Happy 1'st Birthday, Benjamin!

Wow! One year old. We have officially entered "toddlerhood"!

Andy and I took Benjamin to the Pittsburgh Zoo, his first Pirate game at PNC Park, and had a great birthday party with lots of family and friends. Thank you to everyone who helped make his day special!

Easter Sunday

My favorite part of the holidays... spending time with family! We talked, ate lots of yummy food, laughed (thanks to Uncle Dan's fine sense of humor!), ate some more, played outside, the boys played basketball, dad spent lots of quality time with Benjamin (walking around the yard, laying in the grass, blowing bubbles, pushing him in his little car around the driveway), and ate some more! We were all tired with full belly's at the end of the day. I think that makes for a great Easter!



"Move out of the way, mom. This is serious business..."

Riding in his car (that used to be Andrews) for the first time.

Trying to catch bubbles in the grass!

Yum, Yum, Yum! Mom cooked another delicious meal for everyone!

Kay and John


Grandma Eakin

Uncle Dan cutting the ham.

Everyone busy in the kitchen!

Playing with Bill on the floor.

Benjamin's very first Easter basket!

Motherhood...

You think you have an idea of what it will be like, how it will feel to love *your* child... but i'm not sure any book, any "experience" with kids, any stories or advice from friends could possibly prepare you for motherhood. Prepare you for those moments that make you stop and think "wow...I love this kid". We had a long day... one of those days where things just didn't flow. Maybe the lack of sleep at night had caught up to us both, maybe some teeth trying to break through gums...whatever the reason, it was a long and tiring day. We sat in the rocking chair and I had FINALLY nursed him to sleep (so I thought). I stood up to walk upstairs with his head down on my shoulder and I heard "vvrooom, vvroom, vvrooooom, vvroom..." (you know, the noise a car or tractor make?) I was so exhausted that any noise at that point indicating that he was awake again should have brought me to tears. Instead, I had one of *those* moments. With a huge smile on my face, holding in the laughter, I thought "Man, I love this kid".

Spring has arrived!

Just a few pictures from the last few days of BEAUTIFUL weather! Andy was home with us and we all played outside (ok, Andy worked on the yard, cleaned the garage, and took down our Christmas lights...yes, in April!). Benjamin and I picked flowers, played in the dirt a little, and scrubbed his play foam flooring out on the deck. It was a perfect couple of days!