Christmas - Part 1

Will is getting good mileage out of this first Christmas...he has already raked it in and the big day isn't even here yet! On Saturday his godparents, Chris and Melissa, brought Will his first Christmas present. As you can see here, it's a big hit...


Chris and Melissa just had a little girl and Will and Elyse had to take some pictures in their matching Christmas pjs. I'm not sure if Will is trying to eat her or kiss her, but we'll go with kiss! He loves his new little friend, although she's not quite up to his speed yet...



Then on Sunday we had Christmas with Todd's family. The little guy cleaned up! Here he is opening some of his gifts with his grandpa.


Now we are in Nebraska and he will be celebrating a white Christmas! It is cold here so he has to bundle up, which he is not so used to, but we promise to have at least one picture in the snow. :)

Santa is my homeboy

After being baby Jesus we went and had the other mandatory Christmas experience -- Will went to see Santa! He did a great job and treated Santa just like everyone else -- he laughed at him. :)

Here is the official picture from the day that the photographer took...they even made us sign a waiver to use him as an example photo.

And then we had to take another one to show off his cool shirt -- compliments of Aunt Jess! I don't think Santa quite knew what to think of being Will's "homeboy."

All in all it was a great first experience with Santa...of course we'll see how it goes next year when he actually knows what is going on!

Away in a manger

Will spent his 7th month birthday in interesting fashion...he was baby Jesus! Our church is having Old Town Bethlehem this weekend and we were the nativity family for Saturday night. God obviously had a hand in the evening as Will was incredible all night. He smiled and laughed and charmed anyone who came by, took pictures with more kids than Santa, and all for 3 1/2 hours! Our little Jesus didn't spend much time in the manger and definitely didn't look like a newborn babe, but he was the star of the evening and you could see the joy in people's faces as they came to see him. It really was a cool night, although exhausting for all of us! There were literally hundreds of pictures taken of us all night, but here are a couple that were actually on our own camera...

November in pictures

A rockin good time

We are spending this week in Nebraska and Will has not been lacking entertainment. My sister has a friend that had all kinds of baby stuff -- he is more set up here than he is at home! But one of his new favorite play things is actually not new at all. It's a little red rocking chair. This chair was bought for my dad when he was a baby, it was ours when we were kids, and now it's been sitting at my dad's house ready for Will. We put him in it for the first time yesterday and as you can see he thinks he's pretty big stuff!

Here we come!

Hey everyone! We will be in Nebraska on Sunday, so get ready! We will be flying with the little guy for the first time, so this should be an adventure for all of us. We are getting into Omaha on Sunday morning and will be around until Friday morning. We would love to see anyone we can, so Nebraskans -- give us a call! :)

October in pictures

Busy month!!

I can't believe October is already over! We were so busy, it was here and gone before we knew it. Here are just a few highlights from the last couple of weeks...


The pumpkin patch! Our church youth group hosts a pumpkin patch every year and it was the perfect backdrop for fall pictures! After one failed attempt at picture taking, we were much more successful on our second visit. Will was still much more interested in watching everyone else and not smiling for his parents, but we did manage to snag a couple of good ones.



The big event of the month was Todd's brother, Craig, got married! We were all very excited to officially add Sarah (yes, there are now 3 of us) to the family. Will was able to take part in the festivities and meet all kinds of aunts, uncles, and cousins that he hadn't seen before. He even got all dressed up for the big event...



And then there was Trunk Treats! The week of Halloween our church has a night where people come and decorate their cars, get in costume, and the kids all trick or treat. It is a lot of fun to see all the little kids and even what all the adults come up with each year. Unfortunately for Will his parents are not huge fans of Halloween or costumes! But he did have a great look for the night -- he went as "the most influential man in his life" -- otherwise known as he dressed up to look like his dad! :) I have to admit the guys look pretty cute...

5 months old!

It's hard to believe, but it's already been 5 months since Will joined our house and turned it upside down! :) It's funny how in some ways the time has gone so fast and at other times, I can't believe there was ever a time when he wasn't around.

This month has been a big one...Husker football, a hurricane, solid food, and two teeth are making their appearance! Every day he gets closer to making his move across the room...he has started sitting (with a little help and minimum distraction!) and he will stand if you put him there. This week he has started getting up on his toes, sticking his butt in the air and trying to push forward -- on his face! It won't be long now...:)

Will's friend

Even though we don't have a dog, Will already has his own little best friend! Mollie, Chris and Melissa's dog, has been around Will since he was born and they have just kind of co-existed. That is until last weekend...all of the sudden Will realized that Mollie is a living, breathing, moving thing and now he can't get enough of her! The feeling seems to be mutual as Mollie loves to lick and play with Will too. Check out the video of the new friends below...

Go Big Red

Ok, I know we lost -- but it wasn't for a lack of spirit from this family! Just because I think we were cursed by having the Colorado pic up this week, I have to change it to a family Husker one! Here's the fam showing our school spirit...we tried to cheer!

Happy Birthday Justin

Okay, apparently if you buy it, Will will wear it! :) I can't believe I did it, but I actually put my son in Colorado Buffs clothing! Todd's birthday was yesterday and he had a special package from Amber and Justin from Colorado in the mail. They seem to think since he has been spotted in LSU and Nebraska clothing that he needed a little black and gold too. (The only reason the little guy is smiling is because I was singing the Nebraska fight song while taking this picture!)

So since Justin's birthday is today, here is a little gift for him --

Happy Birthday Justin!

Hurricane Ike

First of all -- we're okay!! I know many of you have tried to check on us and have had trouble getting through on the phone, but we're fine! Actually, we've been more than fine -- we only lost power for a few hours and only lost a fence in the backyard.

Things we have found out through the hurricane --

1. Our house's power is on the medical power grid. This means that we will always be the last ones to lose power and the first ones to get it back. This meant that we had power a day or more before anyone else we knew -- which didn't make them very happy with us, but they did come take advantage of our water and power! :)

2. Having no landscaping is good! We have complained since we moved in that we have nothing in our backyard, but right now I am glad! The only thing that happened at our house was our old, needed to be replaced anyway fence fell down. I've never been so glad to not have trees! :)

Apparently 75 mph winds came through our neighborhood during the storm. It didn't sound too bad during the storm and when we looked at our yard we thought maybe we were spared any major damage out here. But then we drove around the neighborhood and saw things like this ---


Did I mention that mom, grandma, and Jess were here for the storm? They flew into town Thursday night and we here to weather the weekend with us. It didn't bother them in the least -- we played lots of Scrabble, cards, and dominoes...not much different than a weekend out in Farnam! Even Will got into the game a few times...


Overall we are very, very lucky. Many of the stores are still closed and all the grocery stores and gas stations are packed and a little crazy, but each day things start to go back to normal a little more. So far we are out of school thru Wednesday and are hearing we may be out all week due to major damage to some of our schools.

Thank you to all of you that have been checking on us through email or phone calls. The phone service has been a little touch and go, but it is also getting better. We love and miss all of you!

4 months old!

Our little man is 4 months old! Of course this means that we had to go get shots again...but it actually went pretty well. He let out one big wail when it happened and then he just whimpered until he fell asleep when we hit the car. Much better than last time!

Will is almost 16 pounds and 24 inches long now! His weight is in the 75th percentile and his length is 80-85th percentile. Staying right one track with where he has been since birth -- if he's anything, he's consistent! :)

August

Football season!

We are ready for some football in this house!

Saturday morning, we had to support Uncle Chris by rooting for the Tigers. Of course we had to be decked out in our LSU gear that he bought us! The sign was compliments of mom...



In typical LSU style, Will drank during the game and then ate at half time! He had his first try at some cereal...



But I think he liked eating his bib better than the cereal...



And then in the afternoon, we had to get ready for the BIG game...well, at least in this house!



We actually had to go to a friend's house to see the game because it was on pay per view and our cable company didn't have it...which probably means they won't be our company for much longer! :) But Will sat with his dad and watched the game like a good little Husker!

Big week with Wanda!

We've had a big week around here! We thought we had our child care situation figured out a few weeks ago, but this Monday we ended up starting somewhere new. It turned out to be such a blessing! Now Will goes to Wanda's house where there are only two other kids and he is close to where I work. Other than the fact that he comes home smelling like a vanilla Yankee candle:), we are so glad to have found this situation. Amber -- it kind of reminds me of Grandma Neila's house! He has come home so happy and exhausted every day -- which makes his mom and dad very happy! :)

We had been holding off on putting together his exersaucer from Uncle Eric and Aunt Sania because we thought he was still too little...that is until we went to Wanda's. I picked him up on the first day and she said that he had been playing in her activity gym and was loving it! So when Todd got home he put Will's together. He still needs propped up a little bit, but he is quickly figuring it out. As you can see it is a hit!:)

Now that he has checked out the world from a higher vantage point he has decided he likes it! So this weekend we went and got him a bumbo seat -- and he loves being up in all the action. We put him in it so he can sit at the table with us -- and he sits in it to talk to his grandma and grandpa on the computer...he thinks he is quite the big boy now!

This weekend we were on the go a lot -- and that included a stop and Colleen and Bryan's house Friday night. WIll was the hit of the party as he has become quite the flirt! He had a great time smiling at Aunt Fun and Karen the whole night! :)

Well as busy as last week was, I think it's only going to get busier this week. School starts tomorrow! Hopefully the little man will continue to enjoy Miss Wanda's house and come home ready to relax every night -- because his mom and dad certainly will! At least there is a three day weekend at the end of it...

Put me in coach!

Our Husker is ready for football season!

July

The newest Reeder (Tones!)

This week we became aunt and uncle again! Todd's sister Sarah (yes, there are a lot of us!) had her little boy and more importantly, our nephew. :) Cameron Joseph joined the family on Sunday and I know Sarah and Doug are glad that he's finally here.

Here's the proud mama and her newest little boy...



Will and Cameron haven't met yet, but I'm sure they will soon. And just wait until all the boys ( 3 of them within a year -- yikes!) have a chance to become mobile and start plotting together -- I think we're all in trouble!

On a roll...

For a few weeks now Will has been trying to master the art of rolling over. Well, consider it mastered! At first he was just able to do it if he was on a soft surface (his favorite being the couch) but in the past few days he has figured out how to get over just about anywhere. This has been especially fun for me because not only has he figured it out, but he wants to do it ALL the time! Any time you put him down on his back, he is flipping over almost immediately and seems to be trying to figure out how to keep rolling...just getting to his back is not enough apparently (and much to the dismay of his parents who now have to keep an eye on him constantly...).

Here's a video of the little guy making his move!

Will's Baptism

Today was Will's baptism! Although I don't think Will realized how special of a day it was, he behaved beautifully. I, of course, was worried he would cry or have some kind of "accident" while he was in the arms of the minister and in front of the entire congregation, but he just hung out and looked at everyone like it was no big deal. It was really touching to have so many people share this day with us...and kind of emotional. It was the first time that we were really vocalizing that we are responsible for making sure that Will grows up with strong values and beliefs. No pressure or anything! :)

Todd's parents came to see Will baptized...



We are very happy to have our good friends Chris and Melissa as Will's godparents. We can't think of any two people better suited for this role than them.



Dr. Simmons, the senior pastor at our church, performed the baptism. It was especially meaningful because he is Chris' dad and they have become like family to us. Not to mention they have a Nebraska connection because his wife Carol's sister lives in Lincoln...we were destined to find each other! :)


After church we had a few friends out to the house for lunch. Once again Will received many beautiful gifts from those who love him. He is such a lucky kid and he doesn't even know it yet!

Weekend fun

We had a busy weekend around here -- which seem to be a theme. :) Friday night we had our first experience with a babysitter because we went to a wedding. Both Will and the babysitter seemed to survive, and so did we. :) It was fun to get out with our friends and enjoy adult company (and conversation!) for a while. The wedding was beautiful and we had a great time. It was my first time being part of a "house party" -- which for those of you in Nebraska, the house party takes care of all those odds and ends at the wedding -- guest book, personal attending, reception greeting, etc. It was fun!



Then on Saturday we headed up to Humble to celebrate Will's cousin's birthday -- our nephew Taylor is 1! Here the cousins are with their grandparents...



Taylor had a good time at his birthday -- especially when it came time to enjoy his cake --



By the time Sunday came around I think our little guy was pooped...

Two months old!

Will turned 2 months old this weekend and once again, we were in the car! We went to Shreveport with Chris and Melissa to celebrate the 4th at Melissa's parents' house. We all had a great time and once again Will was a great traveler and charmed everyone. Here he is showing off his belly and looking a little like all of us felt after a weekend of overindulging on pretty much everything...



Will also had his two month checkup today. He now weighs 12 lbs 10 oz and is 24 inches long. He is staying right where he has been the whole time, at about the 75th percentile. We also had the first experience with shots -- which was not fun! I don't know who it was harder on, Will or his mom! He was pretty upset but Todd put on his Jimmy Buffett children's CD when we got in the car and he calmed down...like father, like son I guess...:)

June

Here are a few pictures from June...our little guy is 8 weeks old today and has done a lot with his time! I have also loaded all our June pics into Shutterfly, so check them ALL out there if you just can't get enough of us! :)