Vertuccio Farms

I thought it would be fun this year to find a pumpkin patch and pick our pumpkins. This farm wasn't exactly what I was looking for, but it looked fun and it was recommended to us by Aunt Tenielle.

As you can see Aaron was super excited to be there. He smiles like this because in order for him to look at the camera I say, "show me your teeth." Then he "smiles" real big.

Aaron loved the maze, he seriously ran around until he was panting. Uncle Scott and Nick would hide and scare him -- he loved it!

I had to block him in order to get a picture of him . . . then he was off, again.

Scott and Nick trying out the seesaw.

Our sweet little family!

Aaron dislikes the swing. Each time the swing would come forward he would hold on tight and grunt. I think it was because he didn't like the feeling in his stomach.

Scott figured out that if he hugged Aaron he would laugh and smile.

This was a fun little train that went around the farm. I tried to get Scott to ride on it, but he declined. I would have loved to get a picture. Aaron loved it, when the train would turn he would turn the wheel the opposite way. He smiled to entire time.

Scott and Nick both hit the bell on their first hit. I was so proud!

Aaron did a great job too!

He even tried to milk a cow . . . I love that he will try everything, it is all so intriguing to him.

He would not let this pumpkin go. He even tried to take a bite out of it.

As we were leaving I asked Nick to take a picture of me to prove I was there.

Long Awaited Update

My family has deemed me the worst blogger ever. I've come to terms with this, however, this past week when my mom said she was really missing Aaron and wanted to see what we are up to I felt really bad. I promised her that I would post something by this weekend. So, here we go. I have a lot to catch up on -- since the last time I blogged, we have moved to our first home (we have painted the whole house, put in new carpet, door hardware, lighting, fans, etc...) -- I will post pictures later. We found out we will be having another baby next spring. Here are some pictures from our 10 week ultrasound, but I am currently 18 weeks along and we will be finding out the gender on November 9th.

Three weeks ago we had a little surprise waiting for us when we came out of church. Someone really wanted our stereo and decided to smash in our window to get it. Thankfully our insurance has been very helpful, but I was still very annoyed because it cost us $250 plus all the time to get everything put back together.

Now, the update that everyone is really looking forward to . . .

. . . this little guy.

Seriously, he is so funny. I have noticed over last few months that he is getting silly. He thinks it's funny to spin in circles, show me his teeth (as pictured above), roll his eyes and even make funny faces. He has started saying a few words over the past little bit. His favorite word is daddy. Other words he says are: ball, eyes, shoes, baba (which is mama). He can point to most body parts, he knows there is a baby in my tummy, he loves to play outside. Which leads us to our next set of pictures. Grandma and Grandpa Bender came into town this last week and during their visit they helped us in our backyard. Aaron was in heaven. He loved digging in the dirt, running around, and playing with the many rocks. We tested our water system and some of the hoses weren't capped -- Aaron decided it would make a fun water fountain.

This hat was from Grandpa Bender. At first Aaron wasn't a huge fan, but he got used to it and I think he is so stinkin' cute!

A few other pictures from the last few weeks . . .

Aaron eating his crayons.

Aaron's friend Annabelle had a cute little pink bow in her hair. Aaron borrowed it for a few minutes (and I had to take a picture).

Aaron has decided he likes to lie down in the bath. Normally he would get really upset and sit up quickly. Once he decided he wanted to try it, it was okay. It is so fun to watch him discover things and have the courage to try it on his own.

Aaron doing what he does best -- getting into stuff!

More to come . . .

Happy Birthday Bender Family!

(I wrote this post back in April before we moved -- so here you go) First, in January, we had Nick's birthday. It was very simple. We did dinner, pie and ice cream and gifts.

Next, we had Aaron's 1st birthday party. That was more eventful. We had a few friends over. We did dinner, and had cupcakes for dessert.












Last, it was my birthday in March. Nick came home early from work, which is always a nice surprise. We went to dinner alone, because Scott and Andrea watched Aaron for us and we had ice cream cake from Dairy Queen -- which is my FAVORITE!

Playing Catch-up ~ January 2010

This past month we celebrated Nick's 29th birthday. For his birthday, I surprised him by getting a babysitter (Uncle Scott) and taking him to dinner, just the two of us. It was such a nice, peaceful dinner. Even though we weren't gone for very long, it was nice to get to spend some quality time with Nick.

Nick requested a pie for his birthday. I couldn't decided which kind to make, so I made a chocolate cream and a banana cream pie. They were both very yummy!

At first Aaron was very intrigued by the candles. We used trick candles, so when they relit the first time he laughed, but when the trick candles kept relighting he started to cry. I don't think he cared for the smoke much either.

I got Nick a book that detailed the history of the University of Oklahoma College of Law. The year Nick graduated was the 100 year anniversary of the law school. It is interesting to read and learn about the people that went there before he did.

Aaron's gift to his daddy was a painting titled "Even Superman Needs a Dad" by Liz Lemon Swindle. My dad was given this painting when my brothers were young. I have always loved it and thought it would be a nice addition to Nick's home office. I think the story behind the painting is what really makes it so special.

Liz Lemon Swindle explains the inspiration behind the painting, "Driving through a parking lot, I saw a boy and his father coming out of a store. The boy was imagining himself as a mighty hero, but he looked at his father with more admiration than any hero is likely to receive. Right then, I knew I had to paint "Even Superman Needs a Dad."This father took an interest in everything his son had to say. Every moment seemed magical. While this little boy looked a bit out of place dressed in a Superman cape and red cowboy boots, his father could not have looked prouder. Who was the real Hero? Who was more in awe of whom? When I look around at the thousands of Supermen who play alone each day it breaks my heart. Looking at these two I remember a wonderful father who took the time to be there for me, who taught me by example what a father should be. I enjoy watching someone look at the painting for the first time. Their gradual smile tells me they understand the feeling that brought about this painting. For a brief moment they forget there are bills to pay and work to do. They forget their worries and remember for a moment that life is wonderful. That is the joy in painting."

Aaron has been doing very well with small foods. He loves avocados, bananas, cheese and bread. Well, he loves ALL food, but those are the foods he eats most often.

One afternoon Aaron had gotten into my purse and found the Yogurt Bites. They hadn't been closed properly so when he shook it, the crushed pieces flew everywhere. Aaron LOVED it! He proceeded to eat every small piece he could find.

Aaron started walking in December, and has become more mobile since then. Unfortunately, I don't have a room that Aaron can play in and be completely safe. So, we've made a temporary blarricade of recliners, a couch and a kid corral. When I am in the kitchen and Aaron is supposed to be playing with his toys, he sometimes gets bored and wants to come find me. He squeezes through the barricade as best as he can and comes looking for me.

Grandma Bender's brother, Uncle Mike, stopped by the other day. It was such a treat to have him stop by. He is always so good about coming to say hi when he is in town. We had Aaron do all his tricks on command. Aaron loved all the attention from Uncle Mike. He also loved "driving" and rockin' out in Uncle Mike's Mustang.