Making Beds... and Lying In Them

For Will's birthday, we moved in a set of bunkbeds for him (thanks Craigslist!). We had an ulterior motive: we were hoping that the more plush mattress would be more comfortable for our little prince, and he would stop his nocturnal travels that inevitably end smack dab in the middle of OUR bed, his feet pressed relentlessly into my back as I cling to the edge of the bed, my head slowly pushed off the pillow.

As excited as Will was about his beds - and he tried to lure people up to his room for a week or two by saying, "Don't you want to come upstairs and climb my ladder???" - I think Rofie was more excited about her receipt of Will's old Ikea bed. We figured we might as well put the crib away since she was climbing out of it every morning anyway. The bed allows for a safer exit.

Note the 80's Barbie sleeping beside her.

Will's Birthday

For the second year in a row, we celebrated Will's birthday at the beach. We had a big party with eight adults and nine kids. I have more pictures from the party I may post later.

This year, I got smart and bought the cake in Destin instead of baking on vacation!

Caught In The Act (and Other Fun Shots)

These were taken on one of our first cooler fall evenings... Will and I had a lot of fun taking action shots while he jumped off the wall in front of our house.

Morris Family, Who Does This Little Face Remind You Of?

In The Blood...

Truly, I think there has to be something genetic to this. Will has started building on his own, which is nice, since it means he occasionally spends time alone in his room. (Don't get too jealous - I still hear, "But I don't want to be alone!" nine times out of ten.)

Although I know I am biased, I am convinced that his structures - built without supervision - are extraordinary. Now you can decide.

Disney On Ice

Instead of throwing Sophie a party this year, we decided to go to Disney On Ice.

The previous weekend, we had been to a demolition derby at the Dickson County Fair. Although I liked the derby part, it was pretty much a nightmare. The stands were incredibly congested, there were smokers everywhere, and Will kept kicking the back of a hugely obese smoker in front of us. I apologized profusely, but she was NOT nice about it, even though it wasn't completely his fault since she hung over the back of her bench considerably, further limiting his already cramped space. We just had way too much energy to try to confine to a space of that size.

After that, I had serious concerns about Disney On Ice. We had never been to an event like that before, and while I knew smoke wasn't going to be an issue, I was worried the congestion might be similar. In spite of my dread, the kids were pretty excited on the car ride there.

And my concerns were groundless. We had ample room and of course, everything was very kid-friendly (well, except the prices, but we had already discussed at length that we were NOT BUYING *ANYTHING* there, so that wasn't much of an issue).

Sophie loved the show and contentedly watched the whole thing. Will was done after Intermission and ready to go home. This was somewhat understandable as the "Cars" gang was the very first act, and the whole second half of the show was devoted to Tinkerbell and fairies, which are not exactly up Will's alley. He made it through, and I was just glad that the Birthday Girl enjoyed the outing.

Aunt Anna baked Sophie a cake decorated in the only color that matters to Sophie, which we enjoyed later.

You Know Who You Are - Even When I Don't

There are several of you who I talk to regularly, and who refuse to identify yourselves on the phone. It's OK, except that *you all sound the same*! So I spend the first ten seconds of each conversation trying to identify which mystery caller I am talking to.

The other night, I noticed the answering machine was blinking. I pressed the button and heard a familiar voice, "Hi guys, I was just calling to...(blah, blah, blah)". My eyes narrowed in irritation. "What is up with these people who don't identify themselves?!?" I ranted to myself.

That's when it hit me. The mystery caller was me. I had called from work to check on the kids.

I am one of you.

The Next "Best Thing"

I have stumbled upon a marvelous discovery which I am thrilled to share with all of you fellow parents of preschoolers. There are many ordinary objects that we adults take for granted, but that provide unprecedented fascination for our children. When we happen upon an object subject to this fascination and also cheap and relatively safe... JACKPOT!

A week or so ago, Will found some mailing tape, which he began using to construct sectioned garage doors out of Lincoln Log roofs (the wooden, paint-stirrer-like type). At first I was adverse to his excessive tape usage. We don't usually condone wanton waste in our household. But eventually I remembered that we have a friend that works for a massive office supply manufacturer, and he had recently given us a desk-top tape dispenser with several rolls of tape. This provided Will with the marvelous opportunity to have sole custody of our old tape dispenser, which excited him to no end. He immediately came up with a complicated code of rules and regulations regarding who could use his tape and under what circumstances. (Thankfully, Sophie's standing as Little Sister and Object of Protection gave her access - albeit limited - to his new treasure.)

Tonight, as I look back on today's activities, I realize that "Spinny Scotch Tape", as Will calls it, is quite possibly a gift from God. In a couple of sessions, with limited supervision and without much risk of injury or property damage, Will entertained himself for well over an hour. The fun would've continued had I not insisted that it was bedtime.

So there you have my humble suggestion of a new form of entertainment. It's way cheaper than a movie!