Aiden is 3!

My little monkey turns 3 today. We had a party for him last week at our house with a few friends and he has been talking about "December twelve" for a month. Its been so fun to have him getting excited. He amazes me daily. The things he comes up with and the things he repeats (whether from TV or something we've said) crack me up. He has a lot of wit. And a LOT of will and is always up for a fight. He's a pistol and just as soon as I find a method of discipline that seems to be affective, he finds a method of defiance to throw a wrench in it.
But he is a good, loving kid. He loves his little brother - sometimes too much - and tries to be another little mom to him. He looks up to his daddy and wants nothing more than to please him. And he is a sweet little kid to me. Always giving me hugs and kisses - when he isn't being defiant, of course.
He makes us laugh constantly. He wanted to hold Zack today and when I put Zack on his lap, he lifted up his shirt and said "Its time to eat, Zack!" Hilarious!
I'm so glad he's ours and that we are blessed to watch his personality grow and to watch him learn. Especially about the gospel. He loves to sing primary songs and he tugs at my heart strings when he sings "I am a Child of God". He'll be a very young sunbeam in January. We told him he won't be in nursery anymore and he was going to be a Sunbeam. His face lit up and he started singing "Jesus wants me for a sunBEAM".
HAPPY BIRHTDAY AIDEN! WE LOVE YOU!

Good Friends

First, sorry I haven't posted in so long. Too much to do, too little time to do it. But I love this time of year and all the wonderful craziness it brings.
I am feeling so grateful for good friends right now. I spent 2 hours on the phone with Gina today and probably would have spent another hour if kids waking up from naps and husbands getting home from work hadn't interrupted us. (So glad they do though!) I hope Gina doesn't mind me giving a brief background here... She's recently been working with her doctor and exploring some possibilities for fertility treatment. There is a lot going on in her life right now and after having 3 boys in less than 4 years (I know - wow!) she and Jason are having some difficulty getting pregnant again. I'm not minimizing the situation, only limiting the unnecessary details here. We spent a good portion of our time on the phone today just chatting about it. Talking about Heavenly Father's time table. About giving ourselves a little credit for the stress our minds and bodies go thru. And about how grateful we are for our collective 5 BOYS! (not including wonderful husbands!)
I have a friend in the ward who recently asked me why I thought it was that I miscarried twice between Aiden and Zack. I think she thought maybe there was a physical problem that I could enlighten her with, she having miscarried recently as well. The truth though is that medically speaking miscarriages - even two in a row - are rather uneventful. Medically speaking. I can never deny the intense emotional pain that exists in being so excited to welcome another of Heavenly Father's spirits into your home only to lie on the ultrasound table, alone in a new state, far away from my mom and realize that sweet excitement doesn't have a heartbeat. Maybe never did. Maybe only produced enough pregnancy hormone to read positive on the test and then slowly fade away again. But let me explain the peace I have felt since this friend asked me about my miscarriages (not Gina, the friend in my ward). I was able to tell her that I have no doubt that the only reason I miscarried is that Heavenly Father knew I couldn't handle Aiden and a 14 month old. He knew that I would have a REALLY hard time handling Aiden and a 20 month old. I feel so strongly that His communication with me (had I been in tune enough then) would have gone something like this:
"Tiff, I'm so pleased that you and Jeremy want to raise more of my beloved spirit children. I want to send them to you. But right now Tiff, that would be a trial that you couldn't handle. I can't give you a trial that I know you can't handle. I've promised I'll never do that. So, I'm going to give you a different trial. You won't be able to carry these pregnancies for very long. I'll be here for you and cry with you when you find out they're gone. But be strong because I have a plan for you and this family you are working so hard at. I love you."
I am so grateful for the perspective that I have gained. I'm so blessed.
I am so glad for good friends who inspire me. Gina is one of the best! She is taking her trial in stride and has faith that she will have the same eternal perspective that Heavenly Father has for her. She is a great mom. She is hard on herself, but she's great. She worries that she has crazy kids, but we are mothers of boys. They chase spiders and climb 8 ft ladders and stand on their heads and bounce off of walls. They are boys. But they are our little strippling warriors. So to Gina, and all of my wonderful friends, I love you! You are all amazing examples of what good mothers are. Thanks for teaching me!

Scentsy Party

For those of you who read my blog and live in AZ, who I don't have an email address for... consider this your invitation! I'm having a Scentsy Party on Tuesday Nov. 18th from 6pm to 8pm.
I'd love to see you all... and since we never got around to having that "come see our house bbq"... you can come see my house!
Come smell yummy candles, eat yummy treats, or just visit!
I can't wait to see you all! Email me if you need my address or phone #! swmngrd99@yahoo.com

I'm gonna eat you up Zack!

Our yard...

... has a 5 o'clock shadow. Even at noon! This was actually a few days ago. We tried to get some grass to grow a couple of months ago, but a combination of not enough water, not enough sun, too much heat and too many birds had us feeling like we had a big NOT green thumb! I mean c'mon! Anybody can grow grass! But not us. This Arizona climate is strange. I'd never heard of "winter" grass until we moved here. That's dumb! I thought, grass is grass. It grows better in the summer, but you don't RE-plant it when it gets a little cold out! Well, apparently you DO. So we did. After 2 Saturdays, and a lot more money than anyone should have to pay for DIRT, we have grass growing in our front yard (planted on the first saturday) and the pleasant thoughts that it will soon be growing in the back too! More pics (even though we might be the only ones who care) coming soon!

Zack is 7 months

I haven't been very good about posting about all of Zack's little milestones. You don't see a post on the 25th of every month documenting all of his glory. But the other day as I sat at the park holding Zack on my lap, watching Aiden play, I got very sentimental, yes almost teary, about the fact that he is now closer to his birthday than he is to, well, his birth day. He is on the verge of crawling right now and is getting into all of his big brother's "small parts" type toys, which has me stressing. I think that 'on the verge' of crawling should be a milestone in and of itself just because it seems to last forever. At least when you are on the 'not crawling yet' end of it. Once they start, it seems like 'on the verge' went by way to fast. Zack has been a more difficult baby than Aiden was, but has gotten so much better recently. I am lucky to still be able to breastfeed him and I love that time when only I can hold him and talk to him. And then he smiles and milk runs down his cheek. I adore him so much. He is a beautiful baby. So different from Aiden in so many ways, but there really is no comparison. I love both of them more than I could have ever dreamed. I knew I was wrong when I thought I could never love another kid as much as Aiden, but I still wondered. Not a day goes by that Zack doesn't remind me just how wrong I was.

Going for a Drive

I have always enjoyed going for a "sunday drive" on any day of the week. I know... right now, with gas prices so high, you are all probably cringing at the thought of getting in the car without a destination and a purpose! Jeremy has never been too fond of it either. UNLESS.........we take the baja! Lately its a nightly or every-other-night-ly occurence. Last Saturday and the Saturday before that we ran all our errands and went garage-sale-ing in the baja too. Added bonus- it gets great gas mileage. At least that is what Jeremy tells me. Jeremy recently put a new seatbelt in the back seat so that Aiden has a 'big boy seat' and Zack now has Aiden's old seat. (I think Aiden is getting used to all his old stuff becoming Zack's- but I still don't think he really likes it) Here's a few pics of the boys in the back seat before our ride.

Aiden's thoughts on Conference - And my thoughts on Scripture Power

If you recall, the music for the Saturday Afternoon Session of Conference was provided by a children's choir from northern Utah. They did a great job. We got a kick out of watching the kids try SO hard not to look at the cameras! When they were singing "I am a Child of God" Aiden was really excited, since it's one he knows. When they were finished, he said "Now they're gonna sing Wheels on the Bus?" I can just see the little nursery kids doing just that!

He has also learned to sing "Scripture Power." For any who don't know this song, I REALLY encourage you to learn it! It is my favorite primary song EVER! When I was the Primary chorister we would sing it almost every week. When the senior primary would sing it, I would get chills and they even got me to shed a tear or two when they sang it on my last week in that calling. It is a simple, FUN song that packs a powerful message. Even with its upbeat, almost sunBEAM-jump type actions, the spirit speaks everytime it is sung.

What have I been doing?

A whole lot of not much! Over the last month, my den got to be such a disaster that I have completely avoided it. And therefore, no posts! And a WHOLE lot of catching up to do on everyone elses blogs!
We got to go to Vegas for my cousin Casie's wedding 2 weeks ago. It was a great trip. We got to do the endowment session with some of the family and be in the temple again for her sealing. It had been too long and was wonderful to be back - both in the Temple and in Vegas! I'd love to post pics from the wedding but my camera was hybernating in my purse and I didn't get one shot of the bride & groom! But here's a couple pics of the boys in the truck on the way up...



A while ago, we were reading books on the floor in Aiden's room and Zack (whose only mode of transportation is rolling) rolled right under Aiden's bed. Story time was over. They both thought it was a blast to play together under the bed. They are getting to be such great buddies.

Should'a had a nap today

This is Aiden at the dinner table tonight! Is it mean that we recorded this? And laughed really hard?

Out with the Old...

In with the NEW!!!

That's right! Aiden is potty trained. We have made half hearted attempts over the past year to accomplish this feat, but it was finally the right time for both Aiden AND me. I was whole heartedly "going to do it this time" when we started the process again and as it turned out, I didn't even have to DO much. Aiden took charge (sometimes this wasn't as great as it sounds!) and after only a few accidents (some of which I cleaned up and a few that he tried to HELP me by cleaning up himself) he got the hang of it and we've been mostly accident free for a few weeks now!

The Disappointing Frog

There are a few of you that have been excited and waiting to see these pics. We were totally excited to post them, until he escaped.
Here's the story.
We got a downpour of rain at our house on Saturday night. It was sprinkling while we were getting the kiddos ready for bed, but during Aiden's prayer, it started coming down HARD! We practically tossed Aiden in his bed and ran outside to enjoy the weather. We were sitting on our driveway mostly under the protection of our garage when I saw something on our neighbor's driveway. At first I thought it looked like a turtle. Then it hopped. We ran over to check it out and then Jeremy came back to the house and grabbed the first small trash can he could find. We caught the sucker after some poking and prodding and took a few pics. We put some water in the trash can for the big guy and secured the trap so he wouldn't get out (or so we thought). We couldn't wait to show Aiden first thing on Sunday morning, but when I went out to check on him he was gone! I have moped around the house all week wishing he would come back. Okay, not really... but I was way bummed. I totally wanted to see Aiden's reaction. The thing was HUGE!!!

Another Aiden-ism

We tell Aiden he is an "awesome kid" on a very regular basis. He has started to tell us the same thing. He will do something he knows is good and then get excited and say "I'm a awesome kid!" Or when I do something good (like eat all my food!) he says "Mama, your a awesome girl!" So cute.
Today he was sitting on the potty chair doing his business and when he finished he stood up, looked at his stuff and said "I'm a awesome kid! That's YUCK!"

Then Again, Maybe NOT!

Please see the previous post "Chocolate Custard" before reading this one. That way this one will make much more sence.

Next time I run off to post something while Aiden is eating his dessert, I will think twice! I don't think he liked his dessert (at least not for its intended purpose) as much as I thought he did!

Chocolate Custard!

Recently Aiden & I have been reading The Poky Little Puppy at least daily if not more often. He reads it to himself too and says over and over again, "roly-poly, pell-mell, tumble-bumble". Not always in that order or complete, but you can tell that is what he is shooting for. So today while we were reading it I asked him if WE should have Chocolate Custard for dessert. You'd have thought I'd asked if he wanted to go to Disneyland! He skipped around the house all afternoon laughing and saying "Chocolate Custard for Dessert!" Of course our "custard" was instant pudding, but no biggie! He loved it! It was great bribery for good behavior for the rest of the day too!

A New Room

When we lived in our condo in Vegas Aiden had his own room. But he was 11 months old when we moved to AZ and into Jeremy's G&G Johnson's house. During the time that we lived there Aiden's room was a small portion of Grandma's office that was storing most of their 'stuff' while away on the mission. Needless to say, he didn't have any special space to call his own. No big deal, right? He certainly never complained about his living arrangements. He didn't know any better! And Jeremy and I were just glad to have a spot to put Aiden's bed.
BUT LET ME TELL YOU....... this 2 year old LOVES his own SPACE just as much as his Mom & Dad love their own HOUSE! EVERYONE who comes to our door, whether it is a sales man, a new friend or a neighbor, gets greeted with an energetic 2 year old pulling him or her down the hall to see "MY NEW ROOM!!!!!" He absolutely thinks its the greatest thing EVER! And what 2 year old boy do you know that wouldn't love a "Lightning McQueen" bedroom?

Its GONE!!!

Thanks Afton for the haircut! I can't believe I actually did it! I went from my longest hair style EVER to my shortest!!! Here are the before and after pics......

Not Me!

Aiden has about 8 stuffed things that sleep on his bed with him every night. We decided (because he tends to play with them all night long) that it was time to narrow the selection to 2 or 3. Of course, he has his regular pillow, "grandma's" pillow (the one embroidered for him by my mom), and teddy (his best friend, no doubt). So tonight we told him he could pick a couple more of his things to sleep with, but we needed to put some of them in the closet. I asked him "Who do you want to have sleep in the closet?" and his response was a concerned, almost teary, "Not Me!"

Moments That Take Your Breath Away

Ding Dong

Why is it that the only time my door bell EVER rings is when I am in the middle of feeding Zack!?!?!? EVERY DAY!!!

Twinkle Little Star

This is what I found Aiden doing yesterday after leaving him alone to play for a while.

Ward Party

What a blessing it was to have a ward party only 3 weeks after moving into our new home. You can only meet so many people at church, so it was good to have lots of time to mingle and get to know some more names. The party was a potluck dinner and basically a giant water fight (the water part WAS planned). Aiden made some new friends, Jeremy got members of the bishopric wet (apparently to ensure a speaking assignment in the near future) and I got to visit with the mom's of the girls Aiden was flirting with. Our old ward was almost ALL boys and this ward seems to be swarming with girls! What have we gotten ourselves into? Aiden is a little too much like Jeremy for my liking in that department. I mean this all totally lightheartedly... but it is funny to watch him! At one point we caught him sitting on the sidewalk just hangin' out with a cute litte 4 YEAR OLD girl.
At the end of the party, a fire truck showed up (not familiar enough with the ward to know the connection there) and all the kids got to 'tour' the inside of the cab. I don't know why this was the only part I grabbed my camera for, but at least I got pics of something.

I love these boys

Just Zack...

Danyelle & Zack! Isn't she a cutie!?? She married Jeremy's cousin a few months ago & we love her!

What the...???

This one cracks me up! "Mom, are you going to save me from an Aiden Smothering? PLEASE?"

And this one... Be still my heart! This is one of the JOYS of motherhood. Simple, peaceful, perfect.

Riding a Bike

Jeremy's sister got Aiden a bike for Christmas. Now that we have a safe place for him to ride, Jeremy decided to teach him how. Aiden's feet stayed on the pedals just fine when Jeremy was pushing him, but he didn't get how to do it on his own. By the end of the evening Aiden was pushing his bike and telling it "NO! Bike! Don't turn! Go straight!" In his most parental voice.
After the bike was put away I snapped this one before going inside.

Just for Mom's

I got this link in an email and thought it was one worth sharing. It is an article written by a very pregnant woman about her realization of her part in Heavenly Father's eternal plan. I love the story of the young men at Sweetwater Creek. Her comparison to those boys and us, as women, struck me. A comparison I'd never heard put quite like she did. Thanks to MY mom for sending this link to me. I hope it touches all of you too.
http://www.ldsmag.com/articles/080527sacrifice.html#top

Memory Tag

I am having fun with this post. What do you remember about me?

1. As a comment on my blog, leave a memory that you have of me. It doesn't matter if you knew me a little or a lot, anything you remember!

2. Next, re-post these instructions on your blog and see how many people leave a memory about you. It's actually pretty funny to see the responses. If you leave a memory about me, I'll assume you're playing the game and I'll come to your blog and leave one about you.

Things are coming along!

The 4th of July was a different kind of Independence Day for this little Benson Family! The 4th was the first night in over 18 months that Jeremy, Aiden, Zack and I got to sleep in our VERY OWN HOME!!! As for any festivities... HA HA HA! We spent our day painting and fixing and cleaning and painting. In fact, at one point I went outside to see what all the loud noise was. I totally forgot it was the 4th. My Mom and Dad were here to help us with anything and everything so we did stop long enough to go get BURGERS at Fuddruckers. Hate the name ... LOVE the FOOD! It was fun to have them here and they helped us accomplish SOOO much!

We are getting lots done and are feeling more at home every day. Here are some of the before and after pics.

Front Room

We don't have any furniture to put in the front room right now, but with my hope chest and the rug, I love the way it came together.

Kitchen

Aiden's Room

Aiden's room was by far the most fun to do so far. Grandma Benson (Carri) got most of the Cars deco for Aiden for Christmas and we've just been waiting to put it all together. It turned out so cute and Aiden is over the moon. He LOVES his new bedroom. He thanks me for it daily - seriously!

Family Room