Will's New Career

Will is already preparing for his career! He loves to use the Swiffer. He always plays with it at our house, Grandmother & Pop's house, and the lake. It is his favorite toy!!

He may become a professional Swiffer-er (totally just made that word up! ha!). If that doesn't pan out, he can clean baby pools for a living. He thinks that it is so fun and just laughs and laughs.

If you need your baby pool cleaned, give Will a call!

Such a big boy!

I took this picture of Will the other morning when I went in to wake him up for the day.  He looked so big in his crib. It made me sad. He is growing up so FAST!!!

BUSY WEEKEND

We had a great and busy weekend.  After work Friday, I headed down to the lake house.  Clay had gone the night before and Will rode down with Mom.  I love going to the lake. It is hard now with Will because we have to keep an eye on him at all times, but it is still fun! When we got up Saturday morning, we were busy from morning to night!

We got ready and hit the road headed to Wedowee for Taylor's 5th birthday party.  Taylor is Clay's cousin's little girl.  I can't believe she is already 5 years old.  Tonya was very pregnant with her at our wedding. My how time flies!  Tonya always throws a great party and everything is themed. This year the theme was the Little Mermaid.  Tonya decorated sand bucket for each child and then had a treasure hunt in the sand box.  The cake was Ariel. It was so cute and so good!

Rockin' his new shades.

Digging for "buried treasure"

Still looking.

I was so glad to see Clay's Mawmaw because she had been in the hospital and I am glad she is okay now. Also, I was happy to Clay's Uncle Al.  He has been out of the country working.  It was good to catch up with them.  Funny story about Uncle Al. He was trying to entertain Taylor and Will and was going to let some balloons go.  He tied two balloons together and then tied an Ariel party streamer to that. The first time the he let the balloons go, they landed on the awning over the door. Uncle Al retrieved them and then the flew into the power lines. Not good.  Finally they broke free and flew off!

The kids.

Will and the face he makes when he says "cheese"

Mawmaw, Taylor, and Will watching the balloons.

After we visited with Clay's Mawmaw, aunt, and uncles, we headed a little farther south to Roanoke to visit his Grandma.  We had a great time sitting out in the front yard chatting and watching Will play.  Clay's Uncle Greg came over and took Will for a ride to see the cows.  Clay said he called them dogs.  Every animal regardless of what it actually is, is a dog to Will.  Will also got to taste his first blackberry. He didn't like it--no surprise there. 

Playing in Grandma's front yard.

Once they came back from seeing the cows, Aunt Shaun came home from shopping with Krista.  Krista is due to have a baby boy any time now.  I know she is going to be a great mom.  She laughed and played with Will and she let him climb all over her even though she is almost 9 months pregnant!

Driving!

Aunt Shaun letting Will really drive. She pushed the gas petal and Will steered!.

We stayed for a long time just catching up. That is one of my favorite things to do. Just to sit around and talk with family. There is never a dull moment!  I wish we lived closer so that we could see them all more often.  Who knows, maybe we will end up back in Wedowee one day?  It is where Clay and I lived when we were first married.

We headed home and fell asleep before we got to the end of their road. 

Sunday was busy too.  We got up and headed to our church to teach our Sunday School class.  After Sunday School, we headed over to my brother's church.  My brother accepted the position as a Children/Youth Minister at another local church and they were having a welcome lunch and invited us to join them.  It was a great service and the lunch was delicious!  John had to get up and introduce us and the whole time Will kept yelling "John, John" and wanting to go to where he was standing. Will absolutely loves John and always lights up when he sees him.  John is the only name that Will says consistently.

Sunday afternoon we took a short nap.  Will had some tummy issues so he didn't sleep very long, then it was time to get ready to head back to our church to hear my brother speak. He was filling in for our pastor.  The message was great as always. I am always nervous when John speaks.  There is no reason for me to be nervous, because he is not nervous.  I am insane, it's okay!  He always does a good job and is definitely getting better and better.

I was glad to crawl in the bed Sunday night. The weekend went by too fast, but we are looking forward to another great weekend at the lake with my family! I can't wait.

The Last Few Days

So it has been awhile since I have had a new post.  Things with work have been super busy so when I have been home, it has been all about Will.  We haven't had to much going on.

Clay was gone a white water rafting trip Friday and Saturday, and I had to work late Friday so Will got to go to Publix with Grandmother and Pop. Pop spoils him so much, so he came home with all kinds of treats.  He got some animal crackers and bananas, and Pop let him eat Goldfish while they were in the store.  He was not happy to see me! Ha!

Saturday, Will and I planned a little lunch date with Grandmother, Aunt Toot (Mary Kay), Leslie, and Jackson.  I was glad that everyone agreed to come over to our house and eat because I am hesitant to take Will out in public anymore especially to eat. He throws the biggest fits when he doesn't get his way. Some may say he is a tad spoiled!

When everyone first arrived, I think Will thought they were coming to babysit him because he would not leave my side.  Once he realized I wasn't abandoning  him, he was all over the place.  During lunch he wanted to help Leslie rock Jackson in his carseat.  It was sweet but Will got a little carried away with the rocking!  Will thought he was being such a big boy by "helping".  Of course Will's jealous side did come out because I picked up Jackson when he was crying.  Will then proceeded to cry and try to climb up the side of my body. Clearly we can't have anymore kids or it will send Will over the edge. It was  a nice lunch and it was fun just to have hang out with some of my favorite women!

On Father's Day, we all headed to church.  We had a guest speaker share his testimony and sing. He was really good.  We went to The Cap (Captain D's) with my Pawpaw for lunch! My grandparent's love The Cap!  haha!  After lunch Will and I headed home for a nap and Clay went to play golf with his dad.

Once Clay got home from golf, we headed over to my parent's house to hang out with my dad.  We took Will's little swimming pool over so he could play outside.  He helped Pop clean off the driveway and gather all the sticks.  Will love sticks.  Pop does woodworking so he has a bucket full of odd pieces of wood and Will was is heaven!  He pull out all different kinds of sticks and played with them forever. Will had this one piece that was about the size of a bar of soap. He kept holding up to his ear and saying "bye" like he was on the telephone.  We decided that was his Amish phone.  It was pretty funny.

Of course we were sad to see the weekend go.  We haven't done much this week.  Tuesday, Clay opened the gym at church so Will and I went up there for  a little while to play. Will loves watching the guys play basketball and he enjoys riding in the wagon. He decided he wanted to try and ride on a tricycle but he couldn't reach the pedals. Here are some pictures of him on the tricycle:

I love taking Will  up to the gym because it wears him out and he sleeps so good! I had to wake him up this morning to get ready and that rarely happens.

I will be traveling for work the rest of the week but I will try and update again soon!

5th Anniversary

Today Clay and I are celebrating our 5th wedding anniversary!  I cannot believe that we have been married for FIVE years and together for over 10!

I have the best husband and he is an awesome dad. Life is not always perfect but we are conquering it together! I could not have asked for a better partner.

Happy Anniversary to us!

Will goes to his first VBS

I have gone to VBS all my life and loved every minute of it!  I knew when it came time for VBS at our church this year that I would have to take Will to experience some of it. He is too little to participate in a class so I took him the first three days to the opening worship rally.  During the worship rally they sing songs and watch a little video. 

Saddle Ridge Ranch.  The set was awesome!

The theme for this years VBS was based around a Ranch theme. The motto for the week was "Have Questions? Ask God!" and the bible verse was James 1:5: Now if any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives to all generously and without criticizing, and it will be given to him.

Will on the first night of VBS!

Will was a little cranky this week due to teething and napping issues, so not every moment was happy but I think he enjoyed it for the most part. He really wanted to go on the stage.  He settled for going up in the balcony and watching from there.

 I am glad that our family has such an awesome church family.  They all love Will and welcomed him to be a part of VBS even though he was technically "too young" to participate.

Clay came with us on Wednesday night.

I hope that through the years he will come to love going to VBS as much I as did as a kid.  VBS is such a wonderful ministry for children and it teaches them so much about Jesus and His love for us.

Will and Ashley!! 

Ashley did a wonderful job pulling everything together.  I am so thankful that she is serving our church so faithfully.  She has a heart for children and that shines through in everything she does!

Will and Beth. 

Also, the teachers and volunteers were fantastic! They did all that was asked of them and more!

Will "riding" the horse at Saddle Ridge Ranch.

15 Month Old Well Visit

Will had his 15 month well visit yesterday. 

Here are his stats:
Weight: 24 pounds, 1 ounce
Height: 30 1/2 inches
Head Circumference: 19 inches

Dr. R checked him out and everything looked great. He did have to get one shot that he wasn't to fond of.  He let out a little whimper but them he was fine.

Dr. R said he is meeting all the milestones for his age.  He has more than a six word vocabulary and he follows basic instructions.  He also knows how to brush his teeth and comb his hair. He can point out your eyes, nose, mouth, teeth, and ears.

Dr. R did not have any concerns about his development or growth.

The only thing we discussed in length was Will's eating habits.  The only "adult" foods he will eat are snack type foods (Cheerios, goldfish, and occasionally bananas and french fries). He also will not eat any type of meat.  Dr. R said he wasn't too concerned with this and that hopefully between now and 18 months old he will make the transition. Will is by no means starving.  Dr. R also said daycare could help with this situation since all the kids in his class eat the normal lunch they provide.  Hopefully watching his peers eat the "adult" food will encourage Will to do the same.  We will just keep offering him food and see what happens.

I am so thankful that Will is happy and healthy, and that he is thriving!

Fun Weekend

We had a fun, relaxing weekend at our house. We didn't have any plans so we just hung out and got out a few times.

Friday night we hung out at home, ate Carpenetti's pizza, and watched Valentine's Day.  The movie was cute and the food was GREAT!

Saturday, we decided it was time to get a our laundry and house under control.  We spent the morning sorting clothes and cleaning up.  Around lunch time we decided to head out to look for a nap mat for Will.  Uncle John joined us.  Our first stop was Target. Will tried on a hat.

I didn't find a nap mat but I did find some cute canvas bins to use for all of Will's toys.

We left Target and headed to eat at Chili's.  Lunch was good but by the time we were done eating Will was losing  his mind so we had to get out of there.  Apparently when we left lunch he decided he needed to take one of the crayons with him. We leave Chili's to head to Learning Express to resume the nap mat search.  We pull into the parking lot and I go to get Will out of his car seat and he has blue all over his face. In the 2 minutes we were in the car, HE ATE A BLUE CRAYON!!! I could have died! Not to mention, John was sitting in the backseat with him and didn't notice or stop him!!

We didn't find the nap mat, so we headed home to finish up our house work. Will tried on his new faux-crocs that his Auntie Lisa got him. He wore them the rest of the weekend.

Note: I just noticed that it looks like Winnie is trying to attack Will in this picture! Haha! She was just running behind him.

Sunday, we got up and went to church. We had lunch with my grandparents which is always fun.  After lunch, we went to Brookwood Mall to see the kick-off event for the Miss Alabama Pageant.  I have always loved watching pageants and this year, Robbin got me tickets to all the preliminary nights for Miss Alabama. I am so excited!

Sunday afternoon I headed over and visited with Leslie and little Jackson. This is the first time I have gone without Will and Ray wasn't home, so Leslie and I got to have some good girl talk and I got to snuggle with Jackson.  Leslie is hilarious and Jackson is so sweet!

We capped off the weekend with the start of VBS at our church.  Clay was at home watching the Auburn Baseball game so I took Will to the beginning part of VBS. They sing and dance so I thought he would enjoy it. I was wrong. He didn't have a good nap and he is teething so he was a bear!  We stayed for a little bit then I took him home.  He was obviously tired because he went to sleep sitting straight up drinking his milk!

It was a nice and relaxing weekend. I enjoyed it because this week is going to be busy-busy!!!

Memorial Day 2010 and Will's First Boat Ride

We spent Memorial Day weekend at the lake. Clay and I were both off Friday and Monday so it was a nice long weekend.

Will's first juice box!

I love our lake house and have spent so much time there growing up. I hope that Will will love it there as much as I do. 

Climbing stairs.

We had a great time hanging out with my extended family.  Will had fun playing, playing, and playing.  We spent so much time outside and it was just wonderful.  It wasn't too hot and it only rained a couple of times.

Julie, Clay, Hunter, Richard, and Will

Playing dominoes with Brandon.

We bought Will his first life jacket and he was able to go onto the pier and the boat. We went to the lake a couple of times last year but he was so small we never bought him a life jacket or took him on the boat.  This year was totally different.  Since he is so mobile,  he could go anywhere so we had to take some precautions. First, we had to put gates up on the porch so he couldn't get to the water without an adult.  Second, we had to get him a life jacket so he could go in the water and take boat rides.

Not so happy about the life jacket.

The life jacket was not a big hit at first, but the more and more we let him wear it, the more comfortable he was.  By the end of the weekend it didn't seem to bother him at all.

Getting his first skiing lesson so he can water ski like mommy and Uncle John!

Uncle John showing Will how to wakeboard.

I am so glad he is not scared of the water or the boat. He got to go on his first boat ride and he loved it! He would stand on the pier and watch everyone riding SeaDoos.  He would say "go, go, go" when he saw someone ride by the pier. He even went swimming in the lake for the first time.  He was so comfortable on the pier that I thought he was going to jump in the water a couple of times, so we had to keep a close eye on him. It was so much fun and I hope he enjoys going more and more!

First boat ride.

Helping Pop drive the boat.

Will did have a couple of not so great moments.  He didn't like it when people would go off the main porch to go to the pier or out into the yard.  He would scream and cry because he didn't want anyone doing something without him.  Every time Clay went anywhere he would cry. He loves his daddy!

Hanging with Julie on the SeaDoo.  (It was tied to the pier)

Swimming in the lake for the first time.

Overall, it was a wonderful weekend spending time with family and eating!  I am thankful that there are men and women who sacrifice their lives and time with their families, so that I am free to spend time with mine!

Playing Cards.  Richard, Brad, Aunt Ann, Clay, and Mom.

A Rough Week and A Family Dinner

This week has been really rough for me.  My emotions are all over the place.  After a year of Will being in daycare, I still struggle with being a working mom and being away from him all day.  There is more to it than just that, but I can't discuss that here.  It has just been rough and I am seeking to have peace with the entire situation.  I am praying that I am making the right decisions for Will and our family. 

On a brighter note, last night we had a family dinner with my parents, John, and Cousin Richard (we missed you Julie!).  We had baked spaghetti, salad, bread, and chocolate pie. It was a good, easy meal to prepare and everyone seemed to enjoy it.  I love family dinners and they just make me so happy.  It is so nice just to sit around with the people you love the most and have a good chat. There are no judgements being made and they are all genuinely interested in what you have to say.  I wish we did it more often! 

Of course, after dinner, Will entertained us until his bedtime.  He did one funny thing that I will share. He was carrying around one of the vacuum cleaner attachments and almost hit my mom with it, so she took it away.  She was sitting on the floor so she put it under her legs.  Will knew she had it but couldn't figure out what she had done with it, so he started looking for it. Mom was wearing capris that had little flaps on the back pockets. Will walks behind her, bends down, pulls up one of the flaps, and looks like he is searching for it.  It was so funny.  I guess he thought if he lifted that flap, he could lift her up and get his "toy".  It was hilarious.  Will always has a good time with my parents and I just love watching them with him.  It is such a joy!

So it has been a rough week, but nothing a little time spent with family can't cure!