Benton is crawling!

So, this is going to be a post full of lots of random things and thoughts. First... Benton finally started crawling this week. He has been on the verge of it for weeks now but he was so comfortable doing his army crawl that he didn't really need to crawl. He has also been pulling himself up to stand by everything that he can- the couches, the beds, the dishwasher, the bathtub, big toys, shelves, our legs... can you say dangerous! He has hit his face hard more than one time but he is very determined. He gets very upset when he can't get up, and he has a very loud yell of frustration. As Benton gets older I am realizing that he is not as easy going and laid back as what I originally thought. He is very happy but he definitely has a little fire, and he is soooooooo busy already. He has started getting into my drawers and cupboards and pulling everything out, and things from shelves are also very enticing. His favorite cupboard is the one with all of the pans- of course, because it is the one with the loudest toys. I am afraid that soon, he is going to be my little destroyer. I read a quote from a friends blog the other day and it said, "A mothers work begins at son up, and ends at son down" and it really hit home. I feel like I am so busy all day and at the end of the day I feel like I didn't get anything done. I shouldn't say anything, what I should say is anything on my list of things that probably aren't that important when I really think about it. What I need to remember is that my children care the most about the time we spend together playing and laughing, and they don't even know that my laundry is overflowing out of the closet, or that the car needs the crushed crackers vacuumed out of the seat, or that the mopboards need to wiped off, or that the blinds have dust an inch thick (this could be a really long list so I will stop there because I think that I have made my point :)). Despite all the of things I am not getting done, I can confidently say that at the end of every day that I have given my best effort at taking care of and loving my children, and that is probably what really matters. I can't even count the number of adults with older children that have told me to enjoy the stage of life that I am in and to enjoy the time that I have with my children while they are young because it goes by too fast and it can't be replaced. That it, is a time to treasure. I know that is true, but it is so hard to remember when Benton poops in the tub (which he likes to do almost every morning) or Jackson misses the potty and pees all over the floor and wall :). Second... Benton got his first hair cut this week. Word of warning- Walmart is not a great place to go for haircuts (I know, I really should have known that). Benton sat perfectly still which I was completely surprised by but his hair looks like she was cutting it while he was riding a bucking bull. Even with his knicked up hair he is still as cute as ever. Third... I ran my first half marathon last weekend. It was the Canyonlands half marathon in Moab and it was so much fun. Not the race, that was actually not fun at all- I can honestly say that I have never wanted to just give up at something as much as I did this race- I was really considering just jumping in the river. All I can say is that if I ever run a half marathon again (which I am running the top of utah half marathon in august) that I will train and be prepared. I went down with some friends from my ward- Rachel who is my running partner, Jen, Melinda, Natalie, and Joni. Once we got there (after 8 hours,being lost, and almost running out of gas) it was a good break from everyday life. My goal for my next half marathon is to run it in less than 2 hours. Fourth...Mo and I have our house for sell. We have totally set a new record though. We have been in this home for over two years. We are still a little undecided as to where or what we are doing if and when our house sells. I do know that I am going to be very sad to leave all of the good neighbors and friends that we have made. Fifth... Jackson is always saying the funniest things but yesterday while we were shopping with my mom he was holding her chapstick (I have never met anyone who loves chapstick as much as Jacks) and she told him that she need it back because it was her only chapstick and he said," you can use my mommy's dads". Which is so funny because everytime Jackson goes to my parents house he always takes my dads chapstick and so he knew that my dad would have some that my mom could use. Jackson is very good at calling bluff on some of the reasons he is given as to why he can't do something that he wants to do. He is very clever and always provides a very good argument as to why he should be allowed to do something. Like for example Jackson was going through this stage where he was talking about killing alot and of course as a mom I knew that it probably wasn't the best that my 3 year old was talking about killing so much so as I was trying to explain to him that it really isn't very good to talk about killing people and that we shouldn't do that he said, "well Nephi kills" yep- my three year brought out a book of mormon reference as an argument. How do you argue with that? Sixth... while I was gone to Moab Mo did great with the boys. He even took them to the zoo. He loves our boys so much and he also gives his very best effort at being the best dad that he can be. Our boys love their daddy so much.

Benton at 9 months

Our little Benton Boo or Bents as Jackson calls him had his 9 month doctor visit yesterday. He was such a good little boy like always- he seriously couldn't be a better baby. He didn't even cry when they poked his toe to get blood or when he got his shot. He weighed in at just shy of 23lbs(0nly 7 lbs less than Jackson) and was 29+ inches long. He is still in the 80-90% for both height and weight and the doctor said that Benton looks great. He was really impressed by the size of Benton's thighs(I wish that someone would be impressed by the size of my thighs :)). At 9 months old Benton is on the move. He gets around so good with every method you can imagine except for crawling. He is not doing that yet, but he does have his form of the army crawl mastered and he is getting up on all fours in the crawling position. He loves to try and keep up with Jackson. It is so cute to watch them play. Their favorite thing to do together is to take baths. Benton loves the water- when we went swimming last week he was all smiles. I put him in the little yellow tube and he just floated around or went on rides with Jackson pulling him around. He thought it was the greatest thing ever. Benton does a really good job of finding things to keep him entertained- everything is a toy to him and he loves to play and explore. He is so fun... he is constantly smiling and it is so funny when he tries to laugh. He loves being a part of our family and he loves when we are all spending time playing together. He loves food- not his baby food he doesn't like that very much but big people food- I haven't found anything that he didn't want to eat. We just bought a baby food processor which is awesome because I can put a little bit of everything that we are having for dinner in it and then Benton can have that too. I would have to say that ice cream is Bentons favorite treat. Benton also loves to go shopping and ride around in the cart or go on a walk in the back pack. He just likes to be out and about. I can't wait until the weather warms up because I am sure that he is going to love playing outside. We love our little Benton and we are so thankful everyday that we are blessed to have him in our family.