Snow!

We had our first decent snow fall last week. Unfortunately, it was very powdery. Will was so anxious to built a snowman. Finally, the temperatures warmed up and we were able to go out today to play. Phil and Will went out in the morning and created a funny fire-snowman. Unfortunately, it tipped over a bit and had to be recreated. We ended up building a whole snow family. Alex joined us outside. He thought the snow was pretty fun. He ran around and explored. Towards the end of our outing we could tell he was worn out because he couldn't stand back up when he fell down. 

Today was our first day eliminating a bottle. Alex drank whole milk from a cup at lunch. He made a few faces but I think that was due to the cold and not the milk itself. We put him down for his afternoon nap without a bottle. He fussed for a little bit but then went to sleep. I'm sure playing in the snow tired him out...

Check back later for a post on potty training.  Things are going great today so I don't want to jinx them! 

Our very unique snowman... it fell down and had to be rebuilt

Snow Family

First Outdoor Sled Ride

Alex loved running in the snow!

1 Year Stats

Alex and I had a busy day. We went to Snipits so he could get his first haircut. He did a great job. He sat in the chair like a big boy and didn't cry at all. Then we went to the botanical gardens to walk around for a bit. He was a bit hesitant and held my hand on our first lap around the conservatory but then took off on his own and led the way. We walked around the conservatory 3 times and then went to see the trains. He loved watching the little red trolley go back and forth on the short track. Then we went for his 1 year check-up. He had to have 3 immunizations, his flu booster, and blood drawn to check for lead and hemoglobin. Here are his 1 year stats: 

Height: 29.5" (35%) 
Weight: 20.5 lbs (34%) 
Head: 17.5" (11%) 

We are ready to transition him from formula to whole milk. We also will start transitioning from bottles to sippy cups.

Before

After

Look at the trains!

Exploring the Gardens

First Haircut

Happy First Birthday, Alex!

Today is Alex's first birthday! Here are some milestones from the past month:

- He started walking... and running!
- He started saying "up" pretty regularly
- He celebrated his first Hanukkah and Christmas
- He loves to dance!
- He started to put things into boxes and then will dump them out
- He started clapping
- He can stack two blocks
- He is up to 6 teeth

Happy New Year!

Last night, we took the boys to a New Years Eve party at the Children's Museum. The museum did a great job! They had a red carpet, a DJ playing fun dance music, and a ball drop at 7:30 complete with confetti and a balloon drop. The kids were also able to make their own noise makers and party hats. They also served dinner (we thought just snacks) but we were able to have a sno cone there which Will enjoyed. The boys had a lot of fun playing and Will did quite a bit of dancing. It was a lot of fun!

Alex's Birthday Party

We celebrated Alex's first birthday today. We had a nice family party for him at our house. We did a "Very Hungry Caterpillar" theme and had Ramona's Table do the food for us (it seemed appropriate).  We ate lunch and opened gifts before we let Alex go on his small cake.  As expected, he really liked it and it was fun to watch.  We took it away from him after a few minutes and he didn't complain at all.  He took a good afternoon nap and didn't have any tummy troubles. Alex is a very lucky boy to have so many people that love him!

Thanks, Grandma and Grandpa!

Ramona's Table did the food

I love this one!

Checking out his little cake

Cousins' Weekend

This weekend, Grann, Aunt Maran, Uncle Josh, and Allie came to visit for Alex's birthday party. We had so much fun while they were here! On Saturday, we ran to the mall for a quick family photo. I think they turned out better (and funnier) than we all had hoped! Then we spent the rest of the day playing at home. Will loved having Uncle Josh and Aunt Maran to play with. He showed them all his board games, Wii, and his trampoline. Alex and Allie bonded immediately and actually played/interacted with each other quite a bit. On Sunday, the kids played some more while we set up for Alex's party (more on that later). Hopefully, they will all be able to come visit again this summer when the weather is warmer and we can take the kids out!

We also had our first decent snow and Will has been enjoying his shovel and new sled. 



Happy Grann... Unhappy Kids. 

Helping Dad

Hanging out in William's Chair

Candy Land

Merry Christmas!

William was so excited, he woke up 3 times during the night between Christmas Eve and Christmas morning. When it was finally time to get up, he ran back and forth from the tree letting us know that Santa came and that he ate his cookies and milk. We started a fire and put some cinnamon rolls in the oven. By the time they were ready, Alex was also getting up and we were able to tackle the mountain of gifts under the tree. Both boys really liked all their new things and we spent the rest of the morning playing with new toys  Will was very excited that Santa brought him his skateboard and yo-yo.  He also got the toy whale he asked for.  After naps, Grandma and Grandpa came over to do another gift exchange. Will had a little "too much Christmas" and ended up saving a couple gifts to open on the 26th.