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?

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!

Growing up

Welcome to our blog and thank you for spending some time with us! Our lives have been blessed with so much change! I think things have finally settled down enough (and the internet is cooperating long enough) that I can actually start to post on our blog. Thank you for all of your patience. I know there are a number of family members and friends who have been waiting for us to get the blog up and running for a couple of years. So, this is for all of you.

The purpose of this first post is to show pictures of God’s greatest blessing given to us this last year – our son. Here are a few pictures so you can see how the “little monster man” is growing up. Please enjoy the slide show and God’s Blessings!