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!"

My Butt Hurts

On Friday, September 2, Will pooped in the potty for the first time! Woo Hoo! I was in the living room with Ben and Uncle Biscuit (Corey) and heard Will in our bathroom playing with the toilet. Thinking that he was shoving something in there, I rushed in to find him in the process of climbing onto the toilet saying, “I have to poop Mom.” Sure enough, he sat down and did the deed. Of course this was followed by a potty dance from Ben, myself, and Uncle Biscuit. We were so proud!

Then the following week, while in Michigan visiting Ben’s parents, he pooped in the potty every single night after saying, “My butt hurts.” While this is probably way too much information for everyone, of course I must document it and think of it as a pretty major milestone! We are especially excited about it as we haven’t really attempted to potty train him and kind of felt like he would learn when he was ready on his own and sure enough we were right. Although not out of the diaper all the time yet, we are definitely on our way to underwear!

Too funny!