Monday, October 24, 2011
William "Wiley" James, the Birthday Boy
On October 9, Wiley James turned four years old. Despite all of Daddy's pleas with him to stop getting older, he went through with it anyway. Was it the cake and ice cream that he couldn't resist, or was it the thought of being one year (number) closer in age to his older brother and one more ahead of his younger? Probably all of the above.
Since the Kruger trip was part of his birthday wish, that may have been the highlight, especially since it has already warranted its own blog post. The actual day of his birthday was the day after that trip and was on Sunday. It was probably a little more low-key and anti-climactic because of that, or because Mommy and Daddy were still exhausted from all of the driving to, through, and from Kruger that finally ended when we got back home just before midnight the night before. It was still a good day for everyone though, and especially for Wiley which was all that mattered.
The day started with the boys waking up at the crack of dawn. Mommy had already decorated the kitchen table with balloons, banners and the special birthday chair before working on the Birthday Boy's breakfast of choice - - chocolate chip pancakes. The best part of this tradition is that we all benefit. He opened a gift, which was a new Bible with a safari/adventure theme. Perfect for where we were going next. After church, we came home for the birthday boy's special lunch request. Mommy was thankful because it was an easy one. In fact, it is what he wants for lunch practically everyday - - jelly sandwiches. Now what was I just saying about benefiting from these traditions? He loved it. Daddy was asking for at least some peanut butter on his for some protein. The afternoon was spent playing soccer with friends, playing with new toys, reading new books and of course wearing the "Birthday Boy" t-shirt around so that everyone knows whose day it is. We worked up some big appetites for the Birthday Boy's final meal of choice for the day. If you know Wiley, or any of our boys for that matter, you know it had to be Tortillas with all of the fixins. It was a feast, especially for those who didn't get filled up enough on the jelly sandwiches. More gifts after dinner brought a soccer ball, books, clothes, binoculars, and a stuffed animal cheetah (perhaps Wiley's favorite animal, narrowly beating out the black-backed jackal).
We ended the day with some cake and ice cream, which Wiley also special ordered through Mommy. He wanted a green and brown cake that had animals on it, a road, and the number four. As we ate, we told stories of his birth and baby days while reading some from the original blog - The Adventures of Aden and Wiley. He liked hearing about how he decided to be born in the night and woke Mommy up, who in turn woke Daddy up, who in turn woke Uncle Bill (and Aunt Marsha) up and Bubu Jim (and Aunt Kathy) up and Aunt Gail (and Uncle Scott) up. . . and about where he got his special names, and the funny things Aden did with him and to him. It was a fun-filled day and weekend that ended with a four year old who can't wait to be five.
Here are some favorite quotes from Wiley over the last year:
One weekend when we were living in North Carolina, we took a trip to Boone, on the other side of the state. As we approached Boone the excitement grew. There were so many new sights to see - patches of snow, mountains, icicles, and Christmas tree farms. Finally Wiley proclaimed, "Mommy, this must be a Charlie Brown video!" Aden was full of ideas for what we would do if we were in Boone at Christmas time, and when and how to pick out a Christmas tree; Wiley stayed with his theme: "But some people will have a scraggly little tree."
When looking for a particular stuffed animal, which seemed to have wandered away, since it was not where he remembered leaving it, "I guess Squirrel just took his first steps. He's standing up somewhere taking his first steps."
With a tummy ache: "My tummy will get better when we are at Kruger."
One day Wiley put both his and Noah's cups in the fridge, to save their milk for later. They were identical and I wanted to make sure I knew whose was whose. "Wiley, do you know whose cup is whose?" "Yes." "Do you know whose cup has more in it?" I thought I knew, but wanted to make sure before Wiley forgot. "Um, mine does and Noah's does." And I knew I was right - Noah's had more. But Wiley is so competitive, he couldn't stand "losing" to Noah in the amount of milk in his cup, so declared it a tie.
Dr. Wiley to Mommy, the patient:
I am going to listen for bumps and Jesus in your heart.
Since the Kruger trip was part of his birthday wish, that may have been the highlight, especially since it has already warranted its own blog post. The actual day of his birthday was the day after that trip and was on Sunday. It was probably a little more low-key and anti-climactic because of that, or because Mommy and Daddy were still exhausted from all of the driving to, through, and from Kruger that finally ended when we got back home just before midnight the night before. It was still a good day for everyone though, and especially for Wiley which was all that mattered.
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| Birthday Boy with his Birthday Lunch |
The day started with the boys waking up at the crack of dawn. Mommy had already decorated the kitchen table with balloons, banners and the special birthday chair before working on the Birthday Boy's breakfast of choice - - chocolate chip pancakes. The best part of this tradition is that we all benefit. He opened a gift, which was a new Bible with a safari/adventure theme. Perfect for where we were going next. After church, we came home for the birthday boy's special lunch request. Mommy was thankful because it was an easy one. In fact, it is what he wants for lunch practically everyday - - jelly sandwiches. Now what was I just saying about benefiting from these traditions? He loved it. Daddy was asking for at least some peanut butter on his for some protein. The afternoon was spent playing soccer with friends, playing with new toys, reading new books and of course wearing the "Birthday Boy" t-shirt around so that everyone knows whose day it is. We worked up some big appetites for the Birthday Boy's final meal of choice for the day. If you know Wiley, or any of our boys for that matter, you know it had to be Tortillas with all of the fixins. It was a feast, especially for those who didn't get filled up enough on the jelly sandwiches. More gifts after dinner brought a soccer ball, books, clothes, binoculars, and a stuffed animal cheetah (perhaps Wiley's favorite animal, narrowly beating out the black-backed jackal). 
We ended the day with some cake and ice cream, which Wiley also special ordered through Mommy. He wanted a green and brown cake that had animals on it, a road, and the number four. As we ate, we told stories of his birth and baby days while reading some from the original blog - The Adventures of Aden and Wiley. He liked hearing about how he decided to be born in the night and woke Mommy up, who in turn woke Daddy up, who in turn woke Uncle Bill (and Aunt Marsha) up and Bubu Jim (and Aunt Kathy) up and Aunt Gail (and Uncle Scott) up. . . and about where he got his special names, and the funny things Aden did with him and to him. It was a fun-filled day and weekend that ended with a four year old who can't wait to be five.  | |
| With namesake, Uncle Bill |
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| With namesake, Bubu Jim |
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| Wiley's weigh-in on his "birth" day |
Here are some favorite quotes from Wiley over the last year:
One weekend when we were living in North Carolina, we took a trip to Boone, on the other side of the state. As we approached Boone the excitement grew. There were so many new sights to see - patches of snow, mountains, icicles, and Christmas tree farms. Finally Wiley proclaimed, "Mommy, this must be a Charlie Brown video!" Aden was full of ideas for what we would do if we were in Boone at Christmas time, and when and how to pick out a Christmas tree; Wiley stayed with his theme: "But some people will have a scraggly little tree."
When looking for a particular stuffed animal, which seemed to have wandered away, since it was not where he remembered leaving it, "I guess Squirrel just took his first steps. He's standing up somewhere taking his first steps."
With a tummy ache: "My tummy will get better when we are at Kruger."
One day Wiley put both his and Noah's cups in the fridge, to save their milk for later. They were identical and I wanted to make sure I knew whose was whose. "Wiley, do you know whose cup is whose?" "Yes." "Do you know whose cup has more in it?" I thought I knew, but wanted to make sure before Wiley forgot. "Um, mine does and Noah's does." And I knew I was right - Noah's had more. But Wiley is so competitive, he couldn't stand "losing" to Noah in the amount of milk in his cup, so declared it a tie.
Dr. Wiley to Mommy, the patient:
I am going to listen for bumps and Jesus in your heart.
Monday, October 17, 2011
Kruger National Park - Just what the Doctor Ordered
Ever since we arrived in South Africa back in May, Wiley has wanted to go to Kruger National Park. It actually goes back earlier than that when the boys discovered the books that Daddy had kept from his visit to the park in 2002. While still in diapers, Wiley could pick out animals like the wildebeest. They had been studying the books and learning the names of the different animals, not realizing what they were preparing themselves for.
If you don't know about Kruger, it is one of the largest Game Reserves in all of Africa. (You can read more about it here, and even watch the viral video that took the net by storm, called "The Battle At Kruger" here.) Wiley wanted to go so bad that he began telling us that his tummy hurt and would only get better when he got to Kruger. Not bad for a three year old. With his fourth birthday in October, we targeted that time for finally making his wish come true.
We left on Thursday morning and drove the six hours from Johannesburg to the town of Graskop (about 30 miles from the Kruger gate). There we stayed at a quaint little Austrian-owned guest house in the mountains near a landmark called God's Window. The views of the mountains around us were beautiful and you can see where the name came from. The boys loved "hiking" the trails up to where the views were. Even Noah held his own and obviously does not want to be left behind from his brothers. We enjoyed our stay at Zur Alten Mine, but were more than ready for the next day's trip into Kruger.
We got up early and made the drive to the Paul Kruger gate to enter the park. After the mandatory check-in and paperwork, we were finally in the park and ready to start spotting animals. Wiley was first to spot anything when he saw a baboon near the entrance gate. Let the fun begin! One of our first spots (besides the ever-present impala) was a family of elephants. They were breaking through the bush and crossed the road just behind us. What a sight to see this enormous mammal so close. Little did we know, we would see as many as 80-100 more elephant over the next two days. 
Not far up the road from there, we came across several cars in a line of traffic that was building. An easy clue that there is something to see, not to mention the 20+ vultures swarming around the area. As we got closer, we realized it was a pride of lions that had recently killed a buffalo. Tired from the hard work of making the kill, they were now lying around and resting before their big feast. They may sometimes wait up to 2-3 days before actually eating. It was a sight to behold nevertheless to see these enormous cats lying just a few feet from the side of the road. You can see why they are indeed the kings of the jungle.
We drove through the park for the rest of the day trying to spot as many animals as we could. Aden became quite a good spotter, often finding animals that we had missed. He studied all of the books that we had to help you identify the animals and could often tell us what we were seeing. He proclaimed himself a "Kudu Expert" at one point. Wiley loved it, especially when we found giraffe and zebra. Not to be outdone, he proclaimed himself the "Elephant Expert." Noah liked seeing the animals as well, but would get a little restless during the sometimes long periods of time that we would not see anything (but impala). It was helpful that he was still able to take naps. At one point, he awoke from his nap in the back seat unbeknownst to us as we were watching a giraffe just outside our window. We suddenly heard, "Hello Giraffe!" from the backseat. He enjoyed himself too.
We stayed the night inside the park at the Skukuza Rest Camp. There was a restaurant at the camp that was an old train, which had been used for giving train safaris back in the early days. It was quite a treat for the boys. Our guest cottage was just on the edge of the camp by the fence that surrounded it. On the other side was a river. Throughout the night, Mommy and Daddy could hear various animals who were suddenly more active under the cloak of darkness. The next morning, with breakfast on the veranda, we were able to watch some animals who were brave enough to approach the fence. Of course, the boys' excitement could not be contained and the animals didn't stay around for long.
Another day of driving through the park brought several more spottings of elephant, but also some rhino which we had yet to see. Buffalo, hippos, baboons, vervet monkeys, kudus, and various other antelope and birds were among our other sightings. We saw four of the Big 5 (lion, elephant, buffalo, and rhino) but missed seeing leopards, and also missed two of the boys favorites, cheetahs and black-backed jackals (which they watched for the entire time). A few of the highlights were watching more than 20 elephants cross the road as we sat in the car eating lunch on the side of the road, hearing an elephant mother trumpet as she led her baby away from the road, and watching a rhino run right in front of our car and then stare us down and dare us to try and pass by.
We left the park just before they closed their gates for the night and then made the six hour drive back home. Another trip to Kruger is definitely in order. We still need to see the hard to spot leopards, cheetahs and black-backed jackals. We seem to now all have tummy aches that can only be remedied by a trip to Kruger.
Our elephant friend, on trumpet:
If you don't know about Kruger, it is one of the largest Game Reserves in all of Africa. (You can read more about it here, and even watch the viral video that took the net by storm, called "The Battle At Kruger" here.) Wiley wanted to go so bad that he began telling us that his tummy hurt and would only get better when he got to Kruger. Not bad for a three year old. With his fourth birthday in October, we targeted that time for finally making his wish come true.
We left on Thursday morning and drove the six hours from Johannesburg to the town of Graskop (about 30 miles from the Kruger gate). There we stayed at a quaint little Austrian-owned guest house in the mountains near a landmark called God's Window. The views of the mountains around us were beautiful and you can see where the name came from. The boys loved "hiking" the trails up to where the views were. Even Noah held his own and obviously does not want to be left behind from his brothers. We enjoyed our stay at Zur Alten Mine, but were more than ready for the next day's trip into Kruger.
Not far up the road from there, we came across several cars in a line of traffic that was building. An easy clue that there is something to see, not to mention the 20+ vultures swarming around the area. As we got closer, we realized it was a pride of lions that had recently killed a buffalo. Tired from the hard work of making the kill, they were now lying around and resting before their big feast. They may sometimes wait up to 2-3 days before actually eating. It was a sight to behold nevertheless to see these enormous cats lying just a few feet from the side of the road. You can see why they are indeed the kings of the jungle.We drove through the park for the rest of the day trying to spot as many animals as we could. Aden became quite a good spotter, often finding animals that we had missed. He studied all of the books that we had to help you identify the animals and could often tell us what we were seeing. He proclaimed himself a "Kudu Expert" at one point. Wiley loved it, especially when we found giraffe and zebra. Not to be outdone, he proclaimed himself the "Elephant Expert." Noah liked seeing the animals as well, but would get a little restless during the sometimes long periods of time that we would not see anything (but impala). It was helpful that he was still able to take naps. At one point, he awoke from his nap in the back seat unbeknownst to us as we were watching a giraffe just outside our window. We suddenly heard, "Hello Giraffe!" from the backseat. He enjoyed himself too.
We left the park just before they closed their gates for the night and then made the six hour drive back home. Another trip to Kruger is definitely in order. We still need to see the hard to spot leopards, cheetahs and black-backed jackals. We seem to now all have tummy aches that can only be remedied by a trip to Kruger.
Our elephant friend, on trumpet:
Sunday, October 2, 2011
Bath Day
We know it's time for haircuts when . . .
. . . we can do this with the boys' hair after baths. They call it "crazy hair," and as Wiley says, they just can't stop laughing over it.
. . . we can do this with the boys' hair after baths. They call it "crazy hair," and as Wiley says, they just can't stop laughing over it.
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