L,B,& B

Bye Bye Binky:)

2012-01-16T20:42:00.006-07:00

We did it! I say "we" because I think it may have been harder for me than it apparently was for my Ben. Haha--it was just a big realization that he is not a baby anymore--he is getting so big! I am not gonna lie, I was sad too to no longer have a plug (terrible term) when the talking was non-stop or whining was starting or in the car or at church, or what made naps and bed time a cinch, or a quick and easy soothe him when he was upset...etc.

His last night with his binky...

Ben has slowly lost his binky's--or I have--over the last few months and he had been down to ONE for weeks. We prepped Ben telling him that "2 year olds don't use binky's anymore" and his response was always "ok" and "ill miss it" but we didn't really think he got it...Lance was NOT gonna let me back out, as I have done for months, and so ON the night of his b-day (mean, huh?!) We told Ben, "Ok it's time to say bye to binky". One of Ben's favorite shows is Sesame Street and we have watched the "Bye Bye Binky" episode quite a few times (saved on DVR) the last few months in preparation and have sung the song even more times. Ben decided he liked how Elmo gave some of his binky's to the babies so we ran with it and told him Daddy was going to bring the binky to "the babies"--rather ambiguous, I know:) but Ben didnt seem to mind. Ben said bye to his last binky, and Lance went for a quick drive in the car with bink. When he got back he told Ben how much the babies loved it and that made Ben super happy and that night, after about a half hour of singing he went to sleep. With ZERO tears, and only one SUPER sad-break-your-heart face. That was that...naps were rough as in SHORT for about a week but ZERO tears and he never begged for it again (he asked about it x2 but was fine with my reminder that he gave it to "the babies")--can you believe it! I cant!--I thought it would be much harder! He is a rockstar!! LOVED the binky! Love him!!

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he got choked up once or twice but only for a second when you hear his little voice crack--yay for new bday toys to distract him:)

Chugga Chugga Choo Choo, Benjamin just turned 2!!!

2012-01-14T20:42:00.012-07:00

I saw the not so original rhyme and decided to run with it:) Choo Choo Ben is turning two! Especially because he just got a train table for Christmas--it worked out perfectly:)

"When you're running low on STEAM, CHUGGA little H2O"

on the water bottles

"CHUGGA CHUGGA--CHOO CHOO, WHISTLE BLOWING--THANK YOU!"

on the gift bags and TY cards:)

I was on a birthday budget and it became apparent that I could make a LOT of decor out of 4 .35 cent posterboards and my computer/b&w printer!:) worked out perfect!

Was a little nervous about the coloring corner with train pictures but after the party I had ZERO crayon on my wall after except from one little spot from my own son on accident:)--YAY!

For the Goody bags (which I actually think are kind of a silly tradition that I may skip in the future:) I snagged some after Christmas super cheap candy coal to use for

"Train Food: to getcha where you're going!", cute train crayons off of etsy, free train coloring printables off internet, train whistles (that turned out to kinda suck as far as sounding like a train) but were a good deal online! and some red & blue candy treats from the food table:)

Most of the crew--a lot of ben's buddies were sick, couldn't come, and some had already left before this pic because I'm retarded and didn't get a picture taken till after...but here are SOME of Ben's bestest buddies:) (L to R: Brady, Lakai, Ben, Jake & Zach)

some serious coloring...

playing with "Brinny" after the partay:) Dinner with Curfs at Hometown Pizza--yum! we left VERY FULL!

The party was a blast! I LOVE this kind of thing-esp the prep & planning:) We were bummed some of friends couldn't come but our TINY house was smoking hot and plenty packed with our fantastic friends and Ben was showered with lots of love (& generous gifts)!

Oh how we love our little Ben and we are so grateful for him EVERY day!! Here's to another wonderful wonderful year!

My baby is TWO!!

2012-01-03T19:48:00.014-07:00

I can't believe my Ben is two!

We had a typical but fun day including Costco, naps, playing, and I was a mean mom and scheduled his 2 yr well child appt today. Ben was a champ. Barely winced when she pricked his finger and earned every bit of his promised candy cane for being tough and brave!

After appt we ate, one of Ben's favorite meals, "hambuger samwiches" and sweet potato fries. Then we had yummy chocolate cake and ice cream and opened presents.

Ben is getting a hang of this present thing and was spoiled by family! We are so blessed to have such generous grandmas and grandpas and aunts and cousins, etc.

Ben- my buddy! I love you more than words can say. In so many ways you seem so-oo old and mature to me but at the same time I cannot believe you are already 2! I love playing with you! I love cuddling and watching shows in the morning, sharing breakfast, going on walks or playing at the park, watching shows together, dancing with monkey/bear/hokey with you, running errands with you, and just having you be my little shadow buddy everyday. I miss you like crazy on monday's when I work and live for your hugs and excited "hi mama"s when I come in the door. Your dad and I feel soo grateful to be your mom and dad. You have such an obedient little spirit and teach us so much. You are so sweet and happy and seriously amaze us with how sweet and easy you are every day. You are silly and fun and love to make us happy and your little sad lip breaks our heart. Thanks for being you! for being ours!

As much as I love every stage--STOP growing up so fast!!

Ben is currently weighing in at __ lbs and is ___ in. tall (cant remember exacts but they are written down in my diaper bag in the car so I will update details later:) which is back up to 50% in both--way to go Bennerman!

He wears mostly 2 T clothes and size 7/8 shoe:) my baby is growing up :(

Favorite Foods: pancakes!, eggies, "hamburger sandwiches", chicken nuggets, apples, pears, strawberries, blueberries, "brooke & jakey cereal" aka Lucky Charms, pb & honey sandwiches, fries, yogurt, any "canny" (candy) esp. candy canes right now:), dum dums and lifesavors:)

Favorites Toys: trucks and cars and tractors and trains:), new train table, his singing monkey, Hokey, Jingle the dog, books, balls esp. dad's nice indoor basketball, coloring, magnets:)

Favorite shows: Elmo's world/Sesame Street, Signing Times (at night), Yo Gabba Gabba, Thomas, Backyardigans, & "Jesus show" aka The Nativity movie from The Living Scriptures collection.

Frequent words, phrases: "wow mom", "thanks guys", "dad-dy!", Ben loves to point out every mode of transportation while we drive and is very specific as to what exactly he sees "mom, look, city bus with a butterfly" or "a bus with a bike on it" or "look, ambulance/garbage truck/etc,etc" or "mom, a school bus, see it? lets go see it!" or "oh wow, a motorcycle!" :)

other frequent phrases are: "one more time!", "it's my turn", "throw me" (meaning throw the ball, monkey, bear, whatever object you are holding to me:), "mommy/daddy, let's go watch the monkey dance, k?".

He frequently uses response "almost!" when we ask, ready for another bite? ready for bed? ready for nap? ready to go to store? Ben's talking in full sentences and we understand the majority of our daily full conversations with him:) He is a frequent volunteer to say the prayer at dinner or night time, LOVES to sing songs and talks non-stop--we love it! He is such a good little talker and 99% of the time he is a good listener too which is pretty lucky for us!

Happy new year! Here's to 2012!!

2012-01-01T21:07:00.002-07:00

The Bergeson's are looking forward to 2012 with gratitude in our hearts! YAY for baby girl Bergeson, YAY for Dental school, YAY for maybe a trip to my mom & dad's new cabin?!, YAY for another fun, blessed year in KY, YAY for more visitors!, YAY for Jayhawk's:), YAY for enjoying a year with our happy healthy 2 yr old Ben, YAY for 2012! I've made multiple resolutions re: budgeting, grocery shopping/meal planning on a budget:), having a house of order, time with my kiddos, gym time, sewing etc....Jan is half way through and so far so good--here's to 11.5 more months and then some keeping it up!

Santa says "HO HO HO"

2011-12-20T20:34:00.023-07:00

Ben is still making requests for Santa songs, Frosty songs, "gingle bells" , and holding up Noah from his Little People Noah's ark and saying "Santa says HO HO HO" haha. Needless to say, Ben was at a fun Christmas age and next year is only going to get more fun!

This year our Christmas season was so different. It was our FIRST Christmas spent just with the LBBergeson family. It was different and we missed our fams/traditions/2 week break:)! The trickiest part was having it feel like Christmas, other then our many trips to/from the airport to pick up and drop off our friends visiting family, we were working/usual routine. In fact, LB & I both worked fri the 23rd and mon the 26th (fortunately, opposite schedules:) so as opposed to our two week trips to WA or living in WA the last 6 years....Christmas was just a quick weekend, then back to reality:)

On a positive note, it was also nice. It was fun to start traditions and have the time with just with our little family. We kicked off our Holiday Season with a trip to Bass Pro Shops, weird I know, but we heard "Free Santa Pics" and we were there:) Turned out to be a GREAT idea...both of my boys were in HEAVEN!

Ben wanted one of these, we forgot to ask Santa:)

After pics with Santa in the Winter Wonderland section. Ben (&Lance) played with stuffed gators, looked at the fish, quail, turtles, stuffed animals of all sorts, guns, Camo EVERYTHING (Lance's fav joke of the day was that he couldn't even see that whole section of the store:)--love that guy) tents, boats, climbing walls, shooting games, etc. etc. It was a fun, free, family day to say the least:)

Christmas Cookies

He's a little young but I wanted to do some fun Christmas stuff with Ben this year too. We read lots of christmas stories, sang LOTS of Christmas songs (including the whole CHS Swing Choir christmas medley:) haha ) and Christmas Cookies was just a given:)

It was a mess and wouldn't have passed any food handler tests but Ben loved it!

We fish-sat Gill for the Tafoya's and Ben LOVED greeting and feeding Gill every morning! so cute--but not quite cute enough for this mom to be ready for any pets of any kind:)

We set the tree up right after Thanksgiving and enjoyed the yummy smell all month. Ben loved the tree and thought the lights were "so pretty". He seriously was amazing as far as not touching any ornaments or present underneath--seriously not more than 1-2x and we said "Ben, don't touch bud" and he didn't ever again--he's a wonderfully peculiar 2 yr old:)

One night a week or so before Christmas there was a knock on the door. Our friend Brittany who was over looked out and informed me "It's Santa"--I didn't believe it till I looked out window myself! I quickly called for Lance and our surprise made it even better for Ben. He was convinced and was a little nervous that Santa was at his house. IT WAS AWESOME. He told Ben he was here to check on him, bring him a candy cane, and remind him to be nice all week. (dont worry by then, Lance had recognized his eyes, voice and we were safe letting him into our home--we heard lots of Santa horror stories this year:(--Thanks Greg for such a fun surprise!) If Ben didn't get the whole Christmas thing before, he did now!

On the 23rd we went to Lights Under Louisville with the Sonicos. Scott and Cassie are our good friends who were also staying in the Ville for the holiday vs. going "home" and we wanted to do something holiday-ish with them. There are these caves/tunnels under Louisville (why? I dunno) but each Christmas they fill them with Christmas light displays and charge people to drive through and look at it:) Because $25/car is a little steep for us poor students, we all piled into one car at the entrance sans car seats (the 3mph speed limits weren't super intimidating) and I'm so glad we did. The kid's were enthralled and it was even more fun for them to see it together on laps right by the window:).

Ben LOVED the lights and Santa on the motorcycle was his favorite!

I dont have a fancy camera so my pics leave a lot to be desired but tried to capture the idea:)

The Sonico's treated us to some yummy homemade hot chocolate after that was fantastic--Ben thought so too!

Ben & Riley enjoying some hot cocoa:)

and then a post-cocoa wrestling match. Ben is ALWAYS down to wrestle and can typically hold his own with any kid:) Thattaboy! Ok to wrestle girls at this age only:)

On Christmas Eve some families in our ward got together at the Parker's for some appetizers, christmas carols, and the nativity. We had a good time and were glad to have some festive activities with friends:) Ben played Joseph in the nativity and was very reverent:)

(*didnt take too many pics:(--story of my life lately!)

after we enjoyed some yummy peppermint hot chocolate at home and watched the Nativity with Ben. The Nativity movie is now termed "Jesus Show" and Ben loves it and daily requests to watch "Jesus be born" . I love that he loves it so much! Its pretty cute to hear him say "Oh its Mary", "they're almost there mom" (when Mary & Joseph go around the last bend on the donkey before Bethlehem) and "Be nice Herod" or "Herod is mean" --love it!

After Ben was all nestled all snug in his bed....Our front room became Santa's workshop. It was really fun for Lance and I to put together the train table for Ben. It took a good 2 hours but having kids makes the holidays so fun and we knew how much he would love it!!

and love it-he did!!

He was thrilled with all his new stuff thanks to our VERY generous family!!

he especially enjoyed the "canny canes" left by Santa all over the tree--he's easy to please:)

Bergeson Christmas Family photo---all 3.5 of us:)

Ben was a little overwhelmed with all his new, fun stuff and didn't know how to play with it all:) He was a little bummed to leave it all to go to church. While having to skip Christmas breakfast tradition and rush a little--I loved escaping to Sacrament meeting as a reminder of the true meaning of the season. Our ward had two beautiful talks about our Savior, Jesus Christ and some beautiful musical numbers.

We are so grateful for our testimonies and relationship with our Savior, Jesus Christ,

for his living example and saving atonement. We know he LIVES and we KNOW Him and

LOVE Him and are grateful for His hand in our lives.

After church, we headed home for a loungy day, cozy in jammies, talking to family, and enjoying Ben's new toys:) and a yummy Christmas dinner--if i do say so myself:)

We read Jingle All the Way about 5000 times:) and memorized all the key lines that make Jingle bark or sing, Ben quite enjoyed it:)

a week or so later our beautiful tree was dry dry dry and we were ready to be rid of the "neenles" that Ben requested we vacuum up daily--this kid LOVES to sweep and vacuum!--He was all over sweeping up the mess dragging it outside left and we are still finding needles hiding places:)

We skipped Christmas cards this year as we are anticipating a baby announcement in a few months so consider this our Holiday greeting and know that we wished a Merry Christmas to all and to all a goodnight:) from KY!

Caity comes to the Ville!

2011-12-20T20:32:00.004-07:00

Cait came to visit us in the 'ville again! She is our most frequent visitor at 3 trips out here from WA already and for that we are so grateful! Ben loves Cait and they had so much fun! This trip I was TERRIBLE at picture taking and this is the ONLY one I got! We enjoyed dinner out (on Cait--thanks caity cat!) trips to park, walks, girls nights, movie nights, cooking, baking, playing like crazy, swimming at the Y, etc. It was so fun to have you Caity cat and we are already looking forward to your next trip!!

HE's IN!!! we're staying in the Ville!

2011-12-20T20:30:00.005-07:00

Wow! I have been waiting years, literally, to post this post. I couldn't be more proud to announce that, on DEC 1st!,

Lance was accepted into the University of Louisville School of Dentistry!

(Berg family cookies, complete with dentist bear, prego bear, and benny bear:) Thanks mom & dad!)

We are so excited! It has been a long road and we have often questioned and wondered why it had to be so long; however, we are confident that we have a loving Heavenly Father who is the master planner and who wants what is best for us. This year--getting in was in the plan and we are THRILLED! we are also thrilled that despite having to be delayed a few years, we are now residents and will be paying much much less for tuition-- a HUGE blessing!

Lance has been incredible on this journey to Dental school. He worked full time since applying to provide for our family. He took additional courses and ACED them to improve his application. He worked crazy hours and slept very little. He observed over 500 hours at multiple offices to improve his knowledge and application. He made uncomfortable phone calls, emails, trips, interviews, and put himself out there to improve his chances. He faithfully moved our family across the country because he felt it gave us the best possibility and options for getting into school. He handled every Dec. 1st and denial the last few years with grace and poise and faith in our Heavenly Father's plan for him and then moved forward, working towards the next year. I could not be more proud of Lance and how he has dealt with the wait! He didn't need luck per se when studying to re-take the DAT because he worked his tail off, doing his part. He studied like crazy all on his own and he rocked it! All the while he magnified his callings and any assigned responsibilities, faithfully did his HT, wrestled with ben nightly, read scriptures and prayers with our family, listened to me complain about being sick and prego, worked 2 jobs, walked from work or library, NEVER begrudged or competed with those around him, -- and I could go on but i'm sure its getting annoying....let's just say, Lance got in and HE DESERVES IT. I am so proud of him, for the man that he is and for the father and provider that he is for our family!

We are glad our wait to START is over and we know this is just the beginning of another journey...a long one and one that will undoubtedly be a lot of hard work... but we cant wait! and after years of applying you can bet it will be a long time before you hear us complain about busy schedules, homework, hard tests, etc:)

Bring it on U of L--whatever it takes--LB can do it!

We so appreciate all of your love & support of our family and friends through this process--we couldn't have made it to where we are without you!!

My golden b-day: 28 on the 28th!

2011-12-20T20:27:00.008-07:00

I worked on my b-day but had a wonderful day nonetheless:)

I headed over the DMV early that am to SUPER last minute renew my license before I had to retake the written because it was expired:) Lance had been all coached when I got home and I was welcomed home to breakfast and "HAPPY BIRTHDAY MOM" from my Ben....he continued to wish me a happy birthday all day--it was soo sweet:)

after working I returned home to my sweet boys..

enjoyed a yummy b-day dinner at Lynn's Paradise Cafe...

It was a fun, novel, little restaurant and Ben was thoroughly entertained:)

Then returned home to open some fun presents sent from WA with love:)

I am a lucky girl to have had so much fun, love, and been blessed with SOO much in my 28 years!

Thanksgiving at the Bergs

2011-12-20T20:25:00.006-07:00

We decided to brave Thanksgiving dinner at our house this year. Its hard to be away from home at holidays, but having close friends to share it with makes it easier. We have made wonderful friends here in KY and we are so GRATEFUL for them! It was a bit crowded in our tiny house but it worked out perfect:)

adult table kid table:)

I braved the bird..we brined, injected and roasted and I must say it was super, dare I say, moist (eww:)--hate that word) and fantastic! loved it!:)

Ben rocked his turkey hat from nursery all week but this is the only crummy picture I got of it:( it was darling!

Ben enjoyed his turkey krispie treat with fruit and treat skewers:)

kids didnt last long at table despite coloring option but hey, it was worth a shot:)

The adults; however, lasted longer, albeit we were stuffed quickly, we enjoyed good convo, went around saying what we were most grateful for, chatted re: school, work, kiddos, growing bellies, etc. etc. and had a wonderful holiday:)

We, the L.Berg's have so much to be grateful for!

QUICK trip to P-town

2011-11-18T16:49:00.010-07:00

We flew in and out of SLC when we traveled to Idaho Falls for Meg's wedding so we got to spend about a day at the beginning and a day at the end of our weekend with Brooke and Jake in Provo. We have a lot of friends/family in the area that we wish we could have had time with too, especially because our trips to Utah are becoming few and far between but seeing everyone didn't happen. We did make it back to Provo in time to see Jake play in the BYU vs. Idaho game...it's about time!

Brooke and Ben making sammies before the game:)

It was only 32 degrees and a late game but we bundled up and had a blast--Ben too!

He was a trooper!

The Cougar tail

and suckers may have contributed to his good mood:) I wont win any good mom awards in regards to nutrition but Hey, you do what you can to entertain a two year old for HOURS in the freezing cold. Fortunately we have trained him well and he loved yelling "go cougars" and "TOUCHDOWN JAKEY" :)

Before the game Ben was thrilled to see Cosmo...he just wasn't quite expecting a quick handoff for a pic (hence the expression in the pic below:), the rest of the game he looked for him on the sidelines and reported that Cosmo says Go Cougars! :)

we were an hour early with really no traffic (didn't consider the fact that Jake's pass gets us front row parking, it was late game, mormon standard time, and the freezing temps)

Needless to say there were lots of self portrait and photo sessions to kill time:)

waiting for Jake after the game, Ben thoroughly enjoyed watching the clean up crew sweeping and blowing trash to the aisles in the stadium--pretty entertaining:)

Ben loves him some "Jakey"

Sleepy boys on drive through canyon from Park City

Fortunately caught Grandma Lou before she headed to Branson for the week and had a nice quick visit:) love you grandma and so glad you are home and recovered and finally feeling well!

Saying bye to the Heaps:(

I must admit--I am pretty confident I have the BEST 2 year old EVER--especially on the airplane! I calculated and counting the multiple plane trips it takes to get anywhere from KY, Ben has been on a plane (taking off and landing) nearly 30 times!! He is a pro traveler! He has only cried 1x on a plane when he was 6 mo old on the LONG all night flight home from Hawaii for 3 minutes-thats it!

This time, Ben spent the first nearly 40 min looking out the window in picture 1, a half an hour playing quietly with the seatbelt in pic 2, a long while playing with his cars (the ONLY toy I brought:) in pic 3, watched a little Elmo and enjoyed some cheez-its in pic 4, and then sweetly cuddled and watched our final descent and landing out the window---BEN IS A ROCKSTAR!! I have to brag because everyone keeps telling me I will never be so lucky as to have more than one of these PERFECT babies so I try to enjoy every minute! Oh, how I love him!!

With 30 flights under his belt, Ben definitely took advantage of his first 2 free years of flying--now he gets to have his own seat--ugh!

Megan & Cole 11-11-11

2011-11-18T16:48:00.012-07:00

I was given the special assignment of taking pics with Debra's, the mother of the bride, camera so these are all I have from mine...

I cant wait to post more because it was BEAUTIFUL! Meg looked gorgeous!! the weather turned out beautiful--a little chilly--but SOOO much better than what was forecast and best you can expect for Idaho in Nov. The food at the lunch was delicious and the new Mr & Mrs Carrigan were sooo happy which is all we were hoping for! It was fun to see the whole Berg crew and Ben bonded with them all super quick and had a bunch of fun with his cousins:)

It was a quick trip but we are so grateful for Meg giving us the occasion and Paul and Debra making it possible!!

It's a girl!

2011-11-18T16:48:00.011-07:00

The 8th was the big day we've been waiting for...

its a GIRL!!

In the top two pics she held up her hand, gave a little wave, a thumbs up, then straight into her mouth went that thumb! It was soo sweet:) (Not gonna lie, a thumb sucker sounds ok right now as I am battling the binky farewell with Ben)

Lance was holding Ben and kept pointing out his new little sister on the monitor--

Ben looked at the screen and informed us all it was a "ghost...a nice ghost" :)

we are thrilled and CANNOT WAIT to meet baby girl Bergeson in March!!

Halloween 2011

2011-11-02T13:10:00.010-06:00

We stretched out our costume parties and Halloween festivities as much as possible and Ben proudly sported Elmo all of October it seems:)

I wasn't super thrilled about Elmo costume at first but the second I saw how much Ben LOVED it I knew there was no going back! Look at him! He stared in this mirror and just smiled at himself:)

Our first costume outing was

Boo at the Zoo:

We met at Tafoya's and walked to the park.

Ben was in a good mood I promise--just in a zone in all the group pics

(minus Lakai, he wasnt feeling it:)

(L to R: Koston, Ben, Zach, Jake, and Riley)

Ben with a stick--of course!

posing with Lakai on the Rhino:)

and with Elmo his favorite:), and the Toy Story crew

The kiddies even braved the hay bale maze this year and loved it!

Next was the Church Fall Harvest Festival a.k.a: Halloween Party :)

It was carnival style and a lot of fun--Berg's at the photo booth

(Ben thought his eye glass was a bubble)

about a half hour before the party I decided if I was gonna be lame and recycle my sweatshirt/costume from last year I may as well add baby Berg #2

Last was the 31st: Halloween :)

I had to work--which is always a bummer but turned out ok because I love my job and some of my patients had fantastic costumes!!

Jocelyn watched Ben for me and here the boys are playing outside:)

Then we had Jack-o-lantern pizza (courtesy of Scott & Cassie-thanks!) with the Sonicos and Stallers before Trick-or-treating:)

The kids were soo excited--even though Ben didnt quite know what he was in for--he was ready!

and boy, did he catch on fast!

My quiet little boy was RUNNING door to door the best he could and shouting "trick or treat" "Thank you" and "Happy Halloween" at every door. He was LOVING it!

He looked so big making his way to the door at each house:)

The kids were exhausted at the end but all did so well staying happy!

and Ben was thrilled with his loot!!

He kept trying to count his "canny" and would count 1-15 than start over :) I suppose I should move on and teach him 15-40 so he can count all his candy:)

HAPPY HALLOWEEN everyone!

We had so much fun watching Ben catch on and be old enough to kind of get it this year and I fell in love with the Elmo costume!

Huber Farms

2011-11-01T21:01:00.018-06:00

We made our 2nd annual trip to Huber Farms in Indiana this year--it was a little delayed by DAT prep (which Lance ROCKED by the way!!! so proud of my babe!!).

Pre-picking we played a traditional game of horseshoes--first one with a ringer gets a free pumpkin:)--proud to say Lance was the first with a ringer. He and Brandon took it pretty seriously and I was actually much closer than I ever expected to get given my terrible depth perception:) While we played horseshoes Ben collected all the balls in the field and was in Heaven--big field too so it kept him occupied:)

Curfew's & Bergeson's:)

After horseshoes we loaded up for the tractor ride out to the patch...

Being that our trip was delayed this year to the weekend before Halloween--the pumpkins were SLIM PICKINGS--so much so that we went home empty handed:)

Ben was disappointed that they were all "yucky" or "eww, gross!"

Ben and Lance saying hello to the donkey:)

sheep, llamas, and other furry/dirty/& cute but nappy-haired creatures:)

The tractor ride back--without a "punkin" :(

aren't my boys soo handsome!?!

Ben loved his Sarsaparilla and caramel apple sucker from the Curfews:)

we were tempted by the pumpkin ice cream but it was tooo cold and we needed real food first:) but we couldn't pass up samples and a pick on the cow who said "meow" according to Ben--he occasionally gets confused :)

Couldn't leave without a picture on the tractor--

Lance's grandpa has a Farmall tractor like this one in Royal:)

We always have a blast with the Curf's!

We ended the night with super yummy pizza from a new pizzeria and the BYU/TCU--it was close and we may have had a win had they played their #1 QB :) we'll get the horned frogs next year!:)

Fall Picnic at Bernheim Forrest

2011-11-01T19:33:00.010-06:00

While the weather was still super warm, yet Fall-ish a couple friends and our kiddies headed to Bernheim Forrest for the morning for a walk and picnic. There is a trail all around the like and bike trails and a paved car loop too... It was Ben and my first time there and it was BEAUTIFUL. My new KY "Green Lake" for my WA friends/fam:)

The kids were too distracted by the pretty water and the fun ripple effect that rocks had for them to pay much attention to their lunches--at least mine was:)

they would grab rocks or sticks at the end of the trail then run down the dock to throw them in and watch them disappear:)

This particular shot is them lamenting that they chose to throw their beloved sticks in the water and their all powerful moms could not retrieve them--proved to be a tough lesson for my Ben!:)

I was loving the START of our fall colors here in KY reflected in the water..

Where sticks are, there Ben is also...Ben usually epitomizes the old saying "speak softly and carry a big stick" however he did not speak softly when I told him we were leaving and threw a RARE Ben tantrum--he LOVED it there!

YAHOO!

2011-09-25T18:40:00.001-06:00

Berg's are expecting baby #2:)

Due March 31, 2012

Trip to Ole' Miss

2011-09-13T13:19:00.012-06:00

Right when the 2011 Football Schedule was released Lance and I decided we wanted to go to the closest road game: Ole Miss. What a perfect field, town to travel to! In the Spring, my parents and younger sisters decided to make a trip of it and join us! It was a blast. They flew into Louisville, we (Dad:) rented a van and we made the 7 hr road trip together!

Ben was a trooper--as usual:) between suckers, naps, magnets, cars, books, movies, & aunt cait-he was very entertained and well behaved the whole ride there!

We got to attend the fireside/devotional that the team puts on the night before their road games in Tupelo, MS (birthplace of Elvis:) It was packed and a neat way to start the weekend. Ben was excited to see Jake and spotted him right away. Also recognized Kyle and Ross from the wedding so that was fun--pointing them out and waving to them up on the stand kept him entertained during most of the devotional.

Saturday morning we enjoyed our continental breakfast and then headed to Oxford to partake in all the pre-game tradition and tailgating that Ole Miss is known for. It was awesome! and everyone was soooooo kind and welcoming! THAT's what all games should be like and all fans, including BYU fans should have taken notes and treat their visiting fans the same way!

couldn't help but think of The Blind Side the whole time and we found ourselves looking for the Tuohy's in the Grove:) I bet they were there!

Brooke even caught a pic with Colonel Reb

Jake warmin up

It was HOT & HUMID but we were soooo grateful for the clouds because it really could've been soo much worse!

Grandma and Grandpa came prepared with fans for all--smart move! and entertaining for Ben:)

The game had it's stressful moments--and was a bit too close for comfort--but we came away with a W and that made it even more fun!

Our close friends the curfews even made the road trip with us. We watch EVERY game together in Kentucky and we were so glad Jake had a few extra tickets for Brittany C's bday weekend!!

Bronco and Jake congratulating Kyle after his awesome forced fumble and recovery for the game winning TD!

The "Shaw" Crew:)

I really wanted to get a pic of Ben in his uncle Jake jersey with Jake in his but he changes before they come out to catch the bus so I handed Ben over the fence real quick with Jake being rushed away to snap a quick photo. It was all real quick & had been a LONG day for Ben so he was a little too distracted by Jake's eye black to smile-oh well:)

Cait is one of Kyle's #1 fans:)

Ben and Jake before getting on the bus back to the airport

Mr. & Mrs. Heaps after game #1

It was so much fun to be at a game and we are so proud of Jake and all he has accomplished especially under all the pressure and scrutiny he is by fickle BYU fans (they're the worst--I can admit it) He is awesome and we look forward to watching him every week! Go COUGS!

We had a quick fun weekend with my family in town. It was fun to show them a couple things about KY that we love and where we spend most of our days:) however, because it was quick I didnt get many pics:( Vacuuming with Grandma--one of Ben's FAVORITE things to do!!

Playing at the park with grandpa after our walk at Cherokee

and a quick trip to Churchill Downs before the airport:)

It was a whirlwind weekend but fun to have visitors--anyone is welcome anytime!!

Don't Mess with Texas:)

2011-08-25T21:32:00.018-06:00

It was the end of July, and the Uffens had settled in San Antonio. Rach called me up and was anxious to show someone around TX-- Ben and I quickly obliged:) I worked mon-tues and then we headed out to TX for the rest of the week (I LOVE being PRN:)

Fortunately, we just saw the girls in June for the wedding and Ben remembered them all well and warmed up right away! so much so that he even agreed to get naked in front of them for a group tub after swimming at the Y :) (haha i couldn't resist:)

Day 2 we headed to Sea World--it was too hot but SUPER fun nonetheless!

First stop: Dolphins--the kids LOVED it and so did I:) we got to pet and feed them and were soo close-it was awesome!

Ben could have watched them all day I'm pretty sure:)

but we got too hot so we moved on..

Bay of Play Splash Pad was very much appreciated! especially with the Sesame Street theme and pictures with Ben's beloved Elmo:)

Ben watched the whole show SOOO intently and at one point stood up and walked up to the stage as if to want to double check if they were really real:) He was convinced and LOVED it!!

The pics with Elmo we had to buy--well actually we didnt but that just because the guy working that counter was very kind:)--but i havent scanned it into comp yet:)

must get a pic with Shamu:)

snacking on watermelon :)

The coral reef aquarium was air conditioned and i would have been happy in there all day:) fortunately the kids liked it too!

but having them unleashed from their strollers didn't last long:)

the crew...

Of course a Shamu show!--in the splash zone:)

Ben loved the whale show--and his facial expressions below say it all!

Bonding with Quinners! love that happy girl!

I insisted we pose with every stuffed sea creature--ben was a little resistant but ended up giving "dap" and high fives to them all:)

posing by the flamingos- "annie's favorite"

I am noticing Paige wasnt quick to jump behind the camera--sad because i love that girl! I love all the girls like my own and was SOO glad ben had so much fun playing with them and I got to see them again this summer!

Rach and I were exhausted and sweaty and DISGUSTING by the end of the day and we decided to take a picture to illustrate:)

Stopped by sign on way out:) cheesy tourist pics but i love the one of the kiddos:)

we had lots of fun down time at Uffens too--my favorite:) making signs for mike's bday, making meals, watching shows, playing:)

splash pad at the Y and guess what Ben decided he would rather play with---a broom--this boy is obsessed with cleaning objects:)

you name it, if it cleans, he loves it!

girls even caught the cleaning bug at home too:)

swimming at Y

Ben loved this little front jacket he borrowed from the girls--he was pretty sure he could swim. no one had the heart to tell him the pool was only 1 ft deep:)

Happy Bday to Mike:)

Quinn chowing down on some rice cereal:)

Thanks sooo much for the fun trip Uffens! I am so glad we were able to come visit! We had such and fun time and love you all to pieces!!

8 new posts at once!!

2011-07-31T20:15:00.003-06:00

Mr. & Mrs. Heaps

Other fun in UP & Royal

The header is next... :)

Ben & his furry friends:)

2011-07-24T21:57:00.005-06:00

Ben loves his bear and vacuum so I had to capture a few shots of him wrestling and playing with both this fun sunday afternoon.

Ben LOVES Elmo! Such a cute moment when Ben brought Elmo in to show him the cookies mom was making and sat in front and watched them the WHOLE 10 minutes telling Elmo how yummy they were the whole time:) so sweet!

Relaxing on Bear:) Thanks Grandma!

movies at zoo

2011-07-24T21:54:00.004-06:00

The zoo here has movie night Saturdays. They have games, treats, prizes, and a BIG screen movie for all to enjoy. Ben mostly loves the running around that goes on while we wait for it to get dark:)

We have been to two and will definitely go to some more in August!

feeling hoT, hOT, HOT!

2011-07-24T21:37:00.010-06:00

Record highs in KY, humidity, constant heat advisory + a busy 18 mo old = LOTS of COOLING DOWN time:)

from sprinklers and slip 'n slide in the backyard...

to otter pops...

to Calypso Cove at YMCA...

to friends' pools:)...

to the indoor All About Kids play place...

to Icee's at the Zoo...

the zoo splash pad...

more sprinkler and slip n' slidin...

more splash pad at the zoo...

washing the car:)

lots of fun with friends COOLING DOWN in KY for this water boy:)

cycle cycle cycle!

2011-07-24T21:32:00.004-06:00

Ben is OBSESSED with motorcycles, busses, trucks, etc. He is CONSTANTLY pointing them out on the freeway and roads and says it over and over again until its out of sight. One day we decided to stop at a Harley Davidson store that we pass by frequently.

Ben was in HEAVEN! He said "WOW" right when he got out of the car and didn't stop saying "cycle" the WHOLE time:)

what a cute boy I have!

ONE YEAR and A HALF!

2011-07-05T08:35:00.017-06:00

BEN AT 18 MO:

· • You weigh 23.6 lbs and are 32 inches tall. You wear 18-24 month clothes and can still wear SOME 12-18 mo stuff.

· • You are very talkative and people comment on that all the time You are starting to string two or three recognizable words together ("what doing?” “where go?” and “bless you” when he sneezes). These are some of your words/phrases that you use on a regular basis: mama, dada, night night, more, please, cycle, bus, truck, car, what doing?, Where go?, bless you!, outside, cheese, treat, eat, fishes, snack, no, yes, bear, dog, moo, book, baby, water, sweep, vacuum, grandpa, grandma, family/friends names, hot, shoes, hat, hi, bye bye, thank you, good, cracker, drink, milk, diaper, etc. etc.

· • You LOVE to be outside and can totally entertain yourself in the backyard for hours if it weren’t so-oo dang hot and humid! You still love to swing and play at the playground.

• You love to dance and march and have some pretty sweet moves!

· • You are still not TOO much of a tantrum-er which I am grateful for every day, however you have become a little bit of a “no” man and often say it over and over again laughing—weird and annoying :)

•You are using your imagination more and have started to play pretend- you have long conversations and use anything for a phone and you talk and share your treats with all of your toys, etc.

· You love to sing songs!

· You are on a great routine and rarely fight going to sleep

• you LOVE to clean!! your by FAR favorite toys are the swiffer sweeper and your dog vacuum:) Thank you Lakai for sharing:)

• You love playing in the water and especially love to have water on your face, buckets dumped over head, sprayed with a hose, anything--you love it!

•as promised a pic mowing the lawn with mom while dad was down and out:)

playing with turtles at JC park with Lakai:)

· You still really like to be picked up. You LOVE piggyback rides and we hear "back, back, back” many many times a day!

· You love busses, trucks, motorcycles, etc. and are constantly pointing them out everywhere we go!

· You love to color and have only colored not on paper 1x-knock on wood!

We LOVE you to the moon and back Ben and are so lucky that you are ours!!

Let Freedom Ring!

2011-07-05T08:35:00.016-06:00

We spent the 4th this year with all these fun friends...

we started with a fun bbq at Joe Creason Park

had some YUMMY food and fun lawn games + the playground for the kiddies

Ben lovin on the layered jello:)

my cheeseball

me trying to keep 5 kids moving on swings...not an easy job...esp in CRAZY KY heat/humidity!!

Ben chasin' the ladies---that'a boy!

After Joe Creason Park we headed down to the Ohio River to watch the fireworks. I won Mother of the Year award when Ben fell OUT of the double on his HEAD after i failed to buckle him up!! yup--if you look close you can see the bandaid covering the little road rash:( I felt terrible!!

Ben is such a trooper though, he was smiling and dancing within 5-10 min

--I have a perfect little boy!!

he especially loved the guy next to us and his laser pen...Ben, Lakai, & Grace thought it was their personal dance floor and were completely flabbergasted by the little thing--trying to catch the laser beam and very concerned when it would disappear and reappear all night:)

Ben LOVED the fireworks and watched in awe for most the nights. We are lucky to have fun times and fun friends in KY--but I missed good 'ole Ft. Vancouver this year and family.

family shot

Washington in June-Fun with the Family!

2011-07-05T08:34:00.039-06:00

The wedding was the HIGHLIGHT of the trip but we got to squeeze in all sorts of other fun things while we were in Washington in June. Before the wedding we were at my mom & dad's and the day after the wedding we headed over to Royal City.

Fun times with the Shaw side...

Ben was reunited with his beloved Lake Merwin...he LOVES the cabin!

Above he is feeling the fresh cabin air. I LOVE unrolling the window right after the gate and smelling the beautiful NW forest and distinct Merwin smell:) Ben does too!

maybe our last pic with my parent's cabin as we know it now...its old but beloved!

Ben on the dock:)

running in the mud

We got to attend Dane's graduation to All Stars at his school/child care. We were so proud of him and he had quite the fan club:) Ben clapped loudly for Dane and every other kiddo who earned a diploma:)

we even got to enjoy some post grad snacks:)

Lance just chilling with "Captain Red Boots" a.k.a Luke

Ben swinging in the special swing at Chambers..he looks tiny in it:)

and leaning on the girls to walk down the tires:)

Got to go to one of Daner's baseball games

Ben warmed up SOOO quick to everyone this trip and remembers them all:) One of first nights home sharing dinner and carmelidos with Grandma:)

Happy Birthday to Jakey!

Tickling the ivories:)

enjoying some goods from the ice cream man with Annie and Paige--Thanks Aunt Cait!

The Bachelorette night:)--we are rowdy folks! Dinner, chatting, advice, pics, then wedding prep at home:) but it was a fun night with the sisters--good memories!!

After the wedding-which was well documented in another post- we headed over to Royal.

Fun times with the Bergs...

First things first, literally right when we got there, Grandma showed Ben her berry patch. He was not sure at first but QUICKLY became a BIG fan of picking and eating berries all by himself.

he ate dozens!!

and made a mess of multiple shirts--good thing strawberry comes out easy:)

next up for our cleaning obsessed son (literally obsessed with brooms and vacuums):

sweeping the backyard :)

bonding with mama

playing on the mower and golf cart with cousins

swinging and eating Mr. Freeze's with buckets on our head:)

Ben with his same year cousins:)--the Bergeson triplets of 2009/10

(way to mess it up by coming late ben!)

pretty impressive that not one of them is crying:)

fun times swimming at Uncle Ted's pools

He had tons of fun swimming and playing with cousins:)

pizza party with Chico's Pizza at the Thomas's

an afternoon at the Allred's pond/water park:)

She think's his tractor's sexy....

just kidding they're cousins--i just couldnt resist:)

my cute water boy...who knew? city light posts make great rope swing poles:)

running in the sprinklers at grandma's

Fun times were had by all. We love being home and have our parents to thank for making it such a wonderful place to come home to and a difficult place to leave.

We LOVE you all!--to the moon and back!

Mr & Mrs Heaps

2011-07-05T08:34:00.038-06:00

HEAPS WEDDING DAY:

Ben on way to temple...

waiting outside with G&G Berg, Boettners, Cait and cousins during Brooke & Jake's ceremony

Waiting for Mr. & Mrs. Heaps to come outside...

Mr & Mrs Jake Heaps

Brooke was an ABSOLUTELY beautiful bride!

she looked perfect in her gown and is SOO happy! We are SOO happy for them!

Rach & Mom with Quinn

my Ben

the kiddos:)

Ben finding sticks--typical:)

Sisters:)

Gma & Gpa with the kiddies

Heaps & Bergs

Ben was a sport for the all the pics--cheesing all day! Here he is PASSED OUT pulling out of temple parking lot:)

HEAPS RECEPTION:

My mom did an absolutely beautiful job with the reception!

All of the details were so beautiful!

Crystal, chandeliers, pearls, flowers, chalkboards, etc. made for a

perfect southern vintage backyard reception:)

me and cole-o

Dane, Anna, Paige, & Benner hitting up the candy table:)

Ben enjoying a cheesecake pop:)

Becca and I

cute mother-daughter moment:) and mother son moment in background:)

Brooke and I before she took off:)

heading to the airport:)

Congrats Brooke & Jake! We love you both and are soo00 crazy happy for you!

Glad we could be a part of your special day & we get to share an anniversary forever:)

Spring 2011-16 & 17 mos-ish:)

2011-05-27T20:27:00.006-06:00

Lakai, Brady, & Ben enjoying a popsicle after running through sprinklers at the Lows while mom & dad were on a date--what fun babysitters!

chowing down on some watermelon with Lakai

suckers at Costco:)

As illustrated above...Ben is ALL about snacks these days and if it weren't for snacks he would not be thriving. He eats like a bird-a small one at that. He is surviving on chocolate milk, goldfish, veggie straws, dum dums, fruit snacks, yogurt, ice pops, and an occasional bite of REAL food:)

One day after a walk at Cherokee Park, we stripped them down to their diaps and let them run in the fountains:) Lakai and Ben were in HEAVEN!

Since Lance's hip surgery, ALL of my friends have been so awesome with offering to watch Ben for me while I work on Mondays and Fridays. He would be so happy playing at all of their houses and I feel so lucky to have so many people that I know I could leave him with anytime. I end up bugging Shanah the most because Ben and Lakai are on the same schedule entirely, eat all the same snacks, walk and play at park almost every am together, live super close so i dont have to wake up early or take a 2 hour lunch to come get him and put him down at home:), watch all the same shows, and are BFF:) they get so excited to see each other some mornings...here are some pics from their PJ parties:)

watching shows...

wrestling...

Ben and most of his buddies at the Zoo last week...

Ben loves yogurt--but only when he gets to feed himself=MESSY!!

one of his favorite hobbies is using the keys to "lock" all the screws in the door:)

getting haircut #2 from daddy- such a GOOD BOY!

Ben's first time bowling--he was a big fan:)

and I was able to blame my bad score on bowling with him in tow:)

Ben loves mowing the lawn with dad--and with mom now:)

hanging out at the splash park at the zoo

at the nature center

swinging at Joe Creason

Emily came to visit us this month. She is a rockstar and was participating the Christopher Reeves Relay as part of the Derby Marathon. We had fun doing some of the touristy Louisville stuff with her and Ben and I got to go cheer her on during her leg of the relay!

Batter up:)

posing inside with Ken--but other than stance and uni it looked nothing like him:)

in front of slugger museum with bottom of GIANT bat:)

Hawaii (& 16 mos)

2011-05-14T10:41:00.035-06:00

Well, G & D did it again! They took us on a WONDERFUL, FABULOUS, and RELAXING trip to Hawaii the first week of May. This was trip #2 for Ben to Hawaii and we knew he would love it but had no idea how much he really would LOVE the beach, water, pools, and time with family. While Ben was adjusting to a 6 hr. time difference, getting 2 molars and a lateral incisor, having late nights, longs days in the water, and lots of attention and love,

we could not wipe a smile off his face:)

I had the crazy task of narrowing down over 800 pictures from our trip to post so I had to limit them to mostly Ben pics...There were tons of darling pics of everyone which Im sure you can see some of on Brooke's & Beck's blogs:)

The day of flying is quite a bit longer from

KY than it was from WA last year but BEN was a trooper!

don't get me wrong-I'm not complaining!

He happily enjoyed watching the planes during layovers...

...watching Sesame Street on mom's phone...

...reading books...

...watching a plethora of shows on portable DVD player...

(Thanks Brady for sharing your prized possession!)

after 10+ hours of flying and even more hrs in airports we arrived at 4:30 Hawaii time (10:30 in KY) and Ben was still going strong (after only one 1hr nap all day!). We ate a yummy sunday dinner with the family and Ben stayed up till 8 (2 AM in KY) playing with family and that was that--the dreaded transition to the time change was a breeze!--he slept most of the night and was on Hawaii time day 1--way to go Ben!!

First things first--we hit the pool.

BEN loved it!

He loved the fountains especially

and would put his face right in them...

...Playing on the slide with cousins...

After dinner at Bubba Gump's that night Ben decided he couldn't wait another day to get in the ocean and what started as a toe dip turned into a full on swim (these pics are after we took off all of his sopping wet clothes)! He loved it and as each wave hit him he would say "wow" or "whoa":)

Ben loved all the pools but the splash pad at the King's Land pool was a favorite for sure...

Make an on-line slide show at www.OneTrueMedia.com

playing in the rock faux beach at King's Land...

Beck introduced us to a fun game called Bean Boozled...gross...but fun! :)

Ben pulling boogie board at Hapuna...

Playing with Grandma in the showers at their pool....

Ben rockin' his sweet hawaiian shirt he got from Aunt Tara for Christmas :) Im sad I didn't get more of a "hawaiian" pic in it...picture him sitting by this...

on a walk with the cousins..who needs a "dualie" :)

posing with the statues at the Hilton Waikaloa

Cole feeding the turtles plumeria petals...

they liked them:)

Ben and Luke watching the dolphins at the Hilton

Gotta love those hawaiian sunsets

...this one lacked color but was BEAUTIFUL nonetheless:)

the hike to the black sand beach was BEAUTIFUL

...it was quite the hike... but worth it!

...Lance and Ben halfway down...

...some of the boys playing in the surf...

...ben spent much of his time at this beach collecting large black lava rocks for Grandma, bringing them to her one by one...he often plays in the rocks in our front yard too...a future geologist?...

G&D enjoying the view:) love them!

...posing with my bennerman...

So proud of Cait deciding to do the hike with us.

It was really hard but she DID IT! and she did awesome!

...me and my dad, the captain:)...

...Ben, Me & my mama :)...

boop and I--gotta have a self portrait:)

...somehow missed a pic with the Parkers so here is one of them...

...the fam...

...some sisters with our dad....some sisters with our mom...missing Rach:(

...the boy cousins:)...a shot of ONE of the hike's switchbacks...Beck carried a sick and sleeping Luke ALL the way down and ALL the back up!

...posing at top after..taking in the view!...WAY TO GO CAIT!!...

Another day at the pool, Ben couldn't get enough of the fountains

...and I couldn't take enough pics...it was too dang cute:)

My little sharka:)

The Backyardigans, Thomas, Elmo & Baby Signing Times

joined us in hawaii every morning as well:)

Ben and Luke hanging out. All the boys were SOOO cute with Ben! They just wanted to "see him" and play with him all the time and I loved it!!-Ben loved it!! Now we just cant wait to bond all together with the girls in June :)

Watching the sunset with my little buddy:) One day Lance called Ben "buddy" and Luke, in all seriousness, quickly corrected him-- "No, its Benny, not buddy"

haha...silly Lance didn't know his name!:)

post-sunset:)

...loving on my Parker nephews:) ...

the boys golfing The Waikaloa Beach Course

There was a perfect little putting green right in the back yard of the condo so the little boys seriously played out there everyday!

at Mac Grill with Coley

...Ben loving some lemons...definitely his father's son:)...

...tub time with Huey...

My boys :)

...Beck & I with our babies at Hapuna:)...

Ben loved his Boogie Board rides:)

...and even try to pull it himself a time or two:)...

G & D proved to be quite the sand artists with the boys:)

Meanwhile, Ben was raking the whole beach:)

..Ben loved just feeling the sand...

& cuddling with grandma under the umbrella

while waiting for the rain to pass :( ugh....

Ben LOVED himself a Lava Flow

...seriously only got like 3 sips total each

time Grandpa bought him one:)

More playing on the slides:) opted to post pics for memories

rather than worry about only posting flattering pics or else the

pics of all of us would have been very few!...sorry!

Ben gnawing on some watermelon rind and Beck and her gecko friend

..these things are EVERYWHERE but they are quick...

Beck's cat-like reflexes came in handy!

She is definitely the mother of 3 lucky boys:)

Last night at our favorite: Tommy Bahama's :) YUM! thanks mom and dad!

after we ate we got to watch a real live break dance battle!

it was fun and Ben for real got into it and was clapping and dancing along:)

Dane-o informed us that had the music been right and the crowd been bigger

he would have joined in with some sick poses :)

The last morning, Lance Beck & I made a yummy Mothers day breakfast

and headed out to the pool for our last hour of sunshine:) I laid out while

Ben and Lance wandered around and played in the grass

At the airport

FORTUNATELY we got a whole row on our plane ride home which was glorious compared to our cramped ride there:) Ben..once again was a real sport:)

Despite being a red-eye flight all night...Ben did lots of cuddling...

but only slept like this for 3 hours:)

better than 0! :)

We had a super fun vacation and are so grateful G&D for making it possible.

We cherish the memories and time together!

We love you Mom & Dad--Aloha & Mahalo!

out of order I know but as soon as I steal some pics from a friend

there will be a post-dated Easter post:)

EASTER

2011-04-24T20:48:00.008-06:00

The friday before Easter we all got together at a local park for a fun Easter egg hunt. The weather cooperation was amazing. We had the perfect, short, window from the POURING rain, finished our hunt, and the rain started again as we were pulling out! The kids had so much fun and even though it was his first actual egg hung, Ben caught on to the idea quickly.

That night we dyed some eggs with a couple of our friends...we didn't start till late and Ben was super sleepy and teething so he was not too intrigued by the whole egg dying thing:)

We dyed literally one egg then I went home to put both of my boys to bed (LB was still working at 4 am every am at the time) I went back for some more bonding after they were both fast asleep:)

I got lazy and didn't color all the eggs that I had made for 2 batches of deviled eggs

--permanent marker faces worked out perfectly:)

Ben was SPOILED on Easter. Our neighbors on both sides brought him fun baskets and I always get a bit carried away. Most of the stuff I wanted to get him anyways so I just saved it all for Easter and his basket ended up overflowing.

It's important to me to start now trying to teach Benner the true meaning of each holiday-especially those centered on our Savior Jesus Christ. I decided he was due for some more church books so I ordered him two from Deseret Book: My First Book of Mormon & If the Savior Stood Beside Me. Of course I threw in the Baby Signing Times DVDs I had ordered him on Amazon, a ball he spotted at Kroger, some candy I secretly wanted, bubbles, and $1 pack of little match cars. He loved bringing his plastic eggs full of goldfish and jellybeans to church that day.

After church we got together with 2 groups of friends. We are all super close but getting 20+ adults PLUS kiddies together at one poor student house every event/holiday is imposible so this year we decided to divide and conquer... LB and I were lucky and were able to hit up both parties:)

1st crew at the Tafoyas

we ate some yummy food, did an egg seek/find boys vs. girls, a raw egg toss (which amazingly I didnt lose!) and just visited with good friends

Ben and Lakai looking dapper in their easter duds:)

Ben looked so handsome in his seersucker brown blazer and brown linen pants....it was Children's Place new with tags and only 10 bucks at Little Treasures Consignment:)

That night we went to the Low's for a huge Easter dinner. It was super yummy. I ended up leaving my camera at a gazebo near the Tafoyas so I didnt get ANY pics at the Low's--sad:( but I did steal this one from Erin:)

I am especially grateful this time of year for my Savior. I am grateful that I KNOW Him and He KNOWS me. I am grateful for the Plan of Happiness and the privilege I have to return, with my family, to live with my Heavenly Father again after this mortal life. While it is hard to be away from family during holidays, it was a wonderful Easter spent with great friends!!

15 mo!

2011-04-03T21:24:00.010-06:00

Ben at 15 mo:

You are still 25th % which oddly enough is only 1.5 lbs and 1.5 in off from 50-75th % weird?!?

•you weigh in now at a whopping 23 lbs and 31 in. tall

• you FINALLY started drinking milk and now are making up for lost time and drinking 24 oz of milk on top of your usual 24 oz of water:) thirsty boy!

•you love your tubbies

•love love love being outside

•still love to swing but not for as long as you used to:)

• you are mr independent in the back yard which is fantastic for mom while cooking dinner :)

• you occasionally revert back to crawling

• you like to mow the lawn with your daddy

•you think 2 monkeys are better than 1

• you like to help push the grocery cart now which is oh so fun for mom!

• you were a big fan of Jimmer playing for mom and dads --and grandparents and aunts and uncles-- alma mater:) and March Madness and even shot some hoops during the games

• you love grocery shopping in the fridge, loading up the dump truck, emptying it in the living room, and then putting it all back--you are awesome at cleaning up:)

•anything and everything doubles for a phone

• you had your first real black eye--can't really tell in the pic

•you love to go for walks

•you like to play on the playground

•you love to spend sunday school hour on the stairs at church and then are usually VERY reverent during sacrament meeting and 3rd hour RS...its a good trade off :)

i love you benner man! more and more every day!

im so lucky that you're my little man! ttmab!