No time to waste. I’m not sure where these last several weeks went, but suddenly we find ourselves thrown right into 2012. Before I get any further, make sure you check out some holiday pics posted here. With Ben, there is never any slowing down, and as you can see in this week’s picture, he’s ready to roll!
Ben spent a lot of time this past week making his way through all of the new toys and gifts that Santa brought. His Happy Napper Monkey still goes everywhere with him, but otherwise, Ben has just been bouncing from one thing to the next. I think he is still on toy overload.
One thing that we spent a lot of time playing together has been his new Lego Star Wars game for the Nintendo DS. I have been amazed at how quickly Ben has picked it up. At first, Daddy was playing through the levels to unlock new secrets and characters. But soon, Ben was taking things into his own hands, playing through and completing levels all by himself! For me, the best part is watching how excited and interested Ben is getting in the whole Star Wars universe. He has been on a mission to unlock some of his favorite characters (Darth Maul, Darth Vader, Boba Fett). Ben has gotten into the story as we play the game, even asking some tough questions (Straight from Ben’s mouth: “So Darth Vader was Luke’s Dad? Why did he die? Did he come back as a ghost because Luke missed him? It’s sad when people’s family die. Now he can watch over Luke like a star.”)
Ben also was lucky in that he got to spread Christmas out for an entire extra week. Since Uncle Richard and Aunt Devon were away over Christmas, we exchanged presents with them last weekend instead. Ben was excited to unwrap some more things, and also to give out a few more gifts of his own to his aunt and uncle (and to show off all of the cool stuff that he got!)
Of course, the big event of the week was New Year’s Eve. I took Ben over to our friend’s house for a kid-friendly party where Ben got to run around and play all night with some people his size. The little guy had fun visiting and playing, and made it all the way to about 11:45 when he started fading a bit. He perked up when we started to watch the ball drop on the T.V., but was then a little disappointed that we didn’t go running around outside making noise and shouting Happy New Year! Needless to say, he was asleep before I had even gotten a block away on the drive home.
There was no time to rest, because the next day it was time for even more presents for Ben! The relatives that didn’t see him on Christmas made their way to Poppop and Nana’s house for a New Year’s Day celebrations….and to give Ben his gifts. After sleeping in a little later than usual, Ben was up and ready to party. His head would perk up every time he thought he heard a car door out front, until finally, the guests started to arrive. Ben had an awesome afternoon, playing games and toys with everyone. He is at the perfect age where he can join in all of the games with the adults. At Ben’s suggestion, we even broke out Twister for some fun (and some embarrassing pictures!) It was a great day to share time with family and welcome in the New Year.
So now it’s onto 2012. We didn’t miss a week with the blog last year (although there were a few close calls when Daddy almost forgot!) In all, the blog was viewed 4,200 times in 2011. Nana and Uncle Glenn lead the way with 16 comments each on the year. So let this be the first of another 52 posts this year. I’m sure there will be PLENTY to write about! And don’t forget to check out the pics here if you haven’t already!
What a whirlwind between Christmas and New Year, alot of fun times. Ben is not the only one on toy overload, Poppop and Nana’s house is too. Its time for out with the old and in with the new. Looking forward to 2012 with our Benjaminn.