Bini Bytes

Bini is wonderfully two.  He's got a big personality and we so appreciate the laughter he brings into our days. He's a talkative little guy and people are always commenting on how clearly he speaks, I don't know if he necessarily speaks more that most kids his age or if he's just so much bolder (and louder) than most and will speak around strangers.
"I'm Biniyam, I'm clever" was said to a man in the park this week and "how's it going, I'm 5" was to the man in the car next to us at a red light. Yep, he's claiming to be 5 these days and he's no longer "beebum" which makes me a teensy bit sad.

His intonation can make even his most simple question amusing "can I have soME? his voice goes way up at the end of questions.

"I'm a beautiful Panda!" He tells us this all the time, and if he's feeling terribly two it's followed by his angriest "OKAY!?" to which the only proper response is "Yes Biniyam, it is quite obvious that you are a beautiful panda!"

"Can I drive?" he asks me this so often that I just have to admire his optimistic persistence.  And of course I can't let him drive or I'd miss the moments in my day that brings me so much delight- when I catch him playing air guitar in the rare view mirror.  Eyes closed, tongue out, left arm high in the air - dude, my boy rocks that air guitar!

And I just love the car conversations

"Ella, Ella, are you a Rhino?"
"No Biniyam I am not a Rhino"

"Ella, Ella, are you a Giraffe?"
"No Bini, I"m not it Giraffe"

"Ella, Ella, are you a dinosaur?"
"No Bini, I am not a dinosaur."

"Ella, Ella are you a bumblebee?"
"No Bini, I'm not a bumblebee?"

......Ella was exasperated, I was amused.

And he's picking out letters everywhere now "Momia, I see an H, h says hhh."
 He's dubbed me "momia" now, I feel so fancy.
 (and he's learned his letters not from his momia but from watching Leapfrogs talking letter factory)

 Bini's most famous line right now, know and mimicked by our friends, is what he yells whenever he falls or bumps into something, after he coughs, sometimes through tears and often for no apparent reason at all, is "I'm Okay!"

His cheerful "good morning!" is used as his greeting throughout the day.

And he says an exuberant "yum, yum, I'll have some!" whenever food is offered.

When given an open banana in the peel he gets so excited "like a big boy!"

He's begun singing "God is so good" but mimicking Mekdes's accent "God is so gooood" and every once and a while he'll throw out an Amharic word

He's told me twice when he needs to use the potty and then actually used it.

Those times this was his conversation as i sat on the floor near him waiting.

"Mommy, mommy close your eyes"

"no peeking"

"no peeking mommy!"

"no looking"

"no looking mommy!"(repeat these lines for about 10 minutes)

I sat with my eyes closed until I heard the sound of success.

Here he is calling his grandmas to brag about being a big boy

 and with Dad cheering on the Bruins

Spring in the NW means slugs everywhere, and Bini gets excited about each one! "I see a slug!" "Can I hold it, can I touch it!"  Slug slime is not easy to scrub off little hands!  I prefer worms and snails.  Bini and Mekdes gathered 7 snails one rainy afternoon and have kept them on the deck for the past few weeks.  Bini loves playing with them!

 The snail is driving Bini's truck.

 One evening the kids were playing in the girls room and Bini began crying so loudly that I thought he was hurt,  I raced to him only to find this....

 Bini all dressed up.  I began laughing, scooped him up, and brought him to the living room where everyone burst into laughter.  Once Bini realized he was getting laughs he raised his hands in the air "I look great!" And now he's agreeable to being their "live doll"

at least for a few minutes before he removes the tiara and wields it around like a sword.