Nativity

Advent devotions … this is the first year that Benjamin has really been able to understand and anticipate the Christmas season.  He loves singing "Cif-mas songs" and turning on the lights every morning.  Each evening after getting his pajamas on, he goes to get his "Tiw-ee" set.  We read the Christmas story together - from the Bible or one of his childrens' books - as we put together his Fisher-Price Nativity set.  And if Daddy ever happens to be late, he plops the Nativity set basket on the living room floor, then says, "Waiting Daddy for tiw-ee set!"  So precious.

Some of his Nativity arrangements are unconventional...

but we've enjoyed every one!  :) 

Tales from Toddlerhood … Greetings and other miscellany

I think Benjamin may be practicing to be a greeter at church …

Today, coming home from the grocery store, climbing the steps up to our porch, Benjamin turned around and waved to no one in particular, shouting, "He-woe, pee-poe!"  (Hello, people!)

While I was unloading the groceries, he wandered into the kitchen and saw some of his trucks on the shelf … "Oh! He-woe guys!"

And when he saw the mailman pull up in front of our house, he waved and said, "He-woe, may-nan!"  (Hello, mailman!)  Then, "Look, Money!  I waving!" so proud of himself!

….

For the majority of this morning, Benjamin played independently in his room.  As I passed back-and-forth, I would hear him playing with his trucks/trains/boat or talking to his stuffed animals or looking through his books.  I was so proud of his independence and thankful for a few moments to get things done, I never investigated what was really going on in there…
I'm contemplating whether we need to call in a disaster recovery team.



One of Benjamin's new favorite games is to build a house/tunnel/castle in the living room with blankets.  Fleece blankets + dry winter air + fine baby hair = some pretty hilarious moments.

It's incredibly difficult to get a picture of these hair-raising experiences, but here's the best one so far...

Same song, different verse

At ladies Bible study

green-eyed me in gray

blue-eyed baby in red

a bit of deja-vu

Benjamin, January 2010

Joshua, December 2011

is it just me, or do i look older?  :)

Tales from Toddlerhood … Trading Bites

Benjamin has been familiar with "trading bites" for about as long as he's been eating solid food.  He gets a bite of something he likes (sweet potato, banana, etc.) after he eats a bite of something that's not his favorite (green beans, bland chicken, etc.)

He's even been offering to do it lately... "Tade Bites, Money?"

But he's been growing up to the point that his meals are not just about favorite foods vs. not-favorite foods, but about what he wants to eat at this moment vs. what he will want to eat at the next moment.

The other night he was eating hot dogs and something else i can't even remember.  Daddy was trying to get him to eat the "something else" but Benjamin looked up totally seriously and said, "But Daddy, der's more hot dog right der!"

He's found us out. Perhaps our "trading bites" days are over .

Tales from Toddlerhood, Part 4

Benjamin was playing around with an envelope when Daddy came home from work yesterday.  As soon  as he walked in the door, Benjamin ran over, pulled his empty hand out of the envelope and yelled excitedly, "Yook, Daddy!  I got an e-mail!"

….

At the grocery store recently, we heard a nearby phone start ringing.  Benjamin piped up, "Oh!  That my cell phone!" then, putting his hand up to his ear, "Heww-o?"

….

Benjamin gets excited every day when the mailman comes to our door.  Today, the mailman and the UPS man came at the same time and when Benjamin heard them talking outside, he ran to get me, feeling a little uneasy about this new development … two men outside our door talking, instead of the normally quiet little mailman just sticking junk mail in the slot.  As he ran into the kitchen, I heard him saying to himself in a faintly reassuring tone, "Not gonna get you.  Not gonna get you.  Not gonna get you."

Oh, Joshua!

I'm tired. I'm hungry.  I WILL NOT SMILE.
I don't care how "cute" you think this bear sweater is.

You can stick this thing in my mouth,
but it will NOT make me happy.

Daddy's acting silly … I will NOT smile.
… but he's pretty funny.

OK, you got me. I can't help myself!
I love being part of this family!

Tales from Toddlerhood, Part 3

We went shopping last weekend to find Daddy a few things for his work wardrobe.  I was little nervous at the prospect of dealing with an infant and a toddler both in a crowded clothing store, but it went great… Joshua slept in the sling the whole time and Benjamin thought of no shortage of cute things to say.

"Ooh!  I yike dose!"
"We gettin cose fer Daddy yerk"

and our favorite, pointing to each appropriate rack, in a musing little voice, "We have … shirts!  We have … pants!   We have … sweaters!"

And after hearing Mommy and Daddy quote prices to each other over the racks, he start quoting prices, too.  "Dis eighty dodders" (shockingly, the thing he was pointing to at that moment was the ugliest shirt you've ever seen, priced at … drum roll please … $79.99!  What are the odds?  or is my child just that brilliant?  :)

Unfortunately, the dollars discussion seems to have confused his weather predicting skills, because now anytime we mention the weather he says, "It forty degees-dodders outside!"