Go Big Red

Last week Todd was a champ and drove all of us to Nebraska for the week to see everyone. We were really nervous that Will wouldn't be a good traveler in the car for 15 hours, but he actually did great! I packed enough food to last until Will starts school, new toys to discover at crucial pre-breakdown moments, and a laptop filled with never before seen videos. We were ready! I gave very specific guidelines to the driver as well -- stops were only for gas, food, and diaper changes -- that all must occur at the same time. All adults must grin and bear it and don't even THINK about stopping if he's napping! Here's the trooper (and I mean Will, not Todd) on the way to Nebraska --



We stopped along the way and stayed overnight to give everyone a break and ensure a good night sleep (and in turn, good attitudes in car -- very important!) Again, important criteria -- hotel must have continental breakfast and a pool to entertain the little guy (and wear him out for bed!) Here are my guys on the way to the pool. Aren't they a pair?



Once we got to Nebraska we tried to fit in visits to as many people as possible without leaving the Omaha/Lincoln area. We stayed at Jess' house and mom came over after work to hang out. It was great having everyone together and seeing Will interact with the family. They had so much fun! Will's favorite part was the famous rocking chair -- he ran for it right away (well, okay, it rated after the golf clubs) when he got there and started practicing getting in it by himself. Here's a little clip we took after he had mastered it. Not nearly as entertaining as watching him when he was still figuring it out, but still pretty cute.



We also went to see some of Will's Nebraska buddies -- who happen to be children of my friends, convenient, right? :) First stop was Luke's house in Lincoln. Luke is just a couple of weeks younger than Will so it was fun to see them together. My friend Christine is 38 weeks pregnant with Baby Sears #2, so we went to her this time. :) The boys had a ton of fun, playing at the house and also the park. Here are the two in action --





After our play date with Luke, we had dinner with the Skudlarek's. Noah and Faith are a couple months older than Will and they all had so much fun together! I don't know that all of the other diners at Valentino's loved our table of 4 adults and 3 toddlers, but hey, what can you do? I'm sure we were quite a sight, but it was nothing compared to the action on the sidewalk after dinner! People actually came out of the businesses to comment on the three of them and their cuteness -- all while we were chasing them down. Here's some action shots -- did I mention that Will REALLY likes to hug other kids?? It's really sweet, but he doesn't have the best control, so it sometimes ends up with everyone falling down, but he means well!





After dinner we swung by and visited Aunt Deb at her new salon for a quick hello -- no hair appointment this time -- we'll have to do better when we come in the winter!

Our last big adventure of the week was a trip to the children's museum with my mom. I think grandma and Will had a great time! It was a lot of fun and I can only imagine it will get better as he gets older -- there is so much to occupy them there...it's great. :)




Then, before we knew it, time to get back in the car! We headed home at the end of the week so Todd and I could get ready to go back to work. The summer is officially over...boo.