Besties - wilLiam (Will and Liam)

Will and Liam together = William and best buddies.  We are having so much fun this summer with Emily and Liam.  We barely go a day without seeing them.  The boys are so cute together.  They play so nicely, get so excited to see each other and Emily is such a special friend of mine.  I hope the Clarks and Popes stay friends forever!

Holding hands on a evening walk

Playing with a toy in the cubby

Cooling off after a pool swim in Liam's "backyard"

Pool in the burbs

Chris and Melissa live up north in Evanston and introduced us to this awesome pool.  They live about 10 minutes away while we live about 30 - 40 minutes.  The drive is pretty brutal but the pool is so amazing its kinda worth it.  We have gone twice now.  The second trip was with Jason and all the pools were open.  Will was hysterical.  He went from pool to pool to pool.  So happy, fearless and ready for more.  We first set up shop at the baby pool and after about 30 minutes took him over to the big lagoon pool.  It's a little overwhelming with the size, slides, fountains so we took Will back to the kiddie pool thinking that was more his speed.  He immediately signed "more" to go to the big pool.  Dare devil.  Then it was on to the 50 meter lap pool where he LOVED doing "motor boat go so fast!".  Great day at the pool!  Worth the drive!

First ones in the pool at 9am

Big lap pool

Loving the water

In true Will fashion he found a chair to sit in

The 6 Popes come to town...

On the drive back home from a month adventure camping the 6 Popes made a pit stop in Chicago and spent the night!  Jason happened to be out of town by Will and I still had a blast.  It was a hot Chicago day so we tried to play in the water as much as possible!  Lucky for us Kari and Justin have the sweetest and most laid back kids ever and they were happy to go along with all of our city life adventures!  Here are some pictures from the fun!

The whole crew - Jordynn 9, Hunter, 7, Koen, 4, Gideon 2, Will 16 Months

Checking out some of Will's favorite songs on YouTube.  They were all dancing it was so cute!

Sweet Hunter with "Baby Will"

Will's older cousins showing him the cool apps on the iPad

Hitting the beach - Chicago style

All 4 years I have lived in Chicago I am sad to say I have never been to a beach in Chicago.  I run by the lake all the time but never really "gone to the beach."  Well that is officially over.  After our Kiawah trip we were loving the beach so much we needed more!  So to the beach with went - with Jenny and Justus!!  We had a great time.  We got there by 8am and left at 10am when the sun started to get to hot. It was really clean and the water was so shallow the babies could play about without us worrying at all.

Montrose Beach

Justus and Will - 16 Months Old

Snacks with Miss Jenny - she is so silly

Second beach trip with all the buds, Liam, Woods, Justus, Will, Mimi and Sylvie

16 Months Old - June 5th

Hard to believe baby Will is 16 months old already!  What a blast we are having this summer.  It is the best thing in the world to stay home with my bud and watch him learn, grow and have so much fun!

24lbs
31.5 inches

Likes: Smoothies, Keifer in a sippy cup (no milk), walking up and down stairs like a big boy, pointing on Mommy and Daddy's shoes, drinking water from mommy's water bottles, playing with the 20 balls from the dollar store, hiding in the big diapers.com box, playing golf with plastic clubs, swimming and playing in water, taking 1 nap

Dislikes: Stopping him from playing to change his diaper, getting in his stroller (still!!), walking past a park and not stopping to play, leaving mommy at bedtime

Annual Kiawah Island Vacation - 2012

Most of the crew (minus the Grants who are in Ireland :( ) headed to Kiawah Island for the Annual Family vacation.  We went a little early this year because the US Open will be played at the Ocean Course but we all agree that end of May is so much nicer then the oppressively hot August!!!!  We had such a great week filled with swimming, beach walking, bike riding, ice cream cones, babies in diapers, naked babies, ear infections, gold golds, rolling on beach balls and on and on.  Here are some of my favorite pictures from the week!

Digging the daily hole in the sand to sit in

Tessa showing Will her mini's - Grandpa being the middle man

"Tessa can I see a new one - my hand is out flat waiting.  Promise I won't eat it"

Finishing up on the 19th hole

Will 16 months old

Picture perfect low tide day

My little sweetie face

humpty dumpty

Team Ireland - missing Jamesy boy!

Pizza night!  Will had some crazy hair!