Christmas Morning!

We had a great Christmas! Our morning didn't start too early (7am, which is quite late for Ben) and was pretty leisurely. Ben spent time playing with most of his gifts as he opened them, which was fun for all of us. Here are some videos!

Ben's first gift. Toy Story dominoes...




Here's Ben opening his gift from Tommy and Kate. It's a Leap Frog spell pad... Ben already has a Leap Frog laptop (an early gift from Mom Mom) that he loves... which is what he's referring to when he says that this gift is "another 'puter."



We couldn't have let the holiday go by without getting yet another truck. I honestly didn't know this one made so much noise, or I wouldn't have bought it... but Ben loves, it, which makes it fun. For now.




Coco and Papi sent Ben a pirate ship, complete with thousands of little (i.e. swallowable) parts, action figures, and gadgets. You can guess that he LOVES this!! So far so good, as far as putting small parts in his mouth (we've put the most choke-able ones aside) and he's been playing pirate all day!





A small gift that ended up being a big hit was the set of wooden block-beads and string that is meant to be threaded... a good developmental game for hand-eye coordination (and cheap at Target!). Ben and Daddy had a good time playing with this gift together.





Finally, here is Ben opening one of the last gifts of the morning... a set of Legos from CeCe and Papa! He's been loving the Lego set they gave him last month, and he immediately started playing with these when he opened them.





Happy Holidays to All!!

Papa and CeCe's Visit!

As usual, I'm a bit behind in posting... CeCe and Papa came for Thanksgiving, and we had a great week of playing! Ben enjoyed reading with CeCe, sailing with Daddy and Papa, and Mommy enjoyed watching him spend time with his grandparents. Here are some highlights...

Papa hanging out watching Ben rake leaves...

CeCe and Ben at Habit Burger...


Ben wearing the shark mittens that CeCe and Mom Mom gave him...

Playing in the leaves...


I have to admit that I've been terrible about taking pictures lately, but I will be better during the holiday season!

Zoo!

Today we went to the Sacramento Zoo. It was a blast, though Ben was more interested in playing on the playground than in looking at the animals. But it was a fun day, nonetheless!

Checking out the giraffe...

Flamingos!

How cute is Elliot?!?

Ben the Butterfly!




I love Ben's expression... no idea what he's thinking or doing.

Happy Belated Halloween!

Cousins!

Ben's cousins, Tommy and Kate, came to visit last weekend! It was an amazing few days of laughter, tantrums, and lollipops. Tommy and Ben are just 6 months apart in age, and it was so fun to see them hanging out as best buds. And though she's just 17 months old, Kate held her own with the boys... both in terms of energy and lung-power (that little girl can really yell!).

I was pretty bad about taking photos, but did take some videos of them all playing. Here is one of my favorites, taken just minutes after the kids' reunion in the backyard. Ben and Tommy discuss Ben's latest "owie."

Here's another one from that first day... Kate playing while the boys and grown ups talk...

Farmer's Market!

Here is Ben showing us his "treasure" (his word for "sword") and playing with Tommy and another kid at the Farmer's Market. The balloon animal maker is a popular attraction each week for kids, and swords are pretty popular items among toddlers and little kids. You can see the older kid get tag-teamed by the cousins!!

Here is Tommy showing off his sword (he has the right word for it) and you can hear Auntie Amy's reservation about the older kid, who seemed to take a bit too much pleasure in beating up our toddlers with his own sword! (We never saw who the kid's parents were... maybe they dropped him off for a few hours and went to run errands?)

Not to be outdone, Kate had her own sword, too!

Fall is Here!

There is a small farm on the outskirts of town called Impossible Acres. Each October, they have a barn (and barnyard) full of baby animals that kids can hold and pet. Last year Ben loved it, and so we decided to go visit yesterday, their opening day! We had a blast--despite the fact that Mommy was HOT in the bright October sun--and Ben enjoyed the animals, the hay bale "fort," and the tractor ride. We can't wait to bring Cousins Tommy and Kate next weekend when they're here!

The pumpkin patch...

Baby goats with their mama...
Ben and the pony...

More Pony Tails and Chuck E. Cheese!

Ben continues to arrive home from daycare with pony tails in his hair. And he continues to love them. I have to admit, I find this hilarious, and I am quick to snap a few photos when I have him in the car (he won't sit still for a photo when he's not strapped in!)... Here are a few gems:


In the photos above and below, Ben is wearing a pink shirt that's too small... it has rhinestones that spell out "Miss Waikiki"... When I picked him up this particular day, his teachers explained that he had soaked his own shirt playing outside at the water table, and they found just this one "spare" shirt to lend. Once his own shirt was dry, however, Ben had no interest in changing back, and insisted on wearing his pink shirt for the day!

On Sunday we went with the McReynolds to Chuck E. Cheese... needless to say, it was a huge hit with the kids. And not so bad for the adults, I must confess (skeeball, anyone?). The best part: the kids were exhausted within two hours, and we all took long naps! Here are a couple of shots of Ben playing on some of the "rides."

The Farm, Part 2

Here are some additional photos from our week at the Farm. We had a great time!

Paddle-boating:

Bedtime snack:

Fishing with Papa:

Relaxing on the porch...

Celebrating Greg and Mom Mom's birthdays!


The boys...


The Greg Feagle family!

Auntie Amanda and Chris...



Similar expressions?

Ben's Feminine Side

When I arrived at Ben's daycare this afternoon, I found that someone had put a little pony tail in his hair. It's really cute, and he is very proud of it! When I asked what it was, he said, "It's my pony. My pony tail!" Here he is showing it off...

Catching Up: The Farm (Part 1)

So it's been far too long since I've updated the blog... apologies to the three people who tune in regularly for updates. ;-)

There are three new entries, the most recent is first, so be sure to keep reading!

We spent a week at the Farm in Georgia and Ben had the time of his life! Here are some random pictures. I will post another entry with some additional photos (of more family members) when I get them from CeCe (we didn't bring a single camera on this trip... oops!).

Ben enjoying ice cream on the porch:

Splashing with Anna and Graham!



Papa helped Ben catch his first fish! (I think Ben looks more like a kid than a baby in this photo.)

The catch!

Ben and his Papa:


Lounging on the hammock:

Ben LOVED the play structure Papa built...


Playing along with the player piano...

Napping with CeCe:


Tire swinging...

How's that for a smile??

Fearless on the slide...


Our attempts at a family portrait:
Jonathan feels something rolling up his back...

Yup, that would be a truck...

Here's the best we could come up with:



This might be my new favorite photo. Remember Charlie Brown's friend Pigpen? He ain't got nothing on Ben!