a vent of sorts.

I should be beaming, through the roof: Will sleeps from 7-7 consitantly, one thing I thought I would never count on. But I'm in a rut. I lost it at Crossfit this morning. 4 minutes into our workout & I started crying. Whaaaat? I promptly sat on a stack of weights with my knee throbbing after every thurster & burpee I tried to do. Just when I get in the grove of things, thinking I CAN really do this running thing, I get shoved on the ground. 1 step forward, 2 steps back. & want to know how I did it?

an 'effing HANDSTAND. Well more than one, you see I got a little cocky & started doing them anywhere, anytime. (This was right after we got back from Mermaids for dinner at my parents house...I even took pictures off the wall so I'd have room = )
Anyways, I needed to blow off some steam. I can't run now, had to back out of the CIM this Sunday. Time heals all, right?

Thankful.

A few days late with the Thanksgiving day post. But I guess that just shows how we are so busy & that means we are constantly surronded by people who love us = )

Turkey Day as awesome this year. I love this time of year. My heart could explode with the love I have for the Fall & Christmas time. We started off the morning with my 10K Run to Feed the Hungry which was awesome! This has been my goal since June & I DID IT! I ran 6.2 miles in 1 hour 7 mins. I had tears in my eyes when I crossed that finish line because for once, I had accomplished something I had set my mind to. It was so invigorating. & I get to do it all over again on Dec. 3 for the California Internation Marathon (running the relay: 5.8 miles!) For a girl who could barely run a mile 4 years ago, this is a huge accomplishment.

We then headed to my father-in-laws BEAUTIFUL house (where we got married) & joined my family & Eric's fam for dinner. (This was after I googled "Is McDonalds open on Thanksgiving?" I was pretty sure those 6.2 miles were going to be the death of me around noon & I hadn't eaten....yes, I ate a cheeseburger = )
Dinner was great, being surronded by the ones we love was even better. I'm sure the highlight of everyone's night was when I got my camera out to take a picture of everyone at the table & went to sit in the circa-1800's antique chair which had a pillow on top, but no bottom & fell right through = ) But thats what family is there for: to laugh with you, not at you!

Its amazing to think that last year I had a 3 week old & this year I had a toddler crawling & walking & hanging from the foosball table. Time is so precious & for that, I am thankful.

all the fun things Will says

A much needed update on what Will does & says! So Will's favorite word is "Ball." Hands down. He does use it only when appropriate though. For intance, we were walking past a trunk that had a huge bag full of soccer balls (think circa 1990's AYSO) & he shouts "Ball," well it sounds more like "Baaaaaaa," but I'd like to point out that a it is NOT the same sound a sheep makes according to Will. He will tell you what an elephant, duck & horse sounds like. The horse is my favorite. I was frantically making dinner to a screaming babe when I said, "Just hold your horses," & without skipping a beat I hear Will's horse-clicking sound. I almost peed my pants. Sunday morning I came downstairs and Eric & Will were watching Horsepower TV on the Speed Channel, I picked him up (Will, not Eric) & asked if he had fun watching Horsepower TV not even thinking about it, & sure enough, I got the clicking sound!! It makes me melt everytime knowing that what I've said to him has rubbed off & his little brain is working! Per Eric's request Will can make the sound of a racecar. Another favorite is whenever he sees himself in a picture or sees another baby, he says "Baby," which sounds a little more like "baba." He will walk up to Eric's laptop, point & shout, "baby!" (Maybe he's indicating he wants a sibling!? I'd like to think so!)

I'm sure I could bore you with more stories of my perfect kid, but I'll leave it to that. Eric dug Rockband out of the closet & has been playing since 6:30. I have some butt to kick!

i think its safe to say...

I have a pregnant mama all the way in Alabama asking for blog updates. talk about motivation because as you know...you don't mess with pregnant ladies = )

I think its safe to say that Will sleeps through the night. so many times before I've posted those exact words & its come to haunt me at 2am. So I've waited to actually make it known to the world. It was literally the night of his 1st birthday. He must of got the memo that he was a big boy now. Well ever since November 2, with the exception of I think 3 times (where I had to change his jammies because he soaked through) he's slept 7pm-7am. I'm so thankful because alot of you know what an awful sleeper we've had. I kept thinking oh he'll STTN when he's 4 months, then it was 6 months, 9 months. By then I'd given up! But you've never met an adult who wakes up in the middle of the night for a milk bottle, right?! I wasn't into letting his cry it out....he sleeps well, he just would get up for a bottle. I realized around 9 months I could keep a can of formula upstairs & use the sink to make a bottle (yeah it took me that long!) Last week I finished the last can of formula upstairs & have yet to buy a new one because he hasn't been eating in the middle of the night. Thank you Lord!!!!!

Will is almost walking! SO exciting as I think of all the fun places we can go without having to worry about crawling on the yucky floor. He's taken 6 or 7 steps by himself & is getting more confident. I'd like to think by Christmas we will have a walker. Thats about all the exciting updates on him but I'll leave you with a few of my favorite pictures from our session on his 1st Birthday! Enjoy.

so much more than a baby book

At this rate, I think Will's baby book will be done by his 10th birthday. I thought I'd scrapbook every moment: first smile, tooth, crawling, words. I should of re-evaulated when I failed to scrapbook a single page of our wedding. **sigh** Blair, over at Heir to Blair had bought a baby book for her son. It was a more fill in the blank type of thing. I thought about it & decided I would be a loyal scrapbooker. Ladies & gentlemen, I have 3 pages of Will's scrapbook completed to date: The day we found out we were pregnant complete with a picture of my pregnancy tests, another page of ultrasounds & then my baby shower. Thats it. As most mama's know, time is precious. WELL I finally gave in & ordered my Baby Book from Edna Mae & I'm truly IN LOVE. This will be my go-to baby gift for new moms. I think its so important to be able to document all of those memories but also have a stylish, scrapbook-like look. You are able to add pictures & all that fun scrapbook stuff but the pages are beautifully detailed with inscriptions & have a fun print. I got the Chocolate book with the Modern boy page design. Thank you Edna Mae for such a great product!

just call me martha (or paula or ree)

I know I'm a week early, but I just put my very first Turkey in the oven....actually Will was the first turkey in my oven *bwwhahaha* (I couldn't resist sorry.) Despite cheating by using a Reynolds oven bag, Pepperide Farms stuffing, canned cranberry sauce & having my momma make sweet potato pie, I think its going to be an epic meal. My girls group, a group of 7 of us that have been good friends have set aside a day a month for girl time - free of whining babies & husbands alike. I asked Eric why he didn't get together with his buddies & do a Thanksgiving guys' night, the response: "OH yeah Jason I'll be sure to bring the green bean casserole." I guess it just doesn't work with a group of guys who lives' revolve around surges of testorone via tractors, race cars, & Playboy. Anyway, can't wait to share this relaxing Thursday night with the girls & enjoy some good cooking.

I'm excited for the upcoming seasons. Thanksgiving kicks it off next week: while you are sleeping in, I'll be lacing up my hot pink running shoes, shoving my thunder thighs into running tights (remember, its like running naked) & heading to Sacramento to run in the 17th Annual Run to Feed the Hungry - along with 60,000 people who wear turkeys' on their head. My sister and I set the goal of running the 10K this year which is 6.2 miles so I feel as though it will be well deserved to induldge later that afternoon. I informed Eric that we would be putting up the Christmas tree up on Friday after Thanksgiving. He was excited to get the lawn decor & Christmas lights up because our neighbors down the street started last week. He told me there will be a complete Santa scene on our roof (SO tacky) but whatever. This is coming from the guy who lent his buddy a generator when the power went out over our entire town just so he could keep his Christmas lights on. (You could see a glow halfway across town of their house, it was quite a site)

LOVE Shutterfly!

Christmas is coming!! You know what that means....the enfamous Christmas card plastered with my freaking adorable son. Well SHUTTERFLY...I love you. Last year we sent out Will's birth announcement from Shutterfly. You can't go wrong with them. Excellent customer service & you can even pick up prints at Target. This summer, Jamee & I made a slideshow DVD for big Will when he left for West Point. Shutterfly provided an excellent template & fun music & was here in 2 days. I think everyone cried.

Since there are about 800 different designs to choose from for Christmas cards, I need to start picking now...& SO DO YOU!! I might use THIS, or MAYBE THIS, ooooohhh but I LOVE THIS TOO!

Go check out all the the beautiful designs for yourself HERE.

Wow this made me realize that I really have NO idea which design I'm going to use...decisions, decisions!

For all of your bloggers out there you can get 50 free cards from Shutterfly.
Bloggers get 50 free holiday cards from Shutterfly… sign up HERE.

One more reason to love Shutterfly!!!

my favorite day.

So this is what a 1 year old looks like! (Thank you to Michelle from Moments to Remember!)

Will is one. It has a rhyme to it doesn't it? If you were to ask me about the best day of my entire life, it would be the day Will was born. My wedding went right out the window on November 2 (sorry honey!) I could tell you play by play exactly what happened that sunny, crisp Monday morning (but I won't.) I'll leave you with my life was changed forever, in the best possible way.

We celebrated this past Tuesday with our family. It was a beatiful day. We jetted up to Yuba City where Michelle from Moments to Remember Photography captured our little family. I love knowing that when I look back on these pictures, I will be able to recall that day so well. It's funny how pictures can tell such a story. Both of our families came over for dinner & "dirt" for dessert on his real birthday. The grandparents were beyond generous & our house is turned upside down with toys. I think we might need to buy another house just for Will. Yesterday was party day & had all of our closest family & friends over. It was soooo much fun. I cannot thank everyone enough for celebrating with us!