Memorial Day Parade

It was a warm, muggy Memorial Day, but that didn't stop our Scouts from marching in the parade. They did a wonderful job & were so repectful during the ceremony at the cemetary...mom was very proud!

Check out these good-lookin' kids!!

It just keeps getting more & more pretty...

Here's Jac's eye at day 2...sure is a beauty, don't you think?

28 wks

Here it is, another week gone by in the blink of an eye...we visited our doctor on Wednesday for Ben's 6 mo. well baby check & yes, he is quite well!! He's weighing in at just shy of 20 pounds and he's 27 inches long! Those stats put him in the 75th percentile for both height & weight. Doc said again, "You'd never guess we fretted over him so much in the beginning." Yes, we are so very blessed. We thank God every day for his good health and for the same for his brothers & sister.

Speaking of those siblings, they'll be done with school on Wednesday. So hard to believe we're closing in on kindergarten & 4th grade....seems each year goes quicker than the last.

Today was a great precursor to summer. I've been struggling with the idea - not that the older three will be home, but rather that life as we know it is about to change forever. You see, by the time they go back to school in the fall, Ben will be crawling & likely pulling up & starting to cruise around the furniture.

I snapped this picture during one of Ben's heart to hearts with his favorite girl: Jaclyn. Those two just adore each other. He smiles & laughs & listens to her. She loves to read him stories, hold him, talk to him, play with him, help me with him - whatever I want or need, if it's with him. Which is very handy since Rob & Tom could honestly sequester themselves in the living room with the tv and computer. She's much more relational, to say the least!

At any rate, all the kids played so well together. Ben slept wonderfully during his naps. And Rob, Tom & Jac actually managed to clean their room without directly being told to - more or less just a gentle reminder. Jaclyn baked cookies (with a little help ;) and everyone enjoyed the steak Daddy grilled for supper....after a rousing round of hardball catch that ended less favorably for Jaclyn.

Yes, it's true, our princess has a black eye! You have to admit, it goes really well with her loose tooth right next to the hole in her smile! She missed an air-ball Daddy soft-tossed to her, but caught it right on her brow. This picture was taken about three hours after it happened - it looks GOOD here! When he brought her to the house, it was almost swelled shut already and quite a colorful sight: red, green, purple - all the shades you love to see on your daughter's eye - all at once! She keeps touching it and saying, "But, Mommy, it still hurts." I don't think she quite gets it that yea, it's gonna hurt! Ahhh, the wonders which lie ahead!

6 months already!

Hard to believe it's been six months already...as with any child, our lives have been forever transformed. We are so very thankful for this healthy, handsome little man of ours. Even being our 4th, we are still awed and amazed daily.

So far, his brothers & sister still adore him, Of course, he isn't crawling yet, so he isn't destroying anything. However, he's scooting everywhere he wants & we have had to move him or them or whatever they're working on...such as Tom & his puzzle at the moment - three times now he's moved. Thankfully, he's just laughed and said, "Now, Ben, be nice to old Tom."

Updating Ben's Weekly Mugs

Here we go....24, 25 & 26 wks.

Since our last update, he's gotten 2 teeth - one Thursday, May 8 & another one yesterday, Sunday, May 11 - Mother's Day!

Hard to believe he'll be 6 months on Friday!

Ben's Dedication

What a wonderful Mother's Day ... our young son was dedicated to the Lord in church today. We so appreciate the love & prayers of our family & friends. We are so blessed to be in this place...

you can tell how "at home" Ben feels there. He often stretches out on the pew after Tom & Jac go to kids church & gets his morning nap in. Thank goodness he's a pretty peaceful sleeper!

The hands picture is all the kids wearing their baptism rings. The one Robert wears is the one I wore on my baptism day. Ben is holding Rob's hand, Jac's is to the right & Tom's is on bottom. Their hands are resting on their Uncle Don's baby blanket.