A Few More Holiday Photos

Merry Christmas!

We had a wonderful Christmas! Grann came up from Detroit and Will had a lot of fun playing with her and the dogs. On Christmas Eve, we took Will sledding for a bit. He went down the hill at Lakeside a couple times before deciding the play ground looked like more fun. After his nap, we went over to Aunt Mara and Uncle Ken's for Christmas Eve. Will enjoyed his dinner very much and did a great job handing out gifts to everyone. He went to be a little later than usual but was up at his normal time on Christmas morning. He wasn't that interested in opening the gifts but was pretty excited once they were actually open. He spent the rest of the day playing with all his new toys. After his nap, Grandma and Grandpa came over to open gifts and have dinner. Will really seems to love all his gifts and Christmas was definitely more fun with a little one!

Weekend Fun

We had a busy yet relaxing weekend. Friday night we decided to stay in and had stir fry for dinner. Saturday morning, Phil got up early and went with a couple of our friends to pick up gifts for delivery for Santa Claus girls. I stayed home to get the house ready for the brunch/cookie exchange I was hosting. Just before 10, Phil came home to pick up Will and took him around to deliver gifts while my girlfriends were over. Will did a great job even though he spent a decent amount of time in the car. In the afternoon, we cleaned up the house and played and then went out for a quick dinner. On Sunday, we took Will to the mall before it got too crowded so he could run around for a bit. Then we stopped at my parents' house so Will could play with the "choo choos." We're looking forward to a short week!

Baby Press

Will loves being bench pressed by Phil. Sometimes he'll just lay down on the ground at Phil's feet to ask for it. Originally, he was lifted on his back, but as you'll see, he prefers to be on his tummy.

Santa

Pictures with Santa did not go well...

Playing in the Snow

We had a fun weekend. Friday night, we went into Gaslight and had dinner at Olga's. Saturday morning, we took Will to the botanical gardens to run around for a bit. The second we put him down he made a beeline for the waterfall in the conservatory - he loves it! We walked around the conservatory, stared at the waterfall, and made several trips through the tunnel. Then we spent some time looking at the trains before going back for more waterfall time. After a quick visit to the turtles, we went downtown for lunch at Aunt Katie's new apartment. Will thought he was pretty cool sitting on floor pillows eating his pizza! On Sunday, we did a trip to Meijer and then bundled Will up to play in the snow for a bit. He really liked the sled but wasn't too sure about the snowpants, boots, huge winter coat, etc.

By the waterfall













Watching the little train














Watching both trains



















Does this make me look fat?

Playing with Grandpa

Happy Hanukkah!

This weekend, we went to Detroit to visit Grann for Hanukkah. We got in Friday evening and Will had a great time chasing the dogs and playing with his new toys. He went to bed in the pack and play with no troubles and slept soundly through the night. In the morning, we woke up to him playing with the door stop (boiiing!) and opening his door. He escaped! (More on that later...) Then we took Will to Jungle Java which is a great indoor play area/coffee shop. He had a great time climbing and sliding. We all took turns following him around since he was a little small for the "big kid" area. Then we ran to the mall so I could have my rings cleaned and picked up a pair of winter boots for Will. He enjoyed the escalators and roaming the mall.

After a quick lunch at Leo's, we headed home for nap time. It did not go well. We heard a loud thump not long after putting him down. He esacped again and refused to take a nap. This prompted Grann to run to Babies R Us to pick up a floor model crib which we assembled in the afternoon. After dinner at China King, Will was pooped and fell asleep in the crib instantly. Will has climbed out of his crib once at home, so he is physically able to do it, but doesn't seem to want to. We were a little worried that he'd find his way out of this crib since escape was so fresh on his mind but we ran in once we heard him talking in the morning and got him out before he had a chance.

On Sunday morning we played and got on the road shortly after lunch. Will could barely keep his eyes open and was asleep before we got on the express way!

Look at how well I can stack blocks

This new backpack is as big as I am!

Oh, Christmas Tree!

This weekend, we made our annual trip to Hart's Tree Farm in Rockford to cut down our Christmas tree. We were hoping for snow so we could pull Will in the sled but it was just really cold instead! Will did not particularly enjoy his snow suit but he did run around in the trees and really enjoyed the tractor/hayride on the way back. Then we stopped in downtown Rockford for lunch at the corner bar. We waited until dark to decorate the tree and then ate dinner in the living room to enjoy our efforts. So far, knock on wood, Will has ignored the tree and hasn't tried to touch or pull off any ornaments.


Looking for the perfect tree








































Hotdogs at the Corner Bar













Supervising














Yeah Christmas!



















Dining by the Christmas Tree

Happy Thanksgiving!

Katie, Aunt Erika, Oma, and Kristen














Dad and Uncle Norm

Grann and Aunt Maran's Visit

Grann and Aunt Maran came to visit for a night before Thanksgiving. We had a really fun time. Aunt Maran brought Will a Curious George stuffed animal which William fell in love with and started calling his "Baby." We went downtown to see the Diana exhibit at the art museum on Wednesday morning and then went to Gymboree in the afternoon.

For some reason, no matter what I do, this photo won't change to landscape...




















Playing with George


Who needs toys when there are puffs containers around?


More fun with George

A few photos

Watching the Michigan Game













Reading with Dad

Playing at the Mall - it's a lot more fun now than it was last January...