In one of our ventures around town, we came across yet another Wal-Mart. I've found three within about 15 minutes of each other, which seems fairly normal until you consider that you can see all of Anchorage within 15 minutes. Three Wal-Marts seems excessive. This last one is a new Wal-Mart, and as we pulled up, we could not believe the sign.
So even Wal-Mart, giant superstore of the world, cannot survive without a sponsor. According to Anthony, "I knew the economy was bad, but this is ridiculous." Even the restrooms were brought to you by Pepsi. I don't know what that means.
We have been officially in our new home for one week now, and we love it. Of all the space to run in and things to do, Will's favorite--the washing machine. It's a front loading one, and he loves to stick his head in and watch the soap and water dispense. He shouts, "Wa-wa, Wa-wa!" every time.
Will's also found something that he loves to eat even more than bananas--apples. As soon as he hears the fridge open, he's right next to you, shoving you out of the way and opening the drawer. He'll eat the whole thing if you let him, core, seeds and all. He's gotten confused a few times with onions and peppers, but so far I've caught him before he's taken a bite.
I had a major find the other day as we were trying to kill time while the carpet layers invaded our house for 6 hours. We went to Once Upon A Child, and Will was so excited to find a Fisher Price popper. He's missed his toys so much, and I felt bad because he probably thinks that we took his toys there and left them. I had to drag him away from the toy area, and doing so, I noticed a Thomas the Train track. Will has a couple of the other engines, but no track, and this was the whole set, including the Thomas that blows real steam. Every time he does, Will blows the steam and says, "It's hot?" He helps me in the kitchen the same way, even putting on his own oven mitt when I open the oven door. I was able to get the set for $20, which isn't much more than some of the trains. I think Anthony's having the most fun with the train set, but Will likes pushing the engines around the living room. And on the rare occasion the track is put together, even Ethan will watch the train go around again and again.
Will also has picked up the habit of saying no in front of every word. Not like he used to just say no all the time for anything, but it seems like he's confused about expressing his wants. You ask if he's having fun, and it's, "No fun." Or if he wants milk, "No milk." It's pretty hilarious.
So far our neighbors have been very nice, and our main concern is an over-territorial squirrel. When Anthony first mentioned it, I thought he must be exaggerating or going crazy. Anthony was in the car in the driveway and had the window rolled down. The squirrel came from the tree, started chattering at him, and then made a dash at the car as if he was going to jump in the window. Two days later, the same thing happened to me. Even being in the Landcruiser, I started to put up the window. He seemed pretty mad, and I've seen National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation enough times to know what squirrels can do. We've had some other wildlife sightings. I saw a large red fox sitting next to the road on base, and we all saw a moose wandering around The Commissary.
Ethan went to the doctor last week for his 4 month check-up (a month late), and we learned the pros and cons of universal health care. I was busy filling out paperwork when an Airman came out and said she was giving us the 4-month-old brief. I looked around and realized all the parents had babies Ethan's age, so I guess appointments are filled by age group. The Airman then read down the list of do's and don'ts for the next two months. Thank goodness I've been through this before, or I would have no idea what was going on. Individualized care it is not. Once she was done, we were told to strip our babies down to their diapers and they would start calling us back to be weighed. Anthony said this is how most of his appointments work, so I guess Ethan got his welcome to the Air Force. I can only hope my doctors appointments aren't run the same way! Ethan was 14 pounds 15 ounces and I think 25 inches, which put him in the 25th percentile. Will's always been in the 75th percentile, so I guess he's our Andrew while Ethan's our Anthony. We're going to try him on rice cereal soon, so keep watching. Ethan's other big news is that he's learned to roll over! That would be fine if he wasn't using his new found power for evil. He still won't sleep anywhere except his car seat, but as soon as he wakes up, he flips himself over onto his stomach and starts working his way out by kicking his legs. I had no idea he could do this until I went into his room one afternoon and found him three feet away from his car seat. I had no idea how he did until I saw him half way out the next morning.
Our things also arrived this week, and we were so glad to get them. The movers mis-labeled the baby swing, so it took us all day to find it. And it looks like Anthony's computer was pretty seriously damaged, so he is NOT happy. Except for a dented garbage can, that seems to be our only mishap with movers so far. We've heard stories of much worse moves, so we are grateful the majority of our things came out okay. The main problems have come because everything is spread all over. Will likes to explore, and I now have a bag of rice that has been strewn throughout the kitchen and living room, which means walking barefoot is no picnic. He also came across the Vicks VapoRub while I was laying Ethan down, and when I found him, he was covered. I gave him a bath, and then an hour later, I noticed his hair was still sticking up and looked wet. I did an Internet search and found others had used Goo Gone. It got the greasiness right out without any problem. I'm afraid to think what other things I'm going to learn during the next few years.
(Yes, I know he's waving a Canadian Flag. Beard Team Canada tried to convert him, but we switched it out for an American Flag when Beard Team USA came by.)
Willy Wonka
and Moses. Who knew they would ever be together at the same event?
