Growing Up: Bennett

Backtrack #28: Am I really 28?

For my 28th Birthday Nick surprised me with a day trip to San Francisco.  Pete had arranged to use their friend's suburban for the day so we were all able to travel together.  We shopped at Ikea, drove to the Wharf, walked around, enjoyed a delicious dinner, looked at the sites, shopped at Baby Gap and headed home.  It was so nice to get away for a day.  I wish we were better about arranging day trips more often!

Backtrack #27: These Girls

These two girls sure enjoy one another.  It becomes more and more enjoyable to watch their relationship strengthen as they get older.  I'm sure there will come a day when they hurt each others feelings and fight over what to play with...but for now, they have nothing but fun!

Backtrack #26: Aunt Jessi turns 11

To celebrate Jessi's 11th Birthday we all headed to Hanford on the train.  Amelia thought this was the greatest thing ever.  She asked for weeks afterwards (and occasionally still) to go on the train again.  We enjoyed ice cream at Superior Dairy and took the short ride back home.  Why is their ice cream so amazing?!?!

 I promise Nick shared this with Pete :)

 I'm not sure who this man is, but I absolutely love this picture! This is exactly what I picture when I think of the simpler life.  A classic dairy with vinyl covered bar stools...nothing better to do on an afternoon than wander downtown, order a milkshake and read the newspaper.  Sometimes I wonder why I wasn't born in the 30's.  I think it'd be a dream to wear an apron all day and watch the sun set from my front porch every evening.  I have to admit, I sure love today's luxuries, fashion and technology, but I really do long for a more simple day to day life.

Backtrack #25: A Swim Carnival

Swim and Tumble put on special events every few months and in August we hosted a carnival!  Amelia and Harlow had a great time.  Her hair was a mess, her feet were bare and she ate cotton candy for dinner...but as Nick says "A dirty child equals a happy childhood".  He is so right.  I'm trying to let go of the matching bows, the perfect outfits and a clean face.  She is so much happier when I don't care about those little things!!

Grateful

I plainly believe there is nothing more gratifying or fulfilling than looking into the eyes of your own child, holding them while they sleep, watching them grow and mature into happy beings and hearing the English languages most endearing phrase "I love you" come from their mouth.  Even more awe inspiring is that those words don't need always need to be spoken between a mother and a child, those words are always there.  They linger in between the warmth of a mornings embrace, they comfort you in those moments of never ending acceptance, they permeate your entire body when tear filled eyes meet yours.  Those words.  Those feelings.  Those three syllables mean more than any other single moment in my life ever will.  Life really can be perfect, this I know.  It is what you make it.  It is what you believe it is.  It is possible to be completely selflessly in love.  I am so blessed to know these things.  I am so blessed to have these two...and hopefully a few more are waiting to join us down the road.  

Growing Up: Bennett

Backtrack #24: August

I guess I was caught up during the move into our new house during the month of August.  I hardly took more than a dozen pictures the entire month.  Here are the few I don't want to forget.


We were headed home from the water park one afternoon, Amelia was cold so Daddy let her use his shirt.  Other than the fact that she looks cute in his big t-shirt...this picture makes me realize how tiny my little one is, and how quickly it's flying by me.  I feel like each post is about how big she is getting, how much I can't stand it, and how much I wish I could remember EVERYTHING.  I'm so incredibly grateful for pictures and videos to help me remember all the little moments that I too easily forget.  

When we were moving in, Amelia's toys were limited to these four "Clifford" dogs.  Clifford, Cleo, Mac and T-bone.  She loves them!  Apparently she thought they were hungry.  

 From the day we brought Tux home he has slept in my bed wrapped around my head like this.  I loved walking in on him sleeping with Mia the same way.  The two of them are little buddies, even though he likes to pretend like they aren't 

 Daddy taught Amelia how to draw smiley faces.  She nailed it...and has drawn about 1,345,222 smiley faces since then.

Backtrack #23: Santa Barbara

Aunt Kelsey is away at college, playing Water Polo for UC Irvine.  We love to watch her play whenever we get a chance!  Our favorite tournament in the Big West Championships.  We headed down to Santa Barbara with Papa and Aunt Jessi to watch this years tournament.  On the way we stopped off at the cutest little town called Solvang.  It's a little Dutch town.  It really felt like we were in another country for a bit.  I'd love to take a weekend and just lounge around the town being lazy.