Friday evening was a fun night. My Aunt Shirley has asked a couple of times if Will could come out and play at the campgrounds at Maumee Bay with them when they're staying out there. It hasn't worked out in the past, but on Friday we decided he could go spend a few hours there in the evening while Craig, Sophie and I went to the Genoa home football game. Despite the face, he was really excited to go. He was just frustrated that I was delaying our departure to the campgrounds with a picture moment. :) But I thought he looked so cute that night:
He took his tricycle with him and rode up and down the paths with Aunt Shirley, Uncle Jim and cousin Brianne. They had a campfire and Will got to roast marshmallows and play in and around the camper. It was a pretty late night, but he had a great time!
So while Will was out "camping", Sophie got some special time with just mom and dad at the football game. Again, a late night for our normally early-to-bed girl... but she was soooo good! She actually wanted to spend most of the evening in Nana's lap so Craig and I watched the game in peace! ;)
This was just after we got home. She was infatuated with toting around my water bottle.
And I took this to show you how cute her little Russian doll shirt and hair clip looked that night. :)
Will and I were up and out the door reeeeeally early on Saturday morning for another kids fun run. Once again, I didn't have to wake him - he was up on his own around 6 despite the late night on Friday (NOTHING will stop this kid from being an early riser!!!) - but he (or, rather, I) paid for it by the later part of the morning. We drove down to Bowling Green to the Wood County Fairgrounds and the race took place (1 lap) around the 1/2 mile horse track. Will was really looking forward to this race as he had been telling me he wanted to run a race ever since his last one. You can tell he's still pretty sleepy though.
This face cracks me up. :) And there were some other littler kids there, but he was still the youngest.
On your marks... get set...
Go!!!
Of the 17 runners present, Will was the last finisher again. :) He still gets distracted once or twice during a race (i.e. he stopped to look at a tractor in the center of the track - LOL) but I'm just glad he's having a good time. And once again, you should have heard the amount of excited cheering that came from the parents and organizers at the finish line. I can't blame them... my kid's pretty cute! ;) And they were all so encouraging and praising of his finish.
Checking out his finisher's ribbon.
The rest of Saturday was also pretty eventful, but unfortunately, I don't have pictures to show for it. I spent the late morning preparing food for parties and, after nap time, we went out to a Labor Day party at some friends' house near the lake. Imagine how bummed out I was when I realized halfway there that I forgot my camera! :( Will got to meet and play with a little boy named Aiden (who actually lives near us! - we need some more boy play mates!) and we all enjoyed good food and conversation with friends. Then after returning home for baths and bedtime, Craig stayed home to watch the football games while I headed over to my mom's for another girls night with the same fun group of ladies as last time. This night involved yummy snacks, games of Mad Gab and Taboo, and discussion of bathroom habits, school stuff and mean girls. LOLSunday was a very low-key, relaxed day. We went for a walk, visited with family, ate a nice dinner and went out for ice cream. Late Sunday morning before lunch, we walked over to Aunt Lori and Uncle Dan's house to pick some homegrown (free!) vegetables. The weather was beautiful and the garden was even prettier.
Dan, Lori and Bethany showed Will how to pick tomatoes, green beans and green peppers and dig up potatoes and carrots.
Sophie tried too!
Digging up a carrot. Check out Bethany's funky-cool socks! :)
Look, mom!
Just like Uncle Dan, Will got to wash off his carrot and start munching right there with the green stem hanging and all. :)
Look at all these yummy veggies we went home with!!! Sophie likes to munch on the raw green beans. And there's nothing better than fresh-picked, cherry tomatoes, warm from the sun.
We packed up all our veggies in a big, paper bag and they rode home with Sophie in the wagon. :)
This was so funny and I love these pictures. Will got to ride his tricycle alongside the wagon for our walk to Dan & Lori's. And on the way home, he managed to steer while still hanging onto that carrot he was eating. 
So he'd ride a little... munch & crunch a little... then ride a little more... and munch & crunch a little more. :) LOL 
In the evening, after a delicious dinner (if I do say so myself), we spent some time with Molly, Cora & Lincoln at the Big Dipper for ice cream and a little "chicken soup for the soul". I mentioned awhile back in this post about some difficult times and family relationship struggles we've been enduring in life right now. It really hasn't changed much since then except that Craig is now out of a job and I'm still struggling with how to feel about/handle/deal with these broken relationships. It's really tough (to the point where I'm feeling physical side effects), but I'm praying hard and I have faith that God will help us get through this and grow from it. I have faith that Craig will be happy in a new job and I'm grateful for his extra time at home spent with the kids and getting little side jobs done around the house. But some days, I just need to vent a little and get some things off my chest. This blog is not the appropriate place for that of course, and Molly has offered on several occasions to listen when I need an ear. So I contacted her about a week ago after a particularly bad day and asked if we could get together and talk. Turns out, she was at the hospital that day after her husband (in his 30's!) suffered from a mild stroke! Molly and her family have been through their own whirlwind of stress since then and, though her husband is expecting a full recovery, he's still not 100% and Molly is on overload with responsibilities and stress. So we packed up the kids and got together for some ice cream and venting while the kids ate and played. I did get some super cute pictures of the kids that night. How could we not smile with these little lights in our lives? :)
Not sure what Cora was saying, but isn't this funny? I think Soph is squinting in the sun.
Monday was another relaxing day. I headed back over to Molly's around lunch time to deliver a meal for her and Cora. (And Skees Fam - if you're reading this - they would really appreciate a ready-made meal any time you could spare one. Molly is trying hard to stay on top of everything on her own and not having to think about dinner would be a huge relief for her. She's uncomfortable asking for help though, so I'm asking for her. It would be greatly appreciated. Oh, and while you're there, head down to Cora's playroom and play with Cora for a bit while Molly gets some stuff done. I promise that playroom is cool enough for adults - she's one lucky little girl! Thanks!) Then I swung by my sister's to chat for a bit - we don't do that enough!!! - while my kids were home napping with Craig.
Dan, Lori and Bethany showed Will how to pick tomatoes, green beans and green peppers and dig up potatoes and carrots.
Sophie tried too!
Digging up a carrot. Check out Bethany's funky-cool socks! :)
Look, mom!
Just like Uncle Dan, Will got to wash off his carrot and start munching right there with the green stem hanging and all. :)
Look at all these yummy veggies we went home with!!! Sophie likes to munch on the raw green beans. And there's nothing better than fresh-picked, cherry tomatoes, warm from the sun.
We packed up all our veggies in a big, paper bag and they rode home with Sophie in the wagon. :)
This was so funny and I love these pictures. Will got to ride his tricycle alongside the wagon for our walk to Dan & Lori's. And on the way home, he managed to steer while still hanging onto that carrot he was eating. 
So he'd ride a little... munch & crunch a little... then ride a little more... and munch & crunch a little more. :) LOL 
In the evening, after a delicious dinner (if I do say so myself), we spent some time with Molly, Cora & Lincoln at the Big Dipper for ice cream and a little "chicken soup for the soul". I mentioned awhile back in this post about some difficult times and family relationship struggles we've been enduring in life right now. It really hasn't changed much since then except that Craig is now out of a job and I'm still struggling with how to feel about/handle/deal with these broken relationships. It's really tough (to the point where I'm feeling physical side effects), but I'm praying hard and I have faith that God will help us get through this and grow from it. I have faith that Craig will be happy in a new job and I'm grateful for his extra time at home spent with the kids and getting little side jobs done around the house. But some days, I just need to vent a little and get some things off my chest. This blog is not the appropriate place for that of course, and Molly has offered on several occasions to listen when I need an ear. So I contacted her about a week ago after a particularly bad day and asked if we could get together and talk. Turns out, she was at the hospital that day after her husband (in his 30's!) suffered from a mild stroke! Molly and her family have been through their own whirlwind of stress since then and, though her husband is expecting a full recovery, he's still not 100% and Molly is on overload with responsibilities and stress. So we packed up the kids and got together for some ice cream and venting while the kids ate and played. I did get some super cute pictures of the kids that night. How could we not smile with these little lights in our lives? :)
Not sure what Cora was saying, but isn't this funny? I think Soph is squinting in the sun.
Monday was another relaxing day. I headed back over to Molly's around lunch time to deliver a meal for her and Cora. (And Skees Fam - if you're reading this - they would really appreciate a ready-made meal any time you could spare one. Molly is trying hard to stay on top of everything on her own and not having to think about dinner would be a huge relief for her. She's uncomfortable asking for help though, so I'm asking for her. It would be greatly appreciated. Oh, and while you're there, head down to Cora's playroom and play with Cora for a bit while Molly gets some stuff done. I promise that playroom is cool enough for adults - she's one lucky little girl! Thanks!) Then I swung by my sister's to chat for a bit - we don't do that enough!!! - while my kids were home napping with Craig. In the early evening, we made our way over to my in-laws house for the Riedeman picnic.
The kids visited with cousin Tess, whom they've never officially met as she just move "home" from Maine! Tess wasn't big on sharing. :)
Kelly & Cecilia
Cecilia's getting sooooo big! She's at the ripe old age of 5 months already!
Big Papa holding Sophie
There were paddle boat rides on the pond.
Daddy & Sophie
Rescuing her from the pesky stone that made its way into her sandal.
Oh, and remember that "sledding hill" that we frequented over the winter at Craig's parents' home? Well, Will calls it a mountain and it turns out it's great for running races (we only allowed running down the back side - not towards the pond - duh), rolling down (Kelly), and "tackling" as Will suggested. It was also nice for Craig, Steve, Kelly & I to just sit and enjoy the peaceful day.
I'm going to apologize now for the sheer number of pictures of Will running that I'm about to share. I'm sorry - they're all so cute and he was having such a good time. I just love seeing that kid smile. :) P.S. - Kelly was dramatically losing in this picture - LOL.
Sophie needed a nudge every other step uphill to keep from leaning too far back. ;)
Racing! I love that he enjoys running so much.
Sweet Sophie was those almost edible cheeks. Don't you junt want to smooch 'em?
Craig and Will had been "tackling" each other off and on while I was perfectly content to stay seated and take pictures. But Will insisted that I "tackle daddy"... so this was my failed attempt as he was flipping me off of him... aaaand my sister in law decided to grab my camera and snap away. LOL
Me and my girl.
Grandma Riedeman has saved every. single. toy. that her kids have ever played with... so there are all sorts of toys from the 70's and 80's for Will and Sophie to enjoy. LOL :)
Ha ha!! I love these two pictures of Will and Papa. Will's expressions crack me up. He is a perfect mixture of Craig and my brother, Zach.
Ope! There's the thumb in the mouth. She's sleepy... time to go home!
Happy Labor Day! Tomorrow starts the first day of preschool!
The kids visited with cousin Tess, whom they've never officially met as she just move "home" from Maine! Tess wasn't big on sharing. :) 
Kelly & Cecilia
Cecilia's getting sooooo big! She's at the ripe old age of 5 months already!
Big Papa holding Sophie
There were paddle boat rides on the pond.
Daddy & Sophie
Rescuing her from the pesky stone that made its way into her sandal.
Oh, and remember that "sledding hill" that we frequented over the winter at Craig's parents' home? Well, Will calls it a mountain and it turns out it's great for running races (we only allowed running down the back side - not towards the pond - duh), rolling down (Kelly), and "tackling" as Will suggested. It was also nice for Craig, Steve, Kelly & I to just sit and enjoy the peaceful day.
I'm going to apologize now for the sheer number of pictures of Will running that I'm about to share. I'm sorry - they're all so cute and he was having such a good time. I just love seeing that kid smile. :) P.S. - Kelly was dramatically losing in this picture - LOL.
Sophie needed a nudge every other step uphill to keep from leaning too far back. ;)
Racing! I love that he enjoys running so much.
Sweet Sophie was those almost edible cheeks. Don't you junt want to smooch 'em?
Craig and Will had been "tackling" each other off and on while I was perfectly content to stay seated and take pictures. But Will insisted that I "tackle daddy"... so this was my failed attempt as he was flipping me off of him... aaaand my sister in law decided to grab my camera and snap away. LOL
Me and my girl.
Grandma Riedeman has saved every. single. toy. that her kids have ever played with... so there are all sorts of toys from the 70's and 80's for Will and Sophie to enjoy. LOL :)
Ha ha!! I love these two pictures of Will and Papa. Will's expressions crack me up. He is a perfect mixture of Craig and my brother, Zach.
Ope! There's the thumb in the mouth. She's sleepy... time to go home!
Happy Labor Day! Tomorrow starts the first day of preschool! 
