Aloha from Oahu!!!

Hey there! I just wanted to post some pictures of our vacation so far in beautiful Oahu. The flight was long, but the wait was worth it. The climate is so nice here that most places don't even have heat or air conditioning! Can you imagine?!

Anyway, here's some of our day today...

USS Missouri

In front of the Doolittle exhibit

USS Utah

Daniel manning a machine gun

USS Arizona anchor

The beauty of Oahu...

USS Missouri

Breakfast at the 49er...yes, that's SPAM!!!

We are here!!!

USS Arizona anchor

Okay, so that's what we have for now...I know you all are five hours behind and want to go to bed so...

Love and Aloha,

Lissa

A Little Imagination Goes A Long Way!

And you're going to need to use it for the next couple of blogs. Close your eyes...picture snowy hills and imagine the gentle tinkling sound of sleigh bells chiming in the distance. Now imagine that it's December and Mommy really hasn't skipped out on the blog for five months! =0)

Okay, okay...it's actually April, and yes, it's been awhile. Let me update you...we moved to our new house in February, and I love my new big room. The walls are blue and I have big airplanes hanging from the ceiling...nice touch Daddy! I turned two in February...not sure if there are any pictures of that...I'm such a blur now that it's difficult to catch me with your standard run-of-the-mill camera! I am learning more and more everyday. I can count to ten in english and spanish...spanish is new, so I'm working on it. I can recognize and name the alphabet, and I bet I have a vocabulary of at least a hundred words...some I even made up on my own! I love school...so much that I recently added my own touches to Mommy's homework. Black and white was SO boring! =0)

Enjoy the following slide show which recaps the past few months, beginning with our Halloween party and ending with our Easter pictures....

Love and Wipe-Your-Eyes-Nana-&-PawPaw!

Benjamin G. Ross

Tonight as I lay asleep in my crib, a moment occured which set the stage for my future and the futures of young men and women of all races in this nation. Americans came together for the common cause of Hope and elected Barack Obama the 44th President of the United States of America. In a nation built on the principles of equality and liberty, the barriers which have stood between races has been broken. I can't possibly grasp what this means, but there can be no doubt that my future will be brighter as a result of this next great chapter in the American story.

I encourage those of you who may not have agreed with the 63+ million Americans who made this decision to allow yourself to believe in the power of change and the possibility of greatness in diversity and tolerance.



Love and Yes-We-Could-And-We-Did!

Benjamin G. Ross

Sunday Best...Courtesy of Tommy Hilfiger!

Here's me in my Sunday outfit. I'm playing with my very own cell phone! I've got to have one to keep up with all of my peeps from school! =0)






Love and Look-Out-Bill-Gates,

Benjamin G. Ross

The Price of Tea in China and Other Random Notions...

Hello fans of me!

It's been awhile, so I wanted to give an update to the enquiring minds who want to know about me. I LOVE my daycare, and I'm even a little fussy on days that I don't get to go. Miss Kim is the nicest, and everyone thinks I'm the cutest thing ever! Oh, and my friends at school don't use pacifiers when they take naps, so I decided I didn't want to either. I'm such a big boy! I can say quite a few words now. Of course, the standard "Momma" and "Daddy," but I'm also moving onto counting! Last weekend Mommy said, "One," and I chimed in with, "Two!" I love to say "Whoa!" and "Uh-Oh!" Oh, and I also think I know my real name now. It's not Benjamin...it's NO!!! =0)

Here are some recent pictures of me in action. (Photo editing courtesy of Mommy and her new program!)

Dreaming of the Major Leagues!

Mr. Mike gave me my very own pumpkin!

Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery!Splashing through a mud puddle!

I'm figuring the whole world out!

My shirt says, "I Listen to Led Zepplin with My Daddy!"

Okay, so there's a dose of cute for all of you who were having withdrawals! I would also like to send out a very special hello to my newest cousin, Mia Beth! Welcome to the family!

Love and Wait-A-Minute-I-Don't-Open-Presents-First-At-Christmas-Now?!,

Benjamin G. Ross

Rain, Rain, Go Away!!!

Just when the American political storm was starting to get nasty, God reminds us exactly what it is we're fighting for. We aren't fighting for Democrats, Republicans, or Independents. We're not fighting for African-Americans, women, or evangelicals. We're fighting for a better world for our children and each other, regardless of our race, gender, or religion...A world in which those in danger are protected...A world in which the weak are given a helping hand by the strong...A world that will never allow the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina to occur again. As repeated headlines of Hurricane Gusav race accross your screen, please don't change the channel...Turn your television OFF and do something, anything, to help your fellow Americans.

May God be with those in the path of this dangerous storm. Good luck and God speed.



Love and I'm-Going-To-Donate-My-Toys,

Benjamin G. Ross

A Post From Ben's Mommy...

This was my blog on MySpace this morning, and I thought it to be pretty humorous. I wanted to share it with those who aren't members of MySpace...

"Blink and You'll Miss It"

It's 5:30 AM, and I'm up making blueberry muffins. I'm not striving to be a supermom who gets up at the crack of dawn to ensure my family has a fresh baked breakfast, but I do give props to those troopers out there who do such things.

I'm up right now because I haven't slept at all tonight. In less than three hours, I will be sending my little boy off to daycare for the first time. I've been up all night trying to calm my nerves and reassure myself that Ben is going to learn so much more around other children, in addition to building valuable social skills that he would be unable to garner at home without other kids around. Something that keeps going through my head is the old "blink and you'll miss it" cliche. I would laugh sarcastically when someone told me that as I was soothing a colicky baby after having been up all night, no telling when blissful sleep would welcome me again. Those nights and days seemed to drag by. I couldn't grasp how I could possibly blink through all of the spitting up on my old pajamas as I daydreamed about my working friends who got to wear pretty clothes, talk to grown-ups all day long, and know the words to songs that didn't play on the Disney Channel. I couldn't imagine that when the day finally came when I could turn loose of that little hand and let both of us become more independent of one another, I would be thinking up excuses to keep him home just one more day. It's been 18 months since our little boy burst into the world with a dramatic entrance, and our lives haven't been lacking in excitement since. I know that today marks the beginning of a new era in our lives...The beginning of Ben's life outside of my protection, where he'll learn how to be a little man all on his own...The beginning of my life without that smiling/screaming/giggling face following me around all day long, and I'll begin my glorious existence as a number cruncher...

This day is one of the most heart-wrenching experiences I have ever endured, but I know that this day is also a great blessing. I love that Ben is starting school in the fall...I can almost smell the nostalgic smell of autumn leaves burning, a reminder of good times to come...Wait, that's not leaves...thats....Oh damn! I've gotten all sendimental and burned my blueberry muffins!!!

I guess I'll tackle the supermom thing next week...=0)~

Love and Blink-and-You'll-Burn-Your-Muffins,

Lissa

Wishful thinking....

Hey fans of me! I know it's not winter time yet, but this picture makes me think of cooler times, and in triple digit temperatures, mind over matter is a pretty important concept.

I have alot of news to update you on. First, I am starting school! The place where Mommy and Daddy are taking me had a spot open up for me, so I'm going to start next Monday! There wasn't supposed to be an opening until May of 2009, but I'm extra special, so I got lucky enough to start sooner. I'm pretty sure I'm going to love it, but Mommy and Daddy are probably going to need some moral support next week. They can be so sentimental sometimes! Anywhoo...keep them in your thoughts, and hopefully they won't cry too much!

My other news isn't really about me, but I'm going to tell you anyway. Since I'm starting school next week, Mommy decided to get a job-type-thing. Something to occupy her time without me around. She thought she was going to have to look forever to find what she wanted, but in the first four days of searching, she got exactly what she hoped for. Mommy's going to be crunching numbers for a local accountant. I don't know why she would want to crunch numbers...I think crunching cookies is a better way to spend one's time, but I've learned to just let her be herself! Oh, and did I mention her boss played a guitar and sang during the interview? I think I'm going to like this guy just fine!

I suppose that's all the updates I have for now. I'm no longer walking...I'm RUNNING everywhere I go. I also have a few new words in my vocabulary...thanks Riley-Cate!!! Oh, but I didn't learn to say "burp" from her...I just did that on my own! A guy's gotta have his "sound" words!!!

Love and I'm-Dreaming-of-Some-Fall-Weather,

Benjamin G. Ross

PUDDINGFEST 2008!!!

Riley-Cate has been over for a visit this weekend and Mommy made chocolate pudding for us to have for snack time today. It was DE-licious, and having a sweet cousin to share with made it even better!!!
Cake's got pudding face!!! =0) Riley-Cate wanted to share some of her pudding with me...
But when she saw my shiny new teeth, she deciding to use a spoon instead of her finger! She does a much better job with the spoon, so I handed my cup over to her and let her feed me the rest of my pudding. She fed me a bite...and then HER a bite! And then ANOTHER bite for Riley-Cate!!! After snack time, my least favorite part came along...CLEAN UP!!! =0( But Riley-Cate helped, so it wasn't all that bad!

That was our adventure of Puddingfest 2008, and now we're off to get in the Great Big Water Hole!!!

Love and Could-You-Repeat-That-I-Have-Pudding-In-My-Ears,

Benjamin G. Ross

I'm Gonna Be A Tigger Too!!!

The following video is Carnegie Mellon Professor Randy Pausch giving the short version of his final lecture to his students. Mommy says we could all learn alot from this man's legacy and we should all strive to be the best Tiggers we can be!



Dr. Randy Pausch passed away last Friday, July 25th. We thank you for sharing your passion and dreams until the very end.

Love and Mom's-Gonna-Let-Me-Paint-My-Room-Someday,

Benjamin G. Ross

Happy 4th of July!!!

I hope everyone has a safe and enjoyable 4th of July weekend...and make sure you clean your plates 'cause Mommy says there's starving children in Africa. I'm not sure why that means I have to clean my plate, but I do it just the same!





Love and Feed-the-children,

Benjamin G. Ross

Extra, Extra!!!

Hey there everybody!

I know it's been forever and a day since anything's been posted here, so I wanted to give a quick update. I've been learning and growing so much this summer. I decided that crawling should be a thing of the past. While I could crawl faster than Mommy could walk, I thought it was time to do away with childish things. I started a little later than some babies, but I was waiting for that perfect time when Mommy, Daddy, Nana, Paw-Paw, and I were all in the same room. That's a rare thing because they're all so busy with so many things, but that's okay, they take great care of me. Anyway, I digress...When they were all in the room together, I just started walking from one person to the next. I was so proud of myself that every time I took off walking, I started laughing...sometimes so hard that I fell down! That was a couple of weeks ago, and now I'm walking everywhere.

I also went for a check up and the doctor was very impressed with my dexterity skills. I love blocks, and I've been building towers for awhile now. I'm thinking about being an architect like "Ted" on "How I Met Your Mother." I'm sure I'll change my mind about what I want to be when I grow up about a bazillion time, but hey, that's the fun in being a kid...The possibilities are endless!!!

Right now I'm waking up from my nap, so Mommy has to stop typing and come give me some TLC. Hope you've enjoyed the updates!

Love-and-I'm-A-Big-Kid-Now,

Benjamin G. Ross

Hot Off The Press!!!

That's right, fans of me! Mom's out of school and that means you get a double-triple-quadrazillion dose of pics and updates. Go ahead and take a moment to do some index finger stretches, because you wouldn't want to hurt yourself with all the scrolling you're about to do!!!

Here goes....

Okay, at first glance there may not seem to be much going on, but if you look in the background at Mom, you can see this bored-looking-for-something-to-do aura about her.

So she started poking around trying to find something to amuse herself with...and what she found was TONS of Riley-Cate's hair bows!

Being the adventurous woman my mother is, she decided it would be fun to see if she could fit EVERY SINGLE BOW on little Riley-Cate's head!

I'm pretty sure that Riley-Cate didn't agree with Mom's fashion sense, but she was a great sport about it! Mom had tons of fun!!!


Mom had SO much fun, in fact, that she thought it would be even MORE fun to put all those bows on ME!!!

I can't say I'm the frilly type...

Luckily, Riley-Cate came to the rescue and took the bows off for me!

And here's just more proof that I'm a happy baby...












Here's what they mean by "ankle biter"....

Here's Meme reading a book to Riley-Cate...

Then something REALLY funny happened, but I don't know what...Must be some kind of inside joke!

And here Riley-Cate and I are sharing breakfast...

This is me as the green monster on my birthday!


I got that stuff all over me!


But then I had just as much fun taking a bath to wash it all off! I love bath time!


Alright, there ya go! Some of my greatest hits! Not all of these pictures were very recent but, in my humble opinion, I think they were all VERY cute!!

Stay tuned, more recent pics to come!

Love-and-Blogging-Is-What-Moms-Are-Really-Made-For,

Benjamin G. Ross