Mini-Me

One of my favorite things in the world is watching Liam with his daddy.  He LOVES his daddy.  You can tell that he wants to be just like Andrew, and it is the sweetest thing.  I call him Andrew's "mini-me." When Andrew gets home from a long day at work, Liam yells his name and goes running into his arms.  A frequent phrase in our house is, "Daddy, you want to play with me?"  or "Daddy, you see this?"  

It's darling.  What these two have is so special, and I look forward to seeing how their relationship evolves over the years.

Fixing their chainsaws

Just like Daddy!

All boy

Happy Father's day Andrew!  Thank you for all that you do for us!  Most of all, thank you for being such a wonderful daddy and role model for this little guy.

We love you!

xoxo

Four Gifts for Christmas

Last year, during the holidays I was reading this blog post and was very inspired by the "Four Gifts" idea.

I told Andrew about it, and we agreed that we would adopt this approach to giving Christmas gifts to Liam.  

Let's face it.  We live in a world that is consumed by "stuff".  As a parent, I think it would be very easy to fall into the trap of over-buying for your children.  I'm grateful that I came upon this idea when Liam was only a year old so we can organically make this our way, without having to get him on board. 

Here's the idea:

Source

Instead of giving an overabundance of presents, the child receives four meaningful gifts:

Something he or she wants
Something to wear
Something he or she needs
Something to read

I really love this idea.  I love the simplicity.  I love the focus on making the gifts meaningful. I love that it will teach Liam to be grateful for the gifts he receives.

I will say this isn't easy for me, because I love to give gifts.  An unexpected surprise, however, is that it has made me more intentional in what gifts I choose for him.  Rather than just buying because I think he's going to like it, I find myself being much more selective.

As he gets older, I would like to incorporate these four actions into the mix as well:

Source

My hope is that by starting these traditions, Liam will grow up understanding the true spirit of Christmas, which isn't about receiving but about giving.

Haircut

Things have been busy around here.  I've been caught up in a whirlwind of PhD paperwork...I feel like I've been doing nothing but jumping through hoops.  But alas, the paperwork is submitted and the hoop jumping is over for now (I hope!). 

Last week, however, was a big weekend in our household.  Mr. Liam got his first haircut!  It's taken me a long time to warm up to the idea, but I finally caved.  I loved his sweet baby curls so much.  Once our warm, humid days were over though, the baby curls were starting to look a little mullet-ish, all business up front with a party in the back!  So, for the sake of my son not looking like Billy Ray Cyrus, I decided it was time.

We went to Great Clips where my husband gets his hair cut, and we requested his favorite stylist.  I must say, the entire experience was much easier and smoother than I had imagined.  I had no idea how my two year-old would act once he was in that chair....these days he can be a bit of a wild card.  

I should never have doubted him though.  He was a perfect angel.  And Rhonda, the woman who cut his hair, was wonderful.  She was very sweet and patient and gentle with our boy.

Here he is ready to go!

One last look at those baby curls.

He was pretty fascinated during the cutting process and kept a close eye on what was happening.

And afterwards, he got a sucker as a reward.  He was pretty pleased with himself. 

He's so very sweet. And now he looks like such a little boy.

And much to my delight, some of the baby curls are still there.  You can't really see it in this picture, but he's still got some curls on top.  He's so precious and I just love him so.  I really try to cherish each of these special moments because I know how very fast it all goes.

Have a wonderful weekend!

xoxo

Terrific Twos

As most of you know, Liam turned two a few weeks ago.  I know that we aren't very far into the "twos" but, I must say, two isn't so bad!  In fact, there are times when two is delightful.  

Yes, we have our moments.  Moments when he's laying on the floor kicking his feet and screaming.  Moments when he throws his milk across the room and flings his food across the table.  In those moments, I'm very aware that he is testing me.  Trying to see how I'm going to respond and if a boundary is going to be set.  After spending years in the classroom, I know just how important those boundaries are.  I also know how important consistency is.  There are times when I have to force myself to follow through on things, but I know that if I don't, I'm going to be negating my own authority.  

Despite those challenging moments, we are having a lot of fun.  I just love how his little personality is coming to life.  I also love that he is learning new words every day and is now putting sentences together.  I love that he can tell me what he wants.  I love that he says "please" and "thank you".  I love how he jumps around and plays air guitar.  I also love how he laughs and sings songs.

At times, his energy level is exhausting.  But it's also really fun to watch.  He wakes up with so much joy every day and is so excited as he discovers the world around him.

So, when it comes to the twos, I'm choosing to focus on the good.  And so far, two is good.  Really good!

Here are some pics from the three different birthday celebrations!  

Driving Grandpa's tractor

First session of presents

Making a wish

Who wants cake?

Grandpa and Grandma

Oh boy!

A chainsaw...just like daddy's!

He was so excited his little legs were shaking!

Another party with Grandpa and Grandma

Fun with "Boppaw"

Here's to the terrific twos!

xoxo

Zoo

We recently took Liam to the zoo for the first time.  We are blessed in St. Louis to have a zoo that is both awesome and free!

I've always had mixed feelings about zoos.  I usually come away feeling kind of sad after seeing the animals in captivity.  However, I also recognize the educational value and know that zoos do a tremendous amount in terms of research and preservation.  

Watching Liam for the first time was quite an experience.  The first animal that he saw was a hippo.  I'll never forget the look on his face.  As I watched him, I realized that he was in awe over the hippo's size.  Though we read books all the time about animals, he doesn't get to see exactly how big many of the animals are.

After seeing the hippo, we went and saw the elephants and caught a glimpse of this sweet little baby who is just a couple of months old.

From there, we headed to the reptile house where Liam was quite excited about the snakes.

We saved the primate house for last.  I'm pretty sure this was Liam's favorite.  At one point, he was literally running and squealing with delight over the monkeys.  We actually have a good friend who works as a keeper in the primate house.  She wasn't working the day we went, but we will definitely connect with her in the future considering how much Liam loved the monkeys!

He loved these guys and kept saying "mommy panda"...which makes perfect sense considering they are black and white.  

Overall, I think the trip was a success!  He loved it and we will definitely go back.  We are fortunate to live close, so we might as well take advantage of it while we can.

And if it makes this little guy love animals even more...then it's worth it!

Happy Father's Day

This weekend we celebrate all of the wonderful fathers in our life.

I'm blessed to have so many strong, kind men around me.

My father is amazing.  He is one of the hardest working men I know and has always shown me such wonderful, unconditional love.  He is also one of the happiest people I know....always choosing to take a positive outlook.  No matter how old I get, I will always be his little girl!

Thanks Dad for all that you do and for being the best father a girl could ask for.  I love you dearly.

Watching my husband grow as a father has been one of my greatest joys.  Seeing him with our son always warms my heart.  Liam adores his daddy and so do I.  When Andrew gets home from a long, ten hour work day, he always has the energy to play and spend time with our son.  Liam's little face just lights up with joy when he sees him walk through the door.  

We are so blessed to have him.  He truly is my best friend and we work so well together as a team.  As a parent, he will do anything that I ask of him and is so devoted to his family. I just love that Liam has this kind, generous man as a role model.  

Thank you Andrew for who you are and all that you do.  I love you with all my heart.

Tonight we are having a bbq with our friends and family celebrating Andrew's completion of his Master's degree!  Fun times ahead!

xoxo

Happy Birthday

Today is my husband's birthday.  We were fortunate to be able to spend the day together as a family.  It was one of those perfectly simple kind of days where we got to just enjoy being with each other.  

Happy Birthday Andrew.  I hope this year brings you all kinds of wonderful.  

We love you dearly, and we can't wait to see what this year brings!

xoxo

Happy Father's Day!

Today I would like to honor two very important men in my life.


First up is my dad.  I am so blessed to have a wonderful father who has always been very involved in my life.  He is, without a doubt, one of the best men I know and has always been extremely devoted to his family.

My dad is an eternal optimist....always choosing to look on the bright side of things.  One of the most important lessons he taught me is that happiness isn't something that happens to us but rather something that we choose.  His enthusiasm for life is contagious, and he is one of those people who makes friends wherever he goes.  


He's also a wonderful storyteller with a magnificent imagination.  When we were children, he would drive us to school every day.  Every fire hydrant along the route had a name and the smokestacks off in the distance were fondly known as Chief Big Nose and Chief Itchy Toes.  Our rides were filled with stories about those fire hydrants and the two chiefs.  I will never forget those stories and how much fun we had on those morning trips. 

My dad didn't come from much, and everything he has achieved in his life has been through his own hard work.  I've always known my dad to be extremely dedicated to his job, rarely taking days off....working endlessly to succeed.  Even in retirement, he doesn't sit still....filling his days with various hobbies and tasks.  


He also taught me to always stand up for myself and to be tenacious in pursuing my dreams...if I want something, it's up to me to make it happen.  


Ultimately, I am the woman I am today because of my father and his active role in my life.  He has always been there for me and I have always known, without a doubt, that if I needed something, I could count on him.  That has given me tremendous security throughout my life and for that, I am very grateful.


Happy father's day Dad!  You are such a blessing in my life and I love you dearly.


The second man I want to honor today is my dear husband, who is celebrating his first Father's day.


I always knew that my husband would be a wonderful father.  What I didn't expect is how much my love for him would be magnified as I saw him with his son.  There's nothing better.

From the moment Liam was born, Andrew embraced fatherhood and has been completely hands-on.  We parent as a team, completely sharing in the responsibilities, and I am so grateful for this partnership that we've established.  


Liam loves his dad.  Each day, when Andrew comes through the door after work, Liam's entire being lights up as he greets his dad with a huge smile.  I can see so clearly on Liam's face how much he adores and looks up to his father.  They are buddies, and watching them play and interact together moves me beyond words.

Watching my husband grow and change this past year as he stepped into fatherhood has been simply beautiful.  I look forward to continuing to see him grow and evolve as Liam grows up.  I can only imagine how much more wonderful this father-son relationship is going to become.  

Liam and I are incredibly blessed. We couldn't ask for a better father or partner.  


Happy Father's day Andrew!  We love you.

Weekend

Here is a single, perfect moment from our weekend.  

I just love these lazy kind of mornings.