First "Real" Haircut

Don't let the title mislead you....William, at the ripe old age of "not quite three" has probably had more haircuts than I've had in my lifetime.  They've all been home jobs, courtesy of Mom, with the exception of the one Dad was allowed to do, but we won't revisit that nightmare. Anyway, this kid's hair is so thick, curly, coarse, and grows at a rate three times faster than my husband is losing his (where's the justice?).  I hate giving William haircuts, almost as much as he loathes getting them.  My friend, Melissa, just opened up a kid's salon called Pigtails and Crewcuts, so I thought I'd save us both the torture of another homegrown cut and check it out.  

I would be lying if I said he was all kicks and giggles, BUT for the first time ever, William did not cry, throw a fit, or wildly protest in any way shape or form.  He didn't even freak out when the nice lady used the electric razor to cut around his ears, which is major.  He was as still and as good as he could possibly have been!  He got to sit in an airplane chair, watch the Bee Movie, and eat animal crackers during the cut.  After it was over, he got to pick a prize from the treasure chest and he got a sucker!  Is that a fun haircut or what????  I have to give Melissa props for the great kid salon idea.  She will save me many hours of grief, so I owe her...and will pay her well for as long as William is young enough to visit her fabulous salon!

Carving Pumpkins

We carved our pumpkins from the pumpkin patch last night.  William was excited and had to bide his time playing with his cars in a nice dirt patch our dogs have created in the back yard until we were ready.  (On another note, is it any wonder I can't keep my house clean?  I have vacuumed my house so much that the wheels have literally fallen off of my vacuum cleaner, but the next time Daddy gives me grief, I will remind him of this picture).

And yes, that is the same child....the one who is rolling in the dirt doesn't like the icky pumpkin on his hands...go figure.  This picture was about the end of William's "help."  Dad and I diligently finished the rest of the pumpkin carving...

but William got re-energized once we were finished and got to put candles in them.

We had to peel him away from the pumpkins for bath time, but he was comforted knowing the pumpkins were going to live on our porch for a while.  Needless to say, he asked where they were first thing this morning and is on his way outside in his pajamas and rain boots in 47 degree weather to check on them as I write this...guess I better go put a coat on him so he doesn't freeze.

Pumpkin Patch

We ventured out to the Schaefers and Collins pumpkin patch in Mayflower this weekend.  It was a little bit of a haul but well worth the trip!  MiMi and Grandad were passing through town about the time we were going to the patch, so they made a pit stop to join us at the last minute, which made it all the more fun.  William was quite the grumpy one at first, but the second we got on the hay ride to the pumpkin patch, his playful little personality resurfaced.

Once the ride was over, William was too busy running around in wide open space and looking at the pumpkins to take the time to pick one out (he is just shy of 3, I should have expected that).  There was a soybean field adjoining the pumpkin patch, and good old Daddy gave William a little soybean lesson and tasting session.  The soybean was promptly spit out, I might add.  (By the way, Daddy needs to learn to teach that boy how to spit properly before he goes doing that in public again).

After the hay ride back to the entrance, William got to play on the playground and in the sandbox.  Those people had enough to do out there to keep a child entertained for an entire day, I wish we could have stayed longer.  

We made it home with two large carving pumpkins, which will be our Sunday afternoon activity.  And, depending on the week's activities, we just might make another trip to the pumpkin patch to play.  I could take a good book or magazine and park it under the tree and let William run wild.  The more I think about it, the better the idea sounds...

Boo at the Zoo

Tonight was our first annual trip to Boo at the Zoo.  I didn't really know what to expect, but it was not at all what I imagined.  It was like a miniature state fair, complete with rides, junk food out the wazoo (even the fried twinkies), and way too many people--minus most of the carnies. On second thought, maybe they were disguised behind Halloween masks, too....or maybe it was just that it was dark and we thought they were dressed in costume.  Anyway, all the kids and several adults were all decked out in their Halloween attire.  The zoo gives you "trick-or-treat" tickets when you walk through the gate, and the kids get to walk up to all the different booths and get candy in exchange for their tickets.  

I swear we came home with enough candy to keep all four of us (I'm including the bun in the oven) on a constant sugar high for a minimum of one month.  Not to mention I already have two monster bags of Halloween candy in my pantry that are somehow halfway empty...over the course of about a week, oink, oink.  Good thing that gestational diabetes test isn't for another couple of weeks!  All in all, it really was a fun night. William was decked out in his cowboy costume, and was super excited about all the goodies he brought home.  Oh, and he also got to see a real fire truck up close, and the nice firemen even let him climb in the truck.  Can you tell he was excited??

They had these "patches" of plastic pumpkins that were lit up all over the zoo, and William loved them.

William with his buddies, Hannah Montana (Lilly) and Elvis (Hill).  This pic was taken at the end of the night...they obviously didn't care too much about having their picture taken by this point.  Unquestionably a sign that it's time to go home!

A night pretending to be a cowboy wouldn't be complete without camping, right?  We had to sidestep the campfire since we got home so late, but he does have a night light that looks like a campfire...good enough.  Dad made William a good pallet on the floor with a camping pad and sleeping bag, told him a good ol' cowboy story, and finished up right about the time the sugar high was waning.  Perfect timing.  Now, I'm crossing my fingers that he gets rested up for the pumpkin patch tomorrow!

My nieces

My sister, Anne, just had Sarah Bussey take some pictures of her girls.  They turned out so stinkin' cute, so I thought I'd share!  Mary Ellis is the older one, and I think she looks just like her Mama, personality included.  Tollie is the little one and is the spitting image of her Dad/Grandad. We can't wait to meet #3!!  http://www.sarahbusseyphotography.blogspot.com/

State Fair

We had such a fun day at the state fair that I don't even know where to start!  We met up with the Tedfords while we were there, which made it all the more fun.  We took over 200 pictures, and I could only narrow it down to so many!  I wasn't really sure how William would react to all the activity because he's usually pretty timid when it comes to things that are loud, big, and new.  Boy, were we ever mistaken, that child wanted to ride every single ride....and the few rides that I thought might be a little too much for him were his absolute favorite.  I think the swirly elephant ride (pictured immediately below) was the biggest hit.  Daddy William was such a good sport to ride with him, as I wasn't sure my pregnant self could stomach all the turning.  I couldn't even attempt to take a picture in motion because they were swirling SO fast, and William was squealing with delight the whole entire time.  

 Anne, Tollie, Mary Ellis, and Alan

The race cars were also at the top of the favorites list.  The cars threw the kids so fast around the curves, I thought William might fall out...or barf since we had just eaten corn dogs and a funnel cake.  He was all smiles the whole time.
Doesn't he look like a natural on that motorcycle?  Unfortunately, this is as close as he'll get to riding a real one if Mom has anything to do with it.  :)

William and Mary Ellis both caught a fish.  William won a giant blow up "Nemo fish" and Mary Ellis got a gold (real, of course) necklace with dolphins on it.  Sweet little Tollie had fun watching and picking up some fish as they swirled around.

The one ride Mom was brave enough to get on....and it was actually kinda fun. 

Yes, Mary Ellis' tongue is hanging out of her mouth.

William was in heaven at the livestock section, with the exception of a turkey who attempted to taste one of his little fingers.  What can you expect when you stick your fingers in every animal's face?  One is bound to get you...lesson learned...maybe.  After 3 1/2 fun but exhausting hours, William cried when we had to leave.  No worries, it's here for another week, so I have a feeling we might be making another trip back...

20 Week Appointment...

Was great!  Baby looks healthy and right on track.  We didn't find out the sex (everyone in my family is all about the surprise, and all my friends think I'm crazy).  Anne's appointment was at the same time as mine (we use the same doctor), so she got to see the ultrasound pics right after they were taken.  Here is a profile shot. 

She immediately had a guess as to what she thought it was, and Daddy William did, too.  Any bet takers??  

Oh...and when I picked up William from school, I showed him the picture of his little baby brother/sister.  He said, "Mommy, I want to hold the baby."  Is he gonna be a great big brother or what?

The best part about helping Mom in the kitchen...

is that she always lets me lick the batter when she's finished.  

Does she love me or what??

So, maybe my child did actually get ONE of my genes...an affinity for sweets (okay, really a love affair with them).  There's rarely a time when there's not something in my house that is composed largely of sugar...cookies, cake, brownies, you name it.  My pregnant self finished off a bag of marshmallows earlier today (was I desperate or what), but it just didn't do the trick.  I am also in desperate need of a trip to the grocery store, but I'm just not in the humor to go. (Sometimes for kicks, I like to see just how far I can stretch myself before we're forced to eat peanut crumbs, a stick of butter, and fruit snacks for dinner).  So, the only ingredients I could scrounge up to pacify my need for dessert were butter, eggs, half a box of pillsbury white cake mix, and vanilla.  Cupcakes!!  With just enough cream cheese and powdered sugar to make icing.  Even better!!  Little William always likes to help pour things in the bowl and to stir, asking all the while,"Mommy, can I lick it yet?"  How can I say no to those baby blues?  

So, now I'm off to heat up my spaghetti sauce out of a can (I can hear you gasping all the way from Russellville, Mom) for dinner so I can get to the important part...dessert, and I guess I better let William lick the icing bowl while I'm at it so his sugar high will kick in right about the time Daddy gets home from work.  

Cutest behind in the South

Is this the cutest behind you've ever seen or what?  This picture is probably a blast from the past for MiMi and Grandad.  The belt in this picture was Daddy William's when he was a little boy.  MiMi loves to save things, and this belt is one of the treasures she's passed down to us. (Not to mention it's one of little William's favorite things).  I think he's finally understanding that he can't wear this belt with shorts that have an elastic waist band.  If only I had a nickel for every time I had to tell him "you can't wear it with those shorts or pants," we'd be filthy rich! He calls the belt his "William seat belt" and he wants to wear it all the time.  I might object if it weren't so darn cute.  And, no, I don't know where you can get one of these belts made these days...I've had lots of people ask.  Your best bet is to be lucky enough to have a mother-in-law like mine who loves to save things just in case they might be needed later on down the road. MiMi and Grandad didn't realize 30 years ago how far their penny was gonna go when they bought this belt...talk about getting your money's worth!!

We spent the weekend at one of our most favorite hangouts...Mount Ida, where MiMi grew up. William's precious grandmother passed away when little William was about a month old.  Her house (which is where MiMi grew up) is still in the family, and we love getting to visit whenever we have the opportunity.  It is such a special place to us, and we love being in the quiet country, tromping around in woods and pastures and such.  Unfortunately, it rained on us until mid-afternoon on Saturday, but the inclement weather didn't stop us from riding four-wheelers and whatnot.  Daddy William cut down a couple of trees to chop for firewood, and little William got a kick out of dragging the cut logs behind the four wheeler.  (By helping, he mostly chased our dogs, Buddy and Lady, around and hopped on the four wheeler with Dad whenever the opportunity presented itself).  Most importantly, he felt big doing big boy things with Dad...and yes, all while wearing his William belt and cowboy boots.  This child was born with "outdoors" on the brain, I swear.  Overall, it was somewhat of an uneventful weekend, but that's what made it so wonderful.