Days 5 and 6: Ben and Caleb Part 1

I always knew that I would love my kids, but I didn't really realize how deep that love would be until I held each in my arm.  I could easily post a thing each day about both Ben and Caleb that I am thankful for but will try to reign it in a bit.

We'll start with Ben:
At almost 33 months old (or nearly 3!) he is a joy every single day.  From the moment he explodes into our room asking, "Is it daylight?" to the end of the day when he wants, "Just one more snuggle," my heart feels so full it could burst.  Over this past year we've watched him go from only child to big brother and even though at times he has some not so nice moments, he is developing into a very caring sibling.

Ben is an incredibly thoughtful, smart and kind little guy.  I know, I know, every parent thinks that his/her child is bright and we do as well.  He can sit for hours "reading" to himself.  He knows the street on which he lives and the names of the streets where his buddies live.  He loves when people come over, especially his Heather and Kevin.  He loves to sing songs, he remembers everything we say and do.  He takes care of Caleb by moving the dog water out of Caleb's way, taking crayons out of his hands and feeding him food off of his plate.  (He also does his fair share of taking toys, knocking over and generally trying to teach Caleb that Ben is the boss).

Every single day he learns something new.  It is fun (and a bit tiring at times) to answer the endless series of toddler questions as he discovers the world around him.  The other night he asked Andrew what salvation is, which led to a long conversation.  His imagination is continuing to develop as he builds houses with blocks, fireplaces with cardboard boxes and construction sites with whatever he can scrounge up. He loves to do puzzles and play with playdough.  He is my right hand man in the kitchen and can tell you what each mixer attachment is used for.

He is such a fun little guy to hang out with each and every day.  He has his challenging moments (ask me sometime about what happened before we went to Dayton) but overall we couldn't be happier with how he is growing.