Big D Visit

We recently took the long and overdue road trip up to Dallas to visit Aunt Carrie. Carrie has a serious boyfriend, Ryan, who she just moved in with, so we thought it would be a good time to meet him just in case some important question is looming.

After nearly 8.5 hours, we made it up to Dallas in the late afternoon. You forget how long evertything takes with a 19 month old. Constant stops are needed for Will to stretch his legs, and honestly after extended periods of driving, Dad's butt kept going numb. Carrie and Ryan's new home is very nice. It's locate din Frisco in a great neighborhood with a park, and is far enough from town to be away from much of the hustle and bustle (just our speed). Carrie was super excited to see Will, and to our surprise, Will was equally as excited to see Carrie and meet Ryan. The men instantly bonded over a love for soccer and video games.

For our only full day in town, Carrie and Ryan took us to the Dallas Aquarium. It was a perfect choice for a little boy who loves everything animals. Will's eyes were wide open the entire time as he pointed and identified birds, alligators, leopards, and of course lots and lots of fish. The Dallas Aquarium is a very nice complex and reminded us a lot of a larger version of the Amazon exhibit at the Aquarium of the Americas in New Orleans.

After the Aquarium, we walked a little around town, had some really good pizza, and went to Pioneer Plaza, which is a park in downtown with huge sculptures of cattle and cowboys. Again, Will just loved it! It was already getting late in the afternoon, so we just drove by the spot where JFK was shot and then headed back to Frisco while Carrie gave us the nickel tour of her previous apartment complexes and favorite spots.

Before we knew it, our stay was over. It wasn't long, but we made the most of our time, got to know Ryan (and approved of him), and enjoyed being guided around the city seeing where Carrie has called home for the past 4+ years. We're already thinking about a return trip this spring to head to Six Flags, and who knows if another trip for a more important occasion is in store.


Snuggling during Toy Story 3.


Family photo at the Aquarium.


Proud Aunt Carrie with her men.

Hanging out playing the Playstation Move.

So sweet!

Did you see those boots?

Ride 'em cowboy!

Sad to leave.

Tommy Bahama

Everything looks cute on Will... even ugly blue Hawaiian shirts with orange flowers on them. Sorry to whoever bought this shirt or handed it down to us. It's not my style, but my kid sure knows how to make it look hot, even in November.


"South Beach here I come, crooked glasses and all!"

Flintstones. Meet the Flintstones...

"They're a modern stoneage family."

In the morning we usually let Will watch a PBS cartoon program called "Dinosaur Train." He really seems to enjoy learning about dinosaurs (just like his Dad did), so this year for Halloween we decided that he should dress like a dinosaur. We found a really nice costume at Toys 'R Us and fell in love with him in it. Watching him walk around wagging his tail and growling was just too cute!

Being the involved and dorky parents that we are, we decided that we had to compliment Will's costume, so we decided to accompany him as the Flintstones. I guess Will was our Dino even though he didn't look exactly like him.

Trick or Treating this year was a lot more fun than last year. First because we have our own house and neighborhood, but second because Will is now so much more into the fun of holidays. This year we had the whole family over, including my parents, Krissy's parents, the Hoovers, and Corey, Stacy and Noah.

Our little Dino took to Trick or Treating like a pro! Once he got over being shy at the first house or two he learned very quickly that by being a sweet little boy he could really collect some candy! It didn't hurt that Fred and Wilma are big fans of chocolate bars and pushed, I mean encouraged him to visit as many homes as possible. I think even more than the candy, Will just liked being in the middle of all of the fun. Having the family constantly telling him how cute he was and having people smiling at him at every house put him in a good mood. Such a good mood that our little dinosaur was still running around the neighborhood well past the point that we thought he could make it.

Following the Trick or Treating, everyone stayed over at our house to grill hamburgers and watch the Saints game. It was a little packed in our tiny house, but I think everyone had a good time. We can't wait for next Halloween as I'm sure Will is going to be even more excited and involved in all the fun!


Nonna, Wilma, and Dino.


Taking a break from walking.

Snacking on candy between houses.

On your mark... Get set... Go!!!

One day I came home from lunch, and low and behold, Will and Elena were racing around the house. They weren't just running around randomly, they were actually racing!

Krissy told me that when she was watching them, they just started racing. They both would walk over to our refrigerator, lean their backs against it, and then Elena would make two grunting noises ("on your mark" and "get set") before shouting "Go!" Before I knew it, they were both running side by side across the kitchen, around our column, through the living room, and then back to the refrigerator. Once they were both back together, they would again lean against the fridge, look at each other as to say, "You wanna race?," and then Elena would start the race countdown over again.

One of the funniest things was watching Will get a jump start on Elena's "Go!" If Elena would delay just a second from saying go, Will would anticipate her call, and start running without her. Most times he would be a half room in front of her before she was ready to race.

The great thing about all the racing for parents like me and Krissy is that Will enjoys racing with us just as much has he does with Elena. We've had a great time racing around the house laughing and screaming! Let's just hope no one gets a flat and runs into the wall.

Defiant Dude

Turns out our sweet, innocent 18 month old is not so sweet and innocent anymore.... He is going through what I like to call his "let's see how much I can get away with" phase. For example, the other day, Ben was eating lunch and had a bag of chips on the floor next to him. Our sweet little angel decided he wanted some and dumped the entire bag of chips on the floor to make them easier to retrieve. The dumping of the chip bag was followed by a look at both mom and dad then a smirk. To top it off, he slowly walked over to the chips on the floor and tried to secretly step on and smash them as if he thought we didn't know what he was doing. This event was followed by a "no no" from Ben and I to which he replied by mocking us and screaming "No no!" throughout the house as he ran around with the biggest grin on his face. It was quite hilarious.

The other new thing Will likes to do right now is swing his bat, broom, and rake at various things. Today as he and I were outside eating lunch, he got up and decided to swing his broom at the car. After I said no the first time, he swung his broom again, waiting for my reaction, followed by another no from me which still warranted no concerned reaction, but a smirk instead. Finally, the third no warranted him to stop and he ran over and gave me the biggest hug ever with many pats on the back. I knew what he was doing and it totally worked. Those sweet hugs and eyes get me every single time, and he knows it. I know it will probably come back to bite us in the butt, but how stern and serious can you really be with a cute, sweet, innocent 1 1/2 year old?

My Little Messy Man

This blog entry doesn't require a lot of description. I think the pictures nicely depict what it's like to have a very active "into everything" 18 month old boy around the house... and we wouldn't have it any other way :)


I stopped him before it actually got into his mouth. Although dog food is one of his main food groups.


"Cheetos off of the floor just taste better."


"Let me get these Cheerios for you Mom."


"I was just trying to help."


Vandalism at it's best.


"My bowls don't stay in the upright position for very long."

Big Shoes to Fill

Every morning while I'm getting ready for work Will usually decides to wake up. Because he tends to sleep in our bed in the morning, he gets a chance to watch me go through my daily routines. Part of this routine is of course putting on shoes (I don't know what they'd say at work if I came without any). Will loves to help me get my clothes out and has been smart enough to recognize that I wear my brown shoes quite a bit. Usually he just pulls the shoes out and sets them on the bathroom floor for me, but one morning while picking out my clothes, I turned and saw that he had decided to try my shoes on. It was quite a sight, and you could tell that he felt both proud and grown-up (I think this is one of the rights of passage for little kids, to try on their parent's clothes). I let Will where the shoes all over the house, because it was so funny to see him try to walk around with "clown shoes" on. Ultimately he ended up at the garage door with a rake in his hand and demanded that he was going to leave with me. What a goober!


Such a grown-up!


"I'm ready for work Dada."