Dadda's favorite Saturday morning is a walk to the little corner store for creamer and a chat with the old southern gentlemen heading out to fish, all with his little boy along for the ride in his backpack. (And boy do those gentlemen love our little guy as their morning send-off!) Dadda loves this so much that Mama catches him carrying Benjamin around the house this way just for fun! :) Can you tell they like this?! If you had these cheeks smiling and waving while riding on your back wouldn't it be your favorite thing in the world too?!
Awesome Uncle Jimmy came to visit Benjamin for his first birthday; he is so lucky to have such a cool godfather! And we are SO lucky to have such a great friend!Benjamin loved every minute of their time together - he got to show Uncle Jimmy the sights (and Uncle Jimmy got to explain to him in detail why Notre Dame far exceeds Duke University! :)) And thanks for strapping on the gear and carrying your 26 lb godson all across the campuses Jim! :)
And even though Uncle Jimmy is officially off the market (can't wait until August 20!!! :)) Benjamin was very proud to show his Uncle how he "cruises" for the ladies when we're waiting to get a table! Yep, that is Benjamin's typical pose! :)
Showing Benjamin the tastiness of bean dip with the guys was, in his mind, a definite fair trade! :)
January 7, 2010 has arrived; our baby Benjamin is 1 year old today!Mama and Dadda could not be more proud! What a year it has been and what a beautiful boy he has grown to be! From our little hospital burrito to our big cake-eating, smiling, amazing little boy. We love you so very much!
Although it's cliche, it seems like it really was just yesterday that we were getting to know our little baby in those first few moments in our hospital room. Even then we could not have imagined how much he would change our lives for the better or how much joy he would bring us. We have loved every minute with him, yes, even through the early sleep deprivation! Benjamin, your Mama and Dadda know you are the very best thing they have ever done and we love you forever and ever. Happy First Birthday Birdie!! Now let the PAAARTY begin... Benjamin celebrated in style with all of this friends and Gwamma and Gwampa who stayed an extra week just to be here. A very special THANK YOU to Gwamma for her help and guidance in helping Mama make your very first birthday cake, a choo choo train!...a project that took nearly 4 hours just to decorate! Clearly I am not concerned about setting a precedent!ALL the time on the cake was entirely worth it when Benjamin raised his arms in triumph after those first tentative bites as if to say TOUCHDOWN! He was clearly in heaven and has since recognized a cake where ever it may be (grocery store, books, etc.).We are thankful to all of our friends and family for enjoying this special moment with us! It will be a wonderful memory for Benjamin for all the years to come!
I think this might be too cute to be considered a "carry-on"!? Benjamin also got to share the Christmas spirit and magic with his extended family in Tucson, AZ; our little traveler made his first cross-country trip to Dadda's home town. He got to meet his Uncle Nathan, Great-Grandma Leonardo, Great-Uncle Michael, and cousins Sean, Linda, and Sophia for the very first time. What a special trip it was!
Benjamin loved spending time with his Nana and Grandpa John and he was in heaven getting to see all of the Christmas lights! :)
He fell in love with Ms. Sophia and they were singing together before the end of an hour! We have no idea how he talked her in to pushing him around in the wagon but we'll figure that out later.Although he'll argue that it must be his iphone (which Benjamin was certainly amazed with) Uncle Nathan can't deny the fact that his nephew ADORED him! He'll be back soon to stay with Uncle Nathan!!! (Hee hee!)It was a whirlwind adventure of visiting our loved ones, touring the desert canyon, picking oranges from Great-Grandma's tree, and giving lots of kisses. (That orange didn't leave his sight for 24 hours...even when he was too tired to keep his eyes open! :)) We can't wait to visit again soon.
Oh, glorious Christmas. You have finally arrived!Christmas 2009 was even more spectacular than we could have imagined! Sharing in such a special holiday (Mama's most favorite!!) with our amazing little boy was so special - Benjamin experiencing Christmas morning and all of the wonderful moments of the holiday was like experiencing it ourselves for the very first time. And we were so blessed to have Gwamma and Gwampa and Aunt Megan, and Daniel too, here to celebrate with us! Benjamin was quite the looker in his pin-striped suit for Christmas Eve mass where he spent nearly the full 1.5 hours telling all the young ladies in our row that the candle on our aisle was "hot", "no touch".Aunt Megan didn't need an alarm clock come Christmas morning as Benjamin woke everyone right on time (6am) to run down the stairs and find what Santa had delivered. Despite the enormous ball pit that Santa had brought (which we were certain would be the favorite) Benjamin was most enthralled with his red radio flyer tricycle. That and the lights on the Christmas tree were the best gifts he has ever received! Baby Benjamin is OUR best Christmas gift ever!! We can't wait to spend many more Christmases together as a family! Merry Christmas to all, and to all a good night... (and a happy new year while we're at it :))
Who would have thought that lunch time on a random Tuesday in early December would be the most popular time to meet Santa? Well, in Raleigh, apparently it was! A big thank you to Gwamma and Gwampa who stood in line with Mama and helped entertain little Benjamin for more than 2 hours! The wait was worth it as Benjamin, rather than crying or being scared of the man in the red suit, acted as though he had found his dearest long lost friend. He sat and chatted with Santa as though they had known each other for years. He even offered him one of his most prized possessions (a travel size shampoo bottle). Benjamin is VERY excited for Christmas when Santa will visit his house!!
Our birdie is 11 months old! Not only will he celebrate his first Christmas in a few weeks but our next Happy Birthday wish will be for the grand 12 months - 1 YEAR OLD!We'd like you to note that the monthly sign is no longer safe sitting peacefully next to our little guy - now Dadda has to hold it up only milliseconds before the camera clicks otherwise the paper is a goner! :) HAPPY ELEVEN MONTHS to our beautiful boy! Mama and Dadda love you more than anything!
Our sweet pea arrived on January 7, 2009. Surprise!!...a full 5 days before Mommy's scheduled c-section! Welcome to the newest Leonardo - our son, Benjamin Elis. Mommy and Daddy (and brother Stanford too!) are head-over-heels in love and can't imagine life without our beautiful baby boy. In keeping with the tradition of our Belly Blog we've created the Baby Benjamin blog to share with our loved ones all of Benjamin's special moments as he discovers the world around him. Enjoy!!
New parents of the amazing, incredible, Benjamin Elis, our birdie, baba ganoush, Benjamin button! The very light and love of our lives! (Previously known while in Mommy's belly as dancing baby leonardo or our little sweet-pea). Welcome Benjamin!!!
Dadda's favorite Saturday morning is a walk to the little corner store for creamer and a chat with the old southern gentlemen heading out to fish, all with his little boy along for the ride in his backpack. (And boy do those gentlemen love our little guy as their morning send-off!)
