Warm afternoons

The last few weeks of warm weather were so much fun, especially the afternoons. After nap we often took a blanket out back to read books and then play on the slide.


This particular day Emma and Will had slept well and were feeling especially crazy


But since they were so photogenic


I thought I might get a cute Christmas card photo.


Of course when I tried the pictures all looked


Like this...

A trip to the Zoo

Last month (wow, time flies!) we met up with some friends who live in Baltimore while we were over visiting and took a day trip to the Baltimore Zoo. Emma had been 2 years ago when Will was T-one month to his birthday :)

Excited for the tram ride!

Smile! It was a cool morning but warmed up perfectly.

Our first stop was the "fairy dogs"

 Checking out the Polar Bear...

Everyone trying to get a look at the zebras.

Zebras, ostriches, and rinos.

Will, trying to climb up for a better look at the cheetah (some things haven't changed).

We found the giraffes!

Inside the monkey house. There was a baby, but it is really hard to spot.

And the chimps were outside since it was such a nice day.

Will started to get tired and took a break in the princess stroller. (This used to be Emma's stroller too!)

Emma and Phoebe, holding hands.

Pretending to ride the horses.

Brushing the goats...

And Will was thrilled to ride the tram (its a train! A train!) back to the front of the zoo.

Hugs goodbye...

Two Years Old!

A week and half late...Happy Birthday, Will!

Two years into his little life and we've learned so much about Will already. He plays hard and crashes even harder...

This kid loves trains, cars, plane, boats...pretty much anything that goes! He will also sit and ask to be read to for large chunks of time. For a kid that has a hard time sitting still, he can stay put for books.

He is one handsome boy! (and he already knows it?!) When getting dressed it is not uncommon for Will to say, "It's cute!"

He is a sweet, sweet kid. He loves to give hugs and kisses to us and says "I love you SO much!" Will often walks over to one of us and says, "Mommy, I want some." Translation: I want a hug. :) Melts my heart every time!

Did I mention crashes hard?

Will is also incredibly well-spoken, often combining 7-10 words into a sentence. He switches from I to me and Emma to she, etc very well. He mimics everything he hears (I be 4 in January! Oh, I be 3 in Octover! Oh, I be TWO in Octover), and also knows the words to many, many songs, including about half a dozen hymns. He is such an encouragement during the day to me when he breaks into Jesus Paid it All or Great is Thy Faithfulness.

His transition out of the crib was sudden and difficult...it took a week of no naps for him to get adjusted. Now he naps nearly every day. The naps were much shorter at first but are thankfully getting longer! Everyone is happier when Will gets his sleep! Its always an adventure to see how he's sleeping at night. This one is where we heard a thump, went upstairs to investigate and found him still sacked out, where he had fallen on the floor.

Will loved counting down the days to his birthday using his paper chain.

 And he fully embraced baseball in October, asking to wear his Orioles hat nearly every day. (Prior to this he had no interest in ever wearing a hat!

 A recent conversation with Martin:
M: Will that was disobedience. There is sin in your heart.
W: Daddy, pray for me to have a new heart.
Now, he's just repeating what he has heard us say, but we are so thankful for the many (and with Will there are many!) opportunities to pray for his heart.

We love your sweet snuggles and tender heart.

We love your energy and joy.

We love that God made you part of our family.

Love, Daddy and Mommy

These two

When they aren't pushing or taking toys, I see this lot during the day:


Emma: Will, lets play dress up!
Will: No! I don't want to!
Emma: Will you have to, it is so much fun. You can come to my balls with me and dance.
Will: Noooo!
Emma: But Will, you love to dance.
Will: Ok
Emma: You can be a princess!
Will: No! I don't want to!
Emma: Ok, you can be....a prince! Here, wear this hat and you can be my safari prince!
Will: Ok Emma!








Emma: Will, this was one of my favorite books when I was your age.