RYA NICOLE LAWLER

We are so excited to introduce Rya Nicole Lawler, born this past Sunday; 6 lbs. 14 oz. Unlike Owen who looks just like Mike, Rya has a nice mix of both her parents, Nicole and Jim. Congrats you two!!!! She's gorgeous!!!!





Owen was very interested in the little peanut. Maybe we will have to get him one sometime soon?!

Santa Claus

I think Owen had more fun waiting in line for Santa Claus then he did actually meeting him. He was the only baby while we were there that didn't cry. Like usual, he could care less whose lap he is sitting on...

Owen's 1st Celtics Game!!!

It was a proud day in the Willard family when we took Owen to his first Celtics Game! Of course it would have been even better if they won, but we had so much fun and that's what really matters. Right?! We even got there early to take some pictures with the players. I think that was the best part!


Here are the boys with Celtics' head coach, "Doc" Rivers.


Then Mike handed Owen over to Gerald Green for a picture. I couldn't believe it. He was very nice and it was really funny. All the people trying to get autographs were jealous.


Here is Delonte West signing one of Owen's Celtics T-shirts that we had signed by all the players we met, the coach, and even a famous east coast announcer.



We all had a great time and can't wait to see them play in Boston!

GO CELTICS!!!!

Owen + Papa

I know I haven't updated the blog in a couple of weeks. (Sorry to all of you avid onlookers.) So, here are some pics of a beautiful sunset Thanksgiving day on Diamond Lake. Also a few attempts at a family portrait to be sent out as a holiday card. However, these did not make the cut!

My Boys

Self Feeding

ARE YOU READY FOR THIS...

Apparently, I am not really a blonde. Well not anymore that is. I have been getting blonde highlights over my naturally blonde hair since I was sixteen. However, over the years the highlights have taken over and naturally I guess my hair decided to turn another color. Today I had my colorist dye my hair to its "natural" color, and this is what she came up with. WOW! Who knew?!

We Love Visitors

This weekend one of our friends from the east coast, Kristen, was in town for business with her colleague Kate. We went out to dinner and had a very nice visit! Then just as she had flown in to our little lives, she was home again to see her little angel, or in this case lion, Carey and husband Brendan.
Thanks again for dinner! We can't wait to meet Carey finally!

The Urban Pumpkin

Mike and I have been getting our pumpkins from a little seasonal place on a major street in Chicago for the past four or five years, and I think we even bought a few Christmas trees there too. So this year, when we decided to take Owen to get his first pumpkin, there was no doubt that we would go to our favorite urban pumpkin patch. After all, it is our last year living in this great city of Chicago and there was no way I was being dragged out to a suburb when I know the inevitable will happen soon enough, although on the east coast.

After we bought Owen's first pumpkin, I carved a black cat for him, made pumpkin seeds, and then cooked the flesh that I took from the center and made baby food out of it for him. Then, as if that wasn't enough, I made the poor baby sit through a little photo shoot I set up in the family room. After all, what are holidays for?!