Coming Home Videos

On our drive home from the hospital

Introducing Benjamin to our house

Jesus

Benjamin loves to look at the pictures we have up in our house, including the pictures of Jesus. A couple times he has said "Jesus" while pointing at his picture. By the time I get Lamoni in there to hear it, though, he won't say it anymore (there's not much he does on command haha). Well, as any mom knows, a new skill doesn't count until there's another witness for it! Well, I played the piano for a wedding at our church building last weekend. I was holding him while talking to the Bishop about the ceremony. We were standing under the same picture of Jesus that we have. Then clear as day, Benjamin pointed and said "Jesus!" The Bishop was astounded and I was thrilled to have a witness. :-) I later told my family and Joy said he has been saying Jesus for a few weeks to her while she shows him the pictures while babysitting. So I guess I had a witness anyway...

Here is a picture next to the same stool of Benjamin at 3 months and then at 10 months.

His big thing right now is to *stand* on his motorcycle. Talk about a heart attack for me!

We've had a lot of fun with Joseph when he was here for a few litweeks. He, Jacob and Michael came over and played some sort of strategy game with Lamoni. Benjamin and I escaped to my parents' house for a girls night.

Here I am with Deruchette's little Dantes - he weighs as much now at 2 months old as Benjamin did at birth!

He had a fun time hanging out on Grandpa Bear's shoulders. We were in Bloomfield for Dantes' blessing last weekend and again this weekend for family pictures.

Lamoni lecturing all the nieces and nephew.

Duck pond with Luke Michael and his family. Benjamin said "duh? duh? duh?" for duck and said "woof woof" - the sound that all animals make in Benjamin's world.

10 Months Old

Benjamin just turned 11 months so I wanted to finally finish his 10 month pictures. He is walking now! He can walk across the church gym all by himself! He also is obsessed with dogs. He says "dah" for dog and then goes "woof woof"! Everything goes woof woof. His toy motorcycle, his ball, his cars, the picture of Jesus... When we need to keep him happy we just put on a youtube video of dogs barking and he watches with full concentration throwing back a "woof woof" occasionally in response.

Both banana toothbrushes at once!

Watering the flowers. Sometimes I spray to close and cover him in mud. :-/

Fresh tomatoes from the garden are a treat.

I love sleeping pictures. He really likes sleeping with his head on a pillow.

Discovering a baby - this is one of my student's new brother. He was intrigued but was quickly bored with him. 

At Brett's 3rd birthday party.

They were *supposed* to be stacking donuts, but that quickly became a donut-fest for Benjamin! Note the donuts in both hands.

He likes to play with older kids.

Watching Rocky with Daddy.

Lamoni volunteered to watch Faith and Jason's kids. I happened to be teaching at the same time so he got to take FIVE kids to the park. :-)

Still the obsession with steering wheels.

Enjoying the grass at my parents' house.

Benjamin's favorite things right now are to:

1. Throw a ball. It's adorable. Balls and cars are his thing.

2. Mimic all our body gestures. He has a ton of signs now. I really should look up the "real" signs because I've just been making things up that seem good. One of his new ones is "where did it go?" He does that when he can't find one of his toys (usually his ball).

Each new stage he gets to I say is my favorite stage. But right now really *is* my favorite stage for him. Every day he learns new things and he understands so much. We probably have too much fun playing with him.

He goes to sleep regularly now in crib by patting and singing. We had tried that before and he just wasn't ready for it. Now he does the sleep sign and we bring him to bed and often he'll go down without crying at all. Other times we really have to work at it, though... He usually only sleeps 2-3 hours before he ends up back in bed with us. However, Saturday night he actually made it from 10-4 then I fed him and he slept in our bed from 5-9! Wow! The next night evened that out, though!

I am now reminded why I never get caught up on my blog. I have to go give a poor baby some attention now!

Lake Winnie

Here is our family reunion. Again. Each year we say it's our last year braving the 24 hour each way drive to northern Minnesota. But each year we have a blast and go back again. 

Packing up and starting out. Little did we know that we would have 12 STRAIGHT hours of severe thunderstorms. Severe, as in lightening above, in front, both sides and behind us all at the *same* time through Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas and Nebraska. I think I lost a few years off of my life. I have never seen anything like that before. The men were the brave drivers - Lamoni drove during the worst of the lightening and Jarrett took on hours of the heavy rain. So heavy in fact that we couldn't see the lanes on the road.

Benjamin helped. He ended up getting a sore throat - except we didn't know what was wrong with him. Poor baby. We thought it was teething, but then the sore throat was passed around the cabin. It was a really nasty one. 

On a walk while Lamoni was fishing. I made the picture big so you could read the sign: "Foot travel welcome." I found that comical, given that the brush was chest high. 

Benjamin ended up falling asleep on the rocky road.

Overlooking a dock and the beach at the resort. Beautiful sunsets every night!

Poor Jared. Lamoni made a meme with this picture about going to Lake Winnie and not catching any fish. I think that's what my dad and brothers would look like if that happened.

This is a common spot for Benjamin (at home too). He doesn't want to miss out on any action or lose a chance to escape when the door opens!

Somewhere there is a picture of me and Lamoni at this very sink 6 years ago before our missions washing dishes together (and having a water fight). Now we gave our baby a bath in the same sink!

Yay for the Ergo!

Jacob showing off a good catch.

Benjamin spent lots of time in the pool with Uncle Jarrett since he was the only adult brave enough (besides my mom) to swim the frigid water and actually enjoy it.

Sharing with grandma....then deciding he wants some too.

In the game room with Lamoni. He has a thing for steering wheels.

Lots and lots of fishing.

Faith took all 4 kids out! I'm sure Jason did too at one point, but I wasn't on that trip.

Lamoni's other past-time - wrestling Ryan.

Grandma and Grace time

Paddle-boarding was so fun I just had to let Benjamin experience it. :-) He started dozing off on it! 

Benjamin's favorite person - besides his parents of course. Michael is the only person Benjamin will sit through all of church with. He LOVES Michael. It's kind of weird.

Family paddle-boating time.

Campfire with cousins. I made the s'mores since I don't like them.