Birthday and BBQ Fun

This past week has been a lot of fun. We celebrated Benjamin's birthday on the 2nd and then we had a BBQ with friends on the 4th. For Benjamin's birthday we went to a nearby beach with some of his little buddies and their moms and then out to lunch at Red Robin, as we'd done for his 1st birthday. We went there because they sing and clap for you on your birthday and he LOVED it last year. However, he has become somewhat shy these past couple months and rather than smile and clap along as he did last year, this year he hid his face in the bench and ignored them entirely. That is, of course, until the moment they left, at which point he popped back up and frantically signed, "more!!!" That stinker!


This year the big hit was the onion rings. It was his first time trying them and he really got into the whole dunking thing. He just couldn't get enough sauce on them to suit him.


Our BBQ on the 4th was great, and Benjamin especially loved it because his friend Maya could come over. They played in the pool together and ate their weight in watermelon. Benjamin also loved the sparklers Kelly bought for him. We've been lighting them every afternoon since.




Isabella continues to be our sweet little girl. Sleeping soundly each night and smiling often during the day. She's a real pleasure to have around. I think it really makes such a difference to have done all this before. I notice such a difference in how I react to issues with her compared to Benjamin. I'm far less stressed this time around about everything. It's really nice.


However, I have to mention, today we had our first sibling rivalry issue. Bella was propped up against one of Benjamin's stuffed animals and he adamantly declared, "mine!" and tried to pull it out from under her. It was an all out temper tantrum when I insisted he share it with her. After a time out, though, he acquiesced and she was allowed to keep the dog. I'm sure this won't be the last time something like this happens. I guess that's life with siblings - something I never had to deal with. Consequently our family home evening lesson tonight was on sharing and how Jesus shared his loaves and fishes with everyone and we should share with others too and be like Jesus (or Joo-joo, as Benjamin calls him). He seemed to get what we were talking about. I assume it will be a while before he actually applies it. :)