A year ago today...

we were bringing home our little pumpkin!! Ben turned one on Wednesday. As with every birthday that passes, it feels like he was only born a few months ago, yet it feels like he has been here forever, too. Time is such a funny thing. It passes at the same rate for all of us...nothing anyone can do to slow it down or speed it up. Some wish a day would last forever, soaking up special moments or a vacation, others wish it would hurry up and be tomorrow or the next day...excited about a vacation, the arrival of a loved one, or some other wonderful anticipated moment. I find myself more and more soaking up the days and wishing they would last longer than they do...wanting to freeze the moments of my sweet little ones forever.
Ben is busy!! My friend was talking about how much she chased her kids...keeping them out of trouble they were constantly searching for. I said, "oh...I don't remember that with Kate and Ryan. They were so easy." I am wishing I had never said that, because I am doing enough chasing Ben to make up for the chasing I didn't do with Kate and Ryan. He has broken a cake plate, soaked himself in the shower, the potty, eaten paper, eaten rocks, been in the fireplace, climbed up stairs, fallen down stairs (4 steps to be specific before I caught him), figured out how to kick the tray off his high chair, spills the dogs water, eats the dogs food (when I don't get there in time), are you getting the picture? For a long time he did not like toys, but he does seem to be more interested lately. Also, he has finally taken a liking to the tupperware/sippycup cabinet in the kitchen. That took a long time! He has some cute tricks, too.
He walked at 11 months!!
He can wave and say bye bye.
He can say nigh nigh (night, night)
He can pat the mama and pat the dada.
He can eat!
He loves for his daddy to rock him to sleep.
He is so funny...when he is done eating he scrunches up his face and raises his arms and hands up over his head. He does that the whole time I am wiping his face, too. He hates having his face wiped.
He loves his bath.
He loves to feed Lady food from his tray. (kind of gross, because he will then eat with the same hand he fed her with if we don't catch him in time)
He loves to be up in the playroom with his bro and sis.
He really likes watching his videos. He is so good with his nebulizer treatments...he will just sit and watch the whole time with his mask on.
(He is on Pulmucort through cold and flu season...thank you RSV).
He did not even cry when he got his flu shot. What a tough little fellow.
He weighs 27 pounds and 14 ounces...oooh sooo squishy!! Love it!!
He is so good to go places and be left with in the nursery, but he always smiles so big and reaches out his arms when I come pick him up. What a sweetie.
He never took a pacifier, and he won't take a bottle.
He is so cute when he walks, it's like he lifts his whole leg and bends his knee with each step...like he is stepping over something every time. Hard to explain, but oh so cute.
Enough of that silliness for now! How about some pictures!








Can you believe this is the best I could do for a picture of the 3 kids. Have you ever tried getting a picture of a 6 year old, a 3 year old, and a 1 year old? Impossible.

We celebrated all week. We had a family party on Sunday with grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins. Wednesday afternoon, the kids and I made cupcakes for Ben, and we had another party Wednesday night for the 5 of us.

Happy Birthday to my sweet pumpkin! You bring us more joy than our hearts can hold.