Mother's Day

Mother's Day was especially meaningful for me this year, not only because it's my inaugural year, but recent events have reminded me of how lucky I am. We have close friends that lost their unborn child at 23 weeks. As I reflect on this past year (Sy will be one at the end of this month!), I cannot help but to be overwhelmed and grateful for the role that I have been given. I am thankful to have a healthy and thriving child in our home. While I have struggled in transitioning from the work environment, I have loved spending time with Sy and have learned so much about myself through my interactions with him. I never realized my selfcenteredness until I was needed by someone else 24 hours a day. Our lives have changed dramatically and it is for the better.

For my first Mother's Day, Ben felt it necessary that we celebrate throughout the weekend. After taking a group of students bird-watching on Saturday, he donned the captain's hat and sent me on my way...to a massage. It was a fabulous surprise and a much needed luxury. Upon my return, Ben was adamant that he would take over all my responsibilities for the weekend. It was an offer that I could not refuse! He cooked meals, cleaned the house, took care of Sy and even accomplished some laundry. It was a wonderful day! Although he assists me daily with these tasks, I was completely free of any resonsibilities for 2 full days. He truly expressed his love through his acts of service throughout the weekend. On Sunday, we celebrated Mother's Day by hiking to Avalanche Lake at Glacier National Park.

Winner, winner, chicken dinner...

We are officially bipedal now. Yesterday, Sy started taking consecutive steps. It was only ten at first, but it has been exciting to see him gain his confidence. He even walked on cue for Ben when he got home. I was moved by Ben's tears as he watched his son walk to him from the other side of the kitchen. Today, he has taken 25 steps, even throwing in a circle here and there. While I have enjoyed seeing Sy's milestones, I have equally appreciated seeing Ben grow in his role as a father. I am truly blessed to have such wonderful males in my life--both who have equally captured my heart. I am a proud mom/wife and feel like I have won the lottery. Winner, winner, chicken dinner...life couldn't be better.

How Time Does Fly

In my last post, I hadn't mention some significant milestones that Sy reached in the last few months. In fact, Sy took his first steps just a few days ago. We had wanted to wait until his birthday next month to get him his gift, but he new favorite toy, his shopping cart, has helped him get a step closer to being bipedal.


Sy will be one in one month! We can hardly believe that he will reach his first birthday in just a short while. Ben and I are amazed at his development. In fact, Sy is beginning to work on his new beard!


Since coming back from Arizona, we've been getting outside more as the weather has tried to warm up. One of our favorite spots is Lone Pine State Park that overlooks the valley. Ben has enjoyed getting Sy out in the morning during the weekends, especially as the bird migration is picking up. They have both enjoyed the time bonding with one another.


Sy has also been eating more solid foods as he has acquired more teeth. One of his favorite toys is his toothbrush. He is also recognizing more objects and does respond to the word, "Bird!"

Almost May

Snow, snow, go away...come back in 9 months! This morning brought us another dusting of snow in lovely Montana. While I am a bit remorse to see more snow on the ground, I am thankful for a Spring season packed with travel and thankfully, warm weather. Our travels to New Orleans and Tucson were a nice reprieve. We are buckling down in Kalispell for a short 6 weeks while Ben finishes the end of the school year and we are looking forward to getting outdoors more often. Here's a recap of what we've been up to since my last post.

The end of March brought us to New Orleans for my sister, Gabbie's, wedding. She was a stunning bride and the location was quite romantic. It was wonderful to return to Louisiana as a family. We had not all congregated there since our move to Oregon in 1992.


Since those days, our family has grown considerably from 8 to 14 with one more coming at the end of summer.


Ben and Sy enjoyed visiting Louisiana for the first time. Experiences to note include visiting Cafe Du Monde, walking the French Quarter, eating mouth-watering food, and meeting great-grandparents for the first time for Sy.


A week later in April, our family jetted off to SE Arizona for our first family vacation...and to allow Ben to do some much-anticipated birdwatching. We traveled from Phoenix to the Chiricahua Mountains in Portal. Despite being in the desert, the mountains housed beautiful habitats that drew incredible wildlife. We loved hiking and discovering the flora and fauna.


After 2 days in Portal, we drove further south to Patagonia. For you birders out there, we found the best bed and breakfast in the area, The Duquense House. While Ben visited the local birding spots, Sy and I enjoyed the beautiful garden and walked into town for some organic coffee and treats.

We capped off our week with more hiking in the Huachuaca Mountains and a visit to the Sonora High Desert Museum in Tucson.
Our week in SE Arizona was filled with lots of traveling (we covered over 500 miles in 1 week!), hiking, birdwatching and was busy, but restful. For more pictures, view our web album at:
http://picasaweb.google.com/bennywayne/SEArizona#

Almost 9 months

We have family visiting from Great Falls who are staying at my sister-in-law's house. After a morning of playing with 8 children, it's nice to come back to a quite house. Sy is down for a nap and I have a moment to collect my thoughts. For all those moms out there, I have never had so much respect for what you do. Ben is from a family of nine (7 kids + 2 adults). Even when 2 families get together now, it requires nothing short of school yard to contain them all. Starting from the oldest, Stephanie (10), Sadie (7), Peter (5), Annalie (2.5), Joesphine (2), Olivia (1.5), Silas (9 mo), and Felicity (4 mo), there was plenty of noise and play this morning. We are so thankful for family and when we do get together, I am amazed at how quickly everyone has grown.

Sy will be 9 months this week. He is jabbering and can say a few words on demand, including "mama", "dada", "bye-bye" and can give you a high five. On his most recent checkup he has moved from the 98th percentile club down to the 90th. Despite his stockiness, he is quite agile and will be an early walker. He is already starting to stand a few seconds on his own and practices his steps while pushing on his toy walker around. (I'm still figuring out how to get video onto this blog, but will get that on here as soon as I know how.) Sy naturally is an extremely easy going kid. The last couple of weeks his tempermant had changed and we found out he had an ear infection. :( Now that he is on Antibiotics, his dispostion has greatly improved. Sy is now 22 lbs. and 30 inches tall; wears 18 month clothes; has 4 teeth and is one adorable ham.

A Place Like Home

2009 just rolled around and I can hardly believe that it is nearing February. Life seems to be flying at light speed as Sy is tackling developmental stages by the second. We can hardly believe that it was just 8 months ago that he was born. Our lives have changed so much since adding one more. This blog is our new attempt to keep so many of our dear friends and family updated on us as Kalispell,MT seems just as far away as the jungles of Costa Rica.

Here's a quick synopsis of life as of today:

Ben is teaching Biology and Anatomy & Physiology at Glacier High School. Biology is his bread and butter and he loves sharing his passion with his students. While teaching over 100+ freshman may have its challenges, Ben has enjoyed connecting with students and trying to find new & innovative ways to get kids hooked onto science. Ben is also one of the leaders to GHS's Alpine Club. He has enjoyed taking students hiking, moutain biking, bird-watching and skiing. He will soon be leaving for a skiing weekend with students up to Canada.

I have been busy at home keeping up with Sy, being involved in the Women's Ministries at Central Bible Church and doing some graphic design work for the local MOM'S group. While being at home has been an adjustment for me, I have loved staying at home with Sy. Who knew such a little person could be SOOO much work! Babies should come with a disclaimer! Time at home has also allowed me to experiment more in the kitchen and Ben has been patiently eating my newest and mostly successful creations.

Sy, as previously mentioned, just turned 8 months. He has progressed from crawling to pulling up on furniture. He tackles new challenges without abandonment and I am thankful that he has a hard head. NOTHING seems to be out of reach. He has a will and there will be a way. Sy enjoys saying "Mama" and to Ben's sadness, is still working on "Papa" and "Dada." Sy has been a regular at our health club pool and enjoys swimming with Ben and I in the evenings. Sy also loves playing on our guitar and finding the T.V. remote control.

I hope to keep this updated as much as possible. This is for all the family that mentioned how we need to keep better in touch. We miss you and can't wait to see everyone in New Orleans in March. (More on that Later).