Bliss

John had the honor of officiating our friends' wedding yesterday. Steve and Meredith were Young Life leaders with us as students at UWEC and we've remained close with them as they have moved on and out of Eau Claire. Yesterday, they started the wonderful journey of marriage with an intimate ceremony in a grove of trees on a local farm in Eau Claire. It could not have been more beautiful and more personal. We were blessed to be a part of their gorgeous day. This is my favorite photo - the sun peeked through as they began to say their vows.

Congrats to you both! We love you!

Auntie Jenny!

Bennett was lucky to meet his Auntie Jenny this week! She is home from West Virginia, where she spent the last year interning and will soon begin her first job as a Registered Dietician at the University Hospital in Morgantown. We were so happy to see her and also to meet her boyfriend Mike. We had a great visit! Logan loved seeing Jenny, meeting Mike, and of course - showing off Bennett!

Logan showing Jenny Bennett's feet

It only took a few minutes for Logan to warm up to his new friend, Mike.

Proud Auntie! Thanks for visiting!

When Logan doesn't nap...

We've been struggling with an out of control sleep pattern with Logan for the last four days. Yesterday he didn't take a nap, but when John took Logan out for their little afternoon walk around the block in the backpack, this is what happened!

A day with our boys...

Bennett is totally mellow and still sleeping a lot. He is a very sweet baby!

Logan is almost two and it's beginning to show! But, he is still my sweet little man 99% of the time!

But then sometimes I can cheer him up with food... This week we made our own strawberry-orange popsicles in the new molds we got from cousins Violet and Olivia!

Outnumbered!

I'm suddenly very outnumbered in this family...

but with boys this cute, who can complain?!

2nd Father's Day

John marveled today at how on his 2nd Father's Day, he already has TWO precious sons! We're so lucky! We had such a nice day all together relaxing and playing. We even made it out for a nice dinner tonight with both kids and it was great! Here are some cute photos from today that I just had to post!

Happy Father's Day to all the DADS out there...especially our own! :) We love you!

Daddy and Bennett

Happy Father's Day, John...you are Superdad!

So Many Visitors!

We've been so lucky to have visitors almost everyday! Usually we have friends or family stopping by each day for even just a short visit or to drop off a meal and its been great! We look forward to all the visits, even the short drop offs! With John back to work this week, it was nice for me to know we'd have a distraction each day and Logan always looks forward to showing off his baby brother, screaming "BABY!" when people stop by! Thanks to all who have come over to see us and especially to bring meals! Yum!

Auntie Amy came over during the day last Monday because she didn't have to work. It was so fun to play with Amy! Logan took a great nap in the afternoon, so she and I got to talk about tons of wedding stuff for her upcoming wedding in October! She sure loves her nephews!

Monday evening, we got our second set of visitors - Grammy and Grandpa! They really spoiled us by preparing a super gourmet dinner in our kitchen when they got here. It was so special! They even brought more food for our freezer for when we need an easy meal. Logan LOVED having Grammy and Grandpa over again. They have been here three separate times already since Bennett was born. We've been lucky to see them so much!

Grandpa Bob holding Bennett. We think Bennett has several features that really remind us of Bob - he has lots of "Eiselt" in him!

Grammy always has the right touch with babies - she is so good...

...and she even likes to be silly with Logan! Logan was having a great time running around and tackling Grammy!

Friday, Papa and Nana came over to visit! Papa has a trip to Europe this week, so he wanted to be sure to see the boys before leaving! We were spoiled again when they brought a delicious meal to grill on a beautiful evening! We had a great time and it was really nice for my dad because it was the first time he got to spend much time with Bennett aside from visiting at the hospital right after he was born.

Nana with her 2nd grandson

Papa and Nana with the boys

Playing and snuggling!

Logan really can't get enough of Bennett lately - kisses, hugs (usually a little too rough), and holding Bennett are Logan's favorite past times. Its so cute...I'm glad he likes to be big brother for now - and I hope it lasts!

Two Weeks Old!

Bennett is two weeks old! Already?!

Tummy Time

Logan and I gave Bennett some tummy time this morning, letting him get some energy out and exercise his muscles a little. Logan was very interested in tummy time and even joined in a little. Bennett started to get a little frustrated by the time I started video taping, so I told Logan to encourage Bennett by saying, "Good job". Its so cute! Logan's love for Bennett continues to grow as he constantly wants to hold and hug Bennett.

All My Boys

My boys spending some time together lastnight...


Love

Checking out Baby Bennett

I had this little outfit for Logan, but he was too big to ever wear it!

Our sweet baby boy with such blue eyes!

Pooped

Having a little brother is exhausting...

Mommy's Little Helper

Yesterday was bath time for Bennett. John was at work, so I tried to enlist Logan to by my little helper. I even brought a chair in the nursery so Logan could stand up and watch what I was doing with the bath. Well, he joined us in Bennett's room to "help" by emptying the dresser drawers, putting the clothes in the hamper, then taking them out and stuffing them back in the drawer. I guess it wasn't the most helpful, but it kept Logan busy the whole time I did Bennett's bath, so I really can't complain!

Clothes out...

into the hamper...

and back in the drawer. Whew.

Bennett relaxing in his big crib after his bath.

What a cutie!

"Bed-det"

Logan loves to hold Bennett and say his name, "Bed-det". These boys are already melting my heart.

First Weekend

This weekend was our first weekend home with Bennett! It was great! We got to spend a lot of time all together doing some fun things and just enjoying being home. We even got a special visit from Sarah and Grace. John and I both found ourselves in disbelief that Bennett will be 10 days old tomorrow. It sounds crazy, but they really do grow up fast!

Saturday morning in Mom and Dad's bed!

Bennett only has a couple "newborn" sized outfits, so I am going to try to wear them out while he still fits in them! So cute!

One of our favorite things about Eau Claire in the summer is the Farmers' Market. We have a great market in a great venue. Phoenix Park is really cool, right by the river, and the market is always wonderful! This Saturday was our first chance to go and we were excited to stumble upon the Open Air Festival as well! We spent the morning walking through the market, buying some veggies, listening to music, and having a treat. We also bumped into a few friends along the way and got to introduce them to Bennett, so that was fun!

Eventhough Logan does not look happy, he was really enjoying the backpack! John used it a lot this weekend for trips to the park and walks. Logan didn't last the whole time in the backpack, he opted for the stroller after a while.

Open Air Festival at Phoenix Park

This afternoon my good friend Sarah drove from Minneapolis with her 4 month old daughter Grace to meet Bennett. She came bearing yummy food for us...I don't know how she does it being a very busy working Mom of two, but she somehow found time to spoil us with her yummy cuisine! We had a quiet visit (John was out at graduation parties with Logan) and it was lovely to catch up! Grace is a beauty and growing up so fast. I can't believe that in four months Bennett will be big like Grace! Time really does pass quickly.

Our sons, William and Logan are just three weeks apart. We're looking forward to our kids being friends as they grow up!

Bennett is doing great - eating and sleeping well! He is still in that supersleepy newborn phase (and I'm not taking that for granted!), so awake moments are pretty rare. Honestly, I don't know how Bennett sleeps a wink with Logan running and screaming all around the house! I guess Bennett will learn to sleep through just about anything! I just love to see those steel gray eyes...will they turn to dark brown like Logan's?? We've been taking every chance we can to hold and snuggle with Bennett now before he gets too squirmey!

Some rare, awake moments tonight. Babies are just the best...all their cute little movements and noises - its amazing how quickly you forget all those precious things about a newborn!

Logan and John checking out the neighborhood before bedtime. It was a beautiful night tonight. We were lucky to have great weather to enjoy this weekend! John and Logan have been two peas in a pod lately - going everywhere and doing everything together. Its been so awesome to see Logan be just like his dad. I love it! It will be an adjustment this week when John goes back to the office part time (he will still take part of the week as vacation to help out and he promises me he will only be a phone call away if I am in need!).

Waving at Bennett. Logan is sure to tell us when Bennett is awake: "WAKE!! Baby wake!"