As is always popular here...

fun Ben quotes!

1. Heard from a restroom stall at the grocery store:
Ben: "Mommy, you stand outside."
me: "No, Ben, I have to come in this time. So I can help you." (I've let him go in by himself before several times...but this time, I knew he'd need help at the end, and wanted to be there...know what I mean?)
Ben: (bargaining) "Stand outside, and look through the crack in the door. Come in when I'm done." (This kid does not miss a beat, I thought I was being sneaky!)
me: "Nope, I'm coming in this time."
Ben: (his voice edged with great reluctance) "OOOOOOoohhhh!!! Alright. Turn around and face the wall, Mommy. I need some privacy."
Woman in the other stall: laughing.

2. At a pet store, a puppy on the floor between us. (NO, people -- we're NOT buying a puppy. Just a fun thing for Ben to do.)
Ben: "This is a nice puppy." (gently petting it)
me: "Yes it is."
Ben: "I want to show the puppy my track." (referring to a new piece of wooden train track I'd gotten him that day. He took it out of the bag...)
me: "I don't think the puppy really wants to see your track, Ben."
Ben: "Yes he does! Look puppy, here's my track. It belongs to me. Mommy bought it for me today. I like it very much. Do you like it? He likes it, Mommy, see?!"

During church last Sunday, Aunt Court taught Bennett how to say "I love you" in sign language. Here he is practicing (take note of his juice stained face from the after-church cake and punch gathering):



From this new sign has come many cute moments.
4. me, after some infraction of the rules: "Ben, go to the corner for a time out. I'll set the timer."
Ben: "No! I don't want to!"
me: "Go. Now."
Ben: "BUT MOMMY!!" and then flashes "the sign".
me: (trying not to laugh and give up on the timeout) "I love you too, Ben. But you still need your time out."
Ben: "OH MAN!"

5. Nick and Ben are using both hands to do the "I love you sign" to each other.
Nick: "I love you, squared!" Ever the engineer, Nick seems to not realize that a four year old does not understand exponents.
Ben: "I love you, circled!"
HA!

6. I tried to get Ben to flash the camera "the sign" with me. He was...and then I snapped the photo right as he decided to LICK me. What?! Oh, who know's what goes through his mind. He's 4 AND a boy. Go figure.




7. The boys and I continue to work on school type activities during the summer. Here are Ben and I with the great calendar that Aunt Kelly gave us. Ben is awestruck by the fact that Aunt Kelly is a teacher. He'll say it at random with a glazed look in his eyes, "Aunt Kelly is a teacher." Like she's of another world. hehe. We switch the date, the weekday, and the weather each day. Ben's been know to dash inside from playing when a cloud passes over the sun, because the calendar is wrong..."I'll be right back! The calendar says sunny, but now it's cloudy!"