First Food

Benjamin finally graduated to solids other than rice cereal. To comemmorate the occasion we fed him green beans. He seemed to enjoy eating them but couldn't get over the new taste. Eventually we mixed the green beans in with his rice cereal and we hope he will gradually begin to like them. It sure was cute watching him try something new for the first time though.

Thanksgiving in Oregon

We brought our camera to Oregon for Thanksgiving , but we forgot to pull it out until our last day there. We got a few pictures though...



Benjamin with Grandma Mecham


Our happy family

That's it.

Penguin!

I found this really cute outfit at Target and I just had to buy it for Ben. He's about 6 months old in these pictures.

Sitting Up!

Here's a video we took today of Benjamin sitting up all by himself. He is not totally stable yet, but he is getting better with practice. He is getting so big so fast and we are loving every minute we have with him.

Happy Halloween!

Benjamin's first Halloween was a success. Mom got too excited and bought his costume the beginning of September so it was a little short, but it all worked out just fine. Benjamin was Tigger. Dad was Pooh and Mom was Piglet. I just realized I never got a picture of all of us together. Benjamin was the highlight anyway. Between trick-or-treating at my office and trunk-or-treating with Aunt Stephanie's ward Ben got a full bucket of candy. Not bad for a kid who can't even eat candy yet!

It's Been a While

I have been neglecting the blog lately to do other things, but I just realized today how many pictures I needed to put on here. Ben is getting so big and he is learning so much! Here are a few things that have happened since our last posting:

The weather got cold enough for Ben to wear his cute bear hat.

Benjamin fits into a 12 month outfit!

And he learned how to sit up in a chair

And he's gotten Sooooooo big! He is 2 feet tall now and weighs over 16 lbs. He is in the 50th percentile for weight and the 75th percentile for height. He is going to be tall!

Keep On Trying...

Benjamin has been able to roll over for a week now and I still have not managed to capture it on film. Every time I get out the camera and set him on his tummy he gets distracted, gets tired, etc. The one time he rolled over with the camera on, the little stinker rolled over before I could push the record button! So since I am still trying to get a video of Ben rolling over, I had to post something. Here's a video of Benjamin trying to roll over. It's still really cute, just not quite what we were hoping for.

Benjamin Laughing

I JUST updated the blog earlier today but I was playing with Benjamin and he was giggling so much I had to get a video of it to post and share with everyone. I hope it makes you all smile as much as I did.

4 Months Old - Lots of Milestones

Benjamin turned 4 months old on Monday, the 21st. Along with 4 month shots, Benjamin also got some rice cereal and a new (used) walker. People tell me he's too young for a walker, but Ben LOVES it! He is also getting to be pretty adept at eating rice cereal. His biggest issue is that he gets so excited and when he smiles, all his cereal falls out of his mouth. He enjoys all the changes that come with growing up and we have so much fun with him as he discovers new things.

EATING RICE CEREAL:

Before...

During...

After

FIRST TIME IN HIS WALKER:

So excited to get going!

Enjoying some free time to suck on his fingers.

Game Day

This Saturday was Benjamin's first BYU football game with dad. Rachel bought him a new outfit for game days and Benjamin and Dad watched most of the game together (Ben eventually fell asleep). BYU beat Tulane 54-3. Ra Ra Ra Ra Ra....Goooooooooo COUGARS!

Defense!...Defense!

Dad and Benjamin enjoying the game together.

Lounging around watching the game.

This is Ben's touchdown face!

3 Months Old!

Benjamin turned 3 months old on Friday. We had a little photo shoot of him to show everybody how big he is getting.

Lounging about

A close-up of his big blue eyes...how could you ever say "no" to this face?

Benjamin loves to practice standing up - his legs are really strong!

3-Month Fun Facts about Benjamin

• Nicknames: Benjaboo, Menimen, VitaMeataBenjamin (a la "I Love Lucy"), Sweet Boy, Little Bear, Baby
• Favorite Song: "Take Me Out to the Ballgame"
• Favorite Drink: Milk
• Favorite Time of Day: Bathtime
• Favorite Toy: Bear, his teddy bear (Dennis named it that; he says it's educational)
• Favorite Book: "The Going to Bed Book"
• Favorite Passtime: The bubble game - basically to blow as many spit bubbles as he can
• Favorite Sport to Watch: Baseball
• Favorite Sport to Play: Standing up and walking while mom holds him up
• Favorite Animal: Puppy
• Favorite Game: Pattycake

We just love having Benjamin around because there's never a dull moment. He is growing up so fast! He is working on rolling over and sitting up. He loves to play in his bouncer and go for car rides. He enjoys just laying on the floor and playing for several minutes; he loves to stretch his arms out and kick with his legs. He takes baths in the big bathtub and likes to splash mom. He loves to listen to primary songs while he rockabyes with mom. Ben is such a good baby and we are so excited to learn more about him as he grows.

3 Months Old Video

To celebrate Benjamin being 1/4 of a year old, we went for a walk to the park and went for a nice long ride on the swings. Benjamin loves to swing and he seemed to really enjoy himself. After the park we were going to let him stay up all night and party, but he fell asleep at 8:30. Oh well, maybe when he's 4 months old...

Recent photos

So cute in a sweater!


Playing with cousin Taydom



Chillin' with Uncle Samuel

Playing with Aunt Kami

With Grandpa Mecham

Being cute is hard work!

Blessing Pictures

Benjamin was blessed on August 9th. His grandparents from both sides were here along with all his aunts, uncles, and cousins except for his 2 uncles serving missions. Benjamin borrowed his blessing outfit from Grandma Mecham and if we'd waited one more week to bless him it would have been too small. He was literally bursting at the seams! He did not cry at all during his blessing, but he wasn't too excited about pictures...

The pictures were going well...

until...

He got hungry!

He Coulda Been a Contender

For some reason Benjamin in his bathrobe always reminds me of a boxer. He looks adorable and a little tough. He loves to wear his robe after his baths because it keeps him warm and it's so soft. It even came with little slippers to match.

Benjamin Talking

I have been trying for the last few days to get a video of Benjamin talking and today it finally happened! He coos a lot but he always stops when he sees the camera, until today. My memory card filled up just as he started talking, but this will give you an idea of how he talks. Enjoy!

Like Father Like Son

My sister Stephanie makes little ties for Benjamin out of old adult ties. She decided to make Benjamin a little tie and leave the rest of the tie intact for Dennis to wear so today at church Dennis and Benjamin had matching ties. It was really really cute!


Benjamin and Dennis in their matching ties


A close-up of the two ties together

2 month video

2 Months Old!

Benjamin turned 2 months old on July 21st. He is getting so big and learning lots of new things. He now weighs 11 lbs. 4 oz. and is 22 1/2 inches long. He just barely learned how to smile and coo and it is really fun to be able to interact with him more. Benjamin went to the babysitter for the first time so mom and dad could go on a date for Rachel's birthday. Benjamin also survived his first round of immunizations, and he was only cranky for 1 day. I can't believe how quickly Ben is growing up and I love being here to see it.

Fun with Cousins

Mom and Benjamin went to Wyoming for Uncle Daniel's last talk in church before his mission. Benjamin's cousins were there too and they had lots of fun together! KaileeJo (1) loved to give Benjamin his binki and tickling him. Taydom (4 months) liked to hold Benjamin's hand and one time she sucked on his fingers while he sucked on hers. Benjamin had lots of fun with his aunts, uncle, and grandparents as well. It was so nice to have other kids for Benjamin to play with.

Sleeping in Grandpa Ostler's arms

Chatting with Taydom on the floor

So cute I had to take more than one picture!

Good times with Taydom!

With Elder Daniel Ostler right after Daniel was set apart

All the cousins with their uncle

Benjamin, KaileeJo, and Taydom together - it took about 30 shots to get a picture THIS good!

All Ready for Primary

Benjamin's aunt Stephanie made him some cute ties to wear to church and I just had to get some pictures. Thanks, Aunt Stephanie; they look adorable!

Fun on the 4th

For the 4th of July we went up to Idaho Falls and saw lots of relatives from Rachel's family. We ate lots of good food and had lots of fun. I wasn't always diligent with the picture-taking so please don't be offended if a picture of you didn't make the blog; I promise it's not malicious!

Benjamin with Rachel's cousins, Johanna and Robert

Benjamin with Great-Grandma Ostler

Rachel's brother, Daniel helping our niece, KaileeJo

Benjamin with his cousin, Taydom - Taydom is only 3 months older than Ben.

Benjamin with Rachel's aunt Virginia - she came all the way from Delaware to spoil Ben!

Benjamin with Grandma Ostler

KaileeJo playing


Taydom being so sweet