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Enter Bunch. B must be uppercase. 

The date they are under is May 30, 2008 (although it was the 28th...I dunno). 

Enjoy. The last one on the last page is my favorite.

More Pics

Today Ben had his first ever portrait session. The proofs should be online tomorrow and I'll post a link for anyone who wants to see how they turned out. 

And to all of you who have expressed concern, my sister in law is apparently off the ventilator, and is talking and cutting up. I don't know what the prognosis is, there are still a lot of physical, speech, and occupational therapy consultations to take place, as well as determining if there has been any long term physical damage. 

In the mean time, enjoy theses. 

RRRRRRRRRIBS.

OK, so I have never cooked ribs before. In fact, up until a couple of years ago I had never even eaten ribs before. 

For some reason, I decided Memorial Day 2008 would be the perfect time to attempt something new. Now, I'm not macho or overly mannish in any way, but something about having a son makes me want to be outside throwing a football at someone. Maybe it is my mad softball skills that I am exhibiting weekly in our church league...maybe it is the fact that 30 is approaching...I don't really know. 

Whatever the case, by golly, I was going to cook ribs. 

I let them sit all day with a pork rub on them, then I packaged them in a foil pouch and put them on the gas grill on low. About 30 minutes into the grilling, I mixed more of the rub, good old KC Masterpiece, and EVOO (for all you closet Rachel Ray watchers), and brushed that on periodically. Whatever prompted me to do this was indeed a good thing (for the rest of you who watch Martha Stewart). I present my case:

Exhibit A

Exhibit B

Exhibit C

Awake...at 2:23 AM

So I totally don't know what my deal is...just one of those nights when I can't seem to close my eyes. I'm wired about work...lots going on this week and lots to do. I'm in the middle of a project to create a space and a separate ministry that targets 4th-6th graders, which I'm really excited about, but there is a lot to do. Thankfully, several families have given quite a bit of dough to the project, so it's going to come together at once instead of dragging out over months and months...

I'm going to be working on changes to the website at work and I've been looking at other church sites all evening...

We talked about taking a cruise later this summer...basically because they are really reasonable and gas is so freakin expensive that it'll cost us a month's salary to drive to Hot Springs for a weekend. Then we changed our minds and decided we're missing Dallas so much we would go there for a few nights, stay in our favorite hotel, eat at our favorite places, see our favorite people, you get the gist...So I've been seeing what dates the Rangers are in town, what hotel rates look like when, and on ad on and on. 

On top of that and on the brain is my fast-approaching VBS...and I won't even expound on all that goes with that. 

My brother's wife is improving slightly, but her current health crisis is far from over. So that's on the mind. 

What else... 

Maybe the fascination that Jenny can basically roll over and be completely gone for the night...

Or thinking about the amazing reality that Annabelle can sleep under a sheet, heavy coverlet, and a down comforter without coming up for air. And she's been there since 1140. 

Maybe I'm anticipating Benjamin's first studio visit for portraits tomorrow. He has two new outfits, but you'll have to log on to the photographer's site for a glimpse once they're up. 

Or maybe it's like that episode of Seinfeld where Kramer is trying to see how far he can go on an "empty" tank of gas...while my red battery status light reminds me that I too am teetering on the brink. 

Only time will tell. Something tells me 725 AM is going to stink. 

The Latest

First off, I would like to ask all of our readers to remember my family in your prayers. 

My brother's wife, who is undergoing chemotherapy for Hodgkin's Lymphoma, is currently in the hospital in Memphis in ICU, and she has been on life support for over two days. She is in some sort of lung crisis - either caused by pneumonia or a reaction to the more severe final doses of chemotherapy - and has only been given a 40% chance to live. Jenny and I were there all day yesterday, and now my parents are there. Their daughter, who just turned 4, is there as well, and that is helping my brother, but it is still really sad. Jennifer has had a pacemaker since she was 21, she managed to overcome cervical cancer, and now has lymphoma. She has been sick for a really long time. 

On another note, Ben is doing great these days. He's spitting up less, and having a better time nursing since they took care of his tongue issue last week. He hasn't been altogether too thrilled with his current swing...

Now mind you, this is the swing we picked out, and it is great. It vibrates, swings, has a teddy bear mobile, and it plays all sorts of music.   But when we went to Grammy's a few weeks back, this is what she had....

This one is the shizz nits! It swings, it glides, it has a motorized mobile whose leaves circle and move up and down...and...HERE IS THE GREATEST THING EVER...IT PLUGS IN!!! Ours, (as are all I have ever seen) was battery operated. The music is very tropical...steel drum sort of thing...and he is mesmerized by it. 

So, we decided to take ours to Jenny's parents and we purchased him the tropical shizz nit model tonight. We came home and put it together, and he has rocked out ever since. 

Hopefully things will improve with my sister in law, but we're just waiting on reports from there periodically. 

As always, I'll keep you posted. 

All Smiles

Serious Cuteness

Okay, so it was an absolutely perfect day, we had some time to kill, and he's just too dang cute. 

Enjoy. 

Happy Birthday, Mom

Highlights from Jenny's 28th birthday. I'm too tired for details. 

Birthday Kiss

Jenny's cookie cake made by Aunt Bee

Poppa and Ben singing "Happy Birthday to You"

Birthday Present...she's been wanting one of these for the front door all spring. 

More presents from dad...Cookbook, key chain, coin purse

2 movies. 

Going Green in another way...

Recent Visits

Last week, Benjamin got to have lunch with his Auntie Katie, her baby Zack, and both boys' grandmothers. 

Benjamin apparently snoozed through lunch while Zack played with anything he could get his hands on. 

Tonight, Auntie Suzanne popped by to say happy Birthday to Ben's mommy (a day early) and visit us for a bit. 

Ben's Mommy, Auntie Sue, and Little Ben...

It's great to be back in Little Rock and so close to family and friends. 

Thirteen Pounds, Eleven Ounces

Ben went for his two-month checkup today. His weight is increasing very well, although he's not overweight, thankfully. Jenny has been concerned that his chubby little thighs are a sign that he is overweight.

The little chunk weighs 13 pounds and 11 ounces. He is 24 inches long. His height and weight put him in the 90th percentile (so, only 10% of babies weigh more or are longer than he is). Hmmh. 90%...I like the sound of that.

Nothing like a solid "A" for a grade in your height and weight.

His head circumference is only in the 50th percentile, so apparently there are as many kids with gargantuan-sized heads as with smaller heads. I say that because I think his head is perfectly normal sized, and I'm slightly alarmed that there are all these kids running around with heads so much bigger than Ben's. (Not to mention the little pinheads that have smaller noggins). What is happening to people? Are we facing a civilization of melon-heads???

An interesting procedure had to be done, however. The doctor had to take Ben back and snip his frenulum (the weird little flap of skin that holds your tongue in place and completely freaks me out to observe on people) because he was labeled with the shockingly technical medical diagnosis of being "Tongue Tied." Apparently on some babies, their frenulum is too tight, and this can make it difficult for them to breastfeed, accounting for Jenny's discomfort. If you don't fix it, it can lead to speech problems later in life.

So, we've been snipped. He latched on to his Mommy's Milk Station like a pro and all seems to be going well now. Who'd have thought? With a Dad as chatty as he has, the poor little guy comes out tongue-tied.

Mermaid Birthday Parties, Tornado Shelters, and Mother's Day

Well, we made it to Jonesboro on Thursday. In true form, never sitting down for a second, I worked in my parents' yard, put out six new planters of plants on the back porch, replanted two urns on the front, hung a new painting I picked up for them a couple of weeks back, cooked dinner for 10 people on Friday, and made a floral arrangement for my mother's dining room table, then raised the chandelier to accommodate its size. I should have taken a picture of it. It's one of my better works.

Saturday afternoon we donned our clam shells and headed to my brother's house for my niece's 4th Birthday, Mermaid theme and all. She received barbies, games, a scooter, a new bike, and all sorts of other things. She had a blast, and Ben slept through most of it. 

About 15 minutes after we left my parent's house, my dad called to tell us Jonesboro was under a tornado warning. We debated turning back to their house, and then decided since we were all the way across town and about to leave town, we would pull in St. Bernard's Village (previous home of my grandfather, who is actually moving back there June 1) and just go in and sit while the storm passed. We know lots of the residents and workers there and new they wouldn't mind our joining them for a bit. When the storm looked like it was headed right for us and the nurses went door to door making the residents go into the bathrooms in their apartments, we decided to bunker down in one of the kitchens off a family room. 

Completely panic-stricken, Jenny made me run out to the car (in the HAIL, might I add) and retrieve the Lab and the Beagle. They came in without having to ask twice, and waited with us. When the skies lightened and  the rain slacked, we were on our way. 

Again, not the smartest move, but we didn't know that at the moment. And plus, it was Saturday evening and I had to work Sunday...

What seemed to be fairing weather began to worsen as, halfway home, we exited the small highway and got back onto the freeway heading for Little Rock. 

Somewhere about 5 miles northeast of Bald Knob, we became very much aware of the changing skies and the nearing lightening. About the same time, the radio informed us that there was a tornado spotted and if you were in Bald Knob you were in its path. So, accellerating rapidly, we made it to the Bald Knob exit and went for the only shelter we knew...McDonald's. The employees had closed to customers but let us in to weather the storm. The franchise owner called in periodically to check in with the manager on duty, and we were all told that if the sirens went off, we were to take cover. 

At this point, we were told that we could not bring the dogs inside. I thought Jenny was going to have a stroke at any moment. When the sirens did in fact go off and the wind picked up, we all headed into the men's room. It was a hoot...the entire crew of the Bald Knob McDonalds...with an average age of 16-17 years, Jenny, Benjamin, and myself on the floor of the bathroom riding out the storm. The kids were taking pictures with their phones and texting their adventure all the while Jenny frantically worried about the baby and the dogs. 

I was prepared, if I heard the tell-tale roar, to sacrifice it all and run for the dogs. I had backed as close to the door as possible so that I could open the rear hatch and let the dogs come inside with us. 

Thankfully, the tornado passed over us and headed on its northeasterly path. When we returned to the car, we had to let down the barrier in the back so that Bailey could travel the rest of the way home with  his head resting on Jenny's shoulder, while Jenny sat in the back seat with Benjamin. 

Annabelle, terrified as always, made her way to Jenny's feet in the back seat, allowing me to drive the remaining 60 miles with my right hand resting on her and patting her gently. 

Mother's Day, after all of that, was terribly uneventful. 

Jenny only wanted cash to spend at the Scrapbooking store, so that's what she got. I let her sleep in this morning, we went to Macaroni Grill for lunch, she napped this afternoon, then we had dinner at her aunt's with all of her mom's family this evening. 

After that lengthy account of the past few days, here are some pictures which should speak for themselves. (I'll comment anyway, of course). 

In the gooo of saying aaaaah goooo to Mommy

Just Happy....

Flexing his chunky physique...watch out ladies. 

With the most beautiful Mommy in the world...

Wishing Dad would stop using the camera flash so much

8 Weeks

Well, the little champ has made it to eight weeks. And Jenny and I have survived, as well. It's amazing to think how far we have come from this time 8 weeks ago, having him in the room with us for the very first night, wishing we had someone to tell us all the answers, and sleeping with one eye open. 

It's still wild, mind you, but it's so much more routine now. His feedings, his sleeping, and his awake time are much more predictable, and his personality is coming through more every day. 

Jenny is still going to Physical Therapy three times a week. She thinks she is improving, but still has a lot of pain. 

Benjamin made his first definite baby words a couple of weeks ago with my mom, a phrase that basically begins with Aaaahhh, followed by gooooo about 6 seconds later. He has now mastered the art and will repeat it to you when he's in a playful mood. You can usually get him to do it for a solid minute or two. It's amazing. We've tried to get it on video but the camera seems to fascinate him to a point that he won't make a sound. 

He is also really beginning to notice things. He has a painting of the moon and stars on the wall by the chair in his room, and he stares at it while he nurses. When he is awake and in his crib, he stares at his letter tiles painted on the walls. It's really funny. You have to pry his attention away from the letters in the morning. 

I took tomorrow off and we were supposed to be leaving for my parents tonight, but my niece is sick and she is staying with my mom and dad, so we didn't want to be in the house with a baby and a sick four year-old. Hopefully she will be better soon, because she has a Little Mermaid-themed birthday party on Saturday. We bought her some new barbies, and I am jealous over the other purchase... we're giving her the water willy caterpillar sprinkler thingy that I wanted all throughout my childhood and never got. But that's another story entirely. 

He loves to stretch his arms. This is the position he immediately 

goes to in the mornings when we un-swaddle him. 

We usually mouth-off about children in clothes with words

on them...namely Dora and Hannah Montana t-shirts, and tight little pink and purple

 glitter shirts on chubby elementary school children that say "Daddy's Little Diva", or 

"I'm the princess, so get over it..."

but we were in dire need for bibs, and this 7-pack at Babies-r-us 

for 8.99 included "Hunk," "Flirt," and "Single," to name a few. 

It's a feat for me to crawl inside his floor gym to play with him. 

Check out Benjamin looking straight at Jenny with the camera. 

Little Peanut with a grip on Daddy's fingers. 

Okay, so he looks a little inbred in this picture, but

it's a smile...we take what we can get. Usually he smiles, and about the time the 

exposure snaps on the camera, it's gone.