Family Friday: Benjamin

I started this post on Friday, that counts, right?

Benjamin is our second born, he is going to be 9 years old in June, and will be done with 3rd grade in just a few short weeks. He is 4 years and 3 weeks younger than Sydnee, and for the most part they are very close. He has such an infectious laugh and a wicked sense of humor! He is also a master of making strange faces. If I had a scanner and knew how to use it, I would scan in all of his school pictures, to prove my point. (Many family members reading this will know what I mean, taking a posed photo is not one of Ben's 'comfort zones' *smile*.)



One thing we are quickly learning about Ben is his entreprenurial spirit. All winter he played on an indoor soccer team. His Grandpa told him he'd give Ben $5 for each goal he scored. Well, Benjamin took that to heart and there were games that he scored 3 goals this season. He now has a very fat wallet! We had a yard sale last week and the kids set up a Lemonade stand. Ben was the one who stayed out there the whole time, on his rollerblades, sign in hand, waving down the cars. They actually made $24 that day selling lemonade and cookies! He is a great saver, and we are very proud of him!


Things Ben loves:

his dog (and obviously Miller returns the love)


his rollerblades. Have you ever seen someone use the trimmer while on rollerblades?


Long hair. In the summer before second grade Ben started growing his hair out, and just recently we had it cut quite short. It was a VERY sad day for him, and he was really upset with me on the way home from the hairdresser. I asked him how long he'd be mad at me and he told me "only until it grows back". (for the record, he really perked up after I took him to WalMart for a new lego set. Hey, can you blame me?) Right now it is growing fast, and I am fighting the urge to cut it again.

Soccer. He absolutely loves the game, and is very good at it. As I mentioned in my Friday post about Sydnee, it is so wonderful to see your child find a passion for something and to excel at it.

His siblings. He is an excellent big brother, and a mostly excellent little brother. Last week there was a boy picking on Luke and Ben got right in there to defend his little brother. It made David and I feel so good that he was looking out for his siblings.

Ben is smart, funny and (dare I say) VERY cute. We are lucky to have him as our son!

Family Friday: Luke

I have all of these wonderful Luke facts swirling in my brain and I don't know where to begin!
Luke is our 4th child. He is 2 years and 5 days younger than Madyson, and they are just like best friends. They "get" each other, and other times they don't. *smile* Luke is very tenderhearted, so concerned with how everyone is feeling. He can also be a spitfire, and gives us a run for our money on a regular basis. I know I have mentioned that before here on this blog. Then I look at his precious face, handing me a bouquet of freshly picked dandelions and my heart melts.

Luke's favorite item of clothing has to be his frog boots. If we are going somewhere he automatically runs to put them on. Rain or shine. I think it is just adorable. Especially when he's wearing shorts with his frog boots.




Next year we will be sending him to preschool. It is absolutely amazing to me how well he is already counting to 15 and starting to learn to write his name. The other day when he picked the dandelions for me, he nicely took them back and counted each one for me.



There is definitely something magical about a 3 year old little boy. They are so full of energy and life, ready to learn and explore, yet still little enough to want to cuddle, hug and kiss, and still need his mommy and daddy.

Thursday Thirteen

Thirteen reasons I love being a mommy:

1. Just hearing little voices saying "mama" or "mommy" or "ma-ma-ma" melts my heart!

2. Being the one they want to comfort them.

3. Smelling my freshly bathed angels, smoothing lotion on their soft skin.

4. Having my schoolies come home and telling me about everything that happened that day.

5. Hearing their laughter when all 5 are playing together, I'll never get tired of that.

6. Middle of the night cuddles, when one (or more) join us in our bed. Oh how I love those little arms reaching around my neck.

7. Kisses and hugs OF COURSE!

8. Knowing each child's favorite foods, and surprising them with their favorites.

9. Silly jokes that don't make much sense, and laughing at them anyway because the one telling the joke is so darn cute!

10. Watching each of them develop a passion for something and pursuing it, working their hardest.

11. Experiencing new milestones. Each one is bittersweet, knowing they are growing up too fast.

12. Seeing my children love each other, and take care of each other.

13. Knowing that these 5 wonderful people were entrusted to me, by God, to love and teach!

Happy Mother's Day everyone!

Wordless Wednesday

Family Friday (on Tuesday): Sydnee

With the craziness of this busy time of year I haven't had a chance to sit down and do my Friday post until now. I thought it would be nice to do Sydnee this time, since she is off to 7th grade camp for the WHOLE WEEK! We are missing her, it is strange only having 4 of the fantastic 5 home this week. She is definitely a big part of our family, and leaves an empty spot when she's gone.
Little League opening day was this past Saturday and Sydnee was so excited. She lives and breathes softball and has been counting down the days until the season started again. Last year she played on a travel softball team, but this year she opted out of that to participate in Middle School sports and activities. David and I are amazed at the intensity her fondness of softball has grown this year. It is a very wonderful thing to see your child realize a passion in their own life and to work hard at it. Sydnee has started to take some private catching and batting lessons and we could see the incredible improvement at her game on Saturday. Can you tell how excited she was Saturday morning?



Last week the 7th graders put on a "wax museum" as a project. Each student picked a famous/historical person and did research on them. They then made a speech and dressed as the person. Younger elementary students were able to come by and see the "museum" and learn about these famous people. Sydnee chose Shirley Temple. I think that matches Syd's personality well! Did you know that Shirley Temple's mom used to put 52 curls in her hair each day of filming, counting each one, to make sure it looked identical each day? It took me literally an hour to get Syd's done the morning of her project. I am glad I won't have to do that again any time soon!



Next week Syd will be getting her palate expander off and will be appliance free for a week before getting her braces put on. I'm sure that week will be full of gum chewing and popcorn eating while she can! She is also working on her plans for her 13th birthday coming up in just one month. Where does the time go?