Happy Halloween!

from the cutest ninja and most precious butterfly around!

Birthday Week Has Begun!

There is no logical explanation as to why I allowed my husband to keep me up until 2-something in the morning last Friday night (well, Saturday morning). I'm really not sure how he actually did that, either. He even had Benjamin stay up after he woke up around 12:30 with the excuse "he may sleep longer if we let him play for a bit, since we are both up". Me: "Yeah, he might!". It's a good thing that episode of the Dick Van Dyke Show was a "serious" one, else I'd have gone to bed before or during, and put Ben down as well.

I say this because around 2 a car rolled up into our driveway and Hubby and I just so happened to be walking toward the front door. Hubby said, "Who is that?" and I'm like, "How should I know?!" - Me, without glasses and with semi-night blindness. Hubby went outside and I peeked through the windows just in case a gun was pulled or something and then the car alarm started going off. So I'm getting irritated because it's 2AM and they are setting off car alarms. I go out onto the porch because I'm just way too curious and Hubby motions to me like "Come here!" And I look at him like "Are you crazy?!" and say, "No!"

But I'm just way too curious.

So down the steps I go ... and the person is getting out of their car ... and squinting through the darkness (and worried I'll step on something icky) I see only one of my favorite people in the whole wide world with her sweet baby girl (who is Benjamin's betrothed) in tow.

Happy Birthday to Me!!!!

She isn't my friend, she's my kindred spirit, and I only knew her 5 months before we moved from Memphis to Georgia. But we're as good as sisters (and we are - in Christ!) and I love her to death. Her husband is about to graduate from the preaching school my husband graduated from in June of 2008. That's where we met. We lived in the student housing apartment complex and we would walk to each other's apartment just about every day and stay up to the wee hours of the night painting or just, ya know, hanging out. It was really hard moving away from her.

Apparently Autumn and Carl had been planning this for a time - and boy am I glad they did because she is here until this coming Friday! This is seriously one of the best birthday gifts ever. Thank you Autumn and Carl!

Benjamin has been having a great time with his betrothed, Alethia, who is 14 months old. I think he enjoys having someone to play with (even if she takes his toys from him occasionally). Poor Alethia seems to have a small cold and Ben seems to have one coming as well - but other than that the visit so far has been wonderful.

Yesterday we went to Logan's to eat:




and had Ben's portrait taken at Sears (should have gotten Alethia in on that too - but when it was offered, she had just banged her head on the ground and had a lovely red patch on her forehead). Benjamin wore his froggy costume for the pictures, but after that he got tired of that so we put him in Alethia's backup costume: the Monster costume.








Ahh, young love ...

Anyway, for some reason there was an entire Cheer squad at the mall who cooed at the babies in one store and in the food court. Alethia is such a ham and Ben was roly poly in that monster suit. It was too funny.

We went to Target after that to go and get the components of a Coupon Binder so I can start couponing hardcore. I am really excited. I'll keep you updated with my progress in that adventure.

When we came home (both babies exhausted and cranky) we did not go trick or treating. We did, however, put the babies in matching jammies and took pictures...






Halloween? SO much fun.

Now? Pizza and Oreo pie are on the menu for my Birthday Eve - mmmm!

Tomorrow? Going to be awesome.

By the way, if you want to see full versions of the photos you can either go to my facebook, or you can go to MY FLICKR!!

With love, from Ben and Alethia -

Squeaky Clean

I am taking a quick break from scheduling our busy Saturday to bring you all a "squeaky clean"* picture of Benjamin about to get squeaky clean.

*Only partial baby nudity, y'all.





Sometimes Benjamin makes me a little nervous around the Bathtub. You know how hard it is to actually go to the bathroom when you're watching a baby by yourself, right? Well occasionally it will be the case that I either take Benjamin with me, leave him downstairs alone where he can get into all sorts of mischief, or wait till my bladder explodes. I never wait for the third option, and very rarely go for the second. So I have to take Ben with me. And if I don't occupy him immediately with his favorite bathtub book, he goes straight for the tub. I'm just afraid that one of these days he's going to climb right in and hurt himself - or worse, jump in at bath time before we can get a hold of him.

That kid is a true water baby.



Right down to the blonde hair and the blue eyes.

Anyway, I have been busy mapping out our day. Tomorrow we have a portrait session at 3:15, which should be super fun. I am really looking forward to it!

Meanwhile, Kristen is distracted by her cousin's wedding album on Facebook, featuring Benjamin meeting his Second Cousins for the first time, which turn out to be really adorable pictures ...

Ahem.

I have also been planning out what Benjamin is going to wear beneath his costume tomorrow. I don't want anything too hot, but I don't want his legs and arms bare because I didn't bother washing the costume beforehand (shame on me - with a baby of sensitive skin!). We had gotten Benjamin a bodysuit that says "Baby's First Halloween" from Target a while back for him to wear, as it has become a sort of tradition to buy Benjamin an outfit for each occasion to put in a memory box for him later. I made the stupid mistake of washing this white bodysuit with a bright red dishrag, and now there are pink spots on the arm and chest area. Ugh! I tried to get the stains out but unfortunately they were dried in.

Good thing I have photo editing software, am I right?

Also:



In THREE days.

I need to go get a bag ready for tomorrow. I hope you all have a safe and fun Halloween tomorrow, if you are celebrating, and if not - Have a wonderful weekend anyway!

Weekend Review

You know, I have never been to a Trunk or Treat. Saturday we went out to a Fall Party with the intent in participating in a Trunk or Treat, but we weren't able to stay long enough for that. Benjamin was getting cranky (long day - we got up early and had a Yard Sale till 1PM) and I was actually pretty cold ... I meant to take more pictures but didn't really get the chance. Oh well. I'll share with you the few I did manage to get!

Here comes the big Halloween Costume Reveal!!

Ben's a little embarrassed...



but he makes the cutest little froggy!



He wasn't too fond of the mittens, though ...



He didn't wear this the whole time, but we did get him back into it because underneath he was only wearing thermal jammies and once the sun got lower and lower, it just kept getting colder and Ben needed something else to keep him warm! So on with the froggy costume! We were going to do a lamb costume - reason being I absolutely adore lambs and I wore lambie slippers during labor. Anyway - what sold me on this adorable froggy costume is the absolutely delicious green tweed! Can't you just eat that up?

Anyway, Hubby managed to have a bit of dangerous fun...



Do you see him?



On the mattress ... tied to the back of a 4-Wheeler. Yeah ... ahem. I told Benjamin I'd tell him all about his daddy when he was older. Shouldn't he be wearing a helmet, too?!

He survived, though, and I believe he wanted another go. But it was time to eat. Hotdogs and other goods, and what I liked best was the table of dessert goodies. I was absolutely pressured into eating Dawn's graveyard cake ... just kidding, Dawn, you can't pressure me into eating anything chocolate! No pressure needed! I am SO there!

That was our Saturday!

Sunday Benjamin and I stayed home from services because I was feeling ill and Benjamin was being extremely cranky after a very rough night. By Sunday evening we were both feeling a lot better and able to go out with Hubby to Byron where he was scheduled to preach. After that, we went out with our friends Chris and Kayla and their baby Mariah, the little baby I watch frequently during the week now.



Later I will do a post on what we did today, but right now I'm just trying to get caught up! I hope you all are having a great week beginning! Here is a small teaser - er, I mean preview, for my next post! Enjoy!

Praise, Prayers, and Pleasantries

Praise the Lord we had two people baptized into Christ Tuesday afternoon - what a blessed day! One woman and her daughter that Carl had gone over to study with. The woman is a bit elderly and says she has bladder cancer and COPD, and doesn't know how much longer she has on this earth and wanted to make sure she spent the rest of her days here on earth living right in the eyes of God! What an example! I am so excited to be calling them Sister Patsie and Sister Becky!

That being said, please keep Patsie in your prayers. She was not feeling very well today and the doctor told her to keep off her feet the next few days. I do believe more testing is to be done in the future. She does need your prayers, though!

It truly is days like that that make me feel so very blessed to be in the ministry - to be the wife of a preacher. It isn't always easy, but I feel like our lives are enriched because of it. And I am so blessed to have so many other friends in the ministry as well. I miss Memphis! But I love it here!

Afterward we were invited out to a Member's house - the neighbor and kin to the family who took in our sweet Davey, if you remember this post. After a good time of fellowship and food, we ventured over and said hello to Davey. I haven't announced it here yet, but in about 20-something days, Davey is going to be a poppa rabbit! Don't get too excited, though, because they eat the offspring. As long as they don't eat Davey - I am fine with that!











It was good to see our dear rabbit, though.

Anyway, other than that, last night I got around to ordering Benjamin's Halloween costume. It still remains a mystery to most of you (and shush! to those of you who do know!) - and you are welcome to make your guesses! I will reveal it on Halloween! I know, I am so mean.

I'm exhausted - as usual! It's been a tiresome week and it's only halfway over! Really I think all this rain we've been getting is what's making it feel so tiresome! We need a little sunshine! Got any to spare, y'all? Or are y'all in the same boat (har har) as we are?