Before the Snow Flew

That's right, I used the word flew because we got our first dash of snow for the season yesterday and it's quite cold outside now. I took a few pics of Ben playing outside a few weeks ago (before it got too cold) and thought they turned out quite nice. Here's our little boy with beloved Tiger in tow enjoying the sunshine:

Praise God for Good Friends

This last weekend some good friends of ours from Spokane came to visit and although we didn't do a whole lot while they were here, we sure enjoyed it. We are always quite encouraged after any time spent with them and are extremely thankful for their friendship. Charlie and Brian went to college together at Montana Tech and have been great friends ever since, and Charlie was the Best Man in our wedding. He and his wife Margaret had a baby boy (Charles the III) on July 5th so it was really fun meeting him and introducing them to Cedric also. It will be a lot of fun as the boys get older being that they're so close in age. Here are a few pics from the weekend:

Charles and Cedric having "tummy time" together.

Are they not two of the sweetest looking babies you've ever seen?!

Charlie, Margaret, and baby Charles during our Sabbath meal.

Ben during our Sabbath meal.

Can you tell that he enjoyed it?!

Who Knew?

Yes, I know I shouldn't let him play with a dirty germy diaper pale (and I usually don't), but I couldn't resist standing by for a few minutes the other day just to listen to his sweet laughter. Who knew that something so simple could invoke such joy in a child?!

A Day With the G's

On Saturday the boys and I drove over to Helena to visit Grandpa and Grandma G. for the day. We just hung out at the house, had a nice lunch, and let Ben play outside while Cedric took a nice long nap. We even got to see my cousin Andrea and her two boys Christion and Devon. It was great to see everyone! Here are a few pics of our day:

Here's Ben moving rocks with this front loader... what fun he had!

Ben and Grandma G. taking a walk in the yard.

Grandpa G. helping Christion and Devon fly the super cool kite. Unfortunately, the wind wasn't blowing quite hard enough to get it flying for long, but it was fun trying!

A Few Random Shots

"Mom, look at me! I'm a big boy eating rice cereal!"

Snuggle Time with Papa.

"Ahhh... I think I'll take a little rest."

"Hey! I can reach my toes!"

A Sabbath Surprise

After a week or so of asking for it, Ben finally got his "Big Boy Bunkbed" set up in his bedroom. He was so excited yesterday as it was getting set-up that he could hardly stand it. He got to sleep in it last night and did a really good job not getting out of bed - we all got a good night sleep! This has been quite the Sabbath treat for our sweet energetic little boy.

Ben and his two best buddies (Tiger & Freddy the Teddy) trying out the new bed!

Practicing the climb in and out of bed. (Not because he needs it, but because he's so darn excited about the bed he can't sit still!)

Here he is upon waking up this morning... still in love with his bed!

Visiting Great GrandMary

A couple weeks ago we went over to my grandma's house (GrandMary to the boys) and had dinner. It was quite fun for all of us. Ben had a cheering squad during dinner that he got quite a kick out of, Cedric got a fun pony ride from GrandMary with singing to go along with it, and we all got to eat a tastey supper together. Here are a few pics from our enjoyable evening.

Thanks Grandma for having us over - we love you so much!

"GrandMary is so much FUN!"

Ben had fun playing with this fire truck. He liked to watch it roll down the hill.

Grandma has a nice flower garden alongside her front porch. These are some of the sunflowers growing up her railing... so pretty!

Another Milestone

Yesterday evening Cedric had his first taste of solid food - rice cereal! He didn't quite know what to do with it and I'm not sure much actually made it to his stomach, but he did a great job. It's hard to believe we're already at this stage in his life! We're hoping something a little more solid will help him to start sleeping through the night again. Here's a photo and a video commemorating this big milestone for our little man:

Bubba & Buster - Quite the Pair!

Here they are, our very own Bubba Tootskie and Buster Rooskie, recently showing some brotherly affection. It's nothing too exciting for most, but it's too cute not to share!

Can anyone tell me how I managed to invoke such different emotional reactions from my two children? One is expressing complete joy in laughter and the other fear. Hmmm... I guess you can tell already which one takes me seriously!

You can sure tell they're brothers!

"Momma look! I'm holding brother all by myself!"

Fun Run

Yesterday the boys and I went to cheer on Alivia (Little Sister to me and Super-Fun Auntie to a couple little boys I know) as she participated in a "fun run" at her school. She had half an hour to run as many laps around a make-shift track as she could to help raise money for her school. Alivia did great and completed 32 laps! She was exhausted by the end but was pretty proud of her accomplishment. Ben had fun dancing and playing in the sunshine while Cedric just watched everything with wide eyes and slept. It was a nice day. Thanks for letting us share it with you, Livvi!