Updated State List

I have been remiss in keeping this up-to-date but am determined to be better!

Here are the states that Will has traveled to in the last 19 months:

• California
• Florida
• Georgia
• Illinois
• Indiana
• South Carolina
• Texas
• Wisconsin 

Not too shabby for my quickly growing boy.  Eight states in less than two years, if we keep this up, he will make it to all 50 before he is a teenager!

Where We've Been!

Will's adventures continue and he has now been in four states (three visiting and one driving through) in his seven months of life - pretty good odds for this little boy!

• Illinois
• Indiana
• Texas
• Wisconsin 

Mommy is always planning, so this list will continue to grow as fast as Will does!

Wedding and Fancy Clothing

Today is the day!  We came to Dallas to celebrate Matt and Mallory's wedding and by the end of the day, they will be husband and wife!

We had a very lazy Dallas day today.  Everyone slept in until they were ready to get moving and then we headed down for breakfast at the hotel.  Seems like everyone else had the same idea as they quickly ran out of everything except sausage, cereal, yogurt and bread.  Lucky for Will there were plenty of Cheerios so he stayed full and entertained while the rest of us searched for something to eat.

After breakfast we went back up to the room to decide what to do with the day, which turned into taking naps and then a little more searching.  Due to the uncertainty of the weather, we ended up just heading to On the Border for lunch and then back to the hotel.

Brian and Will went swimming for a little bit in the pool at the hotel, but it started to rain so we quickly headed back up to the room to get showered and ready for the wedding...and maybe another nap.

While it was unfortunate that it rained and the wedding was not able to be held outside as planned, it was still a beautiful ceremony with a happy ending and a brand new Mr. and Mrs. Kroos.

The party was tons of fun, great music and lots of dancing!  Will once again was a trooper - until around 10:00 when he had had enough.  In an effort to get him to sleep, we sat and watched the rain for a bit, while very relaxing, it didn't do the trick and in true Will fashion, he just couldn't fall asleep when there was so much exciting stuff happening all around him!

Hanging in the Lonestar state

Strange bed, no problem for Will!  Mr. William went to sleep around 9 and we didn't hear a peep from him again until after 7 this morning!

Hung out in the hotel room for a bit.  Will took a short nap on Grandma and Grandpa's bed before breakfast. Had breakfast in the hotel lobby and met Katie, Robb and Crosby along with Katie's parents.

Well, rested from last night, a Dallas adventure awaits us today!

We started our journey at the Dallas Aquarium. We spent almost two hours walking from the top of the jungle canopy to way down under the sea!  This was so much more than an aquarium!  We saw anteaters, a black panther, sloth, flamingos, sharks, sting rays and tons of fish.  Will had fun watching the people and some of the fish before he decided to enjoy the rest of the aquarium with his eyes closed.

From the aquarium we headed to get some lunch. When we were in Indy a few weeks ago I had thought about going to Dick's Last Resort but Chad said it didn't get good reviews and was way downtown so we decided against it. I should have listened to Chad (and I might not ever admit that again)!  We would have been better off at Hooters or walking a bit more to find the Hard a Rock Cafe!

After lunch we headed back to the car, but on the way we passed a sign pointing to Daeley Plaza so my family humored me and we took a walk to where John F. Kennedy was shot. I took a walk on the grassy knole and took a picture looking back from where the shots were fired from. We got a picture of Will there also so when he learns about it in school he can say he's been there!

Will was a trooper at Matt and Mallory's rehearsal dinner. He was tired but struggling to stay awake. Grandma had the magic touch though and got him to sleep. He slept in his stroller for several hours.  During the speeches when people would clap, his eyes would open but immediately close again.  Back at the hotel grandpa gave him a bottle and it was back to dreamland.

Don't Mess With Texas

We're taking a road trip hiatus and taking to the friendly skies!  Will's going on his first plane ride!

Taking an airplane trip with a toddler requires one to be much more thoughtful and reliant on others as there is a luggage quota and the luxury of being able to shove thins in every nook and cranny like you can on a road trip is gone!  We did fairly well, all things considered!  We managed to make it to Dallas with everything we needed (or at least I think so) nicely packed into two suitcases, three carry ons and a car seat.  

We didn't know what to expect from Will on the plane, but we're prepared.  We had his iPad loaded with games and movies, bottles prepped and puffs readily accessible.  The bottle and pacifier worked wonders on take off, we watched a bit of 101 Dalmatians and then Will went to sit by grandma in the row in front of us since she had an empty seat next to her. He played for a little bit and quickly zonked out on the empty seat.   Will slept for about half the flight and woke up shortly before landing. With his pacifier at the ready and people in the neighboring seats making him smile and giggle our landing was as uneventful as the take off...Phew!

Once on the ground in Dallas we took the shuttle over to get our rental car and then headed out to the hotel. 

Grandpa had a meeting to go to so Will, dad and grandma took a nap before we went to dinner. 

We had dinner at Texas Land and Cattle.  Will was a good boy at the table, especially given that his schedule was thrown off a bit by the travel. Once back at the hotel, Will played with grandma and grandpa a little before having a bottle and going to sleep!

Tomorrow is a new day and there is lots of rain in the forecast,  we're hoping and praying that it either misses us or blows right on through.

Homeward Bound

All good things must come to an end and so its time to head home but not before we have one more visit with Uncle Chad. After Brian's breakfast meeting we packed up the car and headed over to Chad's for a bit.

We had lunch at Stacked Pickle and made a quick run into Marshall's before it was on the road again for the long journey home.  Per usual, Mr. Will slept almost the entire ride home!  He really is a great road tripper!

All packed up for the drive home

Ready to hit the road

Uncle Chad (left), William (right)

College Tours

We had some time this morning before Brian's conference started so we went out to find a Starbucks since we couldn't find it on the drive to Indy.

Coffee in hand, we went to TJ Maxx and Homegoods to look around. When we were leaving the store we made arrangements to meet up with Chad for lunch.

Piada Street Food was our lunch destination and it was delish!  So yummy and Will was cooing and smiling the whole time!  After lunch we dropped Brian back at the hotel to go to his conference and Will and I headed over to Chad's house.

From Chad's we continued Will's Indiana college your by taking him to Butler University. First stop was the bookstore where Will was a big hit with the employees!  Then we headed to the Bulldog statue to take some pictures and the a walk through the Gardens. Pushing a baby up a hill is not an easy task, but Uncle Chad took over mid-hill!  We tried to get into Hinkle Fieldhouse but all the doors were locked. We did visit the memorial to Blue and Blue II. While we were walking, we saw Chad's fraternity brother, Michael, who cares for Blue III (Trip). While we didn't see Trip, he was in the car, so technically we were near all of the mascots while on campus!

From campus we headed over to Graeter's for ice cream!  It was yummy!  Will wanted a taste, so we'll definitely gave to take him back after his first birthday!  We met up with Emily for dinner at North End BBQ. Will rolled with the punches again today and was such a good boy!

Bulldog Statue

Bulldog Statue with Uncle Chad

Butler Blue memorial

Just hanging out