Aunt Sherry

Matt's Aunt Sherry came into town yesterday and we met her for dinner last night with Casey, Otto, Jessica, and Matt's mom. It was the first time Aunt Sherry had seen Will or Otto, and she had a great time holding them! It was so good to see her!

Eating out gluten free down here hasn't been too much of a problem. We are eating a lot healthier - you would be surprised at how many places a grilled chicken salad (with no croutons or bread on the side!) is the only gluten free option - I now only order one if it is the ONLY option, so that I won't get too sick of them! We are also eating a lot of fresh seafood. I make up for any lost calories with ice-cream though...I tell myself it is ok because I eat healthy the rest of the time and it is one of the only sweet things I can have:)

Fun and not so fun...

On Friday we went swimming with Craig and Ashley and their son Benjamin! Benjamin was born 2 weeks before Will and it is so cute to watch them together because they're in the same stage and doing the same things. I can't believe they are both about to have their first birthday!

Out of about 8 pictures I took, Will isn't looking in any of them!

A tired little boy!

Today we had our first minor emergency with Will. He pulled a curling iron down and burned his arm pretty bad with 2nd degree burns. We took him to an immediate care center here on the island, and they bandaged it up for him. We'll have to go back every day for the next few days and let them change the dressing and keep an eye on the burn. I thought he would be tugging at it trying to get it off, so afterwards we went to get him some long-sleeved pajamas and shirts, but he hasn't seemed to mind it. In fact, it hasn't affected his playing at all...

He tried to crawl in with Max!

My little trooper!

I am so thankful that it didn't land on his head or face. I am also thankful that he doesn't seem to be in any pain. He's been in a great mood since we got home, so I haven't had to give him Tylenol or anything. The nurse said an adult would be in serious pain with the burn that he had, but she said kids are very resilient and can handle it better. I am very thankful!

Matt's "graduation"

Last night we celebrated Matt's graduation at Blackwater Grill! Both of our families were there, and I surprised him with his cap and gown (he missed his graduation this past Saturday)! Last week before my mom and I left Evanston we went by the school to pick it up, and Matt had no idea!

I also asked the school to mail me his diplomas and awards, which I presented to him! He received a Dean's Distinguished Service Award, that he was nominated for, for making an outstanding contribution to student life at Kellogg. He also received an award for Beta Gamma Sigma, which is the top 10% of his class (which is OUTSTANDING!). He would have participated in a special awards ceremony before graduation to get these two awards - I was SO proud of him!

Then I gave him his two diplomas - he got a Masters of Engineering and a Masters of Business Administration!

Will wouldn't smile but he was wearing his Kellogg hat to show his support!

Then I have him a graduation gift...an ipad! He hasn't stopped playing with it since he opened it!

After dinner we went back to Matt's dad's so that Matt could model his cap and gown for him and show him his awards!

He was very proud of his son!

Casey, Will, and Matt in the backyard

The handsome graduate!

Two years ago Matt had the choice of a full ride to Emory or a spot at Kellogg in Chicago. Being that we are southerners through and through, and given that we owned a house a mile from Emory, it seemed the obvious choice. But my husband is anything but predictable - he saw Kellogg as an opportunity we couldn't pass up, and thought moving up north would be an "adventure" for us. So although I wasn't quite as confident about this move as he was, I followed him.

And what an adventure it has been! We moved from a 3 bedroom home with a yard to a small condo in the city...and loved it! We went to Croatia with 20 other students and had a blast. We learned that you CAN survive without central air. We spent countless days just laying on the grass by Lake Michigan. I learned to parallel park. I learned that fall colors are AMAZING in Chicago. I bought a Northface Arctic parka and some Uggs and thought I was prepared for winter. We experienced digging our car out during a snowstorm. We learned that the hardest month to live in Chicago isn't January...it's April - when it is still freezing and there still isn't anything green in sight. We've discovered that there are some really cool areas in Chicago and the northern suburbs that are a lot of fun. We learned that we were expecting a baby...BOY!!! We went from having everyone in Chicago comment on our southern accents, to having people in the south comment on how our accent has changed! We joined an awesome church that we love. We've made amazing friends. And we've grown as people, and experienced another part of the world. So, even though in a couple of months we'll be in the "real world" again with something we've been dreading: school debt, we know that it has been every bit worth it!

I love you Matt and I am so incredibly proud of you!!!

Our week

Here are a few pictures of our week so far in St. Simons. On Sunday, we celebrated Father's Day! We went to lunch with my dad at Barbara Jeans.

Matt's first Father's Day!

Will helped his granddad open his gift!

After lunch we went to the hospital to visit Matt's dad. He is doing much better, and he came home from the hospital Tuesday afternoon. We are still waiting on the biopsy results, but we are thankful that things seem to be improving.

Late afternoon, we went to the pool with my parents. Will loved it!

Monday we went swimming with Matt's mom and Casey and Cousin Otto. Otto is getting so big! I can't wait for them to really play together!

Happy Father's Day!

Here are some pictures of Will and his daddy over the last few months...

Also, a very Happy Father's Day to my dad and Matt's dad and Will's two grandfathers! We love you!

We made it to St. Simons!

Thank you for your prayers for Mr. Dart. He underwent a lung biopsy Thursday and we should know the results sometime this week. Apparently 90% of lung biopsy patients have to be put on a ventilator, and he did not, so we were very thankful! He is still in the hospital and is in a lot of pain, so please continue to pray for him. Matt's sister Jessica created a caring bridge site where you can keep up with him and leave him messages.

My mom flew up to Chicago on Wednesday. Our original plan was to leave Thursday morning, but we quickly learned that it would be pretty impossible! There was so much to do to get ready to be gone for the whole summer. So, we left early Friday morning and drove as far as Nashville. We spent the night there and drove the rest of the way yesterday. Will did GREAT! He slept a large part of the trip, and when he got fussy we entertained him with lots of toys, Praise Baby dvd's, and Cheerios. I am SO thankful to finally be in St. Simons and with Matt again!

Here are a few pictures of Will with my mom this week...

11 months

Will is 11 months today!

My sweet Will,

• Your hair is growing so fast now and you have the cutest little curls!
• You can pull up easily now, and you are good at balancing with one hand. You can walk as you hold on to something...it won't be long before you are walking on your own!
• You've started climbing stairs, but haven't figured out a way to get back down.
• You are still holding steady with a 1-2 hour morning nap and a 2 hour afternoon nap, and you sleep from around 8pm to 8am.
• Your current favorite activities include swinging at the park, pulling down dishtowels that you can reach in the kitchen, splashing in the dog's water dish, high-speed crawling, and riding around on daddy's shoulders
• You don't like grass. If we sit you down on it, you will hold your arms and both legs up in the air so they don't "touch" the grass.
• You still get 4-5 bottles a day, but you are trying more and more foods - whatever your dad and I are eating!
• Your current nicknames include Wilber, Wilberforce, Little Man, Little Buddy, The Budrow, Budrow McDarto, and Doofus-la-roofus
• Your personality is coming out more and more and you are so much fun to be around!

Update

I wanted to give you an update on Matt's dad. This morning he went into respiratory failure and was moved to the ICU. He is in stable condition right now. Matt flew to St. Simons this morning to be with him. Matt's graduation is Saturday, and his brother Beau and Kate had planned to come up here this week for it. At this point, it looks like Matt will stay in St. Simons with his dad and siblings.

Matt doesn't start work until September, so we had already planned to spend the summer in St. Simons, and were planning on driving down there next week once graduation was over. At this point we think that either my mom or my sister will fly up here in the next couple of days and help me make the 17 hour drive with Will and our dogs.

I will try to keep this updated with how things are going with Mr. Dart, but we really appreciate your prayers for him and our family.

Will's baby dedication

Will participated in our church's baby dedication yesterday morning! Our church does a baby dedication once a year - it is a public commitment to raise Will in a home where Christ is honored. It's not about salvation or a special means of grace (this was not an infant baptism or a christening). We were called on stage with 8 other babies and their parents and our pastor, Jon, held each child and told what each child's name meant, and then prayed for each child specifically. It was really neat! And Will behaved really well throughout the whole thing! I was proud of him!

Our pastor gave us a copy of what he said:

Matt and Miller Dart are bringing their son William Pierce to be dedicated.

WILLIAM means protector/guardian; PIERCE means rock/stone

William Pierce,

May you be a man who is firmly planted on the rock that is Jesus Christ. May you be a man who hears God’s Word and obeys it. So, when the rains come, and the floods rise, and the winds blow, you will not fall, because your life has been founded on the rock. May your life of faithfulness serve to protect and guard others as you lead them to the Jesus - the rock of our salvation.

William Pierce Dart

He wore an outfit that the Monk's gave him - thanks Ashley:)