We've Moved...

The time has come. All good things must come to an end. As much as we have enjoyed our time at www.willnorris.blogspot.com, we now have a new home. Check out our new place, www.norris-family.org. All of our new adventures will been seen there; however, feel free to drop by this blog anytime to reminisce.

See you there...

What's Up?

Hi, all!

Will had his 15 month check-up yesterday and we were told, once again, that he is a healthy boy. He weighed 24.8 pounds (50-75th percentile) and was 32 1/4 inches long (75-90th percentile). We're very blessed to have such a healthy, happy boy. He did ALL of his tricks at the doctor's office (including climbing to almost standing position on the table in the waiting room...much to the horror of the other waiters). He talked, he walked, and he was such a pro while getting his shots.

Here is just a small glimpse into our lives this week:


1. We got a new James Taylor DVD, Squibnocket, and it is great! You can tell who the biggest James fan is at our house.



















2. Uncle Jared and Aunt Katie got Will a cool "bouncy, jumpy pit" (for lack of a better description) for Christmas and he LOVES it. However, it does make his hair stand on end!



















3. Jeremy and Will are practicing good hygiene. As I mentioned in an earlier post, Will loves to brush his teeth. Unless of course he drops his toothbrush into the huge change jar and Mommy has to fish it out while praying that she doesn't have to dump out trillions of coins...

















4. Will was "helping" me unload the dryer the other day and gathered up (and carried around) all of his blankets that were in the dryer. I guess he was cold?!?



















Oh yeah, did I mention that Will is cutting ALL 4 of his eye teeth at the same time? And that he is smart enough to lock me out of my own cell phone and that it took a small army of Verizon engineers and my ph.d. husband to figure out how to unlock his secret code. Oh and another thing, he has also programmed my ringtone to say "We'll be there in a minute, but Jared has to poop" (a message left on my cell phone by Aunt Katie) and now everytime I receive a phone call I am reminded of Jared's bowel movements. If he is smart enough to do all of this at 15 MONTHS, what's going to happen at 15 YEARS?

Let Him Eat Cake!

Will is such a funny boy! His personailty (and vocabulary!) is developing at a fast pace and it seems that he is doing something new every day! Some of his favorite tricks are: counting to 2 (actually it's more like one, two, yay!...we're working on three), sliding face first, TALKING/repeating everything, floating his rubber duckies in the toilet (gross, I know), brushing his teeth (it's really the small things in life) and pretty much anything else he can get into. He is such a good boy and we're glad that we were picked to be his parents!

















Our friends, the Scheffers, came over this weekend and had dinner. I served chocolate cake for dessert and, judging by his face in these pictures, Will loved it. It reminds me of the Bill Cosby skit "Chocolate Cake for Breakfast" (although I know Jeremy would never serve this for breakfast...would he?!?). If you havent' heard it (and you have 10 minutes to spare), then click here for the story. Pretty funny stuff.

Have a great Wednesday!

Happy New Year!

Although New Year's Day has come and gone we would still like to wish everyone a happy new year. I would love to tell you all about the fabulous New Year's party that we attended (complete with dressy clothes, champagne, and a babysitter) but the real truth is that we rang in the new year in true Norris fashion. Will went to bed around 8:30ish, I went around 11:00ish, and Jeremy stayed up until midnight. He woke me up to give me a kiss and then I promptly fell back to sleep. Pretty exciting stuff. Anyway, we have all decided to come up with a few resolutions that we hope to accomplish in 2007:

WILL (as decided by his mom and dad):
1. eat more vegetables
2. talk more (I know...that one will come back to haunt us!)
3. make new friends
4. play more

AMANDA:
1. eat less, move more
2. recycle
3. plan dinner menus/try new recipes
4. take ballroom dancing lessons

JEREMY:
1. eat less, move more
2. get more rest
3.learn to fly fish
4. take ballroom dancing lessons (because Amanda is making me)

We look forward to this new year and can't wait to see what all is in store for our family!

The Life of Reilly (and Sally)

Hi, all! Sorry for the lapse in postings but we've been terribly busy at the Norris house. Just kidding...we've been slugs. Jeremy was off from December 22nd until January 2nd and it was MARVELOUS! We had a great time playing and visiting with family and we even got one or two things done around the house. Sadly, Jeremy had to go back to work this week but we all got to go to Smyrna/Vanderbilt to visit/work.

I'm not one for cutesy pet pictures, but this one of our lazy cats, Reilly (left) and Sally (right), pretty much sums up last week. Sorry for the creepy eyes...they aren't really possessed (at least not all of the time!)

Look for more Christmas/New Year's/Smryna pictures to come this week. Don't worry, no more cat pictures. I realize that it's Will ya'll come to see.

Have a great night!

Merry Christmas

Mouse Tales

On Saturday we ventured out to Chuck E. Cheese's (along with 648 of our closest friends) to Mason's birthday party. Will had a blast eating pizza and cake and playing with the games. He was a bit overwhelmed at first, as were Jeremy and I, but he soon warmed up and wanted to play. He had some trouble understanding how to play skee ball because everytime he rolled the ball up the ramp he wanted to climb up and chase after it. Pretty funny!

Alive and Kickin' (and Walkin'...and Talkin'...and Climbin')

It's true...the Norris family is still alive.

Things are great around here. Will is walking (full speed ahead), talking (although we're not entirely sure what language he speaks), and climbing (big surprise!). We had a great Thanksgiving and are looking forward to the Christmas holidays.

We got a new camera and I'm still learning the "ins and outs" of downloading pictures from it. Not an easy task for the non-technical kind like me. I'll have tech-savvy Jeremy teach me. I knew that I sent him to grad school for some reason! :)

Have a great day!

Just a Thought...

Is there such a thing as frequent driver miles? If so, we would earn about a billion a year! We're back from our fun-filled weekend in Smyrna. We were invited to Pat's 40th birthday party on Saturday night but we went on Friday afternoon so Jeremy could do some work at Vanderbilt. The Bynums were gracious enough to let us spend the weekend with them and Will had a great time playing with their dog and cat. We also took the opportunity to take Will's 1 year pictures on Saturday. Alison did a great job (as usual!) capturing Will's true personality (some laughing, some crying...by Will, not me). You can catch a sneak peek of some of our favorites by clicking here. We also took some great family shots but you'll have to wait to see them...

Good Help Is Hard to Find...

...but we're lucky to have Will. Every time I open the laundry room door Will rushes to "help" me. His primary job is to take everything out of the dryer and he makes every effort (as shown below!) to get out the very last sock. He's such a great helper!

It's the Small Things in Life

Hi, all! Sorry that it's been so long since we've posted but we've been busy! Jeremy was gone to D.C. for most of the week (with the computer!!) and Will and I spent most of our time playing, dancing, and counting down the days until Jeremy returned. We have had a great weekend filled with fun and family. Uncle Jared and Aunt Katie came from Smyrna for a visit and we were able to spend time with Aunt Rachel and Uncle Jason, too. Today we went to East Tennessee to visit with grandparents and Will was able show off his walking skills. He is soooo close to taking off on his own. I guess I'll ask for new running shoes for Christmas!
I know that I say this continuously, but Will is such a good boy. We are so blessed to have him as our son. He makes us laugh, keeps us on our toes, and brings much joy to lots of people. He is so content to play, shop for groceries, and just about anything else we ask him to do!
Here he is playing his new favorite game (one we affectionately call "Redneck Plinko"):

Meet the Newest Member...

of the Dad Hall of Fame. It's true...Jeremy carried Will to the top of Clingman's Dome. It's a task that countless fathers (including both of ours) have done. You'll be glad to know that there was a small reception consisting of apple juice and Goldfish crackers held in Jeremy's honor. What a dad! :o)




















P.S. We love you Papa and Grandaddy!

Smoky Mountain High

What a beautiful day! Now that we're back in Knoxville we are lucky enough to have the mountains in our backyard. We spent the day in the Smokies and had a blast! On the way up the mountain we were lucky (I guesss?!?) enough to see a mama bear and 2 cubs. There was so much traffic that we thought there was an accident, but then we saw what everyone else saw...BEARS! I was brave enough to stick my head out the window but not brave enough to get out of the car.




























Once at the top (at Newfound Gap) we got out and took a few photo opportunities. Although it looks as if Will is pushing me away in the family picture, he was laughing as I was tickling him. There was also a huge gaggle of OLD ladies jumping up and down tyring to get him to smile. It was pretty funny...at least to Jeremy and I.

Slow News Day

There's not much to report from the Norris front lately. Jeremy had a safe trip to Long Beach last week and Will and I were sure glad when he got home. He was able to take off yesterday and we went to the "rodeo" at the elementary school where I work. Today we went to the mall to get a start on Christmas shopping, but only came home with one gift. Oh well, it's a start.

Here are some recent pictures of Will watching two of his favorite shows:


















He absolutley loves James Taylor (and has since birth!) and will tolerate Simon and Garfunkel (much to my dismay!) Will is very musical and loves to dance and sing/howl along to the music. We've been working on clapping to the beat and he'll even get it right sometimes...a fluke, I know!

Have a great night!

Arrrrgh, Matey!

As promised, here are the pictures from our big night. Here is Will's pumpkin all decked out in pirate gear. Will was most confused as to why his Mr. Potato Head pieces were being crammed into a pumpkin, but he played along (just to humor me, I'm sure).



















Will was fairly cooperative during the "getting ready" process but soon became very tired of his woolen coat (as predicted). Although you would never know by his terribly crooked moustache, he did sit very still while I applied it using Aunt Rachel's eyeliner.






















We came home and went to our nieghbor's house to trick or treat and Will was excited to get to play with their dogs. Once home, the tired pirate took a long soak and went straight to bed!

We hope everyone has a safe and happy Halloween!

Happy Halloween!

Here's the planned costume:






Check back in tonight to see the actual version. I'm betting that the hat, socks, and jacket (okay, pretty much the entire costume) goes quickly. At least the moustache will stay. 

What a Difference a Year Makes!

Then: innocent, peaceful, snuggly





















Now: mischevious, active, independent




















Whew! It's hard to believe that it's been a year since Will entered our family. It's been a great year and Jeremy and I are so lucky to get to be Will's parents.

Will is growing like a weed. We went to the doctor for his 1 year check-up and learned that he weighs 22 pounds, 10 ounces (50th percentile) and is 31 1/4 inches long(90th percentile). The nurse measured him 3 times to make sure that he did indeed grow that much in a few short months! He is holding strong with 8 teeth (with no more on the horizon) and is becoming a little braver when practicing walking. He loves to babble, clap, and show his muscles (a new, very funny trick). He still loves to torment the cats but is petting a little more gently.

Will is so loving and happy. He has an easy-going personality and takes most of our adventures in stride. He loves to wrestle with his daddy and sing and dance with his mommy. Although Jeremy and I are worn out by the end of each day, we are having the time of our lives!

For the record, I have tried to post an entry at least 6 different times (no exaggeration!) but either something is up with the computer/program or with the computee. I will say, however, in my defense, Jeremy did try to post and was also unsuccessful. I figure if the fellow with the advanced degreee can't get it to work, then the gal with a lowly Bachelor's degree shouldn't beat herself up too much. There were 2 other pictures that I wanted to post but we couldn't get it all to work. Oh well, maybe next time.

Have a great night!

Happy Birthday, Will!

The day is here...Will is turning ONE! We had a great morning complete with pancakes, balloons, toys, and dancing. He woke up with a smile and he must have felt the excitement in the air because he laughed and jabbered all morning long. He is so excited...and he doesn't even know why! We are still practicing the "How old is Will?" routine but all he does is laugh and grab your finger when you try to show him. Oh well, maybe we'll start working on 2 soon so that we'll have it down pat in a year. We are going to East Tennessee today and will spend some time with grandparents. I'm sure that I'll have more pictures to show as the festivities continue!
























P.S. Please be thinking about Will's birthmom, A, today. We were able to spend several hours during a visit with her last weekend. She and Will played and played together and had a great time. I know that today must be a difficult day for her. We will never be able to repay her for this gift she has given to us!