Water, Water, Everywhere!

This is what happens on 3 days with a feverLook what I figured out how to do!
Kendal and Ben playing in the frog pool
The dads and the kids swimming in Schmidt's pool
Ben checking out the water park
Maddy waiting for the water to shoot up in her face
Ben's new favorite thing- BRUSHING HIS TEETH

With the weather being so hot the last few weeks, we have been doing everything in our power to stay cool! Ben enjoys swimming in his frog pool and he had a great time going to the water park with both of his "girlfriends". I think next year he will have more fun at the water park when he can run around without mom and dad's help! Mike and Marnie next door put up their big pool and the kids have all enjoyed playing in there (the adults like getting cooled off too!) Ben ended up with four more teeth (they all came in at once) , he now has a total of six, we have started brushing his teeth and he LOVES it. If he sees his toothbrush his mouth will open and he wants them brushed...what a good boy! He loves fans, airplanes, boats, Riley (our dog), Riley's dog collar (he has his own now), lights, and the pictures on the refrigerator. He points whenever he hears or sees one of these things! It has been so much fun watching him turn into a little boy over the last 10 1/2 months.

Summer Fun!

Okay...so it has been awhile since I updated the blog but we have been so busy doing fun summer stuff that the weeks go by too fast. So here is a quick update on what has been going on.
We celebrated Maddy's 1st Birthday and Jason's 30th. What a great time we all had...of course!

Having fun at Maddy's Birthday

Kendal and Mike in the Bouncer

Maddy even gets balloons for her birthday

Ben turned 9 months old...I cannot believe how fast time has gone by! He is still a tall boy...he was 31 inches and 22.4 lbs. He is starting to climb the stairs...gates our on our list of things to buy this week. He loves all food...seriously! He is crawling mostly on his hands and knees now but loves holding one of our hands to walk around...he is getting more steady every day. Ben also loves water...lakes, pools, puddles, sprinklers, baths... whatever kind it might be he loves splashing around.

Playing in his pool

Enjoying splashing around in the lake

Colton (17 months) and Ben (9 months) playing in a boat filled with water

We have also had a bridal shower and baby shower already this summer. Greg's cousin Kelly is getting married in September and we helped throw a couple's bridal shower for her. It was a lot of fun and we cannot wait to travel to Mackinac Island for the wedding. My friend Lindsey also had a baby shower that I helped with...she got a lot of wonderful things. Now she just has to wait until September to use it all!

James and Kelly opening gifts

Lindsey (30 wks) and I after the shower

We have also enjoyed spending a lot of time with our neighbor friends. We have done a lot in the last few weeks between the 4th of July, birthdays, biking and last but not least camping. We are very fortunate to have such great friends and it is wonderful to watch the kids together...Ben tries to hang in there but soon enough he should be keeping up with the girls. Pictures can say so much more than words...
Maddy and Ben sharing snacks after a 8 mile bike ride
Kendal, Maddy, and Ben playing together

The kids playing while moms and dads set up tents

Ben asleep on bike ride

Look closely...I have a mini Mohawk

Kendal in the kiddie pool

You would never know how cold the water really was!

Dad what are you doing?

This look is priceless!

Mom and Ben swimming in the big pool

The 3 little campers!

Happy First Father's Day!

Ben wearing his new shades from Grandma
Ben and his cousins on the tube

What a life! For Greg's first Father's Day he played golf on Saturday morning with the neighbors then we all went out to eat. After lunch we went to the lake and Saturday night he played poker with his brother and his friends then on Sunday Greg took a nap and laid in the sun! But honestly he did have to help his brother finish his deck on Sunday morning (which only took a couple of hours). I did think it was strange however that we never took a picture of Greg and Ben on Father's Day but I guess we were too busy doing other things. Ben got to play with his cousins and swim in the lake! It was another beautiful Michigan weekend...we love summer so much and it has only just started (not even officially yet!) Next weekend is the Balloonfest and Maddy's 1st Birthday, we are very excited!

Lindsey and Marc's Wedding

Lindsey and Marc
The first kiss as husband and wife

Me and Lindsey

One June 9, my best friend since elementary school was married on the beach in Traverse City. They barely made it to their own wedding due to the airports cancelling flights (they live in NY) and having to drive 9 hours to Michigan to where their parents live and then another 4 1/2 hours to Traverse City making it there with only a couple hours to spare, they were both exhausted but you could never tell by looking at them! It ended up being such a beautiful weekend! The wedding was a very intimate ceremony and Greg and I felt honored to be apart of it. Lindsey of course looked absolutely beautiful and Marc looked pretty good too :). We all had a wonderful dinner together and we were even able to catch one of those amazing sunsets. The weekend went by too fast, but we look forward to seeing Mr. and Mrs. Saxton in about a month!

Hilton Head Trip

The 3 little "Chompers"
Daddy and Ben at the pool
The Gang at The Salty Dog Cafe
Mom, Dad, and Ben
Ben playing at the beach
Mom and Ben at Harbour Town
Ben and Andrew asleep at the pool

The trip we have been anxiously awaiting has now come and gone! We went to Hilton Head Island for a wedding the Saturday before Memorial Day and then we rented a condo for the week with Greg's cousin Jeff, his wife Jessica, and their two boys, Michael (2 1/2 years) and Andrew (5 1/2 months). The wedding was absolutely beautiful and we are very happy for Michael and Danielle. The happy couple had a gorgeous outdoor ceremony and we cannot wait to see their wedding pictures. We couldn't have asked for better weather it was 85 and sunny every day with a wonderful ocean breeze! We heard from talking to family that it was hotter in Michigan but we had great weather for being outside with three little kids! We went to the beach almost every day, Michael had a great time building sand castles with his dad and catching little crabs..it was fun to watch a toddler run around and have so much fun! Ben enjoyed playing with Dad in the tide pools, playing on the blankets, and sleeping at the beach. Andrew did great at the beach as well, he took most of his naps at the beach and when he was awake he enjoyed stroller rides on the beach and watching his older brother. We went to The Salty Dog Cafe two times and enjoyed sitting outside at the Marina listening to some live music. All the kids were great travelers, we did the trip in two days both ways. We stopped in Tennessee at Jeff and Jess's and then followed each other to the Island. We did the same on the way home.

Ben is still "army" crawling but he is getting around a lot faster. He also figured out how to sit up from laying down and he is starting to pull himself up on things. The trouble someone so little can try to get themselves into!! It is a lot of fun though and every day is an experience. His two front bottom teeth are almost all the way through...he still does not like anyone to sneak a peek but I will try and get a picture when he is sleeping.

This month will be a lot of fun also...two of Ben's best buddies are celebrating their 1st Birthday's, we have a wedding in Traverse City, and Father's Day is right around the corner. Even though we are so busy we love summer and cannot wait for all of the fun things that come with the warmer weather.

Happy First Mother's Day!

Kylah and Emma under the cover on the boat

Ben chillin' on the boat

Kylah driving the boat with her dad -she is a crazy driver :)

Ben and mom spending their first Mother's Day together

What a wonderful weekend for Mother's Day...we spent the weekend visiting between my parents and Greg's parents. It was a little cooler than it was all week (mid/upper 60's) but the sun was shining and we all enjoyed spending time outside. As usual we went to Mother's Day brunch on Sunday morning...there was about 20 of us (that's with an entire family missing) It was delicious and everyone ate way too much food...the homemade cinnamon rolls were the best! After brunch we headed to the lake to enjoy a boat ride with Doug, Jocelyn, their two girls, Greg's mom and dad, and G'pa Fred. It was a great way to spend my first Mother's Day!

Spring Fever

Driving the boat with Dad

Posing with Maddy after swim lessons

Relieved to be out of the pool

Ben has experienced a lot of firsts this month...He started swim lessons, his first time in a pool. These did not start out so good but after a few weeks of not liking them so much he is starting to get use to them. The instructor was even able to put him under water and he didn't cry! Good Boy! On April 21st we went to the Allen's for Nick's first birthday bash, we had a lot of fun...it was a beautiful weekend and everyone enjoyed being outside. After the party we went to Greg's parents house to enjoy the rest of the nice weekend on the lake. Ben loved his first pontoon boat ride and Dad even let him drive! Still no teeth, but lots of symptoms of teething...oh the joys! Ben started "army crawling" it is really funny to watch...I guess what ever gets you where you want to go will work. Two more weeks before we leave for Hilton Head...we can't wait! All this nice weather gets us too excited for summer.

6 Months!

Asleep on the floor!
After a long walk...stretching out his long legs
So peaceful!

Wow! Six months has gone by in a blink of an eye. At his doctor's apt. he weighed 18 lbs. 10 oz. and was 29 inches long. He is eating a lot of veggies and fruits, he still loves his oatmeal too! Fruit and Veggie Puffs were a new treat this month and he loves them. He still hasn't quite figured out how to get them into his own mouth yet, but he tries! He loves "swimming" on the floor and he is practicing all the right movements to crawl in the next month or so! Watch out because I have a feeling we will be in for it then. Still no teeth, but who needs those anyway? He started saying mama! Still no dada, but we have been working on that one! Ben is getting excited for warm weather (mom too!) He loves not wearing socks or shoes because he loves his feet and one of the weeks in March it was nice enough to play outside and go for tons of walks and he really enjoyed that. One of the days all of those activities really wiped him out...I'll post the pictures! Can't wait for another enjoyable 6 months! At least the next six will be during spring and summer.

Tennessee Trip

Michael (2 1/2), Andrew (3 m.), Ben (6 m.)
Andrew and Ben going for a stroller ride
Ben and another cousin Lauren (8 1/2 m.)

Once again we made the 9 hour trip to TN to visit Jeff, Jess, Michael, and Andrew. We had a great time, the weather was warm but a little overcast every day. It was nice to see everyone and to see how much Andrew has grown in 3 months. He really is a little butterball! Michael is so funny with all of his little quotes..."maybe later" became the newest one just as we were leaving. Ben did great in the car and had a great time watching Michael run around. We really wish we all lived closer but it is nice to see them when we can. We also had a chance to see Greg's other cousin Mark and his family. It was a nice long weekend and unfortunately we had to come back to 30 degrees weather! Yuck!

March Madness

So it's been a while since our last post, but better late than never. Today is March 3rd and Ben is now just over 5 months old. He seems to grow and change everyday. His smiles and laughs are incredibly contagious and instantly warm our hearts. Ben is working hard to sit up like a big boy and doing a great job. His goal seems to be to pick up anything and everything he can and put it directly into his mouth, which happens to be a steady stream of drool. Ben continues to sleep through the night like a champ. We begin his bedtime routine around 7pm and by 8pm he's typically "arms over the head" for the night. He's been sleeping through the night pretty consistantly since the week of Christmas, what a blessing!! Sarah continues to be a wonderful fulltime mom staying home with Ben. Work has finally began to slow down for me with my new job, which means no more traveling in the near future. Life is good and we try our best to appreciate everyminute of it. That's it for today, I need to pace myself.