I'll Have a Little Rice Cereal With That Please!

My baby boy is getting so big so fast. We just started rice cereal this week and any first-time mom will agree that this is a big deal. It's opening doors to endless opportunities just around the corner. The sky is the limit after cereal, right? Squash....carrots....peas....apple sauce....maybe even a few cheerios in the mix. :) Thought you might enjoy a few pictures of Bennett at his first attempts of breakfast from a spoon instead of a bottle. Some of it actually got in his mouth. He's a growing boy weighing in at a wopping 17 lbs (we don't miss many meals). I love my job!!!

My First Mother's Day

OK, so now I get it. Sunday was Mother's Day and I've always thought of it as such a special day. I mean after all, it's the day I honor my mother. I've been blessed who I think is the best mother on the planet. She's the most supportive and selfless woman. No matter what my dream...no matter where I wanted to move, she was always right there with me. She drove with me 23 hours when I moved to San Diego. Now that's love! And now that I have Bennett, I celebrate Mother's Day on a whole new level. As this Mother's Day approached, I found myself so honored to be a part of such an elite group of women. Fletcher, Bennett and I were driving back to Atlanta from Nashville on Sunday and decided to stop at Lookout Mountain to enjoy the view. As I was sitting with Bennett on a bench, another lady looked over and said "Happy Mother's Day" to me. I then saw here little ones tagging behind her. As I said it back, I felt so proud to be a mother. I know it's a few days late, but to all the mothers....Happy Mother's Day!

Bennett Makes It Out to the West Coast

When we were living in San Diego, I was blessed to work for a wonderful lady. Over the two years I worked for her, she became much more than just a boss. She's like another mother...I call her my West Coast Mama. When Bennett was born she came to Atlanta to visit us and this past week, she actually brought us out to San Diego for a work/play trip. The girl that was hired to replace has taken another position, so Sue brought me out to work for a week while she kept Bennett. She was so generous to us....letting us take over her house and drive her car to visit friends in the afternoons. The weather was beautiful the entire time (as it is in sunny southern California). While we were there, Bennett enjoyed playing with Sue's grandchildren and meeting my dear friends Aunt Esther and Uncle Matt, Aunt Shannon and Uncle Jeff, and Uncle Meany. Bennett was right at home as a little surfer dude.

Bennett Goes to the Panhandle

About 2 years ago, my dad and stepmother moved to the panhandle of Texas just north of Amarillo. It's beautiful up there....a different way of life. Things move at a much slower pace. The horses are your alarm clock as they come stomp around near the porch letting you know it's time to get up and feed them. People fly their flags high because their proud to live in the Lonestar state. Another thing I love about Texas is that you wave to oncoming cars not necessarily because you recognize them, but because it's the friendly thing to do. They have neighbors, but you don't see them from their front porch. It's a little piece of heaven, as Fletcher put it. For us, it's a little like stepping back in time. Bennett loved spending time with his Papa and Grammy. We rode horses, planted flowers, and dined on delicious steak and grilled catfish. We can't wait to go back to the panhandle!

Bennett Enjoys Fun in the Sun!

The soothing sounds of the ocean should be all too familiar to our little Bennett seeing as though I spent most of my pregnancy in sunny San Diego. Bless his heart, we upped and moved about a month before he arrived. No fair, I know! This past weekend Fletcher, Bennett and I decided to head south and check out the white sands of Florida. Still a little too cool for a true beach day, but that didn't stop us from heading out on the boat, lunching overlooking the water, and enjoying a few cocktails at sunset (Bennett skipped out on the cocktails). :) It was gorgeous and just what we needed. Fletcher showed us his old stomping grounds of where he endured flight school in Pensacola and Milton along with the old hot spots. Bennett is such a good little traveler. I know he won't remember his day at the Naval Aviation Museum or checking out the helos his daddy trained in, but we've got the pictures to show him.

Happy Easter!

It's amazing! Having a child really makes holidays take on a whole new meaning. Waking up Easter morning and heading to church to celebrate the death and resurrection of our Lord makes me take note of just how blessed I am. I have a wonderful husband and beautiful son. We're all healthy and are surrounded by family and friends. Life is good. Fletcher, Bennett and I spent this Easter in Nashville with Fletcher's family. This time a year ago, I was in San Diego with my mother, Fletcher had just deployed for the third time to Iraq.....and we were about to find out the greatest news to date....that we were expecting! Wow! What a difference a year makes. Pretty amazing.

Bennett Meets the Easter Bunny!

Bennett met the Easter Bunny this past week and can I just tell you what a joy it is to see his face light up. This Easter Bunny just happened to be a giant bunny. Bennett looked tiny next to it. Mrs. Youngblood was thoughtful enough to send Bennett a darling little bunny bubble suit....so precious! I hope the Easter Bunny will still come see me!