"I'm Okay!"

This is Benjamin's new favorite phrase. He bumps into something: "I'm okay!" He trips and falls on the carpet: "I'm okay!" He drops something on the floor: "I'm okay!" It's quite comical on the one hand, and mildly annoying on the other.

In the spirit of consistency, he's still repeating things over and over again.
"We're going to Target."
"Yes, Benjamin."
We're going to Target."
"Yes."
We're going to Target."
"That's right."
"We're going to Target."
I try not to let this get to me. I just wonder aloud how many times I have to confirm things for him. If I knew the magic number, maybe that would help. I have to confirm things three times, or ten times; knowing that might make a difference in how long or short my patience is with this little quirk. But what else can I do at this point?

We did have a great time coloring together yesterday. Benjamin picked out the crayons and I colored the sections he suggested. He has an affinity for all shades of brown right now, but does a good job of identifying all of the colors. I did get to use some yellow, blue and green, but my snowman had a tan and gold (close to brown) scarf, brown mittens, and tan nose. He got a blue hat, and I insisted on at least coloring the holly on his hat green and red. It's these moments that I really enjoy--we didn't go to a theme park, and I didn't spend any money, but just getting to spend time together like that was truly wonderful. We should do this more often...

Being Afraid of Santa

Benjamin is not too keen on Santa. He knows who he is, and he knows what he does, but he is not at all concerned with sitting on Santa's lap to tell him what he wants for Christmas. Now I've heard people say that kids are afraid of the big beard, but I'm not sure that is the problem here. Benjamin has his own agenda, and it apparently does not include Santa. In fact, during his first year of life, he was cared for during the day by an older woman in her home. Her husband had a big, full gray beard, and he wore glasses, so Ben was extremely used to seeing someone with this type of appearance on a daily basis.

Benjamin is not an overly expressive child, so I am often left wondering what he is thinking. Maybe someday he will let me know what he really thinks of Santa. For now I have to be content with him flat-out ignoring him. I guess that's better than him bursting into tears and running away.

The Wonder of Christmas Trees

This year it's all about the Christmas trees. Benjamin is fascinated with them. Well, what's not to like: the twinkling lights, the colorful ornaments, the huge star at the top of the tree? I made sure to put the vehicle ornaments (we LOVE Hallmark ornaments) near the top of the tree so I don't have to go looking for them among the piles of Matchbox cars in January. And while most of the ornaments look like toys to play with, Ben has done a pretty good job of keeping his hands to himself.

Sawyer, on the other hand, is all about the lights. Since he is not yet mobile, I can keep his activity center a good foot or two out of reach of grabby little hands. I suppose I should let him get close enough to touch it, but if you saw how high he can bounce in his activity center, you might understand why I err on the side of caution. Next year I may have to put the baby gate around the tree instead of around the baby.

I hope that I can relax and enjoy this time of wonderment and innocence with them. It goes by in the blink of an eye.

Funny sayings

Every parent can recall with fondness at least one funny expression or mispronunciation that their child had when they were little. Benjamin had several that were particularly humorous and made me smile every time he said them.

Some animal names are a lot easier to say than others. Dog, no problem. Cat, that's a cinch. Chipmunk is another story altogether. Ben called them "chik-munks." I think the "p" made it more difficult, but it sure sounded cute whenever he said it. And I didn't have the heart to tell him that not all "chik-munks" are girls.

"Quick like a bunny" also got it's very own Benjamin treatment. I would ask him to do something (usually go up the stairs) "quick like a bunny." To that, Benjamin would reply "quicky-bunny, quicky bunny." Although it never really made him go any faster, it was still adorable to hear him say.

You never know what words will strike a child's fancy where they will repeat it over and over again. One day, I put a new pair of pants on Benjamin. They were a little too big and kept sliding down. My husband asked him, "Where are you going, droopy-drawers?" The rest of the day, all Benjamin said over and over was "droopy-drawers, droopy-drawers." I waited another month before trying those pants on him again.

The last one I will mention is probably the most endearing to me. His daddy is a HUGE Steelers fan, and really hopes that Benjamin will follow in his footsteps so that they have something in common. All last football season, he kept trying to get Benjamin to say "GO STEELERS!" But when Ben said it, it always came out "GO EESERS!" It was too cute for words! He finally got it right just in time for them to win the Superbowl, but in my heart I will always hear that little boy saying "GO EESERS!"

Thanksgiving Dinner

Thanksgiving dinner is never the same day twice. For as long as I can remember, the people sitting around the table each year changes slightly. Some faces are there year after year, and others are limited one-time engagements. Technically, this is Sawyer's second Thansgiving, but his first actually in his own seat at the table. My dad usually says the blessing just before we eat, and he gets choked up every time. He truly is thankful for one more year, one more day as a family together (which is another story for another time). It wasn't planned in advance, but Benjamin ended up saying the blessing this year. It's amazing how just a simple prayer from a three-year-old can be so humbling:

"God is great.
God is good.
Let us thank him for our food.
Amen."

I couldn't have been more proud of him in that moment, and yet I'm sure he had no idea of the magnitude of his words. After I cut up his turkey for him, he dove right into his Thanksgiving feast without a care in the world.

I learn so much from my boys. I shouldn't take life so seriously all the time. We're not here for very long, and I want them to have good memories of me. I want them to remember having fun and being silly with them. I am so thankful for the time we've had together and I want to have many more years of Benjamin and Sawyer saying grace for Thanksgiving dinner. No matter who else may or may not be at the table with us...

Mister Pumpkin vs Mister Turkey

Singing songs is a prerequisite in preschool. With Benjamin, I don't get much information about the daily events at preschool, but occasionally I get a glimpse of how much fun he is having. For example, last week, we were sitting at the table on Sunday morning eating breakfast before going to church. Without any prompting or explanation, Benjamin broke into song:

(To the tune of "Where is Thumbkin")
Mister Turkey, Mister Turkey
Big and fat, big and fat
I'm going to eat you
I'm going to eat you
Just like that
Just like that

I cracked up because I had never heard this song before. Up til now, this tune had been reserved for singing "Mister Pumpkin," which happens to be sung to the same tune:

Mister Pumpkin, Mister Pumpkin
Eyse so round, eyes so round
Halloween is coming
Halloween is coming
To our town
To our town

Now Benjamin has sung both songs, and we're not sure which is his favorite. I vote for Mister Turkey for the comedic factor alone when you first hear it. I think he just gets a thrill out of our reaction to him singing, and for us, it doesn't really matter in the end. It's just comforting to know that he is absorbing the world around him and enjoying the things he experiences at preschool.

Finding His Feet (and His Fingers)

Sawyer found his feet! Well, it happened last week sometime, but they've been getting in the way of me changing his diaper ever since. He's been grabbing onto them with his little chubby hands and holding on for dear life. I don't think he even realizes at this point that those cute little toes belong to him.

He also has gotten into the habit of sucking on his two fingers. I have tried to tell him, and have Benjamin show him (since he's a thumb-sucker) that the thumb is a much better option. But Sawyer chooses to do it his way. Now I know a lot of parents and experts would tell me that I should discourage them both. My feeling is that I am saving a lot of money on missing "binkies" that way. You don't usually leave your hand laying on the table at a restaurant or have to pick it up 100 times off of the floor at Wal-Mart like you do with pacifiers. As long as he isn't up at the alter on his wedding day sucking his thumb, I'm not going to get overanxious about it.