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

A Work in Progress

We closed on our new house last Friday and have been BUSY ever since getting things cleaned, painted, fixed, replaced, moved and put away. We are no where near done but I thought some "during" pics were worth a post. We are working hard and sleeping hard but enjoying every minute of it (I think :) It is wonderful to have something to call OURS again! We'll be disconnecting our computer on Monday and who knows when we'll be up again but we'll have "after" pics before too long. I hope! :)