Aron with Friends and Family

Benjamin at 14 months

This month was a little difficult trying to get a good picture since Ben is on the move.  It's like a switch was flipped with him with regard to his personality.  He is still so funny and energetic, but he is definitely showing his ornery side partly because he's growing up but I think part of it is due to the attention his new little Brother is getting.  I'm sure that's a hard concept for a 1 year old to understand.  Ben is actually doing really well with Aron.  He has moments where he tries to pat Aron's head a little harder than he should, but most of the time he just wants to love on him.

Ben is jabbering up a storm and we think even more than Emily did when she was Ben's age.  He loves music and can often be found walking/dancing around the house listening to Emily's new CD player.

During this cold season we are very excited that Ben has learned how to blow his own nose.  We are working on him getting only the kleenex in the trash since it seems he likes to throw additional items in there as well, but he's getting it.

We're also thankful Ben is learning to use a spoon these days.

I love this shot of Ben and Holly.  I know there's a good caption for it, but I can't think of one right now.  Maybe - Holly asking Ben if he ate all the Peanut Butter

Merry Christmas from the Groff's

We had quite the hectic Christmas this year with our new bundle of joy that entered the world just 4 days before.  Since I had the privilege of holding Aron that meant the camera had to take second fiddle.  We had a great Christmas as always, filled with lots of laughter, food and fun and some special memories.  The gate from my Sister was very useful this year with a curious 1 year old on the loose.  The tradition lives on of going to a local tree farm and cutting down a live tree.

Merry Christmas!!!

More birth pictures

All during this pregnancy Emily thought I was having a girl so when Aron was born we asked her if she was pleased that I had a boy instead.  Her response...."I'm glad you had a boy, he's so cuuuuute."

Aron was blessed with a handmade Christmas hat made by some volunteers at the hospital.

Baby Groff #3 - pre and post birth

Well "they" say the more kids you have, the fewer the pictures and unfortunately I proved "them" right.  I didn't get a lot of pregnancy shots taken with this one, but here is an 8 month shot from Thanksgiving.  Folks said I looked like I swallowed a basketball with this pregnancy.  I was so blessed again with a very easy pregnancy and also enjoyed the fun of sharing the experience with a close friend who was due only days from my due date of Dec. 22.  We thought this little guy was going to be born on Dec. 16.  I was already dilated to 5 cm and went to the hospital due to a little concern with lack of movement, but the doctor sent me home instructing me to come back when the contractions were more intense.  So......

.....after being induced (because of the weather and my history of fast labors the doctor did not want the potential of me delivering at home) and about 4 hours of labor on Tues., Dec. 21 Aron Marshall Groff entered the world at 2:13pm weighing 8 lbs. 15 oz. (exactly the same weight as big Brother Ben)

 

His middle name suits him because he looks more like the Marshall side of the family.

Emily - 4 years, 4 mo. - Dec. 16

This month opened a new door of sisterhood for Emily as she added another sibling.  She has done really well with the changes and basically has become another little Mommy.  She was very excited to get to go to the hospital this time since she wasn't allowed when Ben was born due to the H1N1 outbreak. 

Emily really enjoyed Christmas this year.  She was especially fond of the gate that surrounded the tree since we had a toddler and dogs to watch out for.  She loved pretending that was her own special hiding spot.  The choir group from church was scheduled to sing We Three Kings which was something very exciting around our house, however with the weather and then sickness she didn't get to sing with her friends. We've enjoyed singing it/hearing it even after Christmas.

I found a cute picture of Emily in her Misson Friends class in Oct. 2008 and had to post it.  Oh, how fast time goes.

Ben in his first suit

Our friends left us a suit that I thought would be too big, but it turns out the shirt was a little snug.  I can't wait to dress him up in more suits and ties when he gets older.

Thanksgiving at the Groff's

We had the chance to do one more family adventure to PA this Thanksgiving before baby #3 arrived.  Fun was had by all.  There was food, fellowship, geocaching, tickling and lots of laughter.

Benjamin at 13 months

Our baby boy has definitely entered the world of toddlerhood.  New adventures every day and new things to explore.  We don't have a lot of space for the kiddos to run around in the house, but Ben has found he loves going up and down the stairs.  Thankfully he has finally mastered going down on his belly.

He is loving having soft, furry, playmates around the house.  Aunt Holly's dogs have been great entertainment for both the kids.

Ben is not saying a whole lot of words at this point, but a few we know he is saying is uh oh, baby and more using sign language.

Ben has grown fond of a baby doll we bought actually as an incentive for Emily to be potty trained.  The doll makes cooing noises and he loves to carry it around.  The doll has served as a training tool for the soon-to-be entrance of Baby Groff #3 by helping Ben understand not to pound on the baby.

Baby Shower for Baby Groff #3

I was overwhelmingly blessed again during the recent baby shower for Baby Groff #3.  The hostesses put together an amazing evening that was full of laughter, fun, worship and of course yummy food.  After we ate, my friend presented an awesome devotional that was very encouraging for me as a young Mother.  Thank you all for everything!!!

Of course there was a moment of tears when I opened the homemade quilt made by my Mom.  Thank you so much for the love and many hours that went into making this. 

Emily - 4 years, 3 mo. - Nov. 16

Life with Emily is always exciting.  She has a very vivid imagination and loves to talk about all her adventures.  There's times she repeats herself, but probably because she feels she needs to be heard above her Brother's jibber-jabbering.

"The Cat Girl" as she is nick-named is now up to 9 stuffed beanie baby cats.  Emily will play with other toys, but always comes back to her beloved cats which makes me chuckle. 

These days Emily is practicing her big Sister role for the new little one-to-be not only by telling her little Brother to stop pulling her hair when wrestling, but also telling my Sister-in-Law's dogs to sit and stand whenever she feels necessary.  Yes, there's quite a bit of bossyness in her.

Ben and Karley's Combined Birthday Party

Since Ben and his cousin Karley's birthdays are so close together, Karley's Mom and I decided to have a party together.  It was a lot of fun and we all thoroughly enjoyed watching the babies dive into their cakes.  Ben had his own personal cake the week before on his actual birthday so he was a pro.  Thank you to Aunt Kristen for coordinating everything for the party and thank you to all our friends and family who joined us!!!!

If you want to see a video of the little ones enjoying their cakes click here: http://www.facebook.com/video/video.php?v=524518289781

Benjamin at 1 year

Yes, our little baby, Master Benjamin, is already 1 year old. This date last year at 7:06am Benjamin joined our family.

This month has been fun watching him master walking and of course venturing up the stairs.  Coming down the stairs is a work in progress, but we're getting there.  He loves to push around our new Little Tikes grocery cart, but shows some frustration when it gets stuck in certain parts of the house.

The best part about turning one is no more formula! He’s made the switch to whole milk with no problem, and seems to really like it. The second best thing about turning one is getting to turn him around in the car. It’s got to be better than facing backwards, and he seems to really enjoy looking around at the scenery.

We gave Ben a strawberry shortcake on his actual birthday and he demolished it, unlike his Sister who didn't even want to put her hands in it.  Surprisingly there was not a lot of cake in his hair or on his clothes.

 Looks like he's checking under the plate for more strawberries.

Happy Birthday Ben!  We love you!