Matt, Anna, Ben, Aaron & Grace

Funny Little Conversation

2009-05-26T23:08:00.000-07:00

The boys make me smile so much with the things that they say these days. :-) Here is a little conversation that took place today.

Me: "Ben, you need to clean all of your cars off of the couch."
Ben: "Can you help me?"
Me: "No, I'm busy in the kitchen. Ask Aaron to help you."
Ben: "Aaron, can you help me?"
Aaron: "Uh, no."
Ben: "But I need someone to help me."
Aaron: "Maybe God can help you."
Ben: "No, you."
Aaron: "No, God."

:-) So cute. :-)

The boys love their sister

2009-05-17T08:15:00.000-07:00

Aaron had wanted to hold Grace, and was talking to her so sweetly. But, of course, as soon as I get the camera Ben is right there trying to get in the spotlight. :-) They really love their sister, though. And, Ben is very good at entertaining her if I have something else I have to do.

Aaron's 2nd Birthday

2008-12-06T23:11:00.000-08:00

On December 5th Aaron turned two years old. We had a party for him the next day with a few family and some friends. He's a funny little boy! :-)

Bad Guys?

2008-10-03T17:55:00.001-07:00

On the way home from the grocery store this evening, Ben and I had a conversation that made me laugh. It went something like this:

Ben: "Mom, us all bad guys."

Me: "We're all bad guys?"

Ben: "No, me and Aaron bad guys. Have super powers!"

Me: "Are you bad, or good?"

Ben: "Me superman!"

Me: "Superman is good. It's always best to fight on the side of good, becuase good ultimately wins!"

Ben: "Yeah. (pause) Sorry about that."

Where does he come up with this stuff? :-)

Playing at the Beach

2008-08-07T10:59:00.000-07:00

Aaron absolutely LOVED to splash in the water. The boys had a great time playing at the beach.

Hadley Family Vacation at Seaside, OR

2008-08-07T10:50:00.001-07:00

This year's Hadley family vacation was at Seaside, OR. Matt's parents rented an amazing house for all of us to enjoy. There was plenty of room for everyone (though Bekah's fiancee, Ezra, had to sleep on the couch). I didn't get very many pictures (I'm hoping to receive lots from everyone else), but I did get some cute shots at the beach.

Chitakwa Festival in Gladstone, OR

2008-08-07T10:44:00.001-07:00

Riding a Fire Truck

2008-08-07T10:36:00.000-07:00

Last Saturday we went to spend the day with the Lewis' at their home in Gladstone. It just so happened that that day was part of the Chitakwa Festival. We were able to watch a parade from Kevin and Becky's yard, and then walk down to the park to look at booths and ride the fire truck. It was a pretty fun day.

What Kind of Cookies?

2008-07-17T12:09:00.000-07:00

Ben likes to get on his motorcycle and pretend to go to the store, and then come back and feed me things. He just now gave me a lollipop and a cookie. When I asked him what kind of cookie it was, he said, "a blue sour cream cookie." Mmmmmm sounds yummy, huh? :-)

Sacramento

2008-07-11T10:38:00.001-07:00

Ben, Aaron and I had a wonderful time in Sacramento last week visiting my sister, Sarah, her husband, Andrew, and our brother, Nate. They have recently moved into a new home, and we were able to enjoy their wonderful pool. Almost every day the first thing out of Aaron's mouth when he woke up from nap was "pash" (splash), meaning that he wanted to go in the pool. Sarah bought some safety swimming gear for the boys. Here are a few pictures. Don't they look cute? :-)

Ben's 3rd Birthday

2008-07-11T10:01:00.000-07:00

Benjamin turned 3 on June 24th, and we had a family birthday party for him on the Sunday before. His favorite gift, by far, was the Harley Davidson "momocycle" from his Nana and Papa. It took quite a while to get him off of it to open the rest of his presents. :-)

Ben helped to decorate his birthday cake.

When Ben blew out his candle, he may have sent a little spit along with it. :-) Oh well.

Ben and Matt

2008-06-20T22:38:00.000-07:00

Aaron Eating a Strawberry Fruit Bar

2008-06-20T22:24:00.000-07:00

A trip to the zoo

2008-06-20T22:16:00.000-07:00

Last week my sister, Elisabeth, and I brought Ben and Aaron to the zoo. This was Aaron's first time, and Ben hadn't been there since he was one year old. Unfortunatley it was a bit of a cold, wet day, but I think that the boys enjoyed themselves nonetheless.

Ben singing some songs

2008-05-09T22:53:00.000-07:00

2008-05-05T23:25:00.000-07:00

Four Things (I've Been Tagged!)

Sarah tagged me, so here we go:

Four jobs I've held:

1) Shoes and Apparel at G.I. Joe's (twice)
2) Student secretary for Dr. Garry Friesen at Multnomah Bible College
3) Kindergarten teacher at the Kuwait American School in Kuwait City, Kuwait
4) Site Director for the YMCA's School's Out Program

Four movies I could watch over and over:

1) "Anne of Green Gables"
2) "Sense and Sensibility"
3) "The Sound of Music"
4) "The Princess Bride"

Four places I've lived (in order):

1) Portland, OR
2) Kuwait City, Kuwait
3) Vancouver, WA
4) Clatskanie, OR

Four TV shows I like:

1) "The Amazing Race"
2) "The View"
3) "Bio Classics" on the Biography chanel
4) "American Idol"

Four favorite foods:

1) Grilled Salmon
2) Lasagna
3) Mashed Potatoes
4) Pizza

Where would I rather be?

(Hmmmmm... there aren't really very many places I'd rather be.) :-)

1) Visiting my sister, brother-in-law and brother in Sacramento
2) Ireland
3) Acting somewhere
4) Playing softball somewhere

Four people I'm tagging (for those new to this, it means you copy and paste this onto your blog and put your own answers):

Well, basically the only people who visit my blog are Suzanne, Sarah, Melissa and Kathy -- and they've all been tagged already. So, if you're not one of those people, and if you have a blog, consider yourself tagged. :-)

Boys enjoying nice weather

2008-04-26T15:13:00.000-07:00

New Pics

2008-04-26T15:08:00.001-07:00

Here are some recent pictures of the boys.

Too Cute

2008-04-26T15:04:00.001-07:00

This was too cute not to share it. Today as I was washing Ben off after lunch, he noticed a freckle on his arm, and pointed it out to me. I said, "Yeah, a freckle. Do you have as many freckles as me?" Ben said, "uh huh." Then I showed him my arm and he said, "Oh, wow! Nice freckles, mom!" :-) He made me laugh. :-)

Ben is so cute!

2008-03-04T22:11:00.003-08:00

My favorite thing that Ben does is this: when he tastes something he likes, he gets a little smile on his face, shrugs his shoulders, and says, "Mmmmmmm dat wicious (delicious)." The way he says it is SO cute! Maybe I'll try to catch it on video. :-)

Ben is so cute!!!

2008-03-04T22:07:00.001-08:00

My favorite thing that Ben does right now is this: when he takes a bite of something good, he gets a little smile on his face, shrugs his shoulders, and says, "Mmmmmm dat wicious (delicious)." The way he says it is SO cute! Maybe I'll try to catch it on video. :-)

Boys blowing bubbles

2008-03-03T21:44:00.000-08:00

My sister-in-law, Sarah, stayed with us last weekend, and she caught the boys enjoying some bubble time.

Ben & Aaron like the kittens

2008-02-25T23:50:00.000-08:00

Having fun with photobucket

2008-02-25T10:26:00.000-08:00

My sons, and are the most adorable little boys ever. Ben loves to play and and he loves to play on the . He also loves to play with and . Aaron loves to do everything that Ben is doing, but he especially loves to chase the . Aaron is also starting to on everything. On sunny days, one of our favorite activities is to go to the . On rainy days, we like to stay inside reading , or playing trains with our .

2008-02-25T09:45:00.000-08:00

Somebody did this visual survey on their myspace, and I thought it looked like fun, but I'm not smart enough to figure out how to do it on myspace, so I did it here instead. :-)

If you would like to do it:
1. Go to www.photobucket.com (don't sign in)
2. Type in your answer to the question in the "search" box
3. Use only the first page
4. Copy the html and paste for the answer

1. What is your name?

2. What is your relationship status?

3. What is your favorite color?

4. Who is your favorite celebrity?

5.What is your favorite movie?

6. What is your dream vacation?

7. What is your favorite desert?

8. I was born in:

9. My eye color is:

10. My favortie book (other than the Bible, of course):

Missy's kittens

2008-02-24T14:18:00.000-08:00

Our cat, Missy, had her kittens on Friday the 22nd. All five of them are doing very well. They're pretty cute. Sarah wanted to see a little video of them, so, here you go! :-)

B-b-b-b-b-Ben How?

2008-02-02T09:46:00.000-08:00

Here's another video of the boys playing in the snow. Ben was trying to make a snowball, but the snow was too powdery, and wouldn't really stick together.

The best baby/child friendly bathroom I have ever seen . . .

2008-02-02T09:18:00.000-08:00

. . . is in the new food court at Clackamas Town Center. It has a family bathroom, a nursing room, a changing room just for changing diapers (complete with sink), and, at least in the women's stalls (I don't know about the men's) there are those fold down seats to strap your baby in while you do your business. It's amazing!!!

Boys in the snow

2008-01-28T23:35:00.000-08:00

A Day of Snow!!!

2008-01-28T23:18:00.000-08:00

We woke up to a beautiful white world this morning, and the boys (mainly Ben) were so excited to go out and play in the soft, powdery snow. Here are a few pictures and I'll try to add a video in my next post. Pretty cute!

2008-01-26T23:02:00.000-08:00

Here are a few pictures of the boys around Aaron's birthday, Dec. 5th. I can't believe that Aaron is one already. He's becoming such a little boy now, trying to do everything that Ben does. It's pretty cute. :-)

Cabella's

2008-01-26T22:57:00.000-08:00

My sister-in-law, Suzanne, took this picture of us at Cabella's in Olympia. The boys loved all of the animals, and the tents, and the talking bear head above the shooting gallery. And the big fish tanks. It was a fun outing on a VERY rainy day. :-)

More pics from Pumpkin Patch and Park

2007-10-18T23:33:00.000-07:00

I could only put so many pics in that last entry, so here are more from our day. :-)

The Pumpkin Patch '07

2007-10-18T23:13:00.000-07:00

So, we had quite an interesting day last Friday, going to the pumpking patch with the Lewis'. The plan was for us to meet the Lewis' at their house, in Gladstone, at 10 am, go to a nearby pumpkin patch for an hour or so, go back to the Lewis' for lunch and nap, and then head back up to our place soon after. Well, we ended up getting to their house closer to 11, and then Kevin said that there weren't really any pumpkin patches nearby, so after discussing ideas of which way we wanted to go, we decided to go to one that we had been to a few years ago, up near the airport. Well, it was no longer there. But, I knew of one close by, that I had brought my YMCA kids to in years past. It, also, was no longer in existance. So, Kevin and Becky said that they knew of one in Vancouver. It WAS there, so we decided to stay. We ended up getting to the pumpkin patch around 12 -- two hours past time for Aaron to eat. So, we fed him in the stroller, as Ben and Josh ran around the pumpkins. It was a beautiful, sunny, fall day. This particular pumpkin patch was rather small, without all of the animals, and bouncy slides and such. But, I don't think the boys even knew the difference. After staying about 30 min. we decided to grab some lunch and eat at at nearby park. The boys really had fun there. And Aaron did not want to be held -- he wanted to get down and crawl in the grass, and the bark chips. While we were at the park, Matt's sister, Sarah, came by to say "hi". She lives very close to the park, and Matt had told her we were there. By the time we packed back into the car, and stopped at Starbucks for Matt to get his coffee with Sarah's discount, it was going on 3:00, and poor Benjamin was exhuasted! He fell asleep in the Starbucks parking lot. :-) Before we got very far, Aaron started fussing and crying, and we were pretty sure that we had lost his pacifier at the park, so we made a quick stop at Fred Meyers. I ran in and bought a pack of new pacifiers and a bottle of dish soap, ran into the bathroom and washed one of them real well, and went back out to the car. The pacifier had been in less than two minutes, and Aaron's eyelids started to fall. So, it was a nice, quiet ride home as the boys slept. :-) All in all, it was a pretty fun day!

Back to Blogging

2007-10-11T23:55:00.000-07:00

So, I decided that I have ignored my blog long enough. I realized that my last post was from February, and my boys are so much bigger now, so we definitely need some new pictures. :-) I'll post some recent pictures here, and then tomorrow we are going to the pumpkin patch with the Lewis', so I'm sure we'll get some cute shots there. :-)

Aaron Edward Hadley

2007-02-14T22:12:00.000-08:00

Our second born son, Aaron Edward Hadley, decided to go ahead and come on his own. I started having contractions around 1:00 am on Tues. Dec. 5th, and Aaron was born at 9:01 am of that day. He weighed 8 lb. even, and was 20 in. long. He has a good set of lungs, but is a very content baby for the most part. Benjamin enjoys being a helpful, big brother most of the time -- though he definitely has his moments! :-) We love our cute, little Aaron.

Soon

2006-11-27T17:25:00.000-08:00

Aaron Edward will be here soon! If he doesn't come on his own before the 6th of December we are going to go in to be induced. So -- soon!

Ben in the Bath

2006-11-05T13:42:00.000-08:00

Hopefully you're not getting sick of seeing pictures of Ben. But, don't worry, in just a little over a month we'll have another little boy to take pictures of. :-) Here are a few shots that Matt got of Ben in the bath.

A Musician in the Making

2006-11-05T13:36:00.000-08:00

Ben and Josh were practicing a little piano when we spent the night at the Lewis'. It's fun to watch them play together.

Our Adorable Little Pumpkin

2006-10-30T21:20:00.000-08:00

Last week our church had a little Harvest Party, so I thought it would be fun to dress Ben up. Here is our adorable little pumpkin!!

Pumpkin Patch

2006-10-25T22:01:00.000-07:00

We went to the pumpkin patch at Bauman Farms in Woodland, OR with the Lewis' last weekend. There was a lot for the boys to do there, and I think that they had a really good time. Ben spent the first 1/2 hour sleeping on Matt's shoulder, but when he woke up he definitely wanted to try everything. I have more pictures too, but I'm not sure how many I can put in one blog entry. Maybe I'll do another one. :-) We are so blessed to have Kevin and Becky and Josh as our good friends. We hope that our kids can grow up to be good friends too.

Time for new pictures

2006-10-25T21:43:00.000-07:00

Here are a few of the cutest recent pictures that we have of Ben. I know I say this a lot, but he is growing up so fast. We love him!!! And we are excited that he'll be a big brother pretty soon. I hope he's excited too. :-)

Bigger Belly

2006-09-24T22:07:00.000-07:00

So, a month later, and my belly seems to have doubled in size (well, maybe not literally). :-) I am definitely bigger with this pregnancy than I was with Ben, though. We're narrowing the name list down, but still haven't finalized anything yet. And, I wanted to show off another cute picture of my cute son, because he is growing up so fast!

My Growing Belly

2006-08-18T20:04:00.000-07:00

Sorry that it has taken me so long to get these pictures up. I am now about 23 weeks along, and our little boy is doing great so far. He doesn't seem to move around as much as I remember Ben moving, but he just may be more laid back. :-) I know my belly's not huge, but it gets that way the last couple of months. I'll try to be a little bit more faithfull in posting pictures as we go. Tah tah for now.

First Time at the Zoo

2006-08-10T21:10:00.000-07:00

Last Tuesday was "Two Buck Tuesday" at the Washington Park Zoo in Portland. We went with Kevin, Becky and Josh. It was Ben and Josh's first time to the zoo, and I think for the most part that they had a good time. Unfortunately, it was a little hot that day, and because it was a cheap day, everyone and their brother, and their borther's baby came to the zoo, so there was absolutely no parking. We had to park at a park and ride one exit past the zoo and take the MAX down. So, it was a bit of a hassle, and ended up costing us more than 2 bucks for the day. :-) Oh well. It was worth it to hear Ben squeal "DAH!!!" every time he saw an animal. Unfortuanely, becuase it was hot, most of the animals were in their caves, or just sleeping -- not very entertaining for 1 year olds. But, the over all trip was fun nontheless.

Ben's First Birthday!!

2006-07-14T23:33:00.000-07:00

Ben actually got two birthday parties to celebrate turning one year old. My family was all able to be here on June 18th (unfortunately, Matt was at a CYIA camp, and not able to be here). We had a little birthday party for Ben with my family, and then on the 25th Matt's whole family was able to be here (and Matt too!) for another birthday party. I think that Ben liked the attention, the presents, and the cake. Maybe next blog entry will just be a bunch of pictures of his birthday parties. He is getting so big so fast. We love him so much!!!

Almost One Year!!

2006-06-09T22:38:00.000-07:00

On June 24th Benjamin will be one year old. Where did this year go? Our little boy is getting big so fast. We are very excited, and plan to have at least a couple birthday parties. Don't forget the balloons! Ben loves balloons. Whenever he sees them he points at them and makes this cute little sound that I wouldn't know how to spell. You'll just have to take my word -- it's cute. :-) And, Ben is going to be a big brother when he is about 18 months old, or so. That's right, I'm about 13 weeks along! Crazy! This pregnancy is going by SO fast. At my next appointment we'll be able to find out the gender, and I still feel like we just found out!! Well, we are very happy -- God has truly blessed us. I'll be sure to put up pictures of Ben's birthday parties!! :-)

We Moved!!!

2006-06-09T22:27:00.000-07:00

Well, I lot has happened since I last blogged. We moved to Clatskanie, OR, where Matt got a new job as the Worship Pastor and Youth Pastor at Clatskanie Baptist church. I don't know how familiar you all are with Clatskanie, but it is a pretty small town, especially compared to Portland. It's nice though, and the people here are what make it feel like home so quickly. We still have a few boxes to unpack, but we're getting there. On the day of the move Benjamin enjoyed a little picnic in the front yard of the old house with my sister, Elisabeth. It was quite an eventful day!!

2006-04-07T15:06:00.000-07:00

This is a video montage that my sister, Sarah, put together for us. It's so cute!

Create your own video at One True Media

Spinach

2006-03-08T22:30:00.000-08:00

Both Ben and Josh recently tasted their first bite of spinach. Josh wasn't a huge fan, but Benjamin actually really likes it. Unfortunately, Ben hasn't really liked the fruit yet. I know that he will, in time.

Clatskanie Women's Retreat

2006-03-08T22:23:00.000-08:00

A few weekends ago, Benjamin and I went to the Clatskanie Women's Retreat, held at the Cannon Beach Conference Center, in Cannon Beach, OR. It was great for me to be able to meet some of the wonderful women at Clatskanie Baptist. I think that Ben would have enjoyed the beach a little bit more, had it not been so windy and cold! So, he has been to the beach, but not actually down on the beach yet.

Ben got bigger!!

2006-01-27T14:09:00.000-08:00

Sarah, I couldn't figure out how to e-mail this to you with Picasa. If you know how, let me know, kay? Love ya!!

Surprise visit to Sacramento

2006-01-18T10:19:00.000-08:00

Last weekend my brother-in-law, Andrew, flew my mom and dad, my brother, Nate, my sister, Elisabeth and Benjamin and me (Matt couldn't come because he had a Jr. High retreat to lead worship for) down to Sacramento to surprise my sister, Sarah, for her 30th birthday. It was a blast. When we got there, Andrew and his dad picked us up and brought us to Andrew's parent's house. We stayed there while Andrew went home and brought Sarah out for a supposed dinner date. While we waited someone said that we should have called her and told her "Happy Birthday" since Sat. was her actual birthday, and she might get suspicious if no one called her. Nate was the only one that could have called at that point, becuase he had his cell phone, and if any of us tried to call, she would see that we were calling from Sacramento. So, Nate made the call. Unfortunately, Nate is the worst lier ever, and Sarah was asking the wrong sorts of questions. Finally, she asked, "Are you guys in Sacramento?" He pretended like he was loosing reception, and hung up on her. I think that made her a little suspicious. She's a sharp cookie!! Then we all (all of my family and all of Andrew's family -- minus his brother, Serge, and his wife, Olga) went over to Andrew and Sarah's house. We got everything ready (Andrew's mom and sisters had made a ton of wonderful Russian food, and his mom had made an amazing birthday cake for Sarah), and then waited in anticipation. Finally we heard a noise at the door. We waited. There was a slight knock. We were confused. Someone opened the door, and Andrew came in. He said that when he told Sarah he had to come back to the house to fax something, she decided to wait in the car. He asked what he should say to get her to come in. Angelica (Andrew's sister) said to say that Skipper had peed on the couch (something he's been known to do on occasion). Andrew quickly went back out. A few moments later they both came to the door. I heard Sarah laughing. "She must know we're here," I thought. Then they came in and we jumped up and yelled, "surprise!!!" She was surprised that the party ended up being at her house. We then commenced the party, and had a wonderful time. The whole weekend was great, really. It was so much fun to just hang out with my family, kind of like it used to be when we were younger (except I have a baby now, who did amazingly well on the whole trip, despite the fact that his sleeping schedule was all out of whack). We got to sit one afternoon and draw and paint and, of course, play games!!! :-) (That's for all you Hadleys who may be reading this!!! :-) ) We did watch a movie, too -- Freaky Friday. Anyway, we also went and kind of explored Auburn, an old mining town, on Monday afternoon and evening. It was a blast!!! I am so thankful to God for family, and for safety on the trip, and for my sister!!! (I only wish Matt could have been with us.) Maybe next time!!
I'll include a few photos so you can sort of feel like you were there. :-) From top to bottom: the four siblings in the airport before we flew back(this was our silly pose -- Lily said she can't do silly, she can only do cute!); Ben at Sarah's party; Sarah opening gifts; Sarah's beautiful cake; most of Andrew's family, with my parents and Lily in the background; us after church -- apparently I missed the memo that we were supposed to wear blue! :-)

Ben's New Bath

2006-01-12T16:25:00.000-08:00

Benjamin is getting to be a big boy, and now that he can sit up by himself, he was ready for a new bath tub. I'm new to motherhood, so I'm not exactly sure if an inflatable turtle bath tub is the best thing for him or not, but he likes it, and he gets clean, so I think it will work for now. :-)

2005-12-27T22:21:00.000-08:00

Benjamin enjoyed opening Christmas gifts for the first time. He actually enjoyed the paper the most! :-)

My Pregnant Belly

2005-12-20T23:52:00.000-08:00

Another cool collage. This thing is too much fun. I need to go to bed! :-)

Strike a Pose

2005-12-20T23:48:00.000-08:00

Nate put Ben's toy on top of his head. He looks like he's posing for something. What a cutie!

More Pics

2005-12-20T23:46:00.000-08:00

This is another fun collage. He's changed so much!

Cool Designs

2005-12-20T23:44:00.000-08:00

Here's a little collage I did of some of Ben's pictures. I like this tool!

Old Picture of Us

2005-12-20T23:22:00.000-08:00

This picture was taken of us last Feburary at our friend's wedding. I was just starting to show, although you can't see that in this picture. I used the Picasa2 photo center to play with it a bit. It's a lot of fun, and I think that I'll get creative with a few more pics. By the way, Matt and I went and saw The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe tonight. It was fabulous. My mom and Nate watched Ben. Good times!

Ben and Christmas Lights

2005-12-12T10:28:00.000-08:00

Ben was fascinated by the Christmas lights. What a cutie pie!! We love him so much!

Ben's First Christmas

2005-12-05T12:31:00.000-08:00

Obviously we are very excited about Christmas this year, because it will be Benjamin's first Christmas. He will be six months old on Christmas Eve. Having him changes our perspective on Christmas. We understand more clearly what Joseph and Mary went through, with nursing and changing baby Jesus, and taking care of all of his needs. The fact, also, that the Creator of the universe came to earth as a baby -- so helpless and dependant -- is a much more tangible truth to us. I mean, we knew it before, but we feel like the awesomeness of that truth is more real to us now, as we understand the utter dependance of a newborn babe. We are so thankful to God for the gift of our precious son. And, as much as we love Benjamin and are extremely grateful for him, we thank God even more for the amazing gift of His precious Son.

A Trip to Colorado Spings

2005-11-18T08:35:00.000-08:00

Matt, Benjamin and I recently returned from a five day trip to Colorado Springs, Colorado to visit Matt's sister, Suzanne. She just bought a townhouse this year, and we were very anxious to see her new place, not to mention to spend some quality time with her, and to meet her friends and coworkers. Suzanne is the associate editor for Clubhouse and Clubhouse Jr. magazines at Focus on the Family. While we were there, we got to visit her office, meet her coworkers, and to bring Ben to the Adventures in Odessy playland, complete with Whit's End Soda Shop (although that part was closed). What a fun place! We definitely want to bring Ben back when he's older, and can really enjoy all of the cool features they have to offer.
Overall the visit was very relaxing. Matt and I spent a lot of time just sleeping in, watching TV, and I got a little further on the scarf that I'm knitting. We were also able to go up to Parker, Colorado to visit Matt's grandparents, and his uncle and aunt. Wonderful people. They all enjoyed seeing, holding and kissing Ben, he being their first great grandson/nephew. He did a good job of not fussing, and of being very loving with them.
All in all, our time there went by way too quickly. But, I am so glad that Suzanne will be coming home for Chirstmas next month. It is always good to be with family. God has richly blessed us.

Benjamin at Crown Point

2005-10-28T11:29:00.000-07:00

Last Saturday was a beautiful Fall day. My sister, Sarah, was here visiting from Sacramento, and we decided that we needed to take advantage of such a day. Matt was able to come along too! We drove over to Troutdale, and hooked up with my parents and my brother, Nate, and we all drove out the Historic Columbia Highway to Crown Point, overlooking the beautiful gorge. It was Benjamin's first time to Crown Point -- a place that I have been to many, many times in my life. I remember going there when I was a kid. We used to call it the Windy House, because it is usually very windy there -- sitting out in the middle of the gorge. I remember running around, going to the little gift shop, seeing the view from the top, and of course the thrill of almost being knocked over by the wind. The Vista House just recently re-opened after undergoing some renevations and restorations. I hope that when Ben is older he also will have fond memories of visiting the Windy House.

Farmer Ben

2005-10-10T15:15:00.000-07:00

Benjamin picked just the right pumpkin for our fall decorations. Who knows -- maybe he will help to carve it . . hmmmm. . . maybe not yet.

Family

2005-10-06T11:31:00.000-07:00

I love having family over. I want Benjamin to grow up knowing his grandparents, aunts and uncles, and (hopefully some day) his cousins. I grew up in Portland with six aunts, six uncles and 15 cousins. I wouldn't have had it any other way (except maybe to have my aunt, uncle and two cousins that lived in California move up, so that I could have spent more time with them). We all got together for birthdays, holidays, and sometimes for no occasion. Of course now that we're grown, a lot of cousins (and even siblings) have moved away. I guess that's what makes holidays even more special now -- because we don't get to see those family members all year round anymore.
We have been fortunate to be able to see a little bit more of our families, now that there is a baby to draw them. I look forward to watching the next generation of kids grow up in our family (now we're just waiting for Benjamin's cousins).
:-)
Here's a picture of Ben with his grandpa Hadley

Getting Bigger!

2005-09-29T13:05:00.000-07:00

Our baby boy is now three months old. It is amazing how much change occurs in three months. Not only physical change, but in his personality as well. He totally melts our hearts when he smiles. He loves it when daddy plays with him, and he is so contemplative so much of the time. He studies things -- faces, prints on our shirts, pictures in books, the kittens. It is so much fun to watch him learn and grow. What a blessing!!

Two Little Furr Balls

2005-09-29T12:56:00.000-07:00

Matt and I love cats. We have missed having cats around since we have been married, but we wanted to wait until we were in a house before we got any -- so there would be a good place for the litter box. Well, we bought our house at the begining of June, and we had our son at the end of June, and we decided that now would be a good time to get some kittens. So, we welcomed Bella and Missy to the family. They are about nine weeks old, and as rambunctious as two healthy kittens should be. Matt loves them! I love it when Missy comes up and cuddles next to me on the couch. Benjamin loves to watch them run around and play. (Little do they know that in a few months he will be picking them up by their tails and pulling on their whiskers.) We will do our best to teach him how to treat kittens. They are a great addition to our family.

Nap Time

2005-09-01T17:28:00.000-07:00

Maybe we spoil him a bit, but it is so precious to sleep with our little boy. Here Matt and Ben are nuzzled up for a little nap.

Evelyn's wedding

2005-08-20T12:43:00.000-07:00

This is Serge, Evelina, me, Benjamin, and Sarah at Serge and Evelina's reception. What fun!

A Russian Wedding

2005-08-20T12:32:00.000-07:00

Here I am with Ben at Evelina & Serge's wedding. I love the Russian culture, and I have been to many Russian weddings. I love the traditions that Russian's have, with the big dinner reception following, and the many courses of Russian food. Plove (sp) is my favorite, though not everyone makes plove quite the same way. I really like the way Sarah's friend, Galina, makes it. Anyway, back to the wedding. This time (obviously) it was a little different for me, because I had to go feed Benjamin, and take him out when the music was too loud, and things of that nature. But it was still wonderful to be with all of my Russian family and friends. (Okay, so technically they're not related to me at all, and most of them probably don't think about me, except when I make it down there maybe once a year. But, hey -- I have good memories and good feelings when I'm with them.) I look forward to going to Jessica's wedding -- much further down the road.

Ben's Flight

2005-08-20T12:21:00.000-07:00

Ben's not quite sure what to do, as he holds our boarding pass and waits to board the plane. We had a wonderful, fast, time in Sacramento. It was so good to see Sarah and Andrew again (though we had just seen them the month before), and it was great to see Nate again. I think the last time I saw him was last November. And, Sarah and Andrew's "new" house did not dissapoint me. It is amazing!! Unfortunately the air conditioning was on the fritz while we were down there, and the temperatrue was in the hundreds. Ugh! But, Ben did very well -- both in the heat, and with the plane rides. He actually didn't fuss one bit, except for a little bit at the end of the flight back, because it was getting close to feeding time. :-) What a good baby! :-)

Our Baby Boy

2005-08-01T11:39:00.000-07:00

Our baby boy, Benjamin Stephen Hadley, is a precious addition to our family. He will be six weeks old this Friday, and will be going on his first flight. He and mommy are flying to Sacramento to visit Uncle Andrew, Aunt Sarah, and to see Uncle Nate for the first time. We will also be visiting all of Uncle Andrew's family, as we attend his sister Evelyn's wedding. We will see how baby Ben handles the flight. What a big adventure at such a young age. :-)

Here's Ben sitting on his grandma Hadley's lap. In this picture he is four weeks old.

2005-07-28T23:19:00.000-07:00

Here we are. This is one of the only pictures that we have of all three of us. We will try to get some better ones, where you can see Ben's face more clearly. We love Benjamin so much! God has blessed us with a happy, healthy baby boy!

A Quick Note

2005-07-21T18:25:00.000-07:00

This is simply a quick note from Matt, Anna and Ben. Well, it's actually from Anna, but, hey -- we're a family. :-) I am just trying to figure out this whole blog thing, so, it may not be wonderful at first. We will try to maintain this site for the enjoyment of our family and friends. Ciao for now!