Labor Day

Wow, this has been a busy couple of weeks for us.  First, Gramma, Grampa, GG, and PapaJohn were all in town to visit.  During this time we had the big First Birthday Party for Ben!  (Hence the visitors.)  This was followed by Ben's one year check up (with vaccines, making for a tired boy).  We ended with my cousin Kit and her daughter Ellen coming to visit, and Aunt Chris and Uncle Wayne swinging into town too!  Whew!  We had a wonderful time, but it was busy!

The best part of Kit and Ellen coming to visit was that they got to meet Ben in person!  The last time they 'saw' Ben was at Kit's wedding.  That was in June of 2013, so I was super pregnant with Ben.  That was fun, but it is so much more fun to see Ben interact with them!  Ellen has always had a way with babies and little kids, even when she was a little kid herself.  She got along great with Ben.  He really wanted to get her attention and keep her focused on him.  It was so cute!  She built him a couple of great mega block creations to knock over too.  He was a fan.

Unfortunately with having to work and Ben's schedule, we didn't get to go on all the adventures Kit and Ellen went on.  But we did get to spend a good amount of time enjoying each other's company.  That's a nice way of saying we got to sit around and talk a lot.  It was so nice to just spend time together and play with Ben.

Ben loves spending time with family!

Kit and Ben!

Already buddies

Meeting Ellen

This stuff is good, but really hard to eat

Still trying to get the corn. :)

Uncle Wayne is good at playing (and blocking stairs)

With Aunt Chris!!

Hugs for cousin Ellen

-Kim

Birthday Party Weekend!

We were very fortunate that Gramma and Grampa were able to come into town for Ben's big first birthday!!  Even Ben's GG and PapaJohn were able to make it!  (That is Pat's grandmother and step grandfather.)  We were so happy that they were able to come into town for it.  We planned Ben's birthday party so we could all enjoy it together.  Sadly, our visitors could only stay for a short time.  But we were able to spend plenty of time just hanging out and talking.  They spent as much time with Ben as possible too.

Ben's birthday party was wonderful.  While of course I had all sorts of Pinterest dreams of a glamorous party, we decided to keep it simple.  Family, good friends, and tasty food.  We just had a simple barbecue at our place.  It worked out great!  People were able to relax and chat, plus Ben was relaxed since it was at home.  We had asked for donations to give to the local food pantry in Ben's name, and people really came through!  We were able to give a big haul to the food pantry.  Pat and I are trying to start a of giving back on birthdays and holidays, so this was a great start!!

As I said, Ben did a great job with all the people.  He is at a stage where strangers can sometimes make him nervous.  I was super excited that Uncle Jared was going to be able to come into town for the party, but Ben kind of freaked out when he saw him.  We don't know why!  But poor Jared had to work for Ben to be at ease with him.  He came around though.  Uncle Jared is a lot of fun.  So was everyone else at the party!  For me, it was so nice to have so many people who love Ben all together.  It meant so much to me to have everyone there for my son.

While we kept things pretty low key, we made sure to have a smash cake for Ben.  I really wanted to bake Ben's first birthday cake, so I made him a banana cake with cream cheese frosting.  I decorated it with strawberries, as that is one of his favorite foods right now.  I was hoping Ben would dive into the cake and get really messy.  That didn't happen.  He picked the strawberries off and seemed put off by the frosting.  That was the first real sugary treat he had ever tried, so we wonder if it was just too sweet for him.  He also doesn't like any sort of sauce or dip or creamy substance on other foods, so I think he didn't like the texture.  So he was a pretty clean baby, but it was fun to watch him with his cake.  And I am not at all complaining if he doesn't like overly sugary stuff.  I'm going to try to keep that going!  (We did get a video of him trying it, but I still need to load that up and edit it.)

Overall, it was a great party and a great visit with family.  Well, the visit with family was too short.  I wish I had more exciting stories to share, but the calmness of it was part of what made it a great time.  I am grateful for the time we all got to spend together though.  I think it was the perfect first birthday party for Ben and our little family.  I'm looking forward to more parties with my sweet boy.

Gramma reads great stories

Outside!

Sitting with Grampa

Big boy in his own chair!

Oh, to be this bendy

Why, Mommy, why.

With GG and PapaJohn

I had to make a sign

12 months of Ben!!

Birthday Boy's Chair!

Four generations!!

Look, no hands! (With Auntie Laura and Meo) 

Cake for the adults

The first of many birthday cakes I get to make Ben!

Dagger liked the birthday balloons

I had a great birthday weekend.

-Kim

A year in pictures

Like a lot of parents, we take a lot of pictures of Ben.  I made sure to take one of him every month on his month-birthday.  (Yes, that isn't a word.  Would monthaversary be better?)  It started off fairly simple.  I mean, at a couple of months old Ben couldn't get into much trouble.  As he got bigger and noticed the sign next to him, well, taking the pictures got a bit trickier.  But I am happy we did it.  I have loved looking back on these pictures and seeing how much Ben has grown.

I love this little guy so much.  I can't wait to see what the next year has in store for us.

-Kim

Why yes, he did have a cape for his first birthday.  Shouldn't we all be so lucky?

Happy Birthday, Ben!

Wow.  Today, Ben turns one year old.  In some ways it still feels like we are just finding out we are going to have a baby.  And in so many others it feels like Ben has always been a part of our lives.  I can't imagine a life without him in it now.  This past year has been wonderful and busy.  I think it has been the best year yet.

I know we all go through it ourselves, and many people go through it with their children.  But the first year of a person's life is amazing!  We come into the world a tiny helpless little thing.  All we do is eat, sleep, and poop.  Then in one short year we become a whole person.  We can move about, communicate (not always in words, but in other ways) laugh, smile, play, eat, hug.  So much happens in that first year.  A lot of changes take place as a parent too.  In this past year I have learned to do many activities one handed.  I can use the bathroom lightning fast.  I can tell if my baby is hungry, tired, needs a new diaper, or is just looking for attention.  I have learned so much from Ben.  I have learned how to instantly wake up at the sound of a baby coughing.  I've learned how to sleep through baby grunts.  I've learned to swaddle, cuddle, tickle, and calm my boy.  Most importantly, I've learned to love more than I ever knew I could.

Ben has grown and changed so much this year.  He is crawling, babbling up a storm, and eating a ton.  He wants to get into everything.  He is learning how to climb onto things.  (Yes, I hate that one.  Not safe!)  He plays hard and loves hard.

I have loved being Ben's mom this past year, and I can't wait for all that is in store for us in the future.  It's still catch myself thinking I have a new baby.  Now I have to be sure to say I have a 1 year old.  But he'll always be my baby.

Newborn sweetness

One year old cutie

-Kim

Thankful Thursday: The whole year

This Thursday I have a ton to be thankful for.  I am thankful for this whole past year.  Ben turns one in a few days.  This has been the most amazing year.  Oh sure, there were crazy times.  Tiring times aplenty.  Tears, spit up, poop.  All of that stuff.  But there were more wonderful times than I ever could have imagined.  Like the time Ben grabbed my hand for the first time.  Or the first time he smiled at us.  Or the wonderful time he let out his very first laugh.  It isn't just the firsts.  Every laugh is wonderful.  He has the best big belly laughs, and he isn't even embarrassed if he laughs hard enough to snort.  Every hug and kiss are the best.  Every time he lays his head down on my shoulder is a moment I want to stay in forever.  

I wish I could hold on to these moments with Ben at every stage.  Every point in his life has been my favorite.  When he was super tiny, it was so wonderful to just hold him and snuggle.  As he got bigger it was fun to watch him learn there was a whole world around him.  Now it is so much fun to watch him dive into the world and crawl and play.  I sometimes wish I could go back to those early days and have my newborn again, but then I would be missing out on the amazing person that is emerging.  I am so thankful for my memories of Ben's first year.  When I hold one year old Ben, I am holding newborn Ben, 3 month old Ben, 7 month old Ben, 11 month old Ben, every Ben at every stage he has gone through.  Pat and I are so blessed to have Ben in our lives, and we are so blessed by all the love and support of our family and friends.

It is so much to be thankful for in such a little time, a whole year on one day.  I am thankful for this every day.  Every day.  But today I am choosing to call extra attention to it.  I am thankful for this year with Ben.  And I am thankful for all that is to come.

-Kim

Just Ben

Here is the last round of photos from our one year old session. Just Ben!  I have to say, he is a cute kid. ;)
Warning:  There are a lot of pictures here.

I think my favorite is... all of them.  I love this kid!  I do want to thank Susan Sauer Photography for taking such great pictures.  (A side note: I am not paid or getting any discounts to advertise for her, I just liked her pictures.)

I still can't get over how quickly this past year has gone by.  I know every parent says that, and I know I keep saying it.  But wow.  From such a tiny helpless newborn to a busy little boy in one short year.  It has been the best year yet.

-Kim