Beni was given full control of the theme this year; we handed him our annual catalog from Birthday Express, and while I thought it would be a toss up between Thomas the Train and Yo Gabba Gabba, Beni has yet again reminded us that very few things in this world top his beloved Yo Gabba Gabba. So, there you have it... DJ Lance, Brobee, Muno, Foofa, Toodee, and Plex, you've got one very avid fan in our little boy!
We have decided on the Melissa & Doug Deluxe Easel set for this year's present. His love of drawing and crafts has grown so much in the last few months that I can't think of anything more appropriate. Since mid May, he has been asking to "draw, pease!" at least every other day. :)
Our big boy continues to grow and his latest skills include: A-Z letter recognition AND pronunciation (HUGE development from last month!!), feeding our dog, Cookie, vacuuming (efficiently now, hahha), and dressing himself... or shall I say, attempting to dress himself. ;-) Obviously the biggest development is the fact that he's taken one huge leap in the direction of reading, identifying letters. Last month we picked up LeapFrog's "Letter Factory" DVD and fortunately he's really taken to it. I'm actually amazed how fast he has learned, watching the DVD only a few times a week, in additional to lessons with Mommy and Daddy. :) Now, anytime he sees letters, he proudly announces, individually, the letter and it's sound (i.e. A! Ahhh... B! Buh, buh, buh...) When he sees a "C", he always announces it as "C! Cuh-cuh-cold!" and shudders like he is, in fact, cold. Little nut! The one letter he sometimes struggles to pronounce is "V", but he gives an honest attempt that usually comes out like "bvuh," which is almost equally as adorable as his enactment of cold.He doesn't seem to have gotten any taller this month, as he's still a little over 33" tall, but he has put on an additional 2lbs. My guess? It's all in his gut and his butt, that little chunky monkey! He's also finally grown a full head of hair for the first time ever, and I think he's actually due for a second haircut, say it isn't so!
As far as his hobbies of the month... even with the 109 degree weather we've had lately, Beni always wants to "go ousiiiiiide!" Be it playing in his clubhouse, swinging, splashing around in his pool, going to the park or the beach, it's pretty much the topic of the day, every day, in fact, every hour. It has been quite an exhausting Summer so far, albeit one filled with some unforgettable moments. Next month Beni will start swimming lessons with his friend, Landis, which I imagine will be a huge hit for our little fish out of water. Can't wait!
Father's Day was this last Sunday and Beni made his wonderful Daddy a photobook filled with twenty-nine pages of beautiful moments from birth to present between the two of them. He may have had a little help from Mommy throughout this "process." ;-) Beni even managed to slip out a few "Happy Dada Day" blessings when we woke up. That, followed by Tijuana Flats for lunch, and Mommy-cooked avocado, cilantro brushetta and cilantro, lime, chicken for dinner, (yum!) I'd like to think to that Angelo had quite an enjoyable day, all in all. :)
We close on the new house in less than two weeks and move in shortly after... here's to a new chapter in our lives quickly approaching! At this point, we are just about filled to the brim with anticipation. (Did I mention we'll have a park less than a mile away, on our street no less!? Beni, my love, you are in for some incredibly fun times ahead!)
