Two Birthday Parties & an Easter Egg Hunt

We had a busy weekend. On Saturday Ben went to two 1st birthday parties for his friends Sophie and Scarlett. Then on Sunday we had an easter egg hunt in our neighborhood. His social calendar is definitely more full than his mom and dad's.

Since this was such a big day for Sophie & Scarlett, Ben decided he wanted to get all dressed up for the parties.

Here he is at Sophie's party. Unfortunately my camera batteries stopped working and I didn't get a picture of the birthday girl!

Ben & Princess Scarlett

Ben was obsessed with the balloons at the parties. He walked around and gathered every single balloon within reach and refused to let go of them. This proved to be a problem at Sophie's party since she is slightly scared of balloons and Ben frightened her every time he got near her.

Elise & Ben arriving at the big Easter egg hunt in style. You can't see them, but the paparazzi were everywhere. To keep with the trend in Hollywood, they used environmentally-friendly transportation.

Mom made him pose in front of the pansies.

He managed to find a few eggs during the hunt.

Dad helped him find some eggs that were hiding under the shrubs.

Here they are taking inventory of their Easter baskets.

Spring Break '08

Ben and I went to Ft. Thomas, KY for a week. I think we went the wrong direction for spring break since it snowed 12" while we were there! We did all sorts of things like go to the zoo and the aquarium, and Ben got a new hair cut (as you can see from the first picture, he really needed one!)

My Grandmother says that all top models should have an "edgy" look. I was afraid I'd lose this edgy look once I got my haircut, but...

I still have it!

Grandmother Babbie asked me to help her with some work while I was there.

One day it was nice and we went to the Cincinnati Zoo.

How amazing to see the elephants in their natural habitat with large concrete buildings and all. It sure was nice to be outdoors before the blizzard of '08 came...


I'm not quite sure if I'm enjoying this.

My Dad came up and joined us and we went to the aquarium. It wasn't crowded at all because we were some of the only people out and about during the snow storm.

Aunt Anne also came for a visit from Chicago!

What an exhausting spring break! Mom told me spring break vacations can be exhausting, but I had no idea! I asked her if next year I could go to Panama City Beach with Elise Mae.

My New Friend Jackson

This past weekend we visited Amy, Zan & Jackson in Atlanta. Ben met Jackson for the first time because he just moved from San Francisco. They both agreed they felt like old friends, though, since their mommies talk so much on the phone.

Presidents' Day

Ben likes Presidents' Day...his dad came home early from work and we went to the park with Jeanine and Elise. Instead of taking the strollers we decided to take them in Ben's wagon. They both thought that was pretty cool and took turns throwing things out of the wagon during our walk.

Happy Valentine's Day

Happy Valentine's Day to everyone who may be reading this! Ben sends his love.

Scarlett and I went on a date at a dessert bar. Actually, our entire play group was there, but we were able to get in some quality time together.

Mom, when are you going to turn my carseat around???

Dad asked me to help work on the tax return this year. It's a tough job for a one-year-old, but these glasses help me crunch all those numbers.

Walking

Ben decided things were getting a little too easy for his mother, so he thought he'd start walking. Here's a video of him practicing this new skill. He's still wobbly and can't get too far too fast, but I'm' sure it's only a matter of time before he'll be everywhere. It's fun to watch him figure it out. b.b., however, is quite distressed by this new development.

In other news, Ben went to the doctor last week for his 12 month check-up and all is well. He's 23 pounds, 15 ounces (35th percentile) and 32 1/2" long (97th percentile).

More birthday pictures

Here are a few more pictures from Ben's first birthday extravaganza weekend.

These cards that play music are pretty neat!

My friends Jae & Karman came to my party and brought me a fun toy.

I also got some monster slippers from Barry & Steven. Perfect for walking on hardwood floors...and scaring Elise Mae.

I LOVE this xylophone that Pops & Brenda got me.

Here I am playing with a shoelace and some stacking blocks that Elise Mae got me (she got me the blocks...the shoelace belongs to mom). b.b. is enjoying taking a nap in a box. She made it quite clear she didn't want to be bothered while she was resting so I kept my distance.

One Year Old!!

I can't believe it's been a year since Ben was born! Here's one of his very first pictures:

And here's picture 1,345,687: More pics from my first few days:
In this one I'm dreaming about wearing a silly crown on my first birthday.

My dream came true!


For my birthday I went to visit Dad at work. I really enjoyed looking at his computer screens and playing with his headset. I also loved the group of ladies who gathered around to visit me.

That's all for now. Don't worry, by the end of the weekend there will be several pictures posted of me eating cake and doing other birthday-related things.

My First Hair Cut

Mom & Dad decided it was time for me to get my first hair cut. I was starting to look a little shaggy. Here I am at the salon:

I'm not so sure about this

Well, this sucker is helping make the experience a little more enjoyable.

Almost finished...

"I'm just a boy with a new haircut. And that's a pretty nice haircut."