July 4th to Autumn

Liam nonchalantly observes a passing fire truck in a 4th of July parade while casually holding his "iPhone."

Before Liam's first haircut (other than the ones I've given him).

First official haircut wraps up and everyone is happy!

Liam and me at Luray Caverns.

Liam ready for his first day back at Montessori school after a fun summer at camp.

Liam and I pose together before I take him to his first day back at school.

Mommy says goodbye at home, but will pick up a happy Liam when school ends.

A rare shot of all three of us - thanks for taking this Joe!

Today we went to a farm to do mazes, see pumpkins and animals, slide down huge slides and take a hay ride.  Liam and I also shot an apple cannon together and hit the target twice!

Liam and I were "matchers."

Disney

We recently went to Universal Studios and Disney for a great family vacation.  My parents and sister came too, which made the trip easier and more enjoyable for everyone (thanks!).  Liam had a wonderful time and is already trying to convince us to return for a "3 week" vacation there.

Liam in full Cars regalia, ready to fly to Disney.

First stop: Universal, where Seuss Landing was the biggest hit, especially the rides One Fish Two Fish and The Cat In The Hat.

After two long, hot and humid days of walking at Universal, we bought a little stroller for Liam, which he *loved* and saved us lots of time and effort!  He now refers to this as his "big boy stroller" despite being smaller than his other one.

Let the "Magic" begin...

The "Dumbo" style rides were some of Liam's favorites and there was one in every park.  Here Liam and I ride the Triceratop Spin.  He was thrilled to be able to control the up and down movement of the ride.

The happy family in front of the "Tree of Life" which houses the terrifying "Bug's Life" movie (just one of many shows I would end up leaving early with Liam)!

Wearing Cars and posing with them, Liam liked EPCOT a little less than I expected. 

Although EPCOT did get him warmed up to greeting characters.

He was a character-greeting pro by the time we met Jessie and Woody outside Splash Mountain.

Post-meeting with Jessie and Woody, Liam excitedly recounts his adventures so far.

One of Liam's favorite rides was actually the set in front of Winnie The Pooh.  Here, he explains all about Pooh's honey to grandmom.

Double excitement - the Dumbo ride during fireworks!  He raved about both.

Watching our second "Electric Light" parade of the trip.

Watching the Pixar parade at Hollywood Studios under the precious shade offered by a vendor's stand.

A brief moment of relaxation during his adventures in Honey I Shrunk The Kids playground.

C ya real soon!

We had a terrific Thanksgiving weekend as Liam (aka Woody), Daddy (aka Buzz) and Mommy (aka Jessie).  Liam is always energized being around family and this weekend was no exception.  His schedule shifted quite a bit later, sometimes not going to sleep until midnight!  But he went to bed around 8:30 tonight, so I think we're getting back to normal already.

Future's So Bright

While putting these on before going out to enjoy the weather, Liam said "bright outside."

2 Already!

Another year! Really! You are 2! People call this the "terrible two's" but I like to think of it as the independent and knowing what you want stage. You love to "help" mommy and daddy. One of your favorite phrases is "Liam do it."

You are growing by leaps and bounds. The doctor puts you in the 90% tile for height, 75% for weight, and your head is in the 95% tile--you've got big brains. Most people who meet you would believe that. You know all your letters, most of your colors and the other day you counted to 20 and I am not even sure who taught you that.

If I had to predict what you are going to be when you grow up, I would say an engineer (because you seem to like to find out how things work and also, let's face it, it is in your DNA) or a housekeeper. You do not like disorder. One way to get you to stop crying is to tell you that you are making a mess.

You really seemed to enjoy your second birthday party. The music teacher that came to the house was a huge hit and you relished the the explosion of sesame street that was represented in everything from the cake to the giant balloons. You are a fun, curious, gentle little boy. It is a treat to be your mother.


This was more of a project than I would have thought. My hands were a red and black mess after this endeavor.

Glasses on

If he gets my vision this might be a sneak preview :)

Steve

Ernie Elmo Infatuation

As a child, I had a binky that went with me everywhere until I either lost it or my parent's threw it out (I am still not sure what the true story is). I have been wondering when Liam would find his "have to have" object--I think that time is finally here. Over the last few weeks, he has developed quite a fondness for all his stuffed animals--in particular his Ernie and Elmo dolls. They go with him everywhere. To the park, to Target, to bed. When it is cold, they need a jacket. When we go up stairs, they have to hold the hand rail. As a Mom, I worry about the sanitariness' of the situation; we'll see if I ever get to the point where I have to throw them out :)


Playing with them all. Sometimes he likes to have all of them take the journey from his room to Mommy and Daddy's bed.


Hiding from Daddy


Daddy found him!


Elmo and Ernie check out the patio furniture at Target

Where's Liam?

Can you find Liam in each of these photos?

Radical Dude

Liam loves wearing these old 80's sunglasses. I think its a good look for him :)

Recently, Liam started "calling" us in the same way he "calls" the dog: "Mommy, come!" He occasionally even adds in some hand claps or clicks to hurry us along if we delay. We're slowly getting him to at least modify it to: "Mommy, come... please." He says it so cheerfully and it's hilarious (even when he's "calling" me).

The month of December

With the exception of the small sneak peak that Steve left yesterday, we have not been very good about posting in the final month of 2009. So here is a recap of what we have been up to during the month of December.

Liam saw Santa (aka Hanta). For those of you who don't remember, we struggled with the Santa picture last year.

He was excited to see him arrive on a fire truck




He didn't mind seeing him while on Mommy's lap. He even decorated his head for Hanta.


But do not try to put him in Hanta's lap.



We had a crazy snow storm, which Liam was happy about when he was inside, but didn't much care for while outside. He didn't want to sled, he didn't want to build a snow man--he just enjoyed watching other kids play.






We tried to take some pictures for the Christmas Card. These are a few that didn't make the cut. Notice the hand in the belly button. This has been a new soothing habit Liam has recently adopted.


Christmas day/weekend was exciting. There were so many toys, I am not sure we have gotten to play with everything yet! Thank you everyone and thank you, Hanta!



His new game is not a good one--He likes to fall on the couch. This is how he recently acquired a big goose egg on his forehead.


Obsession with Sesame Street. Despite what you might see on the blog, Liam will actually only wear about 3 shirts and they all have to do with Sesame Street. If you see him in something else, it is by the sheer might of his parents. The other possibility is that he has agreed to a compromise and has one of the three shirts underneath his displayed shirt. If you tell him you like his top shirt, he is very quick to remind you that he has "Elmo un'neath"



Liam rang in the new year with some rock band and friends. He didn't make it to midnight despite his protests that he was not tired.

Happy New Year everyone!