Ben's Pre-Birthday Interview

Here we continue our tradition of a birthday interview for our newest birthday boy, Ben, who will be turning three in just a few days. We had his family birthday party today, which is why he thinks he's 3...it was really difficult for him to understand that his party was today, but his birthday isn't until Tuesday. 

What is your name?  

Benji.

How old are you?  

Four. (Then after Tommy whispered in his ear)...Oh, three. 

When is your birthday?  

I don't know. 

What is your mommy's name?  

Mommy.

What is your daddy’s name?  

Daddy.

What does your mommy do all day?  

Work. In the kitchen.

What does daddy do all day?  

Work in the workshop. (He doesn't, actually). 

What do you like to play with mommy?  

Play hide and seek.

What do you like to play with daddy?  

Read a book with him.

What is your favorite color?

Green.

What do you want to be when you grow up?  

Tommy.

Where do you want to live when you grow up?  

I don't know.

What is your favorite food?  

Cupcakes for my party. And peanut butter jelly sammich.

What is your least favorite food?  

Poop. (after further questioning...) Spinach. I just like peanut butter. I don't like lettuce.

Do you know what church is? 

Singing.

What is your favorite thing to eat at a restaurant? 

Chicken. 

What do you like to play with Tommy?

Catching balls. (They actually rarely play with balls at all, so I'm not sure where this answer came from).

What is your brother’s name?  

Tommy.

Do you have any friends? Who are they?

Hannah. Maffew and Cwaire.

What is your favorite thing to wear?

Doggie jammies. 

Where do babies come from?

From cribs. (I can see the logic here...)

What is your favorite show?

Bob [the] Builder 

What is your favorite toy?

My favorite bwanket.

What is your favorite thing to help Mommy do?

I like fixing something.

What is your favorite vehicle?

Daddy's twuck.

What is your favorite thing to do outside?

Spin around.

Where do you like to go in the car?

To a pwaybwound [playground].

Where do you live?

At Bible study. (With how often our family is at church, it sure must seem that way!)

Summer Garden

We've been taking advantage of California's spring-like weather these past two weeks to get an early start on our spring/summer garden. Mark built me three more garden boxes plus one very large trough-like box along our fence. The sunshine and 70° days have made working on our garden just like a slice out of summertime.

Here's everything we'll be growing this summer:

Fruit: Strawberries, watermelon, raspberries, blackberries

Veggies: Leeks, red onions, shallots, asparagus, red potatoes, summer squash (yellow and green zucchini), pumpkins, tomatoes, green beans, snap peas, bell peppers, broccoli, chard, and spinach.

Herbs: Basil, rosemary, parsley, oregano, thyme, and sage. These will go in a different area, not pictured below.

I've only planted a few things so far - asparagus, strawberries, and the onion/leek bed. I'll be sowing most other seeds into the boxes in February and March. I'll also be starting a few veggies as seedlings (tomatoes, bell peppers, and watermelon) so the boys can watch our plants grow. We visited the library today to find some books on gardens and how seeds grow, so I will be using this as a hands-on homeschooling lesson.

Just for fun, here's a 'before' photo of this area, from when we first moved to this property. The fence here was torn down and Mark built a new fence eight feet behind it. Then he built an arbor for the grape vines. 

This Kid...

....really loves babies. Our three nieces stayed at our house for half a day this weekend and Tommy so enjoyed spending time with his baby cousin. He made funny faces at her to make her smile, gave her toys, and even fed her part of her dinner. Up until just a few months ago, he's been nothing than a rough-and-tumble-all-boy kind of boy, so it makes my heart happy to see my oldest son show so much tenderness towards babies. 

The Many Faces of Benji

The afternoon light in the boys' room was perfect, so I grabbed my camera and told Ben to make faces. Most of these are pirate faces: Yaaar!