To New Friends

Last spring, Will and I were at the park and met another mom, Vanessa and her 2 year old son Aiden. She was new to the area, so I suggested she join a mommy and me class at the Little Gym so we could all get to know each other. While slow to interact in the beginning, Will and Aiden are becoming fast friends. In fact at The Little Gym the other day, they were both swinging from the bars together and dropping down fast, laughing the whole time. As we were getting ready to leave, Aiden reached for Will’s hand as if to ask him to come home with him, which was so cute. It’s funny to watch both boys as they both seem to be in the rough housing stage. My hope is to get them together more often so they can wear each other out so Vanessa and I can take a little break ;) Hopefully there are many more play dates in our future.


"Ring around the Rosie" or "The Wheels on the Bus." at a barbecue at Mark and Vanessa's.


Just hanging out waiting for food.

Aunt Carrie and Uncle Ryan get Hitched!

On July 12, Ben, myself, and Will headed up and over to Dallas for Carrie and Ryan's wedding. We arrived in Dallas at around 2:00 am on Thursday morning, and wouldn't you know our little booger was up and ready to play when we stopped at the hotel.

Thursday came around quickly and we rushed to get to Carrie's so we could see everyone including Carrie, Ryan, Grammy, and Apaw. Once we arrived, the wedding festivities took over and it seemed to go by in a flash. The girls spent the afternoon getting our nails done while the men got their tuxes taken care of and played around the house. Before we knew it we were already at the rehearsal and dinner, which was just lovely. Will looked absolutely precious in his Ring Bearer Jersey. Thanks Aunt Carrie for getting it for him!

Before we knew it Friday, the wedding day, had arrived and everything was a hustle and bustle. The girls were doing their hair and makeup, the boys were swimming at the hotel, and the last minute odds and ends were being taken care of. Time kept rolling fast and within a flash the limo bus had picked us up and we were going to the chapel to see Carrie and Ryan get hitched. The ceremony was absolutely perfect and even though Will didn't make it down the aisle by himself, he was definitely the cutest ring bearer ever.

The reception followed and we (including Will of course) danced the night away. And yes, my little man made it again until 2:00 am without so much as a whimper. He was all smiles all night long and we were given many compliments about how awesome and well behaved he was. Insert proud parent smiles here...

Both the ceremony and the reception went off without a hitch and Carrie and Ryan's "Do-It-Yourself" Wedding was stunning and perfectly executed. In short, it was so them.

We had an absolute blast and are so happy to have Ryan in the family. We look forward to watching their little family grow as ours has.

Congratulations Carrie and Ryan on your wedding. Enjoy this amazing new journey in life together! We love you!


Enjoying the rehearsal dinner!


The RB (Ring Bearer) was all smiles! He put on a good show for everyone.


Proud parents of the bride, Ammy and A-paw.


The beautiful couple after the ceremony.


All cleaned up!


The names Pierce, William Pierce.


Ammy with her favorite date.


Gramps, Daddy and one worn out little dancer.


Will with Dadda and Grandma Dee after the reception.


Someone had a good time!

Pool

As mentioned in a previous post at the beginning of the summer, we finally got an Intex pool for Will thanks to Nonna and Poppa. It's a perfect size for him to feel comfortable in the water and practice his skills he learned during swimming lessons in May. As of right now, he is able to kick his feet and do round and round arms, and he loves going under, which has been a complete surprise to all of us. The other day he even dropped under and kicked his little way to the side of the pool all by himself. His favorite thing to do though is chase Mommy and Daddy around and around until we make a whirlpool. We all have a lot of fun, and don't mind cooling off considering there are no trees in our still very new and young neighborhood, which was previously a cane field. We definitely have a water baby on our hands.

Just chillin in the pool with Elena.

Hot Springs Village Vacation

This post is way overdue, but better late than never.

Towards the end of June, Ben, Will and I joined my family on a vacation to Hot Springs Village, AK. We stayed in a beautiful lake house in the gated community of Hot Springs Village. It was wonderful as within the community there were multiple golf courses, pools, lakes, tennis courts, etc. You name it, it was there...

On Sunday, we decided to head to downtown Hot Springs so we could actually see the Hot Springs. While downtown, we took a duck tour on both land and water, and did the touristy things like mini golf, go karts, and visited the wax museum. We also took in a little history of the city at the tourists center and felt the actual Hot Springs water. Of course, the idea of the hot springs was neat, but being that it was in the upper 90s there anyway, just a dip of the finger in the water sufficed for us. That afternoon, Ben, Will, and I rode the elevator to the top of the observation tower which overlooked what seemed like all of Arkansas. Will enjoyed running around the circle at the top and giving Ben and I both near heart attacks.

During our stay, we also took a side trip to Magic and Crystal Springs Amusement/Waterpark. The crowds were minimal, and the rides were so much fun, which made for an amazing day. Will enjoyed the kiddie rides, but his favorite was sliding down the kid water slides into the pool below. He was so cute. Thank goodness he enjoys amusement and water parks as much as his parents do :)

Another day was spent on Lake Balboa, which was one of the lakes located within the village. We rented a pontoon boat and spent the afternoon tubing, swimming, and just cruising around the water. The lake was crystal clear and the temperature was absolutely perfect. Will much preferred riding the boat to the tubing, so he spent most of his time in Nonna's lap.

Towards the end of the week we visited a Science museum that was very cool and the kids had a wonderful time.

In between all of our fun activities, we spent a lot of time swimming in the lake at the house, and fishing. The men played quite a few rounds of golf, and most importantly, we just played it low key and relaxed.

A fun vacation was had by all :)


Enjoying the view from the tower... after feeling like vomiting while riding the glass elevator all the way up.


History buff.


Nothing's more exciting than a Duck Tour. I mean what beats a truck/boat that has a max speed of 20mph on land and 2 mph in the water? Hold on to your hats!


The cousins by one of the hot springs. Yes, the springs are very hot!


Bonding in an old dirty bath house!


The water felt great, despite his face.


Swimming in the lake. We were the only ones doing this. Seeing and feeling our "lake itch" at the end of our visit, we now know why.


After striking out during our last fishing trip, Ben was the big winner this time!


High speeds on the water and a nine year old Eli behind the wheel.


Great time, but it was a bit cramped. Our driver did a fantastic job!


Will's favorite spot on the boat.


Poppa and Ezra "The Dare-devil" Hoover.


The big lake was much nicer than the small one.


Bebe fixing her hair on the tube. Let's just say we weren't flying around the lake.

It's (Pretend) School Time!

We love school! (When Mommy is teaching it)

One of the many perks of being a stay at home mom is that I get to play a major role in Will's early education. In the beginning, when trying to teach Will new letters, numbers, sounds, or what have you, I found it very difficult as he naturally would not be able to focus for any amount of time, as was expected of a very active toddler. As a result, I decided to start playing school with him and his little stuffed friends, which has proved to be very effective.

Each morning, Will and I go into his room and pull out his various classmates that he enjoys learning with. Spongebob is always the first chosen, followed by Barney, Orange Man, and Curious George. We line them all up against his bed and Will sits in line with them, always covering himself up with a blanket.

We then begin our so called lessons, identifying and sorting shapes and colors, reviewing picture cards, and reviewing letter sounds and completing our alphabet puzzle and counting items. As we go through our routine, I always ask "the class" the questions and Will answers for them. He then takes whatever is in my hands and passes them out to his friends accordingly.

Once school is over, which basically happens when Will decides it is over, he typically throws his friends back in their basket and they don't come out until the next school session.

Hopefully he will find school just as exciting when he actually starts going with real classmates:)


Working on the letter "A"


It must be nice to go to school in Toy Story pajamas!

It's Just Me!

Last Halloween I bought Will a pumpkin mask from the dollar section in Target. Little did I know it would become one of his favorite things to play with to this day. Depending on when and where he stumbles upon his mask, he puts it on (usually backwards and upside down), then jumps towards me and growls like a monster. As I play along with his cute little game and scream, he quickly pulls off the mask and says sweetly, "It's jus me Mom...Willwum Poose." I'm so in love with this kid...

Pics to come...