Benjamin's Birthday Party!

So this was a blast! I had so much fun planning this party. It was pumpkin/jack-o-lantern themed and couldn't have looked more cute! Thanks to my new "friend" Pinterest I found a ton of great ideas! We had everything from the tables, plates, cups, bowls, and cookies looking like pumpkins. I would like to give a very special Thank You to my Mom and Theresa for helping me get everything together. The guys even pitched in with some of the food prep and of course, hauling everything over to the park! Josh and I could not have pulled this party off with out them. We had a small turn out, just as I wanted, of some good friends and their kiddos that we have gotten to know here. Ben had just started taking a few steps a few days before his party so he showed off his new moves for his "girlfriends" too! Lol! He had a great time mingling, opening presents and digging into his cake. It was a great day filled with great friends and family! Thank you to all who came and joined us. Hope you enjoyed it as much as we did!

Halloween!

This wasn't technically Ben's first Halloween, he was four days old last year, but we decided to call it just that. Ben had a big day. He got to go to the big kid room, which is the toddler room, and hang out for the day. They had a party with cupcakes and other snacks and he met some new friends. He will be starting to transition here in the next week or two so it was a good day to "get his feet wet." Mrs. Angela said he did very well and is ready to move up as soon as he gets a little more steady on his feet! Yay! They are in for a shock today because he has been walking all over the house for the last two days! Still can't stand up by himself, but as long as he has something/one to pull up on he is good to go and takes off now!

Ok, back to Halloween. He took a loooooong nap. They wore him out good at daycare. He was so tired when I got there to pick him up that he was crying. Poor thing. He passed out as soon as I buckled him in the car and slept a good hour and a half before we went upstairs and woke him up. So, by 6:30 he was up, dressed and we were heading over to a friends house to start trick or treating. We went around the block with his three "girlfriends" and it started getting a little chillly so we headed back to the house. The girls were absolutely precious in their princess outfits and we went as a Pumpkin patch! If the girls are still into princesses next year we may just have to dress Ben as Prince Charming. :)

When we got home we played a little and Ben dumped out his candy. He found the Nerds and didn't want to put them down. They make a pretty decent rattle. Haha! We got him changed and ready for bed. Then Josh fed him his bottle and we were able to pry the Nerds out of Ben's hand. He had such a great day and slept very well that night, for the most part.

They made t-shirts. Their handprints made spiders. Too cute!

Ben's best buddy.

Pumpkin patch!

Look at that big boy!

Daddy teaching him what to do. :)

Mommy, Abigail, and Ben!

Benjamin's Birthday!

Today, at 5:37pm, Benjamin will officially be 1 year old! Ok, so, where did the last year go? I remember sitting in that hospital bed like it was yesterday. Hooked up to monitors and ivs, listening to his little heartbeat and kicks. It is so strange to think that a whole year, a wonderful year, a year so great that you just can't even imagine unless you have a child, has already come and gone. He has just been the best baby. So happy and full of life that he has just helped to complete our family and fill a part of our hearts that we never knew was so empty. Benjamin, we love you with every ounce of our being and can't imagine how we ever lived with out you. You are such an amazing gift and we are so blessed to be able to call you ours. You put a smile on everyone's face when you come into the room and they can't help but fall in love with you too. I look forward to the joys and triumphs of the coming year for you. I can not wait to watch you grow from a baby to a toddler and see you start running and talking. It may be a bumpy road at times but we are in for a wonderful ride!

I Love You to the Moon and Back,
Mommy

All smiles this morning, as always!

Rocking the Birthday shirt Mommy made for him.