The Wonderful One!

Benson is 1!  His birthday was officially on August 22, 2013.  It is incredible how fast the past year has gone and how quickly this little guy has grown.  On his Birthday, Benson woke up to a beautifully decorated kitchen with stringers running across the ceiling and a nice big milar happy birthday balloon attached to his high-chair.  Lisa made some delicious blueberry pancakes with smoothies and Benson was in heaven.  That night, we made some Shish-ka-bobs and opened presents.  Of course we had to get him a BYU cougars shirt in preparation for the upcoming season.  Other fun toys followed as he curiously studied each wrapping job before carefully opening them.

That night, we took him Cold Stone for his first real dessert.  Mmmm.

On Saturday, we invited friends and family over for his cake smashing.  We originally wanted to see the kids playing out in the sprinklers, but the rain took care of those plans.  Hot dogs and mingling inside until the rain stopped.  Towards the end of the party, we dished up cake.  Benson put on a pretty good show.  He started out by testing the texture of the cake, massaging it with his hands and squishing it between his fingers.  After finally tasting it, he was willing to stuff a few handfuls in his mouth and even lean over to lick the plate clean.  It was so fun and Lisa did a great job hosting.

Here are a few things the Benson loves at this stage:

• His Mom and Dad.
• Grandparents, Aunts, Uncles, and Cousins.
• Music - Especially the Piano.
• Steering Dad's Car around the Cul-de-sac.
• Smoothies, Pears, Blueberries, and Garden Vegetables.
• Reading Books - or at least, page turning with whoever would hold the book for him.
• Yelling "Hi!" to each and every person in the grocery store and bringing a smile to their face.
• Walking, walking, walking.
• Things with lights and noisemakers.
• Laughing at himself in front of the mirror.
• Bathtime. 

And so much more!

Benson has brought so much light into our home.  Since the day he joined our family, we have known that he belongs in our home.  How grateful we are to have this sweet, kind, happy spirit added to our family.  Each day brings a new adventure and a new accomplishment.  Each day brings a fun story to share.  And each day brings with it a reminder that the family is more important than anything else available to us in this live.  Thank you Benson for blessing our lives and letting us share your Birthday with you!

Here are some pictures...

August 22nd - Birthday with the Family

August 24th - The Cake Smashing

A Splash of Green

This summer has been so fun.  When we moved into the home we are currently in, the McFarland's informed us that the back yard corner was a phenomenal place for a good strong garden.  It had great soil and full access to the sun.  So, we decided to give a garden a shot.

We planted corn; lettuce and spinach; roma tomatoes, tomatoes on the vine, and sweet one hundreds; zucchini and summer squash; onions; carrots; red, yellow, and orange peppers; jalapenos; watermelon; cucumber; and pumpkin.  After a lot of early attention trying to get our customized irrigation system down pact, the garden took off.  At times, it was overwhelming - but it was also so delicious.  We are beginning to fully enjoy the garden and for every vegetable we pick, it seems another grows in its place.  Unfortunately our pumpkin plants started to get a fungus on the leaves, and in fear that it might spread to other plants, we decided to pull these ones early.  Benson especially loves to get out there and garden right along side us.  Hopefully someday we can teach him the difference between an edible vegetable and a delicious handful of dirt.

Summer Camping

Our goal this year was to get out camping at least twice.  Depending on your definition of camping, we may or may not have met our goal as we've slept in a tent 3 times.  First: we tested out Benson's ability to sleep in a tent in our backyard.  Second: We tented it during the Ahlstrom Family Reunion.  The tent was on a nice lawn though ... so maybe not true camping.  Third: This weekend and it was the real deal!

So I've got a place several friends and I went to a couple of times during our college years.  Utah is often one of those places that is hard to find a good secluded camping spot.  Most sites are either right along a busy road, or in a large campground with no privacy.  This spot is close enough to the road that you can get back to your cars in a short jog, but far enough away that you don't hear all of the noise of other camping neighbors.  I've got maps and directions on how to get there below (mostly to remind me).  It ended up being a little more difficult camping with the family as we had coolers, firewood, a pack-n-play for Benson, and other stuff to ease the camping experience for the little man.  It was still so fun.

Hiking up, a scout troop warned us that they had seen a cave with some huge paws hanging out of it.  Yikes!  We decided to brave it anyways, resolved to make sure our cooler was clamped shut and placed well away from our tents.  Bryan slept in a mosquito mesh tent and we were happy to have him as obvious bait in case something big did end up coming around - no, but we were happy to know that he was okay in the morning.

We spent the night, Lisa, Benson, Bryan, and I, enjoying hotdogs over a nice campfire, nectarines, grapes and 'soldier mountain bars.'  While there was a chance of rain, the evening turned out to be beautiful and the temperature just right.  As night fell, the stars came out in all their brilliance.  The food was great and the company better.  We love camping and wish we could enjoy it more often!

Directions: Go up American Fork canyon and take a left at the first real intersection (about 5 miles up).  This will put you on American Fork Canyon Road.  Continue up this street for miles until you reach Tibble Fork Reservoir (2.5 miles).  At the far end of the lake, the road splits.  Stay to the right.  At this point you will leave the paved road and continue on this dirt road for 1.3 more miles.  At this point, you'll reach a point where there is a bathroom and a turn-about.  This is the starting point.  Just south of the turn-about, there is a log bridge that leads to a trail.  Head across the river by way of the bridge and continue only for a couple  hundred yards.  Using the maps below, you'll eventually leave the trail, cross the small riverbed, and head through some trees to find a small open meadow.  That's it!  So fun!

From Tibble Fork Resrvoir up to the trailhead.

Treasure map for finding a fun, small little camping spot.  Note: it's kinda tough to find!

Benson Takes His First Steps!

Well, Benson definitely didn't learn to walk over night, but sometimes it feels that way!  These little guys grow so quickly!  He never really grew out of the natural reflex to walk so from about 4 months he has wanted to be on his feet walking with our assistance.  Now out of habit, he has had a hard time letting go of our hands to walk on his own.  Last week we started walking him around holding only one hand.  Then today, when Matt was out of town, Benson and I went to Emily's house to play with Chloe and Easton.  I noticed Benson was more confident standing for longer on his own, mostly as he watched Chloe walking around.  When we got home, Uncle Bryan, my brother (who is staying with us), walked Benson around the yard hanging on to only his shirt sleeves.  Tonight after I got Benson ready for bed, I walked him down the hall holding on to the back of his pajamas (barely), and when I let go he kept walking for about 5 steps on his own!  I can't even describe how excited I was, I screamed with delight!  Then I suddenly felt so sad that Matt wasn't around to see it!  So Bryan filmed a few more attempts for Matt to see when he returned tonight.

I debated showing Matt the video and thought I would just help Benson walk in the morning and have Matt think those were his first steps.  However when Matt got home I couldn't help but show him the video.  Now we can't wait for him to wake up and try it again tomorrow, and the next day, and the next!  He is such a joy!

By the way, Benson LOVES to be with Uncle Bryan (you can see it in his eyes in this video) and he lights up whenever he is around - they are becoming great buds.