Hangin Out and Being Loud

Practicing along with the drum tutorial on a Hillsong DVD. He loves to sit and try to play along on his little kit.


Enjoying his new book and quilt that his Nana sent him


Nothing says trendy like a themed ensemble. Not pictured here are his matching frog raincoat and frog umbrella.


Looking intimidating


He is becoming a man of impeccable taste.


Loving running around in the backyard. We are so glad that Spring is here since William always wants to go outside.

William in the New Year

So, William is in a funny little stage. His vocabulary is growing and he usually chooses one word each day to really hammer home. Yesterday it was "doggy" really loud about 1,000 times. Poor Mia! But there is a constant. If you ask him any question the answer is "no". It goes a little something like this:
Mom: "William would you like some more honeydew?"
William: "No" emphatically, yet the mouth drops open begging for more
Our vet asked him today if he is a big boy and if he loves his doggy and he promptly shot those down. This phase will pass. Before it does I should probably get out the camcorder and ask him a few questions that will come in handy later. (Do you want a car when you turn 16?) I am sure I could compile a list. But on to the photos...


William's less than good hair day


The most patient cat in the world


Who wants a cookie?


Who made the mess in the living room?


He has moved on to using two utensils at once. He is serious about his mealtime these days.

Beach Vacation

So, it has been a while since I posted. A wonderful vacation and some newly arriving molars for the boy have held me up. William loves the sand and birds at the beach but is still not too sure about the water. He is cautious but getting more comfortable. I am sure that by next summer we won't be able to hold him back.
Some vacation photos...



Does that look like the belly of a child that needs to gain weight?



Mia is excellent to have on hand for reviewing documents. She does slow down typing though but everyone types slower when someone else is watching.

Our Week

It has been busy around here. We celebrated our 7th anniversary with a leaky roof and a sick child. But it has been fun nonethelss. William is keeping us on our toes as usual...


He loves to crawl in Mia's house. It drives Mia crazy.



His new thing is putting his fingers in his ears (like "I'm not listening to you"). He and Daddy are having fun with it.


This is for Gloria. Neifi is posing next to the lush avocado plant that has not died!

Who Dressed You?

Sometimes when William and Dad emerge from a diaper change there will be some interesting wardrobe changes - a shirt will be on backwards, pants on backwards and you get the idea. In his defense designers aren't consistent with putting the snaps on the front of the shirt or pockets on the back of pants. (I usually take my cues from the ubiquitous tag.)
I never imagined that it would happen with a one-piece outfit.

Note the backwards pants. For the record William is constantly in motion on the changing table so we are often putting diapers on and dressing him in the midst of serious contortions.


This isn't cruel. Mia really likes accessories. In fact, she begged April to put this on her and then pranced around most of the day very pleased with herself.


William loves to grab a book and plop down in Dad's lap.

New Shoes and a Kitty Friend

Showing off his new shoes.


His new favorite place is Mia's bed.



We had a great time taking care of Samantha while April was out of town. She was bound and determined to figure out how to work the massage chair.


After numerous normal-looking tomatoes, these two showed up. They were so odd-looking I had to share.

We Will Never Be the Same

So we are a little behind posting this... last Saturday William took his first real independent steps. He has been dancing around the idea for a while and had the ability but not the desire. He still isn't too interested in walking but has been doing it a little more each day. So we are getting a gradual transition into chaos.

Some first steps


Mia is very involved in the process (sometimes a little too much in the way). Unfortunately we say the word "walk" to William which is quite cruel since she gets excited and thinks we are going out with her.

William Around the House

Over the weekend Brad was doing some home improvement and William is already his most devoted helper.

Holding the ladder for Daddy.

Gratuitous cute photos...




That is one brave bunny sitting in our driveway (considering our two vicious hunting cats). It would be like a chocolate dessert that decides to hang out anywhere around Brad.

A Fun Visit

Our friends Todd & Cortney came to visit for the weekend with their adorable son Nolan and their sweet dog Girl. We had a great time with a full house.



William loved getting to hang out with Nolan. (He mostly followed him around and stared at him.)



Neifi eyes Nolan's milk.


William loved getting time with Girl.


Nolan and William help Cortney get some work done.

William's Animal Friends

William is now getting to the age where the pets are really starting to enjoy hanging out with him (except when he decides to interrupt a nap in the sun).


Getting silly with Daddy and Mia.


Telecia and William in the cliche Sistine Chapel pose.


William and Mia watch Daddy as he backs out of the driveway.


Neifi's spot in the window is always amusing.

A Quick Recovery

This week marked William's first bout with sickness, a little head cold. And though it didn't seem to bother him as much as I had expected he has recovered and decided to live life to the fullest. That means shortened naps and an unbelievable fervor for activity. He spent almost all day today practicing pulling up onto objects and letting go, trying really hard to walk. And when that didn't work as planned he wore his knees red crawling on the carpet. Sure, it wore his mom out but the animals were the ones who suffered the most...

Oh, and if you are thinking "not more William stuff" scroll to the last photo. It can be enjoyed by everyone (except maybe people in our local government).

Noisy musical toys always have the reputation for making parents crazy. I haven't found that to be the case yet but Telecia is a different story. Observe her look of complete annoyance as she tries to nap just a few feet away from the book that plays hey diddle diddle, the crab who counts and a hand drum.


Neifi has become accustomed to flopping down close to William without having to worry. He is oblivious to William's new lease on life.


Neifi isn't sure how he is supposed to react but patiently waits until he can't bear it anymore.


And he's off with William close behind.


Mia decided to crawl under a table to see if she could find some stray bits of food. Her brilliant plan hit a hitch when she got stuck.


The other evening we just randomly happened to stumble on this. It was the notables in our local government talking about the great educational institutions in our area, etc. You have to love the typo - the irony is amazing.