The Perfect Day

Will and I spent our anniversary at the Hotel Monaco in SLC.  My brother Ryan and his wife gave us the reservation for our Christmas present. This present actually beats out my all time favorite gift - a black mountain bike - I asked for it back when I was 10 years old and three years later I had given up hope -- than stumbing into the family room at 3 am that Christmas morning the beautiful creation was next to the tree. I was smiling for the next month. Well this years gift, of a hotel stay, will have me smiling for years. A day and a half, with just Will, we started off by wathcing MI 4, and later wandered the streets of Downtown Salt Lake, we spent our time eating way too many calories at the local resturants, and played a highly competative game of checkers at which I barely lost--- he only had about six kings left. Soooo close! We than finished up the evening with a bunch of episodes of "the Middle,"(our favorite tv show right now) and the next morning we sipped gourmet hot chocolate, while reading a pictoral book about Utah's history. I only had one real "panic moment" the entire stay away from Ben, a few hours into our trip I missed him so much I almost canceled the whole extravaganza, but I stayed strong and had the time of my life.


 

 

Speaking of Benny Boy.  He is cropping right up.  Will and I were starting to lose hope of ever having Ben take more than three steps without prompting and in the last few days he has taken five steps and even more (with prompting).  I can't believe our little angel is on his way to becoming fully mobile! He also said his first sentence last week--- it went like this "if I ever get out of this home I'm going to buy me a red rider bee bee gun".... just kidding.... He said "Go Outside!"  he loves the word "Go" and "Car" - I believe he uses those words most frequently. Will and I-- "mommy and Daddy"  are close seconds.  Now whenever he screams I can tell him to please quiet down and articulate-- and HE DOES!  It's sooo cool. Of course I don't use the word articulate-- I just tell him to ask for what he wants instead of scream ;) Below are pics of Ben in his first trip to the Zoo...We were able to reunite the little monkey with his real parents... you know the ones he learned his little arm leg scoot from...



 

 

Well I believe I've written enough about this year's Christmas to give you a good idea of it's wonderfulness. Ben did open one  present this season-- it's just too bad it wasn't his and it was a few weeks before Christmas. Besides that his cousins, parents and uncles and aunts did most of his present opening. I think if he could talk he would say his toy truck from his uncle Nate was his favorite. Well I best be off to the new year-- lots of resolutions to fill ;)

Christmas Eve at my parents

 

Guess who is older...You'll never guess ;)