I really wanted to take Ben to the park yesterday, but the rain kept us away. Today is nice and sunny though, so we went there this morning. Ben played really well for about an hour. After that he decided that he only wanted to get into the woodchip areas with new plants. He started having a little meltdown when I blocked him from the woodchips, so we headed home. Meltdowns=not a good time for mommy. :) Ben tried to sell some lemonade...he wasn't too successful. I told him he would probably get more customers, if he actually had some lemonade to sell. :) Making some lovely sounds on a music toy. Working on his counting skills. While he was swinging, a bus unloaded a big group of kids. Ben could not stop staring at all of them. When he got out of the swing, he watched several of them on the equipment and he wanted to do everything they were doing.

I picked up a little pool today while I was at Babies R' Us. It was only $4.99...can't beat that deal! It was so hot out, we filled it up and let Ben try it out. It looked so refreshing, I wanted to jump in too. But, I think that is only a one baby pool. :) The water was still a little cold, but he got used to it quickly. Playing with his toys. Splashing around with some of his cups.

Curt just got a new putter today, so he let Ben play with his old putter for a little bit. Ben really liked using it to hit golf balls around his playroom. Do we have a future golfer? Most of the pictures were a little blurry. In this one his eyes are closed, but it was the best of the bunch.

This morning we visited with Patty and Olivia over at their house. Olivia showed Ben her new trampoline in the backyard. I got this sweet picture of Olivia helping Ben walk around the trampoline. Ben had such a fun time on it! Ben enjoyed playing with Olivia's kitchen set. I thought he looked like a real chef, using the spatula in the pan. What's for dinner, Ben? :)

This morning, I tried out a finger painting idea that I saw on another blog last week. You use 2 tablespoons of flour, add water to make a paste, and add a drop of food coloring. Then, you tape down wax paper (I did that over a plastic table cloth) and let your little one make a big mess (or a medium mess...cause I don't really like big messes :) ). If you want to save the artwork, lay paper over top and press down. Then, let it dry. The four "paints" ready to go. Ben getting to work on his masterpiece. I had him in just his diaper because I didn't want anything all over his clothes. He thought that was funny because he doesn't run around without clothes on very often. He had fun swirling around the colors for about 15 minutes. Then, the flour mixture started to dry a little on his hands. He wasn't so happy about that, so I washed up his hands and cleaned up the mess. I let him color with his crayons for a bit after the wax paper was out of the way. I saved ...

Since Ben is nearing 19 months, I figured it was time to get his 18 month pictures taken before it was too late! Last time he had his pictures taken he wasn't walking yet. He stayed nicely in the spot where he was placed. This time, although in a good mood, he would hardly stay in one place. At least the photographer was able to get a few shots of him. He liked sitting on this chair...for about three seconds! :) This was the first shot taken. I'm glad she got this picture because he was on the move from then on. After the pictures were done, we went for a ride on the carousel. It was Ben's second time and he LOVED it!

Ben playing out in his sand box this afternoon. Looking around for some rocks. It's is favorite thing to do...right after swinging. Showing me the rocks he found.

Ben LOVES to use his new swing set. Several times already Curt or I have pushed him constantly for over a half an hour. He would stay in his swing longer than that, if our arms weren't tried of pushing him! :) Sometimes we ask him if he wants to stop swinging and he always says, "No, no, no," while shaking his head. Yesterday, I took a little video of that...and him saying a few other things.

Yesterday, we took a little trip to the mall. We were looking for something for Ben to wear for his 18 month pictures this week. We found something cute...and on sale! We stopped to get a drink and snack from Starbucks. Curt, of course, stayed away from coffee and ordered a strawberry frappuccino with a blueberry scone. I got a caffe mocha with a blueberry muffin. We tried to share our blueberry treats with Ben, but he was more interested in his goldfish crackers...his loss. :) Ben loves to sit by the fountain. When we passed by it, Curt took him out of his stroller and let him look at the water for a little while.

Ben found a hat and some sunglasses in his room today. He wore them constantly for about an hour. If he saw his reflection in something, he would smile and laugh. I tried to straighten out his sunglasses for him, but he wasn't having any of that. I guess crooked is what's cool these days. :) Just relaxin' in his chair...lifting up his shades so that he can actually see inside of the house!

Benjamin and I headed to the zoo today. It is supposed to rain tomorrow, so I wanted to make sure and enjoy today's sunshine. Ben loved watching all of the animals. He would get so excited when they moved around. When we first walked in, we saw this peacock. Ben was laughing and pointing at it. I think he was surprised at how close it was to us. Watching the komodo dragon move around in his cage. Going for a ride on the komodo dragon. This peacock had all of his feathers on display. He liked seeing all of the animals in the farm area. We had to stay by the cow and watch it eat for a while. He even wanted to see the goats again. I didn't get any pictures of the goats. He walked around by them and tried to pet them. One of them started eating my sweatshirt string, so we headed out of there before he tried to nibble Ben. :)

It has been a wonderful Mother's day! Curt came up with some fun ideas to make the day special for me. We went to church last night, so this morning we decided to head to the park and enjoy the sunshine. It was a little chilly, but we still had a good time. :) Our families both live in Michigan, so we weren't able to see our own moms today. We've seen them both in the last few weeks and gave them a call today. Happy Mother's Day! We love you both! Ben looking through a telescope at the park. Smiling at his reflection in the mirror. Curt helping Ben jump on the steps. Mommy and Ben out by the water...it was a little windy. :) My cute boy. Looking at two ducks in the water. Swinging HIGH! This boy could sit in the swing all day. :) In the afternoon, we went to an outdoor mall. Ben loved touching the water in the fountain. Ben looking at the fountain all by himself.

Curt and I gave Ben a haircut this afternoon. He sat much better than the last time, so everything went smoothly. He was looking so cute after it was done, I had get a picture of him having fun with his daddy. :)

Ben was very excited to find a worm when we were outside today. Giving the worm a closer inspection. The little slimy worm up-close. The worm slowly made his way back into the grass. Ben waved and said "bye" to him. I told him the worm was going home to see his family. :)

When the weather cleared up this afternoon, I took Ben outside to use his new swing set. We just bought it this week from our friends whose daughter didn't really use it very often. Ben has only been able to use it a little bit because of the rain, but he LOVES it. I love that I can push him in a swing in our backyard. Ben standing out by his swing set. He loves to swing! Going down the slide. He doesn't quite know what he is doing yet, so he goes down very slowly. I thought he looked so cute sitting here, talking to himself, and holding some rocks (of course).

My friend Amy is in town with her son Carson for a couple weeks. She is babysitting her niece and nephew, while her brother and his wife are on vacation. She invited us over for a visit this morning. Erin came too, with her son Will. It was nice to visit with each other and let the kids play. Ben and Carson playing with some toys together. Ben tried out a little inch worm in the driveway. Amy and Carson looking at some toys out by the swing set. Erin pushing Will on the swing...Wheee! Ben liked riding on the tractor. It is battery operated, but it was almost out of power, so Carson pushed Ben around the driveway. What a nice friend! :)