The Hertensteins

San Francisco today. Napa tomorrow.

2010-05-26T14:12:00.001-04:00

Long time comin'

2009-02-17T14:50:00.009-05:00

Since my last blog . . .
* Christmas came and went. I'll attach some highlights.
* Floors are finally finished. Yea! And we have our kitchen back.

William's first Christmas Tree Lot experience.
William trying to control Madelyn. Must come from the Hertenstein genes.
Brad with his kiddos shopping for a tree.

Found a tree and got it up.
Now it's time to decorate with lights.
Brad thought that should apply to Maximus too.
William making decorations to hang on the tree.
William methodically placing his hand crafted ornaments.
William and Santa. Unfortunately, this Santa blew up the week after Christmas, so our idea of seeing how William 'measures up' to Santa each year won't work.

Festival of Dancing Lights at Disney's Hollywood Studios.
"Snow" falls during the Dancing Lights. It's really soap bubbles, but for our Florida boy - he thinks it's really cool.
Maddie dancing in the street while the lights "dance".

Pajama party at Dan & Steph's. MiMi and PopPop bought the kids matching/coordinating Christmas pajamas. We decided to do a movie night and let the kids have popcorn in their PJs. We were hoping for a perfect picture. Hmmm. Not so much.

Christmas Eve service. The kids are invited on stage for the telling of the Christmas story. William was quite eager to answer Ms. Helen's question.
Kids' Christmas outfits.

Christmas Morning. William overwhelmed by the gifts.

Maddie new exactly what to do when she saw her baby accessories.
Sunglasses.

William loves his 'shooting' truck from Uncle Steve & Aunt Debbie.
Maddie and her blocks.

Family gift exchange on Christmas night. Uncle Dan and Maddie are hanging.

Cute Sofia.
MiMi and her boy.
Maddie.

Me with William, Sofia, and Madelyn.

Family photo.

Progress

2008-12-19T07:50:00.000-05:00

It can be hard to see progress in the midst of it. It can be hard to see it when it moves so slowly.
When William was a baby, it felt like his progress moved slowly. I'm sure part of it was my longing to do more things with him. Being able to have him repeat words. Then saying full sentences. Then having his own thoughts and expressing them. He just couldn't get bigger quick enough. I will say, I'm perfectly content with where he is now. I've told him plenty of times, "Don't get any bigger!"
With Madelyn, I have not wanted her to progress. I've said, "You don't need to crawl. You're just fine sitting right there." When my grandmother was trying to get her to walk, I said, "She doesn't need to walk. She's just fine crawling."
With kids, progress happens. You can't stop it. And I'm relatively convinced, you can't really speed it up. They're going to go at the speed that God intended.
Now, home repairs. There is one that can stop. It can come to a freekin' halt. As I have discovered, Brad can do something to speed it up. Sometimes with sugar. Sometimes with vinegar.
Mid-November, our damaged hard wood floors along with the kitchen cabinets and granite and pantry items were removed. Fans and dehumidifiers were installed. And then, it felt as though all progress stopped.
I understand that we couldn't see the slab drying out. Which is what it was doing. But it took weeks.
Then . . . it happened. They were dry. And a very exciting step to the entire process occurred. They laid the floors down.
Then we waited.
20 days.
And the lacquer was added. Well, the first coat.
By the end of this weekend, all the coats will have been added.
And we'll wait.
Again.
For them to dry.

Here are the guys adding the lacquer.

Progress.

Hookie

2008-12-15T23:55:00.003-05:00

We played hookie last Sunday. Neither Brad nor I had to serve at church, so we totally loaded the kids up first thing in the morning and went to Disney.
It was such a great day. We rode the new Toy Story Mania. The line to get on the ride winds thru oversized toys and games. 5 foot tall crayons, Candy Land covering the walls and floors, 9 foot Lincoln Log cabin, and interactive talking Mister Potato Head. The linking monkeys hang from the ceiling and the Shoots and Ladders game board is on the ceiling. It was visually interesting to Madelyn. Good thing. We waited 40 minutes.

William in line at Toy Story Mania. Oversize dominos and playing cards.

Maddie and daddy.

The ride is 3D which is the explanation for the glasses. The tongue sticking out? Don't know.

Madelyn enjoyed the 3D fun. She took a different spin on the glasses.

Maddie & mommy.

She understood what to do on the ride. Pull the string. Her aim was just a little off.

There is a playground where kids can let loose. It is designed as an oversized ant colony or bug something or other. Madelyn thoroughly enjoyed the 2 foot slide and crawling through the little spaces. She was playing peek-a-boo with Brad here.

Pouty lips.

Madelyn eating her first madeleine (cookie in France).

This is the best.
"Mommy I love you soooo much." Then he planted a big kiss on my cheek.
William is a very ACTIVE boy. However, so loving.

. . . . . . . . . is PREGNANT

2008-12-14T23:08:00.007-05:00

Before anyone freaks out - I asked a dear friend if I could blog about their incredibly exciting news.
She said yes.
So here it goes . . .

Abby & Patrick are expecting!!!!

WooHooo!

I can't tell you how exciting this is.
In fact, I am more excited for them than I was when I found out Brad & I were expecting. Not that I wasn't excited to have a life growing inside me - but nausea and food aversions did put a damper on my ever expanding belly.

Seeing the sonogram of 'Baby S' waving brings tears to my eyes. Life is so precious and I am so excited that our dear friends are finally experiencing this new life for themselves. They are going to be great parents.

My heart races as I think about what lies ahead for mommy-to-be and daddy-to-be. Feeling 'Baby S' kicking. Finding out whether the baby will be wearing a jersey next football season or a cheerleading outfit. (Steph is predicting a girl :)
Decorating the nursery. Ohhh - all the shopping to get ready for baby. That precious first time they hold their child in their arms. Tears. Introducing their new addition to their incredibly excited friends and family that will be pounding on the hospital door to be let in to hold their tiny gift. Heart racing. The day they dedicate 'Baby S' to the Lord who has blessed them so. Tears. Raising our kids together!

Ahhh - your time is here! June is right around the corner. How awesome!

Lunchtime at the Aquarium

2008-12-06T14:50:00.003-05:00

We renewed our passes to the Florida Aquarium after not having them for a year. I'm so glad we did renew. The weather has been so nice lately, a cool breeze but a warm sun, so sitting outside while the kids enjoy the playground is pleasant.
Here are pics of the kids at the sand pit.

The boys tried constructing a pyramid.

Still working on the pyramid.

William and his friend enjoying an ice cream sandwich.

Hello Mr Turkey. How are you?

2008-11-29T22:44:00.003-05:00

William's school Thanksgiving performance was Monday. We all went to see him on stage and have a good laugh.

Sofia & Maddie riding the big yellow school bus to the school.

Brad & Maddie patiently waiting for William's class.

And here they come . . .
I guess I'm not too surprised that he was the "line leader". He is constantly telling me he wants to be the line leader. It doesn't matter if he doesn't know where we're going. He just wants to be in front.

"Hello Mr Turkey, how are you? Hello Mr Turkey, how are you?"

"With a Gobble, Gobble, Gobble. And a Wobble, Wobble, Wobble. Hello Mr. Turkey, how are you?"

MiMi & PopPop with the girls.

After the performance, we joined W and his classmates for a Thanksgiving feast in his room. He really liked the cornbread muffins.

Remodel

2008-11-28T23:46:00.005-05:00

This is what our kitchen looked like before we left on vacation . . .

Notice countertops and cabinets. Notice an island. Wood floor.

This is what it looked like when we got home from vacation.

And this is what it looks like tonight.

What, you don't see much of a difference? Yeah, we don't either.

Home repairs go sloooooooooooooooow.

Aloha!

2008-11-24T14:54:00.024-05:00

We'd been planning a trip to Hawaii since last October. It finally arrived. It was so long coming, and I can't believe it finally came.
We went to Kauai, known as the "Garden Island". It is very rural.
I was SO happy when I was doing some research the week before we left and found out that they built a Costco since the last time we were there! We strolled through the isles a couple times. Had to. Love that place.
We were dreading the plane rides. But out of a total of 5 planes, on all but one we had 6 seats for the 4 of us.
Oh, I didn't mention that, did I? Yes, we took both the kids. Turns out, taking your children on 'vacation' with you is not really a 'vacation' since you're still parenting - jut in a different location. In this case, one that is a 13 hour plane ride away and a 5 hour time change difference.
Still, we made wonderful memories and did enjoy escaping every day life.

Day 1 . . . We were awake at 4am. That is 9am EST. We all tossed and turned for a while. When we finally did get out of bed - we met the sunrise.
After breakfast we took a stroll around the hotel grounds and found a couple hammocks that we got to relax in a couple times.

The beautiful hibiscus were everywhere.

Off to Spouting Horn. It's volcanic rock that is formed so that when the ocean waves crash into it, a "Roar" sound is made. Brad and William decided that it isn't a dragon inside, but a "Chicken Lizard" that is caught under the rocks roaring.

If you click on the above picture, you can see in the turtle swimming in the ocean.

There are sooo many chickens that run wild on Kauai. Apparently, more wild chickens than people on the island. And William really enjoyed seeing how many he could chase.

Day 2 . . . Breakfast was in the hotel restaurant that had one entire side that opened up to the ocean facing the sunrise. I know these aren't the best quality pictures - but it gives an idea of the beautiful view we had at breakfast.

Pictures on the rocks. 100 yards from the lanai of our hotel room.

We drove an hour up Waimea Canyon. Beautiful views of the canyon on the way up. We even saw a couple waterfalls. If you click on the pictures you can zoom in on them.

Now hiking the Waimea Canyon. (See, we did use the backpack! And we had fun!)

The view from our hike. Not too shabby, huh? See why we did it?

Resting on the trail.
We just came down that . . .
And we're going down there . . .
It's hard to distinguish where the sky ends and the ocean begins.

Taking a break an hour into the hike.

Maddie fell asleep on the way back. Best seat in the house.

William was a very agile hiker.

Day 3
After hiking, William really enjoys climbing on the rocks. It is an adventure for him. He even brought his water gun for his adventure.

A family photo as the sun is rising.
Me and the kids.

William feeding the koi in the pond at the hotel.

Maddie taking a stroll outside our room.
Brad teaching William to snorkle. First in the pool, then we'll try the ocean.

Day 4 . . . Kauai Coffee Plantation. We toured the grounds and went through the maze made out of 10' coffee plants. Even sampled some of their different varieties and flavors.

Maddie strolling through the maze. I had to put this picture in b/c I caught her walking with her arm bent and her hand hanging so prissy like.

William playing in the coffee drying tents.

Me & Maddie.

Brad & William.

In the evening, hula dancers and a Hawaiian band were the entertainment during the Mai Tai party. William especially liked the little 8 year old hula girl.
Watching the hula dancers.

2008-11-24T13:12:00.020-05:00

Day 7 . . .
William got to feed the koi again. He had a lot of fun.

William posing.
Later we enjoyed the fun pool.

Day 8 . . . In search of waterfalls.
We found a great one.

Opeaka'a Falls

William in front of the falls.
Girls in front of the falls.

The boys overlooking Wailua River.

We went for a drive on this offroad/backroad/potholes everywhere road. It was a very cool, though ROUGH, drive.
This is at the beginning of the adventure. Brad and William walked across the 'road'. There were 3 of these types of roads on the way up.

At the top of the road, over an hour later, were the posts that held up the gates to Jurassic Park.

We wanted to take William snorkeling. However, the ocean is very rough during the winter months. So we found this public beach, Lydgate Park. It was the perfect place to take W on his first snorkeling adventure. We saw plenty of fish. Quite a bit bigger than I expected.
Once he got tired of the cold saltwater, he drew in the sand with sticks.
Then we built a sort of sand structure. He called it a 'castle'. More like a deep hole. Then I talked him into letting me bury him in sand. He finally conceded.
He said the sand was cold. Though, he did seem to have fun.
He also had sand EVERYWHERE!
Fun times. Good memories made!
Day 9 . . . Queen's Bath
Another hike. Totally different than our first one.
This is a picture on the way down to the ocean. There were fresh water streams that we stopped and enjoyed.

Where we just came down.
And we've got to climb these.
And not get too close to the edge. It's actually a 40 foot drop. The mountain in the back drop is Bali Hai.
On the way back.

The boys sipped from the freshwater stream. We were thirsty.
The stream that they were sipping from.
On the way back up from Queen's Bath. Exhausting.
Which is why we headed straight for shaved ice in Hanalei from "Shave Ice Paradise".
After naps, we went to a luau at the Kilohana Plantation. They had a few games for the kids to play before the dinner and show.
Maddie didn't swing the poi balls, but she did try playing 'keep away' from William.
At the luau.
William posing with the nose flutist and 2 of the actors from the show.
Day 10

If you look close you can see the rainbow.
Kilauea Lighthouse
Pictures in front of the lighthouse.

Maddie liked the view and the wind blowing. She was very happy up on Brad's shoulders.
One more snorkeling adventure at the hotel.
Day 12:
We left Kauai at 10pm. So after a long day, William willingly buckled up and snuggled in for a long night.
We all felt like this. Maddie just got her picture taken while doing it.

Great trip. Wonderful memories.

Dress up

2008-11-23T23:15:00.005-05:00

In honor of our family trip in November, the kids dressed up like a hula dancer and a Polynesian warrior for "Guppyween" at the aquarium. The kids got to see the fish tanks at night and fill their candy bags with candy that I will eventually throw away. But the process was fun.

Brad made some 'warrior markings' on W's arms and we spray painted his hair black. We'll be cleaning up the mess for weeks.

Our Hula dancer
No markings here. No spray paint. Just a lei and grass skirt.

Our Polynesian warrior

William's favorite is the blue bill duck so we always make a point to go see him

Brad & William making the 'warrior face'.

Taking a break from all the excitement (and the huge crowd) . . .

Ear Infection, AGAIN

2008-10-06T17:11:00.006-04:00

We went to EPCOT's Food & Wine Festival on Saturday (sans children). We just love going and trying all the yummy samples (sans children). At least as many as we have room for.
I will say this . . . I had some major regret on Sunday . . . and it wasn't leaving my kids behind. Simply put - I ate sooo much.
I'm not sure where I lost control.
It might have been in France with the French Onion Soup. Or in North America with the Boston Crab Cake with Corn and Barley Salad. The Pepperberry Prawns with Sweet Potato Hash that I ate in Australia were definitely after I lost control. No questions there.

It was a wonderful ADULTS ONLY day! Can you tell we were happy to be without children at Disney? In fact, we joked with the couple we went with at the parents that had their children in tow. Don't get me wrong, we often look like those couples with strollers stuffed to full capacity with diapers, sippy cups, etc and screaming children because it is 2pm and nap time is sorely needed. However, for 1 day a year, it wasn't us.

So back at home, my dad was caring for our 2 heaven sent blessings. So easy to say after a full day away from them. And our daughter was cooking up ANOTHER ear infection.
Under his care, I might add.
This is ironic because my dad touts his refined, he would call it
'perfected', care of our children. To those who don't know him,
it's endearing - not condescending. What parent doesn't love
when another adult wants the best with regards to their children?

So . . . back to ANOTHER ear infection. A double ear infection to boot! How? I don't get it. The thrashing and arching of the back when we lay her flat and her unending clingy-ness now makes sense. In the context of a double ear infection, that is. So we medicate and love on her. Hopefully some TLC will make it easier on her.

Sick babies are just down right pathetic.

Unrelated pictures to follow. Pictures of a crying baby or a picture of her infected inner ears not so endearing.

Here are her One Year photos.

Compared to William's One Year Photos

Sad Day

2008-09-25T21:12:00.007-04:00

This has been a sad couple of days. Something has happened to my baby.
Monday was her last bottle.
No hiccups moving to the sippy cup. Or going off formula.
Tuesday she started WALKING!
Hello! Please, someone, tell her she's growing too fast! This is ridiculous.
She has the rest of her life to walk and be a big girl.

So, ignoring ME and my sadness, what a big milestone.

When I picked her up out of the Y nursery today, they said, "She's walking! She's walking everywhere!". I told them I was not nearly as excited about it as they obviously were. Then my sweet girl did something that warmed my heart.
She saw me, her face lit up with excitement, and then . . . she crawled to the door.

I just don't understand why this is going so fast.

Maddie, "Yesterday"

Maddie, "Today"

I was laying next to William this afternoon as he was sleeping soundly, and I thought back to what seems like yesterday when I was rocking him and looking into that same face. But now he's so big. His feet and his hands look gigantic next to Madelyn's.

William, "Yesterday"

William, "Today"

Ughh, I'm going to cry.

Each stage is so wonderful, but each stage means they are a little closer to being . . . dare I say, a teenager.

A new job, 2 milestones and 2 birthdays

2008-09-22T15:37:00.020-04:00

Nearly 2 months since my last post and some major changes have occurred.

*Brad started a new job. Big change. 8 weeks later and he really likes it. Dare I say . . . he is excited!
I don't think I realized how much a bad job effects a family. At least ours. Not that Brad's previous position was bad - it just wasn't a good situation. The interim was stressful. And the start of the new job was hectic. However, we're on the other side now and it is good. It is especially good for Brad and therefor all of us.

Milestone #1
*William started PK3. Sad. I say that because I hate letting him go. He is such a sweet boy with such a sweet heart (except with his sister). I know it is good for him. The 'being in school' part, not the 'mean to his sister' part. And for me. It took him a good month to find some friends among his classmates. But he has settled on 4 or 5 that he calls 'friends'.
Below is a picture of his first day at school.He is now strongly opposed to spiky hair. Go figure. "Flat! I want it flat!" I think it is because a friend of his got a major hair cut and it was spiky and his buddy hated it. Are 3 and a half year olds supposed to have opinions on their hair???? It seems about 15 years early.

Milestone #2
*On the hair subject, Maddie went to the salon for her first official haircut. I dare call my butchering of her hair back in May a 'haircut'.
And she started the fun 'separation anxiety' stage. FUN. Don't you love when you go to talk to a kid and the kid melts at merely listening to you talk to them. It's even better when it's your kid crying at someone else.
This will soon come to an end. I'm certain of it.
This is a picture of Maddie after her salon debut with my hairstylist.

I love this developmental stage. When they get on one knee. You know that walking is right around the corner but they're still your crawling baby.

Here she is on her 11 month birthday.

*Monday nights tend to be the only night during the week that we are all together. One night we took the kids to Picnic Island and watched the sunset. William and Brad played softball. He hits pretty good. Exceptionally well considering his athletic genes. This is a picture of a huge cargo ship, maybe, I can't remember, that passed by while we were there.
*Grandparents Day was August 31st. So I was told. This is the picture of Maddie, Sofia, and William that Steph took for my parents. We put it in a black mat with the kids handprints in white paint.

* Our last overnight trip to Orlando for the year, I fear. Since rates hike up in the fall and in to the holidays.

William in the kids robe and slippers having coffee on the balcony. Ignore my fabulous bed head please.

Yes, dad, we let him pet the snake and alligator. It seemed relatively safe.

William and Brad went to the putting range. Maddie and I watched. She talked on the phone a bit :)

Birthday#1
* William turned 4. SIGH. We had a Kung Fu Panda party for him at the Y.
One of our good friends agreed to dress up in a panda costume and pose for an hour as Po. He's obviously a good friend to do it.

There were kids everywhere. 17 or 19 mostly 3 year olds. It was pandamonium. HaHa.

Another guy came and did a karate demonstration for the kids. The boys, and a couple girls, were really into it. William is still doing the "Haaa YA".

Cake time.
I had cupcakes made for the kids with Master Po's face on them. I got the idea off the internet and entertained the idea of decorating them myself. Boy am I glad I opted not to!

Lighting of the candles . . .

William is not given the opportunity to eat sugar often. So one of our friends found it hilarious that after the song was sung and he blew out the candles and the cake was put in front of him - he asked, "Am I allowed to eat this?".
Yes, we let him.

Birthday #2
*Maddie, our little girl, my baby, turned one. Cry. Cry. Sigh.
She's taken steps here and there by herself - but honestly - I'm not encouraging it. Why? She's got the rest of her life to walk. No point in pushing her to grow up too quickly.
We had a dinner party for her this past Saturday. Family and friends came to help celebrate her big day. And - thanks to my good friend, Clarita, who is teaching me to sew - I made Maddie's birthday outfit. It was a cupcake shirt with bloomies.
We ate cupcakes. I used this cupcake mold that makes a cake in the shape of a cupcake. The kids had individual cupcakes.

Cupcake time for the birthday girl . . .

Opening presents was fun. William wanted to be in the middle of the action. Actually all the kids wanted to be in the action. Towards the end, Maddie grabbed a hold of one of the gifts and clinched on tight! As if she were saying, "mine!".
All sugared up and hipper!

Vacation

2008-08-01T08:04:00.041-04:00

With Brad on a 'work break' (see July 18th post) we're going on vacation to the tourist mecca. Orlando.

Day 1: Magic Kingdom
We stayed on property at the Contemporary Resort for a couple days. It was SO nice to be 7 minutes from Magic Kingdom. We don't go often to that park because it is so much trouble. You've got to park, load the stroller on the tram then unload to get on the monorail and then 30 minutes later arrive at the front of MK. So since the monorail goes through the Contemporary, it literally took us 7 minutes to get to the front of MK after leaving the elevator at the hotel.

*You can click on the pictures to see close ups*

Us in front of Cinderella's castle.

Me and Maddie right before dinner.

Day 2: Magic Kingdom . . . again

Brad and Madelyn heading up to ride Astro Orbiter.

Brad and Madelyn (she's there, you just can't see her) on the Astro Orbiter.

William getting ready for take off.

Dinner was the Luau at the Polynesian Resort.
Having been to several luaus in Hawaii, we were a bit skeptical. Will it be corny? Will it be Disney-fied?
Well, the first song they started with was a Beach Boys tune. Not so authentic - quite corny actually. Things did get better though. As Disney usually does, they replicated an authentic luau very well. The dancers were great. The flame thrower was very good. And the food was definitely better than authentic luaus. Not hard to do - one does not go to Hawaii for the food. We've had the worst ever Caesar salad, pizza and steak in Hawaii. So a Disney luau had to be better cuisine.

Madelyn with a lei adorning her head.

Brad and William acting silly. Just wait until the Pina Coladas come.

Madelyn and me. She'd really rather not be touched OR wear the lei. She is quite focused on the food at the table that she is not partaking of yet.

Me and Brad

Remember those Pina Coladas? Oh yes, the boys enjoyed the pineapple flavored slushies.

They invited the kids up to the front to teach them one of the dances. William went.
He wasn't all that interested though.

Family photo

Day 3: EPCOT

2 rides on Test Track and the highlight for William is the display of GM cars & trucks after exiting the ride.

Day 4: Dinner in EPCOT at Chefs de France

Working our way to EPCOT via the Boardwalk.

Reservations aren't really a 'reservation' apparently. At least not tonight. So we waited for our table. In the mean time, I took some cute pics of the kids.

Madelyn here devouring the map. If the choice is putting the paper in her mouth or the grass - I'll take the paper. She's at that stage where she puts everything in her mouth. It's great! :)

My martini was completely drained out of this plastic martini glass. But she sure did enjoy playing with it.

Okay - here is something crazy. William eating the escargot. At first he was just dipping his pasta in the butter garlic pesto sauce. I mean, who doesn't like that combination? Then he ate the last of the appetizer! Just like that our 3 year old is eating snails. I might add, not so cheap.

Day 5: Pool Day - all day!

There was a python water slide at the pool. Initially William was not keen on going down it because it is pitch black inside. He soon got over his fear and played for hours going down the slide. It's so nice that he can swim so he can do it by himself. Over and over and over again. I got to watch poolside. It's a great setup.

Madelyn went 'European' at the pool. Why bother to put a top on a 10 month old? I don't think it's necessary. A cute pink frilly bottom is all a baby girl needs. Brad thinks it's funny. Here he is uncovering her chest and saying, "Woooowy, look at these."

Day 6: MGM – oh sorry . . . name change - Disney’s Hollywood Studios - old habits die hard

William had seen all the billboards for Toy Story Mania. It’s a 4D ride through midway-style games. The vehicles have spring action shooters where you throw virtual projectiles at targets to rack up the points on the games. It’s very cool.

Madelyn even enjoyed pulling on the string on the shooters. Though amidst the twirling around to the next game, she did fall over a few times. No worse for the wear.

After the ride, William went to take a few photos with Buzz and Woody.

If you’ve seen Toy Story, you’ll notice that the backdrop is Woody’s bed and the kids can take a photo inside Buzz’s space ship while waiting in line to see the characters.

Again, the backdrop is Woody’s bed. I think it’s a very cool setup.

Day 7: Another pool day. No photos to share. But I had to list the day. It would bother me to not list every day.

Day 8: EPCOT and off to the Ritz

We rode Spaceship Earth. That would be the big ball below. And took a bunch of pics with some characters.

No . . . we're not the characters. Those are to come.

The kids and I waited in an HOUR long line to take photos with some 'big names'. While I wrangled the 2 kids in the line for an HOUR, Brad went on a “Behind the Seeds” tour in The Land.

Lots of talk about Hydroponics.

Something Brad is interested in since it has to do with new possibilities in farming. He enjoys growing herbs and flowers and the technology Disney is researching interests him.

Since an hour of my life is gone for the pics, I thought I'd attach as many as this blog would hold.

William and Maddie with Mickey.

This was taken moments before Madelyn went hysterical. I couldn't believe it - 10 months old and she's scared of the life size stuffed animals.

William and Minnie.

Maddie with Minnie. The only way I could get her close to the characters was if I was holding her. I put her down next to Minnie after this was taken and she crawled off crying - I'm talking tears.

William watching Madelyn frantically trying to get away from Pluto.

Maddie and Goofy.

William and Goofy.

Day 9 & 10: Ritz

Why is it I feel nostalgic when we go to the Ritz?

It’s not like I grew up going there. But I thoroughly enjoy every moment when we’re there. We used to like to count how many times the employees would say, “My pleasure”. We’ve lost count.

We rode Surrey bikes at Sunset.

Brad & William played Bocce ball while Maddie and I watched.

Brad & William spent a couple hours one morning on the driving range and putting green.

Brad & I took turns getting treatments at the spa. Always a winner.

We played in the pool.

And enjoyed the lazy river.

One night Brad got Flipper’s Pizza (the best pizza around –NYC-kind-of-good) and we ate it on the lawn as the sun set. William watched a DVD and Maddie ate what she could get her hands on (balls, leaves/grass, pizza bone, etc.) and Brad & I enjoyed a great Merlot.

Day 11: Pass-a-grill Beach

We joined my parents at the beach for one last day of vacation. The kids had a great time playing in the sand. William built and destroyed a sort of ‘sand mountain’. Madelyn ate the sand mountain.

Dinner at Crabby Bill's.

All in all – a great impromptu family vacation. Now back to reality.

Wedding Bells

2008-07-23T21:42:00.001-04:00

Our friends got married last weekend. It was a very sweet ceremony.
Our little guy was their ring bearer. Here are a couple pics.

William all decked out in his rented tuxedo. Boy, it's fun to try to get a 3 year old in formal wear.

William, Ashley and Adam & Katie Parham :)

Seasons passing

2008-07-18T21:51:00.000-04:00

A season has now passed in our lives. In Brad's life. In our family's life. IBMs time has come and gone as of midnight last night.
I think for a long time we expected Brad would be an 'IBMer' until he retired. But given his job climate this year, we were both feeling like IBMs time had come and gone for our family but we didn't know what that meant. What does it mean?
God has another plan.
When we found out he would be moving on, I felt very unsettled. But I knew, I know God is faithful and He would undoubtedly provide.
And He has.
Brad will start his new job at the beginning of August. So for the next 2 1/2 weeks what will we do?
What we love to do.
Go on vacation.
It does seem appropriate. Like a celebration. Saying good bye to the old and looking forward with excitement and anticipation for what lies ahead.

Baby Dedication

2008-07-17T08:21:00.006-04:00

Sunday we had Madelyn dedicated at church. It was a very sweet time.

Ring Bearer Video

2008-06-24T01:22:00.000-04:00

Here's a short video of William's first performance as ring bearer.
We don't have video of him jumping over the wedding dress or picking up the flower girl's flowers. That will just live on in our memories. Something we'll of course share at his own wedding.

Mount Vernon

2008-06-23T08:43:00.001-04:00

A couple weeks ago we went to Brad's nephew's wedding in Mt Vernon, IL. William was the ring bearer.
It's the first time either of the kids have been up there & it was a totally new experience. First of all, traveling by plane with 2 kids was . . . OK. Not horrible. Not easy. But then again, airports post 9.11 aren't easy - even without kids.

We went for a week so we got to spend a lot of time with Brad's brother and family.

One day we went on the boat. As you can see, William got to help uncle Steve drive.

Another day we drove 30 minutes south to visit the town where my dad grew up. We hit the places that I remember most.

The house my grandparents owned when my sister & I were kids. We'd spend a couple weeks each summer there playing with our cousins. Good memories.

The church my grandparents attended and my grandfather helped build.

And then . . . the donut shop.

We of course, had to partake in the "cream horn".
I remember my grandparents having these sugary treats around the house during the summer. Last year my dad had a craving for "cream horns" and had a couple dozen shipped to him in Florida. I remember loving them as a child. And now, my children got to try them and they are also big fans of the "cream horn". Evidence follows . . .

"Yea, that WAS mine. You can have it now."

"Mom, give me more!"

"Not enough. More"

William's sugar crash from this little stop was HORRIBLE.

Remember, I said this trip was a totally new experience. Besides the lake & boat trip - another new experience was the farm across the street from my brother-in-law's house. He took Brad & William over to feed the cows.

I wasn't there - so I don't know what was going on during this picture. But it looks like William might be trying to grab hold of the cow's tongue and Brad is trying to pull his hand away.

Anyone remember fireflies? Or lightning bugs? I remember catching them and pulling there little "light butts" off. Quite cruel now that I think about it. Well, Brad and William spent several nights hunting the lightning bugs. William finally got one in his insect container. He was so excited. He did NOT pull the insect apart.

Saturday finally arrived. This was William's first time in a tux. How handsome he looked.

"This ring bearer stuff is tough"

The wedding was smack dab in the middle of nap time. Can I hear a, "Ohhhhh noooo" from any other preschooler parents? I was very concerned it was going to be a disaster and that he would totally ruin the wedding.
He did not.

Especially if you exclude the part when he left his spot at the front of the church and walked in front of the pastor who was mid-speech and then jumped over the bride's train. Yes, he jumped over her train. Uh huh. Yep. BUT - he didn't stomp on it.

Then there was the part when he proceeded back up the aisle he had just walked down picking up the flowers the flower girl had dropped.

I know my son. He is a handful with a nap. Given the time of the ceremony + no nap . . . it could have been worse.

Ring bearer and his family.
Maddie slept through the ceremony.

At the family luncheon on Sunday.
Brad's family (the newlyweds - Zane & Matt, us, Steve & Debbie, and Brittney).

Project Completed

2008-06-22T16:03:00.005-04:00

My mother's mother was a great seamstress.
My mother was a great seamstress. (I say "was" because she hasn't glanced in the direction of a sewing machine in 10 years ;)
One might think I could sew. Or at least possess the talent to sew.

Sooo . . . a sweet friend of mine who is very artistic and talented has agreed to teach me to sew. We've been at it since the beginning of May, and I finally completed my first project.

I'm not a good completer. I start many a-things. I finish very few.
*My honeymoon scrapbook - not completed.
*Our scrapbook of fabulous vacations before children - not completed.
*My son's first year baby book - not completed.
*Home projects - started, not finished.
*Every women's bible study (except Daniel) - started with great enthusiasm, not completed.

So now I can add an accomplishment in the "Completed" column. John Grisham novels, Daniel Bible study, college, and now . . . a hand-embroidered slip dress for my daughter.

I'm attaching pictures. I completed the dress on Thursday night and she wore the dress to celebrate her 9 month birthday on Friday. Wow, Maddie is 9 months already! Crazy.

Now since I come from 2+ generations of pianists and musicians on both sides of my family, I should be able to play the piano also. Something to tackle later in life.

Happy Father's Day

2008-06-17T22:02:00.000-04:00

We had a nice Father's Day together. It was as laid back as we could do given 2 kids and our normal Sunday morning schedule.

My husband is a great spouse. And he is a great dad. You can tell his children love him!

6 years and counting

2008-05-31T22:10:00.001-04:00

We just celebrated our sixth wedding anniversary. We took a long weekend and enjoyed being alone.

We rode all the rides we want to ride when we go to Disney but can't because we've got kids. That was a blast.

On our way to dinner & fireworks at EPCOT.

We relaxed at the spa for several days. Fabulous.

The highlight was dinner at Emeril's at the chef's table. The table was located in the kitchen where we got to watch all the action. The chef cooked a special 6+ course meal designed just for us. It was so incredible. I ate so much that I hurt in the middle of the night.

Brad & me with the chefs.

Milestones

2008-05-06T16:34:00.003-04:00

Our little girl is moving along so good, now 7 months old.

We just discovered her third tooth. Now 2 on the bottom, one on top. She's getting ready for steaks in June with Uncle Steve & clan! She's heard her daddy talk about the 'Grill Master' in Illinois and wanted to make sure she got in on the goodies.

She's trying so hard to crawl too (pics below). She can get her knees up under her body and push. But big girl can't hold up her torso at the same time. I find it amazing how she is growing so quickly.

I don't know if I'm the only mom that does this, but I find myself not wanting her to grow so quickly. I remember with William being so anxious for him to go to the next step. He started to drool and I kept checking for teeth. Then he got one, and I kept looking for the second one. Then the third one, etc. Once he started to crawl, I couldn't wait for him to walk. Then I couldn't wait until he was tall enough to ride the kiddie rides at Busch Gardens. Then I couldn't wait until he could talk in full sentences. Then it was carry on a little conversation. I didn't stop to enjoy the stage he was in, I was always looking for the next one.

With Madelyn, I'm totally different. I am slightly disappointed as she moves to the next stage of development, looking back often. I don't know why. It's so odd to me.

Either way, anxious for the next stage or slightly saddened by the new stage, it doesn't seem to stop or hurry along development. My little people are developing at the rate God himself intended.

Here are some pics of Maddie trying her hardest to crawl.

Ahhhh, Home Sweet Home

2008-05-05T16:06:00.008-04:00

Have you been away from your bed for a couple nights and when you get back home and sink into your comfy cozy bed, you realize how good home is and how great your bed is? If you pay attention, you might even catch your body saying, "Ahhh. This is good."
Last night was that way for all 4 of us. We were in Miami for 3 nights and Orlando for 2 nights. So by night 6 - we were all so happy to be back in our own beds. So happy that we slept an hour later than usual.
We beached it for 3 days in Miami. Fabulous. It was so nice to be with Brad. We had dinner each night by the pool that overlooked the ocean. Then we packed our bags and headed to Orlando for some Disney park fun. The Flower & Garden show is going on at EPCOT now so we wanted to do that. And William is tall enough to ride Test Track and Thunder Mountain Railroad, so we had a lot to do in 2 days. It was great.

I didn't pack enough clothes to get us through the weekend, but I decided we could find coin laundry. Surely there is coin laundry near the hotel or the parks, I thought! That's a joke! If anyone is interested in a business in Orlando - that's it. Coin laundry close to the theme parks. There's not one within, oh probably, 13 miles of Disney.

Fun times. Though so nice to be home. So nice that I don't think we're leaving the house today. I know your question . . . not even to party for Cinco de Mayo, you ask? No, not even.

EPCOT "FLOWER & GARDEN SHOW" PICTURES:

Brad and William taking time to smell the flowers.

Me and Maddie in front of the giant butterfly made out of flowers. This was at the entrance to the 'Butterfly Garden'.

One of the hundreds of butterflies inside the "Butterfly Garden".

William had said several times, "I'm hungry". So in the middle of the Nemo ride/exhibit he plopped down, popped open his Pringles and ate.

MAGIC KINGDOM PHOTOS:

In front of Cinderella's Castle
(Click on the picture to zoom in)

Family photo shot at the wishing well.

William's FIRST COCA-COLA!!!

This is Brad asking, "Where is my Coke!!!???"

For those of you who have spent time with William know that he and sugar don't mix.
Putting it nicely, he turns psycho. The general rule is . . . If YOU give him sugar, he's yours until after he's crashed. For that reason, he rarely has sugar. Brad let William have a little of his Coke. And the little psycho was quite fond of it.

This is William's answer to Brad, "Right here in my belly."

William's first time on Thunder Mountain Railroad . . .

On the way up the ramp to Thunder Mountain Railroad.

Almost to the train.

Not so excited now that he's on the ride. But we did it anyway.

Miami Pics

2008-05-02T15:22:00.002-04:00

Pics from our recent 'spur of the moment' trip. Not so 'spur' for Brad. But 'spur' for the rest of us. The late afternoons/evenings ended up being vacation-esque.

Brad and his babies.

On the South Beach boardwalk. This is not a new hair style for me . . . the wind was blowing pretty hard.

The view in the morning from our room.

William kept entertained in the pool. Whether it was making friends with German girls or playing with buckets - he thoroughly enjoyed the water.

While big brother played, Maddie discovered bubbles.

Ready. Set.

Jump!

The evening air was too cool for me and Maddie so we sat on the deck and watched the boys play in the pool.

South Beach

2008-04-30T20:31:00.000-04:00

So here we are in Miami. Brad called yesterday afternoon and said he couldn’t come home until the end of the week. So within an hour and twenty minutes I had me and 2 kids packed and we made the 5-hour trek. We rolled in to South Beach at 11PM.

Let me just tell you, Madelyn cried more on our little road trip than she has cried combined in the last 10 days. Mainly, thanks to her big brother. She would dose off to a pleasant slumber and then he’d ‘boop’ her nose or start singing incredibly loud. All to wake her up. And he succeeded. And she through a fit. This happened no less than 5 times. And, oh my, her protest lasted 20+ minutes EACH time!

Then my little chatter box. For the first 45 minutes he talked incessantly. Talked about his dad. Talked about the hotel (he LOVES hotels). Talked about the time PopPop and MiMi took him and SoSo to the lazy river hotel and he squirted someone with water. Then wanted to know if we were at the hotel yet. Then wanted to know if it was getting dark. Then back to dad. Where was he? Where are we? “I want my daddy.” Yes, buddy, I want your daddy too!

With all the TALKING and crying and 5 hour drive . . . we arrived. It’s so nice to be together as a family. Even if it is in a hotel room. We’re with Brad.

And the day has been so nice. William swam for 3 hours. Never tiring. He sort of made friends with these 2 grade school sisters. I say ‘sort of’ because they didn’t speak English and W doesn’t understand the language concept. I tried explaining how he learns Spanish in school and we speak English. But, you know, he’s 3. The older one kept saying, “I don’t speak English”. It didn’t stop him. He kept talking to them and following them around. Somehow they figured it out. The talking ceased and the copying began. One would jump a certain way in the water. The other would copy. One would do a trick in the water. The other would copy.

Do you know where I got to be (excluding the first 45 minutes)? Sitting in the sun stretched out on a beach chair. Oh, yes. Tanning. It was so nice. Maddie asleep. William capable in the pool and fully occupied. And me, I’ll say it again, tanning. 2 hours of South Beach rays made the 5-hour trek all worth it. I even got some reading done.

Brad got back and we had dinner by the pool with the ocean crashing into the beach behind us. It was beautiful. Then the boys swam and the girls cuddled under a pool towel. Just lovely.

Tomorrow?
Hopefully a repeat of the same.

Young Love

2008-04-28T16:45:00.019-04:00

This past week 2 friends announced their engagement to wonderful women. We could not be happier for these guys! One of them was telling us how he proposed and as he recounted the event he was noticeably flighty and shaky yet smiling and excited all at the same time. How wonderful young love is. Not to be confused with their age - I'm not saying that - just that new fresh love. Hearing their love story and their excitement while talking about their future life mates makes me nostalgic.
I think back to when Brad & I met. The butterflies. The nervous sweat. How exciting it was just to talk on the phone with him. The first time we held hands. Our first date. Our engagement and how he 'popped the question'. Our perfect wedding day and incredible honeymoon.
I wouldn't go back. Our life is great. But those were good times that I don't often sit around and daydream about. I went through a bunch of old photos and loved reminiscing. Here are some highlights.

Skiing in CO on a Singles Trip while we were dating.

Magic Kingdom day trip while we were dating. I kept expecting him to propose while at Disney. Thankfully, he didn't. I thought his proposal site was perfect.

Brad proposed on a boat trip in Naples. At sunset.

Our wedding - 6 weeks later.

another wedding pose.

Honeymoon Photos - 5 years and 11 months ago . . .

Trevi Fountain in Roma.

Colosseum in Roma.

Pisa. That would be the leaning tower.

Great times. But nearly 6 years later - we've had even more memorable ones. Just to name a few . . .

2005 - Rockefeller Center, NYC

2006 - our new found friends from cooking school in Tuscany

2006 - Tuscany

2007 - Sunrise at 10K feet above sea level on top of Haleakala in Maui

2007 - Maui

And, of course,

I said I was feeling nostalgic.

To our soon-to-be-wed friends: We wish you many wonderful moments that you too will blog about!!! We can't wait to see what your future holds (though William is praying for 'baby Moses' for the Fall bride & groom. I know, a bit premature. No baby prayers for the Summer couple . . . yet.)!

Blink

2008-04-18T22:04:00.007-04:00

I blinked.

What happened? Where did the time go?

My little boy is now telling me where to stand when we're kicking the ball back and forth.
He tries to negotiate and bargain with me to get his way. I'll tell him the plan for the morning is to take a bath, then he can watch TV. He'll respond, "Mom, here's the plan. First we watch TV, then we'll take a bath."
When my dad picks him up to go to dinner, my dad will say - Hey, let's go to Chick-fil-a. William responds with, "No. No. No. I wanna go to Macaroni Grill!" (Where do you think they end up?)
He has full conversations with my parents or Brad on the phone. Often communicating, in no uncertain terms, that they need to return home NOW.

He takes breaks in the bathroom to "catch up" on reading.

This morning he and my dad went to McD for breakfast. My dad said that when they got inside, W shot off into a different direction than he. W apparently hollered over his shoulder, "You get the dinner, I'll get the table." Think he's heard that one before.

Potty training turned bad

2008-04-17T11:30:00.003-04:00

W started potty training at 23 months. There were compromises we made to get him trained because he was so young.

We were very motivated b/c the childcare on the cruise we were taking when he would be 25 months was open to potty trained children. At least that was the quote on the website. It ended up not being true - but he was still trained.

So back to the compromises. We would allow William (at the time it was cute - to us) to potty outside if necessary. We'd be on our way somewhere, he'd have the urge - and we'd jerk to the side of the road and let him relieve himself. Well, the down side is . . . 18 months later, he's still doing it.

I'm torn between laughing and being completely embarrassed that my 3.5 year old 'whips it out' in public. The fact that I'm blogging about it must mean I find it more funny than embarrassing.

He's done it at Busch Gardens (though I caught him before he soaked a couple of moms in front of him).
He's done it a MGM on Main Street in front of Tammy & Kent who remind us of the event (I can't remember if we stopped him that time).
He's done it at the spray ground in Hyde Park (I pretended I didn't see him doing it).
He secretly exited at Patrick & Abby's one night because he didn't know where their bathroom was (she caught him on their back porch).

So a couple weeks ago, we had a play date at the park with a bunch of friends. The boys were running wild. The girls weren't. It was fun. Until a friend (William thanks you, Christina) saw the following taking place and captured it for eternity (well, at least until his wedding day).

I'm told it looks like I'm cheering him on. I'M NOT. But what was I supposed to do? By the time I got to him, I couldn't stop him mid-stream!
Hopefully we'll never see the people that were eating lunch just to the left of the basketball hoop again (totally not joking about that).

Fabulous

2008-04-14T22:12:00.005-04:00

Can I hear a "Fabulous" from some fellow Floridians????? Was the weather not just perfect this weekend?
The temperature.
The clear sky.
The breeze.
All Fabulous.
We went to the beach again. Just can't resist it when the weather is so perfect.
Brad & W played softball. Maddie & I played in the sand. I can't remember if W liked the sand the first time he got in it - but Maddie sure did. I turned my head for 3 seconds and next thing I know - she had a mouth-full of sand. Now that's nasty.

Celebrating with a Sunset Picnic

2008-04-08T21:30:00.006-04:00

Friday ended a long 4 week period of Brad being gone all week. For emphasis, I will repeat - it was a long 4 weeks. He was home on the weekends - but it was still tough. When we first got married, he traveled Monday through Friday. But he stopped that schedule after W was born. I didn't realize what an impact his extended absence would have on our family dynamics.
So when he got home this passed Friday evening, we decided to do something special as a family. We loaded up the car, picked up our favorite Italian entrees, and headed to the beach for a sunset picnic.
It was so nice. The weather was beautiful. The sunset was incredible. We all had a great time.
Scroll down for pics.
.
.
.
VIEWER ADVISORY:
.
.
For those of you not currently enjoying the beautiful Florida low humidity & 80 degree weather, you might want to prepare yourselves for some jealousy and envy. We are having beautiful weather right now & these pictures reflect that.
.
.
.

Jealous? Sorry.
But come visit. :)

Maddie's first swing experience.

Brad & M.
Brad is sporting his 'Daddy Shirt' with the kid's handprints.

William kept telling me 'push me higher'. If his smile is any indicator, I'd say he liked it.

Spring Fling

2008-04-03T10:19:00.014-04:00

Every Spring our church does a 'Spring Fling'. Purely a family fun afternoon.

Lawn chairs & blankets under shady trees for the adults,
...... inflatables for the kids,
........... rock climbing wall for the brave,
...... ........... and BBQ for everyone.

Mom and Maddie on a blanket under a shady tree.

Me & W on one of the inflatables.

William, SoSo, and Uncle Dan on the inflatables.
Notice, William got a little impatient and went on ahead.

"The Brave"? We'll see . . .
....

.....

......

.....

....

There he is.
Uncle Chad went up with him - you know - in case he freaked out.
He did get a bit confused with where his hands should go once he had on the harness - hold the cord? Hold the rocks?

Enjoying the BBQ.

People bring their dogs, their frisbees, their volleyballs. It's a great opportunity to catch up with people you haven't talked to in a while and chat with people you just see in passing. It's a lot of fun.

Being near the base, there are plenty of planes overhead for the kids (little and adult size) to get excited about. I think it was last year that a formation of 4 fighter jets raced by.

3 or 4 years ago, my aunt brought her Louie Vuitton purse. After a dog lifted its leg and peed on it and a friend made the comment, "Look the dog peed on the French purse!" - I haven't seen another Louie.

Blue faced SoSo after ice cream.

Orange faced William eating ice cream.

Easter Pics

2008-03-30T23:24:00.005-04:00

Mom & Dad gave the kids their Easter outfits. All I have to say is . . . FABULOUS.
William's was a pink monogrammed dress shirt. Sooo cute.
Maddie & SoSo's 'princess' dresses were adorned with beads and beautiful handwork. Scalloped lace edges. Total artwork.
We had Wendy from 'Always Remember' come out to the house and take their pics in their outfits. She did a fabulous job. Here are some highlights.

"Good"

2008-03-29T16:09:00.001-04:00

Good Friday. Good? I'd say so. I remember as a child asking my mother why we called 'Good Friday' good. I still remember the point of her explanation - that without Jesus' death on the cross, there would have not been an Resurrection Easter Sunday.
A couple years ago, Brad & I had the discussion and came to the conclusion that we would like to take Good Friday and make the day a special family day. Regardless of what the schools are doing (which I heard our county had 60% absentee rate), we'd like to celebrate the day that is the center of our faith.
So, we did. We took the kids to the park and played and had a picnic. The weather was incredible. It was quiet. We really enjoyed the time. William said, "There's nothing in the sky."

W enjoying his relaxing picnic time.

Then we ended the day with the Good Friday service. We didn't have, or maybe we just didn't attend, a service on Good Friday growing up. But I have come to really treasure it. Our church has been doing a worship service on Good Friday for 5+ years.
It really gets my heart centered and mind focused on the weekend. It is truly my favorite holiday. And the worship service on Friday night gets me headed in the right direction.

6 months already

2008-03-28T22:56:00.000-04:00

I can't believe that my daughter is 6 months old already. I can't believe that just a few months ago I was giving birth to her and holding her for the first time. I can't believe how I have fallen in love with this baby.
I had a dear friend (who doesn't have children of her own) ask me a couple weeks ago, "Do you love her as much as you do William?" and "Do you love him the same now that she is here?". Two very reasonable questions, if you don't have multiple children. I asked that question to myself so many times when I was pregnant with M. And my answer to her was a surprising, "Yes!". And it's true. I do love her as much as I do him, yet I don't love him any less. How does that work?
Me being a 'numbers' girl, it just doesn't add up. If you have 100% love to offer to your offspring, and you have one. You give him 100% of that love. Now when subsequent children come along, how do you divey it up? 50-50? 70-30? 100-0? or 0-100? How is it that parents can do 100-100? Where did that other love come from? Why wasn't it being used on the first child if it was available. Do you grow an additional 100% while the child is in utero? Then where does the dad get it from? See what I mean - it doesn't add up.
I've taken a big step and decided not to try to figure it out. I love him completely. I love her completely. I just accept it.
On a bigger subject, how does God do that? How does He love ALL of us? There's one question I'd like to ask Him in heaven. In the mean time, the same will have to apply. I just accept it.

Here are some pics of Maddie last week on her 6 month birthday.

That is her death grip on her baby food bowl.
At the beginning of the meal, she grabbed a hold so aggressively and flipped the bowl over and it's content onto the chair and in her lap. She was so aggressive, you'd think we were starving her. But anyone who has seen her knows she is well fed.
She would just like more and more 5 minutes ago.

Disney, again

2008-03-27T22:34:00.000-04:00

We played at Disney again last week. It was so beautiful - but busy. So much busier than 7 days before. It is obvious that spring breakers have arrived to sunny Florida.
Mom, Steph, and SoSo joined us this week. 3adults:3kids is MUCH easier than 1adult:2kids.
I felt inappropriately dressed because I wasn't wearing theeee color. The first ride we went on, 3 out of 4 people were dressed in green. It was so wierd. Then it hit me, ahhhh . . . it's St. Patrick's Day! Kids were wearing green head wear, families in coordinating green shirts, couples in matching green shirts.
Maddie and W weren't in green, neither was I. Didn't you get pinched in school on Saint Patrick's Day if you weren't wearing green? Well, if that was the case, we didn't get pinched.
Here are some pics from the day.

On the carousel again.

Mom with her grandbabies.
Notice SoSo - she is LOVING on Maddie. She says, "Maddie, Maddie, Maddie. Aaawwww"

Me with my pretty girl.

Remember, boys don't do things 'normal'.
Yet another example. Girls would run through this playground area and try to avoid getting sprayed. Boys, including mine, sought out the spray and would wait at a drain until the water sprayed up and soaked them.

What they hear

2008-03-26T15:27:00.003-04:00

Brad & I often wonder if we get through to William. If we are doing a good job filling his 'love tank'.
We're taking a parenting class and we've been talking about affirming our children . . . building them up. So we have tried to be intentional in affirming him lately. But does he know that he is special? That we think he is great. That God thinks he's special. Does he hear it when we say it?
So often, I don't think he's listening. He sees our mouths moving. He hears noise. But it goes in one ear and out the other.
This is evident when we tell him to do something and then say, "Do It!". His response, "Yes." He didn't listen. He heard noise, but it never made it to his little brain. He has no idea what we've told him to do. We could have said, "Get in the car, we're going to see Mickey." And if he was in "the zone", he has no clue what we just said. Too bad there's not a light on top of his head - you know, like on a taxi - that says, "With ya" or "Brain is on a break".
Then . . . the sweetest thing happened. I was getting him out of the car. I leaned down to straighten his clothes. He proceeded to wrap his precious hands around my cheeks and hold my face and then said in a sweet loving voice, "Mom, you are Special."
Isn't that the best!

Month 5

2008-03-16T22:37:00.005-04:00

This month with Madelyn has been amazing. She has blossomed and come alive.

This month she has learned to hold her own bottle for an entire feeding. She started the month reaching for things like GiGi's necklace, toys on the exercauser, and her teething rings. She has gotten a hold of the dogs' ears on a couple occasions.
She has been eating cereal and baby food for a couple weeks. Now she is reaching for her food - we can't get it in her fast enough. I think I can thank my mother for this - I caught her sneaking M Wright's cake. Last week I discovered she has 2 teeth that have broken through her gums.
She is rolling over (FINALLY) on a regular basis, though she does not like being on her tummy. We've come in to get her out of her bed several times and she is laying on her stomach - and is pisssssssed.
She can sit up by herself for a good 10 seconds now.

It amazes me how quickly she is growing. I sit in the rocking chair holding her and think back to when we brought her home from the hospital. And then I think back, or at least try to think back, to Wm when he was the same age. I just can't remember. It's very unfortunate. Did I cherish the time with him? I do with her. I look at him now and can't believe how verbal and smart and fun he is. How gorgeous his smile is. But did I cherish him and each milestone that he reached? I'll never know. But I do know that I am reveling in every moment with both of them now. I don't want to miss anything!

Do you see that smile?! It is mischievous and beauty and fun all wrapped up in one look!

My dad and M

See, I told you . . . holding her own bottle at 5 months and 8 days.

$3.15

2008-03-11T09:48:00.004-04:00

How much do you spend at Disney in a morning? What is the smallest amount you've spent?
Yesterday was a prize winning day if there were a prize to be won for the least amount of money spent at Magic Kingdom. Though, I'm pretty certain that Disney won't be issuing the award.
AND the $3.15, well, I bought gummy treats for W. Which I brought home for little rewards when W has obedient good behavior.
I took W & M to Disney for the 'morning' by myself - if you can call 11am to 3pm the 'morning'. We had a great time. It was do-able. I did break down and use the kiddie harnish on W. But with a double stroller, I was able to do it.

This is the first time I've taken Wm on the carousel.

Why is it boys don't do it the typical, "normal" way?

They jump instead of walk down stairs.
They don't avoid a puddle of water - they search the puddles out to walk through them.
They don't go down the slide feet first, but head first.
And . . . why use a doorway when they can squeeze through the window.

It is beyond me . . . but I do find it oh so cute.

William pooped out after running pretty hard at Pooh's play area. Here he is taking a rest in the window sill.

Shiny things boys love

2008-03-05T21:24:00.001-05:00

We visited Brad's cousin's auto shop in Orlando. William loved checking out the cool old shiny cars. Cousin Merrill actually let William sit in this 1960ish corvette. It was beautiful. He didn't want to get out.

Once we did get him out -- he couldn't understand why he couldn't get into cousin Merrill's race car. Brad is now motivated to take William to see his cousin race.

I find it funny how a boys' love for cars starts so early in life.

Once Every 4 Years

2008-02-28T16:48:00.018-05:00

What 2 things will NOT happen again for another 4 years?

February 29th.

And . . . Victoria at the Florida Strawberry Festival. (I have a friend that says she only does Disney once a decade. This isn't as drastic. But still . . . I had my fill.)

Steph and I took the kids to the Strawberry Festival this morning. We had a great time. We both agreed to have ONE naughty edible. No more. I split my steak sandwich with her. She split her huge onion rings with me.
I do feel gross, I'll admit it. But as previously stated, it will be 4 years until I am faced with the same dilemma . . . Bloomin' onion, cotton candy, funnel cake, etc. from a portable grease trailer served by scary individuals missing a lot of teeth.

William thought these were so cool. Feet massagers.

If you look closely, you will notice he is biting his bottom lip so his front teeth are visible making him look like he has buck teeth.

We let the kids ride some of the rides.

William enjoyed this one . . .

. . . and NOT this one. It slung him and jerked him around a lot.
Notice the car 'sponsor'. He picked the car in honor of his SiSi and her 9am diet coke, lite ice.

We went into the Livestock Tent. One of the cows 'moooed' at Sofia.
As William was paroosing the cows he came across a calf all by himself. He looked very concerned then asked, "He wants his dad. Where is his dad?" Brad was out of town this week - he really missed him.
Whenever I see a cow I think of the last time Brad and I were in Hawaii. We went to see the sunrise at the summit of Haleakala. It was pitch black when we drove up 28 miles (10,000 feet above sea level) so we couldn't see what we were passing. On the drive back down, there were cows all over the volcano. Each time we passed a new
herd, we'd say 'coooow'.

cooow

We got SoSo and Wm strawberry shortcake. They loved it. I think the pictures say it the best though.

William enjoyed his bowl . . .

down to the last strawberry.

SoSo liked hers. Though, I think she liked playing in it the most.

They played dress up with cowboy hats . . .

And watched intently at the guys doing stunts on the skateboard and BMX bikes.

Madelyn hung out and enjoyed the 'sites'.

FUN morning. It'll do me for 4 years though.

First Soccer Experience

2008-02-08T15:51:00.001-05:00

One of William's Christmas presents from my parents was 'Kiddie Kickers' at the Y.
It is very funny to watch 3 year olds trying to play soccer. Adorable. And funny.
So far, it's just 10 kids kicking soccer balls. They don't get that they're playing a game. The coach says, "Huddle up" and "Take a lap". Phrases 3 year olds don't grasp yet. About 20 minutes into the game, most of the boys were picking up sticks, kicking the dirt (as opposed to the ball), climbing the goals, or had lost complete interest and were sitting on the sidelines.
We had a great time watching the chaos.
William had fun burning off energy.

Tagged? I don't even know what that is.

2008-01-30T21:59:00.000-05:00

Ida 'tagged' me. What that means - I don't know. It's like the first time I heard 'blog'. Is this yet another "cyber" term I am not familiar with?
I have surmised, however, that I'm supposed to share unimportant details about myself so you get to know a more things about me.

First of all, here are the rules:
(1) Link to the person that tagged you.
(2) Post the rules on your blog.
(3) Share six non-important things/habits/quirks about yourself.
(4) Tag six random people at the end of your post by linking to their blogs.
(5) Let each random person know they have been tagged by leaving a comment on their website. I will probably e-mail most of you since it will be easier that way.

1. Sites I will never tire of seeing . . .
I LOVE a full moon. I don't know why. I just do.
A pink/purple sunset.
And when I close my eyes, the Tuscan countryside. (Judy & Chelsea - You too?)

2. I used to be on the swim team in Iowa at Valley High. I was a "Valley Girl". I took a bit of ridicule on that subject when we moved to FL. Oh my goooosh.

3. I am not a people pleaser. I don't worry about others liking me or what they think about me. It originally stems back to grade school. I came home from school crying because some kids weren't nice to me. My dad listened and then responded, "If they don't like you - screw 'em. You don't need them. You're perfect just the way you are."

4. I tend to be a half empty kinda gal (shush, Tammy!).

5. Creativity doesn't come naturally to me, but, my creative outlet is editing pics. Brad bought me digital image editing software. I spend way too much time playing with pictures.

This is 6+ hours of a Sunday . . .

6. When I don't sleep on my chiropractic pillow, I almost always wake up with a bad headache. Thankfully, that is not one of the pillows Brad is constantly trying to claim as his own.

So here's the deal, I don't know anyone else who has a blog and doesn't write OR anyone else who has a blog outside of those Ida already 'tagged'.

Sunset at the Pier

2008-01-30T21:14:00.000-05:00

Last night we drove down Bayshore in hopes of finding a 'big boat' - that is what William calls cruise ships. We stopped and got out at the BP pier. It was such a beautiful night and a gorgeous sunset.

Brad and William

Me and Madelyn

Our Smiley girl

4 month photo spread

2008-01-28T11:33:00.000-05:00

At Madelyn's 4 month doctor visit the nurse asked if she was turning over yet. When I answered "no", the nurse was quite surprised since 99% of babies her age are rolling over (99% is a random statistic that I totally made up - it's my lingo for "most 4 month olds roll over").
Then . . . she did it.
She rolled to her belly right there in front of the nurse. She hasn't done it since - but whatever. It is one of those memorable moments.
And this morning she was reclined back, positioned between Brad's legs. She pulled herself up into a sitting position. That's something.

Here's our happy little girl.

Video of 'First On-Stage Appearance"

2008-01-15T21:47:00.000-05:00

William does love to be in the 'center'. This is a video of him at school at their Thanksgiving Celebration. You can't really hear anything. But . . . you can see the little girl pushing William out of the way of the mic. He does manage to get the mic to himself the MOMENT she turns her head. We laughed so hard . . . he's a sly little guy.

Christmas Pose

2008-01-15T21:41:00.000-05:00

Don't you just want to squeeze those cheeks?
Our little girl is so pleasant. She smiles and coos so much. She loves to watch her big brother. He said tonight, "Look, she's holding her bottle! I'm so proud of you Madelyn."

Pretty Girl

2007-12-20T22:41:00.000-05:00

(and lovey boy)

Winter Wonderland

2007-11-28T16:52:00.000-05:00

Wm and SoSo at MGM. The closest either of them have been to snow.

in front of the manger scene at MGM
Farmers at MGM's Osborne Lights

Madelyn enjoying the "Dancing Lights" at MGM

Daddy, Wm, and me in front of the Osborne Lights at MGM

Thanksgiving

2007-11-23T22:24:00.000-05:00

MiMi and PopPop with their grandbabies.

I set a separate table for William and SoSo.

~~~~~

MiMi and Madelyn

~~~

This was so cute. SoSo wanted to help feed Madelyn. She was so excited.

A couple of William's "Firsts"

2007-11-20T16:42:00.000-05:00

August 2, 2007. First day of school. He's 3.

~~~~~

First night of Kid's Praise. September 2007.

~~~~~~~~

First time on stage. Nov 20, 2007.

His school's Thanksgiving Celebration.

Fall

2007-11-05T16:33:00.000-05:00

Madelyn, William, and me at EPCOT. Madelyn is 2 days shy of 1 month old.

Mid-October at Magic Kingdom. William whips out the map and says, "Let's see what we going to do."

William and SoSo holding hands walking through the mall.

Crazy kid climbing 15 feet up off the ground.

Picture we took for my mom's BDay.

Autumn Fest

2007-11-01T16:20:00.000-04:00

William dressed up as a race car driver. Sofia dressed up as a ladybug. Madelyn slept thru the whole thing. The kids had a lot of fun!

William, followed by Thomas, scaling the inflatable rock climbing wall.

petting the bunny in the Petting Zoo

Holding on to the donkey in the Petting Zoo

Taking a short horseback ride.

2007-11-01T16:10:00.000-04:00

Coming down the huge inflatable slide - on his belly. It apparently is boring to come down on your bottom.

I can thank my sister for this cute little trick he learned . . . closing his eyes and smiling for the picture.

Cousin Love

2007-10-24T15:41:00.000-04:00

SoSo loves her "Maya" - as she calls Madelyn. It is so adorable. I wish I could record what she does when she sees her baby cousin. It's something like, "aAAAah, Maaaaya" amidst the cutest girly laugh.

SoSo says, "essited" as she holds Madelyn

I know it looks like she is crushing Madelyn - but she is just loving on her.

SoSo and William posing for my mom's BDay pics

Bringing baby home

2007-10-02T15:26:00.000-04:00

Madelyn is a joy. At all times. Midnight. 3am. 430am. 615am. I'm told it will get better. I know it will.

Dressed and ready to leave the hospital.

GBobbie & her newest "Great" - as she likes to call them.

Daddy and his little girl.

Taken Oct 1st.

Welcome . . . Madelyn Dawn

2007-09-22T12:36:00.000-04:00

Wednesday evening after we returned home from church - my water broke. Less than 4 hours later I had a lovely epidural in place. 13 hours after my water broke, our adorable daughter joined us. Just like my delivery with William, I had a relatively easy delivery - less than 5 minutes of pushing. Thank you Jesus.

Madelyn came into this world on Thursday September 20th at 9:19am. She weighed 7 lbs 14oz and is 21" long. She has a head full of black hair.

She looks a lot like her big brother when he was born.

William gave Madelyn some love and held her for a good 15 seconds.

Madelyn (above)

William at birth (below)

Bigggg Belly

2007-09-22T11:56:00.000-04:00

. . . and inside is a fabulous little girl who probably already has a pink ribbon and pink polish on her nails. Her pink striped room awaits her.

William kissing my belly.

37 weeks. 5 days. But who is counting????

It's time!!!!

Day at Palm Island

2007-03-19T19:12:00.001-04:00

So mom and dad took a beach vacation to a very secluded island. They invited Steph and I to come down because they wanted "us" to enjoy a day at the beach . . . translation . . . it had been over 48 hours since they had been with their grandbabies and were going through withdrawl. If we could have shipped the kids down their alone - I think they would have liked that just fine!
We had a great time on the beach! To our surprise - SoSo loved the sand. She sat and played in it for quite a while. William on the other handled his love for the beach differently. Throwing sand, rolling around in the sand, digging in the sand, covering PopPop's feet with the sand, trying to bury SiSi in the sand. Much fun was had by all.

2007-03-19T19:05:00.000-04:00

Palm Island

2007-03-19T19:00:00.000-04:00

Little Poses

2006-03-26T21:35:00.000-05:00

So when William was 6 weeks old, I thought getting a professional picture of him was hard. He was screaming, I was all alone & sweating, the photographer was edgy, the end result . . . a picture that will embarrass him in front of his friends and girlfriends (girlfriend part being 25 years down the road, but it will happen) for years to come. I don't know why I even bought them. To remind me of the fabulous experience???
One infant has nothing on multiple children.
I learned this after Steph & I spent a morning trying to get William to stand still and Sofia happy and both looking at the photographer at the same time. Steph was crouched nearby holding on to Sofi's pacifier ready to rip it out of her mouth; I was holding a prop in front of William in hopes of keeping him entertained and still. Then simultaneously Steph ripped the paci from Sofi, I pull the prop away and "click". William starts to run and Sofi is ticked.
I now have a whole new appreciation for those of you with multiple young children and good looking family photos. Somehow, we got a sweet Easter photo of William and Sofia and a live bunny. All still for a microsecond - but it was long enough to capture a great memory for a lifetime.

Sunset at the Beach

2006-02-26T14:39:00.000-05:00

Brad is gone one weekend a month for school. On those weekends, I try to do something different with William. Yesterday we went to watch the sunset at Picnic Island. We had a great time. We watched the birds (William calls them "duckduck" - close enough) and played in the sand and picked up broken shells. It was a little windy so we cuddled up together while we watched the sky change into this beautiful orange and pink.
As the sun hit the horizon, I told him to wave goodbye to the sunset. He waved goodbye and said "byebye @*^!#". That's not him cussing - I just couldn't understand what it was. It was a two syllable something. After it set, we got up to leave. Every couple of steps he would stop and turn back to the ocean, raise his arm to wave and said "byebye @*^!#".
It was a sweet and memorable time.

2006-02-26T14:30:00.000-05:00

When we first got to the park, he was so excited. Smiling and laughing and running. It was so cute.

He's not a big fan of the sand on his feet and between his toes. He kept wiping them off and then wiping his hands on my jeans.

Happy Valentine's Day

2006-02-14T15:37:00.000-05:00

Happy Valentine's Day to all. Today was a funny & sweet day.
It started out with cleaning up what we call "shooey" off the playroom floor. It was actually funny. I looked over at William, without a diaper on (not typical attire, but we were headed to the tub), and noticed him sitting with something between his legs. As I walked closer, it was "IT" - what I've heard happen to other girlfriends, had happened to me. Then . . . William stuck his finger in "IT", held it up to me and said, "PooPoo". Yes, my sweetheart - that is "PooPoo". I couldn't help but laugh. "PooPoo".
The day ended with another bath (no potty stories to tell) and a story. After we prayed, William squirmed out of my lap and walked to the crib and pointed inside. He was done cuddling and loving - he was ready for bed. Sad, but ohh so very sweet. I can't believe the little 5 pounder that came home from the hospital - like yesterday - can walk to his crib and communicate that he is ready to go to bed. Does that seem weird to anyone else? Tell me I'm not alone on this.

My sister recently had her first child. We were talking a couple days before Sofia arrived, and Steph was telling me what she thought Sofi's personality would be like. I never thought about that. At least I don't remember wondering what our little guy's personality would be. Well, William may be "all Brad" when it comes to his physical makeup - but his social behavior isn't "all Brad". Though - I'm not sure it's me either. He is truly one social little guy. As his vocabulary blossoms it is more apparent. A couple weeks ago I was strolling him down the sidewalk on the beach in Ft Lauderdale. As people came into William's view he would raise his arm and very clearly and loudly say, "HI". Usually they would respond. After they passed he would lean out the side of his stroller and say, "Byeeee". It made me smile every time. We went to an indoor playground recently - William starts running through saying HI to everyone. It was so cute. I especially like watching him get in older toddlers faces and smiling so big . . . like he's saying, "Hey, you look pretty cool. Wanna go tear it up out there????"
I'm sure if I had thought about his personality prior to his birth - that would not have been how I would have imagined him. He's so much better and more fun than either Brad or I could have dreamed. I remember my dad telling my sister and me when we were kids, "I like you guys." (On a side note: he liked me best :). Brad and I feel the same about our child - we really like him.

Merry Christmas to all

2005-12-27T16:53:00.000-05:00

Merry Christmas!!!!
What an exciting day. I'll let the pictures do most of the talking. William was a blast as he opened up his presents. He didn't grasp that he was supposed to open one, admire it, and move on to the next. That will come.

(William on his talking pony. Can you tell he likes it???)

(William playing with his BIG lego-alikes.)

(Aunt Rae & Uncle Rick bought William another NOISY toy - his own piano, guitar & mic)

2005-12-27T11:29:00.000-05:00

(opening gifts from Uncle Steve - he would get side tracked with tape on his fingers.)

(This is what William's initial response was to his football from his uncle Steve!)

Thanksgiving, thankfully

2005-11-30T16:42:00.000-05:00

We traveled to NYC again this year for the Macy's Day Parade and all the crowds imaginable.

(Dan holding William at the parade)

It's not a lifestyle I'd want to live everyday, but boy the crowded sidewalks and stores are invigorating for a couple days. Of course, it helps to have a good family brawl to keep the blood pumping in that FREEZING cold weather.

(William bundled up in his stroller: snow suit and thick blanket)

OK - not fighting with each other - more like ALL protecting ONE. It happened at the parade. It started with my sister defending my mom. Then Dan defending his wife. Then me defending Dan and threatening to call the cops over. It was fun. For those who know the entire family - it's easy to imagine. My sister describes it as "fiercely loyal". And we are. We love each other - we have so much to be thankful for.
At dinner every year we go around the table and tell what we are thankful for. The prevailing #1 - our relationship with the Lord. We get teary as we listen to each others recollection of the year's events. We are truly blessed.

(William holding PopPop's hand at Thanksgiving dinner.)

2005-11-30T15:25:00.000-05:00

(Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade in Time Square.)

(Us having fun at the parade.)

(Family Picture at dinner.)

2005-11-30T13:38:00.000-05:00

(Me, mom, and Steph (Sofi's in there too!))

(PopPop and William)

(Me and the one I'm thankful for this Thanksgiving and every day!)

Pumpkin Patch Fun

2005-10-23T00:22:00.000-04:00

We visited a pumpkin festival in Bradenton. We had a great time for only having an hour to play since we got there one hour prior to closing.

William was overwhelmed by all the orange "balls". He kept saying, "Ball. Ball.". It was very cute.

Sweet boy.

William found the fence a challenge. He pulled and pushed trying to get it down. I think he saw the open field and so many possibilities.

Brad and William.

Me and William in the pumpkin patch.

William on the fire truck. He loved the gadgets.

Birthday Boy

2005-09-10T23:15:00.000-04:00

Wow! I can't believe it has been 1 year! I'm sure all parents say that. I look at William and wonder where my baby went. My little 6 pounder. His entire body fit in my lap. And now he's big and crawling so fast. He is cruising on the furniture. Walking is in the near future. He is so much fun. He laughs and giggles and smiles and flirts. Oh, he is so fun.

These are his official 1 year pictures. I saw the piano prop in the studio and thought it said so much about William - his love for music, love for banging on the piano, his musical heritage. It just goes.

William and Cousin Lindsey.

Auntie Sisi lovin' on W.

Uncle Ferrel holding W.

This would be William checking out Miss Jackie (Fred and Dawn's little girl).

Birthdays are fun for the little ones - but the adults have just as much fun (probably more).

Birthday II

2005-09-10T23:14:00.000-04:00

Birthday dinner

Gerber Graduates tray wasn't what W had in mind for his birthday dinner. He was lovin' on his daddy for rescuing him from the packaged meal.

We had some outdoor activities for the older kids.

They played in what we affectionately call the "WTP".

2005-09-10T23:13:00.000-04:00

Dan helping out with the paint. It is amazing - not a single drop of paint got anywhere except where it was intended!

2005-09-10T23:12:00.000-04:00

Chalk on the sidewalk appeared to be a hit (thanks Abby!).

2005-09-10T23:11:00.000-04:00

So Fred dared Brad to put both his and William's face in the cake . . . I still can't believe Brad did it!

2005-09-10T23:10:00.000-04:00

Okay - funny!

2005-09-10T23:09:00.000-04:00

W's first bite of the cake.

2005-09-10T23:08:00.000-04:00

Okay, this is more than we expected. I wasn't too enthusiastic about the smash cake to begin with. But I had several people tell me not to worry, he wouldn't eat more than a couple bites.

It figures, he may look like Brad, but it is obvious he has my sweet tooth.

William eating the cake, face first.

So once W had eaten a third of the cake, we figured it was time to call it quits. The sugar overload in his system made him a completely different child. He was so mean!!!!

***All in all, a fun afternoon celebrating our child's first birthday with family and friends. ***

A Team Statement

2005-08-29T00:41:00.000-04:00

We've not been big college football fans. Brad and I both graduated from USF - so we've not taken sides with Miami, FSU, or UF. But Brad got accepted into UF this fall - and now the boys will be modeling more blue and orange (sorry Chad).
These are some pics after Brad's 1st day of classes in Gainesville.

Where Brad will be spending a lot of time at over the next 20 months.

William showing off his school spirit.

William in UF attire.

Love in his eyes.

2005-08-28T00:36:00.000-04:00

When I look into my child's beautiful blue eyes, I think how awesome he is.
I know all moms feel that way about their children.
So do I.
William is such a blessing. He is full of life - loving - sweet - and he keeps us on our toes. I am so thankful the Lord has entrusted him to us.

Growing Up

2005-08-20T00:19:00.000-04:00

These are just some every day pics that we've gotten a kick out of. Enjoy.

William loves to play with his PopPop.

"Give me that nose!"

The Gate.

"If I pull on it hard enough, I can break out of this joint!"

"Okay, that didn't work. This blue thing has to be the key to getting out."

William teething on his sterling silver rattle.

Apparently, this is "creeping". For those of you who are unaware of the definition of "creeping" (as I was until the pediatrician told me what it was) it is walking with the assistance of furniture.

10 Month Milestone

2005-07-27T00:07:00.000-04:00

The first haircut. It's a milestone. One that we're keeping a souvenir to remember the big event.

Brad came to the salon for this momentous occasion.

William is a little pensive. He's not quite sure about all this.

I got a good grip on William - he's quite the squirmy little guy.

All done. The first haircut was a success!

Thank you Mrs. Patty!

9 Month Milestone

2005-06-25T23:54:00.000-04:00

Standing in the crib. And getting there on your own. It's a milestone.
And . . . it caught me off guard.

So this is what I walked into this week. Our baby boy - our little preemie 6 pounder - standing in his crib. What happened? Where is our baby? I expected it to go fast. But not this fast. Baby time is gone. We're being shoved into toddler time.

Giggling. I love to see William giggle. This time he's laughing at himself. I imagine he's saying, "Now this getting up on my own thing is cool."

Just hanging out. Me and my stuffed toys. It's all good.

Father's Day

2005-06-24T23:48:00.000-04:00

Father's Day was a very special weekend for Brad and William.
They hit the golf course that Brad and his dad played on so much when he was a boy (it helped that it was in their back yard). William fell asleep around the 7th hole - but we thought that was pretty good for our squirt on his first time to the golf course.
They also wore their matching - well, coordinating - Pebble Beach shirts to church on Sunday. Last year when we were in California, Brad tried to buy himself a matching onesie to match with William's - but when it was a little too small - we decided coordinating shirts were the way to go :)

2005-06-24T23:47:00.000-04:00

Brad had bought coordinating "Pebble Beach" shirts during our California trip last year when I was 6 months pregnant. So here they are in their Pebble Beach outfits for Father's Day.

2005-06-24T23:46:00.000-04:00

Family Father's Day picture

2005-06-24T23:45:00.002-04:00

Father's Day pics

2005-06-24T23:45:00.001-04:00

Father's Day pics

2005-06-24T23:45:00.000-04:00

For Father's Day, Brad wanted to take William golfing on the same course that Brad and his dad spent so much time on together. It was a very memorable event.

2005-06-24T23:43:00.000-04:00

William and Brad. What a fun time!

2005-06-24T23:42:00.000-04:00

I'm holding WIlliam back from taking off in the golf cart. We'd have a problem if his legs could reach the peddle . . . he had a strong grip on the wheel.

2005-06-24T23:41:00.000-04:00

Willaim in the driver's seat

2005-06-24T23:40:00.000-04:00

Getting bored - but more than that - getting tired.

Fun

2005-06-18T23:34:00.000-04:00

Here are some fun pics from the past couple of weeks. The last 2 weeks have been hectic with VBS. But William has been a trooper and so pleasant (so the nursery workers say) being put in the nursery every day.

2005-06-18T23:32:00.000-04:00

First day at VBS!

2005-06-18T23:31:00.000-04:00

William studying his bouncy ball for the first time.