Family Friday: Benjamin

I started this post on Friday, that counts, right?

Benjamin is our second born, he is going to be 9 years old in June, and will be done with 3rd grade in just a few short weeks. He is 4 years and 3 weeks younger than Sydnee, and for the most part they are very close. He has such an infectious laugh and a wicked sense of humor! He is also a master of making strange faces. If I had a scanner and knew how to use it, I would scan in all of his school pictures, to prove my point. (Many family members reading this will know what I mean, taking a posed photo is not one of Ben's 'comfort zones' *smile*.)



One thing we are quickly learning about Ben is his entreprenurial spirit. All winter he played on an indoor soccer team. His Grandpa told him he'd give Ben $5 for each goal he scored. Well, Benjamin took that to heart and there were games that he scored 3 goals this season. He now has a very fat wallet! We had a yard sale last week and the kids set up a Lemonade stand. Ben was the one who stayed out there the whole time, on his rollerblades, sign in hand, waving down the cars. They actually made $24 that day selling lemonade and cookies! He is a great saver, and we are very proud of him!


Things Ben loves:

his dog (and obviously Miller returns the love)


his rollerblades. Have you ever seen someone use the trimmer while on rollerblades?


Long hair. In the summer before second grade Ben started growing his hair out, and just recently we had it cut quite short. It was a VERY sad day for him, and he was really upset with me on the way home from the hairdresser. I asked him how long he'd be mad at me and he told me "only until it grows back". (for the record, he really perked up after I took him to WalMart for a new lego set. Hey, can you blame me?) Right now it is growing fast, and I am fighting the urge to cut it again.

Soccer. He absolutely loves the game, and is very good at it. As I mentioned in my Friday post about Sydnee, it is so wonderful to see your child find a passion for something and to excel at it.

His siblings. He is an excellent big brother, and a mostly excellent little brother. Last week there was a boy picking on Luke and Ben got right in there to defend his little brother. It made David and I feel so good that he was looking out for his siblings.

Ben is smart, funny and (dare I say) VERY cute. We are lucky to have him as our son!