life as a blur: T-minus 1 month.

Well, here we are, almost at the 1 year mark, and I am scratching my head wondering what the heck happened to my life!? But then I think about it a little more and I realize that this past year has very little to do with my life, because if it weren't for Benjamin, things would be a whole lot less wonderful around these parts. I have so much to be thankful for. Even in this sudden summer-like heat, I am so thankful for a happy naked baby who loves staying up as late as possible with mom and dad on a Sunday night. I'm thankful for so many family members who live close by, as well as the ones who live far away and force me to be better at staying in touch. I am even thankful for living in our neighborhood, although some people may not think it's all that great from the outside, because we have a platform to love on the people around us every day. I have grown so much in the past year being around some great and rambunctious kids who adore my son and love spending time with us.

Head butts!

Playing under the short tree.

Ben is just as awesome as ever, learning lots of new things and getting better at the stuff he already figured out. He's a fast crawler and walking is just around the corner already. He's got a half dozen teeth poking out all over and likes to make sure he still gets a reaction when he bites mommy. Yikes. Aside from the biting, he is trying lots of new foods, climbing stairs, almost standing solo, pointing at and chasing the cats, and spending plenty of time in the fresh air with his honeys. His face is changing a lot, too! This little dude is definitely turning into a boy and the baby days are starting to fade away. I'm not sad that he's growing up, though I do have my moments where I want to squeeze the nearest baby and make annoying squeaky sounds. Ben is like, the best kid I know, and I miss him incredible amounts after about an hour of not seeing him (sometimes less). It's not uncommon to see myself and Aaron laying in bed watching the latest videos and pictures I took of our little guy that day. We crack up reliving the moments and are thankful for technology...we have one well-documented child that's for sure!

One of the perks of Ben's personality is his built-in echolocation. Normally, I think of bats or whales when I hear that word, but Ben has mastered the art of talking constantly while moving around. It's not exactly how animals use it, but it's a bonus for a mom who isn't always watching where her child is getting into (guilty). I know 2 things about his crawl-babble: if he's making sounds, I can tell where he is and if he's not making any noise or responding to me, he's in the bathroom trying to get into the toilet. Every. Single. Time. He's also starting to talk on purpose, and not just because he loves the sound of his own manly voice. Here's a quick video of him singing along to the ABC's on a favorite toy:

All in all, this month/life is getting a bit crazy for us. Between weddings, building a business, walking-to-running babies, and trying to fit in some home improvements before the summer's over, we are busy! I am so glad this summer is going to be a huge improvement to last summer. Don't get me wrong, Ben's birth was a blessing to be sure, but not having him sweaty, complaining and nursing 24/7 all through July and August is going to be niiiiiice. Plus, he's got his own kiddie pool and plenty of girlfriends to play with all summer. It's going to be a blast! Next post: 1st Birthday!! AH!

Side note: It took me forever to write this post because I've been spending most of my time playing with Ben outside. Some of these pictures are after his 11 month birthday but they're too cute not to share!!