not appropriate

For those of you who have not heard, my brother and Kim are expecting. Mom calls the little one "fritter." Ask her why. I can't believe Jules took a picture of this, but it is a welcome image for new parents. Check out Nate's blog for a more formal announcement.

Ben has two teeth now, and he is just days from crawling. Right now he rocks back and forth until his arms give out and he face-plants the floor. He's also sleeping with his butt stickin up into the air--strange and seemingly uncomfortable. Hopefully, we'll get some new pics up soon.

Carolina on my mind

We loved our little strolls to the beach. Ben enjoyed the wind in his hair, and Jules likes being near the ocean. It was a great vacation.
These are a few random pictures from our family trip to North and South Carolina. John, Kris, Nate, and Kim spent the week at Fun in the Son in Myrtle Beach, so mom, dad, Grandma, Grandpa, and the three of us met them for a few days of beach, seafood, and relaxation. The above picture was taken right outside our hotel next to a samll pond with a sign that read, "Beware of Alligator." A bit disheartening until we realize we'd probably have him outnumbered if he ever surfaced..
My great-uncle Charlie passed away two years ago. To pay homage to him, John and Kris bought Ben a kilt with the Mackenzie plaid. They found it in St.Andrews, Scotland last year. Dad thought Ben looked just like uncle Chas and asked him why he forgot his hat and newspaper.

No words can possibly do justice to how funny it was to play with Ben in the pool. He went underwater a few times, but the boat was certainly his favorite way to kick back on a lazy afternoon. This picture was taken right before a wave nearly knocked him over. Ben was not impressed with the salt water, but he did love the sand . . to eat, of course.

4th of July weekend

Grandpa Curt and Grandma Jo visited for the 4th of July weekend. We played golf, ate, stared at Ben, ate more, played with Ben more, and went to the Cedarburg parade.
Welcome to Wisconsin. This guy got a standing ovation for his lawn mower oddity. Although the brewery shut down years ago, PBR is a beautiful thing in the land o' cheese.
He looks a little like Spanky in the picture above, but below he's sporting his Kurt Rambis imitation.
Pick your favorite lyrical caption: "I wear my sunglasses at night" or "The future's so bright, I have to wear shades." We're already for our beach vacation next weekend.

Bubba Bear Chair

Almost 32 years ago, Mema was awarded this chair for her work with Tupperware. It's called the "Bubba Bear Chair" and all her grandkids played in it when they would visit Springfield. When Ben was born, she gave it to Jules (her oldest grandchild). Bubba Bear Chair is now Ben's nickname. What's great is that the chair matches a dresser (with a big bear) that my folks had painted for me (30 years ago). I'll post that picture later.

Makin' up for lost time

I'm sorry I haven't posted any pictures in a while. Here are several from the last month. I'll try to do better.

Granny and Gramps came for the weekend, so we took them to a Milwaukee Fish fry and then to Strawberry Fest. This was Ben's first trip in the backpack--he may be a bit too small, yet. However, we had a great time.

Julia calls the last picture the "little Gar" face. She thinks he looks a lot like dad here. Ben will be 7 months old next weekend--Jules' folks will be here to celebrate the 4th with us. Should be fun.

If you haven't seen my brother's site in a while, check it out now. He's at his funniest. My random confession: I wish I was as funny as Nate. Oh well . . . I guess I'll just be the sweet, compassionate one.

Half-Birthday

Yesterday was Ben's 6 month birthday. We celebrated by making him sleep in his crib at night for the first time since we discovered that he hates his crib. . . we didn't sleep, either. But, we're bound and determined to make the crib work.

He's rolling over now and sitting-up fairly well if we have something for him to hold onto. With the weather finally turning, I put together the jogging stroller and took him for a 4-mile spin. We really like it. June will be very busy visiting (and being visited by) family. It will be a great month for all of us. We start the adventures with guys only road trip to St. Louis for my cousin Jodi's wedding. The extended Stratman family has not met Ben, yet. Then, Granny and Gramps and Curt and Kathy come up separately for Wisconsin Summer fun.

That's it--

P.S. Ben wore red today to celebrate Pentecost--already a good Presbyterian.

Auntie Andie

Auntie Andrea is in town to celebrate Jules' birthday. She arrived Tuesday night and surprised Jules at work the next day. Jules flipped, then we went out for lunch.

We're going out on a double-date tonight with Timm and Andrea. Weird doesn't even begin to describe it, but we're looking forward to trying a new restaurant.

Timm's documentary is finished. Visit his site at www.polkamovie.com. The DVD is 20 bucks. And, he produced his first commercial this week. It was for the Milwaukee Transit System, of which I am a proud participant. He's planning to make a film about the Stratman brothers. Not sure on the title, yet. Suggestions are requested.

(sorry about the upside down picture. I can't quite figure that one out, but it is a cute picture.)

Ben's girlfriend

Although the family is quite interested in the burgeoning relationship between Andrea and our little Timmers, please note the little ladies man in the mickey mouse bib. Ben tells me the young "girds" are quite attracted to men in colorful bibs. Clara is the young princess pictured. Nothing says romantic like a mid-afternoon buggy ride at daycare.

The first picture is Ben's first toe grab--already surpassing his old man and his uncle. Flexibility is not a Stratman trait.

Random Pics

Here are a few random pics from Jules. Grandma and Grandpa (along with Uncle Bob and Aunt Linda) are in town for John's big 5-0. We're having a good time, and Ben is feeling much better. He is sleeping through the night and laughing again, so we know he's on the mend.

Sick boy

We just returned from the doctor's office. Ben gets a 10-day dose of antibiotics to ward off any chances of pneumonia. He's sleeping now. I'll stay home with him for a couple days, so he won't get any other kid sick--or himself sicker.

I took this picture on Mother's day. Ben gave Jules a card and helped me fix dinner. But then he ran a low-grade temperature, so he was pretty useless for the rest of the night.

Thinking Ben

I'd like to say Ben is deep in thought, but chances are he's watching TV.

some firsts

Ben is now on solid foods. He likes rice cereal, squash, and sweet potatoes. I made the sweet taters myself. My plan is to make all his food--avocadoes and pears are next. His new sound is "bah," which he repeats constantly. And, he can sorta hold his balance when we sit him up in the boppy. The picture shows the beginning of his "bah" sound and his balance. His poops are almost epic with the introduction of new foods. Jules is still working up the strength to approach such bodily wonders. We're off to a party tonight . . . Ben has his first non-family babysitter . . . and the Springfield horse came in third--Go Steppenwolfer. Not a bad day.

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.