One More Step away from Babyhood

When Benjamin was born, he had hair.  Oh, not a full head of hair like his big brother Tobin did (who got his first haircut when he was only 18 days old), but a respectable amount.  :)  Somewhere along the line though, Benjamin's newborn hair fell out and--maybe because of all the skin trouble he had, or maybe just because--he ended up being pretty much bald for quite a long time--longer than any of our other kids.

But, as is customary, hair grew--so much so that, by the time Benjamin was 13 and a half months old, he looked like this.

A little shaggy.  :)

Every so often, Jeff would bring up Benjamin's need for a haircut; but Saturday evening, November 5, was when that turned from conversation to action. 

A few last pictures of Benjamin's long hair...

...and then Jeff got out his clippers (the noise of which immediately intrigued Benjamin)...

...and got to work.

Jeff had a larger audience than he normally does for his haircuts.  ;-)

Benjamin did really well...

...occasionally trying to figure out...

...what was going on up there...

...but not crying about it.  :)

Of course, it helped that his beloved daddy was the one doing the job!  :)

David must be related to me, because he immediately got out his phone (*no phone service on it, by the way, but useful for other things*) and started taking pictures of the momentous occasion.  :)

Unlike when Tobin got the haircut that really cut off his long locks, I wasn't particularly emotional and didn't even shed a single tear about this milestone for Benjamin.  Maybe Jeff purposefully waited until I was ready for this?

I'll admit, however, that I do sorta miss his long hair.  ;-)  Oh, I think he looks handsome with a neat, short cut, that's for sure; but I kinda liked his fuzzball look.  ;-)  Benjamin misses it, too, since it is no longer long enough for him to grab hold off and pull.  He is a HUGE fan of pulling hair, as anyone with long(ish) hair who comes near enough to his grasping hands can attest to.

But little by little, he's growing up and leaving babyhood behind.  It is the way things go, after all, whether or not a mother is quite ready for it!

Wordless Wednesday {Even an Informal SVCC Concert Is Something Wonderful}

Small Town Life {Veterans Day Parade}

It's not our town's biggest parade.  No, that distinction belongs to the Christmas parade, or perhaps to the Independence Day one.

But every November, the Veterans Day parade is held, and I think, again, to myself, "I'm so glad for our small town.  I'm so grateful for our country.  I'm so thankful for those who served in the armed forces and made so many sacrifices for our freedom!"

It is a pleasure to see them ride by, to look in their faces and try to imagine what life was like for them as soldiers, to watch their faces light up during this event that is devoted to them.  It is a joy to honor them!

The weather was gorgeous--couldn't have been prettier this afternoon.

 While we waited, Benjamin and I practiced our selfie skills.  He tries to push the button, and I try to hold the phone far enough away from him that he can't reach it.  ;-)

 Here it comes!

 If Benjamin could talk, he would probably tell you that, hands down, the absolute best part of the parade was the lollipop that a friendly police officer kindly gave him--the first lollipop Benjamin has ever had!  :)

Despite all the current uncertainties, I am certainly glad to live here in this time and place.  A parade like we saw today reminds me what a blessing that is!

Her First Few Days Here

We are soaking up the time with Grandma Fisher, enjoying the moments made special by having such a special lady here with us!

She brought us a set of round looms...

...and taught the boys to knit hats on them.

She cuddled with her youngest grandchild...

...who happens to be the second grandson named Benjamin that she has.  My Benjamin's cousin Benjamin is five years old and lives in California, so it doesn't cause too many mix-ups that there are two Benjamins in the family.  But Grandma is the bridge that connects both of them.  :)

When Moriah, who still wasn't feeling totally well today, wanted to play Candy Land this afternoon...

...Grandma Fisher played with her.

And tonight after supper, she suggested that we play Mexican Train Dominoes.

We sure do love having her here!!!  :)

A Tale of Two Daughters {A Giveaway of Rebekah Bradley's CD}

Moriah was sick today, and so...

Because she was sick, I didn't want to take her out of the house this evening.

Because I didn't want to take her out this evening, I couldn't go to Josiah's speech and debate club meeting like I normally do.

Because I couldn't go to his meeting, I needed someone else to bring him home.

Because I needed someone else to bring him home, I asked my friend Linda Bradley if there was any way she could do it.

She said yes, and she did it, which was a HUGE help; and because I was thinking of my own daughter being sick and then thinking about Linda's daughter, I remembered that months ago, I had bought an extra copy of Linda's daughter's CD and had planned to write a blog post about it and do a giveaway.

Which I had never done.

Well, what can I say?  There's no time like the present!  :)

So, about this CD...  :)

 I really, really, really like it; and I'm not just saying that because I'm friends with Rebekah's mom.  ;-)  Rebekah is truly talented, not only as a singer and pianist but also as a songwriter; I appreciate the fact that out of the 14 songs on this CD, she wrote 10 of them.

Back in June, I got to go to her album release concert; and it was so much fun to hear her perform many of these songs live, especially as she talked about each one and told us the stories behind the songs.

My kids love her music, too; and sometimes we talk about which of her songs is our favorite--a tough choice.  Narrowing it down to just one is too hard; but if I had to choose two, they would be "Mask" and "Fireflies." :)

I encourage you to check out Rebekah's website and her YouTube channel.  If you would like to be entered into the drawing for this free CD, please leave a comment here on this blog post or on my Facebook post about it.  I'll draw a winner on Sunday evening, November 6!  :)

Aren't you glad that Moriah got sick?  Because if my daughter hadn't been under the weather, I wouldn't have been thinking about Linda's daughter and wouldn't have thought to post this giveaway tonight.  So my girl gets sick, and you get the chance at free music!  :)

Hopefully long before we draw the winning name on Sunday evening, Moriah will be feeling much, much better.  And one of you will still get the free music.  :)

Wordless Wednesday {Look Who We Found in the Airport!} :)