Too Smart, Too Scary

What does this week’s title have to do with this photo? (Speaking of photos, there is a link to some new ones at the end of this post.) Well, Ben wasn’t really upset when we took this, he was actually faking. We asked Ben what happens when he is sad, and he immediately went to the scrunched up crying face and even gave us a few ‘Boohoos’. He is very aware, already, of how is expressions and words can help him get something out of Daddy or Mommy.

Another trick Ben uses when asking for something is to tell us its his ‘favorite’. He will even keep telling us that after we give in to him. This week’s ‘favorites’ included chocolate milk, broccoli, fruit snacks, cookies, shopping at Target, and making big splashes in the bath tub. (Of course when he got tired of eating, he was quick to tell us ‘I don’t like it’ about his broccoli!) Like we mentioned last week, Ben is getting very good, and very smart about getting what he wants. I’m sure this story will only get funnier and sneakier in the near future!

On a side note, Ben made me laugh out loud with something he said today. It was obvious he needed a diaper change, and Ben reluctantly laid back on the couch for me to change him. As I was getting ready, he grinned up at me, and with a glint in his eyes told me “I have a present for you Daddy.” Chuckling, and already guessing the answer, I asked “Oh yeah, where is my present?” Without missing a beat, Ben tapped his hand to his pants and said “Its in here!” That’s my boy!

In other Ben news, he has adopted his very own Cabbage Patch Kid, Jeffrey. The two have pretty much been joined at the hip the last few days. Jeffrey sleeps with Ben in his crib, and he is the first one Ben grabs in the morning when he wakes up. Ben feeds him, reads to him, tries to change his diaper, and just all around loves him. He has gone on walks, made the trip to Poppop and Nana’s house, and he has even  been taken shopping. Perhaps the cutest Jeffrey moment was one morning when Mommy woke up early and found Ben sitting up in the early morning light, just quietly holding Jeffrey and staring off at who knows what in his crib.

Last week I talked a lot about what Ben likes and dislikes, and one thing on the list was school buses. Well it just became more obvious this week that Ben has a strange fascination with those big yellow buses. It seemed like every time he was in the car with me he was pointing out school buses before i even saw them coming. I can’t believe how far away he can spot them. I’m not sure how we are going to break it to him that he probably won’t get to ride the bus very much since we live so close to the schools. For now, Ben can just enjoy playing with the toy school bus that he has at Poppop and Nana’s house, and the brand new bus that Gram bought him this week.

And finally this week, we have the new photos posted here. There are two especially fun group shots in this bunch. The first is a great shot of Ben and all of his cousins after a trip to the custard stand (I think my favorite part of this shot is the cousin that had to be stripped down to his diaper because he was covered in his ice cream cone!) The other group photo was taken just last night, when Mommy and  4 of her oldest friends decided to try and get a photo of all of their  kids together…. that’s 9 kids, all under the age of 5!  Very impressive, and very cute, so check it out (my favorite part of this one is Ben looking so bored and chilled out that he may fall asleep amid all the chaos of kids).

Thats all for this week. There is a lot coming up in the next few weeks, with the carnival, fireworks, the 4th of July, and our second annual trip to Dutch Wonderland , so be sure to check back for all of the latest news. Thanks for reading!