we call it "baby crack"

Here's my story: At 5:oo a.m. on Friday morning, we were awakened by very loud knocks and continuous ringing of the doorbell. Two cops stood outside my door, and I greeted them in my boxers. Keep in mind, a man who uses product in his hair has nasty bed-head. They asked me if I owned a green Hond Civic. When I answered in the affirmative, they then asked me why I left it running all night long. (insert laugh here). My explanation: After we left dinner at John and Kris's, I thought it would be a good idea to help out at church for awhile. So, I left the car running while I helped Jules get Ben inside and settled. However, I got two phone calls, so by the time I was ready to go, it was 8:30 and I didn't feel up to the task anymore. So, we relaxed, went to bed, and then woke up at 5 at the sound of cop-knocks. I walked to the nearest gas station, bought a tank, and fill up the car. I tried to blame it on Ben, but the cops were having none of it. That's my story, and I'm sticking to it.

The weekend

We had a great weekend. Ben went to the church nursery for the first time. Granny and Gramps will be happy to see he wore his "Moo" shirt to church. I'm also including a picture of a scrapbook page Jules made of Ben's "funny faces." If Jules keeps up this pace, Ben may have 4 million pictures before he turns 1. Nate wonders who has more pictures on the internet: Ben or Paris Hilton. However, I know we'll appreciate her hardwork when he's older. If it wasn't for her, I'd still have to dig my baby pics out of an oversized and overstuffed cardboard box. It's boys day today: lots of scratching, belching, and farting, so we better get to it.

Lazy Friday

Jules didn't have to go to work until 11:00, so I took the morning off. Ben really loves to sleep on his "tummy," which is great now that he can roll over on his back. You can see in the first picture that Ben has found his thumb. Most of the time he uses it like a fish-hook--locked against his cheek. But, this time Jules captured him using his thumb the "right" way (sorta).
Go Cards!!

Ben at School

Here's Ben's first school picture. Larissa, one of his teachers, is from Ukraine. Ben also has Russian and Indian teachers as well. We're pretty lucky to have Ben at such an ethnically diverse school.

Ben's Baptism

Ben was baptized on March 19, 2006. Uncle John and Dad officiated. Another perk of being a preacher's kid. It was a special moment. Jules' folks, Andrea, Mema, my folks, Nate and Kim, and the Gable Jrs. were all there to celebrate with us. That Sunday was also Dad's big 6-0, so we took a family picture. The picture of Nate, Ben, and the big orange gun is on my desktop at Marquette. I love telling the academics that the dude with the gun is my brother. The black and white of Jules is my favorite picture of her--it's magazine material.

Easter Sunday

We had a wonderful Easter Sunday. The 8:30 service at Crossroads was a great celebration. This was our first since we usually head back to Springfield for the holidays. John preached a wonderful sermon and the music was a nice mix of hymns, praise music, and classical gems. Ben was a bit worked up by all the commotion, so the two of us spent most of our time during the "talking part" in the Narthex. For lunch, Timm, Julia, and I made a big feast for the fam. Now, Jules and Ben are sleeping and listening to the rain. As the picture shows, this boy loves his hands.

April 15, 2006

Nate just called and said he created a blog. So, not to be outdone by the world traveler, we too will create a blog. However, since we don't go many places, we'll just post pictures of Ben. I'm not promising much with this page, but feel free to visit often for new pics and news.

I'm still figuring out the bells and whistles, but take a look at our favorite things: Easter eggs, reading, and the Cardinals. Can life be any more complete? (Kim: Jesus is implied in the Easter eggs.)

We hope everyone has a wonderful Easter.