Swimming Lessons

Believe it or not, Benjamin is enjoying his first swimming lessons at the YMCA. We started the "Mommy, Daddy, & Me" swim class (for children 6 months to 24 months old) this past Tuesday. Class is on Tuesday and Thursday evenings for 4 weeks. We've been observing that Benjamin loves being in the water when he takes a bath, so Christian and I thought why not try the class. Most of the class is Christian and me interacting with Benjamin in the water. The goal is to try and get Benjamin to be as relaxed and comfortable in the water as possible. The final 10 minutes or so is spent singing songs and doing group activities in the water.

As you might have guessed, Benjamin is really enjoying the class (even with his cold). He even splashed Daddy with his hands a few times and blew a couple of bubbles in the water last night. Not bad for a 7-and-a-half month old at his second swimming class! Christian and I are really enjoying spending time together as a family. Unfortunately, that doesn't happen as often as we'd like these days.

We don't have any pictures yet, but there's still 3 weeks of class left. We'll work on that for everyone. We'll keep you posted and God's blessings on your day!

Winter is Here!!!

It is the middle of November...so it was bound to happen. We've seen a little snowfall a couple of times so far this winter. It's not enough to stick on the ground, but it sure looks beautiful coming down. God's creation certainly is amazing and wonderful and we are thankful to Him for His continued blessings! The snowflakes have not been big enough for Benjamin to see from inside the house yet, but that day will come.

Winter is here. Not just because we have seen the first bits of snowfall, but also because Benjamin has his first cold. So, we are in "get well" mode here. It is just a cold and we are praying that his body continues to fight the virus. He is getting better everyday and we hope he will be well by Thanksgiving (especially since Christian's parents are coming to our house to celebrate).

Our prayer for all of you, as we approach Thanksgiving, is that you are enjoying good health and that you take some time to pause and enjoy God's wonderful creation.

Just Playin' Around

What happens when you give a 7-and-a-half month old a spoon and some lukewarm water? Watch the video clip to find out! (By the way, you can hear an episode of "Little House on the Prairie" playing in the background. Sorry.)
I'm having trouble downloading the video because the file is quite big. I will keep trying.

Thank the Lord for...

...happiness. Our big boy was in a great mood today. He has been teething on and off since Saturday. I think the rest of the tooth finally cut the gum early this morning, so he was in a great mood. He now has three teeth and another on the way. He gets a little fussy when he's teething (who doesn't get crabby when their teeth are giving them trouble?!?), but I think he's doing quite well. Since he was in a better mood, I decided to put him on the couch. That way he could continue practicing to sit like a big boy without actually sitting on the floor (since we are trying to catch our second mouse in the last three weeks). I sat him up in the corner of the couch and he immediately gave me a great, big smile. I quickly moved him back to the floor while I grabbed our camera, then put him back on the couch to snap a few pictures. These are the best of the pictures I took. I'm including the close-up picture, even though it is a bit blurry. I still think it's a great picture. Please enjoy and God bless your day!
P.S. Can you spot all three of our big boy's teeth?

Halloween Education

Christian and I have constantly been learning these past 7+ months what it truly means to be parents. We are by no means experts and we acknowledge that we still have a lot to learn. And, furthermore, I know that Benjamin (and any future Stricklands) are not done teaching us lessons.

But, this being Benjamin's first Halloween, Christian and I wanted him to have the same childhood fun we remember enjoying while trick-or-treating. So, we got him a costume and took him to congregation members' homes for his first trick-or-treating experience.

Of course, Benjamin will be older the next time Halloween rolls around, but here are a few tidbits of what we learned from this year's experience. The "What To-Do's" and "What NOT To-Dos" of Halloween Trick-or-Treating, if you will. Do not wait until the night before to shop for your child's Halloween costume (If you do decide to wait, do not be surprised if the only choices left for a 12-month old costume is between dressing up as a pumpkin or a fairy. That is, unless you're willing to drive to multiple stores to find more costume options). Do have a backup plan in case your first idea does not pan out. Do not expect a 7-month old to be happy about being dressed up in a costume during the evening hours. Do expect varying degrees of fussiness and crabbiness to accompany your trick-or-treating experience. Do not expect to get a lot of candy when you have to spend the majority of the evening driving on country roads to get to people's houses. Do expect your 7-month old to put up a fight every time he is being put into his car seat. Do not wait until 1 hour before bedtime to start trick-or-treating. Do stick to your bedtime routine and get to bed ON TIME (or you might regret it the next day). Do not expect your child's trick-or-treating experience(s) to be the same as yours. Do have fun with your child/children and continue to see all the wonderful and numerous blessings/gifts God continues to bestow on us, His children.

Those are just a few examples of what we should remember to do or to not do next Halloween. Hopefully, Christian and I will "learn from our lessons of history" (as Mr. Mac at LHSN would say) when Halloween rolls around again next year.

Finally, please enjoy the following pictures of Benjamin in his Halloween outfits (the skeleton shirt is from Grandma and Grandpa King - Thanks!).

My First Airplane Trip

Mommy and I went on our first plane trip to visit Uncle Jamie, Aunt Cheryl, Cousin Callie, and Rem-dog. We did very well on the airplane. I played on Mommy's lap, drank my bottle, took a nap, and drank more of my bottle during the landing (I even slept during the entire flight home; Mommy thanked me for that because she needed a nap too). Aunt Cheryl and Mommy had a wonderful visit. Aunt Cheryl wrote about our visit on her blog. You can check it out at their blog at: http://www.theandesadventures.blogspot.com. Although Aunt Cheryl and Mommy mostly stayed home and took care of Cousin Callie and me, they said they both enjoyed each other's company and had a great time! Besides, what more could two babies ask for than have their Mommy's taking care of them around the clock! We missed Daddy, but were able to talk to him on the phone once a day (thank you for cell phones!). Before we knew it the week was over and it was time to return home. Hope you enjoy our pictures from the trip!