9 months

Benjamin James - 9 months old!

This has been a fun month to watch Benjamin James learn and grow!  His most exciting new trick is Crawling! Well, kind of. It's more like an army crawl, because he doesn't use his legs at all! It's so funny and cute to watch. He begins by interlacing his little fingers and gripping his fists together, and then plants his hands down into the carpet and drags his body forward. His little legs just drag behing like deadweights!  Haha, it is slow moving, but he is thrilled to be mobile and to be able to decide where he wants to go!



This little boy has also discovered that he LOVES cheese! He doesn't eat a lot of solids yet, but he'll finish a cheese stick in one sitting! It is definitely his new favorite food. He also has started to learn the art of teasing (maybe he is training to be an older brother!) and he loves to hold out his food for the dog, only to pull it away as soon as he opens his mouth. It makes him laugh so hard!

Fall has always been my favorite season, but I have loved it even more this year as I watch Benjamin James discover it for the first time. He is fascinated with the crunchy leaves all over the ground and loves to play with them! Last Saturday, Ammon and I raked a huge pile and set Benjamin down right in the middle. He was covered in leaves all the way up to his neck! I was a little worried that it would make him nervous, but he just got the biggest smile on his face and waved his hands excitedly while grabbing as many leaves as he could in his tiny fists. He was probably the happiest I have ever seen him!

Ammon and I also have been taking Benjamin on his first bike rides. We got baby seat that goes into between my seat and the handle bars and a tiny baby helmet. He looks so adorable! He loves it for the first little while, but I think it will take a little getting used to before we will be able to go on long bike rides. He doesn't like the cold wind in his face for very long!

I am amazed every day by how much this little boy is learning. He definitely recognizes the words "mama" and "dada" and looks to find us whenever he hears our names.  He also loves playing Patty cake with Grandpa Gee and will even do the "throw it in the oven!" action at the end. Great Grandpa Gibson gets the credit for teaching Benjamin how to give "high fives"!  He always calls Benjamin his "Grandpa-Pal" and is so great at playing with him and making him smile.  Benjamin also loves clapping along to "If You're Happy and You Know It" and gets so happy as soon as you start singing it! What a smart, fun little boy! I love you too much!!

8 months

Benjamin - 8 months old!

Benjamin James is growing into such a fun, happy, energetic little boy. He loves people and is very friendly to everyone who wants to play with him. In fact, sometimes he can be a little too friendly :) His favorite way to show you that he loves you is by eating your face off. He dives toward your face with his mouth wide open, leaving you feeling very loved and very slobbery :)

We always find Benjamin sleeping in the funniest positions. His favorite is to sleep on his side with his little body arched arched and his neck tilted so far up that the back of his head lies almost flat against his back! It does not look comfortable at all to me, but he loves it! When he does sleep on his back, he always has both arms raised with his hands behind his head...he looks exactly like his Daddy! It is so adorable when I find them sleeping side by side in the exact same position.

Lately Benjamin's favorite sound to make is growling like a lion. He does it all of the time! So, of course, we decided we had to dress him up as a lion for Halloween. Ammon and I decided to dress up as the Scarecrow and Dorothy from the Wizard of Oz so we could all match! Benjamin was the most adorable lion ever! He didn't love the mane, but put up with it long enough for us to get some cute photos :) We even got the whole family to go along with the theme with us: Grandpa was the Wizard, Gigi was the Wicked Witch, Jared was the Tin man and Justin was a Munchkin. Haha, I was so happy (and surprised) that my brothers agreed to dress up! Benjamin has them wrapped around his little finger, and they are so sweet with him!

Benjamin loves his cousins! Especially Celecta Rose - she is definitely his favorite. Whenever she walks into the room, he get's the biggest, happiest smile on her face. Last week in church, we sat behind Celecta Rose and he kept wanting to play with her. She turned around and leaned over the bench toward him, and he grabbed her face and gave her a big, slobbery "eating your face" kiss! :) He adores her so much!

Benjamin's new favorite game is knocking down towers! We were trying to figure out a way to motivate him to army-crawl across the room, and we quickly discovered this passion of his. Whether it's blocks, or books, or stuffed animals, as soon as we stack more than 2 on top of each other, Benjamin can't rest until he manages to knock them down! He'll wriggle his little body all the way across the room to get to it, if he has too. It's a great way to get him to practice crawling, and we can tell that he is getting more and more mobile already!

My absolute favorite new Benjamin-ism is one that I hope he will never stop doing! His new smile is the most adorable thing I have ever seen. Whenever he is happy he squints his little eyes, lifts his chin high up to the ceiling and gives you the cutest, smirky smile! It melts my heart and makes me burst out laughing at the same time. How is it possible to love this little guy so much???

7 months!

Benjamin James - 7 months 

My baby is 7 months old! This month Benjamin got to experience his first BYU game and he got the best sit in the house right one Grandpa's lap. He was a little confused at the loud noises and cheering...especially when Tanner Mangum threw a Hail Mary in the last seconds of the game for the win! What a great first game for the cutest Cougar fan!

Benjamin has also become quite the little acrobat! He does not like lying down, on his tummy or on his back, and insists on sitting straight up so he can look around the room. He is great at sitting by himself and can completely support himself now, only falling over is he tries too hard to grab a toy that is out of his reach. Before this month, Benjamin would recline quietly in his bouncer chair while I did housework or cooked. Now, within minutes of being in his chair, he will arch his back and twist his body in the strangest positions! I am already getting a glimpse of how my life as a mom will be changing as this boy gets more and more mobile!

Benjamin's new favorite food is definitely RASPBERRIES! Grandpa and Gigi have a lot of raspberry bushes in their backyard, right outside our bedroom door. Picking and eating raspberries has definitely become one of our favorite daily activities. Benjamin just devours them, faster than I can pick them! He also makes a huge mess. I'm still not sure how he can get so covered with raspberries from head to toe so quickly! But it is a happy mess though :) And a cute one!

Benjamin's newest trick is clapping his hands. I think it came from playing "Patty cake", but now he does it all the time! He has also learned how to wave "bye, bye!" and tries to mimic us every time we wave to him. He is such a smart boy!

It has been so much fun living at home with my parents. Benjamin especially loves all the attention he gets from Grandpa and Gigi and so many adoring aunts and uncles. He is in heaven! Benjamin also loves the doggie and kitties and squeals in delight whenever they walk into the room. They seem to like cuddling with him too.

Benjamin definitely has us all wrapped around his finger. We love you, handsome boy!

6 months!

Benjamin James - 6 months old!

Half a year old already! I cannot tell you how much happiness this little guy has brought to our lives for the last 6 months. Life just gets more fun every day with our Benjamin James! 

The cutest thing that Benjamin has learned how to do this month is blow raspberries! He loves to stick out his tongue and puff out his checks and make the funniest sounds, over and over! It is too adorable, especially when he grabs your cheeks and blows big, slobbery raspberries right against your face!

His new favorite toy is definitely Daddy's Intel badge that he takes to work every day. As soon as Benjamin spots it, he will do anything to get his hands on it. And once he has it, there is no getting it back until he has completely sucked on every last inch. Most days, Ammon ends up finding it dripping with drool. What a silly boy we have! :)

Benjamin is becoming quite the little eater! He is not picky at all and loves to try everything, but his favorite, by far, is mango applesauce. I barely have time to scoop another spoonful before he's diving toward me, mouth wide open :)

 This has definitely made it more difficult for us at meal time. Before, Benjamin would just sit calmly and quietly while we ate our food. But ever since we let him taste a few things, meal time has become his favorite time! He grabs at our food and grabs at our forks and wants to try everything we are eating.  One time, Ammon was holding Benjamin on his lap and eating his dinner, when suddenly, Benjamin's hand shot out like a flash of lightening, and he grabbed a fistful of Ammon's rice and gravy! You have to keep a close eye on this boy!

Unfortunately, eating all this solid food has been a little hard on his digestive system. Benjamin has been getting really constipated lately and having tummy aches. We have had to help him poop the last few times with a Q-tip, because his poops are so hard and big. Not fun for the poor little guy! :( Hopefully we can figure out how to help him!

I have also realized this month just how much Benjamin loves music! There is nothing in this world that calms him as much as singing him a song. Whenever we are in the car and he gets grumpy in the back seat, I just have to turn on the baby music app I have on my phone, and he is entertained for hours! Or sometimes he can be restless or playful in church, but as soon as the congregation begins to sing a hymn, he immediately sits still and listens quietly throughout the entire song. At night, we like to turn off the lights and lie him down between us in bed and sing lullabies until he falls asleep. It usually just takes a verse or two to turn a fussy, tired boy into a peacefully sleeping angel. Our favorite songs to sing him are "Eu Gosto de Ver O Templo" (I Love to See the Temple in portuguese) and "You are My Sunshine".

One day, our neighbor's baby, Alexis, was crying and crying so we sat her down next to Benjamin. Immediately she stopped crying, cuddled up to him, and grabbed his hand! It was so sweet! Benjamin looked pretty pleased with himself too. He definitely knows how to get the lady babies!

Benjamin still isn't very mobile....unless there is an iPhone within reach! He will stop at nothing to get to the bright screen!

I just love life with Benjamin James!

Grateful for Date Nights

Homemade Pizzas

This was one of my favorite date nights we've had in a while! Ammon got the idea for homemade pizzas made with Rhodes roll dough back from his bachelor days with David Peterson. We decided to give it a try and it was amazing! The pizzas were delicious and it was fun to get creative with the toppings. I think this is going to become a family tradition, especially when we have kids that can join in the fun, too! 

The Garlic Parmesan Bread Twists were to die for! I think Ammon and I filled up on these before the first pizzas were even out of the oven....they were just too good. They are so easy to make with Rhodes roll dough!

Benjamin didn't get to enjoy any of the food, but he still had fun! There is nowhere he would rather be than on top of Daddy's shoulders. I love those smiles of my two favorite guys!

Portland Spirit Lunch Cruise

Voodoo Donuts

Singing/Piano Dates

One of our favorite things to do is to sight read together! I like to play hymns or Broadway songs while Ammon sings. Ammon has such an incredible voice and I just melt when I hear him sing. Thank you to Dad Gruwell for capturing this memory on video!

Grateful for Surprise Visits from Mom and Dad!

This summer in Oregon was already pretty great, but this last month we received surprise visits from BOTH our parents, and it became the PERFECT summer! I am so grateful to be blessed with wonderful and loving parents and in-laws. I have never met people that are so filled with love and selflessness. They bless our lives with their love every day :) 

I had kind of been hoping for a visit from my parents from the very beginning of summer, since they had mentioned wanting to make a road trip to the Oregon Coast. However, after hearing about their crazy, busy summer it was starting to sound doubtful that they would be able to make it happen. So you can imagine my surprise when one Tuesday morning I started receiving texts from my mom:

Mom: Guess what?

Jamie: What?

Mom: Dad and I are taking a road trip! :-)

Jamie: Fun!! Where are you going?

Mom: PORTLAND, OREGON! !!!

Jamie: Are you really!!!? When?

Mom: Now! !!!

Jamie: Serious??! Like you are in the car right now?

Mom: We are driving through Idaho Falls now, we will make it to Hillsboro tomorrow!

Haha! I could not believe it! I had just talked to my mom for over an hour the day before and she hadn't even mentioned a thing!  I immediately called my mom and she told me that they had just decided out-of-the-blue the night before, packed their bags, and hopped in the car! My mom said that my dad had wanted to just show up unannounced on our doorstep in Hillsboro, but she had thought we would probably want a little more warning than that. Haha! I love my parents! What an amazing surprise! I was so excited to see them that I could not stop smiling the rest of the day.

The next day seemed to draaaaaag on forever as I waited for my parents to arrive. It didn't help that, about one hour away from Hillsboro, they realized that they had left my mom's suitcase in the hotel room, two hours back! That mistake turned their three hour drive into a seven hour drive. Good thing my parents like road trips! I was happy to have the extra time to make a German Plum Pie for my dad, one of his favorites from his mission.

We spent the evening at a neighborhood barbecue with yummy hamburgers and hot dogs. Dad and Ammon played horseshoes while Mom and I just played with Benjamin and talked. I seriously could talk for hours with my mom and never run out of things to talk about :) Then we took them to the community pool so they could swim with Benjamin. He is so adorable in the swimming pool and kicks his feet like crazy. He is definitely a little fishie! It was such a beautiful, warm Oregon evening, and I couldn't have felt happier!

The next morning, I took my parents on a short hike through the woods near our house. Even though you are still in the city, the thick trees make you feel like you are deep in the mountains. It is beautiful! We took the path to a park and Grandpa played with Benjamin on the swings. He is such an amazing grandpa! They looked so adorable with matching baseball hats, I wish I had remembered my camera! On the way back, Grandpa carried Benjamin in a sling. Benjamin cuddled up against his chest and was asleep within minutes! Those two are already best of buddies :)

After our hike, we ate yummy omelets for breakfast, and then my parents left for the coast. We joined them at Seaside Beach on Friday night. My dad rented a condo right on the beach. It was incredible! The entire front wall of the condo was a huge glass window overlooking the ocean, and the view was breathtaking. All you could was sand and sea for miles! We walked on the beach before dinner to watch the sunset and let Benjamin put his foot in the ocean for the first time. 

The next morning we played some more at Seaside Beach. There was so much fog on the beach that, when standing on the shore, you almost couldn't tell which direction was the ocean and which direection was our apartments! It felt so surreal, like I was walking on water in the middle of the ocean. The water was very cold, but it felt nice for wading. Even Benjamin liked putting his feet in the puddles and splashing. Dad was the only one that was brave enough (or crazy enough) to jump in all of the way!

My favorite memory was watching Dad walking towards us, gradually emerging through the thick fog. It looked like a scene straight from the movies when the superhero appears just in time to save the day. Haha! 

After leaving Seaside, we headed for Hug Point. It was a beautiful, sandy beach surrounded by rocky cliffs and pine trees. We laid out a blanket and just enjoyed the sunshine for a couple hours. Benjamin wasn't sure about what to think of the bright sun and sand, but Gigi and Grandpa kept him entertained and happy! 

The trip ended with delicious seafood from Dad's favorite restaurant...Mo's! I could not believe how yummy the clam chowder was. And those fish tacos! Wow... I may be turning into a seafood lover after all!

The entire weekend with my parents was better than perfect and I was sad to see it end so soon! Thanks for the memories, Mommy and Daddy!

After our first surprise visit here in Oregon, you can only imagine our happy surprise when we found out that Ammon's parents would be coming too! They celebrated their 29th anniversary on August 15th and decided that their favorite way to spend it would be with their kids in the beautiful Northwest! Mom and Dad Gruwell spent the first half of the week in San Francisco and then drove to Oregon to see Ammon and Benjamin and me. We met them halfway in Medford, about 5 hours from Hillsboro.

It was so fun to see them! Benjamin gets spoiled by all of the love and hugs from Grandma and Grandpa Gruwell. He absolutely adores them! It was so cute to see him smile and squeal when Grandpa held him upside down. And Benjamin loved snuggling in Grandma's arms! I think he felt very loved, all weekend long :)

 

Jayna and Vince were so kind to let us stay in their beautiful home in Medford. They definitely know how to throw a party! We went to a cute garden restaurant for some amazing Italian food for lunch, spent the evening swimming in their pool, and enjoyed homemade pizzas for dinner! 

        

Sunday was Dad's 52nd birthday! It was such a wonderful day just going to church, relaxing, and being all together as a family. We even got to enjoy one of Mom's famous birthday cakes! Coconut Cream....it was so delicious! I am always amazed at how every cake she makes becomes my new favorite :) 

There is nothing in this world that compares to family. Thanks for always showering us with your love and your happiness, Mom and Dad! We love you so much and are so glad we got to spend this weekend with you!

Five months!

Benjamin James - 5 months old!

Benjamin James is 5 months old and is loving his first summer! He loves going on hikes, feeding the ducks, picking flowers (and trying to eat them), and laying on the grass. We really love having a swimming pool in our neighborhood and we go as much as we can!

Benjamin went to his first baseball game this summer....the Hillsboro Hops! It was probably the hottest evening of the summer. The sun was so bright, without a single cloud in the sky, so Benjamin spent most of the game hiding under an umbrella. He was a great sport, though! Maybe he'll be a baseball player like his Uncle Justin!

We have been starting to have him taste new foods this month, and he has loved it! The first thing we let Benjamin taste was a lemon sour patch kids candy. I couldn't stop laughing at his face as he puckered his lips on surprise! Since then we have let him taste blueberries, watermelons, plums, bananas, and green beans. The plums were definitely his favorite, and surprisingly, he seems to like the super sour ones best of all! Benjamin buries his face in the plum and sucks as hard as he can, never losing interest until you finally pull it away from him. I guess he inherited his love of sour things from his daddy! Benjamin's least favorite was definitely the green beans.  I guess we'll have to keep working on getting him to eat his vegetables!

Benjamin loves story time with Daddy! Ammon is so good at reading to him, using funny voices for each character and throwing in his own special effects and sounds on every page. Benjamin absolutely loves it and pays close attention the entire time! He also loves trying to turn the pages himself and, as soon as we get to the end of the book, he tries to open it up again.

We also took Benjamin to feed the ducks and geese for the first time! There is a beautiful duck pond right outside of the Hillsboro Public Library that is perfect for feeding the ducks. Benjamin was pretty excited to see all of the ducks swarming us, especially when a huge white duck flew right over our heads, and mommy screamed in fright!

Hazel, the puppy that lives upstairs, is Benjamin's new best friend. He squeals when he sees her and laughs hysterically when she licks his hands and face. Benjamin always grabs her fur and holds tightly whenever she is within reaching distance. Usually after playing with Hazel, Benjamin's fists are full of tufts of her hair! But Hazel is such a patient and loving doggy and never seems to mind. We are going to have to find Benjamin a doggy friend when we get home, because I know that he is going to miss his doggy kisses and snuggles!

Benjamin seems to be more independent every day. He can entertain himself for a long time, just playing with his toys and babbling to himself. It is so cute to listen to him from the other room or when his is in the backseat of the car. He seems so delighted with the different coos and gurgles and shrieks that he is learning to make.

We also love holding Benjamin up to the mirror so he can play with his "mirror friend", as we call him. He gets so excited every time and reaches out for the glass, smiling so happily. It's the best way to cheer him up when he is grumpy or sad, because, as soon as he sees his mirror friend, he completely forgets what he was upset about!

We love our Benjamin James! Even more than he hates tummy time..... :) Still no rolling for this boy!