Girlie Thursdays: Be Happy

Carol gave Julia a pink t-shirt that has a picture of a bee and then the word "happy": Be Happy. Julia loves it and constantly asks for her 'be happy' shirt. If one of us says, "Don't Worry," we've taught her to respond with "Be Happy!" And, if she sees anyone who is sad (or pretending to be sad to get her attention...not that I've ever done that), she'll go up to them, pat them on the hand, and say, "Be happy, Bubs (or whoever it is)!"

Don't worry, little girl. It's hard not to be happy with you around.

Wednesday Will-isms

I've been saving up a couple of Wednesday Will-isms during my blogging break, so here they are:

One day, Will was playing with something that I didn't want him to mess with...I don't even remember exactly what it was, but it was something small, like paperclips, and I just didn't want him to play with it. I told him, "Will, don't mess with those things."
"Why, Mama? Are they expensive?"
Well, whatever it was was certainly not expensive, and I told him so. "Will, do you know what expensive means?"
"Yes, I do. It means something that is only for grown-ups."

Strangely enough, he's not too far off!
*******************************************

When we went to Ohio, Will immediately took to his older cousin, Henry, who is about eight. Henry was so sweet to Will and very patient with him, and they had a great time playing together. The first night we were there, Margaret (Henry's mom) and I were discussing where everyone would sleep. Will overheard us and piped up with, "I need to sleep in the room with Henry because he's my best friend."

I love how, when you're a child, a best friendship can be formed in four hours and over a mutual love of swing sets and trains.

Bad Blogger

I know, I know. I've been a very bad blogger. Time keeps getting away from me, and then I realize that I haven't posted in almost a month. Even though we don't have kids going "back to school" (because they never left), this time of year is just busy. We're trying to squeeze everything we can out the last few days of summer--even though it will be hot until November--and with two end-of-summer birthdays, things get hectic. With Zach traveling for work, the whole family traveling for fun, planning two birthday parties, making two sets of birthday doctor appointments, finishing up swimming lessons, signing up for soccer, trying to convince Will he likes his new school, listening to Julia talk non-stop, hosting our favorite aunt, buying a new camera etc., etc....there just hasn't been time for blogging! But, I have to remind myself, AT LEAST WE'RE NOT MOVING!

Since I have been delinquent, here's a snippet of things that I haven't been blogging about over the past few weeks:

• A fabulous trip to Columbus, Ohio to visit some of Zach's cousins. Will loved playing with the big kids, Julia had fun taking us on wild-goose chases through their house, we all enjoyed the zoo and the pool, and most importantly, we had a great time catching up with family that we never get to see otherwise. Don't get me wrong, the actual travel to and fro was not my idea of a good time, but it was worth it for the time we were there. (Of course, I took no pictures.)
• A visit from five-months-pregnant Aunt Melanie who came to visit us for 1) our love and affection and 2) all of Will's baby clothes and gear for her baby boy who is due in November. (Or, was it the other way around? Was the gear really the #1 draw to B'ham?) Hooraaay! We loved seeing her, even for a short visit, and can't wait to meet the Willfull nephew/cousin.
• Julia's new found vocabulary. Just like her brother, she does not stop talking. I find myself asking her to "please be quiet, just for a minute". Which, I might as well be talking to a wall for all the good that does. But, I love hearing her chatter (usually), and I love hearing her version of new words, like "bob-boo" for bottom or bottle, "appie juice," "neh-nin" (naked), and "took-ie" (cookie). I also love the way she thinks about things; for example, she really only knows Elmo from Sesame Street, so any other characters are just "Pink Elmo" or "Cookie Elmo".  And, she's really starting to communicate well with lots of new phrases, like, "I come?" which she asks anytime I tell her I have to leave the room, to say, go to the bathroom or take a shower or something crazy like that. Or, "I kiss Mama right der." Because, despite her reputation, she is a super-sweet, super-affectionate little girl these days.
• Will's new school. Will moved to Canterbury in the middle of July for a variety of reasons, and we thought it was working out well. When we pick him up each day, he seems to have enjoyed it, and he's making new friends. But, when we drop him off each morning, he acts like we are sending him to the firing squad. The past few days have been really terrible, with lots of sobbing involved (just him, although it almost sends me over the edge, too.) He constantly tells us he doesn't want to go to school, and he's started "acting up" more in general--whining, tantruming, having trouble going to sleep. So, this is a really fun phase! I don't know where it's all stemming from, but I'm hopeful we can see some improvement soon.

And...I think that's about it. Of course, I haven't been taking any pictures, either (I mean, really--what HAVE I been doing?), so this wrap up is all you'll get. Here's hoping for better blogging, cooler weather, and a happier Will very soon!

Girlie Thursdays: Smarty Pants

I haven't written much about Julia lately, which is a shame because she's at that age where she's learning and doing new things each day. But, for some reason, it's also difficult for me to write about her. With my limited writing skills, I just don't feel that I can really capture her personality, emotion, expression...just her little SELF. She is so funny, bossy, expressive, smart, creative, independent, and loving. Compared to a few months ago, her temperament has really improved, and she's not hitting as much. In fact, she is super sweet and affectionate, always offering up kisses and hugs. She particularly loves to kiss boo-boos--on herself or other people. But, I digress. What I wanted to write about today is how much she's been learning recently. It's been sneaking up on me that she knows so much these days. With Will, I was aware of his every movement and accomplishment. But with Julia, I just don't have as much time as I did with Will to sit and patiently do puzzles, or shape sorters, or letters. Yet, she seems to be doing just fine:

She knows a lot of her letters. She doesn't know many by name, but she knows who each letter is for. So, she points at an 'H' and says "HeeHee" (Hulie). Or "Tracy" when she sees a 'T' (her teacher at school). Or, "Mama! Kate!" when she sees a 'K'. Sometimes she gets so excited to tell you about the letters she sees that she just can't contain herself. However, there are quite a few letters that she doesn't know because she doesn't have anyone to associate them with. So, if your name starts with an E, I, or R, and you'd like to become an integral part of Julia's life, just let me know.

She knows almost all of her colors. Yet, unlike Will who wanted everything to be 'Lello' (which is STILL the way he says 'yellow' by the way), Julia's default answer is (of course) PINK!

She can do simple puzzles. She likes to pick up a piece, point to the spot where it will go, and say, "Dat one right DER, Mama." It's really cute (and repetitive).

She can count...to two. Two is her favorite number. If you ask her anything to do with a number, her answer is always two. So, she sounds really smart if you ask the right questions, like, "How old will you be on your birthday?" or "How many eyes do you have?" She uses this in conjunction with her letters and likes to point out anytime there are "Two Tracys! Mama, two Tracys!" (She will say this even if there are four 'T's. Two just means there are than one.)

She's starting to learn a few little songs and will sing along with you or do the motions for the ones she knows. My favorite thing is how she just seems to know the end of a line and chimes in a that point. Like, for "Twinkle, twinkle little star" she just yells 'STAR!"

She's very bossy and puts together full sentences to convey what she wants: "Come ON, Mama right now!" or "Sit right DER, Wah-wah (Will)!"

Now, don't waste your time telling me that these are all very normal almost-two-year old behaviors. I think it's clear that these point to brilliance and greatness in the making.

Wednesday Will-isms

Lately Will has been very interested in marriage. The only problem is that he wants to marry me. Now, I know this is completely common, and I'm not worried about it, I'm just having a hard time convincing Will that he won't want to marry me when he gets older! The other morning, after discussing it for a while, he pleaded, "Please can I marry you, Mommy? It's okay to marry someone who's already married." While I explained polygamy to him (not really), I realized that what he wanted was to just be reassured that he would still be able to come see us and visit us....so sweet. Good thing I'm writing this down so I'll have written proof that, at one point in his life, he considered Mommy and Daddy the finest people on earth.

Later in the day, Will came up with a new plan: "I'll marry Julia!"

Clearly he doesn't have a grasp on this whole concept yet.

Atlanta

A word of advice: Never, under any circumstances, go to the Georgia Aquarium on the Friday of July 4th weekend. Or any day of any holiday weekend. Or any time other than a random Tuesday afternoon in October.

So, we went to Atlanta over the Fourth of July weekend, and suffice it to say, the Aquarium was packed. Mom and Dad came with us, and the plan was to leave early Friday morning and get to the Aquarium a little after lunch. After a GPS-induced ride through the Atlanta ghetto, we made it to the Aquarium in one piece. The plan was to just to let Julia skip her nap--she would be tired, but would probably be okay, since she is genetically similar to the Energizer Bunny. Nothing about this plan worked out very well. Like I said, the place was mobbed, and it was hard for Will to see the exhibits. Julia didn't care much about seeing the exhibits because she was busy screaming her head off. Finally, I found the Aquarium's Ballroom, which is where they have events, and I was able to wheel Julia around in her stroller. She was still screaming, but at least there weren't as many people around to think I was kidnapping her. And, the Ballroom had two huge windows that showcased some of the place's best exhibits--the rest of our group joined us in the Ballroom and we were able to get close-up views of the Beluga whales and various kinds of sharks. Julia finally calmed down a bit, and we were able to go to the interactive section of the Aquarium, which the kids really enjoyed.

Trying to touch sting rays and sharks. We had to physically stop Julia from diving in.

On the fishing boat replica

Please, no more photos. I just can't handle the paparazzi.

After the Aquarium, we met some college friends for dinner and got to meet their sweet little girl. We had dinner outside on a rooftop at a brewery, and it was lovely. Surprisingly, the weather was fabulous--the humidity disappeared for a few days, so it was nice all weekend. Back at the hotel, Will stayed in the room with Mom and Dad, and Julia bunked in a suite with us. Aside from Will's twenty million questions and comments, it all worked out well.

The next morning, we went over to Atlanta's children's museum, Imagine It. It was perfect for the children, and definitely more their speed. It was similar to the McWane center (although not quite as focused on science), and the kids had a ball trying out every exhibit there. They sat on a tractor, built with sand, tap-danced, played in the water table, and generally had a fabulous time. At this point, we were right across the street from Centennial Park, so we headed over there to check out the scene. We had a bit of ice cream, and Will played in the fountain, and then it was time for the girls to go home. Julia did pretty well in the car, but once again, skipped her nap and chatted the entire time. While the girls went back to B'ham, the guys went to Will's first baseball game and saw the Braves play the Marlins. From what I hear, they had a good time. When they arrived home late that night, Zach reported, "I didn't put any more sunscreen on him, I didn't take any pictures, and all he ate the whole time was ice cream." Yep....sounds like a Daddy trip! They all had a blast.

On the actual Fourth, we just played around the house and had lunch with friends. The kids didn't even know that it was a holiday, and we didn't let on that there was anything exciting going on that night. We had thought about trying to take at least Will to see the fireworks, but after two days of crazy schedules and not enough sleep, it was better that we all went to sleep early. The next day, we went to some friends' lake for the day and all had a wonderful, relaxing time. There were several children right around Will and Julia's age, and they had fun playing together.

Whew. By the time we went back to work on Tuesday, I felt like I needed a vacation.

Happy Fourth of July!

More to come on how we celebrated (hint: the kids didn't even know it was the Fourth of July), but for now, a picture: