I love Michigan...

...because two of my very best friends live there and I got to see them both this weekend! Mike, Ben and I traveled to Grand Rapids this weekend to visit Mark, Heidi and Ava and got a special bonus by getting to see April for a bit too! We had a blast and LOVED hanging out with our friends! They live on a river and the guys had fun fishing all weekend...they caught a TON of fish and Mike was loving it. It was so fun to see Ava in person again. She is quite possibly one of the cutest little baby girls I know. She talks non-stop and it's adorable.... "Hi"... "Bye".... "Mommy".... "Dada"..."Puppy".... etc... and she learned "Bubba" this weekend because that's what I kept calling Ben. It was cute to hear her repeat what I said. I miss her already! Ben LOVED her toys...even though 99% of them were pink. :) It is so nice to spend time with good friends and to just relax and eat good food and laugh...a lot. We love you guys...thank you for letting us come visit!

April, Heidi and me

Isn't she SO cute?! I love this outfit on her. She really liked Ben's cup and we'd find her walking around with it chugging away. Ben didn't mind. :)

Ok, I know this collage is ridiculous, but I couldn't narrow down which ones to post! You'll obviously have to double-click on it to make it bigger so you can actually see our faces..sorry!

Camping at Mohican!

We spent the past two nights camping in the Mohican State Park (about an hour and a half south of where we live) with five other families from church. It was lots of fun, even with all the rain! A little muddy, but we survived. I am amazed at how much stuff it requires to go camping for two nights. The back of our vehicle was pretty full....tent, three sleeping backs, sleeping pads, cooler, fishing poles, hiking shoes, extra clothes, stuff for cooking over the fire, lawn chairs, etc!! It looked like we were going out of town for a week or more. This was Ben's first camping experience and he LOVED every minute of it. He slept great in his sleeping bag and even took a good nap in the tent yesterday afternoon. We went hiking, fishing, and rafting...along with all the other fun camp stuff like...eating s'mores and roasting hot dogs, of course!

Here's all the kiddos...minus Donnie and Nate (they were napping). Ben would barely stand still, let alone smile. Oh well...pretty typical. :)

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And all the big kids (minus the Hurrle's...Don was napping with Donnie and Nate and Monique took the picture.)

Here's the Hurrle's on our rafting trip....thought they needed a little blog press since they missed out on the previous picture. :)

That's us....Ben loved the rafting trip!

Ben and Mommy in the river.

Ben and Daddy fishing....they didn't catch anything...bummer!

Of course, you know me, I took a TON more pictures than what's shown here. So, for my pals on the trip who'd like to see the rest...just click here.

The GREAT grandparents!

Not only is Ben blessed to have two sets of wonderful grandparents, but also LOTS and LOTS of great grandparents too! Mike's grandparents all live just a short drive away from us here in Ohio and my grandparents live in Illinois and Missouri (wish we could see them more often!). Since Ben was three months old Mike's grandparents have driven to our house (each taking a different day of the week) to watch Ben for us while Mike and I are at work. We are SO lucky to have them. Not only do they love him unconditionally, but they play with him, teach him things, and do lots of really nice stuff for us too (like fold laundry, iron clothes, make meals, etc). I know...we are very BLESSED! We thought it might be hard for Ben to decipher between each of the sets of grandparents, at first, but he amazed us from the start when he could remember each of their names! We love you each and are so glad to have each of you in our lives! :)

Ben and Granny (Mike's mom's mom)

Mamaw and Papaw (Mike's dad's parents)

Angy and Pappy (Granny's twin sister and her husband). They have been like grandparents to Mike his whole life and now they are great grandparents to Ben!

Ben (at 1.5 months) and Grams (My dad's mom)

Great Grandma and Grandpa (My mom's parents). Somebody had to stick with the traditional grandparent names! :)

Blue Tip Parade!

This week is the Blue Tip Festival in our town and tonight a parade kicked off the week's activities. To quote the town website..."The Blue Tip Festival takes its name from the historic strike-anywhere blue tip matches which were once manufactured in Wadsworth, Ohio." A giant blue tip match will be lit downtown and stay lit all week! Ooooohhhhhh....so cool! :) Anyway, back to the parade, it's mostly a parade of firetrucks, ambulances, and big pickup trucks with advertising on the side. I saw maybe two real floats. There were lots of people throwing candy and lots of weirdos dressed up in chicken suits, dog suits or alien costumes. Ben was into it though, so that's all that mattered. I didn't get the greatest pictures, but here are a few.

This picture accentuates his lips...which most people comment look like mine. This was the very first feature people commented on when he was born. He has his mother's lips...kinda funny.

He was mostly excited about seeing all of the firetrucks and ambulances. I love how he was waving his hands to get their attention.

Of course they all blow their horns and sirens throughout the parade and I have never heard anything so loud in my life. He covered his own ears at first, but then was asking me to cover them for him. :)

Here is one of the many chicken costumes we saw. I don't get the appeal or why it would make me want to shop at whatever the place is that they are advertising on the side of the truck. Ben, however, really dug it.

I just thought he looked cute getting all excited showing me something he saw coming (I'm pretty sure it was a person dressed as a dog.)

Ben and Kailin (KK, as he calls her)...too bad he wouldn't look at me.

Keeping it real (Man, I sound like Dr. Phil or something?!)

So, 99% of what I read on other blogs and what I post on my own blog, is nice, happy, funny, family stuff (because seriously, who wants to read about all the other "not so happy" stuff that happens during our day-to-day lives!). I feel SO blessed to live the life that I live and I thank God for the blessings He has given me...too many to count, I know! But to set the record straight....I think sometimes it appears that we have it all together or that life in the Moser house is always just peachy keen.

Like I said, life really is good, but I never want to be perceived as someone who's fake. So, in the spirit of "keeping it real"...I will just say, there have been plenty of times over our almost six years of marriage that we've.....fought (over things BIG and small), gotten on each other's nerves, raised our voices at one another or at Ben (like yelling!), said things we didn't mean, didn't seek God's will for a decision we made, made the other feel like they weren't important, had our priorities out of whack, etc, etc, etc. I think even that list sounds too nice. Without sharing every detail of every sinful thing that we've done, I've just been feeling like the blog world has a tendency to make our lives look "perfect" and well, that's just not the case.

While we are a family that desires to seek God and follow His plan for us, we are still only human and we, by no means, have it all together, all of the time (it's funny that I'm even typing this...because it's so far from reality!). I've just been feeling like I wanted to say that to all of you out there who read this blog and maybe thought otherwise! I know those of you who know me closely know this about us already. I know I have, in the past, gotten caught up in comparing our family to others families and I can start feeling like we don't measure up for this reason or that. I know this is wrong, but I think the blog world makes it easy to do this and think..."well, my kid doesn't do that yet" or "my family has never had that experience, so we must not be doing things right"...etc.

Anyway, without rambling on too much longer, I've been feeling the need to say some of this and hope maybe someone else out there can relate! Sorry for the heavy and probably pretty boring post! I promise to post something happy and fun soon! :)

Happy Father's Day, Daddy!

I knew, even before we were married, that Mike would be a good dad some day. He had a great example in his dad and he was always anxious, from the start, to have kids. When Ben arrived in May of 2005 he proved me right. He is such a good daddy. He is hands on and loves his buddy almost as much as I do (ha ha! ok, ok...he loves him just as much as I do!). He has never shied away from the dirty work either...changing diapers, giving baths, brushing teeth, making meals, etc. I have always appreciated that about him. If I ever need help, he helps. On top of all of that he's lots of FUN too. He has spent countless hours with Ben... zooming cars, playing in the tent, snuggling, reading books, and chasing! When it's bed time Ben ALWAYS wants Dad because, well, he's no dummy, Daddy let's him get in our bed so that they can snuggle together and watch Dirty Jobs on the Discovery Channel (that's such a boy thing to do, isn't it?!). There is no doubt that Ben adores his daddy! I love him a lot too and feel blessed to have him alongside me raising Ben. I hope and pray Ben will grow to be a Godly man, just like his Dad!

We love you, Daddy! Happy Father's Day!

I had to add the picture below, in addition to the collage, because I just think it's so sweet of the two of them. This was taken on vacation in Colorado last summer.

To our dads...

Just like I did for our moms on Mother's Day, I wanted to pay a little tribute to our dads on Father's Day. We are so blessed to have two great dads! Ben loves his Pops (my dad) and his Papa (Mike's dad) a whole lot. There are unique things about both of them that make us smile.

My dad is just plain funny. Whenever we are around him he makes us laugh with something goofy he says or does. I've always known how much he loved me because he's really good at showing it...usually trying to hug and kiss me...even if I'm not always good at receiving it! There has never been a doubt in my mind that he thinks I'm the best (of course he's not biased or anything...ha ha!). It always makes me feel good though. Ben loves when Pops calls him "Benji" and makes silly faces at him or tickles him. He loves going to Pops house to swim in the pool and go on walks around the neighborhood.

My father-in-law watches Ben every Friday, so they have formed a special relationship. Papa has many nicknames for Ben too, like "Pumpkin Head" and "Dudey" (not sure of the spelling on that one?!). Ben loves playing with Papa because he is ALWAYS willing to do what he asks (or demands in some cases)...even if it involves climbing inside the Thomas ball pit or running around the basement hunched over for 45 minutes pushing the popcorn toy chasing him! I'm convinced he's still a kid in a man's body. :) He is a great father-in-law and has made me feel loved from the very beginning of my relationship with Mike. I know Mike loves and respects him a whole lot.

So, to our dads, thank you SO much for all that you do for us. You are both pretty special and we love you lots. We appreciate your love and advice over the years. Ben is so lucky to have you both. Happy Father's Day!

We love you, Pops!

We love you, Papa!

Jeremiah 29:11

I've slowly started teaching Ben some Bible verses (John 3:16 was the first) and the most recent one he's learned (for the most part) is Jeremiah 29:11. It is my very favorite verse in the Bible and one that I hope will really mean something to him as he grows up. It is always a comfort to me whenever I don't understand God's timing (or when it doesn't align with mine!) or when I'm experiencing a difficult circumstance in my life. It reminds me that God's plan is SO much better than my own and that, if I'm willing to trust Him, the outcome (and what I'll learn along the way) will be so much better than anything I could have hoped or dreamed of in my own little head (and that's been proven to me time and time again!). I'm sure Ben doesn't understand what this verse will mean in his life just yet, but learning and knowing the words is the first step, right?

"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." Jeremiah 29:11

On another note, my buddy had a fever on and off throughout the day today, but after some Motrin, he was back to being Mr. Smiley. I just love his little smile and can't get enough of it. :)

Good buddies

It is such a blessing for Ben to have his good little buddy, Nate, right next door. As you've probably noticed, I talk about our pals, the Hurrle's (KK, Donnie, and Nate), a lot. They are just good kids and the kind that you actually want your kid to be around because you know they won't hear anything bad (plus we like their parents too!). Ben had a fun couple of hours tonight hanging out with Nate at our house. Ben LOVES to hug people, but it seems he REALLY likes to hug Nate. Half the time he hugs him too hard and knocks him right over. The other half of the time he'll go straight for the neck and squeeze just a little too hard (sorry, Nate!). Oh, and at his b-day party when Nate was getting ready to leave, Ben gave him a big hug and a kiss...right on the lips. I guess we need to work on when that is appropriate. Oh well...at least he's a loving little guy, right? :)

Watching about one minute of The Wiggles video before getting bored and heading back to the deck to splash each other with pool water and pretend they were pirates on top of the slide. :)

One of Ben's hugs...I think Nate might actually have liked this one! :) I decided not to post the one that looked like Ben was putting Nate in some kind of choke hold.

What do you do on a 90+ degree day?

Play in the sprinkler and pool, of course! Ben had fun playing outside today with all of the neighborhood kids, but mostly Nate and Donnie. It was a scorcher, so Ben was loving a cold blast from the sprinkler or a bucket of cool pool water dumped over his head. :) I always laugh when I see him beside other kids (especially without his shirt on), because I'm reminded of how tiny he is. You can see his ribs in almost every picture. I promise we feed him. I did add in a photo of him taking a bite of his mac and cheese today (thanks, Monique!), because it's a rare sight when he actually takes enough interest in his meal to take the initiative to put it in his mouth (pathetic, I know!). Oh...and the last shot just made me laugh. He had eaten a blue popsicle that stained his hands, belly and face. His face is still blue and that was 10 hours ago. :) I love summer!

It's been awhile since I posted a video, so I thought I would share a short one that highlights the fun Ben had outside today (for some reason the quality of the video isn't very good though, but you get the idea). Nate and Donnie loved dumping buckets of water from their pool on Ben. He was a really good sport and actually liked the thrill of the chase, I think! :)

Everybody was kung fu fighting...

My kid LOVES movies. Defying his VERY active nature, he will sit still for a whole two hours to watch a good flick. Tonight we took him to his fourth movie in the theatre...Kung Fu Panda. It came out this weekend and we saw that it had good reviews...so, we gave it a whirl. It was SO cute. We all three really liked it. Jack Black is the voice of Po...the panda...and he's really funny. :) Ben laughed out loud and clapped several times. I loved watching his face as he was eating his popcorn and taking it all in! I snagged the picture below on our way out...just thought the difference in size between Po and his new friend, Ben, was pretty funny.

Some more randomness...

Ben lifted up the garden stone we have up by our front porch to find a bunch of rolly polly looking bugs. He spent probably 30 minutes scrunched down like this, checking them out (and stomping on a few).

Benny and Dad relaxing in the big chair watching Tom and Jerry.

Playing a very competitive game of checkers outside Cracker Barrel last night. :)

Ben decided to cover his arms and legs with stickers (and a few on his face). It's a nice look, isn't it?

Happy Birthday, Grammy!

Today is my mom's birthday, so Ben and I worked on this lovely "artwork" for her this morning. Mom, I hope you have a great day and get to do something fun and relaxing. We love you and appreciate all you do for us. Ben is lucky to have a Grammy who loves him so much!

Snuggle bug

My buddy did not want to take a nap today, but was getting really grouchy around dinner time, so I made him take one at 5:30 pm (he was driving me nuts!). He slept until 8:15 pm (he's usually in bed for the night about then). He ate his supper late and then played until about 10:30 pm and now he's back in bed and sound asleep again! Oh well...it was just one of those wacky days! I let him sleep in our bed and I thought he looked so sweet and snuggly nestled in between all the pillows. In fact, I think I'm headed to those pillows right about now....

I take too many pictures...

...and I don't even post one third of them (if you can believe that!). Just a few from last night and today. I just like to look at his cute face...sorry if I'm an obnoxious mom! :)

Welch's ice cream....yum!

Just finished a good cry over who knows what and asked to be snuggled in the chair with a blanket and some toys. :)

Having fun in his pool on the deck this afternoon.

All wrapped up and drying in the sunshine after playing in the COLD water!

Typical Lucy...basking in the sun!