hat! dog!

It's been a busy and fun 2 plus months since the last post. Ben seems to have changed a lot since the break- he's more vocal now and moving in 3-d (meaning he's now a climber- onto the tables, beds, stairs). He loves to go outside to play, particularly with balls and bubbles. He loves dogs and hats and anything his brother is doing. We spent yesterday afternoon at a park in Portland, harassing every dog owner so Ben could talk to their cute pooch. He has a smile that is huge and contagious, and gives wonderful hugs.

ben turns one!

What an amazing year it's been! We celebrated Ben's first birthday at the end of our long Christmas vacation.

Ben is now 28 pounds and 33 inches. He walks, tries to run to keep up with Owen, and has a few words- Mom, Dad, bye, baa (when he sees a sheep), book, something like brother, bottle. He still likes to eat, but what he likes keeps changing. He's sleeping good at night- up to 12 hours- and enjoys his naps. He love hugging us, and grabbing his brother. His favorite toys are anything Owen is playing with, cell phones, and blue blankie.

We had a little birthday party, which I think he enjoyed. Owen helped me make and decorate cupcakes, which Ben ate very delicately- not much to clean up, surprisingly.

'twas the night after Christmas

Richard and I got up on the 26th, wished my dad and sister lots of luck, handed them 2 boys hopped up on toys and goodies, and drove up to Richland for Kristi and Joe's wedding. The ceremony was beautiful, with a guitar duet that made me cry despite my best efforts. Kristi looked wonderful in her gown, and boys in their tuxes were cuter than cute. Joe too. We had a fun evening: talked with Kristi's family, enjoyed dinner with Joe's uncle and delightful grandma, and watched the little ones own the dance floor. Quite a night out for Richard and I.

Best wishes to the new family!

christmas

We had a wonderful Christmas day. Santa came, and he thought the boys were very good this year. Santa must have received Owen's letter, based on all the Playmobile toys waiting for Owen. The boys had a fun time inspecting their stash, and enjoyed their new garage. We spent the morning unwrapping gifts from Richard's family and assembling toys. We shared Christmas dinner with my dad, and the Muhly's made it in time for more unwrapping and pie.

We've had a wonderful 2 weeks off of work- time to enjoy our gifts as well as time to enjoy each other. Richard and I took a 2 day trip up to Washington to see Kristi and Joe's wedding (a separate post) and Ben turned one today (another separate post).

We had such a prosperous 2009- Ben joined our family, the boys got two new aunts, we made a few trips East to see family and some fun treks around the NW. We are very blessed. We hope everyone has a wonderful 2010!

twas the days before Christmas

Grandpa barely made it out of the snowy East to visit us for Christmas. We did some final shopping and took a trip up to the Evergreen Aviation Museum. He was here just as Ben was transitioning to walking. Now walking is his preferred mode of transportation. He crawls only if he has to go fast to keep up with Owen.
Grandpa got to go to Owen's swim lesson. Owen can now swim across the length of the small pool. They were playing Policemen while waiting for the lesson.

We had a yummy Christmas Eve dinner at Susie's house before the Christmas service. Ben was being very cute and photogenic.

We donned our 2009 edition Christmas jammies, and Grandpa read the boys Twas the Night Before Christmas. Owen was beyond excited about Santa coming- he and Richard tracked Santa on NORAD all evening and Owen went to bed once Santa hit North America.

holiday greetings!

2009 is winding down, and we will be enjoying its last two weeks at home together. Ben is on the verge of turning one. He is taking a few unassisted steps, and is definitely saying "ball" now, along with Mama, Dada, hi and bye. He gets me up at 5 each morning, and around 7 the two of us go in and wake up Owen- that is Ben's favorite part of the day- jumping on his brother and getting to play with him. Owen in turn loves his little brother and talks about how they are best friends. He does a great job sharing toys and has been very patient with Ben. Owen is enjoying pre-k, loves his teacher Richard and the activities they do each day, including yoga and gardening. He's working on his reading and writing, and still obsessed with airplanes. Ben will start at Owen's old school- the Monroe Center- in January. It is hard to believe that he is old enough to go there now, but Owen was the same age when he started. I think Ben will be happy there. Richard and I are keeping busy with the boys and with work. We enjoyed NOT renovating our house this year- it was time to reap the benefits of last year's chaos.

We are looking forward to Christmas at home with my dad, assuming he can snowplow his way to the Richmond airport tomorrow. We will miss everyone in Vermont this year, but wish you love and will see you this summer after the melt.

holiday picture: the process

A few of the 43 takes...