7.31.2007

lots of love

it was great to see my poppo love on my son. it blessed my heart that poppo got to pass on some of his love to my little one with pats and kisses galore.

and hopefully i'll get the 4 generation picture of the ruckel men up soon too.


the 4 generations.



momma loves baby

7.26.2007

freezing in san francisco


we had a long day in san fran and still didn't end up at the golden gate park. the fog had rolled in thick and came with some wind. in other words, the 60 something degree weather was cooler than we all could stand any longer! we did make it to union square and fisherman's wharf for some calm chowder. ben was being nosey and wanted to see all the sights so grandad put him in the snugli and wrapped him in a blanket. he looked like a little papoose. now ben can say he's seen both oceans, and not many people can say that.

i'll try in the next day or 2 to get the rest of the pictures from the trip up. love to all!

p.s. we've made it home safe & sound...now onto readjusting back to our normal schedule.

sonora, cali

the proud grandparents




we ventured out around town on monday and ended up in the small mountain town of sonora. it's an old mining town from the gold rush days. we did a little shopping and walking around the old towns. the boys stuck together during all the shopping :)

snugli time with grandad


the family minus kelli & matt

7.25.2007

meeting the family

we're out in california visiting and getting a chance for my family to meet the little man. it worked out that both of my sisters could be here...even if it was only for a day. ben has been the life of the party for sure. saturday we had a family picnic by the river. my aunt judy and cousins jill & karen came up from santa cruz and aunt neva and uncle john and poppo came with us too. we had a great time! it was a long day but well worth the time.

sitting with aunt kelli


kisses from aunt kaiti


playing with grammie kay


hanging out with grandad


getting some love from poppo

7.16.2007

it's been a while...


cousin owen & ben 7/07


out for my birthday dinner 5/07


i know i know i got bad about updating with pictures and stories. life has been full! it's been great. we're getting settled into our new house and loving it. but that takes up a lot of time...the normal house upkeep on top of the unpacking and finding places for things. and i have no idea where the card reader for the camera is...still looking.

we still have a lot on our plate for the rest of the summer...matt is going to NYC next week with the youth on a mission trip and i'm going to visit my family. august 12 is going to be ben's dedication and matt's ordination day. we're doing construction on the youth room because we need the extra space (we've almost tripled in size in the past 2 years!) so all this to say just be patient...i'll get pictures up eventually!

ben talks up a storm these days. i think he likes the sound of his voice. it's pretty funny. he also loves to stand up and play in his johnny jumper and now, we have the perfect doorway for him to do that. he is also really exploring things and reaching and grabbing and putting straight in his mouth!




the sweetest smile on the planet 7/07