Living on the Edge

During Christmas break, mommy took the boys on a field trip downtown. The first stop was the SEARS Tower Skydeck. Bradley had no fear of the Ledge windows, which look straight down. Ben was a little more hesitant and would not step on the glass, but would look over. The outing also includes lunch at McDonald's and a visit to Mommy's office to draw on the walls.

Gem of the Day

We told Ben that Grandma and Poppy are retirees. His response, "Grandma and Poppy fix tires and car and stuff?"

Little Drummer Boy

Here's a concert that only a parent could love. You may want to mute the sound, but check out Ben's footwork. He claims he doesn't like to dance, but he seems to do OK. The boys got the whistles in a goodie bag at play group on Sunday. They were so annoying that they were in the trash in less than 24 hours.

TGIF!

We took the boys to the Field Museum on Sunday. It didn't go too well. Ben wasn't interested in the dinosaurs. However, he was fascinated by the anatomical accuracy of some of the other exhibits. This fascination spanned all genders, species, and even stages of evolution. We ended up spending less than two hours at the museum, so Thank Goodness It was Free.

Halloween 2011

This year Bradley dressed up as Darth Vader and Ben was Spiderman. As you can see, these weren't exactly original ideas. One of Bradley's best friends was also Darth Vader and another boy from our neighborhood was Spiderman. Bradley's choice to be Darth is interesting, since I made the same choice when I was his age. Bradley had fun trick or treating with his YMCA friends after school. Ben's interest in candy acquisition faded very fast and he asked to go home after only a few houses. The most surprising part of the whole Halloween season was Bradley's decision to donate almost all of his candy to Operation Gratitude. Ben was not as generous.

Brainteaser

Here is the question: which of these two boys weighs more? If you answered Bradley, you are correct, but that may change soon. Despite being 25 months younger, Ben only weighs 3 pounds less. Since his birthday, Bradley has gained 3 pounds, but Ben has added 7!

Winner Winner Chicken Dinner

One component of the summer reading program at the library is a weekly drawing. To get an entry, you have to guess what is in the feely box. You can get an additional entry my naming the cartoon character on the wall. Bradley got both right last week and a few days later, the library called to tell us he won. The prize is a baseball toss. He really enjoyed playing with it on Sunday.

What the @#$% is that?

Ben has continued his habit of being stricken by unusual afflictions. After we came home from Millenium Park, Ben voluntarily sat on the potty, which never happens. A few minutes later he exclaimed, "I have green poop!" He was very excited about it. What is modern, concerned parent to do? Search Google. You would be amazed at the number of results that comes back with. There are two possible causes for Ben's condition
1) Green stool often indicates that food has passed through the intestines faster than normal, before it could be changed from green to brown.
2) Food coloring - Ben did have one bite of a blue slushie the day before.

Cars 2

The holiday weekend was pretty busy for us: Cardboard Boat Regatta, Swimming, Kline Creek Farm, hiking, and the parade. On the night of the 3rd, we went to the drive-in for the first time this year. Since it is the height of summer, the movie didn't start until almost 9 and the boys were up past 11. The good news is that boys slept in some. It was only an hour extra, but that was a lot more than I expected based on past experience.

Went to the pool today...

...Ben learned about "shrinkage".