Glorious 80 degrees!

Right now it's 80 degrees in Wilmington, and it feels fantastic. Benjamin and I took Ladybird for a nice, long walk this morning, and I have the porch windows open. I think this weather is supposed to stick around for a couple of days. Hallelujah!

I can't believe September is here already. Summer is always so busy for us because of house guests (which we LOVE, by the way) but it's nice to slow down a little bit. Ben and I went to the beach on Friday, and it was empty except for toddlers and retirees. PERFECT! This is the time of year you want to be in Wilmington. All the tourists have gone home, and the older kids are in school. I saw a group of older people just sitting on the beach with their chairs in the circle, talking and watching the waves. How awesome. No kids to run after, no work responsibilities demanding your attention...nothing to do but dig your toes in the sand and enjoy the breeze. I can't wait for retirement!

Here's a transcript of a recent conversation between Joel and Benjamin:

Joel: Ben, what does a cow say?

Ben: MMMMMM!!

Joel: What does a dog say?

Ben: (sticks his tongue out a pants like a dog)

Joel: What does a Benjamin say?

Ben: DUCK

Ben's new word is "hello." He says it like a question, "ah-wo?" Every time he sees a phone he points and says "ah-wo? ah-wo?" I think it's the cutest. What's not particularly cute, however, is the fact that he's decided to attach himself to my leg on a permanent basis. This is a new thing. I alway hate it when people say, "oh, boys do this, girl do that" but I've heard that boys tend to be more clingy. Is this true? I've also had many other moms tell me that girls are more content to play by themselves, and can focus on activities for longer periods of time. I certainly was NOT like that, so I can't really attest to that observation. I will say that sometimes I just have to lie on the couch, close my eyes, and pretend like I don't hear all of the banging and crashing. Mr. B.'s new activity is piling all of his toys in a box or laundry basket, then driving that basket furiously down the hall. BANG! Sometimes he throws the whole thing down the stairs. CRASH! After he's exhausted that game, he likes to find something to climb. I'm afraid a trip to the emergency room might soon be in order. I've left the room for a minute, only to return and find him standing on the arm of the chair, standing on the back of the couch, sitting on top of the kitchen table and trying to put flowers in his mouth. We still have his push toy in the living room, and the other day he climbed on top of it and tried to stand up. On a push toy. With wheels. This boy is going to give me a heart attack!