Our Boy is Walking!

It's official... Benjamin is walking! For some reason this past week he decided that he was interested in getting around on two feet and just started to do it all the time. I've posted a video because I think the weeble wobble beginnings are so sweet... and perhaps because I'm a proud momma!

Where's Ben???

I hope everyone had a very enjoyable Christmas... we sure did, but more of that later. We're getting ready for church right now so this will have to be a quickie. Grandma and Grandpa G. bought Ben a camo winter suit for Christmas last year and I thought I'd share with you just how stylish and handsome he looks in it... that is if you can see him! ;) Have a wonderful Lord's Day!

Oh, Christmas Tree... How Evil are Your Branches

That's right... our Christmas tree is a bit feisty! We got the tree home, put it up, and as we started hanging the lights, realized that it would probably eat us alive if it could. This thing has such prickly needles that it actually made me bleed!!! I quickly gave up fighting with it and let Brian do the dirty work of hanging lights; a job which he was promptly sick of. In any case, after much toil, we got the tree all decorated and now that no touching is required we are enjoying it quite a lot. It's actually the nicest looking tree we've ever had. (Funny how looks can be so deceiving!) 

Battered Boy

The other day while Catherine and I were talking in the kitchen, Ben slipped and took a tumble onto the kitchen floor (no, I did not drop him - this was a self inflicted wound). He was crying and at first I didn't think much of it, I just thought he'd bumped his head on the floor - no big deal. However, as I went to give him a little comfort hug I realized there was blood... lots of blood! So I snatched him up quickly and noticed that his lip was already swelling and that the blood just didn't want to stop flowing. So, this being the first real injury Ben's had I was a little panicked trying to comfort him, trying get a cold wash rag into his mouth, and trying to make sure he hadn't bitten through his lip or lost a tooth, etc. Thankfully, Catherine was there and reassured me that Maggie had done this very same thing more than once already (she's a real go-getter) and that even though it bleeds a lot it's nothing real serious. (Yes, it's official... I'm a first time paranoid mother!) After a while, we got the blood to stop, Brian got Ben to quit crying, I was covered in blood, and the injured boy was ready for bed. Here are a couple not so great shots of his nice, big, first, fat lip! 

Tasty Sweet Potato Souffle

This post is for my cousin Andrea who put in the request and for whoever else would like to try this souffle recipe. I'm not sure how different it really is from every other sweet potato souffle recipe (cause this is the only one I've made) but it is sure tasty! By the way... thank you, Andrea, for a very enjoyable and yummy Thanksgiving dinner!

Sweet Potato Souffle:

3 extra large sweet potatoes, boiled and mashed

1 cup sugar

2 eggs, well beaten

3/4 cup butter

1/2 cup milk

1 tsp. vanilla

1 tsp. cinnamon

Topping:

1 cup packed brown sugar

1/3 cup flour

1 cup chopped pecans

1/4 cup melted butter

Combine all ingredients for souffle and pour into baking dish. Combine all topping ingredients and sprinkle over top. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. 

The Celebration

I hope everyone had an enjoyable Thanksgiving... Hard to believe it's already come and gone and now Christmas is right around the corner! Anyway, here are photos of some of the birthday celebrations we had for Benjamin. Grandpa and Grandma G came from Helena on Sunday to wish Ben a happy birthday and took us out to dinner for the occasion and on Monday we had a big birthday dinner here at the house. Just thought I'd share a bit of this exciting milestone. 

Sporting the new Griz hat.

Having fun at dinner!

The cake

Ben enjoying his cake!

Birthday Boy

That's right... today is Ben's 1st Birthday! We're having a birthday dinner with family on Monday to celebrate so today was a fairly mellow day aside from my being treated to a professional massage and Ben getting a few gifts and special visits and phone calls from family. He's just getting over a pretty nasty cold and isn't quite on top of his game yet but he had fun playing none the less. Here are a few photos and a video of him reeking havoc in the house! The lion he's walking around with in the video was a birthday gift from Grandpa and Grandma Schultz and he gets a real kick out of it. (We've christened him Lester!)

What a mess!

A Little Random Fun

There's nothing particularly special about this post except that it contains photos of our beautiful boy having a little random fun at home one day. I just couldn't resist sharing them with you because he's just so darn cute. I hope you enjoy them as much as I do.

Looking at the drill.

Tasting the drill.

Showing the drill.

The Brewmaster(s)

So, Brian's recent brew creation is something we are all really excited about. It is called the "Rum Raisin Christmas Ale" and will be ready to drink around Christmas time. There were some extra steps in making this ale and here are some photos of the brewmasters busy at work. Ben just couldn't resist helping his Papa!

"Now this is what I think you should do, Papa..."

Bringing Home the Bacon... or Venison Rather

This last weekend Brian went hunting with his dad and a few other friends and I'm excited to report that he was able to bring us home some meat for the winter! He's hoping to get out plenty more before the season's over so we'll see what else is in store for us. 

Dragon Boy

The other day I got a box down out of the garage that contained books and other things from when I was little and I found this dragon cape that Aubrey and I used to play with. It's just the right size for Ben so I decided to put it on him and see how he liked it. Here are the results:

The name is actually quite fitting. He's very good at terrorizing the kitchen as you can well see!

 

Update

So, Ben and I are both sick... Nothing serious I hope, just a cold, but it's not much fun none-the-less. Brian stayed home from work today to take care of us and we have both been very appreciative (especially me). The extra rest has certainly been nice considering I'm pregnant and fighting a cold. By the way, for everyone who doesn't know, we are expecting our second baby Schultz! We are very excited to say the least!

So, that's about all this update will consist of. I thought that since I've been so neglectful the past few weeks I should at least drop a little line. Hope all is well for all of you and that you're maintaining good health.

Tuesdays

Every Tuesday I pick Alivia up from school and she spends the afternoon with us. Today she had early release and got out of school at 12:30pm so Ben and I picked her up as usual but since there was so much of the afternoon left we went to Wendy's to get lunch and had a picnic at the park. After lunch, Ben and Alivia played for a while and had fun swinging, sliding, and teeter-tottering. When we got sick of that, we walked to the duck pond up on campus. Alivia fed the ducks as Ben and I watched. This was Ben's first time seeing ducks up close and he thought they were pretty neat and wanted so badly to pet them - but being the mean momma I am I didn't let him. I could just picture these ravenous ducks trying to pluck off his little fingers to devour like a piece of bread. I kid you not, these things can get a little crazy about food! In any case, here are some fun pictures of our afternoon. 

Little Friends- and no, do not say Ben's little girlfriend or vise versa... That drives me NUTS!!

So, as many of you know, Ben and Maggie were born 9 days apart and Maggie and her family live right next to us and are very good friends so the kids get to play quite frequently. Here are a couple photos of the two having fun last week. Pretty cute kids if I do say so myself!

The Wedding

Ok - thanks to Dad & Mom Gauthier I was able to get my hands on some photos of Chris & Aubrey's wedding. Enjoy!

Dad & his girls.

"Humph..." She says, "I'm not so sure about this."

I think Chris's heart must have stopped when he saw her walking down the isle - she is so stunningly beautiful!

The fishermen!

Father giving away the bride - a bittersweet moment.

The long awaited kiss.

Ben finally getting his dinner at the reception.

The wedding party

The cakes

First Dance

Father - Daughter Dance

Don't Know What You Call It Dance

Another Father-Daughter Dance

Aubrey & our cousin Thomas hitting the dance floor.

Ben & Grandpa G. at the end of the night.