And, he walks!

Our Benjamin has been taking some steps here and there and practicing while holding our hands or the furniture.  Well, tonight he walked from the den, all the way down the hall.  All.  By.  Himself.

Hold on to your hats, folks.  Here we go!

January Beavers update

It's hard to believe it's 2015 already!  I am so excited to see what this year has in store for the Beavers family.

Our precious first born turns 4 this year (in 4 months!!!)...when in the WORLD did that happen?!  Madeline has grown into the loveliest little girl.  She's smart, she's sassy, she's strong-willed and witty.  She's beautiful inside and out, and she's my precious pal.  We enjoy being "girly" together.  

Here is a little Madeline update:

• She loves to play catch (that girl can catch a ball - and throw one.  She has an arm!)
• Madeline-isms:  Hy-ho-tee (coyote), Sleeping Blooty (Beauty), Faleficent (Maleficent)
• She is really thriving at school...her teachers told us at her Christmas program that she is large and in charge and a true pleasure
• She LOVES anything Disney princess.  Sleeping Beauty is her favorite at the moment...she loves to pretend to prick her finger...however, this movie has also piqued her interest in kissing, so we have had some conversations about that, as well.  Sigh.  It begins already.
• She knows her alphabet - she has known how to say it for a long time, but she now knows the letters and is starting to piece together letters that go with words
• She loves to dance and sing - especially to Taylor Swift's "Shake it Off" (she knows the words)
• If she sees something she likes, she says "I want that for Christmas"
• She's so kind...we had a talk about going through toys to share them with kids that didn't have toys.  It was tough for her to grasp initially, but after a few minutes of quiet thought, she picked out the toys all on her own.  PROUD mom moment!

Our little man is such a joy. He snuggles and he laughs and he squeals and he loves with his whole being.  I find myself just staring at him trying to hold on to those last fading glimpses of baby. The bottles are gone. The baby playmat is washed and stored away.  The swing is gone.  I must remember to stop blinking.

Here is what our Benjamin is up to:

• He is this close to walking all the time.  He takes 5-10 or so steps and then he decides that crawling is cooler - and much less daunting!
• He has 8 teeth
• When he gets frustrated, he grunts and gets maaaad
• He climbs.  He climbs the stairs; he climbs his bookcase; he climbs over the dog; he climbs over toys.  Derek and I have started fastening furniture to the wall - literally!
• He crawls with his head...ramming into anything in his way.  Such a boy!
• Speaking of "boy," he also got through a childproofed cabinet to get to a bottle.  He's going to give us a run for our money!
• He is using his voice more and more - trying different sounds and trying his own variations of words.
• He loves bath time with his sister.  They splash and laugh and play!
• When you ask him what a dog says, he grunts/barks (and also does so when he sees a dog)
• He buries his head into things to snuggle - Deacon, a touch and feel book, the carpet, US.  Such a sweetie.