Family dinner at 11 Mile

Thursday evening, Dad, Barb, Mozie and Potise came over for dinner. It was great to see everyone and it had been too long since we had family up. B was great - no anxiety at all - just smiling and showing off his new skills of sitting up and crawling.

Mozie and Bennett playing the musical chime garden


B played in the pack n' play outside while we socialized and ate appetizers -though, it only took a few minutes for the attention to turn back to B and the grandmas couldn't stay away (not that I blame them!)


I love how sweet Potise is here and Moze has a snuggle-up hold on B


Does this need a caption??

Crawling at last!!!

This video is from Thursday morning - he had been getting on all fours over the last couple of days, moving his hands forward but then getting up on his toes and wiggling his behind...now it's hands and knees baby!! Woo Hoo! He seems so proud when he makes it to a destination (usually the entertainment cabinet to play with the handles). We have now installed the gate at the top of the stairs and placed all the outlet covers. He is trying to pull up on the furniture too, but for now has only made it to his knees.

Crawling Video

I couldn't get the video to load so just click on the link above

Manistee River Camping - Chapter Two

Saturday we again braved camping with an infant....and had great success!! This time we decided to "car camp" instead of hiking (aka mule packing) and walking to the campsite. It was so awesome to drive right up to the site and know that all the "extras" we didn't dare take last time (like how many sheets of TP to take; every ounce counts when it's on your back!) were at our fingertips in the back of the Explorer. We arrived around 3pm and packed up for a short day hike along the Manistee River. We went along a bluff that looked down on our first campsite - too cool! B fell asleep not long after we set out and we just enjoyed the wilderness while talking about dreams and futures trips. I'd say the only hiccough was the temperature at night. B was quite warm and cozy in his pj's, knit blanket and a fleece bag (plus a hat!). But Mike and I had older sleeping bags and the down has seen better days. They were too flattened to retain any real heat and I was cold for the first couple of hours after laying down. Mike was warm until the early morning and then he was chilled until we got up. So, we have decided to buy new bags before our next trip (Sorry Granda Vonda, the Eddie Bauer's have run their course).


The view from our camp. It's hard to tell from the picture but the river is probably a good 60-70ft down.


Isn't it perfect? There were 2 other designated sites in this area but this had the best view. Also, there was a van parked in the first spot but no one was there all night - creepy? We figured they had hiked somewhere to stay the night out along the river (I had to stop myself from thinking of some deranged hiker/murderer quietly waiting in the van). I have too vivid of an imagination (plus I read the news!). BTW, we didn't set up until we came back from our hike - you can't be too careful to protect good camp gear!


Getting ready to hike.


Sleepy boy. He wanted to sleep on the car ride up but we have a new "big-boy" car seat and we hadn't reclined it properly so he was too upright to be comfortable and sleep (that is my diagnosis anyway - I'm sure if B could talk this is exactly what he would have said!)


The point across the river with the log is where we camped earlier this summer






A clean entertaining place to plop Little Man.

New at the Pemberton Gallery....
Title: Eating Dirt
Medium: Dirt, twigs, leaves and various microbes
Artist: Bennett Pemberton
Starting Bid: Can a price be placed on dirt eating??

Just grind it under the fingernails!


"Hmmmmm. Dad's putting up the tent. That's nice. But not as nice as..."


"...DIRT!"


Wooo Hoooo!


Oh boy. I had some clean up to do after this but he had so much fun digging.


And the Finale!!! Eating Dirt!


All snuggled up in his sleeping bag. Hat on and plug in mouth. Ahhhhhh.


Using the Sven Saw - I love this tool!
It had rained the night before so all the wood we found was wet and didn't burn all that well. But, after B went to sleep Mike and I sat by the fire, ate homemade Chili, listened to music on his phone and talked about nothing in general. Perfect.


Mike's boiled over Spaghetti O's on the car...yum.

B woke at 6:00 for his morning bottle and then we all snoozed until 8:00. We got up, had breakfast (Plums + oatmeal, mango + yogurt for Bennett, banana bread for me and (ugh!) Spaghetti O's for Mike!) packed up and headed home. A round trip time of 23hours - it was a perfect mini-camping trip.

John Ball Zoo

I've been wanting to take Bennett to the zoo now that he is so much more interactive with his environment and on Wednesday, we went (it was perfect timing too because it has rained all day today). Unfortunately Mike had runs to make and couldn't join us but Morgan came along and made it much more fun!

Wallabies! They were tired (it was noon) and shy but this girl was interested in the stroller and hopped all around B






I didn't realize Bennett owns the Wallaby! How cool is that!


Under the waterfall!




The petting corral was closed due to staffing but this goat was munching on grass at the edge of the pen and we were able to pet his head.


Stingrays!


I was nervous to touch them but I had to show B that his mom is brave! They were spongy yet firm underneath (like liver? gross). You could feed them for a nominal fee but I was satisfied watching them swim about. B liked the waterfall that flows into the pool.


Morgan pretending to throw B in the pool - unaware of his impending danger, he calmly watches the waterfall. What bliss to be a baby.


Look how long that stinger is! Yikes! I kept thinking about Steve Irwin...


Morgan is awesomely brave -- here she is "petting" a shark. What!?


The Grizzly bears


B staring at some llama-type animals


Petting the baby Pygmy goats


The new lion exhibit is really cool. The viewing areas are covered by huts and what do you think B was interested in?...


...the ceiling fan of course!


He also liked the tropical fish tanks...


I especially love this picture - such an interest to make contact with this fish


A quick visit to the gift shop - we couldn't pass up trying on the animal masks...nice shades Morg!

I'm glad we have such a facility near our home that we can take B to yearly and let him learn to love and respect animals.

No excuses!

I have been terrible! Of course I have taken like, one million pictures in the last month but I haven't shared them with anyone! Truthfully, I have been trying to organize/delete my pictures (which literally totaled over 4,000) since B was born and I haven't gotten to the point of posting (and I'm still not finished organizing but I am starting to feel guilty about not posting new pics). So, presented in reverse order of when they were taken (I think!) here is a massive update to what B is into and what we have done over the last month or so.


A New Haircut for Breakfast (Sept 1st)

I should have taken a "before" picture but B's hair was outta control! Fuzzy and matted from a hard nights sleep -- I had to fix it! So, snip, snip and a style too!






A Visit to Metro (Aug 30th)

Saturday night was a potluck night and of course I was canceled so, Mike, B and I went anyway to say "hi." I ended up working later that night when it became busy.


B-man and Morgan - reunited - Morgan held B at Metro 9 months ago!!!


Some gals from work celebrating Robyn's birthday/baby shower


It Won't be Long Now...(Aug 28th)

I had to help him up to his toy box but he was very intent on picking out toys to play with. He is still a little wobbly when standing but this makes me wonder if he'll ever crawl...






Video of B feeding himself corn puffs (for those of you who don't have small children, Gerber makes "puffs" of food that dissolve quickly for beginners)


Blueberries and Squash (Aug 24th)

B's classic pose of inquisition




Notice the bowls are empty.... this has lead to the 21lb 9oz monster we are cultivating in our dining room!


To that face I say, "yes, you may have ice cream all day, every day for the rest of your life."


A Picture with Mom! (Aug 23rd)


Finally! A picture with me in it instead of behind the camera!


A Weekend at the Cottage (Aug 16th)

Playing on the breakwater


Silly Papa!


B and B dancing


My Boys


We had some good laughs while B wore the candy bowl on his head


"What are you laughing at Dad?"

A Visit with Nana and GrandPapa (Aug 14th)

B is learning to clap which is very entertaining for us adults :)







Splish, Splash, Sploosh!! (Aug 12th)



Doesn't every mother do this to every child's hair during a bath??


Snuggle up after a bath...


...and now we have our jammies on and we're ready for a story, a bottle and bed!


Wehner Family Reunion (Aug 9th)

I'm not sure how it alluded us to take a group/family picture but here are the Wehner siblings - my Aunts and Uncles - Joan, Nancy, Kathy, Jim and Tim.


I hope someday I have daughters that have sisters


Bennett and Great-Grandma Wehner


Not sure about this....the girls had Barbies purchased at nearby yard sales and my dad, in a fleeting moment of childhood, began playing with the dolls -- of course it was too hilarious not to take a picture! I'm so glad my dad is able to have imaginative play with the kids -- he is such a great Boppa!!!


Uncle Phil manning the grill in the rain.


Autumn, the daughter of my cousin Heather. She is a hoot and seems rather beyond her age as I'm sure many six year olds are.
Thanks to Kathy and Phil for having us all to their home and especially opening their room to Mike, B and myself which was very comfortable and welcoming.

A New Friend! (Aug 8th)

I plopped B in front of the mirror in our bedroom and he played for a long time - I did laundry, dishes and even had time to do my hair! Now I have little hand prints all over the mirror that make me smile - I may never Windex again!




I just love his face!


Newer Pics of Baby Connor (Aug 3rd)

Just over 3 months old....15lbs??? Whoa.


Handsome little guy...his eyes remind me of Jeff


Eczema, smeczema...it's a rash! (Aug 2nd)

B had a worsening redness around his neck that started to flake and have yellow patches...ewwww...I thought for sure he had some weird virus or fungus but it turns out it is just eczema...possibly from a new food but we fixed him up with a prescription steroid cream and it was gone the next day.


Poor little guy...honestly, though, he didn't give two hoots about his neck...but I was worried enough to take him to the Saturday walk-in clinic for fear that it would cover his entire body if I waited until Monday. Am I a mom or what?


Friends at the Cottage (July 24-27th)

The lot of us in Mackinac City




RJ showing off Val's catch of the day


Mike's posing at my request to show off his wind blown water logged hair (he's so cute here!)


Bridget and I trying in vain to drink "punch" through a twizzler


The Six Pack


Tattoo's in Mackinac City - it was supposed to be the six of us but I chickened out and Mike wants to wait to get one with me (if it ever happens) but these four brave souls got inked.


While Mike and I were playing with friends at the cottage, B spent a long weekend with Mimi and Boppa in Marquette. I only called twice each day to check on B (not too bad I think for our first time apart).


Mimi took him to Art on the Rocks on Presque Isle. This lion's head drinking fountain has been there forever and for some reason a story is tickling the edge of my brain that Jeff (my older brother) may have gotten himself stuck inside the lion's mouth when he was little...? Mom, you'll have to clarify where this memory is coming from...


Mom, Dad and the grandkids.


Claire, Connor and Bennett. Connor is too cute!!


On Sunday afternoon Mom and Dad came down to the cottage with Bennett. Our friends went home that evening and we stayed until the morning.


Out for a boat ride




Hands in the water! Feet in too!
It was a little cool - water temp was 70 - but it was breezy so I didn't put him all the way in.



Afternoon lounge


I think that catches us all up! Phew!! Man, I'm not going to let it slip for that long again - I promise. I had to take my computer to work to connect to the faster internet just to upload all of these pictures! Thanks for your patience!