Ben's Gots the Giggles

I love love LOVE my children's laughs.....even Josh's 12 year old "giggle under his breath so nobody knows he's happy" laugh. 

This gem I just shot and I think it is the MOST adorable thing of Ben yet.
 

Now, you may watch this and think "WOW, that kid is one happy kid"  and he is......as long as he is doing whatever he wants.  The child hates being told no and will already throw himself to the ground if he doesn't get his way......its hilarious!

School starts tomorrow for the older boys.....I have a middle schooler this year!  Wooohoooo!  I keep telling them I don't know what I will do with Ben while they are at school.  They are great babysitters!

And with school starting that means its freezer corn time......so you must watch this next video......
Let's just say, Ben likes corn.

And He's Up

Ben has taken the longest time to get walking.....okay, I know it only seems like forever....at 13 months he still wasn't on his own.

And then he was......just like that.....one day it was two steps, then three, then four, and then he was off.

It is nice that he can keep up with his brothers now.  He is much happier on two feet!

But I had forgotten the messes they make when they are up and going.....like the dish towel drawer....why do they think it is fun to pull ALL the towels out of that drawer?  Baffling!  I know I don't think its's fun to put them all back.  Dumb drawer!

I do love to watch him though.  I love it when he is fascinated by new things.....how his eyes light up!  It makes me sad in my heart that he will not know his brother Luke, in this life, but so grateful he has two older brothers here that love him so much.

Here are some videos of my boys' super cuteness:

Picture Day!!!

I just got the pictures I had taken of the boys today.......I love them......and I hate them......

Pictures are a terribly wonderful reminder that my kids are growing up.....except for one.

There should be 4 boys in these pictures not 3. 

So therein lies so many unanswered questions:  What would a 5 1/2 Luke be like today?  What would he look like? Act like?  Sound like? 

So with a heart that is grateful for the three, and missing terribly the one, here they are:

One is Fun

Well, we made it to the first year people.... And it has been a blast! I am such a push over when it comes to my baby..... Maybe that's why they say the baby in the family is spoiled (except in my case!). Ben is a great kid and we love him to death. He can say dada, mama, and woof woof. He can make car sounds and his favorite dancing tune is "thatPOWER" by Will.I.Am. We went to my grandparents cabin for his 1st birthday and celebrated with my family! Here are the highlights (bear with me...there is A LOT!)

You gotta love bathing in a bowl 2 sizes too small for you!  He is stinking adorable right? 

Derby, Birthdays, and Peek-a-Boo Too!

We have been having a ton-o-fun at our house lately. Mike went to his Cub Scout Pinewood Derby. He didn't place, but his car was super cool. It was a hammerhead shark. Yeah, it was awesome. And Mike turned 10 yesterday and Josh turns 12 on Friday......he is going to be the skinny little deacon passing the sacrament. Ahhhhh.....so crazy! Mike is a WONDERFUL kid. He is loving and thoughtful and kind and helpful. He has gotten the "caught you being good" award at school probably 20 times this year. He has great attitude most of the time. He loves playing baseball and loves the outdoors! We love having him in our family. Josh is still the Mayor of our family. He makes sure everyone is okay. I love having one on one time with him. I get glimpses of the young man he is becoming. He still loves to play the computer (minecraft is his fav). He is in band this year playing the snare drum and bells. He even got asked to be in the 8th grade band next year as a 7th grader! He is a great kid and we can't imagine our lives without him! Ben is almost walking. He can stand by himself really well and takes 2 steps then stops. He started playing peek-a-boo and can do the actions to patty cake. It is stinking adorable! Here is a video of Mike at the derby. I love how he gives the kid he races a high five! Here is Ben playing peek-a-boo....I know, you could eat him with a spoon!

Stuffing a Turkey Through the Beak

Okay.....that is my ALL time favorite line from a general conference EVER.... "That's like trying to stuff a turkey through his beak." --Elder Holland So great. His talk was my fav.....ooooh, and President Uchtdorf's! I love hearing the apostles and our wonderful prophet speak. It inpires me to do better, be better, and try harder every time I hear them. And on a totally different note, Ben LOVES the stairs, so I thought I would share with you his awesomeness! Here you go!

Make 'Em Laugh

One of my ALL time favorite movies is Singing in the Rain. And one of the best songs on that movie is "Make 'Em Laugh". Short people have long faces and Long people have short faces. Big people have little humor And little people have no humor at all. Can't you just see Donald O'Connor and Gene Kelly dancing it up and being hams! Perfection I tell you, PERFECTION! After Luke passed, I NEVER thought I would laugh again. We have had some experiences the last few weeks that reminded me of those first few months when it seemed that happiness, joy, and laughter would not be in my life anymore.... But, then as the old addage says, "time heals all wounds" and you throw in A LOT of the spirit guiding and healing, and you have happiness, joy and laughter again! Well, that seems to be our life's mission around here....making Ben laugh. And sometimes I am lucky enough to catch it on camera..... This is what life's about! Enjoy.....