A post from Grandma and Grandpa

Please read to me Grandma.

I love this part!

Grandpa, what nice dinosaurs they have in Oregon!

How does this thing work Grandma?

Bet you can't suck your toes like me Grandma!!

Grandma, Grandpa said I could pick your flowers - is that OK?

What a cool toy Grandpa, when do I get one of these?

Let me take you for a ride Grandpa!

Ronni and Chris are in Seattle for a much needed few days alone and we have been entrusted to care for Mr. Benjamin while they are away. What a treat for us! We think he's the most beautiful baby in the world and a true blessing to both of us. He's just so good all the time. He hardly ever fusses and is full of big smiles all the time. He makes our hearts sing! I can see a lot of his mommy in him - his easy disposition and affection. He's going to be tall and thin like his daddy. (A terrific combination.)

It's been a LONG time since we've had a little one in our house and neither Grandpa or I slept very well wondering if we would hear Benjamin if he woke in the night. I jumped up at 4:00 a.m. to check on him and found him sleeping well in his crib. At least he got in a good night's rest!

We love watching him explore his world and try to figure things out. He loves his hands and when they're not in his mouth or trying to put a toy in his mouth, he examines them carefully. He's so curious and isn't frightened by noises. He studies everything patiently. I think he's going to be very smart (as you would expect a proud Grandma to say).

We're also very proud of Chris and Ronni. They're a wonderful team and are providing Benjamin with a loving and secure environment. We'll be sad to see them return to MN, but know that we'll see them all in a week for Benjamin's baptism.

At The Coast

Hanging out in the trailer with Grandpa and Dad

Grandpa is so funny!

At the beach with Mom and Dad

Love the ocean!

Dad and Ben were just chasing seagulls!

Pulling in a big catch..

This is a lot of work!

Our big catch - dinner will be on the table soon!

Sea lions in the bay we were crabbing in - they are so cute!

In Oregon, people go to the coast. It's similar to saying we're going to the lake, up north, to the beach, ect. My parents got their new Airstream travel trailer all hooked up Monday morning and we headed west. We stayed at a state park in Nehalem, OR right next to the beach. The weather cooperated relatively well, we even had sun on Tuesday! Ben got to see the Pacific Ocean for the first time, he now has seen 2 different oceans in his little life!! Mom, Dad, and Grandpa went crabbing on Tuesday and got the record catch of the day at the marina - 3 crabs! They made for a tasty dinner with some steak that night. Chris tried crab for the first time, he thought it was "OK". It was a great mini-vacation, my parents trailer is beautiful and comfortable for the 5 of us. Chris and I are headed to Seattle tomorrow for a little honeymoon. Ben is staying with Grandma and Grandpa and I'm not sure who is more excited - Mom and Dad to be getting away alone for a night or Grandma and Grandpa to get Ben alone for a night!

The Gorge

Mom, Dad, and Ben at Chanticleer Point in the Columbia River Gorge

Mom and Dad

Grandma, Grandpa, and Ben

Mom, Dad, and Ben at Vista House

Multnomah Falls

Mom at Multnomah Falls

Dad after walking down from the bridge at Multnomah Falls

My Mom and Dad took Chris, Ben, and I on a tour of the Columbia River Gorge today. It was fairly decent weather - not much sun but not much rain either. We stopped at a few of the many waterfalls and ended at the 2nd largest waterfall in the United States: Multnomah Falls. It was really fun and even though I have seen these sights before it was nice to see them through Chris's eyes for the first time.

Tomorrow we are headed to the coast to camp in Grandma and Grandpa's brand new Airstream travel trailer. Hopefully the weather and tides will cooperate so we can get out and do some crabbing and spend some time at the beach!

It's all happening at the zoo...

Dad and Ben outside the giftshop
Mom, Dad, and Ben in the petting zoo

Grandpa and Ben navigating the map of the zoo

What a cool dude!

Mom and Dad at Mom's favorite exhibit - the Penguin House!

Grandma and Grandpa and their favorite grandson!

We took Ben to the Oregon Zoo yesterday - we actually had some sunshine and wanted to be outside to take advantage of it! Ben was all decked out in his sunglasses for optimum animal viewing pleasure. He was more interested in watching people than animals but I think he saw a few. Grandpa seemed to enjoy being in charge of the stroller and it took some skills to navigate around the thousand other strollers that were there!

Ben spent the evening hanging out with Grandma and Grandpa as Mom and Dad went to dinner with Mom's brother Chad and his girlfriend Theresa.

Oregon!

Dad and Ben in the airport in Minneapolis
Taking a nap with Dad on the couch at Grandma and Grandpa's

Grandma feeding Ben carrots for dinner

Ben in his new jumper - he loves it!

Mom, Dad, and Ben made it to Oregon last night to start our big vacation! This is our first official vacation as a family and we are so excited to be visiting my parents. Today we went to the Nike Employee Store and Benjamin made out with a few new pairs of shoes. Mom and Dad may have gotten a few things also... Ben did great on the plane last night - he slept most of the way from Chicago to Portland and woke up in time to greet Grandma and Grandpa at the airport. They had the house all ready for us - a crib for Ben, lots of toys to play with, and a ton of new clothes. Grandma and Grandpa have been so busy!!

Happy Mothers Day!

Dad took this picture - Mom's eyes are closed but Ben looks good!
Ben, Mom, and Great-Grandma

Looking at the tree with Mom - Ben likes to look at flowers and trees.

Happy Mothers Day to everyone! This is my first official Mothers Day as Benjamin's mom and it is wonderful! Ben woke us up this morning at 6 am to give me his present - a spa package just for mom (I think Dad had a hand in it too...). We went to church and then to visit Great-Grandma and give her some flowers. We also spent some time on the phone with Grandma and Grandpa in Oregon and listened as Grandma opened her presents. We are about to go to lunch with Grandma Colleen.

I never imagined how amazing it would be being a mom. I love every minute of it. Ben "gave" me my first homemade Mother's Day card - his "helped" him. I cried when I opened it, it melted my heart right there. I will always treasure that card.

Scratchin my head

Ben likes to scratch his head, especailly when he is just waking up. I imagine that he's trying to figure out what's going on and he likes to take his time and observe his surroundings for a while.

The Many Faces of Ben

Its been so long!

Man how time flies! I didn't realize how long its been since I've put up a new post until I logged in to look at some Benjamin pictures and saw that the last post was April 21st. The weather has been improving so much lately and we have been trying to take advantage of it as much as possible. We did some yard work this weekend and Benjamin and I resumed our Baby Boot Camp workouts. We joined a church a couple weekends ago and have actually made it to church every Sunday. Ben likes the music and usually takes a nap for part of the service. We are so lucky to have an easy-going baby. We are all looking forward to going to Oregon in 2 weeks - vacation!! Ben continues to amaze and delight us every minute of every day. He has recently discovered what we like to call his "bird voice" - a high-pitched yell that is usually accompanied by some arm flapping. Grandma and Grandpa have gotten the phone experience of the bird voice the last few days and of course they think its just beautiful!