Big Brother Ben (week 160)

I have been doing a lot of work this week, cutting, gluing, and coloring with my new Crayola scissors, crayons, and markers. The most challenging thing about having a little brother is that it is hard to get any work done at the house. At school, everyone is focused on their work (at least when we are not at recess). At home, the moment I start cutting something--which takes great focus--the baby will start crying, mama will tell me to wash my hands, or dada will ask me to help outside with raking or mowing. It is really hard these days to find a few moments alone. It's amazing to me that I find time to even write this blog each week.

We also did a lot of work outside this week on the yard. Dada decided that he wanted to move one of the big palm trees from one side of the baseball field to the other side. So we dug a big hole in left field; dug-up the tree in center field; and neighbor Steve came over to help drag the tree to its new hole. While I couldn't help lift the big tree, I did help a lot with the digging. After, we both got our lawn mowers and cut the grass for the infield and the outfield. The most important thing is to cross-cut the lawn so it looks clean (like Angels Stadium); and, to rake it clean. We had an awesome game that night.

After a long day of playing baseball, or working with my paper and scissors, I spend as much time possible memorizing the lines from my newest favorite movie: the Sandlot. The story is about a new boy in the neighborhood who learns to play baseball and makes friends. It pretty much has everything I love: fireworks, baseball fields, and even a cool machine (erector set) in it. If you haven't seen it, is pretty much the best movie ever made. Christopher loves watching the movie with me, particularly in the morning before mama gets up on the weekends.

Project Little Brother (week 16). As you can see from the pictures, Christopher is becoming quite the little brother. At over 16.5 pounds, he is much bigger than I was at the same age...and he is strong! People say he is much more social--a smiler and a talker--than me, and he has never met a stranger that he didn't like. Christopher has been sick with a cough (like everyone else in the house), and had to go to the doctor to get medicine which he hates to take. He is a good little brother, and loves to sit in his new rotating chair to watch us play baseball.

Word of the Week
Work: usually involving scissors and paper, but can also involve markers and crayons. Work is difficult and takes focus. Usually done on the couch, Mama does lots of work on the computer and dada leaves the house all day to do his work (which doesn't make sense because there is plenty of glue and paper at home).