"We need two babies"

I have gotten requests for some more recent pictures of Ben. I don't really have a story to go along with them, except that trying to get all 3 kids in one shot is almost impossible. I know I am eventually going to get that perfect picture of all of them together. I won't give up!




Thank goodness for football season. The baseball season hasn't been too kind to us. (Marty is a Rangers fan, and I am a Reds fan.) Go Cowboys! (We still need to get the kids some BYU gear.) Now, if only the Bengals could maybe win at least one game. :)





Vanessa is like a little mother to Ben. I can't get over how much she loves having a new brother. She is already begging me to have at least one more baby. I said "What if it's another boy?" (She really wanted a girl) She said "I don't care, I just want to have two babies." We'll just have to wait and see...

Beauty at the river

Pasco is not prettiest area I have ever lived. I grew up in southwestern Ohio, where things are usually very lush and green and the hills are always rolling. Here, there is a lot of brown and sagebrush. (This is the view from our back porch.)



I wouldn't say this is ugly, it's just not my definition of beauty. It doesn't look like this everywhere. There are some really nice parks along the Columbia river. We thought we would try to get some pictures of the family with the river in the background, rather than the sagebrush. We also just wanted to show others a little of what it looks like here.









Ok, so the river isn't behind him, but this picture was too cute to be excluded.

I've been tagged

I just realized today that I have been "tagged". I have never been tagged before, so this is kind of exciting. I am supposed to answer a series of questions about my husband. I will do my best. I also think I am supposed to maybe tag someone else. I don't have a lot of choices, so Tami it's all you. :)

What is his name? Martin
NICKNAMES? Marty, Mart, Daddy
How long have you been married? 10 years
How long did you date? 9 months
How old is he? 33
Who eats more sweets? I think it's a toss up.
Who said I love you first? I am pretty sure I did. Can you believe that? I guess I was feeling pretty bold.
Who is taller? He is.
Who can sing better? Probably him.
Who is smarter? I would say he is. He has a lot more patience and endurance. He can spend hours studying and taking tests. If I don't get it immediately, I usually move on to the next problem.
Who does the laundry? I do mine and the kids. He does his own.
Who pays the bills? We have taken turns. Right now, he pays the bills.
Who sleeps on the right side of the bed? If you are facing the bed, I do.
Who mows the lawn? He does, but I wouldn't mind doing it either. Right now we don't have a lawn to mow.
Who cooks dinner? I do most of the time, but he has a few special meals that he makes every once in a while, like his chili and awesome black bean soup. He also loves to grill.
Who drives? He does.
Who is more stubborn? He would probably say me.
Who kissed who first? He kissed me.
Who asked who out first? He did.
Who proposed? He did.
Who has more siblings? He has 5, while I have 3.
Who wears the pants? I think we take turns, depending on the situation.

First day of school

Well, I am a little late, but Vanessa did start her first day of school a few weeks ago. Time does fly. I wish I could have soaked up the moment a little more.

The first day was a bit chaotic. I didn't even have time to be a little sad to see my daughter go off to school for the first time. I had imagined I would watch my little Vanessa, climbing the large stairs to the big yellow bus, before waving goodbye to her through the window as the bus took off down the street. I know that was how Vanessa had hoped it would be. She has desperately wanted to ride on a school bus for a few years now. However, her first day was much different than that. We live just close enough to her school, to not qualify for bus service, but just far enough that walking is not an option right now. I had to drive Ben, a very grouchy Evan, and Vanessa to an extremely crowded school on her first day. The thought of getting emotional didn't even have a chance to cross my mind as I dropped Vanessa off. The parents were invited in, for a "good- bye" story, but there was no way I was taking Evan into that environment. He had been on the verge of a meltdown all morning. I basically got there just in time to watch Vanessa line up with her class and then disappear into her school. That was it. She was gone. Other parents were taking pictures, were going inside, or peering through the windows into the classroom. I, on the other hand, couldn't get out of there fast enough. Oh well,... at least Vanessa isn't the clingy type and never has been. She was just excited to be there and I honestly don't even think she cared if I was there or not.

Through all the chaos I did manage to get one photo of her on her first day.

Life just got a little busier

I have forgotten what it is like to have a newborn around. Now that I have three kids, I feel as though I suddenly have very little time for anything. However, it is very exciting to have a newborn in our family again. It is especially neat because we have two other kids who are old enough to enjoy Ben and share in this special experience with us. Vanessa can not get enough of Ben. She absolutely adores him. Evan is very curious about his new little brother. At first, I think he was a bit jealous of Ben, and probably still is to some extent, but lately I have caught Evan looking down at Ben with the sweetest of smiles. I can only imagine what Evan must think about how this little baby suddenly came into our lives. Evan may not understand it all, but I am sure that he knows that Ben is something special.

I have sat down to update my blog several times in the last week, and every time I do, Ben takes this as his cue to start crying and demanding my attention. So, quickly, I will try to post some pictures of Ben (with his eyes open).



Vanessa has made sure Ben has been properly introduced to all of her favorite animals.