Guys Night Out

As far back as I can remember, one night every year, at the end of January, my dad would take me to the Philadelphia Auto Show. When I got older, friends would join in on the trip, but we have photo albums filled with shots of the early years, when it was just me and my dad wandering around and checking out all the cool cars.

Last year, Ben seemed to enjoy his first trip to the auto show, but he was pretty little. I figured this year he would have a lot more fun with the cars, and who better to join us than Poppop! And just like that, we had a guys night out! (You can click here to see photos.)

So three generations of us guys piled into Daddy’s car and headed over to the city (‘Philadelphia!’ Ben exclaimed, and he also could tell you we were crossing the Delaware River!)  Ben was excited the whole car ride over, and after winding our way up through the parking garage it was time to head over to the big show. We wheeled Ben into the building in his stroller, but once inside he was ready to jump out and get started. I had packed his monkey backpack (whose tail doubles as a leash) to help keep Ben close as we wandered around. Unfortunately, as we entered, Ben informed me that he was ‘too sweaty’ to wear his monkey backpack, and that he wasn’t ready yet. It turned out to not be too crowded, and Ben was being very well-behaved, so the three of us walked through the door into the giant room filled with shiny cars of all shapes and sizes.

Ben took notice of the carpet that looked like a winding street right away, and was eager to follow the road where ever it took us. Upon taking a first look around, Ben told us that “This place is crazy!” And then we were off, charting a course among the maze of cars. Ben was determined to find a red car to buy Nana (she told him she wanted a red one before we left.)

I think our first stop was Toyota and Ben felt the need to try on every single model for size (sometimes even different colors of the same model!) Sometimes, he would climb in the back seat and tell Daddy and Poppop to sit up front, at other times, he would slide behind the wheel and instruct us to get in the back, telling us he was going to drive us home. All the while, Ben was like a little old man, kicking the tires on a prospective buy…he would flip all the switches, push all the buttons, tilt all of the sun visors, and explore every nook and cranny of each car. It was pretty hilarious.

For the next couple of hours we laughed and played in every conceivable kind of car. Ben made sure to point out all the red ones (at one point he turned and asked us “Which one are we gonna bring home for Nana?”) Ben had a blast, and Poppop and I had fun watching him enjoy himself. He really seemed excited by the cars, which made Daddy proud. Plus, Ben was so well-behaved that we never really needed the backpack/leash anyway. I think one of my favorite moments was as I was hanging back, following Poppop and Ben as we walked. Poppop lead the way, strolling along with his hands in his pockets, and there was Ben, a few steps behind…one hand in his pocket, following and checking things out like a cool little man. I couldn’t help grinning to myself at the two of them.

Finally, we came to the last display, and it was time to head home. We had made it through the entire show, climbed into countless cars, and we were all a bit worn out. Ben tried asking for a snack, but at four dollars for a soft pretzel I was able to convince him to wait for home. Of course it wouldn’t be an adventure without some sort of misadventure, and so Daddy and Poppop chose the wrong exit and almost got lost on the way out. Eventually we made it back to our car and were driving home, but we had to laugh as Ben recounted the ordeal from the backseat (“And we went out the wrong door, and it wasn’t the right place, and Poppop said ‘Oh no, this isn’t good!’). He was too funny, babbling on about it from his car seat. Growing up, we always had a running joke, when ever our Dad would make a mistake, we would all chime in “Wrong again Dad!” (Needless to say, he gave us plenty of memorable moments to shout this out),  but I have a bad feeling that I just laid the groundwork for Ben to carry on the tradition with me!

All in all, it was an awesome night with just us guys and all of those cars. I think the three of us bonded on some sort of manly level, and we definitely created some lasting memories, especially for Ben. Hopefully, he will grow up and look back thankfully on those annual trips to the car show with his dad, just like I do with mine. To see pictures of some of our fun, click here. See you next week!

The Why Why Why of Ben

For a kid who seems to have a knack for figuring things out on his own (like lounging on the couch and playing games on Daddy’s iPod), Ben sure seems to be asking a lot of questions lately. No matter what kind of explanation you have, lately Ben will continue to ask ‘Why?’

Sometimes the answers are easy, like why is it dark at night (because the sun goes to sleep at night), why do the cats run away from me (because you run scare the heck out of them), why are the clouds moving (God is blowing them). Sometimes there are no clear answers, like why is the sky blue (it just is), why can’t Mommom play on the floor with me (you’ll understand when you turn 90), why do I have to go to sleep (you just do), why couldn’t the Steelers make the playoffs (ok, maybe that was Daddy’s question.) But while watching a football game with Daddy, Ben did ask why all of those men in the striped pants were jumping on his guy? (Ben’s ‘guy’ is Roethlisberger and he happened to be getting sacked alot that game!) The list goes on and on. Why isn’t it Christmas any more, why can’t we go for a walk (when its 30 degrees outside!). Sometimes Ben makes up his own answers, like when he asked me why I had to go to work one morning. I told him I had to so that we could pay for his things. Not accepting that answer, Ben came up with his own and said I didn’t have to go to work, he called and it was closed!

I guess it gets tiring sometimes, trying to find clever answers that helped explain things to Ben. On the other hand, its exciting to see how curious he is about everything, and its fun to see what he comes. Plus, Ben is still at an age where almost all of his questions are rather innocent…I dread what he will be asking me about as he grows older!

In other news, as the photo above shows, Ben seems just about ready to have his own iPod. He now knows how to turn it on, find and start up the games, help Daddy check his email. The other day I downloaded a new game for him to try, and before I could tell him, Ben noticed the new icon on the screen and asked “What’s this one?” Its scary. Ben has also been practicing his soccer skills with his cousin Emily, and has already started talking about how we are going to go watch him play in games. I don’t know much about soccer, but he really seems to be into it, and can even start playing in a pee-wee league in the fall here in town. (Daddy is still planning on getting him out on the tennis court this summer, too.)

That is about all of the latest news in Ben’s life this week, so I think this post will end here. Why? Because Daddy is tired and ran out of thoughts to write about. Why? Because he is tired and is ready to go to bed. Why? Because it is night time and we sleep at night. Why? … Why? …why?

See you next week!

Smile for Ben

As you can see, Ben already has the eccentric artist look down pretty well. Either that, or he is the next Hugh Hefner wandering around the house in his bathrobe. This week I decided to share some of Ben’s work by posting a photo gallery of images that Ben snapped all by himself. Since Christmas, he has been having fun with his new camera and doing a great job of getting some photos.

Its definitely fun to see what Ben thinks he needs to take photos of, and also interesting to see things from his point of view. Ben isn’t shy about getting right up in your face with the camera and telling you to say ‘cheese’. (Just make sure you lock the bathroom door, because Ben also doesn’t understand when he SHOULDN’T be taking a photo of you!) He has also seemed fascinated with trying to get shots of the various pets around our house and at Gram’s. (The first photo in the gallery might be the last shot taken of Gram’s beloved Beagle who passed away earlier this week. R.I.P. Ginger!) No matter what Ben is snapping pictures of, its good to see he is following in his parent’s footsteps of documenting everything (although he has a long way to go to catch up with the over 4000 images sitting on my computer from 2009 alone!)

Aside from Ben flashing his creative photographic talents, its been a normal week for the little guy, which is anything but boring! Some highlights included Ben dreaming of the cat throwing poop at him; Ben offering to wash Daddy’s car out in the rain and also telling me he would take the Christmas lights down himself; Ben insisting to Mommy that he needed to wear green socks to bed, and then insisting that they had to be only half on his feet; Ben declaring that he didn’t want to go to Gram’s house because it wasn’t exciting….then deciding he wanted to go so that his cousin Ryan could ‘teach him stuff’; and finally, Ben asking to see ‘his’ hippopotamus while on a trip to the zoo with Nana and Poppop (Ben adopted a hippo from the zoo as a Christmas gift but it hadn’t really been talked about since…apparently the little guy hadn’t forgotten. Unfortunately his hippo was ‘closed’, meaning he was inside and they didn’t get to see him this time.)

But that’s enough of Daddy talking about Ben, why don’t you have a look for yourself at some of the things he has seen since the start of the New Year? You can check out Ben’s very own photo gallery here. You never know, some of you might find yourself making an appearance. Until next week, keep smiling…you never know when Ben might ask you to say cheese!

Sweet Dreams and a Wild Imagination

As Ben was laying in his crib tonight, I asked him what I should write about him this week…what should I tell people about him. After not much thought, Ben told me to write that he had fun at Gram’s house, and that he has fun at Nana and Poppop’s house. I thought that was cute, but then after a minute he continued and told me: “Tell them about the time I had my big bed, and the two cats, my buddies Jack and Prince were in it with me and we played.” Considering Ben has always slept in a crib, I asked him when this happened, and he replied “The big bed I got for my birthday, its gone now, but it was here.”

Sometimes I really don’t know where he comes up with some of the stuff he says, but it always amazes me how detailed Ben’s imagination is when he is making things up. This afternoon he was helping me put away the Christmas tree and ornaments and he came across a little baby spoon ornament from his first Christmas. He wouldn’t let me pack it away, and then proceeded to play with it for the next half hour. He told me he needed it to make his coffee and then went from his kitchen set to the couch pretending to make and stir some delicious blend of coffee. He even offered me some which I had to pretend to sip from his spoon.

Later tonight, Ben decided he needed to unpack his Little People nativity scene to play with one last time. But of course he didn’t just play with it, he had to set it up and then sing happy birthday to Jesus. When asked what he was doing, he explained that he was waiting for Jesus’s birthday cake, and then offered to share a piece. Jesus also provided hay to the animals that attended his birthday party.

Most of the time Ben’s imagination is in full display when we play on the couch. He will spend hours stacking pillows and blankets to be his house, or his car, or his boat…whatever he decides that day. Then we will go through the doors of his house, or play in his ‘basement’. He rescues me from being trapped in parts of these ‘homes’ and sometimes I rescue him. His latest thing is to yell “Daddy, I’m trapped in glue!” and then lay face down on the couch like he is stuck to the cushion, until I come and pry him free from this invisible glue. Not too long ago we spent a whole morning with Ben telling us about his invisible dog named Diver Davie. He had detailed instructions for us on how to get into Davie’s invisible pen, pet his invisible fur and prepare his invisible meals. Sometimes I wonder why we have so many toys packed into this house when we could just put him on the couch with a bunch of pillows and let him go wild.

Anyway, it always keeps you on your toes around here. You never know what Ben will come up with next. I can only imagine what his dreams must be like. Hopefully he can carry this vivid imagination with him as he grows older. I look forward to seeing what kinds of games he comes up with when he finally has that big boy bed to play in for real. I’m sure Ben already has it pictured in his head.

A Clean and Smooth Start to the New Year

2010 is quickly under way and Ben is wasting no time jumping right in. He seems to be in a hurry to grow up as he is always talking about becoming a big boy. As you can see, he was excited to try shaving with his new toy shaving kit that he got for Christmas. Lucky for him, I don’t think Ben has to worry about a five o’clock shadow any time soon.

As for growing up, Ben has started making it known that he might be getting a bit too big for his crib. Soon after Christmas, Ben turned his attention to his birthday and declared that he would be getting a ‘big boy bed’ as his present. (I’m not sure Ben realizes yet that his birthday is still months away.)  It has become common at bed time for Ben to complain that his crib is just ‘too small’ and that he needs ‘more room.’ Part of the problem could be that he insists on bringing to bed with him at least a dozen of his stuffed friends. Many nights Daddy gets called in to ‘make space’, clearing the stuffed buddies to the edges of the crib so that Ben has a place to lie down.

Its hard to believe, but I guess the little guy is about ready to out grow his crib. Pretty soon he will have his space and get a big boy bed. I guess we are lucky that even though Ben complains of being crowded in there, he has never tried to climb out (let’s hope I didn’t just jinx that!)

In other news, Ben has had a hard time dealing with the end of the Steelers football season. In the last couple weeks, he had really gotten into talking about his guy, Roethlisberger (Ben has a little black number seven jersey just like his favorite quarterback), and had been asking Daddy questions about the game. Earlier in the week Ben was playing with Gram and seemed eager to call someone on her cell phone. When she asked him who he was calling, Ben replied “My guy…Roethlisberger….I need to see if he is playing tonight, his number is in the phone!”  It was funny, yet also sad when later Daddy had to inform Ben that his guy would not be playing any more until next season.

Finally, we do have some new photos to share. With the holidays and everything I didn’t get to post some shots of Ben enjoying the first big snowfall of the season. As you will see, Ben was eager to help shovel and had a blast playing in all that white stuff. Although, he had one moment of fear when he saw a man across the street using a snow blower and exclaimed “Mommy, that man is going to vacuum up all our snow!” You can click here to see all the fun.

See you next week!

2010 comes in with a….quack!

Yep, this is the first Ben photo of 2010! Much to our amazement, Ben somehow made it up until midnight. After having a good nap this afternoon, the stage was set for Ben to make a run at the midnight goal.

Ben spent the evening at our friend’s house and started out a bit shy, but after a little while soon warmed up to the crowd. It was looking like Ben would be checking out early around 10 o’clock when he curled up on a couch with his blanket and asked to put his pajamas on. I’m not sure what was in those pajama pants, but no sooner did Ben slip them on then he was tearing around the house with his little friends Justin and Morgan. He had gotten his second wind, and from that point on it looked like he would be awake to welcome in the new year (the new decade even!)

As you can see from the photo, Ben watched The Ball drop with everyone, and then proceeded to blow his duck whistle in celebration and tell everyone ‘Happy new Year!’ I think from now on Daddy will always relate quacking to the new year! Too bad it isn’t the year of the duck on the Chinese calendar (It isn’t right? I really didn’t check!)

So it was bye bye to 2009, which was a big year for Ben. He turned 2. He got to watch the Steelers win the Super Bowl (or most of the game anyway). He spent half of his summer in a cast, but still managed trips to the beach, Dutch Wonderland and Storybook Land. Ben learned new things, and had a lot of fun. He got to meet Mickey Mouse in Disneyworld and also took his first air plane ride. He wore his first tuxedo. He was a pirate for Halloween, and started to really get into the spirit of Christmas. It is hard to believe just  how much he has grown and changed in the past year alone.

Now its the start of a new year, a new decade. It is sure to bring many more happy times, and some sad times. Some exciting times, and some nerve-wracking times. There will be silly times and serious times…some hard times and lots of fun times. But, no matter what, we have to just jump right in and make the most of it, because this is our time. Its Ben’s time… and he is loving every minute of it. I think we can all quack for that!

Happy New Year to everyone!

And in a blur, it was over

After weeks of planning, dreaming, anticipating and running around, it took less than an hour for Ben to turn the pile of presents that Santa left under our tree into a pile of torn paper and scattered boxes. And it seemed like even less time than that passed before the day was over, and for the first time in a month Ben was going to Bed without counting down on his advent calendar. (Of course Ben had something to say about that, and he decided to take an item off of his advent tree calendar and place it back in its place…counting down backwards to something only he knows.)

Christmas 2009 was a success, I could see it Ben’s face the past few days. (If  you want to skip right to the photos, click here, but there is also a link at the end of this.) Christmas Eve dinner at Nana & Poppop’s house was as delicious as always, and extra special with all of the candle light and Christmas music playing. Ben had a huge plate of spaghetti, but was a little disappointed that we didn’t get to see Santa drive by on his fire engine. After some photos by the tree, it was time to head off to the annual Christmas Eve party at our friend’s house (not before changing Ben into his holiday outfit, complete with button down shirt and sweater vest!)  Daddy offered to drive around looking for Santa..but Ben decided to head straight for the party, since he had heard that the big man might be making a stop there later that night. The drive to the party was highlighted by Feliz Navidad coming on the radio and Ben shouting from the backseat “This is my song! Sing it with me!” And he did.

The party was crowded, but Ben soon perked up and had some other little boys his age and slightly older to play with. As I watched them tear around the house, weaving through the legs of the adults, I felt like I was catching a glimpse of the future. After being shy in the beginning, here was Ben, playing the part of the ring-leader, coming up with games to play and directing everyone on where to go and what to do. I had a moment of stress wondering if Ben was going to be that kid that fearless kid who leads all of the other boys into mischief. But part of me was also proud, especially when Santa made his appearance and Ben strolled right up to him and got on his lap. Ben was even kind enough to smile and pose for photos as he unwrapped his gift (a stuffed Mike Wazowski from the movie Monsters, Inc.) I even caught a quiet moment on video of Ben hugging his new buddy and saying ‘I love him’ to no one in particular.

Soon it was off to bed for Ben, as we placed the last item of our advent calendar onto the little velcro tree, and made sure to put out some cookies and milk for Santa(chocolate milk, Ben insisted that is Santa’s favorite). It took a little while, but eventually Ben was off to sleep (Daddy would end up going to bed a good 5 hours later!) I slept soundly, but the next morning Ben was sure that he had heard Santa on the roof and coming down our chimney.

Christmas Day was just a blur of images and memories. Ben was wide-eyed and excited getting his first glance at what Santa had left. He dug right in and didn’t stop…tearing open present after present. I’m not sure if he was tired, or just overwhelmed, but he didn’t seem to get extremely excited over any one thing. But he was smiling and grinning the whole time, and wanted to open and play with everything immediately. He kept his even temperament even as he reached for the last two boxes way back under the tree, and opened them to find…his Transformers, Megatron and Bumbleee! I guess he just assumed they would be there since he had told Santa about a dozen times what he wanted!

Next stop was back to Nana & Poppop’s for a quick breakfast and more gifts. Before exchanging the presents, we gathered around the table to light the Christ candle in the advent wreath. Ben seemed very excited, even suggesting we all sing Kumbaya afterwards (somehow this tradition got started somewhere along the way for Ben). Then the unwrapping began again. Some more favorites here included Ben’s Elephun game which blows butterflies into the air for you to catch, and his new remote control car (both toys required a break in the action for Ben to play with for awhile). Ben also seemed genuinely proud to give out his gifts to everyone and watch them open them. Before we knew it, it was time to move on to the next stop. (But not before Ben ran over to the manger scene under Nana and Poppop’s tree to yell “Happy Birthday Jesus!” to the baby in the stable.

Gram and Gram’s house was already hopping with gifts and cousins. Ben jumped right in and soon the wrapping paper was flying everywhere again. Gifts and kids were everywhere! This was a fun part of the day as Ben got to play with his cousins as they all (mostly) shared their gifts. By this point, Ben was well past nap time, and was showing no hint of slowing down. Of the new gifts received here, Ben’s highlight seemed to be his new digital camera (yes, a real camera!) Ben went around with his face squished to the camera, snapping shots of everyone and everything. The best thing is we can save and download them all to the computer just like Mommy’s camera! (So expect an all Ben-snapped photo post in the near future!)

After a big meal prepared by Gram, it was time to pack up the car and head for home. Ben didn’t even make it around the block before he was snoring in his car seat. There was no waking him up as he dozed for the next few hours on the couch, probably dreaming of all his new toys. He finally woke up for a bit, and we got some things out to play with. With boxes scattered everywhere, there wasn’t a whole lot of room to play in our small living room. Eventually, Ben couldn’t hold out much longer and sleep got the best of him. Another Christmas was in the books.

Each year we try to keep up the same family traditions, and in the process come up with new ones. As Ben is getting older, he is changing so fast. This year it was great to see his understanding of Christmas and to watch him enjoy every minute of it. I look forward to the years to come, watching his excitement grow along with him. But, I also wish I could just freeze this moment in time and just keep rewinding his expressions and wonder in my mind. It was deeply satisfying to see Ben start to grasp the real meaning of Christmas. As he laid in bed fast asleep Christmas night, I was glad, knowing that he had gotten everything that he wanted. Unfortunately, Daddy didn’t and couldn’t get the one thing he wanted the most…more time. More time to keep and enjoy Ben at this awesome age. But the only thing guaranteed is more change, and with it new traditions, new memories. All you can do is enjoy every minute of it, and with Ben, that part is easy.

We hope everyone else had a memorable Christmas! You can click here to see some photos of Ben’s Christmas experience. See you next week (back to Friday’s again!)

Going Nuts and Cracking Up

One week left! Did Jesus shower with you this week? (Hopefully you read last week’s post or that will make zero sense!) Not sure where the time goes, but somehow the twelve days of Christmas are now down to seven. While time seems to be speeding up, its important to try and slow down and enjoy the season. Ben seems to have the ‘enjoying’ part figured out, but there is no slowing down this little guy.

Here, he is pictured with his new buddy, his very own nutcracker to play with at Nana and Poppop’s. Ben had played with his cousin Ryan’s nutcracker, and was very excited to have one of his own. We didn’t have any nuts around, but Ben had plenty of fun marching him around and having him pick things up in his mouth.

Earlier in the week, we all got together to celebrate Poppop’s birthday. Ben was more than happy to celebrate, and was fired up to help Poppop blow out the candles on his birthday cake. After all, we had been lighting candles to celebrate Jesus’s birthday the last few weeks, so Ben was in the right mood. While we were all enjoying birthday cake, Ben happily declared that after Poppop’s birthday would be Jesus’s birthday. But then, after that, Ben’s birthday was only several months away!

There haven’t been too many other new holiday traditions started. Ben is excited each night to do his advent calendar before bed. He also gets a big smile out of seeing the Christmas lights as we drive around at night. We haven’t seen too many Christmas specials on TV. Instead, Ben has been more interested in watching The Toy Story movies and Monsters, Inc. (and he is actually sitting through almost a whole movie now).

We also got to spend some good father-son time watching football last week. Although the results for our Steelers wasn’t very pretty, it was fun sitting on the couch with our jerseys cheering them on. Ben would proudly stand up and point to the back of his number seven jersey and ask if “his guy” (Roethlisberger) was playing. he was very pumped up when I pointed him out on the TV. As Daddy was sitting out on the couch tonight, Ben yelled out and asked if his guy was playing in the game. I told him no, not until Sunday, and Ben proceeded to recall how his guy was tackled by a bunch of men in orange and brown stripes. He shook his head and told me ‘Roethlisberger didn’t make it’. That pretty much sums up our season right there!

So that is what we have been up to lately around here. Each day brings any number of little moments where Ben either cracks us up (or drives us nuts!) We try our best not to get caught up in all the running around and craziness of the holidays, and to just slow down and focus on Ben and the things that are really important this time of year. There are still too many presents to wrap and plans yet to be made, but it will all be worth it Christmas morning to watch the little guy’s reaction. And that is what makes each day great…just seeing how much fun Ben is having, and trying to share in his view of the world. It is hard to stay stressed out when you can watch him spend a half hour giggling uncontrollably while he makes a little wooden soldier bite everything in sight!

Countdown to Christmas

Hard to believe, but Christmas is two weeks from today. Ben is definitely in the spirit of things (despite all of this rainy weather). He seems especially excited each night to do his advent calendar (although I am still not sure he gets the idea that we are only supposed to do one per night).

Ben also hasn’t seemed confused by the fact that he has seen and talked to Santa Clause several different times. In fact, yesterday, we went back to the store where he first sat on Santa’s lap this year. This time, in Santa’s place were some wrapped presents and Christmas decorations. He asked me where Santa was, and I said he was only here that one day, and he must be back at the North Pole. Ben seemed to think for a moment, and then told me that “no, Santa went upstairs…because he got tired of sitting. He went upstairs to get me Megatron”. I ended up liking Ben’s explanation better than mine. Also funny was a few days earlier, when Ben had decided that he wanted two Transformers for Christmas after he had told Santa that he only wanted Megatron. Ben insisted that we had to get his computer out so that we could email the correction to Santa.

While over at Nana and Poppop’s house, we have also gotten questions from Ben about lighting the advent candle, and how Christmas is Jesus’s birthday. This past Sunday, Ben was playing with some little boxes and declared that they were presents for Jesus (we had just been talking about the three wise men bringing gifts). But of course, Ben didn’t stop there. He brought the presents out to the kitchen, because apparently that was where Jesus was. He yelled “Jesus, come here!” For the next ten minutes, Ben sat and talked to Jesus and shared his grilled cheese with him. It only got stranger later in the day when Ben and I were playing on the floor, and for some reason pretending that he was taking a shower. He looked at me and told me “Jesus is in the shower too!” (This kind of freaked me out the next morning while I was showering for work!)

I also was able to get the Christmas tree up last weekend, and was excited to see Ben’s reaction. The next morning, after he woke up and came out to the living room, his eyes lit up, and he went over to check the tree out. I asked if he liked it, and he told me “Do you like it Daddy? I did this, to surprise you!” The rest of the day Ben took credit for the tree if anyone asked. He was also excited to see his Little People nativity scene was back out. He was asking who all the characters were, and spent a good amount of time playing with it. But, for some reason, every time he is done playing, Ben leaves the Baby Jesus up on the roof of the stable.

Everything seems to be a blur this time of year, but it is these little moments with Ben that always help to put a smile on my face and make me slow down and just watch his sheer joy of everything. It definitely helps keep you in the Holiday spirit. I can’t wait to see what the next two weeks bring with Ben. I have a feeling that as Christmas gets closer he is only going to get more and more excited. I’ll be sure to report everything here. And remember, next time you are in the shower…Jesus might be there too!

All I Want for Christmas is… Megatron!

Yes, Christmas is coming, and Ben is getting more and more excited. He has already sat on Santa Claus’s lap twice, and both times asked for… Megatron! That’s Megatron, as in the leader of the evil Decepticons from the Transformers. A little background is in order: Ben’s older cousin Ryan recently had a birthday, and came over to proudly show Ben one of his gifts. He pulled from his bad a ten inch tall robot who looked downright mean.  He is all twisted metal and claws, with eyes that light up red, and a gun that makes noise when you push his button. This is Megatron. Not only does he look scary, but he also talks and says things like “I will crush you” in a loud, terrifying voice. Of course Ben loved him right away and has been talking about him since.

I have always looked forward to the day Ben would be into toys like the Transformers, and I could get the boxes of Transformers down from my parents attic to share with him. Little did I know, it would happen before he turned three! In the days since Ben was introduced to Megatron, we have tried to convince him that maybe Bumblebee (the fun, yellow good guy from the movie) would be a better choice. He wasn’t buying it. He would smile and check out Bumblebee, but that would quickly be followed by “But that’s not Megatron.” So of course, when Ben finally got the chance to sit on Santa’s lap, he didn’t hesitate to ask for the scary robot. And now, after our efforts to sell him on Bumblebee, Ben decided he wants them both! (Since Mommy and Daddy are both push-overs, I cannot confirm or deny that Bumblebee and Megatron may be hiding in our closet as I write this.)

In other Christmas news, Ben helped to light the first candle on the advent wreath at Nana and Poppop’s this past Sunday. He was a little confused, however. When he saw the candles, he thought it was someone’s birthday, and asked if we could sing happy birthday to him. I tried to explain, that no, it was Jesus’s birthday, which only brought more questions. Who is Jesus? Where is he? We didn’t get into that yet! But Ben sat and watched as we lit the candle, and then told everyone that after Jesus’s birthday, his was coming next. (And of course he had to help Nan put the candle out a little while later.)

And finally, my favorite Christmas moment so far this season. Daddy slightly loses his mind each year as he tries to remember how he put the Christmas lights up on the house the previous year. This year, I almost put my head through a wall as I pulled each string of lights out of storage, only to find that half the bulbs lit up when I plugged them in. Again and again this happened. The other day I had spent all afternoon on this only to have a few strings hanging and lit. I felt defeated, until Ben arrived home, and I saw his eyes light up. Later that night, as he was getting ready for bed, he quietly told me “Daddy, thank you for lighting up my house” I was at a loss for words, but that right there made it all worth it (and also gave me the will to finish the job today, at which time Ben told me “Daddy, the lights look really pretty!)

That pretty much puts everything into perspective right there. No matter what happens, this Christmas will be great as I watch it through Ben’s eyes… even if I have to put up with him running around with a loud, ugly robot twenty-one days from now!