Happy Halloween

Thanks Kara for this blog post idea.  I reported to y'all that Martin was going to be a Lion for Halloween, and he still is, and he also still doesn't roar on command.  What's a mom to do?  Haha!  We are planning on going to the church's trunk-or-treat and I am excited.  I am not ready to do the door to door trick or treat yet, because Martin isn't old enough to eat the candy, and frankly I don't need all the sugar.  So, this will be perfect for us, and Bryan is off of work Monday so it will be the perfect opportunity for us three.  Can't wait!  I always loved Halloween.  Although, I am petrified of anything scary.  I remember one Halloween trying to act like I liked scary stuff when I was about 12 or 13, and it ended in me screaming bloody murder and crying when someone in a haunted house came after me with a chainsaw sans blade.  I LOST it, and my secret was out.

But, I always had some cool costumes.  And, my dad always did awesome makeup for whatever we wanted to be.  I was dracula one year, a cat from CATS another, and my dad and brother went as beetlejuice one year.  Ok, I wish I could find a picture of that.  Hands down best costume ever.  Dad took it a little serious.  He buried his and Johnny's clothes in the backyard for a month before so they would be "authentic".  They were authentic alright!  Ha.  Anyone who knows John Martin is NOT surprised by this.  And, truth be told, he wore the beetlejuice striped jeans a time or two after Halloween.  Not without Mom or I being mad at him for embarassing us.  But, I have learned that is what parents are for.

Anywho, this is the only Halloween picture I could find in my stash on such short notice.  But, wasn't I a cute bunny rabbit?  Also, you can tell from the picture that I was totally obsessed with stuffed animals and dolls.  What little girl isn't?  Hope everyone has a happy and safe Halloween!

I would have to ask mom, but I would guess I was about 6-8 here.  

Ole Miss vs Arkansas

Benton Family

Martin spent the whole football game entertaining people.  He played with the grandparents behind us, the grandparents two rows in front of us, and the 2 little girls right in front of us.  And, played musical parents, of course!  What would an outing be without that special game??

He found my phone in the diaper bag, and wouldn't give it up.  He loves my phone. Kind of crazy if you ask me.  He spends more time with it than I do.  I will never understand people who are glued to their phone.  They walk slower, they pay less attention, and gosh if they don't text and drive too.  I thought Dexter McCluster tried to tell them not to do that?  Oh well, guess they didn't see the commercial, maybe they were too busy sending a text? 

Who can we call?

Daddy tickling!  

Hey Mama, give me that camera!

Go Rebels!

What, we lost??  Mama didn't tell me that!

Oh well, let's party!

With his stick he carried around the whole time at the tailgate.

Martin entertained everyone at the game, and then everyone at the tailgate.  We got a new collapsible wagon to help us lug all the stuff to tailgates on Saturdays.  Coolers, diaper bags, Martin, chairs, and all the tailgate food.  It gets to be too much, luckily we found a great one at Sam's and it is even RED!  Score.  I might get Ole Miss monogrammed on it when the season is over.  It is perfect!  And, Martin enjoyed riding in it, but he enjoyed pushing it around even more.  Don't know why I didn't get a picture of that.  He was pretty funny.  He fell asleep right after the Hotty Toddy led by Admiral Ackbar (which was pretty funny if you ask me) and slept a good 45 minutes.  Then, 2 little girls and their mom sat down in front of us, and the nap was over.  But, it was ok because they entertained him.  He tried to pull their hair the whole time, and then played peek-a-boo for about 15 minutes straight with one of them.  

Kind of a quiet day today, Martin is asleep in his Pottery Barn chair for the second day in a row.  He slept for 1 1/2 hours there yesterday, fingers crossed we have a repeat!  So I have been busy pinning away on pinterest.  I just hope some of these ideas come to fruition.  I have two I know I will be doing for Martin's Christmas.  So, I will be sure to post when I do those.  If you don't do pinterest yet, you are really missing out.  Go to www.pinterest.com and check it out.  Leave your email address in the comment section and I will send you an invite.  My favorite things are all the DIY projects, lots of kids crafts, decorating tips, and of course recipes!  

PS- what are all you mommies doing for your kiddos for Christmas??  I really want to avoid Martin having another 20 toys around the house.  We are already on toy overload from birthday.  There are a few things I want him to have, but so much stuff is just junk that flashes and makes noise.  He plays with it for 5 minutes, and then leaves it to go off while he is napping!  I did notice that www.babycheapskate.com posted their annual list of toys that actually get played with long term this week.  Check it out.  There are several on the 6-12 month list that were hits for Martin.  And, if you want some suggestions, this is a great place to look.  Happy almost Halloween!

Happy Fall Y'all!

 Martin's First Trip to the Pumpkin Patch

Love that smile!

Couldn't you just eat him up?

Hey People

I love this one, because Martin had just thrown the pumpkin!

Benton Family at the Pumpkin Patch

Now that is a Fall Arrangement for the Porch!

Look how big!

Free corn stalks to play with!

Hey Little Pilgrim, why didn't you throw your pumpkin??

Look what I found in all these pumpkins!  

Anything outside or dirty Martin LOVES

Can you eat these?

He did not want to sit still for a photo!

I just LOVE this one--sweet boy!

Martin had a great time at the Pumpkin Patch.  There were several groups of kids that Martin loved to watch playing.  There were some boys playing football that Martin wouldn't take his eyes off.  He had a ball, but I think his favorite thing was throwing the pumpkins.  Oops!  He chunked several before we left.  But, don't worry, we spent enough on ours to cover if we ruined any.  But, they all seemed to be ok.  We went to Priddy Farms in Arlington.  They are mainly a Christmas Tree Farm, but they do pumpkins too.  They had a ton to choose from, and some beautiful ones.  When I finish my fall decorations on the front porch, I will add a picture.  By the time we left, he was pretty dirty.  I like to think that means he had extra fun!  Happy Fall Y'all!

A Case of the Mondays

I don't seem to dread Monday as much as I used to.  I am sure this is because I get to stay home with Martin.  But, I really meant I don't seem to dread Bryan going back to work on Monday as much as I used to.  He does a 7 on then 7 off schedule.  Which is sometimes nice (when he is off) and sometimes a bit more than I feel I can manage (when he is on).  It used to be really hard--but it was mainly because I was scared I couldn't do it.  I used to start dreading him going back to work Monday by Friday afternoon.  I have learned however, that it is totally possible.  Now, it isn't ideal, because when he gets home, there are usually dishes in the sink, and probably smashed goldfish on the rug, but bottom line, it is possible, and Martin and I are actually getting good at it!  Who else gets to have their family together for 7 out of every 14 days.  Last week was his off week, and we were busy.  We had a pediatrician appointment, bought a halloween costume, went to the pumpkin patch, had a massage at Gould's, went to my in-laws, went to the Ole Miss vs Arkansas game, went to church, and grocery shopped (twice).  How do y'all do it that have to do all that, and go to work??  But, all in all we enjoy Bryan's time off too much to complain about the time on.  Plus, someone has to go to work--and Martin and I love that we get to stay home.  Martin hasn't been sick a day in his life--thanks to breastfeeding and no daycare.  And, we have such a great time during the day.

Last Halloween

This year Martin is going to be a lion.  We are working on our roar, but it isn't going so well.  Guess he will just have to smile big to get some candy!  Stay tuned for Pumpkin Patch Pictures this afternoon!

Fun with Bubbles

Martin's Bubbles

Martin got a Musical Bubbles Octopus for his birthday from his Uncle Justin and Aunt Carley, and it is a huge hit!  He loves it, and doesn't even mind taking a bath now if I will turn it on.  I love it because he doesn't even mind taking a bath now if I will turn it on.  Yes, he bathes in our big bathtub, and he LOVES it. It is easier for us, because there is a lot more room than in his bathroom, and since the tub is bigger he has more room to play, and doesn't spend the whole time trying to crawl out.  He likes to play with the hair rinsing cup in the tub, but hasn't quite figured out that warm bath water from a cup isn't near as good as milk.  

He was trying to catch bubbles, and pop them.  He has about 100 stuck to his head in this picture, but you can't really tell, can you?  We knew he liked bubbles, always has, but the octopus can blow a bit faster than I can.  Guess I am fired from my bubble blowing job.  

I can write this blog right now because my two favorite boys are asleep on the couch.  I love when Bryan is off.  For several reasons--it is nice to sleep in a morning or two (we alternate the mornings when he is off).  Yesterday I slept til 11 am, and I woke up feeling refreshed and like a new woman!!  And, this morning he slept in and I had breakfast ready when he got up.  We make a great team.  Plus, there is nothing cuter than watching Martin and Bryan play together.  Last night at supper Martin dumped Bryan's water (thank goodness it was water and not sweet tea) in Bryan's lap.  Bryan just kind of laughed about it--certainly takes the stress of taking a baby out to eat away when your husband lets things go so easily.  

It is COLD here. Rained all day yesterday and with the rain came the cold weather.  Luckily it is supposed to be 72 and sunny Saturday which will be perfect for the game and tailgate.  Woo hoo!  Now, the LSU game in November may be a different story--bet it will be cold by then.  

I almost forgot to mention it.  Martin went to the doctor Monday and everything went well.  He weighs 19 lbs (little boy) and is 29 3/4 inches long.  I can't believe in 1 year he grew 10 inches and gained over 11 pounds.  Crazy right?  And, he is a small baby.  I cannot imagine how people do it all day with a big baby.  My arms and back already feel the burn!  Maybe this is why I am in such great shape (better shape than before Martin).  I think someone told me that my body would never be the same after a baby, but they never told me that would be 10 pounds less than before baby!  

We finally pulled out our fall decorations for the front porch.  I meant to do it right after the birthday party, but just haven't done it.  Now, we have a trip to the pumpkin patch planned to pick up some pumpkins and gourds to make it complete.  Hope everyone has a great week!

Picky!

Why are kids so picky??  Y'all told me he would do this, but seriously....what is the deal??  Currently it is about food.  You know when I reported to y'all that he would happily eat some big people food, HA.  That is out the window.  He is on a two day streak of fruits, mum-mums and baby ravioli.  We bought some Gerber Pasta Pick-ups (the pick-up part is a joke--they are packed in broth--so extra slimy).  He LOVES them, but won't eat anything else besides fruit and snacks.  I guess he is a little more like me than we guessed, he would snack all day long if you let him.  But, he is still rocking the sippy cup with whole milk--so I won't complain.  We are busy enjoying the weather this week since before we know it, it will be cold outside, and we will be banished from the yard.  Good news is we have plenty of toys from the birthday party to keep us entertained once that happens.

Martin was on a kick last week of picking his nose--so I just laughed about it, well wouldn't you know my husband had a medical idea about it.  Maybe his allergies are adjusting to the weather, let's give him some baby zyrtec and see if it will help.  Wouldn't you know it??  Bryan is right again!  Guess that is why he is the pharmacist.  So, yay for less boogers!  Now, does he have a medical explanation for why my child is so defiant, I do, he is B-A-D!  Kid is fresh sometimes.  Our current ongoing fight is whether he should stand in the Pottery Barn chair he got for his birthday.  I say no, but he usually wins.  Unfortunately, that occasionally ends in him flipping it over backwards--no black eyes yet.  He also likes to hide things from me.  The usual hiding spots are the bathtub, and the basket on the front of his walking/riding zebra.  Although, if you can't find it there, you can try the Martin approved cabinets in the house.  Where I found yesterday: my keys, one of my Tom's and the remote.  What a smart kid.  He is a handful, and I love every minute of it.

Hubby is at work this week, so Martin and I miss him!!  And, it's flu season, so go get your flu shots people.  Bryan is giving us ours this weekend (Bryan and I--Martin will get his at the pediatrician's office next week for his year check-up).  Remember way back, when I told y'all that Bryan was doing pictures for some Fred's ad campaigns?  Well he is now on the inserts that go out in all the pharmacy bags-telling folks to get their flu shots.  I think he should get a certain percentage of the flu shot sales, don't you??  Haha--I can dream on!  We will continue to enjoy his face all over Memphis, the world wide web, and now in Fred's Pharmacy bags at a store near you!! So go get a flu shot (preferably at Fred's--and tell them Bryan sent you)!!  PS- there is a new flu shot that is sub-dermal instead of IM.  Supposedly it doesn't hurt as bad (think TB test).  It goes right under the skin, instead of in the muscle, I will report back on Monday.  I am blessed that Bryan is a really good stick, or maybe he is just afraid I will punch him if he hurts me.  Either way works out in my favor.

Homecoming Party in Alabama

We went to Alabama this past Thursday-Sunday for a 4 day weekend visit.  We started by stopping in Cleveland, where my mom works and meeting all her friends at school.  Mom really enjoyed showing Martin off, and Martin enjoyed playing with all of his new friends, and showing everyone how he can walk all over the place.  He went to several people, and was a sweet sweet boy!  I know y'all are shocked, right?

Then Friday began the Homecoming festivities.  We went to Zach's school for the Homecoming pep-rally where we were greeted by a beautiful tp-ing of the school.  I wonder who could have done that?  I know it surely wasn't my sweet baby brother and his friends, right?  NEVER!  It was pretty impressive, and I somehow didn't take a picture.  I did takes tons of pictures at the pep-rally.  

I wondered if Martin would get upset because of all the noise, but he seemed to LOVE it.  He gave us a few crazy looks where his face said "what the heck is going on".  But, he smiled, clapped, and danced.  He also played musical person.  You know where you go from one person to the next, to the next, all for the sake of entertainment!  The things we will do to entertain our kiddos!  He loves his Uncle Johnny.

My brother is a senior, so that is his girlfriend Kelly (cheerleader) giving him his Senior bag.  I can barely remember my senior homecoming, but there weren't very many dry eyes in that gym on Friday, so I guess mine was probably the same.

Zach hadn't seem Martin's onesie before the pep-rally, and he loved it!  He was ready to show off his nephew to his football buddies.  And, what better way to do it, than with a personalized onesie.

Matching on the back!  One day I will look up, and Martin will be this big too, I am NOT ready for that yet.  But, if he turns out to be 1/2 the man my little brother is becoming, I will be proud.  I have the best brothers a girl could ask for.

Mamie and Papa John's house is so exciting.  Lots of fun and trouble to get into.  He was particularly impressed with the kittens.  He told me he wanted one, but I told him it would get lonely outside--so he agreed to wait a little while.  At first, he didn't know what to think.  One cat in particular he pulled a three stooges move on.  He reached out to pet it, pet, pet, pet, then a poke with both fingers in both eyes!  Needless to say, this cat was much more tolerant, and Martin learned to play nice.  

Sweet kitty has no idea what this guy is capable of.  He loved chasing this guy around the yard.  One cat fell in the goldfish pond on Saturday, and I am hoping my precious child didn't push it.  I think the cat was just fishing, and fell in.  That's our story, and I am sticking to it.

Doesn't he look so sweet and innocent here?  I am telling y'all he LOVED that cat.  And, I think that cat loved him too if the truth is told.  The rest of them ran from him, they must have heard about the little incident!

He enjoyed walking around the yard picking up all the leaves, and playing in the dirt.  We had a few hours to kill before the football game Friday night, and I think we were outside the whole time.  

Since it was Homecoming, they had the Senior Recognition before the game.  I didn't get a great picture, because I was ready to snap the "perfect" photo, and the paid photographer stepped right in my shot, but I have a nice picture of him from behind if anyone is interested!  But I like this one.  

This is what Martin did the entire game, sit in Mamie's lap, and snack snack snack!  Although with about 10 minutes left we went up top to walk around on the grass (their stadium is a big bowl), and he almost got trampled by a 6 foot 300 pound kid, luckily I saved him, and grabbed the kid by the chest right before he got stomped!  Mom said I looked like a Mama Bear saving her cub.  I realized at the last second that the kid wasn't paying attention and was looking straight ahead, so I slammed my arm across his chest, and when he looked at me crazy, all I could get out was "small child" as I pointed down.  Oops!  Mom saves the day! Disaster averted!

Waiting for the offense to take the field!  He had a great game!  They were beating them so bad at the half coach pulled all of 1st string out.  So, he didn't play after half time, but he still had a great game.  

Martin playing with Kelly after the game.  Martin was wearing his Ole Miss squeaky shoes to the game, and they were a huge hit, even in Alabama/Auburn territory!  They decided he was still cute even in red and blue!

Saturday I took senior portraits for 3 great kids, and I really should be editing those now, but instead I am blogging.  While we went to do the pictures, Mamie and Papa John babysat.  Everyone had a great time.  This was when the cat went in the pond, but mom reassures me Martin didn't push anyone.  He did however  find every speck of dirt in the yard!  He learned how to ride a goose with Papa.  

He was cross training, and doing a few chin-ups on the crepe myrtle tree in the front yard.  Kid slept HARD when we got home Sunday, and took two HUGE naps yesterday.  

He loved it, and was so proud to show us what he could do.  We had a perfect weekend, except that it eventually came to an end.  Time with family is so precious, isn't it?  Now, to go edit those pictures!

Anchor's Away-- Sail on over to celebrate Martin's First Birthday

Martin's First Birthday

Yes, I am fully aware that Martin will not remember his first birthday, but we certainly will, and we have about 350 pictures as proof.  Saturday was perfect!!  It could not have gone any better.  

Martin slept the first 15 minutes of the party, but it certainly made for a happier baby during the party.  He and Bryan went up in the game room to nap about 3, and because of all the noise downstairs it took a little while to fall asleep, but at one point when I went to check on them, they were both asleep!  Then he came downstairs to his party--he cruised all over the living room welcoming his guests, and trying to find Mama who was running around trying to get all the food put out.  I did an Anchor theme for the party (surprise, surprise) and it all turned out so cute.

We had about 35 party guests, and we ate til we could eat no more.  I had a few appetizers when the party started, and then we had BBQ for supper with all the fixings, and of course cake and ice cream.  Oh, and homemade sugar cookies too, that turned out precious!

Martin had his own smash cake, and I was so ready to see him tear into it.  It took a little while to get him to really wake up from the nap, and I am sure it was a little overwhelming with all the people, but you would have never known it, he was such a happy boy the whole time.  

Anchor outfit by Lauren Kessler of My Baby Love.  Isn't it absolutely precious??  She also did the bib and birthday hat that you can see in the other pictures when he is eating his cake.  He had such a good time playing with everyone at the party.  But, then it was CAKE TIME!  I didn't really know what he would do.  He is so funny about new things, I didn't really know what to expect.

Why am I in this chair?  And, what is this silly hat on my head for?

Is this for me mom?  What is it?  What do I do with it?

Can I just have a cookie please?  I am just really not sure!

Man, this cake is yummy, especially when Daddy feeds it to me!  First taste of whole milk, and it was a success, he didn't see to even notice the difference.

Ok, I am done, can I get out now people??  And, then it was time for presents, and boy did Martin rack up.  He is one lucky little boy to have so many people that love him.   

 Of course, bows are the most fun when you are unwrapping presents.  He still wasn't really sure what we were doing at this point.  Or what we wanted him to do.

What do you have there mom?  Looks like fun!

Ooh!  That is his excited face, we saw it a lot on Saturday while we were unwrapping his presents, he was excited about each thing we opened.

Calling Uncle Zach!  He got a cell phone that you can record your voice on, so his says "Hey Martin, it's your Uncle Zach", and he loves it.

Yay for the drum.  Complete with a bunch of musical instruments.  The kid loves music, so this will be a huge hit in the weeks to come.  Especially since when you beat it you get a really loud noise.

  He got books, clothes, a drum, cell phones,  a play table, a ball pit, some Ole Miss squeaky shoes, some baby Tom's, a 3-in-1 riding zebra, and a ton more toys.  He loved everything.

Four Generations of Bryant Benton's--from Left to Right, Bryant Keith Benton, Martin Bryant Benton, Walter Bryant Benton, and Richard Bryant Benton.  Pretty cool, huh?

At the end of the party, the kids started enjoying all the toys.  Luke found some he liked, and Martin found some, and Thomas tried out the new Martin chair.  

Luke says, "hey people, can we open this now?"

Thomas enjoying the party.

All in all we had a wonderful day.  It was perfect, and I was so pleased with how everything turned out.  Martin had a great first birthday, and it makes me look forward to MANY MANY more.  He is so lucky to have so many family members and friends that wanted to share his special day with him.  Thanks to everyone who helped and everyone who came to party with us.  Happy Birthday sweet boy, you have no idea how much you blessed our lives as your parents.  Martin, your Mama and Daddy love you so much!  Thanks for letting us be your parents.