Lillian "Speaking"

I'm not going to try to catch up on the latest things that have happened in the almost two years since I posted, so here is a video of Lillian "talking" to us and Christian riding his tricycle.

Sneaky Christian

Christian's little personality is really coming out lately! He is a hilarious little guy. He loves to "sneak" up on people. When I'm the only one around, he'll sneak up on inanimate objects, pointing out what he's aiming for first. He'll point to the couch, wait for me to say "couch," then say, "Sneak . . . sneak . . . sneak. . . AAAAAHHHH!!!!" We love it! If I remember to catch nothing else he does on camera, at least we'll have this memory.

Running Back Will

Will got invited to join a flag football team at the last minute, and he was SO PUMPED to do it! We had thrown out the idea to him back over the summer, and he wasn't very interested. We left it at that until Larkin's boss asked him on Monday if Will might like to play. There was an opening on the team of first and second graders that he coaches. We asked Will again, and this time, he got really excited about it. He joined the team for a practice on Tuesday and played as a running back this morning!

Will is the third one here (black and green shoes)

Running at the offense to steal their flags!!!!

Resting during his quarter out (and a good shot of his two missing front teeth)

His run with the ball. (It's a little embarrassing how proud I am of him!)

He absolutely loved it and carried around a football for the rest of the day, waiting patiently for anyone who had a minute to play catch with him. This is out of his comfort zone, and we're so proud of his willingness (and excitement) to do it! Go Sparks!!!!

Sidenote: His first game today happened to be on his Grandpa Rice's birthday. I have a feeling that Grandpa Mark cheered on William Mark, despite the distance.

Seamstress Anna

Anna is super creative and LOVES to make things. Case in point, she asked Santa for an art set for Christmas as opposed to dolls or toys. We found a little beginner sewing machine and decided it was something Anna would like. She was very excited when she opened it on Christmas morning. She got a couple of patterns for Barbie clothes, and we got to work the next day. I was amazed at how patient she was with the process, and she was so proud of herself and her final product!

Christian's First Birthday

Our Christian Thomas (a.k.a Babydoll, a.k.a. Little Man, a.k.a. Little Koala) turned one! We can't believe this little guy has already been with us for a year. He is a such a fun boy. We had a little party at home with just our family, including Uncle Jared who spent Christmas with us. Happy Birthday, Christian!

Playing pin the tail on the donkey

Opening presents

With his balloon birthday cake

Prepped for cake eating 

Crawling Christian

The baby figured it out! He has been attempting to crawl for a little while now, but just yesterday, his legs got pumping in sync with his arms (sort of). He is now able to crawl where he wants to go instead of just rolling over and hoping for the best. Our baby is growing up crazy fast!

Disney World 2: Magic Kingdom

We got two full days to spend in the Magic Kingdom. We rode a lot of rides on the first day and only met a couple of characters. We ate at the Beast's Castle and Gaston's Tavern. We saw two parades and walked all over.

Scared of the Haunted Mansion (too scared to ride, actually) 

 

 

The first day, though filled with unbeatable memories, was also the day that Larkin came down with strep throat. He is such a trooper! He stayed in the park and helped me wrangle all four kids until about 10 p.m. because I was determined to watch the nighttime parade. We didn't realize it was strep until we got the kids in bed that night and looked at his throat. We took him to a doctor the next morning and got him on antibiotics immediately and were cleared to return to the Magic Kingdom the following day. Through modern medicine and MANY prayers, Larkin felt well enough to spend a wonderful second day in the park!

On our second day, we ate a delicious brunch at the Crystal Palace where we met Winnie the Pooh and his friends. We went on a few rides, and we talked the twins into riding their first roller coaster! Though terrified, they ending up loving it. Then we got caught in a thunderstorm and got soaked! We were hot, wet, and felt gross. We decided to go back to the resort, maybe return later after getting dry, but we would stop at the front of the park and get Mickey Mouse's autograph before we left. Then this happened:

It was amazing!!!! We weren't expecting Mickey to talk. We thought he would wave and pose, like the other characters did, but we weren't expecting a full-blown conversation with a fully-animated Mickey. Josh, who was tired and cranky in line, was a different kid afterwards.

Josh in line to see Mickey: "Me no meet Mickey Mouse!"

 

 Josh after meeting Mickey: "Me snuggle Mickey!"

We were all rejuvenated after that. We took the train to the back of the Magic Kingdom and started it all over again. We met lots more characters, hit more rides, walked through shops, and spent the rest of the day in the park.

Will on stage with Captain Jack Sparrow

 

Enchanted by the Enchanted Tiki Room

 

Disney World was exactly what everyone told us it would be: a magical place full of wonderful memories! We still talk about it constantly, and I'm secretly planning our next Disney vacation. It won't happen any time soon, but it WILL happen!