Fetch with Bo on Christmas Eve

Winter Wonderland and A Headband

 Made this headband for a little friend's two yr Birthday.  It is a little big for her tiny head but she still looks cute it in.  Happy Birthday Lindy!

 Taking pics at Centerra's giant Christmas Tree.  Benson didn't want to leave the bench.  He threw a huge fit when I made him get off.

 Very glittery and very beautiful.

These pics were taken about three weeks ago and he has already changed.  He looks so young in these pictures!  I guess they do grow up too quickly. *Sniff, Sniff*

Silly Benson Faces

What a crazy kiddo.

Some Crafting and Some Cuteness

 Felt Christmas Wreath.  I definitely go through phases in my crafting.  I go through sewing phases where I have to stitch everything I make.  Then I go through wood phases where I have to do wooden creations.  You get the idea.  I am in a felt phase right now.  Everything I make is felt and I love it.  It is so easy to work with.  No fraying edges, you can hot glue it (a HUGE plus), and it makes such beautiful things.  Who knew you could do so much with felt.  I didn't.  At least not til recently.

 The rosettes, if you can call them that, are just rolled strips of felt.  And the embellishments are just pins!  I wrapped a piece of foam piping in white felt.  Then I cut a thin strip of red and wrapped it for the candy cane effect. I love how it turned out.  It really pops on my black door.  Thank you felt.

 The Benson Monster found a way to get my jewelry box off of my dresser the other day.  He was so quite for so long and I know that never equals anything good.  I walk in to my room and find all  my jewelry strewn about.  Most of my necklaces ended up around this guys neck.  He walked out proudly and showed them off.  He then ripped them off and broke two of them.  Oh well, easily repaired and worth the cute picture.

 Handsome fella!

 Bryce and I deep cleaned the house this weekend and it was smelling so fresh and looking spotless.  This lasted as long Benson was asleep.  Come morning, my spotless home was nowhere to be found.  This is not the tidiest room in the house.  Oh, the joys of an 18 month old:)

 Benson is going through a very needy, clingy and whiny phase right now.  It is wearing on both Mom and Dad.  However, I have found that he is extremely happy to be naked.  He would tear that diaper off if he could.  Thank heaven he hasn't figured out how to take it off yet.  And thank heaven for Safeway brand diapers that have super strong velcro tabs.  (YES...Safeway brand diapers are the best diapers.  I love them and always use them over any other brand.  The brand is called Mom to Mom.  Check them out!)

 He also likes to destroy the blinds any chance he gets.  We have to run as fast as we can to free the blinds from his clutches every day.  At this point he thinks it is a little game.

 I was doing dishes when I heard this boy of mine giggling at himself.  I look over and he is peeking at me through is legs.  He thought it was hilarious.  The pic is so fuzzy because he was shaking so much from laughter! I love that his personality is beginning to appear more and more each day.

I though this pic was fun how you could see the reflection of my tree in the fireplace.  Merry Christmas Everyone.  5 more days!  Can it be.  Wow that went fast.

Christmas Beginnings

 The Goodwin family sent us some early Christmas gifts.  Benson is wearing the Christmas Jammies they sent.  They are so soft and adorable.  He loves them.

Benson also loves Dad's phone holder.

We did venture out on Black Friday to see if we just had to have something.  We didn't buy anything, but Benson rode this really fun train at the toy store.  I was tempted to fork out the 99 buckollas and get this beauty.  Watching him ride this train was the highlight of the day.

A Jolley Thanksgiving Dinner '11

 Just Me, Bryce and Benson for Thanksgiving this year.  It was so great and laid back.  I thought I'd be more sad and missing all my family, but our Thanksgiving was perfect. 

Don't you love how all my dishes match beautifully!  Classy right.  C-L-A-S-S-Y.  Pin this lovely spread...I dare ya. :)  I am not afraid to admit that I am too vain to show how terrible I looked after spending the entire day in the hot kitchen.  So I cropped myself out of this pic.  It wasn't pretty.  I saved you all a very sure fright.  Even though I did cook and bake all day, I loved each minute of it.  I didn't cook that chicken though.  Bryce had the idea of getting a rotisserie chicken in substitute for the turkey and I thought...BRILLIANT!  I was very happy with everything except my pumpkin cheesecake was not a cheesecake at all.  It was just a regular pumpkin pie.  What a misleading recipe. :)

I have so much to be thankful for, and sitting together with my little family for a nice meal is just one of the hundreds of things I am thankful for.  To name a few:  I am thankful... 

-To be able to be stay at home Mom and enjoy each moment of my son's life. 

-To have the most adorable and wonderful son on the planet.

-To have such a loving and hardworking husband who is pretty easy on the eyes.

-For the health and general well-being of my family.  Extended and immediate.

-For my Faith.

-For Singing Time in primary and all the smiles and hugs I get on Sundays.  Makes the hours of prep so worth it.

-For goodly parents who raised me to be a great wife and mother.

-For the safety I enjoy.

-For my beautiful home.

-For ZUMBA.

-For PUMPKIN Desserts of all kinds. 

-For my sisters who are my best friends.

-And last...for Thanksgiving to be over and now ON TO CHRISTMAS!

Wishing All A Very Happy Thanksgiving

Randoms of the Benson Man

 At the mall.  Riding the big green frog.  My Dad came and took us to dinner a few weeks ago before he had to go to meetings in Denver.  Then we took the Bubba to the mall for a little play time.

 Grandpa also paid for Benson to take a $1 ride on this little carousel.  He LOVED it.  A little nervous at first but in the end he didn't want to get off.  You really get quite a short amount of time for a whole dollar.  Come one Greeley Mall.

 These pics crack me up!  Benson loves to play with his Dad's badge.  So when Bryce gets home, the first thing Benson does is take his badge from him.  The other day this is what he decided to do with the badge. 

 Bryce says it looks like he is flossing.  So funny.

Crafts Lately

 Bryce and I give a lot of gift cards for Christmas gifts.  I wanted a cute way to display the cards so I made this little gift card holder/wallet. I made it the same size as a credit card or gift card.  A folded bill fits nicely in there as well. 

 I've been wanting to make these blocks for a while.  At a recent craft get together we made this countdown.  The tutorial is here.  However, I did tweak it a bit.  I love the way it turned out.  Benson loves playing with it too!

I got the tutorial for the GORGEOUS flower from here.  I covered an old outdated head band with some new material and slid the flower on to make this impressive sight.  The flower slides off and can be used as a brooch or scarf tie as well.  The possibilities are endless really. 

Benson WALKS!

Oh my!  This has been a long time coming.  I know that everyone told me not to worry, but this guy was so resistant to walking I thought he would NEVER do it.  He even started throwing big fits when I tried to make him walk.  Last night I just sat down on the floor with him and tried to have him stand on his own.  Then I wanted to see if he would take a few steps toward me...AND HE DID.  I quickly enlisted Bryce's help and Benson began to walk in between me and Bryce and LOVING IT!  It was an exciting night in the Jolley house.  He is still very nervous to walk on his own, but I feel like we have made a giant stride in the right direction.  He is nearly 18 months and I would really like to send him to nursery as a walker so he doesn't get trampled by the other kids.

Treats, Tigers, Treats!...and a Dr.

 Dr. encore from last year.  This costume has been worn by many a cousin and now twice by Benson.

 Trick or Treating @ Centennial Village.

 Dad enjoyed the festivities too!

 After TorT at St. Michaels.  Yummy suckers.

 Love this!  ADORRRRABLE.

 

And...I made a trick or treat bag out of a Capn Cruch box!  I think we got just as many compliments on the box as the too cute tiger.  

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

Pumpkin Patch 2011

 I loved the pumpkin patch this year.  Let me emphasize the fact that I stated that I loved the pumpkin patch this year.  It was the coolest family farm with old tractors, trucks, barn kitties, and pumpkins galore.  However, Benson was a little under the weather.  He wasn't all too happy about the pumpkin patch and even less happy about the photo shoot that Mom insisted on.  The photo shoot also irked Dad quite a bit as well.  Ah Well!  I surely enjoyed it.  Enjoy the pics...

 The glasses kept Benson semi-happy as we drew near the end of our visit to the patch.

 I couldn't get enough of this old green truck.  Benson took some pretty handsome pictures despite being a grumpy and sick boy.

 So done with the pictures and the green truck.

 When all else fails...the pacifier comes to the rescue.  Why would we make his sit on those pumpkins anyway.  I imagine this is what Benson was thinking at this point.

 The adorableness of this picture was worth it all!

 Good night and a Happy Halloween to you all!  Until next October comes around.

Snowtober!

 SNOW!  And no snow suit...what to do?  Improvise of course.  I learned from the master, my wonderful Mother, that you can always make due with what you have.  So, with a fleece pair of jammies, moms socks up to your thighs, and thick leather shoes any child can be ready for the snow!

 He did have on gloves but he hated them.  He also hated the snow on his hands so it was kinda of lose, lose on that front.

 I must say that I am loving the snowy day.  It is beautiful to look at and cozy in my house.  Here's to hoping the sprinkler pipes didn't freeze because we haven't had the time to blow them out yet.