Happy Birthday Benton!

Benton is 3!!!  We just love this little guy! He has a very entertaining way of talking and is at the stage of narrating what is going on, so there is lots of talking.  He is taking on some of Ethan's mannerisms, but has his own too.  He is super sweet with Asher, almost always singing to him or getting him a pacifier or toy if he is sad.  Benton has transitioned well to having Ethan gone during the day.  He had a trouble for a few weeks being dropped off place by himself, but is over that now.

Benton's associations with "birthday" this year were cake and party hats.  Mike let him pick out this rainbow cake at Costco.  9.5 pounds!  We got it out in the morning so that I could share it all day with his friends.  I ran to get the camera and came back to Benton helping himself.  He didn't inflict too much damage because the cake was frozen.

 It was my week to host our playgroup co-op, which was perfect.  We had party hats for everyone.

 Benton chose his balloon and party hats the day before.  The morning of his birthday he brought them as we walked with Ethan for Walking School Bus.  His balloon popped on one of the many poky plants found in our AZ landscape and the sweat almost soaked through his cardboard hat.  We stopped by the dollar store on the way home and got another balloon.  The cashier even gave him and Emrie, who was with us, free little vending machine toys.

 He got really fun presents that actually ended up being spread out so he kept thinking it was still his birthday.

 The Jeppsons got him this fun take apart plane.  He flyies it around saying "Shew, Shew, Shew."

 Here he is carrying his birthday card from Grandma Abegg, his fire truck from Grandpa Joe and Grandma Dianne, and a letter from his cousin Ava into the store to spend his birthday money.  Can you guess how long it was until I was holding all that?

 This fire truck goes by itself, and even keeps going when it hits a wall.  Benton really likes vehicles that light up and go by themselves.

 Benton got a remote control car from our friends the Bundy's, so we went out to a neighborhood cul de sac to drive it.

 The Christensen's decided to do one bigger gift for the boys' birthday and Christmas, so we finally got a play house to replace the one we left behind at our old house (Papa built it out of wood, so we couldn't get it out of the backyard)!

 Benton is very into stop signs and is too slow on his bike to go on real bike rides, so Grandpa Joe and Grandma Dianne got him these signs.  It makes it a lot more fun for him to ride his bike, and makes it so the boys can stay together for bike riding.

 Mike and I got Benton a glow in the dark flexible track with light up emergency vehicles.  The first set came broken, so he didn't get this until a few days later.  The boys have really enjoyed it!  (Formula cans make great tunnels.)

 Benton picked out a spiral train track and a crayon and white board set with his money from Grandma Abegg.  Benton built this track by himself and was playing alone for a long time one afternoon.  We snuck this picture and some videos because he was talking the whole time as he played by himself in the basement, very cute.

 Nana got Benton a backpack style fire fighter squirter and a floor fire truck puzzle.  Benton is at the stage of fire trucks and garbage trucks (he also loves floor puzzles), so these have been a lot of fun.