Parents of the Year: Volume 1

Please don't judge us for our wild and crazy parenting ways.

We are who we are.

He already loves pizza crust. I'm going to say it now, I see this being a major food group for him by the time he's 14. I know, it's not the healthiest of options, but who doesn't enjoy a delicious slice of that cheesy goodness?

Yes they are blurry pictures, but that's because riding around in a laundry basket 

requires movement and laughter. 

No, it's not a cage.

He loved it. It wasn't torture. And see all those veggies?  

We really do eat healthier than pizza most of the time.

Stay tuned for Volume 2! 

Playrooms, Sunshine & The Great Outdoors

The weather has been amazing for January and we've really been enjoying the little things. See what I mean:


Playing on our tummy and organizing our work-in-progress "play room". See the rug? We didn't want to take any chance of head injuries.  The whole family seems to love the cozy-ness in this room and I can't wait til we can get it even more playful!  We'll keep you posted on the play-by-play transformation. (haha - did you see what I did there?)

Fishing with Dad.  We ventured to the boat show on Saturday with friends. It was a great day to get out and go. There was so much to see and watch. There were even some folks doing a rain dance to try and get Austin and Lake Travis some much-needed rain. Cameron loved listening to the drums and watching the dancers. He was even more curious about the fish in the tank though. Like the considerate little boy he is, he and Dad decided to let an older little boy get the next bite though. :)

Riding a jet ski? Or at least a fake one! Like I said we were playing with friends and walking around all kinds of boats and boat-stuff. Cameron and his friend had a ball hanging together and even riding jet ski's together. (giggle. giggle.) There's another side to this picture with a sweet little girl's face over a hot chick in a bikini also riding a jet ski, but I only have the rights to exploit my own child on my blog.

Sunshine and lots of it! It's been gorgeous around here! We ventured to the park and in typical fashion, Cameron fell asleep on our way there. I vegged out getting in my vitamin D while he slept a bit longer.  When he woke up all he wanted to do was watch the bigger kids and all the cool stuff they could do!  We got to use the swings for a bit and really just enjoyed the great outdoors. PS - look closely at those teeth!

Free Hugs. He's got me wrapped around his finger, I'm pretty sure I'd pay bundles for them if I needed to.  This shirt is from the gap and right now it's definitely my favorite. #onecoollittledude

Shedding

*warning this post is a bit TMI (TMI = too much information), but it's who I am -- quirky & honest*

Tears - commercials, movies, books and even just random moments
Hair - enough to clog my sink 4 times so far
The really weird/creepy line that appeared on my belly when I was pregnant. It sort of looks like a "capital I" now, soon it'll be a vertical dash and then hopefully nothing at all...
Boobs - seriously.

Oh the Mommy hormones. They begin out of nowhere when you first find out you're expecting and they don't end really. It's like they just progress to other things.

Yes that's right, I did type the word boobs in the list of items that I seem to be shedding. For some reason my body decided that when I lost baby weight that I should lose my boobs as well.  Why couldn't it have been my arse instead?  I knew that nursing would cause them to change, but I wasn't expecting this sort of change.

What I really wanted to share with this random story that most of you probably stopped reading a while ago was my hysterical morning:

I bought a really cute dress almost 4 months ago and haven't had any reason to wear it. This morning I decided I was tired of waiting for a reason and just wore it to work. Whatevs.
Here's the conversation that went down as I was getting ready:

Tim: Fancy!
Me: I really want to wear it at least once before it's too late and winter is over. (checking myself in the mirror) I wish I had a skinny red belt to go with it, that would be cute.
Tim: Just use one of the straps from an old bra's that's too big for you now.
Me:  Hmph. (shaking my head) Ya, I don't think that's going to work.

Seriously people, it's not an epidemic, but it's a new phase of life for me. A new look entirely.
Do places accept donations in the form of bra's?



I'm beginning to think that women continue to procreate not only for the miracle of life and the joys of babies, but also because they don't have their monthly female visitor AND their boobs sort of make a come-back.

The Impossible

We were recently lucky enough to get to see The Impossible (currently out) in the warmth of our own home.  Don't ask me how. If I told you, I'd have to...

Regardless of how we saw it, I'm recommending it to everyone I know.

GO SEE IT!

It's a true story based around a family that was visiting Thailand when the tsunami hit.  It's a touching story and although you know that the tsunami is going to hit, the aftermath is something everyone should see. It's an amazing example of triumph, strife and how this family dealt with the blow. literally.

Because we knew it was a true story, throughout the movie I was bugging Tim asking him what he would do if he were in their situation. I was giving him my opinions (although he didn't ask for it) repeatedly. You never know when you'll find yourself in any sort of situation - and these days, as tragic as things may seem, I'm beginning to find myself numb to tragedies. They are always sad and unsettling, but shockingly, not surprising. Anything can happen. Especially when it comes to Mother Nature.

So, bottom line, go see the movie -- and ask yourself, what would you have done?
The impossible is always possible.

Eight Months!

Dear Little B,

Eight is GREAT!
I can't believe it -- 8 months ago today you finally let us meet you!

You are a mover and a shaker. You laugh so hard that it can make an entire room stop. You started school this month and your teachers like to call you "the flirt". I'm not sure why? (wink.wink.)  We took your second trip by plane this month. I wish that we got a passport stamped for every where we traveled, then we could keep track of your travels no matter where you went (domestic & international).

School has been a fun transition. You giggle at the other kids and pick up on things so quickly. The little arch move that you learned within the first week makes me feel guilty some days (mostly in the mornings when we're leaving for school). You tend to do it when you're being put into something: the carseat, the highchair, etc.  I'm not sure if it's your way of telling us you don't want to go or if you're just learning different ways to move your body and you see that it causes a reaction from us. I haven't decided if you learned the whining that I catch you doing from school or if it's a direct side effect from teething.  You really loved pajama day last week - honestly though, who wouldn't love a good ol' pajama day!?

     

Oh teething. Right now you have 4 pearly whites that are in full view. The bottom, center two, were the first and now they are sharp! The other two are your vampire teeth. Your Aunts like to imagine that you're a "Twilight" Baby...aka a vampire.

The two middle teeth are coming...slowly, but surely.  All this teething is making you quite the drool monster and with drool comes the drool rash. We really hate the drool rash.

My favorite things that you're doing wrapped into one home movie. Your trick makes us all laugh. Even if you are getting fussy, if we stop and pat your mouth you know exactly what to do!
You are like a big dose of magic for my heart:

You are a surprise, a joy, a challenge, an adventure, a mystery. You are ours.

Here's to 8 months of everything we never knew we always wanted. (I stole that line from one of your Dad's favorite movies. I can't take all the credit.)

We love you to the moon and back.

To Be

"All we lack is the willingness to imagine that we already have everything we need.  

The only thing missing is our consent to BE where we are."

~ Barbara Brown Taylor

At times, I have conflicting beliefs and patterns.  We believe in growth ("Where do we grow from here?" is embedded in my brain), in bettering ourselves and our outlook on things. Yet, we believe in being happy with where we are, with who we are. The idea is to never settle, to constantly challenge your mind and to never stop growing, while also being content with where we feel at one with ourselves, to be happy when we feel, see, touch and live it.  Doesn't that seem a bit confusing?

Here it comes...my favorite word...BALANCE. 

I know of a few families, morning radio shows and even my old bootcamp coach that live daily by recognizing highs (and sometimes lows).  They go around the room or the dinner table, sharing the best and the worst part of their day. I think this sort of acknowledgement and conversation is good for sharing, for bonding. Sometimes in our sense of being right where we are, while growing where we need to grow, we lose sight of the common communication that we need in relationships. No I'm not talking about facebook, twitter, text message, instagram, email or smoke signals. I mean actual face to face, stop what you're doing - communication.

I'd like to start this tradition now.  Even though Cameron can't really comment on his day, if we start it now, it will be common practice by the time he is old enough to contribute his thoughts.

Try it, think of your day yesterday... what was your "best of times" and your "worst of times"? Do you feel like you were present in your life? Do you feel like you stretched your wings and grew your mind or spirit? I know, I know -- a little too deep right? :) 

Let's see my "best" was the conversation Tim and I had about who was going to get to pick up "Sir Cameron". Would you believe it if I told you that we tend to take it too far? haha! 

My "worst" was probably our morning drop off yesterday and the fact that I felt like I might be on the brink of a sore throat. 

Obviously it's all relative...my perspective of "worst" is definitely not what someone else's might be. 

I'm sure that when Tim realizes that I've asked him "Highs and Lows" every night for a week he'll totally start to turn it into a joke, but until he figures it out -- we're going to see what kinds of things we share daily. Should be interesting, this is a Benton World remember!

Vrooooom!

Cameron's Uncle, Aunt & Cousins from Tennessee sent him his first set of cars and trucks for Christmas. He hasn't quite figured out how to make it go himself, but he sure likes it when we do it for him!

Enjoy your weekend - hope it's filled with pure joy!

The Papa-factor

My Grandfather felt he was too young to be called Grandpa when I was born, and decided he liked Papa better...so Papa he became. If he knew then what we all know now, he'd learn that what was started all those years has really turned into "The Papa-factor". This year we celebrated his 80th birthday together with a fun-filled dinner and a delicious cookie cake. Unfortunately, with our large group and the large table we sat around, we weren't able to really have the family discussions that we're known for. I had hoped that we could all go around the table and say something that we appreciate, love and admire about Papa, but there was so much else going on that it completely slipped my mind.

Sure, I wished him a Happy Birthday and we sang to him. He even gave a little speech.  However, we didn't remember to touch on some of the most important qualities that this man has taught continues to teach us.  Papa is a man of his word. If he says he's going to do something, he does it. He stands by his beliefs, by his friends and by his family. He completed a marathon at 50 because he said he was going to do it. At 70 he used the words "I love you" more often (instead of just a thank you) because he knew what it meant to all of us for him to say the words out loud. He made us all so proud this year when he overcame a year of sobriety -at80flippinyearsold!- well, because (again) he said he was going to. He never stops growing, age is not a factor.

I know that he has taught us all a thing or two about commitment and triumph, about faith and of course about family. I'm so glad that Cameron knows you, Papa. He may be too little to know the importance of what a Papa is (and a Great-Papa at that), but boy does he know you're important. It's something about the way you look at him, mixed in with that deep voice, I think.  To be honest, it's the voice and the look that get all of us...Every. Time.

Happy Birthday Papa! It's amazing how much you've done in one years time -- what's even more extraordinary is what you've done in a lifetime though! We didn't get to say it out loud on December 31st at the turn of a new year, but we're all so, extremely proud of the 12 months that you've had! Here's to you in your 80th year: Rockin' the socks off of all the youngsters and staying up far closer to midnight then I did!

Tim said it best 10 years ago on your 70th..."no one will ever be you".  It's definitely what I like to call, "The Papa-factor"! You really are one of a kind, and they definitely don't make 'em like they used to.

I love you Papa! Where do we grow from here?

First Day of "School"

Along with the bright and colorful new feelings that come with a New Year, Cameron started his first day of "school"!

I know, I probably sound crazy to most people. What was I thinking? We literally got back into town and the very next day Cameron was adjusting and adapting at his new school.  He's a trooper though and did so well! 

We are both really excited to pick him up from school and to hear about his day. He loves watching the other kids and I can see his wheels turning as he watches a couple of the older kids walk around and pull up on things.

Tim says it helps that he's the cutest kid in the class, but maybe we're biased.

*Santa brought him his super cool backpack. Santa knows hip.*

We're Back!

Happy New Year!
Happy fresh start!
Happy 2013!
Happy Everything!

We took a trip to celebrate my Grandfather's 80th Birthday, the New Year and family! Cameron was a champ!  I keep waiting for the day when I'll know better than to over-plan and over-do-it, especially when it comes to our Benton world.  (Honestly, that day will never happen. I try too hard to make everyone happy and in doing that I always over-do-it. It's in my genes though, I can't help it.)  My patience and what I know that I can handle tends to be a lot different then what we can handle and deal with as a whole. In my defense though, I want Cameron to experience, and the more he experiences, the more flexible and balanced he'll be. Yet...there's something to be said for knowing the limits of your loved ones. Just sayin...

Highlights & Photos:

How to cope with time differences -- wake up early and utilize the fact that Netflix has LOTS of Sesame Street episodes available!

Tim enjoyed the burger, but didn't fall for the hype of In 'n Out that we all grew up with.

However, Cameron was very curious...

and LOVED his first taste of french fry. Shhh. Don't judge!

Vineyards and a really nice day means:

Smith family wants to play -- Bocce that is!

Cameron was official.

A sneaky side trip to our favorite version of "Main Street" in Hometown, USA.

We took an adventure out on the "Bay" and Tim got a lesson in sailing. As you can tell, we're cold and I look really tired.

What can I say, this kid likes boats!

My cousins aren't scared of anything... 

(photo credits to my sister Lexie)

 

Happy New Year!