18 Months Old

Liam turned 18 months old last weekend, and he is growing into one funny little kid. Some of his current loves:
1. Playing hide and seek. He's terrible at it, but it is super funny! He even puts his hands over his eyes and pretends to count. Get ready to find him in the exact same hiding spot every time, though (most often behind the couch or in the bathroom).
2. His bubble mower. This was a gift from Nana and Grandpa this weekend, and it already makes the top of the list. He brings it into every room with him and insists on even hauling it up the stairs, bringing it into the bathroom when he takes a bath, etc.
3. Speaking of stairs... Liam likes to go both up and down the steps like a big boy. He wants to hold the railings and even alternate feet. Just make sure you leave plenty of time before you need to actually get anywhere, because while precise he is definitely not fast!
4. Eating with a fork and spoon, and drinking out of a regular cup. This he is actually pretty good at! He also really likes helping Mom cook dinner at night.
5. Pillow fights, tickle fights, and whenever Mom or Dad jump out of a hiding place to scare the daylights out of him. The more surprised he is, the more he loves the game!

He also has some serious pet peeves:
1. Being left out of anything the big kids or grownups are doing. He doesn't care what it is, he just wants IN.
2. Whenever one of us leaves the house and doesn't take him with us.
3. On the other hand, he is guaranteed to throw a fit if you try to take him somewhere/make him do something he doesn't want to do. This requires some major creativity at times-- especially if you need him to get in his carseat!
4. Getting his nails clipped.

Luckily, however, he has chilled out a little with the biting-- so the tantrums are a little easier to manage :)

On to some pics...

Our parish hosted a community carnival a couple of weeks ago, and Liam had a blast. Here he is waiving to his cousin Cait riding the ferris wheel right before we got on:



Sure enough, his ferris wheel ride did not disappoint!



Liam and I were playing chase one day, and here he is coming after me!



Playing ball with Nana this weekend:



Liam taking his bubble mower for a spin:



After he "mowed" Nana and Grandpa's lawn, he took off down the street-- perhaps it needed some maintenance? Or maybe it was time to see if the neighbors needed their lawns cut?



After a busy afternoon of yard work, the boys enjoyed a cold drink on the deck-- Cheers!



Enjoying a little snuggle with Nana:

Liam has his 18-month checkup tomorrow morning... wish us luck!

Visit from Grandma and Papa

Grandma and Papa came to visit us last week! Liam just loved having a whole week with them while Miss Doreen and Uncle Sam were away, Daddy was working, and Mommy was busy, busy, busy training her staff. We sadly didn't get many photos (we all know who the shutterbug of this family is... and it isn't Dad!), but we did get a couple of the highlights.

On Tuesday the 10th, our softball team had its first playoff game. Finally a cheering section!



Daddy had an all-star night, hitting not one but two homeruns (one of which ended up on the roof of the school!). What a show-off for his parents! High-fiving the team:



And getting an enthusiastic round of applause from Liam!



We won the game, but sadly didn't make it past the next round of the playoffs. Better luck next year, Screwballs! Later that week, Daddy took off work and took everyone for a fun day at the Zoo.



The Zoo has a really cool Lego exhibit going on, but Liam just wasn't into monkeying around:

So in other funny news, Liam is becoming quite the little neat-freak. Last week, he was eating some dry Cheerios in the living room and accidentally dropped a handful on the carpet. Before I could even react, he ran to the closet, grabbed the broom, and started sweeping them up! And sure enough, once he gathered those Cheerios into a little pile, he stooped down, picked them up... and shoved them in his mouth. Well, he at least started out in the right direction! Daddy informed me that when he dropped an ice cube in the kitchen yesterday, Liam grabbed the broom again and swept that up too (to my relief, he did not eat this one-- he put it right in the sink. Success!).

We can't thank Grandma and Papa enough for taking care of Liam (and really, all of us) last week. We love you and are looking forward to our visit to Milford over Labor Day!!

On the Move

Liam's been out and about lately-- "out" is no surprise, since that is where he is happiest; but the "about" part has been getting more interesting! Daddy picked up a bike seat and helmet so for some father/son bike rides. Liam seemed a little confused at first...



but has definitely been enjoying seeing the world from this new perspective!



Last weekend, Mommy and Liam enjoyed some QT together while Daddy was away. We helped celebrate Marc's 35th birthday, and Liam had a blast with Marc and Cathleen's nieces and nephews. His favorite part was trying out little Sean's scooter and playing with the "big kids"!



"Maybe if I stand extra-tall, they'll think I'm a big kid too!"



So fun!

I've a few days into staff training at work and am not getting much time at home, but we're excited for Grandma and Papa to arrive on Sunday, who will be taking care of Liam for the next week while Miss Doreen and Uncle Sam go on much-deserved vacation. Safe travels, Grandma and Papa! See you soon!

Les Voyages de Liam

We returned on Sunday from an awesome week visiting Aunt Erin, Uncle Thomas, Sarah, Pierre, and little cousin-to-be (!) in France. Despite the l-o-n-g flights and the major time change, Liam was happy as could be to be with his cousins and to explore his new surroundings. Thank goodness for Aunt Erin and Uncle Thomas, who have done this trip countless times with kids and helped us to know what to expect as Liam adjusted (one day for every hour of time change! He finally figured it out by Friday, and we left on Sunday!). But it was worth every bit of it to be with our family and enjoy some very special time together.

Some of our favorite moments from the trip:

Liam decidedly not sleeping on the flight to Frankfurt. He finally gave in about 4 hours later.


Arrival at Chez Hantz, and it took Liam about 4 seconds to find their sandbox on the terrace. Score!



On Sunday, we celebrated both Uncle Thomas and Aunt Erin's birthdays in Ohlungen. Lots of space for the kids to run around (and a pool! and another sandbox!) while we ate loads of tarte flambee.



Liam doing some sight-seeing in downtown Strasbourg.



The gang in front of the Strasbourg Cathedral. In the evening, we got to check out the light show projected onto the cathedral-- it was awesome!



Despite Pierre's teeth-mark-tattoos compliments of our sweet but ferocious little boy, he was kind enough to share his glace with Liam downtown. (Seriously, if anyone has any good tips for dealing with biters, send them my way!!)



Walking through La Petite France. We took this same picture over 2 years ago-- but with Pierre in the stroller instead!



We stopped for a drink (thanks Mom and Dad!) and some playtime:



Liam helping out by mopping up the terrace. Some things never change!



We spent a fun day at the Ecomusee d'Alsace where we explored a village of authentic Alsatian rural homes from the 19th century. It was really like going back in time! Liam and Sarah chasing a stork in the parking area:



Storks are a popular symbol of Alsace (they're everywhere!), and here you can see them in their nests on the roof:



Liam LOVED the little ride at the Ecomusee!



Pierre, on the other hand, could do without it:

Who knew it would take going across the ocean to find the RED (and right) kind of tractor! Just for you, Grandma!


Liam and Pierre watching a blacksmith at work with Uncle Thomas:

It was a really hot day, so the kids were thrilled to find this little stream of water to play in:



Back in Schiltigheim, the boys head out for a bike ride. (PS- we are on the hunt for a seat to put on Daddy's bike here at home for Liam. He had a blast!)



Cooling off at the lake nearby:



Yahoo for more sand!



Liam enjoyed his first popsicle with his cousins and Teo, the little boy who lives upstairs:



Sarah, Pierre, and Liam invented this little game, which basically involved Liam standing still, and Sarah and Pierre running in from another room yelling "LEEAM!". Lots of giggles ensued! Check out this little video-- and pay attention to the end, when Pierre finally gets some revenge on Chompy McBiter.




We had a couple of rainy days, so we took the kids to a cool indoor play park so they could work out all their energy:

Thomas's parents had us over for dinner before we left, and the little guys had some fun playing in the curtains:

Dancing in the kitchen to Micha's championship soccer song:

Family bath time!

Liam finally sleeping (albeit briefly) on our return flight. He was about 5 minutes away from outgrowing that bassinette!

Erin, Thomas, Sarah, and Pierre-- we love you guys and can't thank you enough for taking care of us last week! Miss you lots and can't wait to see you next year!

Celebration at the Lake

Happy Birthday, Nana!!




We celebrated the 4th of July holiday-- and Nana's special birthday-- at Split Rock in the Poconos. We hadn't been there since June of last year, and now that Liam's a little older, we were excited to bring him along. And let's just say... he loved it. He was completely and totally in his little element at Lake Harmony, and was rather disappointed when it was time to leave!

And what's not to love? Liam enjoyed some serious digging...





and reading...




relaxing...




and some thrills!




He wasn't sure what he thought of Grandpa's boat at first...




but I think he warmed up to it! :)




He enjoyed dancing to music on the beach...




and swimming with Grandpa (it was a little cold!).



He also had a great time celebrating Chris and Ariane's wedding. Chris and Ariane were married a few weeks ago in France, and while we were sad we couldn't be there for it, we were really excited to hear that their reception would be held the same weekend we were in the Poconos-- Chris's family only lives about 30 minutes away from SplitRock! Here we are surrounded by newlyweds: Ariane, Chris, Ashley, and Styles (who is now going by Drew. Whatever!)



Best wedding reception ever... there was a bouncy house!



Back on the beach with Daddy and Mommy:



Thanks to Nana, Grandpa, GG, and Aunt Jayne for such a fun weekend!

We're taking to the skies one week from today to visit Tante Erin, Tonton Thomas, and cousins Sarah and Pierre... wish us luck on our 7-hour flight with one very busy toddler!!

Mowin'

Liam LOVES to "mow" with Daddy!

We had an awesome, awesome holiday weekend in the Poconos to celebrate Nana's milestone birthday. Stay tuned!