Merry Christmas!

Wishing you and yours a merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! Much love from our littlest elf, and his two parents who are just trying to keep up with the merriment.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Wilson enjoyed his second turkey day by eating rolls and the whipped cream on top of his pumpkin pie. He really missed out on Grandpa Young's green bean casserole, which lived up to its reputation. Then it was off to Madison to start the Xmas season with Grantie Piccadilly. On to more holidays!

Superstar!

As he approaches his second birthday, Wilson is on fire. He's talking up a storm. When I pick him up from the babysitter, he informs me " Good day Mommy at Cary's house." Still testing limits, but so far, entering the 2s has been really wonderful. Having a talking little person really opens up so many worlds.

Shortsighted Blog Title

Today, the family visited the OB/GYN's office and received confirmation that Gretchen is eight weeks pregnant. We should be expecting our next child to be born in June of 2008. Yippee!

P.S. Tonight, I asked Wilson if he wanted to sing a song to the baby inside mommy's belly. He leaned down and began: "Twinkle, twinkle, little baby, da da da da da da da, baby, baby, baby, baby, like a diamond in the sky." Then he kissed my chest and said "baby." We'll sort out sibling rivalry and anatomy later and savor these little moments.

Happy Halloween!

Wilson spent halloween rearranging pumpkins, parading around the library at storytime and ending up at Uncle Matt and Aunt Jenni's house for trick or treating. He definitely caught on to the trick or treating = candy equation, and kept directing us to the next house (and the next house and the next). He was wired on chocolate, and we were wiped. I think we fell asleep before he did. (For background, know that last week, Gretchen overheard Wilson saying "I love you cake" while eating a bite of chocolate cake).

Early Halloween Party

On Saturday, the family attended an early Halloween party with Wil's friends from daycare. A good time was had by all. Below, geisha Mary shares a moment with our favorite kangaroo.



Here, Wil enjoys a donut while hearing about the "good ship lollipop" from his friend Stella.

Storytime/ Tiempo Para Cuentos

We joined Karina and Fatima for storytime at their house and later at Iroquois Library, where our lovely neighor Susan entertained all with her turtle puppet, stories and crafts. Wilson's actually picking up some Spanish. When I asked what Karina said to him, he cocked his head, grinned and said sweetly, Hola.





(And I had to add this great photo of Wil with an astonishingly accurate portrait by John.)

Already E-mailing and Playing Organized Sports

Many of our posts concern us marvelling at the further adventures of Wil, and this one is no different. Today he sat at his table and exclaimed "check email!"



Before Daddy's soccer game, he practiced goal shots wearing the official uniform of the Honduran National Soccer Team (Thanks Uncle Greg).



Not content with watching his father play indoor soccer, Wilson brought a basketball so he could play too. Here is our star point guard calling out a play as he approaches the top of the key.



And finally took time to pose with his soccer star family after the game.

Adventures in 22 month old land

Wilson is really chatty and rambunctious these days. He is stringing 3 + words together and really asserting himself. Everything is about being "big" like Mommy and Daddy, including cooking soup and going to work in his car to "help people." His favorite trick lately is going zero to sixty to hit a really high pitched scream. He thinks it is the most hilarious thing. He's also really into organizing things into colors, and kinds (e.g. shampoo bottles, creams, etc), and is very particular about anything "yucky." We hope this translates into someone who will keep our house clean and organized someday. He loves to climb everything. Here he is climbing "up high" to "nap" in the car.

Cornucopia!

To celebrate Matt's birthday, the family travelled to Madison for an overnight. While there, we enjoyed the Chautauqua art fair and plenty of corn-- corn toss (Matt's birthday present), shucked corn, and cornfields on the ride back home. Here's to another great year, Matt!

Make New Friends but Keep the Old

Here's Wilson horsing around with his buddies--Lola (playing "boats" after storytime) and Mary and Georgie at Cary's house, where he spends two days a week while I'm at work.

Unca James, Ant Nee and Dayba

Translation: We spent the weekend at Uncle James, Aunt Renee and David's house in Ohio, and had a GRAND time. My favorite shots are of the family hugs. Thanks David for being such an awesome big cousin to Wilson!!! We can't wait to visit again!

Picnic with the Mountain Heroes!

Ada, Henry and Amanda joined us in the park for playing in mulch, making "dinner" (photo #1), and a picnic. Much fun was had by all.

Imagination!

Wilson is a great pretender these days. He sings about so many things, and pulls us down to the ground to "play," even handing us animals and dolls and commanding them to "talk." Everything is an adventure, and we are just trying to keep up. Here is a typical day...

Taking a "nap" as a baby while singing rock a bye baby.



Being king...



Taking a nap on the welcome mat.



Playing with a fish puppet. (Red sock to the rest of you).

Wilson and His Sexagenarian Grammy

Hail to the Queen!!! That's Grammy (Gay-Dah), Mom, and Jinny to the rest of you. We celebrated her 60th birthday yesterday, though Wil wanted a bit of the attention himself. Watch how deftly he stole the crown from the queen's head.





After much cake and ice cream, Wilson plopped himself down in her lap for a good read of the encylopedia. Here's to another great year Mom!

Bernheim Visit

We took advantage of the cooler morning hours and took an early hike in Bernheim. We saw deer, turkey vultures and John's favorite, a stick bug (Phasmatoidea, Phasmatidae). Wilson loved the adventure but once in the car, informed us he was ready for "home."

KY State Fair -- Cockadoodle-doo!!!

Wilson accompanied his Grandpa, Dad and Mom to the KY State Fair, where he saw pigs have "eaties" (nurse), heard some loud (apparently scary) roosters, and rode in a car with Abigail, daughter of Maren (good friend from high school). In other big news, John still could not find the coveted deep fried Twinkie. There's always next year...

Summertime Retrospective -- Madison Trip!