Milestones

To Benjamin-

You arrived.

You looked at us.

You saw us.

You smiled.

You held up your head.

You laughed.

You cooed.

You went to school.

You rolled over.

You sat up.

You played and played and played.

You read a book (in your own way).

You crawled.

You chased the cats.

You pulled up.

You talked (daddy, hi, I love you).

You took your first three steps today.

June 26, 2008




June 26, 2009

Happy birthday, Benjamin Felix. We love you more than seems possible.

Thank you for a wonderful year.

I Love You

Wow! We have had quite a week. Today Benjamin went for his first swim, on Thursday we survived a crazy rainstorm, and Wednesday we enjoyed a friend-filled play date. Best of all, Benjamin is trying to say, "I love you." It is so sweet. He is saying "Hi" quite often now, especially to the cats, but this week he said it to his Aunt Val when she stopped by yesterday. Who knows? Maybe on her next visit she'll get an "I love you."

Here are a few pictures from our week. The play date Wednesday was at my friend Gena's house; she was nice enough to host a crowd of rambunctious children when our friend Jamie came through on her way to Oklahoma. Jamie taught with us at here in Dallas and now lives just outside New Orleans. She has two children; I hadn't met either of them until her visit Wednesday, so I was really excited to meet her daughter and son. We assembled quite a precious group of children, and let me tell you, the house and backyard were wild as all the kids lived it up. We decided that next time we are all together, we need to meet up without the children if we really want to visit. It's hard to talk much when you're watching your little ones. In any case, it was a fun morning.


Jamie's son Tripp is a pistol. He is about month older than Benjamin but much smaller, faster, and more agile. He really enjoyed wrestling with Benjamin, and as you can see from the photo, Tripp won (over and over again). It was pretty funny; I fought against the little voice inside of me saying, "Hey, don't push my baby!" Benjamin was fine; he never stopped smiling. As my friend Lydia said, "This proves Benjamin is one laid back baby!"

Here's Benjamin playing in backyard. He enjoyed splashing his hands in the water. Gena's house is beautiful and so is her backyard. It was the perfect place for the kids to run through the sprinkler and make mud pies.

We tried hard for a group shot- here is one attempt! Not exactly successful, but aren't they cute?

This is a picture from today. Tim had just lowered Benjamin into the pool. As you can see, he loved it!! We figured that he would since he likes taking baths so much.

Our friends Lydia, Katie, Dave along with Zoe and Sam came to join us for a swim. It was a great way to start this hot, muggy day. Benjamin literally got his feet wet in preparation for a week at the lake which begins tomorrow. On that note, it's very late (or early) and I should be in bed.

Can't wait to see what happens next! Hopefully, Benjamin will keep working on his "I love you." I will not tire of hearing that one.

Scenes of Summer

Well, since I last wrote, summer has begun in earnest. For all the teachers out there, this means only one thing- school is out! Last Wednesday was the last day for the students, and on Thursday teachers returned to pack and clean and finish things up. When Benjamin left daycare on Thursday, he was given a goodbye card from his classmates. Isn't that something? He finished off the year in the toddler class; quite an accomplishment! I wonder if they will miss him? I can't help thinking they will.

Around here, we are beginning to get into the swing of things. Benjamin and his dad have been going for a daily run while I stay home and read or work out or pay bills (today's activity). We've made a couple of trips to White Rock Lake, gone out to eat, gone shopping, and Tim and I even went out (without Benjamin) to celebrate our wedding anniversary - thanks, Val. I have only taken a few pictures, but here are some from summer so far.


Benjamin is checking out the Wii. He really wants to figure out how to use it. Mostly he has to stay in the pack and play and observe. It's funny; he stands up and really watches. He especially enjoys it when I do the hoola hoop! He sways from side to side.

Yesterday I heard Tim playing guitar, and I walked in to see these two quite engrossed in the activity. Luckily, I convinced them to pose for a quick picture. Finding Benjamin so interested in his daddy's business makes me think of something Tim has been saying since Benjamin was born (or maybe even before he was born)- "I can't wait to teach him things." Tim is a natural teacher, so I think Benjamin is in good hands. It will be fun to watch. Will they let me play, too?

Here is Benjamin out to eat today. He's looking cute as usual. In addition to this cute snapshot, I took strange pictures of him too because for some reason, he kept sticking his tongue out. It was like he just discovered it or something. Just as quickly as he started it though, he stopped. Maybe he'll do it again tomorrow?

Our lunch out today was actually just a pit stop on the way to a place Tim has been wanting to visit for way too long....Bass Pro Shop! We made the short drive to Garland, and Tim did some shopping to prepare for our upcoming lake trip. (He even had a list for the shopping.) I asked him if the Bass Pro Shop was all he'd hoped it would be; he said that it was.

Here's another one of Tim. He's wearing his new hat. Looks like a real outdooorsman, huh?

How Sweet It Is

You know those moments when you witness something that just makes you smile, laugh, or sigh deeply? Well, Benjamin and Morey provided me with one of them this afternoon. I had just set Benjamin on the floor for the first time since he got home from school with his daddy, so the living room was not a jumble of toys quite yet. Morey entered the room and jumped on the coffee table and I gave him a pat. Benjamin crawled to the table, stood up, and reached for Morey. I was encouraging him by saying, "Hi, Morey!" Benjamin obliged me with a giant smile followed by "Hi!" and a wave. Just so cute! I'm sure that I'm not setting the scene well enough here. I only wish I had my camera handy. To recreate the moment, you'll have to do some math:

Morey + Benjamin's wave = sweet moment

Like I said, I only wish that I'd had my camera. This picture of Benjamin is actually from Saturday when I coaxed him into waving at me. I love the wave! Now if I could only convince him to call me Mama or Mommy! So far, I'm still Daddy.

Sweet moment number two: Benjamin and Tim taking a well-deserved nap on the couch. (This is also the reason I'm blogging right now instead after Benjamin is in bed.) Tim had a busy, sweaty day at school - bounce house, cooking out, oh, and teaching - so he may be the one sleeping like a baby in this photo.

I'm so thankful for my family and this sweet day of my life.