happy smiles

A lot of Ben's photos... he's smiling and happy.
Though he has his cranky days (when teeth are coming in and such) ...he is a smiling, happy kid!!

In a somewhat impulsive, adrenaline driven decision I decided that I was going to do a mt. bike race this past Saturday. This, while Jared was in Omaha at a taekwondo tournament.

QUIZ TIME!
SO how does one race while hanging out with a soon-to-be 11month old?

A: ...tie him up to a tree?

B: wear him in a backpack?

C: Leave him home for Luda to take care of?

D: Call a uke playing, Omaha residing, hoola-hooping, poofy haird lady friend?

If you guess D, then you win the ultimate pleasure of watching this Fantastic Aly Peeler uke video ...I picked this one because it is a Ludacris cover (and remember...our dog is named Ludacris...). Aly, I'm waiting for you to do a cover of "ho."

The chances of one Aly being free on a Saturday afternoon before her b-day I knew were slim, but I could have kissed that girl when she said "oh ma god i would love to!!!!!"

Jared and I packed our goods for our competitions Friday evening so we were totally ready and Saturday morning, Jared left at 5:30am to get to campus and leave with the University tkd folks. I slept in an extra bit (like 20 minutes...ugh) and prepped Benjamin for our own little journey into... Omaha Nebraska (at least we didn't have to drive Through NE...eeesh).

And it all worked out!!!

Aly's friend Aaron came too and he brought his dog, Madison (or Maddie) who had balloons growing out of her collar for Aly's b-day. Benjamin liked that.

And there were swings at the park

And Ben does this lip thing that we don't know where he got it from but... it has become a rather prevalent facial expression. I like it!

On each lap of the race that I would come around... Aly would point me out to Benjamin and he would start clapping and getting all excited. It is a relieving site to see a cheering section following each lap of brutal winding, climbing, tree-dodging, log-hopping trails!

And the whole time... Aly said Ben never even cried.

Later on while waiting for times to post... he pushed/walked his little car thing alll around the picinic shelter saying "hi" to anyone and everyone who had feet that could be run over. Eventually I handed Benjamin off to Julie

(Julie is that one... and that picture is from the race the weekend before and I say that "people you lose sprints to have to hold your child for you at the next race...")

so I could go move the car closer. Again without fussing - Benjamin dozed off right in her arms!

I mean... I'm not sure how rotten and awful he might be during daycare - hopefully he isn't, we Love our daycare people... we'd hate for them to have to deal with a rotten benjamin!! But as far as being in a car for 3 hours, then at a strange park outside with strangers almost all day... followed by another 3 hour car ride. This kid hardly ever quit smiling!!

I think having a smiling, happy kid and our swarm of good friends willing to watch him (while we feed our addictions...) is a way better reward than a 1st place medal and a Trek gift card. ...But I'll keep both. haha.