Well, October is upon us, and so is the fun of Halloween. For weeks, Ben has said he wanted to be a chicken in an egg. And, aside from the brief interlude where he wanted to be a Red Juicy Pig, he was set on being a chicken. Well, my creative juices overflow, but I just wasn't sure how I was going to pull that off. So, when I found this jewel for $12 at Old Navy, I was thrilled, and as you can see, so was he. He wore it all night, and wanted to sleep in it, but I persuaded him not to, as I feared I would have a baked chicken come morning. Anyhoo, I thought I would share some of our nightime routine of Ben- this is not staged, I assure you. Well, typically we don't do this in a chicken costume, but lately he has taken a real interest in Italian cooking thanks to the lovely Giada De Laurentis. Giada plays a big role in getting Ben to sleep at night, and having sweet dreams. First we watch a Curious George episode (thanks to Tivo) and then it's on to the real star of the night, Giada. He has to do his "Giada Dance" in the opening episode, and then he proceeds to marvel at garlic and various Italian cheeses. He even knows what capers are. After the satisfying programing, it's on to bed where we read a book (usually about gardens or vegetables) and then I have to make up a story about Giada- no I am not kidding. He then drifts off to sleep - finally. Bon Appetite!
The funniest line I have heard in a while came here as he was watching Giada. He turned to me and said with the most sincere and sweet voice, "Mommy, I love being a chicken." Now, that's what it's all about!
I just have to give a shout out to my friend Heidee for giving my son such a meaningful and fun gift. This simple advent calendar has been so much fun. Every morning Ben wakes with the question..."Mommy, can I go get my chocolate now?" He just loves it and it is just one magical part of this Christmas season. 
ok. Sometimes you just need to be silly. So, this morning as we were making breakfast, we decided to play with my most recent christmas gift. I received this lovely gag gift at my book club outing where we decided to exchage "white elephant" gifts....the only catch was you had to wear whatever you received- throughout the whole dinner. Luckily, I did not pick the shower cap! Ben looks like a real chef here.
Ok- it is official- Ben and Maddie have had a little chat with Santa. Ben wants a wobbly scooter (aka a razor) and Maddie just said Ho Ho Ho the whole time. This was a great Santa, and the kids were just great too! hint: click on the photo to get a better look at these beautiful kids God gave me!! 
I have come to the conclusion that when it comes to kids' birthday parties: Sometimes less is more. If you could only go back to last year's party- you would see that I am slowly learning this. We kept it simple. No games- just playing. ok, I did have favors, but overall, boys and girls (especially boys) love just running around and playing. It was even raining and messy out- but they didn't care, they had frosting and hotdogs to eat! And, check out that teepee! Many thanks to Auntie Robin for that creative and generous gift. The wheelbarrow is a favorite too- it get's lots of use in the "Landfill" which is what Ben calls the diggable area under our deck- aka little boy heaven.
Yea! Ben is 4! Can you believe it? How time flies. Ben decided on a train cake this year- in the spirit of the Polar Express. He is still not a crazed fan like some of his peers, but he is intrigued somewhat. I saw the cake pan in a catalog and just "had to have it". It was really fun to make, and it is served as pull apart cupcakes. Anyway, I am gastrinomically digressing. The most fun was just having friends and family join in on the fun. Many thanks to the grandparents who sent gifts and moolah! Ben has been ejoying it all. 
Maddie has started taking "Mommy and Me" Gymnastics at a local gym. It is quite a workout for both of us. Ben is in a regular class while I get to play with his sister. Ben took this class when he was Maddie's age so i thought it was only fair that Maddie get a shot! 
The funniest line I have heard in a while came here as he was watching Giada. He turned to me and said with the most sincere and sweet voice, "Mommy, I love being a chicken." Now, that's what it's all about! 
