Eliana – Growin’ on Up

By ben  |  2011/07/28 09:05 Posted in Eliana  |  Comments (1)


There’s pictures of Eliana available in her June album, the photos of our Texas trip, and the album from our Oregon trip. What’s that? That’s not enough?

Well, okay! Though there’s still a few days left in the month, you are welcome to enjoy a few more pictures of Eliana from July. As I put together the album, I realized that she has officially made the switch from the bumbo chair to the high chair for all her meals. In a month or two, she may be crawling.

For those of you who think there’s too much of Eliana on the site — what did you expect from a couple of first-time parents? 🙂

Independence Day in Oregon

By ben  |  2011/07/27 17:27 Posted in Eliana, Family Gatherings, Oregon, Running, Vacations  |  Comments Off on Independence Day in Oregon


We visited Jenelle’s family in Beaverton this year for the 4th of July. Eliana was a little bit fussy on the plane rides to and from Oregon, but it was well worth it.

Here’s the full photo album!

Highlights of this trip:
1) I ran my first ever July marathon — the Stars and Stripes Marathon — in a park just a few miles away from Dave & Pam’s house. I was hoping for a personal best, but it was a bit too hot. I still managed to finish under 3:49 and record my third fastest marathon ever.

2) The ladies (Jenelle, Erica, Josie, & Pam) went to see Mary Poppins while Dave and I watched Eliana. The show was great.

3) Eliana got to spend time with cousins Lucas and Addison during the day on the 4th. In the evening, Jenelle and I went with Jeff, Josie, and Lucas for a cruise and fireworks.

As always, I’m already looking forward to my next trip to the Pacific Northwest.

Serving as Senders

By ben  |  2011/07/26 18:04 Posted in Adventures, Fun with Friends, Vacations  |  Comments Off on Serving as Senders

Last month, we went to Duncanville, Texas (just outside of Dallas) for a weekend to visit our friends, David and Amanda. They have a cute two year-old daughter named Adelaide. Eliana really enjoyed spending time with her.

Here’s some photos! Enjoy!

While our trip was pretty short, and the weather was quite warm, we did have lots of fun and get some important things done. David and Amanda are missionaries in transition with Pioneer Bible Translators, an organization working to get the Word of God into every language. If all goes well, David, Amanda, and Adelaide will be heading overseas next year.

Jenelle and I have a special role in their efforts. We serve as their forwarding agents, handling incoming funds and helping out with newsletters and a web site. While in Texas, David and I went to a PBT financial workshop to ensure we’re following all the procedures correctly.

If you are interested in partnering with David and Amanda, don’t hesitate to ask me for more details. Thanks!

Eliana – Six Months and Beyond

By ben  |  2011/07/25 14:00 Posted in Eliana  |  Comments Off on Eliana – Six Months and Beyond

Head on over to our Shutterfly site to check out a new photo album: Eliana pictures from June. There’s lot of great ones, but here’s one of my favorites.

These are the kids in the neighborhood

By ben  |  2011/07/24 20:02 Posted in Church  |  Comments Off on These are the kids in the neighborhood

In the past five weeks, I’ve had the joy of playing guitar, singing, and dancing with kids at Our Savior’s Lutheran Church. This year’s Neighborhood Camp was another wonderful time. My hope and prayer is that these kids take the Word and the love of God that has been planted in their hearts and share it with those around them.

We had a worship service in celebration of the last week of camp this past Thursday. All of the songs (plus the prayer of the day) are available on video!

Here’s a clip of “Big House”. You can hear me singing and playing guitar (off camera) while the kids are singing and dancing up front. You can also hear Jenelle singing. She’s holding the camera.

If you enjoyed that, be sure to check out all of the other songs. It was pretty hot that evening, as the church does not have air conditioning, but the kids still had tons of energy.

QuickPix Updated!

By ben  |  2011/07/23 20:32 Posted in WebSite  |  Comments Off on QuickPix Updated!

I just added thirteen photos to the QuickPix page, including a cute one of Eliana from today. Check it out!

Birthday Fun Times

By ben  |  2011/06/26 14:41 Posted in Around the House, Eliana, Family Gatherings, Fun with Friends  |  Comments Off on Birthday Fun Times

I’m 33 years old. Wow, I’m getting up there.

Anyway, here are a couple of videos. The first is from our party last night, and the second is from earlier this afternoon. Enjoy!

A Special Father’s Day Card

By ben  |  2011/06/19 21:54 Posted in Eliana, Running  |  Comments Off on A Special Father’s Day Card


Eliana gave me a wonderful card for Father’s Day. Here she is giving it a personal touch.

For those who might not have noticed, be sure to check out two more photo albums from May. There’s pictures from the Wisconsin Marathon on May 7 (including some of Eliana), and more Eliana pics from May. More to come soon!

Solid Food Time

By ben  |  2011/05/26 11:12 Posted in Eliana  |  Comments Off on Solid Food Time


Shortly after she turned five months old, we starting adding a few items to Eliana’s diet. As of today, her list of solid foods includes applesauce, oatmeal, sweet potatoes, peas, and pears. We’re adding something new every few days.
As you can imagine, we’ve got a lot of great pictures of Eliana chowing down. Enjoy!

Roll Over WIN

By ben  |  2011/04/21 20:16 Posted in Eliana  |  Comments Off on Roll Over WIN

This first happened a few days ago, but this is the first time we’ve captured it on video. Yay!