http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/ The Andrews' family website en-us Fri, 19 Aug 2011 00:44:11 MST chris.j.andrews@gmail.com chris.j.andrews@gmail.com Copyright (c) 2007 www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews. All rights reserved. http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start3-11.html#836 We went shopping for some skates for Jeanette and Ben tried on some skates. He's not too stable but he sure does love them. Later in the day we visited a skating rink which was closing and Ben wanted badly to stay!... Sun, 13 Mar 2011 15:17:00 MST http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start3-11.html#836 US benjamins-start http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start3-11.html#835 Starbucks makes a buck off us. :)... Sat, 05 Mar 2011 17:41:00 MST http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start3-11.html#835 US benjamins-start http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start9-09.html#780 Here's Benjamin on the big-boy swing at the playground.He is quite a cutie. ... Thu, 03 Sep 2009 22:07:00 MST http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start9-09.html#780 US benjamins-start http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start9-09.html#779 Charlie, my boss, gave Benjamin a small skateboard.Benjamin LOVESit.He wears his helmet when he 'rides' it and even has me help him on for a real ride on it.Pretty fun!We had several crying episodes over it when we first got it."That's Benjamin's skateboard!"was his first utterance when he saw it.... Thu, 03 Sep 2009 22:02:00 MST http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start9-09.html#779 US benjamins-start http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start8-09.html#789 We had a nice time with Granny while we were in Florida and got to see her a ton. ... Sat, 08 Aug 2009 22:29:00 MST http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start8-09.html#789 US benjamins-start http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start8-09.html#788 Here is Danielle, Jesse, Benjamin, and me at Granny's house after a nice dinner. ... Sat, 08 Aug 2009 22:28:00 MST http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start8-09.html#788 US benjamins-start http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start8-09.html#787 Here's Ben doing a fist bump with Uncle Lance.Ben loves being around his family! ... Sat, 08 Aug 2009 22:25:00 MST http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start8-09.html#787 US benjamins-start http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start8-09.html#786 We went down to the beach with Lynne and Grampy.Here's Ben playing with Grampy's straw hat. ... Fri, 07 Aug 2009 22:23:00 MST http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start8-09.html#786 US benjamins-start http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start8-09.html#785 Benjamin also had a lot of fun with Granny. He shared fries with her and enjoyed being his silly self around her. We had a nice time with her.He still asks if we can go see Grrrreat Grama. ... Fri, 07 Aug 2009 22:21:00 MST http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start8-09.html#785 US benjamins-start http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start8-09.html#784 Dad had Ben put his feet and palms into a bit of cement to memorialize Ben's 2 and 1/2 phase.Ben really enjoyed his time with Grampy and Lynne! ... Thu, 06 Aug 2009 22:18:00 MST http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start8-09.html#784 US benjamins-start http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start8-09.html#783 We had dinner in South Beach with Darrell and then went for a walk down by the beach.... 25.794 -80.1282 Tue, 04 Aug 2009 22:14:00 MST http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start8-09.html#783 US benjamins-start http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start8-09.html#782 We spotted a couple of police motorcycles on SouthBeach.Benjamin loves them so we stopped for a photo.The guys were very nice with him. ... Tue, 04 Aug 2009 22:12:00 MST http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start8-09.html#782 US benjamins-start http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start8-09.html#781 We went for a FAST motor boat ride on uncle Darrell's friend's boat on our first day in Florida.Benjamin loved the speed, altough it was on the edge of terror for him.He had fun on the boat and enjoyed getting out into the water, too. ... Mon, 03 Aug 2009 22:09:00 MST http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start8-09.html#781 US benjamins-start http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start5-09.html#731 We've been doing the SpinArt program at Nick Jr. for a few weeks and Ben thinks it's hillarious.He helps pick the color and then holds the laptop mouse button while we move the mouse. ... Sat, 23 May 2009 11:13:00 MST http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start5-09.html#731 US benjamins-start http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start5-09.html#732 Iput Sketchbook Pro on the computer and it has a fun mirroring tool.Ben was able to create this with one of the stylus tools that Ihave for drawing.He's getting to be a computer boy! ... Thu, 21 May 2009 11:18:00 MST http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start5-09.html#732 US benjamins-start http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start3-09.html#745 I was at Petsmart with Ben and they had a little cart for him to wheel around.He loved it... picking out things to put in his basket and running all over the store.It was very funny to see.... Mon, 30 Mar 2009 23:53:00 MST http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start3-09.html#745 US Milos-corner http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start3-09.html#778 Here's Benjamin with me before I was going to take a trip to Korea.He's a silly kid! ... Sun, 01 Mar 2009 21:59:00 MST http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start3-09.html#778 US benjamins-start http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start3-09.html#777 Here's Ben reading to his friends in his room.If you look carefully, you can see that he's emulating the cold dinosaur in the book. Pretty cute!... Sun, 01 Mar 2009 21:56:00 MST http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start3-09.html#777 US benjamins-start http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start3-09.html#776 Mr. Mischief in his room.Ben was having fun playing with his toys. ... Sun, 01 Mar 2009 21:54:00 MST http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start3-09.html#776 US benjamins-start http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start2-09.html#775 We were out looking at houses and Ben was having fun in the rain...... Mon, 23 Feb 2009 21:32:00 MST http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start2-09.html#775 US benjamins-start http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start2-09.html#774 Here's Ben playing with Jesse in the drum room at Danielle's house!He enjoyed the drums and followed up with the electric guitar!... Mon, 02 Feb 2009 21:16:00 MST http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start2-09.html#774 US benjamins-start http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start2-09.html#773 We went over to Dad's for breakfast before we left.Ben was on his game and entertaining everyone.... Mon, 02 Feb 2009 21:09:00 MST http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start2-09.html#773 US benjamins-start http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start2-09.html#767 We did a belated happy birthday cake for granny.It was nice to have everyone around. ... Sun, 01 Feb 2009 22:03:00 MST http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start2-09.html#767 US benjamins-start http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start2-09.html#766 We made granny stand outside and freeze with us for a second so that we could take a photo with her after dinner.It came out nicely! ... Sun, 01 Feb 2009 21:54:00 MST http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start2-09.html#766 US benjamins-start http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start2-09.html#765 We went out for a nice dinner at the Salt Rock Grill with Granny, Peter, Dorothy, Danielle, Lance, and Jesse.Here are the Andrews ladies with Benjamin. ... Sun, 01 Feb 2009 21:49:00 MST http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start2-09.html#765 US benjamins-start http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start2-09.html#764 Benjamin was pretty cute tromping along on the beach.... Sun, 01 Feb 2009 21:46:00 MST http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start2-09.html#764 US benjamins-start http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start2-09.html#763 We took Ben down to the beach outside the condo we rented and he didn't quite like getting his toes sandy.He kept saying they were dirty and trying to clean them. After a while, he got into looking for shells... ... Sun, 01 Feb 2009 21:34:00 MST http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start2-09.html#763 US benjamins-start http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start2-09.html#762 We went to watch Jesse play a basketball game and here is Ben with Auntie Danielle right after.Benjamin had fun watching the boys play and then we went and played on a playground.... Sun, 01 Feb 2009 21:30:00 MST http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start2-09.html#762 US benjamins-start http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start2-09.html#772 Here's a nice photo of Ben with Granny after the birthday dinner.He really likes her.This time she taught him how to "pucker"and we've all been the beneficiaries. ... Sun, 01 Feb 2009 21:07:00 MST http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start2-09.html#772 US benjamins-start http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start1-09.html#761 Benjamin was having a fun time with Grampy.I think this is when he learned to 'fist bump.'... Sat, 31 Jan 2009 21:01:00 MST http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start1-09.html#761 US benjamins-start http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start1-09.html#759 We went to Grampy's house so that Ben could open some Christmas and Birthday presents.He defintiely likes doing that!Jesse was helping out, too.... Sat, 31 Jan 2009 20:56:00 MST http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start1-09.html#759 US benjamins-start http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start1-09.html#758 We took a walk along the boardwalk and stopped for an ice cream which Ben proceeded to share with Grampy and me.Ben thought it was pretty hillarious... and pretty good! Danielle was having fun with us, too!... Sat, 31 Jan 2009 20:53:00 MST http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start1-09.html#758 US benjamins-start http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start1-09.html#757 In John's Pass. Ben was enjoying spinning the wind toys.He liked the colorful versions the best.... Sat, 31 Jan 2009 20:47:00 MST http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start1-09.html#757 US benjamins-start http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start1-09.html#756 We went down to Florida for a quick visit and stayed in the same condo complex as mom.We had a nice time and Benjamin liked staying near grandma.Ben also slept in a queen sized bed all by himself!... Sat, 31 Jan 2009 20:44:00 MST http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start1-09.html#756 US benjamins-start http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start1-09.html#753 We tried flying a kit with Ben.This photo is deceiving.He was fascinated when we put it together, but threw an absolute fit when it was out of his reach.He's howling away in this photo... ... Mon, 26 Jan 2009 23:03:00 MST http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start1-09.html#753 US benjamins-start http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start1-09.html#752 Benjamin was determined to find his own path.So he did. ... Sun, 25 Jan 2009 22:58:00 MST http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start1-09.html#752 US benjamins-start http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start1-09.html#751 We went out for a ride around town and found some fun spots to photograph Mr. Ben.We also had some great greek food!... Sun, 25 Jan 2009 22:54:00 MST http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start1-09.html#751 US benjamins-start http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start1-09.html#750 We got Ben a synthesizer for his birthday... it may sound a little early for that, but he loves it.His favorite thing seems to be to play the blues version of songs when he's in trouble in his room! ... Sun, 18 Jan 2009 22:24:00 MST http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start1-09.html#750 US benjamins-start http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start1-09.html#749 We went down to Fisherman's Wharf with Grandma for the day.Ithink Ben was starting to get a bit sick, though and he got tired out after a bit.... Sun, 18 Jan 2009 22:22:00 MST http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start1-09.html#749 US benjamins-start http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start1-09.html#748 We had a much quieter day this year on Ben's birthday.We went to the BADM with the Fain's and their little boy.It was a nice, quiet day and Ben had fun! ... Sat, 17 Jan 2009 22:18:00 MST http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start1-09.html#748 US benjamins-start http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start1-09.html#747 Here's another one of those funny pictures of Mr. Tough Boy on his scooter.What a funny little guy. ... Wed, 07 Jan 2009 22:14:00 MST http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start1-09.html#747 US benjamins-start http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start1-09.html#746 Here's Ben back at home and in his fire truck!... Tue, 06 Jan 2009 22:11:00 MST http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start1-09.html#746 US benjamins-start http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start1-09.html#742 We went to Eric's restaurant and while we were waiting, allowed Ben to do some driving.He looooved it.Lots of flashing lights and cool things to turn and touch! ... Sun, 04 Jan 2009 21:05:00 MST http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start1-09.html#742 US benjamins-start http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start1-09.html#741 You can see the nervous little boy was about to go in for daycare.He seemed to survive it without too much trauma, though you always feel badly when you have to do something like that!It was nice to get out with Jeanette for a day of snowboarding. ... Sat, 03 Jan 2009 21:01:00 MST http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start1-09.html#741 US benjamins-start http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start1-09.html#740 Here we are on Ben's first day going to day care at the mountain.He had an OK time.He preferred the first day, when it seems he had a prettier baby sitter. Unfortunately, we took bus rides to go down there and by the end of the trip, he thought the bus meant abandonment! ... Sat, 03 Jan 2009 20:58:00 MST http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start1-09.html#740 US benjamins-start http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start1-09.html#733 As you can see, when we were up in the condo at Christmas, Ben sat on a phone book so that he could reach the big table.He did really well and the only problem was that he spilled a bunch of milk that glued the phonebook to the chair.It happens.He seemed pretty happy to be a big boy at the table. ... Sat, 03 Jan 2009 09:12:00 MST http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start1-09.html#733 US benjamins-start http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start1-09.html#737 Here's Mr. B after his skiing experience, chowing down on a classic skiier snack, a granola bar.Jeanette was looking for the other classic apres ski snack... a beer! Yes, that is Ben's very own ski pass around his neck...... Thu, 01 Jan 2009 20:41:00 MST http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start1-09.html#737 US benjamins-start http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start1-09.html#736 Here are Jeanette and Ben, chilling out on the lift.I think Ben was wondering exactly what was going on at this point. "Why won't this thing move?"... Thu, 01 Jan 2009 20:34:00 MST http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start1-09.html#736 US benjamins-start http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start1-09.html#735 We tried Ben on skiis... and he lasted all of 5 minutes. We did 3 10' runs and then he had it.We think that the boots were too big and that he was frightened by having his legs locked up straight.It's tough to balance when you're not even 2! ... Thu, 01 Jan 2009 20:31:00 MST http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start1-09.html#735 US benjamins-start http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start1-09.html#734 Now that Ben is big enough to walk himself, he was able to take a nice tromp through the woods with us over to the ski area. He certainly seemed to like watching the skiiers and the snowboarders! ... Thu, 01 Jan 2009 20:29:00 MST http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start1-09.html#734 US benjamins-start http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start12-08.html#728 We ended up putting Ben in daycare for two days so that Jeanette and Icould go out snowboarding together.He was a champ and seemed to tolerate it, but at the end of the trip he cried when we got off a bus at the airport... because we had used a bus both times to go to daycare! ... Tue, 30 Dec 2008 22:26:00 MST http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start12-08.html#728 US benjamins-start http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start12-08.html#727 Ben really liked playing in the snow, although it did manage to convince him that it would really be a good idea if he kept his gloves on.He laughed hysterically when we threw snowballs at him and then we put him on a sled for a few feet of sliding.Here we're pausing to adjust a mitten. ... Mon, 29 Dec 2008 22:23:00 MST http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start12-08.html#727 US benjamins-start http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start12-08.html#726 Here is Ben with me as we're getting ready to go outside and play in the snow.If Ihad my snowboarding pants on, we would have matched completely!!! ... Mon, 29 Dec 2008 22:20:00 MST http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start12-08.html#726 US benjamins-start http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start12-08.html#725 We went to Denver for Christmas and at the end of a very nice dinner at Tim and Sara's, decided to take a ride by the Denver court building to see the lights.Ben was quite interested, for about five minutes, until he realized he was exhausted (we didn't get in until 4 AM) and had a meltdown.It happens. ... Thu, 25 Dec 2008 22:20:00 MST http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start12-08.html#725 US benjamins-start http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start12-08.html#671 We took Benjamin to see Santa and, as you can see, this year he was terrified!Sounds like perfectly normal behavior for a little boy about to enter his terrible twos. Happy 80th Birthday to Granny, too!!!!... Thu, 25 Dec 2008 20:38:00 MST http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start12-08.html#671 US benjamins-start http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start12-08.html#724 Here's Ben in his new firetruck from Paul and Sue.He definitely knew how to get in and start playing right away! ... Mon, 22 Dec 2008 22:16:00 MST http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start12-08.html#724 US benjamins-start http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start12-08.html#723 Here Iam, helping Ben set up a new train set.He loves to sit in the middle of the track and push the trains around and around. ... Mon, 22 Dec 2008 22:14:00 MST http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start12-08.html#723 US benjamins-start http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start12-08.html#722 Benjamin got some help and many presents from Grandma.Here he is playing with his new potato head guys! ... Mon, 22 Dec 2008 22:05:00 MST http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start12-08.html#722 US benjamins-start http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start12-08.html#721 We had Christmas a little early while we were with Grandma.Benjamin definitely got into opening his presents this year! ... Mon, 22 Dec 2008 22:02:00 MST http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start12-08.html#721 US benjamins-start http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start12-08.html#674 Here's the cute little boy all bundled up to head out to school.It's been cooooold here lately! ... Mon, 15 Dec 2008 20:55:00 MST http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start12-08.html#674 US benjamins-start http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start12-08.html#673 We walked around downtown for a day and checked out the lights.That's also when we went to see Santa.Ben's getting really good, walking around with us and pointing out every light that he sees.It's one of his favorite words and he uses it repeatedly! ... Mon, 01 Dec 2008 20:53:00 MST http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start12-08.html#673 US benjamins-start http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start12-08.html#672 I brought back this harmonica for Benjamin from Austria and it's one of the best presents I could have gotten him.He plays with it nearly every day and loves it when Itake another one and sit with him and play around.Funny kid!!!! ... Mon, 01 Dec 2008 20:47:00 MST http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start12-08.html#672 US benjamins-start http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start11-08.html#720 We love driving up the Sonoma coast and finding a good place for fish, fried clams, and french fries.Mmmmmm...Here's Ben being a silly boy while we were eating lunch with Darrell.... Sun, 30 Nov 2008 20:42:00 MST http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start11-08.html#720 US benjamins-start http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start11-08.html#719 We went to Korbel and Ben's reward for staying off the sauce is cookies... as you can see here...He's a good boy, though and likes to wander around and look at the redwood trees. ... Sun, 30 Nov 2008 20:39:00 MST http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start11-08.html#719 US benjamins-start http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start11-08.html#718 Here's another cute picture of Ben and Darrell at the Zoo! ... Sat, 29 Nov 2008 20:37:00 MST http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start11-08.html#718 US benjamins-start http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start11-08.html#717 Here's Ben at the zoo with his uncle Darrell.We all went down for the day and had a fun time checking out all the animals! ... Sat, 29 Nov 2008 20:36:00 MST http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start11-08.html#717 US benjamins-start http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start11-08.html#716 Here's everyone who was over for Thanksgiving dinner!As you can see, Benjamin had a great spot at the table!... Fri, 28 Nov 2008 20:33:00 MST http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start11-08.html#716 US benjamins-start http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start11-08.html#715 Here's a cute photo of Ben and me.We were all done with the farm and making our way home.He's a silly guy!... Mon, 17 Nov 2008 23:22:00 MST http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start11-08.html#715 US benjamins-start http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start11-08.html#714 We went to the family farm in Berkeley where Ben gets to feed sheep and cows... and throw things at geese.He looooves it... and has absolutely no fear. ... Mon, 17 Nov 2008 23:20:00 MST http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start11-08.html#714 US benjamins-start http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start11-08.html#713 Here's Ben with the talking cookie monster.He loves this toy. Cookie goes with us on most of our car trips. ... Mon, 17 Nov 2008 23:16:00 MST http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start11-08.html#713 US benjamins-start http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start11-08.html#712 Imanaged to get Ben to pose by himself near a giant turkey that was set up at the mall.He was sitting on a barrell being a goof ball.It made a good Thanksgiving photo! ... Mon, 03 Nov 2008 23:15:00 MST http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start11-08.html#712 US benjamins-start http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start11-08.html#711 Itook Ben in to get his haircut.This time we went and had lunch first and then went in for the cut. He was a really good boy about it! ... Mon, 03 Nov 2008 23:11:00 MST http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start11-08.html#711 US benjamins-start http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start10-08.html#708 Here's a photo of Ben with me on Haloween.I actually had my shirt printed up from a design Imade, but Ihad it printed in silver and it was a bit too shiny on the photo. Perfect for Haloween!... Fri, 31 Oct 2008 22:25:00 MST http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start10-08.html#708 US benjamins-start http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start10-08.html#707 We took Ben trick-or-treating at the Corte Madera Mall.It took only one or two stores and he had the hang of that.He proceeded to run from store to store thrusting out his bag. Pretty darn cute...... Fri, 31 Oct 2008 22:11:00 MST http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start10-08.html#707 US benjamins-start http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start10-08.html#706 Here's Ben with Grandma, hanging up Haloween decorations.Grandma is out here longterm now and we'll be seeing her more often!... Sun, 19 Oct 2008 22:07:00 MST http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start10-08.html#706 US benjamins-start http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start10-08.html#705 We went to the air show that is over the Bay.There were great views of the planes shooting in over and under the Golden Gate Bridge.Ben was really curious about the planes and seemed to be studying them. ... Mon, 13 Oct 2008 22:04:00 MST http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start10-08.html#705 US benjamins-start http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start10-08.html#704 Here's Ben with me right after a bath.You can see that despite any grumpiness from the heat that day, he was still cheery enough after a dunk in the water! ... Sun, 12 Oct 2008 22:00:00 MST http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start10-08.html#704 US benjamins-start http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start10-08.html#703 We let Ben pick out his Haloween costume and he decided on a red version of the green dragon he was last year!We tried to get some photos at the pumpkin patch, but it was probably a bad idea because it was so hot. ... Sun, 12 Oct 2008 21:57:00 MST http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start10-08.html#703 US benjamins-start http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start10-08.html#702 Ben went through a little maze for little guys.He liked it but thought the heat was getting to be a bit much. ... Sun, 12 Oct 2008 21:54:00 MST http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start10-08.html#702 US benjamins-start http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start10-08.html#701 We went looking for pumpkins on a very warm day in October.Ben always has fun climbing around. ... Sun, 12 Oct 2008 21:48:00 MST http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start10-08.html#701 US benjamins-start http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start10-08.html#696 Ben really has fun in the inflated bouncy areas.Fun for kids! ... Mon, 06 Oct 2008 23:45:00 MST http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start10-08.html#696 US benjamins-start http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start10-08.html#695 We went to the Sonoma County Fair and went on a few rides.Ben is pretty funny... he likes them for a few minutes and then is "all done"unless they are really interesting.He got tired of this one after a few times around. ... Mon, 06 Oct 2008 23:43:00 MST http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start10-08.html#695 US benjamins-start http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start10-08.html#697 Jeanette took Ben on the teacup ride at the SonomaFair.He had fun, though she kept it mild.No puking if we can help it!... Mon, 06 Oct 2008 22:11:00 MST http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start10-08.html#697 US benjamins-start http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start10-08.html#700 Benjamin stops for a snack at the Fair.Bunnies it is.It was right around this time that Ben started grabbing whole bags of bunnies and trying to open them for himself.It's amazing how many little cookies his fat hands can hold. ... Mon, 06 Oct 2008 21:45:00 MST http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start10-08.html#700 US benjamins-start http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start10-08.html#694 We went to a park, Ithink it was right before one of my trips.Ben likes swinging, but it's old hat these days, so he'll only do it for a few minutes. ... Sun, 05 Oct 2008 23:40:00 MST http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start10-08.html#694 US benjamins-start http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start9-08.html#693 Benjamin loves hanging out in "Daddy's car."He even knows how to kick back and enjoy the seats... but he's not allowed in them when the car is moving! ... Mon, 29 Sep 2008 23:38:00 MST http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start9-08.html#693 US benjamins-start http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start9-08.html#692 We spent the day in Sausalito, walking around and enjoying the views.Ben was really comfortable toddling around by this point. ... Mon, 29 Sep 2008 23:34:00 MST http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start9-08.html#692 US benjamins-start http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start9-08.html#691 For some reason,Ben decided it would be fun to sit on Elmo and bounce on his chair.Pretty silly guy! ... Mon, 22 Sep 2008 23:31:00 MST http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start9-08.html#691 US benjamins-start http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start9-08.html#690 We went to the beach on the penninsula and hung out in the sand for a bit.Ben seemed to just enjoy hanging out and looking at the sand and waves.We didn't really like the nude guys on the beach... ... Sun, 21 Sep 2008 23:29:00 MST http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start9-08.html#690 US benjamins-start http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start9-08.html#684 Ben was enthralled by the food processor when Iwas making breadcrumbs.He loves to watch us do interesting things.... Mon, 15 Sep 2008 21:10:00 MST http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start9-08.html#684 US benjamins-start http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start9-08.html#682 Here's Ben, jamming away on the xylophones with Jeanette. ... Sun, 07 Sep 2008 22:11:00 MST http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start9-08.html#682 US benjamins-start http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start9-08.html#681 Mr. Ben decided to start walking by himself.Here he is on his first full day as a walking man, taking a stroll at the BADM near Sausalito.He was a little wobbly, but seemed to make it plenty far all by himself. ... Sun, 07 Sep 2008 22:05:00 MST http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start9-08.html#681 US benjamins-start http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start9-08.html#683 Here's Ben at the Bay Area Discovery Museum, playing with fish in a little stream for little boys and girls.He loves it every time. ... Sun, 07 Sep 2008 21:03:00 MST http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start9-08.html#683 US benjamins-start http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start8-08.html#680 A cute photo of Ben and me at the water's edge. ... Sun, 31 Aug 2008 21:59:00 MST http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start8-08.html#680 US benjamins-start http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start8-08.html#679 On an exceptionally warm day, we drove up the coast to go to the beach in Sonoma County and had a great time.Ben LOVES the beach and we spent several hours just hanging out and enjoying the sun and the waves.The crazy thing was that 10 minutes north, it had been too cold at one of the other beaches to get out of the car! ... Sun, 31 Aug 2008 21:55:00 MST http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start8-08.html#679 US benjamins-start http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start8-08.html#678 We took a drive to get out of the house and went to this playground near downtown San Rafael.Ben enjoyed bouncing along, then climbing all around the playhouse nearby.He even enjoyed throwing wood chips on himself! ... Mon, 25 Aug 2008 21:53:00 MST http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start8-08.html#678 US benjamins-start http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start8-08.html#632 Too bad this shot is a tiny bit blurry, but it was a cute pic of Ben just as his haircut was finished and cleaned up.He looked like a big boy! ... Sun, 17 Aug 2008 23:18:00 MST http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start8-08.html#632 US benjamins-start http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start8-08.html#631 On dad's insistence, we finally went in and trimmed that bird's nest that Benjamin called his hair... or rather that his mom called his hair.We went to a special place for kids and Ben did great, playing with toys and seeming not really to notice all the attention. ... Sun, 17 Aug 2008 23:16:00 MST http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start8-08.html#631 US benjamins-start http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start8-08.html#677 Here's the little boy playing peek-a-boo with me in the grass at the San Rafael Wine Festival. ... Sun, 17 Aug 2008 21:51:00 MST http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start8-08.html#677 US benjamins-start http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start8-08.html#676 Benjamin got to try his first lollypop after his trip to the barber.He liked it very much... and he liked to stick it in and out of my mouth!What a goofball.... Sun, 17 Aug 2008 21:47:00 MST http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start8-08.html#676 US benjamins-start http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start8-08.html#630 We went on a small hike in Golden Gate National Rec Area.Here's Ben in a new carrier, hanging out on his mom's back.He was pretty cute! ... Mon, 11 Aug 2008 23:14:00 MST http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start8-08.html#630 US benjamins-start http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start8-08.html#629 Benjamin got to pick a fish out of a little water game and won a froggy toy.As you can see, by this time in the day, he was pretty tired out. But... over a month later and he still loves his froggy!... 37.5459 -122.301 Sun, 10 Aug 2008 23:12:00 MST http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start8-08.html#629 US benjamins-start http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start8-08.html#628 And here's Ben on a carousel with his mom.Of course she picked the pink horse for him! ... Sun, 10 Aug 2008 23:11:00 MST http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start8-08.html#628 US benjamins-start http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start8-08.html#627 While we were at the San Mateo County Fair, Ben got to take his first ride on a ferris wheel.Jeanette was a little nervous, but he loved it.He kept pointing at everything and looked under the bar to check me out. ... Sun, 10 Aug 2008 23:09:00 MST http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start8-08.html#627 US benjamins-start http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start8-08.html#626 Ben got to pet his first bunny at the San Mateo county fair.We had a good day, though Ben was a bit tired out becuase he had a bit of a cold.They had a whole bunch of chickens and bunnies and Ben thought they were pretty interesting. ... Sun, 10 Aug 2008 23:06:00 MST http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start8-08.html#626 US benjamins-start http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start8-08.html#625 Here's a cute photo of Ben and Chris at the park.We took a drive around that day, sampling a few different parks in the Corte Madera area.It was a nice day for it! ... Mon, 04 Aug 2008 23:03:00 MST http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start8-08.html#625 US benjamins-start http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start8-08.html#613 Here's another cute photo of Ben standing with his truck.... Mon, 04 Aug 2008 16:26:00 MST http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start8-08.html#613 US benjamins-start http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start8-08.html#612 Here's Ben walking with his Tonka truck from Paul and Sue. He 'trucks' right along with it. On this particular day, he used it to walk about two blocks.... Mon, 04 Aug 2008 16:12:00 MST http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start8-08.html#612 US benjamins-start http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start7-08.html#611 Pauline and John came out here for Elizabeth's graduation from Americorps. We visited with them for a day and took them on a nice drive around Marin County. The weather was great and the views of the coast were beautiful.... Fri, 25 Jul 2008 16:00:00 MST http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start7-08.html#611 US benjamins-start http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start7-08.html#610 Our friend Peter C. came into town so we joined him for dinner. After dinner, we took a short stroll and Ben seemed to be quite comfortable walking through San Franscisco, holding hands with two grown men!... Wed, 23 Jul 2008 15:57:00 MST http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start7-08.html#610 US benjamins-start http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start7-08.html#609 Ben loved his first ever pony ride at the San Rafael farmer's market. He got to go on a short loop on the pony with mom and dad walking beside him. He seemed to think it was pretty cool!... Sun, 13 Jul 2008 15:56:00 MST http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start7-08.html#609 US benjamins-start http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start7-08.html#608 It's not unusual for us to be in one place, but it is unusual for us to be in one photo! Here a nice woman took our photo while we were at Cline.... Sat, 12 Jul 2008 15:54:00 MST http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start7-08.html#608 US benjamins-start http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start7-08.html#607 We stopped by Cline Winery on the way up to visit a friend in Sonoma and had the chance to take come cute photos. Ben was pretty good while we stopped for a sip, climbing all over the place. He really liked the little bridge into their garden.... Sat, 12 Jul 2008 15:44:00 MST http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start7-08.html#607 US benjamins-start http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start7-08.html#606 We went to Ikea and got Ben a cute little table for him to play with his toys. You can see that the poor child is just deprived. In July he needed help in and out of the chair. By mid August, he gets in and out all by himself!... Wed, 09 Jul 2008 15:41:00 MST http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start7-08.html#606 US benjamins-start http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start7-08.html#605 Jeanette took Ben near a fountain in the kids area of the Botanical Gardens so that he could cool off. The kids area was very nice, though some areas, such as this, need for some plants to grow up to cool them off a bit more.... Sat, 05 Jul 2008 15:38:00 MST http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start7-08.html#605 US benjamins-start http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start7-08.html#604 We went to the Atlanta Botanical Gardensto have a stroll around. It started out cool and drizzling, but ended up hot! Here we were in the orchid habitat.... Sat, 05 Jul 2008 15:35:00 MST http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start7-08.html#604 US benjamins-start http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start7-08.html#603 We took a walk after a birthday dinner for Chris. Benjamin is pretty cute walking along... but he still doesn't want to walk on his own.... Fri, 04 Jul 2008 23:09:00 MST http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start7-08.html#603 US benjamins-start http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start7-08.html#602 We had a very nice meal at Agave, aNew Mexican restaurant. Ben chowed through the meat and chips, even pushing his plate at me when he wanted more. The meal was good... one of the closest to New Mexican food that we've had outside of New Mexico!... 33.7478 -84.3679 Wed, 02 Jul 2008 22:20:00 MST http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start7-08.html#602 US benjamins-start http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start7-08.html#601 We took a time out in Centennial Park to hang out and play on the playground. Ben was having fun climbing on us and then crawling as far away from us as we would let him go.... Wed, 02 Jul 2008 22:17:00 MST http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start7-08.html#601 US benjamins-start http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start7-08.html#600 We went to the aquarium in downtown Atlanta. It was a good place to go, though pretty busy because it was the holiday week. Ben enjoyed looking at almost all the exhibits and really liked the tanks where he could plunge his hands into the water to try to touch the fish... even the sharks!... Wed, 02 Jul 2008 22:13:00 MST http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start7-08.html#600 US benjamins-start http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start7-08.html#599 We were heading out for some exploration of Atlanta and we decided to take some photos because we were dressed up. Here's Ben with mom and grandma. We had to take a bunch of photos because he wouldn't sit still.... Wed, 02 Jul 2008 22:12:00 MST http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start7-08.html#599 US benjamins-start http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start6-08.html#598 Grandma got a small pool for Benjamin because she expected it to be hot in Atlanta. It turned out to be a cool week, but he still made it in a few times. Here you can see he liked playing the game of throwing the balls out of the pool. Pretty silly kid!... 33.851 -84.5481 Mon, 30 Jun 2008 22:06:00 MST http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start6-08.html#598 US benjamins-start http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start6-08.html#597 We went to Atlanta to visit grandma. Here we are on the first evening we were there, out for a bite to eat. Benjamin was in a bit of a mood and didn't really want to look at the camera.... Sun, 29 Jun 2008 22:05:00 MST http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start6-08.html#597 US benjamins-start http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start6-08.html#596 As you can see, Benjamin is working out how to whistle. It's pretty funny. He can make a faint whistling sound when he breathes in and out. No tunes yet!... Tue, 24 Jun 2008 22:02:00 MST http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start6-08.html#596 US benjamins-start http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start6-08.html#588 Here's Ben dodging a big cow tongue. I think this was the last of the lettuce for that day!... Sun, 22 Jun 2008 23:42:00 MST http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start6-08.html#588 US benjamins-start http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start6-08.html#587 J found a family farm over in the East Bay and Ben LOVES it. He gets to feed goats, feed cows, and hurl lettuce at geese. Did I mention the hurl lettuce at geese part? He complete cracks up over it. He's not afraid of any of the animals...... Sun, 22 Jun 2008 23:38:00 MST http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start6-08.html#587 US benjamins-start http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start6-08.html#586 Jeanette brought us to the Robot Games for Father's Day. We had a very fun time watching robots bash the heck out of each other and meeting a few robots who were 'walking' around. Ben thought that the moving robots were fascinating and you can see that R2D2 was a big hit!... Sun, 15 Jun 2008 23:36:00 MST http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start6-08.html#586 US benjamins-start http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start6-08.html#585 Ben is quite capabable of pulling himself to standing position and taking glasses and keys off the tables, now. That's a bit of a problem if you expect your things to be where you left them!... Sat, 07 Jun 2008 23:34:00 MST http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start6-08.html#585 US benjamins-start http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start6-08.html#584 Here you can see why we don't let Ben completely feed himself yet. He's getting a whole lot better with the hand-to-mouth food, but his coordination with a spoon still leaves a bit to be desired. He tries hard, though!... Mon, 02 Jun 2008 23:31:00 MST http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start6-08.html#584 US benjamins-start http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start5-08.html#583 Here is Ben sifting through some sand and pebbles at the playground at the Discovery Museum. You can see that he also found some money!... Sat, 31 May 2008 23:29:00 MST http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start5-08.html#583 US benjamins-start http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start5-08.html#582 Jeanette also got a membership to the Discovery Museum which we have used a bunch! On this particular day, I took Ben down and tired him out a bit too much. But here you can see that he was having fun!... Sat, 31 May 2008 23:28:00 MST http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start5-08.html#582 US benjamins-start http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start5-08.html#581 Ben will pretty much play with anything he finds... old cigarettes, feathers, candy wrappers, sticks, stones... you get the idea. We are fairly vigilant with the bad things, but sticks and stones are alright. Maybe they taste good to him!... Mon, 26 May 2008 23:21:00 MST http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start5-08.html#581 US benjamins-start http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start5-08.html#580 We took Ben and Milo to Rodeo beach to hang out for the afternoon. Here you can see the little tough boy menacing me with his shovel. He looooves the beach...... Mon, 26 May 2008 23:17:00 MST http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start5-08.html#580 US benjamins-start http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start5-08.html#579 We took a nice drive up the coast to the town of Tomales. Here you can see Benjamin finishing off a date bar that we got at a small ice cream shop. We also stopped and had some yummy BBQ'ed oysters, except that Ben was a little pain in the butt during our lunch. All in all, it was a nice day, and the drive is only 20-30 miles out from our place.... Sun, 25 May 2008 23:14:00 MST http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start5-08.html#579 US benjamins-start http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start5-08.html#578 Wearing sunglasses at Korbel with mom. Ben was doing a fair bit of 'assisted' walking that day. He loves going up and down steps.... Sat, 10 May 2008 23:09:00 MST http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start5-08.html#578 US benjamins-start http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start5-08.html#577 Believe it or not, the best things to try at Korbel were the reds and a brandy that we didn't get to open till we got home. Yummy stuff! We were just clowning around with Ben, exploring a possible wine country purchase that day.... Sat, 10 May 2008 23:06:00 MST http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start5-08.html#577 US benjamins-start http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start5-08.html#576 We sat Ben in this saddle and he grabbed onto the pommel right away. He was pretty cute!... Sat, 03 May 2008 23:05:00 MST http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start5-08.html#576 US benjamins-start http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start5-08.html#575 We took Benjamin to the San Francisco Zoo. Jeanette got a membership there right after we moved to CA. Ben likes to pet the goats and sheep in his typically fearless manner.... Sat, 03 May 2008 22:59:00 MST http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start5-08.html#575 US benjamins-start http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start4-08.html#571 Hmm... so that's what dirty looks like! Ben had a blast at Stinson Beach, crawling around, destroying sand towers. Funny guy!... 37.8964 -122.641 Sat, 26 Apr 2008 12:56:00 MST http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start4-08.html#571 US benjamins-start http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start4-08.html#570 Hereare Jeanette and Ben (eating in my car!) hanging out in the TransAm on a day trip. We have taken a bunch of nice trips out from the apartment. This time we went out to the town of Bolinas (an odd little place), then down the coast to Stinson Beach. Lucas Valley Road, one of the curviest roads in Marin County is straight out from the apartment and it's a fun drive on a weekend.... Sat, 26 Apr 2008 12:52:00 MST http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start4-08.html#570 US benjamins-start http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start4-08.html#568 A cute photo of Jeanette and Ben on the beach.... Fri, 25 Apr 2008 12:41:00 MST http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start4-08.html#568 US benjamins-start http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start4-08.html#567 We went to Rodeo Beach and had a little picnic. All we had was this hat for him, which is a bit too small these days. Benjamin loves to sit on the sand, help us sort rocks, and see how everything tastes!... Fri, 25 Apr 2008 12:36:00 MST http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start4-08.html#567 US benjamins-start http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start4-08.html#498 We took a nature walk through a very interesting area to the Barker Dam. The dam holds back a modest amount of water that was once used for an active ranch. The area seemed to have a great collection of most of the major cactus and yucca types that we saw in the park.... 34.0188 -116.162 Sat, 19 Apr 2008 23:59:00 MST http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start4-08.html#498 US benjamins-start http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start4-08.html#497 Here is Ben and Chris taking a break in a rock hollow on a little walk in Joshua Tree. Ben is a little nature boy.... Sat, 19 Apr 2008 23:56:00 MST http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start4-08.html#497 US benjamins-start http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start4-08.html#496 Here are Jeanette and Ben under a Joshua Tree. We saw hundreds of them, but their habitat is pretty limited.... Sat, 19 Apr 2008 23:53:00 MST http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start4-08.html#496 US benjamins-start http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start4-08.html#495 Here we are in the cactus garden in Joshua tree. We couldn't let Ben down because the cacti (cholla) were pretty dangerous.... Sat, 19 Apr 2008 23:51:00 MST http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start4-08.html#495 US benjamins-start http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start4-08.html#494 Jeanette and Benjamin posed next to a huge Octillo in Joshua Tree National Park. The desert flowers were definitely in bloom.... 33.7592 -115.818 Sat, 19 Apr 2008 23:45:00 MST http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start4-08.html#494 US benjamins-start http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start4-08.html#493 Here's handsome young Benjamin at a pizza restaurant in downtown Palm Springs. He looooooves restaurants and is getting good at eating from a plate. Soon he'll be ordering for himself!... 33.8222 -116.547 Fri, 18 Apr 2008 23:43:00 MST http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start4-08.html#493 US benjamins-start http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start4-08.html#492 Here's a photo of Jeanette and Ben in the palm trees.... Fri, 18 Apr 2008 23:37:00 MST http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start4-08.html#492 US benjamins-start http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start4-08.html#491 Here's a cute photo of Ben checking out a palm tree from up close. He was hot so we stripped him down a bit.... Fri, 18 Apr 2008 23:30:00 MST http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start4-08.html#491 US benjamins-start http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start4-08.html#490 Benjamin makes sure that he has enough of a view from his seat so that he can follow the action.... Fri, 18 Apr 2008 23:26:00 MST http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start4-08.html#490 US benjamins-start http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start4-08.html#489 We took a hike on an Indian reservation near Palm Springs. As you can see, even though it's desert, there was enough water here to grow many California fan palms. Benjamin was quite content to ride along in the backpack.... 33.7368 -116.539 Fri, 18 Apr 2008 23:20:00 MST http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start4-08.html#489 US benjamins-start http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start4-08.html#487 Benjamin was doing his best to captain the ship in the playground!... 35.3595 -120.851 Thu, 17 Apr 2008 23:24:00 MST http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start4-08.html#487 US benjamins-start http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start4-08.html#486 We took another road trip... this time way south to Palm Springs. On the way we stayed a night in Morro Bay. Here's Ben having some fun on a cute playground there.... Thu, 17 Apr 2008 22:59:00 MST http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start4-08.html#486 US benjamins-start http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start4-08.html#485 Ben was ready for the pool and Jeanette was headed out for the afternoon. They looked cute posing together.... Sun, 13 Apr 2008 22:56:00 MST http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start4-08.html#485 US benjamins-start http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start4-08.html#484 Here's Benjamin playing with Jeanette in the water. He loved showing us all the mud and rocks that he could find.... 37.3223 -122.404 Sat, 12 Apr 2008 22:52:00 MST http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start4-08.html#484 US benjamins-start http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start4-08.html#483 We drove down to a beach near Half Moon Bay and were unprepared for Ben's lust for the water. He insisted on getting into a small tidal stream, so we stripped him down and let him climb in. If his legs look blue, it's probably because the water was freezing!... Sat, 12 Apr 2008 22:47:00 MST http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start4-08.html#483 US benjamins-start http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start4-08.html#482 Here's Ben playing with one of his ten million toys in his new room. It took him a week or so, but he seems to have settled in with no adverse effects of the move. After all, his bears and puppies still go to bed with him!... Fri, 11 Apr 2008 22:45:00 MST http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start4-08.html#482 US benjamins-start http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start4-08.html#481 Ben's doing a lot of walking these days, though still with assistance. Here he is with some fancy new shoes on. He seems to love his shoes and still laughs when we put them on him.... Fri, 11 Apr 2008 22:43:00 MST http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start4-08.html#481 US benjamins-start http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start4-08.html#480 Benjamin has finally graduated from scooting to crawling. Here's the handsome young man crawling his way through the apartment. He still scoots much of the time, but when he really wants something... he either crawls or yells!... 38.0198 -122.532 Thu, 10 Apr 2008 22:40:00 MST http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start4-08.html#480 US benjamins-start http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start4-08.html#479 Here are the three of us on the beach at Point Reyes, thanks to a helpful rock that held the camera!... Sun, 06 Apr 2008 22:35:00 MST http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start4-08.html#479 US benjamins-start http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start4-08.html#478 Here's a nice picture of Ben and Chris on the beach. We had a lot of fun and it was warm as long as we sat in the sun with the log blocking some of the wind!... Sun, 06 Apr 2008 22:32:00 MST http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start4-08.html#478 US benjamins-start http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start4-08.html#477 We took a drive out to Point Reyes on our first weekend in California. Benjamin was having fun playing in the sand. He's getting to the age where he doesn't necessarily put everything in his mouth all the time. He loves the beach!... 38.0456 -122.99 Sun, 06 Apr 2008 22:26:00 MST http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start4-08.html#477 US benjamins-start http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start3-08.html#562 We stopped for a walking break in Nevada. We pretty much stopped every hour and a half, which made for long days, but it was just enough to give been some wiggling around time. Between restaurants, playgrounds, and the occasional parking lot, we did OK.... 40.9799 -117.74 Sun, 30 Mar 2008 23:27:00 MST http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start3-08.html#562 US benjamins-start http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start3-08.html#561 On the Long Ride across country, from Denver to San Rafael, Benjamin did great. He passed through Utah, but we didn't take any photos to comemorate it. Between Ben, the kitties, and the doggy, it could have been worse, but they all did very well.... 40.7661 -111.952 Sat, 29 Mar 2008 23:25:00 MST http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start3-08.html#561 US benjamins-start http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start3-08.html#560 There's a big break in the photo taking because Ben was massively sick with the flu for a week and we ended up in the hospital. If I find it, I can post a photo of the poor guy with an IV in his forehead, but that's not too fun. After he recovered, Amy, Lisa, and Steve came down for a visit. It was nice to see them and we'll miss having them nearby.... Sat, 22 Mar 2008 23:16:00 MST http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start3-08.html#560 US benjamins-start http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start3-08.html#559 Here's Jeanette with her friend Jiyhe and Karai. Ben was at a restaurant, so fun was guaranteed for him.... Sun, 09 Mar 2008 23:14:00 MST http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start3-08.html#559 US benjamins-start http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start3-08.html#558 We went to a childhood favorite location of Jeanettes (I can't remember the name...) where Ben got to play on the playground and see some animals. As usual, he had a lot of fun.... Sat, 08 Mar 2008 23:10:00 MST http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start3-08.html#558 US benjamins-start http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start3-08.html#557 We spent part of the day at the Chateau Ste. Michelle winery. It's tough to do these things with a baby, but Ben wasn't too bad. If you taste a little formula in your Ethos, blame us... we had to feed the kid in the fermentation area. Outside, we bought a bottle of wine and sat for a bit to have some sips. It was very tasty.... 47.7329 -122.148 Sat, 08 Mar 2008 23:06:00 MST http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start3-08.html#557 US benjamins-start http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start3-08.html#556 We took Benjamin and a daughter of Jeanette's friend, Lily, to the Seattle Aquarium. As you can see, Benjamin was a blur of activity around the fish tanks, especially the touching tanks, where he was plunging his hands into COLD water.... 47.6076 -122.342 Fri, 07 Mar 2008 23:01:00 MST http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start3-08.html#556 US benjamins-start http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start3-08.html#555 Here are Jeanette and Ben, freezing for a quick photo op on the deck of the ferry headed back to Seattle.... Thu, 06 Mar 2008 23:00:00 MST http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start3-08.html#555 US benjamins-start http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start3-08.html#554 Near Dungeoness Spit, we stopped for a bite at the 3 Crabs Restaurant in Sequim. Naturally, we had a bit of Dungeoness and a whole bunch of other seafood in a very good dish that I believe was called the "Taste of Dungeoness". Benjamin chowed on the fish and bread right along with the two of us. The photo shows us on the beach outside the restaurant. British Columbia is obscured by haze in the distance.... 48.1499 -123.119 Thu, 06 Mar 2008 22:52:00 MST http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start3-08.html#554 US benjamins-start http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start3-08.html#553 Here's a cute photo of Jeanette and Ben on the steps at one of the fancy new Indian Reservation sites on the Olympic Penninsula. He was taking a break from the hard work of descending the steps!... Thu, 06 Mar 2008 22:50:00 MST http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start3-08.html#553 US benjamins-start http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start3-08.html#552 Jeanette and Ben accompanied me on a business trip to Seattle. We had a great couple of days until Ben got SICK. This was during some sightseeing on the first morning.... Thu, 06 Mar 2008 22:44:00 MST http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start3-08.html#552 US benjamins-start http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start3-08.html#550 Unfortunately, we found the children's museum too late! I think we were having the house inspected on this day for the sale and we finally decided to check it out. Jeanette didn't realize how much the museum's were built for kids and I hadn't even heard of it. Benjamin had a blast and got to watch and interact with a bunch of other kids. After checking out a couple of other museums, Jeanette thinks this is the best she's seen.... 39.7488 -105.017 Sat, 01 Mar 2008 22:41:00 MST http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start3-08.html#550 US benjamins-start http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start3-08.html#549 Here's Benjamin on his first big boy playground. He tromped up the steps, across the bridge, and was a champ about taking the slide with mom and dad's help. He even wanted to do it again! It was also fun to see him watching the other kids intently.... Sat, 01 Mar 2008 22:39:00 MST http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start3-08.html#549 US benjamins-start http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start3-08.html#548 Here's Benjamin, trying his feet at some steps outside the house. At this point, he was only walking with major assistance, but he was starting to get the hang of it.... Sat, 01 Mar 2008 22:36:00 MST http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start3-08.html#548 US benjamins-start http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start2-08.html#518 Here's a cute photo of Mr Ben on Muir beach. Even though it was pretty chilly, he could have stayed there for the night with no problem, it seemed. He just needs to learn not to eat the rocks!... Tue, 26 Feb 2008 22:49:00 MST http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start2-08.html#518 US benjamins-start http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start2-08.html#517 Here we are on Muir Beach. Benjamin loved the beach... picking up rocks, biting rocks, throwing rocks. What fun!... 37.8593 -122.576 Tue, 26 Feb 2008 22:46:00 MST http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start2-08.html#517 US benjamins-start http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start2-08.html#516 Benjamin loves to be on my shoulders. He hasn't figured out how to hold on yet, but he certainly loves it.... Tue, 26 Feb 2008 22:44:00 MST http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start2-08.html#516 US benjamins-start http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start2-08.html#515 Mr. B enjoyed climbing around a jungle gym at the park. He loved to take the stairs and just walk up and down it, with our help, of course.... Sun, 24 Feb 2008 22:39:00 MST http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start2-08.html#515 US benjamins-start http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start2-08.html#514 We took a break driving around in the East Bay to give Benjamin a snack in the park. He was ready to get out and take a look around. First, though, he needed to recharge on a banana!... Sun, 24 Feb 2008 22:37:00 MST http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start2-08.html#514 US benjamins-start http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start2-08.html#513 We took a drive down south and checked out the beach. We got blown around a bit before finding some yummy clam chowder in a warm little restaurant right at the start of the pier.... 37.6335 -122.494 Sun, 24 Feb 2008 22:31:00 MST http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start2-08.html#513 US benjamins-start http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start2-08.html#512 Mr. Benjamin loves to travel. Here he is enjoying his hotel room in San Francisco. We came out so that we could check out places to live since we're actually moving at this point!... 37.8004 -122.409 Sun, 24 Feb 2008 22:26:00 MST http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start2-08.html#512 US benjamins-start http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start2-08.html#511 And here's the deprived child in the middle of his 1 million toys. He's wondering when he'll have 1 million and one.... Thu, 14 Feb 2008 22:23:00 MST http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start2-08.html#511 US benjamins-start http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start2-08.html#510 Starting at a pretty early age, Ben was very careful to try to take the top blocks off of a pile without disturbing the pile. This weekend up in Breckenridge, he was actually removing blocks from the middle of the stack without collapsing the stack. Pretty cool for such a little guy.... Sat, 09 Feb 2008 22:20:00 MST http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start2-08.html#510 US benjamins-start http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start2-08.html#509 Here's a photo of a little dinosaur with his mom. We got this hat for Ben, but I think he fit in it for a couple of weeks and that was it. His head grows exponentially!... Sun, 03 Feb 2008 22:16:00 MST http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start2-08.html#509 US benjamins-start http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start1-08.html#505 Benjamin got on his new scooter... and looked like a little punk. It seems that the clothes make the attitude! What a funny little boy.... Thu, 24 Jan 2008 23:45:00 MST http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start1-08.html#505 US benjamins-start http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start1-08.html#504 Ben and grandma played with his kiddie laptop one morning while she was here.... Sun, 20 Jan 2008 23:38:00 MST http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start1-08.html#504 US benjamins-start http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start1-08.html#503 Benjamin got lots of cool presents from all of his generous friends. He took many of them very seriously, too!... Sat, 19 Jan 2008 23:35:00 MST http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start1-08.html#503 US benjamins-start http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start1-08.html#502 Here's Benjamin with his grandma on his Birthday. She was nice enough to come out for the party and to help him try some yummy cake!... Sat, 19 Jan 2008 23:31:00 MST http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start1-08.html#502 US benjamins-start http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start1-08.html#501 Happy Birthday to Benjamin! He was cute and clapped when everyone cried 'Yay' at the end of the song. Babies are silly.... Sat, 19 Jan 2008 23:29:00 MST http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start1-08.html#501 US benjamins-start http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start1-08.html#500 Lots of people came over for Benjamin's Birthday party. Here's the boy with our neighbors, Sara and Tim.... Sat, 19 Jan 2008 23:21:00 MST http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start1-08.html#500 US benjamins-start http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start1-08.html#499 Here's Ben checking out one of the shamrock cookies that his mom made for his birthday. The lemon icing was pretty sour but he liked it!... Sat, 19 Jan 2008 23:18:00 MST http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start1-08.html#499 US benjamins-start http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start1-08.html#473 Here's Ben on the morning of his Birthday. We had a quiet day as it was before Grandma came into town and a couple of days before his party. He was happy to get this dump truck to match his fire engine.... Thu, 17 Jan 2008 13:35:00 MST http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start1-08.html#473 US benjamins-start http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start1-08.html#472 We went to visit Eric and Catherine not too long after the new year. Here's Benjamin and Keenan. Benjamin loves to watch and play with the older kids.... Sat, 12 Jan 2008 13:17:00 MST http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start1-08.html#472 US benjamins-start http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start12-07.html#465 We went for a few outings in the week after we went back up to Breckenridge. Ben likes the snow quite a bit, so he doesn't mind being outside in the cold. We try to bundle him up, but as you can see, he constantly kicks off his booties!... Sat, 29 Dec 2007 23:41:00 MST http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start12-07.html#465 US benjamins-start http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start12-07.html#464 Christmas was over, but we got some more mileage out of his cute bib and some silly socks that he got. He's quite a little ham.... Wed, 26 Dec 2007 23:39:00 MST http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start12-07.html#464 US benjamins-start http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start12-07.html#463 Here's Ben in one of his tired out moments. He'd had about as much fun as he could handle and it was time for a break. Poor guy... has too many toys!... Tue, 25 Dec 2007 23:36:00 MST http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start12-07.html#463 US benjamins-start http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start12-07.html#462 Paul and Susan got Ben a cool Tonka truck that he can ride and play with. Here he is trying to take a drive, but he's still a little too unstable to leave by himself.... Tue, 25 Dec 2007 23:34:00 MST http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start12-07.html#462 US benjamins-start http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start12-07.html#461 Ben got pretty overloaded on Christmas. We would open two or three presents. He would play himself to exhaustion. Then he'd demand a bottle and sleep for two hours. We had an extended present opening period that lasted all day long. He was very cute though.... Tue, 25 Dec 2007 23:30:00 MST http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start12-07.html#461 US benjamins-start http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start12-07.html#460 Here's Benjamin, all dressed up on Christmas Eve and ready to go party at Tim and Sara's house. He got overloaded with presents there, too!... Mon, 24 Dec 2007 23:28:00 MST http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start12-07.html#460 US benjamins-start http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start12-07.html#458 Benjamin got dressed up in a new Christmas outfit to go out for a bite to eat. He had fun at the restaurants and lots of people thought he was a cutie. How could they not?... Sun, 23 Dec 2007 23:22:00 MST http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start12-07.html#458 US benjamins-start http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start12-07.html#457 We went up to the condo for a few days and brought some of Ben's new presents... including his warm new nightie and his 'bug'that was a present from Auntie Danielle. The bug did a pretty good job at keeping him occupied for quite a while.... Sun, 23 Dec 2007 23:20:00 MST http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start12-07.html#457 US benjamins-start http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start12-07.html#456 A couple of days makes a big difference... an 80 degree difference in this case. Back in Denver, we went out for a walk. We decided to use the backpack because Benjamin is getting too big for me to carry in the chest carrier. His dangling feet kick a bit too low these days! He seems to enjoy the carrier, though they clearly haven't invented a device to keep the kids from leaning way out to the side!... Wed, 19 Dec 2007 23:16:00 MST http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start12-07.html#456 US benjamins-start http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start12-07.html#455 Jeanette definitely likes the beach, too. We will be bringing Benjamin back to plenty of beaches in the future. Hopefully he'll be surfing with me in California some time soon!... 27.697 -82.738 Mon, 17 Dec 2007 23:14:00 MST http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start12-07.html#455 US benjamins-start http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start12-07.html#454 We went down to Pass-a-grille Beach and had a nice walk in the sun. Now Benjamin has seen both the Pacific and the Gulf of Mexico. The Atlantic should be next! He wasn't quite convinced that the bright sunlight and the wind were fun, but he thought the sand tasted pretty good.... Mon, 17 Dec 2007 23:12:00 MST http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start12-07.html#454 US benjamins-start http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start12-07.html#466 Here's a video of Ben with Danielle and one of the flashing ducks. Pretty cute.... Sun, 16 Dec 2007 23:47:00 MST http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start12-07.html#466 US benjamins-start http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start12-07.html#453 We went back to Granny's for a chat and Benjamin was very good once again. He held out well that weekend... maybe he's been well adjusted after so many plane trips!... Sun, 16 Dec 2007 23:06:00 MST http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start12-07.html#453 US benjamins-start http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start12-07.html#452 Benjamin got lots of cool presents for Christmas, including a set of flashing ducks. They kept him pretty occupied for a while. Here he is with Danielle and Lance.... Sun, 16 Dec 2007 23:04:00 MST http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start12-07.html#452 US benjamins-start http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start12-07.html#451 Here's another nice photo of Ben with Dad and Lynne. He was a good boy for everyone that weekend.... Sun, 16 Dec 2007 23:00:00 MST http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start12-07.html#451 US benjamins-start http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start12-07.html#450 We went to breakfast with Dad, Lynne, Danielle, Lance and Jesse. It was nice to get out and Ben had a good time eating pancakes and eggs. Here's a nice photo of him with Dad.... Sun, 16 Dec 2007 22:58:00 MST http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start12-07.html#450 US benjamins-start http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start12-07.html#447 Peter and Dorothy gave Benjamin an Elmo doll, which he proceeded to spend 45 minutes playing with until the point where he was sweaty and tired. It's still probably the most extreme reaction that he's ever had to a toy!... Sat, 15 Dec 2007 23:58:00 MST http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start12-07.html#447 US benjamins-start http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start12-07.html#446 Benjamin was very good for Granny, spending quite a bit of time with her and being very interactive. Granny sang him some songs and seemed to have fun with him.... Sat, 15 Dec 2007 23:56:00 MST http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start12-07.html#446 US benjamins-start http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start12-07.html#445 A cute photo of Ben with Uncle Peter.... Sat, 15 Dec 2007 23:55:00 MST http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start12-07.html#445 US benjamins-start http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start12-07.html#448 I've finally added the ability to view movies on YakJive. Here's Ben with Granny. Note that the little guy is completely tired out. Because some of the movies are pretty big... it may take a bit of time to load.... Sat, 15 Dec 2007 23:55:00 MST http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start12-07.html#448 US benjamins-start http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start12-07.html#444 We tired Benjamin out a bit on a walk around downtown St. Pete. He eventually sacked out in his stroller and we pulled him backwards to the hotel so that he was more comfy.... Sat, 15 Dec 2007 23:53:00 MST http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start12-07.html#444 US benjamins-start http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start12-07.html#443 We went down to Florida to visit everyone. Ben was a very good traveler and we had a great time. He held up well with the schedule changes and definitely enjoyed getting lots of new toys. Thanks everyone!... Sat, 15 Dec 2007 23:50:00 MST http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start12-07.html#443 US benjamins-start http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start12-07.html#442 Here are Benjamin and Jeanette, probably on the way out of the house for yet another showing. It sure looks different with a bit of snow!... Sun, 09 Dec 2007 23:49:00 MST http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start12-07.html#442 US benjamins-start http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start12-07.html#441 Ben looked pretty cute during another outing for a house showing. We went up to Celestial Seasonings, but couldn't take the tour because Ben is too young. It was still nice to take the drive and their shop was pretty good.... Sun, 02 Dec 2007 23:46:00 MST http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start12-07.html#441 US benjamins-start http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start11-07.html#427 Benjamin says, "Merry Christmas" to everyone. He hasn't figured out what presents are yet, but by next year, I'm sure he will! Here's the money shot... and by money shot, I mean they charged us $40 for this one digital photo. Ben did great with Santa, pulling his beard and smiling at him and at us. ... Sat, 24 Nov 2007 21:38:00 MST http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start11-07.html#427 US benjamins-start http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start11-07.html#426 Here's a Christmas photo of Ben and his mom. She's very pretty and he's very handsome with his slicked over hair.... Sat, 24 Nov 2007 21:37:00 MST http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start11-07.html#426 US benjamins-start http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start11-07.html#425 On Pup's birthday, we went to the Cherry Creek Mall and had Benjamin meet Santa for the first time. While we were there, we took some holiday photos.... Sat, 24 Nov 2007 21:35:00 MST http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start11-07.html#425 US benjamins-start http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start11-07.html#424 Here's a cute shot of Benjamin with his cousins and his aunt. He was practicing his clapping for them.... Fri, 23 Nov 2007 21:34:00 MST http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start11-07.html#424 US benjamins-start http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start11-07.html#423 Here's a nice photo of the three of us on Thanksgiving. We had a very nice time with them all and we will be sad when we move away!... Thu, 22 Nov 2007 21:31:00 MST http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start11-07.html#423 US benjamins-start http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start11-07.html#422 Ben was very proud of himself standing and holding himself on this railing at Stephen and Anne's. Funny kid.... Thu, 22 Nov 2007 21:28:00 MST http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start11-07.html#422 US benjamins-start http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start11-07.html#421 Ben got to see a ton of family this month. We went to Laramie for Thanksgiving and here he is with his two cousins, Amy and Lisa. They had fun feeding himcurry soup and cheese bunnies.... Thu, 22 Nov 2007 21:25:00 MST http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start11-07.html#421 US benjamins-start http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start11-07.html#420 Here's another nice photo of Ben with his Grandma.... Thu, 15 Nov 2007 21:23:00 MST http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start11-07.html#420 US benjamins-start http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start11-07.html#419 Grandma came to visit. Benjamin, Jeanette, and Grandma had fun at the zoo. We kept it pretty quiet the rest of the weekend... Thu, 15 Nov 2007 21:17:00 MST http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start11-07.html#419 US benjamins-start http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start11-07.html#418 Ben spotted this big lizard and decided to stand and check him out. This confirmed that the little stinker only doesn't stand and crawl because he doesn't find anything interesting enough to merit the extra effort!... Sun, 04 Nov 2007 21:15:00 MST http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start11-07.html#418 US benjamins-start http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start11-07.html#417 Another photo near the giraffe area at the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo.... Sun, 04 Nov 2007 21:14:00 MST http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start11-07.html#417 US benjamins-start http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start11-07.html#416 We get kicked out of the house a ton for showings so we decided one Sunday to go down to the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo in Colorado Springs. They had a cool feed the giraffes exhibit. It was a nice zoo.... Sun, 04 Nov 2007 21:10:00 MST http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start11-07.html#416 US benjamins-start http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start11-07.html#415 Benjamin is hitting his teen years early. Sometimes he shies away from Jeanette and me when we try to kiss him. How quickly his youth went by!... Sat, 03 Nov 2007 21:06:00 MST http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start11-07.html#415 US benjamins-start http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start11-07.html#414 Benjamin likes his crib these days. He gets pretty cozy with his blankets and his bears!... Sat, 03 Nov 2007 21:03:00 MST http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start11-07.html#414 US benjamins-start http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start10-07.html#410 The baby dragon went out for a very short trick-or-treat session on Halloween. He seemed happy enough to be seeing people and getting a rare evening field trip. As always, he played the little ham.... Wed, 31 Oct 2007 22:19:00 MST http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start10-07.html#410 US benjamins-start http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start10-07.html#409 This time, Benjamin got to pick out his own little pumpkin. We often offer him things to choose from and he seldom seems to have any indecision.... Sat, 27 Oct 2007 22:16:00 MST http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start10-07.html#409 US benjamins-start http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start10-07.html#408 After mom helped Ben pick out a big Halloween pumpkin, we put it in the wagon and they went for a ride together. Ben seemed to think that the texture of the pumpkin was worth inspecting.... Sat, 27 Oct 2007 22:14:00 MST http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start10-07.html#408 US benjamins-start http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start10-07.html#407 Even though he is a little guy, Ben seemed to get the hang of a wagon with no problem. He hung on as we went about 50 feet to go find mom. Pretty cute!... Sat, 27 Oct 2007 22:11:00 MST http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start10-07.html#407 US benjamins-start http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start10-07.html#406 After the photos we decided to try Ben in his first swing ride. He sat with mom for a bit, but really seemed to have a blast when he was all on his own. Funny little guy.... Thu, 25 Oct 2007 23:55:00 MST http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start10-07.html#406 US benjamins-start http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start10-07.html#380 We'll try to put up more photos soon, but here's a cute one of the little Halloween Dragon. Benjamin seems to be a pretty good sport with these things. Let's hope he keeps it up!... Thu, 25 Oct 2007 23:24:00 MST http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start10-07.html#380 US benjamins-start http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start10-07.html#381 Here's another shot of our littledragon. He's pretty cute. At this point, I think he was sleepywith a very full belly.... Thu, 25 Oct 2007 23:22:00 MST http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start10-07.html#381 US benjamins-start http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start10-07.html#403 It snowed while we were in Breckenridge. Ben's first reaction was to grab some and shove it in his mouth. Surprised?... Sun, 21 Oct 2007 10:12:00 MST http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start10-07.html#403 US benjamins-start http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start10-07.html#401 Benjamin seems to like hanging out in the condo. He especially likes the Jenga blocks up there and is very careful when he takes them apart. He seems disappointed when they fall.... Sat, 20 Oct 2007 10:06:00 MST http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start10-07.html#401 US benjamins-start http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start10-07.html#400 Here's a nice photo with Ben and me in the park. A cold and chilly day, but he had fun with the leaves.... Sun, 14 Oct 2007 10:03:00 MST http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start10-07.html#400 US benjamins-start http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start10-07.html#399 While we were out and about we took some nice photos at the park in the early fall foliage. Denver has a bit of nice colors because of the variety of trees. Here we were in Cheeseman park near the house.... Sun, 14 Oct 2007 10:00:00 MST http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start10-07.html#399 US benjamins-start http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start10-07.html#398 We had to go hat shopping for Benjamin. It turns out that his huge head requires 3-4 year sized hats. He also discovered that mirrors were a blast.... Sun, 14 Oct 2007 09:58:00 MST http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start10-07.html#398 US benjamins-start http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start10-07.html#397 We took some time out for a bite of breakfast in Starbucks, too. I think we had a bunch of time to kill because we were waiting for a couple of showings onthe houseto happen.... Sat, 13 Oct 2007 09:56:00 MST http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start10-07.html#397 US benjamins-start http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start10-07.html#396 Here's a cute photo of Ben and Jeanette while we were waiting for the museum to open. ... Sat, 13 Oct 2007 09:54:00 MST http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start10-07.html#396 US benjamins-start http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start10-07.html#395 We spent a day at the Denver Art Museum. Benjamin had a good time, although he managed to take a couple of long naps in his stroller as we walked around. The art museum has a new wing that is shaped like a big oragami folded piece of paper, but it's new enough that it's not shown on the Google Maps imagery.... 39.7372 -104.989 Sat, 13 Oct 2007 09:48:00 MST http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start10-07.html#395 US benjamins-start http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start10-07.html#394 Benjamin sure seems to like his meal times some days. Here's a shot of him covered with food... and headed to the sink for a hose down as a result. This was probably one of his last bath times in the sink. He got too big!... Sat, 06 Oct 2007 09:46:00 MST http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start10-07.html#394 US benjamins-start http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start10-07.html#393 Jeanette and Ben went down to Muir Beach while I was working. Lucky that they did as this was not long before the oil spill and we hear that Muir and Rodeo beaches were covered with oil. Sad.... 37.8598 -122.576 Thu, 04 Oct 2007 09:38:00 MST http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start10-07.html#393 US benjamins-start http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start10-07.html#389 Mom turned away for a second and look what she discovered when she turned back around. A little thief had discovered the cheerio bag and decided to empty it for easier access to his favorite food.... Mon, 01 Oct 2007 19:06:00 MST http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start10-07.html#389 US benjamins-start http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start9-07.html#388 We went to the San Rafael farmer's market and made the mistake of allowing Ben to try some gelato before having real food. We finally had to break the habit by giving him a juicy nectarine and allowing him to gnaw through it for 30 minutes or more.... Sun, 30 Sep 2007 19:03:00 MST http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start9-07.html#388 US benjamins-start http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start9-07.html#387 Benjamin enjoyed some pancakes from diner near the Ghirardelli chocolate factory. We headed out to San Francisco for a whole week so that I could take a class and so that Ben and Jeanette could chill out with room service and made-to-order breakfasts.... 37.8062 -122.422 Sun, 30 Sep 2007 18:59:00 MST http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start9-07.html#387 US benjamins-start http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start9-07.html#386 Here's a picture of the happy baby with his Grandma.... Sun, 23 Sep 2007 18:42:00 MST http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start9-07.html#386 US benjamins-start http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start9-07.html#385 Grandma read Benjamin acouple of stories he did very well with her...... Sun, 23 Sep 2007 18:39:00 MST http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start9-07.html#385 US benjamins-start http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start9-07.html#384 Grandma came for a visit to spend a little time with Ben. She had a nice time for the weekend and it was nice to have a bit of a break while she was here. Ben and she seemed to get along quite fine.... Fri, 21 Sep 2007 18:38:00 MST http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start9-07.html#384 US benjamins-start http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start9-07.html#383 And here's why the little boy needs to have his baths. He's definitely in 'feed myself' mode. They kid barely has time to get his fist in his mouth before he's looking for the other fist filled with food.... Mon, 17 Sep 2007 18:35:00 MST http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start9-07.html#383 US benjamins-start http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start9-07.html#382 Benjamin sure likes his baths since his mom took him swimming this summer. Here's our little mother Theresa after his latest bath!... Sat, 15 Sep 2007 18:32:00 MST http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start9-07.html#382 US benjamins-start http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start9-07.html#378 Ben hung out with us near the scotch tent. He didn't get to try it, but the Glenfiddich 18-year Ancient Reserve was quite nice. He's got some fun things to look forward to... when he's 21!... 40.3717 -105.498 Sun, 09 Sep 2007 22:28:00 MST http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start9-07.html#378 US benjamins-start http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start9-07.html#377 Ben even got to meet 'Nessie and surprised her 'handler' by grabbing her tongue with no hesitation. The 'green doggie' was quite playful and Ben was none too shy, giggling away as the monster grabbed his fingers and toes.... Sun, 09 Sep 2007 22:25:00 MST http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start9-07.html#377 US benjamins-start http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start9-07.html#376 Ben was very cute in his sheep fleece that grandma bought him. It kept him cozy and warm. At times, he even managed to shove most of the little sheep zipper pull into his mouth! How can you beat that?... Sun, 09 Sep 2007 22:23:00 MST http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start9-07.html#376 US benjamins-start http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start9-07.html#375 We took the Irish boy to the largest Scottish-Irish festival in the country at Estes Park. They have 75,000 attendees each year and this year, Benjamin was one of the masses. Darrell found a $100 ticket to come out here from Miami, so he joined us in the chilly, rainy weather and we had a nice day of walking around, eating meat pies, drinking scotch, and watching jousting. Benjamin got his first taste of the miedeval fair type shows... and he seemed pretty cool with it!... Sun, 09 Sep 2007 22:19:00 MST http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start9-07.html#375 US benjamins-start http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start9-07.html#374 I took about 10 photos of Benjamin this morning to try to capture his toothy grin, to no avail. His two little bottom teeth are really poking out there, but he just wouldn't flash them for me. Even though they're not that visible, I wouldn't suggest sticking your finger in there. Those teeth are like two little razors! Wait!! I just took a closer look at this photo and I think you can kind of see them. He's such a cute guy.... Thu, 06 Sep 2007 22:16:00 MST http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start9-07.html#374 US benjamins-start http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start9-07.html#373 Every day is 'Bring Benjamin to Work Day' when I work from home. On this particular day, Ben took a real interest in the computer. Too bad he was more intent on eating it than on doing my work for me!... Tue, 04 Sep 2007 22:12:00 MST http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start9-07.html#373 US benjamins-start http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start8-07.html#372 Ben hasn't yet begun to sit on his own, but he's already outgrowing his playset. We're worried that we'll find it dismantled by the big boy one of these mornings after his daily play session on it. He now is able to easily reach the butterflies that all teased him before.... Tue, 28 Aug 2007 22:02:00 MST http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start8-07.html#372 US benjamins-start http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start8-07.html#371 Ben's aunt and uncle, Susan and Paul, are very nice and give him many cool toys and clothes. Here he is in a cool Ireland shirt, that I believe is from Ireland, with a puppy that they just sent. He actually wears that shirt a lot but we don't have many good photos of it! We'll have to make sure we take some before he out grows it!... Mon, 27 Aug 2007 21:54:00 MST http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start8-07.html#371 US benjamins-start http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start8-07.html#370 Amy really liked playing dress up with Ben, I hear. Here he is in the latest hip-hop style.... Thu, 23 Aug 2007 21:51:00 MST http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start8-07.html#370 US benjamins-start http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start8-07.html#369 J and Ben went to Laramie to visit Stephen, Anne, Amy, and Lisa. While there, the Herberts discovered that Ben doesn't keep his hands off of anything anymore, including coffee cups! I hear that they were pretty amused with the little guy.... 41.3139 -105.596 Thu, 23 Aug 2007 21:49:00 MST http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start8-07.html#369 US benjamins-start http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start8-07.html#368 Alright, Ben says, it's time to go back to the airport. This trip has just been too much for me! ... Fri, 17 Aug 2007 23:53:00 MST http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start8-07.html#368 US benjamins-start http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start8-07.html#367 Benjamin says: Dad dipped my toes in the COLD Pacific water. Let me tell you... I'm not so sure why these people are into all these cold water sports! Snowboarding, sledding, and surely surfing, too!... Fri, 17 Aug 2007 23:48:00 MST http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start8-07.html#367 US benjamins-start http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start8-07.html#365 We took Ben to Ocean Beach. Although dressed to party, he didn't really seem thrilled with the sun and wind. He was a good sport, though and we got some cute photos. He'll probably be surfing here in a few years!... 37.7768 -122.513 Fri, 17 Aug 2007 23:33:00 MST http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start8-07.html#365 US benjamins-start http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start8-07.html#364 Here's Ben right after a bath and a swim in the pool at the hotel. He looked so cute, I couldn't resist taking some photos.... Fri, 17 Aug 2007 23:32:00 MST http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start8-07.html#364 US benjamins-start http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start8-07.html#363 Ben makes more friends every day. Here he is at lunch with Jody. Right before a waitress stole him away for show and tell around the restaurant. A few years older and he would have been doing dishes!... 37.8814 -122.234 Thu, 16 Aug 2007 23:29:00 MST http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start8-07.html#363 US benjamins-start http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start8-07.html#362 We were hanging out in Tiburon waiting for Jody and Jeanette took some nice shots of us. Can you believe that little belly?... Wed, 15 Aug 2007 23:27:00 MST http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start8-07.html#362 US benjamins-start http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start8-07.html#361 On a trip to San Francisco (Ben's third airline trip), he and mom went to the Japanese Gardens. I'm not sure what Ben thought of all the funny looking buildings! He's rapidly becoming a well traveled kid.... Wed, 15 Aug 2007 23:23:00 MST http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start8-07.html#361 US benjamins-start http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start8-07.html#360 Jeanette is having fun dressing up Benjamin in all the fun clothes that people have sent him. I believe this shirt came from Pauline and John and the cap from Grandma.... Wed, 08 Aug 2007 23:19:00 MST http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start8-07.html#360 US benjamins-start http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start8-07.html#359 Jeanette and Ben went to the public pools with Ben and the other kids this summer. On this particular day, I joined them at the local pool and we had fun.... Tue, 07 Aug 2007 23:16:00 MST http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start8-07.html#359 US benjamins-start http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start8-07.html#358 This tubby little baby has an appetite like a horse. He even eats like one... just about any vegetables or fruits he can get his pudgy little hands on.... Fri, 03 Aug 2007 23:14:00 MST http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start8-07.html#358 US benjamins-start http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start8-07.html#357 Benjamin is nearly as big as his playmat! On this particular hot day he was happy to cool it with a sippy cup and stare up at the butterflies. He's getting so big. He can reach the top of the playset and virtually hangs off of the bars!... Wed, 01 Aug 2007 23:11:00 MST http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start8-07.html#357 US benjamins-start http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start7-07.html#356 Here's a nice shot of Ben with his grandfather at the top of the mountains! It was a little chilly for everyone up there.... 39.6606 -105.878 Sat, 21 Jul 2007 23:09:00 MST http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start7-07.html#356 US benjamins-start http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start7-07.html#355 We took a ride to the top of Loveland Pass when Grampy was in town. Hereare Jeanette and Ben in the chilly weather at the top.... Sat, 21 Jul 2007 23:05:00 MST http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start7-07.html#355 US benjamins-start http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start7-07.html#354 Benjamin joined us at the Stampede in Calgary, but he didn't really enjoy all the noise and commotion. Even though he saw cows, horses, donkeys, and herding dogs, I think he'd have rather had his nap!... Sun, 08 Jul 2007 23:00:00 MST http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start7-07.html#354 US benjamins-start http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start7-07.html#352 The Westin in Calgary is smart and gives out play mats with their cribs. That way, you only get baby puke on the mat!... 51.041 -114.068 Sat, 07 Jul 2007 12:46:00 MST http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start7-07.html#352 US benjamins-start http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start7-07.html#351 Here's another nice photo of Ben and Chris against the canola.... 52.7886 -112.89 Fri, 06 Jul 2007 12:44:00 MST http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start7-07.html#351 US benjamins-start http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start7-07.html#350 We saw lots and lots of canola flowering when we were up in Alberta, including some right on Norman and Murray's farm. It was very pretty, though Benjamin is still not sure if yellow is his color!... Fri, 06 Jul 2007 12:43:00 MST http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start7-07.html#350 US benjamins-start http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start7-07.html#349 Ben's pretty patient, even when you set him down in the grass. All he does is give you funny looks like this one!... Fri, 06 Jul 2007 12:41:00 MST http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start7-07.html#349 US benjamins-start http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start7-07.html#348 Here's another photo that includes Carolyn, Murray's wife, and shows the nice green foliage up there.... Fri, 06 Jul 2007 12:39:00 MST http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start7-07.html#348 US benjamins-start http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start7-07.html#347 Jeanette's aunt and uncle, Hazel and Norman, and her cousin, Lorraine, were very happy to get to spend time with us. We had a very nice time with them as well. They made lots of good food (lots of it!) and we all enjoyed the great weather.... Fri, 06 Jul 2007 12:35:00 MST http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start7-07.html#347 US benjamins-start http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start7-07.html#346 Ben didn't seem to have any signs of hay fever in the barn with the kittens, chickens, dogs, cows, sheep, and donkey. He was quite interested to study all the little animals... especially the kittens who weren't much bigger than his stuffed toys.... Fri, 06 Jul 2007 12:33:00 MST http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start7-07.html#346 US benjamins-start http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start7-07.html#345 Benjamin settled in quite well to life on the farm with his cousins in Alberta. He loved the regular schedule and sitting outside in the nice weather. He even loved sucking on a fresh strawberry from the garden. Spoiled little guy...... Wed, 04 Jul 2007 12:30:00 MST http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start7-07.html#345 US benjamins-start http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start7-07.html#344 We had a late flight to Calgary, that ended up being even later, so Benjamin ended up crashing out on this airport seat. If only we could all be that little! There have been many times when I've wanted to sleep like that. As you can see, he loves having his little puppy blanket over his eyes when he's sleeping. I believe his auntie Danielle gave him that.... Tue, 03 Jul 2007 12:26:00 MST http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start7-07.html#344 US benjamins-start http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start6-07.html#341 Of course, we brought Ben's comfy car seat all the way from Denver so that he could ride in style. We had a good time in San Francisco. I mostly worked and Jeanette drove around looking at neighborhoods. It was a good prep trip to see how well Ben would travel, because the next week we went to Alberta!... 37.5794 -122.388 Tue, 26 Jun 2007 23:02:00 MST http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start6-07.html#341 US benjamins-start http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start6-07.html#340 Ben and Jeanette joined me in San Francisco for the week. Ben was great in the airport and on the plane, except for the 2 hour wait that they made us have while sitting in the plane at the gate. That was hard on the little guy.... Sun, 24 Jun 2007 23:00:00 MST http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start6-07.html#340 US benjamins-start http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start6-07.html#339 Ben has gotten quite interactive. He'll spend long periods studying your hands, his hands, your face, the pattern on his burp cloth... and on and on. He's quite smiley, too. He loves physical attention, especially getting tossed in the air and he can be quite ticklish, too.... Mon, 18 Jun 2007 22:57:00 MST http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start6-07.html#339 US benjamins-start http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start6-07.html#338 Ben enjoys his outings. He even eats slower when he's outside and has time to look around and enjoy the scenery.... Sun, 17 Jun 2007 22:54:00 MST http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start6-07.html#338 US benjamins-start http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start6-07.html#337 We went to the zoo on a HOT day... so we tried our best to stay out of the sun. It was difficult. Even the animals were feeling it!... Sun, 17 Jun 2007 22:52:00 MST http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start6-07.html#337 US benjamins-start http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start6-07.html#331 Benjamin went in for his hernia surgery today and all went well. He's doing very well now... not too grumpy and his usual hungry self. Two people at the hospital commented that it doesn't look like he misses too many meals! What are they trying to tell us? In fact, tonight was his first time with squash and it seemed to go over a whole lot better than rice cereal. He's a pretty funny little kid!... Thu, 14 Jun 2007 21:00:00 MST http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start6-07.html#331 US benjamins-start http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start6-07.html#336 This is Ben in his Safari outfit. I'm not sure if we were headed to the zoo or to the grocery store, but Ben was prepared for either!... Sat, 09 Jun 2007 22:45:00 MST http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start6-07.html#336 US benjamins-start http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start6-07.html#335 Diana loaned us Eric and Catherine's exersaucer for Ben. He's just got such a little rascal face. He's getting bigger all the time. The exersaucer, plus some upcoming stroller time, really helped get his neck a bit stronger.... Fri, 08 Jun 2007 22:42:00 MST http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start6-07.html#335 US benjamins-start http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start6-07.html#334 Just a cute photo of Chris, Ben, and Milo. The kitchen is sooo busy... one of the things we'll be happy to try to change in our next place!... Mon, 04 Jun 2007 22:40:00 MST http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start6-07.html#334 US benjamins-start http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start6-07.html#333 One of Jeanette's coworkers gave Ben an Eeyore doll. It's one of his favorites... either to chew on or to cover his eyes as he's falling asleep. They're pretty cute together!... Fri, 01 Jun 2007 22:37:00 MST http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start6-07.html#333 US benjamins-start http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start5-07.html#332 Benjamin did very well on rice cereal. He got the hang of it pretty quickly and started trying to handle the spoon almost right away. We tried the trick of giving him another spoon to hold, but he would try to shove that in his mouth, too. It was just too difficult and we just try to jockey him into position so that he can't get his little hands in the way of the food!... Tue, 29 May 2007 22:25:00 MST http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start5-07.html#332 US benjamins-start http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start5-07.html#327 Ben was very good for Danielle, laughing at her one time pretty hard and then allowing her to feed him just fine. I think she was happy to hold the little guy!... Sun, 27 May 2007 22:40:00 MST http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start5-07.html#327 US benjamins-start http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start5-07.html#326 Benjamin still doesn't like his baths. In this case, he didn't like the after bath treatment either! What a pouty face!... Sun, 27 May 2007 22:19:00 MST http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start5-07.html#326 US benjamins-start http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start5-07.html#325 Benjamin started sleeping in his crib because he outgrew the bassinet. As you can see... it's more like a playpen. He seems pretty content in it and has seemed to be sleeping a bit longer. It also helps that mom started feeding him cereal. Hungry little bugger.... Sat, 26 May 2007 22:15:00 MST http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start5-07.html#325 US benjamins-start http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start5-07.html#324 Chris got a new car so that he can move to California in style. Here's Chris with Ben and Jesse on the first real trip in the new car! We were headed down to Garden of the Gods.... Fri, 25 May 2007 22:09:00 MST http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start5-07.html#324 US benjamins-start http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start5-07.html#323 Ben got some new toys, including this pully-thing that he has fun with in his car seat. Too bad he's outgrowing this car seat! We're going to have to get him something with a roll bar to hang these things!... Fri, 25 May 2007 22:05:00 MST http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start5-07.html#323 US benjamins-start http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start5-07.html#322 Benjamin's aunt Danielle, uncle Lance, and cousin Jesse came for a visit. This was Lance's first time to Colorado and it was everyone's first time seeing Benjamin. The little guy was well behaved for them and allowed us to go on some pretty long car rides to Garden of the Gods and up Trail Ridge Road in Rocky Mountain National Park. We had fun!... Fri, 25 May 2007 21:58:00 MST http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start5-07.html#322 US benjamins-start http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start5-07.html#319 Ben is good at sleeping sometimes. He just won't sleep through the night yet. But we're getting there. He's been getting much better with his hands... grabbing his toys, our hands, and anything else in reach. He's also been pulling more things toward his mouth. He's getting there!... Sun, 13 May 2007 14:32:00 MST http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start5-07.html#319 US benjamins-start http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start5-07.html#318 Ben is definitely a smiley kid. He loves to sit there and flirt with you by flashing his little grin on and off. It's very amusing!... Fri, 04 May 2007 14:31:00 MST http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start5-07.html#318 US benjamins-start http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start5-07.html#317 Here Ben's all snuggled up for the last cold days of spring. A few days later and he would have baked in this outfit! He's pretty cool... but looking dangerously like a snowboarder!... Fri, 04 May 2007 14:29:00 MST http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start5-07.html#317 US benjamins-start http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start4-07.html#316 We told you that Benjamin was getting big. Look how long he looks on my legs! I can't even believe that he's grown so fast. Where's my little boy?... Sat, 28 Apr 2007 14:26:00 MST http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start4-07.html#316 US benjamins-start http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start4-07.html#312 Ben looks like a little jailbird in another striped outfit. Let's hope this isn't an indicator of things to come!... Sun, 22 Apr 2007 20:48:00 MST http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start4-07.html#312 US benjamins-start http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start4-07.html#311 Ben looks good in his little apres bain outfit that was a present from Shalini and her family. He looks good here in blue, posing with mom!... Sat, 21 Apr 2007 20:44:00 MST http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start4-07.html#311 US benjamins-start http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start4-07.html#310 We're trying to find things to keep Ben's eyes shaded in the sun. Amazingly these glasses didn't fit well on the 20th, but they nearly fit completely only two weeks later!... Fri, 20 Apr 2007 20:42:00 MST http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start4-07.html#310 US benjamins-start http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start4-07.html#309 Here's Benjamin strapped onto me. He's been pretty content to look around now that he's bigger. The problem is that he's getting too big! He's starting to make me feel it in my back.... Wed, 18 Apr 2007 20:40:00 MST http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start4-07.html#309 US benjamins-start http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start4-07.html#305 It's J's birthday today! We try to take a walk with Ben as often as we can. Today we walked down to Cherry Creek and enjoyed the warm weather and the sun.... Sun, 15 Apr 2007 20:20:00 MST http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start4-07.html#305 US benjamins-start http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start4-07.html#304 Ben was just hanging out in the yard, waiting for a cocktail to go with the evening sun. Milo and Jezebel were nearby... waiting for frisbees and mice, respectively!... Sat, 14 Apr 2007 20:06:00 MST http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start4-07.html#304 US benjamins-start http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start4-07.html#303 Benjamin has tried to take a little quiet time by himself to learn to read. He doesn't realize that it won't do much good till he's coordinated enough to turn the pages for himself!... Sat, 14 Apr 2007 20:03:00 MST http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start4-07.html#303 US benjamins-start http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start4-07.html#302 All that hanging out is tough to do. As this outfit says, "It's Not Easy Being Cute."... Fri, 13 Apr 2007 19:56:00 MST http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start4-07.html#302 US benjamins-start http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start4-07.html#301 We're having fun these days hanging out with the little boy. He's getting more interactive... but as this photo shows he still loves to stare at the ceiling!... Fri, 13 Apr 2007 19:54:00 MST http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start4-07.html#301 US benjamins-start http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start4-07.html#300 We finally had a 'photo shoot' where Benjamin was happy with the bunny. He's pretty cute when he wants to be.... Tue, 10 Apr 2007 19:44:00 MST http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start4-07.html#300 US benjamins-start http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start4-07.html#298 Not even the puppy doll would help with the bunny photos. What can you do?... Sun, 08 Apr 2007 18:58:00 MST http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start4-07.html#298 US benjamins-start http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start4-07.html#297 Another attempt at a bunny photo with Ben. He just seemed to want to be in some wierd poses with the bunny.... Sat, 07 Apr 2007 18:56:00 MST http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start4-07.html#297 US benjamins-start http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start4-07.html#296 We tried a bunch of photos with Ben and a bunny that Grandma sent him, but he wasn't too happy about it. He either wanted to eat the bunny or cry. Doesn't sound like he's going to be a vegetarian!... Sat, 07 Apr 2007 18:53:00 MST http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start4-07.html#296 US benjamins-start http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start4-07.html#295 Here's an action shot of Ben... one of those times right before he cracked himself with his rattle. He'll get the hang of it one of these days!... Tue, 03 Apr 2007 18:47:00 MST http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start4-07.html#295 US benjamins-start http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start4-07.html#294 Ben is getting quite smiley these days... though he seems to time it well so that we're not prepared with the camera. Here's a smiling shot of him in his bouncy chair.... Mon, 02 Apr 2007 18:44:00 MST http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start4-07.html#294 US benjamins-start http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start4-07.html#293 Chris and her son Adam joined us at the zoo this weekend! It was really fun and Ben was a good boy... until we tried to catch a bite at Chef Zorba's later! Adam was quite interested in food, giving us a good preview of what Ben will be like. But he's really well behaved... which is also a good example for Ben. It's been fun getting out and around with Ben now that he's older. We still need to watch out for his hernia and now we need to worry about him getting a burn, but we... Sun, 01 Apr 2007 18:38:00 MST http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start4-07.html#293 US benjamins-start http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start3-07.html#288 Mom doesn't believe me but I have a beautiful smile. It's so gorgeous that I only show it for a minute at a time. Sorry, Mom. I still love you!... Sat, 31 Mar 2007 21:27:00 MST http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start3-07.html#288 US benjamins-start http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start3-07.html#287 Benjamin's 2nd cousin, Catherine Harrison, sent him this adorable friend. I think it's pretty cute that his first smiles arrived the same day as Ellie!!! Thanks very much, Auntie Catherine.... Sat, 31 Mar 2007 21:00:00 MST http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start3-07.html#287 US benjamins-start http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start3-07.html#292 Something's cooking in the kitchen... could it be more formula? Ben eats almost a 1/2 gallon of the stuff a day! He's like one of those African animals that eats its weight in bugs each day. Hopefully he won't be eating too many bugs when he gets older!... Thu, 29 Mar 2007 18:35:00 MST http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start3-07.html#292 US benjamins-start http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start3-07.html#291 Ben seemed to be quite content parked next to the tulips one night. At least he's giving us enough time to clean the place up now and then!... Tue, 27 Mar 2007 18:32:00 MST http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start3-07.html#291 US benjamins-start http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start3-07.html#281 If you can believe it... Ben has a hernia! The poor guy has to go in for surgery next week... and start physical therapy for a weak neck. I think that's probably because his head is so huge! But who knows. Apparently the hernia is not uncommon in little guys like him and is easily fixed. We'll see next week!... Thu, 22 Mar 2007 16:26:00 MST http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start3-07.html#281 US benjamins-start http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start3-07.html#280 We try to give Ben some play mat time every day. He really doesn't like being on his tummy, but once he's on his back, he can easily spend between 5 and 15 minutes looking around at the lights and the toys.... Tue, 20 Mar 2007 21:07:00 MST http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start3-07.html#280 US benjamins-start http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start3-07.html#279 Ben is definitely getting more active and aware. He's pretty good on the changing table these days and is getting more smiley all the time. ... Tue, 20 Mar 2007 21:05:00 MST http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start3-07.html#279 US benjamins-start http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start3-07.html#278 We went up to the condo this weekend and had a nice time. Noah, Diana, Kelvin, and Maxwell joined us for the day on Saturday and I got to go snowboarding in the nice Spring conditions. Ben did well in the condo and didn't seem to mind the altitude. We did have to make an emergency run for formula as we didn't have enough, but all in all, it went well.... Sat, 17 Mar 2007 23:03:00 MST http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start3-07.html#278 US benjamins-start http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start3-07.html#285 Noah, Diana, and the boys joined us last weekend for the day in Breckenridge. We had a nice time with them and the boys were all very good. Here's a photo of Jeanette, Diana, Max, and Ben (unseen) outside the brewery.... 39.4786 -106.043 Sat, 17 Mar 2007 22:50:00 MST http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start3-07.html#285 US benjamins-start http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start3-07.html#277 Ben is just too cute in this little outfit that we found for him. Jeanette said it was appropriate because her mother used to dress her up in outfits like this till she was well into school. We'll try not to be that bad with Ben ... Sat, 17 Mar 2007 07:55:00 MST http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start3-07.html#277 US benjamins-start http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start3-07.html#276 We found this cute outfit for St. Patrick's day. I wonder how old he'll be when he doesn't want a shamrock on his butt any more?... Sat, 17 Mar 2007 07:53:00 MST http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start3-07.html#276 US benjamins-start http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start3-07.html#272 Ben is definitely starting to outgrow his outfits. He used to be swamped in this one! Pretty soon we'll have to break into the closet downstairs for the 3-6 month items!... Sun, 04 Mar 2007 23:11:00 MST http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start3-07.html#272 US benjamins-start http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start3-07.html#271 We went to the zoo this weekend. It was nice and sunny and Ben slept much of the way around. It will be fun when he's old enough to appreciate it!... Sun, 04 Mar 2007 23:08:00 MST http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start3-07.html#271 US benjamins-start http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start3-07.html#263 It's hard to believe that at 6 weeks old, Ben is starting to grow out of some of his tiny-miny clothes. He was so cute in that Giggle Saurus shirt, too! He had a rough couple of days and seems to have had a growth spurt of an inch or more in wingspan in just a weekend. Suddenly, we don't have to fold over the cuffs of his onesies any more. Looking back, it's hard to believe that just a few weeks ago I could tuck him into the fold of my shirt and carry him around. He'd be a bit... 39.7502 -104.949 Thu, 01 Mar 2007 23:55:00 MST http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start3-07.html#263 US benjamins-start http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start2-07.html#264 One of Jeanette's coworkers, Kelly, was nice enough to knit Ben a blanket and hat set... and we tried it on him just in time to fit. Folks have been so nice.... Wed, 28 Feb 2007 00:20:00 MST http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start2-07.html#264 US benjamins-start http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start2-07.html#262 Some days, Ben seems quite content to swing away. It's pretty cute when he tries to slap atthe mobile. I like this swing, butJ thinks it clashes with the furniture.... Tue, 27 Feb 2007 00:11:00 MST http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start2-07.html#262 US benjamins-start http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start2-07.html#261 Notice I say "Like an angel"... When he's fussy, he's more likea little devil. It's a good thing he's cute!... Tue, 27 Feb 2007 00:07:00 MST http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start2-07.html#261 US benjamins-start http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start2-07.html#260 Mr. Benjamin has gotten to go on some walks now that he's big enough and the weather is warmer. On this occasion, he was just fussy because he had been disturbed! He quiets down once he's all buckled to mom.... Sat, 24 Feb 2007 00:01:00 MST http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start2-07.html#260 US benjamins-start http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start2-07.html#246 Sara and Tim came over for a visit. Here they are with Ben and the nice blanket that Tim's mom knitted for us! It's great to have nice neighbors with such sweet parents!... Sat, 17 Feb 2007 17:17:00 MST http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start2-07.html#246 US benjamins-start http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start2-07.html#245 The people at work were nice enough to buy us a play mat for Ben. He's already getting pretty interested it during his morning awake time... he already reached out and knocked down one of the monkeys!... Sat, 17 Feb 2007 17:12:00 MST http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start2-07.html#245 US benjamins-start http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start2-07.html#244 Ben got a new swing this week, thanks to grandma. Mom was nice enough to set it up for him so that he could check out the toys and hang out a bit. He seems to be getting into it already, reaching for the animals a little and getting nice and sleepy with the rocking.... Thu, 15 Feb 2007 17:08:00 MST http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start2-07.html#244 US benjamins-start http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start2-07.html#243 Ben got to meet Amy, Lisa, and Anne when they came down with Uncle Steve for a visit. He's always a very sweet guy. Ben seems to have an easy disposition at this point. Let's hope it holds up!... Sun, 11 Feb 2007 17:06:00 MST http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start2-07.html#243 US benjamins-start http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start2-07.html#249 Grandma wanted more photos taken with Ben so we took a bunch on the couch. He's pretty patient with all this stuff!... Sat, 10 Feb 2007 17:00:00 MST http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start2-07.html#249 US benjamins-start http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start2-07.html#241 Mom is having fun hanging onto the little guy this week. She's taken plenty of photos of him and has had quite a bit of cuddle time! He's lucky to have so much nice family!... Sat, 10 Feb 2007 14:21:00 MST http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start2-07.html#241 US benjamins-start http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start2-07.html#239 Ben didn't really enjoy his first full bath. We're still figuring things out and probably got him with a bit of cold water. Well, he'll survive!... Tue, 06 Feb 2007 14:13:00 MST http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start2-07.html#239 US benjamins-start http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start2-07.html#240 Ben is still a little guy, though his cheeks are getting fatter as he pumps up on formula. His still loving those high-flow nipples... lazy little bugger! ... Sun, 04 Feb 2007 14:18:00 MST http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start2-07.html#240 US benjamins-start http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start2-07.html#237 Grandma came out for a visit. She's been having fun hanging out with the little guy and has been a very big help. We'll see how she holds up to a few nights with him!... Sat, 03 Feb 2007 21:56:00 MST http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start2-07.html#237 US benjamins-start http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start2-07.html#236 As you can see from this photo, little kids are pretty quick to pick up bad manners. However, feet on the dinner table was one bad habit I didn't think he'd pick up till he could walk!... Fri, 02 Feb 2007 21:54:00 MST http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start2-07.html#236 US benjamins-start http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start1-07.html#233 For a nice outing, we decided on the Butterfly Pavilion in Broomfield. It was probably the farthest that Jeanette has been from the house in two weeks and Benjamin's longest trip ever... well... at least since he's been out of the womb. He doesn't know it, but he's already traveled to Minnesota, Florida, and all over Colorado. It was a nice trip out... though everyone is still a bit tired out. We paused for a bit and fed Ben in the butterfly room. It was very nice!... 39.8873 -105.067 Tue, 30 Jan 2007 23:36:00 MST http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start1-07.html#233 US benjamins-start http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start1-07.html#232 ... he's sure got a big mouth! Check out the yawn on this little sucker Tuesday was my last day at home with mom and the baby. Well... there will be plenty more time, but I sure wish we lived in Europe where even the guys get a lot more time!... Tue, 30 Jan 2007 23:20:00 MST http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start1-07.html#232 US benjamins-start http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start1-07.html#231 Even Jezebel is pretty curious about the baby... or could she just be dying to curl up in his bassinet? We'll never know because she'll never get to! On the whole, the pets have been all very nice to the new kid on the block. Milo even gives him little kisses from time to time.... Sun, 28 Jan 2007 23:18:00 MST http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start1-07.html#231 US benjamins-start http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start1-07.html#228 Ben has used almost all of the little blankets that people got him. Here's a cute squeaky one from Paul and Sue. He... and we... sure appreciate it! The pediatrician told us that we need to fatten him up, so we got some high-flow bottle nipples and are working on it. The kid sure seems to want things easy!... Sat, 27 Jan 2007 19:15:00 MST http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start1-07.html#228 US benjamins-start http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start1-07.html#226 Ben seems to be settling in very well. He's just a cute little kid! Tuesday was a pretty chill day... nodoctors wanted to see him!... Wed, 24 Jan 2007 19:00:00 MST http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start1-07.html#226 US benjamins-start http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start1-07.html#220 True to form, it seems that the boys like to all hang out together. It seems that whenever I'm sitting with Ben, Milo and JJ aren't far away. It's very nice to have baby time on the couch, but I also like to make sure Milo is within reach to give him some attention, too!... Tue, 23 Jan 2007 18:47:00 MST http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start1-07.html#220 US benjamins-start http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start1-07.html#219 Ben has such tiny hands and feet. It's amazing to compare our own appendages with his miniature versions!... Tue, 23 Jan 2007 18:46:00 MST http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start1-07.html#219 US benjamins-start http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start1-07.html#218 Today we had Ben basking in the sunlight a bit to continue combatting the jaundice. He sure seemed happy as a clam in the warm sunlight!... Tue, 23 Jan 2007 18:40:00 MST http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start1-07.html#218 US benjamins-start http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start1-07.html#217 Benjamin is feeling much better today and we're having some fun playing with him, now that he doesn't need to be on the light table around the clock. Hopefully, we'll see him improving in color and weight the next few days! It's just so nice to cuddle with him and we'd rather do that than have him on the light table. By the way, if you look closely, you can see that on the right side of Ben's head is a 'little ear.' Until today, Ben didn't 'let' me ... Tue, 23 Jan 2007 18:29:00 MST http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start1-07.html#217 US benjamins-start http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start1-07.html#216 After a night on the UV lights, Ben is feeling and eating better. We'll have to see if he gains any weight tomorrow, but I'm not really expecting it... he's got quite a bit of fluid and feeding to make up for after the jaundice. We are slowly figuring out the feeding cycle. If he can get past the 2-hour range, we'll be in better shape. At 2 to 2..5 hours, it's rough! He's a cute kid, though!... Tue, 23 Jan 2007 18:24:00 MST http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start1-07.html#216 US benjamins-start http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start1-07.html#215 ... a baking baby. Poor Ben is jaundiced, so we've got to bake him a bit for the next couple of nights. Good thing he's hard to confuse for a banana bread... or he'd be in trouble! ... Sat, 20 Jan 2007 19:04:00 MST http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start1-07.html#215 US benjamins-start http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start1-07.html#214 Ben is home now and we're slowly figuring out what to do with him. He's such a cute little guy... you can't help but smile when you play with him. We were lucky to have almost everything prepared for him... except for us!... Sat, 20 Jan 2007 19:00:00 MST http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start1-07.html#214 US benjamins-start http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start1-07.html#213 Ben and his mom have had all kinds of nice visitors since his arrival. Alison came all the way from St. Louis to celebrate his imminent arrival, but ended up helping to carry his stuff out of the hospital instead! We definitely appreciate Alison and Tiffany's help!... Fri, 19 Jan 2007 18:58:00 MST http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start1-07.html#213 US benjamins-start http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start1-07.html#212 It's a strange feeling to take anewbornbaby out of the hospital on day 2 of his little life. It's kind of amazing that you don't need to go through a training course, have a baby license, or even have your rabies tag. Heck... I get fined for having Milo off-leash in the park! Well, we'll do our best to take care of the new guy on the block. Leaving the hospital should just be the start of his great adventure.... Fri, 19 Jan 2007 18:49:00 MST http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start1-07.html#212 US benjamins-start http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start1-07.html#222 Mom had planned out this nice bear outfit for Ben, but there was no way that a little tiny boy was going to fit into this! That last day at Rose was interesting... I felt that the hospital left just about everything till the last minute, including not telling us about the birth certificate papers untill about midnight the night before, and only when we asked!... Fri, 19 Jan 2007 18:48:00 MST http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start1-07.html#222 US benjamins-start http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start1-07.html#211 Jeanette had the best plans for taking the little guy out of the hospital in a cute 0-3 months outfit. Too bad he's -1 month. Poor Benjamin was swimming in his little bear outfit. We had to change it out to something that would work better in car seats!... Fri, 19 Jan 2007 18:44:00 MST http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start1-07.html#211 US benjamins-start http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start1-07.html#221 Jeanette took some time out in the hospital to enjoy her new little boy. He was just a sweet little bundle.... Thu, 18 Jan 2007 22:53:00 MST http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start1-07.html#221 US benjamins-start http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start1-07.html#210 Because some preemies are too immature to want to breast feed, we have done some work to try to encourage Ben to eat by suckling. The nurses showed us this in the hospital, but it sure is back-breaking. Unfortunately, all that hard work may have to be undone because he's such a lazy, reluctant eater that we need to bottle feed him.... Thu, 18 Jan 2007 22:39:00 MST http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start1-07.html#210 US benjamins-start http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start1-07.html#208 Ben already had a visit from his Colorado extended family, too. I can't believe we have so many boys out here, but you know it will be terror on the slopes in a few years! I can't wait.... Thu, 18 Jan 2007 21:19:00 MST http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start1-07.html#208 US benjamins-start http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start1-07.html#207 Tiffany came all the way from Seattle to visitBenalready! He must be pretty special! ... Thu, 18 Jan 2007 21:16:00 MST http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start1-07.html#207 US benjamins-start http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start1-07.html#206 We got to take our first family photo tonight. How nice to look rested for a bit! We'll see how tough it is with the little guy tonight. Thanks again everyone for leaving such nice comments. It was really nice to hear from Lalli and Amy and everyone else!... Thu, 18 Jan 2007 21:14:00 MST http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start1-07.html#206 US benjamins-start http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start1-07.html#205 Ben says : They tried to test my hearing today, but I was too squirmy. They think I can hear from both ears, but we'll have to see for sure tomorrow. I'm guessing I'm still going to be squirmy tomorrow!... Thu, 18 Jan 2007 21:12:00 MST http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start1-07.html#205 US benjamins-start http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start1-07.html#204 It's day two and Dad and Mom got some sleep because little Benjamin stayed in the nursery. We were both soooo tired out after no sleep since Sunday night. On the second day, the peanut looks even cuter. What can I say? I'm the Dad. ... Thu, 18 Jan 2007 21:08:00 MST http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start1-07.html#204 US benjamins-start http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start1-07.html#202 Here's another photo from yesterday, just for fun. I'll have some from today up soon! Thank you so much for all the emails and comments. Ben wil be able to look back some day and know how many people were looking forward to his arrival!... Wed, 17 Jan 2007 23:21:00 MST http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start1-07.html#202 US benjamins-start http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start1-07.html#198 Jeanette's recovering so we've gone easy on her with the photos, but we did get her to take this one. Jeez... it looks like the little guy needs a tan... and I need a shave!... Wed, 17 Jan 2007 18:49:00 MST http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start1-07.html#198 US benjamins-start http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start1-07.html#197 We've already used a little musical doggy to calm the little guy down. It seems to be working. There's a lot of blue in this photo!... Wed, 17 Jan 2007 18:45:00 MST http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start1-07.html#197 US benjamins-start http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start1-07.html#196 Uncle Steve got towatch while little Benjamin got measured! The little guy has a long way to go to catch up to his uncles!... Wed, 17 Jan 2007 18:44:00 MST http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start1-07.html#196 US benjamins-start http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start1-07.html#195 Benjamin seems pretty cozy when he's all cuddled up with mom. He likes his little legs straight and he likes to push off on things... ... nowJeanette knows what he was doing in the womb the last few months!... Wed, 17 Jan 2007 18:41:00 MST http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start1-07.html#195 US benjamins-start http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start1-07.html#194 Benjamin Christian was born today at 9:11 AM. He weighed 6 lbs, 2.9 oz. and is 19.5 inches long. He'sa cute little guy who will surely be special in all his own ways. We're both very happy to have him here, even if he did arrive 3 weeks early!... Wed, 17 Jan 2007 18:38:00 MST http://www.yakjive.com/TheAndrews/benjamins-start1-07.html#194 US benjamins-start