Lots of tales, so little time!

Let's just start here...

Benjamin has developed a new fascination courtesy of his independent streak: putting on shoes. My shoes, Ryan's shoes, B's shoes. B loves them all. Actually, I think he just enjoys his new capacity to help dress himself. Since Ryan and I are notorious for leaving pairs of shoes all over the house, it seems as though every time we turn around B is sporting a new look.

Thursday was B's first day in Gymboree's Play and Learn level four. Just as I expected, he blended right in with the older crowd. All the moms commented on how tall he was. Yes, he is, thank you. He was in a very enthusiastic mood, so he involved himself in lots of climbing, clapping, and dancing. He even tried to repeat some of the words that the instructor said such as "roll." Very cute. Bring on the language skills! I'm ready! The most memorable moment of the class was when the kiddos were asked to straddle the "air log." (It's a long, inflatable cylinder about two feet high.) As all ten (give or take a few) kids were tossed up for a ride, the teacher started singing the song that includes the verse "And they all rolled over, and one fell off." Since this was our first time in this level, I wasn't aware that the aforementioned verse was the cue for the teacher to push all of the toddlers off of the log. B hit the ground unexpectedly while all the other babies were caught by their mammas. Fortunately for me, B thought that was hilarious. We even did it again!