May

"I Love Solids!" If only he could talk he would have told me to start these earlier! He is our champion eater!
Giddy-up horsey!

A lazy morning!

Lots of folks in our ward are involved with a fundraiser put on each year for a neighboring community. Benson came home with his first fish...it didn't make it very long. He also learned how to throw toilet paper rolls in the toilet and had quite the knack for it! :) He knows how to make a mama proud!

Here is our champion sitter. Spence is a solid little guy...lots of muscle and a little bit of baby fat.

The tiger mother in me! Just kidding...I didn't pose him (although he does have good form!)

April

I knew Easter eggs would be a hit this year because Benson is in the thick of learning colors. He questions me repeatedly on colors he can't categorize. He loved it!
Our Spencer Spring Roll!
We eagerly compare Benson and Spencer's growth charts after each of Spencer's well checks. We'll need to stop this practice soon because I'm sure these brothers will be competitive enough without their parents comparing their growth. But, right now it's innocent fun. Their head sizes are almost identical but whatever Benson's percentile was in weight, Spencer's is in height and vis-a-versa. Benson was usually 90th weight and 40th height. Spencer is 90th height and 40th weight.

March

Chillaxin with my brother!
The cutest Sheriff in Texas!

A couple of engineers at work. Notice the two levels...I was impressed but am sure this is only scratching the surface of what these two are capable of.

February

We were big fans of science experiments this month! Daniel decided Benson was ready to enter the world of science so we started doing experiments in the evenings. This was exploring colors.

Tornadoes!

VOLCANOES! It was amazing to see Benson sense the power behind these tiny chemical reactions. He has a real respect for them. I hope he maintains that respect and is wise as he explores the world.

We are also big fans of Jimmer! We couldn't pass him up at TCU. The boys played with Grandma and Grandpa while Dan and I witnessed the hype for ourselves. We were impressed.

January

We're getting into the swing of things now!
We took the little boys to the zoo on a sunny, balmy Saturday in Houston and thought of our family cuddled in blankets up North and wished they could come down here and join us!
Benson wasn't ready to venture into the groundhog tunnels alone so I gracefully joined him.
Peanut butter playdough!
Benson's 2nd birthday party x 2! We had two jungle safari's to celebrate Benson this year! We parachuted into our base camp, crossed crocodile filled ponds, sifted through vines, hunted animals in the dark night, ventured into a bat cave, and made it safely back to camp for Tiger and Elephant cake and ice craem. Benson is a delightful little boy who brings smiles and laughter into our home everyday! We love him!

December

December was filled with family and Christmas! We welcomed Spence and got to know this sweet little boy.

Benson helped Daniel set up the Christmas tree and get ready for the holidays since I was spending a lot of time with Spence. I had my first piano recital for my students at our home so Daniel and Benson put together all the Christmas decorations in time for that! The kids all did a great job and it turned out to be a really nice little recital...but I didn't take any pictures. :( So, you get a picture of an undecorated tree!

Mom and Dad came to help us out for a couple weeks while we adjusted to life with two little boys! Benson adores his Grandpa! They are kindred spirits with a couple generations between them.

We had a fun Christmas in Ohio with the Watkins family! Traveling with a one month old went surprising well. It was the almost two year old that we had the issues with! As soon as we parked the car at the airport (we hadn't stepped out yet) Benson threw up over everything. We frantically cleaned him, the carseat, the car, the clothes...and rushed to catch our plane. It was a bad start to a great vacation.

In our nativity this year Daniel was the wiseman and Allison was "Virginia" Mary!

We brought Spain to us complete with luminarias, flamenco dancing, nativities...

Spencer's blessing day! We are sure grateful to have him in our family! We love you Spence!

Spence had his first bath! He loved it!

And we enjoyed some more Spence!