Big Brother Ben (week 206)

By Monday night of last week, Jet Blue canceled all of their flights from JFK. We were grounded because of the storm and didn't make it out of Long Island for another three days. Mama missed her trip to Monterey; Chris and I missed our trip to the grandparent's house. In the end, we got to spend a few extra days with Dubby--drawing, playing in the snow, trying to keep Chris from climbing the stairs--but definitely got stir crazy because it was so cold outside and we are not used to being trapped indoors for too long.

The flight home was a nightmare--again--because (as we later found out), Chris had a double ear infection and was super uncomfortable. He didn't sleep again and squirmed all over the plane. It was a long day and night for everyone, but when we got home there was no one more excited than Christopher to see his toys, his room, and his friend Erica. When he got to the house, he went straight into his room laughing all the way and played with every toy on the shelf. It was like watching a reunion after decades of separation. Perhaps, he thought that we weren't coming back.

Dada got back from his conference later on Friday so we didn't get to see him until Saturday morning. It was like a dream come true when he walked into our room. Christopher was in a daze, and I told Dada that I missed him for a long time. We have never been apart for more than a week so it was really different. We are lucky because we get to spend so much time with our parents and see them every day.

This week we also started T-Ball. Although our team name is the Dodgers, it is pretty neat to walk down to Heartwell Park and practice with the team. There are about 10 kids on the team. We did throwing, catching, running, and hitting drills at our first practice and our coach is Jeff Huber (Nathan's dad). Dada also helps out with the drills, and after practice we played for another hour on the big field with the grassy infield. I cried when practice was over, partly because I didn't want to stop playing and partly because I was exhausted. Christopher was upset because he had to watch the entire practice from his stroller--he kept trying to run onto the field otherwise.

Of course, Sunday we had the big Superbowl Party. Everyone came over and watched the game in the backyard on the new tv. It worked well because there were about 8 kids running around as well and we were able to stay outside while the parents ate, watched the game, and told jokes. In the end, it was an exciting game and everyone was happy. Dada was especially happy that Green Bay won because all year people had made fun of the NFC North (the division where the Vikings play), and he was happy that and NFC North team won the Superbowl, and the NFC Championship Game was between two teams (Chicago and Green Bay). It is a weird thing but it was a fun party.