Warning: first tooth, may bite!

Little B got his first tooth and he's trying really hard to show it off...except it's kinda hard to get a picture of the inside of this little man's mouth! 

 Can you see it?

 How about now?

PS. Just like his parents, Little B likes to check himself out. #hescuteandheknowsit

PPS. Holy Holidays Batman - LIFE is happening around here and we're enjoying all the fun! Back for more soon! We'll need to catch you up on all of this fun right?

Gobble-Gobble

Happy Turkey Day friends! We enjoyed the feast of thanks & giving together! We loved the warm weather and took advantage of the extra time we had!

(Excuse my phone pictures. I'll get back to my bigger camera soon, promise!)

This guy likes to make a fort out of the kitchen table. He thinks it's hysterical!

Aunt Sarah was home from college & her Horned Frogs beat the Longhorns!

Cameron finished off his prunes al-fresco (outside) and wanted to show off his version of Movmember with his own home-made beard. He can't grow facial hair just yet, but shhh...there may be a tooth showing up on this blog very soon!

10 Questions

I love these survey's.

The 10 Questions Survey

1. In baseball each player gets a “walk up song” that plays on his way up to the plate. What song would you pick?
I think if I were playing baseball and needed that pick up the crowd song it would be that Owl City & Carly Rae Jepson song Good Time.  Either that or Joy to the World by Three Dog Night. Everyone knows the words and could sing along.

2. What’s the best thing that happened to you last weekend?

Last weekend Tim and I went to San Antonio to celebrate our anniversary. I tease about the Benton Luck, but I'm serious people it's one of a kind. We felt like we were in a Family Vacation movie. I could have written a story just from the one-liners that we remember. Best Things from the weekend were watching Tim kick some a** at his lean turkey competition and celebrating Cameron's half birthday Saturday morning. The worst part, not that you asked was both of us getting sick from some seared ahi tuna. Bleh.

(PS - This is how 8 years looks when you still like each other.)

3. If you could have a starring role in any film already made, which movie would you pick?

Ooh this one is really difficult. I could totally star as Baby in Dirty Dancing, well except for the nose and I don't so much have her hair.  Plus, truth be told, I think I'm definitely taller than Patrick Swayze was. Hmm. I'll have to think about this a bit more.

4. What actor/actress would you have play you in a movie of your life?

Jessica Alba or maybe a brunette Katherine Heigl. Although people tell me that Jamie-Lynn Sigler and I look a lot alike. I don't know if I see the resemblance though.

   

5. What is your favorite quote?

Source: modernhepburn.tumblr.com

6. What was your first concert?

I saw The Beach Boys when I was 10 at Circle Star Theatre in Concord, CA. Best concert ever!! I was dancing in the aisles. 

7. What Internet website do you visit the most?

Google. Hands down.

8. Which of Snow White’s 7 dwarfs describes you the best and why?

Hmm I'd say 50/50 Happy & Doc

9. If you were on death row, what would your last meal be?

First course: chips/queso
Second course: a small salad
Third course: my Grandmother's ciopinno
Fourth course:  a steak with grilled veggies and a slice of sourdough bread.
Oh and maybe a glass of wine or a margarita to wash it all down. Is that too much to ask?

10. What is the background of your computer?
This picture of Tim and I:

Happy Half Birthday!

Dear Little B,
Happy Half Birthday! That's right, you're 6 months old - that's half a year! How exciting is that? I mean only 15 and a half more years before you get your license! :)

We're on the cusp of so much around here these days. Fall and winter. Sitting and scooting. Food and...well more food!  As of last week we officially stopped the natural milk (I think I like that term better than breast milk) and Daddy finally got his hunting freezer back. We're on to formula and trying new solids all the time. I'm not sure what your favorite veggie is just yet, but of the few fruits you have tried, apples seem to top the list.

There are times when you're crying that I think I hear a faint "ma ma" but it might just be my ears playing tricks on me. Boy does even the thought that of that sound tug on my heart strings. I also love the secret language that you and your Daddy share.

We took you for your 6 month check up yesterday and you weigh 19.5 pounds and you're almost 28" long. The doctor used words like: solid, athletic and built. In return I used words like: scholarship, full-ride and make mama proud! Just teasing.  The doctor said you are growing beautifully and you're just about the most proportionate kid she's ever seen. (Do you think they say that to everyone?)

I think last month I mentioned that you had found your voice and you were learning about volume. Welp, the volume thing seems to be a little broken. You're starting to learn how to scream and yell which obviously gets attention, you know your favorite thing in the whole world. Daddy is very worried that these little "outbursts" are going to start to happen when we're out. Just remember, whatever you do to embarrass us now, will all come back to haunt you when you're a teenager. (insert evil laugh here)

I have started to catch you laughing at the dogs. Sure, you knew they were there before, but lately it's like you guys are friends and you're telling each other jokes. They can't wait for you to start dropping food!  You love watching the spotted one because she's kind of spastic, but the brown one lets you pet him more.

I can't believe that you are 1/2 a year old already! How does it feel? I blink and see changes. You have the best facial expressions and it's funny to see pieces of your Dad and I in you.  I pulled out baby pictures of us to put into your baby book last weekend and it was funny to compare. You really do seem to be a good mixture of both of us...for now at least.  Before you were born we said that we wanted you to have my hair and skin tone and your Dad's eyes and coordination. So far I think you may have your Dad's hair and my eyes.  We'll see how it all pans out in the end though.

I heard someone say the other day that they had never been surprised in life and had never surprised anyone else. It made me sad to hear that someone could live their life without those kinds of joys. I just want you to know that you surprise us every day. You may not realize it but we surprise you daily too; whether we're playing peek-a-boo or showing you something new! Our family believes that surprises are good for the soul, even for the tiniest amounts of joy.

 
We love you to the moon and back Little B!  It's been a magical 6 months thanks to you!

Thanksgivings

There are many posts in social media these days with daily observations of things your thankful for. I like seeing that people are stopping to think of what they are thankful for. I like it even more that people are taking the time to put it out there.  However, by day 15 I don't know that I need to hear one more - I'm thankful for my Mom or I'm thankful for my husband again.  I mean aren't most people?  I'm going to try and knock it all out here at once...

I'm thankful for the gift of sight.

I'm thankful for the gift of water and nourishment (food).

I'm thankful for companionship.

I'm thankful for giggles and laughter.

I'm thankful for this beautiful earth and all of its nature.

I'm thankful for a place to call home.

I'm thankful for love. unconditional love.

I'm thankful for time. for chances. for moments.

I'm thankful for forgiveness.

I'm thankful for family and for open arms.

I'm thankful for the sparkle in your eye and the butterflies in my stomach.

I'm thankful for life.

I'm thankful for freedom.

I'm thankful for the skills that provide me a job that challenges me.

I'm thankful for the kindness of strangers.

I'm thankful for friendship.

I'm thankful for faith.

To take a twist to these thanksgivings without sounding too sassy. 

In no particular order, I've got to also discuss the material things that I'm thankful for, like:

* queso * shopping * shoes * pizza * over-sized showers * gym memberships * lake houses * jeep * television * comfy beds * cell phones * music * computers * cute clothes * vacations * fro yo * mint chocolate chip ice cream * peppermint mocha's * booze * camera * pedicures * haircuts * strollers * diapers * movies * internet * money * 

The list can really go on and on. The list isn't the point though is it? Being thankful is. 

Happy. Chatty. Busy B's

The weekend was wonderful! The weather was just right and we enjoyed lots of quality time together.
After a long week, I think that by the time the weekend comes we're all extra excited about the time that we get to spend together and the plans that we get to make.

I started to title this post <________________ B's> so that you could just fill in the blank. We're all over the map these days with fun and things to look forward to, but it's all good stuff. It's definitely that time of the year! Ideas are spinning in our heads for the holidays and we're thrilled with the amount of goodness and blessings that surround us.

Hungry B's wait with their mouth open and even love peas!

Happy B's look like this. They are also SO happy that they just can't sit still:

Chatty B's visited the office for a little bit on Friday afternoon!


Busy B's get really sleepy when they have so much fun with friends. (even if it is their turn)

Active B's get up early and get moving! Sometimes they even make friends with the pretty sorority ladies cheering them on too!  Watch out world, those cheeks and long eyelashes are trouble!

Hope your weekend was just as fun & filled with someone cheering you on too!

Hooray for Weekends!

It's Friday and we have a lot planned for a fun-filled weekend! Can you believe that we're just 2 weeks away from Thanksgiving?

Hope your plans this weekend include some laughter, I know ours do! The weather is supposed to be great so you'll probably find us outside as much as possible. Don't worry we'll catch up soon!
Happy Weekend!

My, how life can change!

In recent conversations Tim and I have had with friends we've giggled as people ask us what we think of our new life. I say that with some wit because Cameron's life is the new life. Our life is still our life, it's just a new adventure with him in it.  Our new life, a.k.a. Cameron, is fantastic.  I certainly know what I think of this new version of a Benton World, but sometimes I watch Tim as he answers our friends questions about how life has changed. They say they want to know if it's everything we thought it was going to be, but deep down I wonder if they aren't more curious about how we handle the changes. They want to know if we're still "cup half full" kind of people or what the "real" story is.

I'll tell you this...

We'll always be "cup half full" kind of people. We know far too many people that live happy lives thankful for everything even in hardships and intense lives.  We'll always be "cup half full" kind of people because we look up, we look forward and we laugh. We laugh a lot.
                       

We know better than to pretend we have a white picket fence. We may joke about living on Wysteria Lane, but we aren't Wysteria Lane, cookie-cutter, perfect kind of people. We dig chaotic imperfection.

Our life since Little B is beautifully messy. It's a normal day In a Benton World when Dad is rapping, Mom is dancing in the kitchen and there are shoes in just about every room of the house. We are loud. Typically you'll hear country music playing downstairs, old school rap upstairs and Cameron and I singing Disney tunes from the bathtub.  There's hair everywhere. Usually it's dog hair, but lately you'll more than likely find mine because I'm shedding like crazy. (I'm told I have some baby hairs to look forward to that will grow back in place - Oh the joy!)  More than likely you'll find a pacifier under the couch and probably a few toys under the covers of our bed.  No one wants to pick up the dog poop in the backyard and no one remembered to refill the toilet paper after they used the last "ticket".

Our life before Little B was more like a silent chatter. I know that probably makes very little sense, but that's my intention.  Do I miss things from life before Little B? Eh it's still the same life. Sure I have to plan a bit more, spontaneous happy hours with Tim or a night out dancing aren't as simple as they used to be. But they aren't gone. It's just adding a little imagination and coordinating.  My favorite part of all:  we really think about what we want to do, where we want to go and how we want to spend our time. Little B has become the unspoken rule.

That's how it's supposed to be though. I'll stick with the beautiful mess. It fits nicely around here.

Life, Liberty & The Pursuit of Happiness.

Today is Election Day.

Today we stand up for our country.
It doesn't matter really which side you stand up for, as long as you stand up. Laziness is an epidemic.

Unless of course you're a baby, and then it's pretty cute.

I'm not going to get all crazy political on ya...some things are better left unsaid.
I will say this:
I vote. for people.
I vote. for life.
I vote. for liberty.
I vote. for the pursuit of happiness. whatever that happiness means for each of us, but keep in mind that key little word - you have to pursue it. happiness doesn't just knock on your door because you deserve it.

Come on people, shouldn't we all be in pursuit of some genuine happiness. It's really good for the soul. Promise.

Halloween Tee Time!

It wasn't a Monster Mash or a page out of the Thriller handbook, but our little Halloween golf costumes were a lot of fun! I laughed when people asked what Cameron was going to be for his first Halloween and I answered, "a golf ball".  I think most people expect a pumpkin, a puppy, you know the normal sweet and cuddly baby-style costumes. The Benton's? Oh no, we don't do anything typical. Haven't you learned that by now? We like fun. We like different. We like... golf! :)

To make Cameron's costume, Tim took a rubber bouncy ball from Toys R Us and sprayed it with spray foam from Home Depot/Lowe's.

We let it sit and dry over night. The next day, Tim sanded and and took the grinder to it.  Next, we spray painted it white and then I painted the golf logo on it.  Some kids that came trick-or-treating before Cameron fell asleep thought it was awesome, even suggested that maybe next year he should paint it again and be the Moon. I mean couldn't you see it? We could even stick a little American Flag into it! :)

I know it's a bit goofy, but I really enjoy the family-style costume. It gets us all into the holiday spirit and makes it that much more fun!

On a side note, we have been in our house exactly one year! We reminisced last night about how last year on Halloween I was preggers and we were eating pizza (grr. turkey challenge) and sitting in our living room sharing one chair. My how life flies.  ((Happy one year anniversary Home! We are thankful for you!))

I need to get this off my chest too...I'm afraid the yearly tradition of trick-or-treating is beginning to lose it's luster! We live on a street full of families (remember Tim calls it Wysteria Lane) and a neighborhood full of kids and yet, we had way too much candy left over!  I know that society is a bit scarier than it used to be in the "old days", but come on people. Is trick-or-treating a "dying" event?

Hope you're family enjoyed their Halloween as much as we did! I'm already brainstorming ideas for next year's family costume!