Happy Memorial Day!

We had a great Memorial Day weekend. Grann came up to visit on Friday night. We walked into Gaslight and had dinner outside at Ramona's Table (we had perfect weather Friday - Sunday). Saturday morning, we got up and went to the Meijer Gardens. We let Will play in the Children's Garden and got to see all the Chihuly sculptures which were really impressive. Saturday afternoon, we played in the backyard. Will went back and forth between his pool and sandbox. We grilled dinner and ate out on the deck. Sunday morning, we went to the zoo. Will was more interested in the waterfalls and wood chips than the animals, although, he did wave at the Wallabes. We just relaxed around the house Sunday afternoon. We had rain on and off on Monday, but it was kind of nice to just stay in and play.

Playing in Lake Ontario

































Boating on Lake Superior



















Chihuly













On the Austrailian Trail at the Zoo

































Will loved the petting zoo



























The bears were pretty active













Going for a ride

Playing with Water

Update: Will is officially off the bottle. We cut out his bottles during the day but had kept the bedtime bottle. Now that he sucks down his milk during the day without any trouble, we eliminated the bedtime bottle on Friday. We offered him his sippy cup, but he didn't really want it. He just snuggled and listened to his story.

We had another really fun weekend. Friday night, we went out to dinner at a new hotdog place on Wealthy. It was opened by someone Kristen used to work with at Erika's. Auntie Kate joined us and we all had a good time. Saturday morning, we got up early to do the Hospice of Michigan 5k walk in East. We met at the middle school. Before the walk, Will ran around the gym, listened to the band they had, and splashed in the kiddie pool that was meant to be a giant water dish for the dogs. He was a good boy during the walk - hardly a peep out of him. Then we stopped by the Hofmeyer's to visit. Saturday afternoon we played outside, went grocery shopping, and we sat out on the deck for a few hours after Will went to bed. Sunday was a gorgeous day - probably our first weekend day of true summer weather. We walked into town in the morning and then did a bunch of yard work. Will had a great time playing outside. He loves his sandbox, exploring the yard, and playing with the hose. Phil was helping to water the plants and Will really liked playing with the water. His shirt got soaked but he dried off pretty quickly.

The videos below were too cute - I couldn't pick just one to post. Basically, Will + Suncreen + Sandbox + Freshly Mowed Grass + Dirt = A Messy Boy. He was covered from head to toe so we stripped him down to his diaper and rinsed him off. He didn't mind at all and was pretty sad when we turned the hose off.

We had a busy weekend. Phil was in Chicago for training, so Will and I had a mother/son weekend. We went to swimming Saturday morning and then went to the botanical gardens in the afternoon. Will had a good time walking around and splashing in the fountain. The Chihuly exhibit was there, as well as a bonsai show, so it was really crowded. Saturday night we went out for hotdogs at Crazy Charlie's (Will had half a chili cheese dog and loved it!). Sunday we ran a few errands, walked into town, and played in the yard. After Phil got home, we played outside some more and had a nice family dinner.

Last year, Great Grandma Mary got Will a tree for us to plant in the backyard. We're planning to take a picture of Will by the tree each year so we can see how much both are growing!

Right after we planted the tree















Playing by the tree this year



















One of the Chihuly sculptures



















Playing in the fountain (I had to stop taking pictures because he tried to climb in)













Big horse and a little boy

U of M Alumni Event at the Museum

We organized an event for the Alumni Club at the GR Public Museum. They were having an "after hours" event that included museum admission, carousel rides, their Big BUGS! exhibit, and a kid friendly meal. We had a private room set aside for us so we could eat as a group and let the kiddos play. We had a great turnout and Will was a really good boy!

Checking People In (Wearing matching outfits)




















Will impersonating the bug behind him



















Photo on a Carousel Horse Before the Ride Started













We Ended Up Riding One of the Benches

Will's First Haircut

Will had his first haircut on Saturday. We went to a place called Snip-Its that is just for kids. They have cartoons at each station, toys, fun colors, etc. He waited like a champ for his turn but got a little scared when it was time to sit in the chair. We ended up moving to an adult sized chair and he sat in my lap. Then he was fine and let Tracy cut his hair. They took this photo and gave us a little bag with a small piece of hair (which was actually over an inch long). He looks very cute and has fewer bad hair mornings!

Congratulations, Phil!

Last night, Phil was officially elected President of the U of M alumni club of Grand Rapids. One of his first big responsibilities as president will be speaking at the golf outing. Audience members will include David Brandon, Rich Rodriguez, and John Beilein. Congratulations!

Happy Mother's Day

I had a wonderful Mother's Day. We went to Arnie's to have breakfast with my parents. We got there just after it opened so we were seated right away. Will ate yogurt, several orange slices, and some eggs and pancakes off of our plates. On the way home, we stopped to see Oma and Aunt Mara. Then we spent the rest of the day relaxing at home. When the weather warmed up (there was frost in the morning), we walked into town and then had a nice pizza dinner. It was nice to spend a quiet day as a family.

We were finally able to get a 1 year picture of Will and Porter. He's been chewing his fingers a lot lately so there may be another tooth coming.

Underwater

Swimming Video

Here's one video from swim class. I have another one of him getting dunked but I didn't have time to get it posted. Check back later!

12 Month Check-up

Will had his 12 month check-up on Friday. He was given a perfect bill of health. The doctor was very impressed with his walking and fine motor skills. They also think he is really strong for his age (the nurse discovered this while giving him his shots). Will charmed the doctor and the nurse with his waving, clapping, and played peek-a-boo with them from behind the exam table. Here are his stats from the visit:

Height: 29.75" (50th percentile)
Weight: 23 lbs (54th percentile)
Head Diameter: 18" (68th percentile)

We are supposed to eliminate his bottle and switch from formula to whole milk. He should have 3 sippy cups of milk/day for a total of 12-16 oz. So far, we've switched to two sippy cups of formula during the day but are still doing a bottle of formula at bedtime. He doesn't quite finish the two cups so we want to give him a larger quantity at bed time. Once he gets used to the cups we'll switch to milk. Right now, he spits milk out so we don't want to shock him too badly. He is also supposed to be off baby food. He did a pretty good job of only eating "big boy food" this weekend. He is able to eat peanut butter now and he really likes PB&J sandwiches. He also likes bananas (the last time we tried them he hated them) and adult yogurt. It's nice to have a few go to foods that aren't too difficult to prepare.

We had a nice weekend at home. We walked up to Gaslight and had dinner at Ramona's Table. It was a nice evening so we were able to sit outside. Saturday morning, we had swim lessons. Will did a great job. One of the skills they want us to work on is holding on to the side of the pool. Will grabbed right on and was able to hold himself up for quite a while. Saturday afternoon we ran some errands and then stayed in for dinner. On Sunday, we walked up to Gaslight again for lunch at Olga's. Then we spent some time in the backyard playing in the sandbox. It was a fun weekend!