Country music

It's no secret that Ben and I don't like it. So last night Ben was watching the Grammys, and just when you think your kids aren't paying attention, they say stuff like this:

Ben: (as a weird country song was being performed) "What was that?!"
Benny: (shouting from the other room) "That was just me farting!"

Little boys

Good guy

My husband is a good one. And I often don't give him enough credit. Especially this week. He has had a really grueling week at work (apparently teaching Special Ed can get kind of crazy, and gross) and I often lose patience when he gets worn out and I don't get the breaks I "feel I deserve." I put that in quotes to soften it a bit, so I don't sound like a complete jerk of a wife.

I remembered that a couple weeks ago I was thinking what a good guy he was after one night in particular. We were going to babysit for my sister but I was pretty busy that night, and without hesitation Ben said he didn't mind just doing it himself. So he fed the kids, played with them, got them in their pajamas, etc. When I got home I saw that Benny and Mayumi were wearing the same pajamas. Kimiko and I had somehow bought the exact same ones for our kids.
I didn't even have to wonder if Ben took some pictures; of course he did. He thinks of things like that.

I know it's a little thing, snapping a quick picture, but he does thoughtful little things like that a lot. He turns on my seat warmer for me when he starts the car. He drops off Benny and picks him up on the days I work, and also gets him ready to save me 10 minutes since I am ALWAYS running late. He brings home extra toys from school that he thinks Benny will like.

So off I go to see if there is something I can do for him. I'd like to one day be as good a wife as he is a husband.

Benny's song

The picture has nothing to do with anything, but non-funny blogs are better with pics, right?

Benny is quite the budding photographer.

Of course this is just for his parents to remember as we will think it is way funnier than anyone else.

Tonight Benny decided that after prayer and scriptures he would perform a couple songs on his guitar before he went to bed. His first number was Old MacDonald. He then wanted to sing a song about dinosaurs, but then he realized he didn't know any. Ben told him he would just have to make one up. So this was the song:

"There was a dinosaur named Rexy Hape. He ate all the vegetables, and then a cow and a triceratops, and then he ate all the POOP! And then he ate some guts, guts, guts, guts."

We thought that was pretty creative for his first song. Maybe the next one will be a bit cleaner.

Walking faster

...than we have strength is a no-no.
And I think we often-times do this.

For example, I got sick over the holidays. But it was the holidays and I wasn't going to let being sick slow me down. So I baked. I shopped. I cooked. I entertained.
And I made Friendship Bread. I was feeling sicker and sicker, but the dough was already past its day to be baked so I couldn't put it off any longer. And I was going to bake them all and THEN give them away. So I baked 8 mini loaves, 2 medium loaves, and one regular. I made tags and got ready to deliver. Except by then I was too exhausted. I went to bed. I went to bed the next day. And those little loaves of bread dried out. They eventually became too gross to give to anyone. And they all went into the trash.

And maybe wasting 8 mini loaves is not a huge deal in the big picture, but it just kind of hit me that I had been a bit maniacal with my doing stuff. It is ok to slow down.
So, I am going to work on prioritizing and doing things that matter. Sometimes we just can't do everything.

3 Years Old

Is it bad that I might be a tiny bit sad? Today he is officially no longer a baby. I've seen it coming for awhile now, but today I can no longer say he's still my two year-old toddler.



This is the 1st cake I've ever tried to do, you know, besides a 9x13 or round. It turned out to be about what I expected for a 1st attempt. At least Benny can tell it's a firetruck.


More of the holiday festivities to come later, but I just had to tell someone that Benny is all grown up now.

Benny-isms of the week

(Last Saturday)
Benny: Bye, Dad, I'm going to the store with Mommy. And make sure she doesn't yell at me.

(Monday)
Me: OK, Benny, you can watch a show on my bed while I exercise.
Benny: Why do you need to exercise? So you won't be fat?

(Wednesday, doctor's office)
Benny: Is that a picture of the Golden Gate Bridge?
Me, looking closely: Um, yes, it actually IS the Golden Gate Bridge.
Benny: Remember the time we went under the bridge with Grandpa Tom and Grammy in a boat? (That was almost a year ago. His memory is incredible)

A bit later, STILL at the doctor's office:
Benny: What is the doctor going to do?
Me: Well, I have a sinus infection so my nose is kind of yucky.
Benny: Oh, you're right, you should have the doctor get all that hair out of there.

A few minutes later:
Me: Benny, we have been here a really long time and I need to get to work, so I'll give the doctor 5 more minutes and then we're leaving.
Benny: No! Mommy, you can't leave until the doctor gets all the boogers out of your nose!

(Thursday, getting ready for a nap)
Benny: Remember when Daddy showed me pictures on the grey laptop of when I was in your tummy, and your tummy was really big?
Me: Yeah, and wouldn't it be cool if there was another baby in there and my tummy got big again?
Benny: Yeah, but your tummy is already getting bigger.
Me: Oh really, where?
Benny: (Pointing) here and here.
Me: That's not a baby, it's just fat.
Benny: Oh, it's fat? I think you better work out more, Mommy.

A bit later:
Benny: Alright, you can have a baby in there but make sure your tummy doesn't break.

Little boys

I always have to do a double take when I walk down the hall and encounter these:


I've said it before and I'll say it again, I think he is OCD. He rearranged the nativity characters into a straight line. And I still have no idea what baby Jesus is doing in the tree.


We sure enjoy this little guy