Merry Christmas to all

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)

(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

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.)

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

(Us having fun at the parade.)

(Family Picture at dinner.)

(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

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

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

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".

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

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

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

Okay - funny!

W's first bite of the cake.

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

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.

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.