Tis The Season to Make Memories

Here we are in the middle of the Christmas season.  I have been making it a goal to make as many memories as possible this season with you.  So your father and I have been planning just fun little outings where we can spend time as a family. 

The three of us went to downtown Oklahoma City last week to look at Chirstmas lights and walk around taking in all the Christmas decorations.  They have it all decorated and have lots of family fun activities set up every evening.  They call it Downtown in December.  You were such a good sport strolling along with us.  We walked all over Bricktown and then down to the Myriad Gardens to look at the lights along with the new Devon Tower's lights. 

We took you to see Santa Clause last Saturday at Christmas in Brookhaven Village.  We went last year too and you sat so happily on his lap and took great pictures.  This year you were scared of Santa.  You literally screamed and cried until it was over.  So our picture this year is me, Santa, and you screaming and crying in between us.  Great memories!  :)  Your Aunt Lindy and Cousin Cortland were with us.  This was Cortland's first Christmas and his first time to see Santa.  So he sat happily on his lap like you did last year.  I wonder if he will have the same reaction as you next year at his second Christmas?  It will be funny to see how similar the experiences could be!  On a side note, Aunt Lindy and I bought you and Cortland matching Christmas pajamas to wear on Christmas morning.

This past weekend was one of my favorites.  We went to our church's Christmas program on Saturday so we had all day Sunday off together.  So we all slept in and then I went and got you and brought you to bed with us.  So you snuggled with us and played with Roxie until we got up and went and got breakfast to bring home.  After breakfast we got dressed and headed up to Penn Square Mall and surrounding areas to go shopping.  We shopped at a lot of stores and walked around taking in the hustle and bustle of Chistmas.  This may not sound very exciting, but just being together as a family really is the highlight of it all.  We love spending time together laughing, talking, and taking pictures of you and watching all the cute things you do and say.  We then drove to find dinner at one of our old favorite restaurants that left our hometown years ago.  We hadn't eaten there in YEARS.  We were so excited to go and take you there too.  You LOVED it.  You ate a bowl of fettucini alfredo and probably three breadsticks.  We went to get donuts afterwards.  Totally not something we do often but wanted to just let loose and have fun this day.  We drove back to Norman and went to see a Christmas light show.  There is this home in the country that puts on a twenty minute light display set to music.  You were fascinated!!!  You kept saying "Whoa!" and "Wow!" and couldn't take your eyes off of the scene. 

We went home and played until bedtime.  Your daddy and I were so full of joy.  We loved every minute of spending time with you and each other just having fun, making no plans and just going where the wind took us.  It was one of our favorite days. 

We love you so much.  We cherish you as our precious child.  You are a gift from God and we thank him countless times every day for getting to have you in our lives.  I pray for many, many more years to make memories together. 

I love you so much Little Buddy!
Mommy

A November to Remember

Hey Little Buddy!! 

This has been a wonderful November!  The weather is still trying to decide if it wants to turn cold or stay warm.  I always prefer the cold.  I love bundling up in coats and scarves.  And YOU are the cutest little bundled up Buddy I have ever seen! 

This picture is from last Saturday.  You, your Daddy and I went to a Christmas tree farm to pick out our Christmas tree for this year.  It was a lot of fun and we want to make it a tradition from now on.  You wandered from tree to tree playing peek-a-boo with Daddy!  The rest of the time you walked hand in hand with us.  It was a wonderful memory we got to make with you. 

Last week we celebrated Thanksgiving!  We woke up and ate breakfast while watching the Macy's Thanksgiving Parade.  We took it easy most of the morning while I finished cooking my dishes for our family Thanksgiving lunch.  We went to your Aunt Lindy and Uncle Dan's house to meet the family and eat.  Then you snuggled me and Daddy on the couch while we watched football all afternoon.  You weren't feeling very well after lunch.  I didn't mind all the cuddling of course! 

We went out early in the morning on "Black Friday" to pick up your Christmas present.  The funny part about that was YOU were the one awake and ready to go out! So we got out really early and shopped and then we came home to take a nap.  We woke up around noon and went to Grandma Carolyn's for a Thanksgiving lunch with some of the family.  You spent most of the afternoon playing with your cousins Cassie, Brianna and Stephanie.  After that we went to Gran's house in Moore to meet with the rest of the family on my side for a dinner get together.  It was a pretty full weekend!  But the best part of it for you was having your Daddy home from work for FOUR days!  He is your bestest Buddy!  And you felt spoiled getting to have him home with you everyday of the holiday break.  He even taught you how to count to FIVE!  You are only 21 months old and can count to five.  That is so so impressive!  You are such an exceptional child.

Well, we have decorated the Christmas tree and started listening to Christmas music.  The Christmas season has started and I am so excited to spend our second Christmas together with you!! 

We love you so much, Bentley!

Mommy

Fall Has Arrived!

This is my new favorite photo!  We went to Haunt the Zoo last night with our friends Matt, Chloe and Claire Howlett.  You were dressed as the cutest little monster!  After the zoo we went to a family dinner and got to show off your costume to the whole family (on my side).  You made all your animal noises and said, "Bye bye!" to everyone.  These are the newest big things you have learned!

Last week we went to a pumpkin patch to take some Fall photos of you.  I am so happy with how they turned out!  I have been dying to get a great photo of you and me together!  So when I saw how these turned out, I got emotional. You are a beautiful baby turning into such a handsome boy.  I cherish these moments with you because you are growing up so fast.   Here are my favorites:

I'll Love You Forever, I'll Like You For Always...

Bentley,

Today you woke up cheerful, talking to the animals in your crib and howling at the puppy outside your door.  We sang our "Good Morning" song and then went down stairs for breakfast.  I turned on our Baby Channel on TV and you laughed at all the silly colors, shapes, numbers and songs that danced in front of you.  Then we got all dressed and hopped in the car to take Roxie to the groomer.  After we dropped her off, I grabbed an early lunch and took you home to play some more.  While you were playing you kept walking over to me to lay your head down on my lap.  After you did this several times, I decided it was time for an early nap.  You went right to sleep.

I decided that since I already had lunch to go ahead and grab a power nap.  Good thing I did!  Little did I know what was in store for our day.  You woke up three hours later very fussy.  You didn't smile during our wake up song, you didn't want a single bite of your food, and you weren't interested in the television that made you laugh earlier.  I tried to feed you a few bites myself but you turned it away after only two tries.  So I made you some chocolate milk because I know you would never turn that down.  You weren't the least bit interested.  I loaded you in the car so we could go pick up our puppy and called your Daddy on the phone to tell him that you weren't feeling well.  I wasn't even a mile from the house when I heard you start throwing up in the back seat.  I pulled over and jumped out of the car to check on you.  You looked so scared because you didn't know what was going on.  You have never been sick like this before.  This was the beginning of our long afternoon. 

You got several baths and I wrapped you in a towel to snuggle in between each of your episodes.  You didn't say a word for several hours.  You just cuddled me and looked so sad.  I have to tell you, that even though my heart was breaking for you, I was enjoying getting to hold you and comfort you all day.  After awhile of the same miserable routine, you finally fell asleep in my arms. So I held you and rocked you.  When you woke up an hour and a half later, you were my happy, cheerful little boy again!

I will always be heartbroken when you are sick.  I will clean you off, snuggle you when you want snuggled, and take care of you for as long as you need it.  You are my baby. 

I told you several letters ago that you have been so loving and thoughtful when I had been sick all summer.  I would run to the bathroom and you would start crying and running after me worried.  When I let you know that I was okay, you would bring me toys, dog food, anything you thought that would make me feel better.  YOU were what made me feel better each time.  You have such a tender heart.  I do not want you to worry about Mommy. The reason I have been sick the last few months is because I am pregnant with your little sister!  And your loving, caring and protecting personality assure me that not only are you the best son in the world, but you are going to be the best BIG BROTHER anyone has ever seen.

Thank you for having so much compassion in life.  In the same way I take care of you, you want to take care of me.  It reminds me of a book that I first read when I was a little girl.  I never forgot about that book, and even to this day it makes me cry.  It is the story of a mother who has a little baby boy.  And every night she would rock him back and forth and say, "I'll love you forever. I'll like you for always.  As long as I'm living, my baby you'll be."  As the little boy grows up, in all the stages of his life, she still says those words to him as he sleeps.  Then one day as the mother is old and weak, the little boy, now fully grown, comes over to her house and rocks her to sleep saying, "I'll love you forever.  I'll like you for always.  As long as I'm living, my Mommy you'll be."  It is such a sweet story that reminds me of you and me.  No matter what, you will always be my baby. 

I love you, sweet boy.
Mommy

18 Months Old

Hey Little Buddy!!
Today you are a YEAR AND A HALF OLD!!!!!!
What a big boy!!!!


I am so excited for you.  You have accomplished so much in your life.  And you have made my life so much brighter.  Your Daddy and I couldn't be any happier.  Ever since you came into this world we have had so much love, so much fun, and so many wonderful memories!

I laid you down for your nap about an hour ago.  You woke up after only 20 minutes crying.  You have a cold right now, so I went to give you some medicine to see if it would help your feel better.  When I got to your crib you just looked so sad so I picked you up and held you.  You just wrapped your arms and legs around me and laid your head on my shoulder.  It just felt so good to be holding my little baby and knowing that I can stop your tears.  So I sat in our rocking chair and just rocked you while you slept on me.  I just praised God for moments like this with you.  When you woke up, you smiled and pointed at a book.  You felt so much better.  I am still just beaming inside for that peaceful moment in time we had together.

I love you with ALL my heart, Bentley!

Mommy

4 Teeth

Hey Buddy!

You have been having a rather fussy day today.  So I did some investigating...Yup, you got another tooth!  It is on the top kinda near the back.  You have no concern about symmetry, obviously.  But that makes tooth number 4!  I see your top two teeth looking like they might make an appearance soon. 

You turned 17 months old on Saturday.  Almost a year and a half.  It is going by SO FAST!!

I love you, Buddy!

Mommy

Summertime

Summertime, and the livin' is easy!

I haven't written in awhile simply because it has been a lazy summer.  We have been having so much fun. 
First off, Congrats on tooth number 3!  It is slowly coming in on top.  Hopefully more will follow to help balance your mouth out a bit.  I do not like the tears these teeth bring though.  Just a life event that God created to happen early in your days so the memory of pain does not last.  Which I am very thankful of! 

Next on the agenda of topics, YOU ARE A COUSIN!

Little Cortland Ramsey Duncan was born last week.  July 6, 2012 to be exact.  I think you like him.  However the attention he is taking from you does get you fussy.  But when he is just laying there, you love to rock him and pat him.  You are such a nuturing and kind-hearted little guy.  You make your Mommy proud.  You have told him all there is to expect in life, at least the first year and a half.  He is lucky to have a big cousin look out for him the way you do.

And finally, your Mommy has been sick lately.  I will tell you why later on.  But you have taken very good care of me.  You always try to "fix" me by bringing me sweet toys or objects you think will help me feel better.  Just looking at you makes me know that everything will be okay. 

I love you, Little Buddy, so much!!

Love,
Mommy

Father's Day 2012

Today is Father's Day.  Your Daddy's second one now!   I thought this picture was fitting for the occasion.  This picture is the first moment your Daddy had with you. You reached out and latched on to his finger. So precious.

At this exact moment you are sitting on his lap at our piano playing and babbling along to your beautiful "music."  Your Daddy keeps turning around to me saying, "Did you hear that?!  That is ALL him!"  He thinks you are a little prodigy.  I do agree, it does sound pretty impressive for a baby!

Your Daddy is proud to call you his son. 

We love you, Little Buddy!

Mommy

Little Gentleman

I just wanted to stop in and tell you what a sweet boy you are becoming.  Although your words are still minimal, you said three things the other day that make a mommy beam with pride and delight. 
"Hello."
"Thank you."
and, "Please!"

(They sounded more like, "Uh-loh," "dah-ooo" and "eeees!")

PRECIOUS!  Simply precious.

I handed you a toy phone and you answered it. 
I gave you some water and you thanked me. 
And then while teaching you to say "Please" for things you want, you went through your entire vocabulary of baba, gaga, dat, mama, dada, looking for something that matched the sound I was making.  Finally you matched the sound and said "Eeeees!" with a big grin showing me your two teeth!  It took you awhile to find that sound again, but you said it once more when you wanted me to turn the bath water back on. 
You are a funny, cute, and entertaining little guy.  And now you are a sweet little gentleman with manners too!

I love you, Bentley!

Mommy

Slow Dancing

Buddy,

Last night we slow danced to a beautiful song. Your eyes were bright and smiles beamed from your face as I spun you in circles and sang to you.  You loved the motion, the music, and being held by your mommy.  And I was so happy.  My heart was full of a mother's joy.

Don't grow up too fast.  But if you do, which you will, promise me you will always be my happy little boy.  Don't let the world steal your joy. 

Let's slow dance again soon.  I love you.

Mommy


100 Years  by Five For Fighting
(the song we danced to and I sang to you)

Mother's Day 2012

MY AMAZING FAMILY
This is why I am so blessed!

Bentley Kyle,

Today was a perfect day.  Your daddy made me breakfast in bed.  But the best part of it was watching him roll your highchair into the room.  You were already seated in it eating away at your cheerios and bananas!  It was adorable!!  We went to church and had a wonderful time.  We relaxed throughout the afternoon and joined the family for an early dinner.  Then we went home and grabbed Roxie and we all went for a walk down to the park.  Afterward we played all evening until bath and bed time.  I am the most blessed Mommy in the world.  Thank you for being my amazing Little Buddy!  XOXO

Mommy

Daddy pushing you in a swing at the park.  Look at how happy you are!!

What a BEAUTIFUL buddy!!

My Little Toddler

You hit a year old and over the next few weeks you quickly transformed into a toddler. 

You have attempted climbing on the couch and decending the stairs on your own.  You have flown down the hallway in your daddy's arms making airplane noises and then with the same noises drove toy cars through the living room.  You feed your puppy everyday along with your teddy bear, stuffed tiger, and little moose.  You open every cabinet door and can finally reach on your tippy toes to open the kitchen and bathroom drawers.  You are learning to turn on the bath water after we turn it off and unplug the bath drain to let all the water out.  You mimic motions we do and sounds we make.  I have recieved spaghetti smiles and chocolate cake kisses.  And I have quickly realized that technology can not keep up with capturing all the moments I want to remember forever.  There are not enough pictures or videos I could take so I pray that I can just cherish all these things in my heart and not lose them over time. 

I love you. 
Tomorrow is Mother's Day and I have to thank you for being a reason to celebrate the greatest job in the world. 

Mommy

A Boy and His Dog...

Well...MY dog actually, but I share with you and your daddy.  Yes, Roxie is quite the pet.  She is not just a pet, she is a family member.  And to you, she is your playmate.  You love Roxie so much.  We always wondered how she would handle a baby in the house, but she is amazing and leaves no room to worry.  She is so patient with you!  You climb all over her and pull her hair when you try to pet her.  And sometimes you get so excited you walk up and hit her!  It is a loving hit...as loving as hitting can be!  You always get this high pitched exciting squeal when you see her.  And you climb on her, lay on her, and love her with all your being.  She loves you too.  She is very protective of you and watches you carefully.  She joins me every morning to greet you and she sits under your high chair at every meal.  (Mostly because she knows she is going to get some morsels that you will drop.)

But today...
I thought you out did yourself on cute puppy love.  I have watched you the last few days carry her bag of dog food across the kitchen floor to her bowl.  You do this several times a day even though there is already food in her bowl.  This morning I heard you digging in her bowl--which caused me to run to the kitchen to stop you from eating her food!--only to find out you had other intentions... You grabbed a handful of her food, walked over to her, laid the food down in front of her and giggled with delight when she ate it.  Then you did it again.  Over and over squealing with glee each time she ate the food you brought her!  How precious!  And I bet Roxie felt like a queen! 

OH, you never cease to amaze me.  Being your Mommy is so much fun.
I love you, Buddy!

Mommy

Your Smile

Hello, Sweet Boy!

I just want you to know that I think the world of you and your precious smile!  You light up any moment when I look over at you and you show your precious grin.  You got your second tooth coming in.  And that smile is just getting cuter and cuter.  I love you, beautiful boy!

Mommy

First Tooth!

Today at church I was holding you in the nursery.  Your daddy and Uncle Dan were standing there.  And you smiled.  There it was.  It had just broken the surface.  A little tooth!

Your first tooth!!  This is something Mommies and Daddies get really excited about.  You on the other hand are confused as to why this is happening to you.  You didn't ask for such torture and in your opinion, life would be better without teeth!  But Buddy, let me tell you...You think those cheerios and bananas are the most awesome thing ever now, but wait until you try food such as steak, grapes, popcorn, and bacon!  You need your little teeth for these.  It may not seem like its worth it now, but when you are older you will be grateful for these painful buggers.  And the good news is that you will not remember the pain by then!

So keep smilin' and showin' off that pearly white!

I love you,
Mommy

Our Little Boy

Hello, Beautiful Boy!

As I was giving you your bottle last night, I noticed something.  Here I am, rocking a boy.  Not a baby.  A little boy.  Your features have changed.  You still have the little chubby hands and soft-looking face and oh-so-smooth skin...but you are bigger!  And longer!  And fuller!  My little baby is not a baby anymore!  As you finished your bottle I carried you to your crib and laid you down still astonished.  Oh, how you have grown since the first time I laid you in there! 

Mommy needs a moment...Mommy's little baby is growing up despite her begging and pleading. 

This is bittersweet.  I love watching you grow everyday.  It is a constant reminder of God blessing us with every one of your breaths!

My love will always grow with you!

Mommy

Your Birthday Party!

Saturday, March 3, 2012
It took six months in the making, but your Birthday was a hit!  I was surpirsed at how many guests arrived to celebrate you!  There were at least 30 people here.  The house was decorated in Dr Seuss and the food was named after Dr. Seuss foods.  We had Green Eggs, Ham, and Who Roast Beast.  We had Yots in a Pot, Hop on Pop Soda Pop, Assorted Greens and Other Things and a Big Katroo Birthday Cake! 

You had on a little Dr. Seuss Cat and the Hat onesie for the first half of the party. Then after you ate your birthday cake, we changed you into you Thing 1 onesie.   It was necessary.  You got cake and icing all over you. 

After cake and ice cream, we all gathered around for presents.  I read a few pages to you from Dr. Seuss' book, "Happy Birthday to You!" and then we started opening gifts.  You got so many clothes, toys and gift cards.  You were playing with your new toys with Roman and Claire before we were even done opening gifts! 

Your birthday party was amazing.  The "Thank You" cards have been sent (with your little face on them), the leftover cake has been thrown out, and the toys are still everywhere!  So many people love you.  We love you, Little Buddy!

Mommy

PS:  A few more highlights from your day...

I love this picture! 

Daddy lovin'!

Claire

You and Roman

Jessica, Mason, and Morgan

One Year Old!

Dear Bentley,

Today you turned ONE YEAR OLD!

I know you know this by now, but this has been the best year of our lives!  Every day with you has been the greatest days your father and I have ever lived! 

We had a great day with you!  It was a big day for a Little Buddy! 

We woke you up and got you ready for your photoshoot we had booked.  We spent all day yesterday picking out little outfits for you to wear.  I'm very proud of our selections.  You couldn't have been any cuter!!



The balloon wreath I made for your birthday party!

Your First taste of SUGAR!!

We also got you a cupcake to eat, as you can see!  This is your very first taste of sugar.  We have you on a very healthy diet.  Needless to say you LOVED the icing.  When we were done with the photoshoot we picked you up to clean you off.  As soon as we started to clean the icing off your fingers, which you were still currently eating, you started to cry.  You didn't want us to take away your yummy dessert!!  It took us awhile to get all the blue off of you. 

What a year, what a year....
I have been dreading this day.  I have been sad knowing you were going to no longer be "so many months" old.  Knowing that once you completed this milestone all the others were just going to fly by even faster.  My little bitty baby is growing up so fast!  But once this day arrived, I was okay.  I still have so much to look forward to!  You will be talking soon.  Saying words together, then making broken sentences, and eventually talking and having conversations with us.  We will start counting and learning letters, eating bigger bites...which reminds me...you still don't have any teeth!  So there is another milestone we still have ahead of us!  I am just happy to be your mom.  I love that you are my little One Year Old now.  And no matter how old you are, you will always be my baby!!

I love you, Buddy!

Mommy

Walker, The Little Buddy

Dear Bentley,

On January 28, 2012, you turned 11 months old.  And you were walking.

You walked all over the house.  From the kitchen to the living room, from the couch to the dining room, from the bathroom to the laundry room, and places in between.  Taking between 10 to 20 steps at a time. 

You are awesome!!!

You are the sweetest, happiest, smartest and cutest baby I have ever known.  I love you, Little Buddy!

Love,
Mommy

Crawling was SO last year...

Bentley,

So as of today you are taking about 9 steps at a time!  These last two days you have just leaped into high gear on this whole walking thing.  You about have it down.  Won't be long before this will be your primary mode of transportation around the house!! 
You do most of your walking attempts in the evening after a day of recreation and excercise.  You crawl up to the couch and then just let go and start taking off until you drop down and crawl.   Sometimes you walk from one couch to the other and back again taking about 5 to 7 steps each time. 

I love watching you grow up.  You make your mommy so happy!  In 4 days you will be 11 months old.  Almost completed your first year.  I will probably cry on your birthday.  Only because time with you goes by too fast. 

I love you, Buddy!
Mommy

Always Love

Happy New Year, Bentley!  It is 2012.

A lot of people choose to make New Years Resolutions at this time.  I don't usually make resolutions like others make.  I don't want to set myself up for something that by March I have already forgotton or possibly failed at.  I resolve every year to be better than the year before.  To be a better wife, a better friend and this year to be a better mother to you.  I always want to improve myself in every way.  When you have a standard like Jesus, there is always room for improvement.  Let me share with you what I live my life by:

This morning in church, your grandpa preached about "Finishing Well" and "Running the Race" that Paul talks about in 2nd Timothy 4:7.  Paul is at the end of his life and he is encouraging others to live their life so they can look back and know that they lived their life to the fullest and have no regrets.  Grandpa also preached about Jesus' words in John 15:9-17.  Jesus is encouraging, practically begging, His disciples to love each other.  He says, "I tell you to LOVE so that my joy may be in you and your joy may be complete."  Others will know you are a follower of Jesus by the love you have for people. 

I want you to be happy and be the best person you can be.  I want you to have joy in your life.  I want you to live your life to the fullest with no regrets.  Hate and resentment will hold you back from happiness and peace.  Love people.  Love yourself.  Love God.  You will be happy.  You will have complete joy in your life that Jesus promises.  Then you will finish life knowing you lived the best life you could.

My favorite song is called Always Love by Nada Surf.  It isn't a well known song or a well known band.  But it is one of the greatest songs I have ever heard.  And I have lived my life by this song.  I like to call it my Theme Song.  :) 

I hope you look up this song and fall in love with it like I have.  Here are just a few lyrics to share with you:

"To make a mountain of you life is just a choice.
But I never learned enough to listen to the voice that told me,
Always love.  Hate will get you everytime.
Always love.  Don't wait 'til the finish line.
Self-directed lives, I wanna know what it'd be like to aim so high above
any card that has been dealt, you always love."

Always know that I love you, Bentley.  Here's to many more years ahead!

Love,
Mommy