This morning we met Glenda, Jillian, and Evan at the mall. The kids played in the play area and then we ate lunch at the food court. It was Ben's first time playing there and he had tons of fun! Ben liked turning these things over to see the pictures on the other side. He kept staring at himself in this mirror. It stretched his head into a silly shape and he thought it was pretty funny. Ben standing by a fish. He liked looking at all the things to crawl through, but would not go in them. I think he was worried he might not come out the other side.

Ben loves to play with his Thomas trains while he is in the tub. He puts them on the edge and makes "choo choo" sounds. Often Ben says, "bo bo." It is pretty funny in person. Here he is making the "bo bo" sound for the trains. Smile :)

One day, a little boy named Benjamin wanted to play with all four of his giraffes. He tried to pick them all up, but it was hard to carry all four in his hands. Two casualties were left behind. And Benjamin went on playing with the two that could fit in his hands.

Ben and I were getting a little "cabin fever" today, so I tried to think of somewhere to take him. I had a book to bring back to the library, so we went there for our second time this week :). The children's area was really empty (since there wasn't a class) and Ben was able to play with several toys he did not see earlier this week. Ben playing with some magnetic animals and a puzzle. Ben having some "deep thoughts" while on this rocking toy. I'm sure his thoughts were, "Why did my mommy put me on this toy? It's pretty boring." But, since he can't speak yet, we'll never know for sure :).

Here's a little video of Ben showing off his walking skills.

Several people have told me about a class for babies at the library. I have been meaning to take Benjamin to try it out, but other things would come up and another week would pass by. I called last week to make sure he wasn't too old for it. They said it's for babies-24 months. So, this morning we got ready and headed out to the library. The class was really full, with about 16 children. Ben was a little nervous, but seemed to have a good time. I think we will try it again next week. After the class, I let Ben play with some puzzles. He was having so much fun with them that he didn't really want to go when it was time to leave.

Now that the temperature has come up a little bit, Curt took Ben out in the sled once again. A wave from Ben as they pass by the door. Up at the top of the hill Wheeee!!! Ben getting in a little work-out. :)

Curt and Ben playing with some pretend doughnuts. Ben likes to have us look through the holes, so Curt had him try it out. Patty gave Ben some play food to take home when we visited on Thursday and he LOVES it...thanks again. :) Walking around with his bear in his mouth. I guess that's what you do when your hands are otherwise occupied. :)

Ben and I braved the -18 degree weather and went out to visit Glenda, Jillian, and Evan. I am glad we have a garage. I can't believe how cold it felt out there! Ben had a fun time playing with Jillian, Evan, and all the toys. He especially liked the kitchen. Ben answering the phone in the kitchen. This is Ben talking on the phone...notice it behind his back. I promise that I do know how to correctly hold a phone, so I'm not sure where he learned to hold it like that...must've been from Curt :).

This morning, we went over to visit Patty and Olivia. Ben made himself right at home...playing with all of Olivia's toys. He loved riding on this toy. The picture is a little blurry because he was moving so fast and the camera wasn't on the right setting. He had his snack in one hand and rode it like a bronco. :) Adjusting his snack...riding one-handed is tough stuff. Ben was trying to say something to Olivia and she moved near him. I snapped a picture when she got close enough. It is hard to get these two in a photo together!

Each day, Ben gets better and better with his walking. Today he walked all the way to the kitchen without falling! When he does fall down, he usually gets right back up and tries again. Here he is walking all the way into the kitchen (from by our table). He walked up to the cupboards, then turned around to walk to his playroom. He had a couple stumbles on the way into the playroom, but he kept trying until he was all the way in there.

I really don't love going out in the snow, but I decided to let Ben have some fun outside this afternoon. He loved being pulled around on his sled. I had to pull out the camera of course...can't miss these blog photos! :) He also enjoyed pushing his sled around the backyard. He got pretty far on his own. I was impressed (I am his mother though...so I'm probably biased). After quite a bit of pushing the sled around, he took a seat in the snow. At first he laughed, but soon after that this face showed up. He wasn't too happy about being stuck there. "Ahh....maybe this snow isn't so bad after all."

Yesterday afternoon/night, Ben wasn't feeling very good. I think the bottom incisors are trying to come in and causing him some pain. He seems to suck his thumb the most when teeth are coming in. We spent a lot of time snuggling until it was bedtime.

Curt took Ben out on his sled this morning. Ben loves to ride in his sled! I stayed inside where it was warm and took pictures from the doorway. :)

Last night, my dad and brother Matt stopped by to spend the night. They were taking a little road trip together. Ben talking to grandpa. Showing grandpa his toes. Sitting with Uncle Matt. Matt lured Ben away from my dad several times, by bribing him with his cell phone. Ben playing with my dad this morning before they left to go home. Do you like this little barn that Ben made for his train? Just kidding! :) Curt built it for him. Ben is more into destroying the things we build for him. Although...he has not been able to break this one apart yet.

This one's a little blurry, but I thought Ben looked cute snuggling with his bear. He loves to take his socks off. Here he is having fun with the sock he just removed. Getting excited about his spaghetti dinner! This afternoon he started taking more steps by himself (without any prompting or help from us). About five times, he walked 8-9 steps. Here he is in the kitchen walking to his bike.

Benjamin isn't quite walking yet. We practice with him everyday and he has taken up to five steps by himself. He needs a little more confidence before he goes further on his own. In the meantime, he uses anything he can find to help him get around the house. He likes to walk around the table. Although, he often tries to go under it, and usually bumps his head. He made it to the other side of the table. He doesn't look too excited about his accomplishment...actually I think he's mad that I won't let him have the camera. :) He was walking along the doors and decided to see if he could escape. Too bad the door is locked and the deadbolt is on. Singing, "AHHHH" as he walks along the doors again. This is something he just started recently that makes me laugh. He tries to walk around the house with his highchair. He gets frustrated because it gets stuck everywhere, but he still wants to push it. He made it into the living room (with a little help from mommy lifting...