lessons in shopping

it was nice to get out today but it was a bad shopping day. i decided to go to walmart. i kind of knew it was a mistake going in. i haven't been to the one near us in about a year. it is horrible. it's typically very loud and disorganized. i noticed some of the prices were a little cheaper, but then i'm so overstimulated that i forget to use one of my coupons and then i leave the 3 pears that i buy in the self checkout. so i definitely lost money with that trip. that's not the first time i've left merchandise that i've already paid for at Walmart's self checkout. ugh!
i then decided to check out kohls because i had a $10 gift card mailed to me. that was a mistake because everyone and their grandma was at kohls today. big sale and i'm sure most of them were just like me with their $10 gift card. it was a mistake because there were no stroller carts available. will and i even walked around for awhile - he does not do well with this and doesn't let me stop to look at things. can you believe that? :0) that's why i really needed a stroller. so they didn't get any business from me today. but they probably will later because i can't resist the gift cards. last time i got a carter's fleece sleeper for will for zero dollars and cents.

lessons learned today:

• always have a stroller in the car
• look at all items in cart before purchasing to remember to pull out any coupons or additional coupons needed
• check bagging area before leaving store
• don't go to nearby walmart again

so i wasted a little time and money this morning, but shopping does do something for the soul. even if i don't buy anything it's fun to see what's out there and do a little price comparison. and will was very patient for a 21 month old.

spring in full bloom

these azalea bushes always amaze me and take my breath away!

lee plowed the garden on saturday - he had a hard time moving on sunday.

will likes anything with wheels.

training him young!

plowing

lee begged me to get these pics. the big tractor belongs to lee's dad. the little one was lee's when he was a boy. lee and i had fun with picasa - sepia toned and film grain effects.

this is our garden! or will be. i can't believe how big it is. lee's decision - not mine. i didn't want it to be too big, for fear we would get too overwhelmed by the work. i'm very hopeful for lots of veggies!

will got a tractor ride with papa.

love this pic!

will is 1 and 3/4 years old

i'm sorry if some of you get tired of reading about will, but this is the best and easiest way for me to document milestones. i'm hoping i can print out my blog one day.

so on wednesday will turned 21 months old! he is such a fun little boy. there are still things that make him a baby - like diapers and not saying words clearly and sucking the tags on his blankeys. i'll be happy when the diapers go away, but the other stuff is so cute. oh, and he still has his chubby baby cheeks and legs. :0)

he is talking more and more, but i think only a few people can understand him. here are some new words.

anga - grandma
opa - papa
gog - dog (sometimes he says this word clearly)
hide - outside, slide
bubbers - bubbles

he loves slides, bubbles, running laps in the backyard and on our driveway, running down hills, books, puzzles, kissing stuffed animals, and wrestling on the bed. he loves pretending to give lee and i and also his stuffed animals food and drink from his kitchen. he's very interested in anything i'm doing - washing dishes, ironing, laundry, sweeping, and even vacuuming (he even laughed at the vacuum yesterday.)

sometimes he hears the dogs in our neighborhood and says, "gog" and then kisses the air. he also kisses the air when he sees the baby einstein caterpillar on tv.

he tries to pull the hairs off of lee's arm (lee says it doesn't hurt) as if he is cleaning off lee's arm.

he's been interested in the potty for awhile now. he says oo oo for poo poo and ee ee for pee pee. sorry, tmi! he loves to tear toilet paper off for me and then flush the toilet. he understands not to flush if it's just water, so he will tear off a piece of toilet paper and put it in the toilet just so he can flush.

i want to potty train, but then i don't want to potty train. i think he'll be ready soon. i know that's gonna be a big job on mommy having to ask him about the potty every hour. it's nice to not have to worry about that right now.

he eats just about anything. he's like a little garbage disposal. he encourages us to eat our fruits and veggies. the only thing he doesn't really like is white potatoes - mashed, baked, fried - does not like them.

i love that he is very independent. he plays by himself very well. the only thing i don't like about him being independent is he is a wanderer. he would wander 5 miles away from the house if i let him go. he does hold my hand in parking lots and we go on short walks together, but if he wants to go a certain direction or isn't ready to leave a certain place he lets me know - sometimes this is not pretty.

yesterday, will saw the pollen falling from the trees and got really excited and said, "Bubbers!"

that's will!

Yellow River Game Ranch

i think this was will's favorite part of the game ranch - the playground - with a really fast slide. he couldn't get enough of it.

yes, we had him on a leash some of the time. he's a wanderer - a very independent little booger.

watching the bears. they weren't domesticated unfortunately. :0(

we had so much fun yesterday at the yellow river game ranch in lilburn, ga. the coolest was the domesticated deer. they would come up right to you wanting a snack. you could pet them and everything. of course my favorite part were the lambs - one day i would really like to have 3 or 4 sheep and some lambs. they are so sweet and soft.

here is will feeding some sheep. he also fed a huge pig and a donkey. as you can see, he is eating a snack as well.

Good Friday

the thunder crashes in the heavens, and the earth grows dark in the middle of the afternoon, and a man, beaten to a bloody pulp, cries from a cross between two thieves, "it is finished!" because he did, one day God will wipe away every tear from the eyes of those who trusted him, and there will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things will pass away and all our hardship will be finished.

writing taken from beth moore's, so long, insecurity