Crazies

You can't really see this that well, but the sounds are the best part.  Typical night with The Boys.  This is what I'm dealing with...

Act I, Scene II

Cory: What is this USB doing on the floor?
Steve: Wm was flipping it around.
Wm: No, I wasn't!
Steve: Yes, you were.
Wm: YOU DON'T KNOW MY BUSINESS!!

Fin.

Chores Rock!

Time to come clean: we totally cheaped out on Wm's first bed.  We figured that he we bespoil it somehow (vomit, pee...who knew?) and there was no need to get him a nice mattress.  More fool us.  Wm never did anything to his mattress - but the thing was so cheap that the springs started to pop out.  So we had to go mattress shopping today.  We let Wm pick out his own mattress - and he insisted on laying on every mattress in the place.  Getting it home strapped to the top of our tiny car was exciting.  But Wm is now the proud owner of a nice, new, very comfy mattress.  The real impetus for this mattress expedition is that during a thunderstorm, Wm slept with me and Steve went in and slept in his bed.  I think Steve just didn't want to sleep in that thing again if there was another storm!

In other news, we decided a couple weeks ago that Wm was old enough to fold his own laundry.  So I gave him a quick instructional demo on how it's done and turned him loose.  It did not go well.  It took 2 hours.  For every item that got folded, there was at least 15 minutes of wailing along the lines of, "I hate this!", "Why are you doing this to me?!!?", "PLEEEEEASE make it stop!"  All of which were ignored.  We told him if he wanted to wear clothes, he had to take care of them.  So 2 hours later he had balls of "folded"clothes that I took upstairs and refolded (unbeknownst to Wm) and put them away.  This week...whole different tune!!  I think we made our point last weekend that there was no escape regardless of the level of whining.  So Wm quickly and deftly got out his clothes, folded them all, and was happily done in under 20 minutes.  Not one whine or complaint.  And he did a GREAT job!!!!!  I was SO impressed.  To celebrate Wm's awesomeness, we did a happy dance and I made him s'more bars (which are currently in the oven!)  Wm was flush with his success and said he can't wait to fold again next week!  SCORE!

Wm folding away!

The finished product - 100% done by Wm!!

Family Hug

When I walked in to pick Wm up today, his teacher goes, "Can you come back into the art area for a minute?  William drew a picture today that I really want to show you - I saved it instead of putting it out in his art folder because I really wanted to do this in person."  So, inside I am freaking the freak out.  All sorts of awful possibilities are running through my mind...WHAT did that kid draw?!?!  So we get back to the art area and she pulls out Wm's picture.  I have no idea what it is.  So Chelsea says, "William, tell your mom what you told me."  He gets all shy and refuses.  Chelsea says, "William painted this and when I asked him what it was...he told me it was him, his Mommy, and his Daddy all hugging."  She said she took a picture of it with her phone because "it is the reason I do what I do."  She wanted to make sure I knew what Wm drew because it was so meaningful to her - and she knew it would be to me.  I came home and immediately framed it.

Here is a picture of it (ignore Wm's weird face - he is sort of smiling, but also a bit pissed because I told him to put his rice crispy treat down while I took the picture - note it still clutched in his fist):

He's Gonna Be a Soccer Playa!

Wm said he wants to be a soccer player when he grows up. That's all Steve needed to hear. This is how we spent our afternoon:

BLOCK!!

Airborne!!! 

Got one passed the old man

Making sure I saw it...

Way to kick it in, Pele!

Cuuuuuutie

Boys...

I was very impressed that Steve still has a bit of game.  I thought he'd break a hip.  But here he is demonstrating a bicycle kick for Wm:

H-O-T-T Hot

Wm wanted to know why people have different color skin. So I explained about melanin and evolution and how people had once, a very, very long time ago, all been very dark brown but then as they moved around, those that lived in different climates had developed different melanin levels, and therefore different colored skin, to survive in colder weather - so some of us developed lighter, peachy skin. So a couple weeks go by...and it's obviously percolating in Wm's pointy head. Then this morning at breakfast he goes, "I don't look like Daddy...because he's got brown skin. And I know now that he was born someplace warm!"

Handlebars

Wm is a big fan of the song Handlebars by the Flobots (a "fight the system" band that Steve loves).  He has huge chunks of the song memorized and sings it all the time - and demands that it be played over and over. So I decided to capture it on tape:



And, for those of you (probably most of you) unfamiliar with the obscure bands that Steve favors, here is the Flobots video for Handlebars so you can see how well Wm did.  You'll probably need to watch the entire video (it's a good song, won't be a sacrifice) because Willie jumps around a bit!  But he got the gist:

Spring is in air!

FINALLY...it's looking like spring!  Flowers are beginning to bloom - and it's supposed to be sunny and warm tomorrow!  Wm was VERY excited that he got to go outside without his coat on today at school.  Wm's preschool is closed Friday for a teacher in-service day, so I will be home with him partying down (even MORE awesome is that they are cleaning the carpets in my office Monday and I was told to "work from home" --- which is code for FOUR DAY WEEKEND!!!!!!!)

Wm is entering a Big Contest.  Lego is sponsoring a contest for their Lego fanatics 6 years of age and under.  They have to create a new animal of their own imagination.  Then we name it, take a picture of it, and send it to Lego.  The winner gets $100.  Wm is beyond excited about this whole business.  His creature is called a Moncheweechy.  You'll notice it has 6 legs and can be saddled and ridden.  I think it's a winner.  Wm created it all by himself and is quite proud of his animal (to go into the Lego zoo).  Now we just need to get stamps...because, seriously, Lego, who mails things anymore?  It would be so much better if we could just upload it to their website!!

And, just for the heck of it, I am including the the following picture.  It's not often that I think I take a good picture - so when it happens, I have to share.  I usually look weird in pictures...NOT photogenic.

Me and my comrade in arms, Taylor.

The Generalissimo

Wm was very excited that Grandma and Papa came down yesterday, bringing Andrew and Tyler along with them.  Wm and Andrew played very nicely (for the most part!) and it was hilarious to listen to Wm chatting him up.  Wm used to be pretty easy going with other kids, letting them take the lead and content to follow along.  No longer.  I could hear him up there directing how things were going to roll - or trying to.  Wm is a little Generalissimo!  He has my genes after all.

Grandma brought a box of clothes from Andrew - and Wm was VERY excited to discover a complete Star Wars outfit.  I had to wash it last night so he could wear it today.  The pants are rolled over a couple times, but Wm insisted they fit.  I took some pictures of him in the outfit, but they didn't turn out well at all, so I will have to redo those later.

We took Wm to the gym this morning and he had a blast!!  He and Steve tossed the football, played basketball, messed around with the exercise balls, and generally had a blast while I sweated my butt off.  Usually Wm is lukewarm about the gym, but we had to drag him out of there today!

Today is the calm before the storm.  Wm does not like daylight savings time.  He wants his hour back.  He will be VERY grumpy tomorrow...and all next week. Waking him up at what his body thinks is 5:30AM is NOT fun.  At least he is enthusiastic about going to school now!  He asked this morning if it was a school day and was saddened to learn it was not.  He insisted on driving passed his school on the way to the gym to say "hello."

WonderWeek

Wm had a good week.  In his most exciting news, his classroom is the proud owner of 2 new guinea pigs.  Wm got to hold them and pet them.  By the end of the week, the novelty had worn off - but this was major excitement early this week.  Now that Meanie is gone, Wm LOVES school.  When he wakes up on the weekends, he asks if he gets to go to school. When we tell him no, he goes, "awwww...I wanted to go!"  Farewell, Meanie!  You are not missed!

Wm...kissed.

I have been showered with gifts at work.  My first crop of seniors is graduating and this week I have been taken out to lunch, given a box of Godiva chocolates, and am headed out to another meal at Bravo next week.  I got to go see their final senior design presentation - they built a new kind of lift for their client (a man in the final stages of ALS who is unable to move at all and his elderly caregivers can't maneuver him easily from wheelchair to bed and vice versa).  They are an impressive bunch!!  

In other news, I am running away with Eric Bana...

I thought it would be funny for Steve to stand behind us, as if we were running away from HIM.  But it took him a million years to emerge from Rango, so Suz and I gave up.  

Wm's Own Money

We ran to Target to get a new shower curtain, and, of course, we can't leave without looking at the Lego isle.  Wm SWORE he would not beg to get anything and just wanted to look.  As would be expected, once we got into the isle, he discovered a small, neat $5 set that he really wanted and the begging began. I told him "NO way, jose."  But then I remembered he has at least $5 in his piggy bank.  So I told him that he could buy it with his own money, if he wanted.  He jumped on that.  But when we got home and I actually made him hand over the $5, he was reluctant.  After A LOT of prodding, he finally handed it over, then muttered, "YOU are supposed to buy things FOR me!"

Me being a badass in my boots, Part II

Notice how Wm is a REAL willing participant in my badass role playing

We go the bowl and gnome back from the pottery shop!

Inside shot

Steve...kissed

Saw this at Target and thought it was hilarious. It's what you're all getting for Xmas next year.

Badass & Son

Picture #1 of me being a badass in my boots.

With a sneaky Wm popping in.

(A professor stopped me in the hall to tell me he loved my boots!)

Wm reading The Other Paper.  He is very literate.

It's disgusting and rainy today.  Depressing.  But we pick up Wm's gnome and bowl tomorrow!!! Pics to follow.

Annoying

Today at dinner we were asking Wm who he played with at school.  In typical Wm fashion, he shrugged and went, "I dunno."  (Wm is like a tiny teenager.)  So I start going through the preschool roster.  "Do you play with Vivian?" "Yes." "Ranjeet?" "Yes." "Alex S?" "Yes."  So I get through nearly all the kids in his class and Wm answers "yes" to each.  Then I ask, "Well, is there anyone you DON'T play with?"  Wm thinks for a minute and then says, "Alex H."  I ask why he's the only kid Wm doesn't play with and Wm shrugs again and says, "he annoys me."

I got SUPER kickin' boots today!  I ordered them yesterday from my beloved Zappos (free overnight shipping, people!!)  Steve isn't sure about them...but he just isn't rad enough to appreciate their awesomeness.  I told him I had to take a test before I was allowed to buy them and if I didn't get the required Score of Awesomeness, they wouldn't sell them to me.  That's how stylin' these boots are.  I am going to rock them hard core.  Luckily, I passed The Awesome Test with flying colors.  Steve...FAIL.  Only one question on the test: How Badass are these boots?  Pictures of me being a Badass in these boots to follow.