adventures with ben

adventures of transition...

2009-04-16T23:09:00.004-04:00

ok so i know that its been forever, but hey i just had a kid, a 2nd bday, easter & an upcoming husband bday!

i wanted to ket everyone, or those of you who haven't given up on my blogging, that we are transitioning to a new blog... i mean i cant leave gabe out!! i thought about doing 2 seperate ones & then realized i was being over ambitious :) at least i figured that out sooner rather than later.

check it out...many pictures coming soon

adventureswiththeruckels.blogspot.com

adventures with Florida cousins

2009-02-17T22:07:00.000-05:00

here is a sweet pic of ben hanging out with Florida cousins. they were watching the cartoon "Handy Manny" while we hung out at Pop's house. thank goodness for modern technology...they were watching it on matt's iphone!!

adventures at nanny's house

2009-02-16T21:13:00.000-05:00

while we were in florida we stayed at nanny's house. so much better than staying at a hotel :) we all enjoyed a little R&R. ben loved to walk with nanny outside to get the dog, and they usually ended up down on the dock. who can blame him?!

matt & ben had a grand ole time riding bikes & skateboards in front of nanny's house. i became designated picture taker. her extra-long driveway made for a great runway for the skateboard. ben loves the skateboard! here are just a couple pics i could get up.

ben & daddy riding back up the driveway.

the dueling tricycles

time to go in for a nap

we just found him like this. under the table just hanging out. too funny!

ben & nanny-the-great walking down to the dock.

if only every moment of life were this beautiful!

adventures in south carolina

2009-02-10T20:56:00.001-05:00

we stopped in columbia, sc to stay the night with matt's sister kristin. the boys got up and enjoyed some sunshine and fresh air. they rode power wheels and ran around the yard. cousins are great!

giggling maddie grace :)

smiley boy noah

curious big boy ben.

owen hammin' it up on his sweet 4-wheeler

adventures on the church playground

2009-02-08T20:43:00.000-05:00

it was a gorgeous sunday afternoon and we were heading to florida directly after church. so we let ben run around on the playground a while before we packed up the car to leave town. enjoy his great faces. you can definitely tell he was enjoying himself!

adventures with man's best friend

2009-01-20T22:45:00.006-05:00

ben & bear have learned how to have fun and play with one another. it's pretty hysterical to watch them run and play together. no wonder they call dogs man's best friend...it starts at an early age. this is one of ben's new favorite games. he's always trying to get bear to play along.

adventures at the children's museum

2009-01-09T19:12:00.005-05:00

fridays = family fun day in our house because matt is off of work. today we went to the Children's Museum of Virginia in Portsmouth. it was great! it's a hands-on (feet & everything else) kids museum. ben literally ran from one thing to the next. he was so excited, it was hard to get any good pictures, but here's what we did get!
matt was on ben patrol & i was the designated picture taker, that's why there are a million pics of matt & none of me! oh and sorry about matt's 'magic' shoes in all the pictures.

Playing in the "City"...

'self checkout' at the grocery store

decisions, decisions!

getting some lessons on how to drive a fire truck

hopefully the closest ben will ever get to riding a motorcycle

an Alice In Wonderland chair

he climbed all the way to the top by himself...never doubted he could

hanging with dad inside of a giant bubble. "cooool" ben says.

running around the train room. it was incredible. there was even a play room in there for kids to play with some trains.

"hmm...i'm supposed to climb this. you're really gonna just let me climb on it?"

SUCCESS!

ben's favorite game. plinko with ping pong balls.

getting blasted by the air holding the ball up. he loved this one too!

our curious george

running on the giant computer. jumping on keys. all things he's dying to do at home :)

my boys & their guitars.

adventures of christmas #2

2009-01-06T20:07:00.003-05:00

grammie & grandad cook bought ben a tricycle for christmas. it got here on friday and he is in love with it! they got to watch him ride on it via video chat. he's almost big enough to do it on his own, but not quite. by spring time he'll be a pro!

he was 'helping' put it together.

telling his dad how to do it

just can't stand the wait & takes off on his own!

adventures of christmas morning

2009-01-02T19:47:00.000-05:00

we had a great, relaxing christmas. we slept in & opened gifts around 10:30! this is probably the last time that will ever happen :) so we soaked it in as much as possible. since we didn't start until late, we were able to video chat with my family (its 3 hrs earlier there) so they got to enjoy ben opening gifts too. it was great! praise the Lord for technology. here are a few pics from our delightful christmas morning.

ben & nana roo listening to papa reading the christmas story

a wide-eyed child on christmas morning!

playing with the farm nana roo & papa got him

playing peek-a-boo

hanging out with dad in the present aftermath

adventures on christmas eve

2008-12-24T22:47:00.000-05:00

we had a great time at our christmas eve service. ben did great. he lasted almost the entire time int he service before needing to run around. he looked so handsome :) we had dinner at our friends' house afterwards & then to spend the night at matt's parents.

my jumping 'bean'

making faces with dad

checking out the stage

adventures in air hockey

2008-12-22T07:52:00.001-05:00

back in the day we used to go to Showbiz Pizza, which turned into Chuck E. Cheese with my best friend's family for birthdays. we played all the games, but the one we loved most was air hockey! and my son is following after my own heart :) so proud!

camden & ben are 2 wild peas-in-a-pod!

adventures escaping from bed

2008-12-16T22:16:00.007-05:00

ben has started to climb out of his crib when he isn't quite ready to take a nap. oh the joys of little boys! the pictures of his room are what he did before i realized he had climbed out. it hasn't been a continuing problem, so we're still deciding on whether or not to make his crib into a toddler bed.

pulled all the blankets & bibs out of the closet...

pulled shoes out, a lamp out & books off the shelf...

he's mastered it already!

adventures....

2008-12-10T22:04:00.000-05:00

here are some random photos to catch you up...

at the hospital waiting for sawyer bush to arrive. he finally did dec 5 @ 2:24 am!! yes, we waited the whole night & don't worry ben did sleep.

trying out a bike at target...
apprenticing in the studio...

adventures of being thankful

2008-11-30T21:44:00.000-05:00

we had a grand ole time for thanksgiving this year. aunt kristin & uncle oakley and family came to visit & auntie kate got lots of days off to play! we pretty much lived at nana roo & papa's house while the cousins were in town. ben picked up on all sorts of new things...both good & bad. :) he definitely talks a lot more, but he's also testing the limits too. he's growing up so much lately i can hardly stand it & yet at the same time be so amazed at what he does next. here are a few pictures of the weekend.

this is what auntie kate's are made for...playing with rowday kiddos!

ben was all smiles & couldn't sit still all weekend he was so excited to play with cousins.
at mac arthur playplace...the older 2 were in time-out & ben thought he'd join them. lol
this is what happened at my house...while the kids were being corralled at nana & papa's, the guys built a wall so the master bedroom can go upstairs. thanks uncle oakley for all your help!

adventures discovering Christmas decorations

2008-11-24T21:21:00.000-05:00

we decorated our whole house for christmas this year! it's really the first year we've gotten to do the whole house since we've been married-sad. we're so glad we got to do it since ben really noticed things this year. we put up our tree, hung our stockings & garland, put up lights outside, and hung ornaments from the beams in our kitchen. we loves every part of it and loves even more to re-inspect it every morning.

we all love having the house decorated! it just gives you the warm fuzzies. we don't get to have many decorations up during the year because of our nosey toddler, but we can handle the busy hands for just a few weeks.

merry christmas!

welcome to our winter wonderland aka our kitchen

our wonderful christmas tree...with no topper & a gate around it. :) and so far only 2 broken ornaments.

our cute little house with it's white icicle lights.

ben the inspector

adventures taking pictures

2008-11-20T18:32:00.003-05:00

ben loves the camera these days. if he finds it laying on a table, he'll pick it up, shove it to his nose & say cheese, then look for the picture. so then i usually get the hint & take an actual picture of him. these are what we've got in the "cheese" category for now.

i love this one!

adventures as a dinosaur

2008-11-20T17:54:00.005-05:00

we went to a 5 year old's "Royal Princess" costume ball the weekend after halloween. mercy, the birthday girl was a princess, and everyone else wore their halloween costumes or a princess outfit. ben played his part by being the dinosaur. :) he was too cute for words & he didn't mind wearing the outfit at all. i think i may put him in it at home & let him run around, yes purely for my own entertainment, but it's too cute not to.

he discovered how cool bikes are. he wouldn't get off the pink princess bike. time for one without all the sparkles.

daddy & dinosaur ben-who was being uncooperative for picture taking

dinosaur ben & mommy

it's a bird! it's a plane! no, it's a paci monster! oh wait, it's just the dinosaur who stole some poor kids paci.

ben "roaring" as dinosaurs should.

after the costume came off, ben tried out his new trick...somersaults!

adventures as a Redskin

2008-11-16T18:27:00.000-05:00

every sunday we have been going over to nana roo & papa's house to watch some football. since matt has decided he's a redskins fan & ben got a jersey for his birthday, he likes to wear it on sundays. (thanks grant!)

cheering on the skins! "go! go! goooo!"

proud of his Chris Cooley jersey.

riding Harry the dinosaur at the grocery store. he got lots of compliments on his jersey while sitting here.

adventures of the Ruckel Boys begins...

2008-11-10T10:24:00.002-05:00

well folks, we found out this morning that Ben is getting a BROTHER!! yep, that's me & a house full of boys! we are definitely excited...still letting it sink in that my house is about to get crazier! now that we know, the imaginations are rolling! we still don't have a name, but we're working on that. thanks for all your votes...guess most of us were wrong :) love you all! we'll post some new pictures soon!

adventures on a "boys only" weekend

2008-10-30T20:30:00.003-04:00

ben spent the weekend with dad a couple of weeks ago. mom was in KC for a wedding & the boys stayed home to play. i am happy to report that everyone did awesome! but there was one small occurrence...dad couldn't find a paci one night! it was almost a drop everything & go to the store for more, but matt was resourceful. he found the pacifier thermometer that we have tried to use for ben before. i say 'tried' because he never would keep that dang thing in his mouth. i guess when all you want is a paci, then ya take what you can get.

mission accomplished! pacified & watching cartoons!

!

adventures of wondering...boy or girl?

2008-10-14T10:21:00.004-04:00

ben will find out if he'll be a big brother to a little brother or a little sister on Nov. 10! we're excited at the chance of being able to know. so be sure to vote on our poll...check the right handside...before that date.

let us know what you think or hope the baby is!

adventures with the ruckels over the last few months

2008-10-03T20:15:00.014-04:00

here are some pictures from the last couple of months...sorry for the delay! all of our pictures are now on one computer, which is great, but the catch is it's matt's work computer. i don't always have the unlimited access that i would like :) so here is my make up...sorry grammie!

jumping in leaves at the park! welcome fall!

ben loves to watch & imitate daddy...so he found dad's shoes to wear around the house. he did this himself folks, on the correct feet & everything!

ben's second home is the drumset! when he starts to get antsy in the house, we go out to the studio to play the drums! dad put headphones on him so he looks the part!

daddy snuck in some snuggle while ben was watching cartoons. got get 'em while you can!

he was singing while playing the drums. i think he's got a future behind those drums.

he loves to brush his teeth so much...he climbed on top of the toilet to get to our toothbrushes. he was not happy when took them away.

we had suckers in the backseat and ben decided to help himself. we turned around to discover this in his mouth and ALL OVER his face.

he's an inventive one...strong, curious & bold are a troublesome combination! he climbed in & out of the basket on top of the couch for about an hour!

picture perfect moment! i found him like this right before naptime one day. i guess if the drums don't work out, then maybe he'll move onto guitar.

it this would be the biggest reason the page hasn't been updated...i've been trying to just feel normal and not be sick. the sickness is finally subsiding & that's why i'm updating now. i'm almost 16 weeks and i'm due the last week of march!

i knew that matt wouldn't believe me off of a faint line, so i took a digital one this time. i learned my lesson with ben.

adventures in a van

2008-08-17T22:10:00.004-04:00

last week...very last minute...i decided to join my sister-in-law and cousin-in-law on a road trip to florida. first ben & i drove to columbia, sc and met up with everyone. then we drove to florida from there. it was 3 adults & 7 kids in a 15 passenger van-with no dvd player might i add. we thought we had borrowed one, but all we got were the screens, no dvd player. so an adventure it was! we made it with sanity in tact and enjoyed our long weekend there. we got to visit with both sides of matt's family and loved being able to stay at nanny's with all the other cousins. ben definitely thought he was one of the big kids.

all the cousins except for maddie

noah showing ben how to blow bubbles

cheese!

this is how you occupy a toddler in the car

the last of our california adventure

2008-07-28T01:40:00.004-04:00

well we've been mighty busy the last few days. we helped my poppo pack up and move out of his house. my aunts were going thru, sorting, and packing everything. mucho kuddos to them! ben ran around the farm and got himself so dirty! he was a black footed baby for 2 days in a row. he helped grandad clean out the shop, so you can imagine what kind of dirt he found. the really sticky grungy dirty kind! :) he loved it!

we also ran around alot once kelli got here. it was great to have another person to play with!

these are dirty toes after being wiped down. they were just stained black, it only came off after a good long soak!

sleepy boys. he's learning the art of "the recliner".

horsey ridin' aunt kelli & watching cartoons! life couldn't be any better than this!

the sisters 3.

the adventure continues...day 5

2008-07-25T00:16:00.003-04:00

we had a fun play day today complete with horsey rides, bubbles & backyard runs. my aunt judy & poppo came over for dinner and then we all sat outside and enjoyed dessert in the perfect evening weather. aunt kelli gets in tomorrow and we're excited to see her!

ben's new favorite game-granddaddy horsey rides

after the horsey ride was over & grandad was exhausted, ben decided he was gonna try.

he was being wild and climbing all over me. we'd both just gotten up from a nap so i suppose he was extra excited to see me and he chose to show that by kicking my face.

climbed up onto poppo's lap just so he could get the cane.
ahhh...the mind of a one-year old boy!

strawberries & ice cream for dessert on the patio MMM! MMM! MMM!
he asked for seconds on this course of dinner.

the adventure continues...day 4

2008-07-24T01:00:00.004-04:00

whew! to make up for yesterday we had an all day excursion to the coast. we hit half moon bay all the way up to sausalito with many stops along the way. the biggest issue we faced wasn't the hours in the car, it was the fact that i forgot to pack the stroller and i didn't realize it until we were almost there. thankfully california has a babies r us & starbucks on every street corner! it was quite the ordeal. we waited for service for about 20 minutes because the only umbrella strollers they had out were pink. and then when i found a lady to ask about other strollers, she just didn't understand that i needed another color...even though she saw ben! anyways, we ended up with a lime green one. which you will see we proudly displayed for all of california & its tourists to see.

ben modeling in front of the golden gate bridge for the next california tourism magazine. he'll so be the cover boy!

me & the little sis trying to match up to ben...but just not quite as cute.

there's 3 generations of cooks...and the feathery hair blowing wildly in the wind to prove it

cheesy smiling ben. i think he may be a little embarrassed of his bright green-ness. oh well :)

the boys representing.

this is how california does the beach...cliffs, seaspray & dark sand. gorgeous!

and at the end of it all...pure tiredness. goodnight he says!

the adventure continues...day 3

2008-07-22T23:56:00.002-04:00

a very uneventful day today. the highlight was ben & i went to starbucks and hung out together for a bit. we enjoyed a mid-morning snack.

our california adventure continued...day 2

2008-07-22T00:26:00.003-04:00

well it was another busy day out west. we ran and chased and played hard. we visited a local drive-in and had some milkshakes and burgers. ben is quite the milkshake monster. then we headed to a local park. it was gorgeous. today was a perfect 77 degrees with a light breeze. it was 3:30 in the afternoon and yet felt like it was 10 in the morning. the trees were blowing gently in the wind and the river that runs through the park quietly whispered its way over the rocks. *sigh* it was heaven...then i realized that ben was on his way up the playground and i snapped back to reality. lol don't worry we all took a walk after dinner with ben contained in the stroller so we could all enjoy the evening. :) here are some pieces of our day...

on our way to the playground...the excitement was almost too much to handle!

the bridge was a little tricky. so he decided to test it out by crawling across. he didn't know to walk across it until later after he watched his play buddy.

ben & his grandaddy. this is what ben will look like when he is a grandpa...down to the matching shoes & hair!

ben & his play buddy logan-aka ben followed this little guy around

adventures with the california cooks

2008-07-20T23:49:00.007-04:00

we got into cali last night at about 9pm (pdt) that's midnight our time! but we made it...only one little incident on the plane. we thankfully had an open seat on our row and some room for ben to move. thanks to those of you who said a little prayer for us! we've already adjusted to cali time and doing good. ben has been on full blast since he woke up this morning, but the grandparents are enjoying him in all his busy glory. here are some pics from today.

here we are picking apricots of the tree in the backyard *sigh* only in california

this is ben after he discovered how to climb onto the bed by himself. pure joy!

ben doing it how it was meant to be done...naked as a jay-bird!

an evening swim with grammie.
well, more like a skinny dip-we hadn't gotten swim diapers yet

me & ben doing what we do...he runs & i chase

my life is full!

adventures at the salon

2008-07-20T21:14:00.001-04:00

we took ben in july-before the trip to cali-for his 1st official haircut!

the scissors were tickling his face...no he wasn't screaming for dear life.

ben decided he was gonna help and spray his hair with the water bottle.

daddy got his haircut too! those are 2 sharp looking ruckel men!

family picture adventures

2008-07-08T19:46:00.008-04:00

aunt kristin & uncle oakley came up for the weekend. we were suppose to go to the beach...and that didn't happen. we were suppose to go to fireworks...and that didn't happen. so we didn't do much on the 4th this year, but we did get some family pictures taken! that was an adventure for sure...with 4 kids 6 & under plus a newborn, the sun, the grass, a scratch on the pinky finger, papa steve & the neck brace, a box of sweetarts, mosquitoes...etc, etc, etc! here are just a few of the pictures...

photos: charity mack

classic...after the pinky injury

this is double trouble...make that DOUBLE TROUBLE!

all the Ruckel grandkids

my sweet little boy

the whole Ruckel crew

our little Ruckel family

check out all of the pictures

adventures as a 'tiny turtle'

2008-07-01T15:34:00.003-04:00

we got ben signed up for swim lessons at the ymca. it's a parent/child class so i go and swim with him. they Y calls it their 'tiny turtles' class. indeed they are tiny turtles! so desperately wanting the freedom to swim and yet barely poking their heads our at times. priceless!

the point is mainly to get them used to the water and what to do in the water. we've learned lots of new versions of nursery rhymes to sing while we play in the pool. it's been great so far. he loves floating on the giant duck kickboard and watching all the other goings-on of the pool. he's starting to stick his face in the water when i ask him to blow bubbles. most times his mouth is open and he just sucks in a ton of water, but it's still funny. i love it because the class is small (only 5 kids total) and the pool is a warm salt water pool. so i don't leave feeling like i need to cleanse my lungs of chlorine or like we didn't get any individual time. plus, i'll know what and how to work with ben the rest of the summer in our own pool.

we got a pool safety fence last week (thank you dear nanny). and i must say my anxiety has gone way down. ben loves to run around the deck and now i can let him do that without my heart being in my throat. it brings so much peace that i didn't even realize i need. we'll be putting up our big shade sail this week so the deck won't be too hot on little baby toes. soon the backyard will be baby friendly :)

adventures are full of laughter

2008-06-17T13:26:00.006-04:00

ben is "talking" so much more now. mainly it's still his gibberish, but he is starting to recognize and say the same noise for certain things. he says "pa(t) pa(t) pa(t)" and will pat his belly or the table or your face if it's close. he is full of love pats!

he also says "woof" for dog or really any animal i'm sure, but around here it's mainly just the dog. if i point to a dog in a book and ask what a dog says he'll go "woof".

he most definitely knows what "ball" is like every good boy does.

he doesn't really call matt or i "dada" or "mama" yet. but i think he's just being stubborn because he smirks when we try to get him to do it.

ben is getting more rough and tumble every day. he pushes the limits to see just how far he can go. and for now he thinks it's a game, and giggles and laughs once he gets caught doing whatever daredevilish thing he was doing. he loves climbing-the stairs, the footrest on the recliner, into his little rocking chair or onto his rocking horse. he just started this run full speed ahead into the couch and then flops over and starts giggling. it scares me and then at the same time melts my heart to pieces. oh the joys of being a mom to a toddler!

no new pics yet. our cameras are still missing pieces. so here is a cute pic of my little sis and ben from her wedding day.

aunt kaitlyn & ben laughing for pictures

adventures in the wading pool

2008-06-15T17:22:00.004-04:00

we spent last wednesday afternoon helping ben's friend Livy (Olivia) celebrate her 1st birthday. it was tons of fun. there were 2 wading pools and plenty of water toys to chew on and throw for all! ben loves the water and getting in the pool at home. so he was quite excited to be able to be in the water without mommy or daddy having to hold him. there is nothing more precious than chubby babies in roll exposing swim suits!

all of our 1 year olds...
hannah in the front getting out of the pool the same way she got in...belly flop!
olivia, ben on the attack, wes
and taylor in the back.

and the birthday girl with the bruiser in the background flexing his muscles

dog riding adventures

2008-05-22T12:06:00.003-04:00

well this weekend ben got to be up close and personal with a few "big dogs". my parents have a black lab that is now living with my sister and we visited a friend who also has a lab, except she's brown. ben met both of them with an open mouth for kisses and his excitement came out as though he was panting. it was quite the experience. he loved both dogs even though they weren't sure what to do with him. but we did manage to capture it in a photo.

abbie & matt helping ben ride hallie the dog

adventures as a ring bearer

2008-05-21T16:18:00.005-04:00

kaitlyn and josiah got hitched this past weekend in liberty. so we've been busy all month helping with that and getting ready for it, or at least that's the excuse i'm using for why i haven't updated! :) ben has had a HUGE growth spurt this past month. i know he's gained 2 1/2 lbs. (that puts him at 25!)and an inch or more. he's been cutting molars like a champ! the week before we went to KC he already had one and then we found out he was cutting 3 more...at the same time. but he does it gracefully. he cut one right before we left and another on the trip and the 3rd is cutting now. and now i've lost count of teeth...12 maybe! his new favorite game is chase. he looks over his shoulder at you, grins and laughs and then runs as fast as his little legs go-which by the way is pretty fast. it's been lots of fun watching him really start to play with us and follow the other kids on the playground. he has mastered the preschool slide at church and does it continuously on wednesday nights.

a recap of the weekend in short...
the wedding was great!
ben traveled like a champ! he's done this a time or 2 before.
i'm glad to be backin my own bed once again (not that i didn't love the bunkbeds b!)

here's a few pics that my aunt took at the wedding. hopefully more to come soon...

my dad and lil sis

grammie & grandad add another boy to the family

the cook family...a little disorganized, but what's new?!

kaiti & josiah trotter!

"the road goes on forever and the party never ends"

2008-04-11T14:23:00.004-04:00

name that song anyone??

ben cut his 9th tooth the week of this first birthday and he's working on more right now. so instead of doing something productive around the house, i'm posting more party pics. and shortly i plan to join in on nap time :) the perks of staying at home.

yep our little family (minus bear) right before ben decides to try to put cake on our faces. he's in deep thought about it can ya tell?

we made ben a "Ben the Bruiser" cape for the party

tess got ben a fish tank for his birthday and he's loving it!

ben's birthday party adventure

2008-04-02T11:48:00.004-04:00

digging into his birthday cake

that's one happy birthday boy

opening presents with dad

APRIL FOOLS 2008!

2008-04-01T14:26:00.004-04:00

today is ben's 1 year birthday! yep, he was born april fool's day 2007. quite appropriate for his little personality.
this time last year i was half way through my labor :) thank goodness that is over! we partied hard this weekend with ben's big birthday bash. so today we're keeping it pretty low key. just some family time, dinner, ice cream. once i get pics from friends we'll post them.

thank you to all of you! your support, prayers, advice, encouragement, hugs & kisses, babysitting, feedings, and everything in between have meant the world to us. we couldn't have made it through this first year without you. we now know it truly takes a village to raise a child. thanks for being part of our village!!

love to you all!
matt, kristi & ben (and bear)

the hunt & gather of the easter eggs

2008-03-20T11:04:00.005-04:00

last weekend ben went with nana roo & papa steve to KPC's (their church) easter egg hunt. he really wore himself out playing. he came home and slept so good that night. so here are some pictures from their adventure with ben...hunting-more like gathering-easter eggs from church pews. and don't forget to subscribe to our blog so you can get emails when i update his page. you don't want to fall behind in your ben knowledge! (it's at the bottom of the page!)

ben & papa

if i could only get those eggs!

i almost got 'em

with a little help from papa...

i got the eggs! satsifaction!

and now i need to attack them by chasing them all over the pew!

adventures in kansas city

2008-03-14T14:56:00.008-04:00

welcome to KANSAS CITY ben!

well we had a great time in liberty last week. it's already been a week since we've been home and i'm just now posting and putting up pics. anyways, ben is a well seasoned traveler and did fantastic on the trip. he played and slept on the plane and did great in the car (even the 3 hour drive to kirksville). it took most of the week to get him back on his schedule. we really wore him out by running around everywhere! but i must admit i'm probably the most thankful. i did miss his afternoon long naps! a girl needs some down time ya know!

now a week later i'd call ben a semi-pro walker. he loves walking now and does it about 75% of the time. if he falls in the middle of the room he'll crawl to his destination and then pull himself to standing. he hasn't quite figured out how to stand without holding onto something yet. but he has recently mastered the squatting and bending to get something off the floor with out falling. i guess he figured it was easier than falling and crawling to the couch to stand and starting all over again! and while he is squatting, standing, walking and crawling...the boy jabbers all the time. he's gonna be a talker folks-watch out! and i'm sending my disclaimer now-please be advised my child may (and probably will) say something totally outrageous and embarrassing about me or perhaps you. starting now-I'M SORRY! i hope we can still be friends :)

here are some pics from the weekend courtesy of tess-she played photographer among many of her several other roles! :) thanks tess you are great! oh yeah if you click on the picture it should come up bigger on a new page.
me, great friend tess, sleepy little buddy

3 generations of Cooks-just missing dad :(
directly after this shot i asked grandmother if she thought ben looked like a Cook.
her response: "Well how can I tell? I can't see his face."
then we turned him around so she could "get a good look at him".

dinner at buca di beppo on the plaza

"nanny tess" in action

hanging out in Liberty

2008-03-07T13:49:00.002-05:00

ben tess & i are in liberty for a few days. it's kaitlyn's 21st birthday and my cousin betsy's wedding! just one big party for us. and we were awoken this morning to snow-more than VA gets but gone just as quickly. we at least got a picture in all of the whiteness before it melted. we'll post pics when we get back.

but most importantly our little man is taking what we're calling "short walks" these days. he walks about 10 feet or so before he gets so excited he waves his arms to hard and tumbles to the ground. it's quite entertaining. he's definitely starting to default to walking instead of crawling now.

my little rock star

2008-02-18T13:28:00.003-05:00

hair by: dana & tess
this is the result of woman getting bored while watching the super bowl!

well it's been a couple of weeks because the only internet we have is in the studio (which is finished by the way) and i keep forgetting to ask matt for the key! but i remembered today. no big ben updates really. he is talking a lot more these days and tries at times to mimic what you say. i know he knows what he is saying because it is always very deliberate, i just don't speak the same language. he really loves being in his walker these days. he loves the freedom and banging into things. it's quite funny. he goes into the back hallway and yells-not because he's stuck, but because it echoes and he likes to hear himself. what can i say the kid likes the sound of his own voice.

he eats so much! he's eating more big people food because he wants whatever is on my our plates-even if he's already eaten!

love to all!

baby steps!

2008-02-07T15:02:00.000-05:00

well folks...he did it! his first official step was taken last night-10 months & 5 days. he decided it was his birthday present to his aunt kristin! we had him corralled in between some couches in the youth room and he did it...small step for mankind, a BIG step for ben! it was great! matt and i both witnessed it so that was special since that only happens once in life.

also while corralled in the couches at the moment (yes, i'm at the church) he has learned how to climb onto the couch and off the other end! he's an adventurous one thats for sure. he keeps us on our toes and laughing more than ever.

who would've known that a giggle so sweet and pure could be so healing! pictures soon to follow

a full recovery

2008-01-26T09:28:00.000-05:00

well ben's sickness last week was just the beginning...we all ended up getting sick. it was not fun! but i think we've all recovered from it. plus, we've switched ben to just formula & bottles, so his stomach is still adjusting to that-which means he loves to leave huge nasty surprises for us in his diaper. gross i know, but oh so true. thanks for the prayers. and if you've gotten this nasty bug our prayers are with you.

ben loves playing rough with his daddy. it's a boy thing i know i'll never get and as much as it makes me nervous sometimes, he loves it! he is as they say "all boy". he's into everything-usually head first-and is so smart. it's a daily battle to find new ways to keep him entertained so he isn't trying to figure out how to get out of his play area. he himself is quite entertaining. :)

bear & ben playing...don't worry ben can hold his own directly after this he pulled bear's ear!

poor baby

2008-01-17T13:27:00.000-05:00

little man is sick! say a little prayer for him when you think of him!

i think he looks like his momma...

2008-01-16T22:33:00.000-05:00

hair & all!

ben getting into things

...me getting into things

he's been out of the belly as long as he was in there!

2008-01-11T12:58:00.000-05:00

we went to the doctor this morning for ben's 9 month check up. he was very observant of everything around him. he played with the toys in the waiting room, watched some of the movie that was playing, and fully explored the room we waited for the doctor in. he also cried when a little girl got too loud and started squealing! guess he'll have to get used to that, especially if we ever have a girl.
to some it all up he is right where he should be developmentally the doctor said. he doesn't have an ear infection like i was afraid of thank the Lord! he only got 2 shots (hepatitis b and flu booster) and a finger prick (anemia) today. the finger prick was the worst just because he hates having his hands restrained. once we got the band-aid on he kept making a waving motion. that's a new trick he's learning so i guess he got lots of practice today.

ben's 9 month stats:
29 inches & in the 75th percentile for length
21 lbs even & in the 55th percentile for weight
46 1/2 cm & in the 80th percentile for head circumference

we've definitely got a big growing boy on our hands. :)

crib escape adventure update: for those of you who haven't heard or seen...last saturday ben fell out of his crib and bonked his head on a basket on the way down. scared us all to death! i was on my way to get him and hear a big smack and see him on the floor next to the crib! he recovered well from his first big fall. it's been a week and you can barely see the scratch and the goose egg has fully flattened back out. good thing those skulls come with holes in them already! lol he's a trooper and i'm sure that's just the very first of many many more to come.

new year's with grammie & grandad

2008-01-10T15:53:00.000-05:00

my parents came in for the new year's weekend. it was great to spend some time with them in our world. they brought some gifts and made us great food and watched ben in the morning so we could get a little extra sleep. i think we'll have them visit more often!

a pro at tearing paper up aka opening gifts

drinking some milk with grandad

all smiles with grammie

family picture by the christmas tree

a few pics from florida

2008-01-04T13:28:00.001-05:00

observing the christmas morning chaos

ben & nana roo reading his new elmo book! he loves that thing.

ben & auntie kate at nanny's party

thanksgiving to new year's summary

2008-01-04T12:40:00.001-05:00

watchout-flying baby!

well it's been 2 months since i've updated & so much has happened so here's a brief rundown...

* ben's first thanksgiving was great! he had turkey & sweet potatoes and CHEERIOS! nana roo gave him his first cheerios. yep he's picking them up and putting them in his mouth. he loves his O's!
* pop and aunt cub & uncle john (rhonda's dad & sister) came to visit for the holiday. we spent lots of time with family getting kisses and playing.
* ben crawls around like a maniace. he's so fast now you really have to watch him.
* i've got a climber! he loves to climb onto anything he can-especially boxes!
* he is a true wild man. his favorite thing is to shake anything he can(even the piano)
* he talks all the time. his baby babble has now turned into specific sounds after i've said something. he makes eye contact when he has something to tell you.
* tooth #9 is on it's way- it's an "i" tooth. OUCH! they say it's one of the worst.
* he started to stand on his own right before christmas. i guess he took a break while we were away, so when we came home he was ready to show off his new trick. i'll find him standing by himself in the middle of the living room clapping his hands.
* oh another new trick-clapping! the boy loves to clap. if you tell him not to touch something or no-he'll fuss and then start clapping! it's hilarious!
* his favorite activity is cruising around the living room. he starts at one end and before you know it he's at the other. then he plops down and crawls back to the beginning and does it all over again. he seriously does it 5-6 times a day.
* christmas was fun with our little explorer. once he finally figured out you can tear the paper and pull at it-he was into it. then he found some boxes to bang on and climb.
* he was a champion traveler-we drove to florida-a 16 hour drive. he was AWESOME! i think he did better than the rest of us :)
* grammie & grandad cook came to visit for new year's and ben had a blast playing with and loving on them. his loves to ride the horsey now! thanks mom!

i think that's it. hopefully the updates will come more regularly now that the holidays are over. i hope everyone of you had a great holiday season with your families.

GOD BLESS YOUR 2008!

i love to chew!

we've been busy so here's a picture update

2007-11-12T19:02:00.000-05:00

just like my daddy
helping mix the burn album

my teething baby
any and everything into his mouth

brotherly love!
don't worry bear was only in the pack-n-play for the picture :)

little drummer boy
boy o boy does he love banging on those pots!

wearing his horse hat
i couldn't resist!

happy harvest festival day!

2007-11-01T11:36:00.000-04:00

hope everyone had fun gathering candy or hiding from the trick-or-treaters or whatever you did last night. we went to the western themed church halloween alternative party. we had a blast! the weather was nice and fall-like cool. matt & i went as "cowboys" and ben went as a cow. there were kids swarming everywhere!

ear infection

2007-10-30T14:04:00.000-04:00

well folks it's our first run of a sick kid and boy is it not fun! lol ben has an ear infection from all the drainage of teething. and yes he now has 2 new teeth & i think a couple more coming soon (the snot-nose hasn't stopped running)! so 6 teeth-and yes he has bit me- and an ear infection. he's quite the trooper. he is still getting used to taking the antibiotics by syringe, but he's getting better. he'll go back to the doctor in a couple weeks for a follow up and his flu booster shot. in the meantime pray he gets over this quickly.

oh his 6 month check up was oct. 12 and he weighed 18lbs. 4 oz. and when they weighed him yesterday he was 19lbs. 12oz. guess he's had a growth spurt! i'll post pictures of his first halloween later this week.

officially crawling & climbing

2007-10-27T13:43:00.000-04:00

well ben's crawling has progressed from inch-worming to full fledged crawling. he'd done it a couple of times randomly before but last night he decided would be the night for his debut. he's quite the muscle man. and he also loves to climb on whatever he can. now there's no stopping him.

look at me now!

2007-10-10T12:49:00.000-04:00

this is ben this time last year...14 weeks pregnant

and this is ben yesterday when he was suppose to be napping. (6 months)

last year we were enjoying vacation and this year we're chasing our little inch worm! my my my how our lives change in a year.

a day in the life of me!

2007-09-28T11:28:00.001-04:00

this is what i do in the morning. i smile at my mom & dad. we laugh & play til it's time for breakfast. mmm! carrots!

then i go exer-sauce for a while. i try to wrestle everything into my mouth. it's so much fun!

then it's lunch time!! i love to eat.

then i have some good tummy time. i move around the living like a pro. and now i'm learning how to hold myself up on all 4's. i'm getting the hang of it. watch out mom!

then i fall asleep after playing hard and snuggling with dad. i love to play with his hair.

laughter is the best medicine

2007-09-23T22:33:00.001-04:00

ben is almost 6 months & is getting to be tons of fun. he's really got a sense of humor developing. it loves to try to make me laugh at nap time when i put him down. it's like he thinks that if i laugh he won't have to take a nap. this kid is smart. he is so observant and just takes everything in. so he's starting to respond to little games i play with him. i try to "bite" his neck and now he's doing the same. we just have so much fun together.

this is a video from some family hangout time last week. matt & i watched a movie and ben came in and played in his high chair after a late night carrot snack. he gets giggly at night when he starts getting tired.

Ben & Matt playing peek-a-boo

he's a mover & a shaker

2007-09-21T15:53:00.000-04:00

he's getting so big! he's got 3 teeth, yes 3! that have cut through. he eats like a champ at every meal. he loves him some sweet potatoes. he gets himself around pretty good these days and i know it won't be long before he's chasing after bear (our dog).

here's a short video of ben's first "crawl" attempt.

big boy food

2007-09-05T22:47:00.000-04:00

well after a couple weeks of ben watching us intently while we eat, snatching at our food or whining while we eat...we decided to give him some "solid" food of his own. he had 2 feedings today of rice cereal. he chowed down! in fact i wasn't quite fast enough at feeding him by spoon, so we went to the bottle. he's a big growing boy. for now we'll stick to rice cereal and try out the "orange/ yellow" veggies as suggested by the doc. my meal times will never be the same. but i will say the cereal does tide him over for a little bit longer, so that gives me some "extra" time.

can't believe it! he turned 5 months on saturday...he's got his 2 bottom teeth and now he's eating big boy food. and yes he's trying to crawl but at the moment it just looks like a face planted booty lift! pretty cute. and he can sit up pretty well by himself, but has yet to sit himself up without help.

pictures of our d.c. getaway coming soon...

the "big sunday"

2007-08-25T10:44:00.000-04:00

here are some pictures from the "big sunday" a couple weeks ago. ben did awesome :) of course when we took him out of his car seat to go up to be prayed over, we discovered that he had a poopy diaper. and all i could think of was a story of another new mom...her baby had a poopy diaper that leaked everywhere during dedication! i was praying that God would give us help in raising this child to know his word and that he wouldn't get poop all over us :) thankfully we made it through clean.

pastor eric & family praying over ben

baby & his momma

not only was it ben's dedication, but it was also the day that matt was being ordained! i would say our family made a huge commitment to God that day ;) it was an amazing sermon that pastor eric gave directed to matt (of course while speaking to the rest the congregation as well) during which we both had to sit on stage for. yes awkwardly sit there the entire time in front of everyone. but i'm so glad to see others acknowledge my husband's true heart and desires. after eric got done speaking, the elders came and prayed over the both of us. pastor eric invited matt's dad to pray over us too. that was really special. it was an emotional time to say the least.

being prayed over by the elders

the ruckel clan (minus oakley)

thanks to all who came out to the party or attended church just to be a part of it all. it was all a great blessing. and those of you who couldn't make it...thanks for the prayers and blessings.

teeth!

2007-08-21T23:57:00.000-04:00

it's official...ben's teething. i can see his little tooth trying to poke it's way thru his precious little gums. but more so than that, i hear his continuous fussing and can't find a pacifier quick enough. i knew it would happen sooner or later, but i was hoping for later.

he's actually doing pretty well with the whole thing. i think it's harder on me than him. :)

love to all!

p.s. pictures of the dedication to come soon...

shots stink

2007-08-09T17:39:00.000-04:00

well the little man got his 4 month shots yesterday. he has done pretty good, fussy and tired but that's to be expected. he's still just so chill. we're spoiled :) so here's the stats: 15lbs. 14oz. and 26 inches long. yes, he is a big as we thought. he's above average in height and weight, but is starting to even out. we've had a busy week and a busy weekend to come. shots and appointments and overnight guests :) friends leaving town and the big sunday to come. so i'm off to put ben down for a nap and "work" on the house.

love to all.

4 months old; time is rolling

2007-08-01T15:17:00.001-04:00

today our little man is 4 months! craziness has ensued over the past few months...i can't believe he's been with us for this long already and at the same time, it's only been 4 months?! he's growing so fast!

while we were in california ben found his feet. well, he found out that they were long enough to grab and put in his mouth. by the end of the week that task was mastered. so this week he showed off to his daddy and started working on another. he's started to roll over! yep not just an occasional roll, but let's just say he's done it today more than a dozen times on his own. no more just leaving him be to walk away. he rolls from his back to his belly. then he starts fussing cause it's harder to play with his toys that way.

lovin' our boy more and more every day!

lots of love

2007-07-31T10:07:00.000-04:00

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

freezing in san francisco

2007-07-26T12:35:00.000-04:00

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

2007-07-26T09:05:00.000-04:00

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

meeting the family

2007-07-25T13:53:00.001-04:00

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

it's been a while...

2007-07-16T11:46:00.000-04:00

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

some pics to tide you over

2007-06-13T10:03:00.000-04:00

dontcha just love this face. :)

this is my regular expression of interest

momma/ baby VIP club :)

thanks tess for the great pictures.
it might be awhile before i can update again...we close and start moving tomorrow. so look forward to multiple updates with all the craziness that is our lives.

love to all!!

vacation this week...

2007-06-04T12:19:00.001-04:00

we're in florida this week. i'll try to post pictures, but i don't think i remembered to pack the cord so i can download pictures. plus, the little camera is broken again :)

love to all! ...from florida! don't you wish you were here (to those who obviously aren't)

Party Animals

2007-05-29T10:49:00.000-04:00

ben sleeping at the church picnic

we were incredibly busy this weekend, but loved every minute of it. we had friends in from out of town, birthdays to celebrate, and 4 picnics...including one at church. it was a little rough on the little guy, but we all survived. he's just kicking and playing and talking so much today. he may be an introvert...just needed some down time to recover from all the socializing. :)

and this weekend is another busy one. bethany is coming in town to visit and it's also the start of graduation season around here. so more parties to go to and people to see. he also has his 2 month doctor visit this week. this means his first round of shots. :( i'm not looking forward to it. and then on sunday evening we leave for florida for the week. phew! yes i know that we're crazy but we're just living life to its fullest.

the home inspection is set for tomorrow and we're still on schedule for a closing on the 15th...yes of june!

ben & mercy at wayne & jada's picnic

an adventure outside

2007-05-23T11:13:00.000-04:00

ben's gotten big enough to hold his head up on his own pretty good, so we turned him around in the snugli. he loves to see the world. this is how we walk the dog and he loves to be outside. he's wearing the hat nana roo got him in mexico to keep that bright sun out of his eyes.

we've been busy!

2007-05-22T14:50:00.001-04:00

sorry for the lack of updating last week...it was a full one! we had mother's day, got in a fender-bender, found and looked at a house we like, wrote a contract on it, my birthday and a couple of high school baseball state playoff games...on top of our weekly routine.

other than all that, everything is good and well in our house. we wrote a contract on a house last week and they accepted our offer and we're going through inspections this week. we'll let you know how it works out. and in the mean time we are also looking for renters for our condo, so that's been a whirlwind as well. ben's been a champ through it all.

ben has discovered his fists this week. he loves to shove them as far into his mouth as possible. sometimes he would rather his fists than the pacifier. maybe he'll turn out a thumb sucker after all. he's also become quite the vocal child. he'll lay on his back and kick and fail and squeal til his heart's content; then he usually cries and wants to be held. he's becoming more and more lively and we're so enjoying it.

sorry no pictures right now, i'll get some up later this week.

love to all

all about growing me

2007-05-10T14:02:00.000-04:00

i've definitely noticed a few things this week:
1. i love him more every time i hold him. it's absolutely amazing!
2. he has huge hands & feet! i pray that this means he's gonna grow into them and be a big boy. i mean his feet are so big that he can't wear 0-3 month sleepers anymore because his feet are too dang big. i find it quite adorable.
3. he has a little forehead and dark thick hair like his papa steve & daddy. it's more noticeable now that his hair is starting to grow back in.
4. he's a big little guy. we have a friend who had a little boy 2 weeks before ben and he weighs a pound less than ben still. matt is praying we have a chubby baby so he can squeeze him more.

and last but not least, he's smiling at us!! he's finally found his smiling muscles. it started this week. at first i thought i was just a fluke and he was still just smiling cause he had just pooped or something. but nope, he knows his mom & dad already. it's the greatest feeling in the world. i love the little half smile he gives with his big lips and toothless mouth.

what a great time for my first mother's day...i'm truly basking in motherhood at the moment. im sure it will fade about 4 am, but i'm enjoying for now :)

love to all

a big week

2007-05-06T19:42:00.000-04:00

this week has been busy & full. it started out with ben getting pink eye. how a month old baby gets pink eye when no one has had it is strange. but we got some ointment and it healed up almost overnight. since we took him to the doc, they weighed him and sure enough, he's reached the 10lbs mark. 10lbs. 4oz to be exact. he's now been loving dubbed "meatball" by his dad! :)

ben has been working on the grumpy old man look as well. he is losing the hair on the top of his head but still has all of it along the sides. it's quite hilarious. the new hair has started to come back in but just isn't thick enough to really see quite yet. see picture of the matching sleepy boys above.

and to finish off the week we went to a baby shower yesterday and ben got to hang out with some of his friends. hannah on the left is 2 days younger than ben and sherilan on the right is almost 3 months. we can't wait for the other little ones on the way get here!!

1 month and counting...

2007-04-30T14:54:00.000-04:00

it's been 4 weeks so far with our little guy (i know i know the 1st is tomorrow!). some days it seems like forever ago that i was sitting in that hospital room and others..like it was yesterday. we're finally getting out little schedule figured out and learning what each of his cries means. he's precious and can't imagine life without him. God's timing is truly perfect. we've been slow about posting pictures thus far, so instead of trying to play catch up..we're just gonna start from here.

so this week he became the "little pooh bear" extreme light weight boxer! but he eats like a little piggie...i think he's pushing the 10lbs. mark for sure.