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

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

Playing nicely together

Benji and Ava have seen so much of each other this summer that I think they're really getting used to each other. Benji gets excited when he finds out Ava is visiting and the word "Benji" is one of Ava's clearest words. While they certainly have their moments of not getting along (such as when Ava gets scared of Benji's energetic running around or when Benji dislikes that Ava is playing with one of his toys), they seem to get along extremely well. And they got along particularly well during our visit to Grandma and Grandpa's house for the 4th of July.


The alphabet puzzle was a favorite toy for everyone. Ava liked to hand Benji letters and tell him what letter each is. Benji seemed to really like his little helper.


It was so pleasant to watch them play nicely together.


See, Ava, we did all the letters!


I think later they actually both put pieces of the puzzle in together.


Upside down Ava!


Comfy Benji!


Benji shows off his spelling skills to Ava.

Libellés : Benji

Benji Bumper Bowling

Several months ago I shared pictures of Benji bowling the little bowling game at Enchanted Castle and you can clearly see how much he enjoys it. So when we got a few vouchers from the library reading program for free bowling we decided to give it a try. With the bumpers raised on Benji's turn and Daddy way out of practice (although he blames it on how dark the lanes were since they were doing cosmic bowling that afternoon), it was a surprisingly even match. And while I think Benji enjoys little bowling more, he got a big kick out of real bowling, too.


The first technique we tried teaching him was to put the ball on the ground and give it a good push. He loved watching to see how many pins he got down and was remarkably patient as the ball lumbered down the lane.


Another technique we tried was for Mommy to help him carry the ball to the foul line and then hurl it down the lane. This still didn't get the ball to go all the way down consistently and we had to call to get the ball rescued.








I just love the tiny bowling shoes!


It turns out Benji is strong enough to carry a 6-pound bowling ball pretty well.


So we tried yet another technique — walk, walk, walk, throw — in an attempt to get more power behind the ball.


It still wasn't consistent as the ball stopped halfway down the lane. There was actually a kid on the lane next to us that was younger than Benji and consistently got the ball all the way down the lane so we tried watching him to see what tips we could pick up. I think practice would be the biggest tip.


One happy bowler!

Libellés : Benji

Summer Fun

With summer in full swing, we've started the summer festival circuit again. A few weeks ago we went to Long Grove's Strawberry Festival and late June brought the Downers Grove Heritage Festival, while this past weekend was the Iowa Falls Fourth of July Riverbend Rally. Looking back at last year's Heritage Festival blog entry shows a nice milestone of how much Benji has grown and changed in one year and also how he has stayed the same.

Last year he was just getting the basic idea of the games at some of the booths. This year he figured out that many of the booths had free things to put in his pockets (we convinced him that the candy giveaways were just fun colorful things to put in his cargo shorts pockets) so he liked going over to the tables to see what they had for him. At one booth he got a balloon, which I suggested we tie to his belt loop so he wouldn't lose it. That backfired as he was confused and looked like a dog chasing his tail. Last year we couldn't get him away from the basketball hoop; this year he loved that game again but he also found more games to try. Many booths had bean bag toss games and he was really fond of those. He figured out if he stood right at the edge of the board he'd have a pretty good handicap and could play without anyone's help. And we were at the festival early enough in the day that Benji could play most of the games over and over again without waiting (as a bonus it wasn't nearly as warm as it was later in the day). There was so much to do among the community booths that we never went across the train tracks to the pay games and carnival rides.

Last year Benji could recognize his numbers and so had a great time pretending to play Bingo. For the past several months, we've been practicing with a Disney DVD Bingo game in the basement so he was ready to go in this year's Bingo tent. He had a hard time keeping up with the speed of the game's call so we ended up giving him a dead card from an earlier game for him to play along with (that also eliminated any questions about whether or not he was gambling). He definitely listened to the numbers being called and marked them appropriately; he just couldn't mark them fast enough.

Again this year Benji loved festival food. In Long Grove he was introduced to fried Oreos (which he called donuts) and at Heritage Fest he stole Mommy's chocolate fondue. This year he is far more verbal than last year and told us "I love chocolate" instead of just stealing it. In either case, he had an adorable messy chocolate face. He also had a grand time holding Grandma and Grandpa's hands and swinging and jumping between them. And he even got a pony ride!


Benji met a celebrity at the Long Grove Strawberry Festival.





Benji won a few free movies, but being able to spin the wheel was the big prize as far as he was concerned.


Oooh! Duckies!





The first of many bean bag games Benji tried at the festival.


See those cargo pants pockets? By the end of the day they were full of candy and trinkets.


Benji shows off his prizes — one flag sticker for each hand!


Pony rides!





Look mom, no hands! No Daddy hands, that is. Notice Benji is actually riding by himself.





Hooray! A basket!





Benji decided Mommy's fondue was delicious again this year. But this year he could ask for it by name — chocolate!





It's all gone, Benji.





Where's that number?


Maybe Daddy should mark the numbers instead.











What number did they just call? Do I have it?





Benji was looking for the basketball game all day long. While bean bags and Bingo were good, shooting hoops was the best.

Libellés : Benji

Tumbling class

Even though Benji isn't yet in preschool, he's already taken quite a few classes at the park district, including art classes, swim class, and tumbling. Daddy has been in charge of art class while Mommy gets special time with Benji at swimming and tumbling. Actually, tumbling class doesn't have quite as much Mommy-Benji time as swimming since Benji really listens to the teacher quite well (and I don't have to hold him to avoid drowning so I can just sit on the side and watch for at least some of class).

We've taken tumbling two sessions (and will start a third in July) and it's a very predictable, routine-driven class, but that's probably one of the reasons Benji does so well. Unfortunately that also means that if the teacher deviates at all he gets angry, but she rarely deviates from the routine. Class always starts with some stretches — legs apart on the floor and stretch to one leg, the middle, and the other leg. Then we go to the "squishy mats" one side of the floor and get ready for animal walks. While many kids are running wild around the room, Benji sits patiently on the squishy mat. Favorite animals include the snake crawl, the bear walk, the bunny jump, the scooter crab, and the frog hop. After animals, it's time for somersaults, the balance beam, and jumping (really more bouncing than jumping) with the vaulting springboard. After a bit of free play, it's time for stickers and shoes (and many angry kids because the fun is over). I'm really looking forward to the next session!


Check out that snake crawl.


The scooter crab is the toughest animal to do.


Benji thinks that Mommy can do somersaults, but so far I've been able to convince him that only Benji should practice his somersaults.


Benji has gotten much better on the balance beam since the first classes. And now he likes to walk on the concrete parking lot markers, putting out his "airplane arms" and practicing his balance.

Libellés : Benji

Benji's turn at bat

As I mentioned in the Cubs post, Benji has a new tee-ball set from Grandma and Grandpa that's helping him learn more about baseball. Of course he has much to learn about the proper form, but he's already having lots of fun practicing his swing. I think Matthew said they play with the baseball two or three times a week, mostly at the local park. They've even brought it to the weekly playdate with a group from church and Benji was quite the popular kid that week. It's great that he's able to work on hand-eye coordination, learn baseball, and practice sharing with other kids with this toy.


For Matthew's birthday, we went out to the movies while Benji played with Grandma and Grandpa. That's when he got his tee-ball set and started learning baseball.


He had a very specific routine that day where one ball had to be on the tee and the other had to be in the storage space at the bottom. We have since misplaced the second ball (maybe Daddy's trunk?), but thankfully he's been OK with just one ball.


Isn't this a great smile?





This is from Memorial Day weekend. Notice how much better his form looks! I must admit, though, that we were specifically teaching him how to properly hold the bat that day so I don't know that this is his natural way to hold it yet. Still, looks pretty good, eh?

Libellés : Benji

Go Cubbies!

To become true Chicagoans, we are immersing ourselves in Cubs games this year. It's been decades since I've been to a Cubs game, and I think I only went to one or two as kid. We were more of Sox fans growing up — who could beat free tickets for good grades? But Josh and Beth are huge Cubs fans, so Matthew and Josh teamed up back on the day tickets went on sale and got something like six or seven sets of tickets, all on weekends.

So far, we've gone to two of the games. Wrigley certainly is a unique feeling ballpark. I don't recall ever going to games that were as crowded as these were — there was even standing room only behind us at the second game. Both sets of seats we've had were fully covered, and the "ceiling" is lower than I recall it being in other parks' upper decks so you get more of the feeling of being somewhat inside than in, say, the Sox park. The view from our first game (which was in the upper deck) was great, with the skyline, the neighborhood, and the famous old fashioned scoreboard. The seats for the second game couldn't see the scoreboard, but they were one tier down and closer to the field.

Benji seemed to have enjoyed himself at the games, although of course they were a bit longer than his attention span. I think as he plays more with his tee-ball set he'll get more out of watching the games. For the moment, he's quite content calling out the numbers of the players and the numbers on the scoreboard. He also likes ballpark food, especially the ice cream. And he thinks he's such a big boy that he wants his own seat. At the first game he got his own (they were cheaper tickets) but at the second one he didn't so Daddy spent some time in the standing room section. He can actually see the field much better from a lap, so he was content to share for some of the game. And he loved cheering with the crowd! Unlike other sporting events we've been to where he has cheered for the other team quite a bit (like high school basketball where both teams had equal numbers of fans), Wrigley doesn't really have visiting fans who are vocal enough for Benji to join in so he looked like a genuine Cubs fan (especially with his adorable outfit).

In anticipation of our baseball games, my mom even taught him "Take Me Out to the Ballgame" and we hear him singing it in his bedroom some mornings. At the April game, he missed the 7th inning stretch because he was getting a very messy diaper changed, but at the May one he belted it out proudly. He was kind of upset that it was a one-shot deal. He wanted to sing it again and singing it alone or with Mommy wasn't good enough; he wanted the whole stadium to sing it again.

April 20th Game:

A beautiful view! Notice how the ivy isn't green yet.


I don't know if Beth got a good whole family shot on their camera, but this is the best extended family picture I got. Many of my photos came out quite blurry or too dark, but there's still some good ones below.


What a good looking family! Also notice Benji's Cat in the Hat giveaway. Lately he's been into "Green Eggs and Ham" so he called his new toy "Sam-I-am" after one of the characters in the book. He calls one character Sam and the other one Sam-I-am, as well as calling the giant Cat in the Hat in his bedroom Sam-I-am. I can see why he makes that association.


Benji loved the ice cream out of the baseball cap. He thought it was so silly, but still quite tasty!


The April game was quite chilly so Ava and Beth were all bundled up. My dad had warned us it would be colder at Wrigley so I dressed us one step warmer than the weather would have otherwise dictated. It turns out I didn't fully digest Dad's warning and should have gone two or three steps warmer to be truly comfortable.

May 17th Game:

Since it was a much nicer and warmer day than the first game, I took a few minutes to take cute pictures of Benji with the famous Wrigley sign. I think I'll have to do this every year we go to get a good series of photos!


I think Benji was reading the inscribed bricks in the walkway. Can't get enough of sounding out words!


I can't decide which photo I like best, so you get to see several.


Maybe Mommy should get in the picture, too.


The view from these seats was closer to the field but more "indoor" feeling.


Benji loved sitting in seat 8 — his favorite number!


Watching baseball is exhausting!


Don't they look sweet together?

Libellés : Benji

Mommy, let's spell!

One day last week Benji was awake as I was leaving for work and called to me from his doorway, "Mommy, let's go spell." He led me downstairs to the family room and pulled out one of his toys — one where there are cards with three-letter words and a bunch of letter tiles. Unfortunately I was running late so I couldn't stop to play, but we had already spent plenty of time spelling earlier in the week and would continue to do so all week long.

Yes, my two-year-old is completely obsessed with spelling right now. He keeps asking us things like "Daddy, spell ice cream" or "Mommy, how to spell Mickey Mouse?" And he's also trying to sound out words on his own. Several of his toys have taught him the letter sounds with the song "B says buh" so he's been trying to put that to good use and sounds out the words in his books and elsewhere. We've also found random words spelled out on the fridge, such as "stop" and "pig." I'm sure some of it is memorization, but he's definitely trying to employ reading techniques and seems to understand the idea that the words are made up of sounds.

All of this is fed by his favorite TV show right now — "Super Why!" It's a PBS show where spelling and reading help to save the day and Benji really gets into it. It's the only show I see him actively participate in when the characters ask the audience to. So apparently it's doing its job since he's completely excited and gets the general idea (of course he gets a bunch of words wrong given the number of rules and the number of words that don't follow the rules, such as silent letters and vowel combos). Anyway, I love Benji's insatiable curiosity and need to learn!



And now I bring you a random photo dump. Since I don't have photos that really illustrate Benji's love of spelling and I have lots of random ones that don't warrant their own themed blog, I bring you the random photo dump.


In what was one of the snowiest winters ever, we had yet another snow in early March. We were tired of being cooped up inside and the temperatures weren't too bad so we took Benji to the playground.


I figured it wasn't any worse (temperature- and safety-wise) than playing in the snow in the front yard. Benji enjoyed the break in routine.


This particular playground has a rubber mat as the ground, so it wasn't a messy mulch mud to climb around in. It looked like some other kids had been having snowball fights before we arrived. I think Benji and Daddy are making snowballs in this photo after Benji went down the slide.


Just a cute close-up.


Although he's getting to be a "big boy" I still marvel at the perfect tiny hands.


Benji loved Mommy's birthday cake.


Can't you see how much he loved it?

Libellés : Benji

Strike!

I know this isn't appropriate for an under-three kid, but Benji loves to play with coins. He likes to line them up in neat rows and he likes to put them in things, including the piggy bank. But his favorite thing to do with coins is to put them in the video games. So about once every month and a half or so we head over to the arcade with Grandma and Grandpa where thankfully they have a good dinner deal that includes 80 tokens — more than Benji can go through in an evening!

His taste in games over there changes periodically. He's been very fond of Deal or No Deal for a while, although on our last visit he only wanted to play it once after begging to play it that one time. His favorite right now is probably the bowling game. The ball is just a bit bigger than a skee-ball so he can easily hurl it down the lane. It's so funny to watch him line up and actually try to aim. And he's pretty good at it. The next time the Iowa contingent visits, I highly recommend a visit to the arcade. Daddy gets to play poker, Mommy gets to sneak in a game of pinball, and Benji gets to bowl!


Tickets!!! Look at how many tickets Daddy won for Benji!

Libellés : Benji

Feelings, nothing more than feelings

Benji has been really good with academic concepts like letters, numbers, colors, shapes for quite some time now. So recently I've been trying to work with him on more abstract ideas like feelings and emotions. One of his books, "Baby Faces", shows babies with different feelings like happy, sad, sleepy, shy, etc., and we've been reading that lately. I've also been asking Benji how he thinks the characters in his books feel when different things happen to them. For example, when Rainbow Fish loses his piece of sea glass how does he feel? Sad.

Benji seems to be picking up on these ideas and using them elsewhere. A particular favorite of his is to tell you "Benji's crying" as if you your ignoring the loud screaming was because you didn't notice it. He will also offer to kiss you where it hurts if he accidentally bonks you in the head or steps on your toe. But last night was my favorite. We were on the changing table getting ready for bed and he wanted his hippo (a little rubber purple hippo bath toy). I gave it to him and he told me that "hippo is scared" and that Benji would "take care of hippo." The expression on this toy's face is sort of surprised or scared, depending on how you look at it, so this was a great observation of Benji's. But what I was most impressed by was his desire to take care of the hippo. He held the tiny hippo in his hand and clutched it to his chest, as if to protect it. We then talked about how we could take care of hippo and decided that hippo could sleep on the changing table because he would be safe there (safe from being stepped on on the floor).

Coupled with this greater understanding of feelings is a strong improvement in the ability to communicate clearly. I don't think last month we could have had a full conversation about what to do with the hippo. And I know in the last month Benji has gotten better at recalling what happened during the day and telling you. Most evenings I now get a report about what Benji played with and what he ate, provided by Benji with a little prodding from Daddy. And tonight he had one of the most complete sentences I've heard from him: "Uncle Dave's favorite number is nine." Subject, verb, object, adjectives — oh my!

Libellés : Benji

Vroom Vroom!

When I was growing up one of our annual traditions was to go to the Auto Show. This was well before I could drive, but it's still something I looked forward to. I loved the giveaways, the prize drawings, and just how big it was. Several years ago Matthew and I went to the Richmond Auto Show and it was so tiny! I had begun to wonder if my memories had completely blown the Auto Show out of proportion. This year my memories were confirmed. We met my parents down there and everyone had a great time. Matthew checked out the concept and exotic cars, Grandpa eyed the Corvettes, and Benji practiced his driving skills. Grandma and I collected freebies, fed Benji car-shaped cookies, and enjoyed watching our boys with their cars.


Benji gets a taste of Grandpa's favorite car — the Corvette.


I guess those steering wheel toys have given Benji enough practice to feel right at home behind the wheel.


Grandpa shows Benji all about the knobs and dials.





One of the cars we let Benji "drive" was the Hummer. That thing is so big! It apparently also made a big impression on Benji because after we went on to the next exhibit he specifically asked to go back to the Hummer and could not be fooled or distracted by another car. We had to take him back to the Hummer. (This also goes to show how quickly he picks up on words from single mentions of them.)


Don't you read the gearshift carefully every time you get in the car?


Matthew really enjoyed checking out cars he couldn't possibly afford and wouldn't really want in the garage. But he sure looks good in them, doesn't he?


If Daddy gets to play with an exhibit, Benji has to, too.


Quick quiz: How much does this car cost?


One of the exhibits had Jeeps driving over all kinds of tough terrain, including steep inclines and big rocks. Benji needed a better view on Daddy's shoulders.


Another one of those photos where Benji looks "older than his years" in my opinion.

Libellés : Benji

More snow

It's been such a cold and snowy winter this year that Benji's zest for the snow really helped to make it more bearable. Sometimes it was just a snowball or two on the way in from the car or in a parking lot. But sometimes it was full-fledged snowsuit snow playing. It was particularly fun when Grandma and Grandpa would come over for some fun in the snow. Grandpa really gets into the snow playing, while Grandma is ready for indoor games when it's time to warm up.


Grandma and Grandpa brought over the plastic saucer toboggans that Uncle Dave and Mommy used when they were kids so that Grandpa could take Benji on his first sled ride.


Grandpa is so much better at making snowballs than Mommy.


Or maybe Mommy and Benji can throw snowballs at Grandpa.


This seems like such a stereotypical "toddler in snowsuit" picture, with his hat falling over his eyes and tons of layers of gear.


Thankfully Benji is happy with being pulled around on the sled and isn't begging to go on large sledding hills — not until next year, that is.


Got to pose for an inter-generational family picture.


We tried to build Benji's first snowman, but since the snow didn't pack very well it was a miniature snowman.


Although Benji loved "Frosty the Snowman" and all kinds of snowmen during Christmas, he didn't understand that this was a tiny snowman and instead he preferred to knock over the tower or to take the head off and throw it as a snowball.


We figured out that it was much more fun to sled down the ice on the driveway than on the snow on the lawn. So much faster!

Libellés : Benji

Old and new memories of the Museum of Science and Industry

One of my favorite museums growing up was the Museum of Science and Industry in Chicago. I still have fond memories of many of the exhibits which are no longer there — the nutrition/food economics exhibit on the left when you walk in and the newspaper exhibit where you choose how to lay out the front page. And so many favorites still exist — the annual Christmas around the World, the ice cream parlor, the fairy castle, and the huge train layout. So when we heard that January would be free month at the museum (when we went as kids it was free every day; now it's $11 per person plus parking) we jumped at the chance to take Benji there. It's such a large museum that we didn't see many exhibits. And of course Benji is too little fully appreciate the museum. But, it was nice to start him early and focus on the exhibits he would enjoy — the farm in the basement with tractors and combines to climb on, the whispering gallery, the chick hatchery, the space shuttle, and the newly-renovated train display. As one would expect, his favorite parts included pushing buttons, especially in the Internet display.


The farm exhibit is particularly popular so Benji had to wait patiently in line to visit the combine. I think he enjoyed it once he got up there, although he was also surprisingly cooperative when it was time to get out.


Whoa! This is way bigger than the tires on Daddy's car.


It's kind of hard to explain the idea of astronauts and space shuttles to a two-year-old (I think he called the shuttle a bus and then an airplane), but Benji got a big kick out of posing in the space suit.


We learned that once upon a time Chicago had a cable car system like the famous San Francisco ones.


It's hard to see, but in each of Daddy's shirt pockets is a mold-a-rama figure. You know you're a daddy when you wander around with toys in your pockets!

Libellés : Benji

Snow, snow, everywhere

Back in early December snow was still something pretty and fun. It was a new novelty to Benji and he wasn't sure what to do with it, but he sure was curious. For his first snow adventure he was quite cautious and showed no interest in climbing too far into the snow. Rather, he was content to help Daddy shovel and just see what this white stuff was. That particular snowfall was light and dry and didn't pack very well so we couldn't do snowballs (we've done plenty of snowballs since then), but that didn't matter to Benji. So while Mommy and Daddy are tired of the snow and of driving in it, Benji still loves the stuff.


Benji's first steps into the snow. He didn't really want to go in too far, but he was very interested in it.


Notice how short the drifts are in this picture compared to ones I'll post later in the season. Today the drifts on our driveway are well above Benji's head.


Benji has his own shovel so he can help Daddy "clean the snow".


Is he ready for us to send him out to clean the driveway?


OK, enough of this shoveling. Now it's time to see what snow feels like.


Hmm... Daddy's shovel looks like more fun.


Benji needs to work on that shoveling technique. He liked to shovel snow with his little shovel and put it in Daddy's shovel. Or he liked to shovel snow out of the drifts and put it back on the driveway.

Libellés : Benji

Ames Christmas

You know, it really is kind of nice to celebrate Christmas three times every year. I think Benji really could get used to all of these festivities. And it's nice not having to travel nearly as far for the holidays as we used to.

Our visit to Ames this year was completely full of family visiting. On Friday evening we had dinner with Matthew's Uncle Mike and Aunt Lana, whom we hadn't seen in a year and a half. On Saturday morning we had our Christmas morning celebrations with all the present opening (lots of pictures below). Benji was a great Santa's helper, until he opened his presents and wanted to play with them. There sure were some great presents that morning! And on Saturday afternoon Matthew's cousin, Brenda, and her family came to visit for dinner. Her clan was quite boisterous and Benji loved watching their antics and joining in the laughter and fun.

Other activities over the weekend included the traditional Jones soda tasting, shopping for Iowa State gear, and a women's basketball game. Of course there was also a stop at Olene's for Sunday dinner and plenty of time just playing with our new presents.


We arrived early enough on Friday afternoon that we were able to have dinner with Mike and Lana while they were visiting.


I love when all the presents are stacked under the tree!


While we were waiting for Ava to wake up and everyone to get ready for present opening, Benji was too excited to wait. He took presents from under the tree and brought them to Grandma to find out who they were for.


Oh, yeah, and he got hugs from Grandma, too.


During a previous visit to Richmond, Grandma shared her Cheerios and milk with Benji. Now every time he sees Grandma he has to share her cereal.


Benji was a great Santa's helper, handing out presents to everyone. That is, until he opened his first present and was totally distracted. But it was very cute while it lasted.


So many things going on. Do I watch Daddy open his present or see what Ava is doing over there?


Benji doesn't get all the cool presents. Daddy got a John Olerud bobblehead, perfect for the computer room or the rec room decor.


Ava looked a little sleepy and uninterested in her present.


But now that there are tags to play with she perked right up!


Giant present for Benji!


It's so big Grandpa needs to help.


What is it?


After opening the easel and finding the letter magnets that came with it, we lost Benji's present delivery service. It kept him happy the entire weekend!


As the morning continued on, Ava got more into Christmas.


Ava seemed more interested in the bow than in the present.


After a while Benji stopped playing with his easel and instead decided to explore the tree. This year Grandma covered the tree in bells, which was perfect for Benji. Ornaments you can play with and not break! And while we were busy opening presents, Benji decided to sing "Jingle Bells" with the bells on the tree.


When I tried to sing along with Benji, he got upset and stopped. But he later moved to the other side of the tree and sang some more.


Throughout the weekend both Benji and Ava enjoyed playing with the easel. Benji even found a new use for the easel — hide and seek!


Grandma and Grandpa saved the best for last. What a snazzy looking tricycle with chrome bumpers and all.


OK, I'm done with Christmas. See you all later!


A rare photo of Grandma with both grandbabies.

Libellés : Benji, Christmas

Christmas Afternoon

After all the Santa excitement at our house, we went over to my parents' house on Christmas afternoon. We had more presents and a delicious crab leg dinner. (As a side story, Benji must have really liked having Thanksgiving and Christmas dinner in the dining room because on a subsequent visit he tried to drag his high chair into the dining room and wanted to eat in there.) As was the case that morning, Benji was very excited about presents, but he quickly got sidetracked by wanting to play with them. So while we were opening our presents (and Benji's clothing presents) he played with his Duplos, Uno cards, and Cabbage Patch Kid (this one "eats" pretend food, which seems to go along very well with Benji's love of the pretend microwave).


Now that Benji knows what a snowman is, he loves the decoration on his stocking. Grandma made a similar one for Benji at our house and then decided he needed one at Grandma and Grandpa's house, too. I agree! They're both adorable.


Hmm... I wonder what's in here. Maybe some "tickets". When Benji opened his card and found some Christmas money, he called it "tickets". They're not quite the same as Enchanted Castle tickets, but he's got the right idea. Smart lad!


Santa has such handsome helpers, doesn't he?


Such a cute giggle and smile!


One present was a giant set of dominoes. Benji thought they were both fun for counting the dots and for making towers.


Which case should I pick? Or should I take the Deal? Benji loved his "Deal or No Deal" electronic game. I bet he could do as well as many of the real contestants.


Of course everyone needs a new set of letters for Christmas!


Now that we have real winter, Benji needs some warm sweaters. Grandma crocheted a beautiful beige sweater for him, and it looks like he'll be able to wear it for at least two seasons.

Libellés : Benji, Christmas