All About Ben

Did you know that my Benjamin turned 5 years old on Sunday?  The natural tendency is to say that it went by fast, which in many ways it did.  But I felt like it has been a very natural progression of time because I've done my best to live in the moment with him and not wish the days/months/years away.  I am so fortunate and privileged and blessed to be able to stay at home with these two little guys every day, and it's allowed me to feel like the last five years haven't been a blur... for the most part.  :-)

Ben's actual birthday was pretty low-key, as we're having a "friend" party on Friday night for him.  He chose a 6 pound bag of gummy bears to bring to Sunday School that morning to share with his friends (they did not eat them all, don't worry).  We took him to his favorite restaurant for lunch - Tequila Mexican Restaruant - for his favorite meal of rice and beans.  In the afternoon he and Andrew played Wii till their eyeballs popped out of their faces.  We gave him a few presents, went to church for a VBS meeting, had to sit in the basement during a tornado warning, and went home.  We're bummed the actual day wasn't as grand as we would have wanted it to be, especially since he was very cranky and whiney and had to be corrected a lot, but Friday night's party will be a big deal.  We've invited a handful of his friends and their whole families.  Without family in town, our friends have become like our family.  To have them all with us to celebrate our favorite 5 year old will mean a lot.  :-)  Here are a few pictures from his birthday day.

A book from his favorite movie... Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs!

He dove in right away.

WOW, a super hero dress up kit!

A bubble wand that will make giant bubbles!

Mom and Ben reading his new book

Trying out the Batman garb

This morning was Ben's very last day of pre-school and we went there tonight for their end-of-the-year program.  Ben's class performed a "play" called The Soup Opera by Jim Gill.  The teacher read the book and played sound effects, the kids had different parts and sang together.  I was impressed at the number of kids singing solo lines without stage fright!!!  Ben was one of about 5 police officers and you could totally hear him the loudest!!  It was a really sweet little program and the kids did so well.  We've come to really love the folks at Our Savior Lutheran Pre-School and I'm so glad that our relationship is not over, as I will continue to teach music there this summer and into the school year!

The last day of school... no shoes or backpack, and a tattoo on his arm...
a far cry from the first day! 

His first day back in August

The kids all made life-sized tracings of themselves and had to decorate it
with what they want to be when they grow up. 
Ben wants to be a baseball player.  :-)

The class finishing up The Soup Opera

Ben and his teachers, Mrs. Kipp (L) and Mrs. Leutkenhaus (R)