18 months of fun!

Ben had is 18-month check up on Friday. He is 27 pounds, 4 ounces and 34" tall (2 inches taller than the average 18-month old).

He's also been babbling a lot and the doctor said he should say between 10 and
15 words. So, I was trying to think of what he says these days: Dada, Mama, Up,
Cup, Cat, Dog, Banana (nana), That, Yep (counts as "yes", right?!),
Heart, Knock Knock, Clock, Light and Night Night. Not too shabby!

Do you want fries with that?

McDonald's is one of my least favorite places on earth (I won't bore you with that right now…) BUT Ben loved playing with this kitchen so much that Sarah (his babysitter) called me to say how cute it was and how much fun he was having. Apparently he was flipping burgers and working the drive through like a real pro.


He also had fun playing with this tent. We're so lucky to have such a great sitter who shares this fun stuff with us.

A.J.'s 2nd Birthday

Cousin A.J. in his conductor hat

Cousin A.J. & Aunt Holly

- - -

Before Ben went to bed I had this GREAT idea to get a photo of the three cousins. Well, you can see how well that worked. . .

First I tried. . .

Then Bubba tried. . .

Oh well, forget it! We had a lot of fun as you can tell by the toys scattered on the floor! Getting together these days is a lot different than it used to be. . . no more game nights, now it's sheer chaos, but we wouldn't have it any other way :)

Life's a Beach

Last weekend was our first trip to Innsbrook this summer. Ben LOVED the beach and was extremely content playing in the sand. He is fearless in the water. After Ben went to bed we toasted marshmallows in the fire pit (it was 80 degrees outside - exactly when you want to hang out by the fire) and then we checked out the new telescope at the dam. It was very cool - we saw Jupiter and its moons. Of course, that was all Joe, I know nothing about space!

Big Shoes to Fill

Ben saw my shoes by the front door the other day, so he decided to wear them. He now knows that shoes go on your feet. Ben has been making a lot of other connections like that - - - if you say airplane he'll look up to the sky, he points to the kitchen cabinet when he wants a snack, he says "dog" when he hears one barking (without being able to see the dog) and, my favorite, he gives big, wet, juicy kisses when you say "night-night."

Happy 4th!

More guacamole, Grampy! I love that stuff. Hey, where's your glasses?

I'm in Grandma heaven!

We celebrated the 4th with both families and Bill, Nancy and Jeff. It was a fun day - we all went to our house to watch the fireworks in the back yard - - - Ben was well asleep by firework time and thankfully didn't wake up!

It's not ALL about Ben

So, Joe and I had the rare opportunity to have a night out. We went to the ballgame with Tim and Amanda. Joe got these great tickets (12 rows back near first base - with private bathrooms, concessions and seats with padding), it was a beautiful night and the Cards won. BUT, was Joe happy? NO. Not until he got his Big Kahuna ice cream treat. See what I have to put up with people?