Visit Wrap Up

Well, Drew has smuggled Jess and Griffin back to Colorado.  Because, I'm sure, they wanted to stay and hang with us forever.  We had a BLAST!!  We went to the park and dinner with Papa, Donna, and Great Papa; Jess, Mimi, and I had mani-pedi's and a girls lunch; the Boys broke into The Shoe; we drove up to Lake Erie and swam at a really cool beach!  Sadly, we're back to work today. And we are all dragging!  Buuuut, I'm sure not as much as poor Jessica, who went back to work today after waking up and flying to Denver before 5AM this morning!

I stole a bunch of pictures from Drew...

Suz and I being awesome.  

Yeah. Drew's head IS weird lookin'

Steve illegally at The Shoe

The Gang

Griffin, being ridiculously cute at the beach

Wm, in Steve's shirt at the beach

Uncle Steve and G-Money playing peekabo

Steve looking less than pleased about this picture

Just because.

Jess and I being awesome

Steve and Jess being REAL happy

Party Animals

Jess's face is epic.  She is FEELING it.

It is one trillion and a half degrees outside - thanks, Global Warming.  I actually drove to pick Wm up from day camp today because I did not want to take the 10 minute walk (ironically, contributing to global warming with my emissions).  I was also reminded that the sun is NOT my friend (nor Wm's) yesterday at the beach.  After multiple reapplications of SPF 70 - AND eventually covering up in towels, Wm and both managed to crisp in the sun.  I am all pink and burny - Wm is just a little well done.  So,  I spent today finding and ordering all sorts of exciting things for Wm and I.  We are now both the proud owners of sun shirts!  We will be bringing sexy back to the beach in our long sleeve swim shirts.  Oh yeahhhhhhh.  I only hope we have half as much fun as these people are having in their swim shirts:

Partying like Youngsters

We have continued to party down!  Here is a random sampling of pictures (most from our kid-free night on the town!)

At one point, Suz decided to watch Vampire Diaries...

SHOTS!

The Boys playing

Wm wanted in on the game of chase.

Two drunks.

Jess and Suz

Biggest, grossest shots of all time.

But the ladies took them DOWN.  

And now, for your listening pleasure, here are Steve and Drew singing a delightful song:

And Drew and Jess singing an almost as delightful song (until some drunk guy cut me off):

Family Fun!

They have arrived!!!!  And Drew survived the plane.  Which is pretty awesome.  I guess Griffin did GREAT!  I had no doubt.  He's pretty rad.  We've already taken The Cousins of Cuteness to the fountains downtown.  They had a BLAST.

Are you lookin' at me?  I didn't think so.

Wm and Daddy gettin' wet

Matching cousins!

Wm was a little tired.

Which way did he go, George?  Which way did he go?

Snack time!!

Bed Time Concerns

I love when Wm waxes philosophical. What IS bedtime without our perceived social construct of linear "time"?  It's a cycle, man.
Steve: Wm, it's 8:30.  You need to be in bed NOW.
Wm: 8:00...8:30...9:00....why are you so concerned with what time I go to bed?

And, the BIG NEWS is that Uncle Drew, Aunt Jess, and Griffin arrive TONIGHT!  Soooooooo excited!!!!!!!  Wheeeeeeeeeeee!!!  Expect lots of pictures.

Heavy Sleeper

If anyone had an doubt that Wm could sleep through anything - those have been cleared up.  We were all fast asleep at 3AM when the fire alarm in Steve and my room started SHRIEKING.  (We have no idea what happened - there was clearly no fire, but the alarm definitely thought there was.  It was in full evacuation mode.)  By the time Steve shot out of bed like a rocket, ripped it off the wall and managed to pry the batteries out, this thing had been wailing like the banshee of doom for a solid couple minutes.  My stomach actually hurt from the terror of being ripped out of a deep sleep by this horrible noise.  So I go in to soothe Wm, who I was SURE would be awake and freaking out. I got into his room and he was OUT.  And snoring.  Didn't even turn over.  The next morning, I was like, "did you hear that fire alarm last night?" and he goes, "what?"  That kid would sleep through a tornado taking our house apart.

Wm made Steve the sweetest card for Father's Day and helped me make him breakfast in bed.   Happy Father's Day to the best dad ever!!!  Wm is super lucky to have such an amazing dad and I am just as lucky to have an amazing partner in raising him.  Steve is pretty much the coolest guy ever.  And to prove it, here is a cute conversation with Wm...

Steve: My back hurts...will you rub it?
Me: Man, you have a wicked amount of moles back here.  Wm, come look at your dad's back!  He looks like a chocolate chip cookie!
Wm: [whispering loudly to me] MOMMY!  Do not say that!  It's Father's Day!  You are going to hurt Daddy's feelings.
Me: No way - who DOESN'T want to look like a chocolate chip cookie??  That is an awesome compliment.
Wm: Oh, yeah.  He DOES look like a chocolate chip cookie then!
Steve: Whatever...just keep rubbing.

Busy

We've had a crazy day!  We got up and went for a hike in Highbanks with Suzanne right after breakfast.  And it was actually a good hike since Suz and I went alone while The Boys played soccer, frisbee, and on the playground - so it wasn't at Wm's pace.  Then, after a shower, we headed right out to lunch at Dewey's.  Followed by a trip to Target on the way home.  Then,  more shopping with Suzanne.  Home to make falafel-type business for dinner.  Aaaand, now it's 8PM.  I am exhausted.  Wm has been yawning since 3PM.  Hopefully that bodes well for bed in about 10 minutes!!

Good times....

Wm: Daddy, what's your favorite song?

Steve: I like We Are Young.

Wm: That's MY favorite song!  It must be because I am part of you!  And part of Mommy.  More Mommy, actually, I think.  Because we both like to torture you.

That's m'boy!

And, Wm loves a good poop joke (even when it takes a sec to sink in):

Buuuut, he's got to work on "inventing" jokes of his own.

Library

Wm's summer camp is participating in some summer reading thing through the Columbus library and they take a field trip there every week.  Wm was all sad because he couldn't check out any books.  So we took him that night and got him his first library card!!  Here he is reading the first book he checked out all by himself (with the library card sitting at the top corner of the book).

Today is GORGEOUS - nothing but sun and mid-70's.  And Wm' summer camp is going to the zoo!  He is all excited about the field trip. He got to take a packed lunch from home since they'll be there throughout lunch and he was so happy.  Wm is not a fan of the camp lunches.  Wm doesn't eat like a typical kid, so most of the stuff they serve, he doesn't like.  He begged for sardines in his lunch, but we convinced him his friends may not enjoy the smell of Wm eating sardines.  So we talked him into black beans. He's a weirdo.

In other news, Steve had his followup at the hernia surgeon and everything looks good.  There is still some fluid around it, I guess, that needs to go away - then he should be good as new!  And, no more weird steristrip rash.  Steve is now mostly just sad he can't play soccer yet.  He was pouting because yesterday was pickup day and all his cronies were nagging him to play, but he couldn't.  But soon...he will be a new man.  

Slip n' Slide

Our neighbor invited Wm over to use his fancy slip 'n' slide.  I think Wm enjoyed it.

Gettin' ready

Slidin'

Water in the face.

VICTORY!!!!!!!

The Hangover

We went to a party Friday night where all the kids ate s'mores and all the adults drank a bunch of beer around a fire.  When we could delay Wm's bedtime no longer, I brought him home and put him to bed.  And Steve went out with a bunch of guys to see Prometheus...at a theater that serves more beer.  He didn't get home until after 1AM.  That is a late night for us oldies.  I was out like a light when he came in, so I got my first glimpse the next morning.  And it wasn't pretty.  Steve was all hung over - headache, upset stomach, grumps - the whole nine.  The fun part is that Wm had a swim party Saturday afternoon.  Let me tell you, Steve was DRAGGING.  I found it all quite amusing.

This is what happened when I tried to take the sheets
off the bed to wash them.  Steve was reluctant to get up.

But Wm LOVED the swim party!  It was at the Worthington pool on 161 and they have a kid's "lagoon" with all sorts of water activities, a little kids pool, a big kids pool, and then a couple adult pools.  I had to take advantage of the lap pool and managed to sneak away from the forced socializing to get in a few laps.  The big win of the day is that we were there for hours and both us blindingly white Matyai managed to keep from burning!  Thank you, SPF 70!

Lastly, a fun Willie convo...

Steve: should I get the orange shorts or the green shorts?

Wm: the green.

Steve: hmmm...I like the orange.  I think I'm going to have to overrule you on this one, Wm.

Wm: touche, Daddy...touche.

Speaking of Shortiness

Me: How tall is she?
Wm: A lot taller than you.
Me: Well, yeah - a lot of people are.
Wm: Yeah...you are kind of a mini-adult.

Wm's Big Day

Wm had his first day of summer camp today.  It was in a brand new place, so we were a bit nervous about how it would go.  But, he LOVED it!!!  He was SO excited to come home and tell me all about it.  He said it was "the most fun ever."  They have an after school program, that Wm now says he wants to do - but it's totally full with an "extensive" waiting list.  I added Wm's name to it and we'll see what happens.  But, for now at least, it looks like Wm is going to have a great summer!!!

Today was also Wm's 6 year check up at the doctor.  She said Wm is a bundle of health.  In fact, she said he is AMAZINGLY healthy!  Wm has only seen her one time since his 5 year check up. I guess most kids go to the doctor a lot more.  She was very impressed with Wm's well being.  And, Wm has grown nearly 2 and a half inches since last year!  And gained 2 lbs.  Steve asked if the slow weight gain was anything to be worried about and she said that he's totally fine.  Height/weight staying steady in the 10th percentile.  Wm is a TINY bundle of health.  I told Steve that 10th percentile for adult men would make Wm 5'6''.  Since he's steadily been in the 10th percentile since birth...sounds about right.  Although basketball may not be Wm's sport, he can be a fast and furious soccer player.  And, as a shorty myself...it's pretty rad.  Our sizes are always on sale!  Welcome to the world of half off petite sizes, Wm!! (Another bonus: Wm is in the same sandals this summer that he wore last summer - they were a little big last summer and fit perfectly this summer.  Shortiness is a total cost savings.)

Hiking

We drove down to Ash Cave today and had a picnic and went hiking.  Wm LOOOOOOVED it.  He said at least a dozen times, "this is AWESOME - can we do this all the time?"  AND, camping is back on!  Wm said he didn't even want the Xbox because hiking was so much fun.  Wm's favorite part was creeking and searching for aquatic creatures.  He found minnows, crawfish, salamanders, and even a bullfrog! We are all stinky and exhausted, but it was a GREAT day!

Getting ready to set up the picnic

Wm getting stuff ready to go!

Grill Master Daddy

Wm and Mommy taking a breather

It was a little cool this morning, so Wm put on an extra shirt of Daddy's.
That was a Wm dress.

Baby crawfish!

Wm and Daddy discovering a salamander 

Wm loved the waterfall!  We hiked all the way to the top and peered over!!

Wm taking another break

Time of his life...

Cookout

We had friends over for a cookout tonight.  They have 2 girls - and Wm, of course, lured them toward the Xbox.  They actually seemed interested and Wm is beyond excited to have Xbox Buddies!  I told them they are welcome to come and play ANY time.

Wm giving initial instructions

Bossypants

And, in other news, Steve took off his "steristrips" only to discover he had an allergic reaction to them and has a horrible rash.  Most surprisingly, Steve OKed me taking a picture of the rash!  In fact, he seemed more than willing.  Which is real weird for Steve.  I think he just wants the world to know his pain.  He's tired of only whining to me.  The redness is not from surgery - it's from the steristrips they put on the wounds to keep them bandaged.  The actual incisions are nearly invisible.  The bandages have caused more damage than the surgery!  Poor Steve.

We are going hiking in the Hocking Hills tomorrow and having a picnic.  The weather is supposed to be nice.  We're excited!!  We haven't been in a long time, so it should be fun!  I will make sure to get pictures of Outdoor Adventurer William.  Luckily, we will be returning home to our showers, soft beds, and Xbox - so Wm will be happy.

Sum-Sum-Summer Camp

There has been all sorts of summer camp drama at Casa del Guillermo.  We signed him up to go to a familiar summer camp...one where he has been before (ahem).  But, when went to the open house they had yesterday, we were majorly disappointed.  They moved to a new location, and it was crappy.  They didn't do nearly the activities that we had expected, and it just had a yucky vibe.  I usually tend to emotionally react to places and freak out and Steve is all, "it's fine, you're a weirdo - calm down," so I count on him to reign me in.  Well, Steve pulled me aside and was like, "I DO NOT LIKE THIS PLACE - I do not want Wm here." That was when I knew it was bad. Buuuuuut, summer camp starts, like, NOW.

We knew a couple of Wm's favorite friends from kindergarten went to a summer camp that is, literally, across the street from us (through the back yard).  And we'd heard really good things. I had actually called them in February, but they were full all the way back then!  So, in a panic, I called them just to see...I figured it couldn't hurt.  Well - they had an opening!!!!  Someone had canceled last week!  I JUMPED on it and signed Wm up!  We'll lose a significant deposit we put down at the other place, but...screw it.  Wm is going to have a great summer now!

The new place has a bunch of kids from his kindergarten - including his two best friends. Every week they take the kids to the library, the pool, and on a field trip!  The first week is "Safari Week" and the kids go to the zoo for their field trip.  The second week is "Bug Week" and they go to the Franklin Park Conservatory.  The people there were SUPER nice and  Wm is so excited to go!!!  Steve and I feel SO MUCH better!