WA-HOO

"... I'm 2!"

It's somewhat surprising - or, I don't know, shocking may be a better word - to realize that our little guy turns 2 today. People often say that they will grow up before you know it, but I don't think that we were prepared for how swift and somewhat melancholy that passage would be.

With all of the challenges of raising a nonstop, strong-willed and slightly mischievious toddler, I can confidently say that we have experienced equal, if not greater amounts of triumph and joy with Benjamin. In fact, he is a regular funster around our crazy homestead.

And, oh how his personality continues to develop and shine. He's a pretty quirty kid - not sure where he gets that! Here are a few of the fun things he's doing lately:

LOVES singing the alphabet song, "Popcorn Popping", "Once There was a Snowman" and "You are my Sunshine".

But, wait, there are MORE SONGS! At bedtime, we sing but always ask his preferred song. Every night it's the same thing: "I Am a Child of God". And a funny aside, sometimes when he is in trouble, and sometimes for no reason at all, he'll exclaim, "I am a child of God"... just so we remember.

A voracious eater, his favorite foods are grape tomatoes, yogurt, Honey Nut Cheerios, oatmeal, blueberries, grapes, string cheese, spaghetti and Mac n' Cheese. Oh, and he loves hamburgers too. He used to call them han-ga-bers until recently; on our trip to Spokane in June, Dave tried - to no avail - to correct it by cutting up the word and asking Benjamin to repeat. Such as: Ham (say 'Ham'), Bur (say 'Bur'), Ger (say 'Ger'). Benjamin would play along, listening intently, but then when asked to say hamburger, he'd quickly exclaim "Hangaber!!!". We were both laughing so hard, we nearly cried.

ADORES Mickey Mouse Clubhouse. He knows each of the characters and plays along when they ask questions of the audience. Seriously, he loves it so much, he might as well marry Daisy right now.

DESPISES getting his face wiped after meals and is not a fan of dunking his hair during bathtime.

LOVES chasing or being chased. And, he is getting so fast, I actually have to run to keep up with him. I swear that we're going to wear out a ring of carpet around our kitchen's island.

OBSESSED with balls. Giant exercise ball constantly gets booted down the stairs. Aqua-colored ball gets thrown against walls, doors and mommy's head. Mini soccer ball and basketball are fun, but they usually end up in the tub, alongside his other precious bouncy balls. Plush soccer ball is the answer to all of my ball destruction problems... and can be machine washed!

Whether we are in the kitchen, using the computer, in the bathroom, cleaning the kitchen or even lying in bed, he finds us and says, "Get Out!!!" while grabbing our hand and pulling us into his world of playful fun.

A book aficionado, he becomes so absorbed in them that he has started reciting them while we go through them each night. Favorite books are anything by Sandra Boynton ("Perfect Piggies", "Your Personal Penguin"); a $1 Sesame Street book called "Yucchy Yucchy!" (thank you Target!), "Goodnight Moon", the "Very Hungry Caterpillar" and "We're Going on a Bear Hunt". I checked out 20 books from the library this week, but turns up his nose at these newbies and keeps going back to his old, tattered faves.

Likes helping. Laundry, sweeping, mopping, and vacuuming. Or the most important job of all - licking the spatula after another batch of cupcakes.

Loves parks, pools, bikes, basketball hoops, escaping, throwing, jumping, tickling, giggling, slides, swings, and yelling "Hello!" or "Thank You!" at the top of his lungs, until someone acknowledges his gesture. He is basically a total hoot... and we love that total hoot like crazy.

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