so, mat and I decided that we should have a day solely focused on benson, since his world is about to be flipped upside down with this impending big brother role just around the corner! so on tuesday morning, we woke up, had breakfast, and asked him if he wanted to go see trains or airplanes. well, he chose trains twice, but mat was extremely sore and i am huge soooo we veto'd the idea in favor of an equally fun but less exhausting option (we are terrible parents haha). we took him to the falcon field terminal, where you can watch the small airplanes take off and land, and he loved it! this is the second time he's been, but it was just as magical. we let him burn some energy off at the park afterwards too, which he loved, although its not as fun without friends to play with.



afterwards we went to grab lunch. we parked across the street from dana park and gave him two options - burger-fi or jersey mike's. he made a VERY good decision and chose burger-fi haha. it was so good! our first time there, and i guarantee it won't be our last. especially when i'm not pregnant and i can indulge in some of that delicious looking custard afterwards.

we visited mat's great grandma ella mae after lunch. she's honestly the sweetest little lady you'll ever meet (she's in her early 90s and still going strong!) but she lives alone in lehi, which i imagine gets pretty boring. we helped her find out what channel she could follow the election on, and benson rearranged a couple shoes and found some blocks to play with haha. when we first walked in, she didn't notice my belly, but as soon as she did, she exclaimed "are ya havin twins?!" hahaha. honestly, i wasn't offended. my belly has POPPED the last week or so (its dropped and rounded out quiiiiite a bit) plus the fact that my torso is like a foot long, i know that my belly is huge. plus ella mae is so sweet you really can't be offended by her. i love that mat is so close with his family, immediate and extended, and comfortable enough to just pop in on his great grandma for a visit. it's a very special bond that the mckinnon family has.

anyways. the odysea aquarium opened up in september in scottsdale, and i've been dying to go! my sweet 2 month old nephew Lewis got surgery yesterday to correct some fused skull bones (such a little trooper) so his older siblings are staying with grandma and grandpa while his parents help him stay comfortable at the hospital for a few days. karen gave us a call today and invited us to join them at the aquarium!

it's a little spency, so our two deciding factors were benson's enjoyment, and my need to walk around and try to induce labor haha. it was actually a lot of fun! I wish the otter and penguin exhibits were bigger, but they were still entertaining. benson obviously loved it. ran out the whole time yelling, "fishie! fishie!" he's at such a fun stage right now!


 

 ^they had this awesome "carousel" where you sat in seats, and the seats rotated to 4 or 5 different tanks. before you started, they emphasized that you needed to stay in your seats, but benson disagreed, and jumped out at the first tank to get a better look at this scuba diver haha.

last of the benson celebrations, but certainly not least, mat took benson to bass pro shop this morning with his parents and rowe and brynn while i napped (although i had every intention of cleaning while they were gone! haha woops). these three are the best of friends and i am so glad that he has cousins close in age to play with! tonight we brought all three kiddos to see the movie trolls at cinemark, which they did surprisingly well at.

it's hard to imagine life with another baby right now. we are obviously so excited, but benson is seriously the light of our life, and i can't imagine him not being our one and only! i actually had an anxiety attack about it the other day haha. i know once she is here, it will feel like she's been here all along, and i know bens will be such an amazing brother (he's already fascinated with every other baby he sees, always giving them kisses and trying to hold their hand). i think i just need to get past this waiting period, it's like being in limbo. can't move forward, can't move back! i know benson won't remember any of these fun things we've done with him the past couple days, but i know that he has enjoyed them and has felt how much mat and i love him. a new chapter is about to begin!