Happy Birthday Willa!

Our little girl is 4 years old. I can't believe how big she's getting.



She is super sweet (except when she's not) and very affectionate. She loves stuffed animals and can always be found with one of her friends. She hasn't left the house without one since the time she was big enough to hold them in her hands. She has an incredible imagination and is happiest when she's surrounded by "friends," acting out an infinite number of scenarios.



She loves being with her family. She says Andrew is her best friend, loves to cuddle Christian, and when we are all together she is sure to look around, smile, and say, "We're the whole family." Her birthday wish when she blew out her candles was to have her whole family together.



She is also very stubborn. If she doesn't want to do something, then she's not going to do it, no matter what. Sometimes this translates to extreme contrary-ness (is that a word?). We believe if she channels it correctly, she'll be a force to be reckoned with. Already Andrew won't mess with her, because she always wins.



We love you sweet little Willa!

Happily Ever After

Here's a conversation I had with Willa tonight when she was going to bed:

Me: "...and they lived happily ever after."

W: Why does it say "happily ever after"?

Me: Because when you find someone you love it makes you happy forever.

W: Well, I love you, so we will live happily ever after.

T-ball

Andrew loves to play baseball. He loves hitting and running the bases, and hanging out in the dugout with all his friends. Fielding takes a bit more concentration, so that's more of a challenge. This year I somehow got roped into being the team mom, because having a newborn and selling our house doesn't give me enough to do.



Catcher is the most fun position, and all the kids are excited when it's their turn to catch.




Each game the coach gives out a game ball. Andrew got his for "solid hitting," and he was so surprised and happy. (Just look at those skinny little legs. The kid is a full head taller than anyone in his class, but he's such a beanpole. A stiff wind will blow him over.)



The season is almost over now, and I have to say I'm going to be a little sad to see it end. He's had so much fun, and because we love baseball at our house, we've enjoyed going to the games.

4 months old

The last 4 months have been a blur. I can't believe how big he is already! He smiles and laughs whenever he is talked to, loves stuffed animals (much to Willa's dismay), and absolutely lights up for his big brother and sister. He eats like a champ, and except for not being able to handle lactose (which is hard for me, since I've always big a big milk drinker) he's about as cute and easy as can be. And he's huge. We'll have his official stats next week after his check up, but he's definitely following in Andrew's footsteps.

Spring Break

We stayed home for spring break again this year. I actually loved hanging out with the kids, having a relaxed time where we didn't need to be rushing around and could go on a few fun adventures. Andrew and Willa had so much fun playing together, and they were able to spend some good bonding time with the baby as well.

Willa's favorite spring break activity is visiting Frying Pan Farm and seeing all the new baby animals.






Watching basketball with Dad.


We've settled into a tradition of going into DC and visiting the Smithsonian and having lunch with Casey one day during spring break. This year the kids chose the Air and Space Museum.






Nothing says spring break like chasing pigeons in front of the Department of Education.




Easter was the last day of spring break. Since it was also General Conference, we did our egg hunt in our jammies.




Of course Andrew ran around like crazy, grabbing all the eggs. Willa was less enthusiastic, only picking up the eggs she thought were pretty. Then one of her eggs broke open and M&M's fell out, and she said, "Ew, there's candy inside!" Silly girl. She gave all her candy to Andrew, who was happy to take it off her hands.

Sweet Baby

Easter, Part 1

I know Easter isn't until next week, but since General Conference is on Easter Sunday our ward had our Easter program today. I realized late Friday afternoon that meant the kids needed their Easter clothes this week, and not next week. Thank you Knutsons for the bounty of beautiful dresses! All we had to do was look through them, let Willa choose which one she wanted, and search all over creation for a purple tie so Andrew could match.



I intended to post pictures of my beautiful kids dressed up in their finest, so we got them ready early for church so we'd have time to snap a few. Willa was ready first. She is three, and comes by her name rightfully. She is the most willful, independent, and sometimes downright ornery girl in the world. It's also impossible to make her smile, as you can see. I couldn't narrow down the pictures, I'll just let you vicariously experience the frustration of trying to make her smile without actually saying "cheese." (Note the stuffed animal in her hand; she never goes anywhere or does anything without one or more of her animals.) What in the world did people do before digital cameras?









And then there's handsome Andrew. He loves to pose but lately this is the only smile we can get out of him. Tell me he's not channeling Rupert the Monkey Boy from Dirty Rotten Scoundrels. And yes, his pants are about 3 inches too short. I promise they fit him at Christmas. Today all we could do was make him pull them down around his hips.





In the end, though, I'm sure I have the cutest kids in the world. And someday we'll capture that on film.