Turkey Challenge

Tim has taken on a "lean turkey challenge" through his boot camp recently which has got us eating better than we ever have before. It's definitely challenging, but as I've heard other people say, it's almost as if I am learning how to cook all over again! Because of course if Tim has taken on the challenge, we have taken on the challenge right!? So far we have explored lots of new vegetables and we are really stepping out of our food comfort zone. Giving up tortillas, cheese and all of our quick go-to meals is the hardest part (we miss you pizza), but we feel good and hopefully we'll be able to tell the difference come Thanksgiving!

So far our favorites are sweet potato's and this Southwest Meatloaf.  My spaghetti squash "noodles" still need a couple more tries to perfect, but I think we're getting there.  It's making us do a lot of prep work and grocery shopping on the weekends and it's funny how we're skipping almost half of the grocery store all together since we're cutting out so much of that processed stuff.

I am curious to see how things change once the challenge is over though. I have a feeling that by Thanksgiving a lot of this will more or less be habit. I don't think we'll forever say goodbye to tortillas or sandwiches, but I can tell you that I think there will be a lot less junk and "filler" in our world. I don't think I'll be able to give up pizza for the rest of my life, but it may be a treat that we give ourselves once in a blue moon...assuming that our bodies don't go in to total shock when we eat something it went without for so long of course.

If things stick, our new lifestyle will be really good for Little B too. I mean so far he's digging the carrots!

I don't want to embarrass Tim by blogging too much about it, but I'm really proud of him. The kid who lived in what his friends called, "the little debbie snack house" and really didn't like many fruits and vegetables is trying new things and making a huge effort! I mean look at this guy -- what a stud!

(I stole this picture from here.)

You know something is a brewin' when In A Benton World there is far more protein than beer in the fridge.  We're finding our balance around here and we would certainly like for healthy to be a part of it.

Fall is in the Air

Halloween is only a few days away and there's a crisp fall breeze exploring Austin this weekend. We have been working on projects and getting ready for the week.  Halloween is coming and we're excited!

I'm not sure if you can tell from the picture or not, but these "scarecrows" have pumpkin bums!

We got a delivery of diapers and decided to do some playing in the box! Tim and I can't wait to build a fort with this guy!  (By the way, we use diapers.com...so far they are the cheapest we've found with free 2-day shipping...plus you get a percentage back towards future purchases.)

Fall is here and that means that all kinds of goodness is headed our way. We love fires, football and friends!   This video is to show everyone how Cameron has really found his voice, but there's very little volume control! He and Tim have been having screaming matches from across the room!




Stay tuned for Halloween Costumes, Pictures & More! It's going to be a good week!

Lookin' Pretty Solid

We have started the cereal process! That's right we're on the track to solids!
I don't know why I was nervous, Cameron isn't shy about food, why would he be with this new experience?

(Please excuse the random comments from Tim & video of me...I'm still training my Director/Producer!)

Well he was great until it was gone that is...

Don't judge, we like food in a Benton World! 

Stay tuned for messy carrots, bananas & avocado's...yummy!

Soaking it In

There's little pieces of time that I know I'm taking for granted.  I know I'm taking them for granted as they happen. So I stop myself. I tell myself to soak it in.

Cinco (that means 5) Months!

Dear Little B,
Happy 5 months to you! I can't believe how fast time is flying. Your little personality that is forming has us laughing all the time. I know this is only the beginning!

Our little family is feeling very blessed these days. You are so loved.

The swing is beginning to look a little silly with you in it. I know you love it, but I'm afraid we might have to pack it up soon. The topic of how fast you are growing comes up almost daily. We were ready to start you on solid foods over the weekend, but decided to wait a couple more weeks. In the meantime, we'll just let you play with the spoon to get used to the idea.

You continue to love the outside and our walks. Lately though, it's when people talk to you that you seem to really watch and listen. You've almost got the raspberry thing down, except most of the time it just causes a whole lot of spit and drool to dribble down your face.

You're completely out of the swaddle at night and now that it's a bit cooler you look so snuggly in your pajamas that your Daddy and I just want to love on you as much as we can. Weekend mornings are the best!

You roll and squirm, you splash and you love to sit up like a big boy. You still need some help in that department, but you're getting there.  You've started making a lot of different movements with your mouth, one of them almost like you're copying us when we chew. It's hysterical!

Your hands are grabbing and I love it when they land on my face as you're getting sleepy. As I rub your back, you tend to rub my cheek. It's sweeter than any description I could ever write. I'll admit that I sort of love that you like to be cheek to cheek when you fall asleep. I feel like that's going to be the thing that I'll remember most when you're in 3rd grade and I'm dropping you off at school and there are certain things that are just not cool anymore when it comes to your Mom.

Fell asleep mid-chew!

I can't get over the fact that you're 5 months old today! What will you surprise us with this month?

 We love you to the moon and back.

Our Little Punkin'

We took a trip to the Pumpkin Patch on Sunday afternoon. I was so excited to let Cameron get crazy with those pumpkins...but he had a better idea and fell asleep on our way there.
Tim thought he could wake Cameron up, but he liked sleeping in the sunshine much better!

I love the trio of pictures above, priceless. I was a little bummed that our punkin' was sleeping, but the fact that this kid is snoozing in the pumpkins pretty much makes up for it. We had the whole patch laughing! I think Johnny Cash would be proud! (his onesie says, "Crawl the Line")

Not the best family photo, but we'll take the memory! Cameron's First Pumpkin Patch...check!

Hugged Out?

Created by Hank Ketcham -- Drawn by Marcus Hamilton & Ron Ferdinand

We've had some pretty great weekends lately and Cameron has gotten through them like a champ! What else can I throw his way? I mean isn't true what they say, the more that you let them experience, the better they will be adjusted to change, spontaneity and life? 

I was organizing pictures the other days into folders by the year. It amazed me how much I captured in some years, and then in other years I didn't. Does that mean we didn't do as much that year, or is it that I just didn't snap away while we were doing it?  These days I don't go anywhere without some sort of camera...there's too much that is changing minute to minute.

My Grandfather sent me the "Dennis the Menace" clip above. He laughed when he saw it because it reminded him of Cameron after a weekend of being loved on by everyone. I think it's great, but honestly, I want him to be hugged out. I want him to feel all that love. As much as I love low key and relaxation, Tim and I want our boy to know about LIFE and the only way he's going to know about it is if he's LIVING it! The only way to capture moments is to have them.

So we all may be a little hugged out from our weekend, and sure maybe we needed a break, but that's not going to stop us from having some adventures this weekend! 

Big Moments

Our big guy had a pretty big moment this weekend. He's officially baptized. Hooray!  We decided to just make it a family affair and wow did Cameron get loved on. He definitely likes having all the attention. I wonder who he gets that from?

I realize he only has one sock on, but look at that grin!

Anyway, we had a family BBQ on Saturday to watch the Texas Longhorns fight the good fight against West Virginia. We laughed and giggled as Tim commented on his son wearing a "gown". We spent some good, quality time together and all the while I couldn't help but feel the warmth and love of family.  I know that my Grandmother's comment will ring in my ears for a while, "now more than ever we want to see you guys as much as we can".  I know she means this from the depths of her very giving heart, but sheesh, apparently Tim and I just don't seem to cut it anymore...not when there's a baby in the house! Cameron adds quite a bit of icing on the cake.

Did I mention that he was loved on? I mean look at all this yummy, goodness!

By the way, even in a gown, he's really cute.  In a Benton World...we come with roots and those roots come with love, kindness and even sometimes a gown.

Baby Jammin'

Or should I say jammin' baby! :)

I'm not sure how often you all tune in to Sesame Street or Disney in the wee small hours of the morning, but by 7am we're already jammin' to some pretty hip tunes in our house. It's amazing to me how things have changed since I was a kid, or even my sisters for that matter. We're not singing rhymes and sweet lullabies anymore. These days there's things like "Choo Choo Soul" and "Preschool Musical" to get our groove on. Cameron loves it, and well I gotta be honest I find it pretty entertaining too.

Not that Tim would ever admit to it, but there are times that he and I start singing and dancing to some of the songs we've learned now and Cameron finds our versions hysterical!

This mornings "Choo Choo Soul" has become a favorite. It teaches kids different ways to dance and I'm pretty sure I know some adults that could take some notes from this one as well.  You can find "Choo Choo Soul" on the Disney Channel between programs in the mornings.



Then there's Sesame Street. You know the tune, "Sunny Days...".  Cameron loves his time with Elmo, Big Bird and Super Grover 2.0 on Sesame Street while Mom & Dad get ready for work in the mornings. However, sometimes the skits like 'Preschool Musical' capture my attention as well and I giggle about the spin off of the actual High School Musical that my sisters loved watching.  Even the characters are spoofs of the real characters of the Disney movie.



So here's to all of the creative geniuses that have taken infant and children's programming to a whole new level. Although I loved watching Barney with my sisters 17 years ago, I'm pretty happy about watching these with Cameron now.

So c'mon everyone dance like a chicken --  it's Friday!

Lately...

We're growing

We're playing peek-a-boo!

We're comfy

We're taking pictures with lots of pretty people & going to Homecoming Parties!

Even the Queen!

We're watching football

We're enjoying the beginning of fall!

Drool. It happens.

What have you been up to lately?