Happy Birthday to my Boys!

SEPTEMBER 17th, 2008

Happy birthday to you . . . Happy birthday to you . . .Happy Birthday dear Ben (28!) and Dayton (4 months),
Happy Birthday to you!

I feel so lucky to have such a wonderful husband and baby. This was Ben's first birthday as a DAD and watching him and Dayton together, well, I'd say it has to be one of his best birthdays yet. We had a fun day golfing, eating at Red Robin, and having cake and ice cream with friends. I love you guys!

And, for some more Dayton and Ben pics, check out this place! This is about a 1-mile hike we did last week called the eternal flame. You walk along a river bed until you get to this waterfall. It smells like gas (which it is- a natural gas outlet) and a flame is burning in the waterfall. You can blow it out and light it again. Apparently the flame burns year round- so cool!

Vacation Time!

Before I say anything else, check out how close this ball is to the hole! This could have been my 2nd birdie of all time. Instead, it's just a funny picture (and yes, I unsuccesfully tried to blow it in).So, I'm way overdue at this blogging thing, but I have a decent excuse. I was in Utah for 4 weeks- the longest trip I think I've ever taken and probably will take for a while. It's a decent and not good excuse because they do have computers in Utah, but with Utah weather in August (my favorite), well, you get it :)


One thing I've realized since having a baby is that it seems like everyone is having babies.


Here are some of Dayton's newest friends:

Scarlett Eve Jensen- Jamon and Alisha's 2nd daughter and Dayton's cousin. She was born 10 days after Dayton.

Myles Henry Lange-Andy's first baby. I think that makes him Dayton's 3rd cousin. They were due the same day, but Myles came about a month early.

Lucy Nelson- Sarah's little girl. She made Dayton look like a BIG baby!

And finally, Lucas Trevor Walker . . . I started this blog a few days ago when he was only a belly or baby-to-be, but as of 2 am last night, Dayton's first boy cousin has arrived! Congratulations Rachelle and Trevor!

Since we were in Utah for 4 weeks, we were able to spend a lot of time with the families. We were eating dinner at my parent's house one night when we realized that none of our husbands were there. Flashback! I must say, we have all matured a little bit. We didn't even fight over who got the big fork! Oh, and thanks Dad for taking the picture. Having all girls, he takes a lot of pictures :)

Now, how about these King family pictures? Not bad for a digital camera shot. I will have to say that the second picture is more descriptive . . .

Who do you think looks more unenthused about the family photo? Scott or Dayton?
We tried to spent as much time as possible outside. We took Dayton on his first boat trip and he did great. However, I'm trying to figure out what he was thinking in this picture and have narrowed it down to three conclusions:
1) Get me out of this massive infant life vest
2) My parents are crazy!
3) What is that green stuff in Utah Lake?
And, for the crazy parent's . . . We spent a morning at sliding rock and an evening fishing at Tibble Fork- for you northern Utah county-ers. We swam, golfed, and enjoyed the beautiful Utah summer.
And now for a tribute to Dayton's two favorite aunts, Ellie and Brooke. These girls were so helpful and loved Dayton! He was never lacking attention and I know he misses their entertainment. We're lucky to have such sweet sisters! Thank you!

And finally, I am so proud of my hubby! He did a backpacking trip to the tallest peak in Utah, King's peak with his Dad, Royce, Cassie, and Scott. The pictures were beautiful!

Then, Ben completed his first half-ironman. I've learned a lot about these races over the last few months and have been so impressed by Ben's dedication to training and ability to do something I cannot even fathom. He swam 1.2 miles, biked 55, and ran 13.1. His goal was 6 hours and he finished in 5 hours, 20 minutes, finishing 7th in his division.
We're now back in Buffalo (actually, we have been for 2 weeks- I'm a slow blogger). Ben started the nurse anesthesia program and is working one night a week. I also will be working one day a week doing breast cancer trials and started yesterday. Dayton is happy as ever. He learned how to roll over both ways now and won't stop. His new favorite toys are the doorway jumper and the exersaucer. Until next time . . .
Happy jumping!

Blessing Day

On Sunday, June 29th, Dayton was blessed by his dad. Dayton was wide eyed and happy during the blessing and looked like a little angel in his white suit and blanket crocheted by Great-Grandma Lange. It was a wonderful day and a great experience. We are so blessed to have Dayton as our very own.

Our good friends, Sam, Anne, Savannah, and Charolette Woods, drove in from Columbus, Ohio for the special occasion. We hit the Buffalo hot spots, including Niagara Falls and the Anchor Bar.

What else have we been up to? Well, Ben started his new job at Roswell Park Cancer Institute. He will be working in the ICU there during school. In his spare time, he's been training for a half ironman. He's so dedicated and motivated. August 9th is the day! We've been enjoying the summer and days at the beach- here the beaches are on the niagara river and the great lakes. Dayton loves being outside which is a good thing, because if he didn't he would probably be a very unhappy baby!

Now, what I do in my spare time? Well, I try to catch Dayton's smiles on camera. This sounds like an easy task, but I think he has it all planned. Smile, grin, giggle . . . I run and get the camera and turn it on. . . whimper, grunt, cry. Defeated, I turn the camera off . . . smile, grin, giggle. Smart little guy. One of these days I will outsmart him, but until then, here are his almost-caught-on-camera smiles.

Weigh in time

Today was Dayton's 4 week doctor visit-- something us new parents have been looking forward to. His official numbers were 8 lbs 8 oz and 21 inches, an increase of 2.5 lbs and 2 inches. He actually almost fits in his car seat and newborn onesies now!

Dayton also met his first girlfriend-- Brielle Bennion-- born 13 days after him. Don't let his face fool you-- it was love at first sight!

Okay, he might not like girls yet but he loved BBQing and hanging out with the boys!

Now, for the milestones: he can roll onto his side,

And, he made it through his first tear-free bath today

(sorry, I was having problems turning the pic)

And, I'm convinced he smiled-- on purpose-- for the first time yesterday. His whole face lit up and he smiled three times in a row. It had to have been intentional, right? :)

Now, for something totally unrelated to the baby. We were shopping at Target on Monday when we heard banging on the roof. Customers started running to the front of the store and when we made our way to the window this is what we saw:

A hail storm with some ice chunks as big as golf balls. It was amazing! However, the ice pellets did manage to leave a lasting impression on our car, as well as all the other cars in the parking lot. Buffalo weather-- never to be underestimated!