Adventures of Will

School

2010-09-13T20:38:00.000-07:00

Will has entered the 2nd grade at Nelson Elementary. His teacher is Ms. Heather Misley and he loves her. She's an accomplished teacher with 5 years of experience in the Bethel District, a Master's degree and two other accredidations. We met her the week before school started to introduce ourselves and Will's position coming in as a new student from the homeschool world and also with his unique intensity and interests. Another person has become involved, Ms. S, the school social worker. Will has a GREAT connection with both of them. He feels safe with both and that they truly care for him.
Ms. M called me after school the first two days, which I very much appreciated.
Ms. S has called me 3 times now just to keep me updated and once because Will refused to follow directions and they had to remove him to her office.
As of right now they are being so kind, understanding and flexible I'm a little blown away. I expected much more rigidity and control. They've made many allowances for his need to move, yet are training him to SIT STILL sometimes. Really, they are doing the same things at school that we do at home!
Will has made some friends: Max, Brayden, Anders and Ashley sits next to him. He knows of a Liam in the class (actually sits diagonal from Will) but he hasn't made the connection which one he is.
Will's biggest struggle now is impulse control and following directions. Today we began a star chart and after just the morning he had 11 stars. We want to improve on that every day.
Ms. S has created 3 rules of "Will the Jedi" and each has a hand signal: Be Quiet (peace sign and lips pulled in), Stay in Your Area (arms stiff to the body), and Follow Directions the First Time (a big wink and a thumbs up). We will use the same terms at home and try to incorporate the hand signals. It's awful cute to see him show these off... :)

7 years old!

2010-03-08T20:26:00.000-08:00

I can't believe its been that long. Part of me thinks he has always been a part of my life - life before him seems very distant now.

Will!
Height - short side of average
Weight - 47 pounds, a little light
Size - prefers to wear 5T rather than XS

This is challenging to write, even though I know I'm the only one who will ever read this blog.

Will has displayed a lot of sensory issues over the last few years - things that I assumed he would grow out of and he hasn't. Pants must be very tight at the waist and be short enough not to hit his shoes. He prefers shorts rather than have any pants touch him below the knee. He wears the same shirt & pants to church every single week and has since October. He continues to have bad breath, even though he had a root canal last summer and another tooth that was nearly a root canal - all repaired almost a year ago. He has seasonal allergies that are controlled with daily Zyrtec. No surprise there, I have them too. He often seems like he is propelled by an inner motor that only takes a break to do visual or fine motor things: drawing, school seat work, Wii games, television or movies, and (thankfully) reading books.

He does read very well for his age and often figures out words by himself. He loves to write in cursive (yay!) and also excels at math. He doesn't love spelling or handwriting right now, but we make it though just fine. Saxon Math is perfectly suited for us by having lots of hands on teaching and worksheets that use the imagination and the information learned. A Beka's language arts program also is just right for us.

Will's other short coming is social skills & group skills. I've known this, but thought he would be catching up around now. At Awana Sparks he seems to feel awkward and out of place (even though he is very good at memorization). At homeschool Swim & Gym he loves to swim but has a lot of trouble listening during the gym portion. There is so much going on in that room: 14 kids, 3 teachers, sometimes music, the colors of the toys and balls used, the rules are complex, he's thirsty from swimming and who knows what else.

I'll be summarizing "10 Days to a Less Defiant Child" on my other blog to give myself a starting point (which is actually 2 months ago). It really does work, but I've slipped into some poor habits again.

Summer 08

2008-08-23T19:28:00.002-07:00

Time to wrap up the summer!
Will is now taking Tae Kwon Do lessons twice a week. He argues with me about getting ready every single time but he does enjoy the class itself. He has good instructors, he is the youngest in the class right now, and he is paying attention pretty well.
His mouth and face continue to grow and now his baby teeth look like just that. Baby teeth! It seems we'll be entering the land of gaps & tooth fairy visits within the year!
He and AJ share a room, which works sometimes. He comes to wake me up if AJ is crying and I don't come soon enough. Since the baby monitor broke recently, that is about every morning! Will loves to finish his morning sleep in our bed, snuggled up with Daddy.
I think Will's hearing is a bit more sensitive than normal. He doesn't like loud TV shows, loud songs, AJ crying or even loud talking. He often covers his ears when a "loud" part comes on during a movie. I say loud in quotations because it's not really loud at all. I don't like the TV volume to be very high, I like it in a low but comfortable range. And still he complains about parts being too loud. He did have a hearing test at his last well-child appointment and it was normal, but I don't think he understood the directions.
Will LOVES our new church! I haven't heard of any new friends but he is definitely comfortable with the small class size and the teachers. They sing as a group each week and perform for the congregation every few months. He remembers the tunes very well!
We have started homeschooling the last few weeks. We've been easing in so as not to burn out Teacher or Student. :) So far we have been doing handwriting, reading/phonics, story time, and core almost daily. Art/craft time has been once a week. Sometime next week we will add math & then science. Core is the main part of our curriculum: it involves history, language and the world around us (weather, days of the week, etc).
Just around the corner is the The Fair, and settling into a more secure schedule! Will has done so well at riding his bicycle most of the summer and he has grown enough that he will need a bigger one next spring.

Will is 5!

2008-06-18T19:56:00.003-07:00

Oh my goodness, where did my little boy go???
He is riding his bicycle without training wheels! He did the monkey bars once!
He had a Spiderman birthday party with a few friends.
He prefers to only wear shorts and shortsleeved shirts. If he must wear long sleeves, he usually asks us to "sleeve them up" (roll them up.) :) Sometimes he also does this to his long jeans or pajama bottoms!
He is so sweet and loving to AJ and Nina. He is really helpful! He does a great job setting the table and is working on clearing the table too. He writes his name and understands that he has a middle name. Nina gets that part mixed up and has asked to go to Sander Robbs' house! I tried to explain it was William Aleksandr Robbs - all one person. That didn't work. Will got very adamant that HE was William Aleksandr R... But you know her, you can't argue with her. They both are right! Oh yeah, Will can count to - I think 70 or so with just a prompt here & there. We start homeschooling soon. I can't wait to see how he approaches reading. My dad (a reading specialist) has helped me look for curriculum but we just won't know until we start.
Will got his first big finger injury. It involved a shopping cart wheel. The nail wasn't torn completely off so it has to stay covered until it does. He does a great job protecting it. It isn't tender or painful at all, even though he complains and hollers about me wanting to clean it. He never winces! As long as he can't see it, he's pretty good with it! We soaked it in the tub a few nights ago. He complained that it hurt, but once a washcloth was around the finger he didn't complain at all!
I hate that this isn't getting updated more often. He still is growing and changing so much. I'll try to get better at this!

time to catch up

2007-09-07T08:38:00.000-07:00

Alright so now it's September and I haven't updated Will's blog since May (obviously). Here's what has happened in a nutshell.
0) (because I forgot it) We all went to Ocean Shores for a family vacation in late May. Will loved swimming in the hotel pool with his scuba gear (a snorkel & mask) and water wings
1) We had Baby Aaron & Will found out he loves his little brother
2) Will & Nina continue to be best friends and also pretty good enemies
3) we played outside as often as possible & now they're burnt out & don't want to go outside much
4) Will went camping w/ my parents in Idaho. It was all of the aunts & uncles & cousins on that side (Nina went too). They had a great time, even if it was about 100 degrees every day.
5) Will (and Nina) spent several days with my parents, just playing, while David & I painted several rooms at home.
6)We took another family vacation to Birch Bay, WA with my parents. It was just two days but it was more pool time and Will really got the hang of breathing through the snorkel.
7) Now that school is in and Mama is finally used to getting out of the house with 3 kids, there's not many kids to play with! Our old neighbors are visiting for a few days and Will is really enjoying that.
8) Will has spent the night or the day with David's parents a few times. On the most recent occasion, Grandpa took Will to Northwest Trek - a kind of outdoor zoo. Will LOVED that & talks about all the animals he saw.
9) David took Will & Nina fishing with Grandpa one very early morning. They both loved it and want to go again.
10) Will was exposed to the chicken pox and it looks like he picked it up. He's been vaccinated so this certainly doesn't look like the same disease I had as a kid. Just a few spots, no fever, no itching. I would've sworn it was bug bites...

Caught up now? I hope so! Pictures are on the xanga blog: http://www.xanga.com/nickieroo

I'm 4 years old!

2007-05-13T20:13:00.000-07:00

(Have to mention- Blogger changed a lot of things so now I will be writing only from Mom's perspective, I can no longer sign in to write from Will's perspective.)

Will was so excited by Christmas it took 3 months to get him to stop talking about it. But the request for presents & "when will it come?" we began telling him about his birthday, while trying to keep his expectations low. We told him he could expect little cakes, balloons and one present. Ha! We knew there would be more, but not the 2 week cycle of presents that Christmas was. :)

He LOVED his birthday. We started a day early and gave him a bicycle on Friday. Wow! Red and blue with cars all over it. He got a matching helmet from one set of grandparents. As you can see from the picture at the top, he was very excited. Friday was the perfect day, a little cool but no rain. He got lots of time to ride & wear himself out. Saturday it rained (of course) so no riding that day. Late in the afternoon the relatives came over. We had a small dinner and then opened presents. He got a nice selection of clothes, a nice big Superman backpack and a basketball net & ball. After the presents we moved on to cake. We ordered little chocolate cupcakes from the local grocery store, and they came with blue frosting and little soccer balls on top. He LOVED it. He still talks about his soccer ball cakes! Nina loved his birthday too and was right beside him at every moment. We did give her a little present to open so she would stay out of his presents a little. It kind of worked. But she was smiling just as big as William when we sang Happy Birthday. They're such good friends!

Last year it took a long time for Will to learn to say that he was 3 years old. He was finally getting the hang of it after Christmas. So for about a week before his birthday we started counting to 4 for everything. He was getting 4 carrots, 4 grapes, 4 blueberries, 4 chicken nuggets, whatever it may be he got 4 at a time! Pretty soon he was saying that he needed "4 years old carrots!" What? I don't think he really means he wants carrots that are aged 4 years, it's just how it works out - counting to 4, he's 4... You get it....

Right after his birthday we took the kids to Spokane for a week. He enjoyed staying with the grandparents over there & seeing his cousins Carson & Lucas and Baby Havana. Soon after that trip, Auntie Ty and Baby Havana came over here to stay with us for a week. He really loved being the big boy in the house & was always yelling at Nina to be "gentle, gentle, gentle!" He can't say Havana yet so he called her "Baby Va-Anna."

We're getting ready for a new addition to the family - Baby Aaron will be joining us sometime in June. The boys will share a room after a few months so we're getting the room ready slowly. So far the closet has been redone to be more useable and a lot of Will's toys were moved out to make room for a second dresser & eventually a crib. He hates having lots of changes sprung on him. :) I think we're all caught up for now! I'll go find out how to change the ticker above & start counting down to his 5th birthday!

Potty Success and funny things

2007-03-01T20:19:00.000-08:00

Over the last 6 weeks we have achieved big boy status! William now goes both #1 & #2 on the toilet fairly consistently. He has maybe 1 accident a week, usually #2 in the underwear. He still wears a diaper at night, but he can take it off to go potty & put it back on again, and usually does! We finally found the right combination of his readiness + reasonable reward + his level of patience! Man, that was hard! I really thought he could work all week toward a big reward but it turns out he needed a medium reward every day to get the ball rolling. After about 2 weeks we lengthened the amount of time between rewards & the length of time has slowly gotten longer & longer. I can't tell you what relief both David & I feel about having him make this step. Our garbage cans are not as full and the stress of running to the potty in stores is not as bad as I thought. With only Nina in diapers it has made our outings, and even our days at home, very nice.
Will loves to tell strangers EVERYWHERE about his potty training & rewards. He recites it like chatechism: "I want DJ, Wingo, Dinoco McQueen, I go potty & poops on the pot!" Most adult looks at him & smile & say wow, some give me a look that clearly indicates they have no idea what he just said. Unless they have also seen "Cars" enough times to know each character (and minor character!)'s names, I'm sure that they are lost! Will has learned there's a baby in Mommy's tummy. He includes the baby in his nightly prayers and sometimes tells strangers about the baby. Another funny thing he tells strangers (or someone on the phone) is "Hi, it's me, Weemum!" Or "I'm white Weemum!" I don't know what he's thinking, other than maybe his hair color is lighter than the rest of us. He loves to talk on the phone & begs to talk to anybody that Mommy is talking to. If I can't give him the phone, he'll put a hand on his ear & pretend to talk into it. Often, Nina will pick it up too & pretty soon they're cracking each other up with their pretend conversations. They are really very good friends most of the time. Nina often gets up before him & asks about him. When Will finally makes his appearance downstairs, she runs to hug him & he is happy to hug her back.
Will's 4th birthday is coming up & he will be getting a bicycle! We're still planning which day to give it to him because we are taking the kids to my parents right after his birthday. I'll try to update right before or right after his birthday, he's really excited about it this year!

Potty Training

2007-01-25T20:46:00.000-08:00

Whoopee, we have finally made progress! William is now going potty in the toilet almost all day. He's wearing underwear most of the day and happy about it! His reward for going all day in underwear is a new car. The cool ones, the die-cast metal "Cars" character cars. He's pretty psyched about it & talks about it all the time. :)

New Year and Potty Training

2007-01-10T14:52:00.000-08:00

Oh man it was quite a Christmas for Will! We had so many different Christmas celebrations (and our tree is still up) that he seriously expects Santa to show up any day with more presents. He got a lot of things he wanted, mostly things with cartoon characters on them. His current favorites are Incredibles and the various cars from the movie "Cars." He already liked the color red, after these two movies it's his trademark color! What I (his mom) loved is that he was truly excited and thankful for anything that was wrapped in Christmas paper. He opened every pair of socks, sweat pants and boring things and was happy to open them. The toys were simply the icing on the cake. Okay, he wasn't thrilled with the socks but he's young enough that anything wrapped up is a mystery and discovering what's inside is most of the excitement.
Potty Training Continues.....
While at Grandma & Grandpa's house in Spokane, he often yelled out that he needed a new diaper. When we checked, he was dry. What in the world was he asking for? We even tried taking him to the bathroom but often he fought that idea. On the drive home his diaper was dry at two rest stops and then began crying in the car and yelling that he needed a new diaper. Daddy & Mommy's brains finally clicked and we stopped at a gas station for him to use the restroom. Success! The rest of the way, he used the restroom with Daddy every stop. After more than a year of trying everything in the books, it seemed he just made up his mind to do it himself. Since we've been home we have not had as much luck. He makes up his mind at different times to use the toilet and other times it is not a priority. He's nearly 4, so I guess we really do have to just be ready for him to decide this is what he wants.
It has snowed 3 times this winter, which is highly unusual. He got to play in it again today and he does so well. He loves to pull things in a sled and at G&G's house he even went down their hill in a sled, alone. Nina will let him pull her in the sled but she often gets out before he wants her to. We have a new baby coming to our house in late May or early June and now that we know it's another boy, we are talking up the new baby and trying names out. We like to hear William say our name ideas, sometimes it's funny. It's been nearly 2 years now since he quit taking real naps, so every afternoon Will watches a movie. His overall favorites are Cinderella, Cars, Incredibles, A Bug's Life and Toy Story 1 & 2. The Cinderella thing really works better when Nina is watching with him, but most of what Will likes is the silly animals, especially the cat.

November Update

2006-11-20T14:26:00.000-08:00

Ahhh, fall. I have had some trouble uploading pictures, but when I do, it will be of Buddy in his Buzz Lightyear costume. Pretty darn cute! Today was haircut day & he did really well. He needed to keep touching the buzzers - we call them "ticklers." I had to sit with Nina on my lap for her haircut & Will did great all by himself. We're still attempting potty training. Sometimes he does well at going in the toilet, but usually he only goes at bathtime, wearing a diaper the rest of the day. We're going to try something new pretty soon. We've made a sticker chart and when he gets 6 stickers he gets 1 new toy. We've already bought them, they're the die cast "Cars" character cars. It's something he really wants so I hope it will be good motivation. We've tried stickers, food rewards and a schedule, but he's been really resistant lately. Especially to the schedule. Even asking him if he wants to go, or needs to go, or has to go sends him yelling into another room. We'll probably drop it for a few days due to Thanksgiving being this week and then pick it up again. He doesn't know about the "Cars" reward toys, I'm going to let Daddy explain that one.
The weather has been bad, even worse than a normal fall, so we haven't gone outside to play this whole month! One very rainy day, we went to the garage to welcome Daddy home and Will just took off, finding his own socks and getting his coat on & then proceeded to ride his "motorcycle" (his Big Wheel) up and down the wet sidewalks. He was completely soaked but very happy. We've tried to explain we're going to have a new baby, but he doesn't care right now. His world revolves around his movies, his sister and a few friends. Sometimes on his magnetic doodle-pad he draws the family or writes his interpretation of letters & numbers. It's pretty cute when he comes to me with 2 dozen circles drawn everywhere & tell me they're donuts. Or sometimes they're zeroes!

Catch Up

2006-10-24T19:57:00.000-07:00

(from Mama)
Since it's now the end of October and we haven't written anything since August, let's catch up for a few minutes!
August was summer, definitely a hot one, but every time we made plans to go to the lake it would suddenly got cold. And every time we made plans to be indoors, or were just busy, it was HOT. Crazy. But Will went to Spokane with Daddy once & he enjoyed the alone time. Actually he was in Spokane a few times & each time he got to go swimming in the great-grandparent's pool. Let me dig around for a picture.
Okay, it's not of swimming. It's of Will hugging his baby cousin Lucas. Isn't that sweet? We went to the fair in Spokane with the fam, then went to the fair at home just a few days later. And as if Buddy Man wasn't fair-ed out by then, he went to the fair with just Daddy about a week after that. They went on rides & had a blast. This was Will's first year he's tall enough to go on the little kid rides. So that kind of sums up the fall. Buddy spent 10 days with Grandma & Granpda U while Daddy & I went on a vacation. He did really great & didn't miss us much until the very end. Potty training is going extremely slow, with mostly no motivation on his end. Oh well. He & Nina fight over toys a lot, but he never lets anyone else push her. He's very protective & makes sure she's always okay (except when he did it!) He's really into his routine & is very secure. His night time routine is pick up toys, bath, jammies, & say prayers in bed. (I know, we're not so great on night time tooth brushing.) But after we say prayers he's done. No stalling. He actually says, "okay Mama, ni-night. Go house, go take shower, go jammies, go bed." All very matter-of-fact. Okay, little buddy, I guess it is a good time for me to go to bed. :)

a prayer

2006-08-04T07:17:00.000-07:00

(This is from Mama's perspective.)
Yesterday in the car Will was throwing a fit because he didn't want to go to Costco, "the hot dog store." We were more than halfway there in heavy traffic because of construction and I was beginning to lose it. Here's our conversation:
"William we're going to the store & there's nothing you can do about it. Do you need a time out & change your attitude?"
"Yes, time out!"
"Good, maybe you should pray about that." *IDEA SPARKS!* "Will, do you want to pray?"
"Yeah!"
Prayer is repeated something like this...
"Dear Jesus, help me. Help me change my attitude. Amen."
We exchanged a high five and he continued to be angry for another 2 minutes. Then he was fine. He was a little upset when we got to the store, but again his attitude changed. I've never tried having him pray for help, I'm always praying for help!

July 4th

2006-07-08T07:54:00.000-07:00

I didn't get to see any fireworks, but I had fun anyway. We went to Grandma & Grandpa R's house. We played & had dinner & played some more. We even took family pictures. My parents started doing this thing when I was a baby. Every year they buy the new Old Navy flag shirt - one for everybody. So every year we take a family picture with everyone in their new shirts. Mama really likes it. I didn't like having to change my shirt in the middle of the day. I was all tuckered out from the long day and I went to bed in Grandma's room. It was pretty fun because I got to sleep on a big down comforter & under my soccer ball sleeping bag. That is the coolest thing ever! Mama kept checking on me while all the fireworks were going off, but I never woke up from that. Grandpa told her that later in the night I rolled over on my Elmo book. It made noise & woke me up!
We have had nice weather on and off so far. I like the hot days because Mama puts water in the swimming pool. I love to run & jump & splash in it. Sometimes Nina comes in too. But usually she stands on the side & I get her wet anyway.
Last week my feet finally touched the pedals of my big wheel. It took so long to grow tall enough to touch and now I can pedal! I love to pedal pedal pedal! I'm not so good at steering. Sometimes I go off the sidewalk & into the street on accident.
Auntie Manders is marrying Uncle Jason at the end of the month. I get to be the ring bearer. Mama tells me that I have to hold hands with my friends Anna & Gabby. I'm going to wear a super cool suit with tails. I wonder if that is a doggy tail. If I do everything right then Uncle Jason will give me fruit snacks!
Mama wants me to try going potty on the potty chair again. I'm not sure what I think about this. But I like getting marshmallows when I go. I guess that's not so bad. She makes me sit there right before bath time. We sit for a while & make faces at each other. I try & try & try but it's still a new thing to me. Mama wants me to be able to tell her when I want to go. I don't know. But maybe I'll get more marshmallows if I do that!

where did May go?

2006-06-13T13:06:00.000-07:00

Wow, June is already halfway over & Mama hasn't updated my page from the rest of May!

May was wild! I tried swimming lessons but I didn't like listening to the teacher & doing what she said. So we stopped. Mama had doctor's appointments all the time so I saw a lot of Grandma R & babysitters. Nina turned 1 and had a big birthday party - it was so much fun! I love birthdays! I tried to be a good big brother & help her unwrap her presents.

Then we went on vacation. My first vacation! I loved the pool at Auntie Susan's! The water was so cold, but my surf shirt made it better. I wasn't afraid of going under the water because I always came right back up. We also went to Sea World and I got to see a walrus really close up! Daddy helped me touch seastars and we saw "barca" whales do jumps in the water. That was awesome. I'm tired right now so I'm going to stop there. I'll help Mama update this page more often - there's not enough pictures!

catching up

2006-05-03T14:00:00.000-07:00

Whoa, we have been busy lately! Mama hasn't written in a while because there was a wedding & Easter & some other stuff going on. But here's a picture of Dad & me on Easter. I really like this shirt. I call it my "sheshel shirt." On Easter I tried a hard-boiled egg. I took a big bite, but then I didn't try anymore. I love the "Daddy Chickens" though (Peeps.) I got some new shoes last week, they're so cool! I can take them off & put them on again all by myself! If only socks were this easy, Mama wouldn't have to help me at all! I have learned how to say lots of things and Mama & Dad are always laughing at me. I'm working really hard at being a good listener and a helper like they keep asking me to. I'm getting better at it. I love my sister a lot. She's going to have a birthday on Saturday. I guess it's a big deal. The weather has been nice lately so I get to go outside all the time now. I like to play t-ball and soccer. My favorite part of t-ball is catching the ball & running to back to Mama or Dad. Hitting is pretty hard. My new favorite movie is "Piglet's Big Movie." Pooh Bear is soooo silly! I say Piglet like this: "picklick." I am pretty good at talking on the phone now. Mama lets me talk to Daddy & Grandma & Auntie TyTy all the time. We're getting a new playground in our neighborhood next week, they took down the old one. I am so sad that the old one is gone. Mama keeps telling me about the new one, but I just can't see it. Mama said she'll have more pictures soon and will try to help me post again. I start swimming lessons next Tuesday! Yay, I can't wait!

Muttons

2006-04-05T15:14:00.000-07:00

William has been playing with a very cute tin firetruck bank lately. He loves to put the coins (moneys) in the slot and hear them plink plink plink on the bottom. Some coins are about the same size as some spare buttons I keep in the junk drawer. Somehow he got "moneys" and "buttons" mixed up and the coins became known as "muttons." About a week ago I put overalls on him and he was very concerned about the chest pocket. It needed muttons. What? There's two buttons right there for your straps. No, muttons! Ohhhhhhh, okay. I gave him three quarters and dropped them in his pocket. Now he was a happy camper. The rest of the day he kept taking out and putting back his muttons. Three shiny muttons. "Oh no! Where'd they go? Where's my muttons?"

Rocks: the breakfast of the mighty

2006-03-29T20:35:00.000-08:00

Did you know dinosaurs like to eat rocks? I didn't. Not until today when Will emptied his bucket o' dinos. I made a big deal about not giving the rocks to Nina because she eats them. He kept telling me what he was going to do with them but I wasn't really listening. Soon I saw the plastic rocks in a formation like plates on a table - very even & in a square (well, there were only 4.) I stopped talking and watched him. He told me that his dinosaurs like to eat rocks. Ohhhh. Okay. He set each dino at each rock. But the baby dino seemed to be eating everyone else's rocks - taking turns on mooching from the others. Will told me what was happening the whole time. I had no idea rocks were so good for strong bones & big teeth. :) "Dinosaurs eat rocks. Baby dinosaurs like rocks. More rocks for baby dinosaur!" I guess baby dinosaurs like rocks more than the others.

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2006-03-27T09:59:00.000-08:00

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BIRTHDAY PARTY!!

2006-03-12T11:30:00.000-08:00

Wow, I had so much fun yesterday! Daddy & Mama planned for lots of fun things to do and celebrate my birthday. I went to Home Depot with Daddy and he let me walk all around the store. No cart! We came home for lunch, but I didn't eat much. Then Daddy took me to see a movie on the big screen! Wow! We saw a monkey movie (Curious George) and I sat in my very own seat for most of it. It was amazing! "I can not believe it!" That' s my new favorite saying! I was tuckered out from all the excitement and fell asleep in Daddy's truck. When I woke up in my bed there were a lot of people at our house. Auntie Rachel and Uncle Dan, Cousin Stacy and Grandpa Robbs! I was tired at first so I watched Little Einsteins with Nina. We had hot dogs and hamburgers for dinner but I was too excited to eat anyting except fruit salad. I kept sneaking away to look at my presents. After everyone ate (it felt like forever!) Mama & Daddy began giving me big boxes to unwrap. It was so much fun! There were some really great things in there! A big magna-doodle, a Big Wheel, a puzzle book about animals, a jar full of dinosaurs, a t-ball stand and a talking barbecue!!! There were some clothes in there too and Mama knows what they are. There were other books and color crayons and fruit snacks and a bubble gun and a space gun. It was so much fun. I couldn't sleep that night because I was still very excited. And I got 5 balloons. It was an awesome day. Mama keeps trying to make me say "I'm 3!" Eh, I'm not worried about saying it, I'm too busy doing it!

"I wuv oo" and Movie Night

2006-02-25T22:21:00.000-08:00

I've been signing "I love you" to Will every time I put him to bed. He usually tries to return the sign, but being unable to lower just two fingers it ends up looking like his fingers are doing the wave. We've practiced saying it too, along with the sign. So far it still my idea to say it, or sign it, but I can see the understanding in his eyes and I know he loves me too.
Today he took a nap. A long one that went until 4:30 pm. I didn't want to wake him any earlier because if he slept it off then we could have some great alone time this evening. It seems like all I do is correct or discipline him and there hasn't been much relational time lately. So tonight after Nina went to bed, he and I watched "Polar Express." I had heard it was a little suspenseful or possibly scary in places so I wanted to be sure one of us watched it either before or with him. He was so excited about the train and kept saying "chucka chucka chucka choo choo" in appropriate places. It was a lot of fun to share something with just him and no distractions. The last two weeks we have had a lot of company and actually moved his bed into our room (we put the guests in his room). The first week he had croup so it was perfect that we could hear him cough all night and help him if he needed it. This week he has been fine and I have re-discovered that he talks in his sleep! Several times recently I have bolted across the room only to find him fast asleep. Like father, like son.

Rain makes me cranky

2006-01-21T14:45:00.000-08:00

It has been raining so much lately that I have been getting really cranky about having to stay inside all the time. I would even rather go anywhere in Mama's truck than stay home. Even if it's shopping at a Mommy store. Mama picked this picture of me dancing. We were at Auntie Carol's house last Sunday. She had a super cool snowman that sang a song and skiied across the kitchen floor. It was so much fun! Nina kept chasing it but she wasn't fast enough.
I've decided not to take naps anymore. I'm a big boy now and I don't get tired like Baby Nina does. Instead of naps I have quiet time in my room. I can play cars or read books or play with my animals while I listen to music, as long as I don't wake up Nina. Also being a big boy - Mama says I have to go potty on the potty chair soon. I don't know if I will do that. Mama keeps putting clothes on me and I keep taking them off. I don't know why she keeps putting on shirts I don't like!
I'm going to be 3 in just two months and I am trying to start acting like it. When I'm 3 I will get to take swimming lessons! I like to put on my own socks or at least take them off. Sometimes Mama & Daddy look at me funny. I think it's because I'm such a big boy now.

December, Christmas, Year in Review

2006-01-09T08:25:00.000-08:00

(Mom's note: I think this picture really captures how Christmas was for him. He was careful but curious, awestruck and excited, and every experience was hands-on!)

Today's post will be written by Mama because Will is too busy eating "Bird Cereal" (Fruit Loops) and watching "Little Einsteins." My how my little boy has grown! I watched our video tape from last Christmas and I suddenly appreciated the many things he has learned or grown into this year. He is taller & more muscular now. He still has a "baby belly" but it is smaller. :) His eyes are wide with discovery & confidence. He can recite several books, has precious routines and has picked up some cute mannerisms. He enjoys saying prayers and if I leave someone out he will make sure we "goh bless" them. And sometimes I think that certain people must need the honest prayers of a little child because every so often he won't let someone go with one "goh bless." It's over and over and over again: "Goh Bless Great Papa U?" Yes, God bless Grandpa U. "Goh Bless Gramma U?" Yes, God bless Grandma U. "Goh bless Great Papa U?" Yes..... Sometimes it's Aunt Manders, or TyTy. Sometimes it's Daddy. He gives everyone a kiss on the cheek if he asked or at bedtime. The other night we had finished our bedtime routine but I wasn't quite ready to go. He looked at me & said "go house, Mama." Do you want me to go? "Yes, ni'night Mama!"

He had a wonderful Christmas. He thought all presents were for him, but if they weren't for him, he would bring it to you and help you unwrap it. A few things have been a big hit: "Bob the Builder" DVD, John Deere cell phone, the Canyon Road Table (above) and Baby Einstein Puppets. A lot of other things he has been enjoying (books, coloring books, cars, bath toys, stuffed animals) and all the clothes fit pretty well. Only 1 thing was a 4T but I think I will just save it because he'll wear that size next fall!

He slept in a regular twin-size bed at my parents and fell out one night. After that we put a rail on and he was fine. Actually he seemed to sleep better & longer than he does at home. That's all I can handle writing right now... Happy New Year Buddy Will!

November Recap

2005-11-29T09:38:00.000-08:00

It has been a full month! Grandma U & Auntie Ty came over for a few days. That was a lot of fun. Grammy taught me to play the violin ("di-din"). We played "Old MacDonald" and "Alphabet Song." Those are my favorites. Ever since she left I have been looking around the house for things to pretend are a violin. Violins are fun!
I learned a lot of new words this month. Like when I say "cheese" people usually take a picture! And "where'd 'e go?" works when I'm looking for something. I copy what Mama and Daddy say and that makes them laugh. I love to make people laugh. Today it is snowing and I got to play in it. I got really wet & cold but I didn't want to come inside. I started watching a new show on TV called "Little Einsteins." It is so much fun! There are four kids who ride in a red rocketship and go on adventures. I ask Mama to draw the rocket all the time. Most of the time she does really good. But when I ask for "Big Jet" it comes out looking like a shark. I'll color it anyway. I love to color!
Thanksgiving was a lot of fun. I was excited but I didn't know why - I got up at 5:30 that morning! Mama made me go back to bed but I couldn't sleep!! Grandma & Grandpa Robbs came over in the morning and all the guys shredded bread. I got to help! Later Grandpa wanted me to help "squeeeeeze" the bread with other stuff to make the stuffing but I didn't like having dirty hands. We watched a parade on TV but I only paid attention to the really neat balloons. I took an early nap and when I got up there were a lot of people at our house.
I learned how to sing "Jingle Bells" last week! It's my favorite song right now. All of a sudden there are "crismis" things everywhere. I have "crismis" books to read in bed and Mama put out "crismis" candles. I'm not sure what "crismis" is or what "prezess" are but I like reading about them. Mama will probably put up more pictures soon.
"See ya 'ater!"

October Recap

2005-10-29T21:42:00.000-07:00

Mama hasn't written much for me lately so we will just summarize the whole month. I like punkins! Punkins are cool! Punkins are funny! Punkins are heavy! They make pretty good chairs too. We went to get punkins a few weeks ago but right after we brought them home someone took them. Mama found them down the street by the mailbox, cracked open. They couldn't be carved now so today we went to get a new one. It was so fun! Daddy drove me around in a little cart and I pointed out all the vegetables that I knew. I knew a lot of them! We picked out a nice big one and brought it home. We're going to save it in the garage until tomorrow. Maybe no one will take this one. The first time we went punkin picking we also got a green squash and a bunch of gourds. Daddy painted the squash like Larry from Veggie Tales. He looked so silly! Daddy painted one of the little gourds like Apollo Gourd from the Veggie Tales movie "Sumo of the Opera." That is a cool movie. I really like that one. It is fun to say "a paw woh." Sometimes Mama thinks I'm asking for a pillow so I have to say it more until she knows what I mean. I like the things Daddy paints. The stem came off the squash and he's molding now. It looks like someone hurt Larry's head. On Monday I'm going to wear my Superman pajamas over my red sweats. I think that will be silly! Baby Nina is going to wear a flower outfit. I'm sure Mama will take pictures. She's always taking pictures! At the top is a picture of my friend Isaac and me jumping on my bed. We had so much fun jumping! Both of us are good at jumping. We were supposed to be having quiet time, but we didn't. Mama even tried reading to me and then reading to Isaac in another room. But I missed my buddy and went to get him. His mom came over soon after that. I think he had quiet time later. My Grammy U and Auntie Ty came over this week. Uncle David came for a couple hours too. He's so funny. It was fun to play with new people. Someone was always ready to play outside with me. That is cool. Mama was happy and took a lot of naps. I like it when she's happy. That's all for now. Tomorrow's a new adventure!

New Boots

2005-10-05T14:49:00.000-07:00

A few days ago we went shopping with my friend Anna & her family. We stopped at a shoe store. I love new shoes! There were really neat toys there. There was a table with sand and boats under glass and they moved by putting little things under the table and moving them! (Mama's note: the boats were magnetic, the kids used magnets under the table to move the boats around.) It was so confusing but after a while it was fun. Daddy made me try on lots of boots. Boots are cool. Daddy has boots too. And it's fun to say boots. It sounds like other fun words like "new" and "shoe!" The lady gave me stickers because she kept playing with my feet when I would rather be playing with the boats. Daddy put big yellow boots on me that were really heavy but I liked them. I got to wear them out of the store. But the boots were rubbing on my ankles funny. Mama said I needed special boot socks. So today she put big boot socks on my feet. My boots fit better & I could run in them today. I like the loud noise they make when I run!

2005-09-28T13:34:00.000-07:00

I love summer mornings! If only Mom would let me go outside!

Hi Everyone!

2005-09-28T13:05:00.000-07:00

Hello and welcome to the adventures of Will, Adventure Man! I'm going to dictate everything to my mom. She types pretty good, and I can't spell yet. But I can say my abc's!! Do you want to "hear?" ay bee see dee eee eff gee, I can't remember what comes next. But I know the end: doinky doink, eks, why an zeee!!! Today we went to the store that has a play area but I didn't get to play in it. And when Mama was done, she took a long time getting in the car. Baby Girl started crying but I was a big boy and wasn't afraid. I don't know what took so long, but we got to play outside when we got home! If you click here Mama will tell you about it.