New Year, New 'Do

Happy New Hair Everybody!!

Bowing to political pressure brought on by the Special Interests (i.e. my parents), I finally gave in and had my locks shorn. Man, what a loss!! It took me most of my 14 months to get my mane just the way I liked it. Not that I like to brag, but my former 'do was breathtaking, even majestic. I didn't even need gel. If I could grow facial hair, I would have added a beard (projections are that I won't be able to do this for 20+ years. Daddy sported a mustache for one day over Christmas break. Man was that bad. It was probably the most incompetent mustache in the history of mustaches. I'm not sure if he shaved it off or if his mustache fell out by itself out of sheer embarrassment). Mommy snapped a couple of 'before and after' pictures of me. It's not that I mind my new hair cut, it does have certain advantages. For example, I can now see without obstruction. Before it was like trying to peer out of the edge of a jungle. I just wish I didn't look so much like a college president. No frat will ever admit me now. I guess my folks never heard the story of Sampson. I've noticed that my bench press has dropped off appreciably.

On a more important note, I CAN WALK NOW!! That's right, yours truly has joined the ranks of the mobile upright. I took my first steps the day after Christmas. Grandpa Tony was the inspiring force. He told me that if I would take a couple of steps, I could have Daddy's Jeep. He gave me the keys to prove it. I could walk all along, I was just waiting for the right incentive to make it public.

Everybody have a Great 2008!!

I'm Getting Ready for Next Season

Hello all and Season's Greetings! We're busy decorating the house, playing Christmas music, and enjoying all the fun things to do this time of year. Well, I know in the past I've talked with certainty about my future plans. But, as we all know, desperate times call for desperate measures. So I talked it over with Coach Weis and we decided that I'm going to be helping out on the offensive line come next season. They can use all the help they can get! True, I know I'm a little small but I make up for it in speed. I can do the 40 yard crawl in 45 seconds, but sometimes I get a little distracted and veer off course. Just as soon as I get the hang of this walking business I can move forward with my training routine. I do have to remind Uncle Brian and my cousins, Casey and Matthew, that we did at least beat Duke. You guys should join me in South Bend, the team really needs us! Nolan, we need you to be the brains of the operation. Ask your Mom and Dad, tell them it will be a learning opportunity. Have a great day! And remember, "Go Irish!"

Happy Cake and Trick or Treat!

Hi everyone! Thanks to all of our family and friends who visited us in October, it was great to see you. Benny had a great birthday party, although it took him a minute to decide whether or not he liked the happy cake. I'm pretty sure the adults liked the cake and, as usual, we had enough food to feed an army. Our meat trays would have made Gram proud!

Benny also dressed up for Halloween this year, although we did not go trick-or-treating. We had a hard time coming up with a costume topping last year's chili pepper. Check out our early posts for those pictures. This year he was a dinosaur, or as we called him all day yesterday, Benasaurus Rex. We had a great day and hope your Halloween was nice as well! Take care!

He makes a pretty fearsome Benasaurus Rex, don't let the smile fool you!

At the Park

Hello everyone! We're having beautiful weather in DC, so that means we've had Benny out and about quite a bit. He loves going to the playground, anytime he can sit in the swing or crawl around in the dirt, he is a happy camper. It is truly amazing how dirty he can get in a very short period of time.

He is doing much better this week, getting over a cold and an ear infection. He has a follow-up visit to the doctor tomorrow, so hopefully we'll get the "all clear." Thanks for you thoughts and concerns. Benny says not to worry, he will be raring to go for his birthday party this weekend.

Speaking of raring to go, we think he might be pretty close to walking. We've caught him standing up on his own, not holding on to anything, several times over the past four days. I nearly gasp everytime, then he just sits down and smiles at us! It won't be long before we're posting pictures of him literally running away from the camera.

Enjoy the pictures! I did a 5K with a friend a few weeks ago and Benny came to cheer us on. If you look closely, you can see that the sweatshirt is a U of M one. Go Griz! Check back soon for pictures of Benny's first birthday!

What Happened to Summer?

What happened to Summer? Actually, its still pretty hot in DC, it might as well be summertime. We've been pretty lazy putting up new photos, sorry about that. Just because we haven't put up photos doesn't mean there hasn't been alot going on!

One of the great photo-0ps I wish I could show you was our best-of-intentions-gone-terribly-wrong trip to the beach down in Norfolk. It was pretty funny, Mom & Dad had a good laugh after the fact. Unfortunately, the digital camera was out of commission for that shenanigan. Lets just say, as a baby, I like to put anything and everything into my mouth, including handfuls of sand. Mom wasn't too keen on that idea. Next thing you know, everyone is covered in sand and crying or yelling. That trip to the beach lasted all of 20 minutes, from the moment we pulled up to the moment we drove away. Mom & Dad chalked it up to a "learning experience," whatever that means...

I hung out with Mom a bunch this summer. As a result, I've mastered the phrase, "Mama." I've found its the golden ticket to getting my every heart's desire. Now Dad's class is finally over and I get to see him everyday. We have fun at the park, I especially like the baby swings. Daddy and I also watch football: Dallas Cowboys = Yay!!! Notre Dame = What the heck is going on? The Irish are off to the worst start EVER, but on a bright note, they now have positive rushing yards and two offensive touchdowns for the season. Mom and Dad watch the TV with disbelief saying, "We'll win next week..."

I visited my cousin Mariela twice this month! You can see a picture of her at the top of the page. Apparently she didn't think my joke was very funny. I don't know how I feel about not being the littlest baby in the family anymore, she kind of stole my thunder. But, she is so nice, I think I'll forgive her. :)

So that is the news around here. Everyone keeps asking if I'm walking yet. Nope, I find that I'm pretty speedy crawling, so thats my current means of transportation. I like to keep my folks on their toes though. Who knows when I'll take my first steps? I'm going to keep them guessing! Have a great day!

Summer Vacation!

We've had a very busy summer so far. Hopefully you still recognize Benny, it has been a long time since we've posted any pictures. We spent a couple of weeks in Montana visiting family. Benny spent lots of time learning new tricks from his cousins on the Casey side. His three older cousins taught him how to get around even faster, how to pull up on anything he can get his hands on, and the joy of playing with trucks and balls. He also got his first haircut from Grandma Geri. He looks more like a little boy now, rather than a baby. There is never a dull moment around here, he is definitely keeping us busy! Hope you have a great day!

Benny, aka "Cantiflas"

Some of you may be asking, "Who (or what) is Cantiflas?" He was a very funny Mexican comedian popular in the 1960's. Benny's association with Cantiflas started very early, in the womb in fact. One night, shortly before he was born, I could not sleep. Benny was having some kind of dance party. So, after several hours of tossing and turning and waking up Tommy, I got up and turned on the tv. Lo and behold, an old Cantiflas movie at 3am. We laughed, Benny settled down and finally I got some sleep that night. Since then, we've called him our little "Cantiflas" when he is giggling. Fast forward to now... Benny is becoming more vocal everyday, he says da-da, squeals, screams and giggles. (Much to my dismay, he hasn't said ma-ma yet, despite daily prompts and bribes.) It usually takes a little warming up to get him into full giggle mode, but lately he just spontaneously bursts into laughter. He is learning to pull himself up on things like his crib, the couch, ect. I caught him doing that yesterday and he just looked at me, grinned and laid down laughing. So, who knows what kind of joker he will turn out to be as he gets older.

Its been quite awhile since we've posted anything. One reason (excuse) is that Benny is now officially mobile. We're chasing him around. He is army-crawling like crazy. His first across-the-room trek was in Minnesota in front of Grandma and Grandpa and several aunts and uncles, and on Father's Day. Here are some pictures from the last few weeks. Have a great day!