Happy Halloween!

We had our ward Halloween party the other night. It was a lot of fun. Dinner, games, costume contests and trunk-or-treating. Cameron and I didn't come up with a costume in time (that and Cameron refuses to dress-up) but Benjamin made a cute little ghost.

Our First Tornado Warning

It was a dark and dreary morning here in Bloomington. I was making our bed and Cameron was just getting ready to go catch the bus when a VERY loud siren started going off. Then suddenly the winds picked up and the rain started pouring down in buckets. Cameron got a text that all students at the university were advised to go to the lowest level of their buildings. We watched and waited and wondered if we should go somewhere or be doing something. After 15 minutes the storm passed without incident.

It did get me thinking about putting together some emergency supplies - might be a good idea. This was Benjamin's reaction to the storm and the sirens.

Family Art Project

We decided it would be fun to do a family art project the other night. Benjamin loved it at first but doesn't have much of an attention span yet and didn't find it entertaining for long.

At his two-month checkup he weighed 13lbs 14 oz and was just short of 25 inches. The doctor said that developmentally he's around four months which as she said, "Is good because your such a big boy, otherwise people would think you were just slow." The next steps on the little development chart: roll over, sit up, feed self. Yikes!

Horrified

So, last night we hit Benjamin's fussy time - around 8 pm, and I could tell he was going to want to be held. I figured we'd do what I usually do (as long as Cameron isn't home) - dance around and sing songs. Well, I put on Mary Poppins thinking I could just sing along when I realized that I had to go to the bathroom. I will spare you the details and just say that I could tell it wasn't going to be the fastest trip. I could set Benjamin on the ground on his blanket. . . or maybe I could grab his chair and set it by the tv and he could listen to the music. I grabbed the chair and put him in it and as I took care of business I heard not one peep from him.

I went back into the living room to see . . . my two-month old son hooked to the tv. He was starring at it like Cameron stares at WWII aircraft. I grabbed his bottle and as I tried to feed him he kept trying to look at the tv until I turned it off.

Am I a terrible mother!? He's two-months old and can't even be a couch potato yet because he can't sit-up and already he is a tv junkie. And I thought this parenting thing would be easy. Hahaha

What I've Been Up To

I decided it was time to start doing something with all those pictures from the hospital. So, here is what I've done so far.



It's been a lot of fun. Here are some new pictures of Benjamin as well. He's really started to talk (well, as much as a baby can).



Cameron's hand sure tasted good as we had family home evening.

My Little Photo Shoot

I had no plans for the day. No errands to run. Really nothing. So, I decided it was time for me to get some great pictures of Benjamin in all his chubbiness. These are some of the favorites.

A Little Photo Fun

Thank you to the grandmas who took these great pictures! We love you.

Detours Ahead

Last weekend we decided to get out of the house and go enjoy the fall colors in the Hoosier National Forest. We figured out a 2-hour loop to drive around, loaded up the diaper bag and a picnic lunch and were on our way. It really was beautiful. The forest is surrounded by beautiful farm land and tiny little towns.

We stopped in Story, Indiana to see why a town with one stop sign was so packed with cars and tourists. Apparently the big draw is this old inn that has a super nice restaurant and they do weddings and special events.

We ate our lunch and fed Benjamin and then continued on our way. We actually got about a mile up the road when we were stopped so they could land a life flight helicopter on the road for some people who had just had a motorcycle accident. We were there with two other cars and a few motorcycles (the police started turning everyone else back around). We sat in the road for almost an hour. We held Benjamin for a little while and then finally put the back seat of the car down and let him lay on his blanket and he was a happy camper.


We continued on our way and saw the beautiful leaves.

As we were following the GPS directions to return home we ended up at this bridge. . .

Picturesque but not very practical in helping us on our way home and by then our two-hour trip was reaching five hours.
We backtracked to the alternative route given by the GPS and found another bridge that was out. Eventually we found a working bridge and made our way home. It was a wonderful adventure and we now feel like true Hoosiers.

Sleep, Glorious Sleep

Hooray! We have reached a milestone. For the past 5 days, Benjamin has slept all the way through the night - we're talking 10 pm - 8 am. Oh, it is wonderful. For the first time in many months, I also get to sleep through the night and everyone in our home is happy. However, it does mean that he is awake a lot more during the day. But we've started reading stories and taking "trips" and having a great time now that he can be awake and happy.

We finally had a few cool days earlier this week. Which meant unpacking the warm clothes.