Grand Canyon

Ben got to meet his Great Grandpa and Grandma Anderson. We met them along with Grandpa and Grandma Dick in Flagstaff, AZ. We stayed at the Little America hotel for a couple of nights and went to the Grand Canyon one day while we were together. It was Ben's first time there too. When we first got there, Grandpa and Grandma Dick had Ben's birthday present that they wanted to give to him. They got him a cute little outfit and a construction truck that was almost big enough to ride in. In fact, Dad put him in it. He was not so sure about that. Actually it made him sadder and sadder by the minute....after a quick picture we took him out. He has since enjoyed playing with it quite a bit. His Great grandparents loved spending time with him and getting to see his little personality. He was okay about letting them hold him, especially if there was food involved or if he could see me close by. We had a great visit.

Birthday

Ben is one year old. We had a small little family party at home. I made him a Noah's Ark cake. He loved the candles all lit up. And then he was a big fan of eating the cake too. My little boy loves himself some treats. We are so lucky to have Ben in our family. He loves baths. He loves to chew his toothbrush. He loves fruits and vegetables and drinking water. He is a happy little guy and a good sport of doing what his big sister wants him to do. He loves to be outside crawling around on the cement or splashing in puddles or pushing around his little push cart or walking around in his walker toy. He is definitely a Mama's Boy. He has a contagious little laugh and a smile that lights up the room. He a good sleeper and has been for months and months. He likes his bed. He easily goes down for naps and at bedtime.

Disneyland

One year old tomorrow. I can't believe it! He's getting better at crawling - he still isn't very fast, but if he wants to get somewhere he can get there eventually. He had a fun time at Disneyland. I was surprised to see how many rides he could go on. He went on the Roger Rabbit ride, Snow White, innochio, Dumbo, the Carousel, the Teacups, Buzz Lightyear, It's a Small World, the Haunted Mansion. He also enjoyed the Bugs Life show at California Adventure and the Tiki Room. He was quite entertained by all of the characters and music. He fell asleep at around 8:30 at night, and slept for a while. Then he woke up VERY SAD for a while (I eventually got him calmed down). While he was sleeping we took off the front seat of our double stroller and put him down in the little basket below, which worked out fantastic. It was

a cozy little bed for him. He woke up about 5 minutes before we got home - we were stopping to eat at Jack In the Box. He was starving - no wonder he was so sad earlier. He hounded down on my chicken sandwich. He was exhausted the next day - we had really worn him out. It was fun for Charity to be able to see him - she had just gotten home from her mission earlier that week. The trip was a success. Now we are getting geared up to meet Grandma and Grandpa Dick as well as Great Grandma and Grandpa Anderson at the the Grand Canyon this weekend.