craziness

Has anyone else been following the story of the second grade teacher in sudan? Well the poor woman has been given 15 days in jail for allowing her class to name the class teddy bear Muhammad. I read one article that tried to put it in perspective by saying that we would react the same if a Muslim teacher allowed her class to name their teddy bear Jesus. I have to say i really don't think that is true. If Benson's teacher sent a letter home about naming their teddy bear Jesus I might find it inappropriate but I certainly would not call for the teacher to be put in jail, or given 40 lashes or killed! (as some are calling for now) It is sad to me that there are people who are really destroying the name of an otherwise (i think!) peaceful religion. I can't believe the number if Islamic extremists who make the news here in the US. Maybe it is just our country's fascination that causes us to search for these stories? I can't figure it out. Anyway this poor woman who made an honest mistake will now sit in jail for 15 days and I hope make it out of the country alive after that. What a crazy world we live in.

my jewels

This week the weather has turned cold and snowy, heralding the beginning of a new season. I am actually quite sad this year as I was really enjoying our 70 degree days. Fortunately with the cold weather came a change in Benson. He has decided to quit acting 2 for a little while and start being super sweet and funny. Last night some people came to get our piano and Benson cried the sweetest little tears and said, "I don't want them to take our piano. I want you to play nice 'nusic' for me to make me happy." Then he finished out the night with the cutest little prayer I have ever heard. It is nice to have days (or weeks!) like this because it helps to temper the weeks when he is just horrible to live with. For now he is the cutest and most intelligent little 2 year old I have ever seen. And Banks, well he's just so dang cute that I can't be upset with him even when he cries all the time. The presidency message for December put it so nicely, these little boys are "the jewels of my life."

Happy Thanksgiving

Well it is 2:15 and our Thanksgiving is pretty much over. We were too excited to eat our pies so we had Thanksgiving lunch instead of dinner. It was still pretty good though. I think next year we might do an all pie thanksgiving... pizza pies and blueberry pies. None of us really like the usual Thanksgiving fare anyway (except my Mom's orange cream jell-o!). I hope all who read this had as lovely a Thanksgiving as ours was. Now it is officially time to celebrate Christmas! Yaaaay!

One of Benson's "don't miss" weekly activities is watching the garbage man on Wednesday mornings. He always pulls over the piano bench and sits at the window while the garbage man goes around the cul-de-sac. This week he brought Banks with him and explained what was happening with the truck. I look forward to more moments like these as they grow up together.

pizza time

So everyone who knows me well knows that I LOVE the America's Test Kitchen cookbook. (that is where the chicken fingers recipe comes from) Our latest love from the book is their recipe for deep dish pizza. It takes a little time to make but TRUST me, it is worth the effort. This is like pizza hut but better. We do his and hers with mine topped with spinach, sauteed mushrooms, and fresh tomatoes and Ben's with all kinds of meat. Wow. This cookbook continues to deliver the best ways (albeit sometimes complicated) to make our favorite foods. If you like to cook, this one should be on your Christmas list.

No, Benson!

Benson is getting too smart for his own good. He has recently discovered so many new ways to get into trouble that I find myself relating to the book "No David!" more and more. Some days I feel like all I do is tell him to stop doing naughty things. Anyway this one is a picture of one of my favorite new ideas that has come to him; if a stool helps you get higher, than a stool plus a pillow is twice as good. I'd love to get in his brain sometime.

he loves me too...

This was Ben's tribute to me, left in the brownies. It's no bouquet of leaves but it is totally Ben. I am grateful for the unexpected little things he does to show he cares. Plus it gave me a good laugh when I found it.

a winning combination

Tonight I write an ode to one of my favorite food combos:

chicken nuggets and honey.

For those of you out there who have somehow missed out on this sublime experience I urge you to try it today. Thank you, Mom and thank you McDonalds for introducing me to this less than obvious combination of sheer delight. p.s. I also have a really good recipe for chicken fingers for anyone interested.

27 years of adorable Benness, with hopefully a hundred more to come. I couldn't love you more. Happy Birthday, darling.

despite my best efforts...

I might still be the worst parent ever. I tried for an hour yesterday to get Benson to take a nap and then finally gave up. 15 minutes later he laid down on the floor in this position and fell asleep. Did I miss parenting 101?

MIKE!!!

If this works it is a video of my little brother Mikey. He plays the trumpet and he is amazing and I am so proud of him. Be warned it is over 9 minutes long, but I was so amazed to see a marching band competition from the proper perspective (high up so you can actually see the formations) and even if you only see a few minutes you should watch what the "band geeks" can do! Anyway shout out to Mike, the best trumpet player in my book forever.

Wait!!!!

I tag LAUREN, my soon to be sister-in-law! Not that you ever read this blog, but if you hear about this through the grapevine and get a minute from your ever-busy life, I am forever regretting not playing the "ask the new person 300 questions" game when I met you. I also encourage more than 6 facts if you can think of them. :)

well if Kaleb is going to do it...

So I am supposed to tell 6 things about myself. Here's hoping I can think of 6 things that don't embarrass me.

1. I wish I were a princess. And a ballerina. And a clothing designer. Most every girl has wanted these for her occupation at some point but I sadly just never grew out of it.

2. I think I should have lived in Jane Austin times. I love to paint, dance, play the piano, wear pretty dresses, go to balls (not that I've ever been but it sounds nice) and most other things that went with the time period. I feel like I am wasting all the womanly freedoms I have these days because I'm not one who really utilizes them.

3. I fluctuate almost daily between wanting 3 kids and 15. Seriously.

4. One of my more realistic lifetime goals is to never miss having dinner on the table when Ben walks in the door, with the house sparkling clean, and myself and the children perfectly groomed. I think I am one of the rare people who saw Stepford Wives and thought, "What's so wrong with having perfect women?" Though I'd hope to have a little more personality than a Stepford.

5. I really want to see the world. I think I'd visit Italy first, but France is a close second. Beyond that, I think I'd just twirl a globe and land my finger on a country to decide where to go next. I would also like to learn to speak the language of many of the countries I visit.

6. I can't wait until Caity and I have neighboring hobby farms and then convince the whole family to come and live with us on a huge compound. (with my parents in an annex behind my house) :)

I really can't tag anyone because all the people I know have already been tagged (even Stephanie... what a strange coincidence).