The Verdict Is In...

Weekend Fun

October is going to be a busy month, so I knew if we were going to have a weekend that was all about Benjamin, it was going to have to be this weekend.

We started off Friday with a trip to his Ear Doc. Not the kind of "All About Benjamin" he was planing, I'm sure. But the news was good. Tubes still in place, ear still looks good. The doctor is hoping the tubes will stay in place through this winter, so that's what we are praying for.

After the doctor, we met some friends at the zoo. This is the only halfway-decent picture we took of him simply because he never stopped moving.



Saturday morning, Ben donned his new shirt and we headed off to the pumpkin Patch in Mayflower.



Within minutes of arriving, he picked out the one he wanted...



He's holding the stem and yelling, HELP!



And while I just continued to take his picture he decided to take matters into his own hands.


A little bit later, he and his Poppa discovered the slides out back...

And then he found the baby goats. His Pippi almost went home with a potbellied pig.

Beautiful Day. Beautiful Boy. Beautiful Family.

What We're Up To

It's been a while since we have posted stats on what our little man is up to...figuratively and literally.

At thirty months...

He's up to 32 pounds. We don't know his exact height or percentiles because he's never at the doctor...PRAISE THE LORD! We certainly have a healthy little guy.

He talks non-stop, though much of it is incomprehensible because his passy is in his mouth. Yes. He still has a pacifier. We're trying to leave it in the bed when he wakes up, which works some days and doesn't work other days.

He loves our house...which is sad since it's temporary. We think it's because it is so open and we don't have to have as many gates as we did in the other house. He pretty much has free rein of the place. We don't know if he's a little sensitive from the move, or if he's going through a clingy phase, or if he just simply likes to be at home, but when we are out for very long (or sometimes only a half hour) he tells us he wants to go home.

He LOVES babies. So much that he has to pet them when we see them around town. Or at church. When I pick him up from the play center at the gym, he's usually in the baby room with a worker looking at babies in swings or exersaucers. He completely gets that we are having one. I don't know how, but he does. He pats Jenny on the stomach. He helps me take her Zofran to her every morning, and he says, "Mommy Take Medicine. Mommy Gonna Have a BAY-bee." He says things like, "Mommy Gonna Have a BAY-bee...I hold...Bring to my NEW house."

And he's constantly putting the emphasis on the wrong words. It's so cute it makes us want to slap ourselves.

He talks about his family all of the time. At least once a day he's in his crib talking about Pippi and Poppa and BB... or Grammy, Granddad, Unk John, Abby Lynn. He can't just say something about BB. Or Abby Lynn. It has to be the full association of who belongs on that side of the family. Again...so cute.

He has quite an active imagination and these days he's very concerned about the Crocodiles, Alligators, Snakes, Bees, Rhinos and Ghosts that are after him. He's not scared...he's just playing. But he'll run up to us and tell us that a Crocodile got his toes. Thankfully, he knows what to do in every situation:

If we see a Crocodile or Alligator, we "Punch it's NOSE"

If we see a Rhino, we "Grab its HORN"

If we see a snake, we "SAY HELP! A SNAKE"

If we see a ghost, we "SAY BOOOO!"

He counts very well from one to five and he definitely has one-to-one correspondence down. He's had that since last Christmas. When he's too busy to really count in detail, he simply looks at a group of objects and says, "five nine ten."

Yesterday afternoon he was helping me in the yard. We're trying to clean up all of the leaves and sticks and other tree shrapnel so that when the pecans fall we can pick them up. Side note...he calls Pecans CaPohns...

So he was in and out of the storage room in the carport and he discovered his swing from the old house, and demanded that Daddy FIX! Daddy would have gladly fixed, but we needed more nylon boat rope to suspend the swing. Again...he had to have it right then. So we cleaned up and went to Lowe's. All through Lowe's he told workers and customers that he was "buy rope" so "Daddy fix my SWING"

(Notice too that where I have shown all-caps his volume increases twofold)

While we were there, he picked out a strand of candy corn lights (7.99...and worth every penny...they're seriously cool). This morning when I pulled him out of the bed, he wanted to go straight to the lights that are now swagged over his armoire. He counted the eight candy corns that he could see...from one to eight, without missing a beat.

And speaking of his bed, he's still in his crib. And he LOVES it. I'm not sure what the battle is going to look like when we move to a big boy bed in January, but I'm fearful of the transition. He fell out of it that one time back in the summer, and since then he hasn't made a single attempt to get out.

We still sleep 12 hours a night and take a three hour nap every day. I know, many of you hate us. But we're blessed that way.

We're NOT blessed when it comes to food. He eats very sporadically and if he likes something once, he'll probably not like it again for a while. There are a few standards, however, that we seem to survive on:

Hot Hots (Eggo Waffles)

Gikigen (Chicken Nuggets). He'll tell you from McDonalds or Burger King

Orange Juice

He's wearing 3T in basically everything and we are about to have to buy new shoes. We're looking at either a 10 or 10.5.

He's into Dora (gag), Diego, Little Einsteins, and Backyardigans. We try to start out the day with PBS Kids because it makes us feel like we're doing something developmentally appropriate.

He doesn't sit and stare at the TV all day...he's constantly playing and doing. But yes, the TV is pretty much always on for him in the background.

He goes to Mother's Day Out from 930-1230 on Tuesdays and Thursdays (we pick him up early because he naps best at home) and he has Community Bible Study on Wednesdays. He loves his Bible Study class, his school, and the fact that Daddy's office is adjacent to both. He usually stops in to see me on the way home, and he's used to seeing me during his day, which works out well.

His MDO teacher, Mrs. Chris, is from New York. We absolutely love her. She says things like, "He's so cute I just want to pinch his cheeks, that one."

Or, "He tells me his name is Benjamin Bunch, and I should want to take him home he's so cute."

We love her. And her accent.

He's not into Music, which is problematic because he has to go to music both at MDO and at Bible Study. In fact, this December he will have to participate in the program at Bible Study. Which will either be a hoot or a complete disaster.

SO....that's where we are. Jenny is 16 weeks tomorrow. I'll post a pic of her ever-expanding belly. Seriously, she's not showing that much...she just thinks she is. We will either find out what we're having tomorrow at the OB or next Thursday at Baby Views.

Until next time, have a great midweek!

Game Day

Today we had both of our families together at Jenny's parents' house. We visited, ate, and of course watched the game.

These pics were clearly taken BEFORE the game ended...such a sad loss.

Abby in her Appliqued football t-shirt, and Ben in his

Woo (Pig) Sooiee smocked tee. Both by Jenny.

Couch time with my two favorite Bunch kids.

We are so FORTUNATE to have two sets of parents who enjoy spending time with each other. Thanks for keeping our family gatherings harmonious!

September 22

Happy Birthday, Mom.

If ever two people were kindred spirits, it's us.

For all of the time spent...

- Loving all things fall...Leaves, Pumpkins, Candles, Autumn Mix, Party Mix, Gourds, and opening the windows when it's 60 degrees out

- Re-arranging furniture. It's an addiction. And you're the source.

- Surviving Dad and all of his mishaps...The broken golf club through the window, the "no junk" phase, storing hundreds upon hundreds of golf clubs in various locations, and the infamous Canned Ham Fiasco of 1991.

- Forgiving me when I put Tide in the Dishwasher

- Not being angry when I "just had" to wake you up during a Sunday afternoon nap to ask something incredibly important.

- Telling me that if you could pick from all of the girls in the world for me, Jenny is who you would have picked.

- Turning a blind eye every time Bailey or Annabelle climb on your bed, sit in your chair, or tear something up...

- Telling Benjamin that you and Granddad "Love him every day"

- Coming every time you were called...

Happy Birthday, Mom...Chris...Grammy

We love you dearly.

Todd, Jenny, Benjamin and (___________).

OBU Graduation, May 2002

Cone Bottoms Hall

Current Administration Building

Mom's Former Dormitory

September 19, 2008

Happy Anniversary, Hillary and Josh.

It was at your wedding, two years ago today, where I took this insanely perfect picture of our little man. I think he was the best looking thing there, aside from the beautiful bride.

Hillary...thanks for your friendship to Jenny through the years. Your shared sewing misadventures will hopefully continue for a long, long time.

Josh...it's great to have a friend who is on the same road...thanks for always listening to me ramble about the frustrations in the life of a young children's pastor.

We are so thankful to God for bringing you together.

Happy Anniversary!

All in a (Half) Day's Work

Listened to a Bible Story...Check

Looked at Books...Check

Sang a Song...Check

Played with Friends...Check

Played with Toys...Check

Built with Blocks...Check

Made an Art Project..Check

Discovered Nature...Check

Played with Puzzles...Check

Painted in Shaving Cream...Check

Tee Tee'd in the Potty...Check

A Little Boy who Loves His class...Check