babycakes

We had so much fun with the suspense of our babycakes!   I'd highly recommend finding out the gender of your baby in this way... it was so special to share the moment with our family!! 


Thomas and Susie are having a...



Jessica and Benjamin are having a...



Special thanks to Kell for capturing the moment on video :) 



A SISTER for Hannah and Addie Grace!







And a BROTHER for Benson!!!



I cannot believe I'm going to be the mother of TWO boys!
I can't wait to meet this little MayFly!!
And our JuneBug is (after getting used to the idea) looking forward to meeting his little brother!
And, specifically, teaching him how to see-saw.
Because, apparently (according to Benson) that's one of the many things that Big brothers teach little brothers how to do.  

Praise the Lord for a healthy baby BOY!

There are two people who know what we're having...

the ultrasound tech who wrote the answer to this question on the inside of this card,
and the Publix baker who opened it!

We'll find out on Saturday when we cut into the cake!
Pink or Blue icing on the inside... I can hardly wait!!!



Thomas and Susie have their Ultrasound on friday, and they aren't going to look either...
they're getting their cake done at another publix and we'll cut into our cakes together on Saturday.

Be assured, there will be video footage.

And we've got these to look forward to opening after we cut the cake.
(the gender pics.... Insurance in case the baker gets it wrong)  
They are currently sitting on my table and it's all I can do not to peek!  :)



Here's some of the first pictures we have of our little May fly!
Cute little footies... ankles crossed...



footprint...



lil alien baby...



What a joy it was to get to "meet" our itty bitty for the first time.
Saturday, we'll know if Benson's going  to have a brother or a sister!
SO EXCITING!!!!

Nana in the Ville (kinda/sorta)

Benson and Nana have all these little games they play.  He absolutely loves playing with his Nana.

Two to three times per week, he asks if he can call nana on the "com-poo-ti-ere."

So sometimes Nana comes for playdates in the afternoons...
They play rice box together.



And she tells him stories over the "com-poo-ti-ere" and they always start with "Once upon a time.... there was a little boy named Benson...."  and he just eats that up! 



And he gets to tell her all about his day and he normally has his own stories to tell.... and they usually  start with "Once upon a time.... there was a little boy named Benson...." and sound strikingly similar to the one Nana just told.



Here's a screenshot from one of our many "visits" with nana and papa.

A couple of days ago, we called them on the computer, but only papa was home.  While we were talking, we heard the garage door open (at nana and papa's house) letting us know Nana was home.  Their computer room is upstairs and Benson hollered, through the computer, "We're UP HERE NANA!!" 

Also, do please note the white blur here... that'd be peaches... Benson isn't the only one who loves their Nana!



Can you see what's going on in this screenshot?  



Yeah.  Benson's having Papa sniff his arm pits.  Through the computer.
Must be a boy thing?

And here, we got to visit with Lash too!
Benson wanted to show them something on his "top bunk" and judging from the looks on nana and lash's faces, it must have been really interesting...




We're so thankful for modern technology and that even though we're over an hour farther than we were, we still get to see Nana and Papa just as much as we did when we lived right down the road! 

We are so thankful for NANA!!!

Grandmama in the Ville

Mrs. Lula's been coming to the ville to keep Benson while I have my baby doctor appointments.   Our new OB doesn't allow kids in the office, which I totally understand, but it's pretty difficult to find somebody to play with the punkin' in the middle of the day for us to go to the doc.
But Grandmama to the RESCUE!! 

She shows up with her arms full and quickly, our living room is transformed from drab to fab.
And Benson and Grandmama spend the entire time she's here inside this tent....





Except when it's warm enough to venture outside (which it was on October 23 when these pictures were taken) and blow Grandmama's bubbles from this seemingly never-ending bucket of bubbles she brings....



And sometimes that's kinda difficult when you're three and can't control your air flow...



So sometimes it works better just to spiiiiiiinnnnnnn........



Do you see the green, lanky monkey, in this picture?  I don't think I've introduced him before.

This is Monkey Joe.  

Benson never took a pacifier.  He never attached to a blankey or lovey of any kind.

He likes to sleep on a satin pillowcase/pillowcover  (a "cool-pillow" apty named by his Aunt Missy years and years ago when his MAMA was a little girl-- because they stay COOL and when you flip 'em over are REALLY cool!)  and he likes to have his sippy cup of water when he sleeps, but never a lovey. 

On our trip to Bonita Springs Florida,  Grandmama returned from a shopping trip with this little monkey.  He immediately grabbed him and said his name was Monkey Joe.  He hasn't put him down since.

Ok.  Here's the thing about Monkey Joe...

Now, Benson thinks he can't sleep without him.  And wants to take him everywhere we go...
Which was fine.

Until we took him to Clemson and got in the car to return home.   And started looking for Monkey Joe.  And couldn't find him. ANYWHERE.

And then there were tears. (You've seen the devastation face)

And then I had tears, because it brought back memories of losing Quincy, my cabbage patch doll, the only doll I ever cared about, in Food Lion when I was four.

There's still a wound there.

So we HAD to do SOMETHING.
Grandmama said she thought she remembered finding Monkey Joe at Pier One.  So, hoping against the odds, I called the Pier One we passed on the way home and five months later, they still had one!!

So we made the pit stop and I bought two.

I pulled him out from beneath the seat and "found" him "hiding!"

Benson said we should give him a spanking because when mama and daddy call, you should always come, even if you ARE a monkey!  :)  

We're so thankful for Monkey Joe!

And for this little Monkey :)



And we're so thankful for GRANDMAMA!!!

The Current State of the Manger's in Our Home...

Me: "Benson, what's baby Jesus doing up in the loft of the barn?"

Benson: "I dunno. He's just chillin.  He can see better up there."





Me: "Benson, where are all of the people from your nativity set?"

Benson: "They've gone to Rush's to get a plaim hot dog." 

GG in the Ville

GG's birthday was last week, so she and Aunt Becca came to the ville to celebrate! 

We made homemade popcorn.....

And of course there were shenanigans...

Monkey see...

Monkey do...

He had a chance to show GG his growing muscles.  

He's been eating his brocolli.  That's what makes muscles grow around our house. 

(love the way he's cutting his eyes here...)

Benson and "GG the Conductor" played trains...
(special thanks to Aunt Sherri for the cool hat and whistle
she brought all the way back from ALASKA for Benson!!)

And then it was time for CAKE! 

We are so thankful for GG!!!

The Bureau (Orange Division)

     All of the tiger fans in B's office (and their families) caravaned from Darlington to Clemson for the Georgia Tech game. 
We had a great time together and it was a perfect day, but what day isn't a perfect day in Clemson, SC?!

Farm Bureau, Darlington County, REPRESENTING in orange:



Fam pic!



My practically teenage son:



To see my baby boy tell me he loves me in sign is one of the coolest things I've ever experienced!!
At this game, we met up with some of my dear Deaf friends from the upstate and he introduced HIMSELF by fingerspelling his name and showing them his sign name.
I can't even describe to you what this does to my heart!!! 



I love you too, punkin'!!!!

The South Carolina State Fair 2010

This was by far the best fair year ever!!  Hands down,  The Best. 

Benson's at the age where he can actually grasp what was going on and he was like a kid at the... well... fair!   

There is simply nothing like a fair corn dog.  And Fiske Fries. And Netterfields lemonade. I look forward to this meal all year!!



Corndog Deliciousness...










This was a monumental fair year for us.
Benson's 39 inches tall,
which means he is more than 36 inches tall,
which is the minimum height to ride rides,
which meant that he got to RIDE THE RIDES for the FIRST TIME!!!

We got our money's worth out of the all you can ride bracelet!

This is his first go-round on the roller coaster...




Who's having more fun??



The bumper cars totally rocked his world...



Aunt Bec took him up to the tippity top of the ginoromous slide...



and he came down it all by himself...




Lash braved the whirling tugboat so bravely, so beautifully....




He had the motorcycle dude 'tude down pat!






We ended up running into the McMurray's which was SUCH a blessing because Benson had a riding buddy in Bryson. 
They were so cute together, running from ride to ride....

And then... it was time to go... which resulted in his devastation face.





Bye, bye South Carolina State Fair!  We'll see ya next year!!!