Benjamin turns 1!!!

Benjamin is ONE!! 

What a great day we had as I spent the day with my mom getting ready for his party. He had his first cream cheese and apricot jelly sandwich. So fun to be back with family for his big day even if I was still a bit jetlagged! 


His birthday night we had a SPIDERMAN theme birthday! Spiderman masks, tshirt, plate and bowl, balloon, banner, table cloth.... you know the works( me and Grammy might have got a little carried away ;) 

The night was so fun since it was the first time my brothers and all our families were together since we got home from New Zealand. So wild to see our kids get to play together. 

Avery loves Benjamin!So sweet! 


He liked to opening presents... 

But not as much as the cupcake which he swiftly crammed straight into his mouth! 

A birthday well spent! 

Adventures of Benjiboy #4

I am getting so big and growing so fast. Mommy has to start buying me some new big boy clothes. She says it makes me look like a big boy. But that is because I am getting to be such a big boy.

 I can crawl up all of the stairs in my house now. I am getting closer and closer to walking but I am taking my time figuring it out. There is so much to look at that I tend to get distracted. I love to climb on things.

There is a room here that is big and empty except for a bunch of bean bags. I love it! I am figuring out my hands now too. I can use my fingers to pick things up. I clap now too.

Grammy and Auntie Andrea asked for pictures of my curly hair. These are right after my bath. Mamma squeals and kisses me so much. I think she likes me.

I  got to be going now. 

 *BENJIBOY*

My first Mother's Day!

So odd to have had mother's day not only away from my mom but then to have a little one to be a mom to! It was a very low key day. All the students were gone on their free weekend and so we have a quiet morning on base.  Benjamin was such a happy boy and gave me loves all day. Here are some pics from our little family playing in the field.

Adventures of Benjiboy #3

It has been a while but I have been so busy!

I have gotten so fast at crawling and getting into things that mommy is always chasing after me. I can even crawl up all 14 stairs in my house. I think mommy timed me and said I did it in less than a minute one time.

I am getting closer and closer to walking like the big people. I can hold onto the couch and walk by it but as soon as I let go I fall. I get frusterated sometimes...

Yesterday mommy came in to get me after my nap and I thought I would show off how strong I am, so I stood up in my crib holding onto the edge. I am still trying to figure out how to get out on my own.

I am talking lots. Most the time I just blabber but I can say hi to dada and I even say mama now. When people ask me questions I say yea. Pretty soon I will be able to tell everyone what I think but for now when I am excited I hold both of my hands above my head. (I think Papa says it  is the sign for touchdown, but I just think it is fun to do!)

Well I have more things to get into. I have to keep mama guessing.

*Benjiboy*

Adventures of Benjiboy #2

I am making so many new friends. I get passed from new friend to new friend. I always like to be able to still see mommy though.

Jocelyn is from Hawaii and she loves to play with me. Sometimes she takes me on walks so mommy can do whatever it is that mommy does without me. 

Here I am with the big guys, Chris (Adventure DTS) and Sosefo (staff). They are so funny. They are always dancing and making silly faces at me. 

I am learning all kinds of new things. I brush my teeth with a real toothbrush now, but it feels so funny that  I giggle the whole time. I just love it. I am getting stronger and faster too. Now when mommy comes to get my from my crib I can sit up or sometimes I am on my knees trying to stand up. I love to stand up. I try to do it all the time now. 

I am trying lots of new foods too. I am such a big boy that I eat what mommy and daddy eat.  I have real rolled oats in the morning for breakfast. I like it when mommy gives me some of her toast too. I love my vegetables too. I eat carrots, corn, peas, potatoes, kumara(mom says it is like a sweet potato) and oh I LOVE broccoli! One time mom gave me pears and then broccoli and I would only eat broccoli after that. I liked it better than the pears! Mom gets me greek yogurt here. It is tart but I love it... see? 

Well I better go... I have some more exploring to do. 

*Benjiboy* 

Adventures of Benjiboy #1

Hello. My name is Benjamin. I am now 9 1/2 months old and growing everyday.  I am learning so many new things in New Zealand that I have to start my own series of blogs on mommy's blog. I wanted to call it Baadaaoodu but mommy thought that might be hard to read. 


Everything is new and different here. Let me tell you airplanes are awesome. I had my own little bed and I loved smiling at the other babies. I tried to see how many people would make silly faces and play peek-a-boo. Adults are crazy! 


My new home is pretty wonderful. I have been exploring as much as I can. It is so much easier now that I can crawl so fast. For some reason mommy still won't let me go behind the fridge or in the laundry room... I won't give up though. I go for it every time she puts me down. 


I am making lots of new friends here. Everyone loves to play with me. I even have had some time away from mommy with my new friends. They take me on walks sometimes. I love the wind in my now curling hair. Sometimes I need my dummy( that is the NZ way of saying pacifier)but lately I would rather suck my thumb. I have to be careful to not bite my finger though... my two teeth are sharp. 


One time when I was hanging out with my new friend Sammi, she took some pictures of me. 

Adventure on my friends- 
*Benjiboy*

Goodbye... Hello!

I figured I could write a post or I could just post pictures since you all want to see... :) First a few pictures of Goodbyes then Hello New Zealand!

A happy little packer!

Sister Love! :) 

 Sweet little family...

 I have the most amazing mom I could ask for. Such an incredible support and friend. Also an excellent packer! I could not have done those last crazy days without you! Can't wait for your visit!

Gram and Pops!

HELLO NEW ZEALAND! 

 The view from our bedroom window! It is amazing! I think I said before that it is my favorite room in our house. So peaceful to wake up to the sun coming through the window.

 This is our front yard. This is seriously the coolest clothesline system I have ever seen! Also with the sun and heat my jeans dried in less than two hours!

This is our ramshackel kitchen... it needs some love. Their was flooding in the house so the whole downstairs is covered in mats and rugs. This bamboo one is my favorite. They are going to put new carpet and floors in sometime soon I hope, but if not then dad its all you when you come! :) In fact there is lots you could help with when you come! 

This is the front entrance to our house.The top windows are our bedroom! 

I like this tree and look at it every morning. 

This is the side view. It  is such an odd looking house. I guess it used to be a barn. The top windows are Benjamin's room. I haven't done much with his room since I have done most the unpacking while he sleeps. 

SO there you have a few pictures! Please comment so I know if this is getting read and is worth my time to post on here. Plus I miss home and would love to hear from you all! 

We Made It!!!

We made it with flying colors! The flights went fantastic! We left Portland at 1:17pm and flew to San Francisco. Benjamin did great on his first flight and seemed more enamored than afraid. The flight with Air New Zealand was probably the best flight I have ever been on. We got a baby bassinet for Benjamin to sleep in and we didn’t have to sit next to anyone, which meant an open seat for better sleeping! Amazing! The attendants were so friendly: we got free diapers, wipes, bottom cream and baby food for the flight…. can you believe that? We made friends with the other parents (they have all the bassinets together) and we even got invited to a birthday party at the end of this month here in New Zealand. We made it through customs without a hitch (mostly, we lost our turkey jerky).

Mary picked us up at the airport and then we were off to the base. We drove through Auckland and the countryside; let me tell you, the pictures don’t do it justice! It is breathtaking and you have to come visit! Once at the base we went straight to our new home. We found a sweet note, two cans of L&P and two Moro bars. I think Moro bars are my new favorite candy bar!  Our house is a two-story, two-bedroom house- such a blessing!! We have a living room and a small kitchen downstairs and then upstairs are the two bedrooms and the bathroom. It needs some love and some homeying up but I am up for the challenge! My favorite room is our bedroom- it is kind of loft like and has four windows overlooking the field and hillside! I will try to take pictures soon, but we are still settling in.

The people have been so warm and friendly. Robbie and Julia, some of the base leaders, have been so great about walking me through life on the base with a baby. They have three kids of their own. We laugh often since we find ourselves re-explaining phrases or words. Nappi= diaper. Trolley= shopping cart. It’s the little things J

 Benjamin has already stolen the hearts of everyone on base. He really is a character. He flirts with all the girls, which they love. We already have many offers for babysitting- woohoo!

The staff have been so understanding as we get settled and regain our footing. It looks like we will ease into our jobs next week, but we are still defining and talking about what exactly that will look like.

I feel like I could tell you all so many things, but for now I need to unpack some more and enjoy the sunshine!

Trying to Crawl = downward dog!