Lately...

Ever since Will has started as an Awesome Otter (his Pre-K class), he has been more interested than ever in drawing.  In school he drew a picture of his family - a first!!! - and I loved capturing how he was showing Mark who was who in the picture:

He got a paint book and was even very excited to paint a picture of himself.  It's a spitting image, I must say!

Last Saturday we went to Chester Fest, an annual event in the heart of Chester.  There were so many fun things we did...

We rode the shuttle from Thomas Dale, which wasn't a bus this year, but a TROLLEY!!!  Will felt just like one of his favorite characters, Daniel Tiger!

Soon after we arrived and got off the trolley, we saw fire trucks from the Enon Volunteer Fire Department.  They had hats for the kids and offered for them to sit inside of the truck.  Will loved it, as you can see!

A local church had an opportunity for kids to make sand art - how fun!

Petting zoo animals were available outside the Chester Library.  We liked seeing and petting llamas, goats, pigs, and a calf!

This week the focus in Will's class has been Firefighters.  Today they got to see a fire truck up close and were able to get in an ambulance - how awesome!  What's even MORE awesome is that we didn't know it was a day with real fire trucks, but the class was supposed to bring something RED for show and tell.  Will decided to bring the small fire truck that Santa brought to him a couple of years ago, and I picked out a fire engine shirt for him to wear.

At school his teachers and the firefighters talked about how and when to dial 911 for help, and that stuck with Will so much that it has been the topic of conversation all afternoon.  Mark took Will to the park after dinner, and he reenacted a scene at the park where Will "practiced" calling 911:

"Um...This is William fr-fr-fr-from Goddard School.  Um...We need your help.  Um... Umm...Taylor's leg fell off.... Is that understood?"

He definitely stayed calm under the pressure.  I guess that's a good sign.

Around the House

Things heard and seen around our house lately:

1.  Will has been enjoying singing some new songs lately.  He has learned "Jingle Bells," "Jesus Loves Me," "This Little Light of Mine," "Santa Claus is Coming to Town," "The B-i-b-l-e," and even a song that Daddy made up called "Tomato Soup."

2.  He has been wearing Daddy out with running, jumping, and treating him like a jungle gym.  He likes to race from the living room to the laundry room and back; he starts each race with "Se----t AND GO!!"

3.  "It's Barney time" OR "I watch Barney." - Let's just say that Mark and I have a love/not-love relationship with Barney. Will LOVES to watch Barney.  Over and over.  He is, however, mesmerized by the show, and we can get a few things done while it is on.

4.  "I make coffee." - Mark and I bought a Keurig coffeemaker as an early Christmas present to each other.  Will prides himself in "making coffee," which means inserting the K-cup and pushing the button.  He squeals with glee when it brews, saying, "Here comes coffee!!!!!!

5.  "You like it??" - After making the aforementioned coffee, he encourages us to drink it, then wants to know if we like it.

6.  "Turn Christmas on!" - Will is enjoying all the Christmas lights, both on his Christmas tree and around the neighborhood.  I love it when he gasps and says the lights are "beautiful"!!

7.  "You want a haircut??" - Last weekend, we took Will for a much-needed haircut.  We have had such a good experience at this salon for kids; he knows haircuts mean lollipops and hand stamps!  Ever since that time, he offers "haircuts" to us, using the Wii joysticks as clippers and hair dryer.  The best part is that we get imaginary lollipops and hand stamps after the "haircut."

8.  "Good job" - Will likes to raise our self esteem by telling us "Good job" when we've done something.  He has done this for a while now, but has added a "thumbs-up" sign to his routine.  As you can tell from the picture, he's also ready to hitchhike whenever necessary.  :-)  We asked him to try a two-thumbs-up sign, and he loved it!!

9.  "Thisaway" or "Thataway" - Will is very knowledgeable about the Chester area and loves to tell us whether to go "this way" or "that way" in the car.  If we ever suffer from early onset dementia, he will enable his human GPS and definitely be able to direct us to all the important places - Meme and Pawpaw's house, Target, Don Pepe, Kohl's, Martins, church, and Food Lion.

Around the House

Things heard and seen around our house lately:

1. "Right back??" - Ever since Will overheard a waitress saying she would be right back, that's his catch phrase whenever he has to "go" somewhere (like from the living room to the kitchen).  He likes to assure us that he will be "right back."
2. Big Brother talk - This reality show is our guilty pleasure every summer.  It is on CBS three times a week, so there is always plenty to talk about!  This year we have fully gotten Matt involved in our obsession!!  We usually get together at least twice a week to watch it.
3. "[S]nacklepops" - Will's way of talking about Rice Krispies ("Snap, crackle, pop"), his favorite cereal.
4. Jumping on bed - this is how Will greets us every time when he wakes up now.  "Jump, Mama, jump!" or "Jump, Daddy, jump!"  Then he often stops and falls down on the crib, saying he's "seepy" and he wants to cover up.
5. Bunny Rabbit - Lately we've been bringing Bunny Rabbit down from Will's crib in the morning.  He loves to hold Bunny Rabbit and show him everything.  Not only does he like to show him everything, but he also wants Bunny Rabbit to experience it all for himself.  For example, this morning Bunny Rabbit watched me make Will's [S]nacklepops, listened to them making noise, and got a chance to "try" them himself!!
6. Ice cubes - Since I've put ice cubes in his drink a couple of times to help cool it down in the summer's heat, he thinks he needs ice cubes every time!  Watch out - he may end up being quite the bartender because he loves to shake up his ice cubes in his drink cup.
7. Books - We've been reading this summer whenever we get a chance.  Mark introduced me to James Patterson's Alex Cross series.  He had recently read Double Cross.  I took a mini-break from Harry Potter and read Roses Are Red and Violets Are Blue by James Patterson.  Now I'm back to Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix.  Mark, meanwhile, is now reading Robots and Empire by Isaac Asimov.

Around the House

Things heard and seen around our house lately:

1. "I buckle!" - Will's latest obsession is to buckle himself into his booster seat at the table or into his car seat.  He is so proud of himself, as are we!!
2. "Running! Running!  OR  "No running! No running!" - Will LOVES to check the air conditioning units and then the vents in the house to see if the air is on.
3. Harry Potter books - I have finally found the opportunity this summer to read them!  I'm on the third book - Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban - right now.
4. More imaginative play - we have noticed Will "pretending" with his stuffed animals.  For example, a bunny rabbit in his room was sleepy today as we prepared for Will's nap.  Cookie Monster shared a Pop Tart with Mommy and Will yesterday.  We have shown Seahorse all the trucks in one of Will's favorite books.  Smokey got to ride in Will's trucks this week.  It's fun.
5. Swimsuits that are drying - we have gone to the community pool a few times, and Will has had some playtime at his water table this week.