How I make it through winter...

Don't you feel a little warmer too?

This kid is amazing!

Bye-bye crawling...

Ben started walking full time last week.

Once he started there was no looking back. He spends most days practicing his pivots, turns, laps, and falls.

He also vacuums, feeds himself, and communicates all needs through a point and "zis".

He's even squeezed in time to imitate modern art.

This kid is amazing!

Old School Serious

Old School Serious, originally uploaded by tctripp.

It's I heart Faces birthday this week. The contest is to enter your favorite face photo from Dec or Jan of this year. This photo was taken on Dec. 18. Can't wait to see the other face entries and fun give aways this week at I Heart Faces.

I did it at last...I placed at I heart Faces. 2 photographer/judges chose this photo as a top 5 favorite our of 1,000 photos. I guess it was a good thing Sam wasn't in the mood to take photos and gave me his grumpy look.

Omaha, Here we come at last!

We had a wonderful trip to Omaha just before the end of the year. After a couple day weather delay we loaded up the car and were off. The boys were very excited to see their cousins. "Can we just unload and then go to their house?" Charlie wondered on the way down. The closer we got to Omaha, the deeper the snow in the ditch. The trees along the sides of the road were covered in a thick layer of ice that sparkled in the sun. It was a beautiful drive.

When we arrived Charlie was overjoyed to see all of the snow and shoveling that needed to be done. He loved Grandpa D's plow shovel and spent the time each day outside shoveling the driveway, sidewalks, and back patio.

The boys were able to play with all of their cousins over our 4 day stay. There was time for Crazy 8 and other games. Some Lego building, lots of hide and seek, and lots of fun. Ben had fun showing off his new attempts at walking - hands high.

Each night the boys were exhausted and dreaming of more shoveling, snow, and fun.

Ben was spoiled by all. Sucker from grandpa and cuddles from everyone. Being the youngest brings some nice perks.

Time for one last game. On the way home both boys wanted to know when we could see their cousins again. I love it that they are at the age that they don't mind the long road trip since it means fun with Ermie, Grandpa D, and lots of cousins.

Thanks for a great time everyone!

He's Trying!

Ben has been standing without help and taking steps here and there since his birthday. Now he will walk across the room a few times a day. He still prefers crawling especially when he is in a hurry. If distances are short he will often walk. It's been fun for the boys to watch Ben learn this new skill. They love it when Ben walks to them.

Christmas Around the World

Tonight was our Christmas program, Christmas Around The World, at church. The kids traveled around the world to learn how different cultures celebrate Christmas. They sang songs in Namibian, Korean, Spanish, and Swedish. It was a great idea for a program! Charlie was a Masai Warrior Sheep Herder and Sam was his little sheep. Many people made comments about Sam's many faces during the show. Charlie had a couple speaking parts and did great...speaking very loudly and clearly!

My Other Paperboy