We had some good friends over the other day, in which our children decided to entertain us with some singing and dancing. The outcome was more amusing then expected, but one little one (Ben) was more upset about a bruised ego then actual bruising. Good Catch Daddy!!!

The last couple of weeks have been a little difficult for me because I have had to face that my little boy is no longer a baby. Below is a before picture of Ben on the day that I decided to actually get him more than just a bang trim at the salon. The beautician asked me how short I would like it, in which I choked out, "Give him a little boy haircut." That meant cutting off most of his bangs and also the cute little curls that would stick out when he wore baseball hats. Oy.
This is the after photo. Some other firsts are in this picture. Ben can now brush his teeth on his own, in which he has graduated from eating off the yummy toothpaste to actually brushing his teeth. And as you can tell he is sitting on a potty.

We decided to go ahead and get him used to the concept because he has shown some interest and has actually been telling us sometimes when he goes.

Here is Ben all ready for church last Sunday morning. It wasn't any ordinary morning either. Darrel and I thought it was time to get the nursery ready for little brother, so Ben moved up to big boy bed status like a pro last Saturday night. There was no drama, just lots of spreading out and reading extra stories to make myself feel better. Although, I did have to get rid of three-fourths of his stuffed animals after he spent a lot of time arranging them. So now it is a week later and Ben is like "Crib who?" It doesn't even phase him when he sees the crib in the new nursery. Who needs a crib when you are sleeping in a queen sized bed?

So while Ben is in his glory, mommy is secretly holding back tears wondering where her little baby went. Oh well, I guess I better get used to these feelings and cherish the moments. :)

Ben's best friend is his Mickey Mouse doll. He carries Mickey with him everywhere which has been challenging when I have to explain that Mickey cannot go into Olive Garden with us. Mickey has actually been a great learning tool for Ben regarding rules and behavior. The other day Ben had Mickey standing on the table, which is of course a no-no in our house, so I told Ben to tell Mickey to sit down on the chair so he does not get hurt. Mickey decided not to obey. So then I tell Ben to tell Mickey to sit down or he will have to go to timeout. This time I go about my business in the kitchen only to turn around to see that Ben has put Mickey in timeout. He babbles some stern words to Mickey and then decides to join his poor pal in his punishment. While it was a very funny and precious moment, it was also a wonderful to know that timeouts are making some sense to Ben. I admit I have had my doubts. Since that day I have seen Mickey in timeout periodically -unfortunately I do not know what for, but I have definately seen some improvement in Mickey's behavior. :)

There is no denying that Ben's favorite thing in the whole world is JUICE. It is his top priority. He can say it perfectly, sign it, and maybe even spell it. If we are reading a book and a picture of a cup or really anything holding liquid pops up, he is reminded that he needs juice right then and there and thus the reading session is over, as he will say juice over and over and over again. Now mind you we don't give him that much juice, probably 3-4 ounces a day, but we do dilute it pretty good with water. Ben sees us get out a sippy cup and fill it with 3/4 water at the fridge and then top it off with juice. Regardless, Ben believes that juice comes straight from the fridge water dispenser, so he is always trying to reach his cup up there for a refill. At first I thought he wanted more water, but a hefty nose turning to that notion made me realize that he believes the big metal box in our kitchen to be a giant juice dispenser (which I guess in some senses it is). Well it was a happy day when Ben realized that he could push a kitchen chair up to the "juice dispenser" to get his refills whenever he desires. Let's just say that we had a lot of water and ice on the floor that day. We have since learned our lesson, and Ben is now back to the drawing board on how to get juice whenever he so desires. I'll wonder how he'll feel when he realizes we've been jipping him by watering his precious juice down. Oh well....

This is Ben's favorite thing to do with daddy. You can hear the pure joy in his laughter.

Cruel, I know. But worth it. I was amazed Lucy let me keep it on her long enough to take a picture.

You may want to turn up the volume for your listening pleasure.

Now that Ben is around, I feel like I should write down all the things that he does that may be little in the eyes of passer byers, but are so big in mine. I don't want to forget these moments that I cherish so much, so hopefully this blog will help me document this wonderful time and also share them with the family and friends that love us.