We recently were so blessed to be invited by our good friends to stay with them at their vacation home on Table Rock Lake over the weekend. To say it was wonderful and relaxing and awesome almost feels like an understatement. We had a blast! We spent a lot of our time on the lake swimming, tubing, and cliff jumping, and then the rest just having some great fellowship (and food, can't forget that) with our hosts! The boys loved it- you would have thought that they had been waiting their whole lives to be on that boat. I mean I can honestly say that my children actually relaxed almost the whole time we were on the water. :)

Thanks Captain Zeke and Patrice, obviously we had a wondeful time!

Happy Father's Day Daddy!

We love you so very much!

Ben and Harrison

10 of Ben's favorite things (in no particular order):

1. Being naked. Seriously, you know it's bad when Ben asks where we are going when we get him dressed.

2. Popcorn. Let's just say that I may enable this addiction when I want to spend a little more time at Target and a good old bag of popcorn will allow me to fulfill this wish.

3. Caillou. Ugh I know- but Ben never really wants to watch TV, so when this little gem came along and now provides me with about 24 minutes to get a couple things done, I can't complain. Feel free to cast your judgement now. :)

4. Grandparents. Oh he loves them, can't get enough of them, and probably would trade Darrel and I in for them.

5. Bubbles. Even though he usually spills the whole bottle within a couple of seconds and never gets to blow one bubble, he is "Christmas Morning" excited if you even mention the possibility of playing with them.

6. Harrison. Ben is so proud to be a big brother, and he'll let you know if you ever pass us by at church or the store by saying "This is my brother Harrison." I can't tell you how many times Ben has comforted Harrison when he is crying by patting him and saying, "It's okay Harrison, don't cry." I love it!

7. Daddy. Ben's hero in everyway. Let's just say I couldn't have asked for a better man to be my children's father.

8. Cuddling with mommy. This may be an indulgement on my part to speak for Ben, but for my sake I'll say it is one of his favorite things. On those days when I feel like my baby is growing too quickly and I want to slow time just a bit- I'll let Ben fall asleep in my bed with me while watching a little tv. It's a trade-off really. He get's to stay up later and I get to hold him a little longer.

9. His birthday. Now mind you he has only had one that he can really remember, but boy has that day had it's lasting effects. Even mention the word birthday, and Ben will spout off everything he likes about them. Cake, balloons, presents, friends, ice cream, cake, cake, cake....There have been many times when we have caught him singing "Happy Birthday" to himself.

10. The Zoo. Ben loves it there, and I have to say Darrel and I do too. We have a great zoo here in Wichita so we actually go quite frequently. We love hearing Ben talk about all of the animals and the sounds that they make.

Okay- I know I said 10, but I can't help but adding just one more....

11. His friends. Ben is blessed to have many wonderful little friends. Where ever we go he always wants to know if they are going to be there, whether it's church or the grocery store. And he'll list them all off to anyone who wants to know. :)

Mr. Harrison is now seven months and some change, and he is growing, growing, growing! His newest milestone is positioning himself to crawl by rocking back and forth on his hands and knees and moving a bit forward before going back to rolling around. This is a big improvement from last month when he was using his head instead of his arms to move forward. :) We love that Harrison has a smile for everyone and what a precious smile it is- I promise you it will melt your heart and make you want to squeeze him tight. Another thing he has learned is to mimmick the sounds you make, which has been a fun game for all of us, especially grammy. We are still waiting for some teeth among some other things (sleep anyone...), but honestly who can complain when this little guy is just a bundle of love.

I can't believe that my little Harrison is six months old and is now weighing 17 lbs and is 28 inches long! He is just the sweetest little boy, always smiling and is soooo laid back! Thank You Lord! He is doing just wonderfully! He starting rolling over at three months and can now roll both ways. He has also started pulling his legs underneath him into the crawl position, which is also his new favorite sleep position. We call it "Bottom's Up." :) Unfortunately we found out that Harrison has some reflux issues, but since we have started him on medicine he is doing so much better and is sleeping for longer periods. Again Thank You Lord!!! We are not sleeping through the night yet, but we are persistent in our prayers that that milestone will be met shortly. :) Just this past week Harrison has discovered his hands. He loves staring at them and turning them so he can see the wonder that they are. He has also discovered that they are great for grabbing mama's hair (very gently of course) and his toys. Harrison sure loves and adores his big brother Ben, and the feeling is very mutual. He loves watching Ben play and carry on, and of course Ben loves to entertain and have an audience. It is so neat to hear them laugh and enjoy each other's company- I can only hope that it will always be that way. :) Harrison's favorite thing right now is his binky. A sweet friend from church made him an adorable little blanket (14"x14") that has really soft material on both sides and little ribbons tags on the edges. Harrison loves to sleep with it, in fact I had to go buy a couple more just so he would always have one because it really seems to help him get to sleep. I get a kick out of him nuzzling up with it and seeing those eyes get super heavy while he drifts off. So adorable! He has graduated out of the swing (which I affectionally called my babysitter when Harrison was littler) and has now moved on to his jumperoo. It is so neat to see him progress and grow, but I'll confess that it also makes me a little sad too. I guess they can't stay babies forever, but it would be nice if you could remember all the little things that make this time so special.

Slowly but surely, we are getting there. Soon Ben will be able to stop looking at it from the kitchen window and actually start playing on it. Thanks Papa, Daddy, and James for all your help! It's going to be a great summer!

Make sure to read Ben's shirt. All he needs is a purse and some heels. :)