THREE 3 three

How can it be that Benton is already three?!?! I still remember the morning he was born, it doesn't seem that long ago. He came into this world super fast and has yet to slow down!
Fun Benton Facts:
- Eats like a bird
- Average weight and height
- Has a long torso and short legs just like sissy and mom
- If you put him in an outfit in the morning, he will stay in that exact outfit throughout the whole day. Example: If the morning is cool and he has on a sweatshirt, tshirt, shorts and shoes, he will stay in that exact thing until bedtime. Even if it is 90+ degrees out he will not remove anything. We have to be very careful how we plan outfits for the day!
- Unlike sissy, he's shy. He will also let you know that he his shy "I too shy"
- HATES CHANGE and trying new things!!!! From sitting in a different stroller to attempting a new slide, he hesitates and puts up a fight until he is made to do it.
- Papa and the Grandpa's are Benton's best buds.
- Obsessed with trains
- Stubborn!!!!
- Kynzley hates to get in trouble and disappoint, Benton loves to push buttons and doesn't mind getting in trouble - complete opposites!!
- Can go from 60 to 0 in .2 seconds - the world ends very quickly with this one!
- Kissing his boo boo's makes everything better
- Hates dirty hands
- Fights with Brutus as though they were siblings
- Loves playing sports and watching sissy play her sports
- Loves helping this includes cleaning!
- Super bright and super smart --- only when HE wants to be. Another difference that we are seeing between Kynzley and Benton is the difference in how they approach academics. Kynzley is oh so smart and loves school! She tries very hard in everything she does, some things come easy and some things she has to try a littler harder at. Benton is going to be one that will pick up and understand everything right away and will have to put forth very little effort. Kynzley loves to let you know what she knows and how she knows it where as Benton will tell you no when you ask him to count or say his letters, but randomly he will read signs he sees and count to 20 and let you know what a rhombus is. His time, his way!
- Understands our rule that you must take a bite of everything on your plate before being excused - he does it right away, sissy on the other hand waits until everything is cold and makes a fuss about it.
- Academically he is ready for preschool, emotionally he is not. He will be staying at home another year to mature a bit in this area before heading off to school.  

Benton is such a blessing to our family! We could not imagine our days without him. He keeps us laughing and always on our toes!

Since March, Benton has been talking about his birthday. He knew exactly what type of party and he wanted and where he wanted it. We had a fun Thomas themed party and our local pizza place - the Pizza Oven. Benton woke up bright and early Tuesday morning to a room fit for a birthday boy. He came out of his room to announce that there were balloons on the floor that we had to come see!
We enjoyed an evening of pizza, good company and lots of giggles! Pretty sure we had a VERY tired three year old at the end of the day!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

HAPPY FATHER'S DAY
We don't want to forget about Father's Day! Kynzley and Francis enjoyed some outdoor activities at the Rod and Gun Club and as a family we enjoyed a great hike. Props to Brutus for making it up the bluff!!

 Happy Father's Day 2017

 

 Perrot State Park

2017

 The 'broccoli' mountain (as Benton named it!)

Beautiful view

 

Bitter Sweet

"How lucky I am to have something that makes saying goodbye so hard" - so true! The past two years we were blessed to have an amazing teacher in Kynzley's life! Yesterday, we said our farewells to the school year, to first grade and to an incredible lady who has taught Kynzley so much the last two years. It was a bitter sweet day - we are excited for summer, but sad to leave our comfort zone.

When Kynzley entered kindergarten she was placed in what is called a 'looping' classroom. She stayed with the same teacher and same students through kindergarten as well as first grade. There are many benefits to this and each parent has their reason as to why they want their child placed in this style of class. We couldn't have asked for a better situation for our family and for Kynzley! Not only did she make great and close friends, the parents became close as well.
The kiddos were so lucky!!! Their teacher, Mrs. Antony, not only cared for them as a class, but each of them as individuals. Each one of the students were (are still!) loved!!!! The last couple of weeks have been difficult knowing this day was coming. The school district has great teachers and great students and we know Kynzley will continue to strive as the years go on, it was just sad knowing that "our family" that we have had the last two years will all be separated.

The last week of school was filled with lots of fun activities! The kids enjoyed a couple local parks and an ice cream party in their classroom. It was fun to be able to capture some of the last memories with the kids!

Miss J! She was their student teacher in kindergarten :-)

Last day selfie 

Lots of tears :(

 

 

 

To cheer things up a bit, we took the boat out after school to welcome summer! We had a ton of fun tubing and swimming!

 



Happy Birthday, Brutus!

The beast turned one!!! It's hard to imagine that he is only one because of his size, but it's true :-) Just like anyone else in the family we made sure his day was special and he was spoiled!
He started his day with a nice pedicure followed by a trip around his favorite pet store. We ended the day with a happy birthday tune, a pup-cake, some new goodies and a family walk. At one year old he weighed in at 135lbs.

Brutus is a great dog and has been a great addition to our family! We could not imagine not having him around. He has a lot of similarities to Cody, but is also very different at the same time. He loves to be close, but doesn't feel the need to constantly cuddle. He LOVES to lean on people and sit on your lap. Unlike Cody, Brutus LOVES to play fetch. That is one thing we could never get Cody to do. Brutus will play fetch all day long! He loves to be in the water, too!

Fun Brutus facts:
- He is allowed on one couch and follows that rule amazingly well!
- More independent than Cody was. He will eat and drink on his own without us having to be in the same room standing next to him.
- Sleeps on a pillow next to our bed
- He enjoys his nightly alone time with us in the basement. The kids commandeer the basement majority of the day, so when they go to bed at night Brutus will run up and down the steps until we get the hint that he wants us to follow him. We'll go to the basement with him and all he wants to do is lay on the floor and be pet - alone, in the quiet!
- Has his own pool in the backyard
- Knows how to get to Nana and Papa's house without us. Since we don't live far from Nana and Papa we tend not to use a leash when walking to their house. Brutus and the kids will race there, Brutus usually ahead, and he'll wait in their front lawn until the rest of us arrive.
- He loves his nightly walks
- Loves playing with other dogs
- Great at pushing Kynzley's buttons! Examples: if she's cuddled up on the couch under a blanket, he'll pull the blanket off of her
- Brutus and Benton have an 'understanding'. All Benton has to do is look at Brutus and Brutus knows Benton means business
- If you come to our door and ring the doorbell, don't worry you wont be run over by a huge dog. Knocks and doorbells faze Brutus none! When someone would come to the door when we had Cody we would have to answer a different door so that Cody wouldn't dart out of the house or run the poor people over. When someone comes to the door with Brutus around he doesn't move until they are literally in the house talking or walking around. Don't worry, though, if you are a fly or a bug stuck in a closed window at night he will be the toughest dog in town!!!
- Brutus goes with us places as often as allowed.
- He loves to eat rocks - we were hoping he would grow out of it, but sadly hasn't yet.

 The day we brought Brutus home

August 2016

 

May 2017

 



 Typical Morning

 

 Taco Movie night, everyone is involved :)

 

We have this discussion with him almost every time he comes in from outside. No, you cannot bring in the stick. Usually there is a standoff and eventually we win!

 

 Brutus and nana

 



 

 The neighbor pup! The two figured out a way to play

 

Birthday weigh in