On my heart, on my mind

Wow! What a weekend it's been...Benton was SUPER cranky yesterday - he's teething again. He either wanted to be picked up, then would cry to be put down. Once he was put down, he would cry to be picked up. We finally checked his temperature after Steven got home, and poor buddy was running a fever :-( I felt like a bad mom not knowing he was sick. He's feeling a little better today, but slept a lot according to daycare.

I've just got a few things on my heart and on my mind that I need to get out there and ask for thoughts/prayers.

• My friend Reanna's little boy, Benson, had a big setback this weekend. He was born October 11th, along with his twin sister, Ainsley. Ainsley is now home and doing well, but Benson has been found to have had a stroke. He is doing okay, but the long-term implications are unknown. They are on my mind and on my heart...
• My friend Justin and Bonnie are attempting to adopt two beautiful children. They've been through a lot of setbacks and are experiencing trials and tribulations everyday in the adoption of their children. They are on my mind and on my heart...
• One of my friends is getting ready to undergo some treatment for fertility. She is an awesome woman, and he is a wonderful man. They will make amazing parents. I hope that this treatment works, and they are blessed with a child soon. They are so deserving...

I am thankful for having great friends, who are with me through thick and thin. I hope that this little note lets them know that they are constantly on my mind, on my heart, and being thought of. I am there with you, through it all.

Birthday, Pumpkin Patch, and 1 year stats - aka Blog Catch up!

Wow! It's been a while since I've updated the blog...life is busy when you have a 1 year old running around the house (well, not running, but crusing). Benton turned 1 on October 9th! We had a party in Bentonville (along with Ethan's 4th), and had a really good time! What else has been going on? Let's let the pictures tell you....

I love the coloring in this picture! The picture people did so well!

He really enjoyed this cake!

He was hesitant at first to dig into it though....

But was very proud of himself in the end for making such a mess!

We also made a trip to the local apple orchard/pumpkin patch in Cummings. It was really nice, and I'd love to take a kid there when they're a little bit older than Benton - they had a hay maze for the kids, petting barn, corn pool, slide, and a lot of other stuff! Benton and Steven did the hay maze, then we walked around a bit. We took a hay ride out to the corn maze, and walked around a while (but it gets really tiring when you have to carry a 1 year old everywhere!). We didn't find everything in the maze that we were looking for (8 different objects), but had a good time. Next, we rode the hay ride out to the pumpkin patch and had fun picking out pumpkins. We brought them back, paid for them, then put Benton's costume on for some cute pictures! We ate a really yummy apple cider donut, and looked around their shop. Around then, we were pooped and ready to go home! The weather was beautiful that weekend!

Benton thinks he's pretty big stuff standing up in the middle of the hay bales!

This one dad!! I want this one! - No we didn't get that one :-)

We did however, end up with a total of 2 big pumpkins (one missing in the picture), a small, Benton sized-pumpkin, and 2 really neat gourds. He had a lot of fun with the little one he's holding!

Benton walked the last few feet of the hay maze for kids with daddy's help! He is such a happy boy!!

I can't believe it's November already! We've had an amazing few months recently!! Benton is growing and changing every day. He's really made this first year awesome. My life has changed forever, and I couldn't imagine it any other way.

Here's his one year stats

• 22lbs 5ozs (50th %)
• 28.5 inches (50th %)
• 48cm head circumference (92nd %)
• You eat EVERYTHING! No aversions to food.
• You are crusing around furniture - SO close to walking!
• You say "Hi", "mom", "dad", "no", and "yeah"
• You sleep from about 7:30pm or 8pm until 6:30am
• You have teeth!! 2 on the bottom, 1 on the top (sort of)
• You moved up to toddler time at the Library on Thursday nights. It's got bigger kids in it, but you seem to like it.
• You are still going to day care with Dianne Hyden. You really love her a lot! You have 2 friends there, Lyla (2 yrs old) and Bior (1 yr 2 months)
• You give kisses (most of the time) on command. I love the slobbery kisses!
• You love snuggling and reading books, but are also on the go a lot!
• You still have your wubbanub, Mr Monkey. You use it to go to bed and nap time. You also use it sometimes when you're upset in the car to calm down. We now have 3 monkeys - 2 colorful ones - Mr. Monkey, and 1 plain one - Deuce
• You love feeding your dogs (or Sooie) some of your food - breakfast, lunch, and dinner! I'm sure she and Rae don't mind it either!

You are definitely mommy and daddy's little stinker - your halloween costume was fitting (mommy and grandma waggy made it!) - and we love you very much! We look forward to the changes that are coming soon, and watching you GROW.