There and Back Again, A Froggie's Tale

There are so many allusions I could use to title this post "Froggie Went a Courtin'", "Return of the Frog", "He once was Lost, but now he's Found"... Then there's, "The Adventures of Frog" or "Travelin' with Froggie" that sound good, too, but regardless of the title, the simple announcement is that Frog is home! Turns out, he's been in White Pine all this time. A lady and her grandson found him on the street, presumably right after he was dropped considering I went back fairly quickly. She said she doesn't usually pick up things like that, but something just told her to. Her mom called her Tuesday morning and said, "Ya know that frog... He's in the newspaper!"
Ben still doesn't know he's back. I wanted to wash him to get the "street" off of him, but also because the nice lady that held onto him for us was a smoker, so Frog is kind of smelly. I've done surgery to remove his croaker and washed him once, but he needs another go. Good thing I found out he still smelled AFTER I sewed him back up! Anyway, we're just greatful he's home, regardless of what kind of treatments he needs. I can't wait to see how Ben reacts after not having seen his Frog for so long.
Below are some of Froggie's past travels. You could almost play "Where's Waldo" with him!

In May at Dylan's ball game.

In June, digging him out of the deep deep toy box.

In August, getting a haircut with Mommy. (You can really tell Ben needed one, right?)

In September, shopping for birthday party stuff.

More September, following the family reunion. Frog wasn't front, but he was literally center.

September again. Can you spot Frog? He was hiding so he didn't get blown away when we were riding.

Happy Birthday, Ben!!

It's hard to believe it's been a whole year since Ben arrived! Here's a little look back at his first day and a comparison with who he is today!

Benjamin was just a couple minutes old in this picture.

This is later on his first day, after a bath and getting dressed.

This is Ben a week ago. He walks, talks, feeds himself, sleeps in his own bed...
imagine all the progress a whole year makes!

I'll update the blog, when Ben gives me time, with the words he's saying, how many teeth, height, weight, etc.

Goodbye, Froggie...

Well, I finally went and did it. Today, we lost Ben's beloved Froggie at Old Time Saturday AS WE WERE LEAVING! I feel horrible about it. He didn't seem to notice or care, but I sure did. I went back to look while he cooled out in the car with Aunt Angie. It seems Froggie had to have just been picked up by some kid or something. I've even put a lost and found ad in the Banner and the News-Sentinel!

He's had a really big day with very little napping, and as I write is having trouble winding down and falling asleep, which is unusual lately. I can't help but think, "What if I had Froggie that I could take to him?" I would never have thought about doing that if Froggie was still in the toybox, but of course, now that's what I wonder....

These pictures were made in May. I'm not even sure if I've cut 'em up and given any away yet! They are a fitting tribute to Froggie. Maybe we'll see him again someday, but I'm not holding my breath.

We LOVE the Fall!

Today Ben and I got outside and played. He walked around, a lot, and played with rocks. The 2 rocks he picked you'll see throughout the pictures. He refused to let them go, and they are now sitting on my desk! Rather than comment on each picture, I'll just let them speak for themselves. We played in the front yard at first, on the walk and at the porch, and then moved to the side and sat on a rock. He had fun, and I think we both loved the weather. Hooray for long sleeves!










P.S. Ben has obviously gotten over his aversion to grass!

Boat Ridin'

Last week we got some fixin' done to our truck and took Abby and Aunt Angie to Rutledge while we waited. Abby had never been on a boat before, so Pop-pop and Nan-nan took us all for a boat ride! Here's some pics...

Abby took right to the boat. She loved riding! Of course, we know Ben does.
That day, he was all about looking at the water and pointing.

Poor Pop-pop. He got ganged up on!

I think Aunt Angie took this picture. Abby had lots of fun!

Kisses for Ben!

Abby snuck up on Ben and gave him a peck on the back!

As you can see, we took the boat to an island and ran aground
so the kids could play without their vests. They had tons of fun.

Abby had a blast walking on the shore.

I just wanted to add this picture. We had such a pretty view!

The Gibbons Reunion

In September was the yearly Gibbons family reunion. Ben went last year, too, but he was still in his cocoon (Mama's belly) then. This year he met some new people, and didn't seem to meet any strangers.

Even though he doesn't know her, Ben was all smiles for this lady.
(Sadly, I don't recall her name either!)

We finally got some pictures of Ben and Pepaw. For some reason,
we just never have the camera out when these guys are together!

Ben loves his Aunt Tonya, obviously.

After the reunion, we went to visit Aunt Dorothy.
She wasn't feeling well, and so we didn't see her at Panther Creek.