Insatiable Curiosity

Today was another good day. I love how excited Benjamin gets about all things. Everything is exciting and interesting, especially if it's outside. It rained almost all day today, so after preschool he came home and wanted to "see what happens to dirt when it gets wet." So he grabbed his bucket and 4 shovels and went to work under the forsythia bush in our backyard. He filled a bucket with dirt and then carried it to the patio for his experiment. He dumped the bucket out into two piles and let the rain do its magic. Pretty soon he had a little boy's dream - a big pile of mud. He was so happy. He was out there playing in the mud and rain and singing songs he'd learned that day in school and all was right with the world. So adorable.


His fascination with everything often has unexpected rewards for me too. We went grocery shopping a couple days ago and the lady in the flower department was organizing and cleaning out inventory. So there was a lot of mess on the floor. Benjamin wanted to know all about what she was doing. He went over and started to talk to her about "the big mess" and "what are you doing with those flowers?" When the conversation ended she took two sets of carnations and presented one to Benjamin and one to Isabella because "these kids are so cute." Yay! I never buy myself flowers because my overly-frugal nature never permits me to spend money on something so temporary and ultimately completely unneeded, but I sure loved getting some for free! Thanks Benjamin!


On a related note, I also learned a ton about wallpapering the other day when we passed the wallpaper guy on the way out of the gym. Bella and I walked on by, but then I noticed that Benjamin wasn't following. We ended up spending 25 minutes watching him hang wallpaper. Benjamin was absolutely fascinated. And to his credit, Brian (I found out his name after a few minutes) was very patient. He let Benjamin touch things and hold things and explained everything he was doing. Benjamin wasn't going to leave until Brian was done. I found it kind of cool too, the smooth way he hung those huge sheets and left no ripples at all. I'm just really good at tearing the stuff off. :) When the room was done, Benjamin said goodbye, thanked Brian for letting him watch, and then he was finally ready to go home. It's funny how the normally shy tendencies he has dissipate immediately if he finds someone doing something about which he wants to learn. Life really is so much more interesting through the eyes of a three year old.

Mini Tom Sawyer

We've had a rough week of sleepless nights and tantrum filled days. Yesterday I went so far as to grab my keys and bag and get in the car (without the kids). Of course, I didn't make it out of the garage, but I sat there in the car for a long time wanting to drive far, far away. Today however, was a bright spot in the week, and we had a really fun time at the park with friends. At one point Benjamin and his buddy Lilly were playing by the river and I managed to get the kids to look at the camera for a few pictures. This one is by far my favorite. It's just so Benjamin - crazy hair, muddy, wet rolled up pants, too-small shoes he took from Bella so he'd stop hurting his feet on the rocks (so she went barefoot), and the cutest smile I've on him in days. I can't decide if he's more like Calvin (from Calvin and Hobbes) or Tom Sawyer, but either way, he's my adorable little hooligan.

He and Lilly played happily in the icy-cold water for over an hour.


Little Miss Bella played in the water a bit too, but had much more fun snacking and warming her feet in the sun. Smart girl.

The Tradition Continues

Last Summer Benjamin and I started a tradition of having our lunches as picnics outside whenever weather permitted. Sometimes Bella joined us but most often she was napping and it was just the two of us on a towel in the backyard. We did this nearly every day until it got too cold to continue. Yesterday was the first day when the grass was dry enough and it was sunny enough to sit and eat outside. Instantly upon coming home from school Benjamin asked, "It's a nice day outside, isn't it? Let's have a picnic!" As luck would have it, Isabella only took a 45 minute nap (those are becoming far more common than any other length, unfortunately) so she was up and ready to join us. The eating part of our picnics are usually the shortest part of all. The fun part is the chance to run around like crazies the whole time. The kids certainly burn more calories than they take in. But how to resist when there are pools to be jumped on


soccer to be played


gardens to weed (he volunteered to do this!)


and trees to climb?


I neglected to take a picture of our stint as pirates when they made me their slave and made me row the boat after our sail got torn. I guess I was too busy rowing. :)

I also enjoyed the silly string we'd gotten as a party favor at a birthday party a couple days earlier, but my kids were terrified of the stuff. How many times do you stress the idea of avoiding spraying things from random cans at each other? Suddenly I'm handing them a suspicious can and encouraging it! No wonder they were hesitant. So I was able to convince them to spray it on the lawn and then throw it at each other. That didn't go over well either. Alas, the age for silly string obviously hasn't arrived.



After our 2 hour picnic, we went with a friend and her sons to Rainbow Recreation, a place that sells outdoor play equipment and allows you to play in their showroom (both indoor and outdoor). That was a lot of fun too. They've got trampolines, swings, basketball hoops, etc. The biggest laugh I got, though, was when I checked out the price tags. Here's Bella playing in what's called "The Big Enchilada." I think they should call it the Big Golden Enchilada, considering it's price is $13,600. There are well-kept 2 bedroom homes in the neighboring city (Redford) going for that price! I think we'll just drive to the showroom and play from time to time. I can buy a lot of gas for $13,000. The sad thing is, knowing my kids, I could shell out that money and buy one of those things and in two weeks they'd be bored and stop playing with it. They don't even like going to the same playground too often!

Her Own Style

Isabella has taken a sudden intense interest in sunglasses and insists on wearing them any time she can...with one small difference.


She will never let me put them on right-side up. I explained two or three times that the little hole is for her nose and showed her how to wear them, but each time I'd find she'd turned them back over. So now every day when she goes outside and demands, "glasses!!!" I just hand them to her and let her put them on herself. The funny thing is that this comes at about the same time she's decided that she never wants to wear gloves, hats, pants, shoes, or socks. So most often her eyes are about the only thing being protected. Yesterday I spent 45 minutes trying to convince Benjamin to get dressed and when he finally did, I turned around and saw that Bella had stripped down to her onesie. Grrrrr. When it comes to style, she has all her own ideas. There is no forcing her to wear anything she doesn't want to wear; she'll just take it back off. I've decided to consider it charming. I make suggestions and let her wear what she wants. I can't wait until Summer when I can more easily say okay to being barefoot all day.

Today we went bowling with my German mom's club. (By the way, Bella grew tired of the bowling shoes and bowled in her socks for most of the game.) The kids had a great time. We were the only ones in the whole place so no smoke and no worries about toddlers running around wild. It was wonderful. The best part of all - Benjamin won with 85 points. Wow, I'm a terrible bowler! But it was a lot of fun.



One more cute thing - the kids love making forts in the living room. Their recent favorite is their "library fort" which they construct by the bookshelf so they can read with a flashlight. I tried to get a picture and they heard me and shooed me away as the "bad monster." I love when they play well together and aren't screaming or hurting each other. I also love the few moments of alone time it affords me. :)


Sidenote: it's a good thing the blanket is in the way in this picture because both my kids refused to wear anything below the waist this afternoon. We keep our house at 63 and yet Benjamin's comment was "I like to be cold." I pick my battles and that is not one I'm going to fight. However, I did insist on a diaper for Bella rather than cleaning my carpets.

When Did She Learn That?

Photo and video editing at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Isabella shocked me the other day while we were playing hide and seek. I knew she could count along with me, but she'd never counted on her own. So when it was her turn to count and seek Benjamin, I wasn't expecting much. However, before I knew what was happening, she'd counted to 13 and took off looking for him. The next time it was her turn, I had the camera ready, and she didn't disappoint. Even when the "hiding" Benjamin ran right past her, she just kept right on going. Like I mentioned before, he still hasn't mastered the nuances of this game. The stinker even held the door closed, so that although she'd found him, she couldn't prove it. If you can't hear it in the video, he comes out saying, "That was clever." Ummm...no, clever would have been hiding somewhere that she wasn't watching while she counted. ;)

I know I'm a biased mom, but I never cease to be amazed by Isabella's verbal ability at this young age. It's so fun having a 21 month old that talks! Although, to his credit, Benjamin's two and three word sign language sentences at this age were quite astounding too.