my son really is one of the funniest people i know, so it shouldn't be surprising that i share his antics frequently. the other day, i was upstairs putting harrison down for his nap. benjo was downstairs alone, which is always a little unnerving. i started hearing some major banging down there, and i'm thinking okay, banging without crying is good, he's still alive, not major injuries... so i come down and he says "i made myself a snack mommy!" - very proudly. so i congratulate him (positive reinforcement always!) and head into the kitchen to assess the damage. it was the cutest ever. he helped himself to a few pretzels which were stored in our pantry, folded up in the pretzel bag with the chip clip on top. so i open the pantry and there is the little pretzel bag, nicely placed on the shelf with the chip clip back on, but only on the very end of the open bag essentially defeating the purpose, but it was so adorable that he had replaced the snack container to the best of his ability and i just loved him that much more at that moment. he's all grows up!

so lately i have been finding surprise scribbles all around my house. i think i'm a pretty observant parent and keep one eye on my kids all the time, but apparently not because benjamin is sneaking in some wall art without my knowledge. i kind of enjoy it though, imagining what he must have been thinking when he created it. And usually when he draws these days it represents something - be it a "biiiigg hippo" or a giraffe, or whatever, it's fun to see him really concentrate and create. a few weeks ago he drew a face while we were waiting for some deliciousness at carraba's and it was GOOD! the eyes, nose, mouth and ears were all in the right place!!!!! of course my pediatrician side came out and calculating based on the developmental test "good enough draw a person", he was way above average :).

we had lots of snow this weekend in nashvegas - probably a good 5-6 inches, so of course we got in a little sledding at the local park. daddy and mommy weighed down our cookie sheet sled, however, so we couldn't go to far. it's time to invest in one of those plastic ones for the boys i suppose. it's just a bummer that the local news has to always point out the worst case scenarios... ALWAYS! later that evening i was totally annoyed as they did a segment on the "sinister side of sledding" and reported the 18 injuries. thanks but no thanks channel 4 - yes, i'm aware that you can bust your ass sliding down a snow bank so of course i'm going to be careful, and of course i'm not going to let my 2 year old go by himself for crying out loud!






























derek got to show support for the haitian earthquake victims again this weekend by participating in "hair for haiti". basically the residents bid on his beard, the cash goes to charity, and then they instructed him to shave it in a way for other's amusement... they chose thick muttonchops and a charlie chaplin like mustache. of course i have provided you with photographic evidence. he was my gustapo/colonel mustard man for the evening. didn't last long... he's the smooth faced derek that i fell in love with now, but i'm sure the beard is on it's way back in the next week.