On Robyn's Day

We give our lives for things deemed "just,"

But sometimes life is taken

We dedicate our hearts and minds,

But sometimes they are shaken

We lift our eyes to see the sun,

But sometimes tears obscure it

We feel the flame of loss each day,

And only One can cure it.

Our Newest Cousin "Paul Phillip Snow"

We recently welcomed my sisters 4th darling child into our family. He tops the chart for biggest babies in our family he beat Ben's record of 8.5 lbs 21" weighing in at 9.9 lbs 23"! He therefore got the nickname of "Paul Bunion". Wow he is sweet though such a lovely demeanor.

Here are some pics of Ben's first time seeing and holding Paul. I was right there expecting him to smother him and stick his fingers in his eyes. Much to my delight he was sooo cute with him! He just sat there adoring his new cousin. Sometimes he'd softly pet his head but just sat there enjoying Paul for a good 15 min. Even when Paul started to fuss and Heather came to get him to feed him Ben didn't want to let him go. Very tender moment. I think he will be a great big brother someday!

Here are the "Twins" holding Paul. Ruth is 6mo younger than Ben, but don't they look like they could be twins? They sure act like it! They are either bestest pals or mortal enemies. Most of the time they are quite cute together. When Abe gets home from Italy we'll have triplets!

Below I'll post a little clip we caught of the two.

One of my favorite conversations I overheard between the two went something like this....

Ben: No she's my mom!

Ruth: No she's my mom!

Ben: No she's my mom!

Ruth: No she's my mom!

Ben: MY MOM!

Ruth: NO MY MOM!!

...etc....

Amazing ehhh?

Mama's Noise

This evening, while Jessica was going through the bed-time routine with Ben, she cleverly hid the Book of Mormon inside one of his regular story books. She thought this would be a tactful way of sharing the gospel with our little tike.

Unfortunately, he noticed something remiss after about 1.5 verses. His response was priceless. "Whoa, whoa, whoa, Mom. You're just making noise."

Jessica's response: "We got news for you, buddy. Mama's noise is just beginning."

It's Cute Now...

Jessica: (singing the song from Madagascar) "I like to move it, move it."

Ben: "No, Mom. That's my move it, move it movie."

Jessica: "Ben, it's everybody's movie. We all share. That's called 'being selfish,' and we don't act that way in our family."

Ben: "No, Mom. That's not your move it, move it movie. That's MY move it, move it movie."

Jay: "Ben, that's selfish, and that's naughty."

Ben: "Dad, this is not your problem."

Christmas 2010

A Case of Mistaken Identity: Part 2

Ben and I traveled to Morgan this morning to share in the festivities surrounding the double-header baby blessing.

Everything was going so well. The kids were blessed, Ben ate his goldfish crackers, and we made it through church without incident.

Afterwards, we went to the Courthouse Auditorium for a "small" family gathering. Colton, Dezi (sp?), and Tosha were setting up the tables. For those of you who know Colton, you will know that he is going through a hairy phase at the moment. His auburn hair and beard are long but well-trimmed.

Ben went berserk when he saw Colton.

"Baby Jesus!" he yelled with every ounce of strength his tiny lungs could muster.

It's hard to know what one might do/say in such company. Some might kneel... Some might cry... Well, Ben had a different response.

Before I could contain him, he ran to the other end of the auditorium. With his arms making windmill circles and his legs flailing wildly, he shouted "JESUS! JESUS! JESUS!"

Dezi laughed, but Colton was not impressed.

Sorry, dude.

Bedtime Stories

The scene begins with Jessica scrunched into Ben's toddler bed with him.

"Mom..."

"Yes, Ben."

"I wanna snack."

"No more snacks. It's time for sleep."

"Ohhh.... Darnit."

A few moments pass.

"Mom..."

"Yes, Ben."

"Tales... and Bob da damatoe fall down. hehehe. Dat Bob so funny. I wike Tales."

"Ok, Ben. Momma's going to get her pajamas on and go to bed."

"No, Mom! No jammas! You stay here wear pants!"

"I love you, nigh-night, sweet dreams."

"Wuv-oo, Mom, nigh-night."

A Case of Mistaken Identity and Mistaken Gender

Sundays create a sense of restlessness for Ben. Sure, the comfy maroon chairs in the back of the chapel are fun for a little while, but he often needs something a little more engaging. Fruit snacks and goldfish crackers usually do the trick, but yesterday he wanted an adventure.

As we roamed the halls, we searched for treasures under a Christmas tree, and we hunted lawn gnomes in rooms 117 and 116.

As Sacrament Meeting drew to a close, we made our way to the nursery for a bit of tom-foolery. Another individual walked toward us from the other end of the church, but a glare from a nearby glass door obstructed our view.

"Oh, look!" cried Ben. "It's Grandma!" As we walked closer to the individual, Ben and I realized that it was NOT Grandma. "Oh, it's a guy," Ben shouted when he realized his error.

I didn't know how to respond to his assertion, and neither did the 16 year-old girl who was mistakenly called "Grandma" and subsequently "a guy."

She whole-heartedly glared at me when I said, "Oh, come on now, little boy. Let's go find your Daddy."

...and so it begins.

So, there I was... sitting at the computer on a homework-riddled Wednesday night. Ben was in bed despite his best efforts to the contrary.

As I wrote about the relationship between management practices, creativity, and innovation, Ben began to cry for me.

"Day," he inquired. ("Day" is a combination of Daddy and Jay... the two names by which I am commonly known.)

To Ben's chagrin, Day did not respond. As such, the youngster continued his lamentation.

"Day, come here" quickly turned into "Day, come here, please." When his attempts to woo me with pleasantries failed, he turned to other methods.

"Day, come here right now!"

I chuckled a bit, but with each new cry, I noticed how the word "Day" sounded more and more like the word "Die." Indeed... I could sense that something diabolical was in the works.

Ben continued to cry, and each new attempt to draw me into his room was met with stone cold opposition.

Here's how I see it: When it's bedtime, it's bedtime. Structure, order, and consistency are the pillars upon which something very noble is perched. I am a stern father, but I am not heartless. Ben knew my weakness... and he exploited it.

"Day... I poopy!" he called... repeatedly.

Having no desire to subject my child to a sleepless night in a desecrated dipe, I charged into his room to remedy the situation.

As soon as I entered his abode, the shouting turned from "Day, I poopy" to "Day, watch Diego."

I smelled something rotten, but the scent did not originate within the polka-dotted, Target-brand, size 5 diaper.

Indeed... When I examined the contents of the diaper, I found something much more sinister.

Lies... That's what I found, folks. Lies...

As I re-applied the sticky tabs of Ben's unused diaper, the look on his face seemed to say, "Oh, sorry, Day... My mistake. I guess I wasn't poopy after all. Perhaps we should watch Deigo together for a few moments before retiring for the evening."

Although I maintained a stoic facial expression as I returned Ben to his sleeping quarters, a chuckle escaped my lips as I called Jessica to tell her what "her son" just did.

Escapades in Counting

Jay: "Ben, how many toes do you have?"

Ben: "One... two... three... four... P... R... W... X... Y... TEN!"

Jay: "Yup, that's right!"

Isn't that great?! My kid knows how to use algebraic variables! I didn't learn stuff like that until I was in 7th grade!