Los Hermanitos Simiskey

I would really, really (really!) love to have a little girl to pamper. There's just something about baby girls that is so pure and sweet and heavenly. That dream has obviously been deferred (though hopefully not permanently). But let me tell you, I totally adore having two boys. Seeing the brothers interact and watching them look out for each other is so fun. There are definitely plenty of times when they tussle over a toy or push each other's buttons. But man, if someone else picks on one of them or slights them in any way, the unaffected party instantly comes to the defense of the other. I love how they are constantly aware of the other and will protect each other as much as possible. They love being together and always comment to me about the cute or funny things the other is doing.


Here are a few brotherly pics...

Showing off the hats they made at preschool.

Getting ready for some swimming action. (I love how Beeju often has his pants about an inch and a half too high. He's gonna make a great grandpa someday.)

On one of our weekly "campouts" in the Great Indoors. We love our campouts and the pre-campout "explorations" around the house with our flashlights looking for wild animals. Apparently Papa was gone a little too long this night and lost his spot in the "tent."

Waiting for Mama to get home from her weekend getaway trip to New York back in February. They insisted on getting three sets of flowers instead of one, which I was happy to oblige on. Unfortunately, they didn't quite work the magic we were all hoping for. On a side note, 12 hours after this picture was taken, my office building had been seized by the FBI and I had been placed under a gag order. Ah, February. Not a great month for Papa Sausage. But a cute picture, right?

Getting to Know Peanut

Sammy is a happy boy. That pretty well sums up my little Peanut. He's had a smile on his face from the start. If you're ever having a bad day, you just need a little dose of this guy. He'll cheer you up instantly. Just the thought of him while I'm at work makes me smile ear to ear. Some day, when I grow up, I want to be just like him. I love him endlessly. Undoubtedly, it is souls like him who give us hope for the future.

He's also the most grateful person I know. He thanks me for everything - for saying "sure" when he asks for a drink, for getting him a drink, for taking his sippy when he's done, etc. I'll literally get a dozen "thank yous" an hour from him. And every one is totally and completely sincere. Even when he was super sick, exhaused and sprawled out on the tile floor a few weekends back, he just kept saying, "thank you, Daddy, thank you" every time he saw me cleaning up vomit or changing his clothes or laying next to him. Nothing makes Papa's heart melt like that little voice expressing his gratitude to me.

Say hi to my Nut. Captain of the grin and apple of my eye.

Getting to Know Beeju

For those of you who haven't been around Noah much, let me tell you something about him. He has the most incredibly tender heart. He may very well be the sweetest person I've ever known. (But then, one of the other "top 5 sweetest people" on my list is a convicted murderer, so maybe my judgment isn't the best, but that's not the point.) He also loves his Mama and Papa as much as any child in history. I simply cannot adequately express my love for that boy. I daydream about our time together all day and would go to the ends of the world to spare his tender heart from any pain. He is going to make one outstanding and caring daddy some day. I hope I can be half the man he's going to grow up to be.

One of my favorite things about him is that he loves to do exactly what I'm doing. For example, he insists that I wake him up when I'm getting ready for work, and it's time for breakfast. He'll be genuinely disappointed if I just let him sleep. Then, of course, he wants to eat whatever I'm eating - vitamins and all. If I eat standing up, he'll eat standing up right by my side. If I eat sitting down, he'll do the same in the chair next to me. When I stop to take a drink, he stops and takes a drink. You get the idea. Then, when we're done eating and I go to finish getting ready, he'll cozy up on the couch, and I'll put on one of his favorite shows for him. Here's a glimpse of Mini Me in all his cozy glory. Then a few other random shots of my favorite 4-year-old.

Say hi to my Beeju. Mister Silly and master of my universe.

Gulp...Here Goes Nothing

Yeah, so I know nothing about actually posting entries on a blog, managing the formatting, etc. But what the heck...I'm gonna let 'er rip. The only reason I'm doing this anyway is to post pictures and updates about my boys for those family and friends who are always asking me about them. And, for my benefit, I want to have a place to "journal" about them and keep track of pictures, etc.

To start, I'll go back in time a month or so to catch up on a few things. I'll probably do weekly updates after that.

If you're looking for updates about me, keep looking. I'll probably have very little to say about myself here. You can find me on Facebook, and I think that's enough Ben for one World Wide Web.

So if you're ready, it's away we go....but first, a quick shot of the protagonists. Might be the last you see of the author...