Hahahahahaha!!! HA!

We've been out exploring this past week. Ah, beautiful weather in the 40's and 50's, and even the 60's. Woo hoo! All the snow has melted, and it makes me happy. I was right, spring is here! Of course, every time we play outside or visit the park, the little guys come home covered in mud. It's a trade off, but we just CAN NOT stay inside during this beautiful weather, especially after the long winter.

So, I love the pictures above. I think they perfectly capture the excitement and fun the kiddies had exploring the outdoors. We were pretty good at getting outside to play often this winter, but it's just different once it gets warmer. As you can see, Anna brought along her special collection basket, previously mentioned, and she found some *treasures* to bring home. They both loved playing with the fluffy cat-tails. During the adventure, as Anna liked to call it, Benjamin cut his finger on some of the tall grass, and it was bleeding quite a bit. He was having so much fun, he didn't even care. I just cannot express enough how much I love the fact that going out on a little "nature exploration" can be just as exciting for kids as, say, going to some "man made" kid centered place. Anyway, I just love these beautiful, simple experiences with my family. Moving on...




Two pictures are from the "rock climbing park" whose name has currently been changed to "muddy park." (Anna loves having a unique name for each park we go to...of her choosing.) And the last picture cracks me up. Ethan was playing with the kids, and Anna was getting frustrated with Ben-Ben. She said, "I'm sick of my little brother! I wish I could have a different little brother!" So, daddy made Anna a new little brother. A little creepy when I saw it sitting in Benjamin's crib later that day. (And Ben and Anna have since gotten back on sweet brother-sister terms. :)

Okay, so the title of the post was chosen this week because my kids make me laugh and smile...All. The. Time. And I know it's just 'cause I'm their mommy, but I'm going to share anyway. :) Anna is just so clever and imaginative, and just cracks me up. Ben-Ben isn't usually trying to be funny, but it's such a funny age...everything he does seems pretty humorous. So, I wrote down a few of my favorites from the week and thought I'd share:

• I was telling Anna that my friend and her family (a fellow missionary from LA) were coming to visit, and Anna asked if she had any kids. When I told her Elisa had a little boy Benjamin's age, Anna asked if she had any girls. When I said no, Anna said, "How sad is that?!" Then she thought for a second and said, "Well, mom, I have a great idea. When you have another baby, if it's a girl, you can give it to your friend." Um, no. Hehe.
  
• Anna is big into secret missions, and solving mysteries lately. Especially things that are missing, as in, "The case of the missing _______." You can fill in the blank with anything, really - a sock, a toy, a daddy, etc. This past week, Anna came up to me and said, "I'd like to 'proplose' a plan." She was just so serious about it, it cracked me up. (And I love hearing her try out new words...like propose. :) Her plan was a top secret mission, of course.
• When Benjamin asks us something, like if he can watch a movie, eat something in particular, or if we'll help him get out a certain toy, when we repeat what he's asked us to make sure we understand, Ben-Ben will say, "Yeah!" Then, if I pause to think about the answer, he'll prompt me by saying, "Okay!" He says it in a slightly higher pitched voice as if he's telling me - This is how you should answer... just say "okay" mommy. It's pretty funny.
• Benjamin has decided that most paper items are trash. Piano music, Ethan's notes from school, mail, coloring book pages, etc. If it's paper, and it's laying around within Ben-Ben's reach, it will most likely end up crumpled up in the trash. He keeps us on our toes. Luckily, he likes to announce when he has found "trash" so we have the chance to save our important papers. And we've begun to regularly check the trash can. Ah, the joy of having an almost two year old! :)
• When Ben is having a lot of fun running around, being chased, or laughing about something, often times he'll come over to me and say, "Fun, fun!" I'll say, "Are you having fun, Ben-Ben?" And he'll quickly reply "yep!" before running off again. It makes me laugh and feel loved that when Benjamin is having the most fun, he wants to run over and let his mommy know he's happy. So sweet, so funny! On a similar note, when someone is upset, or if he just got an 'owie', Benjamin will make a fake pouting noise and say, "Ah, sah too." (Translation - I'm sad too.) He likes to throw on "too" to a lot of things he says. Sometimes it makes sense, and sometimes not. hehe.

I'll stop myself now. I just want to remember all the sweet, funny things my kids say. And I'll never remember if I don't write it down somewhere. Ethan and I already love looking at past journal entries, and our family quote book to remember fun sayings and experiences from our babes. I think we'll like it even more when our kids are teenagers and we want to remember this precious, adorable time. I guess I've just become one of those moms. I feel like all I blog about is my kids. :) When children are young, they just *need* so much that it feels like everything is centered around them...my thoughts, my actions, my time, my dreams. But I think I should branch out more...at least in my writing. Hmmm, maybe my next entry I'll try to keep kid free. We'll see how that goes. Until next time - have a lovely week!