Mr. Benz is 3!! :)

This little man is so absolutely, stinking adorable that I can barely handle it. I've been adding to this blog over the past few months to try to get down as many of the cute things he does and says as I can! I can't believe he's already three. He has grown, learned, and matured so much in the past year!! Yes, he's still small, but I have always felt like he has such a mature and wise spirit. He is so caring, and aware of other people. He is always thinking about his brothers, he will bring a toy on a car ride for one of them that he thinks they would like, he will hand them their plates or cups off the counter for meals, he will bring them toys during the day that he thinks they will like, it makes my heart happy. Of course, he has his three year old moments, because he's three. And along with that sweet personality of his he is extremely independent, and has become much more outspoken about it over the last couple of months. I appreciate that quality in him, but with him only being two, and now three, it can be difficult to be patient sometimes. We love him so much and are so grateful for him, he brings his own gifts, light, and joy to our family that are so perfect for us. Also, everyone says he looks like his Daddy, and we agree! He looks like a little replica of Jeremy! lol.

He is so handsome.

3rd Birthday Questions with Benson:

1. What is your favorite toy? Tayo
2. What is your favorite book? Mouse book (If You Give A Mouse A Cookie) 
3. What is your favorite food? Noodles (Annie's Mac & Cheese)
4. What is your favorite dessert? Dog food
5. What is your favorite vegetable? Cake
6. What is your favorite fruit? Grapefruit
7. What do you want to be when you grow up? Tayo
8. What is your favorite snack? Cake
9. What is your favorite color? Red
10. What is your favorite thing to have for breakfast? Noodles 
11. What does Mommy always say to you? Moo.
12. What does Daddy always say to you? No-no.
13. What is your favorite TV show? Tayo
14. Who is your best friend? Tayo
15. What is your favorite song? Gummy Bear song

I remember when he was brand new, holding him in my arms, how calm he made me feel. When my hormones were raging all over the place, I could cuddle him close and he would literally calm me. He is so good for me and I am so grateful for him.

I do have to say that he is our most independent child so far at two years old, and he is SO busy. All the time. Like, literally into everything. But he's just so dang sweet about everything that you can't be mad!

I have several examples.

(October 2018)
Last week I let him have "rest time" on our bed in our bedroom, thinking "I'll give him this huge stack of books and two LeapPads and that should keep him busy for an hour." Nope. I heard the door click closed about 15 minutes after I laid him down and I knew I needed to go open it again. I go in there a few minutes later and in that short amount of time he found a syringe that had Tylenol in the tip from the night before on my nightstand and he had gotten that tiny bit alllllll over our *just washed* white sheets. Then, he was into the drawer of my nightstand pulling more stuff out and trying to spray silver on himself, among other things.

Here is another example from TODAY.

I went to nurse Anderson for just a few minutes, Benson was supposed to be eating his dinner, but instead he somehow found the leftover candles and cake from Jeremy's birthday the night before. When I came out he was very pleased with his work and proceeded to say, "cake, Mommy!!" With a huge smile. And with huge, surprised eyes, but realizing that he was just trying to help, I stopped myself from getting upset and told him it looked beautiful and took a picture. :) I almost laughed. He is so dang cute.

Some other funny things he does:

• He loves plugging the bathroom sink so he can play in the water. Over and over again I would catch him and tell him no and have him unplug it. We eventually put a door handle guard thing on the bathroom door, but with so many kids needing to use the bathroom the door would get left open and he would be in there every time (and he's so quiet about it)! Jeremy took the plug things out of the sink, thinking that if he couldn't plug it he would lose interest. NOPE. He started taking the hand towel and plugging the hole with it, and then when we stopped hanging those up I proceeded to find a BATH towel wadded up in the sink, and then smashed peanut butter and jelly sandwich down the drain, play doh, a hairspray container lid over the drain, and a shirt. GAH. Among other things. He's determined. 
• If anyone gets hurt, or they drop something or whatever, he says, "sorry, *and their name." So if I spill water he will say, "sorry, Mommy!" LOL. He is so sweet.
• His manners are also so excellent. He says please and thank you SO good. 
• He loves to pretend that he's making a "smoovie" (smoothie). And lately he's started calling them potions. He also loves to pretend he's making popcorn and has come up with some really creative ideas with his toys to make the sound. He loves the play kitchen and likes to make food there all the time, too. He also loves to help me cook and is always asking, "make a cake, Mommy?" Because we have cake on Sunday's for dessert sometimes. Also, anytime I get out a 9x13 pyrex dish he asks, "Happy Birthday cake??" 
• He says I yuv you, all the time. He will say "I yuv you, Mommy." Or, "I yuv you, Daddy." And will sometimes say it to his older brothers. 
• He potty trained SO fast a few months ago. It kind of caught me off guard. Like I said, he is SO independent. I was like, "this is great! No more day time diapers." Well, after he figured out how to poop on the potty, he stopped telling me and decided he was ready to wipe his own little butt. I'm sure you can imagine how that turned out. :l Poop everywhere. Like, all over the toilet, all over him, all over the role of toilet paper, and all over the floor. That happened several times. And he still doesn't tell me when he needs me to wipe, he just does it himself, and it's still a little messy, but he's getting better at it. 
• He gets clothes and undies on all by himself already!
• He wears squeaky shoes whenever we leave the house so I can keep track of him. Like I said, he is so quiet when he wants to be, and that combined with how independent he is makes me nervous. Those squeakers have helped so much!
• He always says, "cuddle me" when we tuck him in at nap time or bedtime, and then when you do he rubs his nose on your cheek to snuggle. 
• He loves greek yogurt which he calls, "yogeer," he also loves peanut butter & jelly sandwiches and sweet potatoes. 
• Whenever we are out and about and he's bored (since he's been potty trained), he will tell me "go pee, mommy!" And I'll say, "no, we just went." And then 30 seconds later he will say, "go poop, mommy!" MMhhmmm. I fell for it the first few times. He just does it when he's bored, and now I know that. lol.
• He has now started saying "mugga mugga" when you tell him you love him and snuggle his face. It's adorable. 
• He loves to watch Kuckggington (Chuggington) and Paw Patrol (Paw Troll), he can sing the Paw Patrol song, too. 
• We used to let him listen to music during nap time and at bedtime, but then he started turning the stereo all the way up! So, no more. lol. One time I put the iPad in there with music and tried to use it to play games instead of sleep, it was locked, but still, he climbed up there to get it and everything.
• He can sing a short version of "Twinkle Star."
• He is learning his shapes and colors so well!
• He loves cranes and trailers, he is constantly getting into the LEGO closet to take the older boys trailers they've built, lol. He also has a DUPLO crane that he carries around a lot. 
• He is such a good example to everyone in our family. He has such a sweet-peacemaker spirit. Bridger or Beckham will get upset and he will give them a toy to help them feel better, or other things like that. He is just so aware and loving. 
• He loves his "bogbee" (binky), his "Moosie," and his "bankie." Sometimes when he's feeling tired he will start listing his favorite things for bed like this: "Go bed/seep...my bogbee...my bankie...my Moosie...my milk. 
• People are always telling me how adorable he is. 
• He is lean and strong and fast!
• Just after he turned two he really wasn't talking that much, he was a master at communicating by sounds and body language, when we realized that we started focusing on repeating the things he wanted/needed in sentences and he started immediately picking up words, now he is speaking in almost complete sentences at 2 years 8 months.

This picture is so him. The boots, the shorts, the shirt, the way he's sitting. All of it. I love him so much. 

At 2 years 9 months:

• He loves saying prayer now. For the last few weeks he just started praying whenever anyone else would pray, with his little eyes squeezed shut like it was just so hard to keep them that way, his little hands clasped in front of him. He would just say whatever he could copy. The last week or two we let him start praying on his own and his prayers are so long! LOLOL. The first time he started off "Heavy Favver...good dreams...uh *he looks around with his eyes squinting*...my cup...Bridger's cup...Beckham's cup...ball...food...my bed...my sawich...my car..." and when someone tried to help him he would yell, "don't!" and continue. I'm still laughing. It was so adorable. I love him. 
• We bought him squeaky shoes to help keep track of him when we are out and about. Well, he learned that he can tip toe and his shoes aren't noisy, so that's the new thing. GAH.
• I have found him several times in the bathroom with a toothbrush trying to brush his teeth, I'm not sure how much toothpaste he ate. :S I buy this natural stuff for that reason. 
• This happened just two mornings ago. 

Benson: Came into our room with his usual "Good morning!!" and then he ran into our bathroom saying "need a go poop." He slams the door.

Me:  A few minutes later..."Are you done?"

Benson: "I'm wipin' my butt!" 

Jeremy runs over there (because even though Benson thinks he's old enough, and has thought that for months now, he's not) Jeremy twists the handle to our bathroom and it's locked. So he calls to Benson...

Jeremy: "unlock the door, Benson." 

Benson: "No!"

Jeremy: "unlock the door right now!!"

Benson: "No! Wipin a my butt!"

Jeremy: "If you don't unlock the door you will go to the calm place."

Benson: unlocks the door. "Oh, sorry Daddy!"

LOLOLOLOL. 

He has tried to wipe on his own many times, I've told him I need to help him, but he will go to the bathroom and not tell me and then I open the toilet seat and startle-scream because there is poop all over the seat. Other times I've found him putting on his undies and there is poop all over the toilet, the toilet paper roll, the floor, and the rug, and still on him as well. He just wants to be a big boy. lol. I love him so much.

2 years, 10 months old.

He has started saying "Gosh, dangit!" (Sounds like Gosh, nangit)

3 years.

• "I love you, too." Even if he says it first. For example, he will look at me or Jeremy and say "I love you, too." And then we'll respond that we love him, too. lol
• He is so happy to sit on the counter and help, or watch, me make dinner. 
• He still LOVES to play in water. I still find him playing in the sink. 
• He still wears squeaky shoes so I can hear him better, he is definitely not a really loud kid. He has his moments, but most of the time he's just really busy!
• He can hold his own with his two older brothers! He doesn't let anybody push him around. 
• He loves the show "Tayo the Little Bus." That's the birthday he wanted!
• He has been wearing 3T clothes for at least six months already, I've started buying him 3-4. His feet are also so long!! I just bought new shoes for him and the sizing said it was for 4.5-5 yrs old and he just turned 3. lolol. 
• He can point out the most common colors and can almost count to 10 by himself. He loves to read Llama Llama books. He will color a little bit, but he loses interest pretty quick. He loves puzzles, too!
• He still calls his binky "bogbee" lol. He sleeps with it every nap time and bedtime, and also sleeps with his two favorite blankets and his Moosy. 
• He still doesn't love nursery, but his nursery leader has been really good and patient. When I have taken him, a few times outside the nursery door he stops and presses himself against the other wall with his arms out yelling, "no! no nursery! don't. want. go. nursery!!" His leader will come get him and he will throw a fit for a minute, but he settles down and has a fun time and is happy as can be when we pick him up, lol. He's the only kid that has ever done this! Other times he just cries that he doesn't want to go, but she just takes him matter of fact and after a couple minutes he's fine. lol. 
• His favorite foods are pizza, mac & cheese, peanut butter & honey, greek yogurt, grapefruit, grapes, apples, blueberries, strawberries, cooked carrots, cheese, almond milk, 
• He has been fighting naps! Gah. About half the time when he lays down he will go to sleep, and about half the time he's running around in his room, looking out the window, playing with toys he snuck in there, and talking to Alexa (which is hilarious).
• We put an Alexa in his room a couple months ago, at first the speaker couldn't understand anything he said so it didn't matter, we could turn music on for bedtime and then he'd try to talk to it and it wouldn't do anything. He calls it "Lexsha" LOL. Anyway, he would just talk and yell at it, trying to get it to play the Gummy Bear song or Peanut Butter Jelly song, over and over. Sometimes Alexa would misunderstand him and some random song would come on and then he would get mad and start yelling LEXSHA PAY GUMMY BEAR SONG! LOLOL. And I'm upstairs just laughing as I watch the baby monitor. He got so good at it that we actually had to start locking the Alexa after we turned lullabies on so he couldn't play with it. :l
• If he naps during the day he goes to bed around 8 PM, and stays awake in his room until like 10! If he doesn't nap he ends up super ornery by the end of the day, but he will go to bed at 7 and fall right asleep, so it's kind of a tough transition right now. 

He got to have two birthdays! We celebrated with Grandma and Grandpa Brown about a week early, and that's when he got most of his presents, then we had a small party on his actual birthday. :)

We had him cover his eyes for when we brought his new bike in!

He LOVES it!!

He is seriously so cute. I couldn't stop watching him. He got it down pretty quick and was cruising around the neighborhood! :) It's a strider bike, which is supposed to help kids learn how to ride a pedal bike faster.

His Tayo cake! He requested a Tayo birthday party, and Grandma Brown's chocolate cake. :)

The doughnuts were for his actual birthday! We let him blow out some more candles and had doughnuts and presents before we left for swimming lessons. He even got to swim that day because Daddy came!