2010 Family Pictures

Here are our 2010 family pictures taken by Kate Ash. Forgive me for including ALL of my favorites, but I want them recorded in my printed blog book! David was such a trooper for these pictures. This was his weekend: Friday Night from 4-8 pm: Ben's birthday party at Chucky Cheese: directly followed by a night on call. Saturday he slept for about two hours before I woke him up for family pictures: directly followed by another night at the hospital! Sunday he slept for a few more hours before I woke him up to celebrate Ben's real birthday with our little family: And you guessed it....directly followed by 5 more consecutive nights of call. He must know that a happy wife equals a happy life! I had to schedule them last minute so literally this was the only time we could take them if we wanted them done. I think they were worth all the stress and although it may be a blur to David, I think he thinks they were worth it too!

Family




Girls

Boys

Kids


Ben and Kate



Ben




Kate




Jacob

Christmas 2010!

Christmas already seems to be a distant memory, but I can't let it go by completely without first blogging some memories. We had a relatively quiet Christmas. We stayed in Baltimore, which proved to be a good thing because we all came down with a stomach bug. Fortunately, the kids got sick just prior to Christmas, so they were feeling well for the big day. David and I were not so lucky. I was sick on Christmas Day so David put together some chicken nuggets and corndogs for their Christmas dinner. I was feeling a little better on the 26th, so I decided to make up for Christmas and cook a nice dinner...ham, cheesy potatoes, green beans, rolls, etc. David enjoyed it until he threw it up just hours later. It was a nasty and persistent bug. I can't say I know a single family in Baltimore that escaped it. Nevertheless, we enjoyed our little family. On Christmas Eve Day, the kids enjoyed visiting an extensive train exhibit at the local mall. That evening we read the Christmas story and opened our traditional pajamas.

Jacob looked so cute on his first Christmas!

I can't quite remember what Kate was so cross about in this picture...maybe because I didn't fix her hair? Can you tell I wasn't feeling well?

Ben (and David) enjoyed all the Legos!

Ben and Kate were so excited for the big day. My favorite part was watching them hug and thank each other for the presents they exchanged.


All the festivities made for some tired little kids!

Christmas Card 2010!

So I printed Christmas cards again this year and I was so annoyed with the print quality of our picture. I can't quite figure out what happened. If you know me I just had to redo it and post it somewhere! This is what it was "suppose" to look like! Merry Christmas!

And here is our 2010, "Life According to Ben and Kate" section.

Discovering Kate playing in the bathroom sink... Karen: "What am I going to do with you?" Kate: "You're going to keep me. I'm your best person. Your best kid." (12.20.10)

Karen: "Stop picking your nose." Kate: "But I love to pick my nose." Karen: "It's gross." Kate: (in a voice of defeat) "Thats what my teacher said too."

Attempting to convince Kate to let me braid her hair: Karen: "It will be so pretty. Like a braided pony's tail." Kate: "Well, I am not a horse!"

Karen: "You have skids in your underwear. We need to change them." Kate: While taking them off and seeing for herself...."I didn't do it. Really. It was Ben. I promise." Her eyes were so wide open and she truly, truly believed what she was saying! And even better...Ben looked on with a puzzled face and said, "I don't think I did that?!"

Preface: David's stepmom's nickname is Nana. His dad's is Boo. Kate: While running away from Ben, "Nana. Nana. Boo. Boo. You can't get me."

Karen: "Wash your hands Kate." Kate: "I didn't pee." Karen: "Whenever you touch your private parts you need to wash your hands." Kate: "I don't have private parts." Karen: "You don't have a penis, but you still have private parts" (she has two brothers).
Kate: "I have a penis. I have lots of them!" (as she lifts her foot in my direction and curls her toes) It was priceless!

While playing and lifting an object in the air, Kate: "Up, up and in the way!"

After going #2 (in a very, very excited tone) Kate declared: "My bum made a carrot in there!"

Kate: "When I grow up, I am going to be somebody! A baseball hitter."

Kate was not feeling well and laying on the couch, Karen: "Do you want to watch Mulan?" Kate: (in a very upset tone) "NO, only daddy mows the lawn!"

While driving by a water fountain, Kate: "Look its a water mountain."

While waiting for the elevator at the Doctor's office, Kate: "Which alligator we going to ride?"

After seeing me nurse Jacob for the first time, Kate: "Why you letting him eat you?"

After breaking the news to Ben that it was too late to read lots of books before bed...Ben: "I just wish one thing was perfect in my life." (12.22.10)

Karen: "Who's Mrs. Rider?" Ben: "The insistent principal." (Assistant Principal)

David: "I'm going to be working at night this week and sleeping during the day." Ben: "Oh cool. You are like nocturnal now."

Shortly after saying a family prayer: Ben: "Why did you pray for her?" Karen: "Well, she is a teenager now and sometimes teenagers need extra help choosing the right." Ben: "Oh, does she listen to strange music and have strange friends? That's choosing Satan's side."

Ben: "Don't bug daddy Kate. He's studying. Don't you want him to win his test?"

Ben: "Who designed our house?" Karen: "I have no idea Ben." Ben: "An architect. I am going to be an architect when I get bigger. Then when you get old, I will build you a house and let you live in it."

With his head to Jacob's chest, Ben:"I wish I had a heartoscope!"

Karen: "What color eyes do you think your brother will have?" Kate: "Brown" Ben: "No Kate. They will be blue and then turn to brown. Its called metamorphosis."

While driving to Gettysburg and crossing into Pennsylvania, Ben: "Do they have lots of pencils here?"

Thanksgiving!

For Thanksgiving this year, we were fortunate enough to be able to travel to Oklahoma and Missouri to be with our family and friends for the holiday. We flew into Oklahoma City and enjoyed the 80 degree weather! We first spent a few days with Boo (David's dad) and Nana in Lawton. Ben and Kate enjoyed the royal treatment that Nana always provides. While in Oklahoma, we also spent a day in Edmond visiting old friends. It was so good to see everyone. Although a year and a half has gone by, Ben and Kate jumped right back into their old friendships like no time had elapsed. We will always treasure the lasting friendships we made in Oklahoma. I truly felt like I was "home."




During our quick drive-by, we were happy to see that our old house is being well taken care of. And of course we checked in on Rob and Di's as well.....moving to opposite coasts has made me realize how much I enjoyed living next to them. While driving through traffic one night, David and I knew for sure we were no longer in Baltimore when I spotted this.

From Oklahoma, we drove onto Branson, Missouri, to enjoy Thanksgiving with the majority of David's family. Along with Randy and Jerry, we met up with Michael, Jae, Crissy and their families. We welcomed the incredible Thanksgiving buffet and laughed as we watched Ben's excitement as he got 6 different plates. Of course, most consisted only of one triangle of a PB&J sandwich.

The kids really enjoyed the amusement park, Silver Dollar City. While we were there we met up with my brother Jared and his family who now live in nearby, Springfield. It was fun to see them as well. I was especially glad we took the time to visit their beautiful home.


The highlight of Branson for the kids was definitely the Polar Express train ride. Each of them got their own tickets personally punched by the conductor. While wearing their pajamas, they enjoyed hot chocolate, cookies and a special visit from Santa after we reached the North Pole. Santa even gave them each a bell.







We enjoyed our vacation. It was refreshing to see family and friends. And just as usual, Jacob was a dream through it all! I was indeed Thankful!

6 years!

I am just a tad late getting this post up. Ben turned 6 on November 14th! Where has the time gone? Its seems just like yesterday that he surprised us all and arrived 5 weeks early at a meager 4 pounds! Sometimes, I honestly can't quite remember life without Ben. I am so grateful to be his mother. Here are just a few of the reasons why...

Ben loves school! He gets so excited to go each and every day. On his Kindergarten report card Mrs. Cox wrote, "Ben is a kind and caring student, and he has made a tremendous amount of progress in school this fall. Ben listens and follows directions in class, and he works well with other students." He is so proud of the fact that he has not yet had to move his bee from the green hive to the yellow or red hives at school.

Ben is a great big brother! Kate absolutely adores Ben and for the most part he is very good to her. They hug when he gets off the bus at the end of the day. Ben loves Jacob too. No one can make Jacob laugh quite like Ben can.

Ben is kind, caring, loyal and sensitive! This is one of Ben's greatest attributes. He looks out for his neighbor and especially for me. Ben has always expressed his desire to have lots of brothers and sisters. Recently, however, he told me he had enough. When I asked him why he changed his mind he told me that he didn't want me to have to be sick again.

Ben is obedient! He is a rule follower and is always aiming to please. He knows what is right and what is wrong and he is not afraid to stick up for it.

Ben is clever! He figures things out and comes up with the funniest things. He likes to make deals with me. We enjoy the entertainment that he provides.

For Ben's birthday this year we decided to take a few of his friends to Chucky Cheese. Surprisingly, it was a good experience for all.


And here are just some of my favorite pictures of Ben through the years.....