Our Minnesota getaway

As we're waiting for the big vacation this fall, we took a quick getaway to Minneapolis-St. Paul to have some fun and visit Aunt Megan. While I know that I enjoyed it more than Matthew (how much girl talk can he handle?) it was a nice break from the routine. And hey, Megan has a Wii! Benji was also quite fascinated by Megan's two cats. He didn't run up to them, but when Megan invited him over to pet Blackers he touched her ever so gently. They didn't seem too fond of him, especially when he stood by their food bowls and told them they needed to eat. Megan was excellent tour guide, taking us to the farmer's market, the sculpture garden (where Benji thought the Spoon Bridge and Cherry sculpture was a water slide), and one of the 10,000 lakes (Lake Calhoun, I think, where Benji wanted to go swimming).

As far as Benji was concerned, though, the best part of the trip was the Mall of America — and the amusement park inside. He could go on some of the rides all by himself and the ones where he needed a chaparone didn't need a ticket for the adult. So we got him an all-day pass and let him ride over and over. I think he rode his favorite ride 10-15 times!



Benji and Matthew got a head start on the rides while Megan and I went shopping. It looks like they took a stop on the carousel.


They also rode the giant ferris wheel. I think here Benji is looking up at the top of the wheel.





Benji loved the hot air balloon race. He felt like they were flying!





By far his favorite ride was "bouncy bouncy bouncy". We have no idea what the real name of the ride was (they were all named about Nickelodeon shows and we don't have that channel), but I think bouncy bouncy bouncy was a very appropriate name. (I think this video clip is especially long.)








Some of the other kids were upset on the ride, but Benji was an old pro. I liked that it had two restraints, including a seat belt that only the operator could unlock.


After we were done shopping, I took Benji on his first roller coaster. He loved it! We might have some trouble at Disney because he'll want to go on all the coasters, but we'll have to steer him to Goofy's Barnstormer.


He had to take Mommy on the Balloon Race!

Libellés : Benji, vacation

"The Frog and the People," by Benji

[Benji opens a pretend book.] This book is called "The Frog and the People." The people are walking. Let's go turn the page. Now they are swimming in the machine, up and down in the water. They go down the water slide. What happened in the book? [Daddy reads back what Benji has written.] What happened to the frog? He goes down the water slide, too. Turn the page, turn the page. The people and the frog are happy because they are done with the water slide. They get one slide. And they're going to eat. The people want to eat, but the frog want to go on the slide again. The frog need to swim. The frog want to swim. The frog and the people are all...

[Benji picks up the sudoku book on the floor.] This book is called sugoku. This game is called sugoku. We need to play sugoku. What can we do with this sugoku?

I need a little perspective.

Benji is a fan of computer games -- "the match game" (aka Memory), "the clock game" (aka a game where you put the numbers of the clock), "the shape machine" (aka this), and "Cootie" (aka Cootie on the computer, although he likes it in real life as well). Sometimes on each of these games he'll use the touchpad on my laptop (which he's getting better with, but still not great), but most of the times he'll point to what he wants me to do or give me verbal directions.

Anyway, probably Benji's favorite new game he calls "the go fish" (because at the beginning a fish with the word go on it swims by). What it actually is is a game the textbook company Houghton Mifflin created as a way to practice the skills kids learn in a specific unit in a specific grade. We've been going through the first-grade units recently -- most of which he's pretty-to-awfully good at, but some of which (particularly toward the end) he has some problems with. I'll admit I was a little disappointed at how he was doing with some of the later lessons until I realized, dude, this kid is two years old. If he starts school when the district says he ought, he won't be learning the skills in these later units for four-and-a-half years. High expectations are great and all, but, y'know, c'mon self. Let's be a little reasonable.

Libellés : Benji

Eh.

This website is okay.

An Old-Fashioned 4th

For the Fourth of July, we went up to Riverbend Rally to show Benji the sites in Matthew's boyhood hometown. The weather was fantastic and it was a great day with the family. There were carnival rides, food, a talent show, Bingo, and the parade — everything you look for in a local festival. I think every fire truck in the county and the next one over drove in the parade! And so many local businesses threw candy and other stuff from their floats! Benji is getting really used to bringing home loot from festivals. (In fact, we went to a small festival last weekend and he immediately wanted to know where the games were and what prizes he could bring home.)

We finished off the day with fireworks back in Ames. Benji didn't like the noise and asked to go back to the car, but once Mommy covered his ears he was happy and very much liked watching the fireworks.


It looks a little like Grandpa's Vette.


Vroom! Vroom!


Who's this fine-looking crowd?


1-2-3 jump!


Benji's been getting good at Bingo with practicing in the basement and going to festivals. He even won a round this time! It was his first game and the couple sitting across from us didn't look to pleased since I think they had been playing for quite a while and the two-year-old won immediately. And since it was playing for prizes instead of cash (see his John Deere storybook on the table?) he could actually win. Very exciting!


Happy Benji close-up!


As we all know, Benji is quite the chocoholic. This time he's trying a fried Oreo. He loved it so much that I think he ate more than I did.


I think I'll try Grandma's funnel cake.


Yummy festival food!


When Benji plays with other kids he likes to follow them around and imitate them. He does this at the playground, at playgroup, and with Ava. He even tries her two-finger sucking (and we find him doing it for a few days after she leaves).


Upside-down Benji!


I just love this picture of Benji and Ava!


Look Mommy! I found a Y!


We got to the parade over an hour before it started and were able to find a nice spot in the shade to spread our blankets. It wasn't on the curbside, which made catching loot harder, but it was a relaxing place to sit while waiting for the parade.


Maybe Ava can see the parade better from up here.


Partway through the parade a lady with a nice curbside spot for her family invited Benji to come up in front. Grandma went with to make sure he didn't run in front of a float and to teach him all about catching parade loot.


After the parade we went back to the carnival rides where Benji chose a motorcycle to try. Notice the tightly buckled seatbelt to make Mommy comfortable. I must give him credit, though. He didn't try to get off the ride at all until it was completely over.

Libellés : Benji