So in love

Lately I've been in the "wow, I love you SOOOO much" phase with Benjamin.  Not like I wasn't before and won't be in the future, but I am just constantly caught off guard by his adorable smiles, his loving coos, and his precious features (fingers, toes, cheeks, you name it).  I sometimes feel like I'm realizing it for the first time... this is MY son, MY baby!  It's like my heart is bursting :)

I feel so incredibly lucky to have such a good boy, and I've felt even more so when we're out and about and random strangers comment on how well-behaved and smiley he is (well, as "well-behaved" as one can be as a 3.5 month old!).  His smiles seem to be contagious, and they melt my heart in an instant.  I don't know if it's just because he seems so darn happy, or if it's because I can see myself and Matt in his face when he crinkles up his nose, squints his eyes, and shoots us a big gummy grin. He'll smile at a pretty girl (he loves the ladies already!), at a stranger, at Lincoln, at the mirror, at himself for doing something clearly awesome (like "standing")... he only puts his smiles away when he's hungry or taken away from his buddies (or when the camera comes out, hence all the blurry shots I try to take on the go!).  This, unfortunately has made bedtime hard because he just wants to keep playing with everyone!  A blessing and a curse, I suppose.  But honestly, I'm not complaining.

Kim even commented on what a good baby he was while babysitting :) That makes ME smile!

I am also so thankful that he already LOVES music... our little man is such a trooper joining us for his dad's gigs, even at a special one in Olde Town Arvada this past weekend.  Matt was invited to play with the Travis Kaker Band, and they did an awesome job - I think Matt will even be playing again with them at the end of May!  I've said it before, but I know how lucky I am to have found such a musical stud of a husband to fit in perfectly with my music-making family.  I can tell by Benjamin's enthusiasm that he already wants to join the family band!

some jamming on the porch for our neighbors and passersby

a little family band practice in our living room

with Travis Kaker

getting ready to watch dad play some music

our make-shift noise cancellers when the 2nd band went on and was a tad loud...

 

One song from their set (listen to the whole thing, it's pretty awesome!):

Ok, that's enough gushing for one night.  Just had to share!

Lots to catch up on...

The past week has seen little to no downtime in Larsonland, so apologies for the lack of updates/BW pictures.  In the middle of it, I survived my first stint with Matt away on work, though, and the week was full of super fun adventures!

Here's a rundown of the week.  No nights-in for over a week now!  Not sure if that's a good or bad thing, probably a little of both.  I will say that I'm sleeeeeeepy.

Tuesday

Tuesday night, the Jam Knights played a gig at the Empire to accommodate Matt's trip to Canada the following morning.  We had quite a few friends show up (no pictures, oops), and it was a great time getting to hang out and listen to the good tunes.  Amber sang a few songs with my dad and Matt during "halftime", and as usual sounded great!  A few clips:

Wednesday

Early Wednesday morning Benjamin and I drove Matt to the airport to catch his 20-seater plane to Edmonton.  It was just a quick work trip (through Friday night), but the first time I've been on my own with our two boys.  When we got home, Benjamin just wanted to cuddle, so I let him nap on my chest for an hour.  How sweet these memories already are and I know will still be in the not too far future.

That night, Rachel, Keri, Bri and I went to the Just Between Friends consignment sale at the Stockshow Complex.  It was a huge, biannual event that we hoped to find some fun, used goods at.  Unfortunately, we all only walked away with a few things (Benjamin is now the proud new owner of a few cute outfits previously worn by a mystery baby), and I never found the two things I wanted heading into it (a jumperoo and an extra carseat base).  Oh well... maybe next time!

Thursday

Thursday was another busy day as my aunt and uncle were in town attending a medical convention of some sort.  Benjamin and I were lucky enough to spend part of the day with his Great Aunt Suki just hanging out, walking around the shops on Broadway, and eating a tasty lunch at the Walnut Room.  We had a blast catching up!  Not sure why I don't have more pictures...

That evening I met up with Kristyn for some wine at Sketch (a cute little wine bar in our neighborhood).  It was a gorgeous evening, and we ended up chatting for quite awhile with Benjamin napping sweetly through a lot of it.  He was a hit with some of the restaurant patrons who thought he was so well behaved!  I was a proud momma :)

Friday

My friend Karen happened to be in Colorado for one of her big-shot space conventions down in Colorado Springs, so Benjamin and I were thrilled to get to spend a couple hours with her on her way back to DC by way of Denver.  We enjoyed some time catching up at home and a delicious lunch at El Diablo, complete with margaritas (the perfect treat for a hot day).  I was so glad to have her meet little BW, and we can't wait to see her again in a couple weeks out in DC!

That night while Matt flew back from Canada, I joined the fam for a birthday dinner at Freshcraft downtown.  It was a fun night with everyone wishing my dad a happy birthday and sharing delicious food off the menu.  Benjamin decided to craft this year for Grandpa's birthday and made him the picture below.  :)

birthday boy!

of course BW slept through most of it

Saturday

Saturday morning I headed to one of Denver public libraries to attend a "class" on early literacy with Keri and Boaz.  Reading is fundamental! ;)  It was a beautiful morning and a perfect day for us all to head to Wash Park for a little grilling, volleyball, and relaxing in the sun.  We met up with friends and had a terrific time - Benjamin was in an awesome mood giving off plenty of adorable smiles and staying cool in his stroller.  It's so much fun to watch him interact with people be so happy.  He's growing so quickly!

He loves playing "phone" with the rattle... he has no clue what that means of course

sleeping Boaz

turns out our stroller is functional in multiple ways... 3 cup holders?  Yes, please!

Just hanging out under the umbrellas

There had to be 10,000 people at Wash Park

A little volleyball action

He had such a good time he didn't want to leave!

After getting home from the picnic, we very quickly changed and packed Benjamin up for his first major league sporting event: a Colorado Rapids Game.  They were playing the LA Galaxy (with David Beckham and Landon Donovan!), and it couldn't have been a more beautiful night for a game (thank you Dad & Arlene!).  Thankfully Benjamin slept through almost all of it making it a little more fun for the rest of us.  And he didn't even seem to mind the loud speakers or cannons being shot after goals.  Such a trooper!

Beckham's in there!

Of course, sleeping through most of it

Mom, I'll wake up for ONE picture only.

My dad accidentally took a video of us, this is the best I could get!

Sunday

Sunday was another super busy day as we skipped church and met up with Evelyn and her bf for lunch at the Hornet.  Gone are the days we used to see each other for 40+ hours a week in neighboring offices, so I always cherish the time we get to catch up.  That afternoon Matt headed out to meet the guys for a rousing game of Settlers while I hosted the ladies for a baby shower-planning meeting for Rachel's little one arriving in July.  We had a great time and hated to have Rachel miss out, so she ended up joining us as well thankfully!  (Again, not sure why I didn't get any pics) That night I'm pretty sure Matt and I both fell asleep quite easily... the weather and busy schedule has made us exhausted. 

Monday

Yesterday I was lucky enough to get a subbing job that corresponded with having a babysitter available!  While I was teaching Freshmen English and Creative Writing classes at DCIS, Benjamin spent the day with Aunt Kari and Noah in Boulder.  Kari says he was terrific and that Noah fell in love with him (probably just in preparation for his own little brother/sister arriving soon!).  I'm so glad the boys are already friends, and I'm SO thankful for a friend who's willing to use her day off to watch BW.  :) 

And last night Matt was practicing with a band he'll be joining at a gig on Friday night.  They asked him to come play viola for the show in Arvada, and I know it's so fun for him to be able to do it.  My only complaint is that with those band practices, the family band practices, and the rest of our commitments, I wonder when we're going to snap!  I'm hoping summer brings a little more leisure and relaxation (and better sleep for BW!).  Here's hoping!

Some random pictures to leave you with:

**Clearly I finally joined Instagram... dangerous for a photo-obsessed mom like me.  Find me: AliMLarson