Happy Birthday, Ben!

I don't know if other mothers are like me, but I get rather sentimental on the birthdays of my kids.  Back when I was first writing posts on the "old" family blog, I wrote something on each of their birthdays, reminiscing about the day of their birth. And each year following that I would go back and re-read those posts, sometimes even shedding a tear or two. (silly, sentimental me!)  Of course when that blog mysteriously disappeared, those posts disappeared as well, which made me very sad.

February 8, 1981, was a very special day, because that's the day that Benjamin David joined our family.  I don't think I can come up with another "reminiscing" post, so I'm just going to share some pictures of Ben's early years.  (I couldn't include pictures in those earlier posts, because I didn't know how to scan pictures. Now that I know how to do that, nobody's old pictures are safe!)

Here he is, brand new, all 10 pounds 13 ounces of him!!

All dressed up for Baptism.  Ben couldn't wear the same outfit that Matt had worn for baptism because he was too big.  I think it fit him when he was 2 weeks old, but he was 6 weeks old when he was baptized.

6 months old----what a happy guy!

I think this was taken at Bates Nut Farm.

Spending time with Grandpa on one of our Michigan visits.

Anyone who knew Ben when he was little also knew Woo-woo, Ben's constant companion. He pretty much went everywhere with Ben, and I think he might even have been on our family's picture in the church directory one year. I think it was on Ben's 2nd birthday that I decided to be really creative, and instead of following a pattern for a dog, or a clown, or a rocket ship cake, I would see if I could make a cake that looked like Woo-woo.  And here is the result....

I think Ben may actually be saying "Woo-woo!"

I had to include this picture, because it shows the cake with "Old Woo-woo" on one side and "New Woo-woo" on the other side.  Both of them, and also a larger version that came later, were gifts from Pat and Anita.

Getting a haircut from Aunt Jeanie

This is another Michigan picture, this one with Aunt JoAnne I think. Notice that Woo-woo is there, too.

But eventually Woo-woo was replaced by a real, live puppy.  Wasn't Muffin just the cutest puppy you've ever seen?  Actually, they're a pretty cute pair, I think.

And this is my all-time favorite school picture of Ben.  I love the toothless smile! According to the note on the back it was 2nd grade.

So that's my trip down Memory Lane, revisiting Ben's childhood.  Don't worry---the rest of you will get your turns. :)