We started this little blog with the beautiful story of Benjamin's arrival into our family. It feels almost unbelievable it's already been two years, though an incredible amount of life has happened in that time! This past Saturday was our little Boo's birthday, and he had a great day.
After getting up and having pumpking pancakes for breakfast, he tore into his presents. Christmas was a good warm-up for his birthday because he loved opening his gifts! That was almost as much fun as discovering what was under the wrapping. Ben's really into figuring out how things work these days and playing with his "tools," so he had a Handy Manny themed birthday. It was great to hear him "oooh, woooooow!" when he would see the Handy Manny logo. He also got a toddler easel with a chalkboard and a dry erase board, in hopes of introducing him to a more appropriate medium for him to practice his artistic skills. :)
After enjoying new toys for awhile, we went to a Chicco store just outside town that has a "Chiccolandia." It's this giant soft-padded play area designed just for toddlers. We hadn't been in a while, so it was great fun for us to see how much more independent Ben is now. He just did laps going down the slide! By the time we left, he was sweating (which is really a no-no for Italian children!), and really the only inticement away from such fun was the promise of McDonald's for lunch.
After a much-needed nap, we went to some friends' house across town, who are Americans in Bologna working for Catapillar, and grilled burgers and enjoyed a few more hours of birthday love. One of things we've learned about Ben in the past year is that he would pick salty over sweet almost any day. He LOVES chips. And when you have a BBQ, there are bound to be chips. I'm pretty sure he ate an entire bag by himself, just by sneaking to table and grabbing some from the bowl. When it came time for this birthday cake (Pat the Hammer from Handy Manny--mom spent hours trying to figure out a way to make this guy!), he wanted absolutely nothing to do with it. Wouldn't eat a bite! Oh well, at least his birthday was a reason for us to have birthday cake. . .
Today, we celebrate this precious life God has blessed us with! Benjamin definitely keeps us on our toes, but he also makes us laugh and dance and wrestle and savor every moment of his new discoveries.
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