Chop!

Will was fortunate enough to follow after his father in one regard - hair.  Little Amanda was born with some hair, but it promptly fell out and didn't really make a comeback for a couple years. 

Mr. Will was born with a pretty full head of dark hair - with a particularly think patch right on top.  And, while it thinned a little, most of it stayed. 

The original 'do.

The downside to this is that the hair on top has always been about twice as long as the rest of his hair.  This has become a particular problem in the last month or so, as it is always in his eyes!  So, I'm constantly pushing it to the side, which ended up looking like a bit of a comb-over - which is never a terribly desirable hairstyle.

I wanted to make sure we got some family portraits and a few decent 12-month shots of him before we cut his hair.  We did some family pictures on the 20th, so it has been documented.  On the 26th, Geoff and I decided that the time had come to get that boys hair out of his eyes.  We made an appointment at a local children's salon called "Lil' Whipper Snippers" and so it was done!

An idea of the hair-in-eye (and food) we've been dealing with.

And the comb-over.  My dad affectionately referred to it as the "Hitler" hairdo.

There were some tears, some giggles, and some total confusion, but in the end - he looks adorable.  At this length I'll have more styling options (style it up in the front, down in the front, fauxhawk, etc...).  Plus, we're getting some family pictures taken with the Parker clan when we are in Utah this weekend, so we'll get some family shots with the new 'do as well. 

First snips

"Mom, get me outta here!"

All done!

Feeling better.

Back at home afterward.

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End of Year Wrap Up!

Well, in case it wasn't apparent, I'm on the naughty list for bloggers this year.  I do take some solace in the fact that my blog feed in general has been pretty meager these past couple of months.  At least, it seems, I'm not alone.

I feel bad, though, as the last couple months around here have been pretty exciting!  Will turned one, we celebrated Thanksgiving, I went on a business trip, Geoff graduated from NDSU, we celebrated Christmas, we're taking a trip to visit Geoff's family in Utah next week.  All in all, a lot of happenings to document - none of which have been documented here!  So, here's a quick recap of the big ticket items.

November 4th, 2012:

Mr. Will turned one.  He got an ear infection on his birthday, so he wasn't the happiest of fellows (as evidenced by his rather despondent birthday photos).  However, he is anything but despondent.  At his 12 month checkup he was 30.5 inches and 24.5 lbs.  He took his first steps on his birthday and has loved the world opened up to him by walking.  He loves books and reading.  He is really starting to "talk."  He has a few words he's starting to use with a bit more purpose (dada, mama, and up being the most common words, but still not used regularly).  But, he is practicing his inflection and is asking about everything.  He started pointing a couple weeks ago and is constantly asking for and about all the things around him.  He repeats sounds really well and I figure it's just a matter of time before all that jabber starts to morph into words.  He loves food.  If I had to pick his favorites, I'd say grapes, chicken, turkey (lunch meat), beans, and broccoli.  But, he rarely turns down anything.  Although, he'll only drink milk and [sometimes] water.  No juice for this kid - which I don't really mind, except for I hate to give him quite so much milk!

November 22nd, 2012:

We celebrated Thanksgiving here in Fargo with some friends.  I cooked the turkey (yikes!), rolls, glazed carrots, a pumpkin roll, and a caramel pecan pumpkin pie.  It was delicious and fun to be with friends.

December  3-7, 2012:

I traveled to Albany, NY to conduct some follow-up training for a client along with another co-worker of mine.  It was the longest I've been away from Will and it was a week before Geoff's finals.  We all struggled a bit with this one, but we made it through.

December 14, 2012:

Geoff graduated from North Dakota State University with his Bachelor's degree.  I'm so proud of that man.  Now for the hard part, job hunting!

December 24-25, 2012:

We celebrated a wonderful Christmas, just the three of us, in Fargo.  We spoiled each other (as usual) and loved watching Will open presents and enjoy the day.  Mostly, we love any opportunity to be together as a family and celebrating the joy of Christmas together was really wonderful.

I did finally put [most of] my Christmas cards in the mail today (I'm still missing a few addresses).  So, after I give those a few days to start arriving, I'll post some our family pictures we had taken.

And, soon we'll be packing up for a much-anticipated trip out to Utah to visit with the Parkers.  It's been a long time since we were able to see them, so we're excited to get out there and get away for a bit.  

And in case I don't blog in time:

Happy New Year!  2013 is going to be a good one!

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All Grown Up!

Yesterday was Will's first birthday.  I'll blog more about the birthday festivities later, but for now, I wanted to let you know - he's started walking!  He took his first steps on his first birthday. 

There's no going back now...

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Will's First Halloween

Last year on Halloween I was confined to bed rest (2 days away from induction!).  I remember feeling the torture of all the ADORABLE Halloween-themed baby clothes and costumes and wishing my little guy felt like coming early.

I'm glad he didn't.  But, we did have to wait nearly a year for his first Halloween.  It was a blast.  I thought long and hard about our costumes and considered a variety of options (some which may be future costumes for coming years), but settled on Will and me as bees and Geoff as the beekeeper.  This came together great! Will was adorable, I loved an excuse to get into costume, and Geoff's no-fuss costume ensured he wouldn't put up a fight.  haha.

We had a great time at the ward carnival/trunk or treat and got some decent pictures (Will is at an age where it's pretty much impossible to get him to sit still for a photo - he is ALWAYS on the go)

Happy Halloween!  I can't believe my boy will be 1 in just 3 days.  Time really does fly!

Giggles with the queen bee and baby bumble bee.

Captured by the beekeeper

The church gym was an exciting place.

Thinking about walking while peeking from behind mom.

Pausing briefly before continuing around the gym.

The whole clan.  Happy Halloween!

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My October

What have I been up to, you ask?  Let me tell you. 

October 1: I turned 26.  It's kind of baffling.  I graduated college 5 years ago.  I met my husband 7.5 years ago. I graduated high school 8 years ago.  I got my driver's license 10 years ago.  I got my first kiss 11 years ago.  I met my BFF 20 years ago.  Life really does fly!

October 6-15: Packed, searched for apartments, found a new home for Romulus. 

October 15: Got Rom neutered.  Will got sick.  Double ear infection - antibiotics are needed.

October 18: Signed our new lease at our great new place.

October 19: Rented a U-haul and loaded up all our stuff and moved.  This is the day that we sent Rom to his new home.  This was a rough day. 

October 20: Continued to move.  I contracted Will's sickness. 

October 22: Put Rubio on a plane to go to Utah where he'll be staying with his aunt Steffanie for a little while.  This was a rough day.  Carpets cleaned at the old house.

October 23: Cleaned the house top to bottom, removed any final belongings.

October 24: One last trip to the house to put "giveaway" stuff on the curb for takeaway the next morning, throw away trash, and grab final belongings out of the garage.

October 25: Closing day.  Handed over the keys to the old house.

October 27: Costume finalization and pumpkin carving!

October 30: The realization that I can focus on my life again, and not just the perils of moving.  HAPPY DAY.

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Now You Know...

Embarrassing facts about me:

1) I spill/drop everything.  If something is important to your (or delicious) I would advise against asking me to hold, transport, carry, or taste it.  Odds are it is going to end up on the ground or carpet of my car.  My husband finds this to be one of my lesser desirable qualities. 

2) I can't spell the word receive.  I mean, I can, but not without repeating the rule "i before e except after c."  And at least 50% of the time I type it wrong on first try and have to fix it.  I don't know why I can't get it through my head. 

3) Commercials make me cry.  If a commercial comes on for Disneyland or Extreme Makeover: Home Edition, I'm going to get teary-eyed.  I try to fight it...but it's no use. 

4) I'm afraid of trampolines.  I used to bounce on them plenty as a kid...but these days, I can't get on one.  I am not looking forward to the day when Will is old enough to want to jump on them.

5) I had to learn about Gangnam Style from my mom.  Yes, that's right, my mom is cooler than me.

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15 Things I Love

Life has been 15 ways past overwhelming the last month or so.  So, in order to make sure I keep my head on straight, here are 15 things that I love (in no particular order).

You know, counting my blessings and whatnot to keep myself from going crazy.

1) My mini man
2) My not-so-mini man (that hub of mine)
3) Oakland A's baseball (thanks mom and dad for the reminder!)
4) Diet Coke
5) A job well done
6) Laughing so hard you cry
7) Pumpkin-flavored EVERYTHING
8) A good night's sleep
9) My family, however far away they may be
10) Education
11) New clothes
12) My fit bit
13) Good friends
14) Prayer
15) Witty repartee (the very reason I can rarely go a day without chatting with Mama G)

What do YOU love.  Enjoy it today!

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