Hot Wheels

Uncle Kirk stopped by last night to show us his new car. I told Wesley a few days ago that Kirk had a new set of wheels and we talked about what color it might be. I thought the car would be black, because it seems to be one of Kirk's favorite colors. Wesley was quick to assure me that Uncle Kirk probably picked out a green car because he knows it's Wesley's favorite color. Turns out we are both wrong - Uncle Kirk's car is "denim."

Anyhow, when we walked out of the house to see the new car last night, I asked Wesley to look up and down the street and see if he could pick out Kirk's car. That kid must be pretty observant, because he picked it out immediately. He wasn't even that disappointed that it isn't green.

Wesley LOVES Uncle Kirk's new car. He climbed all over the seats. He wanted me to walk him all the way around the car so he could see it from all angles. He asked if we could please go for a ride. Unfortunately, I had to say "no" to that - supposedly because Kirk doesn't have a car seat (even though we could easily put Wesley's in) but I also figured Uncle Kirk didn't want any prolonged exposure to Wesley's strep throat germs. Now that Wesley's no longer contagious though, Kirk might have to take that kid for a spin!

Strep Throat in the House

You know the news isn't going to be good with a title like that! Yep, Wesley has strep throat, which pretty much tells you right there how our day has gone. We've been through 4 pairs of pajamas, puked in 1 bed, on 2 couches and the floor in 2 different rooms. We've watched TV and he has slept A LOT. The only good part about this is that Ryan has actually gotten quite a bit of attention while Wesley was sleeping. Who knew my second born was so sweet and charming? I never get the chance to spend time with him one on one. If Wesley weren't so miserable, I'd say it was worth the strep!

Parenting in Public

The W. family headed out to dinner tonight. I didn't have very high hopes for the outing considering how tired and whiny the boys were when we picked them up, but it went very well. Both of them ate their food. Wesley remembered his manners the entire time and Ryan didn't screech to be let out of his high chair. Overall, that's quite a success.

I felt even better about our dining success when a mom with four children who all appeared to be under the age of 6 sat down a couple of tables away. It was obvious from the moment she entered the restaurant that she was at her wits end and within the first 5 minutes she had threatened (loudly) to spank her son several times AND to let his dad spank him when they got home. I have nothing against a well timed threat and I will admit that we have spanked Wesley, but I felt so bad for this family - especially since the son wasn't doing anything that I would have thought warranted a spanking. She never followed through with the threat, and when her friend joined her, she calmed down considerably.

To be honest, the whole thing left me pretty conflicted. I felt so bad for the child who was being singled out for bad behavior. Like I said, I didn't notice that he was doing anything, and his mom talked to him in such a different tone of voice than she did her daughters. I felt bad for the mom because she was obviously stretched to her limit. We've all been there, whether we like to admit it or not. I was at the point a couple of weeks ago at the zoo. But most of all, I felt thankful for the lovely meal I had just shared with my family. I was thankful that my boys behaved (this time) and was proud of Wesley for using his manners so well. I wish I had taken a moment give that woman a few words of encouragement. To remind her that whatever was going on will pass and that her children are a gift. To let her know that I've been in her place and, that even though I don't know her name and will probably never see her again, I'll be praying for her and family tonight.

Not Me Monday

Following the lead of My Charming Kids, it's another "Not Me Monday"

I did not wake up super excited on the morning I promised Wesley we could stop and get donuts. It's not a healthy way to start the day and makes me sound WAY too much like a kid.

I did not make a batch of cookies for work for the sole purpose of being able to eat a bunch of the uncooked dough while baking. Nope. Not me

I know I was not the woman who wore some really cute sandals she hadn't worn in 3 years and ended up tearing up her feet so badly her husband had to carry her from the movie theater to the car.

I was not doing a little happy dance about Ryan turning one and us being able to get rid of all the bottles. I would never ever do that!

There's no way I would have thrown the towel in when it came to planning Ryan's first birthday party and essentially hand the whole thing over to my brother, his wife, my hubby and my mom. If I did do that, I probably should have felt a little guilty, right?

When Wesley asked me, "What's wrong with Sanders?" I did not automatically think my cat had died. That would have just been morbid - even if the cat is 13 and definitely looking his age. BTW - if I had thought that, I would have been profoundly relieved to find the cat sitting on the dining room table giving himself a bath.

Birthday Party 2 - Photo Finish

Birthday Party 1 - Photo Finish

Happy Birthday Ryan

My sweet little baby boy turned ONE yesterday! How did that happen? Wesley's first year did not go nearly as fast as Ryan's first year did. I'm sure that's because I didn't have two children in the house to occupy my every waking moment.

We tried to have a pretty low key day yesterday. Ryan had a doctor appointment -which couldn't have come at a better time because he's been holding and pulling on his ears. I was prepared for the diagnosis of a double ear infection, but it never came. In fact, the doctor said Ryan's ears looked fantastic and the holding and pulling was probably just something new he learned. Great. My kid has learned to fake an ear infection.

We got Ryan's "vitals" too. He weighs in at a whopping 20 pounds and 6 oz. which puts him in the 15th percentile for weight. As long as he keeps gaining weight the doctor isn't worried, but I don't understand how a kid who eats the sheer volume of food Ryan does could only be in the 15th percentile for weight. Of course, part of it could be that he is 30 3/4 inches tall - which is in the 80th percentile. Tall and skinny I guess. Oh, to have that problem!

We also learned that Ryan is a "good bleeder," although I'm not sure that bodes well for our future. Ryan had to have a blood draw to test for lead (because our house is over 100 years old) and he had no trouble filling up the circles with blood. Other than the ear splitting screaming that is. Plus he had three shots. Yeah, happy birthday, kid. He kept pulling the band aids off his finger too.

Once we left the torture chamber (the doctor's office) I took the boys to McDonald's for lunch. I guess there's nothing like watching your little brother get shots to get your appetite going because Wesley ate every single crumb of his Happy Meal and even asked for more! Wesley NEVER eats that much in a single sitting. Ryan tried pretty hard to keep up with his brother and he ate an entire cheeseburger (well, all the meat and half the bun). I was so impressed that I bought us all a sundae to share. That might have been a bad idea because Wesley enjoyed it so much, he might want a sundae every time now.

We made a run to the grocery store and then spent the rest of the afternoon relaxing at home. Ryan would not take a nap - which, added to the shots, made for a very cranky baby. Kirk and Susan came over for dinner and by the time they arrived Ryan was in the midst of a full blown fit. Aunt Sus has a magic touch though and had him settled down in almost no time.

We didn't do a party last night, in fact, we spent most of the evening preparing for Ryan's parties tonight and tomorrow, but we did indulge in a birthday cupcake.

After dinner and cupcakes, Duane worked on creating Ryan's cake for his first party tonight. Wesley chose the cake design and the colors. I thought it might make him a little less jealous about all the attention Ryan will be getting all weekend, but I don't really think it's going to work. He was a beast about Ryan's new stuffed Mickey Mouse. Wesley kept hiding it and knocking it out of my hand when I was trying to play with Ryan. And check out the face he made behind me when Aunt Susan was trying to take a picture of us!

Here's hoping the party goes smoothly. I'll let you know all about it!

He's Supposed to be Special

I am starting to get annoyed with the Disney company! I am a big Disney fan and have been for ages. I own tons of the movies. I've been to the parks. I've been on their cruise line. I own(ed) tons of Disney clothes for me and the kids, but they are breaking my poor little heart. Disney is a marketing and merchandising powerhouse, but I ask you: Where is the Special Agent Oso stuff!?!?

In case you have been living under a rock (or just don't have any preschool aged children in the house) let me tell you a little bit about Special Agent Oso. He is a very cuddly looking bear who is a secret agent in training. He helps children complete special assignments (like brushing their own teeth, doing the dishes, etc.) by doing three special steps. It's a really cute show and Disney did a fantastic job promoting it. Before it even premeired in April, we knew the theme song, the characters and had visited the website - a lot. Wesley LOVES Oso and we have almost every episode on the old DVR.

So what's the problem? There is no Special Agent Oso stuff to be found anywhere! No party decorations, no toys, no clothes - NOTHING!! Not in stores. Not online. No place! Wesley turns 4 in a little over a month and we aren't going to have an Oso party because there's nothing to buy. I can't get him a shirt as a present because they don't seem to exist. Duane is going to break out his cake decorating skills and try to make an Oso cake, but that's the best we can do.

The birthday thing is annoying, but not as bad as the fact that Wesley wants to be Oso for Halloween. Now am I not real creative when it comes to costumes. If I can't buy it someplace or it doesn't involve cutting eye-holes in a sheet to be a ghost, it pretty much doesn't happen. Yes, I realize Halloween is 3 months away. And yes, I realize my son is a preschooler and will probably change his mind before them, but I cannot get this silly worry out of my mind.

Come on Disney! You did your job and got us hooked on the show and the characters. Now let us put a little more money in your obscenely money-lined pockets and put out the Oso merchandise already, OK???? I'm begging you!!!!

Thinking Cap

Wesley recently rediscovered the Mickey Mouse ears that Grandma and Grandpa P. got him over a year ago. They have been dubbed "the book hat" and Wesley likes to wear them while reading. Whatever floats your boat.

Tiny Bubbles

When I went to pick Wesley and Ryan up from Grandma and Grandpa P.'s yesterday, I found Grandpa and the boys sitting on the front step blowing bubbles. Well, Grandpa was blowing bubbles, Wesley was chasing them and Ryan was watching the whole thing very intently. When I walked up the walk, Grandpa put the bubble wand down. Ryan quickly snatched it up, dipped it in the bubble solution and blew as hard as he could. He had the right idea, but only succeeded in creating spit bubbles. But hey, it's a start!

Not Me Monday

Following the lead of My Charming Kids, it's another Not Me Monday.

I did not allow yet another stuffed animal into my house just because it looked like Wesley's imaginary cat Fluffy. That would have been crazy on more than one level.

I did not go to three stores in looking for new sandals for Ryan, only to come home and discover an old pair of Wesley's that fit just fine.

I did not debate leaving my children at the zoo because they were behaving like animals - and I certainly did not leave the zoo only to stop at a cupcake store because I wanted a cupcake. That would have been too much like rewarding their bad behavior. Although if I did make that stop, I would have made the boy earn his cupcake by being on his best behavior for the rest of the day.

I could not have been the person who slathered her children in sunscreen to go to pool, but fail to put any on her own back. That would have resulted in me becoming a crispy critter.

I know I would never ever put a plastic bag on a burner that was recently turned off and end up melting the darn thing onto our flat burner stove. That would have been dangerous and careless and definitely NOT something I would do.

This Place is a Zoo

Yesterday marked the worst trip I have had to the zoo to date. Just thinking about it gives me a headache and I've debating not blogging about it and pretend it didn't happen. It's not that anything went catastrophically wrong, but not a whole lot went right.

It started out with a grey, gloomy day that was threatening rain. I had planned to meet two of my friends and their kids at the zoo and decided to brave the weather anyhow. The very first thing I did at the zoo was purchase a couple of kid sized rain ponchos. I figured that even if I didn't use them, I could throw them in the diaper bag and we'd have them for the time that we will get caught in the rain.

We had some time before the rest of the gang showed up so we went to a new animal encounter exhibit. Wesley started to pout and sat on the bench of the stroller while Ryan and I went up to pet a rat, a turtle and a hedgehog. The fact that Wesley didn't want to touch the animals should have been my first warning, but after a few minutes Wesley got over himself and came to visit the animals too.

From there we headed to "Habitat Hollow" to wait for the rest of the crew. The boys had a good time playing there and I took the only decent pictures of the day while they played. I probably should have cut my losses and just left then, but oh no, I had a plan.

We met up with the rest of the crew and had a pretty good time wandering around the North America area. Isaac (4) and Wesley were running all over the place laughing, while the Mommy and Stroller Brigade brought up the rear.

I honestly had myself fooled that this was going to work and I continued believing that until we went into Asia Quest to see the snake. Wesley totally freaked out about going into the building. He has been in there a million times, but the dark and the statues and the idea of the snake completely freaked him out. He started screaming that he didn't want to go in. I put him on his bench on the stroller and told him to close his eyes, but he still whined the whole time we were in there. Poor Isaac wanted to show him animals and stuff, but Wesley would have none of it.

Wesley continued to pout until we stopped for lunch. After he ate, he and Isaac were walking on the curb. Apparently Wesley fell off, because I heard a bloodcurdling scream that definitely belonged to Wesley. He came over to me and I dried his tears, checked him over for blood, scratches, bruises, protruding bones, etc, but found nothing. He calmed down after a few minutes and he and Isaac were off again. A few minutes later I heard the tell-tale scream once more. SIGH! Once again, there was nothing really wrong with the kid, but he was in full drama queen mode. It was about this time that Ryan started whining (A LOT) too. We packed up the remains of our lunch and decided to head over the aquarium. Ryan continued to whine and Wesley continued to pout with his imaginary injuries.

Things further deteriorated at the aquarium. As long as we were right up front looking at the fish, everything was great. Wesley and Ryan were completely enthralled with the fish. But as soon as I announced a potty break, the rest of the wall came tumbling down. I had to practically drag Wesley into the bathroom and try to con him into going into one of the stalls while I changed Ryan. Wesley did not just cry, he broke into red-faced, big fat tear, screams. I wasn't sure if I was embarrassed or mad, but I was sure something. And he WOULD NOT calm down. Needless to say, we left the zoo very shortly thereafter.

As we headed to the van I told Wesley how unhappy I was with his behavior. We had planned on stopping at a cupcake store near the zoo, but the boys had been so uncooperative I didn't want to give them a treat. Unfortunately MOMMY really wanted a cupcake from that store. Oh, who am I trying to kid? After that trip, Mommy wanted about a dozen cupcakes! I told Wesley we could stop at the cupcake store and he could pick out a cupcake, but if he wanted to actually eat his cupcake, he was going to have to earn it by changing his attitude and being good for the rest of the day.

Wesley worked really hard to earn his cupcake. The stroller we took does not have a shade on it, so when the sun started beating down on a (finally) sleeping Ryan, Wesley held an open umbrella over his little brother. He listened to me the rest of the afternoon, used his manners and even tried something new for dinner - OK, it was a cheese quesadilla instead of a grilled cheese sandwich, but it was newish. We're talking baby steps people!

I ended up with a huge headache and skipped a baby shower I had been excited to go to. Once my head stopped throbbing and it no longer felt like a needle was being shoved through my eye, I enjoyed my dinner, my cupcake and a really big margarita!

Not Exactly Goldilocks

Ok, so I just posted a few minutes ago, but I HAD to share. This is one of the posts that Wesley will absolutely hate me for when he is older, but it's so worth it.

I was in the front room with Ryan and Wesley went into the bathroom. He was gone for quite a while, so Ryan and I took a little stroll into the kitchen (right next to the bathroom) to make sure everything was OK. I could hear Wesley tearing toilet paper off the roll and talking. "Oh! That one is too tiny!" (rip) "Oh! That one is too teeny!" (rip) " Oh! That one is no good!" (rip) "Oh! That one is just right!"

My Kind of Vacation Day

Today was one of my many vacation days this summer, and it's been wonderful!!! For starters, the boys actually let me sleep until almost 7:00!!! I know that doesn't exactly sound like sleeping in to a lot of you out there, but considering Ryan usually wakes up between 6 and 6:30 and got up at 5:30 one day last week, it was almost heaven.

We spent the morning doing chores and what not around the house, but after lunch, Grandpa P. met us at the water park for a little splashing around. This was a treat for a couple of reasons. The first is that I actually got to spend time with my dad. Technically I see him a couple of times a week when I drop the boys off, but that doesn't really count as spending time with him. The trip was a treat for the boys too because I can't take them to the water park by myself. It's just too hard to keep track of them.

The park was really crowded, but we had a good time. Wesley stayed in the very shallow end for the most part, although we did take two trips in the lazy river. Ryan took so many head first falls into the water it almost quit being funny. But he'd just stand right back up and start toddling through the water again. I'm so glad water in his face doesn't freak him out like it does Wesley.

After the water park, we took a family trip to the store, ate dinner and Daddy went to play poker, leaving me and boys to run amuck. We're having a pretty good night though. We did some watercolors, danced around the kitchen while I did the dishes, packed a picnic for the zoo tomorrow and I let Ryan run around the house beating things with a spoon. Not bad at all.

Here are a couple of pictures of my little artist. He really doesn't paint very often, so this was a pretty big deal.

Brusha Brusha Brusha

Check out my big boy brushing all four of his teeth all by himself!

I'm Getting Natural Highlights

Does everyone see the picture of the adorable little toddler above? Yep, that's my Ryan. That's the child I have repeatedly said will give me LOTS of grey hair in the years to come. I've decided that maybe that isn't the best thing for me to say. Not because I'm worried about any kind of effect on the kid's self esteem. Nope. I'm starting to think I shouldn't say that because it makes me sound old. So from now on, I will refrain from saying that Ryan is giving me grey hair and will instead say he's giving me natural highlights. For some reason it just sounds better to me. Now you may be asking what such a sweet looking little boy could have done (recently) to give me natural highlights. Well, let me tell you about the little adventure we had while trying to leave the house this morning.

I leave the house between 7:20 and 7:30 every morning. Most mornings I spend the last couple of minutes in the house microwaving some breakfast or filling sippy cups for the boys. As I was going about the final preparations this morning (at 7:15), Ryan toddled over to the phone stand in the kitchen and picked up the cordless phone. I wasn't too worried about that, after all, it kept him entertained while I got my coffee ready. After a moment I heard the dial tone and realized Ryan had managed to turn the speaker on. Once again, I wasn't too worried. But then I heard dialing, and the sound of a phone ringing on the other end! I leaped across the kitchen, snatched the phone out of Ryan's hand and shut it off before more than one ring passed. A quick look at the screen showed me that he had managed to hit the button to dial my friend Kate. A moment later, the phone in my hand rang. I answered to hear Kate ask, "Did you call?" For a split second I thought about lying, but caller ID has kind of put an end to that option. "No," I answered sheepishly, "but Ryan did." Thank goodness he dialed Kate who found the humor in the situation instead of some random person who would have been ticked off about their phone ringing at 7:15.

We finally made it out the back door. Since Ryan has really gotten the hang of walking, I usually let him walk out the door onto the porch and then I help him down the stairs and to the car. This morning he walked out the back door and straight over to the chairs on the porch. One of the chairs held his bubble lion and a bottle of bubbles, and Ryan thought 7:20 was the perfect time to get some bubbles going. I walked over and said, "We aren't going to play bubbles right now. We have to get in the car," as I reached for his hand. Ryan swatted my hand away with a loud, frustrated screech and went back to the bubbles. After this happened a second time, I picked Ryan up and carried him down the steps before putting him down. I reached for his, he did the swat and screech, then turned around and climbed up the steps to the chairs and bubbles! What a stubborn little boy! I can feel those natural highlights coming on now.

Not Me Monday

Following the lead of My Charming Kids, it's another "Not Me Monday"

I did not bribe my three year old with hash brown for breakfast if he'd cooperate while I put his eye drops in. Nope, not me.

It couldn't have been me that tried to triple book myself for plans one night. I am much more organized than that, right?

There is no way I was kind of glad I had to miss my Pilates class one night - especially since it means next week will be even harder.

I did not berate myself for only reading 2 books this week. Um, hello, that's still pretty good.

I would never have pouted one night until my hubby baked me something delicious to cheer me up. That would have been absolutely childish.

Any Excuse for a Party

Many of you know that Wesley is obsessed with parties. He throws some kind of imaginary party every day. Every day he announces which imaginary animal is having a birthday. He pretends to put decorations up and makes an imaginary cake. The party play has increased over the last week or so due to two things. First, Ryan's first birthday is quickly approaching (GASP), which means Wesley's birthday isn't far behind. We've also been reading "Happy Birthday Bad Kitty" which only adds to the birthday excitement.

Now that you fully understand Wesley's frame of mind most of the time, imagine he excitement when he saw me wrapping a present at the breakfast table yesterday.

Wesley: Is that a present for me?

Mommy: Nope. I'm going to a baby party today and this is the present for the baby. I went to a baby shower, but thought he'd understand "baby party" better.

Wesley: Am I going too?

Mommy: No Honey, I'm going to go with Aunt Sus.

Wesley: But I want to go.

What followed was nearly 10 minutes of Wesley wheeling and dealing to try and go to the party with me. Could he go if he ate all his breakfast. Could he go if was really good. I tried telling him that his name was not on the invitation and it would be bad manners for him to go if he hadn't been invited. Finally I told that the baby party was just for girls and since he was a boy, he couldn't go (which is kind of the truth - baby showers are almost always all women). Wesley seemed to accept that since he knows he's a boy.

Daddy arrived home a short time later. Wesley ran to the door as fast as he could and said, "Mommy is going to party, but I can't go because it's just for baby girls!" Um....not quite what I said, but it got the job done.

Which Way?

Wesley was playing contentedly with his "word pizzas" last night. Of course, he had them all spread out on the floor and they were facing every which way. He started organizing them, then said, "This one is upside down. This one is upside down. This one is upside right." Upside right!? I love it!

Ready Reference?

This morning Wesley asked me why everyone has round heads and rounds eyes. ACK! I didn't know the hard questions were going to start already! After a brief moment of panic in which the librarian part of me was unable to come up with anything, I turned to the mommy side and came up with, "Because that's how God decided to make us." Luckily, he was satisfied with that answer. Perhaps I should start studying for other pop quizzes.

My Little Jedi

Red, White and Pink Eye

No one can claim the W. family doesn't know how to party. We wrapped up our holiday weekend yesterday with a trip to the Children's Hospital Urgent Care for a suspected case of pink eye. Sure enough, that's what Wesley has. The good news is that he's now been on his eye drops for more than 24 hours and is no longer contagious.

I love how literally kids take things. Wesley heard me talking about pink eye yesterday and had this little "conversation" with himself. "Bear has brown eyes. Ryan has blue eyes. I have pink eyes." In fact, the only way I can get him to cooperate for his eye drops is to tell him that they are going to make his eyes blue again.

Not Me Monday

Following the lead of "My Charming Kids," it's another "Not Me Monday"

I would never be tempted to "lose" a brand new toy that someone gave Ryan just because I can't stand the way it squeaks. That would be so ungrateful! I'd never do that!

I certainly didn't volunteer to wash the dishes one night so I could get away from the boys for a little bit. And even if I did do something like that, it wouldn't have been on a day that I worked all day and had barely seen them. And even if all those things were true, I wouldn't have done it just because they drove me up a wall while waiting for a prescription at Target and whined through dinner. Not me!

It couldn't have been me who slept for 9 hours and woke up so tired I could barely walk straight. Nope, not me!

I didn't spend time stressing about my Pilates class because I didn't make time to practice during the week. That would be silly. And after my Pilates class that left me sweating and feeling like a limp noodle, I KNOW I didn't get Taco Bell for a late dinner. That would kind of ruin the point of the class, right?

I know I didn't allow my three year old to have a teeny tiny sip of beer from his uncle's bottle. Nor did I laugh uproariously when said child spit it out, wrinkled his nose and pronounced "NASTY!"

I did not forget to buy a baptism gift for a July 5th baptism until July 4th. If that were true, I might have learned that shopping at Meijer on the 4th of July seriously limits one's options when buying baptism gifts.

I was not the woman you overheard telling her three year old that she quit being the mommy. If I was that woman, I hope you listened to the rest of the conversation where the child informed that woman that she was not allowed to quit being the mommy and that mommy's don't get any days off. Apparently someone raised a smart kid.

I did not jump at Grandpa and Grandma P.'s offer to keep the kids overnight so quickly it would give one whiplash. Nope, not me.

Boom Day

July 3rd is the day of the big Independence Day celebration in our city, so I always think of it as "Boom Day." Since we live downtown where all the festivities take place, I try and make sure I at least have part of the day off. This year was a special treat since Duane and I both had the whole day off! We mostly lounged around the house and prepared for Kirk and Susan coming over in the evening, but we did try to do something special with the boys.

Our original plan was to go to the water park, but since I don't think it ever hit 80 degrees, that was out. We decided a trip to the park would be good, but after we were all in the van, we realized that the park we wanted to go to would be difficult to get to with the road closures and that most of the parking spots would already be taken by people coming downtown for the fireworks. We make a quick decision to go to the park across from my elementary school - still just a short drive.

Unfortunatley, it just wasn't a good park trip. There were almost no dogs to visit with or pet. No fish in the pond to feed and the ducks weren't hungry. The playground wasn't as nice (in my opinion) and when I did manage to get Wesley to sit on the big boy swings he fell off. Oh well, we tried and I did get a couple cute pictures.

We spent the rest of the afternoon and evening hanging out with Uncle Kirk and Aunt Susan. We ate WAY too much good food. We blew bubbles with the boys - which was really kind of funny. Wesley kept chasing the bubbles around the yard trying to eat them and Ryan was only concerned with figuring out how the electric bubble maker worked. Aunt Sus even got to witness what I'm sure will be Ryan's "famous" temper when he couldn't get the bubble maker to do what he wanted. He shook it and banged it and screamed. Ah yes, good times.

The boys were pretty much our entertainment while we waited for the fireworks to start. Ryan and Wesley played Babytruck and I played Ryan Lion with the boys. Note the second picture below. That's pretty much my life these days - one child happy and one child screaming.

As time for the fireworks creeped closer, our house started to fill up. Although, in all honesty, it was our yard that filled up. One of the perks of living downtown is being so close to the action on Boom Day. Of course, that means all of our friends park at our place. We visited with the D. family and did some sparklers to pass the time.



We were pretty content to watch the fireworks on TV. Wesley was still awake thanks to an earlier catnap (see picture at the right). He said he wanted to go outside and watch them, but once he was out there, he decided it was much too loud. He ran back in and sat wedged between Uncle Kirk and Aunt Susan. Ryan slept through the whole thing. It was pretty good day.