Ben's favorite place on EARTH!

We got to go to the Children's Museum today WITH JAMES because he's on furlough this week so he was finally able to see what all the hype is about! Ben loved playing hard and we loved watching him smile and squeal with delight! There were a couple of times I wasn't sure who was having more fun, Ben or James...as you can see from the picture of him playing with one of the cool ball mazes. We were also lucky to go this time of year, there was a maze made of hay which I thought was pretty cool. Now, it's just about time for all of us to take a nap, we're tuckered out from all the fun!

Our first day at the park...in quite sometime!

The weather was amazingly gorgeous today so we decided to head on over to the park near our house and luckily Daddy was home from work and joined us! It was so much fun to see Ben enjoy the swing and slide and amazing how just before Summer(we've been cooped up for a few months now-but it's OVER), a few months ago, he wasn't as capable of doing as many things (the stairs) on his own! Now we are REALLY looking forward to being Phoenicians in the Fall and on into the Winter! Many more park days ahead....

Chocolate pudding and playtime!

Geoff and Amy's Wedding

What a lovely night we had getting to be part of the celebration of James' college (and beyond) buddy's wedding. The energy was so full of love, it brought tears to my eyes over and over.

Mt. Humphrey's hike

Well, we did it again! Dougie and I hiked to Humphrey's Peak (12,637 ft.) on the gorgeous fall afternoon of Oct. 1st. It was harder and way more intense than 6 years ago, climbing over boulders and having the cold wind hit our faces was nothing compared to coming down at dusk/dark and then hearing the noise of an animal in the forest. After carefully coming down we then held hands and ran back through the forest to the open meadow. Last time we did this hike it took us 6 hours, less stopping for pictures and lazily eating snacks and lunch and chatting to other folks who made it to the peak, also we went in the Summer and the sun sets later. Although I can't move today it was quite an adventure, exhilarating and absolutely gorgeous!

A glimpse in to our life

Ben and I are enjoying the cooler temps, it was only 100 degrees, ha ha! We can feel it, fall is right around the corner. Ben loves painting with water on the patio and splashing around getting wet with his buckets, the hose, anything! I put some gems on some of the pots I painted and think they look so perty, I want to bead them all!

Mama and Papa came for dinner

Ben's GREAT (in many ways) Grandparents came for dinner and were amazed by how much energy Ben has. Comments about him "never stopping" and "running everywhere" were made. In just a few short months he went from not walking to not stopping. Ben was very entertaining, he walked around for awhile with the kitchen towel on his head just to be a goofball, he already knows that when guests come you should entertain!

Lucy thinks she's still racing

Our sweet, gentle girl sometimes barks in her sleep (only in her sleep, she never barks when she's actually awake) and if you're lucky enough to be in the same room with her or slowly creep in on her when she is making those cute little yippy barks then you'll also see her legs moving like she is racing, on her side. She must be dreaming about the days of chasing after the fake bunnies and winning! (She won 10 races!) So, here's our girl, she loves the fall as much as I do and looks so cute in this little hat I like to have both she and Ben wear:-)

3rd Anniversary

We all had a good time celebrating our 3 year wedding Anniversary, although it sure reminds me that having Benjamin is one of the most wonderful blessings in our life but we need to get a sitter if we want to have a peaceful, calm or romantic night.

It's all a game

So our little man is becoming more and more independent. He hears me say "No, no" after trying to get in to things he shouldn't be getting in to and now Parrots me and says "No, no" if I ask him to do/not do something. I have to admit, it's kind of cute. This afternoon I had to grab something in the garage and of course, guess who followed me in? Yep, Ben. We tried coaxing him back in to the house, without picking him up (that can lead to an arched back and shrill scream-from both of us...ha, ha) and I started counting "One,.." he replied "Two". It's all a game to him, I'm just trying to learn how to play it so that we both win.

My first bloom on the Hibiscus I planted

More progress on the yard and more fun playing outside!