The DeVries Breeze

Angelic Mothers

2012-01-14T13:07:00.000-08:00

Well, Camille just left to take her mom to the airport after being with us for 2 1/2 weeks. Having had both of our mothers present to support us in this hard time of life I just want to give a shout out to mothers.

Elder Holland once said, "...when we speak of those who are instruments in the hand of God, we are reminded that not all angels are from the other side of the veil. Some of them we walk with and talk with—here, now, every day. Some of them reside in our own neighborhoods. Some of them gave birth to us, and in my case, one of them consented to marry me. Indeed heaven never seems closer than when we see the love of God manifested in the kindness and devotion of people so good and so pure that angelic is the only word that comes to mind..."

After being helped in a way that we could not help ourselves, I must say thank you to the angels who took care of us for this last month of our lives. Thank you Mom (Camille's and my own) for being there when we needed you most. We have felt God's love through your tender kindness.

We love you

She's a Champ

2012-01-07T16:33:00.000-08:00

I (Mike) would also like to add that Camille was a champ. I am a pansy when it comes to medical things (some would argue in others areas as well...but that's not the point). She was amazing, she had some pretty hard contractions (I watched the spike in the graph, they were pretty high) and she held on the whole time. I could tell that the nurses loved her. She wasn't stressed out, she didn't yell at them, or call them names; on the contrary, she was very kind to everyone and held her cool despite the pain. She thanked everyone for everything. It was actually pretty cute, the nurses and others kind of smiled at her gratitude...it made me think that maybe they weren't always appreciated by others. I'm very grateful for the Holy Spirit that calmed our hearts about the epidural. Everything went well in the end, and the most painful parts were fortunately mostly painless! Thank goodness for modern medicine.

Anyways, I just wanted to give a shout out for my awesome wife who has a stronger stomach and a bigger heart than her husband. I love you Camille.

Birth Story

2012-01-06T17:54:00.000-08:00

I love me a good birth story, so I thought I'd write about Finley's birth for you! Is it your best day or what?

As an introduction, Benson came to us through a C-section. It was not expected, not wanted, but really needed in the end. We prayed and really felt good about it. I originally went in to be induced with him, but after several large contractions his heart rate went too low and the doctor had to get called in specially from his golf game. We know that because he was still in his golf clothes when he walked in to give us our options. That being said, this time I was anxious this whole pregnancy to have a VBAC (vaginal birth after C-section). I talked with my doctor about it at every appointment and she constantly reassured me that I was a good candidate for it (ps...I went with a practice with 5 different female doctors. It was nice to have a woman, but didn't really make that big of a difference for me. I honestly wish I could have tried a midwife, but I was too nervous being a VBAC. I just wanted the baby and I to be safe. Maybe in the future) Anywho, the appointments were wonderful, everything was great. I was told that they don't induce VBACs unless I showed some sign of progress (my cervix had to get into a certain position, I had to be a certain amount effaced, a little bit dilated, and my cervix had to be almost fully ripened on it's own) before they would induce me. Did you know they don't typically induce VBACs without these signs first? I didn't, and it made me nervous because if I went over (which I had with Benson) and I wasn't showing any progress they automatically had to give me a C-section. Something I was avoiding at all costs. I got pretty desperate at the end and tried just about everything to get the baby out on his own, but he was stubborn. At the last appointment I almost cried when she told me I made enough progress to get induced instead of waiting for the c section so we scheduled the induction for the 21st. I was terribly nervous that everything was going to go wrong again, especially because I was convinced that I had to have the c section with Benson because of my epidural. I had low blood pressure already and it affected me funny the first time. Which was why I was going to try to go natural. Ha. Mike's mom arrived the night before, and that night I got a blessing that everything was going to go great. I felt peaceful. We got to the hospital and hour late, but come on, she scheduled us for 6:30 AM and I knew they wouldn't deny me if I arrived late so we took our time. When I got there they did the normal prep work and then hooked me up straight away to the medicine. Contractions weren't bad for a while, but then they came and broke my water (which, by the way, was PAINFUL. Mainly because she had to stretch me out to a 3 manually before she could break my water. Ouch. Wouldn't recommend that everyday) Contractions got really painful after this and combined with the medicine, it was just getting worse and worse. I tried listening to that stinkin Hypnobabies at this point but I just couldn't stand her telling me that I was having a pain free calm birth and that I was feeling absolutely no pain when I most certainly was in a lot of pain. Plus, she was way too calm and all I wanted to do was punch her in the face...so we turned off the hypnobabies CD. I would totally recommend that course for the first part of labor, just not when it gets hard. Anybody who tells you childbirth doesn't hurt at least a little bit is lying. There is some degree of pain involved. But I digress. At this point I was really wanting the epidural so we called in the nurse and then it was just a waiting game for that wonderful wonderful anesthesiologist to come in. Those guys are miracle workers, heroes of our day. Meanwhile, I had told my poor husband before we walked into the hospital that under no circumstances should he let me get the epidural. But, the moment I said I wanted one he was calling the nurse for me telling her to get in there. Atta boy, Mike. I'm glad he did. The epidural was instantly relieving and awesome, so we played some games, watched some movies and took a nap while we waited for Finn to make his arrival. We had a great time, we felt like we hired a babysitter for a date or something. I don't remember how long later but the nurse came back in to check me and said I was at a nine and to wait to push because she was going to get a doctor. At this point the baby was already crowning and about ready to come out. My poor doctor was running around like mad trying to deliver three babies at once (It was literally like Father of the Bride part II, when the doctors were running around to the different rooms) This next part is my favorite part of the story. Pushing was easy and fast, about fifteen minutes. I never got this experience with Benson so I was LOVING it. What an awesome and spiritual experience (it sounds weird, but it truly was) to see one of your kids being born. To be the first person in the world to hold him and talk to him. To hear his first cry. It was a deeply personal and amazing experience and that's about the only way I can describe it without lessening it. I will always have that ingrained into my memory. That's about it at that point. I will write about the hospital later but thought I would give you some quick details. I know I wanted natural labor, but I am so grateful that the epidural worked and everyone was healthy. I'm grateful for an awesome nurse who talked me into the epidural and said my experience was just a freak accident, and that would almost never happen again with the second one. Anyways, I will write more later but that's how it all went down. We love our new little family of four!

what he really looks like

2012-01-02T10:45:00.000-08:00

My sister came and captured a few shots of what Finn really looks like. Here is one for preview. And for the record, his name is Finley Michael DeVries.

Meet the Bub

2012-01-01T07:56:00.000-08:00

We had a baby! And not just any baby, a DeVries baby. We think he is rather wonderful and we are having so much fun just cuddling with him and trying to enjoy every minute with him as a newborn because, as we found out with Benson, they turn into two year olds before you know it! He was 8 lbs 6 oz, 21 inches (big baby, I know. Was it a result of all of the chocolate I consumed during pregnancy? I guess we will never know.) He looks a lot like Mike and has his eyes and dark hair. I can now say that I am madly in love with three different boys. And its awesome. Here are some pics.

Boring

2011-12-09T14:20:00.000-08:00

Sorry our blog has been so boring of late (though, was it ever that exciting?) But I have an excuse, I am growing a baby that we are due to meet in one week. Exciting, isn't it? As recompense for having neglected the blog in all of my tiredness, here are a few forgotten pictures of October. We dressed up as bacon, toast and eggs for Halloween (TOTALLY stole the idea from the Freemans, who were in our ward a few years ago. Forgive us?), made a trip to Goebberts (local pumpkin patch) to play around as a fam, and Mike and I carved pumpkins and roasted pumpkin seeds after Benson went to bed one date night. It was a GREAT month and I'm so glad we took advantage of the fun local events going on.

Just a quick update

2011-11-16T12:16:00.000-08:00

Okay, these pictures aren't amazing and I don't have a ton to say, but here are two goodies from the past month. Our little Benson Dean turned two on November 2nd. We love him more than ever and think he is wonderful. More updates to come on the magical world of two. There is also a picture of me included. I have been very opposed to pictures this time around, mainly because I am HUGE! But, you can't help but laugh at yourself once in a while. Yesterday I was shopping with Benson and I turned around to the sympathetic face of a complete stranger. All she said was "You look really uncomfortable" I didn't know how to respond. Ummmm, thanks? I guess? What I really wanted to do was yell, "If one more person makes a comment about my size, I will punch them" Okay, not really punch, but give them a stern talking to. Maybe that's the eight month pregnant lady hormones talking in me. See guys, this is why I haven't posted in a long time. I'm a pregnant roller coaster of emotions. Annnnnnd with that being said, enjoy the pics.

Sickie

2011-10-21T14:05:00.000-07:00

Benson Dean got pretty sick about two weeks ago. It started with a fever and a really, REALLY swollen lymph node in his neck. So big that I took him into the doctor just to check the lump on his neck. Then he wouldn't eat anything, then his eyes got puffy. It was weird. After many trips to the doctor, lots of prayer, and one almost trip to the hospital, it was declared he had strep throat. Thank goodness! It was a crazy two weeks and we were absolutely exhausted, but mainly we were worried for our little guy. This is what he looked like those two weeks, just slept on our chest and cried about how much he hurt. So sad (I added a picture of what he looks like normally so you can compare)

3 years

2011-08-16T06:31:00.000-07:00

3 years ago today, we got hitched! 2 years ago in October, we we a few days away from meeting Benson for the first time. Last year around this time, Mike was graduating and we were a few months away from moving to Chicago and this year we are a few short months away from meeting Baby Brother. Time flies when you're in love :)

Such a happy life :) Happy three years to my awesome husband! Three years, two college graduations, one and a half kids later and one big move across the country, our adventure is just beginning! I love that handsome guy I got married to three years ago.

An in case I forgot to announce it here...

2011-08-11T12:51:00.000-07:00

Baby DeVries number two is all boy! We are excited to have two little boys running around the house. Benson is excited to have someone he can beat up on other than his mom. Cheers all around!

Wisconsin State Fair

2011-08-11T12:32:00.001-07:00

You'd think growing up in Texas I'd have seen my fair share of cowboys and hicks, you were wrong. We had the delightful opportunity to attend the Wisconsin State Fair with my sister Brooke and her husband Tyler and their two kiddos, Tanner and Katelyn a few weekends ago. We had the best time walking around and looking at the animals and sampling fair food. We were a little bit nervous to attend because the day before quite a few people were attacked as they left the fair grounds when it was closing. 26 people were arrested. Crazy. Our favorite quote from fox news about the subject "People come to the fair to see chickens and pigs, not get beat up". So true, so true. Happily, no one in the DeVries or the Hedin families got beat up that day. We did get to sample delicious fried Milky Ways, Fish and Chips, Lemonade and flavored milk. Our two favs were probably the fried milky way and the cherry vanilla milk. More of that please! We had a great time and I felt very loved as Katelyn wanted me to hold her hand the whole time. I loved it! Sometimes you forget how fun it is to be an aunt when you have your own kid begging for attention. It was extremely hot, so by the end of the day we were exhausted and needed to go home. My sister is also pregnant and so we commiserated with each other as we walked back to the car. Aching hips, sore feet, etc. Thanks Hedins for the great day at the fair! We loved it.

White Sox Party

2011-08-11T12:18:00.000-07:00

Mike and I have been talking about how much we wanted to go to a White Sox game this summer...but after looking up ticket prices it pretty much needed to go unspoken that neither of us wanted to blow that much dough on one baseball game. So, imagine my surprise when Mike calls me out of the blue one day and asks me to get a sitter for the next night cause we were going to a game! That husband o' mine. Sure do love him. It turns out he had entered a raffle at work and won, not just two regular tickets, but two box suite seats, with dinner and parking included! We felt like kings as we had all the drinks, gourmet dinner, snacks, gourmet dessert carts, Ice cream sundae carts and everything else you could think of, that we could possibly want right there in that suite! We loved it! The weather was perfect, and even though the Sox lost we had an awesome time. We were mostly paying attention to the food and the drunk people anyways. Perfect date night with the perfect man! Thanks Blewitts for watching Benson for us!

PS

2011-08-03T09:56:00.000-07:00

I have a few family shots that I will post later, but they are currently in the possession of my siblings. And, the picture of the three boys in the bathtub and the one below it of the three boys sitting on the bench are of Benson and his cousins. The one in the bathtub is of the boys last year at my mom's house about a year ago and the one on the bench is of the boys this year. See how much they've grown? They were all born within a few months of each other. They have another cousin, Tyson, who wasn't able to make it either time who was born two days before Benson that should be in the pictures too. I love seeing these boys grow up!

Nauvoooooooo

2011-08-03T08:58:00.001-07:00

Here are a lot of pics people! Last week my family got together in Nauvoo for a little family reunion. It was awesome and everyone made it but Michelle and Jared and their four kiddos. We missed them! The vacation was so very fun and it was so nice to be with my family. It was crazy to see all of the nieces and nephews again, they are so big and are getting to be such big people. I love them so much, I wished I lived closer! The only complaint, it was stinkin' hot the whole week. Really, really, hot. We were sweating buckets, but true to form, the little kids still ran around like crazy with pink cheeks and all and had a blast with each other. My favorite part was when the adults all took turns babysitting each other's kids and attending a session at the Nauvoo temple. It was beautiful and peaceful and amazing being in the temple with some of my sisters. We got to attend the Nauvoo pageant (gotta admit, not the best for kids so we all took off early to get them to bed)and the games that started before. The kids loved the games, the oxen rides and the kids playground area.

I looooooooove being around my siblings. The girls are all moms I want to be like. They are patient, loving, forgiving and such great teachers. When I tell them that I am having problems with Benson throwing tantrums, they smile nicely and with all the wisdom and experience they have, they just tell me to be consistent and give it time. Babies and kids go through stages. That's all. Not an earful of advice, just a few nudges in the right directions. When it comes to role models, my mom and my sisters (this includes you Shauna) are who I want to be like the most. They are amazing and I love their kids.

Okay, enough of that. Here are the pictures:

Fievel DeVries

2011-07-26T15:52:00.000-07:00

Benson likes wearing hats. As he wore his daddy's hat from Russia, I couldn't help but think about Fievel in An American Tail...

Fievel

Benson

Choo Choo!

2011-07-16T14:52:00.001-07:00

Darth Vador is a train...at least that's what Benson thinks, cause when he sees a picture of him he says "Choo Choo!" Just thought that was worth sharing.

4th of July

2011-07-13T12:43:00.000-07:00

The 4th of July was awesome here! Mike knows its one of my very favorite holidays to celebrate so he made sure to plan something fun. We went to Silver Beach, a beach on Lake Michigan. This is where Mike's Nonnie and Papa live, also his Aunt Sheri and Uncle John and their kids. Now, I grew up living fifteen minutes from a lake. We went there all the time. This was NOT a Texas lake. It had real sand, cool and refreshing water and it really did feel like the ocean. Benson was not happy about the cold water and sand all over at first, but he warmed up to it and had fun dragging me through the water later on. We built sand castles, buried Benson in the sand (pictured below...he really did have fun that day, I promise. He was just freezing and shivering and probably his body was shutting down from hypothermia at this point. Not the best parenting moment on our part) The beach was crowded crowded crowded, but that just added to the fun. Who doesn't like to be sitting down staring at the beautiful beach and turn around only to find a giant bum in your face? Mike and I had a few good laughs over that one. Especially because we had Mike's 14 year old brother there and 14 year old cousin with us and they weren't as comfortable with the bum-face situation as we were. It was funny. After the beach, we took Benson over to the gigantic splash pad just a minute or two walk up from the beach and it was fun! Every fifteen minutes they have 4 fire engine hoses spray water into the center of the circle and everyone just groups together and gets hosed. Really really fun, and only a little painful for sunburned bodies. After that we all went and got delicious ice cream at a little ice cream shop and headed home for dinner with nonnie, papa, uncle john, Aunt Sheri and cousin Elizabeth. Three words: Silver Beach Pizza. Yum-a-li-cious. Watermelon for dessert (couldn't have asked for anything more) as we sat on the front porch watching the sunset and getting crazy messy stuffing our faces with gigantic pieces of watermelon. Benson was in heaven. Did I mention Mike's Nonnie and Papa live right on Lake Michigan? The view is incredibly gorgeous and it really was a perfect end to a perfect day. We skipped fireworks (party poopers, don't judge) because we wanted to avoid the crowds on the little over 2 hour drive home. The awesome thing was that as we were driving there were firework shows going on in every city by the highways, so we saw about fifteen different show. Benson stayed awake the whole time pointing them out to us. We had such an awesome day, thanks Nonnie and Papa for having us!

PS... the last picture or whatever order it's in, is of Benson in his new car. The smile on his face does not even begin to express his Euphoria as he realized the car was his when we got it home. I've started parking in the driveway so that he doesn't see the car and insist on driving it around for two hours before we go anywhere (tantrums, I'm doing it to avoid tantrums). Best part is, I found it for three dollars! Go garage sale me!

Days off and Holidays

2011-06-29T12:14:00.000-07:00

I've been really bad about posting what has been happening lately, mainly because so much of it has been going on! I think I'll tell about it in pictures...

Benson has been learning a lot of new words, dance moves and tricks lately. Here is one of them:

Sometimes we will be driving around in the car and I hear him laughing, and turn around only to find him with both fingers up his nose. Must have learned that one from his daddy.

Mike had memorial day off, and so we celebrated a three day weekend recently. We started out by bowling:

(I know I look awful in the top picture, but it was so cute I had to post it. This was right after Benson lovingly said "ball" and put his head on it and hugged it. Why doesn't he do that with us?)

Saturday we woke up fairly early and headed out to the Field Museum in Chicago. We had a blast just searching through the different exhibits. Benson was our little angel kid and had a great time just chillin in the stroller all day. Bless him.

I think I need to add more pictures in an above post, hold on...

Oh baby...

2011-06-15T06:12:00.001-07:00

Probably most of you either already knew this or were expecting it fairly soon, but we are currently expecting baby Devries number two! I have my second appointment next week (14 weeks) and I haven't really been sick at all! Exhausted and tired, yes, but not sick. The first ultrasound looked great and the new little bub was squirming and kicking like a champ. We are very excited to meet Benson's younger sibling on December 17th. They had to induce me after I was a week late with Benson, so I'm hoping to convince the doctors this time to either induce me on my due date or let me go two weeks after my due date. I don't want to have a baby on Christmas day! We shall see.

I know this is completely random but another reason I am so excited is because my best friend from high school is expecting her third on exactly the same day. Awesome right? And did you know (I'll bet you did not) that Benson and her second son are only a month apart in ages? Too bad they have never met each other because I live in Chicago and she moved to Cananda, but it's still fun to think about.

Pictures speak at least 10 words...

2011-06-05T19:56:00.000-07:00

Here are some fun pictures of the boy formally known as "Benson"

If you give a Benson a hat, he's gonna ask for some music...

2011-06-05T14:01:00.000-07:00

Hi guys! We haven't updated in a while so my sister requested a video. Here it is! I really wanted to post one that displayed Benson's personality right now. He is generally such a happy, go with the flow kid (he still throws lots of tantrums in between of course). He also likes to dance to the beat of his own drum, literally. Many times throughout the day he will just look up at us and smile really big and start dancing for us. Even without music. He will also ask for his hat or his sunglasses and then request some music. I think the hat and glasses make him look cool. The other day Mike was telling me about Justin Beiber because I had never heard any of his songs. I opened up Pandora to play one of his songs and my regular music just came on. While I searched for the right song, Benson just sat normally and waited. As soon as the Justin Beiber song came on he jumped up and danced like crazy. This is a kid who loves a beat. He is really his daddy's son when it comes to this. He is so fun!

Small update

2011-05-19T12:36:00.000-07:00

I've been wanting to post something, but to be honest, we have been TOTALLY negligent in taking pictures lately. Chalk it up to good old fashioned forgetfulness. We even forgot to take a picture of the fam bam on Mother's day and on Easter. Grrrr. Let's just say both were awesome and got to enjoy time with the DeVries' fam for both holidays. Mike was the usual sweet husband that he is and made me a "mommy and Benson" book, with pictures of me and the babe over the past year. I LOVED it. Plus, he got me my daisy and chocolate that I love. It was a bag of dark chocolate truffles and they were gone by the end of the day. Don't worry, I shared. A little. I received breakfast in bed and a wonderful dinner made by Dad Devries, Mike and the kids (chicken piccata and tons of other delicious treats. YUM!) Plus, Mike gave me a nap in the car on the way home. He really did a good job this mother's day. I always used to think that when I was a mom on mother's day that I'd get to be able to reflect on how awesome I was as a mother (vain, I know) but I love mother's day because it really lets me realize how much I love Benson Dean and how awesome he is as a son. He's the best! And, because this post is really about pictures, here they are. I LOVE the picture of Mike and the Benz brushing their teeth together because Benson is looking up with such adoration at Mike. Mike gets that look a lot from Benz, and it makes me jealous. The other one is of our pre-easter celebration at my sister's house in Wisconsin. Please note the absolute terror on Benson's little face. And I can't remember what the last pic is of, so enjoy!

Movie Review

2011-05-09T14:35:00.000-07:00

I need to really post about Easter, Mothers Day weekend and a few other things, but first, I wanted to tell you guys about a movie we saw recently that we loved. It was Thor. I'm not lying. I thought the ads looked ridiculous and I was seriously in doubt about how good this movie was, especially after Mike told me it was about a guy who was the God of Thunder whose power was in his sword. Say what? But, we ended up getting free tickets to the movie and a free babysitter so I was willing to watch a silly movie if it meant a date alone with the hottest man on the planet. TMI, I know. Anywho, the movie was really good. I was even believing by the end that all of this was real. The humor was done really well and I thought the acting was great. There was a LOT going on at once, only complaint. My biggest plug to the movie is that it is amazingly clean. Only one or two swear words and no sexual stuff. Really. That alone in my book gives it two thumbs up. So, go and see Thor! Or wait until it comes out to redbox, which we would have done if we hadn't of gotten free tickets...

DISCLAIMER: Mike and I LOVE superhero movies. We really do. Iron Man, Batman, Spiderman, Chronicles of Narnia, we love them all. This might have added to the reasons why we liked the movie so much. Keep that in mind if you really despise movies like this because you might not be too happy with me for this recommendation

Couponing

2011-04-20T13:35:00.000-07:00

Okay, so I've finally caught the couponing bug. It really is addicting people, to watch and see how much you save. Here is a picture of this weeks deals:

Included is:
7 rolls of floss
4 bottles of body wash
1 egg decorating kit
4 bubblemint toothpastes
1 gallon of milk
2 packs of gum
12 rolls of scotch tape
2 bags of Hershey's candy

Total: $6
(The price is a little high because Illinois sales tax is about 10% and I thought the candy was on sale when it wasn't. Dang. I had a "$5 worth of Hershey's candy coupon" to use today so I had to buy it anyways. Oh well!)

Couponing really does work, and I really will use all of these products. Fun, fun, fun!

Weekend 'o Fun!

2011-04-11T12:33:00.000-07:00

We had a BLAST this past weekend with the DeVries side of the fam. Everyone came down on Friday morning and we wore ourselves out exploring and tasting Chicago. We ate some of the best food I have ever tasted this weekend (seriously) and just enjoyed being with each other as we walked through the city and rode death defying roller coasters at the Lego factory. Here are a few pics for memory's sake (there are a ton more, but these are just a few):

Cute Esty Shop

2011-04-07T08:45:00.000-07:00

My amazing, talented, beautiful and creative sister just opened her etsy shop. She has created awesome modern customizable art prints for baby and kids rooms. Her stuff is totally my style and I love. Benson is getting the monster alphabet up in his room stat. If you have a minute check out her shop http://www.etsy.com/shop/bugabooprints you will love it!

Love, camille

Sorry

2011-03-31T13:19:00.000-07:00

First of all, I need to say sorry that the last post was kind of stream of consciousness, doesn't make any sense kind of writing. I had mommy brain yesterday.

Second of all, I DECLARE BANKRUPTCY. Haha, just kidding. Mike and I have been watching old seasons of the Office and I have had that quote on my mind ever since I heard it. I just wanted to say that I love being a stay at home mom to my sweet little one and a half year old. I love reading books to him as we eat breakfast together. I love giving him a bath and getting soaked (every.single.morning) because he thinks its HILARIOUS to splash me. I love that mommy is his favorite word. I love that he is crazy ticklish and laughy right before naps. I love that he grabs my hand when he wants me to help him with something. I love that I know exactly what he was eating all day, exactly what he learned all day, exactly what he said all day, how many tantrums he threw all day, and exactly how he was feeling all day because I have the privilege of being home with him. I'm guess I'm just feeling blessed to have my crazy little boy all to myself between eight to five monday through Friday. I know I don't always feel like this (like when he is rolling around on the floor screaming because I won't let him dump his milk out on his head), so I wanted to make sure to document it and remind myself how lucky I am!

Thoughts as of late...

2011-03-30T10:54:00.000-07:00

Benson is getting so much older and is always jabbering something at me, I just wish I knew what he was saying. Sometimes I wish I had that baby translator thing I saw on the Simpsons once. If life were only that easy. Spring is just around the corner and Benson BEGS me to go outside everyday even when it's freezing. Sorry buddy, if you want to play in the snow you have to wait for daddy to get home. We are both getting a little stir crazy in the house all the time.

Benson is really into trucks right now, or Bi bi (pronounced like "big" without the g). He runs to the window every time he hears one. Yesterday I was walking upstairs to get him from his nap and the garbage truck had just passed by. When I got into Benson's room he was pointing to the window and madly trying to get to the window, shouting "Bi bi! Bi Bi! Bi Bi!" Ha. It was driving him crazy he couldn't get to the window himself to look at the bibi. Funny.

Mike's birthday is this Sunday! Happy 25th Birthday to my sweet husband. He's excited to join the quarter century club and I'm excited we are no longer two years apart (I turned 26 in Feb). Any good 25th birthday party ideas?

And, because every post incomplete without some sort of pic or video, here is our little man doing what he does best lately. Repeating mommy, mommy, mommy, over again. He is really into mom lately and I like it! So nice to be admired by someone you love so much! And in case you are wondering, hearing my name NEVER gets old when he says it! (most of the time...)

Side Note

2011-03-15T07:12:00.000-07:00

I'll spare you the pics of our room because it was dirty, of the basement because it's old and creepy and the bathrooms because who wants to look at pictures of someone else's bathroom?

Hope you enjoyed the pics!

Love,

The DeVries

More pics

2011-03-15T07:05:00.000-07:00

These are of our garage a playground (score!), what would have been Benson's room had it not been waaaay too cold at night, and Benson's room now (the tan one). There is The green room is super sweet with a hallway leading into the room and a separate playroom leading off from the room. My pictures do not capture any of this.

Our house...in the middle of the street...

2011-03-15T06:46:00.000-07:00

Here are pics of our house, finally! I have to make this quick because Benson has been up for a while in his crib shouting "Mommy! Mommy! Mommy! Mommy!". Look for more in the above post.

St. Patrick's Day Parade

2011-03-15T06:20:00.000-07:00

We had a blast last weekend, thanks to the Hedins coming down and spending the weekend with us! They were able to come down on Friday and we woke up on Saturday morning and took the train into Chicago. For some reason we thought the kids would LOVE the train, but to them, it was just a loooooong car ride with no car seats. Katelyn kept on asking when the train ride was over the boys started yelling at us (Both couples have a one and a half year old boy, Tanner and Benson). It was a happy moment indeed when we made it to Chicago! It was freezing, but we kept warm and bundled and the parade was great, what little we saw! We got there about 15 minutes before it started and there were about 20 people in front of it, so we didn't necessarily see the parade. But we heard it and it sounded great! Plus, we happened to stand behind a true Irishman who kept on talking with his accent and I didn't know if it was rude or not to take a picture of the Irishman at the St. Patrick's day parade so I didn't. Otherwise you could be staring at his face right now. The kids kind of lost it during the parade so we took off early and they all fell asleep in their strollers as we were walking to the river. It was a St. Patrick's Day Miracle! Seriously, we were elated. The river was awesome and really really green. I guess that's all you can say about a green river huh? Did I mention that Kelly and Nate were with us too? There just happens to be a couple in our ward who were also in the Hedin's ward while they both still lived in Provo! Cool huh? It was cool to have a mutual couple friend there. So, we all headed over to grab lunch and let the kids go crazy running around the food place. Don't judge. We are one of those parents. Anywho, we started hurrying back towards the train station to make it back only to be told that we missed it by minutes (by a guy who walks around giving you train advice and then asking for a tip. We didn't really think the tip was necessary on this one as he was telling us the same information we were reading on the screen) As we had just missed the last train we had an hour to blow. So what did we do? We got SHAMROCK SHAKES! MY favorite. I could eat one of those everyday (gain excessive amounts of weight) and be soooo happy. Overall it was awesome and we made it back so late from Chicago that the Hedins had to spend the night another night. Score. We love living close to the Hedins and we love living close to Chicago!

*I couldn't resist adding the picture if the beautiful little girl in. She looks so cute! This is my niece Katelyn riding in the train. Want to meet the giggliest, happiest kid alive? It's her! We really love being around her

but don't forget cali...

2011-02-27T13:39:00.000-08:00

Oops! I forgot to add the most IMPORTANT event of January was really our trip to California to see Elayna get sealed to Heather and Ben. It was an awesome experience and an awesome trip. Congrats Heather and Ben.

That trip was so much fun. I saw sunny California for the first time, which was beautiful, and we got to tour around San Francisco, eat at many delicious food joints, go to the Oakland temple for the sealing, and see where Mike and Jon went to High school (pictured about, the one with Mike and Jon in front of the big SkyLine sign). I can't wait to go back!

Which leads me to the move...

2011-02-27T13:23:00.000-08:00

we had a hard time saying goodbye to Provo, me in particular. Did you know that I lived in Provo for almost eight years? I went to college in Provo, lived in my very own first apartment in Provo, met and married the man of my dreams in Provo, lived in my first married apartment in Provo, made many life long friends, learned how to serve in RS callings, had Benson, shed countless tears, laughed countless laughs, and experienced so much in Provo. The move went seamlessly, because of our AWESOME friends. My sister took Benson ALL DAY the day of the move (did I mention that I miss the Grovers?), about 7 - 10 guys came from the ward and helped us move and about 7 women came and cleaned our house for us and I still tear up a little bit thinking about the kindness and generosity of everyone for doing that for us. The 85th ward really was a little piece of Heaven we will never forget! The drive to Illinois went well, but it was long and we were SO happy to get to Brooke's house in Wisconsin.

Which leads me to New Years...

2011-02-27T13:18:00.000-08:00

which we celebrated with Heather and Jon again. Sensing a trend? It was awful, we didn't have fun at all and we are so glad we moved so far away from them. NOT! We had the best time just hanging out and eating ridiculous amounts of junk food (more trends...). We always have fun with the DeVries' and their guns.

This leads me to Christmas...

2011-02-27T13:06:00.000-08:00

which was awesome. We didn't visit any relatives but instead opted for a quiet Christmas at home, which was much needed. We shopped a lot, got the house ready to move and finished up work stuff in Utah, Mike at Bidsync and me at Fleur de Lis. More on the move later though. We had an awesome Christmas Eve with the Grovers and stuffed ourselves silly eating junk food while we watched Holiday Inn, played Carcassonne, and made ornaments. We miss the Grovers! Christmas morning was awesome, while we once again stuffed ourselves with yummy treats, skyped with family and, of course, opened presents. Benson liked the present opening part and gave us a great present on Christmas day in return, he started officially walking! We had a great rest of the day just hanging out and watching It's a Wonderful Life.

I don't know where Mike put the rest of the Christmas photos so here are two of the Benz in his Christmas outfit.

the post of all posts

2011-02-27T12:46:00.000-08:00

Hi Guys! We haven't updated in forever, so we thought we'd give you a catch up of our crazy last two months. I'm just going to say it in lots of pictures, so be prepared! This will span over several posts, starting with our trip we took over Thanksgiving break to see Mike's brother and sister in law Heather and Jon in Arizona. It was an awesome visit and we LOVED their new home.

We ate a delicious turkey dinner made by Jon "I can cook anything" DeVries, we watched movies, shopped, made gingerbread houses (made with homemade gingerbread) and had a great time. Benson mainly enjoyed playing with the doggie food dish. Go figure. It was our first road trip ever with Benson and we can honestly say that he did wonderfully. It made us very optimistic for our many upcoming roadtrips.

Cracks me up

2011-01-28T13:32:00.000-08:00

This little boy o mine has been cracking us up lately. Everyday it seems like he grows more and more into a little boy. This morning when I took off his clothes to get him dressed I couldn't help but stare at his cute little naked legs and think "When did you get so tall little man?" It was weird. But I digress. He is really figuring life out and the process is funny to us. For example, I was eating lunch with him today and had given him one of the child safety cabinet lock thingys to play with while he ate. He loves to play with toys while he eats. Anyways, he was playing and eating when I stopped to get him some milk and when I turned around I saw this:

That's right folks, he was using the safety lock as a utensil to spear his food and eat it. Did I mention that he is also really into using big kid utensils lately too? Put a pile of baby sized finger food on his plate, and he doesn't touch it. But give him a fork and he will sit there and eat every single thing on his tray. He also likes the biggest bite on the tray. Exhibit A:

(We were having waffles for lunch, one of mommy's favs) he was trying to stick half of the waffle in his mouth and got pretty frustrated it wouldn't fit in there. I was giggling the whole time.

That's all for now. I know you probably wanted to see pics of our new place but considering we still don't have couches, kitchen table and chairs, rugs, lighting...etc. we decided to post pics when they actually get here! Should be next week so keep looking for updates! They told us the main furniture should arrive next Wednesday or Thursday and we can't wait!

Manly Boy

2011-01-26T16:58:00.000-08:00

For those of you who were concerned because Benson's bad habit of wearing his mother's hair flowers, I would like to say that he has kicked that habit, and has started a new hobby...which you can see in this video...

Illinois Here We Come!

2011-01-26T16:39:00.000-08:00

So Camille, Benson and I packed up our things, which turned out to be not so much stuff after we sold everything that we owned larger than a bread box...ok that may be an exaggeration, however we sold a ton of stuff before the move to make things a bit simpler, and it worked out great. As seen in the picture below, Benson is enjoying himself here (even though that picture was taken in Wisconsin). We have noticed that since we have moved into our new home Benson has been falling a lot because of the hard wood floors...like the bite it, right on your face kind of falls that make you wonder if his teeth are still there...yea, so we had to put an end to that. So now he's either barefoot or with shoes around the house, because we like his teeth the way they are. Anyways, things are going great around here. Heavenly Father has been very kind to us and we feel very grateful for this new adventure.

Benson the Model

2010-12-30T21:31:00.000-08:00

I know that all parents think that their baby is the cutest, but this picture looks like Benson is striking a pose. We just thought it was funny...(and he is the cutest...so there)

Christmas Joy

2010-12-30T21:26:00.000-08:00

Christmas was wonderful this year. We stayed up late with Erin and Thomas Grover playing games and following fun traditions. Then Camille, Benson, and I opened presents that Santa brought. We had a lot of fun surprises, but more than anything we were excited to celebrate the birth of our Savior, we have been very blessed and have much to be grateful for. In short, Benson's face is the depiction of our feelings this year.

Christmas Card

2010-12-22T14:01:00.000-08:00

Hello blog readers! Merry Christmas! So, we got a few free Christmas cards when we took family pictures the other day, so I thought I'd scan one in and post it for you to see. Also, here is an end of the year Christmas Letter from the DeVries. Enjoy!

Merry Christmas! This past year has been filled with great memories and constant changes. Here is a quick update of 2010:

Mike has worked for four different companies within the past year. The list includes the Missionary Training Center, AXA Equitable, Engineering & Technology Start-ups and, BidSync. Starting February 2011, Mike will be working as a Business Analyst at Sears, and is so excited! Mike also said goodbye to his undergraduate days at BYU as he graduated in December with a degree in Business Management with an emphasis in Marketing. As if a part time job, going to school full time and a busy calling weren’t enough, Mike has also spent the past year working hard as a manager of the apartment complex we manage.

I stayed busy this year taking care of Benson, managing the apartment complex and serving in my callings. Being a full-time mom has been the most challenging and the most rewarding thing I have ever done! Benson has grown so much and I am LOVING this stage of life with him. He is so much fun to be around. As for managing, it definitely has kept me on my toes (you basically become a part-time mother to 60 single college-age girls!). It has had its ups and downs, but I am grateful to have been a manager to keep my brain active while I am at home and to give me projects to work on!

Benson Dean has grown so much. I am always amazed at the new things he is learning. His most recent trick is to repeat what we say. The other day I was bringing Benson inside and telling him how cold it was, so I ended the sentence with “Brrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr”. Benson immediately said “Booeeeeeeyyyyyyyy”. Now when I tell him it’s cold he repeats “Boooey”. He has also learned to fold his arms during prayer and knows when we are getting ready to end. He knows how we end prayers and usually when we get to “ In the name…” he will shout “aaaaa” happily. I know he thinks he is saying “amen”, but I haven’t figured out if it’s because he is excited the prayer is over and he gets to play again or if it’s because he likes saying “amen”. Either way, we think it’s pretty cute. He is learning to walk now and we keep on expecting him to start any day now. We love that little man more than words can express!

We have seen the Lord’s hand in all of the changes over the past year and we know that we have been guided to go where we are going. We are thankful for the blessings we have received from our Heavenly Father and we are most thankful for the gift of His Son. This time of year is so special to us because we know why Christ was sent here and that he fulfilled his perfect mission so that we too could attain happiness. We hope your next year is filled with joy and that you all will have a wonderful Christmas. If we could spend it with every one of you, we would! We love you and miss you all!

Love,
Mike, Camille and Benson DeVries

Going PRIVATE!

2010-11-22T14:39:00.001-08:00

I know, I know. Don't judge us, but, we are going private with this blog! With Mike's new job, Benson getting older and a few other circumstances we have decided want to share the sordid details of our day to day lives with you, in a private sort of way. So, because I don't really know how this works, let me know if you would like to keep on reading our blog. Don't be shy. Even if you are my best friend from high school's cousin's girlfriend's grandma we would love it if you wanted to read our blog! Just let me know! We promise to keep the gushing over our baby to minimum.

Love,
The DeVries

We're Moving!

2010-11-19T12:48:00.000-08:00

A friend of mine pointed out to me that we hadn't posted about this, probably because most of you already know, but...we are moving to Chicago in January (end of December or beginning of January...we haven't decided yet)! We are both so stinking excited. I'm sure Benson would be too if he really understood. We are moving because Mike got a job out there and he is excited to start his first real job!

Mike grew up in Adrian Michigan (about 5 hours away) so he is very excited to be back in that weather. I, on the other hand, grew up in Dallas, Texas and I'm quite scared of the cold! I know we still have a month left here but we can't stop talking about Chicago!

Retraction to the Retraction

2010-10-24T10:04:00.001-07:00

My boy was obviously framed...

Retraction

2010-10-24T09:55:00.001-07:00

Can I just make a retraction for the last post? Mike likes to think Benson eats flowers for breakfast, but here is the REAL story. Benson has taken a liking to headbands. Scratch that, loving to headbands. His mommy wears one every morning and I guessed he noticed because the other day he saw one of my headbands and started trying to poke it on his little head. I helped him out and put it on him and he laughed and laughed and I told him over and over how "pretty" he looked, this just egged him on. Eventually he took it off, and handed it to me, so I put it on. He started crying and patting his own head, telling me that is HIS headband and it belongs there. So I put it back on again and the laughing started again. We have played this game every time he sees a headband for about a week and I think it's hilarious. Mike...is not so thrilled. I guess his plans for a big, tough, football playing man are still in the works, but hey, even football players need to accessorize right?

This is what was really happening

Benson is Manly

2010-10-24T09:48:00.000-07:00

Benson is so manly that when he sees a girly flower he eats it for breakfast.

Walker Boy

2010-10-24T09:13:00.000-07:00

Watching Benson develop his walking skills has been a funny experience. If you hold his hands he will walk with you until he either a) finds something that distracts him, at which point he will stop to put that thing in his mouth, or b) he will start "running" (or moving his feet faster but not really placing them on the ground. Kind of like the Flinstones), if you don't hold him up at this point he will fall on his face...Well, Camille and I were both pretty excited to see Benson walk with the help of a little toy that a friend from work gave me. Because he will now go straight until he runs into a wall. Baby's walking has to be one of the cutest things I've seen - Chubby legs jiggling as they struggle to stay standing, who wouldn't want to watch?

Disney Mania

2010-10-10T20:47:00.000-07:00

And this is a quick post just to tell you that Disney has entertaining shows. And they're clean. Mike has even gotten into them. So, if you are looking for good, clean television that you will really like I, for one, recommend the Disney channel. You will not be disappointed.

Toupees, Haircuts, and Cougars

2010-10-10T20:06:00.000-07:00

Okay, so Mike already posted about this, but he really did not do it justice. I came across a picture of Benson the other day and the first thought in my head was "Holy Toupee!" Don't have you to be 60 or older to wear these things? And our little man looked like he was growing a real one at 9 months. This is what Benson was REALLY looking like 2 MONTHS before we gave him a haircut...way way overdue...

And this is what he REALLY looked like after. I was sad, almost in tears (that's a little embarrassing) over how different he looked. But I really like the short now, such a little man.

On a side note, Mike walked (pre-graduated) from BYU in August. His whole family came out, including grandparents, and we had a BLAST visiting with them, getting to know our new niece Elayna, and having everyone get to know Benson Dean. It was a fun filled week, Benson loved it, and Mike looked especially cute in his BYU robes. I am so proud of Mike for working so hard through school and still finding time to spend with wifey and babe at home. We are SO glad when daddy comes home! And although I loved it when my cougar husband graduated from my (soon to be our) Alma Mater, my ultra proudest moment was not at graduation. It was in July at the annual 4th of July parade in Provo, when the BYU float and mascot came charging down the street. Mike stood up and cheered louder than anyone for "BYU!" and "COSMO!". Don't get me wrong, Mike has always loved his school and has been grateful to go there, but he is not the "school spirit" type. So, when he stood up and cheered, I almost had tears in my eyes. I asked about it later and he told me that now that he is graduating he is starting to feel the BYU spirit. Yes, that was a moment of joy for me. Gooooooooo Cougars! And for your viewing pleasure, a few pics of the DeVries cougars.

I live with the best two boys ever.

The Hair Cut

2010-09-02T14:36:00.000-07:00

So Benson has been mistaken for a girl a couple of times due to his beautiful and lovely strawberry blonde baby hair. Camille and I have not been looking forward to this day, but his hair was bangin' so we shopped it. He actually looks more like a little boy now instead of a little baby. Here are some photos.

Before

After

Happy Boy

2010-09-02T13:04:00.000-07:00

Benson has finally mastered the art of standing with the help of a prop. He scared his mom the other day by almost climbing into the tub. Today Camille heard a loud BANG in his room and ran to see if he had fallen out of his crib. When she opened the door she found him happily standing against the wall of his crib and banging the little fan that we have on the dresser next to him. It's fun to watch, but we are realizing all the implications to his newly gained abilities. We love that boy!

Jillian Michaels

2010-07-29T14:46:00.000-07:00

Dear Jillian,

There is no easy way to say this, so I'll just come right out. I've found someone else. Don't be hurt, we both knew this day would someday come. With your constant promises, I really wanted to believe that I really could become "shredded". I should have known the promises weren't realistic. Just know that I will always cherish our early morning/late afternoon times together and the laughter we shared. Don't worry, we can still hang out once in while just for kicks and giggles. How about Mondays and Wednesdays? My place? I'll bring the weights?

Not to rub it in your face, but here is a pic of your replacement. With those rock hard handles, what's not to love?

Love,
Camille

Only in Provo

2010-07-11T20:38:00.000-07:00

Here is something that we will not see outside of Utah...although, I would have loved this kind of treatment in Russia.

Stroller Boy

2010-07-11T20:03:00.000-07:00

Benson is now old enough to sit up on his own like a big boy in his car seat. Here we are on our way to the 4th of July parade and Benson is sitting confidently in his captains chair. (Sometimes we feel that in his mind, he is commanding his ship - The Stroller)

Sir Laugh-a-lot

2010-07-11T19:44:00.000-07:00

Benson's favorite game to play is "peek-a-boo." And we love to play it with him because his laugh is contagious. It's also a game that we can play with him as he becomes a crank-a-frank before bed. So we can listen to baby cries, or baby laughs....we prefer the laughs.
(please excuse the side-waysness and shakiness of the film)

8 Months!

2010-06-29T09:27:00.000-07:00

I was just sitting here thinking about the little Benson Boy and realized he will be 8 months on Friday! Gah! Where does the time go? So, in honor of the Benz's 8th month of life, I will give a quick update with some pics!

Recent Advancements:
1. Rolling EVERYWHERE...this one is so so fun! We are all lovin his new mobility. He is also getting closer everyday to crawling, still not for a while, but closer.
2. Saying "Mamamamama", "Mom", "Bababababa", "Dadadadad" and "dad". As much as I think he is, my child is not a prodigy and can say these words, but he has no idea what they mean. Although, I really like to pretend he does :) He is learning new sounds everyday and I will often watch him as he whispers sentences in garbly gook. And he really does whisper when he does sentences, its so funny.
3. Three teeth to boot! He just cut his third tooth on his upper gums and I think the other is soon to come (due to excessive crankiness and drooliness). He is going to look so cute with a little tooth popping through the top!
4. Sleep. This isn't a new thing, but Benson has been a great sleeper since week 6. We love it and he does too. I do have those occasional "Wake up every hour because I'm teething and hurting---why did I choose to have kids again?" Weeks. It's okay, like my dad says, it's all a stage. And we love him to death anyways.
5. First airplane ride. On the way to Tejas he did great, on the way back not so much. Let's just say there was lots of uncontrollable screaming and lots of tears (from the baby and the mommy).
6. New carseats! He is getting big enough to be in a convertible car seat! Fun!
7. Food Food Food. Benson basically eats anything we put in front of him. Makes his daddy proud. Except, he makes a sour face when we give him graham crackers. Can we say, weird?
8. Firs swimming trip! He loved this, and thank goodness because mommy got a season pass to Seven Peaks this year and our activity everyday is to go to the pool. I may be raising a little daredevil here because he smiles and laughs when I bring him on the slides. I even brought him on the adult slide with me yesterday (they let you do that here) and he liked it! So fun!

Okay, that's enough updates, time for what we all really want. Pics!

Book Reviews

2010-06-15T09:38:00.000-07:00

I know I have much more interesting things to post about, but this has been on my mind recently :) (I just got back from a week long trip with my sistas in Texas. It was so fun! I will post pics later cause we are still playing with Brooke here in Utah...) Okay, I have read three books recently that I have L-O-V-E-D, so I thought I'd tell you all about them and hopefully give you the incentive to read them yourselves, here they are:

1. The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society. The only word I can think of to describe this book would be charming. I loved this book so much that for a week after I finished it, I was begging Mike to name our second son Dawsey, or our first daughter Juliet. I wouldn't mind if our future children turned out to be exactly like the fictional characters they were named after (Mike quickly vetoed the name Dawsey. I'm convinced he just needs to read the book and then he will feel the same way I do about it). The writing is witty and smart, the story is well thought out and perfectly pieced together, and the characters make you want to be their best friends. I'm not kidding. It's set in a sweet little town called Guernsey, and the story revolves around the whole town's experiences during WWII, what they did to persevere and how they became a tightly knit group. The whole book is a series of letters,which makes it that much more fun. It really is awesome and I could go on and on, but don't take my word for it...da da da dum.

2. These Is My Words. Okay, I have to admit, I have been told for years that this book is awesome but I really doubted it. It just sounded too (please excuse the term)"Utah" for me. But, after getting the recommendation from my librarian sister, whose judgment in books I have ALWAYS trusted, I picked it up to read it. I hated the first couple of chapters, too depressing (but my mom reminded me that this is how the life crossing the plains really was), so I kept going and man I fell in love. It's a story about pioneer girl who keeps a diary of her struggles and joys while trying to fight it out on the plains. It's also about her choice between two men, really romantic in a sweet sort of way. In fact, this will make you fall in love with your husbands even more because it might remind you of your husbands. Mike came home every night while I was reading this book to a wife who thought he was THE BEST, even though he hadn't done anything amazing that day. He loved it, and you will too.

3. Percy Jackson Series. When Mike and I got married, he really wasn't a big reader. He just wanted to watch the movie, and if it didn't come out to movie, the book wasn't worth reading. Thankfully, he has been converted, because I love reading and now he does too. I spent a lot of time trying to find books Mike would like when we were first married. I started with the Harry Potter series on tape, which he loved, then we moved on to Hunger Games and Catching fire, both big hits with him, and now we are on the Percy Jackson Series, which Mike loves and I do too. These books are just fun fun fun. Percy is a funny character and I feel like he is not as whiny as Harry Potter was, so while I still like the Harry Potter series better, I like Percy better as a Hero. Plus, if you have any children in High School and they are assigned to read Greek Mythology, have them read this book. I am remembering and re-learning tons of stuff I learned in high school and it's actually interesting this time!

That's all. So, if you find yourself with a little time on your hands you might want to pick up these books. They are good, clean fun!

Mr. "McHat"

2010-05-30T10:06:00.000-07:00

My Mom sent a bunch of cool hats and stuff to us that she and friends from home gathered for Benson, so we decided to show everyone what he looks like with them on. Say hello to Mr. "McHat." Thanks guys

A Drinkin' We Will Go

2010-05-30T09:56:00.000-07:00

Ok, I couldn't resist it, here is one of him drinking water. This video really shows how easy it is for Benson to get distracted...which makes feeding him an interesting process....

The Muncher Man

2010-05-30T09:50:00.000-07:00

I don't know what it is about babies, but I love to watch them eat. Or maybe more accurate, I love to introduce them to new foods. It's like taking someone to your favorite restaurant and watching them take their first bite of your favorite dish to watch their reaction. Every time we feed Benson something it's a new discovery, and it's really fun to watch the process.

Benson The Bouncer

2010-05-30T09:38:00.000-07:00

So, The Grovers let us borrow their bouncing play toy thing since their little boy is getting a little too old for it (or maybe it's because he is so good at bouncing without it...), but Benson loves this thing. The first time we put him in it, he bounced once, than looked up at us with the "I'm about to cry cause I don't know what's goin' on" face. So, we tried the clapping technique and he realized that he wasn't going to die. Ever since then he has loved to bounce away. Check him out!

"Gimme da Goodness!"

2010-05-15T09:41:00.000-07:00

Benson is learning the emotion of jealousy. Well, as much as a baby can. He mainly feels it when he sees us eating food. If we're eating and he isn't, he is filled with only one emotion: "Gimme dat goodness!" Here are some pictures of Benson, two of which he has food. If he didn't look anything like his mother, you could still tell that he was a DeVries...cause he loves food.

On Another Note...

2010-05-10T11:43:00.000-07:00

we love our son! He is getting so cute and so fun every day, even when he is crying because his teeth hurt! He has two teeth already and more on the way. We feel bad for this poor little guy who has had so much trouble with his gums and teeth. Here are a few more pics, one of him in his carseat on a walk to his friend's second birthday party, two of him messing around with daddy and one of him in his car seat, dazed and tired beyond belief after missing a nap at church. Enjoy!

Heil Benson!

2010-05-10T11:28:00.000-07:00

Sometimes when Benson eats, he gets this little "Hitler 'stache" and I love it. Don't get me wrong, I don't want him to be anything like the infamous dictator, but for some reason I can't resist feeding him prunes and then waiting for the magic to happen. We love this little man!

(okay, so only in one shot does he even kind of have the hitler stache, but you have to admit, he does look like he has got some kind of fun mustache going on)

You would drink the fat for me?

2010-04-30T14:34:00.000-07:00

There is an old Friend's episode where Rachel is mad at Ross, and he asks her what he can do to make it up to her. Joey says Ross should drink a cup of old bacon grease on the counter, Rachel agrees so Ross almost drinks the fat when Rachel stops him. She very sincerely asks him after, "You would drink the fat for me?" and it's actually kind of sweet :) This morning I thought that as Mike got up extra early to run to the store and pick me up some medicine cause I haven't been feeling well. He works extra hard at school and at work, and yet still makes time to come home and "drink the fat for me". I love that hard working hubby of mine!

PS

2010-04-28T20:45:00.000-07:00

Jana, if you read this blog, I did steal most of your wording for that last post. Lazy, but effective!

Rachel's Run

2010-04-28T20:40:00.000-07:00

One of Mike's old roommate's wife was recently diagnosed with cancer and there is a fundraiser 5K for her on May 22nd in Provo. So, for any of you who are runners, wanna-be runners, walkers, or anything in between, here is a great way to support a fantastic young couple!

http://rachelsrun.blogspot.com/?spref=fb

The Womens Expo

2010-04-24T19:31:00.000-07:00

Guys, today I went to the Women's Expo at Utah Valley University where I found millions of cute-sy girly things. I was in heaven. The best part was, I got to meet one of my favorite (well, they are twins, so it's technically two...) craft bloggers. Sigh. Can life get any better than this?

Check them out: www.thediydish.com

My bags are packed...

2010-04-21T16:04:00.000-07:00

And I'm ready to go! What do the following four things have in common?

We are going to be together in June! I will be reunited with all (minus Rach the snake, sorry preggo...) of my sisters from June 2 -10! I couldn't be more excited! Benson has three boy cousins who were born within two months of him and one that was born one day ahead of him! They all get to be together for the first time! Hallelujah for vacations with the girls! 6 sisters + 1 sister in law + one mom and dad + one house in Texas = a very happy Camille.

I'm just sad that Mike has to miss this all. I'm going to be sad to leave him!!!!

Life as of late

2010-04-18T16:49:00.000-07:00

Just thought I would update everyone about things of late, especially because I rarely do the posting around here! First of all, I have an awesome husband. This morning, when Benson so kindly decided to wake us up at 2:00 AM, I poked Mike and asked him to go see what was wrong, and he did. And then when Benson decided he was hungry at 6:30 AM this morning, who went to take care of him? Mike did. And who got to sleep in until 9:00 AM? I did! Mike has been handling quite a bit this semester, I'm very proud of him for handling his classes, his internship, his family and his calling so well although it was so busy!

Benson is growing ridiculously fast, no joke. Oh how we love him! He recently started solid foods and can't get enough of them, truly his parent's child. So far his favorite food is pears, man are they his favorite. He yells at me to hurry up between bites when we serve those. I found a solution to that, just don't serve pears very often. He has also tried green beans, Sweet Peas, Bananas, Prunes (we give him these very often, we just have to watch out for the explosion later!), Sweet Potatoes, Squash, and Popsicles (probably shouldn't have given him this last one, but he LOVED them, who wouldn't love a lick of their mom's Popsicle on a hot day?
Benson started rolling over onto his back recently as well. He always looks so happy when he does this, like he accomplished a major goal. I was so proud of him the first day he did it that I called everyone I knew. Sheesh. I'm such a mom. We've also discovered that Benson might have allergies, and after one sleepless night things had to change. Finally, at three am the next night we threw him in the car seat and he slept the rest of the night. Funny how you go back into newborn mode when they start waking up in the night again because I had a really hard time falling back asleep because I was worried about him falling over in the car seat. He continues to laugh everyday and make our lives so happy. Even when he wakes us up at 5:45 AM, I still smile at how excited he is to see me. Benson+Mike+Camille=True Joy :)

As for me, I manage to keep busy with my little bub, cooking (very little of this, actually) cleaning (that too), looking after the apartments we manage, keeping track of them and trying to get them filled. So much to do and so little time! This is definitely the busy season at the complex, with tours, contracts, cleaning checks, furniture moving, apartment updating and everything else in between! We love it!

That's it for now! here are a few pictures for your viewing pleasure!

Singer Boy DeVries

2010-04-04T13:44:00.000-07:00

We like to catch Benson singing every now and then. He has such a funny little voice.

I Piddy Da Foo!

2010-03-28T12:52:00.000-07:00

Photo Shoot

2010-03-28T07:37:00.000-07:00

About a a week ago we had such nice weather that we decided to do a Benson photo shoot. Here are so of the pictures we took.

Cousins

2010-03-21T09:19:00.000-07:00

Cousins are great! They are nice to hang out with, to lay on, to steal things from, and to grow up with. Benson is glad (even though he can't say it yet) that he has Jacob nearby. We're so happy for Erin and Thomas and their sealing this weekend to their little boy. Families are can be together forever. Cograts Erin and Thomas!

I've never been so excited...

2010-03-16T09:41:00.000-07:00

to throw a baby shower! My very favorite little sis is having a new sweet baby, and my other sister and I get to plan the shower! Hurrah! Can you tell that I adore anything that has to do with decorating and home made craft projects? Especially for someone who was my roommate for 23 years? I just can't wait until they find out the gender tomorrow to decide what kind of shower to throw. It'll be Christmas in March I tell you. Congrats Taylors!

4 Months!!!

2010-03-04T14:42:00.000-08:00

Okay people, where does the time go? I was packing up my little Benson today to go to his 4 month appointment and I actually kind of started to cry (post pregnancy hormones possibly?) at how big he had gotten! I remember the first 2 week appointment me and my mom went to with Benson and he barely fit into the carseat! Now he is 14 pounds, 25 inches and completely wonderful! Stop growing. Now. Here are a few of Benson's favorite pastimes:

Playing with daddy
Laughing at daddy
Cuddling with Mommy
Barfing all over the couch
Barfing all over mommy
Barfing all over daddy
Barfing all over the carpet(well, you get the point. In fact, I am currently sitting COVERED in baby Benson barf. No, I don't think it stinks anymore, and no, I rarely give him a bath after he barfs. No mom has that much time to bathe their child in a day)
Trying to roll over
Sleeping! (this is a kid who requires a lot of sleep and I am definitely NOT complaining! I love it!)
Talking (kind of screaming) to himself all day
Staring at himself in the mirror
Staring at the TV (He is OBESSESSED with the TV..)

Some of mommy's new favorite pastimes:
Doing multiple loads of laundry a day (see the above post for reasons)
Working out with Jillian and the girls from my ward every morning
Searching craft blogs (I love all the craft blogs in the whole world)
Working around Fleur de Lis (the apartments we manage)
Hanging out with my husband
Making my little bub laugh, it's my new favorite trick of his!

In short, Benson is 4 months old and growing so fast. We definitely love having him around!

Dear Inventor of Chocolate Chip Cookies

2010-02-24T13:36:00.001-08:00

You must have been inspired.

Love,
Camille

The Purity of a Baby Laugh

2010-02-19T13:50:00.000-08:00

So I could probably watch this clip every day for the rest of my life and not get sick of it. I love laughing babies.

Benson, The Singing Baby

2010-02-15T10:16:00.000-08:00

In this video Camille sings to Benson and he sings along the parts that he likes best...he's very selective in what he sings. It's pretty much precious, and it ends, like most of our videos with a little Benson surprise.

I Heart Benson

2010-02-12T14:28:00.000-08:00

Today I was talking on the phone with our boss and holding Benson at the same time. I heard some cooing so I decided to finally look down and see how my son was doing. As soon as I made eye contact with my sweet boy he smiled SO BIG. Then he laughed and kept cooing until I couldn't stand it anymore and secretly (without my boss knowing) kissed that little man all over his chubby face. It was wonderful. It is times that like that that make times like this (he has refused to take a nap even though he is ridiculously tired for a good portion of the day) worth it.

Happy Birthday Camille!!!

2010-02-11T08:08:00.000-08:00

Camille hit the big 25 on Tuesday and we had a wonderful day together. One of the traditions that we have started since being married is signing up for every possible restaurant Birthday club and redeeming like 5 or 6 free meals in one day. It was a lot of fun and fortunately for us, Benson was a really good boy all day. Camille really wanted to make a cheese cake for her birthday dinner, but since we didn't have time for it by the end of the day (sad) we put 25 candles in a pizza we got from Little Caesar's...while the pizza was hot...somehow we didn't realize that the wax would not only melt from the top where the flame was...but also down below where the cheese was hot and bubbly. Needless to say, we had a very waxy pizza, but we quite enjoyed it. I'm grateful that my sweet wifey was born 25 years ago so that I could join my life with hers through eternity. I'm a lucky man. Happy Birthday Camille DeVries!

Laughing Baby

2010-02-06T22:31:00.000-08:00

Watch the baby laugh, he makes us so happy.

Little Man in the Tub

2010-02-06T22:23:00.000-08:00

Benson can hold his head up pretty well now. He looks like a big boy in this picture...but if you're wondering how we censored it, Benson did it...by puking in the tub...for those of you who don't know...it turns the water a white-ish color...

True Joy

2010-02-06T22:17:00.000-08:00

This is the face of true joy...just in case anyone was wondering what that might look like...he's got it...on his face...mainly around the mouth...and a little bit in the eyes.

Did You Know?

2010-02-02T09:13:00.000-08:00

I'll bet none of you knew that my wife speaks Indian
(For some reason, every time we type something in the Title space...it translates it for us (how kind) into some Indian language...we don't know why...but we feel closer to our Indian friends because of it.)

रोचक अ बाय बेबी

2010-02-01T11:13:00.001-08:00

Does anyone else like to just sit and stare at their babies while they are sleeping? Mike laughs at me because I go into Benson's room about 5 times after I have put him to bed just to "check on him". Secretly, I love watching his rosy cheeks and peaceful face and I LOVE going in to get one more peek before bed. It gives me sweet dreams :) Happy mothering to all you mothers out there!

Dating Through Skating

2010-01-25T15:41:00.000-08:00

This video was taken when Camille and I first started dating. Obviously, she's beautiful, and amazingly wonderful.

Here is a little clip from our date the other night. As you can see, she's still precious and I love her stinking guts.

DeVries Updates

2010-01-21T21:04:00.000-08:00

Here is a new slide show of pictures and movies of our growing boy, as well as some pictures of Camille and me ice skating (thanks to the Cambells who took Benson). It was lots of fun, and especially nice to be able to go out with just the two of us...no hard feelings Benson.

Make a Smilebox slideshow

Don't Mess With The Boy

2010-01-09T20:59:00.000-08:00

Benson's new favorite past time is to pose in various boxing positions/ We're petty sure he is a natural (all you cousins beware!). He has had vaious workout sessions like, tummy-time (building neck strength), finger-holding sit-ups (building abdominal and hand strength) and laying kicks (building leg strength). He can already block on-coming kisses with his fists and has a diaper potency that will knock almost anyone out. But, despite his furious fighting skills he has also developed a smile that will stop anyone in their tracks, and a very happy countenance. We're glad that he is developing into a strong, yet happily gentle baby.

2010-01-01T15:11:00.000-08:00

Want to know how the DeVries spent their New Years Rockin' Eve? By reading this baby! Welcome to the most addicting series of books since the "Twilight" series was born. I was first introduced to "Hunger Games" (the first book in this series) last Thanksgiving when my sister was reading it on the drive to Texas (TEXAS!) and told me the plot. After I got the hands on the book I couldn't put it down and once I told Mike about the plot, he couldn't stop asking me to read it out loud to him. So, when the second book in the series (Catching fire) came out, we were more than excited to get our hands on it. That is the reason why we spent our New Years Eve taking turns reading this book out loud to each other! I love that I have a husband who is willing to do dorky things with me, I don't know how I met someone so perfect for me and he actually loved me back! Message for all married couples: Read this book together! But don't take MY word for it....

Benson's Christmas Wake-up

2009-12-27T19:11:00.000-08:00

Here is Benson on Christmas morning, the video clip has an especially funny ending...since it catches a common habit that he has...

Merry Christmas

2009-12-27T17:23:00.000-08:00

Merry Christmas from the DeVries!
We had a wonderful Christmas this year. Camille and I stayed here in Provo for Christmas and went up to Camille's Grandpa's house for Christmas dinner, it was really relaxing and quite fun. On Christmas Eve, Camille and I opened our new Pajamas and read the Christmas story in Luke 2, while drinking chocolate milk (prepared by myself...5-6 scoops in each mug...)and then we shared what stood out to each of us this year in the Christmas story. After that we made Christmas ornaments out of clay, which is one of Camille's family traditions. We slept in on Christmas morning, opened our presents and had a great relaxing morning. Benson gave us the gift of sleep and was a good boy the whole day. We want to thank all of those who have given us gifts this year, we so appreciate everyone's generosity. We love you all and wish you a very Merry Christmas!

Benson the Pirate

2009-12-15T15:35:00.000-08:00

This is just a fun video of Benson and Camille...enjoy!

Benson AKA "Billy"

2009-12-15T15:27:00.000-08:00

We have nick-named Benson "Billy" for "Billy Goat." Why? Because he often makes a sound that makes him sound like a goat. It's pretty funny. One more reason Benson quite possibly is the most kissable being on earth...with the excpeption of Camille...she's pretty kissable too.

Bath time Benson

2009-12-15T15:19:00.000-08:00

We are giving Benson real baths now (as opposed to sponge baths), and he loves them...except when you get his head wet...then he cries. But initially he gets in the water and kicks his little legs; which is, I think, one of the cutest things I have ever seen. Camille is doing well, especially since Benson is sleeping better at night. More sleep = More happy times. Life is good, I have a beautiful babe and a beautiful baby.

Happy One Month!

2009-12-01T09:23:00.000-08:00

This post is to celebrate the life, thus far, of our sweet Benson Dean. He turned one month yesterday and both Mike and I feel so old telling people we have a one month old. For some reason before I had Benson, I thought he would be sleeping through the night by now (I read A LOT of things that tell me it's possible, I decided it's not true)...well he is not, but he is also more wonderful than I thought he would be and I'm glad to have my little buddy around all day to entertain me, or at least keep me ridiculously busy running around trying to meet his needs that the days go by very fast! Happy Birthday Benson!

The Many Faces of Benson

2009-11-30T20:50:00.001-08:00

Hands That Help

2009-11-26T13:25:00.000-08:00

Since we have had our baby, we have had soo much help from friends and family. Camille's mom came for two weeks and helped us out in so many ways you wouln't believe. We have had friends giving us meals, donating clothes, and praying for us. Then my family came to town and took Benson in the night and helped us have a good time. We have had so much fun with all of our loved ones and are extremely grateful for their love, time, and support.

Make a Smilebox slideshow