Quick update

Will is doing great, and he's keeping us all on our toes. Yesterday, when I went to pick him up from school, I was called into the director's office. She told me all about the fire drill they'd had that afternoon...oh yeah, the one that Will caused when he pulled the fire alarm in his classroom.

Long story short, Will and the other kids in his class were getting ready to go outside, so they were in their rolling crib. (Its easier to get a class full of kids outside, some that walk and some that don't, this way.) The rolling crib was next to the alarm on the wall. I learned today that Will had been keeping an eye on that alarm for a while. When his teacher turned her head, he saw his chance. He apparently scooted the crib closer to the wall, and when the alarm went off, he started laughing. It turns out that he actually broke the lever, so maintenance had to come out to fix it. Luckily the alarm has a mute button!

Everyone at his school thinks the whole story is hilarious. Thankfully. Oh, we love our little monkey!!

Will loves reading. Here he is with some of his favorite books.

This is not a shock to anyone who knows Gus, but Will is quite the mini-techie. He's figured out how to get my iphone out of my purse pocket, and he thinks it is his. Here he is playing Elmo's Monster Maker.

Will started swim classes a few weeks ago. He is a little fish! He loves splashing, floating on his back and putting his face in the water. We're really excited that our friends Tiago and Gabi and Julie and Jacob joined the class, too. We're having such a great time!

We're still here!

Will is growing by leaps and bounds. When I was little, my PawPaw Robert would say that my dad was putting fertilizer in my shoes. I think he'd probably say the same about Will. He's 25 lbs, 30 inches.

Walking has quickly progressed to running and climbing the stairs. Its so cute when Gus chases Will around the house. They're adorable together.

There's nothing Will won't eat. He loves, loves, loves his fruit, and he goes through an entire family sized bowl of mixed fruit from Publix every week. He really loves his veggies, too, especially butter beans. Will likes to share food. He wants to try whatever is on our plates, and he wants to put food from his tray in our mouths. He'll even take food out of his mouth to share with us. That's probably only something a parent could truly appreciate. =)

He loves to read his books, especially a book from Aunt Lydia about farm animals. He loves the dog in the book, and he even kisses it! He's trying very hard to say "dog", and he just cracks up when we bark for him. We're trying to learn the farm animal sounds, and tonight, he said "baa" for the lamb and tried really hard to bark for the doggie, too!

Here are a few pictures...

We have a....

....WALKER!

Will has worked so hard over the last few weeks, and he's doing great!

Check it out for yourself...

The Birthday!

I don't know why I thought I could get a post up during the weekend of Will's birthday! We were so busy! And, things haven't slowed at all. Especially not with a little boy on the move!

I think I also put off the post a little bit. I've thought over and over the past year in my mind so many times over last few days. And, every time, I'm brought to tears. Each and every moment we've spent with Will has been a blessing...even the moments when we didn't know what to do or those that we weren't sure we were going to get through. But, we've done it together, as a team, Team Rios. And, I think I speak for both Gus and me when I say that this little man of ours makes us happier than we could have every imagined.

We started off the birthday weekend with a party in his class at school. The teachers we so wonderful. They made him a crown and they made all the other kids "Happy Birthday, Will" hats. The teachers sang to him and got all the babies to clap for him at the end.



On the morning of Will's birthday, he got to open up some gifts. Here's Will looking really pleased about Toy Story (1&2). My sister said it looks like his "Awesome! This is exactly what I wanted!" face.
Next we headed on to Gymboree. We moved up to the Level 3 class, with all the other walkers and almost walkers. Today, he took two steps in Gymboree without knowing it. He can stand by himself pretty well now, and apparently on Friday, he stood in the middle of his classroom and clapped for himself. ;-) So cute.

When we got home from Gymboree, Will got to spend some time playing in his Cozy Coupe, which he loves. You can also see his new Sesame Street remote here. Between his love for cars and electronics, we're in trouble.


We finished up the birthday weekend with one more party! We intended to head out to the park with a few friends, but the rain sent us inside. Thanks to a very nice manager at Mellow Mushroom for accommodating us all at the last minute. We had a great time, and we were so thankful for everyone who came.

Go Team Rios!

The Birthday Week, Part II

Here are a few more pictures from Will's Eastern Shore Birthday Party.

Here's Will in his party hat, hugging tightly to our family friend and pastor.

Will enjoying some laughs with Aunt Lydia and Uncle John.


Good times with Daddy!

Hanging out with Mommy.

Calliope gives Will a present she picked out herself.

The Birthday Week, Part I

Last week, we packed up the car and headed to the Eastern Shore for a pre-birthday visit. On Saturday, we had a great little party for Will. We were surrounded by family and friends, and we're especially grateful to all of our friends for coming...some all the way from Texas, those who changed their plans and their kid's schedules, others who didn't know anyone else but us. It meant so much to us.

Will definitely loved his cake...good thing I made two!




I'm still planning to add a few more pictures from the party, but this is a good start.

First Haircut

Wow, I'm really behind with my posts. This month has been so busy and exciting, and I've neglected to take the time to share it with y'all. So, I'm going to try to catch up over the next few days, ultimately ending the weekend with a first birthday post.

We'll start with Will's first haircut, and I think a series of pictures is the best way to go. He had an amazing time, and I don't think he even realized anything was happening to his hair. He drove that fire engine like a pro! And, Gus and I are happy that he still looks like our little man...just a little neater.