Will’s attempting Monet:

Walker, deep in concentration:

Nothing stops the force of the painters:

The finished products:

It has also meant that I’ve been able to do a few posts – though not all of the ones I want/need to do! Still, some is better than none

Eric is having a great time in Canada! Many of you have asked how he job is going and why the heck is he in Canada?

Well, as you all know we took the job down here in CA at Wilden both because Eric felt a good connection with the company and because we hoped it would take us international (specifically to Asia!). Eric has done incredibly well in the short year he has been there including a grade-level promotion, a raise, and a sweet bonus. Over the past year Wilden has acquired several other companies and is now in the midst of creating a new parent company (Pump Solutions Group). This new company, PSG, is merging all of the employees from the several companies, including Wilden. With this change Eric was given the opportunity to become the District Manager for Western Canada!

At this time we are not sure if a move to Canada will happen, or when it will, but it seems likely that if it does it will be within the next six months to a year. For the time being he’ll work out of the corporate office like he does now. So Eric is up in Canada making friends with all the new people he will be working with. He seems to be loving it although they are putting in long days and he misses his family (and we miss him!).

It’s all pretty exciting stuff…well, except for the colds. Speaking of which. I’d better get some stuff done around the house including getting out of my jammies! I can only do that for so long…

Of course I was emotional about it – though I couldn’t decide if I was sad (a) because it was over and it’s such a wonderful thing for him or (b) because it’s over for me and it’s been a good thing for me Will was actually apathetic about the whole thing – when I asked him if he was going to miss it he remarked simply “No.”. Well ok.

He made some cute things over the course of his preschool. I think I’m going to save a couple of them and then scan the rest. With the digital age there is just no need to store everything on hand. So having a couple of digital copies of his crafts will be good enough for us.

One of the things he made over the last few months that we (parents) got on the last day was a book set to the story of Down on Grandpa’s Farm. He had cut out shapes to make a scarecrow, barns, and different animals. It is more than adorable. The best part is the “about the illustrator” page. The teachers asked each kid to tell about themselves and the teachers wrote it down. Here is Will’s:

“Will is four. He lives in California with Papa, KK, and Mommy and Daddy. They have a black and white dog. Will likes the color white. His favorite food is crispy white cheese. He likes to play with propellers. He loves to visit the Jelly Belly Factory. When Will grows up he would like to be a builder.”

Don’t ask me what crispy white cheese is – I’m still trying to figure it out! It’s the cutest thing and fortunately Walker doesn’t realize he got kicked out of the house.

When I finally did get him to tell me what he’d miss about preschool, his answer was ‘Ryan, the helper’. He really bonded with Ryan especially because in the Fall, while we were traveling back and forth to see Grandpa Bob, Will wasn’t comfortable with being in class and sat with Ryan.

All of his teachers were fantastic and we appreciate the nine months of learning they’ve helped to give Will.

Mrs. Jackson

Mrs. Weidman

Ryan

With Walker this has been a really trying process for me. Will was a little bit older and a little bit more verbal than Walker so, while it was expensive, it was quicker and easier. Walker is the kind of child who reacts so much to my energy and my moods that if I am the least bit rushed, he’ll slow right on down.

So the last few weeks have been filled with highs and lows. I really thought we got the hang of it last Wednesday when Walker came running down the hall to tell me he needed to go ‘poo-poo’. When we rushed into the bathroom I realized that he had already gone potty in his pants. I had to remind myself that he at least told me and that was a step…but my patience wasn’t all that thrilled.

What I realized the other day made me remember that in the moment of frustration with our kids we often miss the magic. For example, as I sit 15 – 20 minutes in the bathroom waiting for Walker to do his stuff I often read him stories, ask him about his life, and have great conversations! Given his busy nature these moments do not happen a lot in other circumstances.

I took full advantage of this time on Monday. We talked and talked. In fact he did not want to get off of the potty – I think he too realized the importance of the time with just Mom. 1/2 way through the ‘event’ I got the camera. I had been asking him about colors that he likes and it was too priceless.

Yes this is a video of my kid on the potty. Yes he does have a sucker (it was a last ditch attempt to get him to STAY on the potty). Enjoy:

* Walker is off the binky! My Dad started in on Friday when he just put him to bed without it – and succeeded! When he asks for it, which is relatively rare, I tell him that his binkies have moved on to a new baby who needs them. That usually works though one time Walker retorted with ‘Mom. I need to lay in my crib. I’m a baby.’ Yeah, he’s smarter than me already.

* According to my iPod** the most frequently played song is (drum roll please): ‘Eric Singing the Lullabies’. It has been played an amazing 5, 895 times. No I’m not grooving to the sounds of Eric singing Once There Was a Snowman – we play it when the boys go to bed sometimes. 5,895 times evidently. The closest ones to that are ‘Grace Kelly’ – Mika (34 plays), ‘Sin Sin Sin’ – Robbie Williams (32 plays), and ‘Credits’ – Dario Marianelli/Pride & prejudice Soundtrack (30 plays).

* We are potty training Walker right now and have managed (cross your fingers) NOT to flush any underbunders down the toilet.

* Two favorite words in our house right now are Will’s ‘eitherwise’ and Walker’s ‘Timpanogos’.

* We decided to hold our annual Chinese New Year party again this year! If you are in the same general area that we are and would like to come – we’d love it. Just let me know. (February 16th @ 5:30pm)

* Will likes to furrow his brow and pretend to be mad. He’s often asking ‘Do you understand what I am saying Mom/Dad?’

* Walker is already a teenager. He blatantly refuses to do things, gives you an evil eye, and is often running into runs and slamming doors. Hum…

Speaking of potty training my sister-in-law Ali sent us this video link. It is hilarious! I’ve also included the second one where they discuss

Japanese Potty Training Video: At Home
(use of a minor swear word in the subtitles – probably not for readers!!)

Japanese Potty Training Video: In Public
(use of ‘s’ swear word in the subtitles – for adult laughter purposes only!! Plus the squatty-potty would only confuse kids.)

**Happy thoughts and well-wishes are needed for my iPod which is a 1st generation that Eric got while working for Apple. It is slowly ending it’s run. I need it last a few more months.**

As most of you know this gluten-free (GF) journey has been a strenuous one for us. So when we discover a new product or a new food item that will make our life more flavorful it is magical. This week we had a moment like that when Eric and I were on a date on Friday.

We went to the Old Spaghetti Factory – a place that usually repels Celiacs like garlic to the vampires. So it shouldn’t be a surprise (especially to those of you who have spent more than ten minutes with me) that I cried when I discovered in the upper-left corner a note saying that at the restaurant offers many ‘Pastabilities’ such as (are you ready) GLUTEN-FREE noodles for most of their entrees! Yep, I teared up. Right there at the table.

Yet as wonderful as that moment was it was nothing like the following.

Two weeks ago, exactly, Eric decided to make dinner with the boys. I had bought some GF pizza crust mix (Arrowhead Mills) several months ago but we haven’t dared to make it. Partially because it takes a lot of time and partially because pizza is a sacred meal for Eric. He worked in a pizza joint for a while and ranks pizza as a top five food. There was a lot resting on this. Plus having a bad GF experience can be disheartening.

With that in mind Eric and super-helper Will set out to make a great GF pizza. And they more than succeeded. While the food was good, watching Will scarf down his pizza was almost more than Eric could handle. And watching Eric beam at having a new tradition with his boys was almost more than I could handle.

However – tonight is one of those kick-back nights where I find myself trying to find something to do. Oh sure I’m doing the laundry, just cleaned out the fridge, and got the boys to bed…but still, I’m a tad bored. Maybe it’s because Eric is working late and we usually do crosswords, watch a movie, or yap our ears off.

So here we go – now you all get treated to this magical video! Both Will and Walker are at phases in their life where their imaginations are wild with activity and their learning ability is ripe. I LOVE it. This is the best time to be a parent – and an observer.

In August Eric and I put the boys down for a nap – and decided to do our favorite activity…OH GET YOUR HEADS OUT OF THE GUTTER! We played Trivial Pursuit. It is by far one of my favorite games…even though Eric kicks the patootie out of me every time.

During the game Will woke up from his nap – came out and joined us. Within a few minutes of watching he was ready to take over. And here is what happened (watch round 2 if you are short on time):

Round 1: Warming Up

Round 2: The Challenge Begins

I am SO glad that Eric finally lost!

Eric and I struggled with choosing costumes for the boys – and they themselves were no help! We went to the stores, trying to find the right ones, only to have the boys fall in love with one, then see another and run to it!

So, even though it has been a long week, Eric and I decided to MAKE the costumes. This led us to multiple late nights, including one with only three hours of sleep!

It was SO worth it.

Walker was a train – the Walker Express!
(He later informed us that his train was sad! We didn’t even notice until he pointed it out!)

Will was a plane – the Wee Willy II!
(The Wee Willy II is based off a real plane with the same name that he loves at the Chino Air Museum)

We got to pay a visit to Grandma KK’s school where they kids were doing their Halloween parade and party.

Grandma KK and Papa took the boys Trick-or-Treating to the neighbors. We then spent the evening at the Halloween Festival in downtown. We were a little late, but it was still lots of fun. Walker spent most of the time freaked out by everyone -even the giant blow up toys!

It’s not a pumpkin, it’s a Jack-o-Lantern!

The best part of the day was watching the boys play and play in their costumes. I’m so proud of Eric and I for doing this together! What a memory!