Ben Starts Walking!!!

We went to Chattanooga for Memorial Day Weekend to visit Ryan's family because his brother Owen, Sarah, Brady, and Ian were in from Richmond, VA. Ben took his first real steps that Sunday, May 24. He was inspired by a Spiderman cell phone that his cousin Brady brought. Whatever the inspiration, he walked and we are so excited. The event was broken up into 2 different videos so check out both of them!

Ben's Big Birthday Party!

On Saturday, May 16, 2009, we had a monkey birthday party at our house for family and friends. Ben was on a sugar high, but had a blast with his cousins and favorite people! We had monkey balloons, monkey cake, and monkey hats for the kids! Ben was exhausted, but had a blast and got lots of fun things.

Ben's First Birthday Party!

Ben's first birthday was on May 15, 2009. We started the day with his 12 month pics at Mac Brown. Then, we went to his school and had a party. They were so cute! We ate cupcakes, whipped cream, banana cookies, and cheese puffs! Yum!

Happy Mother's Day!

I enjoyed my first Mother's day with Ben, Ryan, and my family. Ryan and Ben made me a book that chronicled my first year as a mommy. It was titled, " I know my mommy loves me" by Benjamin Smith. Each page had a photograph and statement about mine and Ben's relationship. It was beautiful. We had lunch at our house and I was catered to by Ben and Ryan! It was neat to also share that day with my mother. I now have a new appreciation for what she has done for me these past 30 years.

Ben visits with Nana and Papa

We visited before I began the blog, but I wanted to post Ben's pics with his Nana and Papa Smith. They came to visit us back in March and Ben had a great time. We went to a loval Amish shop and got some baked goodies. Nana shared her yummy fried pie with Ben and he discovered a new favorite thing!

Ben's first Easter!

Ben had a great first Easter! He got a beautiful basket from my dad a few days before Easter. Easter morning, he woke to a full Easter basket and a basketball game from the Easter bunny! We all got dressed in our Easter best and went to church for a beautiful service. Then, we went to Mom and DeWitt's house for a delicious lunch. Granny Booth even got to come and visit! Then, we had a super fun egg hunt between our house and Janice and Nichole's house next door. Ryan hid the eggs and Nichole helped Ben find them. Ben also got some really cute books to read from Auntie Janice and Auntie Nichole! He had a great day, but was totally exhausted!

Ben and Amelia Visit!

We were so lucky to have Layla Thompson and her daughter, Amelia, visit us when they were back in Tennessee from Tucson, Arizona. Amelia and Ben are becoming fast friends. Amelia loves "Baby Ben" and is fascinated by all of the new things that he can do. They played and had a great time! We had not seen them since Christmas, so it was great to visit and catch up!

Aqua Tots 2009

Last week, Ben took swim lessons at the Lewisburg Rec Center. They were through the Marshall County Red Cross and were so great. He really loved the water. He would float, as long as he could suck his thumb! He enjoyed playing with the pool toys and splashing the water. We know that he can't swim, but he is getting comfortable with the water and we look forward to taking him swimming this summer.

Starting a blog for friends and family!

Hey, everyone! I am starting this blog with the hopes of keeping everyone up on Benjamin's adventures! Check back weekly as I hope to update it at least that frequently. Hope everyone is well and that we get to see you soon!