Mr. Cool

Will had just gotten in his jammies for the night when he insisted that he needed to wear his shades. Which he put on himself - can you tell? He actually climbed into bed with them on before he let me take them off.

Martinsville has a surprisingly cute and impressive little library. Recently I took Will to "Toddler Time" and it was nice. There were probably 8 or so other kids and they read some stories and then did a craft. The craft was to color a stocking and then stuff their stockings (glue on pictures of toys and things that had been cut out of magazines.) He had fun, but preferred to play with the gluestick and glue anything and everthing he could get his paws on. He was also very anxious for toddler time to wrap up so he could get back over to visit with the real bunny they keep there. We will definitely be going back.

You may be wondering why I took a picture of this nice collection of toys. The other day Will was playing with a ball and after a while I saw him take the ball, reach in that speaker and drop the ball on in. I told him NO, he was never supposed to put anything in speakers. A few days later I told Luke we probably needed to retrieve said ball out of speaker. The hole was too small for Luke or I to reach in, so we summoned Will for assistance. He reached his little arm all the way in, and boy were we in for a surprise! He pulled out toy after toy, including this plastic pig, a hay bale, and a puff ball off of one of my slippers.

Merry Christmas!

We had a really nice Christmas and it was especially fun this year with Will getting excited about Santa, presents, etc. As is tradition, my mom spent the night with us on Christmas Eve. She and I went to church which was really nice. We baked cookies and sprinkled reindeer food on our lawn so Santa and his reindeer all had snacks while they visited our home. Will woke up very excited to see if Santa had really come, but he was more excited to see if he was still at our house. Apparently he thought Santa stayed for the morning festivities. Santa did come (and leave), and he gave Will a very cool work bench.

Then we went to Luke's Dad's house for breakfast with the whole family which was also nice. Here is Will with his cousins Ricky, Landon and Payton, sitting on the couch that Luke is in the process of making for my mom.

It was a great Holiday and we have a lot to be thankful for. Our family, our health, and especially this little miracle due in April.

This morning I had just gotten out of the shower and Will was watching cartoons in the living room. He came to the door and proclaimed "I want a blueberry muffin." So I got him a muffin and he came into the bathroom and sat on the rug while I proceeded to get ready. I was rubbing lotion on my growing belly and Will got this big smile on his face and said "I like your butt!" I chuckled and said "Thanks! I like your butt too sweetie pie." He thought for a minute and said "wanna cheers em?" Then he got up and turned around and backed up to my knees. So I lowered down and we "cheers-ed" our butts.

Cookie starts with "C"

Every year one of our Christmas traditions is that my mom and I decorate our infamous (we like to think) Christmas cookies. Last night she pointed out that every year of her life she has been involved in this tradition, as have I, and as has Will! It's really a 2-3 night process, as the dough must be refrigerated overnight before they can be baked. Then the next night they are baked, and usually the following, decorated. I supposed you could bake and decorate in one night if you were super motivated. Well last night was the night, so we covered the table in wax paper and got out all of the goodies and went to town decorating. Will has always been a great sport about the process. The first year he bounced in his bouncy chair and spun around the whole time. (for at least an hour - bounce bounce bounce. What a team player!) Last year he played with toys while we decorated. And this year for the first time - he helped decorate! He got his own tools: two bowls of icing - one white and one yellow (careful to avoid the darker reds and greens which have a higher content of food coloring- so not to stain my mom's house - not knowing how things would go...), a knife to spread, some candies and my mom even gave him a shaker (too) full of sprinkles which he proceeded to empty. He loved it and lasted longer than I thought he would - with the help of red hots and the little candies that he devoured. By the end he was happy, wired, and ready for some milk. Great job, Will!

Fun Saturday!

Yesterday Will had quite a day! We went to Breakfast with Santa with Jill and Bailey and it was so cute. It was a benefit for Bailey's babysitter's daughter who has a rare cell disorder and there was a great turn-out. They had lots of Christmas-y things to do including breakfast, crafts, a raffle/silent auction of sorts, and of course visits with Santa. Considering that Will prefers to take a wide berth around Santa when we see him in the mall, you can imagine my surprise when he was so brave and hopped right up on Santa's lap! He was given "reindeer food" to sprinkle on our lawn on Christmas Eve to help Santa and the reindeer find our house. (a fun mix of oats and glitter) Will passed on the nice breakfast and opted to devour his big candy cane instead.

After a great morning of getting into the Christmas spirit and visiting with Jill and Bailey, we came back home to run some errands. At the post office stop I noticed loud music and some activity coming from the square. I looked closer and saw some animals - so Luke and I took Will over to see what was going on. There was a camel, a couple of rams, sheep, and a few others that Luke and I both failed to identify ("look Will! it's a ... furry... bull... type thing") Just as Will was happily giving the animals some hay and as I was feeling sorry for them, we heard the jingle bells of a carriage/sleigh ride! We looked over to see carriage and pony rides! I asked Will if he wanted to take a pony ride and he said YES! Again, I was sure he would chicken out when the time came but he hopped right up on that horse and took off with that stranger leading them down the road and never looked back. I was so proud of his day of accomplishments I felt like running along beside them and cheering him on, but I didn't want to embarrass my son, my husband, or myself, so I just beamed at him, took pictures and tried to control myself. Now, you may be thinking that I have no faith in my child. I really do, he just surprised me a couple of times in the same day. I guess I should never underestimate him again!

Will's vocabulary amazes me practically every day. He says just about everything. This morning I said "sorry about that!" because I scared him with a loud noise. After I said it, I heard him practicing the phrase in his room over and over. He uses pronouns so well - me, I and us and we appropriately. It's absolutely incredible! His little brain is like a sponge. He is also proving to be a clever little one. By clever, I mean, well, I'll give an example.

He was playing with some maracas - which we call La Cucarachas. He was putting the handle of one of them in his mouth and running around. I told him not to run with his la cucaracha in his mouth. He did it again. I told him if he did it one more time I was going to take his la cucaracha away. He looked at me for a minute and then said: "I have another one."

He'll be in Luke's and my bedroom and I'll tell him to come out and into the living room. He'll say: "In a minute! I'm lookin for somepin" when we both know there's nothing he needs to be looking for in our room.

He's so smart and hearing those kinds of comments coming out of that little body, well, it makes me laugh and warms my heart and amazes me all at the same time. It also makes me a little bit worried for what we have in store for us down the road.

I'm not sure why, but this Christmas season I've had no motivation whatsoever to decorate for Christmas. If it weren't for my sweet little boy who loves the lights, I'm embarrassed to say I probably wouldn't do much of anything. Alas, I decided today was the day. So I turned on some Christmas tunes, ate some chocolate motivation, and did it. By "it" I don't mean the whole schebang, just the necessities. I put up our three miniature artificial trees - the most we can squeeze into our small living room, I put lighted garland in our transims, put out my Santa collection, a mini tree in Will's room, a new Christmas centerpiece on the kitchen table, a wreath on the front door and a few other little nicknacks. I'm so glad it's done, and seeing the look on Will's face when the lights come on made it all worth overcoming my lack of motivation.

I think the reason I've had no motivation to decorate is because I can't WAIT for next Christmas!!! I'm already planning all the things I'm going to do. First on my list is picking out a live 8-ft. tree, Clark Griswald style. I've already warned Luke about my plans. And speaking of plans, I picked up our first round of house plans on Tuesday. We are SO excited to get this process started! Luke is taking the plans to a roofing business on Friday to get an estimate for trusses. After that, we finalize the plans and then start getting bids from builders! For those of you who don't already know, we are esentially "buying" Luke's dad's house. He wants our house and his is much bigger and it will give us the opportunity to turn it into a house we will be able to live in for a long long time. It needs a lot of work, so we will be replacing the roof, doors, windows, and all flooring. We will also be bumping out the kitchen 8 feet, completely re-doing that room and adding a bath and a half. We are also turning the existing garage into a living room and adding on another garage. And finally, reconfiguring a master suite. So we have a lot of work ahead of us and with a baby due in April, next year is going to be quite busy. We are so excited though, and can't wait to get the process started!

If you are wondering why Kramer might choose to relax in the sink??

Poor kitty isn't safe anywhere!

When my mom was getting ready to leave Michigan she had her cat carrier out and almost left with a surprise!

Will climbed in his "trailer" and asked Momma to take him for a ride. (**Disclaimer: I had not showered yet this day AND I am 19 weeks pregnant!)

Here is Will lounging on the steps. Either that or practicing for his modeling career.

Will and his Nana

Bye Bye to BG & GG ~ they are off to Gulf Shores for the winter. We had a great visit with you!

Cooking dessert with Momma - and having a taste. mmmm

Happy Thanksgiving!

Yesterday was Thanksgiving and we spent the Holiday in Michigan with my mom and my step-dad's parents, Barbara and Gerry. There are so many things that I'm thankful for these days that I hardly know where to start. I'm so thankful for my family and our health. I'm beyond thankful that I have a loving, sweet, hard-working and devoted husband. I look at our son and I don't even know what to say my heart overflows with love for that sweet and perfect little boy. I'm incredibly grateful that God has blessed us with another pregnancy and I am loving feeling these first few kicks. I am so grateful for my mom and the wonderful relationship we have. Luke and I are both blessed with caring and loving families and are so fortunate that we have close relationships them. We are also blessed with some pretty fantastic friends. I could go on and on.

We are so excited to spend this long weekend here in Michigan at my mom's beautiful and peaceful cottage. Barbara and Gerry are leaving tomorrow for their house in Gulf Shores, Alabama and my mom is leaving on Sunday to head back home to Bloomington. Luke, Will and I are staying for the whole next week. We are so excited to spend some quality time together. With Luke working in Ohio, these weeks that we get to spend together are sure a blessing.

Fashion Plate

Will is beginning to have opinions about what he wears these days, which is something new. He always has the same request: "I wear my John Deere shirt Momma!" He has three: hand-me-downs from his cousins Landon and Payton. This stems from his fascination with his Papaw and the farm. He gets to ride in tractors and help pick corn and beans - the real deal. (Luke's dad doesn't farm anymore, but he owns the land and the family who farms it are good friends so Sonny often helps them)

On this day, Will had paired his favorite John Deere shirt with one of my headbands-turned-belt and my velcro hair roller. And the best part is that he put the roller in his own hair, exactly in the place where I put one. When I told Luke he nearly raced home from Ohio to do some "manly" things with his son.

Normally Will goes to his baby sitter's house 2 days a week while I work. This week I had to do some work with him at home. I moved his little table and chair into the living room for a project area and he did really well. He played with his playdoh for well over an hour! He also spent a lot of time coloring. We just introduced markers to his collection of crayons. At one point he said "Momma! I got some on my hand!!" with a look of distress on his face. I smiled and told him don't worry, we'll wash it off, with a smile. Thank goodness for the invention of washable markers, right. Well that must have sparked an idea in that little scheming brain of his. Next thing I know he says "Uh Oh Momma!" and raises his hands at me... What an interesting accident, Will. :)
I love the attention to detail on his fingernails.

Ahh, the joys

Luke had to leave on Sunday for work this week so Will and I took the opportunity to head down to Bloomington to spend the evening and night with my mom. As is Sunday night tradition, she had dinner plans with the Thompsons. Ron was out of town so Sandy, my mom, Will and I decided to take advantage of the incredibly beautiful weather and went to walk laps around the IU football stadium. We had a great time, Will loved it, and we walked up an appetite! So we decided to head over to Chili's.

We got there and were greeted by a less-than-friendly (I'm guessing) male college Attitude. I could hardly hear what he said and I felt like I should apologize for the inconvenience when I asked for a booster seat. Anyway, we sat down and began a fun dinner together. Before long our food arrived and we were about 3 bites in when it happened. I look across the table and Will's face is beet red, tears in his eyes, and he is gagging. Amid my panic, I tell Sandy to slap him on the back. She just had surgery on her hand closest to him so she is trying to get her far hand around and was uncomfortably and quickly trying to accomplish what I was shouting at her. (poor Sandy!) Finally the troublesome fry dislodged and the screams began. Not only was he screaming, but I know Will well enough to know what was likely going to come next. As fast as I could I raced around to the other side of the booth and attempted to get him out of there ASAP. Alas, I was not fast enough. I saw the gagging begin again so I turned him around and he threw up all over the seat and Sandy's fleece. (poor Sandy!) I grabbed him and tried to make a beeline for the front doors. We had just gotten into the entry way when I glanced at him and saw it coming...again. This time he threw up all over my shirt and all over the entry way floor. At this point I was running for the door, as he is continuing to throw up. I got him outside where he threw up one final time in the bushes.

Ok. There was NO WAY IN THE WORLD I was going back in that restaurant. Once he recovered, and was asking me to go play football in the parking lot with some boys who were running around, I decided that I needed a plan. Fortunately our booth was located right by a window near the front. So I made my way through the landscaping to the window by my mom and Sandy. I knock on the window to motion to them that we need to GO. They think I'm just hanging out in the bushes by the window to say hi, so they are smiling and waving. Finally I guess my red-faced shouting and motioning to COME OUT HERE NOW relayed my message that I needed to tell them something. So my mom comes out, I tell her what happened and that we need to go. So my mom and Sandy pay the bill, get a bag for Sandy's fleece (poor Sandy!) and pack up our hot dinners in To Go boxes while Will and I sit on a bench and reflect. By the time they came outside Will was back to his chatty self, tears long gone, and I was flicking bits of thrown up fries off my jeans.

The funniest part of the whole thing (maybe the only funny part?) was the facial expression on that guy who was seating people. As I was rushing my vomiting toddler through the entryway, the look of pure horror on his face was just priceless. If he had an attitude to begin with, I can only imagine what this little episode did to his spirits.

Before I was a mom I heard stories about things like this happening and I wondered what in the world would I do if something like that ever happened to me? How mortifying! But you know what? I couldn't have cared less. As long as my little boy is ok nothing else matters. Not the vomit on the floor, not the stares, not my soaked shirt, not any of it. And fortunately my mom and Sandy have been there done that so they couldn't have been more understanding about the situation. I think they even got a small kick out of it because about 30 years ago someone else had this same sensitive gag-reflex and I guess what goes around comes around. :)

Halloween 2009

I was cautiously optimistic about Halloween this year. Will is so opinionated lately especially about putting on clothes and us getting him to do anything that's not his idea. (case in point: Luke ordered a shirt for him from a motorcycle builder that he likes. It arrived in the mail, was obviously a little too big, but Luke wanted to try it on Will just to see. Um, no, that wasn't going to happen. Every time Luke even went near the shirt Will ran for the hills doing his best fake cry all the way)

Needless to say, I was unsure how he would react to us attempting to dress him up in this costume and get him to "perform" (aka: go trick or treating) Fortunately for us, we had a wonderful bribery tool on our side: CANDY!

For a couple of weeks we had been talking about going trick-or-treating and I had told him many times that when you say trick-or-treat you get candy! We even practiced in plainclothes: "Will, say trick-or-treat!" (with all the enthusiasm I could muster) Will: NO. "Will, if you say trick-or-treat you get candy!" Will: staring at me not sure if he should believe me. Eventually I got him to say it and handed over a starburst. He seemed interested! ...which is why I included the optimistic in my caustiously optimistic attitude about the day.

So Halloween comes along and it's time to dress him. Luke and I both unassumingly venture into his bedroom for the event. I inconspicuously get his costume out of the closet and open it up. He notices something is awry and begins to watch me from across the room. I say (with my MOST excited flare) Will! It's Halloween and once you put on your costume you get CANDY!! mmm, nope, it wasn't going to work. First of all, I had to put tights on him because his costume was shorts and it was chilly outside. Talk about an added challenge. So I put him on my lap facing out and am literally wrestling him and holding down his arms while trying to force his legs into said tights. He is screaming, and doing his best (which was quite impressive) to undo any progress I was making with the tights. I put his foot in, and he pulls it out. I force his foot in, he pushes the tights off with his other foot, and so on. Eventually Luke swooped in with candy in hand and told Will that if he put on his tights he got candy! So Will let me put on his tights and got a piece of candy. That's how the whole event went, piece of costume on, candy for Will. By the time he had it on he had consumed more candy than he does in a typical 2 week period. Oh well, it's Halloween, right?

Fortunately the evening went uphill from there. We went to my mom's house and trick-or-treated in her neighborhood. He did such a great job! As we were walking up to houses he would shout Trick-or-Treat! Once we got to the door and they actually opened it up he was a little more shy and any would say it much more softly. Then he would say Thank You. I was very proud of him. And when we got back to my mom's house he didn't even want to take off his costume!

When we were on our way to my mom's house this past Tuesday, he said "We have Halloween at nana's tonight?" I had to explain it only comes around once a year and we'll have to wait until next Halloween to do it again. I guess it was a success!

Payton Pumpkin Carve-Off

One thing that Luke's and my marriage does not lack is a little competitive spirit. We both love to win and figured that the upcoming Halloween Holiday called for a little friendly competition. A pumpkin carve-off! I figured we would do it the old-school way and use markers to draw our designs and knives to carve, but Luke informed me he planned to use a dremmel tool. For those of you who don't know what a dremmel is, it's a power tool that has different heads on it and it rotates the heads very quickly. More or less, a Power Carver. Of course he was; I should have seen it coming. Of course I wasn't going to let him have the edge, so off we both went to our respective corners to get to work with our pumpkins and dremmels.

Will loves tractors right now. Specifically John Deere tractors. Therefore, Luke carved him a mini pumpkin with the "John Deere" on it:

Luke's Pumpkin:

Sarah's Pumpkin:

According to the votes already cast the winner is........... ME! Luke is just one vote behind though, so it was a close race. (his witch in the moon was a big hit)

UPDATE: now that all the votes are in we have a new winner. #2, Luke's pumpkin has pulled out into the lead. His witch in the moon was apparently his secret weapon. Good job Luke. (I'll win next year)

Pumpkin Patch

There is the cutest pumpkin patch in Martinsville. They took a big field and filled it with pumpkins. Their signs said they were open, but when I pulled in there was a huge roadblock that said CLOSED. What... I was going to have one disappointed little boy on my hands after all the Pumpkin Patch talk. So I pulled up and asked the woman if they were opened. Nope. I said well your signs say you are. She said if we just wanted to pick out a pumpkin and had exact change that it was fine if we wanted to go on. YAY! Will had such a great time running through the pumpkins and playing (on) them. It turned out to be great and even better that we were the only ones there! The people who run it were really nice. They said this weekend they will be having bounce houses, hay rides, apple cider, Sponge Bob will be making an appearance and possibly pony rides. Looks like we may be going back.

Roadtrip!

Luke and I had tickets to a show at the IU Auditorium last Friday night and my mom had agreed to watch Will for us. Then one of our cousins who lives in Chicago invited my mom up for the weekend but - she was watching Will. So that turned in to Can you bring him? So Nana and Will headed up north for the weekend. Two nights away. Friday through Sunday! He was SO good. He did a great job in the car and (apparently) was extremely well behaved. They played games, went to a fantastic park, and had an overall blast.

Before he left I got Will his very own suitcase that he can roll behind him. He was so adorable with it when we were packing for his trip. Such a big boy!

Luke and I had a great time too. On Friday we went to see Rain: A Tribute to the Beatles, which was great. Then on Saturday after getting some things done around the house we went to see a movie and then to dinner at Fogo de Chao - which was fantastic! Overall, everyone had a great weekend. But it sure was wonderful to see my baby boy when they got back!!

What a great day!

For Will's 2nd birthday my mom and GG and GG(2) got him a zoo pass. We went a few times over the summer but not as much as I had envisioned us going. With me working the extra day, the summer just flew by. Now that I'm back to my old work schedule a zoo trip was at the top of our list of priorities. The weather is getting cooler (and fast!) so I was a little nervous that we had missed the zoo's prime. ...boy was I wrong!! My first inkling that things were looking up was when we pulled into the parking lot and got a spot so close that we didn't require a map to navigate to the entrance. The whole experience was WONDERFUL. There were a few schools there on a fieldtrip and of course some parents with their kids, but there was nothing close to a "crowd." I didn't find myself racing thru the exhibits irritated by rude people while wiping the dripping sweat off my face, and most importantly, rushing poor Will through. Rather, we took as much time as we wanted at each exhibit without having to wait or push our way to the front and then feel like we needed to get out of the way. We really got to enjoy the whole thing!! I felt like I was let in on some secret. I almost felt like winking at the other parents like "yeah, this is great!" So maybe I got a little bit too excited over it, but I can't wait to take him again this fall. :)

Petting the sharks:



We got to watch them feed the penguins! Which was interesting; they had different colored arm bands and we figured out that the yellow arm bands were the smaller, underfed penguins so they got the most fish.



Petting the goats..

This bear was definitely in a friendly mood!

Tuesdays

Ever since Will was just a few months old he and I have gone down to Bloomington every Tuesday evening to visit with my mom. At first it was a mid-week "My husband is out of town all week long please someone else just hold him so I can have a two-minute break!" visit. Two years later, since I now usually have to beg and bribe Will to let me snuggle up with him, it's turned into a special weekly visit that we all love and look forward to. A couple of weeks ago I called Will's pediatrician's office to find out about flu shots. They were having a flu shot clinic on Tuesday Oct. 6 at 5:30 - perfect! Come to find out that my mom was going to be in Michigan that week spending time in Pentwater and at a conference at Michigan State. So, Will and I made the best of the day and spent the morning at the Wonderlab and then went to Nana's house to eat lunch and lay Will down for a nap.

My mom currently has 3 cats in her house. Her two cats that she's had forever, and one "foster cat" that she is taking care of for someone else. For any of you who are familiar with cats, they can be funny little creatures. Pretty much, three lonely cats makes for three bored and spiteful cats. After Will got up from his nap he was running through the house playing. I was in the kitchen and Will walked in and said "ROCKS!" and shoved his little fist toward me. Huh? Rocks? Upon closer inspection, I saw that it was dried cat poop! I found the rest of the mess on the front door rug. Apparently one of the sweet little kitties left a coming home present for my mom. :)

A Few Sweet Things

Will is so sweet and thoughtful. He is very good about sharing. The other day he was having a snack of cheerios and was playing with Elmo. It wasn't long before he was sharing his snack.

The other day I put some pants on him for the first time and the waist was a little big so I told him we needed to go get his belt. So we went into his room and he said "I need my seat belt." I didn't correct him so now he loves wearing his Seat Belt.

Circus!

Last weekend Nana took Will to the circus! Will came back with a huge smile plastered on his face and one of those light up twirlers. He ate popcorn, saw elephants, horses, tigers, motorcycles, clowns, high wire acts, and more. He is still talking about his trip and absolutely loved it. They also had awesome seats! Thanks, Nana.

Will is 2 years and 2 months old. At his 2 year Wellness checkup his pediatrician said that potty training is probably not too far down the road. He has had a potty chair for probably 6 months now, and has yet to sit on it without a diaper. We've been talking about all the people who go on the potty and Will seems interested. But whenever we ask him if he wants to sit on it he says "NO!" and usually runs away. I figured I would give him a little incentive, so last weekend I bought him some M&M's and displayed them in a clear container in the bathroom. (yes, I support bribery with food in this case) I also got him some big boy underwear. I thought that maybe if he put them on and could see how good they feel compared to a big ol diaper, he might want to get the ball rolling. So after his bath on Sunday night I put his big boy underwear on him and he immediately started racing around the house. "Going well!" I thought. This was the best picture I could even get of him because he wouldn't stop running. Shortly after I snapped this picture (note: only about 1-2 minutes after I put them on him) he ran over to the refrigerator and came to a standstill. Then... he looked down and peed. True to his personality, I guess this potty training business will happen in his own time, with or without my bribery tactics.

Top Chef (s)

I have a major love of cookie dough. It all began when I was pregnant and the addiction is still in full force. Throughout my pregnancy my sweet husband would make a batch on the weekends before he left for the week, without eggs of course. Occasionally he still indulges me. Now he has an apprentice. :)

Surprise Surprise

With Luke and Sonny's love of motorcycles, it should have come as no surprise that this pulled up in front of the house the other day. After I regained my ability to speak, I went outside to see what in the world Luke was thinking. He assured me that they only went from Sonny's house down to our house (1 mile), went very slowly the whole way, and Will had on his helmet. My poor heart, I hope you can make it through Will's childhood.

Chain of Command

When we rescued Rosco in 2006 he didn't have many things going for him. He was 1 and a half and truly a wild animal. He wasn't a Good Dog by any means and had no manners whatsoever. Honestly, I couldn't stand him. The family who had him first clearly took zero time or effort to train him or show him any attention and then when he grew out of his cute puppy stage, they got rid of him. He didn't know the word "treat" and didn't come with any favorite toys or anything, only one of those choke collars that have the spikes that poke into his neck when it was pulled. I quickly realized I had a huge job ahead of me, and I wasn't sure I was up to it. Fortunately after months of working with him nearly every day and more tears than I even want to recall, I am so proud of what a Good Dog he is. He did have two redeeming qualities from the beginning, that probably saved him. He wasn't a chewer, and he didn't bother my cat. Of course it took quite a while for Rosco and Kramer to interact at all, but I will say that he has never chased Kramer and has never been threatening to him. Now a couple of years later they will even play sometimes. They certainly interact as well as I could hope for. The other day Kramer was lying on Rosco's bed and so Rosco laid down next to the bed, waiting his turn. :) What a GOOD DOG!

First Football Game

Terri's step-son, Wills, is a freshman in high school and is quarterback on the football team. They had one of their first football games last week so I took Will to his very first game. He loved every second of it. He acclimated quickly, with his shades and popcorn. He loved hanging out with Aunt Terri and spent a large part of the time keeping tabs on, and staring at Jenn, Mike's younger daughter who was also there.

Princess Garden

The garden is winding down. We are now left only with a zillion tomatoes. So many that I'm not sure what to do with them and I'm looking for people who will take them. Here was one of our gigantic zucchinis.

Here are the first 3 grapes off our vine!

I was so excited to see that they had turned purple. I gingerly plucked them off the vine and I ran inside with them cupped in my hands like they were delicate little baby birds or something. I rinsed them off and patted them dry. Of course I then snapped their picture. I picked one up to take the first sample. I bit into it and..... YUCK!! It was the worst grape I have ever tasted. I couldn't help but shrivel up my face because it was so sour. I spit it out immediately. So much for that!

Michigan Pics

Here are Will and Momma on the dock by Pentwater Lake.

Will was looking at a book "Animals of North America" while talking on the phone to Daddy. "It's all in a day's work!"

Little Fish

I told Will that were going to go swimming at Aunt Terri's and Uncle Mike's. He was so excited that he ran to his room, grabbed his inner tube and didn't take it off until it was time to head over.Here is will with his cousins:
Payton, Ricky and Landon. He LOVES his cousins so much!