Happy Birthday Ben!

Today Ben turned the BIG 31!  Happy Birthday!  Sadly, he is not even home to celebrate his birthday.  He is out of town on business and is working instead of celebrating.  Since he is not here to get spoiled and waited on, we are sending birthday wishes to him!

Chloe was very upset when she found out that Daddy would not be home on his birthday, wondering aloud many, many times how we could get a cake for him when he's not even home!

We love Ben!  Here are just 31 things we love about this guy:

1.  He is the best father.  It was hard for me to find pictures of him by himself- he is always with the kids any possible chance he gets. 

2.  He is like a big kid- always full of energy and fun.  He loves goofing around and is always up for doing something fun and adventurous.  

3. He has the best laugh- it is so infectious!  It is known as the "Ben giggle" and I love it!  Just hearing his laugh makes everyone laugh and makes us all happy!

4.  He honors his priesthood.  What a blessing that is to our family.

 

5.  He is always up for doing crazy things.  Life is never dull with Ben around.

6.  He has a great sense of humor and keeps us laughing constantly.

7.  He is always putting others first before himself, always.  There is never a time when he is worried about himself.  He is always serving me and the kids, even when he has a dozen other things he really needs to get done.  

8.  He is very selfless and generous.  He would give and give and give to others until he was broke and exhausted, if only it made someone's day, or helped them out in some way. 

 

9.  He is such a hard worker!  He is frequently working on things around the house or outside and is so great at whatever he does.  This hard work goes for physical things, as well as being a great provider for our family and for all the hard work that he has put into his education.  He exhausts himself at work, with the many long and hard hours he puts in, and we love and appreciate all he does for us.

10.  He is smart!  He is a math and science whiz and he is the only reason I passed my college astronomy class.  I cannot believe how much knowledge is in his brain and it comes in handy each and every day.

11.  He is a wonderful "Mr. Fix-it" man and can always fix whatever we need fixing.  He fixes the cars, appliances, TV's and all of the little things that his incompetent wife can't do.  He is wonderful about always completing my "Honey Do" lists too, with very little complaining!

12.  He is our money-smarts man and loves to save!  If it weren't for him, we'd be broke and living in a cardboard box.  

13.  He is the best gift giver!  He first impressed me back when we were dating and gave me 24 long stem roses, each with a word tied to the stem describing something he liked about me.  Each birthday and Christmas, he puts so much thought into my gifts.  I am amazed at the wonderful things he gets.  (His best gift ever was the poem he wrote for me in college.  That is my most prized possession!)

14.  He is the best at giving surprises!  He surprises me and the kids with things (material things, outings, and his time and energy) all the time.

15.  He makes the best chicken!

16.  He is the best source of comfort when I am down or having a bad day.

17.  He is such a ham (when not too many people are looking.....)  He is so fun to be silly with.

18.  He is never worried about very much and can always ease my worries and fears. 

19.  He is a great help around the house, even with all my neurotic cleaning behaviors and obsessive habits.

20.  He is a wonderful public speaker and is not afraid of it at all (if he is knowledgeable on the subject, he says).

21.  He is my sports fanatic and I love it.  He knows EVERYTHING there is to know about football.  He plays all sports and is great at all of them.  (But we both know I can beat him at basketball... :)

22.  He ALWAYS leaves the toilet seat down, always.  He has never in our entire married life left the seat up.  He even closes the lid, too, every single time.

23.  He loves mowing the lawn and never complains about having to do that. 

24.  He is obsessed with fishing and that is the one subject he would hesitate on if asked if he'd rather be with me, or go fishing.....

25.  He just loves having fun with our kids!  He loves making them happy and would do anything for them.  Even the most childish game or activity is fun for him, as long as it makes Chloe or Mitchell happy.

26.  He is my ESPN nut and can keep me updated on every sports tidbit that is happening.  He could watch ESPN all day, everyday.  

27.  He is an excellent driver and a great navigator.  He could find his way anywhere in a car.  He taught me early that the best way to travel is to make great time!

28.  He has a strong testimony of the gospel.

29.  He has such a knowledge for the scriptures, it is truly amazing.

30.  He brings such a wonderful spirit into our home and is such a peace maker.  He is so patient and loving with all of us and is the calm presence in our family.

31.  He is SMOKIN' hot!!

We love you Ben!  Happy Birthday!  We miss you and can't wait to see you soon!

Sleepless in Seattle

We're in trouble!!  I knew this day would come, but I never imagined it being this bad.....  Mitchell has just recently learned to sit up in his crib this past week, which has turned my perfect sleeper into a not so perfect sleeper.  Usually, for naps or for bedtime, I just lay him down and he always just rolls over on his tummy and goes right to sleep.  It was like clockwork- I lay him down, he sleeps, period.  Well, when he learned he could sit up last week, he would sit up in his crib and then start crying really loudly, so I knew something was up.  But I would just go in, lay him back down one time, and he would be out like a light.  Well, as the week wore on, it became two times that I would have to go lay him down, then three, then four.... you get the picture.  And each time he would sit up, he would cry and scream as if someone were cutting his leg off.  This goes on and on until FINALLY he gives up and passes out from pure exhaustion. 

 One day, he just wouldn't nap at all and screamed the entire time.  That same night, he screamed himself to sleep, which took almost an hour and a half.  At one point, I went in to check on him to see if he was laying down.  The cries were tapering off and there were spells of silence between the screams, meaning he was getting close to falling asleep.  I found him sitting up, thumb in mouth, asleep, head bobbing to keep his balance while he sat.  I'm not sure if he can't or just won't lay himself back down.  At any rate, it's like having a tiny baby again, trying to teach them to sleep through the night by crying it out!

But, of course, things are always bound to get a little worse.....

When I heard him crying today, I went in to lay him back down, only to find this!!  What's worse than being able to sit up in the crib, you ask? Please see Exhibit A.

STANDING!

 

As soon as I walked into the room, he quit crying immediately and even grinned at me.  (The little stinker....)  After quickly grabbing a few photos (I had to!  He hasn't even pulled himself up on any furniture yet- this was a big (but terrible) milestone!), I laid him back down and we started the scream fest over again.

Please pray for us- my perfect sleeper is missing and has been replaced by a little man who will not fall asleep.  If any of you see my angel sleeper, please return him ASAP, as his mother is about ready to call the Crazy House and see if there are any open rooms.....

5 Fabulous Years

5 years of marriage celebrated today!  

5 fabulous things about our marriage:

1) Humor- Ben already had a wonderful sense of humor when we first got married, but I introduced him to the wonderful world of sarcasm and it's been a hit between the two of us ever since.  We love joking around with each other and humor gets us through the ups and downs of life, too.

Our Engagement Photo

2) Commitment- From day one, we have loved spending time together.  There's nobody else in the world we'd rather spend time with than each other. When we were first married, we both couldn't wait to get home from work and school to see each other.  We did everything together and always had a blast doing it.  Even now, 5 years later, I still can't wait for Ben to get home from work, just to see him.  We don't care what we are doing, as long as we're together.

3) Love- Each year of marriage has strengthened and deepened our love for each other.  Love truly does grow over time, and although we've learned a lot more about each other than we knew 5 years ago, we both love each other more today than 5 years ago.  Our love for each other has made us both better people.  Love is a many splendored thing- all you need is love!

4) It's fun!  I love being married!  Life is fun and I honestly do not think I have been bored once in the last 5 years.  Ben & I are not the most creative people in the world, but we sure do have a lot of fun together when we want to.  We have so many inside jokes, fun little games we play, and boy are we competitive with each other!  (I always win, but it's still fun! :)

5) Eternity- the most fabulous of all!  We get eternity to enjoy everything together, and I'm planning to enjoy every minute of it with my sweetheart (but you bet I'll be cracking jokes the whole way.....)

Here's to the best 5 years of my life with the best man any girl could ask for!

Happy Anniversary, Ben!  I love you!

Beach Bums

2 weeks ago was our annual Andros Family trip to the Oregon Coast.  All of Ben's siblings, their families, and his parents were there for yet another year.  We rented one beach house together- all 16 of us.  Everyone took turns cooking dinner one night and I think everyone brought up their fair share of treats and junk food to share (I have been working hard these past 2 weeks we've been home to try and undo the damage done by all those treats!)

Chloe and cousin Stella on the beach the first day there.  Take note that the temperature is in the high 60's (at the most), their is no sun and the ocean is FREEZING, but these 2 little girls don't care.  They LOVE the water.

There are some fun tide pools within walking distance of our beach house that we go to every year.  The kids love finding the sea anemones, crabs, starfish and other ocean creatures.

Right by the tide pools is a huge sand dune that the men and Chloe and Stella decided to conquer one day.  The hill was huge and we weren't sure if the little girls could do it.  But they did and loved it.  It was a great way to burn off some of their endless energy.

Mitch and his cousin William, who are less than 5 months apart.  Mitch stole William's binky here and is examining it for scientific reasons.

When I finally let him out of his prison (the backpack), he loved sitting in the sand with cousin Sam.

All of the Andros cousins, August 2008.  

Mitch, preparing for his first feel of the ocean....

The inaugural touch is...... cold!  But a hit!

After promptly falling of this beach chair......

I let him get down and dirty!  Megan provided every cousin with their own beach bucket and shovel, and I supplied little watering cans for the sand adventures.

First time on the beach also means, of course, the first time eating sand.  It's yummy (apparently), low calorie (I'm guessing) and there's an endless supply right at your finger tips.

The girls filling up their watering cans.  What a great job they are doing- I give them 2 bums up!

Life on the beach was happy hour for the kids.  There was almost no fighting or arguing and everyone was happy.  When things would get hectic in the house, we headed for the beach! 

 Just like the island on the TV show LOST, there is just something magical about the beach.  Many people on the LOST beach are healed miraculously and I received such healing on our beach too.  For the past 6 months or so, I have been suffering from extreme back and neck pain for unknown reasons.  When we arrived at the beach house Sunday night, my back and neck were about at their worst.  But, Monday morning I woke up feeling great and free from pain.  This lasted the entire week we were there.

Although Mitch spent a good portion of the week in his Kelty backpack, he didn't seem to mind too much (much easier to haul a non mobile, heavy baby in a back pack then carrying him).  Next year when he is walking, we'll permit him some probation.

Chloe kept begging Uncle KC to bury her..... and he did, at least twice.

Down on the beach, where every one has reason to smile, even a tired Mom.

Building a sandcastle (although that's all the bigger it really got.  With a 3 and 4 year old helping you and using LOTS of water, our sandcastle was more of a sand lump).

While they have no cold sensors in their body, they also have no fear.  Running in and out of the waves all day is what they enjoyed most.

That's one way to use a beach ball......

My beautiful beach girl.

The Andros family on the beach in front of the 235 foot Haystack Rock.

Andros Family again

(And no, that is not a new haircut for me- the wind was blowing really hard that day).

My beach babies...... The sun finally came out the last full day we were there and both my white and delightsome babes got sun burned!

Ben and I on a lookout point at the top of the sand dune.  Beautiful view!

Sand Football, the next Olympic Sport

Put me in, coach!

Ben and Marcus, enjoying the freezing water in full body wet suits.

My 2 Italian Stallions! 

What a great week on the beach!  Chloe is already asking when we will go again.