Joel had to work on Christmas Day, so we came back to Kansas City on a very snowy Christmas Eve. Somehow, our flight did make it out of O'Hare - though very late. It was fun and festive to drive from the airport down to the Yeldells where there was good food and a warm fire waiting for us. We had a nice Christmas with the Yeldells. Jess got a new kitty, and William had a lot of fun chasing Redmond around the house! He kept saying "Meow" and trying to sniff the kitty.

We had a white Christmas in Chicago, as you can see. Will was very interested in it, and was constantly asking to go outside in the "h-no". (A very nasal pronunciation of "snow".) He enjoyed opening up all of his presents, and got the hang of it quickly!

When we were visiting the Kolbers in Chicago over Christmas, William was so interested in watching Grandpa make coffee. He was like a little coffee elf that would run over as soon as he heard the espresso machine firing up. By the end of the week, he even knew what buttons to push! The last photo is a picture of Will sitting in a chair that used to belong to my dad when he was young.

My mom just asked me the other day if William had any new words. At the time, I really couldn't think of anything specific... But this morning when we were going down to the basement to let Vader out of his kennel and feed him, William was firing words at me left and right! This is how our conversation went:

Will: Boat

Me: Yes, that's Daddy's layout boat.

Will: Goose

Me: Yes, that's Daddy's goose decoy.

Will: Honk

Me: Good job! A goose says "honk".

Will: Dog

Me: Yes, that's the dog, we need to feed him breakfast.

Will: Wa-wa

Me: Yes, and give him water too.

Will: No, no, no, no!

Me: Yes, we have to go back upstairs now.

So, Mom, the answer is yes. William has many new words! ;) We can't wait to see you next week so you can see for yourself!

Put the tree up yesterday - Will loves it! He keeps saying "lights!" He even woke up a couple of times last night and wanted to see the "lights?" I had to bring him out to the living room to show him that they weren't on anymore. He also loves all the ornaments - especially the Salvation Army bell ornament. If it's within reach, he takes it off the tree and walks around the house ringing it!

Halloween 2009

Will was a lobster for Halloween. He had a lot of fun running around with his pumpkin, watching the other kids, and trying to take bites out of the candy that he got. We were surprised that he kept his costume on for so long!

Joel's basketball team was inducted into the Northwest Missouri State Hall of Fame on October 23, 2009. He joins his dad in the "M" club - an elite group of athletes! We had a very fun weekend in Maryville, MO celebrating Joel's accomplishment.

Fun on the deck...

Will was was handing me potatoes and I was cleaning them. Then, I looked over and he had taken bites out of three of them! Yuck!

Two of William's favorite things right now... carrying the dishwasher basket around with toys in it, and putting laundry in and out of baskets. What a little helper!

Some photos from our recent trip to Birch Lake. William went swimming in the lake a few times, but preferred the kiddie pool that my mom borrowed from the neighbors. We had a really nice visit with my family, it was such a nice break. The time went too fast!

Here's Will's favorite new trick - climbing up on the dishwasher. And he's so quick about it, too! Also, a cute picture of Joel feeding William pizza. Such a Daddy's boy.

William in his new airplane - Joel bought it for him at a garage sale down the street. He can't reach the pedals yet... but he likes to play with the steering wheel! A couple of other pictures, too... I especially like that cute spaghetti face.

My family came down to visit this weekend. We celebrated Easter and Will's birthday (a week early). It was so great to see them! This is Will's Easter basket from Grammy. It was filled with all kinds of yummy baby goodies.

This is William eating the birthday cake that Auntie Jess baked for him. It was banana flavored and he loved it! He kept clapping his hands!