teeth!

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

some pics to tide you over

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...

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)