Arkansas, etc.

Submitted by William on Sun, 09/24/2006 - 11:17pm

We've got pictures! Over Labor Day weekend we made the long drive to Arkansas to visit Auntie Leah, Uncle John, Abi, Faith and Baby Parker. We had lots of fun just hanging out and playing. The weather was great, so we were outside riding bikes, shooting hoops and splashing in the pool quite a bit. We all got along great! Baby Parker was cute. I see him around a lot (isn't every baby Parker?).

While we were in Arkansas, Auntie Dawn had her baby. Caedmon Graham was born on Labor Day, September 4th at 7 lbs 8 oz and 21 inches. We got to see him that morning on the webcam at Auntie Leah's house. The grownups were all gathered around the computer, but I didn't know what the big deal was. I'd rather play Elmo games on the computer than look at babies.

Now that it's fall school has started again. I like to go to school and see my teacher, Kathy, and my friends. There is a new friend in my class named David and I talk about him a lot maybe because we have the same name. Today I was cleaning up like David. Mommy thinks he is a good friend for me.

Mommy goes to school a lot too. She's always got books laying around and is complaining about homework, but I don't see her do it much so I'm not sure what there is to complain about. Mostly she's just telling me not to type when she's writing e-mail. But this time I got a turn to tell my side of the story. Thanks, Mommy!

It's officially Aunt Jennie!

Submitted by William on Mon, 08/28/2006 - 11:15pm

Adam and Jennie got married on Friday! It was a very fun time. We got to go to Alexandria and sleep in a hotel one night and then go camping for two more nights. We were going to camp the night of the rehearsal but it was too rainy and we found out our tent leaked. That just meant we got to sleep in Tommy and Michelle's room and go swimming, "play" video games, and eat pancakes for breakfast in the restaurant, so it was okay with me!

Then the next day was the wedding day. I took another nap in the car while Mommy and Daddy finished setting up the campsite and then it was time to get dressed for pictures! The wedding was nice and short, but still too long for me. My mommy did a reading and I said, "Good job, Mommy" just like I do when she reads at our church. After the wedding we went to the party. There was a yummy cookie waiting for me at the table and then we had an "awesome" dinner. They even had my favorite - broccoli! And my other favorite - cupcakes!!! We got to watch a movie about Adam and Jennie after dinner. I almost fell asleep on mommy's lap because it had been such a long day already, but then it was done and pretty soon after that the dance started. I was too tired to do a whole lot of dancing, but I tried to hop around in my new dancing shoes. Mostly I liked to watch the lights. I would watch people's faces as the lights changed and say "Mommy green, Mommy red, Ivy blue..." We had to go back to the campsite before the dance was over and that was okay with me because I fell asleep right when the car started to move. I didn't even wake up when Mommy put my pajamas on. The next morning I got to watch my Uncle Adam and my new "Uncle" Jennie open their presents. They went on an airplane back to Colorado the next day, so I probably won't get to see them again for a while. Maybe by that time I'll have learned to call her "Aunt" Jennie.

Yesterday I turned 2!

Submitted by William on Mon, 08/21/2006 - 12:19pm

I had a birthday party yesterday! Both sets of grandparents, Great-grandma and grandpa McKeever, Dawn, Nathan, Tiernan, and Uncle Michael were here. They sang happy birthday and we ate chocolate cupcakes. Then I opened presents. It was hard because they didn't want me to play with anything, only open the next one.

Then today I went to the doctor for my 2-year well check. I was "brave like tiger" when the nurse measured me. She said most kids my age cry but I didn't cry once! My doctor is very nice and says I'm doing very well. I weigh 30lbs 10oz (80th percentile) and I'm 37 inches tall (97%).

It's fun being two! I can make jokes, like when I tell mommy the boy hardly had time to "moo" instead of wave. I can talk about feelings, like when mommy gets "frustrated." And I like to kick the soccer ball or my stuffed monkey. I still forget how old I am at first, but soon when you ask me how old I am I will remember to say "two" on the first try!

Hot fun in the summertime!

Submitted by William on Fri, 06/30/2006 - 12:07am

Summertime really agrees with me! I just love playing outside, riding my bike (I'm learning to steer and pedal), going to the park, digging in the sand, playing catch with my baseball mitt, going to the Riverbats game, boating and all the other fun that comes with being outside in the summer. Of course, one word I've learned to say really well is "squito" since they are the state bird. And I got poison ivy already although Mom and Dad aren't quite sure how. At least it went away quickly. But now I call my cousin Ivy "Poi Ivy" - that's confusing!

I'm talking a lot now. Some of my favorite things to say are, "Daddy, tea party time!"(just as often "pea tarty") and "Mommy play game please." Another thing I say a lot is "Nnnn-uh-huh" because I automatically say "No" to everything, but if someone asks me if I want a cookie, I usually change my mind and say "Nnnn-uh-huh."

I really like to keep track of my parents who are always on the go. If Daddy's at the office, I'll say many times during the day, "Daddy office day." And when Mommy gets me up from naps or is snuggling with me I say, "Mommy home now" because she's always going to work, class, meetings, or out with friends. But I like it best when my mom and dad are both around like when we went for a picnic at Munsinger Gardens on Wednesday. Daddy brought the camera and we got a few good pictures of me at 22-months. You'll have to take a peek!

Potty training update: There have been few successes since the last time I updated. I'm becoming more aware and often say "poop potty chair" as I'm wetting or dirtying my diaper, but I'm not ready to give them up yet.

"Poop Potty Chair"

Submitted by William on Thu, 05/18/2006 - 7:36pm

I had a BIG success today! I pooped in the potty chair! That makes three days in a row that I've gone on the potty chair. The first day I peed and Daddy was really surprised!!! It mostly made it in the potty chair. Then yesterday I made a little poop in the potty chair, but not much. I guess I was saving up for today because it all came out and some pee too and it was all in the potty chair! I got to flush it down! I'm really getting to be a big boy! I'll have to try and do that more often because it's a lot better than getting my diaper changed.

Rain Rain Go Away

Submitted by William on Sat, 05/13/2006 - 7:41pm

I'm getting really good at singing "Rain Rain Go Away". Mommy and I take turns singing the lines of that song. It's been raining a LOT here lately. It is hard on me because I love to be outside playing "Pooh Sticks" (throwing sticks in the puddle), digging in the sandbox, blowing bubbles, riding my bike...

With all this yucky weather, I'm getting lots of time to do stuff inside. Mommy taught me how to play a fun game called Slap Jack the other day. I like to practice counting things. I can count to ten with a little help, especially getting past three or I'll just keep counting "one-two, one-two." I like to read books, like "Machines at Work" and "The Last Game" which I have almost memorized.

On rainy days we go to the library to see the girbils, watch the fish, play trains, stack blocks (I can stack all 9 puzzle blocks!) and put together puzzles (I like the shapes puzzle because I get to say "rectangle" - that's a big word). The other day I crawled in the oven in the kitchen set! It was nice and quiet in there when the other kids shut the door for me.

Speaking of other kids, there are always lots of other kids when we go to the playground at the mall or to play group. At the mall one little boy tried to come over to the wheel while I was turning it but I put out my hand to tell him not to come any closer, and it worked! He went away! I really like to play by myself. When we go to play group, I always ask Mommy to "Go home" but she never brings me. It's okay if it's only one or two friends, but when there are so many people I don't like it. And I really don't like being in a new house where I don't know the rules.

So now you know what I've been doing on these rainy days to keep busy in between watching Dora and Elmo. Hopefully we'll have more sunny days soon!

Easter Blessings!

Submitted by William on Mon, 04/17/2006 - 2:06am

I hope you had a very happy Easter! I know I did! Despite being sick and having to stay home, I had a lot of fun. I looked for lots of eggs and Easter baskets that the Easter bunny hid around my living room. I got to help Dora and Boots look for eggs on tv for about the tenth time. I like to yell, "EGG! THERE!" and say the names of all the prizes when Dora opens the eggs. I got lots of fun presents in MY Easter baskets. An apron, fishing rod, pop-up book and clothes in one basket. And a flap book, doodle pro, Thomas train, and bubbles in my other basket! I also got a new sandbox, but that was the day before Easter, not in my Easter basket. I really love playing outside and especially now that I have somewhere to dig again since the snow is gone. You should come play with me sometime! You can hear me say some two word sentences, like "Hit ball," "Look egg," "Hop down," and my favorite, "Cookie please."

18-month checkup

Submitted by William on Fri, 03/10/2006 - 2:51pm

I went to the doctor today. It was very scary! As soon as we got in the exam room I started to cry and tried to put back on every piece of clothing mom was taking off of me. But I still had to get naked and get measured. I came out at the 80th percentile for height (33 1/2) and weight (28 lbs 14 oz). But I think they goofed up on the height because that's the same as last time and I know I'm taller than three months ago. Then the doctor came in and checked me over. He had a cool pinwheel that I could blow so after that I don't really know what else happened until I got a firetruck sticker before the doctor left.

When we got home I ran around outside and I didn't even have to wear my snowpants or my hat! It's really getting warm out! Maybe soon all the snow will be gone so I won't have to put on new pants when I come inside.

Time for a new entry!

Submitted by William on Mon, 03/06/2006 - 11:11pm

It's been a while since I wrote last and you're probably wondering what happened to me. Let's see... we played trivia in February and Pull-start Diesel took 4th place in case you didn't read about it in the newspaper. It was pretty cool even if I did miss the end because I was with Grandma and Grandpa McKeever. That was cool, too. Then we got to visit with Leah, Abi and Faith when they came to Minnesota. That was the happy news. The sad news was that Great-Grandpa Lionel went to heaven so we had to say goodbye to him for a while. I'll miss hearing him call me "Sir William."

Speaking of which, I've recently learned to say my name and now I like to say it a lot. When I want a turn to do something, I say "Yiw-yum" and when something is mine, I say "Yiw-yum" and sometimes when people ask what my name is I'll say "Yiw-yum" ... if I feel like it. My other favorite thing to say is "all gone." I just learned it yesterday. You might have heard me today if you were at Target because I was saying "all gone all gone all gone..." very loudly as we went up and down the aisles.

Mom and Dad are starting to wonder where their cautious little boy went now that I'm getting more confident. I like to climb up and stand on the bar stools, stand on the arm of the couch and jump off onto the cushion, walk down the stairs frontwards (holding someones hand of course, even if they ARE only three years old), and jumping off of curbs, that sort of thing. I know that they can't wait until summer when the boots come off and I can really run fast outside.

Now I'm going to try to get caught up on my sleep. My uncle Michael stayed here last week and he sure gets up early! It was a lot of fun, but now I need some rest! Then I'll go play with him at his house tomorrow. It's more fun to play next to someone.

It was a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Submitted by William on Wed, 01/04/2006 - 9:51pm

Now that all of our Christmas celebrations are done, I can get down to playing with all my new presents! Here's a rundown of our Christmas and New Year and all the fun we had:

On Christmas Eve we were at Grandma and Grandpa Lanz's house with all the rest of the Lanz family. We ate a lot of food, sang Christmas carols and played a gift exchange game. Then it was home to bed so we could be ready for the next day!

Christmas Day we got up and opened presents from Santa! I got a ball toss game, new books, and a stocking full of candy and toys! Who wants cereal for breakfast after starting your day with a marshmallow Santa? Not me! Then we packed up my new books and went to church.

Later in the day, after naps, we went to Great-grandma Weber's house. We played, ate more food, and then played another gift exchange game. Then we went to Grandma and Grandpa Lanz's for dinner and more presents! I got a sled from Uncle Joe, a snow shovel from Uncle Michael, and new pajamas and socks from Grandma and Grandpa. Mommy and Daddy stayed up late and played games but they made me go to bed even though I really didn't want to.

The week after Christmas we had McKeever Christmas at Ferry Point. There was a lot of fish cooking in those bubbly fondu pots but my favorite thing was the cheesy potatoes although lefse is great, too! Then there were lots more presents to open. Grandma and Grandpa gave me my new trike, some clothes, sippy cups, and a comfy little pillow just for me! From my cousins, Abi and Faith gave me paint stuff and Tiernan gave me a farm puzzle. Then I had to go to bed again while Mommy and Daddy got to stay up and have fun.

On New Year's Eve we went to the Hubers' house to celebrate. Daddy played with me and the kids downstairs and the grownups played games upstairs. Again there was a lot of food - especially black olives, my favorite! And again I had to go to bed while Mommy and Daddy stayed up and had fun. It's so unfair!

But now the fun really starts! I've had a few days now to stay home and play with all my new toys! I've been sledding and shoveling a lot because the weather has been nice and warm but the bad part is that the snow is melting too, so there's not as much to shovel. When I have to be inside I like to "dip" (or paint pictures, as my mommy would say) or "bump" and ride on my new trike or shoot baskets with my new ball toss game. I'm having so much fun that I've really been mad when Mommy and Daddy put me to bed even though I get to snuggle with my nice new pillow. There are just too many fun things to do when I'm awake!