Kumbaya

After wanting one for so many years, Nonna and Poppa finally bought a motorhome. To test it out, the family decided to head out to the KOA campground in Scott, LA all of 20 minutes away (if that) over the New Year's Weekend. On our way out there, Will was especially excited as he got to ride in what he likes to call "The party bus." He didn't say much on the trip, as I think he was stunned that he was actually riding in it.

While there, we took the kayak out and rented some paddle boats, which might I say were exhausting but fun. We also played a round of mini golf, fished, and watched the kids enjoy the playground. And of course, Ben got a game of frisbee going on in the field. And, what better way to spend our evenings but roasting marshmallows and making s'mores!

Although it wasn't very far away, just getting away from home was nice and we enjoyed our little 2 day vacay...and look forward to many more!


He loved "goff"


Eating s'mores...(BTW, Poppa obviously wasn't ready for the pic ;)

The Best Eber!

Within the last week, Will has been such a sweetheart calling me "The best mom eber (ever)!" and Ben "The best dad eber!" Does it eber get any better than this? Love it!

Pics soon!

Grammy and Grampa Visit!

Gammy and Grampup (formerly known as Apaw) drove down to Lafayette the week before Thanksgiving to visit. They were like fresh meat to Will as from the moment they got here until the moment they left, Will had them playing constantly. It was pretty much like having a 24 hour babysitting service, because Will wanted nothing to do with me while they were around, because as all grandparents, they pretty much did whatever his little heart desired :) And that was certainly fine with me!

From reading books, to playing in his Toy Story tent, to going to the zoo, to opening early Christmas presents, you name it, it was done while they were here. And Will clearly enjoyed his special time with Grammy and Grampa!

It seems as quickly as they got here, it was time for them to leave, as they had to head over to Dallas to visit Aunt Carrie and Uncle Ryan for Thanksgiving. We missed their company so much we asked them if they wanted to come back to Lafayette before heading back up to wintery Michigan ;)

As always, we had a great time, and look forward to seeing them again. (Which I don't see as a problem considering Carrie, Ben's sister, is pregnant with her first baby and now they will have 2 grandbabies down South, which should keep them down here throughout the year ;)


Being silly with Gammy


Chillin with Grampup

More pics to follow

Will's First Haircut

I always knew when it came time to cut Will's hair it would be a spur of the moment decision, as if I thought about it too much, I knew I wouldn't be able to go through with it. As predicted, Ben called me to remind me of his 4:30 hair cut today and I told him that we needed to bring Will to have his cut as well. And so we immediately took him so neither of us could change our minds and it went very smoothly.

Will sat down in the chair like a big boy, smiling at the look of the "cape" draped around his neck and did not say one single word the entire time during the cutting of the hair. He just sat there staring at himself in the mirror in wonderment. Here are just a few pics we took to capture the moment.


The beginning.


A nervous smile.


He did not take his eyes off of the mirror.

Tastes Like Chicken

Lately Will has picked up an awful habit, one that we're sure parents from the beginning of time have had to learn to deal with. What I'm referring to of course is picking his nose. When Will was little we would hold him down and remove any booger that was blocking his nasal passage, but now Will has learned that he can do it all by himself. We often find him riding in the car or sitting amongst his toys just picking away.

Well beyond the nose picking habit, Will has also decided that tasting his boogers is also enjoyable. We can tolerate the picking to a point, but the enjoying is really gross! The other day Krissy asked Will, after he had just snuck a booger in his mouth, "What does your booger taste like?" He quickly replied, "Like chicken Mama." There you have it, our kid is a booger eating cono sur. I wonder what wine he would recommend with his boogers?

The Caped Crusader

Gotham City's best line of defense against crime! Yes the costume is cheap, but boy does Will take on the persona of Batman when he puts it on!

One day something weird happened, out of nowhere our sweet little boy William Pierce disappeared into his room. Then not five seconds later another little boy equally as cute but wearing a towel over his head appeared and pronounced himself as "Batmen!" Yes, Batmen not Batman.

Honestly, we have no idea where this came from. Neither Krissy or I have watched Batman recently or have really ever even discussed superheros. I'm sure this is something he picked up from Eli and Ezra, but that doesn't even make much sense. Regardless it appears that Batman is now a part of the Pierce family. If we used the word obsessed to describe Will's interest in the Caped Crusader, we wouldn't be that far off. Initially the only time Batman would appear is following bath time. When we would dry Will off using his hooded towels, he would pretend that they are Batman's cape. Once dry he would run around the room yelling "Batmen!" punching the air and jumping off the furniture until it was time to get his pajamas on. For a while, that was the extent of the Dark Knight's presence.

Then one day I decided it would be fun to try to find some old Adam West 1960's "Batman" TV episodes on YouTube. Boy was that a mistake!!! After watching only a few minutes of the show with Will, I was transformed in Will's mind from his loving, caring Dad into the sinister Riddler or "Ridder" as Will calls me. No I couldn't be Robin or even Alfred. I had to be a bad guy and chase Will around and around and around until Batman decided it was time to tackle me (though I am now physically exhausted from being the Riddler, the joy on Will's face is worth every second). For a while my name wasn't even Daddy. If you asked Will who I am, his response would immediately be "Daddy Ridder." No one was sparred. Krissy soon became Batgeeurl (Batgirl) and Lulu was Batdoggy. Even Will's clothes and other things were given very 1960's "Batman" names. Diapers were now Batdiapers and boots now Batboots. Will had adopted the ways of Batman like a brainwashed disciple. I've since introduced him to the other villains, and we enjoy 10 minutes here and there watching the old reruns and laughing at the horrible acting and props.

Of course we knew that when we asked Will what he wanted to be for Halloween what his answer would be. Of course he would go as Batman, but news to us, Daddy would have to wear Riddler's outfit and Krissy Batgirl's. Unfortunately Riddler wears spandex and the only Batgirl costumes you can find are a bit on the risque side. I'm sure you'll see how that all pans out on October 31st. I'm still looking for ways to be the Joker or Penguin. Both of them don't have to be squeezed into their costumes.

Little boys and their imaginations are so much fun, and with Will approaching two and half, our play time together will only continue to get more elaborate and exciting. We still see Will from time to time, but we've grown accustomed to having a superhero living among us.


An early version of Batman's costume. I think this is the western gunslinger style.


Batman and his protective eye wear.


Batman and Batdog discussing ways to foil the Riddler's plans. Notice the small Batman and Riddler toys.


"I'm Batmen!"

Michigan!

If you recall, at the beginning of the summer my parents left Lafayette after 24 years to retire to Michigan where my grandparents live. Even though we got a chance to see them in July for Carrie and Ryan's wedding, not having them around at any given time made us miss them pretty badly. We decided to take a flight up to see them and their new place during the week of Labor Day.

Traveling 1,200 miles by plane with a two year old may sound like a rough journey, but for us that was far from the case. Our first flight to Houston was a short little ride which was perfect for our very curious traveler. Will loved looking out the window, staring at the wing, and talking about the stewardess... calling her the pilot because of her uniform.

After a nice layover of riding the Tram back and forth and back and forth, we boarded our long flight to Grand Rapids. Two minutes into the flight Will was asleep and didn't wake up until we landed! All of the other passengers who thought they were going to spend 2.5 hours with a whiny kid were very pleased, and complemented us on his behavior.

When we got off the plane we were greeted by a group of LSU fans! My parents and Grandpa were sporting their LSU gear for the big game with Oregon. A side note, apparently my Grandpa is way too cool, as he decided to wear sunglasses in the airport. I think his collar was even popped!

Finally we made it to my parent's house. It's really nice! A perfect woodland retreat with a beach on a small clean lake in a quiet little Lake Michigan town. We kept calling their house a "rental home" while we were there because it is nice enough to be just that. It has lots of great amenities and is laid out for activities to happen throughout the house without disturbing everyone. Perfect for a little boy who wants to play with his Ammy all day in the toy room.

While at the house we did plenty of kayaking and exploring of the lake (formally on a Boy Scout camp), a little swimming (the water wasn't too cold, but highs in the upper 50's were a bit of a change for us), and digging on the beach. Will seemed to have a great time at Ammy and A-paw's house! Not only did he have plenty of old toys to play with, he also had a very captive audience of two. You could tell while we were there that Ammy and A-paw wanted to savor every second they had with him. Very sweet, but also bittersweet with them now being so far away.

While in Michigan we also had a chance to spend time with both Grandpa Ed in Pentwater and Grandma Dee in Norton Shores. My parent's place is so close to both of them that it makes travel a breeze. Though temperatures were colder than we would have liked, we had some great time playing in the sand along Lake Michigan, and Grandpa Ed was excited to have us as company, especially on his 86th birthday. It was nice to spend that time with him and it was great to watch Will get a chance to jam with Grandpa Ed on his big drum while Grandpa Ed played the bones.

We also had a nice visit with Grandma Dee when we visited with her. Again, Will just loves getting a chance to play with new old toys. It's like Christmas during every visit. Since the weather was warming up we had Grandma Dee join us on a trip to a local park. Boy was she amazed at the courage of our little guy. Will showed her how he could climb up the playground, and without question go zooming down the slides. We had such a nice time visiting with Grandma and showing off Will!

On our last day in Michigan we did the tourist thing an took a ride on the Mac Wood's Dune Rides. This is something that Krissy hadn't gone on in ten years, so it was nice to take a scenic ride up in down the massive dunes near Silver Lake. Will was his goofy self the whole ride screaming "Whoa!" with every bump and dip! It was an entertaining ride and something we will definitely do again when Will is older.

Before we knew it, our week in Michigan was over. We had our traditional pizza at Johnny's and took the customary hat picture before it was time to say goodbye. It's safe to say we had a blast! We just wish everyone lived a little bit closer!


Lovin' on Ammy and A-paw!


Enjoying the alligator-less lake.


Jam session!


What a big sandbox!


Warming up to Grandma Dee.


Lots of cool toys can be found in the basement at Grandma Dee's!


What a cutie!


Pentwater pier following Johnny's.


Four generations of Pierce men.