Another video....

This is one of my favorites. My niece Megan shot this on Christmas morning and then edited it together into a really nice little video. I added captions for the dialog relating to Ben, but made no attempt to capture all the other banter and the noise of unwrapping presents. (If you follow my father's comments about getting a first class male, you'll get some appreciation for the kind of environment in which I grew up -- and it didn't warp me at all; I'm perfectly normal.)  Now, how many of you know what "Mississippi hot dog" refers to?

"Special Cousin Anna" is one of Megan's close friends, and a couple of years ago she spent Christmas with us.  Since Ben was just learning relational terms like "cousin," we gave Anna that honorary title so that Ben could fit her into the framework.

Sledding with the gang

Here's a great video from a couple of weeks ago.  We met up with some friends to go sledding on 3 Man Hill on our local college campus.  This was after we had already spent the morning at Jackson's house making bird treats.  They have a wonderful tradition of putting their Christmas tree up in the backyard, after they're done with it for the holidays, and hanging bird treats all over it.  The boys had a lot of fun spreading peanut butter on graham crackers and then dipping the works in birdseed.

So anyway, after that we headed out for some sledding.  Featured are Jackson and his moms Rachel and Susie, Etta and Desmond and their dad Todd, and of course the three of us.  I captioned a lot of it, but there's some background chatter that I didn't try to get.  Enjoy!

Gettin' back into the rhythm

Yes, we still exist.  (My father would immediately question whether we're unique.  He's a math geek, too.)  And it's not like I haven't had time to blog.  Okay, I've been busy (I'm always busy, and so are you), and I've been sick, but still time isn't the issue.  I've had some pockets of time here and there to blog.  I just ... haven't felt like it.  No offence.  I love this blog world and all the people I've met -- it's become an important part of my life.  I guess I just needed a little break.

But I'm back, baby!  Prepare yourself for some seriously cool blogging action.  Yeah, pictures, videos, amusing anecdotes, and more than your fill of Bennyisms.  We think he's had a bit of a growth spurt recently -- physically, cognitively, and emotionally.  He just seems to be looking at the world in a whole new way, and processing it differently.  Neil spent a week in Utah skiing with his brother, and during that time I got to test my solo three-year-old parenting skills -- and I must say that we did very well.  That right there could be a blog post.  I'm not lacking for material here.

Well, okay, so I can't promise you the most thrilling blog in the sphere on a daily basis.  But I do promise to check in more regularly.  In fact, I vow to have an actual post (with content and everything, as opposed to this sort of semi-apologetic rambling) by Saturday at the latest.  See ya soon!

Merry Christmas

It's Christmas Eve.  The Boy is asleep.  The tree is dripping with ornaments and the bottom half is buried beneath far more presents than can possibly be good for any of us.  My parents have gone to bed, and Neil and I are enjoying a few minutes of quiet reading before heading toward bed ourselves.  It's very peaceful here.  I wish it were this peaceful, safe, and sweet everywhere in the world.

Early morning Bennyism

When Neil went in to get Ben up this morning, Ben's first words were:  "Peter Paul and Mary walked into a bar.  'Ouch!' they said."

So, you think he's ready for his own HBO comedy special?

Couple recent Bennyisms

1. There's a book of Beatles songs sitting on the music stand of the piano. (Don't tell me this surprises you.) Ben points to the piano and says, "Let's play some Beatles." We sit side-by-side on the bench, and Ben doodles away on the keys. He pauses and says, "This is an old-fashioned song called 'It's All Too Much'."

2. "Yellow Submarine needs to be watched by someone."  [It's good to know he's developing a volunteer spirit already.]  [His ploy didn't work, by the way.]

First Night of Chanukah, 2010

Okay, Chanukah's been over for awhile, but I didn't get a chance to add captions until now.  Enjoy!