Benny's 9th Birthday!!

Benjamin had the BEST birthday! It was more like a Birthweekend.

His birthday was on a Monday, which was also a holiday, so I took him out to lunch on Friday. We went to the kids' new favorite place, Chuck-A-Rama, then we went to the Museum of Natural Curiosity. The pictures are out of order, but I'll figure this out...eventually! Those pictures are down lower. :)

Ben totally beat me at Othello! Like, bad!!! He's a smarty pants. I love to see the way he thinks. He was telling me his thought process for how he beat me, and I was totally lost. Whatever he did, it worked.

Such a sweetheart!

Ben is fearless! I watched him do the High Ropes Course at the museum and I thought, "How fun! I want to do it. That looks pretty easy." So, we went again on Monday, and it was pretty much the scariest thing ever. It wasn't easy (at least for me) Ben had just made it LOOK easy. He was helping me, when he wasn't trying to scare me, while he was practically running around 100 feet in the air. Sure, you're all harnessed and everything, but for some people (like me, and almost all other members of our family) that simply doesn't matter. It's plain old scary. I love to see him do scary things, and then giggle at us when we're completely freaked out. He's my hero!

Here is one of my favorite Ben pictures. He LOVES to play the piano. He is absolutely amazing!! He picks up songs so easily and memorizes them in a day. He is also able to think about music in a completely different way and it just clicks with him. He's also a goof ball, and I love it. He didn't even plan this or ask me to take his picture. I just came downstairs and found him like this. :)
We love Ben so much! He has such a tender heart. He works so hard! Every single day he has more homework than all his brothers combined. He is in Chinese Immersion and he is doing great, but it is so much work. But, he does it everyday, starting before everyone, and ending after everyone has been done for a long time. I'll tell him to take a break and play, but he just wants to get it done and forget about it. I could really learn a thing or two from this kid, and I hope I have.
He is the best sleeper. Every night, after I tuck him in, he always says, "Good night, Mom. I love you." And he closes his eyes and is out for the night. Angel boy!
Ben has the sweetest, cutest laugh ever. It's this bubbly little giggle that makes us all laugh. But, if it's not a giggle, it's this old man silent burst of laughter that is equally adorable. (I hope he doesn't mind me calling him cute and adorable, but it's true!)
Last night, he earned his Wolf in scouts. Well, he earned it in December, but he got it last night. He is doing so great and we are so proud of him!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, BENNY!