Wading Pool

Since the water was so much fun at home, we decided to try the public wading pool again, and this time it was quite a success. There are lots of older kids to watch, toys to play with, and water to splash.

Splashing

Ben played with a water table at his friend Ilan's house and had a great time, so his Daddy decided to see what we could do at home to do the same kind of splashing playing. He started with a big pot, but it was a little hard on Ben's arms, so we switched to an old baby bathtub. Ben thought it was about as much fun as could be, and not only did he splash, but he climbed in and out (in his diaper, unfortunately, to begin with), demonstrating a brand new skill. It gets the kitchen pretty wet but boy is it fun!

Old carseat

Ben has long since grown out of his baby carseat, but we kept it in his room for a long time because it was Inky's favorite place to sleep (his second favorite is the changing table)

Big Red Wagon

Now that Ben is getting to be so big, he gets to ride to the park in his big red wagon. He thinks it is lots of fun (though when he stands up and bounces his parents have to stop and sit him down). His parents also like it because it can hold their bocce ball set too. They play most evenings (there are courts in their park), and Ben likes to watch and to walk around the edge of the court and feel the pebbles inside the court.

Cousins' t-shirts

Ben's first cousins Dean and Katie decorated onesies for him while they were all at R&R's. They are both very nice. Dean's has a tree and says Baby Ben, while Katie's is a night scene and says Babies Rule on the back (it was Dean's idea). Ben thinks they are very stylish.

Roy and Roberta

Ben enjoyed getting reacquainted with his Grandpa Roy and Grandma Bert. He's got a little separation anxiety, so he didn't let them hold him as much as the rest of us would have liked, but he did think Grandma was very funny and enjoyed some good time with Grandpa. Grandpa also gave him a wonderful present, a big dump truck that he can fill full of toys and empty of toys and push around. After we got home he also figured out how to climb into it and get his parents to push him around for a great ride.

Fun at R&R's

Ben didn't go swimming at the party -- too many kids in the pool -- but he did try out the pool and even sat a little in a special baby float. There was lots to play with at Grandma and Grampa R&R's place, including balls and fascinating tins of hot chocolate and other drinks, which he removed from the shelf and put back (in a slightly different place) over and over. He was also very fond of Roy's bark mulch.

Fireworks

By the end of the party, Ben was pretty tired. He was quite amazed by the fireworks, but still fell sound asleep in his mother's arms before they were over, in spite of the noise.

Fourth of July

Roy and Roberta have a party for the Fourth every year, and this year Ben attended. They have lots of food, and people go swimming, and then watch the fireworks. Ben socialized with family members and new friends, especially his admirers Caitlin and Courtney. Roy and Roberta gave him a Fourth of July T-shirt, and Joanne added a flag armband, so he was all duded up for the occasion.

Touring Southern PA

On his trip, Ben went to visit several people and places. He went to Mikie's for lunch, and had a little blueberries and cream ice cream (and watched his parents play skee ball). He also went to visit his father's alma mater, Mercersburg Academy. He visited his Aunt Joanne at the Goldfish Barn, where she works, and where he loved watching the fish, and he also met his Aunt Mimi and saw her nice new house. Of course he also went to visit with his Grandma Cookie a couple of times and had a very nice time hanging out with her in her room and the gazebo outside.

Wedding

Jessica made Ben new pants especially for the wedding (you can also see them in the previous post). They are sewn of Johnston plaid, Ben's tartan, which Jessica wove for him in a bit of a frenzy the week before we left for PA. They were a hit at the wedding, but Ben was a bigger hit, especially with his many young cousins, who hadn't seen him since December. After the wedding, lots of Johnstons came over to Roy and Roberta's. Ben got along very well with Andy's cousin Jessica and her new husband, Dave.

Trip to PA

Ben and his parents went to Pennsylvania last week to go to the wedding of Andy's cousin Kara, as well as to hang out with relatives and spend the 4th of July at Roy and Roberta's (they have a big party). This involved, unfortunately, a very long car trip each way (about 500 miles). Ben played his own composition, the Cheerio concerto, to amuse his parents along the way. He also ate a great many Cheerios. We stopped regularly, and Ben had a great time flirting with everyone within sight at the diners where we ate lunch and dinner.