Matthew is 11 Months

• Loves to drop things over his shoulder/behind his head. I often find fun little “surprises” between the back of his high chair & the chair it sits on.
• He likes to ‘spin’ circles. (You’ve seen the movie) He’ll go from sitting on his bottom, sideways to his hands & knees, and sideways again back to his bottom. He repeats this to ‘spin’ circles around the room. So funny.
• Guess who’s walking!! Matthew will take up to 10 steps at a time now. He’s decided he’s ready and likes to try and walk all over. He’s still wobbly and falls pretty often, he whines a little, then crawls over to stand up to something and tries again. I have mixed feelings, it’s so fun to watch him progress but sad to see him become less and less of a baby.
• Loves to cruise along all the furniture. I love his little walk, he holds his arms straight out for balance and walks so cute.
• Has a little bit of a temper when he’s upset. I thought he would be our easy keeper, but he’s proving that he’s got a mind of his own too. He’ll throw a tantrum by crawling away fast then sprawling himself out on the ground.
• Along those lines, sometimes when he’s upset he tries to bite…typically Caleb is the one on the other side of the teeth. We’re working on this one, but he usually laughs when I tap his mouth & tell him “no no.”
• When he’s happy, he kneels up on his knees & ‘bounces’ up and down while waving his arms. Pretty funny. (Sometimes he also does this when he’s upset) He also will ‘walk’ while kneeling on his knees.
• Matthew likes to play with his hair. Sometimes he pulls on it, usually just runs his hands through it. He especially likes to do it when he’s eating which results in many post-meal baths because of sticky hair!
• Starting to really enjoy his sippy cup. He seems to prefer water over anything else. He likes to lay on his back and drink out of his cup while laying down.
• A typical boy, he loves to play with cars, trucks, and trains.
• He’s my little mess-maker and loves to pull things out of drawers, cupboards, baskets, etc. He likes to make his mess then crawl away to find the next adventure.
• Absolutely loves his baths. Anytime the water is running, he makes a beeline for the bathroom to try and play in it. He also likes the toilet…
• Matthew loves to play with Jacob and Caleb. He tries to do his best to keep up with them, and loves to play with anything they’re playing with, and do anything they’re doing.
• He has 6 teeth, but 4 more are just sitting right there. I can see the tops, but they haven’t fully come through yet.
• Loves his food and will sometimes put it in his mouth as fast as he can. He doesn’t seem to like cold, wet/slimy foods much.

I can't believe Matthew will be a year old in just one month. We love this little guy.

Adventure Aquarium & Battleship NewJersey

A while back we found out that Jeff's uncle & family would be coming to stay with us for a few days. We decided while we were doing some sight-seeing with them, we might as well make a week of it- so Jeff took off the entire week. Come to find out, Uncle Dean & Aunt Linda weren't able to make the trip. We were sad they couldn't come, but we still had the entire week off- so we decided to do a little vacation of our own around the somewhat nearby areas.
Today we went to the Adventure Aquarium & Battleship New Jersey in Camden, New Jersey. It was the first time any of us have been, and it was a blast. First of all, the timing couldn't have been better, there were only a few people there so we were able to peruse around at our own pace without having to worry about fighting crowds or loosing children in large groups. (Caleb has a serious record of getting lost in places like that...) The Aquarium was awesome! There were so many exhibits of different fish, birds, animals, amphibians, etc. We spent about 4 hours and we moved through things fairly quickly. One of our favorite stops was at the hippo exhibit. At first they were just laying there in the water, but eventually they started moving around and put on a pretty good show running and 'dancing' around in the water. We loved the huge glass window and all the neat fish inside the exhibit. Matthew was pretty enthralled and kept trying to grab the fish through the glass. I enjoyed watching Caleb, no matter how many times that silly hippo went around the cage he would always jump a little when it got close to him.
Another area we enjoyed were all the petting stations. The boys were able to pet sharks, sting rays, jelly fish, starfish, and a whole bunch of other fish and sea creatures. I touched a few, but I'm happy to just look. I especially liked all the hand sanitizer dispensers located around these stations.
One of mine & Jeff's favorites were the neat shark exhibits. They were located at various points throughout the aquarium. I loved the huge tanks with gigantic glass windows. I think I would have been happy to just sit and watch all the fish, sharks, and turtles swimming around. In one place there is a glass tunnel that you can walk through and it's pretty neat to see the sharks swimming all around you. At this point of the day Matthew was getting a little grumpy, and who can blame him? Poor kid hadn’t had a decent nap all day and it was almost 2. The shark tunnel took his attention off his tiredness for a while.
The last exhibit was the one for the penguins and seals. The seals were neat, the penguins were hilarious! They’re so funny to watch, they have these little attitudes and really put on a show for anyone watching. The boys loved them and it was fun to be outside for a little while.
After the aquarium, we headed over to tour the Battleship New Jersey. First of all, it’s amazing to see this huge beautiful ship sitting there on the river. I don’t think you realize just how big these boats are until you get right up next to them. For this tour, we opted for the “self-guided” version complete with headsets and little info boxes. It was actually really neat. You would follow the painted lines throughout the ship, entering the numbers at each stop and listen to the recording. Jacob especially got a kick out of this as he had his own personal little headset. He took it pretty seriously and would tell us, “Okay, now we need to head over to the steep stairs and be careful as we go up the port side!” (And yes, some of those staircases were steep!) It was really a lot of fun going all throughout that amazing ship. I would highly recommend the Battleship New Jersey as a stop for anyone who might ever be in the area. I learned a lot about the history of the ship, and men who served aboard it. I do have to add that I’m very impressed by anyone who could be proficient in finding their way around the ship without needing the “You-Are-Here” signs, and pained lines directing you where to go.
For us, the whole tour took just over an hour, you could spend more or less time depending on how much time you’d like to take looking around- or how many children under the age of 5 you have with you-especially when they *really* need to use the bathroom that is only located at the very end of the tour. Even with these things, we had a great time and our kids loved it. (I also think it helped that there were hardly any people there today.)
By the end of the day the kids were pretty tired, it was a fairly long day. I wasn’t sure Caleb was going to finish the tour, he was perfectly content to camp out on the stairs on the way down from the boat. Eventually he was coaxed down with the motivation of an ice cream cone. Matthew was content to sleep in his stroller on our way back to the car. I loved seeing his soft blonde hair flying in the wind. We definitely did our job as parents today; running around with the kids all day and playing hard enough that they slept most of the way home.

A Fall Favorite

Just one of the many aspects I love about the changing seasons is the change of *flavors* that go along with it. Different foods are made for different seasons. With fall in the air, I start craving “Fall” food. One of my absolute favorite treats for this time of year is pumpkin chocolate chip cookies. I only make them a few times a year- usually when it’s cold outside. The smell of pumpkin & cinnamon in the house is the perfect addition for a sunny autumn afternoon. Last Saturday was a perfect ‘one of those days’, so we made cookies. It can be a dangerous situation with warm cookies around, but I felt justified because…

1. I ran 11 miles that morning
2. The following day was fast Sunday
3. There are four other people in the household that love these cookies ALMOST as much as I do.

It was a yummy afternoon!

GUESS...

Can you guess what the boys have in their bucket?

If you guessed 8 frogs...you're right!

Saturday afternoon while out on our porch, we realized that the grass was speckled with frogs behind our apartment. They like to come out after the rain or when it's really humid outside. Being the adventurers we are, the boys and I grabbed a bucket & went out to go frog hunting. Jacob & Caleb caught 8 frogs. Fat frogs, skinny frogs, frogs that climbed on rocks... My favorites are the tiny ones. I got a kick out of Caleb, he liked them, but got a little nervous when picking up the big ones. We put them in our bucket, then let them all go.

More Goodbyes

Friday afternoon we said goodbye to more wonderful friends, and recently discovered- family members! Brett & Angie Clayton moved with their three boys on Friday. We found out that Brett & my dad are second cousins through the Benson family line. No wonder our boys got along so well! Jacob & Caleb are sure going to miss Taft & Zea. And although they're much to young to even be aware...I'm sure Matthew & Nathan will miss each other too. We went to visit for a little while on Friday. After giving hugs and saying goodbye, Caleb was crying in the car that he didn't get to say goodbye, and Zea was crying on the sidewalk saying he wanted to come with us. It was one of those moments that just breaks your heart. We'll miss you guys!

First Day of Preschool

It’s that time again, the kids are headed back to school…preschool in our case. I love the feeling in the air, the school supplies in the store, the cooler weather, and all the fun things that go along with the change of the season. (My husband would insist that I add football along with that list :)

This year, Jacob is headed back for his 2^nd year; and Caleb is starting for the very first time. I was excited when they decided to do another class for the younger kids. Both boys have been excited for this for a long time. I’m excited for them too, and I’m especially glad that I only have to give them up for a couple hours, two times a week. Caleb goes in the morning from 9:30-11:45, and Jacob goes from 12-2:15. It does make it a bit of a juggling act to go back and forth, all the while trying to fit in errands, and schedule Matthew’s naps. But it’s worked out pretty well so far, it just requires planning.

It was fun to go with Caleb for the first 30 minutes of his class. He definitely seemed more interested in playing with all the fun toys than sitting and listening- but I think he’ll catch on to the hang of it. He’s been watching Jacob do this for a year, and he’s pretty excited that it’s finally his turn. He was lucky enough to get to celebrate his birthday on the first day of preschool. He got to bring in his birthday poster and birthday treats for all of his friends- we did the “dirt” cups with oreos, pudding, and of course gummy worms.

It was certainly a fun first day of preschool for both of the boys. (Matthew enjoyed it too:)

(Jacob's Class)

(Caleb's Class)

Circus Baby

With no television, our kids are forced to provide the entertainment at our house! (JK) This is Matthew's latest trick, spinning circles around the room. It's so funny, I'm sure other babies do it, I've just never seen it before. He'll keep doing it for a while and it keeps everyone pretty entertained. There's been a few times where he hasn't had enough room and has bonked right into a dresser/couch/etc, but he keeps going, so I guess he's having fun too! (This is my first time uploading a video. Our camera doesn't take the best videos- they're a little choppy, but Grandma wanted to see Matthew in action so this is the best I could do.)

Rainy Day People

I love a good rainy day every now & then. We haven't had much this summer, but with hurricane season in full force we're experiencing some of the aftermath. It POURED all day today. Sometimes lightly and other times in torrential downpours. I wish I would have taken my own picture. We have a couple buckets on our porch that were filled with about 7 inches of water this evening. We had plans to go out today, but instead decided to stay home and enjoy our cozy little apartment with its awesome views of the rain through our big porch window/door. The boys loved it. One of my favorite memories from today- I stood outside the door for a minute with Matthew- it was fun to watch him crinkling up his nose, looking all around, trying to figure out where in the world all the water was coming from.
We did chores in the morning, and watched a movie together after lunch. When Jeff went to the priesthood session of stake conference, the boys and I had fun playing with playdough, opening all our windows to hear & smell the rain, and having dinner together. I love warm, sunny weather, but there's nothing better than a good rainy day every once in a while...especially when you can spend it at home with your family. We're definitely, "Rainy Day People." (and Gordon Lightfoot fans too)

Friday Nights

We love Friday nights, especially when it's our night for a date! This Friday we headed up to Dave & Busters with some friends, the Farnsworths & Sperrys for a night of food & fun. The atmosphere is definitely suited more for the young singles crowd, but hey, we're still young and even though we're not single & have 5 children- we fit in pretty well- especially when it came to enthusiasm for the games. We had some pretty serious games of car racing (somehow I managed to come in 1st place!...it'll probably never happen again), horse racing, basketball, and of course...the jumping rope/light game. Thanks guys for a fun night, and Palmers for watching our kids- they had a blast.

Happy Birthday Caleb

Caleb is 3 years old today!

Happy Birthday Caleb! Caleb turned three years old today! I love this age because they start to understand their birthdays and get so excited for them. He had picked out a few things at the store yesterday so he was already well into birthday mode. We had breakfast and afterwards he got to have a little cupcake. We did some chores around the house during the morning, and then when everything was cleaned up, Matthew took his morning nap, and I let the boys watch a special movie that Caleb had picked out the day before. (He chose Thomas & the Treasure)

While they watched, I finished wrapping birthday presents. Then I got to work on his birthday cake. Caleb said he wanted a train cake, and there were lots of great pictures to go by- I figured it would be pretty easy. Well, once again I was reminded that I am by no means a cake decorator. It took me a while to get everything figured out, baked, and put together. By the time I got to the frosting I’d already about had it. Then you still have the fun part of trying to get the frosting just the right color. I have the hardest time- you pretty much have to dump the entire bottle of food coloring in the bowl and even then I still get baby blue, pale yellow, and dark pink instead of the intended red, yellow, and blue. By the time I finished the cake I was reminded *why* there are people who specialize in this type of thing.(Becky S. I could have used your help today!) I was feeling a little discouraged and feeling like I had wasted the afternoon, but then Caleb came in the kitchen and got the biggest smile on his face. He was so excited about the cake, and thought it was “cool.” It made me feel good, and I figured that as long as Caleb liked it, that was all that mattered. So I hurried & cleaned up the kitchen and the boys helped me make pizza for dinner.

Jeff got home just after 5:00. In the past we’ve always done birthdays so late at night (Jeff has been on call, or other things have come up) that I was determined to have everything ready so we could celebrate early this year! So we had dinner just after 5 and went right into the cake and presents. Caleb had a blast- he got some really fun things and was great about sharing them with Jacob and Matthew too. It did make us laugh that Caleb was really excited about all his gifts, but when he opened a couple of books from Grandma, he had to stop for a few minutes to read both of them, even though he had more presents to open. Matthew thought the whole night was great- lots of new toys to play with, cake, and lots of wrapping paper. I think he’s getting geared up for his big day next month! Anyway, Caleb had lots of fun blowing out his candles, and playing with the new toys (Thanks Mom & Dad, and Grandma & Grandpa!) It was a fun day to celebrate and I still can’t believe my little Caleb is already three years old. We love you Caleb!

Side Note: I know it was Caleb's birthday, but I have to put in a little bit for Matthew. He was fun to watch. After the present were all opened he started playing with a few of them. I was pretty impressed watching him play with Caleb’s little pretend cash register. Matthew watched the boys for a while, and then when they moved on to something else- he moved in. It was fun to watch because he knew exactly how it worked! He didn’t just chew on the money or pull on the toy. He would try to put the ‘money’ in the slots, and then push the buttons to make them go down. I thought it was pretty impressive for a 10-month old baby. (You can see him holding the orange coin while trying to get the red coin in. He gets the red one in and pushes the button to send it down, then he puts the orange coin in.)

Labor Day Fun

For Labor Day we decided to hit the beach again. We had a couple things in mind, but Jeff hasn’t been this year and it ended up being a perfect day. It's funny to think of being at the beach in September. I was just surprised that it wasn't even crowded on a holiday.

It was a fun day and we enjoyed the sunshine. I wish I could say we enjoyed the water more; the waves were amazing! …so amazing that the life guards wouldn’t let anyone take boogie boards out in the water. It was still neat to watch all the surfers catch the huge waves. Jeff was bummed, he lived in Hawaii for a while so he knows what he’s doing in the water. He was wishing he had a surf board too. He sure had fun with the boys though. They loved having Daddy with them. Matthew was great- I just wish he would get over his love of the taste of the sand. Once again he was helping himself to the endless quantity of sand, and who-knows what else. At the end of the day he was tired and perfectly content to lay on Jeff’s shoulder while patting his arm; too sweet. We picked up some dinner on the way home and also hit Toys R Us to pick out a few birthday gifts for Caleb. I love Labor Day, I think we need a few more of these great 3-day weekends!