As much as he likes to throw it, Ben loves to kick his blue ball. To paraphrase a great quote from I can’t remember where, “his methods are unorthodoxed.” He walks right up to the ball, puts his foot against it, and then thrusts his foot forward. The ball rolls, and he likes it.
I notice, though, that he likes the way the ball goes up in the air when I kick it. One time — did you hear that? — one time, I show him how to do it my way, and explain it as I kick. He does it that way and is absolutely thrilled with himself.
Gotta say, it might be considered inappropriate to get misty on the playing field, but I could not help myself. It’s just amazing watching him learn about life, and realizing that I have a lot more to offer him if he wants it.
Ben got a sandbox. His grammy and his mommy took him to a toy store and they picked out one that’s almost nondescript, and fits in very well with our outdoor decor. I personally like the ones that look like a turtle, and to use them you have to pull off the shell to reveal the sandy innards.

It’s a boon for him because, well, he loves playing in sand. It’s exciting for us because, until he learns how to swing himself, it’s his only major outdoor toy that he can use without help. I love pushing Ben in his swing, and I’ve been known to play with sand myself, but sometimes just sitting there watching him think up his own games is quite a show.
The trick now is to keep him from adding battery-powered and wind-up toys to the mix. Somehow, I don’t think the plastic gears and wire coils inside them would like all that grit.

Seeing his toy dinosaurs in sand makes me think they look more authentic. I don’t think that’s what Earth looked like during these particular dinosaurs’ time, but it’s cool. I want to start filming them and doing voice-overs saying things you would not expect dinosaurs to say.
Dimetrodon: Sometimes, when I’m all alone and I see a lone Pterodactyl’s shadow pass over the sandy dunes, I’m reminded of a simpler time.
Triceratops: Oh, knock it off. Let’s go taunt the guys getting stuck in the tar pits.
Stegosaurus: Hey, guys, I just thought of one. “Try ceratops. Everybody else has.”
Triceratops: Dude, if you don’t quit, I’m going to feed you to the velociraptors myself.
Dimetrodon: Didn’t they disappear about 5 or 10 million years ago?
Triceratops: Fine, a T-rex. That’s not the point.
Obligatory Ben Quotes
“I can’t yawn. I got a boo-boo on my yip.”
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Turns his dinosaurs, on the coffee table, toward me.
“Daddy, my dinosaurs could yook at you.”
Turns his sippy milk cup spout toward me.
“Daddy, my milk could yook at you.”
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We ask, “Ben, what color were the two dogs?”
“The yittle dog was white and the big dog was walking.”
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“Wild animals won’t come to our house. We will yell youd and yet them go away. They will not eat my house, and they will not eat my milk, and they will not eat my bahyoon,” and he repeated this exact phrase to assure me they would not eat Tigger, Eeyore, Big Bird, Piglet, or Pooh Bear.
“And they won’t open the front door.”
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Last weekend, we heated some frozen chimichangas. Ben had several names for them before getting it right. Chiwimanga, chimimanga, and chimanga.
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The photos below are just because I can.