The story of PRINCE BEN

This blog entry is a SECRET, if you tell Zoe that I wrote it, I will deny it! Someday soon she will laugh and enjoy this blog entry, but this is not that day---sooooo shhh!! There is a story that has been writing itself for 4 years in our house. Saturday night a big satisfying piece of the story was written. You see when Zoe was just 3 years old I took her and her siblings to the grade school to be babysat by a group of school kids who were raising money to go to Europe in a couple of years. In that group of young teenagers was a boy named Ben Singer, he was 14ish at the time. Ben helped Zoe build a puzzle, got her snacks, watched a princess movie and so on. There were many kids babysitting and their parents were also there to help, and many kids being babysat, but Zoe saw only one other person, BEN. From that day on when she would put on her dress ups she would be getting ready to go to the ball with Ben. When she would talk on her play phones she was talking to Ben. When they played house she was married to Ben. Every stray cat found and lost was named Ben. Then about a month ago at a basketball game Ben asked Zoe to be his escort for the Mr. Senior program. (Think of Mr. Senior as a fun / joke Jr. Miss that the boys do to raise money for the senior class.) In the "Formal Presence and Composure" part of the evening the boys pick little girls to walk around the stage with them and for the AHHHH cute factor. Zoe has been entertaining butterflies in her tummy ever since. A common phrase out of her mouth the past month has been "When I am Ben's escort.....". Thursday night Zoe was sick all night long (really sick, not nerves) and I told her she might have to miss dress rehearsal with Ben. Yeah right, she was going, if she had to have me arrested so be it, she was going. She slept most of Friday and by Friday night was ready to practice. Sierra had been drafted to walk with another boy so I took them both to the dress rehearsal. Ben is contestant number 1 so he and Zoe met in the middle of the stage he grabbed her hand walked her to the front of the stage, knelt down and kissed the back of her hand, and sent her off stage while he went to answer his question. Zoe went off stage and started bawling. I know she was all a flutter from the kiss on the hand! I had to bribe her to go back for their second walk across the stage. To be fair to poor lovesick Zoe, when I got her home and took her temp, it was 102--it could account for some of her behavior, I suppose. The next day she told me eighteen times, at least, which hand Ben had kissed. We went to Moses Lake and Sierra and Zoe got their nails painted. While I was doing hair and getting them ready Zoe explained to Carter that "Ben was the one with the long black eyelashes"!! I should get awards for not laughing out loud these past two days. After the program Ben gave Zoe 2 roses and a stuffed horse, which she named......Ben! She tells us every night that she is always going to sleep with Ben forever, and we keep straight faces and say "I'm glad you like the toy that Ben gave you, it was so nice of him", and walk out of the room to crack up. We are reminded many times a day how Ben was the best dancer, the best physical fitness, the best talent, the best, the best, the best. Here are the photos and video of the girls and their seniors. And remember, when you see him around, It's Prince Ben, or Sir, not just Ben!