37

Yep...37...that's the number for today.  But what I discovered when pondering if and when I could reuse the candles, I realized WY's next birthday marks the big 3, and T will be turning 7!  Now that makes 37 one special number.  And of course, on this day, I'm reminded I'm one blessed wife, mom, daughter, sister and friend.

Flip-flops

William has taken to wearing flip-flops this week, and has done surprisingly well. (I don't think T started until he was 4.) As you can see, he's wearing Big Brother's and wants them on his feet at all times. We have to remind him to let them "rest" when he takes his nap and goes to bed. And watching him run in them is a sight! (kinda reminds me of an elderly Chinaman shuffling along) Now to get him a pair that fits...I think he's proven he can make 'em work.

William being...William

post-brownie picture

Go Dingos!

T's U6 soccer team with Coach P

Happy Birthday "Da"

No doubt, Bobby's 37th birthday was a memorable one as we celebrated it last night.  This was the first year Thompson was pumped about his dad's birthday...so much so, that he's been talking about it for the past week!  He even created an in-house card and gift scavenger hunt for Bobby to start the celebration.  (He'd been hiding cards and gifts all week.)  Not surprisingly, the highlight of the evening was Thompson's gift to his dad.  A week ago when I asked Thompson to begin thinking about what we might do and/or get Bobby for his birthday, Thompson knew exactly what to get him.  He went home and while Bobby was in SC at a Gamecocks baseball game, he created Dad's Birthday Surprise and Coupon Book...complete with a week's worth of coupons for Bobby to redeem with Thompson: Rita's Ice on a Monday, lunch with Thompson at Avery's Creek {his school} on a Tuesday, dinner at church on a Wednesday, Moe's on a Thursday, Ya Ya's ice cream on a Friday, Dunkin Donuts and movie night on a Saturday, and a bike ride with T on a Sunday.  As I told Bobby, it was all T's idea, I merely suggested he compile his coupons (that were originally on tiny sheets of paper) into a book and provided minimal guidance as to which day of the week might be better for certain coupons.  The birthday gift that keeps on giving!

Eggs-citing Easter

We spent the Easter weekend in Cashiers with Annie, Poppy and Allison. This was the first Easter in a long time (at least since Thompson's birth) that Aunt Ally was able to join us for Easter. We had a great time together and couldn't have asked for better weather!  Annie set up a small egg hunt on the patio Saturday afternoon.

The boys had a great time and used it as preparation for their "official" Easter Egg Hunt Sunday at the Chattooga Club.

Thompson talked all weekend about wanting to find the golden egg (even drawing a picture of it in the church bulletin)...and sure enough, he did! We can't begin to describe how ecstatic he was.  The smiles in the pictures below are authentic!  As the golden egg recipient, he is now the proud owner of a huge stuffed rabbit he's named "Carrot".

Among the many memorable moments William provided, the one that "took the cake" was his comment after opening an egg the Easter bunny brought to reveal a dollar bill. William says "Here Momma. Paper for you." and proceeded to toss it across the table.  Needless to say, we were in stitches!

WY at 2 years 4 months

Without looking back at previous posts, I can't recall when I last shared a "progress report" for the boys, especially William. To highlight...
• he can imagine a stick to be anything! One minute it's a weedeater, the next minute a microphone, the next a guitar (and the list goes on...)
• likewise, when the dry erase marker in the car isn't being used to draw/color, he's strumming it like a guitar or using two as drum sticks to sing along and accompany the music playing
• he is potty-trained!!! Yippee!!! (only in diapers/pull-ups for naps and bedtime)
• he remains very much a home-body
• has "his" chair (the brown leather chair)
• his favorite TV shows are Team Umizoomi and Word World
• he's pushing the envelope and testing his limits (typical two-year old)
• he enjoys kicking the soccer ball, swinging a golf club and hitting balls with a tennis racket (he's a natural!)
• he's mastered the scooter and is working on the strider bike now
• plays quite well with Thompson (95% of the time!)
• enjoys digging in the dirt, helping in the garden, looking for earthworms
• remains a creature of habit when it comes to bedtime and when saying good-bye... hug-kiss-nose kiss
• loves giving friendly waves to others
• wants to do things "by myself" and makes sure you know "no touch that's mine"
• he's still in his crib (and we're keeping it that way...at least for now)
• lastly, I think one if the most fascinating things we've observed is how he processes moms, dads, and babies...clearly, family is important; an image of a singular large animal or boy is always a daddy and he'll ask where the mommy is while a pair of animals or a picture if a boy and girl are always referred to as mommy and daddy and a small image is a baby

External Idiopathic Resorption - Phase II

As you may recall from an August 2011 entry, I was diagnosed with external idiopathic resorption on my two lower teeth last spring. After much discussion, the best solution determined was to set a course with the end result being implants. I had my two teeth extracted, the roots removed and then bonded between the other teeth for the past eight months. During this time, I discovered the initial bone grafting didn't take as well as we had hoped and I was scheduled for a second bone grafting procedure in January. Simultaneously, I noticed one of my upper teeth had shifted (because the lower teeth weren't there to keep them in place as they has done the previous 20 years) so I went to an orthodontist to get a retainer made. This visit and consultation revealed there was not enough space between my teeth for two implants. The result...a change of course...postponing of the second bone grafting until we get the spacing correct. So, this past week marked the start of phase two: braces. I'm using Invisalign with the projected time period being one year. After braces, I will more than likely still have the second bone graft followed shortly thereafter by the implant. Looks like this process is going to span about three years. Stay tuned!

"I missed you too."

Not to leave William out...he stayed back with Anna. Unfortunately, had a rough afternoon missing us (mom especially). Poor guy! Many kudos to Anna for hanging in there with the little man. Upon our return, he didn't want to leave mom's side and didn't care I was filthy...he still wanted to be picked up and cuddled. And as a bonus, he kept repeating "I missed you too.". Talk about making your heart melt!

Thompson Tackles Tsali

We are just home from an afternoon mountain biking excursion at Tsali. We arrived to find the SERC Race #2 wrapping up, so we biked the Thompson Loop (yes, that's the real name) while the racers finished up. T did an awesome job biking the 8 miles, and a huge shout-out to Wes for coaching him along! Afterwards, T hung around the parking lot and campgrounds with Nay-Nay to bike a bit more while Bobby, Herb, Wes and I biked the right loop. What a day!