Benton at 15 months

Benton had his 15 month check-up on Monday. He weighed 25.6 lbs and was 33 inches tall which put him in the 90% percentile for height and the 63% for weight. The doctor said that he looks good and that he is developing right on schedule :). He thought it was really fun at the doctors and he especially loved the sucker that Doctor Hom gave him when he was done. At 15 months Benton is so much fun. He is a little ball of energy and he loves cruising around the house exploring and trying to keep up with Jackson. Wherever Jackson is at, that is where Benton wants to be. I am so glad that Jackson treats Benton so well because I am sure that he misses his personal space a little bit. Benton has started to go up and down the stairs and he loves to play in the play room. He loves toys that he can pull or that he can put things into and pull things out of. He just recently started to fill up the back of his little airplane car with toys and drive it around the kitchen(something that he has learned from Jackson). He loves books and songs, and he loves to play wrestling and go on horse rides with his daddy. He also really loves driving the car(the real car) and the boat and he knows exactly what to do. Benton loves water and he loves to sneak into the bathroom and turn on the tub now that he knows how to stand on the stool. Benton also loves climbing up on things-everything in fact, I just hope he doesn't break something(an arm, leg, neck). We love our Benton so much and we are so thankful that he is such a healthy and happy little boy.

August 2009

It has been such a long time since I have posted I don't even know where to begin...so today-today is where I will begin and I will work backwards. Today Jackson started his first day of preschool(he would correct me and say kiddie college). He was so cute and confident-and on his video camera interview he told me that he was going to be nice to everyone at school so that everyone would think that he was a nice guy. As he walked into the door I had such mixed emotions- I was so excited for him because he was so excited but I was also a little sad that he was already starting preschool. I can't believe he will be 4 soon... time really does fly. Miss Melinda is his teacher and when I picked Jackson up today she told me that one of the teachers is pregnant and when she asked the class why her belly was big that Jackson said,"she eats too much". I love my 3 year old :). On August 29th I ran the top of utah half marathon and I am really happy to say that I met my goal of under 2 hours (1 hour 52 minutes). I didn't prepare as well as I should have and I have been paying for it the past couple of days but it was worth it. On August 16th we went on a little trip up to Preston to stay at our friends the Taylor's cabin. Yep- Preston Idaho and it was so much fun- we took our boat (we finally got a boat)and went to Oneida Reservoir one day, we rode 4 wheelers to Bear Lake one day, and we went on a hike to a fresh water spring on the 3rd day. It was one of the funnest vacations we have had in a while... our friends the Dutsons came too. Jackson and Benton loved rideing the 4 wheelers- especially Benton... everytime one started he would start running towards it so that he could have a ride. This was our first trip of I hope many with our boat and it is so much fun. August 7th- After 2 months of looking Mo was finally able to find the boat that had everything he wanted (his dream boat) and we have loved taking it out every chance we have had this past month. I am loving learning to surf and Mo has been working on being able to land a back flip on the wakeboard. Our boys love just being out in the boat and being able to have swim breaks. Benton has started to try and talk this month. He has been heard saying gog(dog), babe(baby), mama, dada, fish, and kie(blanky and binky). He is such a busy baby... and I thought Jackson was busy but compared to Benton he was a coach potato. He loves to play chase(it is so funny to watch him try and run) and he also loves getting right in the middle of whatever Jackson is playing. He still loves the water and if I don't keep the bathroom door closed he has either turned on the tub and thrown things in it to get wet, or he has been playing in the potty(he does both with a grin). There is always a trail of where Benton has been. This month has been crazy busy but it has also been the funnest month of the summer. Hopefully September brings us some more good boating weather :).

Turning 32...

So, I had my 32nd birthday on Monday... Wow! I can't believe I am 32- that used to seem so old. But, I have heard that you are only as old as you feel, and I really only feel 26 so I guess I am 26. Mo is definitely still 28. We had such a fun day- we went to breakfast, to the clearfield aquatic center for Jackson's swim lesson and to swim after, and to SLC to eat at the Blue Iguana and shop and play in the fountains at the Gateway. I couldn't think of anything to wish for when I blew out the candles on my cake so I guess that life must be pretty good. Mo and my boys bring me so much happiness- I am thankful for them everyday. My goals for this year are to run the Top of Utah again, to start taking guitar lessons, to ski enough days to make my season pass worth buying, to have another baby(or at least be pregnant), and to read the BOM again.

Island Park 2009

One of the vacations that I went on most growing up was up to my grandpa Harts cabin in Island Park. We always had so much fun playing in the creek, trying to cross the log without falling off, going to see the fish in Big Springs, canoeing in Big Springs down to Mack's Inn, fishing, going to see Old Faithful and to get fudge sicles at the lodge, and spending time shopping around in West Yellowstone. I have so many great memories of time spent at the cabin and this weekend Mo and I took our boys there to spend the fourth of July. Things at the cabin haven't changed since the time I was a little girl... there is still an outhouse or as Jackson calls it the poophouse, there is still no running water which means no shower, the beds are as old and uncomfortable as ever, there is always mice to be caught, and it is still a great place for families to spend time enjoying one anothers company. We had a great weekend... on Thursday we took Jackson for his first canoe ride down the Big Springs- he was the captain of the pirates part of the ride and an indian brave the other part... on Friday we went to Yellowstone park to see some Buffalo (like on Dances with Wolves as Jackson will tell you) and to see Old Faithful and some of the other Geysers on the loop. We took our bikes and rode the trail out to the morning glory pool which used to be beautiful and blue but now has an orange edge from all of the things that people have thrown in to it over the years(which makes me sad). And after our bike ride the trip to Old Faithful wouldn't have been complete without fudge sicles from the lodge. After the park we headed to West Yellowstone where Jackson bought a bow and arrow and a rifle set and he and Mo played cowboys and indians at the park while me and Benton played in the sand. Jackson has such a great imagination and he loved playing with his dad. Then it was Pizza at Pete's Pizza Place which is such great pizza that we never miss eating there every time we go to West Yellowstone. Saturday was probably my favorite day- we rode our bikes to Big Springs to see the fish and to feed them which there were some fish but Jackson really loved all of the Seagulls. At one point they all flew off and then they all came back and we told Jackson that they were putting on a show which he thought was so funny. After showering in our new found free shower (the shower at the RV park at the Sawtelle resort) we headed up to West Yellowstone for some shopping, dinner, a concert, and fireworks. Jackson and Benton loved hanging out at the park playing. I have to laugh because for some reason people were taking pictures of my boys- some random drunk woman thought that Benton was so cute and so she took a picture of him and a crowd of asians spent about 20 minutes watching Jackson play on the teeter totter with Mo and took pictures of him. They thought he was so cute and Jackson was in the mood for the attention and so he was hamming it up. The band playing at the park (Blue Jack) was great and everyone had fun listening to them and dancing especially my dad. Jackson has some pretty funny break dance moves and we have no idea where he got them from... maybe Mo teaches him while I am at work =). Benton had fun playing with his grandma and aunt Sha and walking around with his blanket on his head. He was so tired but a little trooper. We left the concert just in time for the firework show. Jackson had prime seating on top of my dads envoy and he loved it and although Benton was so tired he liked watching the fireworks too. It was a great night and a great weekend.

If only we could find a boat...

After Mo and I got back from Lake Powell we agreed that it would be a really good idea to get a boat for our family. The problem is that we are having such a hard time finding a good boat for a good price- the market for used boats is crazy. We are watching KSL like hawks- I probably check for boats every 20 minutes all day long. Because we don't have a boat of our own we are thankful for our friends the Davies who invited us to go with them. Last night we went to Willard Bay and had a really fun time. It was Benton's first time on a boat. He really didn't like his life jacket and he didn't like sitting in anyones arms(like always). But, he liked standing up in the boat and he loved swimming in the water. Willard Bay is not the cleanest of places but at least the water is warm. Jackson had so much fun- we had to buy him a new life jacket so that Benton could use his old one and he loved it. He loved being in the boat and holding the flag, and he had a lot of fun in the tube with his dad and friend Kate. He loved making the hand gestures thumb up to go faster and thumb down to go slower. I can't think of a better family fun activity than boating and I hope that we can find a boat soon because this summer is quickly disapearing.

7 years later with 2 kids in tow...

Before Mo and I got married and had kids we used to have lots of outdoor adventures. One of the things that we did was to hike to the top of Mount Timpanogas. We haven't been back since until Friday when we decided to take our kids on a hike up to the cave. So, with the kids in their packs on our backs we headed up what Mo told me was an easy quarter mile hike- wrong! A very steep 1 1/2 miles would have been correct. Although it was a tough climb the cave was totally worth it. I went once when I was a kid but I didn't remember how cool it was. Jackson really liked it too, and Benton was better than I thought he would be. As long as we were on the move he was okay- because he is walking now(just started this week) he doesn't want to be in anyones arms for very long. Jackson had lots of questions for the park ranger... Does batman live in here? Are there skeleton bones? What are those rocks called? Is this another cave? The park ranger was really nice and he let Jackson help him turn on the lights by blowing like he was blowing candles on a cake. When we got to the part in the cave where he turned off all of the lights and there was no light- none- not even a little, he made a joke about if we wanted the lights to come back on we should raise our hands. When he turned the lights on Jackson was standing there so cute holding his little hand up as high and straight as he could raise it. It was a really fun day and even though our outdoor adventures are different I am so thankful that we have our boys to share them with.

Lake Powell 2009

Mo and I just got back from our second annual Beckstrom Lake Powell trip. It was so much fun and I am so glad that we got to go again this year (thanks April, mom, and dad for watching our kids). The weather was not great but good enough to go out in the boat every morning until early afternoon when it got windy. We played hard, stayed up late, and ate some fabulous food. It was a totally relaxing much needed vacation.