S07.E14: First Easter Together

[Guest]

Jen has to work on Easter, but makes it home in time for a family trip to a local farm, where they pick strawberries and participate in an Easter egg hunt.

 

[jodo]

I can't wait to see Will eating them all and Jen yelling CAREFUL!!

[Jellybeans]

I wonder if the kids will be just as excited to find dyed eggs, eager to eat them, only to find they hate the taste lol. My kids were so upset that only the chocolate rabbit tasted yummy and not the eggs.

Good times.

[walnutqueen]

Wait - your dyed eggs weren't just beautiful empty shells?  When I was little, I'm pretty sure my Grandpa was in charge of blowing the eggs out , which we used for baking - horrors - CAKE!

[Steff]

Our Easter Eggs were always hard boiled eggs.  I can't ever remember eating any of the eggs tho. 

 

The first Easter I remember was at my mom's parents.  It was just my male cousin & me at that time.  He was such a bullying little shit to me (he was first born grandkid & first boy in the family) that my grampa dyed several UNcooked eggs & convinced my cousin to break them on his head. (BEST Easter gift EVER!)  For the next several years, grampa made sure I found the "special" egg that got the biggest chocolate bunny. 

[Jellybeans]

My son is now 32 and I still give him an Easter basket full of things he NEEDS. Like, chocolate rabbits, (no peeps!) funky socks, a crazy shirt, etc... I really stuff his basket. My daughter passed away five years ago so...she gets warm fuzzies from me.

I got an Easter basket until about ten years ago. I miss them! :-0

Can't wait to see what the Kleins do!

[4leafclover]

I can't wait to see their Easter clothes!

[Jellybeans]

I can't wait to see their Easter clothes!

Oh yes, that is always a fun ritual. I wonder if they have clothes from their respective countries for the day...

[4leafclover]

I'm thinking they will wear the traditional Easter clothes--frilly dress for Zoey, sharp suit for Will.  We'll see!

[walnutqueen]

Jellybeans - I am out of upvotes, but I am filling the most awesome virtual Easter basket known to mankind and putting a big bow on it - especially for you.  All words fail me, but I think you know my sentiments by now.  Hand to heart.

 

ETA - I was the kid who couldn't be bribed by sweets or treats, and seem to recall my cousins loving me for it, because it meant more for them at Easter and Halloween.  :-)

Edited June 3, 2014 by walnutqueen

[Jellybeans]

Jellybeans - I am out of upvotes, but I am filling the most awesome virtual Easter basket known to mankind and putting a big bow on it - especially for you.  All words fail me, but I think you know my sentiments by now.  Hand to heart.

 

ETA - I was the kid who couldn't be bribed by sweets or treats, and seem to recall my cousins loving me for it, because it meant more for them at Easter and Halloween.  :-)

Thank you soooooooooooo much.

[BestestAuntEver]

My son is now 32 and I still give him an Easter basket full of things he NEEDS. Like, chocolate rabbits, (no peeps!) funky socks, a crazy shirt, etc... I really stuff his basket. My daughter passed away five years ago so...she gets warm fuzzies from me.

Thank you!. My daughter is 21 & people asked me this year when I would stop making her an Easter basket. I was told "because she's getting" to old when I asked why. IMO, it's things like a card for no reason & Easter baskets that make lasting memories.

Looking forward to all of the Easter kiddie cuteness tonight.

[Jellybeans]

Thank you!. My daughter is 21 & people asked me this year when I would stop making her an Easter basket. I was told "because she's getting" to old when I asked why. IMO, it's things like a card for no reason & Easter baskets that make lasting memories.

Looking forward to all of the Easter kiddie cuteness tonight.

I received an Easter basket until I was 50... some nine years ago. I miss them. They are treasured memories. Keep it going if you want to, it is fun!

[4leafclover]

BestestAuntEver--I love your user name!

[walnutqueen]

I made the mistake of trying to reminisce about Easter eggs with my mom today - I barely got 2 words out before being subjected to a 20 minute ramble about eggs and everything else she was able to gasp out before having to take a puff of her inhaler (hey, it's the only way I get a word in edgewise!).  Finally (after a horrible foray into vituperative negativity towards her mother and everyone else under the sun), I managed to ask my question, and got her to admit that YES, my Grandpa DID blow the egg out of the shell so we could paint them, but we used hard boiled eggs for my rambunctious cousins!   Fuckballs, it took me a good hour and a half to confirm one stinkin' childhood memory.  I should know better.  :-)

 

BestestAuntieEver - I see your name and think "I used to be the best auntie ever!".  Dang it. 

 

edited because it is somewhat rude not to spell a fellow poster's name correctly.

Edited June 3, 2014 by walnutqueen

[BestestAuntEver]

I received an Easter basket until I was 50... some nine years ago. I miss them. They are treasured memories. Keep it going if you want to, it is fun!

I really think I am.

Thanks my oldest niece started calling me "The bestest aunt ever". Even when I told her you mean " the best" she would say yeah "the bestest". Lol, she has all of the younger ones doing it now.

[shandam]

Omg im just now seeing the easter nepisode im commenting between commercials. Jen and Zoey at the farm to hunt eggs how cute can they be? Jen you gotta enter the mommy n me pageants you are stunning and she's a doll.

[millk]

I don't like hard boiled eggs and have never gotten into dying eggs. Plus I hate the mess. I never do it as a day care teacher. Will and Zoey were quite cute. Like how Will asked for pink first. I was waiting for a "boy colour" comment from Bill and was surprised he didn't make one.

Jen's point about the babies needing doctors and nurses every day was spot on. No one wants to work holidays but then, no one wants to be in the hospital on a holiday! Bet the mothers there would kill to go Easter egg hunting with their kids instead of willing them to gain an ounce.

The farm was a nice idea, there are pumpkin patch farms, why not an Easter farm? I think Bill should have been stricter about cutting Will off at his 10 eggs. Cute as it was, rules are rules.

[Lillybee]

I loved the way Will ran to Jen when she got home from work.

[shandam]

Ok dont be too hard on me but I am watching this episode. Zoey is following dads lead picking berries. The sign clearly says do not eat strawberries but guess who is cramming a mouth full? Yep William and they laugh. Also why not say chicken instead of bak bak he went to the live chicken pen and said eat bak bak. Just say chicken he cant go to school and read the word chicken with pictures attached he will associate bak bak with chicken I can only imagine how that's gonna turn out. Anyway whilst Will was gorging on berries after having a treat from the ice cream truck Zoey had completed the task at hand and turned in her berries for the reward from the farmer. Kudos Zoey. .and why was Bill pushing Will in the stroller while Jen and Zoey walk?? Let the boy exercise and run around already. By the way Zoey relates to Bill in such a sweet way daddy's girl is so in tune with Bill she rubbed his back when the family took a rest on the picnic table but Will you guessed it he was shoveling in yogurt.

[BitterApple]

I think I'm the only person on the planet who loves Peeps. I'm not really a sugar/sweet eater but for some reason I always eat a box of Peeps during Easter.

Zoe's outfit was adorable. Despite being younger she was much better behaved during the visit to the farm. She seems to focus really well when she has a task to do, I think she's a sharp kid.

Will having another meltdown over food? Why am I not surprised.

[Steff]

Life will not end if Will calls a chicken a bawk bawk instead of chicken.  My own kiddo called a friends giant dog a "wolf wolf" until he was 6.  When your kids come up with some cutsey name for something, it's not a big deal & it's cute. 

 

It's very possible that Will's little legs were tired out at the point he was in the stroller.  I saw another scene where Will was walking & Zoey was in the stroller.  They are little kids, they do get worn out from time to time & need a sit/rest. 

 

and I'm done on the food rants.  It's ridiculous IN MY OPINION.

[Steff]

2 kids are going to act different, because they ARE different.  One will be a follow the rules type, while another is a break the rules type.  One may be quiet, reserved & shy while the other is very outgoing & talkative.  I don't see either as a negative or as one kid is better than the other.  They are little kids for goodness sakes. 

[joanne3482]

Will having another meltdown over food? Why am I not surprised.

 

And it isn't good to reward behavior with food. It sets up connotations that are hard to break as they get older.

[EmmeRose]

I agree that Zoey is very focused, listens well, and appears to be very bright!  I just loved her Easter outfit - so girly girl!  I also loved when she rubbed Bill's back.  Will continues to have his compulsion with food, but I believe Jen is watching his intake as they had to share a sorbet.  Jen seemed so happy and carefree; I am so glad.  There are only two episodes left.  I hope we don't have to wait until 2015 to see them again. I am hoping that in the Fall, the new season will begin.

[Lillybee]

I noticed that Will is using many new words in this episode.

[shandam]

Steff I see your point but your little one made up the cute name woof woof you probably didn't and then teach it as the proper way to describe the puppy...just sayin. I get the point on will being tired but still Jen just had chemo idk it's just my opinion no harm meant.

[Steff]

What does Jen having recently finished Chemo have to do with Will in the stroller?  do you think Jen should have been in the stroller?  Your comment was "let the boy exercise and run around already".   Who is to say that he DIDN'T run around & needed a rest for a bit?

 

And we saw that even in China Will was calling a chicken bawk bawk.  So maybe he learned it when kids learn animal sounds.  I saw nothing that said that Jen & Bill ONLY taught him to call a chicken a bawk bawk, just that they played along with it when he does. 

Edited June 4, 2014 by Steff

[shandam]

Karen Zoey is sharp and really focused and I was sooooo proud of Jen for having the kids share luckily Zoey didn't mind Will holding the container that was something most kids would flip over but she was content just to have bites. And I didn't mention it but before the farm trip I was very impressed with Bill while dying eggs will kept putting the wire in his mouth Bill gave one warning and will stuck it back in his mouth Bill was firm and removed his eggs and tools thats when Will decided to speak with a clear few words he tried to whine but Bill was a champ. KUDOS big dadeeee way to go and Jen you gotta keep it up you were in true mommy mode.

Steff with all respect think in retrospect ie...bakbak. nini eat eat. Beep beep choo choo moo moo cake cake all im saying is that he was being spoken to like he was an infant. Plus I saw the clip in the orphanage before adoption and will though young was pretty well behaved and a good communicator in mandarin. Dont take it personal im just stating my point of view.

As for the chemo I meant to say in response to steff saying Wills legs were probably tired I meant Jen may have appreciated a lift maybe she's tired ????

[EmmeRose]

Shandam, I totally agree with you regarding Zoey and I was also happy that Bill stood his ground when Will continued to put the egg dipper in his mouth!

[shandam]

Thanks Karen you're sweet for saying so.

Thanks Karen you're sweet for saying so.

Joanne 3482 yes Will did lose it when hebsaw that ice cream truck mine probably would have asked a few times but not went into a tizzy. I would have said we will complete our pictures and do a few more fun things then when you ask nicely for ice cream the next time you see an ice cream truck we may get one. But no way would I use food as a bargaining tool when he screams. Imagine a trip to grocery shop with all those goodies by the check out.

[camom]

Will's face when Bill took away the egg dipper had me laughing out loud.  So cute.

[Micks Picks]

I'll have catch the episode later since I was seeing the LongIslandMedium tonight.  But the Peeps reminded me that I was probably about 50 when a neighbor and I were at the drug store and she mentioned Peeps.  I swear I'd never even seen them before, but I'm as unobservant as all get out.  Anyway, I love me my peeps and always buy some for myself now.

[millk]

It shows how smart Will is that he connected the back bawk on his plate at home with the feathered basking creature he was presented with on the farm. Many children can't make that leap until older. Unless his "bawk bawk eat" comment was an observation of the creatures eating in their cage.

Whenever I've been strawberry picking the plants have been right on the ground. The vertical planting pots were great. Were they using regular kid scissors to cut the berries off because smart! They should have prevented/stopped Will from eating in the field because rules are rules again. Sure, one little 4 year old isn't going to do much harm but 100 is going to mess the ground with leaves and drips. Plus it seems like they were paying by weight so its a grapes in the grocery store situation.

Edited June 4, 2014 by millk

[BestestAuntEver]

You could see the improvement in Will & Zoey's speech this episode. The speech therapy for Will & homework they both participate in is helping.

Glad to see Bill correcting Will & Will following that correction. I believe TLC would definitely have shown Will putting the egg dipper in is mouth again if it did it.

The sweets thing doesn't bother me. I was raised in a part of the south were you have a sweet with every meal & sometimes snacks. My family still expects this. You are called out, if there isn't a dessert or treat. I get questionable, were is she from, looks when I drink unsweet tea. It's about appropriate selections & portion sizes. Will ate on sorbet ice cream that he shared, strawberries & animal cookies. None of these choices are high caloric.

The Easter strawberry farm was a good idea for the little ones. Seeing Zoey rub baba's back & hide behind his leg for protection was touching considering how her journey started.

[mbutterfly]

I noticed that Will is using many new words in this episode.

Yes, and 4  to 5 word sentences. 

[LegalParrot81]

I liked everything about this episode.  They were all having a good time out at the farm and even though Will wanted to go immediately to the ice cream truck, he did calm down and did let Bill take photos.  This is probably the most relaxed I've seen Jen in a long time.  

 

Kudos to Bill for following through on his warning that if the egg dipper went in Will's mouth again, it went away. Will throwing on the sad, slightly pathetic face made me smile. When my youngest was that age, she'd do the same thing.  It didn't work for her and it didn't work for Will.  I did have to laugh when Zoey was laying on her tray,  you know she was thinking, hey bozo, could you knock it off so we can get back to the eggs.  LOL

 

Shandam, in your list of double words, you included NiNi (I looked up the correct spelling cuz I'm a geek and it's Nai Nai), which is not just a word spoken twice, but is Mandarin for Grandmother.  Just a little clarification.

Edited June 4, 2014 by LegalParrot81

[walnutqueen]

Will's little pouty, sad panda face was so stinkin' funny - I know I shouldn't be amused by a child's distress, but I am imperfect, so I laughed.   A lot.  This was a great activity that Bill made fun for both kids.

 

I loved the vertical strawberry planters - such a great idea.  Anyone who has spent long hours in the hot sun picking strawberries knows how much your back & knees ache; this setup was so much easier - especially for the adults!

 

Little miss Zoey acquitted herself nicely with her tidy little manners and sweet disposition.  I also noticed they mixed it up a little: Zoey paired with Bill, and Will with Jen.  Nice.

[LegalParrot81]

Walnutqueen, your comment about the pairings triggered another memory from yesterday's show.  I have seen it said that Will doesn't really care for Jen and ignores her most of the time.  When she came home from work, that little boy was thrilled to see his Mommy. 

 

Which brings up another thing.  He runs, a lot, arms outs, little legs moving.  This is not a child who is sedentary, sitting in front of the television 24/7 (thank goodness).  He moves. 

 

I laughed out loud when Will looked down and said "a duck".  Which in and of itself doesn't seem like much, but just a few months ago he probably would have just said duck or even uck since he does tend to drop the first letters off of words (ex. ed instead of red).  Add that to his "more eggs, baba" and it's progress, no matter how small (no pun intended). 

[BitterApple]

Just from my own observation Will is becoming one of those kids who's only cutesy and smiley when he's getting to do what he wants to do. I think it's great he ran to Jen when she got home, but he also completely ignored her at the farm when he went off on his own and she ordered him to come back. He was a joy making the Easter Eggs until he was reprimanded and then put on the sourpuss face. They weren't at the farm for two minutes before he started crying and having a hissy fit over ice cream. But of course once he got it, he was all rainbows and sunshine again.

I don't think Will is a horrible kid, but his act is starting to wear thin with me. It's not going to kill him to go ten minutes without sweets. Mileage varies, of course.

[shandam]

Elmopalooza and bitterapple you guys are my rock lol. But it's not cute for him to behave like this its like give me what I want and the heck with you. He is really manipulative and could take a few pointers from sister Zoey.

[Absolom]

I was watching them at the farm thinking what would I have done.  I was wondering how much impact having the cameras there was on the ice cream truck issue.  I know when my kids were little I wouldn't have done the ice cream truck, however, if we'd been at the beginning of filming an afternoon at the farm I might have leaned more to what Jen did.  She did make Will wait until after photos and got a low cal option instead of a sundae type ice cream.  I think they've entered the zone where filming affects the parenting and too much filming will make it become an issue. 

 

I only saw Will eat one strawberry and I think that probably happens a lot.  My grandson sampled the "strawbabies" a couple weeks ago while picking.  The snacks at the end may have been the reward for turning in the eggs so not a problem for me.  It's better than candy. 

 

Unlike Bill I would have been firmer about the 10 egg limit.  Stop now you have your ten eggs instead of a conversational I think we're supposed to stop at 10.  Distraction is a good thing.  Let's count your eggs.  Oh you have 10.  Yippee you're done!  Let's help Zoey count hers.

 

Jen and Bill are still novice parents and parents after a lot more travail than most of us go through.  They also may turn out to be more lenient over all than I am.  No child went wild, had a fit, or lost their junk so it went pretty smoothly.  Again, I think perhaps having the camera there changes how they handle some of the situations.

[DkNNy79]

Cute episode.  Loved Will requesting pink dye for his first egg.  Kudos to Bill for sticking to his guns when Will didn't follow Bill's orders to stop putting the metal thingy in his mouth.  The kids looked so cute in their Easter outfits.

 

I didn't mind Will wanting ice cream when he saw the ice cream truck.  That probably would've been me as a kid.  I share Will's love of all things sweet, so I totally relate to him.  My mom never monitored our sweets growing up (our whole family drank tons of soda growing up - my mom still does, although I have stopped).  Will had sherbert (which he sweetly shared with Zoey), strawberries and a piece of candy (his prize?), I didn't see the big deal about it.

 

Zoey was in the stroller earlier in the day and Will was in it later in the day.  Nothing wrong with that considering they only brought one stroller.  He's a little person and he's 4, so I would assume he gets tired more quickly than a regular statured child?  His legs look shorter in comparison to his head and trunk right?

 

Loved Will's interactions with the bok boks and him recognizing the duck.  Zoey is cute, but I'm much more drawn to Will.  His personality is so happy and engaging.  Does he have his meltdowns?  Yes, but I think that comes with the territory with children.

[jodo]

I am amazed at Will's memory if he had only seen an ice cream truck once in his life?  I do remember them going to the park last season with Will only and Bill and Jen saying hey Will we can get some ice cream from the ice cream truck and he immediately looked for the truck and stopped his eyes when he saw it which means to me that was not the first time an ice cream truck was in his sights....after all he would not have known what it was.  And his meltdown was quite expected and of course so was Bill and Jen's barter of you do this for me and you will get what you want.  I don't care what Jen called it Will got what he wanted.  

 

I truly think Bill and Jen are either reading these forums to a degree or some feedback is coming to them about a couple of things which got addressed last night which seemed odd....first Bill finally being shown disciplining Will, lots of comments about it too from Bill almost like he had to explain it to us.  Good thing Will was in the high chair penned in and couldn't get out for a runaway!  Also about the ice cream and sweets....Jen seemed to explain at length some kind of justification of giving Will his ice cream.  

 

Zoey is an absolute doll, so well behaved.  Will eating the strawberries also should have been stopped but they didn't want a meltdown about food again did they? All they had to say was the truth yet they find that very difficult.  Zoey didn't eat any or even try so I guess her last meal satisfied her yet Will was obviously hungry, even after he got his ice cream truck treat he was devouring strawberries.     

Edited June 4, 2014 by jodo

[Jellybeans]

Squeeee! I loved this episode! I have a chicken coop in my backyard, it's not mine- it's my neighbor's and bawk, bawk! There's a rooster and a turkey in there too. At four it is normal for a toddler to bawk-bawk at chickens.

I saw kids being kids, sooo stinking cute. I am going to refrain from discussing Will's eating habits because we have too many people with eating disorders. We get a very tiny glimpse into the life of the Kleins and for that I am thankful. Their show is the only one that genuinely makes me smile.

Love the strawberry farm. Wish we had one here but we do have a cool pumpkin farm for the kids.

I will be watching this episode again. I am hopelessly addicted.

[Lillybee]

They took the kids on a fun outing. I don't think that the Will overate anything. All we saw was that he shared a small cup of sherbert with Zoe and ate a few strawberries. Isn't having treats a big part of having a fun outing?

[BitterApple]

Absolom, I think the cameras definitely affect the parenting. Jen may not have caved so easily if she didn't feel pressured to make the "Family Fun Day at the Farm" scene happen. Another reason why I question whether the show should continue.

I do give Will a pass on eating the strawberries. I sneak grapes from the bags I buy at the grocery store and it's not like Will was able to read the posted sign.

[Jellybeans]

If the show is canceled I will cry. And cry. LOL.

[Lillybee]

It was Easter Sunday, so I am sure that the nanny had the day off.

[truebluesmoky]

In addition to it being Easter Sunday, I would imagine the nanny is mostly there when either both parents are working or when there will be a long time when just one of the parents would be alone with the two children and it might become physically difficult.

 

I thought the Easter outing was a fun afternoon for the family and the viewers. I don't think there's anything wrong with the shared sherbet treat. Will cried for it, was told he could have it if he cooperated for family photos, did the family photos, and got the treat. Maybe teaching him to ask nicely instead of starting right out with the whining, but again, we don't see every moment. As far as the strawberries, I actually don't think Bill and Jen necessarily knew he wasn't supposed to eat them. The crew showed the sign, but that doesn't mean Bill and Jen saw it. The snack he had after the egg hunt was just some animal crackers he'd gotten as a prize. All around, that is a normal amount of food for a 4 year old to consume over a couple hours running around in the hot sun. If I were to criticize one thing, it would have been allowing the kids to collect more than 10 eggs. In that case, they DID know the rule. It would have been a good opportunity to explain that if Will and Zoey took more than 10 each, there would be less for other children to find, which wouldn't be fair. However, I always wonder how much of these things is set up by production. For all we know, for the publicity the farm got, Bill and Jen and the kids were told to do whatever they wanted... I would imagine they weren't necessarily subject to the rules for "regular folks".

Edited June 4, 2014 by truebluesmoky