The birthday boy

Today is my nephew Bennett's birthday. He's now 4 and lives just outside Milwaukee. I wish I could be there to celebrate with him. He is such a little character. He's the cutest thing you've ever seen, with blond hair (almost white) and striking blue eyes. No matter how naughty or sassy he gets he can always charm you out of being mad at him. After my Dad died a couple years ago we started having Bennett take over sitting at the head of the dining room table in my parents' house so that it wasn't so strange to have an empty seat at my Dad's place. That was actually quite fitting because in many ways Bennett reminds me of my Dad. Funny, smart, outspoken, the life of the party, friends with everyone, yet a quick-temper at times when not getting his way. Even their baby pictures look similar, especially the blond hair and the mischievous glint in their sparkling blue eyes. Here's a funny Bennett story. Last month while staying with his Grandma Sally he apparently caused the toilet to overflow (presumably by using almost a whole roll of toilet paper-- he's really into toilet paper these days). Grandma Sally walked into the bathroom to see what was wrong, and there was Bennett with an angry look on his face. He looked at his Grandma and said "This is going to be a goddamn problem!" Oh, Bennett, thank you for always making us laugh! Happy Birthday!

Here's Bennett with his older brother and sister at a restaurant in the Alsace during their Christmas visit to Basel.