Christmas Time’s A-Comin’

Although Benjamin was most definitely with us last Christmas,
(look at how little he was)

it seems like this year we are really on the parent end of this whole Christmas thing.

I mean, there just isn’t much better than the excitement, anticipation, and magic of Christmas from a child’s point of view. Sure the presents were a big part of the fun, but that was only part of the wonder. In my family, we played games, ate fudge and divinity, drove around looking at lights, and had vacation from school. We went to visit aunts, uncles, grandparents, and cousins who lived hours away. We wore matching pajamas, stayed up late, and listened to the grown-ups tell funny stories. We got dressed up (sometimes), took Polaroid pictures, and listened to Christmas music. And to top it all off, Santa came!

In similar fashion, this year, Tim, Benjamin, and I are checking out the Christmas tree lights, spotting Santa Clause at every turn, and learning about the baby Jesus and star and angel. Benjamin is really getting into the movies (we’ve watched Shrek the Halls more times than I care to admit),
the music, and even the presents - literally. Apparently, he’s too young to resist the temptation of a gift bag.


Watching Benjamin, I feel the excitement of all his future Christmases. Even though I’m the parent now, I feel like I’m revisiting those old feelings and memories of my life. I find it easier to tolerate and sometimes even laugh at the grown up side of the season – like the dumb argument Tim and I had while putting up the tree this year and the fact that shopping can’t really begin until payday. Tim and I are amazed by Benjamin and the joy we feel watching him discover the world this Christmas season.

Giving Thanks

Happiness is…

books, lots and lots of books.

peek-a-boo.

Elmo.

airplanes.

real duckies, real quacking.

helping with laundry.

touchdown!

bathtime.

climbing UP!

a hoodie.

a newborn baby (Welcome, Abel Einfall Pattillo!).

family.

17 months of growing and learning.

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone.

The Brilliance of Timeout

Recently, Benjamin has started putting himself in timeout. Really, he does. When he gets into the recycling or sits/stands/crawls on the coffee table, we tell him that if he doesn’t get down he has to go to timeout. Last weekend, upon hearing the threat, he acted first and promptly sat down on the floor for his timeout – on his terms, of course. So now his daddy and I can add a new entry to the list of “cute and brilliant things our son does.” With every new trick, we are more amazed by this little person.


Last Saturday, Tim and I had a bit of a timeout of our own. Valerie answered our babysitting plea so that we could go out for “date night.” There was a time in my life when I secretly rolled my eyes at the notion of married people going out for date night, but I can assure you that I no longer roll my eyes. Getting dressed up (sort of), leaving the house without a diaper bag, and seeing a movie (!!!) is a wonderful experience when you’ve been deprived of this type of fanfare for a while. We went to Mockingbird Station for dinner (Italian and very good) and a movie (Julie and Julia; loved it). We topped it off with a trip to the bookstore. Knowing Benjamin was having fun with his Aunt Val, we were able to really relax and enjoy our evening. Our timeout was just right.

Finally, tonight we had a mid-week timeout. Along with our friends Alissa, Lydia, Katie and her children Zoe and Sam, we went to Cool Thursdays at the Dallas Arboretum. Sometimes I have a difficult time going anywhere on a school night, so I was hesitant to venture out of our cozy home this evening, but the arboretum was so great! The weather, company, and music couldn’t have been better. To feel fall creeping into the night air and see the sunset at White Rock was reason enough to go. Although Benjamin went to bed late and without a bath tonight, this break from our routine was the perfect timeout for our little family.

Benjamin versus the Pad Thai

Oh my goodness! Time is moving fast and so is Benjamin. He is walking, sort of running, and today he was even spinning. Seriously, out of nowhere, he just started turning circles in the den and then walking like so many dizzy men do on “America’s Funniest Home Videos.” It was really wild. Where did he learn that? Daycare?

Speaking of daycare, he is back and still working on adjusting to life without Mom and Dad every moment of the day. His teachers are assuring us that he is getting better and better each day. I hope so. Tim has the dreaded job of dropping him off each morning. It sounds pretty heart-breaking. We are ready for him to be okay or even happy about daycare again, like he was last year.


Here they are on the first day back. Can you tell that Benjamin is sleepy?

Before we started back to work/daycare/school/real life, we took a short (I mean, really short) trip for a mini-vacation. We stayed at a nice hotel which included a great pool and even a place for Tim to fish. Also, we took Benjamin to the Rainforest Café (he loved it) and to the Bass Pro Shop (second time this summer, yikes). Benjamin entertained us by “wowing” over the waterfall at the Bass Pro Shop. This “wow” or “whoa” is one of his latest expressions. It is so cute. Usually, he says it with a little prompting, but on Sunday he heard the garbage disposal while I was cleaning the kitchen and he said, “Whoa!” I was truly delighted!

Another highlight of our mini-vacation was its proximity to DFW airport. I know it doesn’t sound too thrilling, but the planes passed over the pool constantly, and Benjamin was really intrigued. Again, he said “whoa” and “aadoo” (translation: airplane). It is so cool to hear him attempting these new words! Anyway, we had a great time on our last hoorah for summer. Here a few photos of the pool action.

Tonight, we ordered in and Benjamin chowed down on some pad thai. He loved the noodles, but his independent streak got the best of him. Those noodles were tough to keep on his utensil. If it was Benjamin versus the pad thai….

The noodles won! Oh well, Morey was happy.

To Do List: get master’s degree

Two summers ago, I began my first two classes toward my Master of Library Science, and last night (through a sleep-deprived haze), I pushed the submit button for my final project. What a wonderful feeling! Even though I’ve only been in school for about two years, it seems like a lifetime. In June of 2007, I had never taken an on-line class and I’d never worked in a library.

Now 36 semester hours, two years of librarianship, and one bouncing baby boy later, I have learned so much. This journey has not been easy for me. I have been frustrated, confused, and discouraged more times than I’d like to admit. I wish I could have handled all my responsibilities with a bit more grace, but I can only say that I did the best I could. The good news is I accomplished my goal, I feel like I got a quality education, and I’m excited about my job and continuing to learn more and more.

As I cross this very big task off of my “To Do” list, I’m grateful for the opportunity I have been given. I’m grateful for all the words of encouragement from my family, friends, and co-workers. And I'm especially thankful to Tim, who has witnessed the ups and downs along the way and still loves me enough to stick around!

from Google images

The Great Outdoors

Despite the crazy Texas heat this summer, we have felt it necessary to get outdoors with our resident monkey. It's true; Benjamin is keeping Tim and me pretty busy these days. Although our condo provides plenty of room, now that Benjamin is walking (as fast as he can - I might add), we just have to get outside! I thought I would share some pictures here.


Benjamin and I going to Farmers' Market. He snoozed through the first half of this outing. He did wake up in time to sample some of the yummy food being handed out.

Isn't this enough to make anyone love to eat veggies? Tim later made us a great meal from the food we bought at FM.

Here is Benjamin at an exercise park by White Rock Lake. He seems to have a thing for wood chips. He walked and walked and walked while his daddy finished up his workout at the park.

Banjo and Daddy hitting the road! This is a snapshot from another walk we took at the lake.

Isn't that a beautiful sight? We have had a few really pleasant evenings in the past couple of days. I still think it's wild that this lake is right in the middle of Dallas - so glad we live close enough to enjoy it.

Oh, How Time Flies!

So much has happened since I last wrote. Just as I had anticipated, this summer is turning out to be a fast, busy one. I cannot believe that August is just a few days away!

We enjoyed our vacation in Alabama. Tim’s parents live on the water, so Tim got to do plenty of fishing. We spent some quality time in the pool, and of course, we had a great time eating all the wonderful food!! Somehow, we never made it to the beach (I know, weird), but it was nice all the same. We watched fireworks from the dock, had a shrimp feast, and celebrated Benjamin’s birthday once again with the Pattillo side of the family. Benjamin had a blast with his cousins. He played and played and played. It was the sweetest thing. All the cousins were so nice to him and showered him with tons of attention. We also got to meet the newest member of the Pattillo family – Luke, a cute, red-haired baby. Someday soon, he and Benjamin will have so much fun together.

When we returned home, our wood floors were installed- very exciting!! They look great. In addition to enjoying our new floors, we’ve been keeping pretty busy with visiting libraries, playing at the park, swimming, and chasing Benjamin around. We’ve gotten to have a few play dates, too, which has been fun. Last week Mom and Dad came for another visit. Benjamin enjoyed seeing them and showed off his walking skills. He is getting fast, can stop and pick up things, and doesn’t seem to be bothered when he falls down. It is amazing how quickly he has “mastered” this skill.

Along with all of that, I’ve been working diligently (mostly) to finish up my last six hours of graduate school. I’ve spent lots of late nights on the computer – planning programs, writing book reviews, and reading class discussions. Thank goodness Tim is such a hands-on daddy; he puts Benjamin to bed most nights and lets me sleep in to recover from my night-owl ways. Needless to say, I’m really excited about graduating in mid-August.

That’s all for now. I will enjoy a few more weeks of this wonderful, busy summer. Here are some pictures from our latest adventures.

Fun in the pool at John and Andrea's house. Isn't it pretty?

A little post-swim relaxation...so sweet.

One of Tim's more interesting catches while in Alabama - a sting ray!

Benjamin and Molly playing Grandma's piano. They had such a great time together.

Benjamin on his bike during a particularly warm visit to the park here in Big D.

Recapping Instead of Packing...

Well, my last post was in honor of Benjamin’s birthday, but I skipped a few noteworthy summer events in my blogging. So, tonight I’m going to do a little summer vacation recap. It’s important that I do this now because we will be leaving early (??!) in the morning to drive to the beach – Gulf Shores, Alabama – and our summer vacation will become even more laden with memories. I need to recap before I forget all the fun stuff we’ve already done.

First of all, the Wootan side of the family went on our annual lake vacation. This year we stayed in a really nice log cabin on Lake LBJ. The cabin was three floors with three bedrooms, a huge kitchen, a wrap- around porch, and lots of televisions. It was a far cry from our lake vacations of old when we camped for real – Coleman stoves, tents and pop ups, Ivory soap in the lake, and take your own tp to the public bathroom (which some years boasted stalls without doors)! Although I have some really great memories of my family and lots of laughter from the old days, I cannot tell a lie: I like cabin dwelling much better. In fact, I don’t even like having to share a bathroom, so this was year’s accommodations were awesome in my book.

Anyway, the point of the whole trip is that we did have lots of fun and ate lots of good food. Benjamin swam in the lake and absolutely loved it. Our swimming hole had a rope swing. Many of us tried it; one or two of us were actually successful. Also, our cabin had its own swing set and a sandy spot near the creek. We all enjoyed the sand and fishing and swinging. Benjamin and his cousins, Emma and Olivia, seemed to adjust to life at the lake well. I think we all could have stayed there a few more days without any complaints. All in all, it was a great time.

Emma Rae, Gina, and Benjamin enjoying some lakeside laughs

Andrew showing off on the rope swing (he was one of the more successful of our family)

Olivia, Emma, and Benjamin checking out the little fishy

Tim's big catch!!! What excitement.

Last week was also a very busy week. Besides celebrating Benjamin’s first birthday, Tim and I decided to do some house cleaning/rearranging. Consequently, our den is now much more spacious and Benjamin-friendly. Well, actually, at the moment, it’s covered in wood flooring boxes because last week we also came to the decision to replace our carpet with bamboo. That will happen when we return from the beach.

In addition to our cleaning and rearranging, we got to visit with the Wootan clan again. My brother Andrew played softball in Mansfield, so we got to see everyone again which was nice. Mom and Dad came over on Sunday and spent some time with us here. They returned home Monday- wish they could have stayed longer, but we enjoyed it while it lasted.

Finally, on Monday, Benjamin went to the doctor for his one year visit. I absolutely cannot believe it has been an entire year. So exciting and a little crazy and a tiny bit sad that he’s changing so quickly… His visit went well, and he’s still at the upper end of the charts on his growth, especially head size. He must have a really big brain!

All in all, this summer has been great so far – busy but great. We’ve gotten to see and visit with friends and family, and Benjamin seems to be enjoying all the new experiences. Tomorrow he’s off to Alabama for his first beach vacation. How wonderful. Speaking of which, I need to finish packing.

I had to add this one of Benjamin sporting his baseball outfit at the softball park- what a cutie.

Milestones

To Benjamin-

You arrived.

You looked at us.

You saw us.

You smiled.

You held up your head.

You laughed.

You cooed.

You went to school.

You rolled over.

You sat up.

You played and played and played.

You read a book (in your own way).

You crawled.

You chased the cats.

You pulled up.

You talked (daddy, hi, I love you).

You took your first three steps today.

June 26, 2008




June 26, 2009

Happy birthday, Benjamin Felix. We love you more than seems possible.

Thank you for a wonderful year.

I Love You

Wow! We have had quite a week. Today Benjamin went for his first swim, on Thursday we survived a crazy rainstorm, and Wednesday we enjoyed a friend-filled play date. Best of all, Benjamin is trying to say, "I love you." It is so sweet. He is saying "Hi" quite often now, especially to the cats, but this week he said it to his Aunt Val when she stopped by yesterday. Who knows? Maybe on her next visit she'll get an "I love you."

Here are a few pictures from our week. The play date Wednesday was at my friend Gena's house; she was nice enough to host a crowd of rambunctious children when our friend Jamie came through on her way to Oklahoma. Jamie taught with us at here in Dallas and now lives just outside New Orleans. She has two children; I hadn't met either of them until her visit Wednesday, so I was really excited to meet her daughter and son. We assembled quite a precious group of children, and let me tell you, the house and backyard were wild as all the kids lived it up. We decided that next time we are all together, we need to meet up without the children if we really want to visit. It's hard to talk much when you're watching your little ones. In any case, it was a fun morning.


Jamie's son Tripp is a pistol. He is about month older than Benjamin but much smaller, faster, and more agile. He really enjoyed wrestling with Benjamin, and as you can see from the photo, Tripp won (over and over again). It was pretty funny; I fought against the little voice inside of me saying, "Hey, don't push my baby!" Benjamin was fine; he never stopped smiling. As my friend Lydia said, "This proves Benjamin is one laid back baby!"

Here's Benjamin playing in backyard. He enjoyed splashing his hands in the water. Gena's house is beautiful and so is her backyard. It was the perfect place for the kids to run through the sprinkler and make mud pies.

We tried hard for a group shot- here is one attempt! Not exactly successful, but aren't they cute?

This is a picture from today. Tim had just lowered Benjamin into the pool. As you can see, he loved it!! We figured that he would since he likes taking baths so much.

Our friends Lydia, Katie, Dave along with Zoe and Sam came to join us for a swim. It was a great way to start this hot, muggy day. Benjamin literally got his feet wet in preparation for a week at the lake which begins tomorrow. On that note, it's very late (or early) and I should be in bed.

Can't wait to see what happens next! Hopefully, Benjamin will keep working on his "I love you." I will not tire of hearing that one.

Scenes of Summer

Well, since I last wrote, summer has begun in earnest. For all the teachers out there, this means only one thing- school is out! Last Wednesday was the last day for the students, and on Thursday teachers returned to pack and clean and finish things up. When Benjamin left daycare on Thursday, he was given a goodbye card from his classmates. Isn't that something? He finished off the year in the toddler class; quite an accomplishment! I wonder if they will miss him? I can't help thinking they will.

Around here, we are beginning to get into the swing of things. Benjamin and his dad have been going for a daily run while I stay home and read or work out or pay bills (today's activity). We've made a couple of trips to White Rock Lake, gone out to eat, gone shopping, and Tim and I even went out (without Benjamin) to celebrate our wedding anniversary - thanks, Val. I have only taken a few pictures, but here are some from summer so far.


Benjamin is checking out the Wii. He really wants to figure out how to use it. Mostly he has to stay in the pack and play and observe. It's funny; he stands up and really watches. He especially enjoys it when I do the hoola hoop! He sways from side to side.

Yesterday I heard Tim playing guitar, and I walked in to see these two quite engrossed in the activity. Luckily, I convinced them to pose for a quick picture. Finding Benjamin so interested in his daddy's business makes me think of something Tim has been saying since Benjamin was born (or maybe even before he was born)- "I can't wait to teach him things." Tim is a natural teacher, so I think Benjamin is in good hands. It will be fun to watch. Will they let me play, too?

Here is Benjamin out to eat today. He's looking cute as usual. In addition to this cute snapshot, I took strange pictures of him too because for some reason, he kept sticking his tongue out. It was like he just discovered it or something. Just as quickly as he started it though, he stopped. Maybe he'll do it again tomorrow?

Our lunch out today was actually just a pit stop on the way to a place Tim has been wanting to visit for way too long....Bass Pro Shop! We made the short drive to Garland, and Tim did some shopping to prepare for our upcoming lake trip. (He even had a list for the shopping.) I asked him if the Bass Pro Shop was all he'd hoped it would be; he said that it was.

Here's another one of Tim. He's wearing his new hat. Looks like a real outdooorsman, huh?

How Sweet It Is

You know those moments when you witness something that just makes you smile, laugh, or sigh deeply? Well, Benjamin and Morey provided me with one of them this afternoon. I had just set Benjamin on the floor for the first time since he got home from school with his daddy, so the living room was not a jumble of toys quite yet. Morey entered the room and jumped on the coffee table and I gave him a pat. Benjamin crawled to the table, stood up, and reached for Morey. I was encouraging him by saying, "Hi, Morey!" Benjamin obliged me with a giant smile followed by "Hi!" and a wave. Just so cute! I'm sure that I'm not setting the scene well enough here. I only wish I had my camera handy. To recreate the moment, you'll have to do some math:

Morey + Benjamin's wave = sweet moment

Like I said, I only wish that I'd had my camera. This picture of Benjamin is actually from Saturday when I coaxed him into waving at me. I love the wave! Now if I could only convince him to call me Mama or Mommy! So far, I'm still Daddy.

Sweet moment number two: Benjamin and Tim taking a well-deserved nap on the couch. (This is also the reason I'm blogging right now instead after Benjamin is in bed.) Tim had a busy, sweaty day at school - bounce house, cooking out, oh, and teaching - so he may be the one sleeping like a baby in this photo.

I'm so thankful for my family and this sweet day of my life.