18 Months Old...Already

Okay...there is something special about this milestone.  18 months...a year and a half...

Where does time go? 

This has to be the MOST FUN EVER!  Bentley is absolutely hilarious.  He makes me laugh, but not just laugh.  I laugh out loud, cackle, belly laugh, laugh so hard that I cry.  If laughter makes you live longer, I should have a few extra years by now.  So of the things he does are just a little silly and expected at this age.  But some of the stuff he says and things he does are far beyond that. 

For example, we taught him to say, "Hola."  We go to the same Mexican restaurant almost every Monday night, and they always greet Bentley with, "Hola, mi amigo!"  So, we decided to have him return the greeting.  So, this past Monday, he learned to say "hola" on the way to eat.  Of course, when asked to say it to the waiter, he wouldn't.  But...as soon as the waiter walked away, in his loudest, sweetest voice, Bentley blurts out, "Holaaaaaaaa, ahhhhhjuuuuu?"  Translation..."Hola, where are you?"  Yes, he thinks the waiter's name is Hola.  Daniel and I burst out laughing.  Moments like that should be bottled for future use.  A dreary day when things are not going just right could really use an Hola Moment.

Bentley is growing like a weed.  Though I haven't checked his height in a while, he is now officially more than 20 pounds.  Thank Heavens!  We've been waiting six long months to say that, but about a week or two ago, I weighed him before his bath (stark naked, I might add), and he was 20.4 pounds.  We did a happy dance :)

He is currently working on getting three molars in, so he's still slobbering like a crazy person.  I'm ready to take a break from teething, but I hope he gets them all soon.  I know it will make eating a bit easier for my little guy.

Bentley is so stinkin' smart, too.  He understands everything we say and will repeat almost anything.  He uses tons of words on a regular basis, and relates certain things to certain people.  It's so sweet to see him make a connection.  If you mention Granddaddy, Bentley automatically says, "mamowa."  Both of his Granddaddy's ride him on the lawnmower.  If he  sees animal print, he says, "Mimi" because his Mimi wears a lot of animal print.  If you mention Nana, Bentley calls a kitty (sticking his tongue in and out trying to say kitty kitty) because both of his Nana's have cats.  He associates all babies with Reese, names all close family members and friends, names most foods he eats, and is starting to identify colors. 

Well, I can no longer make a list of words Bentley says because I'd have to list a gazillion words  So we'll settle for this...There are a few things he has done lately that absolutely take the cake for cutest, sweetest, most adorable things I've ever seen. 

1. He has discovered candy corn, otherwise known as "canny."  So, every time he catches a glimpse of the candy dish, he says "bite bite," incessantly.  This particular time it was right before dinner, so I said, "No, baby, you can't eat candy before dinner."  He stood there for a second, then looked at me with the sweetest face.  In the sweetest voice he could muster, I hear, "Pleeeee," as he swipes his hand across his chest in an attempt to say please in sign language.  So, needless to say, Bentley had candy before dinner.  That was the first time he used the word "please" without being prompted...SO SWEET!
2. One morning I got Bentley ready for school, and it was extra chilly outside.  I decided he needed his jacket, so when we got downstairs where I stood him in the chair by the pub table to put his jacket on.  On the table there were multiple random things, such as the camera, a magazine, wipes, and my bible.  Bentley looked at everything for a second, then said, "Book," as he pointed to the bible.  I said, "Yes, that is a book.  It's called the bible."  He said, "bible."  I said, "Yes, it tells you stories about Jesus." He said, "Sesus."  I said, "Yes, Jesus loves you."  He said, "Sesus...Lu Yoouuuu."  SO PRECIOUS!
3. Finally, I am still "Mama" on most occasions, but more and more I am becoming, "Mommy."  I am so excited.  I want to be Mommy, and Bentley is making it happen.  When we get home in the afternoons, and I unload the car before getting Bentley out, I always hear him in the car, "Mommy!  Mommy!"  It's the sweetest sound!  Ahhh...

Bentley is going to day care, now.  He started about two weeks ago, and he seems to love it.  The good thing about him...I think he makes the best of his situation.  So far, he has loved all of his child care situations.  He loved staying with Cyndel and Coen, he loved MeeMaw's Place, he loved staying home with me in the summer, he loved Ashley, Ella, and Molly, and now he loves Great Day.  As a matter of fact, he only really cried the first day.  He whined a couple of days after that, and then he has gone to his teacher willingly everyday with a smile on his face.  As a matter of fact, this morning when I put the car in park, he said, "Patti, bite bite."  I said, "Yes, baby, you are going to see Ms. Patti, and she will feed you breakfast."  He totally gets it.  He is having a little trouble transitioning into their schedule.  He was taking two naps a day with his first one being around 10:00.  Now, they have all their toddlers on the same schedule napping around 12:30.  His teachers said it's been hard for him to wait that long to sleep.  They've even found him laying in the floor asleep or nearly asleep a few times.  Bless is little heart!  Maybe he will get used to it soon.

Bentley's Favorite Things:

• Bunny - Still, yes, he LOVES Bunny
• Story time at bedtime - He likes to pick out his story, and each book as a keyword...Goodnight Moon-Fire ("Bya"); On the Night You Were Born-Dancing Bears ("Danin Bea"); I'll Love You Forever-Baby ("Baby"); Time For Bed-Ella ("LaLa")
• The lawnmower...or anything that could be portrayed as a lawnmower (play or real)
• Playing outside - I never even get to come inside when we get home.  We play outside until it's time for dinner.
• Driving Daddy's car - When Daniel gets home, Bentley gets to get in the driver's seat and drive for a while.
• Vacuum Cleaner and Brooms - Bentley loves to clean.  I hope he keeps that love for the long haul.
• Food - Bentley is getting better and better about trying new foods.  He still loves all of his previous favorites, and he's learning to like more and more things.  Some of his most favorite things are fruit of almost any kind, spaghetti, hot dogs, pizza, and he's learning to like bread.  He loves almost any kind of cereal, but he usually eats fruit loops ("dooloops") or apple jacks ("a jacks" even though he can say apple perfectly) on the way to school every morning.

Some of My Favorite Moments:

• Getting Bentley up in the mornings-He usually stays in his bed for a couple of minutes talking to his Bunny, naming the stars on his sheet, saying "Hi" to the nightlight, telling me it's "dark" (which it is still dark when he gets up), and I tell him what his day entails. 
• Driving to Arab-Though it is mighty early (6:35 to be exact), Bentley and I have some good conversations on the way to school.  He usually calls roll and wants to know what all of his family members are doing.  He names someone, and I tell him what they are doing at that moment.  When he calls our Nana, I never know who he's talking about, so I try to clarify.  "Nana Papaw or Nana Granddaddy?"  Sometimes he tells me which one...so funny!  He also plays a mean game of hide and seek in the car.  He covers his head with his blanket or Bunny and says, "Ahhhhhjuuuuu?"  He also gives me a play by play of his Bunny.  "Bunny hat," "Bunny hug," "Bunny bite bite," as Bunny eats his fruit loops. 
• Picking him up from school-Bentley is always eager to talk about school.  I can't wait until he's able to really communicate what he does.  Usually, it goes a little like this:
• "Did you have fun at school?
• "Cool"
• "Did you play?"
• "Pay"
• "Did you play with your friends?"
• "Pends"
• "Are you ready to go home?"
• "Daddy"
• "Yes, you'll see Daddy."
• "Mamowa
• ~End of Conversation~
• Bedtime-I love those last few moments before Bentley goes to sleep.  You know the ones...story time, his night night prayers, and his night night song.  Then, I kiss him one last time, lay him down, and tell him that I love him, so I know that he hears it one more time before he goes to sleep.  Lately, he looks back up and says, "Mommy."  That's that...that is my favorite moment.

Now for the moment you've all been waiting for...pictures!  There's not many, but we will go to the pumpkin patch soon, have Halloween pictures, and have his 18 month pictures made.  So, there is more to come.

Enjoy!

Dinner with friends...aren't they sweet?

Payton Elizabeth

Marlee Mae

Brinlee Tru

Apparently, he finished mowing the kitchen so he was sweeping up his clippings.

Mommy's Big Helper Boy

Mowing...again

Introducing...Jack.  Just so you know, all jack-o-lanterns are named "Jack" now.

Karington turned 2, so we went to her Bama party to celebrate.

She thought Bentley needed a little make-up.

Great fun...I was exhausted after the party because I spent most of it helping him up the slide.

Bentley and Coen went down the slide together lots!

Have a great weekend!

17 Months Old

On our way to Ashley's one morning...about to play with Ella and Molly!

Oh my...these posts are getting harder and harder.  Early into parenthood, it was easy to name every single new thing that Bentley did and every little milestone that he met.  That is getting harder and harder because he is doing new things, literally, everyday.  So, lucky for you, I don't have time to name every smart, funny, cute, or even annoying thing that Bentley did over the last month.

For starters, he is still only 19 pounds.  Yep, that's right...he's growing up but not out.  He's definitely getting taller, but the poor guy just cannot gain weight.  He eats good, but he is so active that I think his metabolism is working overtime.  I'll get his flu shot this month, so I'll talk to the doc to make sure we don't need to be supplementing.  My guess is...he got his Mama's genes. :)

Teeth...oh, those sweet pearly whites!  Bentley has cut three teeth in last five days, thus getting our count up to seven teeth.  He's still drooling like crazy and I can see and feel the beginnings of three more teeth.  The good news...he's been a trooper.  He doesn't like me to brush his teeth when a tooth is about to make it's appearance, but other than that, he's not had any symptoms of teething except for a few extra dirty diapers.

Word worthy...Bentley is a talker.  He will try to repeat almost anything you say.  Sometimes it comes out right, and sometimes...not so much. :)  He no longer calls Sleepy Bunny, "mama."  He finally refers to it and all other bunnies as, "bunny."  He loves to call for people.  (Not on the phone, but yelling out their names.)  When he talks about Daniel or talks to him, he refers to him as, "Dada," but when he calls him he says, "Daaaaaadeeeeee."  So sweet to hear.  He is trying to say everyone's name that he is around a lot, and some of them are really good:

• Ella - "Lala"
• Molly - "Moeee"
• Karington - "Taton"
• Coen - "Dadoo" (I don't have a clue on this one, but that's also what he calls the cat across the street, and her name is Sunny.)
• Reese - "Weese"
• Nana - "Nana"
• Papaw - "PawPaw"
• Granddaddy - "Dadaing"
• Mimi - "MiMi"
• Daniel - "Nanel" (He heard Karington calling Daniel, so he called her this for a while.)
• Jennifer (Jen Jen) - "Den Den"

Just this week he started saying, "Uh huh," while nodding his head.  I said, "say, yes Ma'am," so he said, "Ma Ma'am."  Pretty cute!  I told him to go tell Daddy that dinner was done, so he went to the patio door (Daniel was outside), saying, "Do-in."  He loves to hide behind the fan in his room as he says, "Hidin'."  He will stand somewhere he shouldn't (on the couch, on his firetruck, etc.) and say, "Dit," which translates to "sit."  Bentley has also been piecing together two words to make phrases rather than saying one word for everything.  The other day he said, "big truck" and "Dada bed" when Daniel was still in the bed. 

Though he's not really ready to start, we've begun the introduction to potty training.  We talk about pee pee and poo poo on a regular basis.  He has a little potty that he loves, but he only sits on it for about 10 seconds.  He wants so badly to put pee pee or poo poo in the potty, but he just can't figure it out yet.  So, we're not pushing the issue, but we are encouraging him to understand what it means to be wet and dirty.  Hopefully we'll have at least one success soon for him to be able to understand more. 

He knows ALL of his body parts, and yes, I mean ALL of them.  Of course the cutest one for him to find is his wee wee.  He starts looking up his pants leg for it.  SO funny!

There are a few things that Bentley has grown to LOVE lately.  He LOVES the lawnmower ("mamowa") and the blower ("bowa"), as I've mentioned before.  He also loves golf, and he wants to play with his play clubs, Daniel's real clubs, and watch it on television.  If golf his on T.V., Bentley will actually sit for a few minutes and watch it.  He still loves cleaning, including sweeping, vacuuming, and dusting.  He loves anything with buttons, so he really enjoys helping with laundry and cooking because he gets to push any buttons that need pushing.  Bentley's latest fascination is with bugs and spiders.  He loves to find bugs and spiders, dead or alive, inside or outside, he doesn't care.  And finally, our little fella is a pyromaniac.  He LOVES to see anything with fire ("Byee").  As a matter of fact, Goodnight Moon is his favorite bedtime story because there's a fireplace in it.  Sometimes we light candles, not because we like the smell, but because he wants to see the fire.  He does understand that fire is hot, so maybe we've got that on our side. :)

So, now for the fun part...the pictures.  On the 11th, which was Bentley's 17 month birthday, Daniel decided to mow the yard.  Bentley was thrilled, and so was I because Daniel found a frog.  I've been wanting to get another frog for my classroom, so I've been looking for them for a couple of weeks.  Bentley and I got to spend the afternoon together catching a frog, fixing it's aquarium, and just letting him be a BOY!  So much fun!  Here's our documentation of the night.

Daddy's mowin', Bentley's blowin'.

"Hey frog."  The more he said "frog," the more it sounded like, "Bob."

You wanna play?

Helping Mommy fix the aquarium...planting plants and filling it with dirt ("dut").
Mommy filled it up...Bentley tossed it out.

So excited!

More time to play with the blower before we introduce the frog to his new home.

Peek-a-boo!

New favorite way to go on the slide.

"Weeeeee!"

And the big reveal...see the frog...

Hold the frog...

"Bye bye frog."

Meet Skippyjon...he seems happy in his new home.
My kids at school LOVE him!

Using the frog's spray bottle to spray himself...he's drenched!

So, needless to say, we had a WONDERFUL time!  I absolutely love coming home, changing clothes, and playing outside with my little man.  We have such a good time, and seeing him do things for the first time makes me such a happy mommy!

A Perfect Day

Sunday, otherwise known as my favorite day...

I have always loved Sunday.  As a matter of fact, I wanted Bentley to be born on Sunday (he decided to make his appearance on Monday).  I love waking up knowing that it's still the weekend.  I love drinking my coffee, talking to my hubby, playing with my baby, and deciding whether we'll have orange rolls or cinnamon rolls for breakfast.  I love getting ready for church and picking out just the right outfit for Bentley, so that people at church will say, "Isn't he cute?"  I know that's silly, but we all do it.  I love that Daniel brings my breakfast upstairs, but he and Bentley have their manly time over breakfast and reading the newspaper.  I love going to church...I always feel that my week goes better on the weeks we go to church.  Those weeks that we "just can't make it" always seem to need a little pick-me-up.

And finally, I love that Sunday afternoons are MINE.  My family day.  My time with my little family to do as we wish, whether it be lazy afternoons watching golf or cooking shows.  Whether it be grocery shopping and running to four different stores to get the best deal.  Whether it be spending the day out together doing something we hope Bentley will love.  Sunday is my favorite day for all of these reasons.  So, there are some Sundays that are consumed with other people's needs and wants.  You know, a guy's golfing outing, a baby shower, a visit from the grandparents...but on the Sundays that are MINE, I am in heaven.

Today was just that!  We started our day at about 6:45, were out the door for church by 9:00, and this afternoon was amazing.  We took Bentley to Big Spring Park to have a picnic and feed the ducks, geese, and fish.  He had a wonderful time.  Then we did a little shopping at Sam's and came home.  Bentley and I took a nap while Daniel watched golf.  We all cooked dinner together (chicken wings and French fries), and then it was time for Bentley's bed time.  This Sunday was "a perfect day."

"Duck, duck, duck..."(about 100 times today)!
Yes, we are aware that is a goose, though Bentley does not care.

Bentley and Daddy looking for "more ducks."

On the bridge looking at the "fishies."

He would have jumped in if I let him.

Feeding the fish.  They were as big as him!

Mommy and her Little Man

Baby Boy Overboard!

You'll notice his shoes were off.  We had to put his feed in the water at the fountain.  He really wanted to go swimming.

Daddy and Silly Boy!

Like I said, today was a perfect day.  Days like today make me love my life even more than I usually do.  I am so blessed, and I can only hope that there are many more days like today left to experience with my little family.

Labor Day Weekend

I realize that Labor Day was all of a week ago (almost), but I'm just now getting around to posting photos.  It was WONDERFUL!  I bit warm, but not miserable.  Terribly humid and drizzly for part of the day.  Family surrounding.  Kids playing.  BBQ smoking.  Football watching.  Yes, it was wonderful! 

Daniel and Russ smoked a Boston Butt, Reg made baked beans, Mom brought Cole slaw, and Anita made Texas Caviar and chocolate oatmeal cookies.  It was all SO good.  We talked, ate, laughed, ate, played, ate, watched football, and ate.  Hmmm...did I say it was SO good?

Here's the day in pictures...

I love the cooks.

I like big butts and I cannot lie...Sorry, I couldn't resist! :)

A dreary day doesn't rain on this little guys parade. 
Playing with rain from the downspout is great fun!

Coen is practicing his golf swing.

Nana and Papaw (one of the cutest things Bentley says)
Newly engaged...Congratulations!



Bentley's newest favorite activity.  And, yes, he LOVES to turn it on.
"Bowa"

I'm in love with this boy!

Coen and Scooter, Mom's dog.

Granddaddy and Nana

"No, Bentley Daniel!" 
Coen calls him by his full name when he's in trouble.

Granddaddy and Mimi
Getting married on November 17th...Congratulations!

Baby Reese...the newest member of the family!

Playing in the wood chips...hey, whatever it takes, right?

Almost everybody!

Big boy...climbing all by himself.

Sunny, the neighbor's cat.  I mean, Bentley's cat...don't tell him :)

Loving on the cook.

  That's that.  We had a great time.  I hope your holiday weekend was just as good.