Miscellaneous Photos of Benny

This is our young Padawan. We are training him well. (Use the force Benny)

He loves to play with his walker.
What a big boy!
Sleepy time!

Silly Boy!

I was trying to plant some flowers in our front yard yesterday, but silly boy here kept making it difficult. I finally had to call it quits and play with him up on the front porch. Isn't he a sweet boy?



He decided that it was a lot of fun to play with the watering can.

Ohme Gardens

This is the view of Wenachtee from the gardens. That is the Columbia River. See how barren the hills in the back are?

This is a stone table that was made from rock that was taken from the river.

Benny and Daddy ready to go!

Some of the many types of flowers that we saw.

Looking up from the lowest point of the gardens.

What a happy boy!

On Tuesday (the 17th) we went to Wenachtee, WA. It is on the eastern side of the Cascades. It was supposed to be sunny and hot which was the main reason we went (whereas back at home it was cloudy and cool). We went to see the Ohme gardens. It was not as big as we thought, but it sure was pretty. It was like a little oasis in the middle of the desert. We tried out the new backpack we got for Benny. He seemed to like it and so did Brad.

Zoo Talk

I don't know if Benny had more fun looking at the animals or looking at all the people that were there. I do know that he likes to watch anything that is in water. He loved the aquarium, the walruses, the otters and the Beluga whales. His favorite thing to do was to lick the glass. I guess he was trying to get a drink of water.

Anyway, the video below shows Benny talking and pointing to some macaws that were in their cage a few yards away. He talked a lot at the zoo and even started pointing at things.

Zoo Trip

On Friday June 20th, we went to the Point Defience Zoo & Aquarium in Tacoma. Brad usually works on Fridays, but was able to use a time-off award to take the day off. It was a great zoo day. Sunny and in the low 80's. Benny really enjoyed the new kid's zone at the zoo.

He liked climbing this web.


Although Benny didn't get to feed the goat, everytime the goat came over, it would lick Benny's hand. Benny would laugh and then try to get away from the goat. It was so funny.

Job Update 3

Today we recevied a call from the lady in New York. She said that the final decision has not been made. It is still at headquarters (wherever that is). She would call us as soon as she knows something. There is still hope.

Translator Please!

Since we got back from vacation, Benny has been talking up a storm. Figuring out what he is trying to say is another story. Translator anyone?

The magic wand

Benny has watched us play with the cats using this cat toy. I caught him playing with it last night. Too bad Noah wasn't around.

Poor Noah

Our cat Noah has been very patient with Benny. Benny pats him and likes to pull his tail and ears. We try to catch it as much as possible so we can teach Benny how to play with Noah in a nice way.

Like Mother Like Son

I took this picture last night. Benny is almost 11 months in this picture.



I came across this picture of me when I was about 11 months.


See any resemblance?

Job Update 2

Well, Wednesday has come and gone and we have not heard anything from either Allentown or Harrisburg. I guess we will just have to keep waiting. Tim did let us know that there is a manager's position open in Allentown and he thinks Brad should put in for it. I am not sure if he will or not. Other than that, we are getting the house ready to sell. Although we are not planning on putting on the market just yet, we want to be ready for when we do.

Job Update!

I am not sure everyone knows this, but Brad has put in for a transfer back to Pennsylvania. He has put paperwork in at Harrisburg and Allentown. We received a call from some lady in New York saying that a decision has been made at Allentown but it needs to be approved by those in charge. She told us to call back on Wednesday. We are hoping for good news. If this doesn't work the way we want it, we are sure there will be other opportunities. Just keep praying for us. Although living in the Northwest has been great, we really miss having seasons and would like Benny to be closer to his Aunts, Uncles, cousins and grandparents. We will let you know next week if we hear anything.

Cute Pictures of Benny!

This is Benny at his grandparent's house in Pennsylvania. He loved to play with the railing.
Here he is at his Aunt Melanie's house chasing after their cat. The cat didn't like it at all!
Here is Benny taking a nap with daddy!
Here is our little swedish viking!
Here he is with his new jacket that Brad's parents bought him for his birthday.

Benny Loves Water!

We visited Longwood Gardens while on vacation. They had a new children's garden area with alot of water features. Benny's eyes lit up anytime he saw water. He really liked playing in it. I guess this means that swimming lessons are in Benny's future.

Wonderful Friends

Besides staying with family, our wonderful friends Tim and Kathy along with their kids Johnny and Theresa not only opened their house to us, but also lent us a vehicle the whole time we were there. Benny just loved playing with Johnny and Theresa. He even learned how to climb stairs while he was at their house. Since being home, Benny has climbed our stairs at least once. We are so blessed to have such wonderful friends.

Benny at the Beach!

Benny got to dip his toes into the Atlantic Ocean. We went to the beach just south of Dewey Beach Delaware on Memorial Day. It was 85 degrees and sunny but very windy so we only stayed an hour or two. Benny really liked the water even though it was very COLD! He also liked eating the sand. He definitely got a bath that night.

Autograph!

The highlight of the game (besides the Phillies winning) happened before the game even started. Jamie Moyer was signing autographs. I was lucky enough to have him sign Benny's little baseball hat. I did not get a picture of that as I was holding Benny at the time. For those who don't know, Jamie Moyer used to pitch for the Seattle Mariners but was traded to the Phillies a few years ago. Brad and I saw him play at Safeco Field. He did not pitch that night, but that was okay.

Go Phillies!

We had a great time watching the Philadelphia Phillies take on the Colorado Rockies at the new Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia. It was a beautiful day for a ball game.
We sat on the first base side (right in foul ball area.) Luckily none came our way but the sun was in our eyes for the first few innings.
The Philly Fanatic was fun to watch.
I just love this picture. Benny really loved the game. Our friends Tim and Kathy and their kids Theresa (sorry if I spell it wrong) and Johnny came with us to the game. We all had a great time.

Vacation

Well, we are back from vacation. I have to say that I think Benny had the most fun out of all of us. He really liked playing with his new friends Johnny and Theresa as well as his cousins. He dipped his toes into the Atlantic Ocean and ate some sand, strolled through Longwood Gardens (where he decided to lick the asphalt path) and attended a Phillies game in which the Phillies won. We had a very busy week but it sure was fun. We want to thank all those who housed us and fed us while we were there. I hope to have some pictures up soon.