aargh & Fun with Daddy

Look who I caught enjoying a morning nap together!

Daddy's girl already :)

On Saturday, we attended Pirate Days just north of us.  It was quite an adventure, matey!

I had no idea there was such a... "community" of adult pirates.  R & I were often speechless (which is saying a lot.  Well, actually, it's saying nothing but you get my point.) at the adults in full blown costume.  I think we may have been in the minority to have not been dressed up!

There were bands...

dressed up as pirates & singing pirate tunes, of course

and pony rides

and jump houses...

Will has always struggled in these.  If he is wearing prosthetics, then he is trying to jump on a soft surface, usually with other children throwing him off balance, with weights on his legs!  We took them off this time & for the first time ever, he climbed all by himself to the top!!!

We are so proud of our boy!!!

While he was climbing, a little girl came out of the thing to tell me he had "funny feet."  Of course, I corrected her that they aren't funny or weird - just different.

When he got to the top, he got trapped in the corner by her & a bigger boy.  They started grabbing his feet and hands to examine them.  I couldn't hear their words.  I didn't need to.  We don't allow grabbing Will - we ask that kids ask permission before touching him just as he should ask permission before grabbing them.  (This doesn't apply, of course, when he is just playing games like Ring Around the Rosie or something with friends.  I am referring to situations with strangers.)

The lion that lives in me began to roar loudly so I stepped up & yelled at those big kids to leave him alone & let him through to the slide.  They looked at me startled.  I almost jumped in the thing to climb up & intervene but thankfully was spared the humiliation of trying to climb while wearing a baby in my front pack and in a skirt... and then falling down due to a lack of arm strength.

Mommy Lion calmed down once her baby was on the slide... and then showered him with praise for climbing all by himself!

Ellie also dressed as a pirate for her big brother, Captain Will.

She was first mate.

Unfortunately, our pirate day was cut short by an accident with the port a potty.  R took Will inside to use the restroom and skinny thing that Will is, as he was being held over the potty, his shorts slipped right off of his legs... and into the nasty port a potty hole.
R came out with a grimace on his face to tell me we "have a big problem."  Will came out in his cute shark underwear (what can I say, I like a theme and the pirate undies were dirty - sharks was a close second!)  and said, "Mommy, we have a big problem."
And then, my hero, R went back in to save the day & rescue the shorts.  Which he put into a plastic bag and promptly scrubbed.  When we got home, we washed them.  Now, we're thinking we should perhaps toss them.  R said we crossed the line from being frugal to being cheap.
Needless to say, the day was cut "short"  (hardee har har) and we took shark undies boy home.

On Sunday, we headed to one of our neighborhood parks for a family picnic.  

It's such a pretty park with ducks, fountains, bridges, soccer goals, tennis courts, and playgrounds.  It was a perfect day for a family picnic with my favorite people in the whole wide world.

Will loves flying down the slide

Ellie relaxed on a blanket under the shade of a tree

My boys 

Feeding ducks

(Will is wearing his fishing vest.)

After a while, Will decided he would prefer to hang out in the shade with us girls and eat the duck bread.

I loved that R kept feeding ducks - I think the little boy that lives inside him just couldn't stop as long as he had bread.  

Playing with his "pretend friends"

Will has made some real friends while we have been living in Dallas.  Besides his bff Caroline, he made friends in soccer that we have had playdates with too.  It's nice to have little friends for him to play with!

We love our weekends with Daddy!