WEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!

This pic has been my phone wallpaper for the past month. I love it. We pass things every day that have become commonplace or no longer excite the adult in us, like carousels.

If I hopped and rode the carousel by myself, it wouldn't be very much fun. And it would look super creepy. But riding with Benjamin and seeing him look around at all of the horses and mirrors like he had just stepped through the looking glass - man, it was an awesome $2 investment. Then another $2, and another.

That's what this picture means to me, a child's sense of wonder and joy when they're experiencing something for the first, or twelfth time.

DA BEARS!

I moved around a lot as a kid, so I never really had a team that was "my team." I have always had a soft spot in my heart for the Chicago Bears thanks to Walter Payton being an exemplary human being, The Fridge being huge, and the Super Bowl Shuffle being my first rap single.

Emily's family are serious Bears fans, like being in a foul mood the Monday after a loss. This shirt was a gift from them trying, no doubt enlisting their latest recruit. Benjamin and I were watching the NFC Divisional Playoffs and I noticed that he was making the "Touchdown!" arm signal each time they scored.

So I sat in front of him for the next quarter waiting for da' Bears to score again. They did, Benjamin made the call, I snapped the pic. Touchdown.

Christmas 2010

Now this is the reaction every parent hopes to get with each toy their child opens - pure unadulterated joy. Thankfully Benjamin is a pretty excitable little boy, or he is fantastic at faking it.

When he opened up Toy Story 3, there's a chance the guys at Pixar in California heard his squeal. Wide-eyed, mouth open, "Mommy-Daddy-Doy-Storie-Free!!"

The runner's up gift - "Butz Aightyear FashAight!!"

Christmas 1950

Every old Christmas movie has a scene where the kids are pressed up against the glass of a toy store window, just trying to get a better look at a train set or a rocking horse.

My assumption is that if it's in the movies, that's what little kids really did back in the 50's. No video games, no brats guilting parents into buying something - just kids marveling at the wonder of a new toy.

That's what this picture reminds me of, a simpler time. Benjamin was so quaint and gentle looking at this little Christmas village display. He was peering at the little people and wondering what each one was doing. It also helps that we was wearing long sleeve shirt/sweater combo and a festive holiday necktie. Don't judge me.

Geez, what year is it?!

The good news is that I've been trying my best to live life. The bad news is that keeping up with a blog clearly isn't on other people's list of "Things Dale Should Be Doing". Alas, I have the best intentions, so there is no time like the present to try and get back into the swing of things.

This will be more of an update via pictures over the course of multiple postings. Numerically it will really feel like you're getting some serious bang for your buck. A great value in this economy.

Enjoy the pics and I make a pledge to the 3 of you still keeping up with this I will try and make up for lost time. Or at the very least do a bi-weekly entry.

I love this picture. If I didn't take it I would swear it is a fake staged moment in a J. Crew catalog for sensible wool scarves.

Benjamin loves picking leaves. We always take them home and then they are forgotten, but until that time Benjamin feels like a rich botanist collecting different treasures.

This one goes in my digital and mental scrapbook marking a lovely autumnal afternoon.