(In the car, riding home from school. Ben and Christopher are in the back seat. Ken is driving. Ben is thinking of ways to earn some extra cash.)

Ben: On Saturday, can we go around the neighborhood and sell the paper airplanes I made? I could sell them for a dollar each!

Ken: Well, you need to know your market, right? Do you think people will want to spend a whole dollar on a paper airplane?

Ben: Why not?

Ken: You need to sell things people want. Like in the summer, kids sell lemonade because it's hot and people are thirsty, right?

Christopher (exuberant): And it's yummy!!

Ben: So, maybe...maybe we could sell...hats.

Ken: Sure! It's cold, right? And people want to keep their ears warm, right?

Christopher (silly): And it's yummy!

Ben: Yeah, Mommy could make the hats and I'll be the manager! And you guys can be my...workers!

Ken (dubious): Yeah....

Christopher: And what will I do?

Ben: You can draw the pictures, and Mommy will use the pictures to know how to make the hats.

Ken: So, you've got design, and production, and management. What else do you need?

Ben: And you can tell people to buy the hats!

Christopher: Me too!

Ken: So...now you've got sales. What about HR or Accounting?

Ben: What?

Ken: Well, you need someone to keep track of all the money you will be making and so you can pay your workers...

Ben: Right, I'll give some money to the workers and the rest I'll use to buy toys!

Ken: Right. That's called spending the profits.

Posted by ksmoker at 8:29 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

It's almost hard to believe that Ben's already turned seven-years-old, but as of the 10th, he has. There were only two things he really wanted: a Playmobile camper and a trip to see his friend Audrey. Thankfully, we pulled off both along with a small, but very fun homemade pizza party.

Ben and Christopher have both been crazy for Playmobile toys ever since we bought a big airplane for Ben for his sixth birthday. And, of course, it's no secret that Ben is crazy about Audrey as well. Unfortunately, the only pictures we got of the trip came at the end as we were trying to wrangle the kids together for a group photo. It's clear that Ben and Audrey were struggling with the impending departure.

Posted by ksmoker at 9:16 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)

Scene: Interior of car, at about hour 4 of a 7-hour ride home from a weekend trip to visit friends. Mother and Father are in the front seat keeping their mouths shut. Ben and Christopher are in the back seat negotiating over toys.

Ben (pleading): If you give me the truck I will give you the bicycle.

Christopher (considering): Hmmmm.

B: No, truck. No, bicycle.

C: ...

B: Yes, truck. Yes, bicycle.

C (triumphant): No, truck. Yes, bicycle!

Posted by ksmoker at 9:48 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

About an hour after we saw a picture of the Democrat Presidential nominee on TV, I heard Ben singing to himself while playing with his toys, &ldquo:Barack Obama had a farm, E-I-E-I-O!”

Posted by ksmoker at 5:36 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Overheard while Ben was playing with a toy chicken:

“So I'm a chicken, right? So why did I cross the road, huh? Answer: to get run over.”

Posted by ksmoker at 12:47 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

by Shel Silverstein

I think I've owned this book ever since it was featured in the Book-of-the-Month Club some time in the mid-80's. This would have been one of the books I received after having neglected to return the card with the “Do Not Deliver the Monthly Selection” box checked. I've read it in spurts, but have otherwise paid it little heed as I've schlepped it between various dwellings in four states over the past twenty years.

Now, I've dusted it off and have begun reading it to Ben at bedtime. It's been lots of fun even though about half of the jokes and references are just an inch or two over Ben's head. It's one of those story-time experiences that are as much fun or the parent as the child. (I flash back to a memory as a six-year-old, listening to my Mom crack herself up while reading the original A.A. Milne Winne-the-Pooh books.) Ben's favorites so far are ldquo;Polar Bear in the Frigidaire” and “Backwards Bill,” but we're only about halfway through so far.

Posted by ksmoker at 10:13 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)

Scene: In the car on the way home from school. Kari is driving. Ben and Christopher are riding in the back seat.

Ben: Mommy? Could you put in the train song, please?

Christopher: Train Song!!

Kari: Just a minute Ben, I need to get onto the highway before I dig out the CD and I need to keep my eyes on the road.

Ben: Wellllll... You could just keep one eye on the road and use the other eye to find the cd.

Kari: Benjamin, I can't do that.

Ben: You're right. Only boys can do that.

(Kari looks in rear view mirror and watches Ben wiggle his eyes from left to right, back and forth several times testing it out for himself. He sees Kari watching him and blushes.)

Ben: (under his breath) Oh, I guess boys can't do that either.

Posted by ksmoker at 8:43 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)

We've been geting some wacky weather lately. This past Saturday, I spent a good chunk of the afternoon scraping two layers of snow and slush from on top of the remaining layer of ice that still coated the driveway. Since then we've gotten more snow, some sleet, snow again, and then freezing rain. The driveway now has several strata of different forms of winter accumulation, including an crusty outer shell that crunches satisfyingly whenever you take a step.

Ben and Christopher had great fun with the snow tonight. They spent nearly two hours strip-mining the backyard of big US-state-shaped sheets of ice from that top, crusty layer that they then deposited in their red wagon. Ben identified one chunk of ice as roughly matching the shape of Pennsylvania. There was also a Minnesota-shaped piece that he recognized, although he referred to it as “the soldier's hat,” instead.

Posted by ksmoker at 10:29 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

This was Christopher's first Christmas (in this country at least) and, well, let's just say he's on-board with the concept. Weeks of anticipation (“Christopher's turn for presents!”) culminated in a Christmas morning jubilee as Chris and Ben took turns tearing open presents and then spent the entire day reveling in their new-found toydom. Christopher spent most of the day playing with his new school bus (neither the first nor the last one he received for Christmas---apparently word had gotten out) while Ben watched his new Ratatoullie DVD twice in one afternoon.

They had gotten a little bit of a Christmas preview after our week-long visit to see Kari's parents in NC, where, of course, the boys were rightfully spoiled silly. We survived the long car trip (thankfully the weather was cooperative) and had a lovely time with Christopher meeting his grandparents for the first time. It was also the first time we got to meet our nephew Freddy, who is a cutie-pie-and-a-half. Fun with toys, long breakfasts, more fun with toys, the occasional trip to the store, delicious dinners, more fun with toys, and lots of grandparently love made for a perfect opening to the Christmas season.

As much fun as we had in the South, it was still nice to get home to relax and enjoy the holiday in our own house. After our brief interlude, we were back on the road again for a weekend trip to my parents house. More family introductions for Christopher and more toys and fun with cousins. Despite being the odd-man out in most of the group kid play, Cristopher didn't seem to mind (indeed, he asserted himself most effectively). Meanwhile, Ben played his first games of Go Fish and Boggle, while we learned how to play a fun new Scrabble-y game called Bananagrams.

It was a wild and crazy couple of weeks, but to our relief (and the kids' dismay) we have now gotten back to some semblance of the pre-holiday routine.

Posted by ksmoker at 8:23 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Tonight we had a couple of new animals in the house. In the one image, you can see the pig pulling on the tail of the monkey.

And you wonder why I couldn't get a good picture of the two of them together.

Posted by ksmoker at 9:29 PM | Permalink

This weekend we made another of our semi-regular pilgrimages to the New York Museum of Transportation and the Rochester & Genesee Valley Railroad Museum. This was Christopher's first visit and probably number four or five for Ben.

As the names suggest, kids (especially boys) love this place. There are buses and fire trucks and horse carriages and railcars and trolleys and trains and even more trains. Included in admission is a two-mile track car ride on a short rail line that links the two museums.

In addition to the multitude of climbing and exploring opportunities these museums provide for kids, there is plenty of railroad and transportation geekery to interest the older “kids,” supplied by the dedicated volunteer railroad geeks who staff the museum. These guys, mostly retirees, spend their free weekends lovingly crafting detailed model railways, maintaining the machinery, painstakingly restoring donated engines and railcars, as well as ushering museum visitors and answering countless questions. It's on about the opposite side of the spectrum from the Strong Museum, but the kids seem to have just as much fun.

Posted by ksmoker at 7:10 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Setting
Outdoors on the quad of a historically Catholic college campus. The quad is surrounded by vaguely gothic, tan brick buildings. The grass is green the sun is shining. Birds chirp. College students walk to and fro across the quad.

Time
Mid-April. A warm, sunny morning.

Characters
Father Joe - Director of Campus Ministry--think of him as the abbot.
Ben - Highly inquisitive five-year-old boy.
Kari - Mother of Ben. Enjoys letting Ben speak for himself.

Act I, Scene I
(At a picnic table Kari and Ben sit and share a snack of grapes that they had picked up from a buffet table inside one of the buildings. Father Joe emerges on a balcony above and lights a cigar. After some time, Ben takes notice of Father Joe and waves. Father Joe waves back.)

Ben (shouting): What are you doing up there?

Father Joe (exhales a plume of smoke): Looking around. What are you doing?

Ben (still shouting): I'm eating these grapes.

(Ben waves a bunch of grapes in the air. Squirrels scramble after the grapes that have been shaken free and sent rolling down the footpath.)

Father Joe: Grapes? That's great, those are really good for you.

Ben: Where do you get these grapes?

Father Joe: From my grape tree.

Ben: Where is your grape tree?

Father Joe: Next to the spaghetti tree.

Ben: Where's your pasghetti tree?

Father Joe: The pasghetti tree is next to my sausage tree.

Ben: Where's the sausage tree?

Father Joe: Next to my meatball tree.

(Pause. Ben considers his options.)

Ben: How did you get up there?

Father Joe: I threw a rope over the rail here and climbed up.

Ben (eyes widen): Where's the rope?

Father Joe: I put it away. Over there.

(Father Joe points to bell tower on opposite side of the quad. Ben squints in the general direction of the bell tower.)

Ben: Well...how are you going to get down?

Father Joe: Through this door here behind me.

Ben (undaunted): What if someone locks it?

(Father Joe pulls out a heavy, jangling keyring and holds it up for Ben to see.)

Father Joe : I'll use one of these to open it.

Ben (losing interest): Okay, I have to go now. Do a good job!

(Ben and Kari gather the grape stems, wave goodbye. Father Joe waves and watches as they exit stage left.)

Posted by ksmoker at 9:32 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Only way I could be more proud of this picture would be if Ben and I had been sending each other IMs at the time.

Posted by ksmoker at 9:32 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

We know he likes chicken, but here is his reaction to pork:

Kari: Here's dinner!

Ben: What is it?

K: Pork chops, potatoes, and broccoli!

B: Yay!! ... Um, excuse me, what is pork chips?

K: Pork chops, a kind of meat, like chicken.

B: Like chicken?? What is it?

K: It's from a pig.

B: A pig?!

K: ...

B: Awwww, I like pigs...

Posted by ksmoker at 7:02 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

One of the top questions that a Rochester resident will receive from non-Rochestarians is some variation of “Why would you ever want to live there?” This curiosity is to be expected what with the snow, the decline of our local industry (Kodak, Xerox, and Bausch and Lomb), the snow, and our inferiority complex w/r/t downstate and our more well-known neighbor to the west. Also, there is the snow.

One of the most frequent responses—aside from the clichéd blather about change of seasons—is the high quality and concentration of cultural institutions in Rochester. This is no idle claim and it is perhaps a indication of the plenitude of our cultural resources that Kari and I have only just recently gotten around to attending any of the offerings of the Hochstein School of Music & Dance.

Yesterday, Hochstein hosted their winter carnival, Musical Feast, an event designed to introduce children to music and was no doubt also aimed at acquainting parents to the Hochstein curriculum. After a brief introductory concert by the Youth Orchestra, we took Ben through the instrument petting zoo, where kids get the chance to play the instruments themselves (under very close supervision).

Ben enjoyed the percussion room of course, but his attentions were otherwise split between the strings and the brass instruments, particularly the violin and trombone (the trombone slide was more fun than the trumpet valves). He couldn't have cared less for the woodwind instruments, though. Any dreams of raising the next John Coltrane took a serious hit with Ben's total lack of interest in the saxophone.

We left with a handful of brochures and thoughts of enrolling Ben in a Suzuki Program. Hochstein really puts together an impressive package. The opening program by the Youth Orchestra was enchanting, with some serious talent represented. It's pretty intimidating, though. Ben seems interested in learning an instrument, but his attention span is still that of, well, of a five-year-old.

Posted by ksmoker at 10:17 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)

Tonight, while sitting on the couch watching the Bear in the Big Blue House, Ben was working on his second drumstick when, without warning, he lifted his face to the ceiling and shouted exultantly through a half-mouthful of flesh and gristle:

Chicken!!

Posted by ksmoker at 12:10 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

After months of anticipation, Ben finally understands what all of the hubbub is about. Yes, he knows the Baby Jesus story, and if asked he'll tell you that Christmas is Jesus' birthday, but it's pretty clear that the concept of a big fat guy in a red suit handing out presents has got the upper hand in his five-year-old imagination.

We've definitely gotten more in the spirit this year, from the decorating of the tree to the singing of Christmas carols--although I'll be glad to take a break from Ben's relentless requests for "Jingle Bells". Kari and Ben also been having a blast visiting friends and family while I've been laid up with what we suspect is bronchitis. But don't feel sorry for me, despite all my honking and hawking, it's been nice to at least take a break for a few days. And nothing could dampen the excitement of experiencing our first Christmas as parents.

Posted by ksmoker at 6:15 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Ben likes pigs. He saw this costume and wanted it before he even knew who Piglet was.

He really enjoyed his brief candy gathering sojourn. He enjoyed even more handing out candy to our gazillions of trick-or-treaters. I should have read last year's post. I would have known to stock up on more candy.

Posted by ksmoker at 7:58 PM | Permalink | Comments (3)

New York State has confirmed it: Ben is officially or son. The adoption ceremony was brief and to the point. We sat across from the Judge as she explained the papers we were about to sign and then we signed them and we then took some pictures and then we were done.

Ben was his usual exuberant self, but as we sat down to begin the ceremony, he suddenly grew apprehensive and decided he would be safer sitting in the viewing area with George and Michele. But it was over quickly and he was soon back to cracking up the deputies and clerks.

After the excitement of the initial (Chinese) adoption, this one felt a little bit anti-climatic. Next step is to apply for US citizenship, then we should be done helping make Ben "official."

Now, we get to concentrate our attention on adopting our next child, whom we plan to call Christopher.

Posted by ksmoker at 8:49 AM | Permalink | Comments (3)

People often ask about how quickly Ben is picking up English. It's been seven months now and he's talking like a native speaker. He still has some issues with tenses and, strangely, gendered pronouns (he consistently mixes them up), but otherwise, to hear him, you'd never know that English wasn't his first language.

However, like any four-year-old, he doesn't have a firm grasp of the finer points of etiquette. For instance, Ben doesn't yet understand why a beer-bellied man might be offended when asked if he's carrying a baby in there. We're also having to watch our reactions to some of his comments. When frustrated, he's taken to saying, "Pete's sake!" and just this past weekend, Kari got a "Whatever!"

In general though, we're proud to say that he's a pretty polite kid. Luckily, he's also got other role models besides us. For example:

The downside is that Ben is losing his Chinese. We wanted to encourage him to keep it up, but when someone tries to speak Chinese with him, he clams right up. He seems to have no interest in speaking a language that we don't understand (which he's actually come out and told us). We hope that he will be able to pick it back up quickly. I wanted to through the Pimsleur audio training, maybe Ben can help me on my pronunciation.

Posted by ksmoker at 8:28 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)

Here's a testament to the power of family ties as well as the power of the internet. A couple of months ago we got an email out of the blue from a family who had adopted a boy who lived in the same orphanage as Ben in China where this boy had apparently been designated as Ben's honorary younger brother. Turns out, they found the smokerblog through a web search for Ben's Chinese name. How cool is that?

This past weekend, Ben got to meet his "brother," Reid, along with Reid's sister Brenna and parents Paul and Rebecca after they all flew out to visit for the weekend. Despite the heat, we had a lot of fun. We took a trip to the zoo, but otherwise mostly sat around and talked (and played) and got to know each other.

I'm not sure how much Ben and Reid remember of each other in China (Reid is younger and was adopted almost a year before Ben was), but we feel blessed that the two of them got along so well during the visit and that we hit it off so well at the family level. We're already talking about the possibility of a future visit so that Ben and Reid can sustain their relationship.

The only bummer of the weekend is that I didn't get more and better pictures of the kids, hopefully Paul will have done better.

Posted by ksmoker at 8:56 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)

Ben helped me pick out some earrings for Kari and then Saturday blew our big secret, so she got those a day early. On the day itself, Ben seemed to get the concept and we did our best to be extra-nice to mama. We prepared some strawberries and yogurt for breakfast in bed, but Kari got up early and we missed our opportunity (plus we wanted to wait until Little Einsteins was over).

We spent the afternoon at Baby Julia's baptism party where Ben froliced with a yardful of kids. The parents mostly left the kids to their own devices, carefully managing the adult/child ratio. Adults rotated in and out of the play zone in the same way that control rods in a nuclear reactor are inserted and removed to maintain a chain reaction while preventing a meltdown.

The weekend began with similar romping as Kari and Ben travelled to PA on Friday to visit the cousins (which is always a blast). There are rumors that a picture exists showing Grandpa on the see-saw holding a half-dozen or so grandkids in the balance, but I haven't seen it yet.

UPDATE: In the comments, Julie informs us that the rumored pictures have been uploaded. Included is a bonus picture of a young Elton John impersonator.

Posted by ksmoker at 7:01 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

I promised someone a while back that I'd post more about why we think Ben might not be the typical toddler adoptee, especially for having come from China. What follows is purely speculation. I have no extensive knowledge of the Chinese foster care system, I only know what people have told me and what I have read. Unfortunately, I didn't get a chance to tour any facilities while I was there, so I'm relying on secondary sources, even when it comes to the history of how my own son was raised.

All we have is the result. And he is truly remarkable. (Here he is helping me in the preparation of bacon, one our favorite foods.)

We were warned that Ben might have attachment problems, that he might reject us at first based on our American features, or that he might see us as just new caretakers rather than form a deeper parent-child bond. None of this has happened. From the very beginning he understood that I was his father and that Kari was his mother.

The foster care facility in Shenyang seems to have taken extra steps to socialize all of the children there. I was told that teachers would take children home on weekends to expose them to home life; indeed, Ben had a clear understanding of some concepts that I would not have expected had he been confined to only orphanage life for his first three years. I belong to a mailing list for parents adopting from the Shenyang province which provides further evidence for the extraordinary care that thse toddlers receive. I hope that other provinces are advancing just as quickly.

The apocryphal evidence that I obtained while in China suggests that, thanks largely to Western interest in adoption, conditions have improved dramatically for orphaned children. While I was in China I saw several government-sponsored advertisements and brochures encouraging adoption by native Chinese. The stigma of adoption seems to be receding and adoption is providing an opportunity for Chinese families to grow beyond the typical one-child-only restriction.

During our swearing-in ceremony, the US Customs official told us that in 2005, Chinese children adopted by American families achieved a record for adoptions between any two countries during a one-year period. It is a sign of the success Chinese government's recent foster care improvements that this record may stand for some time. During the trip we heard (unofficially) that it will become more annd more difficult to adopt children from China. Waiting periods will increase, fewer healthy babies will be available, greater restrictions on adopting families, more incentives for special needs adoption, etc.

This is the natural progression. Twenty years ago, it was Korea that led the way in international adoptions with the US. As conditions within that country improved, fewer children became available. China is going through this transformation now. Other countries may soon open up their restrictions on international adoptions and the cycle will continue. There couldn't be a more beautiful aspect to the spread of globalization.

Posted by ksmoker at 7:07 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

This is a cd, narrated by Leonard Bernstein, takes kids through Prokofiev's Peter and the Wolf, Saint-Saen's Carnival of the Animals, and Britten's Young Person's Guide to the Orchestra. We had played this cd for Ben, mainly for the Carnival of the Animals bit, but when we learned that he would be taking a field trip with his preschool class to see a local youth ballet group perform Peter and the Wolf, we made sure to play that for him as well.

I hadn't heard it in a while, but, man, that is a seriously scary story for a young kid. As soon as the French horns started up, Ben's eyes got big and he climbed into my lap for protection. The bassoons were hardly any better, especially since Kari was acting out the parts (a bit too dramatically, perhaps). Although he seemed to be mostly enjoying himself, by the time the wolf had eaten the duck, Ben was so distraught that we had to stop the cd.

A couple of days later we listened the whole way through sans Kari's pantomime and he seemed to thoroughly enjoy about 80% of it and this time was only creeped out by the remaining 20%. When the wolf began snapping at the bird, he covered his ears and told us he didn't like that part, so we fast forwarded to the hunter's entrance.

All of this made me a little skeptical about sending him to see this in person, until I learned that the piece he would be seeing was going to be performed by 4- through 12-yr-olds. Obviously, they didn't portray anything too psychologically damaging and Ben was filled us in on all of the details: the cat climbing the tree, Peter catching the wolf by the tail, etc. He didn't mention the duck being eaten; maybe he closed his eyes at that point.

We played the cd again tonight at his request and he chickened out again when the wolf first appeared. So we watched Bob the Builder instead.

Posted by ksmoker at 9:58 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

That was today's phrase of the day. Of course Ben picked it up from Kari. His English has been steadily improving since he arrived here, but lately his progress seems to have shifted into high gear.

When we were in China, he hardly learned any English beyond a very few basics. I actually had picked up more Chinese during those two weeks. Once we arrived in the US, the shoe was on the other foot of course, and Ben began to rapidly build his English vocabulary. He quickly learned the name of everyone in the house, picked up his ABCs, and figured out the names of some of his favorite foods all within the first few days.,

But still, were were speaking like cavemen for the first couple of weeks. By his third week here, Ben was beginning to string together phrases ("Baba drives the car," "Sam and Buddy go 'arf'"), but still pretty basic. After a month or so he was using his American name almost exclusively and his pronunciation was beginning to improve.¹

During the past couple of weeks (perhaps this can be attributed to the beginning of his preschool attendance) he seems to be picking up something new everyday. Last week he began telling us all of the things he likes, food, toys, tv shows, whatever; "I like this one!" he'll say. He'll turn your words around on you, too. Lately he's been telling us, "Don't yell at me."

Big and small, long and short, loud and quiet, fast and slow have all been getting a lot of play as well. If you ask him, he'll tell you how Sam's tail moves fast, while Buddy's tail moves sloooow.

Posted by ksmoker at 11:25 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Hey, have we mentioned that Ben likes to eat? Of course he does. He'll try almost anything. Spicy food of any kind is right out, but eggs, cereal, fruits, most meats (including fish), some vegetables (yes, that's spinach he's eating with Kari), and ice cream. All of the major food groups. His "comfort" food of choice seems to be noodles (pasta, rice noodles, chicken noodle soup, etc.). While rice is the staple of Southern China, noodles are big in the North where he's from.

 

And oh yeah, he flipped out the day last week that some kid showed up at our front door with a cardboard box containing a pizza. He loves pizza. Since that magical day, he's been playing "pizza guy," a game where he knocks on the door and hands you an invisible pizza in exchange for real money (a nickel or so usually works).

See? In addition to our language and culture, he's picking up the whole capitalism thing, too.

Posted by ksmoker at 10:25 PM | Permalink | Comments (5)

Ben and I spent a fun couple of hours this afternoon, having accepted Benjamin Sneider's gracious invitation to his birthday party which was held at the Rochester Museum & Science Center.

Ben had a great time, but at one point I was a little worried about how well he was able to connect with the other 4-yr-olds in attendance. Then I noticed that most of the other kids were also playing in their own little worlds. Must be a 4-yr-old thing, I guess. And Ben had no problem chiming in with the Happy Birthday song, although it beats me where he learned how to sing it. The only disappointment from the afternoon was that I forgot to bring my camera.

So then, we returned home and watched Animal Planet for a little while in order to unwind before bedtime. I was checking out basketball scores online, so I didn't really pay attention to what Ben was watching. At one point I realized that it was one of the "Animal Cops" shows and that they were showing an ASPCA crew removing a dozen-odd cats from an elderly person's residence. After watching the tearful cat owner describe how well she had learned her lesson w/r/t spaying and neutering, I turned to Ben and saw tears in his eyes.

I explained to him how the lady was sad that her cats were going bye-bye and then soon I was able to show him the happy cats that were playing with their new owners. I have no idea how much he understood, but it's clear that he was empathizing with the old lady. His face is so expressive. I've seen just about every other emotion in it. I think this is the first time I've seen this kind of sadness. It almost broke my heart.

Posted by ksmoker at 9:30 PM | Permalink | Comments (3)

Not that this winter has been all that cold, but this weekend Rochester is getting its first big warm spell in some time. We, however, headed south to some really warm weather and a visit with Kari's parents in North Carolina.

One of the things that amazes us is how quickly Ben learns who his people are. After an intial bashful period, he really warms up to them. This was true with me, Kari, my parents, his cousins, our friends, and now Kari's parents (the smudges on his cheeks below are from somebody's lipstick).

Obviously, he also likes animals of all sizes.

Posted by ksmoker at 4:16 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

It's been a while since I posted Ben pix. That's partly because we are so incapacitated by Ben's cuteness, that we often forget all about the camera.

So last weekend we made a special effort with the camera when we took a trip to the Grandparents' and introduced Ben to some of his extended family. The Ben parade continues to be a hit. As you can tell from the pictures below, he had a blast playing with his cousins. The language barrier was no issue, as there is apparently a universal sign language for vital communications such as "give me that 2x4 dark blue lego piece."

So but now in the past week, Ben's family has grown. He was all excited this morning to see the pictures of his new baby cousin Jacob Levi Smoker. Congratulations to Julie, Ted, Abby, and Jacob!

Posted by ksmoker at 2:29 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

We're still trying to settle on a bedtime routine for Ben (and for us!), but we think we're heading in the right direction: for two nights running, at 7:30 he's told us himself that he's ready for bed.

Posted by ksmoker at 9:21 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)

Useless trivia that only the parents of a toddler would know:

The color of Play-Doh when all of the original colors get mixed together.

Posted by ksmoker at 8:41 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)