Grammy & Pompa

Our favorite thing about our Spokane visit really was how much we got spoiled by our Grammy and Pompa. Really, my life was a dream: woke up, went to the gym with my dad while Grammy watched Will, played with Grammy, Pompa, Will, aunts, uncles, and cousins all day, napped while Will napped, ate a homemade meal almost every night, went to bed and started it all over again. Of course, we did miss our dada, or else we may have never left. Will just adores his Grammy and Pompa and talks of them often. And, I daresay, I think the feeling is mutual.

Love you, Grammy and Pompa! Can't wait to see you again.

Will's acrobatics with Pompa.

It was a nightly ritual to play this game.

They took us to the Nativity Festival. It was pretty cool. (Can't you tell Will is having fun from the photo?)

I had to include this photo, even though Will is missing, because it makes me smile. I was napping (as was the daily ritual) and Will had woken up from his nap and was playing with my dad when my dad showed Will the deer under the swing set. Will was so excited, convinced that it was one of Santa's reindeer. He came racing downstairs, woke me up and said, "Mama, get my 'now boots on. Santa reindeer outside." It was priceless. Of course, the reindeer bolted as soon as we stepped outside.

Will and Pompa snuggling on the couch with the nigh-nigh. Does it get any cuter than that?

Cam and Rachelle's Wedding

Our main purpose for heading to Spokane for the holidays was for the nuptials of these two crazy kids:

My baby brother Cameron's wedding to his beautiful wife, Rachelle. It was a picturesque, snowy, freezing day. Will had been so very excited for the wedding. Every night in his prayers for the month prior, he'd pray, "Please bless Cam and Rachelle get married and bless Rachelle get a pretty dress." It really was the cutest thing. One time he even threw in a blessing on Mama's pretty dress. Too bad, though, I couldn't find a pretty dress to wear to the wedding. Will still talks about Rachelle's pretty dress. Congrats, you cute kids. Best wishes!

The Mad-family at the wedding.

Will with Cam and Rachelle and the "pretty dress". Will doesn't exactly look too thrilled but we had to wake him up from his nap for the pictures.

The Spear siblings.

The reception. Kudos to my mom for making it look so beautiful (and to all her help as well).

I've just had a glimpse of my future....

.....and it is cold and smelly. Try as I might, I cannot convince Will that a future in hockey is just that: cold and smelly. He loooves it and loooves all things hockey. When Josh, Will and I were in a hockey store, searching for some hockey gloves for Josh, I really had an insight into my future and I'm not sure I'm ready for it--cold, hard benches, smelly equipment, games at all hours of the night (due to ice time), etc., etc., etc. At least I've got a good while before all that happens because we took the kid ice skating with the youth from church and he was t.e.r.r.i.b.l.e. So, maybe he'll play soccer instead like I've been praying for!

The Mad family ice skating! Too bad we couldn't get Will to look at the camera.

Santa Cwaus

That is how jolly ol' St. Nick is referred to around here: Santa Cwaus. And oh how he loves that Santa Cwaus. It really is such fun to see what joy Christmas brings to Will. Today at the gym, there was a blow up Santa at the entrance, and he just looked in awe at him, shouted, "Santa Cwaus!" and walked up to him and gave him the biggest hug ever. And any time we're going to someone's house, he'll want to know if they'll have a Santa Cwaus there.

Luckily, when in Spokane, we went to breakfast with Santa. And Will loved him. He just sat on his lap, smiled and, of course, enjoyed the candy Santa gave him.

Will, Santa, the candy cane and, as always, Will's cheese smile. Will is wearing his jammies because my mom told me that all the kids would be wearing their jammies (it was Santa's breakfast, after all); yet, he was the only one in his jammies. Clearly, he wasn't phased and I'd say he looks pretty darn cute, though Josh claims that he is camouflaged in the picture.


Katie, Will, Santa and Garret (Will's cousins).

Will, Pompa and Santa.

What Will asked Santa for Christmas: friends of Snot Rod. I hope Santa obliges!

I is for Igloo

It snowed abundantly while we were in Spokane for Thanksgiving. So of course we had to go play in the snow. And of course we had to build an igloo. And of course after about two minutes none of the kids were interested in the hard work that was involved in building an igloo. And of course, after about an hour, my mom, my brother and I all gave up, taking the kids inside for lunch and naps (building an igloo really is hard work). But of course, Josh, the consummate engineer, could never, never give up. So when I woke up from my nap wondering where Josh was, I shouldn't have been surprised to find him outside by himself, finishing the igloo solo. And I shouldn't have been surprised that Josh wanted to sleep in the igloo that night (but I was surprised that he thought I would sleep in the igloo with him). And I shouldn't have been surprised when my mom told her entire ward that Josh slept in an igloo that he built single-handedly. And I definitely shouldn't be surprised that everyone in said ward now thinks Josh is an Eskimo (either that or crazy. I can't decide which one's worse). Crazy Eskimo or not, Josh is an excellent igloo-builder. My parents really couldn't be more proud. Every time they talk to us, they update us on the igloo's status. Unfortunately, the igloo is no more. But at least there's evidence:

Josh and me and all my star-studded beauty, wearing my pj's and decade old moon boots (held together by duct tape, no less), standing in front of Thee igloo.

Josh, so proud of his creation.
That is one serious igloo. Job well done, Josh. You really should be proud (or an Eskimo or crazy).

Singing Videos

We finally figured out how to get Will to sing for the camera: chocolate chips. Yes, that's good parenting--cold, hard bribery. But hey, if it produces these little gems of Will singing his favorite songs, then it was worth it. (Disregard that for one film he's actually eating a chocolate chip whilst singing. Also disregard what he is wearing. And do recall that he is learning to dress himself).

How to have a cheap, easy (and let's be honest--lazy) Halloween

Step 1: In a delirious moment, determine to craft your child a hand made Thomas the Train costume from scratch, using materials you currently have in your possession. (Cheap. Not easy. Definitely not lazy).

Step 2: Procrastinate making said costume. (Cheap, easy AND lazy).

Step 3: The night before Halloween utterly freak out since you have neither made a costume nor have you bothered to buy one. Fortunately, your kind neighbor saves the day, providing a darling dinosaur costume for your child to wear. (Cheap, easy and lazy. Perfect).

Step 4: Go to the ward Halloween party with dinosaur in tow (it turns out costume was actually a dragon, not a dinosaur, but try telling that to a determined two-year-old. Oh, how he loved that dinosaur costume. What joy it was for him to wear it). Attempt to take pictures before the party, but to no avail (Josh was absent), so give up and make do with this beauty--see below (cheap, easy and lazy. I'm sensing a pattern).

Step 5: Attend the neighborhood fire department party, complete with a parade, pumpkin painting, games, candy eating, etc., etc., etc., all while trying to carry your child during said parade, keeping all paint off borrowed costume, stopping your child from stealing everyone else's candy and helping that dinosaur onto every.single.fire.apparatus. (Cheap, not as easy, clearly not lazy).

Step 6: Don't take child trick-or-treating, since not only was Halloween on the Sabbath but also because said child was in bed at 6:00 due to lack of naps, too much excitement and an even greater amount of candy. Sit on the couch with your hubby, watching a movie, eating candy and turnyour lights off at 7, so that you can have some peace and quiet, for heaven's sake. (Lazy, lazy, lazy).

Step 7: Take pictures of your dinosaur-wearing child one entire week after Halloween, since it has taken you that long to recover (and for your child to recover) in hopes of getting some decent shots. Somehow, even with a helpful Josh, your child will still refuse to cooperate. Hence, the lackluster photos as well as one taken whilst dinosaur is upside-down. (Easier than doing it alone on Halloween night, but not as easy as one would think).

Step 8: Post about it on your blog almost a full month after the blasted Holiday because you are lazy, lazy, lazy.

Happy Belated Halloween all! Now bring on the turkey...

Fall Leaves 2010

Really, my posts are becoming redundant. Not just of the beauty of fall, but also year after year I find I'm taking the same photos, writing the same posts, making the same memories. (See here and here for the past posts of fall leaves). However, as redundant as it may seem to you, to me it is a treasure to have these pictures of Will, showing not only the changing of the seasons but also the steady marching on of time. Oh, how I wish it would slow down just a little.

I love this year's edition of our annual leaf collecting. It is just a perfect portrayal of Will at the age of 2.5: his bike helmet in place (he insists on wearing it all the time); his "dog boots" on foot (his rain boots that sit on the step of our garage door, the very boots that he can put on all by himself and that he demands on wearing for every outing); his clothes on backwards (just recently he's ventured into the world of dressing himself, much to my dismay. He gets dressed possibly twelve times a day and oh the outfits he chooses). Hopefully, you'll cherish the Fall Leaves 2010 in picture form as much as I do.

This year he actually helped a little with the raking of the leaves.
Here he told me he was "taking a nap in da weaves".
Look at his shirt--backwards AND inside out. Now that takes talent.


He adored jumping in the leaves.
And, of course, tossing the leaves.

And we had to get a video of Will running/rolling down the hill, though I am not sure why the video is so little??

The things he says

• Will and I have been "reading" the scriptures together at breakfast (basically just looking at the pictures in the Gospel Art Binder and then telling the stories and singing any songs that correlate with the story) and we had been learning about Abinadi. One morning I couldn't find the Gospel Art book with the pictures, so I asked, "Where's Abinadi? Have you seen Abinadi?" To which Will responded, "Um, Abinadi dead." Yes, Will, Abinadi is dead.
• Will wanted to have the lights off at dinner one night so I said, sure why not? (There was still some daylight out, so it wasn't completely dark). When he turned off the lights, I said, "Ooooh, Will isn't it romantic?" And of course Will said, "Yea, romantic." Josh questioned Will, asking him what the word romantic meant, and Will said, "Um, it means take a nap." At our house, apparently, romantic means taking a nap. Very nice.
• Will and Josh were doing somersaults one Sunday afternoon when they told me it was my turn. I was still wearing my Sunday skirt, so I said, "I don't know if I can. Ladies don't do somersaults in skirts." Will thought on this and quickly countered with, "You not a lady; you a mama." So, what was I to do? A somersault in my skirt, obviously.
• We were sitting at dinner and Will just looks at Josh and said, "Welcome to the Island of Sodor, Dada." Clearly, he has been watching far too much Thomas the Train since this is the opening phrase to every Thomas show.
• Will and I were coloring when he wanted me to draw dinosaurs. This is tricky for me, since my drawing repertoire is limited to flowers, rainbows, and houses. So, I decided to go to clipart to print off some dinosaurs that I could trace. Will was sitting on my lap while I was doing this and as I was editing the dinosaurs, Will looked at me and said, "Cool dinosaurs, babe."
• That same coloring day, after I had drawn my dinosaurs (again I'm not so handy with the pen), Will turned to me, looked at my dinosaur drawing and observed, "Your rainbow is better, Mama."
• I had a ba-zillion errands to run and so I was prepping Will for this by telling him we were going on an adventure. We got in the car and Will asked where we were going. Again, I told him we're going on an adventure. Will thinks about this and said, "No, Mama. We not going on a-venture. We going on the road." Right, silly me.

Big Boy Bed

I guess it was bound to happen, though I tried my best to put it off for as loooong as possible. There was weeping and wailing and gnashing of teeth (all from me), but the time had come. The cage we had created for Will (a.k.a. his crib) could no longer contain him, so we pulled out the big-boy bed. After a week of no naps and of Will constantly climbing out of his crib, I just went for it. The first week went smoothly: Will excited for the bed, taking naps every single day, staying in the bed all night long, playing quietly with his toys in the morning until I came to get him. I was disbelieving and euphoric. Week two, not so great. He refused to nap, instead choosing to destroy his room (even though I locked all his toys in his closet). I am lamenting the loss of his nap, but am grateful he just crashes around 6:30 every night and sleeps until 7-7:30 the next morning. At least there's that. As of yet, the bed is just on the floor next to the crib, waiting for Josh to build a frame for it. But we all know how that goes--remember how "overdue" the crib was (look here and here for reminders)? Maybe for Christmas. Here's to hoping. Now enjoy some pics of Will and Josh getting ready for a night in the big-boy bed.

Since the lamp is in another corner of the room, Josh got his headlamp out to read to Will at night (and look at what they're reading--The Book of Mormon--I think we're going to be translated we're so righteous). Of course, Will insisted he have a headlamp, too. So here he is, headlamp and all, readying himself for the long night ahead.

Will and his cheese smile!
The big-boy bed.

Punkin' Patch

Well, we finally did it. What did we do, you may wonder? Why, we finally made it to the Punkin' Patch. Our weekends had been full and busy, so by the time we actually made it to the patch most of the leaves were gone from the trees and a lot of the pumpkins were rotting. However, that did not deter us from having fun. And if you're local, you really should check this place out. It's called The Pumpkin Patch (some members of our stake own it) and it has it all: hay rides, pumpkins, a tree house, farm animals, a corn maze, cider donuts, etc., etc., but best of all it's free! Will had a ball and, I daresay, so did we. Pumpkin Patch in Schoharie, we're believers. And of course we have pictures of the fun that you now get to enjoy (lucky you).

Will and Mama in the school bus.
Will and Dada in the scary witch.
The hay ride.

The search for the perfect pumpkin.

Our two pumpkins.

The tree house with tire horse.

The go carts. This was a serious hit. We could never get a picture of Will's face because he was riding that there pedal cart way too fast.

Will referred to his shirt all day as his "punkin' patch shirt" and he insisted Josh wear a matching one. And then he fell asleep on the way home. Isn't he so peaceful and cute? I do believe this may be the last nap he ever takes. Sob, sigh.

Fall is where it's at

Yes, you must listen to me drone on and on yet again about my love of all things fall. But really--what isn't there to love? We are definitely taking advantage of all fall has to offer here. And, of course, I will now post about it. Don't worry, though. Come January and February no posts will be made, for who wants to see me going crazy with cabin fever, watching yet another episode of Thomas the Train with my child or putting on a good ten pounds readying myself for the winter cold? I thought not. So enjoy these posts while you've got 'em.

Here's us enjoying two of our favorite fall activities: apple picking and our favorite little hike just down the road from us (Indian Kill).

Will looooves to go on hikes. The entire time we were on the hike he just kept chanting: "I'm a big boy exercising!" Who knows where he came up with that? And it's true--I just must look like a bag lady while taking this hike (look here for evidence), but who showers before a hike?

On a side note: since the hike was a little chilly, we insisted Will wear gloves. And now he cannot get enough of said gloves. He wears them everywhere. Often, he just wears one glove and we call him our little Michael Jackson. Here are the pics of our glove-wearin' friend (and pictures of my not-so-clean house):