Cowboys Football

I am happy to say that, at 32 years old, I finally attended a Dallas Cowboy game!  It was William's first Cowboy game too.  We have all been to the fabulous stadium before and were happy to be back for a day of fun with my family.  

William was nearly speechless about all the activity going on in the stadium before the game started.  The cheerleaders, the fireworks and all the people kept our little guy well entertained!  He is a big fan of what he calls "soccerball".  

{Taking it all in with Daddy}

{Watching the cheerleaders during the pregame show.}

{Our little family}

{He was mesmerized....by the football and those yummy carmel pretzels.}

{William's favorite meal!}

{Passed out at half time. #suitelife}

{Standing by some of my favorite players.  Thanks Dad for the fun day!}

{Everyone looking sad about the Cowboys score.}

{Hanging with Skye and Uncle D}

A Hot Dog Halloween

This is the first year we got to do some real trick or treating with William!  We spent our second Halloween in a row with William's "Houston friends".....Teddy, Britton, Eli and the twins.  William was still a little unsure of what was going on.  He did made it up to a few doors steps but didn't actually say "trick or treat".  Once he found out he could eat the candy he just wanted to sit in the stroller and munch on M and Ms!

Here are the fun treats we took to William's school friends on Halloween.  

Pretzel Snack = pretzel, hershey kiss and a candy corn or m and m on top

Perfect size for toddlers

I found this cute tissue paper at Under Five for super cheap.  Then, I just added a glow in the dark bat, play-doh, a snack size candy, and a pretzel treat we made at home.  Tie some string around it and you are done.  :)

William wasn't into the Mickey Mouse ears actually being on his head.  But, at least he didn't mind the costume since "Hot Dog" is his favorite!  We had such a great night with our friends....Grant and Emily even came along for the fun (I'm guessing this night was excellent birth control for them....things tend to get a little crazy with 6 two years running around.  haha).  Britton and William still love each other to pieces.  Look how cute they are holding hands!
Being the typical toddlers they are......I think they had the most fun playing with all of Teddy's toys afterwards.  Oh the life of a toddler!

Fun Fall Activities

In mid October I started working "part-time".  I actually work somewhere between part-time and full-time.  Regardless, it's so much better than 5 days a week!  William and I kick off my part-time status at Houston Zoo Boo.  We had the best mommy/son day.  :)  We got to watch the elephants get a bath (he's still talking about it), we rode the carousel, went to the petting zoo, painted pumpkins and obviously rode the train!  After our adventures at Zoo Boo we met Daddy for lunch in Rice Village....followed by shopping of course.  I can't say how wonderful these extra days have been with William.  I definitely don't think I'm cut out to be a stay at home mom but, an extra day or two a week at home with this little man is perfect.

That following weekend our favorite friends came over for Halloween cookie decorating.  William just dumped a whole container of sprinkles on his cookie and then proceeded to eat a mixture of frosting and sprinkles.  #sugarhigh  The older kids were much better at decorating their cookies!  We are so lucky to get to call these guys our best friends.

Happy Fall Y'all!!!

2 1/2 years old

It's official, William has caught up to all the kids his age!  He has gotten so big and being the toddler that he is, he wants to do everything himself.  Here is what the little guy has been up to these days.....

Time For Your Check Up!

Weight- 26 lbs 2 ounces (up 3 lbs in 6 months) ~ 11% on growth chart (up from 4%)
Height- 35 inches (up 2.5 inch in 6 months) ~ 30% (up from 13%)
Head Circumference- 20 inches (same) ~ 85% (down from 93%)

Eating- Not much has changed in this department.  William is still a good eater.  For breakfast, his favorite is still oatmeal.  He also likes waffles, yogurt and fruit (grapes and watermelon are the fav) at breakfast time.  Eggs are still on the do not like list.  William's not a huge fan of meat, but is more willing to eat it if there is some cheese on it (cheeseburger, hotdog with cheese, ham and cheese sandwich).  Carrots and cherry tomatoes are his favorite vegetables right now.  He still hasn't tried much candy but I can say he loves MandMs.  *At school William drinks out of an open cup like a big boy!!!

Sleeping-  We are still blessed to have a good sleeper!  After a bath and a book W is usually in bed by 8:00 and wakes up around 6:00 or 6:30.  Nap time is the same, 12-2.  Hate to say it but....we still give William his paci in the car and during bedtime.  I can't even begin to think about how hard it will be to take away.  When he's tired he still rubs soft fabric like his lovie and tags on cloth books/pillows.  He'll ask us, "Where's the tag?"    
Development- William can now say 50 + words and he's working on perfecting his jumping skills.  He is a pretty cautious kid so he likes to test everything out first!  William is a pro at our stairs now and he loves to run.  He always tells us, "I run fast!!!".  He knows all of the basic colors except RED.  We can not get the kid to say red.  Every time he sees the color red he yells BLUE!  At this point, I think he's messing with us.  Going to the park has gotten to be a lot of fun (and not so much work for the adults).  William can climb up all the equipment, slide down by himself and even swings on the big boy swing.  
Personality- William is in full blown toddler mode.  We do a lot of redirecting and explaining what actions are not nice/not acceptable.  He's still such a sweet boy that loves giving kisses but he is hard headed.  He truly thinks that his way is the best (only) way.  He'll even tell me "that way" and point to where I need to go when I'm driving.  He may be a little bossy like his mama.  :)         
Clothing size- He can wear a size 4 or 5 diaper .  His shoe size is 5 or 6 (he has become a huge fan of shoes.....you will rarely see him without shoes on these days).  Most of his clothes are 2T except Gap which he wears 18-24 month.  
Things mommy loves- 
Right before bed I'll tell William to take a rest and he'll lay his little head on my shoulder.  I'm so glad he will still cuddle with me for a few minutes every day.  Listening to William laugh when we tickle him is priceless.  The way William asks questions is so cute...."what it IS?" or "where he go?"  When we pull up to the house after school William announces in a sing song voice, "We're home!"   The way he says juice, moose, and fish crack me up.  I need to catch it on video. 
Mommy stuff- Since William's 2nd birthday we let him go to Midland for a week with my family and then to Texarkana for a week with the Goodings.  It's not always easy to "let go" but I know it's what's best for him.  
Things WJG loves- William loves to play!!  He still prefers to be outside but he really loves his play room.  He's getting better about playing on his own.  He cooks food in his kitchen, builds stuff at his work bench, and drives his trucks and trains all around the house.  He really loves his little "bike" Nana got him from Sams.  It's usually the first thing he gets on when we get home from school.  Helping with yardwork is still his favorite.  He loves watching people mow their grass.  His love for trucks has continued....specifically buses, fire trucks and police cars.  He loves pointing out all the buses on the way to school and he tells me every morning, "I wanna touch bus" and "I wanna ride!"  :)  
Sometime at the end of the summer William got hooked on Mickey Mouse, better known as Hot Dog in our home.  Luckily, it's semi educational and not too annoying.  Everything in moderation is the key to TV watching.
Things WJG doesn't like- There isn't a whole lot that William doesn't like.  But, if he finds something he doesn't like he is quick to tell you, "YUCK!".  Getting him to sit in the stroller so I can walk (for a little exercise) has gotten a lot harder recently. :(  Day care drop off has been pretty brutal lately.  He cries and yells, "Where mama go?" when I'm leaving.  Breaks My Heart.  
Favorite Things To Say- "What it is?" "Oh no, a MESS!" "Mama's car?" "Daddy's truck?" "I watch Hot Dog?"  "I wanna help."  When he sees a picture of himself he says, "It's YOU!"  After giving you a kiss sometimes he'll say, "A BIG kiss!"
Funny Dad Moments- Whenever we read books about trucks William points to the truck and says "Daddy Ride!"  Doesn't matter if it's a tractor, a fire truck or a crop sprayer.  His Daddy can drive all of those!!  
First time- William went to San Antonio for the first time in August.  He pee peed on the potty like a big boy for the first time in August and did really well for a month.  Unfortunately, that ended and he's showing NO interest anymore.  William became a cousin in September to baby Katherine (who we'll be meeting at Thanksgiving) and in July he found out he was expecting a boy cousin in 2015.  He was a big brother for a few weeks and hopefully will be again before long.  
From the Doctor-  William is a healthy little boy that got an A+ at his check up.  He didn't have to get any vaccinations (just the flu mist) at this doctor visit.  Besides some dry patches on his scalp and a black toe nail (he dropped a can of corn on it!) he is doing great!  

• Reading Polar Bear, Polar Bear.
• He hates taking pictures.
• He thought escaping to his lion would save him from the camera!
• Such a big boy now. 
• Cutest Moccasins ever by Freshly Picked.

A Week Of Fun

A few weeks ago we were lucky to have Nana and Papa visit us for several days!!!  We always have a blast when they visit.  Daddy gets to go shooting with Papa while we get lots done around town (little gym, grocery store, nap time....).  My parents even got to visit our new church for the first time since our big move out to the burbs.

We made it out for date night

    The little buddy got to stay home with Nana and Papa on Monday and on Tuesday, since it was my day off work, we all went to the Zoo, pumpkin patch, and to the Galleria.  Visits to the Galleria have definitely changed!  William has become a crazy shopper.  He runs around like a mad man, touching everything and laughing the entire time.  Toddlers.  William did make it out of the Galleria with a sweet new pair of Spiderman boots!  After all of that, we headed to William's 2.5 year check up.  The little guy lucked out and got the flu mist instead of the flu shot!  

Shop Til You Drop

 

Spaghetti Lover  |  Ready for the Choo Choo  |  This is usually the silly face I get when I ask him a question  |  Walking with Nana  |  "I wanna touch?!?  |  Ducks, water, train, zoo = He loves Hermann Park

It is always so great having my parents in town!  Having dinner ready when you get home from work is awesome.  :)  We can't wait for them to visit again.  Thanks for putting some sparkle in our week.