Arlo turns four!

Well, well, well, we blinked and Darlin' Arlo turned four...sad face. We just want to freeze him at this age with the hilarious things he says, his facial expressions & very selfishly I want to keep him this age because he adores me, haha! He was delighted to have four birthday balloons in his hand & jokingly acted like he was going to let them fly away.

Grammy & Grandpa came to celebrate with us & arrived just in time for a last round of pictures before we headed inside for dinner. It is rare that we get a picture of everyone smiling AND looking at the camera at the same time, woo hoo!

Then sneaky Arlo tricked Grammy & Grandpa by saying, "Let's do silly faces!" but didn't do one himslef.

G Gran never misses a good party & came bearing gifts! Arlo received a Curious George stuffed animal carrying a backpack with $4 plus a set of books about that curious little monkey. For months we have checked out Curious George and the Chocolate Factory from the library. There have been moments of great sadness when another monkey obsessed child had happily taken the book home & we had to wait for it to be returned. He was bright eyed & excited to sit down & read.  You can't quite see his shirt but he got the hookup with a replacement tee that says "Garbage day is my favorite day of the week." For quite awhile he wore it every Tuesday & Friday as he stood outside to wave hello to his heroes. 

He requested a monster truck cake & I was inspired and excited to be old Lauren for a day & go all out for the first time in awhile. 2020 is going to be the year of comebacks....I can feel it ; ) I will admit, it was really enjoyable to make & seeing that he absolutely loved it made me smile. 

Not only was it cute but it was tasty too! 

Everyone was mad that I didn't let anyone help with the baking. He was a serious little guy! 

Birthday morning is always our favorite. We worked together to make the perfectly decorated table with everything from the boys' closet to the crafty cabinet. The four big kids personalized it with pictures & names. They drew one where flames were coming out of the back of the car & someone wrote "toot" just to get me to roll my eyes...I admit that it was clever & funny. I love that at the top of the picture on the right you can see "oh my goodness" in Charlotte's handwriting. They LOVE him!

The Fab Five ready to party!

Sausage balls & cinnamon rolls were served to this smiling boy who was quite pleased with the monster trucks everywhere!

He is fully convinced by no convincing of our own that Daddy's Jeep is called a Jeeper Beeper, so of course I had to make him a shirt to go with his new cap. 

The classic game of Hi-Ho Cherry-O was played a million times throughout the day thanks to Uncle Scott & Uncle Kyle. I referred to the cherries as apples EVERY time I talked about it. Arlo liked correcting me....just like the rest of my little students ; ) 

 I am not sure how an entire birthday goes by with multiple cameras & we don't get a picture of us with the birthday boy on his special day! Here are a couple recent snapshots....

Remember how I said he adores me? I am rejoicing that it is mistletoe season & he wants to smooch me multiple times throughout the day. He loves his Daddy too : ) In fact today he came inside SO grumpy & said in his mean voice "When is Daddy coming home from stupid work!" When stupid work ended for the day, he was a happy & giggly four year old. He is just the sweetest caboose for the Valentine Train. Happiest of Birthdays Darling Arlo. 

Arlo turns Three!

Darling is Arlo is now quite close to turning four but we can't forget how fun it was for him to turn three : ) He melts our hearts day in & day out....even his brothers would admit to that. 

To capture the pure essence of the day I will quote the birthday Instagram post.

"Darling Arlo is now officially young, wild & THREE! We enjoyed celebrating his sweetness on this perfectly rainy fall day. Starting with sausage balls & ending with a birthday serenade from two uncles, it was a good one! Per Arlo's request we have watched & re-watched the birthday video I made documenting his arrival & early days at home. Our favorite part is the transition of songs corresponding with calm newborn to four older siblings anxious to get their hands on the new baby bubby. The lyrics say, "when I hold you in my arms love, something changes, it's the strangest feeling. The things that used to matter, they don't matter to me. When I see you & you're smiling, how my heart aches, so full it is about to break." That's me tonight, the only one still awake at The Nest, feeling that ache, thankful to be mama to that boy. The moment that the Fab Four met their +1 is a treasured memory for the two of us. God knew we needed a caboose for our crazy train & blessed us immensely with his arrival. I'm also thinking about how just before bedtime Eloise taught Arlo her most well known saying..."it's hard to be three" she would know!"

Starting at age two, we discovered the Llama Llama books at the library & began to check out multiple ones every trip. He was such a little guy to be able to walk from the entrance of the library directly to the shelf of the Anna Dewdney books! His favorite by far is Llama Llama Mad at Mama. For a good portion of the past year, he could finish any phrase in the book if you paused. All that to say, a Llama Llama party was THE way to celebrate!

He continually makes us giggle with his facial expressions & how confident he is to point his finger at you so you know he's serious! He was proud of his birthday sign that his siblings made him.

While the girls were at a friends house, the handsome trio helped make pumpkin bread on birthday eve. Most of the time there are too many helping hands & we say "when helping hurts" but this day was the exact opposite. I must have been in a sentimental mood & loved all the help!

I got crafty & had a successful first attempt at iron on vinyl to outfit the birthday boy.

I also made a trash truck shirt that he has worn more times than I can count.  At age three, his two favorite things besides me (of course) are Llama Llama & trash day. He got his very own truck that he has carried out to show the trash man on more than one occasion.  He loves to get Charlotte's Bananagram game tiles & fill up the mini can to dump in the top. It's a mess & he loves it.

He worked on a Llama craft for about 2.5 seconds but then he loved on his Gaga for a bit. I'd pick her too over paper & glue ; )

Grammy & Grandpa brought over some yummy m&m cookies & ice cream.

He loves to find the letter A anywhere he looks & up until recently would say, "look, my name!" He was delighted to find a couple of those on his sign.

I just love birthdays. They are extremely emotional for me & rightly so : ) One last photo of that little darling....

Arlo at ONE year old

Darling Arlo turned one nearly three months ago & what a year (plus a few months) it has been! After the initial adjustment to caring for five little ones it seems as though time is flying & he is growing & changing every single day. He surprised us by being a speedy walker earlier than his older siblings which actually doesn't surprise us as he is happy to keep up with the chasing the best he can. Not only is he walking 100% of the time but he is quite the chatterbox. He's sweet, the most cuddly baby out of our nest & loved beyond by words.

 

Here we go! All about Arlo Benton at ONE year old...give or take 3 months : )

 



 

At his one year appointment:

20.6 pounds

29 inches

 

He is an average sized boy & perfectly squeezable in every way. We often joke saying "I'm so hungry, I think I might eat Arlo for lunch." Then we go onto say what we would nibble first. For me it's a toss up between his cheeks & his tootsie toes. Then we pretend to get our nibbles followed by saying our tummies are full. He doesn't mind the attention since it feels like he's being tickled the whole time. I would HATE that!

 



 

Here he is on the move. He was going full speed to the tree that his big brothers & sisters were attempting to scale. Once he convinced them to come down with his squeals he enjoyed their performance of "I'm bringing home a baby bumble-bee." He was all smiles!

 

 

 

What Darling Arlo is up to at one year old:

•  goes by the nicknames: Arley, doodle, doodle-bug, ba-doodle, bubberoni, goo-ghee, "my chubbiness" by Owen & in the past week he has been deemed "my little snuglet" by Anson, ha!
• loves bath time & copies everything the twins do whether it's dunking their heads underwater or attempting to slide down the back of the tub. He also likes to pour water over the side....not sure who taught him that.
• became a full time walker by Thanksgiving & when he wants to move fast he leans forward & his little feet get movin'!
• he "talks" to you making all sorts of sounds with inflection but no actual words. He is pleased when you converse with him saying "No way! Are you serious? Oh yeah, I like that too!"
• spends a lot of time everyday making cars go down ramps & cheering for himself
• could win the baby division of a sprint to the front door followed by a speedy staircase climb...Usain Bolt is his hero. Should have shielded his eyes from the Rio coverage last summer!
• he has evaluated the self soothing techniques of four older siblings & decided on a combination of sucking his thumb & rubbing his bellybutton. On a stressful day his button ends up SO red!
• when he is headed down stairs he gets on his belly & goes feet first also at record speed. It's almost like there is no bumping along....just sliding
• thinks it's hilarious to pinch people (it really does hurt!) but makes us laugh with how he throws his head back & gives a good belly laugh, screams & does it again
• he's extremely tough whether attacking or being attacked
• says "guh" constantly declaring what he would like by stretching out his arm & extending his hand. Robby says he would be great in the service industry.
• LOVES Bella & calls her "lellelah" over & over as he moves in for a rough pat down
• he is under the impression that he cannot make a sound in the car & would win the Quiet game by a long shot time & time again
• he's so quiet at home sometimes we forget he's there. I was leaving the other afternoon & Rob said as I was walking out the door "Where's Arlo?" I pointed at the baby in a high chair a mere five feet away & we both laughed. It's nice that someone can be quiet around here ; )
• drools so much we call him droolia-childs & droolia-goolia
• every time we walk down the stairs past a 1990's original security system key pad he gets really excited saying "guh guh guh" faster & faster until I hold him up where he can reach it & I start saying "beep beep beep beep" while he presses the keys. There is actually another keypad over his crib in the boys' room. That should keep him busy for hours!
• got his first haircut Thanksgiving week & hated every millisecond of it
• he has five teeth, one of those which just popped through the other day
• would swing as long as you keep swinging him
• enjoys a leisurely ride in the wagon 
• he's really great at following directions so long as they are along the lines of "put your hands in the toilet" or "pull out the dirty silverware & lick it" YUCK!

Dreamland: I am not sure what is wrong with the Nest between the hours of 3 & 7 am but it is certainly far from restful at the moment! This cutie contributes by waking up once. We would still love for him to room with the buckaroos but sleep is more important right now so the less people can disrupt each other the better. He in in the guestroom with a beautiful floral duvet cover. Someday he can have more masculine surroundings. Around his birthday he was taking naps from about 9:30-11 & 1:45-3:45 but has dropped the morning nap. He practically begs to go to bed around 1:30 & sometimes sleeps for 3 hours. Nighttime sleep starts around 6:45pm & he's up & at 'em by 7:15 saying "guh" requesting his breakfast. Arlo is a happy boy when you lay him down. He snuggles up with a quilt, pops his thumb in his mouth, offers a heart melting sleepy-eyed grin & he's out like a light.

It's like he's never been fed: The hands pictured above are successfully fulfilling the important role of shoving food into his mouth. Once he hit about 9 months old his appetite went through the roof & we can't keep up. His favorites are: MEAT, meat & more meat, broccoli, peas, bell peppers, blueberries, grapes, oranges, lasagna, BBQ, scrambled eggs, oatmeal, applesauce, potatoes of any kind, fish, yogurt raisins, peanut butter on anything, Cheerios, pecans, yogurt & just about anything but bananas. He is still nursing a couple times a day. He has finally started drinking more than a few sips of milk from his sippy cup & can down a cup full just as fast as he can crawl up the stairs. "Lellelah" is getting plenty of extra scraps & Arlo is amused at the attention she gives him. I let him try feeding himself his oatmeal this morning & he needed a spray down when he was done...you never learn if you don't try!

Well, I must come to a close but leave you with one last picture of our little snuglet as Anson would say. I smiled while snapping this photo thinking about how a newly walking toddler is a bittersweet sight knowing that they are literally a step closer to independence. For now he's still our baby : )

Celebrating Arlo

Arlo is ONE as of a couple weeks ago & the birthday celebration was so wonderful. Here is the handsome little fella before the party got started....

 

 

We were undecided on a theme so I turned it over to the big brothers & sisters. They discussed some possibilities then quickly agreed on The Very Hungry Caterpillar which was surprising we only read that book 100 times a day, ha! As much as I love designing my own, I was more than happy to pay $7.95 to a kind woman on Etsy who swiftly emailed me this cute little invitation.

 

 

Since moving back from Florida I just haven't had it in me to plan a birthday bash complete with food, décor & activities that all tie into the theme. We keep saying we are moving into a new stage of life without a newborn so maybe, just maybe the energy needed for the creativity is blossoming once again. First birthdays are extra special which is funny because a one year old has no clue what's going on. Anyway, we decided to really do it up nice. 

 

May I ask what we did before Pinterest? I had the party planned in about 30 minutes ; ) First up was the food. The possibilities are endless with an entire book filled with food that that hungry little caterpillar feasted on. We picked some from there & added our own:  Wraps & PB&J sandwiches laid out to look like caterpillars, sliced salami, swiss cheese & butterfly shaped crackers & a spinach salad topped with strawberries, blueberries & other yummies.

 

These grape & tomato caterpillars with the candy eyeballs were my favorite although a couple of them turned into a cyclops creature after spending a time in the fridge. We pasted them on with mayonnaise instead of Gorilla Glue so it wasn't a guarantee they would stay in place anyway. I came across the two missing eyes when I pulled something out of the drawer the other day....glad it was me instead of it being stuck to something we were serving a guest!

We also went all out with a box of cake mix & rainbow chip icing (NOT FUNFETTI) with cupcake topper also downloaded from Etsy for $1.99. Easy peasy lemon squeezy as we say around here.

 

A birthday banner was a necessity & ended up making me a bit tearful as I attached each photo that took us month by month through the past year. How incredible to have a front row seat to watch a teeny helpless babe grow into a curious little guy that scoots & squeals all over the house.

Like Etsy, Amazon is a dangerous place. In a matter of three minutes late at night I came across some Hungry Caterpillar themed stacking blocks, lacing cards & a stuffed animal that Arlo just HAD to have. That "Buy Now" feature makes it so easy ; )

It's a rare occasion that we get a photo of just the three of us. Arlo doesn't even look happy...we aren't quite as entertaining than the rest of our family.

 

 

Arlo was a popular guy....

 





That GGran surprised us on Arlo's real birthday with cupcakes topped with jellybeans since she is in fact the "Jellybean Queen" bringing bags of fruity goodness every time she comes to see us.  Arlo loves her & that makes me happy.

After everyone filled their tummies Charlotte read none other than The Very Hungry Caterpillar & she did a fantastic job.  My mom brought along a set from their church library that has a stuffed fabric item for just about every thing mentioned in the book so we passed them out to the little ones. When they heard the name of what they were holding they got to put it in the basket. Liam was extremely helpful pointing at each food on the yummiest page, what a cutie.

 

 

After our bunch did a trial round we knew we had just the right craft to share with the other kiddos. These were the lifecycle prototypes on display....





 

I precut the outlines of butterflies, stuck them to contact paper & poured out more tissue squares than any butterfly could ever need. They got to work creating their masterpieces. It was pretty much the big girls' butterflies that made it to completion...the little ones ie Owen & Anson were outta there as soon as they could be! Once the tissue paper was all in place we placed another piece of contact paper on top then cut around the construction paper outline. They turned out great. 

 

 

The only official cousins to our crew are in Poland but these are cousins too : ) They are "officially" my cousins kids & are as adorable as they come....

 

My cousin Allison with one & only precious Landry who is a HOOT!

 

beautiful Aubrey



 

handsome Luke

 

and Hallie who turned one over the summer. She was rockin' Aunt Sandy's glasses while the onlookers couldn't stop giggling. The three blondies belong to my cousin Amy.

Onto the cake.....everyone's favorite part at the big 1st birthday celebration. I took all five kids with me to the fabric store to hunt down just what we needed to make a hat & highchair "skirt" if you will. It's always fun to shop with five in tow but the fabric store? That's a blast with the extremely narrow aisles & breakable items galore! I was glad to have the girls to hunt down the fabrics we were looking for while I corralled the buckaroos. I showed Charlotte & Eloise a picture of what I was picturing & they took off then returned with their selections. SO helpful!

It was simple to make minus that stupid pom pom on the top of the hat. I seriously tried at least 10 times & it would just fall apart in my hands. Grrrrr. Gaga to the rescue. I think it took her one try which is not uncommon with most of her other crafty projects. That's why I like to be on her team.

I'm glad that after all my hard work Arlo smiled & didn't try to take his hat off.

He was intrigued with everyone singing him a lovely tune....

and who would have thought? He didn't even have to feed himself! When was the last time someone did this to you on your birthday?

 

After he licked the icing & germs off of the rest of the children's fingers he did get a little messy & required a wardrobe change. Gift opening was a breeze with so many little hands. I was glad Uncle Scott was making a list for me of who gave what.  Arlo was spoiled not only in the toy department but also in the clothing department. He has a better wardrobe for the Fall than the rest of us combined! Uncle Scott got him a magical tunnel that transforms you into a Smurf when you crawl through it.

We had only family plus my dear friend Lisa, Euan & sweet Liam. It sounded like it would be small but family alone put us somewhere around 25 people & we were missing some. The more the merrier! My cousin Mallory who is quite talented on the ukulele gave Eloise a little lesson. I love this picture.

I wish I had a few more pictures of the rest of the party-goers but this pretty much shows how to maximize your space on the couch.  

 

The bash ended but the party continued with the Ellis family who spent the night at the Valentine hotel after an evening of laughing.  It was just under two weeks later that we celebrated the official birthday & by that point I was even more tearful but in a wonderfully sweet way.  How fast a year goes by & from what we hear from parents years ahead of us is that it only feels faster. So for now, we will spend every second looking at these sweet cheeks, soft curls, dimpled fingers & baby blues all the while  thanking God for the gift that Arlo Benton is to our family at one year old.   

 



 

Our Darling Arlo,

 One year, ONE YEAR since you made your speedy & grand entrance into the world. I still remember what it felt like to lock eyes with you for the first time. You were staring back at me with your tiny fingers wrapped around mine while I told you all about not only how much your Daddy & I loved you but also about the four older siblings you would soon meet.

The moment where all seven us were together for the first time will forever be one of my most cherished memories. One where I felt this deep, solemn joy coupled with the desire to just laugh out loud looking at all the beautiful blessings God gave us in his time. You in my arms, your Daddy & I trying to protect you from getting your eyes poked out or being licked across the face...it was delightful!

There have been so many times over the past year that tears just slipped down my cheeks as I rocked you or in celebrating with you as new milestones were reached. You took three steps on your first birthday & I just about lost it my darling. You never mind the tears as you look at me showing off your adorable toothless grin. Please know that you will still be just as adorable with a mouth full of chompers : )

You are a gift to our family & one that brings much happiness & laughter. You have four other little people that can't get enough of you. Sometimes you love it, sometimes you don't & we understand how you might feel that way. Nonetheless, the love is there & will only grow with time! We love you Arlo but beyond that, God loves you more than we can comprehend. He is making you into exactly who he has made you to be & we are grateful to play our part.

Happy 1st Birthday,

Mommy