firsts

yesterday was another first in the life of max. i am realizing we all have lots of firsts - not just when we are young. first kiss, first traffic ticket, first date, first disneyland experience, first child, first sushi, first dr. pepper on your lap, first whatever...you fill in the blank. there's always a first for everything. well, yesterday was max's first cavity. i know, i know - what kind of mother has a child who has a cavity at age 4? well, on this one i'm blaming mike's bad teeth genes. no really, i'm probably a slacker of a mom and fail to help max brush his teeth as regularly as i should. i always figure he'd be lucky, like me, and not have cavities...at least not until age 30, but that's another story of firsts for me. anyway, he was the bravest little dental patient you have ever seen. i talked to him about what to expect when we went and told him that i would hold his hand if he was scared. in true max form he looked at me and said, "i won't be scared. i'm never scared." ok. that was that. i was still going to be right there, just in case. (to tell you the truth, it was probably me that needed a hand to hold, not him!) he climbed up into that chair and the dental assistant turned the tv in the ceiling to the disney channel, put the earphones on max and he was set. i sat there and watched them numb his lip, give him a shot, drill, drill, drill, squirt, suck, pick, scrape, etc...all the lovely sounds at the dentist. he didn't even flinch! in fact, i'm not sure he even blinked. he was so brave and sat so still. the dentist was quite impressed. so here's one of max showing off his cheesy cavity-free (for now) smile. although it wasn't fun for me, i'm a beaming proud mamma of this extra brave boy!

strange fetishes

fet·ish - noun. an object regarded with awe as being the embodiment or habitation of a potent spirit or as having magical potency.

i'm not sure who is responsible for the benson fetish with q-tips. it's probably mom, because i remember as a small child, getting out of the tub, laying my head down on mom's fuzzy house robe (by the way mom, what ever happened to those zip up stylish robes you used to wear all the time!?). We'd take turns with our heads on mom's lap and have her clean our ears. i remember closing my eyes and enjoying the feeling of clean. i still enjoy the feeling of clean ears, and if the world comes to an end, i will be sure to have plenty of q-tips. i remember being in the hospital after max was born and wishing i had remembered to packed q-tips in my bag. i found a nurse who found some for me -- ahhhh.

so there. it's out in the open. i still have a love for q-tips. they really are magical. i'm sure there are those of you who share in my love. if not, do share any other strange fetishes you may dare tell.

holding the world

this morning luke walked into my room with the "world" in his hands. at least, that's the thought that came into my mind. he's one tough little guy. we went to the dr. today for luke's 15 month check-up. he's not only tough, he's big and tough! he's weighing in at 32 lbs, and is 34 inches tall. watch out hercules!

it's cold

not just cold. it's freezing. i'm not a fan of january. or the cold. or the snow. in fact, winter is probably my least favorite season. i'd much rather be enjoying ultra hot temperatures and a nice cool drink. for now, i'll crank up the heat, put on another sweatshirt and stay inside until the world decides to thaw and my daffodils start to pop out of the snow.

new tricks

he's finally got this one down. a happy day for me. luke has figured out how to go down the stairs all on his own. quite an accomplishment if you ask me. and he's fast too!

no need for tv - we have scrabble!

i read an article in the ensign this month about family who moved into a new home and couldn't find the cords in the attic to hook up their cable tv. it talked about how they were able to spend time as a family, finish those unfinished projects, read and play together, etc. the list went on and on. at our house, we often find ourselves wasting time on the couch in the evenings, trying to unwind from our busy days. not anymore. we have rediscovered scrabble. so, after the kids are in bed, mike and i pull out scrabble. our games can get pretty intense, and some fun words are played. best of all, we are spending time together...something that is becoming scarce these days. time, that is. it's a fun time to laugh and think together. granted, i'm not always laughing when mike steals my spot. i am sure he can read my mind. so if you find yourself wanting more than just another boring night with the tv...pull out a game. it may surprise you how much fun you can have.

acupuncture anyone?

yes, he did this all by himself. luke enjoys taking the "owies" (as we call them) and playing. this was a new trick...perhaps a future acupuncturist?

the shelf that i love

i love this shelf. it solves so many organization issues for me. my motto for 2008 is the old saying "a place for everything and everything in it's place." this shelf is helping me find those places. i love it! a friend of mine (if you are reading, you know who you are!) recently got the same shelf and posted about it on her blog. i have had my eye on this for quite some time and christmas was the perfect time to get it. as you can see, there is quite a bit of empty space, just waiting to be filled.

so far i have:

*all my office supplies

*extra printer paper

*blank and recorded cds

*a basket of ribbon for wrapping or whatever else i can use ribbon for

*an empty pot (cuz it's cute)

*3 cubby holes for books

*a random basket waiting to be used

and still 6 empty cubes. it's amazing. perhaps other treasures will soon find their place among the walls of this shelf.

mmmmm

i've never been a baker. in fact, i have a breadmaker we got for our wedding almost 7 years ago and it's been used maybe 9 times. bread hasn't ever been my thing. everyone says how easy it is. hmmmm, not for me. well, for christmas mike surprised me with a wheat grinder/mill and a new mixer...to grind my wheat and bake my bread. so, i gave it a try. it tasted wonderful.

happy birthday mike

i'm playing a bit of catch up here...mike had his birthday on the 27th of december. i'm a little late reporting, but wanted to make mention of his big day. it was fun - we went out to dinner, 3 times, visited the temple with some friends and took a trip down to cabela's. it was a good day/weekend. i gave mike an ipod nano - he wasn't sure if that was a good thing or not. i can assure you that with a little help from uncle tony, hooking him up with some great tunes, he uses it all the time and realizes how cool it really is!

hunters & gatherers...

mike loves to hunt. i think it's crazy. it keeps him sane and happy. over the holiday he had many opportunities to get out in the wild and shoot some birds. here he is with cliff and jake, showing off their kill.

christmas 2008

we made it through the holidays. whew. now i need a week to recouperate! instead of attempting to recap the entire season, i'll share a few highlights.

*christmas party with the mason family - great clam chowder, salads and chocolate cake! pat & cliff (mike's mom & her hubby) were in town, so the festivities were even grander. here is the annual photo of the cousins on the stairs, minus tommy.

*not such a grand moment, but luke falling and bonking his head on the coffee table and having a small dent in his forehead. thank goodness he heals quick!

*having my sister and her family here from california for the holidays. it was fabulous! i don't realize how much i miss them until they come for a visit and then have to leave. it was fun times.

*hanging out at mom & dad's christmas eve...great food once again, fun conversation and having all the grandkids together (except jake) to take a photo in their jammies from santa. *sock hand sofi.

*christmas morning. it was magical. the look on max's face when he saw "just what i wanted" in his stocking from santa. oh, to be a kid again.

*the look on lindsay's face when she saw what i made the nieces for christmas.

*what i made the nieces - girly tutus. they looked darling!

* luke being 100% content to find every single candy cane in everyone's stockings, on the tree and anywhere else they were stashed...oh the joy on his face!

*finally, after 7 years, pulling off a surprise for mike! i think he was honestly surprised at his gift this year.

*thinking i knew exactly what mike was giving me, and being extremely surprised at what was wrapped up for me under the tree. i love being surprised.

*christmas morning at the benson's (mom & dad's) and seeing mom cry over her gifts. (and crying with her)

*having jake open his definitely not too short waders!

*the little tikes cars nana sue & papa randall got for luke & izzy. what a hit!

it was an amazing christmas. it was so good to be with my family and feel the love we all have for one another. i am so blessed to have such a wonderful husband, great kids and amazing parents. (which makes for pretty super siblings, too!) it's always a lot of work and plenty of chaos, but the smiles on faces and hugs and tears make it all so grand. magical.