Ricky's Meet & Greet

Yes, Ricky is Cedric's nickname. It's simple enough that Ben can pronounce it and say it regularly when talking to or about his brother so it's just kind of stuck. Anyway, this last weekend my mom and my lovely friend, Catherine, hosted a meet and greet for friends & family to come and celebrate Cedric's arrival (and for those who had not met him yet it was an opportunity for them to do so). It was very nice and we had a good turn out of people I had not seen in a while. Ben had a lot of fun playing with his Auntie and cousins (even though they were all girls) but thankfully there was one little boy that came who is the same age as Ben. Here are some photos from the weekend.

A couple nice shots from Mom's backyard. (above)

Playing in the dirt!

The Man of the Hour

Ben's little friend Jaxon

That lovely friend of mine I mentioned earlier!

Ricky with cousin Gracie

Ricky with Auntie Livie

(can you tell that he loves the attention?!)

This one might need a little explaining! Ben loves to push just about anything around that he can find (little lawnmowers, boxes, Lester the Lion, cars, etc.), so he couldn't resist pushing this stroller around Grandma's house when he found it (even though it is pink). It's a good thing Papa wasn't around for this! ;)

Notice how comfortable Baby doll looks!

In the arms of proud Great Grand Mary

Our Chatter Box

Even though Cedric is only two months old, it has already been decided that he is the social bug of our family. He is a very happy boy who smiles much of the time and loves to talk to anyone and everyone who will give him the time of day (as long as he's not too tired). Here is a little video that Brian shot the other night of our sweet little chatter box!

The Summer Fair

This week the boys and I went to the Gallatin County Fair with my mom, Alivia, my friend Hillary, and her daughter Elizabeth. The weather was beautiful and the kids enjoyed playing, petting animals, and going on rides. Here are some pics of our day:

The boys

Cedric was a trooper!

Ben was all eyes trying to take everything in.

Here we are on Ben's first carnival ride!

There was a steering wheel at his seat so he enjoyed being the pilot.

Just getting off the ride. Ben's still not quite sure what to think of everything.

Here we are in the horse barn.

Mom was such a help with the boys... I'm so thankful she likes them so much (and me).

Beautiful Elizabeth!

Back to Butte

This last weekend Butte was hosting the the National Folk Festival and family from Arizona was in town, so naturally we took a little trip over to Butte for the weekend for all the festivities. We didn't make it to much of the Folk Festival because it turned out to be a bit complicated with two little ones who desperately need their naps, but we did see a couple performances including some Native American singing, dancing, and drumming which Ben thoroughly enjoyed! It was really nice to see the family that was in town as it's been a year since we've seen them and they were able to meet Cedric for the first time to top it all off. It was a nice weekend of visiting, eating, and soaking in Mom and Dad's nice new hot tub! Here are some pics from the weekend:

Ben playing the piano with Grandma

Cedric making faces with cousin Nick.

"Top that one Nick!"

Talking up a storm!

Snuggle time with Great Grandma

Snuggle time with Aunt Carol

Snuggle time with Grandma

(Cedric did a lot of snuggling!)

3 generations soaking in the tub!

"I could get used to this!"

Ben and Grandpa having fun in the swimming pool!

Ben and Mama having fun in the pool... and yes, I am still in my clothes!

Ben slept in a big boy bed for the first time and he did great!