Hanging Out At Home

Seriously this winter was so cold that I did not want to go outside. Ever. This is a problem when you have a dog who needs to go outside but also have a baby who you don't want to freeze. So we figure out random things to do inside. (I apologize if I've already posted some of these pictures- I'm working on a new system for uploading pictures and some have doubled up by accident!)

Ben has the craziest morning hair. Some days I try to tame it before taking him to Heather, but other days we just let it fly!

Whenever I need to get ready, Ben gets a pile of toys in the closet. It keeps him happy and gives me time to shower and do my hair. Win-win.

Playing with the dog is part of our daily ritual. Sometimes it's more "STAY AWAY FROM ME" and other days it's "Ollie, you are such a good puppy!" but we still manage to get some puppy time every day.

Matt and I have been giving Ben more and more different foods. The food I feed Ben are usually real food, and Matt's "food" is usually some type of treat. So far he likes Starburst, jelly beans, and Reese's Peanut Butter Eggs!

It is sooooo rare to get Ben to take a nap, or rest at all, with me. However, he's had a super sick winter and I've soaked up all the sick baby snuggles I can get. This one is from a day I had to stay home from work (sub plans look crazy when you write them at 4:00 in the morning) to take care of my baby. He wouldn't sleep anywhere but on me, and I was loving it. I'm not sure if this is just a bad winter for sickness or if I'm bringing home all my school germs and Ben is getting them, or what, but he's had a rough few months. We need spring to come and clear the air!

Playing dress up with Ben's clothes before he grows out of them is a weekend hobby of mine. I try to get him in everything, but sometimes there are clothes I end up putting in storage that still have tags on them. He is growing like a weed! This shirt is size 12 months and was given to him by his grandma Pam. When I got it, I thought, "This is huge!" and now it is almost too small!

More dress ups, this time with daddy's hat! I love this picture because it kind of looks like he is taking his first selfie. (Not actually true, but it looks like it!)

Ben is always busy eating everything he can get his hands on! This probably accounts for his teething, which has been crazy. Just before he turned 8 months Ben got in his top two teeth, making for a total of four! The top teeth were AWFUL. I hope the rest are easier!

Playing with Ben's toys is another nightly ritual. One night, Matt asked me to bring him Ben's dinosaur. I said, "Ben doesn't have a dinosaur," and then Matt shows me this toy. I said, "It's not a dinosaur, it's a dog!" and Matt said, "What dog is green and colorful?" and I said, "What dinosaur is green and colorful?" New parent fail goes to Matt on that one.

One day, Ben comes home from Heather's house with mittens on his feet. She said he ran out of clean socks and that was all she had! He didn't seem to mind!

The first time that Ben actually paid some attention to a movie was when I put on "Finding Nemo" while I was cleaning. I think he only watched for a few minutes, but it was so weird for him to watch anything other than basketball!

I LOVE Tupperware lids. They have kept Ben entertained while I make dinner, while I get ready to go to work, while I eat dinner, etc. For some reason they are super fun. I pick them up off the floor like a hundred times an hour, but it's worth it to actually accomplish something in the kitchen.

Ollie is a naughty puppy. She has extended her range in the house to include basically every room. This was not allowed with Charlie, but for some reason Ollie has her own set of rules. Whenever she's in our room (usually this only happens when both Matt and I are in the bathroom getting ready), she knows she's not supposed to be in there so she "hides" under the bed. I ALMOST didn't see her.

Harware Ranch

One beautiful Sunday we drove up Blacksmith Fork Canyon to Hardware Ranch with Diet and Myrna. This was something I'd never done before, so I was really excited! Hardware Ranch is an elk refuge where hundreds of elk have a safe place to eat and live over the winter. They give sleigh rides through the elk so you can see them up close!

Ben wasn't so sure about the sleigh ride. I was nervous that if he got too worked up that he would make the elk mad, so I didn't take any pictures. He did like the horses though!

I love living in such a beautiful place, so close to the mountains and special places like Hardware Ranch so I can have experiences like this with my little family!

Playing in the Snow

Living in Utah means snow. Living in Cache Valley means lots of snow. So we'd be crazy if we didn't try to have some fun in the snow! I got Ben all decked out in his snow gear and headed out to our yard covered with three feet of snow to see how he liked it!

I sat him on top of the snow and he promptly fell over.

Laying in the snow wasn't fun.

Then I held on to him while sitting. This was a little better, but it was hard to take pictures.

Then I pounded a hole in the snow and stood him up. This was much better! He could see everything and had some control!

Look at that face! Are you kidding me?

He was a fan of hitting the snow and watching it stick to his mittens.

I had to get a close up of this hat. Matt and I gave it to Harrison for Christmas the year he was born. It doesn't fit him anymore so Jenny gave it to Ben, and it is so cute. I love having something for Ben from his cousin.

Our Little Fish

Matt and I have always wanted to get a boat. So before we had kids, we knew that getting them comfortable in a life jacket was going to be a priority. This winter, we decided to start taking Ben to the rec center swimming pool to get used to the water and his life jacket. We already knew he liked water, but we didn't know what to expect with the life jacket.

Our first experience with the life jacket at home looked like this:

But once we got him in the water, he wasn't as mad! We just had to keep the zipper out of his face! Matt brought the Go Pro so we have some funny videos of his first time in the pool.

All in all, I think we have a little fish on our hands!