Travel Town.

File this under "why in the world didn't we take Wesley here sooner?" This past weekend, in an effort to create a little "boys only" time, Wesley and I drove down to Travel Town in Griffith Park. I hadn't been there since I was about his age, so I didn't remember much. But, man, was this place a home run with Wesley. As if climbing up into enormous steam engines and going on a train ride weren't enough, we discovered an enormous miniature Lionel-style train display in one of the buildings. To say Wesley loves watching miniature train sets is like saying Shannon is fond of Disneyland. Given the opportunity, I'm pretty sure Wesley would stand and watch the trains all day long. It was a good day.

A Long Day at Disneyland.

Brother & Sister.

Julia's Mommy.

Julia can be very possessive when it comes to her Mommy. It has actually gotten to the point where she doesn't like Dave holding my hand or even having his hand on the back of my seat while we are in the car together. There are times she doesn't want anyone, including her Daddy, touching her Mommy.

No Ponytails.

I am currently growing my hair out and there are moments within the day when it is almost necessary to pull back my hair into a ponytail. When I do this and Julia sees it, she will grab at my hair and reach to pull it down. She only is satisfied when my hair is down and she sees that none of it is pulled back. The other day, after another successful let down of my hair, she grabbed my face and very contently said, "Mama," as if she had just seen me for the first time. It's been somewhat of an inconvenience at times, but precious all the same.

Wesley's Friend Emma.

From The Wesley Collection.

Wesley got a Fisher Price digital camera for Christmas this year.

Cheese.

For the past six months or so, Julia has reponded with this smile whenever she is asked to say "cheese." Not sure where she got it, but it never fails to make us laugh.

First Time Ever.

The date: February 25, 2008. The question: "Would you like something to eat, Julia?" The response: "No."

My Honest Son.

Said Wesley when I asked him why he was shoving Matchbox cars down his shirt, creating a large bulge in his belly: "I'm trying to look like you, Daddy."

Daddy's Plans.

This past Monday I had the day off, so Wesley and I went out to spend a few hours together. Our first stop was the local park, one of Wesley's favorite places. After an hour or so of kicking the soccer ball around and playing on the slides and swings, I thought we'd move on to the bookstore - another place he loves. I told him of my plans, but didn't get the response I thought I'd get. Thinking he may not have understood, I mentioned it one or two more times. Wesley finally turned to me and said, "Daddy, I know you really want to go to the bookstore, but right now I'm playing at the park." Wind, you may exit my sails.

Julia & Mommy.

Santa Claus 2007.

So Wesley was just as calm and cool about chatting with the big guy as he was last year. And his sister, well... not so much. But no worries - Julia's big brother reacted much the same when he was her age.

On a side note, you all will be surprised to hear how close I got to convincing Shannon to send this photo out as our Christmas card. Ah well, I'll keep trying.

Wesley's Girlfriend.

Wesley was getting ready for preschool and informed me that he wanted to sit next to Emma today. I told him that that sounded like a good idea and off we went to preschool. I didn't think much of this since he talks about different kids in his class on a regular basis. When we arrived at his classroom, we ran into Emma and her mom. I began telling Emma's mom about what Wesley had told me when their teacher overheard us. She informed us that Wesley and Emma are the "couple" in their class. They walk around holding hands while going from activity to activity together. How adorable is that! All I know is that I better get a picture of that for prosperity...

The Raccoon.

It occurred to me this afternoon that living with Julia is like having a wild raccoon loose in the house. Trash gets tipped over and rummaged through, drawers and tabletops get cleared of their contents and strewn about the floor, and all scraps of food get devoured.

Wesley & Julia's Dishwasher.

This is pretty much what our dishwasher looks like daily.

First Day of Preschool.

Dog Name.

The subject of having a pet dog comes up more and more frequently in conversations with Wesley nowadays. Recently I was sitting with him chatting about the subject when I asked him what he would name his dog. "Dan."

P.S. Wesley's mother immediately put the kibosh on this name.

Santa's Pizzeria.

Shannon and I have begun deflecting Wesley's requests for toys onto Santa, telling Wesley that perhaps he should wait and ask for these things for Christmas. The other day we told him that Santa was busy in his workshop making toys. "No, he's not making toys," Wesley announced. "He's making pizza."

Cucaracha.