My Benjamin R, 400 Months

Ben turns 400 months old today! I figured, if I'm giving the kids monthly updates, he deserves one too!

February 2, 2015

Rather than covering his latest milestones and obsessions (and we'll avoid the growth charts as well), I'll just bullet a few things he's up to and a few things I love about him (lists help minimize my random ramblings when I do these update posts).

He Is

• He is dedicating all his free time to Church service. Okay, maybe not all of it, but he is currently serving as the president of his priesthood quorum and he is really giving it his all. I am super impressed by his dedication. He makes weekly visits to numerous members of our congregation, and I know the service is helping him grow.
• He is still traveling to Wautoma for work. His office covers a neighboring county, and each lawyer takes a turn working out there for a year (or two) and his rotation began last July. He's decided to stay out there one more year. It has it's ups and downs. He comes home for lunch a few times a week, but he commutes a lot. 
• Which means he is burning through books on tape. I'm a little bit jealous of that. He's listened to several of my favorite pieces of literature, only to realize I remember almost nothing of their plots. It's depressing for both of us. 
• He still loves gaming, but rather than playing video/computer games he watches other people play them. It's totally bizarre to me, but I actually prefer it to all the playing.
• He is handier than I ever imagined. Did I tell you about the time our sump pump died and he replaced the whole thing in less than an hour (that included two trips to the hardware store)? And, he was in his fancy work clothes the whole time! He also unclogged our kitchen sink, but it wasn't any old clog. He was in the basement taking pipes apart and replacing pieces and all sorts of handy man type stuff. Most recently, he replaced the heating mechanism on our dryer -- even though there was a big WARNING: HIRE AN EXPERT sign (he did call a friend to come "supervise"). Home ownership is really stretching him, and I love that much more than he does, I'm sure. 

I love

• I love the moment he walks in the door each night. He's so good to greet me with a kiss. Followed shortly by a "how can I help?" 
• I love how much he loves holding Coraline. He's always found joy in holding his sleeping babies, but this time around I feel a sense of eagerness in him. It's almost like he has a snuggle quota that needs to be filled. 
• I love listening to him teach our children. He has such a calm way about him. Reid is always asking a billion questions and Ben takes time to explain things in terms he'll understand. Also, any time he disciplines the kids he does so as a teacher. Not a school teacher, but a master teacher. His corrections are teachable moments and I'm amazed by his skill. 
• I love listening to him play with or read to the kids. I just love the noises I hear while I making dinner or feeding Coraline. I can tell the kids are clobbering him and Ben is loving it. He dances with them, wrestles them, and does generally anything they ask. The sounds of their playing fill my whole house and I love it.
• I just love him. I LOVE HIM! He has put so much dedication into our relationship lately. A while back I read a great article about choosing your spouse, not just on your wedding day, but every day -- choosing your spouse every single day. The idea really resonated with me and Ben and I casually discussed it, but lately I am really feeling it. I feel him choosing my every day, after long days at work and frustrating evening hours with the kids -- he sits down and chooses me every day. And I love it. 

I love my Benjamin Richard Szilagyi!