Oh man, Bobby

Benjamin's favorite character right now is Bob the Builder. For reasons he keeps to himself, Benjamin calls him "Bobby". This week Benjamin learned a new expression, which we captured in this very brief audio clip.

The Need for Speed

After discovering that his friends in the neighborhood had taken off their training wheels, Samuel recently made a decision. It was time to ride. I took his training wheels off that night and worked with him for about 15 minutes. The next day, Kim started to work with him again. After she had taken 10 steps running alongside and holding the bike steady, Samuel said, "Let go mom, I've got it." And that was that.

The one-armed fist pump

Benjamin watched the Blue Man Group video...and learned. Here he demonstrates the Rock Concert Movement #2: The One-Armed Fist Pump. If you listen closely, you can hear the music in the background.

Halloween 2006

Unlike last year, we had excellent weather for this year's Halloween.

After toying with the idea of being Spiderman this year, Samuel settled on his favorite Star Wars character -- Darth Maul. He spent a lot of time planning the costume with Mommy, and even more time "breaking it in". He pretty much wanted to wear it every day the last two weeks of Halloween. The big day was the first time we did the makeup -- I think Mommy did a very nice freehand.



The neighbor boys also chose Star Wars costumes, making for a heavily-themed trio.


This was Benjamin's first trick-or-treat, since the rain kept him indoors last year. He selected his costume through a rigorous process of sitting still while we put it on him. Unexpectedly, he did not immediately try to take it off. In fact, he had a great time going up to front doors and getting candy in his pumpkin. Big brother took Benjamin under his wing and showed him the ropes.

Check out the whole album here:

Halloween 2006