Marching On

Tonight after Benjamin’s bath, Tim was eager to get his nightly chores done and I was finishing up folding Benjamin’s laundry. So we put our son in the rocking chair with some of his favorite books. Usually, one of us reads to him, feeds him, and rocks him to sleep. Tonight he just relaxed in his green chair and “read” his books all by himself. Tim walked by and said, “That is just so cool. Look at him!” Seeing Benjamin reclining all alone in his room studying his books really was kind of amazing. It seems our Banjo has passed baby, entered toddler, and occasionally looks just like a little boy.


Am I happy about this? Anyone who knows me well can answer that question. I’m not exactly happy about my baby boy growing up. Change, even when it’s the best kind and totally natural, is not easy for me. However, I realize that no one can completely avoid change, and when you’re the mother of a growing boy, change cannot be ignored. As for Benjamin, he is embracing each new step – some steps more than others.



This year even taking down our Christmas tree was a bit painful for me. Benjamin had such a wonderful time celebrating the season that I just didn’t want it to end. His sweet voice reading about baby Jesus and Mary and Joseph was heart-melting stuff. Each morning he looked at the still unlit tree and said, “Uh-oh, Christmas tree” until someone turned on the lights. Singing Christmas songs repeatedly at his request was even fun. I left the tree up a couple of weeks longer than usual to savor a little more of Benjamin’s second Christmas. He played with his new toys tree-side until mid January; it worked for us.

For now, I’m trying to enjoy these fleeting moments, doing my best to document and remember them. And when Tim and I feel at our wits' end with our very independent toddler (who is sometimes like a little boy), I try to remember that no phase, no matter how sweet or sour, will last too long.

At my house, time is definitely marching on…

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.