Curious George Gets a Diaper Change

One day last week Will came up to me with Curious George and asked to change him into a diaper just like he wears. Seeing how Will fully knows the process of a diaper change, he proceeded to gather a diaper and a box of wipes. He laid his pal George down on the floor and began wiping George's rear end with some wipes... and then more wipes... and then even more wipes, until I'm sure if George wasn't so hairy, you could see your reflection in his back side. Will was so proud to be able to help out George, and you could tell by George's face that he was feeling better too. We hope this means that if and when a new baby eventually arrives that Will will treat him or her with the same kind of care.

Now what do we do if Will's stuffed snake needs a diaper change? That's going to be a tough one.


"Oh no, it looks like George needs a diaper change!"


"Let me wipe his butt clean."


Still wiping...


A clean and changed monkey is a happy monkey.

A Hiking Weekend

This past weekend the three of us decided to visit some of Louisiana's State Parks (we left Lulu at home in case she wasn't allowed) that aren't too incredibly far from our house.

The first park we visited, Palmetto Island State Park, just recently opened at the end of last year and is located about 30 minutes from us near Abbeville. The park is fairly small with not terribly too much to do, but what it does have is first class. The facilities are extremely nice and the trails and views of the swampland are amazing. Of course, the Park's namesake palmetto's steal the show.

We can never fully anticipate how Will is going to respond to a new experience, but what is a constant is that he never disappoints! Our kid took to the trails like he was born a saddle donkey (horrible comparison... I know, but let's just say it's a good thing). Once he saw the gravel path he was off! He ran and ran (checking back often to make sure we were still there) until he couldn't go anymore. It was too cute. When we reached a boardwalk he was in heaven. He stuck his head right up against the rails and pointed out into the swamp calling the water "ba" for bath. Throughout the hike he would find sticks and Sweet gum balls, pick them up, and then toss them into the woods. I think the State could save some money having him on the maintenance crew.

The funniest thing that happened at Palmetto was when we were walking down the trail. Will stopped, turned around and said, "Choo-choo, choo-choo?" For a moment he thought he was at the zoo and was wondering when we were going to ride the train.

On Sunday, because we had so much fun at Palmetto Island, Krissy asked that we go visit Lake Fausse Pointe State Park near the Atchafalaya Basin. Fausse Pointe is a bit further away but well worth the drive. The park is surrounded by a huge lake which is home to the oldest cypress trees in the Atchafalaya Basin. It is also a park with some great hiking trails that our little man could explore.

After driving around the park and playing on the playground we decided to hit the trails. We chose an easy 1.6 mile hike not thinking that we would complete the hike and more thinking that we'd take our time walking for a little while and then turn around. That didn't happen. Will found himself in heaven again! We started off a little slow, but eventually we got into our stride. Will ended up walking a good mile all by himself! Again Will enjoyed removing sticks and leaves from the trail and he also learned that the really big sticks (or roots) are really hard to pick up. The best part about walking around Fausse Pointe for Will was the discovery of the dozens upon dozens of armadillos that live in this portion of the swamp. The "mmm-dillos" were everywhere! I think we counted 30+ armadillos on our hike.

We introduced Will to a new form of outdoor fun, we saw some beautiful parts of our area, and we got some exercise, I'd say we had a great weekend!

Palmetto Island

He was just a little excited.


Showing off the Sweet gum balls before tossing them into the woods.


A view of the palmettos from the trail.


Will got going a little too fast down the trail and bit it. At least he wasn't hurt.


He had a great time, but you couldn't tell from this photo.

Lake Fausse Pointe

Will doing an impression of Dada with his camo hat.


Enjoying the day.


Playing on the natural playground equipment.


Sitting on the boardwalk with Momma pointing out "mmm-dillos."


"Mmm-dillos" were everywhere! Too close at times.

Say Cheese!

I think it is safe to say Will has an enjoyment for life. We have definitely been blessed with a happy baby...Enjoy the smiles :)

Just enjoying a beautiful day outside.

"Keep the pictures coming Mom!"

So silly

Obviously just finished eating spaghetti.

Lovable ladybug. (This is one of Lulu's old halloween costumes he found in the closet yesterday and just had to put it on.)

This picture is bittersweet to me, as it's the first time I've seen him looking more like a little boy and less like my little baby. Happy Tears.

"Oh No," and "Wow," it's Christmas

I cannot believe it is already Will's second Christmas. My how time flies. The Christmas festivities began on Christmas Eve when we went to Mass at St. Pius with my fam. Considering Will had not napped all day, Ben and I figured we would sit down for a few minutes before we would have to quickly leave and spend our Christmas Eve Mass out in the hall. However, quite the opposite happened. Will was a perfect angel in church, not making a sound other than the "Ho Ho Ho" towards the end that fellow church goers got a kick out of as determined by the snickers around us. For some reason when I pointed out baby Jesus to him on the altar, he thought it was Santa and starting "Ho Ho Ho" ing. It was super cute. He was so good, I had people complimenting us on how well he was doing. It was a beautiful service, truly reminding us what Christmas is all about.

After Mass, we headed over to the Pierce's to eat Christmas dinner, and it was yummy. Will also got to open a few gifts to get him prepped for the next day. He definitely enjoyed his new ride on his Harley Big Wheel, but I would say the favorite gift of the evening was his new lawn mower as he squealed with delight once he opened it. While there, we also got into an intense game of Bananagrams. (Ben and Ryan's favorite game.) I am saddened to have to admit this, but Carrie won...

Once we were stuffed and all games were played, we headed home to prep for Santa. Will picked out the cookies that he wanted Santa to have and even looked up the fireplace to see if he could catch of glimpse of Jolly Ol' St. Nick. Having not seen him, our sweet boy gave up and fell asleep. I wish we could've gone to sleep as well, but there was much work to be done... (until 2 am)

As Christmas morning rolled around,Will's fan club showed up so they could witness Will's expressions as he awoke Christmas morning. I had to wake the little booger up at 7:30 am or else he would've probably slept until 10:00. His reaction to the toy filled room was the reason I titled this blog as it is. When we first came out, he saw his basketball goal, pointed and just said, "Oh No." He then spotted his trampoline, pointed, and said "Oh No." After that he spotted his kitchen and again, "Oh No." This continued until he had seen everything new that Santa had brought him with the occasional "Wow" in there. It was so stinkin cute. He was so sweet and innocent. After his initial reactions, the family went on their way, which allowed us to continue to open gifts and enjoy our Christmas morning as a little family of four (Lulu). This was particularly special to us as we have not been in a home of our own the last two Christmases.

After we finished at our house, we went over the river and through the woods to Beebee's house to have Christmas with my family. As always, it was absolute mayhem and fun as ever with four grand kids jumping from present to present, and paper being thrown everywhere, as if they were in a race to see how many things they could play with at a time. Will's favorite gift was his power wheels 4 wheeler. It was hilarious as he and Elena both got one and they both kept running into the wall and all we kept hearing were their wheels spinning repeatedly. And as always the adults were all opening their presents, mostly complaining about them being the wrong size or wrong color, or "why would you get me that?" followed by hilarious laughing (for those of you who know us well, you know how it is... constant smart ellick jokes and not a serious word being spoken.)

Once the mayhem was over at the Hoover's, we headed over to a slightly calmer Christmas at the Pierce's to open gifts. Our morning there started with an "Amazing Race" like scavenger hunt for a present, which was exciting. I was hoping there would be a million dollars at the end, but that didn't happen;) By this point, it was around 11 am and Will had been opening since 7:30 am, but he was still forging through it as if he had just started. Sweet thing continued to open gifts through lunch time, and if he got distracted the least bit, one of us would just have to say, "Will, look another present," and he would drop whatever he had in his hands and immediately run over to open it. He was getting good at this gift opening thing. I'm sure his practice will come in handy in April for his birthday.

After finishing up at Grammy and Grandpa's, we were worn out and headed back to our house to play with some toys and to take a nap. He was so worn out, he slept for nearly 3 hours. Once awake, we hit the road again and headed back to my parent's house for a scrumptious Christmas dinner and some exciting games of indoor LadderBall and Just Dance 2. Let me just say Missy and I rocked the house, but Ben, Corey, and Philip had some sweet moves as well. Will just sat and watched us make idiots of ourselves...

And so, as the night came to a close, Christmas had come and gone so quickly, and as we lay in bed, I thought back on the day and Will's reaction as he first saw what Santa had brought him. Just raw, pure amazement, wonder, and innocence in those big brown eyes of his made my heart melt and I will never forget that very moment for as long as I live.

"Merry Christmas to all and to all a good night!"

This is how we found him in the carseat when we got home on Christmas Eve. Thank goodness that's not a real gas tank. Hehe.

It's Woody! Probably his favorite gift of all. He LOVES Toy Story.

"This unwrapping thing is pretty cool!"

Unwrapping with daddy.

It's basketball time with Poppa! (Yay for this picture. I never seem to get one with Will actually looking at the camera with poppa :)

Checking out his sweet new ride with Nonna.

Did not want to put down his Nerf balls. The kid is definitely going to be an athlete.

Enjoying playing on Christmas morning with Eli.

Turns out the 4 wheeler is great for carrying food. (Notice the biscuit in the cup holder :)

The old switcheroo. Of course they never want to play on their own toys.

Opening gifts with Aunt Carrie and soon to be Uncle Ryan.

Will with Grammy. Yes, another ball. The kid loves his sports!

Chillaxin in the wagon as Grandpa watches the opening of presents. (Notice Woody)

It's Buzz Lightyear!

Sweet baby was worn out after a marathon day of opening presents...He slept for 3 hours.

Living in a Box

You always hear come Christmas time or around birthdays that you might as well just give your kids a box and a red ball and they'll be a lot happier. Well I guess we can return all of the "cool" gifts we got Will for Christmas, because I think he'd prefer a diaper box.

This evening while we were playing in Will's room, he decided to grab an empty diaper box and proceeded to entertain himself for quite some time. Our little man enjoyed drumming on the box, acting like it was boat, and then crawling through it. By the time his imagination was running out, he made one last attempt to call it his "night night" and then laid down for a long 3 second nap on his very comfy new bed.

Before we know it, he'll call the box his home and ask to live out on the driveway. We hope not.


"This is way more fun than anything you're getting me for Christmas."


"This box has lots of room!"


Looks comfy!

Helping out a Friend

I have posted this story on facebook, but know some of you don't check that as often as this, so I wanted to get the word out to you all as well.

About a month ago, Ben and I discovered an old friend of ours we met in Asheville, found out her 8 month old son, Liam, has been diagnosed with cancer. He is currently undergoing chemo at this time, which as you can imagine has worn the sweet little guy out and of course taking a toll on the family.

This sweet family is going through something that nobody should ever have to go through in this life, and the only thing I can think of to do for them is to continue to spread the word about this to friends and family in hopes of getting as many prayers and donations their way as I possibly can.

Please become followers of their blog to follow Liam's progress, and please please please pass this on to anyone and everyone you know so we can get the word out. There is a donation link on the right side of their page, so if you would like to or know of anyone who is looking for a great cause to donate to this season, this would be a great one to choose.

http://briananddawnfudge.blogspot.com/ (Feel free to post comments to their blog as well just to let them know you are thinking of them. Dawn has been overwhelmed by the amount of people she doesn't even know who have posted on her blog and facebook that they are praying for her.)

Thanks so much to everyone and God Bless you all!

Best Friends

One of the major perks of moving back to Lafayette has been watching Will bond with our families including Grandparents, Aunts, Uncles, and Cousins. The cutest relationship to watch develop has been between Will and Elena. If Nonna needs to go to the shop during the week on a busy day, she drops Elena at our house and Will and her play for hours. It has been fun watching them play, hug, kiss, and of course fight. The pictures pretty much explain it all. What a blessing it is to have them so close in age. They will be a force to be reckoned with when they go to school together.


Just coloring and snacking.

Loving on each other at Sesame Street Live

Sweet babies!