Everybody watch out...

Benjamin has begun to crawl. And he's coming to get YOU!

On Monday night, which just happens to be his 9 month birthday, he discovered how fun it is to stick your hand in the little door on the VCR in our living room. He beelined right for it. He had been close for a while, but we could never get him to move beyond a step (knee) or two. Guess the VCR was enough to do it. Now he is crawling to toys, to Mom and Dad, and to various other non-baby proofed things around the house. He isn't into long distances yet, so Daddy-the-marathoner needs to show him how to do the 26.2!

Speaking of Mike and running, we are headed down to Chicago this weekend because Mike is running the Shamrock Shuffle. It is a huge race, even though it is only an 8k. Hopefully the weather holds out so we can all go to see him run!

Our nephew, AJ, turns one in just over a week! It is truly unbelievable! And our good friends' daughter, Sidney, is going to be three soon! These kids grow up toooo fast!! Unreal.

I have some pictures of Benjamin from various miscellaneous days on the camera that I have yet to upload, so I hope to do that tonight. I will post them on flickr asap!

We had some spring weather this weekend on Saturday, it was over 50 degrees! So Benjamin went for a ride in his Radio Flyer wagon and he loved it! Whenever we would stop pulling him, he would rock in the wagon to get it to move again! What a hoot. Grandma and Grandpa Andrews came up to Rochester for a visit and to babysit Benjamin while Mommy and Daddy went out for a night. On Monday, a blizzard hit and we were left with 6-8 inches of snow and very cold temperatures...no more wagon riding for now! We are actually expecting another snow storm tonight and another 6-8 inches is possible. Argh.

Benjamin finally rolled over somewhere other than his crib this weekend. Grandpa even captured it on film! He also has recently begun to learn what it means when I say "Benjamin, No-No." It is so funny. He cries immediately when I say it to him. He doesn't, however, seem to mind when Daddy says it. Looks like I'm already the bad cop, haha.

I started my new job last week and am absolutely LOVING it! I am working on some facinating projects and really like my Monday and Friday off-days. I get to be home with the baby AND spend time working at something I like, which is the best.

Benjamin has officially mastered pulling himself up on things to stand. He was a determined little guy and tried and tried and finally got it down perfectly last night! He's getting so big! He is soo close to crawling too, he has been moving backwards for a long time, but now is rocking forward. He never sits still, he is always trying to be on the go. It won't be long before the gates and cabinet locks go up! We really can't wait!

He missed his first Oscars Party this weekend because he decided to sleep 12.5 hours and went to bed at 6:00pm before everyone arrived. The party was a success, even if he wasn't present. This year was our sixth party (minus the one we missed when we lived in England). They are so fun! Thanks to everyone who made it!!

We are back from Florida! We had a great time!! Benjamin got to spend some quality time with Great Grandma, Great Uncle Mark and Great Aunt Debbie. We took Benjamin to the beach for the first time and let him play with (and eat, haha) the sand. Grandma was able to show him off to all the ladies of her condo complex, Kalmia. He's certainly a lady killer with his curly hair and blue eyes. They all fell in love. We also took a trip to Tampa's Lowry Park Zoo with Uncle Mark and Aunt Debbie. Benjamin saw all sorts of fun animals, including a baby elephant that was born in October. Mike and I enjoyed countless tasty seafood meals, including a famous grouper sandwich on multiple occasions! The warm weather lifted our spirits, but it was hard to come back home and throw on our winter coats once again. Here is a picture of Benjamin and Great Grandma playing in the sand! :-)