....More of March

Happy and all smiles after church :) 

I had a doctor's appointment in Spokane and afterwards we went to visit Auntie Lora and Ben's cousins :) It was fun!

 Ari, Gabrian and Wynn with Ben

 "I'm old enough mama, pleeeeeeeease...just one!" 

 Whoa. Those dogs are a lot bigger than what Ben's used to! 

 Uncle Eric giving Ariana some bike riding advice

 Talking with Auntie and Wynn

 Me with my niece, Wynn

me with my niece, Ariana

 Uncle Eric and Gabrian playing some B-ball =)

Hmmmm....something tells me he made it :)

Ariana and her Uncle Eric have always been good friends :) <3 

Happy, happy, happy to be hangin' with his Auntie! 

Not the most exciting video, but love his baby sounds! 

Needing a quick snooze to recharge! 

The next day, Eric, Ben, and I visited a small local "zoo" that houses large cats (and one spoiled black bear). It's pretty small, but we did get to hear a tiger protest a little bit..the sound of a large cat roaring will always make the hair on the back of your neck stand up, regardless of fencing between you and it. I think they said they had something like 19 tigers. They also have 2 African lions, a leopard, a mountain lion, and some bob cats. It was fun :)

A very scary name for a big cat to have! 

Checking out the cats.....Ben was intruiged. I didn't think he would have been old enough to notice/care...but it IS Ben, after all. He sees all ;)

Awkward family (self) portrait! Yay! 

After the (oh-so-fun 2 hour) drive back to the valley, we finally got some spring weather! We rounded up the pups and went for a walk in the park. Ben LOVES to be outside. It cures all. He's always quiet and happy and just likes to take it all in! 

Overwhelming cuteness! 

Did I mention we did a little bit of shopping in Spokane? Look at that hat! I love it!!

In stead of using the stroller, we were Moby-wrappin' it. Ben seems indifferent as to his mode of transportation. He doesn't care "how" or "why" just as long as he's outside! 

  I mean, really? He's kind of ridiculous. I wonder if it hurts to be so darned cute?! Good grief! His mama sure loves him!!

Some of March....

Yay! I'm finally getting caught up on blogging! :)

At 5 months, Ben weighs in at 16.2 lbs. He enjoys apples, bananas, carrots, green beans, pears, peaches, and apple juice. The boy loves to eat!  (But carrots are definitely his favorite).

He can roll over from front to back, and from back to front. 

He is very vocal, and has a lot to say! He chuckles a lot, but a full-out laugh is still rare and really precious!  I got a few laughs while tickling him on video here: giggles and chuckles....

He is still a great sleeper, but his hours are changing... We don't have quite so much of a night owl on our hands anymore! I'd be more excited, except a baby that goes to bed at midnight and sleeps for nine hours was working pretty well in this house of night-shifters! 

I seriously cannot get enough of that smile!! Ben is one bright-eyed sweet boy. HE is a pretty happy dude. And WE are so blessed!

We got to go see Ben's buddy Hank :) (Hank, btw, is pictured here at 3 weeks old, and still weighed a pound less than Ben did at birth! He's a pretty sweet little guy. I'm pretty excited Ben has a friend so close in age!)

Enjoying a "good" book. Yummy. 

Shooter and Myla both seem quite indifferent in regards to the baby. And the feeling, for the most part, seems mutual. Unless one of them is making noise, they all ignore each other. Ben does seem to like the cat, however, who will rub against his outreached hand. The cat will take the affection wherever he can get it, so I guess the two of them are friends! 

 

(Poor picture quality: taken on a phone:) Facebooking with mom..

March 7th was my 28th birthday....Eric surprised me with a new bike (and some pretty flowers). I LOVE it....haven't had much of a chance to get out on it yet though...soon...bring on SPRING! 

February: 4 months old

 4 months old: Benjamin weighs 15 lbs and is 26 inches long. He's gained 7 lbs and has grown 5 inches since birth! Grow baby grow!!

Oh so expressive! 

 Tuckered out after a walk :)

Getting to try out new foods. We've designated Monday as "new food day" and Ben gets to try a new food once a week. He's not yet met a food he doesn't like, but carrots are, by far, his favorite. :)

....but applesauce and blueberries are pretty good too. :) Cutie. 

 Ben got to meet his new friend, Henry Allan Jones. Our friends, Derek and Amie, welcomed their beautiful son February 19th.

January: 3 months old

At 3 months old, Mr. Benjamin weighs 14 lbs. Starting to learn more about our little guy's likes and dislikes, and his "little" personality. Pretty fun :)

 

Sweet, sweet baby....

A boy and his guardian :)

 He is a thumb sucker! 

 This toy "goes" when the feet kick a foot-plate at the base. When kicked, the top spins and plays music. Quite captiviating! (I type this when he is now 5 months, and it is still a favorite!) 

 This is a blanket that belonged to Ben's mama as a baby. I have a picture of myself on it as a newborn and I did not take up one full square. I love his face in this picture! 

 "Hi, my name is Chubby..."

 ....And they call me that for a reason! 

 First taste of rice cereal. He was quite indifferent. He seemed to like the process of us putting food in his mouth, but didn't seem to like or dislike the cereal. 

 Our beautiful boy and his beautiful blue eyes. 

One happy, cute critter! 

A little catching up on what I missed....

Benjamin's first Christmas: a little look:

Ben's first Christmas with the Carney's at Auntie Lora's and Uncle Mike's. 

Ben's first Christmas with the Hanson's at Grandpa and Grammie's. 

Meeting Uncle Travis for the first time. 

Ben's first Christmas gift....

Ben looking slightly less than amused....;)