March 6, 2015

what ben did while he was busy being 6

i've finally waived the white flag. 
grad school wins. 
and it ate my blog. 

BUT...there are still a few reasons to show up here. 
the boys being one of them. 
today, it's for this boy in particular: 

today is our sweet benjamin's 7th birthday. 
seventh. 
SEVENTH. 

. . . 

sorry. 
i passed out for a bit. 
i'm back. 
and because i have been basically MIA for the last several months, i thought that benny's birthday was a good time to give a quick update on what 6 was like for him. 
in poor-quality phone-photos. 
clearly. 
because the nice camera requires effort. 
and forethought. 
and those are hard to come by these days. 
so. . . here is what benny did while 6. . . 

 we measured snow for school.
so. much. snow.  

he ate snacks at baseball games. 
he might have noticed the game was happened. 
but there were definitely snacks. 

he learned how to swim. 


 he was made to take baseball pictures sans bat. 
  
 he spent quality time with his new friend, Rocky.



he had a ton of fun at the 4th of July parade. 
oh. 
wait. .  

and actual fun at the fireworks show. . . 

we visited grandma & grandpa welch (and aunt katie!) in California. 
when we landed at the airport, i told him we were minutes away from my college campus, UC Irvine. 
he took in a deep breath, looked around, and said, "ahhhh. the memories. . ."
note: he has never stepped foot on that campus. 
or, just for clarification, been in college. 
but, yes, benny. 
yes. 
the memories. 


he discovered that, unlike last time, he kind of loves the beach. 


then he made this face when anth and bernie buried him in the sand. 

 and this one in the USS Midway.


and this one at Legoland. 
maybe we should assess the effect of California on the poor kid. . . 

he explored his love of baking with grandma welch. . . and his love of cooking by developing a brief obsession with Master Chef Kids. 

 he had moments where he and anthony agreed. 
on anything. 
at all. 
those were nice. . . 


he started 1st grade at a new school. 
with his big brother. 


he visited mommy's old stomping grounds, Baker West, so mommy could go see Pentatonix. 
he  made this face on the way in. 
and has been begging to go back ever since. 


he was fully indoctrinated into the Buckeye Football culture. 


and he stole my spot in bed each time dad traveled for work. 
while anth stole bern's spot. 
leaving me without a spot. 
in my own bed. 

 he played the role of "bat" in a school assembly. 


and the role of ninja at Halloween. 

he took a field trip to the entomology lab at Ohio State.
where he was equally enthralled and disgusted. 





he spent some QT with Brutus at a men's basketball game. 


he grinned-and-beared-it for the annual family photos. 
with bribes of Blizzards in his ears. . . 

he met new family members. 


and explored new money making schemes. 
in a wet shower. 
while wearing socks. . .  


he helped get ready for christmas. 

and told lots of jokes and stories. 

 and had an "epic" christmas. 


he also made sure we were aware of his feelings on the matter of having to stay at the dinner table until everyone is finished. 
we're still working on the staying in your chair part. . . 

he took up basketball. 
and is a natural like his daddy. :)

he tagged along to work with mommy and daddy on the various weather-related school closure days. 

and then he decided that he had pretty much worn out 6. 
and it was time to be 7. 

happy birthday to our sweet, sweet boy!