He says a handful of words and animal sounds but will only do them on his own terms.
  
• Anytime he has water on his hands, he wipes it in his hair.
  
• I took him to the Dr. today and found out he weighs 24 lbs, which means he's only gained 2 lbs in the last 6 months. He's still in the 75% though...He was obviously huge at 6-months-old!
  
• Beau and I agree that he is going to be the aggressive one of our two boys. He can be a spitfire and is not afraid to tackle Josh to get the toy he's playing with.
• He loves: the stairs, peek a boo, playing in the sink, the sand box, everything Josh is doing, riding on the trike, and especially EATING!
• He eats anything and everything except bananas. He especially loves broccoli, blackberries, blueberries, green beans, goldfish, and cheese.
• Lately he'll look right at me and shake his head no right before he does something he knows he's not supposed to.
  
• He's had a couple ear infections over the last 6 months, but other than that he's completely healthy, which we are most grateful for!

Benson definitely has all three of us wrapped around his chubby little finger.

We love him to death!