Happy New Year!

Hello everyone,
I've been a little busy lately. Mom and Dad have taken me to lots of fun places and I have been busy playing with all of my new toys. Santa came to our house and brought me lots of new things and the box truck also brought lots of exciting things from family and friends. I've been having a good time on vacation away from school. Mom is having fun too! I don't think she should go back to work. I want her to stay home with me. I am also having a lot of fun with Dad. He makes me laugh and we do silly things together. Here are some other exciting things I got to do and see from the last week or so:

• I went to a Christmas party at Aunt Elisabeth and Uncle Tom's. I got to play with Keebyn and I kept crawling all over her.
• I went on a choo-choo train to see Santa with Aunt Joan. She also made me dance with her.
• I got to see Santa again at the mall. How did he get from the choo-choo at the museum to the mall so fast?? He kind of gave me the creeps. Mom wanted me to sit on his lap. What's that all about? Are you crazy. I sat next to him, but I was not going to let go of mom's hand. Didn't you all teach me not to go with strangers?
• I got to see my Aunt Chris and Uncle Rick. They brought baby Abby over to see us and I even got to hold her. She is very cute and I can't wait until she's old enough so I can play with her.
• Dr. Lawrence says I am a healthy kid! And I didn't even have to get any shots! Yippee! Dad still calls me a shrimp boat captain, 'cause I am only at the 15th percentile for height and about 25th for weight, but my head circumference is at the 75th, so I am a smart boy because I have a big head!
• Santa brought me a cool motorcycle thing to ride on. It's green. I also got a football. I like to play with it in the house and outside. It bounces funny.
• Mica stole my fort and sleeping bag that Nana sent, but I still get to fix up Mommy with my doctor's kit. Mica can't figure out how to get the stethoscope in her ears.
• I got to play with Luke's cars.
• I went to the museum in Raleigh with my friends Sabrina and Josephine. I got to drive a bus, get in a big boat, play with water, see some fish, and play with trains.
• I ate ice cream three times.
• Our friends Hayley, Quinn, James, and Sofia came to visit. They live in Asheville now and mommy really misses them. I got to kiss Sofia! But it was so embarrassing because both mommy and Hayley took pictures of us. But I do have to say she is very cute.
• And one day I had two blue yummies for breakfast!
• Mom let me watch Cars a bunch of times!

So you can see I have been having lots of fun! You can see some pictures from the last couple of weeks, including the kiss that I will remember forever in my Photo Album of the Week. I hope you all had as nice as a Christmas as we did and Happy New Year!

Love, Ben

I'm 2!

Today I turned two! I am such a big boy and I even spent all day in the Stars Room at school. I got to take a nap in the Star room and more importantly I got to play on the big kid playground. I have been waiting for months for this day. There are so many more cool things about the big playground, more dump trucks, slides, and a climbing wall. I brought cupcakes to school to share with my friends and when I came home we had a party, well sort of! Mom promises she will plan a real party next year, but that this year it was kind of last minute. I had fun playing with Luke and Lilly. Mommy and Daddy got me a Lightening McQueen car cake. It was so cool. And I blew out two candles, well sort of. Thank you to all of my friends and family for all the cool presents. Mommy let me open a couple, but then she made me go to bed. I have a big day tomorrow. We are going to visit Dr. Lawrence in the morning, then tomorrow night we go to the Santa Train!! Mom says she will post a lot of pictures later. But I am twwwooooooo......and not so terrible!

It's coming!

It's coming! It's coming! That's Christmas I mean. This weekend mom and dad finally started to get in the holiday spirit. First we went to a holiday parade. I got to see lots of wee-ooh, wee-oohs (firetrucks), some horses, and then I saw Santa, who says ho ho ho. It was pretty cool. Then we put sand and candles in bags just like all my friends on the street did. I got to play outside in the street in the dark! And I got to go play at my friend Luke's house. He has lots of cars, even more than me. We also bought a tree this past weekend. The man put the tree on top of mommy's car. At first I thought it was a boat, but mommy kept telling me it was a tree. Now the tree is in our house. Mica, my cat, likes to roll around under it and Kuku tries to drink the water. It's really pretty. Mommy says we still have things to hang in it. I also had fun playing in the leaves and going to the mall. Aunt Joan even came over to play with me. I made her lie on the floor and pretend to go nigh-nigh. I know my colors now for sure. I can tell what's white, black, boo, geen, orange, purple, red and even ellow (my new favorite word). And I can even tell stories. Last weekend I told mom a story about a boopball (football) player that got a boo boo and there was a wee-ooh wee-ooh that had to come help him. I saw this on the wee-wee (TV) when daddy was watching boopball. It took mom a long time to figure out was I was telling her, but she finally got it.

Next week I turn twwwwoooo! I'm going to eat cake and ice cream for dinner! Maybe even for two nights in a row!

Gobble, Gobble

Last week me and mom celebrated turkey day at Aunt Elisabeth and Uncle Tommy's house. It was fun. But I didn't eat any turkey, just three pretzels and one green bean that Uncle Tommy made me eat. But then he put "Cars" on the wee wee and I got to see McKeen. (translation: I got to watch the Disney DVD Cars on TV with Lightning McQueen). I got to see all of my friends like Aunt Heather and Uncle Jayson, and Joan, who makes me laugh. Uncle Tommy had a boo boo on his legs but I gave him a kiss and made it go away. Now I make mommy sing about the boo boos. I was so excited when daddy came home Sunday night. Mommy made him a birthday cake. I got to pick out the frosting with sprinkles and then I helped daddy blow out the candles. I love cake and ice cream.

Some days I get to play in the star room at school and when I am twoooooo I will be a star all day long. Then I get to go to the big kids playground. I am trying hard to turn on my listening ears at school. I get to do tumbling and music with my friends and if I am good I get a stamp on my hand.

Mom says that after tonight there will be a new kid on the block. It's a little girl. I have lots of girlfriends, but this one will be special. Auntie Christina and Uncle Rick are having a baby. She is on her way right now and I can't wait. I promise I will be nice to her and I won't even bite her. I might even give her kisses.

Here are some pictures that mom took. I keep losing my pants. Isn't my monkey shirt cool? I got that in california.

Back from California!

Hi everyone!

Me, mom, and dad just got back from California. It was so much fun to play with Grandpa, Tutu, and Aunt Gooch! we spent the first few days up in Lakeport. Grandpa and Tutu live on a giant pool. Mom kept calling it a lake. I loved to collect rocks and throw them in the water. I also got to go out on the water in a boat with daddy. We saw lots of birds on the water. One day we went to see the horses. I got to pet one on the nose. Unfortunately, I broke out in sores so I was kind of out-of-sorts for a while. It was a virus called hand-foot-and-mouth (not to be confused with hoof and mouth) and it really hurt to eat. Tutu and Grandpa got me some special yogurt. I love my Aunt Gooch so much that I even gave her the bug. You still love me right, Aunt Gooch?

Aunt Gooch has a baby kitty named Gus. I got to play with him and with all of his toys and with a giant hula hoop! While we were in San Francisco I got to ride a bus and a train (really a street car), and even a carousel. We got to see the sea lions and boats. We went to a place with lots of fish and I got to eat a blue yummy. A nice lady in the See's candy store even gave me more yummies.

I hope I can go back to California soon. I had fun on the airplane, even if it took us 20 hours to get home! Maybe next time Grandpa, Tutu, and Aunt Gooch can come see me and I can show them all of my cool toys and books! Check out the Photo Album of the Week for my pictures from our trip.

Halloween 2007

What are people thinking? Dressing me up in a ridiculous chicken costume and trying to make me say funny sounds. Are you for real? First you made me march down the street in the daytime for all the world to see and then I had to put the chicken suit on again at school and again at night. I did enjoy going to houses to collect yummies, except why couldn't I eat them all right away?

I'm so silly

Fudgesicles are coooooold . . .

Ben the Vampire

Last week I got sent home from school early and I wasn't even sick. It was my first suspension and mom was less than pleased. You see I have this little problem. I get excited or frustrated and sometimes bite my friends. Mom tells me not to do it. My teacher tells me not to do it. But sometimes no one understands my words or what I want, so I feel like biting. It sure does get a reaction. Aunt Katie must have known that I like to bite 'cause she sent me these really cool vampire teeth. Thanks Aunt Kate! Maybe I should be a vampire for halloween. Mom says it's too late. She already has my costume all set and it's a ???? Take my poll and guess what I am going to be on Wednesday night!

Me and My New Dump Truck

Last Saturday mom and dad got me a new toy. It's a really cool and really big dump truck. I like to load all sorts of things in the back, like puzzle pieces, small cars, or acorns. Then I push it all over the house or around the neighborhood. I even pushed it all the way to the playground all by myself. I was too tired to push it home. If you check out my Photo Album of the Week you a can see some more pictures. I also got to go check out the hot cars at TRU (aka Toys R Us). I wanted to try out all of them, but mom and dad only let me sit in three. They said next time I can sit in a few more. Me and mom grew a snake on Sunday. It was really small and then we put it in water and now it is really big, and somehow it came alive because on Sunday night daddy found a real snake in our garage. Mom told me I wasn't allowed to go in the garage ever again. Good idea, mom. I think I might actually listen to you this time! Next weekend I am going to be in a Halloween parade. Can you guess what I am going to be for Halloween? Take my poll to guess. The winner will be given one big fat smooch from me!

Fall Fun

Finally it is getting cooler and I can wear my blue jeans and long sleeved shirts! Yeah. I even had to get a pair of new shoes, 'cause mom thought I should have some real shoes, but I really love my keen sandals. I've been playing a lot outside and am having fun at the neighborhood playground. Today I went with my friends Audrey, Sabrina, and Josephine to the pumpkin patch. We got to see lots of farm animals like pigs, bunnies, a cow and Audrey's dad even helped me feed a goat a piece of corn. There was a cool pile of hay to climb on and a slide and corn maze. We all went on a hay ride and then I picked out a perfect little pumpkin. Check out my photo album of the week to see a few pictures. Mom also snuck a few pictures of me sittin' on the potty, not cool mom. At least I got to read my car and driver mags.

Visiting Life and Science Museum

This morning mom and dad took me to the Museum of Life and Science in Durham. This place is pretty cool. I get to climb, play with trucks, bang on drums, and jump in puddles. Today I got to ride the train. Inside the butterfly house, a pretty big moth flew right by my head and made me jump. While in the farm area, the donkey came out of the barn to say hello to me and the rooster said cockadoodle - doo.

I can help too!

Last weekend I helped with the yard work. I am really good at spreading mulch.

Healthy habits

I like my toothpaste and my new school bus pajamas!

welcome!

Hello

Welcome to my blog. My name is Ben. Some people call me Ben Ben, Benny, or Benji or just Boo. And when I have done something that my mom doesn't like she calls me Benjamin. Usually I am a pretty good kid, but lately I've been trying to see how much I can get away with. So far, so good. Suckers.

I am going to be two in a couple of months and mom says I am no longer a baby, but a big boy. Of course, I am still mom's baby and always will be, but I am starting to do big boy things. I can say almost anything and I am using lots of words together. I am already getting ideas for all the new cars I want to ask my mommy to buy me for my birthday and Christmas this year. I love cars and I always have to have at least two cars at my disposal at all times. I prefer hotwheels, but matchbox are pretty cool too.

I also like to run around and dog pile all of my stuffed animals. Tonight I tried to dog pile Mica, our cat. She doesn't like me very much. And Mom has to remind me which floors are hard and which are soft. I like to get down and wrestle with all of my animals and with Daddy too. Mom prefers to snuggle. And usually I like to snuggle back, especially if I can work my way into the big bed. Speaking of bed, it's getting late and mom says it's time to read stories now. Later.