Thanksgiving

We had a really fun and really busy Thanksgiving week.
We started the week off by meeting Gigi and Jabo so that Will could go back to their house for a couple of days by himself before we traveled there on Wednesday. He was thrilled to say the least and I know that he had the BEST time with Gigi, Jabo, and Patrick. What a special treat for a little boy! And what a wonderful break for us here! I got to spend some time cleaning the house as well as spend some one on one time with baby Andrew! I, of course, missed my Will more than you can imagine and could not wait to see him on Wednesday. I think he was pretty happy to see us too. He did not leave Dan's or my side the entire day! :) We then spent the rest of the holidays with family and eating and eating!! It was so great to see everyone and especially getting to spend some time with Dan's cousin, Jason, who will be leaving for Iraq soon.
We returned home on Friday to get ready for the Egg Bowl. My parents and the Kirks came to stay with us for the weekend. We had a great time tailgating one last time this year and really enjoyed the game! GO DAWGS!!!
And because it is Thanksgiving, I just wanted to let everyone know how thankful we are for our amazing family. Dan and I are truly blessed to have this wonderful support system around us. I believe that it takes a village to raise a child and we feel like our village makes us better people and better parents. We are very thankful for all of you and we love you sooo much!

Pictures of our family gatherings:

Our beautiful baby (I know he's mine, but take a look at those eyes...they will melt your heart!):

Our silly boy:

Breakfast with Santa

On Saturday, we went to the Festival of Trees on campus for a breakfast with Santa. I was not really sure how Will would react to Santa because we have had some serious meltdowns in the past with dressed up characters. But, I guess a year can do a lot for a little guy and this year he was totally fine with Ole St. Nick! I had been practicing with him all morning asking him what he wanted to ask Santa to bring him for Christmas. He was cracking me up with the things he would say. Then, he asked me what I wanted for Christmas. I told him that I wanted a rug for our living room. He proceeded to tell me that we had a rug in his room so we didn't need another rug. If only we all thought as simply as a child! :) He ended up telling Santa that he wanted a blue ball for Christmas... that's easy enough! :) And Andrew seemed to enjoy his first visit with Santa too! He was a little sleepy and wanted his paci, but, in true Andrew form, he held it together and smiled long enough to get some cute pictures. Kate really liked Santa too...especially his beard which she curiously pulled and played with! Anyway, here are the pictures that Kelly took of all the kiddies with Santa!

7 Months Old!!

Wow! This little guy is 7 months old! So much has happened in the last 7 months and yet it feels like only yesterday I was still walking around with him in my belly. Here are a few of Andrew's newest things:
1.He is eating lots of baby food now. We recently introduced him to yogurt which he loves.
2.He has two little teeth on the bottom! :)
3.He is sitting up now. Still a little shaky, but he can do it.
4.And the biggest achievement, he is sleeping in Will's room now. We tried him in there on Monday night, and we had success. I lay him in the bed while he is still awake and he puts himself to sleep. He fusses for a little bit, but I am shocked at how easily he is adjusting. This is the same baby that had not gone to sleep once since birth without being rocked! We are now on night 3 and so far so good. Amazing!!Also, big brother Will really likes having Andrew in there with him. I think it is a good distraction for them both and they can fall asleep easier having companionship. I can already tell that these two boys are going to be inseparable!
Here are some funny poses of the "monthday" boy:

What a face!

"Gimme more of that avocado, mom!!"

Halloween

We had a crazy, fun day on Halloween. After Dan and I finshed the race in the morning, we came home, showered, and headed out again for the whole day. We went to Oktoberfest at our church and enjoyed some yummy German food and fun games for Will.
Then, we went to the exhibition game for the Bulldogs basketball team. We met up with Adrienne and Davis. Will always has so much fun with Davis!
After that, we met Kelly, Brett, and Kate and Melissa, Kris, and Isabel at our church's Trunk or Treat. Will had already had just about as much fun as he could handle with no nap at this point and had fallen asleep in the car on the way to the church. But, in true Griswold fashion, we woke him up because we were determined to fit as much into the day as possible and have fun doing it! ;) Poor kid! He ended up having a great time and of course loved getting all of the candy! The college kids who put on the Trunk or Treat did such a great job. Each car was decorated to the max and they were all dressed in character. There were Mario Bros, the Sesame Street gang, and even Superman. So cute! After all of that, it was back to our house to watch the MSU game and hand out candy to trick or treaters. What a great day!
Here are the pictures from Trunk or Treat:

Will aka Thomas the Train

Andrew the skeleton

Will arm wrestled superman for some candy.

Will, showing his loot to Andrew

Izzie (5 1/2 months), Kate (4 1/2 months), and Andrew (6 1/2 months)

This little baby loooooves his mommy!

Will played some games inside. Here he is giving the cake walk thumbs up!

We were runnin'

On Saturday, Dan and I ran in a 5K. Yes me, Amy Whatley, running! :) It was my first time to ever run in any sort of race and I had a great time. Molly was the one who inspired to start training for a 5k because she has done them in the past and wants to do one together someday. So, about 5 weeks ago, I started running a little bit every other day or so to work up to 3.1 miles. Dan has been running with me whenever he can and with our new stroller, we can even make it a whole family event. It has been very rewarding and I am enjoying my new hobby.
Here are the pictures from the race:
Dan is the best hubby ever and ran right next to me during the whole thing! Thanks coach! :)We finished in 32:39...nothing to brag about, but I was pleased completing my first race.

A BIG thank you to Kelly and Brett who stood with the boys and cheered us on!
Now, I can't wait to do another one! Kelly helped Will make the cute sign too!