On the road again...

We just got back from our annual trip to visit family in Nebraska. It was our usual hectic trip, trying to squeeze in as much as we could but still not feeling like we had enough time. We celebrated (Great) Grandpa Heyen's 80th birthday, and as you can see, Grandpa Willis and William not only look alike, they also dress alike! We got to visit all sides of the family and Will got to play with his little cousins. It was great! This was the first time that some of the little ones had met so the old people (ie: parents) had a blast watching them interact...and then breaking up the chaos. We wish we could have stayed longer but we'll make another trip soon enough.

Playing with cousin Tanner...they were obsessed with sticking the decorative stars to the balloons!

















Will and Aunt Rachel. Like any good aunt, she spoils Will rotten. I wonder why he loves her so much...

















We got to stay in Fremont with Great Aunt Jody and Great Grandma Vivian. They took Will to an indoor waterpark, which he loved. There's nothing like water shooting out of a turtle's mouth!
















Will and Great Grandpa Pat and Great Grandma Irma. We had a lot of fun playing at their house. They even let us borrow their van so we didn't have to rent. Thanks!

















Will spent a lot of time with cousins Connor and Andrew while we were in Nebraska. He couldn't get enough of his cousins...I think it was all the testosterone! Will loved following Connor around and imitating his every move. And he would continually sit in Andrew's lap, even when Andrew was busy with something else. It was clear how much he loves his cousins!

Kitchen Cabinets....finally!

It is amazing what a little paint can do. When we first moved in, our kitchen was so ugly that I didn't even want to cook in it. Horrible knotty pine cabinets, faux wood laminate countertop, fruit tile backsplash. I'm sure this was hip in the early 90s but not now. So we got new countertops, ripped down tile, and Keith set out painting our ugly but sturdy cabinets. It has been a LONG project, we're talking months here, mostly because Keith's schedule is so unpredictable that he rarely had a big chunk of time to work. But this past weekend he finally painted the last doors! The man is handy...who knew??? They look great and his months of hard work (hours of sanding alone!) have really paid off. Way to go, Handyman Keith. If the economy keeps going south, look for a handyman for hire at a hardware store near you!

A day in the life...

As all parents know, a day in the life of a toddler is full of excitement! We run, we play, we throw things at people, we laugh, we cry, we throw full-fledged tantrums including screaming, flailing, and beating our heads on the floor. "We" may not be literal but I don't want to single anyone out. :) Will has had some exciting times lately. We are able to get out and play with our friends once a week. We also go to the indoor play place a few times a week. He loves to slide down the giant inflatable slides. Two hundreds slides is not excessive in the life of a 15 month old! Oh, and his favorite activity seems to be chasing the cats around the house, trying in vain to get that elusive handful of fur without being swatted and hissed at. The pursuit contines. We spent some time helping Daddy rake the leaves this weekend. Someone is a very good helper...


Aunt Jill came to visit this weekend. Will had to show her how scary he was as a monster on Halloween. Aunt Jill was appropriately scared.















Will loves music; he may be the next big rock star, sans all the drugs and issues that seem to come along with that! Here he is enjoying some tunes.

Happy Halloween!

We had a very scary Halloween this year. We awoke to find a three-eyed monster in the house! He started off kind of quiet but quickly ROARED to life. He kept searching for candy, even though he isn't really allowed to have any. Animal crackers were about as exotic as it got! How do you entertain a spotted, blue three-eyed monster? We took him trick or treating at a local nursing home and then we had a party with all of the monster's friends. There was an elephant, a clown, a flower fairy, a great pumpkin, a pea in a pod, Princess Jasmine, and Minnie Mouse. Peter Griffin even made an appearance! The monster has very diverse friends. We had a great time, despite our low blood sugar from lack of candy. There's always next year!


Monsters are very intelligent. This one quickly caught on to the whole trick or treat thing! (What do you mean I can't eat it???)





















Some people were less creative with their costumes. Meet "Dave". I think we know where Will gets his creativity!















Will the Monster with his friends Ironman and Bumblebee!

Picasso's Pumpkin

Will brought out his mad artistic skills today by painting his first pumpkin! We decided he isn't quite ready to use a sharp knife and saw to carve...so paint it was. He had a great time. I expected it to be a finger-painting session but he grabbed the brush and got right to painting. It was pretty messy but most of the paint was contained to Will, his clothes, the driveway, and Keith's jeans. I stayed clean. Keith also carved his own pumpkin, which turned out much less messy than Will's. But not as artistic, that's for sure. Two creative geniuses!


Messy boy!




The finished products.

Pumpkin Pickin'

Today we took Will to the pumpkin patch and let him pick out his very own pumpkin. He has a blast! He ran from pumpkin to pumpkin trying to pick each one up. He kept going for the giant pumpkins...maybe he has little man's syndrome and thinks he's bigger than he is!! He is looking forward to finger painting his pumpkin soon. Pictures to follow of that messiness.



Which one should we choose? There are so many!













We had a great time!













Will and Mommy posing in the pile of pumpkins!












Enjoying the hayrack at the pumpkin patch.











Will meeting his first horses. He liked them a lot and thought they were just big puppies!

Grandma and the Aunties came to town!

Will was very spoiled last week when Grandma Gigi and her entourage of Aunties visited our neck of the woods. Grandma Gigi, Aunt Donna, Aunt Fran, "Aunt" Margie, and "Aunt" Mandy showed us quite a good time. We spent a little time on the beach; however, due to some cold weather and rain, we ended up visiting almost every mall in the area during the week! I even got some new clothes out of the deal...not bad for me. Will really enjoyed all of the attention from Grandma and the Aunties. Thanks for coming to Virginia!

Will and Grandma Gigi riding a horse at the mall! A Grandma's love knows no end...


The Heyens on the beach.