Will's World

Will, who turns 20 months today, tinkled in the potty twice last night. What a big boy! First, he asks us to put water in his potty, just like in the big potty. Then he sits down and you can tell he is concentrating with all his might to make his "water" come out in the potty too!! Right now, it's just a fun game, but what a huge step!

He's also obsessed with bugs. If he sees one or anything that looks like one (i.e., dirt, rock, mommy's freckles), he points at them yelling "buh, buh" until we do something about it. It completely distracts him from eating and playing. He will even go and grab a napkin or a kleenex for you to get it. Once you get the "bug" you have to open up the tissue to show it to him so he knows you really got it and you aren't just trying to pull one over on him. Smart kid!

Abbyism of the Week:

Last week I drove the kids to Houston to visit with my sister and her family for a few days. As we drove into Houston, (I think it was on 288 south of the Sam Houston tollway, but I'm not sure), we passed by these huge busts of former presidents . . .

Abby: Mommy, are those presidents?

Emily (absolutely astonished): Yes they are, how did you know that?

Abby: Well, I saw Abraham Lincoln and knew he was a president, so I just figured the others were too.

Emily: Did you recognize Abraham Lincoln from the statue at Papa's house (they have a large bust in their living room)?

Abby: No, from my Opus book.

Emily (jaw dropping): Of course!

In case you are interested, the one she is referring to is Goodnight Opus by Berkeley Breathed.

Strawberry Fields

The weekend after Disney, we took the kids to Marble Falls to pick strawberries. They loved it! Especially eating them right out of the box. 

They also had horses, donkeys, goats, and chickens for the kids to pet and feed. It was super fun. We enjoyed fresh strawberry popsicles, ice cream, and a smoothie. Plus we came home with about 9 pounds to eat, share, and freeze. And that only lasted us a couple weeks!! Yum!

Abbyism of the Week:

Last week, Abby asked me how God knows when a mommy is ready to have a baby in her tummy. The question floored me. I didn't really know how to respond. I think I came up with something like when a mommy and daddy are ready to love, take care of, and teach a child to grow into a happy adult. Too bad that's not the case for all children born into this world.

Disney World -- At last!

I've been working up to this blog for a while, trying to summarize the first half of the year and my current musings simultaneously over the last several weeks. It's been a little discombobulated, but alas, so is life. :)

We went to Disney World in April with my parents. I definitely recommend the 2:1 adult to child ratio for anyone planning a trip there! We were there for 4 fun-filled days, including a lunch date with all the princesses! Abby loved it, but somehow Will was determined not to look at them. We have several pics of him looking intently at the floor while posing with princesses, plus video of all the background antics we tried to do to get him to look up! I guess it's good he's not ogling the women just yet. It'll come soon enough! Instead, he loved the water fountains spread across the park where kids could run and play. There were a few times he ended up soaked to the bone, but he didn't seem to mind.

The one major inconvenience while we were there was getting stuck on The Pirates of the Caribbean ride. We were stuck inside the boat for over an hour because one of the water pumps broke. But really, it was dark and quiet, and we were sitting down (and Will slept through the whole ordeal!!), so it wasn't that bad. And he might not have gotten a good nap that day otherwise. Of course, the same song of the pirates got a little old after an hour, but oh well.

Abby was a champ. She was so patient and easygoing. A lot better than a couple of the adults in boats on either side of us who started yelling at the ride operators, who were trying to get us out safely, for inconveniencing them. And one woman had an all out fighting match with her 10 year-old daughter about whether to leave before the crew members had given the okay. The girl was being the mature one to stay put and follow directions while the mom went ballistic. Boy, are they going to have issues in a few years. 

Once we finally got out, we were directed through the bowels of backstage Disney back to the park. You'd never believe all the stuff behind the scenes. And how do they hide it so well??? Anyway, we made it back to the park and enjoyed the rest of our trip with our sanity intact, which is more than can be said for some of the trapped guests!

All in all, the trip was great and the kids were great. We were all pretty tired when we got back, but we've recovered. Abby's already asking if we can go back for her birthday (in July!!). I said MAYBE we'll go back when Will is her age. It's not an every year kind of trip if you know what I mean!

Will's World

Will's world, Will's world . . .  party on . . . excellent. Okay, I'll stop reliving high school. Since I have a regular column about Abby, it's only fitting that I start one for Will too. He's all over the place these days. He loves dancing and running. I counted up his words the other day (yes, I have other things to do), and he has over 75!! He's become quite a cute little kid. His favorite book is about trucks and I can keep him awake in the car by yelling "truck" or "bus" periodically because he'll sit up to look out the window to see it. Wonder how much longer that will last.

He has this Playskool bus and a Little People dump truck. You remember those, right? They are perfect sized for toddlers. Not too small, but not huge either. His latest thing is that he actually opens the door on the school bus and tries to put his foot inside. He gets very frustrated that he won't fit, but it cracks me up! He's also tried in his dump truck and in the trucks on the pages of his book! What a hoot.

Oh, another new trend--sticking his hand down the back of his diaper. More and more often, he's doing it when he's dirty. Guess that means he's becoming aware of his toileting needs. Great! The other day, I heard him wake up from his nap saying "dahper dahper." I went in to find that he had pooh on his hands. Luckily none got on the sheets or the wall! Oh, life with a toddler is interesting!