Working Boy

Jason was gone most of the past week, and between the two of us we'll be gone for work most of August.  That means Will gets to accompany us for more errands around town.  Last week, I took Will to "Tennis Preschool" for the first time.  He usually only goes to the gym when we're swimming together, and he stays home for dinner with Daddy on tennis nights. It took him a few minutes to warm up to it, but he didn't want to leave when I came back at closing.   He has already asked if he gets to go with me this week.

Will also accompanied me to work this weekend.  We made a big adventure out of it by packing his briefcase (i.e. Thomas suitcase) and riding the train.  It's not at all efficient to ride the train on the weekends, but it sure is fun for little boys!  He worked so hard (watching cartoons on my computer) that he slept in my lap the entire train ride home.  The funniest part was all the groupies he got at the train station while we were waiting to ride downtown in the morning.  Three different little boys came up to admire his suitcase.  Will told them about it's features:  "That's Thomas.  This suitcase has wheels!"

We've also been working recently on getting Will to be more "regular."  We're not sure if he's holding it because it hurts, or if he's constipated due to his diet.  He's been getting Miralax in his water the past few weeks and things are moving better and softer.  We've been talking to him about how it's important to drink water (thank you Doc McStuffins for your Engine Number 9 dehydration episode) and to "get the poopy out."   

Happy Birthday to Me

We had another relaxing weekend that included celebrating my birthday!   Ryan baby-sat on Saturday night so Jason and I could go to a grown-up restaurant for dinner.  Hooray!  He stayed over and made us brunch on Sunday, too!

On Sunday afternoon, Will and I went to the Children's Museum and then had a snack and a short play session at the park.  We couldn't stay long because the sun came out and we didn't have hats or sunscreen. 

Nothing on the Calendar

What a glorious weekend we had. . . .because we had nothing that we had to do!  Saturday was our normal mix of farmer's market/train watching, which we followed up with the not very original trips to Starbucks and the Children's Museum.  That took us right up to lunch time, and we stayed within the same single square mile!  We got creative in the afternoon and cleaned the basement storage room.   Will also discovered his love for a new movie that we saved to the DVR (Tangled; it's a princess movie, but we're happy to not be watching Curious George for the 30th, 31st and 32nd times).   

The air station is one of Will's favorite.  He loves watching the balls float.

On Sunday we packed our breakfast and biked to the park for a picnic and play time.  Our afternoon was groceries and other errands and then more lounging around in front of Tangled on TV.  Sounds like an outstanding weekend to me!

Farm Trip

We made a quick trip to the farm this weekend to see Jason's parents.  It's only a 3 hour drive, but we hadn't been there in a year!   Now Will is the perfect age to enjoy all sorts of small town and farm fun!  When we got there on Friday night, Will read Jason and me "The Little Red Caboose" while we were unpacking our bags.  He knows the words to the entire book! 

Saturday was (hopefully) the last day of this horrible heat wave.  With the temperature over 100, we didn't play outside too long.  We borrowed the horses' pool for ourselves!  Buddy likes drinking from the water hose just as much as Rachel does.   

After a trip to the art store and the farmer's market, we went to Mr. Happy Burger for lunch.  This place was awesome!  It had burgers, hot dogs, a pizza and salad buffet AND an ice cream counter.   Oh, and I can't believe I forgot to mention the Coca-Cola knick-knacks on display and the trains circling the room.  Little boy heaven!

Back at the farm, Will watched the horses and donkey eat and then got distracted by Grandpa Ed's tractor and riding lawn mower.    He sat on each for a test drive.  The real fun came today, though, when Grandpa took him for a tractor drive! 

After a fun-filled and hot day, Will crashed after dinner (with a little help from Thomas video on Grandma's Kindle).  We let him sleep here for awhile so we could play Apples-to-Apples.  Such a fun weekend!

Weekend Getaway

We did a short roadtrip to the St. Louis suburbs on Friday and Saturday to pick up a new car for me.  It was a quick, but fun getaway.  Will did a great job on the drive Friday and was super excited about getting to swim at the hotel pool once we arrived.  After swimming, we got dressed and walked across the parking lot to a restaurant for dinner at a place called Brick House Tavern.  They had a very tasty deviled egg appetizer that had jalapeno and bacon as part of the filling.  After dinner, we all crashed for a mostly restful night.  As expected, Will wanted me to sleep with him.  He really needs to learn to sleep with his feet toward the bottom of the bed instead of sleeping sideways across the pillows, so I can get more sleep! 

Will finally had a reason besides a day trip to Mommy's office to pack up his Thomas suitcase!  The picture doesn't do justice to how adorable he was rolling it through the hotel.

Father's Day Fun

We had a fantastic Father's Day Family Fun Day. 

Will and I slept in while Jason went for an early round of golf.  Around noon we loaded up on our bikes with Will in the bike trailer to check out the newly completed trail linking our neighborhood to our city's downtown.

The halfway point is a park, so we stopped to rest (me) and swing really fast and really high (Will).  In the middle of our playtime Will told me he needed to use the bathroom.  Uh oh.  He hasn't had a single accident since we did our potty training weekend and he's been wearing underwear ever since.  Luckily the park is in a (somewhat) wooded area, so he got to go behind a tree for the first time!

After an hour at the park, we rode the rest of the way downtown and locked up our bikes near the Riverwalk.  We watched the ducks and ducklings then got lunch.   Thanks to a diverse kid's menu, we all got what we wanted:  beer battered fish tacos; grilled fish tacos; and mac and cheese.  I'll let you decide who ordered what!

The ride home was tough in the heat of the day (by now it was 2 p.m.) but we made it home.  I shouldn't exaggerate our efforts - it's only 3 1/2 miles from downtown to driveway - but it was hot!   My friend has been talking up a storefront downtown that sells egg-free (i.e. edible!) raw cookie dough, so that's got to be our next downtown bike designation!

Father's Day

This picture is everything that's right with the world - or at least my life.   Our little family of three enjoyed a lovely evening on the patio on Friday night.   After Jason finished mowing, he set up his iPad so he and his mini could watch golf.   I just love how Will (in his Thomas undies) moved my chair while I was inside cleaning up dinner so he could put his next to his daddy's.   I sure do love my two boys - and I love how much they love each other! 

And I want to wish my dad a very Happy Father's Day!  I'm lucky to have such a great dad!  And for the past 11 years, I've had a great father in law, too!  It's been so much fun to see these two guys with Will!

My Office

In case you're wondering where I spend my days, here it is!  Most of our U.S. offices have similar layouts and furnishings once they have been through a "rebuild" or "remodel" thanks to a national real estate team in charge of such things.   The Kansas City office was done before I left, but the DC office is just being completed.  I took this picture yesterday to send to my friends in DC so they would know what to expect of their new (smaller) offices!   It's cozy, but it's laid out well.  I highly recommend Mom Art to liven up the space!

Fun in the Sun

We had a very relaxing weekend.  Saturday included a trip to the farmer's market, planting a hanging basket, watching TV (Curious George) snuggled on the couch, and then hosting Ryan for a cookout.  This picture of us heading into the Farmer's Market isn't a great shot, but look how big Will is getting!

Our neighbor also got our shared garden planted on Friday and Saturday.  She got well developed plants since she was getting such a late start on the planting, so we already enjoyed basil in two recipes over the weekend and should have a few other things soon!

Sunday was our day to sleep in and then PLAY!  I got Will slathered in sunscreen and then put him in his swimming clothes and turned him out into the yard.  He and Ryan played for hours with the water hose, baby pool, and sandbox.  After a late lunch outside, I hosed the sand off of Will and he spent the rest of the afternoon on the couch watching George (again) and napping.    Ryan was gracious enough to watch Will (and George) while Jason and I ran a few errands.

We wrapped up the weekend with chips and salsa on the patio while we grilled a late dinner.  No one got to bed early, so no one got up on time today.   The big excitement for this next week is going to be transitioning Will from his Cars potty to the real toilet now that Jason installed the new seat last night.  Will has done a fantastic job with using the toilet:  no diapers (except at night - and they stay dry) and no accidents all week.  But, I think we're over cleaning out the little potty.