Sunrise

While driving to work in the morning, I find myself looking in the rear view mirror to watch Benjamin glance and stare out the windows. While in a straight stretch of highway heading into town, there is a perfect view of the orange horizon over the green fields as the sun rises to let everyone know it is time to start a new day.

I was amazed to see my son gaze at the sun rising over the blue skies. Heck, he may have noticed it yesterday or the day before, but I just happen to notice his reaction for the first time today. Kind of like this is the first day of the rest of his life. (sounds cheesy I know)

It is pretty amazing seeing something for the first time. A sunrise is beautiful no matter how many times you see it. The look Benjamin had as he studied ever ray or cloud was priceless, contemplating what exactly he was looking at. Of course he doesn't ask why or where it came from but just admires the pure beauty of the sky. As an adult we have that automatic reflex to always trying to break things apart, and understand rather than just enjoy it for what it is.

Over the last year, Ben became more aware of everything around him one day after another. When he sees something interesting, such as a neighbor walking by the house or car driving by, and either Jake or I are in close grasp, he looks at us smiles and says his infamous "ehhh?!" To me this means, "did you see that Mom and Dad? Pretty cool huh?!" He doesn't know that we have seen it a million times. But each time, I see this response, I know he is learning and absorbing absolutely everything around him. He doesn't want to miss a thing, so that is why he is constantly on the move.

So the lesson I learned from my son today is to look at everything like you would as if it were the first time or first chance. And in this sense treat every day, as if it really was your first day of life.

July 2008 Pics

Ben is not quite sure what to think.



Dad and I going for my first four wheeler ride!




Doing our silly faces for the camera!

Mom, Ben, and the new addition!

Lots of New stuff!

Anyone that has purchased a "new" car, cannot deny that they enjoy getting in the front seat to drive the puppy. We bought an 08 Saturn Astra. It's a sporty little station wagon, and I couldn't be any happier with our purchase. It gets great gas mileage, and lucky enough we got a deal we couldn't pass by on. So low and behold, Mama is enjoying the new wheels. As Benjamin is also, with tinted windows and an awesome huge sunroof he can look out and enjoy. The night driving will be neat cuz he can look out at the stars. Jake is ecstatic he is driving the accord now, for the fact it has four doors, and it was quite the pain in the butt to get Ben in and out of his carseat in the two door civic.

Any how besides that. Ben has also learned quite a bit of new stuff. He says Mom and Mama much more often. Though, he is still saying dududududuh-daddadadah the majority. He also has said Tay-tay, for his Cousin Taylor who goes to daycare with him. I think he says "dog" also for Mugsy. He points at everything, and is alwasy acting so intrigued.

The most exciting things he's picked up on recently is the sign language he has been using for words. He signs "please", "more", and "all done." "Please" is by far the cutest thing ever. I believe it involves taking one hand and rubbing his chest, but he takes both hands and practically crosses them on his chest and rubbs. We are working on "milk," but he definitly knows what it means when I say it. He runs into the kitchen toward the fridge. He also knows when I say, "you want to eat?" cuz he runs toward the high chair.
It is really amazing to watch him understand and learn so much so quickly. He has become a sponge and catches on to so much.

Benjamin is still a big ham. When he does something or wants to be noticed while he is working/walking on something, or doing something new, he throws his shoulders back and in the air and kind of shrugs, like, "No bd, ya, I know I am cool." I have to laugh because I really don't know where he learned it.

We have found that Ben is much more likely to go to a male verses a female when Mama is around. He is quite a Mama's boy for the most part. If I am there, he is in my arms or following me from behind. But in church Sunday, he just kept going back and forth from me to Papa. I am pretty sure Papa K thought he was pretty cool, and he even walked up for his blessing at communion with him.

We went to a couple birthday parties on Saturday. Sydney Muenks turned 1, and Logan Kliethermes turned 2. Great fun with friends and of course, great food! Then we hung out with Grandma and Papa K on Sunday. Very busy weekend, but we had lots of fun.

So, on Wednesday Jake and I head to Six Flags. I haven't been there since I was a teenager, so I am thinking large quantities of Ibuprofen and lots of water are going to be a must. We look forward to our amusement park date while Ben will be hanging out at daycare!

MOM

So, I am not really sure how my Mom stayed sane over the last 33 years. She married my Dad one, and then topped it off with Ten kids. :) We certainly put her through some trials, and after becoming a mother myself, it has only made me appreciate her that much more.

So, the older three above me weren't that far apart from each other. Jessica and Anna were born 11 months apart, and then 12 months later came Jason. Three under the age of three, God Bless her! Then, almost two years later I came along. Mom was 25 years old with four kids five and under. It continues to get better. Tommy, a year and 1/2 later, Terressa a year after that, Johnny a year after that. Tasha came two years after him, Katie came as a big surprise five years after Tash and then the biggest surprise of them all, Charlie six years after Katie. Mom was forty-four, Dad was fourty-seven. I remember Mom's pregnancy with him the best, as I was a senior in highschool. That's right almost 24 years difference between Jessica and Charlie.

Growing up in Frankenstein, we had a four-bedroom house, 2 bathrooms, kitchen, and a living room. And of course, Dad's favorite room in the house, was his weightlifting room/Mom's laundrey room. Pretty sure Mom spent more time in there than he did. Mom of course stayed at home most of our early childhood. She waited tables on the weekends at a little place called Krautman's Corner in Bonnots Mill, Missouri. Dad was lucky enough to stay home and keep us occupied!

During the school year, Dad being the principal, was always the first one who had to be at the school to open the doors, so he often left at 6:30 or earlier. The bus came to pick us up just a few minutes after 7am, every morning. The reason I give the times, is the fact that my Mom got up every morning to make the six that were in grade school and one that was in kindergarten breakfast. So, seven in school and Tasha(Boogs was her nickname) was the baby.

Breakfast-The most important meal of the day! Breakfast wasn't cereal either. We hardly ever had cereal and milk. It consisted of hot cocoa or juice, and any of the following... oatmeal, cream of wheat, malt-o-meal, scrambled eggs(sometimes with ham), "Mom's famous soggy toast", peanutbutter toast, and/or cinnamon toast. My point is my Mom made us breakfast every morning....no matter what! To some that may not seem like a big deal, but what time do you think Mom was up in the morning to get this meal ready for 7 kids and Dad, and still get us out the door to catch the bus a little after seven every morning.

And to seriously think I have a hard time getting out the door in the morning, just getting Ben and I ready. This one feat my Mom did for us, I try to re-iterate in our family during the work week, at least for Ben. I am not as good as getting up to prepare a meal for Jake considering he is usually out the door by 5am. But, I try to give Ben some type of breakfast every morning before we head out the door at 6:45 every morning. If my Mom can do it, so can I right! Jake gives me a hard time, because that actually results in Ben getting two breakfast every morning. One at home and one at daycare. Hey, he is a growing boy!

So that was one thing my Mom always did. The other thing Mom did was, well, take care of us. We had chores, but who do really think made everything go around or at least somewhat smoothely in that household. My Dad has always been a big kid at heart too, so you can only imagine.

If I had to say one thing about my Mom it would probably be that in my eyes she is a "saint." She is one of the strongest woman I have ever met. If she taught me anything, it was "Everything always works out," "It could always be worse." and "Pray about it and ask God."
Honestly, none of these really hit me until I was in my early 20's. I was always thinking Mom was hard on us and didn't understand. As I have grown as a person and become an adult, I realized this advice is probably some of the best to live by.

Some of the best memories of Mom are dancing to the Charleston at home, hanging sixteen loads of laundrey like it was no bd outside on the clothesline in 100 degree weather, and dancing with Dad in the living room. And she still has the best laugh, when you tell her something and she thinks it is funny or great, she has a laugh that tells you that she loves you. In that laugh you can tell, she thinks you are onry as heck, but there isn't one reason in the world she would take back having you as her child. I know that every single one of my brothers and sisters love nothing more than to get a laugh out of Mom. I can honestly say, if I get the good hearted laugh out of my mom it has made my day. I can actually sit by myself after the fact, think about it, and it would still make me smile.
Honestly, I think Jake is the same way. He loves to get my Mom to laugh, and catch her off guard. I think he understands the charisma of her laugh after being around our family the last few years.

So, Mom is pretty cool. We used to butt heads pretty hard, but Dad always said that was because we were so much alike. And I agree. Still to this day, I know that one of my life goals is to be as good a mother to Benjamin as Mom was to us. I know I will have to work every day at it to reach this goal.