Zing, Zang, Zoom

That would be the name of the Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey Circus that is in town. We took Wyatt on Thursday night and my honest assessment is: not so much, at least not for a 3 year old.

The majority of the show was acrobatics and aerial stunts which I like but does not keep a 3 year old's attention for long. It was much more Cirque de Soleil complete with people swinging from scarves by their teeth. It just really isn't designed for little ones.

And what happened to the animals in the circus? The tigers didn't make their appearance until after intermission and then it was short lived. They did parade the elephants out right away but all I could think about was Mrs. Jumbo and Dumbo. I am no PETA supporter by any means, but I had to wonder how the elephants were enjoying their life in captivity.

Here are my boys waiting for the show to begin...




Wyatt was zoned in on the action in the beginning with his little eyes glazed over from all the excitement...






I found myself losing interest after the 5th acrobatic group appeared so I wasn't surprised when Wyatt started getting antsy. He perked back up a bit during the tiger show and I found myself wishing for some "When Animals Go Wild" footage to spice it up a bit. Nothing fatal of course but a nice attack complete with handlers rushing the cage would have added points in my book.

I guess Wyatt's favorite part was the tigers...oh, and also this lovely $20 hard plastic sword that lights up. I should have waited to get it until after the show as Wyatt knocked the lady sitting in front of us in the back of the head at least 3 times.




By the end of it (yes, we stayed for the whole thing for fear that we would miss an animal sighting) Wyatt was wiped out.




I think we will wait a few years before trying the circus again. I would like to try the TN Aquarium...has anyone visited that? What did you think about it? I would love suggestions on fun places that are age appropriate to take Wyatt that are near by. Thanks!

Praying for You You

My faithful readers and friends know that my brother Aaron and his wife Erica recently adopted an adorable little doll baby from China. Her name is Clara YouMei and her nickname is You You (pronounce like the toy - yo yo). They were aware that she had a heart condition but, upon further examinations performed by pediatric cardiologists at Children's Hospital in Birmingham, they have learned that her heart condition is much more serious than they thought.

Erica has created a new blog to keep everyone up to date on You You's heart appointments, procedures, and surgeries. Just click on the cute pink button located in the right hand column to access this site. I want to say a big THANK YOU to my friend Leslie for designing the button for us.

You You's first procedure is scheduled for tomorrow morning, February 25th. She is having a heart cath to see if her heart/body can handle open heart surgery to correct one of the problems with her heart. If all looks good tomorrow, she will be having OPEN HEART SURGERY the following Wednesday, March 4th.

Please take a moment to pray for You You, my brother and sister-in-law, and the doctors who will be performing the heart cath on Wednesday. And please pass on You You's website to others so we can increase the numbers praying for this sweet little child.

Be strong and of good courage ... fear not, nor be dismayed; for the Lord God, even my God, will be with thee; He will not fail thee, nor forsake thee. 1 CHRONICLES 28:20

Paging Dr. Donaldson

Wyatt's first dentist appointment is in a few weeks. In an attempt to prepare him for his appointment, I showed Wy how they were going to look in his mouth to "count his teeth." This has progressed to us playing dentist where Wy is "Dr. Donaldnun" and I am supposed to "have a problem." I have to knock on the door and say "Dr. Donaldson, it's _____ (insert name of whatever make-believe character he has assigned to me that day) and I have a problem." He then proceeds to shine the flashlight in my mouth, uses the Q-tip to count my teeth, brushes them, and then I either get medicine or a shot to fix my problem.

Then he will say: "OK, you be Dr. Donaldnun and I go have a problem."

This little scenario will go on for as long as I let it. We have even fixed problems on all of his stuffed animals and they don't even have mouths. And each one has to have a different problem. He will straight call me out if I try to sneak in a repeat problem. The boy loves to play dentist.

So when I heard that his class was going on a field trip to a dentist's office, I volunteered to go and help out which really just meant I helped zip up a few coats and took pictures. When we first got there, the boys were more interested in the bus parked outside than anything else.




Then Dr. McAdams came out with a "bid ole fat toothbrush" - no, thankfully, he did not call it but I know he thought it - and that got his attention.




Then they got to go back and try out the patient chair...




And I found out that apparently, if you are a dentist, then you rank high in Wyatt's little world. This is a boy that will cover his eyes if a stranger tries to talk to him while we are out running errands. OK, now check out this group picture from his field trip. You may have to click on it to get a good look at the children.



Did you see him? Yes, that was him SITTING ON THE DENTIST'S LAP! He thought Dr. McAdams was all that and a bag of chips. I think I better start saving now to pay for dental school!

Wonder Who He Gets This From?

My sweet husband went to the grocery store for me today. He even cleaned out the refrigerator and cabinets when he put said groceries away! Yeah, he knows it is Valentine's Day. Anyway, we always put Wy's juice boxes in the bottom right drawer so he can get one out when he asks. J got several kinds and dumped each carton of drinks in the drawer on top of each other.


When Wy got up from his nap, he asked if he could have a juice box and was told yes. (Due to the egg incident, he is always supposed to ask permission before getting in the refrigerator.) Anyway, when he opened the drawer, his inner OCD kicked in and here is the result...







Other random stories from this week:

Yesterday, I took Wy outside to play. I thought it was chilly and had on a coat.

Me: Wy, do you want a jacket? It is kinda chilly out here.

Wy: No thanks, I have fur to keep me warm.

Me: Rrright... silly me, you have fur.

Wy: Uh huh, like a Tapir.

For those of you who do not watch Diego, a Tapir is large. pig shaped mammal that lives in South America and Southeast Asia. And they say don't let your children watch TV.



OK, I debated on sharing this one but my mom will appreciate this as I did something similar to her when I was 4.

Today I was getting dressed and Wy was nearby as always.

Wy: Tee hee hee hee. Mama, I see your bid ole FAT BUTT!!! Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha (picture J's laugh)

Me: WY!!! Say BOTTOM not BUTT! And, while you are at it, say LITTLE TINY BOTTOM too!

(And that is not a misprint. He says 'bid' for the word 'big'.)


And the last "I'm so glad my child doesn't act like that" story:

You would think I would have learned not to ask questions that I already know the answer to. I walked into the living room and found a puzzle box torn into two pieces. Now I know that I didn't do it and neither did J. AND, it really irritated me that the box was torn. So, in a stern and unhappy Mama voice, I say "WYATT! Did you tear up your puzzle box?"

He looks me directly in my eyes and says "No."

Me: Taken slightly aback because he usually fesses up. "Oh really...well then who tore it up?" Ha - I got him now.

Wy: (thinks for a moment) Looks me directly in the eyes again and calmly says "The skunk" and proceeds to stick his little booty out and says "sssssssss" like a skunk is spraying.

I look at J for help and he has turned his head b/c the parenting books say it isn't good for your child to see that you are amused when you are trying to discipline them.

It's official - he's not a baby anymore!

Wyatt Reed Donaldson
Born February 10, 2006
8 pounds, 1 ounce and 19 1/2 inches in length




One year old!




Two years old!




Three years old!



He loves his Mama and Dada!

Any Given Sunday...

...you can usually find me following a certain routine: church, lunch at my parents' house, and then home.

But this Sunday was better because the weather was PERFECT...and I had my camera with me. So the children played outside, we all went for a walk in the woods, and the day ended with an excursion up to our land. Here are some highlights from our day.


Since Wy turns 3 on Tuesday, he went to Children's Church. I can't believe my baby is too big for nursery!



After lunch at my parents, we all went for a walk in the woods behind their house.




Chloe didn't let a little thing like a dress and stockings get in her way of exploring.




I was able to get a few of Clara (You You) and Chloe who are just a few months apart. They are just precious little girls with such unique little personalities. Clara has been a perfect fit for our family already.







It didn't take Clara long to realize that if she would sit and smile for me, that she would then get to look at a picture of herself on the back of my camera.





It was such a nice day, we all decided to head up to our land to see our building project.

You know what children do when they see a HUGE pile of red clay dirt?

This is Emma, Jack, and Morgan. Jack was halfway up the hill before I was even out of our car.



Of course Wy scrambled up after them and they all slid down on their "bommins."



Pretty much all the children were covered from head to toe in red dirt...but you know what? They had a blast.



I love this picture of David Aaron and Wy.
DA: You wanna try to touch the moon? I think we can reach it if we take a huge leap off this dirt pile and use our special powers.
Wy: OK, you be Spiderman and I be Batman.

China Dolls

My mom bought matching dresses for all the girl cousins while she was in China. Aren't they beautiful girls?



Morgan is 9, Chloe is 2, and Emma is 6 AND A HALF (remember how important those halves were at that age?)