May 31

We went to McLane Creek this afternoon and enjoyed a nice walk. The Beaver pond was teeming with salamanders, which we enjoyed watching for quite some time. We also saw orioles, ducks and darner flies on our walk. Will most enjoyed playing on the tree roots. He pretended that he was "Bob the Builder" and that he was at work. Apparently, Bob's job involves climbing on, over and under tree roots. It was fun to watch him act like your typical little boy, with no regard to getting dirty or a little bit scuffed up.

May 30

We went to a wedding at Ft. Worden today and decided that we'd try out camping. We had a great day on the beach and at our campsite. Trouble started brewing at bedtime. Marc and I figured that we would have to lay in the tent with Will, singing and patting him to sleep. We anticipated it taking a while. What we did not anticipate was the fact that our little monkey would not even get into his sleeping bag. Well, he'd put his head inside while he giggled and rolled about. We tried to get him to sleep for almost two hours before real panic set in. Should we drive him around and risk a transfer into the tent? If he does survive the transfer into the sleeping bag, would he stay asleep all night? Would he wake up too early and be a crab all day? In a last ditch effort, I tried rocking him. Not that I didn't try earlier, mind you, but he simply would not stay put in my arms. At last, Will was calming down, but he simply could not get to sleep. Classic case of being overtired - go figure it was 10:30! Utterly defeated, Marc and I made the decision to pack up and drive home. I put Will in the car, drove him around the campsite once and he was fast asleep. He even stayed asleep while we stuffed our junk into the car as fast as we could. We arrived home at 2am and fell into bed, exhausted.

May 29

Marc and I enjoyed another Parent's Night Out tonight. We went to Falls Terrace Restaurant again; it was a great night to enjoy the scenery.

May 28

Will loves to play outside, but getting wet or dirty are not usually high on his list. Today he really wanted to play with the "fireman hose." I showed him what to do but, at first, he was scared of the noise on some of the settings on the nozzle. "I little bit scared, Mommy. Hold me and do it." We turned on the nozzle again and, eventually, he was brave enough to do it himself. That is, until he realized the ground was wet and his feet were somewhat muddy. Will made me go inside and get wipes so he could clean his feet. Eventually, he got over the dirty feet and DID end up having fun with the hose. He drenched Marc and I both, and even ended up running through the spray himself.

May 27

The wisteria blooming is one of my favorite parts of spring. I love the lacy appearance of the delicate blossoms as they hang from the branches. Best of all, I love that their fragrance drifts across the entire yard as the wind blows.

Another day, another pair of shoes. Tonight Will traded his new kicks for Marc's boots, which have been sitting on our patio for ages. "Bob the Builder" enjoyed *trying* to traipse around, but he only managed a few steps before falling down.

May 25

We got Will a pair of Converse today...not sure if I've ever seen his feet look this cute!

May 24

Today Marc cleaned out the garage - a huge undertaking, since we throw any and everything in there. Marc had everything out in the driveway while he was sorting/organizing and Will had a lot of fun bangin' on Daddy's drums.

May 23

Tonight we had dinner with Aimee and Marna, as well as their respective boys. Will and Ben had so much fun playing together...that's all they did for nearly four hours straight! Ben was awesome about sharing his toys with Will, which made for an easy play date. Poor Xander and Aaron were too little to play with the "big boys" but at least they had each other!

May 21

Sarah and Sophie came over for dinner tonight. Sophie brought a toy to share with Will, which certainly helped him to share his toys. The two kids had fun playing in the backyard, especially swinging together.

May 22

Tonight Marc and I got a babysitter and headed out for a night by ourselves. We had some dinner, did a little shopping and saw Angels and Demons. It was a pretty good movie and we managed to stay out until after 11:30!

May 20

Will has been asking for a baseball glove for the last week. (He's feeling pressure to fit in since Taylor, Connor and Ryan regularly bring their gloves to school.) We finally got around to getting one and the two boys had a great time playing ball in the front yard this evening. We love this picture since it actually looks like Will knows what he's doing!

May 19

Usually Marc bathes while I do dishes, but tonight we traded duties. Will has so much fun splashing, blowing bubbles and "swimming" in the tub. I think we need to try the big pool again sometime.

May 18

Lately, Will has really been enjoying music. He calls mellow music (like David Gray or Eddie Vedder's "Into the Wild") night-night music; he recognizes guitar, drums and piano in songs; and he frequently yells, "I wan Def Cab!" Tonight father and son enjoyed some drum lessons at the dinner table.

May 17

I finally got out and gardened today...I'm pretty sure it was the first time I've done so since last year. Pathetic, I know. Yesterday I got a few plants at the Dirt Works Plant Sale and today I added a few more from good ole Freddies. I hope to get the bed beneath our dining room window looking good this year...it has always been such a hard place for me to plant. We'll see how it turns out!

May 16

This afternoon we went to the Lacey Fun Fair, which turned out to be quite the hit for little Will. In addition to riding the train, Will kept saying that he wanted to ride on the pony. Marc and I figured that, despite his intentions, there was no way Will would go through with it. Our little man surprised us by not only getting on the horse, but absolutely loving it! Maybe he does have some bravery in him, after all. Not only did he surprise us by riding a horse, but he held his own in the bounce house with the other kids. He must be growing up!

May 15

Tonight Sarah and I enjoyed a night out, complete with pedicures. Trina joined us for some much needed dessert.

May 15

Our weather turned from rain to sun as the day ended, an early glimpse of what is in store for us this weekend. Tired of taking photos at home, I made a trip down to Percival Landing after we put Will to bed.

May 13

The latest toy to join Will in the bathtub is Mr. Potatohead. He loves to drink water out of his back, or pretend that his eyes or teeth are fishies swimming in the water.

May 12

Will and I went to Toys R Us after school today. We were on a search for puzzles, a drum, and a baseball mitt. We scored two out of three - no luck on a mitt. I found a great drum/music set on clearance for $7.48. He was excited to play his new drum and "armonica" this evening.

May 11

Will grew this little plant at school and gave it to me at his Mother's Day Tea. We were shocked to see how much it grew when we arrived home yesterday. I think it might be a nasturtium...I guess we'll just have to wait and see!

May 10

We spent time this morning on the beach and it was fantastic! Though it was early, it was pretty warm (well, as warm as it gets at the coast in May) and the best part was that there was no wind. We collected shells, crabs and other goodies from the sand and threw them in the 'puddles' since Will wouldn't get too close to the surf. It was a great Mother's Day!

May 9

Today we headed to Long Beach for a relaxing Mother's Day weekend. We left around noon and headed West. Lucky for us, Will slept for nearly the entire drive. We played in the sand, hung out at the arcade and got treats from the bakery.

May 8

Today I was lucky enough to attend my first Mother's Day Tea. Will woke up right when I got to his class, so he was pretty groggy throughout the festivities. We shared a little snack of juice and muffins and were presented with our gifts. Will colored me a bookmark, and made a flower out of his hand and finger prints. He also grew a small plant in a flowerpot decorated with Thomas stickers. The pot is sitting on the windowsill in our kitchen...it's too cute!

May 7

My fantastic husband bought me a new D90 and an 18-200 lens for Mother's Day, Birthday, Anniversary and Christmas combined. I was able to get out and take a few shots with it tonight and I cant' believe how much better it is than my old one. It sure is a heavy sucker!

May 5

My tulips have seen better days. Will likes to pull the petals off and pretend they are feathers. I can't seem to get him to leave them alone. Today he pulled off a petal of and brought it to me, saying, "Dis is for you, Mommy."

Last week Will and I went to Target for, among other things, some new sippy cups. Once he set his eyes on the Dora cups, there was no turning back. He's quite fond of this pink one - we're pretty sure it's his favorite color.

May 3

Last night the rain poured and the wind blew. Luckily I took pictures of the apple blossoms a few days ago because this morning they were blanketing our yard like snow. I also caught a cute shot of Chewie basking in the morning light.

May 2

We met the Richards half of our family at Las Margaritas for a dinner to celebrate Dad's birthday and Grandpa's final retirement from Boeing. He's going to be 78 this year...it's about time he take it easy! Will had a fun time running around the restaurant and visiting family.

May 1

Tonight Will "helped" Marc install a new cat door. The magnet on our old one broke so we had to tape it down in order for Chewie to get in, which meant that anything that wants to can get in our house. I was coming out of our upstairs bathroom last night and I looked downstairs to see a random cat staring back up at me! Luckily, it won't happen again...at least not until this door breaks!