Okay, well now 6 more months have gone by. But it was quite the 6 months, let me tell you. We are renting a house in Monticello and are getting used to the new town, new friends and long commute :(

Sad news right after my last post. My dad, and Ben's Papa Ron, passed away on September 1st. A life-changing experience, for sure. We are still so sad, but know that he is watching us every day as Ben learns to walk, learns to talk and is soooooo big!

Christmas was fun. Of course, Ben really didn't understand any of it, but we had fun enjoying it for him!

Ben turned one last Sunday. I can't even believe it. We had a great party for him in Monticello with good friends, great family and yummy food and cake. Ben was a champ...he partied like a rock star. Ate all of the frosting off his cupcake first, just like Mom! I think we were cleaning blue frosting out of his ears for 3 days.

Ben's most recent accomplishments:

Sooo big and clap your hands (12/08)

Wave bye-bye (12/08)

What does the puppy/bauer say? Woof Woof! (and then always gives himself a round of applause)

This! Everything is "This"!

What does the bear say? ROAR! (followed by another round of applause)

Dada

Mama (finally)

Drinking big boy milk from a big boy cup

Walking (just a little, starting on 02/28/09)

Holding everything (phone, remote, calculator, shoe) up to his ear to talk

Puts lotion on just like Mom

I think my deliquent New Year's resolution will be to write in this blog at least 1x/week. Something funny always happens, and even though I tell myself I will never forget, I do. So you can expect to see more frequent postings from here on out...I promise!

Enjoy some random pics from the past 6 months...