Bad Blogger!

Okay...I know...it's been like 6 weeks since I've posted anything. I'm such a bad blogger!! Life at the Huff Household has just been crazy busy lately, one giant sprint from Thanksgiving to the New Year, but no more excuses....I'll try to catch you all up.

Thanksgiving was an easy and relaxing holiday this year. We had our two great friends Elizabeth (Auntie Eli) and Courtney over for breakfast. We made these really yummy multi-grain pancakes and grilled chicken sausage (both from Trader Joe's...I highly recommend them.) Benjamin helped daddy make the pancakes by stirring the batter and I watched intently to make sure that he didn't put his fingers or any other inappropriate items into the bowl. Dinner was at a really nice restaurant called Carver's with about 10 members of the McCurdy clan. I don't believe anyone ate turkey (I had filet mignon...yum!) and Benjamin ordered the fish sticks which were shaped like little sharks. He had a blast eating their heads off! Craving some tradition (more than the turkey I think) I cooked my second turkey in 11 years the following week. It actually turned out really good (an organic brined turkey from Trader Joe's!) The only disappointment was that I couldn't find the roasted chesnuts for my stuffing, I'll have to buy them earlier next year!

Christmas...where to start! We bought out Christmas tree the week after Thanksgiving. Instead of going to Lowe's or Home Depot, where last year I was pulling fresh trees out of the back by myself and cutting them open to see them, we decided to go to a nursery for our tree this year. It was really nice to walk among the trees already on stands just waiting to be chosen. And even though our tree cost more than twice what it did last year (even with the coupon) we think it was worth the money. We got the tree home and dragged it into the house and Benjamin was so excited! He kept saying "Yippee! Yippee! It's Christmas time!" and that was even before we put any lights or ornaments on the tree! Benjamin had so much fun helping to decorate the tree, even though he kept putting all of his ornaments on the same branch! Even a month later he still asks every morning "Mommy turn on my Christmas tree!"

Santa Claus was a BIG hit this year with Benjamin. Last year he wanted nothing to do with the man in red. We tried FOUR times to take him to see Santa (I read somewhere to try a few times to see if a child will become less fearful) each time he would take one look at Santa and say "Nope...No!" So this year I decided to start talking up Santa hoping to build some excitement. Sometime in October I began to talk about seeing Santa Claus, which turned out to be a bit of a problem because Benjamin kept telling people in the store that he wanted to see Santa Claus....and it wasn't even Halloween yet! But I guess it worked because he just could not wait to see him. Our first visit with Santa this year was purely by accident. I was at the mall with Benjamin picking out a shirt to wear for Thanksgiving (yes...Santa came early this year!) For some inexplicable reason Benjamin didn't want to leave the mall (usually he's begging to leave the minute we get there...he's not much of a shopper) so I asked if he wanted to ride in the glass elevator. When we got downstairs there was Santa!! There was no line so Benjamin was able to walk right up and talk with him, give him a hug and a high five. Santa asked what he wanted for Christmas and Benjamin said "to see the reindeer." After the second visit with Santa he got smart and started asking for a "choo choo train" instead!

We spent Christmas this year at Grandma Suzy's and Grandpa Danny's in Bakersfield. It was a wonderfully relaxing holiday, although it took a lot of work to get there! I started working/training at my new job about a week and a half before Christmas (more about that later!) I worked almost every day either full time or part time and I still had to get all the presents wrapped, do our laundry and pack for our trip! But we packed the car to the brim and headed up highway 5 the Saturday before Christmas. Benjamin had so much fun playing with his cousins Sam and Simon and we all had a lot of fun watching them. On Christmas Eve we let the boys open two gifts each, one was a pair of Christmas pajamas (a tradition in our family) and one was a small toy. The next morning Nate and I woke Benjamin to let him know that Santa Claus had been there!! He was SO excited!! The first thing he saw when he went into the living room was a package of dinosaurs...and he had to play with them that very minute! He didn't want to stop playing with them to open the rest of his gifts! Finally we convinced him to sit down and open the presents....there were so many....he had a lot of work to do! He would unwrap each present and then ask if he could play with each present...he loved everything!! Later that morning Benjamin's cousins came over to have breakfast (more multi-grain pancakes and chicken sausage...yum!) and open more presents. All three boys were so excited!! It was a really great Christmas.

Benjamin is "Puzzled!"

Once in awhile Benjamin just shocks the heck out of me! That happened again recently when he appeared to gain a new skill overnight...the skill of putting together puzzles!

We haven't really done puzzles with Benjamin yet...he seemed a little too young. We do have those wooden puzzles where you fit the animal in the right spot but not a true puzzle with interlocking pieces. One day we were at our local "Chick-Fil-A" restaurant (I don't know if they have these where you are...but it is a pretty good place for fast food...just chicken!) Benjamin was eating the chicken strips kids' meal which came with a prize...a box of puzzles. Each puzzle was a picture of some animal with some interesting factoids about them. Each puzzles was double sided with three interlocking pieces.

At first Benjamin became VERY frustrated because he couldn't fit the pieces together. I encouraged him to try to do it but he just wanted ME to do it. I offered to help by us BOTH holding the pieces and putting them together. We put all the puzzles together and then it was time for bed. The next morning Benjamin was playing while I was chatting on the phone. Before I knew it he'd gotten the box of puzzles and put ALL the puzzles together BY HIMSELF!! He'd gotten all the pieces matched correctly too!! He was SO proud of himself so I took a picture of him with his completed work!

A Special "Thank You" from/to Auntie Eli

Our friend Elizabeth (Benjamin's "Auntie Eli") moved back to San Diego recently. She had been living in The Netherlands on a two year contract with her company. She left when Benjamin was a month old and was able to see him a few times when she returned for work or a short visit. Since she has returned home permanently Auntie Eli has become one of Benjamin's very favorite people. I'm so glad she is home and Benjamin is just happy to be able to see her pretty much whenever he wants!

When Elizabeth was making her move back to San Diego she asked me to help out a little with the purchase of her new home. I was happy to oblige...anything to make it easier for her to be home!! Unfortunately some of the helpful things were quite time consuming and aggravating!! I had to sign all the loan documents, get the bank to accept my Power of Attorney so that I could have the cashier's check for her down payment, and best of all, I had to get the seller to FINALLY get out of the house after it had closed...ugh!!! Lucky for me Elizabeth had a fantastic way to say "Thank You" to me!

My gift from Elizabeth was a night spent at The La Jolla Shores Hotel in La Jolla and a gift card for dinner at The Shores restaurant. The best part of the gift...she offered to babysit Benjamin over night. A night away for Nate and Cindy...a dream!!
Here's a picture of the hotel from the beach. Our room was on the third floor, second room from the right. The room was AWESOME!!! There was champagne and chocolate covered strawberries waiting for us. We could open the sliding glass door and hear the roar of the ocean..it was unbelievable! We had a nice dinner at the restaurant...we went all out! We had appetizers, wine and dessert with port. Everything was just incredible. Then we went back to the room, slipped on the cozy robes they provide in the room and sat out on the deck all night. In the morning we resumed out seats on the balcony and watched the beach combers. We saw surfers, kayakers, divers and tourists playing in the surf. After breakfast we took a long walk along the beach. It was pure heaven! The best part of the whole thing was that Benjamin had SUCH a good time with his Auntie Eli...although he was very happy to see us when we returned home! So a very special "Thank You" goes out to Auntie Eli for such a special gift from such a special friend!

"Kumeez Guys!"

Much to our dismay...Benjamin has recently learned out to climb out of his bed. It happened for the first time the night before Halloween. Nate was in Houston on business and I was talking on the phone. All of a sudden out runs Benjamin from his room! I was pretty shocked. So I put him back to bed and reminded him over and over again that he was NOT to climb out of his bed. I would ask him "when Mommy leaves the room are you going to climb out of your bed?" and he would say "Yes!" with a lot of enthusiasm. Luckily that night he stayed put, but the next morning he came running into my bedroom announcing "I AWAKE!"

So it's been a few days and, with lots of reminding, Benjamin hasn't climbed out of his bed since....until tonight. We were sitting in the living room when out runs Benjamin saying "Kumeez (excuse me) guys...I have poop!" So we changed his diaper and put him back to bed with another reminder to "Stay in Bed!" Of course, now that he is becoming so bothered by his poopy diapers....I guess potty training is coming next...Yikes!!

Adoptive Friends Playgroup at the Patch!

Each year our "Adoptive Friends Playgroup" gets together at a local pumpkin patch. This year we went to the Pumpkin Station at the Del Mar Fairgrounds. They have all sorts of fun rides, a petting zoo and, of course, lots of pumpkins. Due to the fires recently in San Diego the group had to be rescheduled and only a few of us could make it. I hope next year we can see all the children there! Here are photos of Pirate Benjamin and his friends, Cheerleader Grace and Ethan who plans to dress up as a trash can for Halloween!

Carving "Janet Lockturns"

This is the first year that we have carved pumpkins for Halloween with Benjam. Since Benjamin was born we have spent the holiday with family and haven't been home. This year I was really looking forward to the decorating and Trick-or-Treating!

First we went to Bate's Nut Farm (or as we like to call it...Nate's Butt Farm!) which is an annual tradition. Benjamin picked out a few pumpkins, took a pony ride, looked at the animals and generally had a great time. He was so pleased that his "Auntie Eli" (our friend Elizabeth) was able to join him this year. Elizabeth moved temporarily to The Netherlands just a month after Benjamin was born and just moved home permanently about a month ago.

To practice for the pumpkin carving I bought Benjamin this fun little pumpkin craft from Starbucks. The pumpkins were all blank and Benjamin and I put on the included stickers to make the pumpkins. Benjamin was, of course, most impressed by the pirate pumpkin!

Finally the day to carve pumpkins had arrived but Benjamin was surprisingly uninterested! Nate designed and carved the pumpkins while I scooped out the pumpkin guts. Once the first Jack o' Lantern was finished Benjamin was excited!! He started calling it a "Janet Lockturn" and couldn't wait to see the next completed one. We nicknamed the white pumpkin "ghost" for obvious reasons!

Boredom is the mother of necessity

So..as I'm sure you've heard, we had a few little fires here in San Diego County last week. Actually the fires are still burning...just not as ferociously as they were. Luckily we never had to evacuate, although we did make a list of what to bring in the event we had to go. Needless to say...with all the t.v. coverage about "Firestorm 2007" and the inability to go outside because of the poor air quality...it was a boring week!

Nate and I were out in the backyard this morning in our masks cleaning the ashes and soot of our new patio furniture. We diligently vacuumed and then cleaned each piece of furniture and it began to rain just as we finished...thank goodness!! That is not what this blog entry is about though....what it's about is what happend INSIDE the house while we were outside!

Benjamin was inside the house entertaining himself, as usual, when he came to the window and started saying "Mommy! Daddy! I made Mickey Mouse!" Nate and I were like.."huh?" Nate decided to go inside and investigate. Once he'd seen it he told me I had to go look at what Benjamin had made. Somewhere he'd found a quarter, nickel and a dime and made "Mickey Mouse" from them on the table. Isn't he brilliant?!?

I promise I did not manipulate those coins before I took the photo! He was so proud of himself. He just kept saying over and over how he'd "made Mickey Mouse." I had to leave the coins there all morning!

Sing.....Sing A Song!!

So Benjamin has taken to bossing me around. It's really quite cute...for a two year old (but I can imagine it might get a little old with an older child!) He tells me "Sing Mama....SING!" or my personal favorite...."Dance Mama...DANCE!" At least it gets me a little exercise!

Benjamin also does his own singing. Some of his personal favorites are "Itsy Bitsy Spider" and "Twinkle Twinkle." But recently he's been singing some songs that I wasn't aware he knew. The best part is to listen to his personal rendition of the songs. Here are a few of my favorites:

Old McDonald Had A....Horn?

Ole Dunald heed ferm
E-YI-YI-YI-YO
Beep! Beep! Here...Beep! Beep! Here...Beep! Beep! Beep! Beep!


Are You Sleeping?

Why you sleepin'? Why you sleepin'?
Brubber Gee....Brubber Gee
(This is where I think he moves into the French Version of the song!)

My favorite part of Benjamin's singing had to be the other day. I was changing his diaper and a song popped into my head (as is often the case) so I began to sing, "Ooooh baby I love your ways...everyday yeah." And without missing a beat Benjamin sings back his reply " I love you too...ooooooh!" I'm such a lucky mom!

By the way...I promise to put some more photos up on the blog soon!

I'm madly in love....

I am madly in love....with Benjamin. Is it weird to say you are madly in love with your two year old son?? I can't help it, he's just so spectacular!! His loud little chuckle just melts my heart. He can be crying, kicking, throwing a complete fit and I just look at his soft little cheeks and want to kiss them. If he's done something inappropriate and I'm looking at him and explaining why he isn't supposed to be taking trash OUT of the trash can (for example) he'll just look at me with his big eyes and say "Mama mad?" and crack that beautiful smile and I'm a goner. I just want to kiss his little cheeks and hug him!

Everything he says and does is brilliant, amazing and super fantastic (at least to Nate and I!) For instance (you had to know I would be sharing a story!) tonight he was riding his "Diego" scooter through the house (yes...I let him ride it in the house) singing a song. When I started paying attention I realized that he had made up his own song....he calls it the "Belly" song. It goes something like this......"Belllly.....Belllly.....Belly Belly....ahhhhh!" BRILLIANT!!

It's fun to be a girl!

So...after being a mom for a couple of years I've finally re-entered the land of "girly-ness." When I stopped working I didn't really see the need to spend the time (or money) on all those girly things like coloring my hair, make-up, pedicures, waxing my brows, etc. Recently I've decided that just because I'm a full tim mom doesn't mean I can't look good! I found a GREAT new hairdresser that gave me a really good cut and updated my color. I am now back to having blonde-ish highlights, I really like it better than having my hair dark brown. I had my brows waxed at a local Aveda salon....or maybe I should say I was SCALPED at the local Aveda salon. Now I am in the process of growing out my eyebrows so I can take them to a different place to be waxed.....one that believes people shouldn't have that "YIKES!" look on their face because they have no brows! The best thing I've found recently is a new line of cosmetics called "Jane Iredale." You can't get them everywhere and I was introduced to them at a hair salon. They are "minerals" cosmetics and are supposedly good for your skin. I just like them because I can put it on and it lasts all day long.....no shiny red face for me!! I use a pressed powder, eye shadow, blush, eyeliner (so smooth it doesn't "pull" your eye skin when you put it on) and their mascara which I adore. The mascara is a soft brown color which is better for me than black since I am getting older (and those crows feet have begun to show around my eyes!) the mascara is also the only brand in recent years that has not made my eyes burn,itch and water when I put it on, and it also does not flake off leaving smudges around my eyes. All in all it gives me a very natural and soft look but evens out my skin tones and, most importantly, makes me feel pretty!!

What's For Dinner?

I've decided that not ALL the posts on this blog have to be about Benjamin. I mean...I actually have other things in my life happening! One thing that happens quite frequently is dinner....so I decided to post new, different or interesting meals as they occur.

Tonight's dinner was fast, healthy and yummy! I was at Trader Joe's doing my shopping the other day when I saw a "Fully Cooked Seasoned Pork Roast." The description doesn't sound too interesting but basically it is a very lean port roast sealed in a bag with BBQ sauce. I thought I'd give it a try....how can anything smothered in BBQ sauce be bad!?

Since I was short on time I decided to cook in the microwave according to the directions on the bag....just 10 minutes! One note...it says to put several "punctures" in the bag and place it on a microwave safe plate. What it failed to mention is that there is actually another bag inside this bag....and if you don't puncture that bag it will explode...just a little! Luckily I had neglected to take off the outer bag so there was no mess to deal with.

After cooking I shredded the roast and put it on hamburger buns (the whole wheat ones at Trader Joe's are also very yummy!) and we had a version of pulled pork sandwiches. It was a little fussy to shred (the drawback of having lean meat is that it isn't always super juicy!) However, the mealwas really good and I will probably make it again.

I give this meal 4 out of 5 stars ****

So...what is a yak anyway??

I know that all parents think their children are brilliant.....I am well aware of those little things they look for that confirm that their children are gifted. That being said.....I'm fairly certain that Benjamin is a genius, and I have the proof!!

Awhile ago I bought Benjamin these little wooden alphabet blocks. I liked that they looked sort of old fashioned and they all had letters and numbers on them (that's me....always finding an opportunity to educate!) He's played with the blocks off and on but recently he's really been into them. He likes to ceremonially dump all the blocks out of their little bag onto the floor and then build "choo choo" train with them. Basically that's the blocks all lined up single file across the coffee table. He is surprisingly adept of keeping the blocks in a very straight line but, although impressive, that's not the brilliant part.

The other thing he likes to do with the blocks is to build a "tower." At first he demanded that Nate or I build the block tower so that he could swiftly knock it down (arguably the best part!) After a few days he began to build his own towers. He's really good at stacking the blocks one on top of the other. So far his record is 14 blocks stacked on top of one another, but that's not the brilliant part either!

The other day we were feeling sort of lazy (okay...it was me...I was feeling lazy) and didn't really want to go through the effort of building a tower. Benjamin began to hand me the blocks one by one and I would tell him what letter was on each block and the corresponding pictures that demonstrated the letter (do you see where I'm going with this?? There really is a yak in the story!)

"This block has the letter 'N.' It makes the sound 'nnnnn' like 'nest' and 'needle.' 'Nest' and 'Needle' start with the letter 'N.' There's about 60 blocks with each letter being represented twice and some that just have numbers. So the next day Benjamin is building his block "choo choo" again. He picks up the block with the letter "Y" and says "Oh....Yak!" WHAT?!?! Nate and I just looked at each other with disbelief. Then we both wondered aloud...."So...what is a yak?" We better find out quickly because our child is most certainly a genius!

more sad news.....

I can't believe I'm having to write this post......I can't believe what happened.....our beloved little doggie has died. We are a family with no pets.....I feel so sad!!

We woke up Saturday morning and noticed that Penny didn't seem to be around. We thought she must have gotten out of the yard, even though she'd never really gotten out before. Nate drove through the neighborhood, up and down every street, in and out of every cul-de-sac. I walked up and down the streets with Benjamin, asking every person I ran into if they'd seen a little black and white dog running around.....no one had. I immediately put together a "Lost Dog" flyer offering a reward for her safe return. We knew that if someone had Penny they may decide to keep her....she was so friendly and loving. As I was on the phone with the Humane Society, giving them a description of our Penny, Nate made a gruesome discovery.

With the small bits of evidence we found we have determined that Penny must have been killed and carried away by coyotes. We figure she must have heard something in the middle of the night and gone out to investigate....she probably thought she was going to play with something. She loved spending time chasing little field mice and lizards in our backyard. We've searched and searched for her remains, we'd really like the chance to bury her, but we haven't had any luck yet.

Penny was the best dog we ever could have hoped for. We searched for the best dog and once we laid eyes on her we knew she was the one. She was so gregarious and wanted nothing more than to sit in your lap and lick your face. The house feels so quiet without her. I miss hearing her clanking collar when she was running to greet me, I can hardly sleep without the sound of her snoring in her little dog bed at the foot of ours, and all those little snorts and snuffs when she was trying to find some remnant of Benjamin's dinner on the floor. I miss petting the soft spot on her squashed little nose and I miss the bare spot on her curly Q tail.

Benjamin hasn't really seemed to notice Penny being gone. It was the same when Oliver passed away. Of course, we had time to get used to Oliver being gone with all the doctor's visits, tests, medications, etc. We knew that Oliver was sick with cancer, that he hadn't eaten in weeks and that his death would end his suffering. Several days after Oliver was gone Benjamin told me the kitty had gone "night night." He's so intuitive and smart! With Penny gone I think Benjamin is just concerned because Nate and I have been so upset. He told Nate yesterday that "Mama sad." It just broke my heart!

I know that some day we will bring a new pet into our family. We even talked a bit today about what kind of dog we might like, but it made me miss Penny too badly. I think we'll have to take some time to heal the grief before we are ready to love a new furry friend. It just feels so weird not to have a pet, to not have to go to the pet store for anything, not have to worry about arranging for a pet sitter for an out of town trip. I'm sure we'll get used to it eventually. As for the rest of you with pets of your own.....make sure you hug them, hold them and love them while you can!

Huff Family Road Trip!

Well, this posting is LONG overdue. It's amazing how busy life can get sometimes...especially with a toddler! So, as part of our Huff family tradition, we took our summer road trip this June.We had the pleasure of traveling through 4 states!! Our destination.....Utah.

We left on Saturday morning headed for St. George, Utah. This is the town we stayed in while waiting for ICPC (state to state paperwork) to clear when we brought Benjamin home. We drove 7 hours through the desert, passing through Nevada, Arizona and into Utah. Benjamin slept in the car for about 2 hours the whole trip! He was just so curious about what was out his window and he wanted to listen to his "Backyardigans" music that we brought along on the iPod.
The next morning we headed up to the Salt Lake City area where Benjamin was born and his birthfamily still lives. We spent a few days just visiting with Vie and her family. Benjamin attended his first drumming circle, explored the mountains with Vie and was generally spoiled by everyone.....especially Grandma J! The first night we were there Grandma J took Benjamin to the store that she works to meet her co-workers. When they returned it looked like Benjamin had been to the County Fair! He had on a cowboy hat, a stuffed horse (that he sleeps with every night now), a balloon, and the dazed look of a child that has riden too many rides. The only thing missing was some puffy pink cotton candy! We all had such a great time visiting our Utah family!

Upon leaving Sandy City we drove the 5 hours to Springdale, Utah. This is the town just outside of Zion National Park. It's just a small town with a main road that has all the hotels, restaurants and tourist stops. We stayed at a hotel called "Flanigan's" which was just wonderful. They had a labrynth that was just a short little walk up a hill next to the hotel. We had fun our first morning walking around the labrynth and taking photos of the gorgeous red mountains.

Over the next several days we did some hiking all around Zion. I cant' even describe the beauty that we saw...it was just majestic.

The nicest thing about the trip was that once we parked our car at the hotel we didn't have to drive again! The town of Springdale has a shuttle bus that picks you up from one of 6 stops (one was just out in front of our hotel) and takes you to wherever you want to go. Each night we would take the shuttle to the restaurant of our choice for dinner and each day we rode the shuttle into Zion park. Once inside the park there is another shuttle that drives you through the 90 minute scenic drive. You can get off at one of the many spots and look around, hike, take photos and then hop on the next shuttle....they came every 6 minutes or so. Benjamin really liked riding the "choo choo bus" as he called it!

The first day in the park we decided to get off the shuttle bus to hike (walk) the "Riverside Walk." It was mostly paved or packed dirt and went along the Virgin River. Benjamin really got into the "hike" and seemed to be having such a great time. We walked for almost 2 hours and then Benjamin became very very tired. We got to the shuttle stop and I guess he figured we weren't going home if we got on the bus....he started saying "No Bus...NO BUS!" and "No Hike!" as loud as he could. By the time we got back to the hotel he tried to put himself to bed in the Pack n' Play!

The next day Benjamin was all excited to get on the "choo choo bus" and take a hike. We rode the shuttle to the "Weeping Rock" hike. It is a short but fairly steep hike. As soon as we stepped off the shuttle Benjamin began to say "No Hike" and Nate ended up having to carry him all the way to the top! It was so worth it though to see the hanging gardens and feel the cool mist from the water "weeping" from the sandstone rock.

Our last day at Zion we got smart....and brought our all terrain stroller into the park. We decided to do the "Emerald Pools" hike which was just a couple of hours of hiking. The last day was a bit warmer than the other days (Zion was experiencing abnormally cook weather while we were there...in the '70s with a light breeze...just perfect!) We stopped along the way to let Benjamin explore rocks, sticks, dirt and lizards!

The end of this trail ended at a pool (although not so emerald....or impressive!) with smooth, cool sandstone cliffs and several small waterfalls...it was just beautiful! Once we finished our hike and began to walk back to the shuttle bus, I looked down and saw that Benjamin had fallen deep asleep in his stroller....what a big week for such a big boy!

Goodbye Furry Friend

It is with much sadness that I announce the passing of our beloved friend Oliver. He really was a fantastic little kitty, always using the litter box, never scratching on the furniture and wanting nothing more than to be with his family. Oliver always knew if I felt sad or stressed out and would come to comfort me with his loud purring. I always felt better after petting his soft furry tummy or rubbing noses with him. He was just a sweet little fluffy orange lovey and I miss him already!

Two Monkeys & A Pirate......

I know.....it's been awhile since I've update the website....sorry!!! Life has been busy lately! Benjamin (and 40 of his closest friends and relatives) celebrated his 2nd birthday with a big Elmo birthday bash at That Pizza Place. It's sort of become a tradition to party at That Pizza Place since we were there for Benjamin's baby shower and his first birthday party. There was lots of fun to be had by all, loads of good pizza and cake and lots of fantastic presents for the birthday boy. Benjamin, of course, grew bored of opening gifts halfway through so it was up to Mommy and Daddy to continue for him. He was mostly interested riding the "horse" over in the corner by the video games. I don't think he's EVER going to get over his obsession with horses!

We were lucky enough that Benjamin's birthmom "Vie" was able to come out for the birthday party and spend a week at our house! I'm sure we bored her to death with our daily routine of playgroups, grocery shopping, walks at the harbor, etc. but we were thrilled that she was there! She gave Benjamin a skateboard (or as he calls it..."B-Bore") for his birthday. It's SUPER cool looking and very durable...it will last forever. He LOVES it and tries to jump on and ride whenever he gets the chance. I really think he knows HOW to ride the skateboard...he just can't get his 2 year old body to cooperate!

Benjamin was also the recipient of some birthday gifts through the mail. His Grandma J sent him some neat books and some stuff animals. One is a really soft beanie baby stuff monkey and the other is a furry stuffed monkey with bunny ears (Ben's birthday was several days before Easter!) Ever since Benjamin received these special monkeys he has to have them in bed with him every night. For those who were unaware....Benjamin already had a bedtime pal he was sleeping with every night....Uniqua, dressed as a pirate! For those of you who aren't lucky enough to watch cartoons made for 2 year olds, Uniqua is a character from Benjamin's all time (really his only) favorite tv show....The Backyardigans. Uniqua is a pink salamander looking character with dark pink dots. In one show she is a pirate looking for treasure, hence the pirate hat and pirate eye patch. This stuffed Uniqua also sings songs from the pirate show and tells us that "a pirate says arggghhhh!" So...now as I put Benjamin to bed, with his purple kitty pillow position just right (yes...it came clean....let's all say thanks to my wonderful husband Nate who braved putting it in the washing machine & dryer!) then I have to position the bear pillow just right. Then Benjamin puts his head on the kitty pillow and then, in this exact order, Uniqua, monkey and monkey bunny lay on the bear pillow. Then I have to cover them ALL with one blanket at a time (yes he still has the blanket thing going on too!) Then I am required to kiss each one goodnight! If one of these characters is missing he tells me "Mama.....Mama....arggghhhhh (for Uniqua) or "Ooo....Ooo (for the monkey.) I just hope by the time he goes away to college that he's over these weird nightime routines!! "Night Night Benjamin.....Night Night pirate Uniqua....Night Night Monkey....Night Night Monkey Bunny!"

Music To My Ears....

Well, yesterday was a particularly grueling day trying to shop with a toddler. Benjamin used to be such a great little shopper!! Now...he's perfectly happy as long as you are strolling him around but the second you try to wheel him into a store he begins to protest.....he's becoming more and more like his daddy every day!!

So after this shopping excursion The Huff family was in the car driving home. We were listening to the radio when a sort of sappy, mellow song came on the air...I wish I could remember what song it was!! Anyhow...pretty soon I can hear some noise coming from the back seat...it's Benjamin....singing his little heart out!!

"blew....ba...moum...la...la...lou....doo.....wee....da.....Mama.

Mamaaaaaaaa.....Dada....Dadaaaaaaaa....blah....wee....doo....la"

It just brought tears to my eyes to hear him sing like that!! He's such a precocious little boy...I couldn't be prouder to be his mommy......even when he's protesting a shopping excursion!

Ridin' the Range

Well....it's official....Benjamin wants to be a cowboy!! It all started earlier last week with a new word that Nate and I couldn't quite figure out. After some detailed conversation we finally discovered the in "Benjamin-ease" the word "hoo-haw" means "horse." He's obsessed with the hoo-haw. He first noticed it on his favorite show The Backyardigans....his two favorite episodes are "Ridin' the Range" with cowboy Tyrone and the "Cowboy Polka" (don't ask!!!).

So today I received some new summer clothes that I had ordered for Benjamin. In the box was the fishing hat I requested. I'm hoping that this summer he will FINALLY agree to wear a hat and sunglasses when he's outside!! I also found a cool pair of sunglasses that had arrived (they were only $1.97!) I opened the items and Benjamin wanted to wear the hat and sunglasses. Once they were on he began to strut around the house and move his shoulders up and down like he was dancing. Then he immediately grabbed his big stuffed doggie and began to "ride" the doggie all over the living room....it was hilarious! To see Benjamin riding his "hoo-haw" check out the link here: www.msnusers.com/huffadoption and click on the "documents" tab to the left.

Benjamin was surprisingly cooperative for the camera when I took this photo....towards the end though you can tell that he felt like a celebrity trying to get away from the paparazzi.....

How many blankets does it take???

I can only thank Nate for this new habit of Benjamin's.....there is no one else to blame!! As you may have read in a previous post, when Benjamin goes to bed (or "nigh nigh") he is quite particular about where his pillow is in relationship to the crib (by the way....the bear pillow if working out just great!) and he lays down the same way each time (like a stink bug!) and then you have to cover him with the blanket of his choice. Now, whenever Benjamin goes to bed he has to be covered by no less than 5 blankets! And not only does he need these 5 blankets in order to be able to sleep but you have to lay them out one at a time covering him from head to toe! The best part is that now (thanks to me!) you have to count out each blanket. 1......2.....3......4......5!! Since Benjamin was only able to count 2 before (not up to 2.....just 2) I guess it's good for learning his numbers!

Benjamin also tried a new class at "The Little Gym" the other day. When we arrived at the Little Gym Benjamin opened his mouth in awe as he saw a gigantic room full of red, blue and yellow cushions, parallel bars, balance beams, etc. He could not WAIT to get into that room to get started!! The teacher assured me that his age group, 19 mos. to 2.5 years (they call them the "beasts"), would not be required to sit on the red mat during class time. In fact, she said the mommies (and one grandpa last week!) should stay on the mat and participate in class and allow the babies to run around the room. This way they would eventually learn how to participate with the group. So, maybe I should have started out by saying that I tried out a new class at The Little Gym and Benjamin ran around like a crazy person!! Works for me!!!

Weekend Attire

When Benjamin woke up this morning he insisted that his dad put on this bandana "hat." Just so you know, anything that manages to stay on his head for 3 seconds is deemed a "hat." This would include such items as....a piece of paper, some pajama bottoms, actual hats, a hangar and this bandana. He was thrilled to have on his "hat" and (if you hadn't noticed) his gardening gloves!! Sometimes a picture IS worth a thousand words!!

The Saga of the Purple Kitty Pillow

Many of you may have heard me talk about Benjamin's purple kitty pillow, but for those who don't know the whole story, let me start at the beginning. Sometime last summer Benjamin and I were shopping for a birthday present for his friend Grace. Since it was Grace's 1st birthday, and she's such a girly girl, I decided to buy this furry little pink kitty pillow. Benjamin, who is always fond of furry things, decided that he also needed to have a pillow. So, since I am such a pushover, I found the most boyish one I could find.....a turquoise colored pillow with a purple kitty.

Benjamin loved this pillow from the very beginning. He wouldn't even let go of it long enough to put it in a Toys R Us bag....he hugged it all the way to the car and all the way home. He dragged the pillow around the house and at some point, I decided it would be cute to put it in his crib. A decision I am sorely regretting! Ever since that first nap with the puple kitty pillow, he will not...CAN not sleep without his purple kitty pillow!

Now I wasn't too annoyed by this new pillow habit. It was sort of cute at first. Then it became just a little weird....he has to get the pillow....kitty faced down.....put it in the left upper corner of the crib, just right before he deems it perfect for sleeping. And even still this wasn't a problem until......the pillow became dirty!! I hadn't even considered this possibility....you can't WASH a purple kitty pillow in the washing machine!! So after some research on the internet I decided I would wash the surface of the pillow with some Woolite and let it air dry. I knew eventually I would have to put the pillow in the laundry....that drool and stuff doesn't just stick to the outside of the pillow! But I become paralyzed by fear.....what if the pillow became ruined??? How would Benjamin ever sleep again?!?!

So today was the day....at naptime we attempted to put him down without the pillow so I could wash it....yea RIGHT!!! He's no dummy....he was NOT going to go down without that pillow. So since Nate and I both wanted a little nap too....we gave him the pillow back. We realized we were going to have to find a temporary substitute! After naptime we headed to Toys R Us...our choices were.....a purple pillow with the word "Cutie" written in cursive pink lettering, a pink poodle pillow and....YEA...a blue bear pillow!! PERFECT!! We showed the bear to Benjamin and it met with his approval (although it was dropped within seconds of seeing a racetrack that appeared more interesting!)

So tonight is the night....we snuck the purple kitty pillow out of Benjamin's room without him seeing. I put the blue bear pillow in it's place. After Nate put Benjamin in his pajamas and read a story he put him in bed. Initially Benjamin picked up the pillow and said "no....nope....lillow?" but when Nate wouldn't give in (yea Nate!) Benjamin finally resigned himself to sleeping on the blue bear pillow. Wish us luck that it works!!! Now I just have to figure out what to buy to get him over the Blue Bear Pillow eventually!!! A problem for another day....

Do You Speak Benjamin-ease??

I was realizing recently that Benjamin's vocabulary is growing in leaps and bounds! The only obstacle is that sometimes it sounds like he's speaking a foreign language. For those that are challenged in speaking Benjamin-ease here is a list of translations:

doga ~ dog
mouw ~ cat
awa ~ water
lillow ~ pillow
chis ~ cheese
nigh nigh ~ time for bed
die die ~ goodbye
go-ga ~ bicycle
nie-num ~ Simon (his cousin)
blnumna ~ banana
mik! ~ milk
el-O ~ hello
dat, dat, dat!! ~ I want that (object)
doot doot ~ Choo Choo train
no, NO, NO! ~ I don't want this, I don't want to do this, I don't want to go there, I don't want to eat this, etc.
ga-ma ~ Grandma
bebe ~ a baby or child of any age, also meaning Benjamin
poop! ~ I have a poopy diaper
bah ~ bath

di-doo ~ Thank you

paes ~ Please

kaker ~ cracker or cookie

hoo-haw ~ horse