And then there is this...

We have been getting up on our hands and knees for some time now.
However, we have now added the rock.

And then there is this game.
He likes to crawl behind his door and shut the door on me.
Then he pops his head around the corner.

Peek-a-boo!
I see you!

The Other Caterpillar?

The same day I found the caterpillar outside, I found my own little caterpillar inside!


Guess what we are FINALLY doing?

I have my own caterpillar, inch worm, army crawler...

Call it what you like,

This little guy is on the move!

Thank You

Thank you to my cousins, The Stankovens, for the adorable Adidas outfit.
He looked like such a cute, little Illini fan!
I bet it is no coincidence that my cousin John is a HUGE Illini fan!
He even got compliments at the doctors office, of course I'm sure his flirting helped.
On that note, I think it's important for me to talk about Ben's flirting for a minute.
He typically has no desire to stand up assisted...well, until he saw a gorgeous little girl standing in the waiting room.
She was 11 months, and I'll hand it to him, she was CUTE!
Her name was Azariah. (I'm sure I butchered the spelling)
The minute he saw her standing up, he was down from my lap, grasping my fingers, and standing.
He even attempted a few steps to her.
He smiled and talked to her. It was way too cute to see my almost 10 month old flirt.
Watch out ladies!

9 Months....

Abbie at 9 months

Will 9 months

Ben 9 months

We went for our 9 month check up....okay, a smidgen late. Almost like 10 months. Oops!
That poor third child. I'm sure he'll likely develop a complex from this.
Somehow by the third child those check up appointments become a lot less exciting.
I assure you though, Ben, that I love you just the same!
So here's the stats:
He was a whopping 22 lbs 22 ounces (the 75th percentile), 29 inches (the 75th percentile), and his head was 48 cm (the 97th percentile).
Now to compare:
Abbie was 18 lbs (5oth), 27 1/4 inches (48th), and 45.8 cm (90th).
Will was 21 lbs 12 ounces (75th), 28 3/4 inches (75th) and 47 cm (95th).
Ben is doing great!
Feeling blessed to have 3 healthy children!

It's True...It's Really True!

Guess what I saw on Monday?


Let me zoom in closer for you...

Yep! A caterpillar!
That MUST mean spring is coming, right?
I can't wait!

Dinner Time

Guess who's feeding Ben?

Big Sister Abbie!
She always wants to feed him.


She's progressively getting better.
Barely a mess on his face!
And....

She gave him a bottle too!

As a side note, in case you ever wonder what in the world Abbie has on in these pictures, she is in dress up.
She loves wearing dance outfits.
If we are at home these outfits take the place of any normal wardrobe she may have!

But don't worry...

No child labor laws were broken.
At least I don't think so...


I mean, he was still smiling....

Plus he got to throw snow at me....

Fair trade!

The Real Reason

Now f0r the Real Reason I sent him out there....


It's a long, snowy walk....

To the mailbox!

But not so long....

When you make your almost 3 year old get the mail for you!
It's grand having kids!

Let It Snow

We have had very few opportunities to get outside and play in the snow.
In fact, this was only the second time we have used our snow suit.
Yesterday I bundled Will up and sent him outside.
It was pretty cold, but I let him out for about 10 minutes.
He had fun!

He was slightly blinded by the snow!

My gifts

Yesterday, Andy took the kids took pick out some Love Day gifts for me.
Here were some of the original ideas:
A new car.
A little car, when they realized they couldn't get me a "real" car.
A gray computer (meaning a laptop) so I stay off daddy's.


Instead, I got these pretty calla lilies.

Lots of chocolate.

And this pink puppy dog that Abbie COULD NOT wait to give me.
She picked it out herself.
She thought it would be nice if I shared it with her.
It's hers now.
They also got me some new chapstick and some gossip magazines.
I'd say I'm pretty lucky!

All You Need Is Love

All you need is love, but that didn't stop family from spoiling us.
Our Valentine's Day started early last week.

Look at all the cards the kids got!

Abbie got a new Princess hat, nail polish, and nail stickers from us.

Will got a new Spiderman hat and Spidey socks.

Table For 2

Today we had a special Valentine's Day lunch.
This was Abbie & Will's table.
Will must not have liked all the hearts.
He called the napkins, "puke napkins."

Nona joined us for lunch after church.

Try not to be grossed out by the picture....
This was our heart-shaped meatloaf.
Will loves meaFloaf (as he calls it).
Abbie had heart shaped ham.

And this was my attempt at heart-shaped rice krispie treats.
So I'm no Martha....but the kids thought it was fun.

The Bachelor...

Benny's Valentine gift was this adorable little outfit.
Eligible Bachelor, it says.
But watch out ladies....he's a mommas boy!
Let's just hope he doesn't end up doing The Bachelor show!