8

Benjamin turned 8 on Sunday.  He finished 2nd grade on Tuesday, and he had his first sleepover on Thursday (his original due date!). 

 Ben is happy. Ben is smart. Ben is crazy. Ben is sweet. Benjamin is just about the best darn "surprise" anyone could ask for :) 

 As i searched through old photos, i really had a hard time chosing.  my initial set of photos was well over 300.  i paired it down to...well, i won't say.  *A-hem* *cough*.  Sorry.  I couldn't take any more out. i just loved remembering and seeing his little life of 8 whole years.  It reminded me how MUCH i am blessed with him and this sweet, crazy, family of mine.

So, again.  grab a drink or a snack...this is really just a mammoth of a photo blog!

yeah, with my 7 month old in arms...i wasn't really expecting this one!! :)

day before delivery! 
 

sweet friends at my side.. resting comfortably at 4cm. Not knowing i'd be begging to push in an hours time!

 
 

 
 
 
 
 
 

LOL 
 

3.5 months old and sitting up!

 

first pumpkin patch 
 
 
 
 

he KILLS me! that fuzzy head, his eyes, his smile...fat hands.. :)

 
 
 

first christmas...the paper is the best part!!

 
 
 
 

lol.  look at that wrist!! chunk-o. 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

uncle scotty 
 
 

ONE!
 

father's day and his first time to the beach!

 
 
 
 
 
 

walking!!!

 
 
 
 
 

first hair cut...

he didn't like it.

 

him with his blue blankie. that was his favorite thing up to a few years ago!

 

this is the stuff you get when you try to get a good photo for the christmas card.

 
 
 

first snow!

 

big boy bed

 
 
 
 

rain....in san diego, it wasn't a common sight! 
 
 
 

Two!

 

Moving to washington! 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

keeping his sick sister company..

 
 
 

bye daddy!

 
 
 
 
 
 

Three!

 

Adam moved to CO for a couple months, and would visit us every couple weeks by airplane.  So, every time one flew over us, ben would look and say, "daddy!!"  :)

 
 
 

TUSHIE! i'm big on baby booties. 
 

playing store

 
 
 
 
this is probably one of the only photos i have of me candidly taking care of my children, which is why i like it.  He's straight out of the bath :)

  

empathy :)
 

 
 
 
moving to Colorado! First airplane ride for both kids.  (i always forget how curly ashlyn's hair used to be!)

 
 
  
 
 
 
 
 

learning how to use the computer. Now he's a total pro. :)

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

R.I.P, pillow. 
 

i never noticed the drawing on the chalkboard before! <3 
 
 

Four!

 
 
 

He was SO depressed on her first day of school. I've never seen anything like it. We got home, and he wouldn't talk, he wouldn't move...he just snuggled against me. i offered to do so many different activities with him, and all were responded to with an annoyed movement or shake of the head.  Only when i suggested we make cookies for ashlyn's after-school snack, did he get excited.  i let him pretty much do it all by himself. :) 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
(back in washington..)

 
 
 
  
 
 
 

teaching him to read.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  

Five!

first time to Disneyland!
 
 
 

Kindergarten!

 
 
 

first trick-or-treating

 
 

 
 

Stacey and her dog, bella, came to stay with us for awhile.  Adam wanted Bella out of the kitchen, so Ben took it upon himself to make a sign :)

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Six!!

 
 
 
 
 

seven!

first lost tooth! 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

 I love him...this freckled-face ball of joy.  Blessed to be his mama.

happy 8, buddy :)

 

 
 

 
  

 

Comments

[adam]

love it! great job bug :-)

[Joyce Black]

I sat and looked at every picture with a smile. It was fun to watch him grow... him and that fuzzy hair! Too cute! I can see why it was hard to narrow down! Thank you for sharing! :D

[Chloe]

Thanks for sharing Reno! Ben was such a cute baby! It was fun to scroll through all of those :)

[Shannon]

Love it!!! Ben is so cute! :) Seeing him as a baby and what he looks like today....It's funny to look back in time. We always wonder "what will he look like when he's older?!" He pretty much looks the same, just older! He grew into his looks! I hope my explaination doesn't sound weird! But he's got the same big smile...even as a newborn! I don't know what I expected to see... but people don't change much from newborn to young child...but some look completely different from their baby pictures! You know what I mean?! Anyway....Love the post! Love the pictures! :)

[Christina Sullivan]

Wow! I remember some of those pictures from your past blogs and it feels like you just posted them and they are really 3 years old or older! He is such a happy, sweet boy, and so blessed to have a wonderful family :)

[anna]

hilarious. i miss his wild hair. he used to remind me of the dad in everybody loves raymond (before his first haircut).

[Aunt Debby]

I enjoyed EVERY SINGLE PHOTO! I'm so excited, because Ben and Ashlyn are on their way over to my house with Stacey and Kelby RIGHT NOW! Can't wait to see them. : )

[Andrea]

I love looking at all you've done to document your children throughout their lives. They will be so blessed to get to our age and be able to look back at these pictures with incredibly special memories. You rock mom!