October Mountain

We decided that a hike in the woods would be a nice way to end the weekend. We went to October Mountain, a state park, and went for a longish walk up hill and then back down. At the beginning Ben protested that he wanted to go to a playground, but after a bit he decided this was actually very interesting. He liked the many rocks, some that he could pick up and some very impressive ones he couldn't. He also liked finding sticks and seeing what sound they made to hit together. Just walking itself was fun too, and he only made his parents carry him for a little bit at the end.

Too much excitement?

We capped off the day with a spaghetti dinner. Ben and Andy liked it so much that they decided to start the day on Sunday with spaghetti too (Ben classic spaghetti and meatballs, Andy linguini with clam sauce). After much wrestling to get Ben's socks on, we went off for one more adventure Sunday morning.

More fun on Saturday

There are also lots of vendors at the Sheep and Wool festival, and the vendors at one booth thought Ben was so cute that they gave him some wool to play with. He liked it, but asked his mom to spin it for him. After all the excitement, we all went on a long pretty drive along the Mohawk Trail, and Ben had a nice nap. He woke up just a mile or so from our hotel, and we stopped for ice cream and went to a very nice lakeside park that the girls at the ice cream stand told us about. Ben is happy to travel as long as there are playgrounds, and preferably basketball too.

Memorial day weekend

For the Memorial Day weekend, Ben and his parents went out to the Berkshires. They timed the drives for Ben's naps, so the traveling went very smoothly. On Saturday we found a park to play in, and then got some dinner at a Brazilian restaurant. They had a live jazz band, and Ben was very excited. He was bopping in his seat, and then we had to take turns hanging out with him right in front of the stage so he could dance. He clapped very enthusiastically after every song. The band was so taken with him that at least one of them snapped his picture on his cell phone, and others praised his dancing. On Sunday, we went to Cummington for the Massachusetts Sheep and Woolcraft Festival. Ben was very excited to see the Baas, but found them a little scary (they are very loud and rather big). He found the angora bunnies fascinating, especially the baby ones. The sheepdog trials were of great interest to them. He keeps talking about "dogs running, sheep running." One farm family had set up a stand to sell very good french fries and a "farmapalooza" play area with hay bales, toy tractor, and a kiddie pool full of corn to play in. Ben was fond of both the play area and the fries. It was all perhaps a little too stimulating, but lots of fun.

Happy Mother's Day

Ben gave his mom a very nice bookmark he made in school (with some of his art and picture of him on it), plus a cool little scarf he picked up at MOMA and some flowers he got his Daddoo to buy on his behalf. We all went out to breakfast and played a bunch at the park, and after dinner we met up with Ben's friend Liam and his parents and walked over to our local ice cream store to have some ice cream. Ben and Liam had a wonderful time running around and ice cream was enjoyed by all.

Museum day

On Friday, it was rainy, so after a walk with his parents to drop his mom off at the conference, Ben and his Daddoo went to the Museum of Natural History to see the dinosaurs and all sorts of other things. When his mom came back after her conference, we all had burritos and guacamole (Ben's favorite, although he also likes chicken and beans) and took a taxi to the Met, which is open late Fridays. We saw the new fashion exhibit on superheroes and a show of ancient Andean feathered textiles, as well as parts of the African and Polynesian wings, plus the armored horses, which Ben thought were pretty cool. On Saturday the weather was nicer, so we walked to Central Park and went to the zoo. Ben loved watching the seals (his parents' old favorites) but was particularly excited to see the Penguins (as he is obsessed with watching animated ones in the film "Happy Feet"). He also thought the monkeys were very interesting (he is, also, a fan of Curious George), especially the baby monkey, which was nursing. He was so worn out by his NY adventure that after having a hot dog in the park and a little last guacamole, he fell sound asleep in the car and stayed asleep almost the entire drive home.

Benjamin in the big city

Ben got to go back to NYC again, because his mom had a meeting. We stayed again in a great little apartment provided by the Bard Graduate Center in their housing. Thursday we had lunch with Ali, who Ben had a wonderful time flirting with. It was great to see her. In the afternoon, we took a long walk through Central Park and Ben had lots of fun in a playground there. It's not like here, where sometimes he's the only kid in the playground. In NYC, playgrounds are busy, crowded places, which just makes them much more fun. His mom had dinner at her conference Thursday, so Ben and his Daddoo went back to the apartment, had Mexican takeout for dinner, and took a bath. Ben was quite thrilled with his new tattoos which his mommy got for him (and the whole family put on).