Ben's Baptism

Last weekend, Kristina and I had Benjamin baptized. We organized a late afternoon ceremony and reception at the school where Kristina teaches. Friends from LA joined our family from afar and the turnout truly humbled us. Our siblings--the same people we used to give wet willies and knuckle tacos to--honored us by being Benjamin's Godparents. The location was beautiful and Kristina did a wonderful job with the ceremony. A personal highlight had to be when everyone came forward and tied a ribbon of prayer to Benjamin's cross. The reception afterward was so special. I was so busy talking to friends and family that I hardly had a moment to eat.

I've included a link to the pictures of the evening. Feel free to look through all the pictures and marvel at what a beautiful child we've got on our hands. Through the website you can order prints sent to your house for a very reasonable price. You can also download them to your computer and email them to your entire contact list. You can find the pictures here.

I've included a few of our favorite pictures to enjoy now.

3 Months

In the last month, Ben has really grown! He continues to fill out--I didn't think that was possible--and get longer and longer. While he has physically changed quite a lot, his mental changes have been even more amazing. He can laugh and smile at our silliness. He can reach for things. He can even articulate noises. He mimics me and I mimic him and we can talk and talk all day. Here's a summary of today's conversation about the neighbors:

"zzzzzppptgaaah." Ben stated.

"zzzzzpppptgaaAH!" I exclaimed.

"WWWaaaaaHHHHH!" Ben wondered with his fist firmly in his mouth.

"glaaagleeeglobglob." I agreed.

This week Ben even started school. He goes to see Miss Beverly three times a week and seems to love the company. He talks all day and smiles with her also. Miss Beverly, however, doesn't believe that Ben is only three months old. She thinks he is too big to be just 13 weeks old. I keep telling him that it's all that old European blood and he should be proud. Here's a picture of him all dressed up and ready to go to his first day of school.

In the three months Ben's been to three weddings. He was so bored by the most recent one that he actually fell asleep. He's got another one in two weeks and requested a seersucker suit. We'll see. This weekend Ben was baptized. It was a beautiful evening with friends and family and we'll post those pictures as soon as we can. He really loved the cards he got in the mail from his great-grandma in Nebraska and great-aunt in Seattle.

Anyway, enjoy the video. It's just some silliness we recorded during the crazy heat wave and all we did was enjoy the air conditioning. Thanks for all your support and love. More next month!