Will's 2nd Birthday

Happy 2nd Birthday Will!

Will turned 2 on October 8th without much pomp and circumstance...we were just too pooped from our trip! Mark made him an ice cream cake and we ordered in Chinese food. Will was actually feeling quite miserable (we found out the next day at his 2 year appointment that he had a massive ear infection), but nothing cheers a boy up like motrin, ice cream cake, and presents! Gabe was more than happy to help open presents, especially the robot he picked out for Will (actually, I think he picked it out more for himself - oh well!).

Will (looking a little under the weather) just after blowing out his candle. Yes, there should have been 2 candles but one of them got lost on the drive way (don't ask) and found the next day.

Gabe helping Will open presents.

Will is such a happy boy and such a brute! He's fun-loving, eager to help, and loves to be on the go. He's talking up a storm. Everyday we drive by the "Halloween House" in our neighborhood and Will covers his eyes and says "Ohh, a ghost (pumpkin or witch), I skeered." He amazes us everyday with his vocabulary. And I know in an earlier post I said we weren't ready to potty train him yet...well, he's a boy of his mind. He's trying to potty training himself. He's not real consistant, but at least he's trying! Hopefully, he'll keep it up and give me the Christmas present of not having to buy him any more diapers (I'm not holding my breath on that one!).

A Whirlwind Trip To Utah

A well timed phone call from my friend Shannon got me thinking about a road trip to Utah. Sometimes we just need a break from our normal lives...and a trip to Utah seemed to be the ticket. Though, if I'd stopped to think about how exhausted I would be at the end of it, I might have thought twice about going at all!

Anyway, I packed up the boys and my mom (she's crazy...she made this trip with me and then a little over 24 hours later flew back to Utah for just shy of a week...I swear I didn't make her come, but I'm sure glad she did!) and we headed out on Wednesday, the 3rd, after Gabe got out of preschool. Will slept most of the way and Gabe gave us running dialog the whole way. I think both mom and I were wondering where the "mute" button was. He was fascinated by the "big city," anywhere along our desolate, desert drive that had lights on after dark. For those of you who have ever made the drive...Gabe decided he wanted to live in the "big city" of Baker! Nana said that would be fine, just don't expect her to ever visit.

We arrived in St. George, UT (where my Grandma Bea lives) around midnight. By that time, Gabe was out for the night. But Will, who had slept most of the way was ready to run and play! I think it was close to 2am before I was able to get him to sleep. The next morning the boys played on the red rocks behind grandma's house and we took grandma out to run some errands before continuing on our way.

Playing on Great-Grandma Bea's red rocks.

We headed up to Payson to visit with my friend Shannon and her kids (a funny side note...we ran into Shannon's parents in Barstow. CA when we stopped for dinner at the "Train" McDonald's the night before. They were also traveling to visit her.) The boys enjoyed some play time and a break from the car, while I enjoyed just hanging out with Shannon.

Dalton, Ellie, Shannon, Dalin, Gabe, Jodie, and Will

Will and Gabe under Roxy's watchful eye.

Kiera, Will and Gabe

After Shannon's, we continued on to Salt Lake City...our final destination (Thank Heavens!). We stayed with my sister Shay and her dog Roxy. During our short stay, we were able to watch Shay's volleyball team (Salt Lake Community College) play, go to the Aquarium with my friends Kellie and Karen and their kids, and hang out with my sisters and niece. I also managed to get my first ticket, courtesy of the Sandy Police Department. I could rant and rave about that for a few minutes, but I won't. Let's just say everyone thinks it's ridiculous that I got the ticket, or even pulled over.


Saturday afternoon, we headed back to St. George. We stopped off in Pleasant Grove to visit with a family I worked with in college. Their son is autistic and I worked one on one with him for a few years. He and his older sister are now both taller than me (they were 8 and 6 when we moved to CA). It was great to see them and relive some old memories.

Gabe and his (drawn on) jack-o-lantern.

The remainder of our drive to St. George was in terrible weather, heavy rain and strong winds. I was definitely glad to get to grandma's and off the road. At grandma's, Gabe drew a jack-o-lantern on the pumpkin we brought for grandma (we delivered 4 or 5 pumpkins from our garden to Utah). The boys enjoyed having grandma read to them.

Will, Great-Grandma Bea and Gabe.

The rest of the trip was fairly uneventful...well, except for the fight between Gabe and Will. They were fighting over was Gabe's name really is. I'd hear "You Wheel!" and then "I'm not Will, I'm Gabe. You're Will!" and then "I not Wheel, you Wheel!" Lucky for us (sarcasm), this went on for at least 30 minutes. It was comical at first and quickly became annoying. But, considering how tired they were I can't complain! We made is back home Sunday night, the 7th, just in time to get ready for Will's birthday.

Our Day of at Home Fun

A week ago, we had quite a bit of fun...The day started with Gabe trying to teach Will how to use the potty. We aren't really potty training Will yet, but if he asks we'll put him on the toilet. He likes to sit on the potty when HE decides he wants to, but isn't very receptive to big brother telling him what to do. Will believes it is his official duty to be the designated "flusher" of the house.

We started off with some backyard painting. The boys each picked a color and a side of the easel. Before they were done, they had switch sides to finish each other's pictures. Luckily, neither got upset about the other painting on his picture. When they were done, I was told that the yellowish picture was a bear and the purple picture was our friend Fabi. Fabi is Gabe's "girlfriend" (a Brazilian volleyball player for Fresno Pacific University that we have kind of "adopted" into the family) and she was the lucky recipient of the pictures that night at her game.
After painting and some serious ball playing in the backyard (by "serious", I mean there were seriously lots of balls...really how many balls can two boys play with at once?), the boys were ready for lunch in the shade. Peanut butter sandwiches taste so much better when you're outside!
After lunch, they still weren't ready to come in. So, I thought a bucket of water and a couple of paint brushes might entertain them for a few more minutes. Well, forty minutes later they were still at it, despite Will knocking the bucket over twice. Thank heavens for a "paintable" block wall!