Mirror Time

I think Benson has a crush on himself! Every time he sees himself in the mirror he smiles and acts really shy.  But who wouldn't crush on him, am i right?

A Day in the Life...2 months old

I spend a lot of time with Benson. but it never gets old! He is full of surprises. It is so fun to see all of the things he is learning.  He smiles a LOT and makes the cutest squeals. I absolutely love being his mom.

Here are a few of Benson's favorite things to do:  

 Naptime

After he naps he will just sit in his crib, usually smiling at the elephant mobile. I fully expected him to still be asleep when I went into the front room, but I just found him starting up above, all wrapped up tight.

Occasionally Benson falls asleep when we go outside to get the mail.  He slept like this for a good hour or so.  The angle of the picture makes it look more uncomfortable than it was...

This was right before bedtime and he just couldn't stay awake!

Time with Dad

Every day by Five I am ready for a small break.  Perfect timing because that is when Riley comes home! Benson adores Riley. They do lots of fun things together, like tummy time,

hiking in Snow canyon (near St. George)

More tummy time (cutest picture, right?)

Shoulder rides

Time on the floor

Benson loves hanging out on the ground. I'm not sure what it is, but if someone is holding him and he starts to get fussy we put him on the ground and he is suddenly content! Most of the time.  He kicks his legs so much that I can leave the room for a moment and when I come back he is completely turned around. 

I like this picture because he looks like he is watching a really intense game on TV. 

Tummy Time

Benson hates laying on his stomach.  He does ok for a minute or two but after that he does this really sad, frustrated cry. But he is getting better! 

Sometimes though, he falls asleep instead... 

 (he moved his legs up under his stomach, but the legs of his pj's stayed there... haha

He was holding onto his toy and then fell asleep...

Visit friends/family

Because we live so close to people we get to see a lot of friends and family! Last week we went to visit Nicole and her new baby Jack.  It was crazy to see a new baby and think that Benson was that small just a few weeks ago.  He is well over 12 pounds now!  Jack was darling and we had a fun time!

Vacation! 

Over President's Day weekend we took a trip to St. George with Merrill and LouJean. We had a nice time! It was so warm. I wish I lived there. We wandered around snow canyon a bit and happened upon this really cool arch and giant rock that looks like a fish head. Benson was great in his carrier-slept the whole time! 

Benson's other favorite things, not pictured:

-pooping

-watching Downton Abbey

-primary presidency meetings

-Hanging out with mom, ALL DAY! 

We really do have a great time.  

Happy Birthday, Riley!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY! 

We celebrated Riley's birthday over the course of a week.  Starting in St. George with his parents, then on his birthday he got breakfast in bed, a surprise Subway lunch at school, and finished yesterday with sushi/pizza dinner, presents and a peanut butter chocolate butterfinger pie (sounds rich, right? well it is.)

Riley is a wonderful husband and dad. I really am so blessed.  He is a very hard worker and is constantly trying to become better.  He spends most of his time doing economics, hanging out with the young men in our ward, checking his email for admissions decisions, playing with Benson, and stirring up a mess in the kitchen with his inventive food.  He is so much fun to be with.  I smile every day, several times a day because of the funny things he says or does.  

Benson's Blessing Day!

Riley and I are so blessed to have supportive family who came to celebrate Benson!  It was a lovely day with family.  Benson was given a beautiful blessing and was loved on by grandparents, great-grandparents, aunts and uncles.  We missed the family that couldn't come (you know who you are!) so here are some pictures of the day.  Before the pictures, I've got to embarrass Benson for a moment (I'm his mom, I can do that, right?)
Riley and I went to the church early because he had a meeting and we needed to save some seats because our ward is gigantic.  I went to feed Benson before the block.  When I finished I picked him up and felt something very... wet. I knew immediately there was a problem.  I got down to change him, hoping it was just pee, but no, it was poop, and it was everywhere. Not a piece of clothing was salvageable. I had to call Riley and ask him to bring a plastic bag.  Luckily I had brought some spare clothes but they were not nearly as handsome as his white shirt and cords!  It did not ruin the day by any means- it only made it better! I mean, how can you get mad at him? It only made me realize how sweet and innocent he really is.

My camera settings were terrible yesterday so these pictures turned out terrible. I hope someone got better ones and can send them my way.

Poor Benson was not too happy during the entire photo shoot. 

See? The settings were crazy...

Getting better....

There! Perfect. I can see where Benson gets his good looks.

a look at january

Benson was very busy in January. He went from being a sleepy newborn to making eye contact, coo-ing and smiling! He is so much fun to have around. He is pretty good at sleeping, except for an occasional rough night, and he only seems to be fussy when we get off sleeping schedule. I'd be grumpy too! Without further ado... January:

Sporting his new BYU shirt

Check out those cheeks...

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Open mouth smile. His and my favorite!

In the tub

He woke up from his nap and was making all kinds of cute noises