Daddy's Little Helper

Keith has spent the better part of the last year and a half whacking away at a tree stump in our back yard. Yes, really. He took it out with an axe, just like Paul Bunyan but with less flannel.









So the stump is finally gone, without the help of a stump grinder, but in its absence is a large patch of dirt. Keith decided to throw down some grass seed and see what happens. Luckily for Keith, Will is a great yard boy. A little apprentice of sorts. They spent an afternoon working up a sweat in the yard, raking the dirt piles, digging around in the shed, beating their chests like the manly men they are. :) It was so cute to see how serious Will was about helping. He did not want any help carrying his rake; he's a big boy who can do it all himself. He's growing up!



We are headed to Nebraska to visit the family this week. I'm sure it will be a whirlwind trip but a fun one. If we are on the ball this trip, we'll take lots of pictures for the blog. Check back in August to see how we did!

Wet 'n Wild

We've spent a good portion of our summer so far playing in the water. We go to the pool at the YMCA once a week. Will loves it there; they have an entire splash zone for kids with turtles and flowers that shoot water. It is great. He's also been jumping off the side of the pool by himself. Big boy! I've let him go all the way under a few times and he's done pretty well. I can tell he's becoming more comfortable in the water. We also frequent the Virginia Zoo and Botanical Gardens in Norfolk. Both have water fountains that the kids can romp in. These are from the zoo. So far we've escaped too much heat and humidity (knock on wood) for a Virginia summer but I'm sure it isn't far behind. I think I feel it getting hotter as we speak. Luckily we know how to cool off!


I discovered this week that Will does not, however, enjoy the car wash. He was fine going in but once the soap covered the car and he couldn't see out, he freaked. I tried to tell him it was a shower for the car, like how Daddy takes a shower at home. But he was having none of that. He kept saying "all done car shower!" Poor guy. Hope he's not too traumatized!

Boy Boy

William will be going to preschool two mornings a week starting this September so we are trying to prepare him a bit. I figure every kid should know his/her name; that seems like a basic rule. Unfortunately, I like to give everyone a nickname or three and Will (Snuffles, Little Monkey, etc) is no exception. One of my names for him is "best boy" and I guess he has taken this one to heart. Now when we ask him his name, he tells us "boy boy." Hmmmmmmm..... So now we are trying to backtrack and teach Boy Boy that he's really called William and that he should ignore all of the pet names we have given him in the past two years. Oh how easy it is to mess up your child!


In the meantime, Boy Boy...oh, I mean William, is enjoying his summer. We've been spending a lot of time outside. I come armed with my 100+ SPF sunscreen and try to coax him into wearing a hat and sunglasses. He recently decided that wearing his shades outside is no fun but sporting them while running around the house is perfect. Oh, Boy Boy, you crazy little man.


One of William's (see, I can learn!) favorite activites as of late is to play Thomas Train with laundry baskets. On this day, our neighbor Aria was over to play. So we lined up our baskets, drug out every stuffed animal in the house, and "choo choo-ed" our way through the morning. I was so grateful that Aria was here; it isn't as easy to get in and out of a laundry basket as it once was! Now if you'll excuse me, my Little Monkey Man needs my attention.

Firetrucks, Fireworks, and Fun on the Fourth

Happy July! I can't believe it is already July 8th...time flies when you're having fun. We rang in the Fourth with a weekend of fun this year. We found out that not only does Will love the pool (moreso than any time before) but that he also loves fireworks! On July 3rd, we went to the Chesapeake City Park to listen to the Navy Fleet Band and watch the fireworks. Will was running around in the grass when the fireworks started and was initially a little scared. But as soon as he sat on the blanket with us, he was mesmerized. Eventually he started yelling "boom, boom" at every explosion. It was so cute. His awe over the fireworks furthers my thinking that he has no (or at least very little) fear!


On July 4th, we started our day with a parade at Lakeside Park in Chesapeake. Keith and I both liked it because it reminded us of our small town celebrations growing up in Nebraska. There were shriners, firetrucks both new and old (Will's favorites), and, oddly, a lot of local government reps. Representative from the 4th District who??? They definitely thought they were local royalty. We were a little disappointed that no one was throwing candy though. I guess that's what a recession parade looks like! :) Afterward we watched some motorized boat races and tried to feed some sad looking horses and goats in the petting zoo. Will also decided to share his ice cream with Anne. I'm glad this sharing idea is finally catching on.















In the evening we went to Danny and Amy Westphall's to cook out and swim in their pool. We put Will in his new floatation "learn to swim" suit and he loved it. He was much more comfortable in the water and was even brave enough to jump to Keith in the pool. He even got his first surfing lesson thanks to Danny. It was nice to see him taking to the water. We'll keep practicing his swimming skills this summer. A little fish has been born.