Projects, or Christmas continued

Here's something that has been really fun about having a five-year-old: projects. Ben's attention span  has developed enough now that we can really enjoy sitting down together and working on a lego project or a board game. This time is reminding me that I actually like legos quite a bit myself, so I enjoy sitting with him while he figures out what he is building and how to follow the directions. I'm all for creative play with legos, but I understand the satisfaction of learning what the pieces are meant to  do first and how they are meant to work together.  I've heard good things about a Lego Idea Book that's meant to encourage creativity.  We'll check that out eventually. 

Ben with his first bigger lego project completed 

JB has enjoyed helping Ben learn how to use the real tools he got for Christmas. The "tool tote" in the pic there is one of three things on Ben's very modest Christmas list (which he made only because I asked him to) along with the game of uno and "paper punchers" (hole punchers that make different shapes).

I think the tool tote idea arose, at least in part, from a very cool workshop he got to go to at Homestead Heritage (on that rainy, cold fair day that was otherwise pretty miserable). He got to put together his own wooden sailboat, which he chose over the tool tote option that day. 

Christmas was not complete for Benjamin until he got to take something apart with his Uncle Richard--this time it was an old laptop computer. Banging up the old hard drive with his own real hammer was done with particular relish. 

Christmas time pictures

little Rudolph wandering around downtown Waco

Ben's best smiles are often up in a tree 

Sitting in the neighbor's truly magnificent tree

Aunt Mary's Christmas visit

pig tails

Ready to open our NY Christmas presents the night before
traveling to Sulphur Springs 

An after-Christmas visit from good friends. Didn't get one with Ellen! 

walking the tracks in Sulphur Springs 

Eliza on Imagination Mountain at the park with Uncle Richard 

Mango juice on the back patio with granddad 

A wee elf with his beloved kindle 

Thanksgiving

And here are a few sweet pictures from our Thanksgiving weekend in Waco and Sulphur Springs. Our beloved Friday babysitter, Rosa, and her husband joined us for Thanksgiving day at our house, and we really had a delightful time. Eliza just loved playing monster with Laroush (sp? not sure--it's Albanian!), Ben loved sitting next to Rosa and we all ate ourselves silly and had a dance party afterward. 

I took the kids to the Homestead Heritage Fair the day after Thanksgiving since JB had to work. The picture below was about as happy as we got. We woke up to a cold, rainy morning, but I was determined to go. Sometimes determination is a good strategy with kids. Sometimes it's just hard. Poor Ben was pulling on my jacket, whining about being cold while I tried to look at the (rather obscure) map to get oriented and keep all of us from stepping into the mud or water. Liza meanwhile danced around in the puddles like she couldn't have asked for better weather. 

Cold and rainy outing. At least there were puppies. 

We did have a wonderful weekend with JB's family in Sulphur Springs Thanksgiving weekend, but this blog is out of control and headed full speed ahead to Christmas.  

Where we are now

Well, three major holidays, at least one birthday, a camping trip, and a host of other travels and visitors have happened since the last time I've done an update here. Not to mention the inches that have been grown, the shoes sizes changed, the books read, the imaginations expanded...the messes cleaned, the potty training failures, the strong wills exerted. 

But I'll just start back in with where we are right now and post some more pictures from past months soon. Looking at these pictures, you'd think we were in April or May. What beautiful weather we had for a good full weekend. JB got to play music all morning at the farmer's market with a fabulous musician from Chicago visiting our church this week. Eliza Jane danced...

...and both kids tumbled to the music. JB and Monica played a little house concert in the evening too. It felt very decadent to go out to the concert with grown ups and leave the kids at home with a babysitter.   

And between concerts we got to visit with our good friends from Houston who were just in town for the day. What a gift to relax with old friends for the afternoon.  

Ben looks charmed surrounded by all the girls, doesn't he?  

Our weekend was rounded out on Sunday by teaching Sunday school in the morning (for me and JB) and an afternoon visit from Aunt Mary. 

And here are just a few scenes of imagination at work from the last week or so. I will post some pictures of holidays and other events at which I'm more likely to take pictures, but these little moments are ones that fill most of our time as I'm doing things around the house like cooking...

We read Cinderella the other day, so Liza stood on her
shoes and called them "glass slippers."

...and eating breakfast and doing dishes...

this pic doesn't capture how funny this morning was.
Liza thought her banana peel looked like a tutu, so she was
dancing with it until it fell apart. 

 ...and trying to get everyone in the car so we can go somewhere.

A game of lily pad. "Don't step on the bad banana!"