Daddy, Baby, Mommy, Ben

Ben is a little guy who seems to thrive on order and routine (we have NO idea where that came from...). Throughout the day he checks in with Leah on where everyone in the family is and what they are doing. It is always the same order- Daddy, Baby, Mommy, Ben. When Leah answers, "Mommy is with Ben" he smiles the best and biggest smile. Those are the moments that make the daily grind all worth it.

Ben is talking non-stop (we have NO idea where that came from either...). Currently, he is in love with playing Thomas the Train. Ben goes around the house saying, "Thomas, Thomas" over and over. There is one little problem, it sounds like he is saying "Dumb A**"! Our babysitter even scolded him and asked him where he learned to say that before she realized that he was just asking to play choo choo.

Clara had her four month check-up this week and for those grandparents and such out there who want to know these things, she weighed in at 13 1/2 pounds and was 24 1/2 inches long. Our poor baby girl had to get three big shots and it made her fussy for the rest of the day. It reminded us of how un-fussy she is normally. Leah loved having an excuse to sit and rock and sing her funny little songs. Mark always looks for any excuse to spoil her rotten. We call him a smitten kitten.

Clara is trying to talk with us, she coos and laughs. She loves to be in the midst of everything and part of the action. Ben was so kicked back when he was her age but this girl is ready to move.

We received a wonderful surprise from David and Judy in Santa Fe. They overnighted a loaf of the best sourdough bread...ever. Ben was wearing his Santa Fe t-shirt that same day with coyotes on the front and we had been practicing our coyote howls all day. That night he was so excited to eat a piece of "Coyote Toast."

Just a collection of ordinary moments that make for a pretty wonderful life.