Racing for the Cure

Sunday was a perfect morning for the annual Susan Komen Race for the Cure. My mom and Will and I walked the 5K in downtown Toledo - well, actually, Will "rode" on my back. The weather was beautiful and there were over 17,500 people walking/running!



Will's excited to be here - can't you tell?



He was really good though and had fun clapping along to the music and crowd cheering along the route.

A Trip to the Pumpkin Farm

Last year, our trip to Fleitz Pumpkin Farm wasn't till mid October. That seemed like barely enough time to even enjoy our pumpkins. So this year, Casey and Will and I went early to pick out our pumpkins. We had such a good time, I definitely want to go back with Craig in a couple weeks. (He was busy working at Kelly's again today in preparation for the wedding next weekend!)

Will picked out a pumpkin that was just his size and I got 2 larger ones for decorating. I have a cute idea for painting pumpkins this year instead of carving and I can't wait to try it. Will called the pumpkins: "puppies". It was so cute!

The Fleitz's had all kinds of kiddie and adult activities set up around the farm. Will loved the slide and all the colorful gourds to touch and looking at the goats. But he wasn't such a fan of the super tiny straw maze they had set up for kids under 6. They had some delicious, hot apple cider and when we go back with Craig, I'd like to try the hay ride and the bigger corn maze.

It was such a fun way to welcome fall!

Will is 15 1/2 months!

Wow! I've been a lazy blogger lately. [Hides face in shame] Sorry.

Will went to his 15 month well check appointment last week and weighed in at 23# even and 31 1/4" long. He's right around the 50th percentiles for both and looked great on his exam. He got 3 more shots and is scheduled to go back at 18 months.

Will's new favorite song is "If you're happy and you know it" and he claps his hands and stomps his feet on cue. So cute! He also points to his nose, ears, belly and head, and stick out his tongue on request. And he loves to make "car noises" when he sees a car or truck go by.

Here are some picture updates.

Our country clubbin' baby.



Farmer Will has to start earning his keep around here. So he's on lawn-mowing duty.



"Yep, I farm these here parts. Every last acre."



My two boys playing a little pigskin.

Our Little Ringbearer

We tried on Will's tux tonight for Kelly & Steve's wedding, which is just a few weeks away! It was a pain the butt to get on and off. The whole thing looks terribly uncomfortable... but he looks stinkin' adorable. :)

Will wasn't in the best of moods trying it on because he was hungry and getting tired. I hope he maintains his usual good mood for the ceremony and pictures. After that, we can take the jacket off and relax a bit.

Grandma Riedeman made a decorative, white, slip cover of sorts for the wagon that he will be pulled down the aisle in. So we're getting excited for the big day!

Craig & I are both in the wedding too so it will probably be a late night for us. Will will likely be missing his afternoon nap that day and it will be a long and busy day for him. It's way too much to ask for a 15 month old to stay up till the end, so we're going to arrange to have Will taken home for a reasonable bedtime that night so that Craig & I can stay on and remain involved.

For the past several weeks, Craig has spent every weekend and at least 2 nights during the week over at Kelly & Steve's house working on getting the property ready for the big day. It's going to be a beautiful ceremony and reception and I hope everything turns out perfectly for bride and groom.

"Walk this way"

Today we went to the park again for another picnic lunch and walk with Molly and Cora. Will was walking everywhere and loved checking out the tennis courts. It was a gorgeous day and our picnic was so yummy.


Also this weekend, Will came to watch the Comets dominate the Red Skins. Here's our little future Comet:



And check out my big boy drinking from a regular cup! No sippy top - very impressive!



And finally, this weekend we discovered 2 more new molars coming in while brushing his teeth. So he has 11 teeth in all now.

It's all fun and games...

...until someone rips the pop-up book.

Will absolutely LOVES books right now. We read several every morning and before bed. He loves to turn pages and especially loves touch-and-feel pages. It's so exciting to see him start to remember some of our books by following commands before I even read the page. For example, he "waves good night to the moon and stars or good morning to the sun" when we get to that page in God Made Me. And he pretends to brush his teeth when we read about it in My Goodnight Book. We mostly stick to board books still, but we have one favorite pop-up book that we read regularly and, unfortunately, Will got a little too curious about the moose that was sticking its tongue out at him. Poor Mr. Moose.

This week, Will can push up to a stand from sitting on the ground. Before Wednesday, he used to crawl to something or someone to pull himself up even though he can walk like a champ now. I'd seen him squat down and stand back up before, but only since two days ago has he been able to keep his balance getting up to a stand from the ground by himself.

Also, if it's possible, I think my kid got cuter this week. He just seems extra adorable to me. Maybe it's his persistently blonde hair or his endless eyelashes. Or the fact that he is so busy and curious all the time now. It's amazing to watch a child grow and change before your eyes. He's so awesome to me.

Anyway, here's some new pictures. I've slowed down a bit on picture-taking recently. Reason being: our external hard drive is FULL! That includes all our music, videos and pictures. I calculated somewhere in the range of 2,100 pictures I've taken of Will since his birth. So we're in the market for a new hard drive and in the meantime, I'm deleting old, unimportant stuff to make room for my picture obsession.

A snack-picnic in the front yard last Sunday.

See what I mean? How cute is this face?


Exploring outside. Will is like a magnet to steps.


Sometimes the most random things are entertaining toys for Will. On Sunday, he carried around a mini bottle of lotion for hours.


Getting our water bottles ready to head out on our walk Wednesday evening.


We go for walks about 3-5 days a week.


Another one of Will's favorite types of toys - a "ball". (Also his favorite word.)


Taking Brutus's ball.


Check out the t-shirt. I thought that was cute.