Merry Christmas

This was almost our Christmas picture this year, it's peaceful state belies the level of activity generally associated with the two children whose names are on the chairs. Our house most days could be described as a crazy jumbled mess of children running around in circles, launching themselves off couches, chairs, beds, wrestling, and generally not sitting still while laughing or screaming at the top of their lungs! Typically we love it, just as long as it doesn't develop into all out sibling brawls or trips to the emergency room. Our year has been full, we started out celebrating Linnea's 3rd birthday, quickly followed by a stay in the hospital for Benjamin as he battled RSV. The kid's enjoyed sledding down our frozen driveway and scraping together a meager snowman during our small glimpses of winter weather. Benjamin took his time learning how to walk and then never stopped going! Our spring was filled with projects around the house and visiting Ben at athletic events. Summer brought our annual trip to Vermont and an addition to our house. Steph's dad came up and lent us his expertise and many man hours to help convert one of our unfinished spaces upstairs into a new room. We has quite a few guys working on the room at any given time as we were blessed to have Ben's dad and one of his longtime friends Alan come to help us as well. Benjamin loved having all the men around and would have gladly stayed underfoot with them all the time! September brought the news that we would have yet another addition to our household, a new baby come May. Linnea had been praying for months for a new baby and it looks like it paid off :-) This fall has been a blur of grad school, football, taking care of children, and a sick wife for Ben. It has been hectic, yet we feel blessed in how the Lord provided just the right provision in His perfect timing! Steph is out of her first trimester "fog" feeling much better and trying to do too much. Benjamin decided that November would be a good month to finally really start talking, it is amazing all the words he had stored up just waiting to come out just in time to turn 2! Linnea is such a sweet little girl, who is growing up way too fast and we aren't sure we are ready for her to turn 4! Her enthusiasm for the holidays has been so exciting to see and it has been fun anticipating Christmas with her and seeing her get her brother involved in all of the excitement. We are truly blessed and thankful this year. Maybe next year we will actually get back into posting regularly.

Two kids sitting still, smiling, no tongues sticking out

impossible!

Benjamin knows how to give a disgusted look

and really didn't want to sit still

at all :-)

VBS

As you can see the slip and slide was a huge hit. Linnea went down 100 times at least and Benjamin couldn't get enough either, though daddy had to assist him down.

This was Linnea's favorite way to ride.

Lizard

Ben rescued this lizard from Katie the cat and decided to let Benjamin hold it and what did he do...
throw it in the pool over and over again until we rescued it from its second round of torture!

A Fun Saturday

Nana and Granpa came to play with the kids, the day before Father's Day. Linnea had so much fun with the playdo set that they brought.
Great grammie and grandpa came for dinner and Benjamin had fun making the rounds.

Tickle session with great grandpa.

It is next to impossible to get pictures with everyone looking at the camera and smiling!

Daddy's Shirt

Benjamin dressed himself in his daddy's shirt all by himself.
He also thought it was a chew toy!

A Visit With the Greats

While Liam was in town we took the kids over to visit their great grandparents.

The definite highlight was singing with great grandpa.

The B-I-B-L-E was sung over and over again and they all had fun playing with their grandpa.

Liam Comes to Visit

Our first weekend in June the Baierls came to visit and well we didn't even pull out the camera save for Linnea wanting to try to take pictures. The kids has so much fun, Linnea just loved having big kids to play with. The next weekend Linnea looked forward to was when her cousin Liam was coming to stay. We has Liam during the day and then he went to grammie's at night to sleep. Oh the fun the three kids had. Linnea enjoyed bossing him around and Benjamin liked to fall him around like a little shadow!

There was much playing in the pool. Liam was a daredevil and would bounce off the side of the pool and dive in!

And yes we had a little fun with him, his grammie dressed him up and we took pictures!

The Power of Krispy Kreme

Ben's proud and Benjamin is an official Krispy Kreme addict. He pulled the box off the table and helped himself to another doughnut. It seemed like it took forever for Linnea to get tall enough to reach on top of the table and counters, but Benjamin is already tall enough and enjoys helping himself to whatever he can find! We decided to celebrate with Krispy Kremes to kick off our summer, we were in need of a treat after Steph had her wisdom teeth pulled and Benjamin had double ear infections all on the same day!

Slacker

Benjamin's not the only one sleeping around here, we figured after almost 6 months of sleeping on the job we'd post some more. Life just has a way of getting in the way sometimes and we figured that our kids were a better priority than spending time posting tons of pics of them. All the pics are ready and waiting to be posted... all 5 months worth! We survived another school year and weathered the typical sicknesses and challenges of having little ones. Benjamin was too tired one day to make it all the way to bed for his nap so he decided to pass out in the recliner. He's had a rough few weeks of it lower respiratory junk, wheezing, double ear infections, high fevers, but he is finally over it all and partying!!! Daddy is out of school for the summer and we are enjoying getting to see him more!

Hanging Out in a Tree

While we were visiting in Bassett with Ben's grandparents, Linnea and Benjamin enjoyed climbing in one of their trees.

Benjamin wasn't quite sure what to think of the tree.

Daddy enjoyed it too! (photo courtesy of Linnea)

Linnea could have spent all day in the tree!

Visiting With the Great Grandparents

Benjamin and his great grandpa Hammack.



Ben, Benjamin, and great grandma took a ride around the block in the neighbors semi. Linnea absolutely refused to have anything to do with the big truck and wailed when they took drove off!

Benjamin enjoyed sitting in the big truck, he absolutely loves trucks!

We went to a park to play and Benjamin had fun climbing up the slide.

Linnea loved the climbing wall and was constantly climbing up it to then zoom down one of the slides!

Ben and his grandfather on the seesaw.

Linnea the Photographer

Linnea started begging to take pictures over the past couple of weeks and we finally let her take a few while we were at the Breedings.

Her grandpa.

Benjamin wondering just what his sister is up to.


Her great uncle Jon, out of all the pictures she took the only one's where she didn't cut off someone's head etc...were of him!

Hammack Family Reunion

Over Memorial Day weekend we gathered at Ben's aunt and uncle's house outside of Charlottesville, VA for a reunion of his mom's side of the family. We loved getting the chance to spend time with everyone, it had been four years since the last time most of us were together and four little great grandkids were in attendance this time that weren't around before! Benjamin playing the piano with his great uncle Jon.

The kids enjoyed sitting and listening to Jon play.

Linnea with her grandma and cousin Lily. The girls had lots of fun playing together. Linnea only has one little girl friend around her age that she gets to play with regularly so it was a treat to have Lily to play with all weekend.

Benjamin, his favorite bunny, and his uncle David.

Benjamin was so tired before lunch that he passed out just sitting in his daddy's lap.

The end of a very fun time swinging.

Linnea really enjoyed having her aunt Abby push her.