natchez update

Update on William's Great Adventure in Natchez, Day 8:

Well, I've always joked that William will be eating me out of house and home by the time he's in high school. But now I'm starting to wonder if that day is coming much sooner than high school. William's been eating Mom and Dad out of all their tomatoes and grapes and cantaloupe. I think Mom's already had to go to the store to buy more tomatoes at least twice. Maybe three times? I've lost track. But hey, can I really complain if my child wants to gobble up fruits and veggies? I think not.

William hanging out with his Grandaddy Johnny:


And being silly with his Uncle John on our daytrip to Hattiesburg:


And attending church with Mama Judi.


The reason he looks a bit sadder than usual is, er, well, I managed to cram his feet into his Sunday shoes that morning, and er, perhaps I shouldn't have. Add another bullet point to my "bad mommy" list. It looks like I'm going to have to break down and buy new church shoes for William after all. I mean, sure there's a fine tradition of young children hobbling around in ill-fitting go-to-meeting shoes--I remember wadding up kleenex in my white patent leather Capezios to take the pain of a blister away--but I think I'll try not to purposefully inflict that on my child. Unfortunately, I'll have to wait 'til we get home to buy shoes. Apparently no store in Natchez sells children's shoes. (Isn't that bizarre?)

The upside: he finally has a legitimate excuse to use up all those new Spider-Man band-aids that I bought and stashed away (and which he found because he apparently has a band-aid homing device).

ANYWAY. I would say, "but I digress," but I think that's clearly painfully obvious already. William is having a lovely time. I worried that he might be upset that there are no big balloons to see this time, but he seems to understand that was a special thing last fall. In the meantime, he's getting spoiled by all the attention from his grandparents, from their friends, from the neighbors.

And I think he's enjoying the chance to spend time outside. Each night before bathtime, we take a walk around the neighborhood, and always, there are at least a few people on their front porches who call out, "Hi, William!" as we make our way leisurely down the sidewalk. Plus, he gets to say hello to all the neighborhood kitties and look at all the flowers in the neighbors' yards and gardens. Is there anything more charming than a toddler bending over to smell a rose and smiling because he liked the smell so much?

And he loves hearing the grand old church bells chime the hour. "Church bells, way up high," he says, nodding as the bells ring in the distance. "Way up there."

But for all the fun, I know William misses his daddy. David's got a sore foot right now, and several times today, William has come up to me with a serious face. "Dada has boo-boo," he informs me solemnly. "Dada has booboo on foot. Go doctor." And I reassure him that his dada will be just fine. (So David, please be just fine, okay?)