My Guys

If this doesn't make you smile, what does?!

Bulls Game

I was invited to the Bulls game for work last night. The Bulls were playing Game 5 in the first round of the playoffs against the Indiana Pacers. My camera phone pictures didn't turn out great, but trust me that it was a very cool experience - especially since the Bulls won and are headed into round 2!

We had a great view from the company suite and dined on Chicago favorites like hot dogs, hot beef sandwiches, and Garrett's caramel corn.

Next up is Atlanta or Orlando in round 2!

"Haircut" #2

Photographic proof that Will's rat tail grew back after we cut it around Christmas time.

The rest of his hair is filling out but not getting too out of control, so we don't think he needs a trip to the barber yet. Instead, I used my sewing scissors to snip off the back and then trim around his ears a little bit.

It went really well, because we never sat down to focus on it. The tail got snipped while he was digging through the bathroom vanity. The hair around the ears was while he was sitting on my bed looking at a book. Guess we're set for another 6 months! :-)

A Boy and His Dog

It never gets old, so I just keep posting them: Rachel turned 10 years old on Easter Sunday. Wow!

Happy Easter!

We spent a lovely Easter at Ryan and Steve's place - complete with a fabulous brunch and an Easter basket filled with Will approved toys and goodies.

Luckily the weather turned out to be beautiful, so Will and I started our early day with a long walk. First, we loaded up the jogging stroller and took Rachel with us. We walked (got pulled) instead of jogged, but we had to take the stroller that can be controlled with one hand. Then, we dropped off Rachel and took the wagon for another walk/push/ride.

This picture is of Will before he decided to get out and push. All of the Easter pictures are on Ryan's camera, so we'll have to post those later. We got several good ones of everyone snoring on the couch while Will exhausted his stickers supply!

Soup!

Sometimes Will can be a finicky eater, but never when it comes to soup! This is a bowl of Campbell's butternut squash soup. He will eat the entire carton of it, which supposedly serves 2 1/2. He also loves Panera broccoli cheddar soup.

Although he is wearing the same shirt as he is today, this picture is from a week ago. Tonight for dinner he just had some yogurt and a little mac 'n cheese. We had a late lunch after our trip to the pool. It was a barbecue place called Austin BBQ that was pretty good; we'll definitely have to go back.

We usually swim on Sundays but the gym is closed tomorrow for Easter. So, we went today when we thought the slide would be open. It was, but unfortunately, kids can't go down on parents' laps, and the minimum size to ride alone is 48 inches (an 8 year old, maybe?!). But, Will was a riot playing with everything else and we all wore ourselves out.

Easter Egg Hunt

We joined our neighbors as we all came out of our caves from our LONG winter hibernation for the subdivision Easter egg hunt this morning. Must to our surprise (and great pleasure) it was a beautiful day! Will got the hang of the egg pick-up right away; they had a practice hunt at daycare on Thursday.

Here he seems to be saying, "What do you mean I can only pick up 12? I see way more than that!" Every child that was going to participate had to drop off 12 filled plastic eggs the week in advance, and, then, each was allowed to pick up only 12 on the hunt so everyone could get some. Some overly excited older kids picked up too many and then had to re-hide the extras (well, drop in plain sight for the little kids).

We walked home with another couple with a boy Will's age. They were kind enough to let us snoop through their house for home improvement ideas, since we have the same floor plan. We did a lot of neighboring today. Everyone was out for the first lawn mowing and dusting off strollers and bikes.

Tennis Any One?

I took most of this past week off from work now that the winter tax deadlines have passed. It was wonderful: I finished a book while drinking a latte at the coffee shop; I took naps; and I played tennis several times at my tennis club. Which means, of course, that my racquet was out for the little guy to request. We have tennis balls for Will and Rachel, but I thought it was better (in case he actually connected) to have him use his foam baseball.

As you can see, he is holding the racquet in his right hand. I still think he's a lefty like me, but I also play right handed. Probably another 18 months and he'll be ready for his own racquet and to start lessons with Mommy! :-)

Sunday Funday

What a fun-filled Sunday we had! After a rough (too early for Mommy) start, Will and I went to the gym pool for a swim. I was hoping he'd be ready for a great nap after lunch. Well, I missed the timing a little and he fell asleep in the car on the way home. And he pretty much thought that was enough nap for the day. . . . So, after several nap attempts, I decided a trip to Starbucks was in order! We loaded up the jogging stroller for a walk to our nearest Starbucks. It's about a 20 minute walk, so we got plenty of fresh air and I got to stretch my legs. Will had his favorite - vanilla milk - and a banana while I had my latte. We enjoyed our snack at the store. On the walk home, we stopped by a little pond and fed ducks with bread we brought from home. When we started there was one pair; by the time we left there were 7 or 8 pair clammering around for our crumbs. Our three or four slices of bread went a long way! We still had some time to kill before Jason's flight got home, so we stopped by the school to play on the playground. It was great fun, too, of course! Will walked home from the playground instead of riding in the stroller. Just as we turned onto our street, the taxi was pulling into our driveway! Perfectly timed! Will showed off for Jason by running in circles and shooting baskets in his basketball goal.

"2's Room" Assessment

Will has received his "moving assessment" after his first month in his new daycare room. He went from the Toddlers room to the 2's room and is doing well. Here are some of the notes from his teacher, Ms. Nanda:

• Observations: William is having a great time in the 2's room. He loves to play in each center, especially with cars and trucks. Will loves to go up on the Bus slide, moving around each center and playing with different toys. He is good with our schedule, always cooperates well for time to eat and sit down for circle times. Will knows 2-3 colors and is learning more colors, shapes and alphabets fast. Will always plays with all his friends and is usually nice to be friends but sometimes he has a hard time sharing. we are working on that, sharing toys, nice touches, etc. Will also loves to play outside and in the large motor room with balls and big cars. We are happy to have Will in the class.


• Goals: Sharing toys with friends. Using manners by saying "please" and "thank you."

He got this assessment about 10 days ago, and he's been doing very well recently with his thank yous. I agree with the above assessment; it's definitely the same good and bad behavior we see at home. Will is usually very sweet and funny, but he also has a very stubborn streak. When he gets mad, he puts on a very stern face and gets quiet. He'll push you away and maybe bat a hand at you or pinch if you're close. This is different from his mad crying or a tantrum on the floor. So many opportunities for all of us to learn! :-)

Weeeeee! Busy Season is Almost Over!

Will and I celebrated beautiful weather and me having a day off work by going to the park! We were a little overdressed for the beautiful weather, but he didn't want to take his jacket off. This particular park (because we live by several) is next to soccer fields, which of course were full on a Saturday morning. Several families had their dogs along, so he enjoyed pointing out "puppy" to me several times. We enjoyed playing in the sand and lots of trips down the slide. Daddy either taught him - or just encourages him - to see "weeeeeeeeee!" when he goes down the slide, which is adorable. The hat helped protect his scalp, but after several trips outside today, I noticed a little pink on his nose and cheeks. Tomorrow we bust out the suncreen.

Hello Friday!

Buffalo Wild Wings

It only took 22 months and 4 days for Will's daddy to take him to Buffalo Wild Wings for the first time. But, now that Will has an affinity for sports and chicken tenders dipped in ranch dressing, I'll bet this will be a regular for them. I'm surprised they hadn't gone before last night. We ended up meeting there when I got home from work. It was a nice time. Will likes spicy foods, so he was very interested in Jason's wing with Wild sauce and the Medium sauce I got with my chicken tenders. He did fine with the Medium, but even I couldn't handle the Wild. We let him have a tiny bit on a french fry to convince him he didn't want it. He chased it with a fry drenched in ranch.

Smiles for Spring

{Post-script: this precious boy told his Mommy "uv you" tonight when I put him down for bed. I uv you too, buddy!}