Another Season at Underwood Farms!

Ben got a season pass this year to Underwood Farms, just down the road. This year he was able to climb the hay stack all by himself!Here is his happy dance on the hay stack Wherever he goes, Ben always manages to find a truckOr a tractorFirst he watched the tractor go byThen he took a tractor ride through the field

Ben and His Cousins

Over the last few months Ben has really gotten to know and love his cousins Amber, Johny and Samantha more and more. It's been so amazing to see how they've bonded:

Ben and his Proud Daddy

Ana has been away at school in Northern California for almost a week now and it has just been Ben and me at home. She comes home on Friday and we both can't wait to see her. But while she has been gone me and Ben have been ok. I remember when he was an infant that the thought of me being with him alone for even half a day was a scary proposition. Now, he really is easy to take care of and we get a chance for father/son bonding time. He actually behaves much better for me than he does for Ana. I have found in my many talks with the other parents at the park that it seems like this is a normal thing for kids. That they act much better for the dads than they do for the moms. It's almost like Ben doesn't even try to get away with doing things he shouldn't when he is with me where with his Mom, the sky is the limit. I was at the park tonight watching Ben play on the big slide with the other kids and every once in a while he would look over at me to see if I was watching and he would give me that big smile of his that just melts your heart. It made me think what an honor and a privelidge it really is for me to be his dad. And to make it even better is the fact I get to raise him with Ana. Yep, I'm a proud husband and papa.

They really do love each other...

Tristan and Ben can FIGHT likes cats and dogs at Grandma Sharon's...but they really do love each other like brothers (notice Ben hoarding the trucks).

King of Papa's Treehouse

WARNING - this video is long, but if you can make it to the 2nd minute the giggling is pretty cute

I took Ben to Papa Wayne's house today for a visit and Ben got to discover something new today. Ben got to climb a ladder for the first time today and he climbed up on to the platform in the tree that is in my Dad's backyard. The platform was built years ago by my Dad for my nephew Bobby. Now it appears that it has been passed down to Ben. Ben thoroughly enjoyed himself, and he was very proud of himself. He had so much fun that he did not want to come down. We had to bribe him with the promise of ice cream. Ice cream works everytime. It is cool to see my son climb on the same tree that I used to climb on 30-something years ago when I was a kid. Sometimes it seems like a huge generation difference between Ben and me, but when it comes down to it he likes all the same things that I did at his age. He is a boy's boy!

Learning to Share

As with most toddlers, Ben is having a tough time learning to share. He's figured out that if he eats his snacks fast enough - he doesn't have to share. :)

We Are at War

Our household lately has become a war zone. No, me and Ana are not the ones at war. Oh no. The one we are currently battling is much more scary than either of us could ever be. This evil is capable of rearing it's ugly head at a second's notice and then disappearing like it was never here. We are so fearful of this entity that we tiptoe around the house when it is sleeping so as not to alert it that we are still alive. Yep, this is an evil that has not ever been seen in our house before. This evil in which I speak is the "terrible two's"....otherwise known as BeelzeBen. Yes, Ben is firmly entrenched in the terrible two's. He is testing his boundaries at every step. His temper tantrums are ramping up and he seems to have even less patience than ever before.....which I didn't think was possible. My favorite ( ? ) thing that he does is when he gets angry or doesn't get his way he lays himself down on the ground and just stays there. Usually we just walk away and ignore him when he does that. When he does it in public, the fun really starts when he lets out his Mariah Carey scream as you are picking him up off of the ground and everyone is looking to see who is abusing the toddler in your arms. But even with all of the new experiences we are having with Ben, me and Ana lay in bed every night and tell each other how lucky we are to be his parents. The great times far outnumber the not-as-good times.