POTTY TRAINING

We've been working on potty training with Will since December and he's been doing a great job! He had tried some before December but more of just "checking things out" and seeing what it was all about instead of really doing anything! :) We didn't want to push the issue too much with him and get him frustrated with the whole process and I'm glad that we did it that way because now he's wanting to "go tee tee in the potty" all the time and we are working on the "poopy in the potty" now! This one is definitely not as easy but he's working on it and that's what counts! :) He sometimes gets a piece of candy if he goes so the "bribery tactic" has obviously helped with him - we'll take what we get! Here's a picture of him on the potty:

Leapin' Lizards

Allison and I took Jackson and Will to Leapin' Lizards today and they had a blast! I was wondering if the cast was going to hinder Will from doing some of the stuff but nothing stopped him! He was climbing all over the stuff there and had an awesome time with Jackson! I can't wait to take him again!





BubbleShare: Share photos - Safe Toys

Will's "Boo Boo"

Ashley called me at work yesterday (1/18/08) at about 4:55 pm to tell me that Will seemed to have hurt his wrist/arm (she was about to put in an Elmo video that he and Rylan love and I guess he got a little excited and jumped off of the couch and landed on his wrist)- she wasn't sure what, if anything, was wrong b/c all he was doing was crying non-stop, saying, "no boo boo, no boo-boo" and wouldn't let her or Brandon take a look at it or ice it. So....I packed my bags up at work and headed home to get him and he was able to move his hand, arm, etc. but I decided to call his doctor's office to talk to the doctor on call about it just in case and they told me that I could either take him that night to the emergency room or wait until the next morning - either way I should get it checked b/c of his age and the weakness of bones at this age. So I decided to go on to Richland Memorial Hospital that evening - I think we left at about 6:30 pm. We went into the children's hospital area b/c I wasn't really sure where I was supposed to go and they ended up making a few phone calls for me and getting an order in for the x-rays that were needed and we proceeded to go to do the x-rays - Will did very well with this I must say! After taking a look at the x-rays they determined that he had fractured his wrist and that he was going to either need a cast or splint - they ended up putting a cast on him which is going to be quite the adventure with bath-time b/c we can't get it wet! While waiting for the cast we watched two movies and met many of the staff at Richland and I must say that I was very pleased with all of them and the care that they gave us! I'm so glad I went here and not the emergency room b/c who knows what time we would've gotten out of there if we had done that! We ended up finally getting home somewhere around 12:45 or so, so needless to say, Will and I both were exhausted and pretty much went right to bed b/c we had a big day ahead of us! :) We are waiting for Rick to get to see Will in person - he missed out on all of the action b/c he was away on a trip to Miami on Friday night! It's amazing to see him now because he acts as if nothing is wrong - I guess he's kind of like his mommy in that sense b/c I can take pain real well - at least most of the time! I'm glad that he's doing so well though b/c it makes it so much easier for me - I don't know what I would have done if he was in much more pain than he was b/c that was hard enough to see him like he was! Ashley ended up coming over to the house today and brought Will a gift - it was the Elmo video that he got so excited about right before he broke his wrist and some candy! Will was very excited about this and has already watched the video today! Here's pictures of Will and his cast:

Will goes to the dentist

Will made his first trip to the dentist on January 16, 2008! He did a wonderful job and I'm sure it helped that he had Amanda there working with him! She did an amazing job and kept him feeling very comfortable the whole visit - he even got to "help" open his little container of toothpaste and fluoride, which he was thrilled about! We loved the dentist, Dr. John Jenkins and are looking forward to the next visit! The dentist said that his 2 year molars haven't come through yet but will probably come through within the next couple of months - he said, "So if he's a little cranky at times, you can blame it on the teeth!" :) He got lots of goodies from Amanda, including a new shirt! We'll see how the next visit goes in July! :)

Another Trip to the Riverbanks Zoo

Rick, Will and I traveled to the zoo again on January 12, 2008 and had a blast! We've definitely enjoyed our purchase of the membership and will most likely do this again this year once it expires in May! Of course I took many pictures which I'll be posting! What was the best this time, in my opinion, were the monkeys - they were going crazy this day and making all kinds of noises/"talking" to each other and swinging all over the place! All three of us enjoyed this - they've never been quite that "crazy" before when we've been there! Will and I also got to feed the giraffe this time and that was awesome! The weather was great also which made for a nice trip!

Will has a bunch of zoo animals at home also and the past couple of days he's really been loving playing "zoo" with them - he and Rick made a zoo the other day with his blocks that Santa gave him for Christmas and Rick said he had so much fun with that!

It's so amazing watching all of the associations he makes with everything in life - he never ceases to amaze us with all that he has learned in just the two years of his life! He's such a wonderful child and we thank God for him every day!

BubbleShare: Share photos - Lead Free Toys

Emma Turns ONE!!!

Emma had her 1st birthday party on January 5, 2008 at her home with a few of her little friends and of course, Will! They played all over the house and in the ball pit that we gave her for Christmas - which she absolutely loves... or so her parents say that! :) She received lots of wonderful gifts from everyone and absolutely loved her cake that her mommy and Me-Mo made! Elizabeth had everyone write a message to Emma in a scrapbook which was a wonderful idea and will hopefully be something she will cherish one day! I still can't believe she's already ONE - my oh my, how does the time fly by!!! :)





BubbleShare: Share photos - Lead Free Toys

2007 Christmas Tree

I had to get some pictures of our Christmas tree from this year before we took it down - it was the biggest so far - 11 feet! We'll definitely be going back to the 10 feet next year - this one was nice but very big! :) I also took some pictures of the mantle decorated with our stockings! Christmas has to be my favorite holiday - not just because of the beautiful decorations and lights but because of the real meaning behind Christmas - the birth of our Saviour, Jesus Christ!

Pot Luck Dinner in the Neighborhood

Brandon and Ashley had a bunch of us from the neighborhood come to their house for a "pot-luck" dinner on December 28, 2007. There were kids everywhere and they had so much fun with each other! Brandon deep fried a turkey that was absolutely delicious! Everyone brought something to eat and it was all so delicious! They also celebrated Caitlin's (Brandon's daughter) 9th birthday and she got some really wonderful gifts from everyone! Ashley made a yummy cake that everyone enjoyed and also made her Kandy K's that were great!!! Everyone had a great time and it was fun to hang out with friends form the neighborhood! We look forward to the next gathering!

BubbleShare: Share photos - Play some Online Games.

Christmas at Grandmom's and Pop-Pop's

After celebrating Christmas at my parents we headed to Rick's parents house to celebrate with his family. As always, we had lots of wonderful food and had fun seeing everyone and hanging out! After everyone left we did Christmas with Grandmom and Pop-Pop. They gave Will so many wonderful things: portable DVD player which has been a hit, V-Tech learning system, Bob The Builder DVD, racetrack, HUGE truck, remote control tractor, Skechers, and clothes. Rick got a compound miter saw, remote control truck and $ for computer or whatever we decide to use it for. I was given perfume, gift certificate to Belk, huge cooking pot and Sperry's. We gave Mrs. Papp a Southern Living at Home Fillagre Candle Holder (I think that's what it's called), Mr. Papp a gift card to Books-A-Million and a book light. We had lots of fun watching Will open all of his stuff and play with his new toys! Unfortunately Mr. Papp wasn't feeling well (we think he got the little stomach bug also that everyone was getting) so he wasn't able to have quite as much fun! As always, though, we had a wonderful time and enjoyed spending the time with Grandmom and Pop-pop for Christmas!

BubbleShare: Share photos - Lead Free Toys

Christmas at Me-Mo and Daddy-Mo's

After Christmas morning at our house we got ready and packed up to head to Rock Hill to spend the morning at Me-Mo's and Daddy-Mo's (this is what Will calls my parents). Ben, Elizabeth and Emma got there a little later because Ben ended up getting the virus on Christmas Eve and was still not feeling real well Christmas morning so we exchanged all of our gifts to each other and gave them their gifts once they arrived. We all got wonderful gifts from each other as always! Ben, Rick and Kent got some special gifts in their stockings from "Santa" - it was some jewelry with "bling!" (It was actually some stuff my mom had found at the dollar store and thought it would be hilarious to put in their stockings - and boy did they like it, especially Kent!) Kent got Will a dump truck that makes all kinds of noise that Will loves playing with! My parents got Will a Ball Popper and new coat! My parents got me new pajamas, a new sweater, new shirt, and the same exact cake stand that we gave my mom! ;) Rick got a new screw driver set and stud finder and they gave the two of us a picture of a P-38 that was from Pa's house that they had matted for us - it looks great and it meant so much to us to get this from them! Kent gave me the movie, The Jungle Book and Rick a gift card to Lowes! Rick got $ for his computer fund, I got a pocket book and Will got an Aqua Doodle from Ben, Elizabeth and Emma. We got Elizabeth a crock-pot, Ben a Georgia afghan and Emma a ball pit that Emma loves! We gave Kent a Clemson afghan which he loved! We gave my mom a Southern Living at Home Cake Stand and my dad a Clemson sweater (it was actually from ourselves, Elizabeth, Ben and Emma). My dad, as always, got my mom tons of gifts but two that really stood out was the new mixer and the gorgeous jewelry that he had hidden in the mantle. My mom had bought my dad a new sports coat and I'm sure some other things that were given to him before we arrived! My mom got a book for my dad called Owl Moon! - she got it for him because Will loves to go outside with him at night when we are there to "hoot" for the owls! Unfortunately we didn't have grandmother and granddaddy there because of granddaddy being in the hospital (first Christmas we've ever had without them) so that was very different for all of us but hopefully it won't be like that this year! Uncle Bob, Aunt Susan, Christopher, Morgan, Anna and Thomas came over to the house for lunch and everyone had a wonderful time! It was so wonderful to have this time together with the whole family - it always is - we look forward to it every year!

BubbleShare: Share photos - Safe Toys

More of Christmas morning at our house

Rick and I opened up our gifts to each other after Will finished up with his gifts from Santa - Will played with his toys while we were doing this and every once in a while Will would drop his toys and come to help us open some gifts...especially his daddy's because I gave Rick some pretty cool "toys" this year:

From me to Rick:

Wrigley Field Afghan
Laptop Case (for whenever he his finally able to get his laptop that he's been wanting)
Model Car and Case
Airbrush
Remote Control Car (From Will)
Remote Control Helicopter
Ornament with Notebook that tells about his early birthday gift from me - our trip to Gatlinburg, TN at the end of February for his 30th birthday!

From Rick to me:

Silky Robe
Fleece Robe
Rotating Serving Tray
Garmin

We had a wonderful Christmas morning opening up all of our gifts but had to cut everything short to pack up and head to Rock Hill to celebrate Christmas day with the rest of the family!

Christmas Morning

We had a wonderful time Christmas morning with Will - he received lots of wonderful gifts from Santa:

Playdoh Center
Table and Chairs
Finger Paints
Coloring books
Remote Control Truck
Hot Wheels Carrying Cases
Airplane
Trucks and Cars
Blocks
Animals
Elmo Movie
Clemson Football
Baseball Glove with ball (velcro)

Will also got to see that Santa ate most of the cookies and drank the milk that he put out for Santa on Christmas Eve.