our soccer star.

 soccer season is over.  ben made himself his own sign for us to hold at his games.

 he even told us what to say and when to cheer before hand.  he was totally a soccer star.

 zach wasn't the full-time coach but he did fill in and enjoyed it.  ben liked it too.  he loves his dad.

 we like the games.  we bring blankets and treats and have a good time.  sometimes the kids aren't exactly thrilled and end up going in their pajamas.

 this is a rare photo, he is usually chasing the ball or playing with the other boys.  he's enjoyed himself.

 the things josh tries to do for a three year old scares me.  but is he ever thrilled when he does it.

this season of soccer was a little bit more difficult for ben.  the boys are a lot better and goals aren't as easy to come by.  he did score once and had some assists.  he is excited about next year because they get to have a goalie.  it's fun to be a mom.

I blinked

Maybe if I had held my breath he wouldn't have grown so fast?  One day he is born and the next...he's SEVEN!  There are more words than I have for this sort of thing!

I plain love this boy!  He is a wonderful, wonderful boy!

I loved him as a baby, and I'm happy to report, I am still quite fond. :)
As of the date he enjoys:
basketball, soccer, riding his bike with his friends, drawing, painting, legos, star wars, ninja's and building things out of cardboard, paper and tape.  He attempts to make things out of wood but he is still working on nailing in the nails.
His current ambition is to build a tree house and a fence for his part of the garden.  He also loves reading about caves and talks often about visiting them.
He often tells us we need to get some land and that we need to have more kids.  He seems quite concerned with both subjects. :)
He loves math, especially money math.  He is never bored and very self driven.  If he is without something to do, he will help with cutting food, he will draw, jump on the tramp or play legos...or perhaps the latest fun, chasing our rooster!
Lately he has added exercising  to his list of jobs in the morning.   When we were making our list of family rules the other day, he mentioned "be helpful, be a hero" -I typed it as such and he said, "with an exclamation point!"
Being in Primary with him is fun.  He is often a jaw dropper for the other teachers in there.  I am often told, "he is so smart, I should just let him teach!" and "how does he know that?!"  He loves the scriptures and is a total sponge for all things spiritual.
So, we obtained some chickens and ducks almost two months ago and some little chicks too.  Well, one little chick died and we almost had another die.  We nursed it for over an hour.  Ben went inside and when he came out, I informed him that the chick was moving its head!  He ran over and said, "Heavenly Father answered my prayer!"
I need to blog more, this post is getting so long!
I am impressed with Ben and his uniqueness.  He humbles me often with phrases like, "mom, the Spirit leaves when you talk like that." and he also is so sweet when he gives me a hug and says, "I want to hug you forever".
For his Birthday he chose to go to Trufalga with his family, have pizza, a three tiered cake-chocolate, chocolate and more chocolate, with strawberries on top and chocolate ice cream. (yes, he is my child!)  He is a planner and took the responsibility upon himself to make a list of everything he wanted to eat on his birthday.  (I plan to train my children to excellent cooks so they will comply with my list on my birthday, good plan huh?!)  I love Birthdays, it gives us an excuse to celebrate each individual person and why we love and appreciate them.  That, I believe, is a benefit to us all.
I am proud of this sweet Benjamin of mine.  I love being his mom.  Happy Birthday Ben!
(on March 9th, but at least I posted!)
Becca :)

Who knew?

Apparently everyone knew that time would fly by. I was told over and over again. "They will grow up before you know it". Here we are, celebrating Ben's 6th Birthday! Now I can be one of those people that say it. Time really does fly!

We had a great day. I asked Ben what his favorite thing was and he said it was bowling. We haven't been in a long time and we all had a fabulous time!

After bowling at Fat Cats, we went to the Ogden Pizzeria and had some delish food. We love that place!

I am just now posting this because I was almost just as wiped out as I was the day I gave birth! I took a nap after the kids were in bed and then cleaned up the beautiful mess I made in the kitchen!
Yeah, would you believe this little dude ordered a three layer chocolate cake with chocolate frosting and strawberries on it? First attempt here. It was a noble effort if nothing else. :)
Mr. Ben here has been waiting for his birthday since Christmas. I had told him his birthday was after Christmas, so he was expecting it the day after. It has been a long three months!

He is SO excited to be six!

Today at his school they did a "celebration of life" thing where I brought pictures of him at each year and talked about things he did during each of those years.

Needless to say by the end, I was teary. He has brought more joy to my life than I would have ever thought possible. Thinking about all the things he has learned and all the ways he has developed. I am amazed.

I am so proud of Ben. He really is a special boy. The way he looks out for people, the way he so easily accepts spiritual things. The sincere love he gives to others.
Since the beginning of time he has loved his dad. He still likes to say goodbye to him whenever he leaves. He is still excited when he comes home. He loves to do everything his dad loves. They went ice fishing a couple weeks ago and got some red faces. Luckily he had a band aid on his forehead so everyone at church the next day would know how white he was before. :)

He loves to play basketball, football/basketball (where you use a football and tackle and shoot it in the hoop), soccer, play Lego's, army guys. He loves to read and listen to Magic Tree House books on the iPod. He has really progressed in reading. It has been very fun for all of us.

He has really enjoyed the Nintendo we got for Christmas. Pretty much whenever he has a day off of school when I ask what he would like to do that day is says "play Nintendo!" If there were no time limits, he would not complain!

He is a great big brother. Sarah and Josh love his attention. We miss him a lot when he is at school. Ben is so excited that next year he can stay all day at school like the big kids do. I have to say, there are few things that make me so sad. I will miss him very much.

We love his laugh, smile, helpful attitude and honestly his presence. He is a joy to have around.

I love you Ben! happy 6th Birthday!

Why I love him...

I love his imagination!

I love to see the things he builds....everyday!

I love to hear the stories behind what you build.
You have become such an artist over the last year. I love to see what you've drawn and also the look of accomplishment on your face!
I love how you play with your animals, make them stampede and preach the gospel to the elephant! Seriously, love it!
I love it when you are a cowboy, a knight in shining armor, a prince and the sweetest big brother and great friend. Your enthusiasm is contagious! You have an excitement about everything that we do!
Ben, I love your laugh and your smile! I love your sweet spirit and concern for others. You are a wonderful kid! Happy Birthday! I feel so blessed to be your mom!...seriously blessed!

Give me FIVE!

Well March 9th Benjamin had a birthday! He is now a whole hand! I can't believe 5 years have gone by! What a joy he is!

We had a birthday party for him on Saturday and he had so much fun!
The weather didn't do what we wanted but rain while playing baseball is always memorable!
Cousin Elizabeth came and helped with the little kids which helped out a lot. She's a doll!
Yes, I was there. I did not put on makeup because I was trying to make a better cake than the one I made on his actual birthday. Man, it was NOT pretty! No, I did not take a picture. :)

My favorite was watching all the kids eating up all the attention from Zach...especially Ben. He LOVES his dad!
Ben thought it was so cool he had a mitt cake. He said, "wow, thanks mom!" I love hearing that.
These kids had lots of fun wrestling, playing and laughing. Our first little friend party was a success! Phew!

We deleted the first half of our pictures from March which makes me want to have tears. I was scared to do anything else with these pictures until I had Zach look at the computer. There, I have explained why I didn't post on his birthday. The end.