BUGS!

Before Will's soccer game today we went to an insect show at the Bryce Jordan Center in State College. 

The hissing cockroaches were Will's favorite.

A HUGE woolly worm!

These were called Bess beetles and they say they make good pets - I don't plan to confirm that!

A praying mantis.

Another cockroach

Cockroach races!  Will chose one named Stinky to race, of course!

The praying mantis again

We learned that worker honey bees live about 5-6 weeks and make only 1/12 of a teaspoon of honey in that time!!

Will pointing out his favorite big bug from the jungles of Indonesia.

He is touching a leaf mimicking bug (a BIG one) on this tree.

He really liked the huge millipede too.

I've seen lots of walking sticks, but never one this big!

Another HUGE leaf mimicking bug.

The little speck is the termite following the ink line on the paper.

A closer view of the hissing cockroach.  (Just in case the other pictures weren't creepy enough!)

Will WISELY refusing to hold the scorpion.

And last but not least - the tarantula!!

Too Cute - Josie

Videos, Part 1

This is the first in a new series of posts!  I realized I hardly ever make any videos of Will.  Mostly because he shies away from the camera making it hard enough to get a snapshot, much less make a whole video.  But I'm going to try because I know I'll appreciate having those recordings one day!  I'm sure they won't be great but I really hope I can capture a little of his great personality to share and enjoy!

Bathtub Snorkeling

Will has been having fun snorkeling in the bathtub this week.  I'm surprised that he's actually able to do it!  Now he says he wants to go diving!  Caribbean here we come!!

I feel horrible now though because yesterday Will started complaining of an earache.  I could see with the otoscope it is red inside the canal but his eardrum looked normal and he isn't running a fever.  Thanks to webmd online I discovered that his has an outer ear infection - i.e. swimmer's ear!  My poor kiddo got too much water in his ear while snorkeling.  : ( 

Children's Advil alternated with Tylenol finally started helping him yesterday evening but we missed his soccer game yesterday and church this morning. 

Soccer

Will is still playing outdoor soccer.  He has fun playing even though he's not the fastest kid on the field.  He did score a goal a couple weeks ago though!  It's amazing to see how much better he understands the game from the time he started indoor soccer last season.

These pictures are courtesy of Lindsay's sister-in-law.

Will is always the one to find alternative entertainment on the soccer field - grasshoppers, the water cooler, shirt games!

Grandad's Surgery

Grandad had surgery to remove an abnormal section of his large intestine a few weeks ago.  Will and I went to Roanoke to be with him in the hospital and bring him back home when he was released.  His surgery went really well and he is recovering quickly.     : )

Will entertained Grandad with a game of Eye Spy.

We had dinner at a park in Salem to burn off some energy after visiting with Grandad in the hospital.

 

We took the long way home on Route 220 and saw this "hay bale sheep."

Magic

I realized it's been a long time since I've updated my blog!  We went to DelGrosso's last weekend to let Will ride a few rides.  While we were there a guy stopped us and asked if Will wanted to see a magic trick.  It was great because Will is at the perfect age to enjoy magic - he understands the physics of what is possible but doesn't yet doubt what he sees.  Among other tricks, the guy pulled a ball from behind Will's ear and poked his finger through a non-existent hole in his shirt.  As we walked away Will repeatedly checked his shirt for holes and checked behind his ears for balls!  It was priceless!! 

Two by Two Preschool

After much debating with myself I finally decided to enroll Will in Two by Two preschool two days a week and continue one day a week at Jack and Jill.  I was really torn about what would be best for him because he has always complained (or threw tantrums, depending on his mood) about going to preschool.  His main complaint was that it was "boring", though he always looked engaged and entertained while he was there.

Two by Two is more structured with less free-play time and more of an emphasis on education (writing, worksheets, etc.) so I thought he might enjoy the change.  We called it "big school" and he got really excited about it.

He's been going for several weeks now and is enjoying it.  The funny part is he's not complaining about his one day at Jack and Jill either.  I don't know what has caused the change in attitude but I'm just thankful for it!

I did have to laugh at him the other day though.  We were having dinner and Jerry asked how school was that day.  Will said it was good but "that woman talked a lot."  We asked who "that woman" was a found out he was referring to his teacher.  He proceeded to say "she just kept talking and talking and then was talking louder and louder so I just started ignoring her."  I asked what she was talking about but he said he didn't know (dumb question on my part - of course he didn't know - he was ignoring her!).  I didn't want to reinforce ignoring the teacher but it sure was hard not to laugh!! 

"In-Between 4 1/2 and 5 Year" Pictures

I'm great at getting lots of shapshots of Will but I've never been good at getting photographs near his actual birthday.  It should be easy since his birthday is right after Christmas but I never manage it!  So here are some pictures at 4 years, 8 months!

This was how he really felt about having these pictures taken!

Grace's Birthday at Chuck E. Cheese

Will's friend Grace had her 5th birthday party at Chuck E. Cheese today. Will had a fun time!

Our Breakfast Visitor

I saw this little guy in the tree outside our kitchen window while I was cooking breakfast this morning.

A Better Soccer Game

Will's soccer game was a 4 p.m. this time so he got a nap and had much more energy, even though it was much hotter today.

This little guy on the other team was fast and scored quite a few goals but Will
was diligent at trying to stop him and blocking the goal!

He always looks forward to snack!

The water cooler was fun too!

A battle scar!

Good game!