snow day

On Wednesday afternoon the snow started falling in northern Virginia at the rate of 2" per hour.  It kept up through the night and on Thursday morning we were met with this

a winter wonderland!

Wednesday night it didn't seem too wonderful.  Drew was stuck in horrible, horrible gridlocked traffic trying to get home from work.  We were actually worried for awhile that he might not make it at all.  He works 4 miles from our house and it took him over 2.5 hours to get home.  There were abandoned cars and drifting snow everywhere.  Not good!

Needless to say, Thursday was a work-from-home day for him!  While he managed to get a lot done at our kitchen table, there was time for a short break mid-afternoon to take Asher outside for his first ever romp in the snow.  Yay!

Asher was born last December in Cleveland, so he had seen snow before, but this was the first time we were able to get him in his snow suit and boots to really experience the flaky white stuff.  He was interested, but hesitant.  Honestly, I think he was so suited up he couldn't even really feel it.  ha!  I didn't want him to get cold.  :o)

The best part for A was when Drew plunked him feet down into the snow.  His boots supported his ankles really well and the snow came halfway up his legs so he was able to stand upright by himself!  That's a first!  Sweet Ash couldn't stop smiling at this new freedom!  Maybe now he'll attempt it inside as well.  We'll see.

His snow suit/boots/mittens came from LL Bean and were all hand-me-downs from his cousins.  Perfect!  I love getting special items like this for free!  Look familiar?

Drew made Ash a snowman that was just his size.  I think they're friends.  Or at least a curiosity.

Then there was, of course, the requisite "mom, I can't put my arms down!" shot.  Babies are so much work, you have to get your kicks when you can.

Now we just need a sled of some kind and we'll be all set!

life's a beach - cousins

One of our most anticipated things about going down the shore this year is that Asher would get to meet his cousins for the first time!

A only has 3 cousins {all boys} - my sister's son, Owen and Drew's brother's twin sons, Alden and Mercer.  Asher met Owen earlier this summer, but he hadn't gotten together with Alden and Mercer yet.  That all changed last week!

Mercer and Alden are almost 3 and were super excited to meet "baby Asher."  I don't think I ever heard them call him anything but baby Asher - expect the once that Alden said he was coloring a picture for "baby Asher Wilkinson." 

Not to be confused with all the other baby Ashers that were roaming up and down LBI that week.  :o)

A & M were really sweet to Asher.  They were clearly a little perplexed as to what their relationship could entail since Ash couldn't really play with them, but the did show him their digger/bulldozer toys {the generosity behind this gesture would be more apparent if you spent any time at all with them.  The diggers are precious, precious toys}. 

They also enjoyed storytime with Aunt Emily and baby Asher before A went to bed.

Grandma Linda bought all of her grandsons matching shirts and hats, so, of course, we had to dress them up and try to get a photo.  We told the boys to sit close and keep Asher from falling off the step.

Mercer took this charge very seriously.  Thanks for keeping him safe, Mercer!

I probably took 50 photos and this was the best we could do.  Haha...I thought 1 kid was hard to photograph - try 3 at once!

Things really started to fall apart when Alden got distracted by his toes. 

Alden?

Um, Alden, look here.

Alden!  Look here!

Haha...great times.

All in all, the boys seemed to have fun meeting each other.  By next year they should all be able to run around and have fun together.

Let me leave you with some hilarious kid quotes from the week.

When we were reading the story together, Asher grabbed a page and turned it {completely a coincidence that he timed it right for when we actually wanted to turn the page} and Alden said, "Good one, Ash!"

I almost busted out laughing.  What a sweetie!  Thanks for the encouragement buddy!

Then later the twins came in to see Asher getting his bath.  Raegan {A&M's mom} and I were in the kitchen next door when we heard one of the boys exclaim, "Baby Asher has a penis!"

Raegan hightailed it into the bathroom and talked to the boys about their discovery.  She explained to me later that this was a helpful discovery because the boys believed that babies were {more or less} gender neutral, then "grew into" either being boys or girls.  A's "parts" convinced them that he is already a boy and will eventually become a bigger boy like them.

Kids are great.  I love it!

work it, work it

Work it, Alden.

Gotta love a baby with (cute) attitude.

Now once they start talking back, that's a different story!

I love my nephews!

favorite thing friday

When Drew and I were thinking about what to get our twin nephews for their first Christmas we were stuck for ideas awhile.

We wanted something really special that their parents could enjoy now and that the boys could look back on later. After a lot of thinking and searching, we found the perfect thing....

Baby Keepsakes from BabiesandMommies.com

These keepsakes are so beautiful! They capture the precious first moments of their lives, both in photos and in the permanent record of their birth statistics. When I was making these for my nephews, Teri worked closely with me to completely customize the keepsakes and create something that beautifully reflected the individuality, as well as the closeness, that the twins share.

Alden

Mercer

There are lots of background paper, fonts, and frame choices to make the perfect look for your baby.

Since I made the keepsakes a little over a year ago, BabiesandMommies.com has expanded their product line to include so much more than just keepsakes. They have adorable bibs, diaper bags, backpacks, and tons more! Really, most of it is too cute to describe.

Tracy Joy diaper bags

Diaper diddies

Build-a-backpack

Check out their website or blog -- if you have a special baby in your life, you won't regret it.

wordless wednesday

I think the drum we got our nephew, Alden, for Christmas is a hit! (literally)

wordless wednesday

Ready for snow.

Alden

Mercer

lounging through life

Our nephew, Mercer, has a funny habit.

It started right after he was born and shows no sign of stopping.

You've got to love someone who's completely at ease in his surroundings.

One of the most interesting things about it is that his great-grandfather, Tom Wilkinson, did the same exact thing.

How's that for genetics?

Enjoy and feel free to laugh, it's pretty darn adorable.

4 weeks old, October 2007

4 months old, February 2008

5 months old, March 2008

6 months old, April 2008

12 months old, September 2008

13 months old, November 2008

family resemblance

Does anyone else see it?

wordless wednesday

back at it

The holidays are officially over. We are back at work.

I guess I should be sad by this, but, surprisingly, I'm not.

I like work (most of the time). Give me a day or 2.

Having to be at work can get old, but I do like the dependability that a daily schedule brings.

Don't get me wrong, I love having time off to relax and visit with my families.


I love trips into New York City and movies in the afternoon.

I love staying up late, sleeping in, having fabulous food and dessert after every meal.

But.

At the same time, I also desperately need like some regularity to my schedule and diet.

Oh well, a couple sleepy mornings that I drag myself out of bed and a sugar crash or 2 and I should be back in business.

The only reason I could really use a few more days off is to finish cleaning up after the holidays.


Maybe if I had these kinds of helpers I'd be in better shape.

too much

These babies are just too much for me. Check out these hilarious photos that Raegan posted the other day.

Alden, the teeth brushing businessman

Mercer "Crazy Hair" Wilkinson

a miracle in our midst

For those of you who don't know the story, our little nephew, Mercer, suffered a stroke in utero and was born with severe brain damage. After his birth he experienced periods of apnea and seizures, which led to his being transported to a NICU. The doctors did several MRIs and, after seeing the damage that his brain sustained, gave the opinion that Mercer would likely have Cerebral Palsy as well as other developmental problems. His doctors thought that he would probably never walk and would certainly have trouble with his speech and basic motor skills.

Of course, we were all devastated and grieved with Jared and Raegan over this bleak future that had been laid out for their son. After we heard the news, we did the only thing that we could do and started praying. God is faithful and heard our prayers for this little boy.

The news kept getting worse for awhile, but then it started looking up.

Every time the doctors saw Mercer he looked a little better. Before long he was able to go off of the anti-seizure medication. Praise God!

After that he was able to eat at the same rate as his twin brother, Alden. Yea!

There were a team of therapists who came to work with him. They were constantly surprised and impressed with how well he was doing. Throughout all of these months we kept praying for God's healing in him -- we saw it happening!

Before we knew it he was sitting up, then crawling, and now walking!

Who ever thought that a toddler getting into everything would cause such joy?

Just last week, Mercer had his 1 year appointment with his Neurologist at Boston Children's Hospital. The doctor was blown away by how well Mercer is doing! He doesn't see any signs of CP and thinks that Mercer will lead a normal life.

Mercer is a miracle and his health is a testament to God's faithful grace and love for us.

Praise God from whom all blessings flow.

Praise Him all creatures here below.

Praise Him above you heavenly hosts.

Praise Father, Son, & Holy Ghost.

Amen.