Ben-jammin

Ben loves music. It was a few months back that he started rocking back and forth whenever he'd hear a song. He's still at it and it's fun to watch him get into it even more. Sometimes he'll listen for a moment before he starts dancing and I'm pretty sure it's because he's trying to find the beat.

For Christmas our friend Debby sent us a little gangsta penguin that plays a Jingle Bells rap. Ben's been infatuated with it lately and it's so fun to watch him jam along with the bird.

Beautiful Day

We live in such a beautiful part of the world. One gorgeous day in Cordova makes up for a week of miserable weather. I wish I had a better camera that did the scenery here justice. I took the boys for a very long walk along Orca Road this afternoon to soak up the sun.

The boys slept most of the way, so I enjoyed the quiet and took in the scenery and wildlife. It's still been cold, but things are finally starting to thaw out and melt. It probably sounds funny but it's been awhile since I've smelled anything but cold. Today I could smell the pine trees and dirt again. Ahh..

I've never seen this kind of duck before so I looked it up in one of my Dad's bird books - Guide to the Birds of Alaska, by Robert H. Armstrong. I found out that it's a Red-breasted Merganser.

I stopped near the ferry dock where the otters like to hang out, so the boys could check them out. They're so darn cute and we had fun watching them. The boys cried when we left.

I'm sure the beautiful weather won't last...it never seems to, but I'd love another nice day this week and another walk like today's.

Happy Birthday shout outs to Michael & Honey! Healthy & happy returns! Love you!

...and he's off!

It's official. Zach is walking on his own now. He's been cruising around the house for awhile now and something finally clicked in his head today. As the day has progressed he's been walking more and more and is steadily walking further each time. It's so fun to watch him!

We miss you!

Darius recently took a position with Alaska Airlines. He'll be working as a Ramp Service Agent at the airport here in Cordova. We're excited for his new position, but we've missed him this past week while he's been training in Anchorage. Lucky for us he was able to fly home for the weekend before heading back today for another week.

Enjoying a few more minutes with the boys before leaving.

Darius asks me sometimes why I love him. For starters he makes me laugh. It drives me absolutely nuts when he pushes my buttons to get a rise out of me, but in the end I know he does it to get me to lighten up and to not take life so seriously. He never lets me stay mad at him for very long, and will corner me until we make up and I give him a hug and kiss.

I'm sure I'm not the only woman to feel less than beautiful after having babies. Darius is nothing short of wonderful when he tells me that he still thinks I'm beautiful and that he loves me just the way I am. I know he doesn't just say it to make me feel better. He truly means it.

I love that although Darius is an only child, and has always been very content to be one, he has embraced marrying into my very large family! I can't see how it would be easy to all of a sudden have brothers, sisters, nieces, nephews and an extra set of parents, when for the longest time it was just him. There's so many different personalities in my family and it's so wonderful to see how well he gets along with everyone.

And most of all, I love that he loves being a dad. He takes every opportunity to tell his boys that he loves them. I can already see him in a boat with Ben & Zach teaching them how to fish, or on a golf course showing them how to hold a club.

Ben's after his allowance before Daddy leaves.

When Darius came in the door Friday night after being gone all week, the smiles on the faces of Ben & Zach were priceless. I don't know if they can understand yet what it feels like to miss someone, but I know they love their Daddy! I'll miss Darius a little extra for all of us, and I'll look forward to seeing those smiles again on Friday and having him home.

Watching the Nascar race with Zach.

Caution!

If you don't like the sound of nails on chalkboard I'd advise against playing this video. But if you'd like to share in some of the "fun" noises I get to listen to...then please, by all means proceed!

Tip: Scroll down to the bottom of the page first and mute or pause the background music before playing the movie clips (I wouldn't want you to miss the full effect)!

Ben did this teeth grinding thing after his teeth came in too. I thought maybe I'd luck up and Zach would skip it...no such luck!

Go ahead and have another helping!