Those are MY thighs!!!

For those who are already planning to nibble on Benjamin thighs as a side dish at Thanksgiving....watch out! Mama's got first dibs on these deeeelicious thighs! :)

Benjamin Goes to the NC State Fair

It doesn't seem possible that it was one year ago when Sam and I were walking (correction - by that time I was just beginning to waddle) around the State Fair; enjoying corn on the cob and introducing our sweet pea in Mama's belly to the sights and sounds of fried food, farm animals, and carnies (sp??). :)
What fun we had introducing Benjamin in person to his first State Fair this October!
Despite the frigid 55 degree weather (bizarre for a mid October in Raleigh) we bundled our little monkey up and watched as he enjoyed all of the sights AND sounds. The animals (and blue ribbon watermelons...his father's son!) were by far his favorites even though he continues his fascination with carousels too!
Dadda loved his corn yet again this year :) (SO many good toppings!) and the kettle corn was the perfect way to wrap up the afternoon! See you next year State Fair...watch out for our little man then...can we even imagine what next year will be like?? :)

Notre Dame Saturdays

Benjamin shows his true ND spirit no matter what the weather! :)
Whether he's sporting his #23 jersey (thanks Uncle Jimmy!) or his ND fleece snuggie (thanks Mrs. Briggs!) he's always certain to let everyone know he's a born and bred Irish fan! Dadda is so proud!!! (Can you tell?!?!)

The Pumpkin Patch

Ok, we admit it! We can't keep away from the pumpkin patch! Benjamin has been to 4 in the last three weeks. He is just too cute sitting among the pumpkins and talking to them as though they are from the same patch.
He obviously carries Mama's gene of loving anything and everything FALL!

Bath Time - Still a Favorite!

Benjamin has loved his baths since his very first one...well maybe since bath #2 when he knew what would be happening!

He's moved to the big boy tub now and gives Daddy heart failure every time he scoots around the edge like a pro!

We think Benjamin would sleep in the bath tub if he had the option. We just love watching him have so much fun and of course we love every additional opportunity we get to nibble on those thunder thighs!! :)

HAPPY NINE MONTHS!!!

Happy Nine Month birthday to our sweet Benjamin!

Our beautiful birdie tops the charts weighing in at a whopping 24 lbs at his nine month appointment and growing just as fast in height too!
For those of you who wagered when Benjamin would be crawling, this will have to be a "draw."
If you consider scooting across the room at rocket speed using one leg and his belly as crawling then you win the poll if you said nine months. If you want to wait to see when he'll be taking off from his stance on all four knees (currently doing the Benjamin knee dance :)) then you'll have to wait to see what happens next! :)
All Mama and Dadda know is that if brother Stanford is anywhere in sight, Benjamin will reach him! No matter how he gets there! :)
We just can't believe how fast you have grown baby Benjamin...once a warm little, swaddled bundle in the bouncy chair and now a little mover and shaker, wanting to discover every new inch of your house and life. There is no one who can make us as happy as you do! WE LOVE YOU!!!

I'll take this Mama...

First Crunchy Crunches :)

Look closely...they have arrived!!! Benjamin's first tooth appeared (lower right) and then, only days later, the second tooth (its partner in crime!) decided to pop up too.
We affectionately refer to these beauties as Benjamin's crunchy crunches (or sometimes his toofies for short) :).
Benjamin is very proud of his new additions and the powers they bring :) (bring on the cookies!)
(And Mommy and Daddy are happy to have a little relief from the teething pains!)

You saw it here first...a quarterback/pitcher/shot putter in the making!

Benjamin has discovered a new talent for throwing! It started one day when we were innocently showing him the balls on the pool table. And from that moment on if a ball is within reach, it's ready to be pitched. Our favorite part is how intensely he makes every throw...watch the toe twirls (for extra focus :)) and the body power that goes with each toss (and note the arms for balance :))
We play like this for hours because Benjamin is AMAZING!

New discoveries...

Benjamin's world continues to bring new discoveries. And with each one, Mommy and Daddy are reintroduced to the simpler things in life that bring such a beautiful little person such joy and wonderment. Like an umbrella, for example.
How often do we use an umbrella without really looking at it??
Benjamin got to snuggle with Mommy under his first umbrella at the Laze Days Art festival in Cary. Never mind the gorgeous arts and crafts (and Daddy's kettle corn), what could be more amazing than an umbrella?!
Another discovery has been all of the little house projects Dadda likes to work on. Benjamin is first in line to help with anything that Dadda is doing. My boys spent some time working hard together lowering Baby Benjamin's crib. Benjamin was the best little assistant ever!
And we can't forget Brother Stanford's discovery - this little guy thinks I'm a horse! :)

Not funny brother!!

HAPPY EIGHT MONTHS!!

Baby Benjamin is eight months old! Look at how fast our baby is growing!!
These signs aren't going to last much longer! :)

Farewell to Summer

Benjamin enjoyed some of his favorite summer activities one last time before the baseball season ended, the pool closed, and the cool fall weather set in. He was a home-run at the ball park :) (Mommy and Daddy's FAVORITE kind of home run!)

And got to spend a special summer evening with his thousands of adoring fans (at the Duke Gardens concert

series).

He spent lots of happy hours in the pool and enjoyed relaxing so much that he didn't quite mind when his little baby butt crack made an occasional appearance!

Benjamin enjoyed summer dusk with Mommy on the hammock - what a wonderful place to cuddle!

We had so much fun with our summer visitors too!

Grandpa John got lots of smiles from Baby B and is there any doubt Benjamin loves the pretty ladies?

Do we see a pattern emerging here?!?

It was lots of fun to meet Benjamin's second cousins too.

And of course, Gwamma and Gwampa! We love when we get to play with them and try out new toys! :)

Phew, such a busy end to a wonderful first summer! We can't wait for all the adventures fall promises to bring...

A Love Note from Mama

Birdie, Mama wants you to know that she loves you more than all of the stars in the sky. You fill my heart with more love than was ever thought humanly possible.

Happy Seven Months!!

Our Baby is 7 months old! What an awe-inspiring journey this has been thus far; we have so much to look forward to!
We love you forever Benjamin!
PS. Mommy is wondering if you could stop growing just long enough so I could freeze this wonderful, beautiful baby and baby sugar forever?!?

Our Boston Bean

Benjamin is becoming a frequent flyer and enjoyed an exciting trip to Boston for Mommy's friend Amy's beautiful wedding. Congratulations Amy and Jake!
While in Boston Benjamin enjoyed a mug of water with Dadda at the Cheers Bar and discovered so many new and exciting things at the Boston Aquarium. We think the 700 lb sea turtle was considering Benjamin for a scooby snack!
We saw lots of beautiful boats in the Boston Harbor and Benjamin's favorite experience by far was riding his first carousel...who knew a $1.50 carousel ride could bring such joy! It prompted so many smiles and giggles that Mommy and Daddy are thinking about getting one for the backyard!Mommy and Daddy were super excited to introduce Benjamin to the Italian section of Boston where Daddy found an AMAZING pastry shop. There is nothing better than fresh cannolis...someday you'll be able to enjoy them with us too B!
Yummmmm....cannolis!
We couldn't leave Boston without visiting Harvard so Benjamin had his breakfast on Harvard Square and then toured the campus purchasing some new reading material from the Harvard book store. :) Despite the beautiful campus Benjamin told Daddy he's still an Irish boy at heart! Go Irish!!

Picking Blueberries and other adventures with Nana Leonardo

Benjamin loves when Nana Leonardo comes to visit!
We had all kinds of adventures with Nana including Benjamin's first visit to the blueberry patch.
Benjamin is ready for some serious blueberry pickin'

Are these the yummy things we're looking for?

Look at the little "blueberry" we found in the bushes!!

Phew...that was fun! Now I'm ready to eat!