That Twinkle

Oh, yes. Will is certainly going to be one of those boys with that little twinkle in his eye that says, "I'm up to something, but I'm too cute for you to get mad." He was giggling away around the corner so Mom grabbed the camera only to find that Will had discovered a Nilla Wafer he had stashed away. Ha. Ha. Score: Will: 1 Mom: 0

How to be Cool

How to be Cool

by Will Platenik

1. Locate your new wheels or "ride".

2. Get your kicks on.

3. Grab your sunglasses and hat (wear only backwards).

4. Yell until your driver puts down the camera and does her job.

5. After you cruise outside, come home and check the contents of the fridge.

6. Always hug your best friend if he was left behind.

Gram and Gramps' Visit

What a weekend! Will has gone to bed happy and exhausted for the last 5 nights. He has been a very busy guy since turning 1 on Thursday. Gram and Gramps came to visit from Connecticut and we had a great time playing with them. Thursday, of course, was the big birthday. On Friday, Will, Gram, and Mom went to the beach. On Saturday, the whole family spent the day at Sea World. Will was a real trooper in the hot sun and during the long day and he was fascinated by the whales, polar bears, penguins, dolphins, and other sea creatures. He wasn't as fascinated by "Shivers" the character polar bear. He liked to look at him, but let out a yell when Shivers tried to hug him or touch him. It was actually very funny to watch. We got a family photo with Shivers, but Will wasn't about to trust that guy, so he kept his eye on him. On Sunday, we spent a lot of time riding the new bike and swimming. Thanks for a great visit, Gram and Gramps!

Gram and Will Hit the Beach

Today, Will and Mommy took Gram to Moonlight Beach. It was pretty overcast for the first part of our morning, so Will explored the playground and ate a good deal of sand. It's not like we don't feed the kid, but he just LOVES to eat. Gram and Will walked and crawled along the beach until the sun finally came out and then they built and squished sand castles in the waves.

ONEderful Will

We can't believe Will is already one! He has grown and changed so much over the year, and we can't imagine our family without him. Will began his day like any other, by getting up before the sun. After breakfast and his morning nap, he headed to Stroller Strides where his friends sang to him and shared some apple muffins with him. Tyler and Colby even bought him some balloons! After showing Gram how he can climb the play structure, he went home for lunch with Gram and Gramps. Will crashed for his afternoon nap while Gram and Gramps took a trip to the toy store. When Will woke up, he was surprised to find Daddy had come home just in time for cake and presents! Not being one to waste food, Will was very tidy while eating his cake...until the very last piece, when he managed to introduce blue icing to his hair. Our friend Michelle made his cakes and she did a GREAT job! She made two cakes, one big one with trucks and dirt and one little "one" for the king of the day. After cake, Will opened his presents. He got a few clothes, a VERY nice quilt that his godmother, Ashley, made, several cards and a new tricycle! By the end of the day, he was falling asleep during dinner. He especially enjoyed it when anyone, either in person or on the phone, sang "Happy Birthday" to him. Here are a bunch of pictures of his big day, plus a slideshow of his first year. Grab your tissues and your popcorn...it's a long one!

Sneak Peak

The big day is here! Will has had a busy birthday already today, and it's only half way over! We will post more pictures as well as a special surprise later tonight, after the birthday boy goes to bed...but for now...here he is, in all his glory!

Getting Ready

Will is getting ready for his big day on Thursday. He has been receiving packages and cards in the mail this week and he even cleaned up all his toys for Gram and Gramps' visit on Wednesday...although, THAT task needs to be done almost hourly. Today, he received a package from the UPS man...and there was a crown inside! Two more days!

Birthday Kiddie Kandids

If you have ever been to Kiddie Kandids before, you get to get a free 8 x 10 for your birthday. Will loves anything that is free (and so do Mom and Dad), so he headed to Kiddie Kandids on Saturday morning to get his free photo shoot. Apparently, the boy is teething pretty badly which may explain his refusal to sleep. Our normally happy boy also refused to smile for the poor photographer. He stared at her like she was the most boring creature on the planet. She jumped around, made funny sounds, played peek-a-boo, and he just looked at her like, "what's your deal, lady?" Right at the end, we were able to get one really good shot. Here's the link to the rest of the pictures. WILL

Back at it

Will survived his first battle with the ever elusive, yet infamous "stomach virus". Way to go, Will! The battle, which began last weekend, had instances of intense fire followed by lulls of inactivity, once again followed by intense fire. And we do mean "fire"...as in stuff was flying but it wasn't bullets. 6 days later, Will has regained his energy while Mom still struggles to find hers...and the camera. Hopefully we can all get back to regular sleeping patterns before the big day next week!

Book Worm

Despite having a killer stomach virus(we'll exclude those details), Will rallied himself to empty his two lower bookshelves and enjoy some light reading this afternoon. He is always ALWAYS after the books Mommy is reading (and she reads a lot!), so it only seems fit that he enjoy reading as much as he does.

Tunnel Vision

Our friend Julia let us borrow her fun tunnels to play with. At first, Will was a little unsure of the tunnels because they tend to roll a little as he begins his journey through them. He found them to be perfect places to store his blocks, stuffed dog, and squirty fish, but he was a little unsure of actually travelling through them himself...until today. Now, he loves to crawl through the tunnels and peek through them to say hello to the other side.