September

September started off a bit crazy. Classes, practicum, work, family, etc. We got to see the first Badger football game where they beat Northern Illinois. They won the rest of the games this month, which was awesome. Convention season in Wisconsin made schedules a bit crazy, but it went ok. Mom (Karen) finally came back to Wisconsin; we all missed her a lot. She spent several days watching Willow at our house, which Willow really enjoyed. Andy took Willow to the two parks in Brooklyn, finally. They had a lot of fun. She also takes walks and runs around at our house, which is good. We were hesitant, but we sent Willow to visit Mom and Dad for a few days in the middle of the week. It was so weird not having her in the house, but she did fine and so did we. On the 19th, Mandy finally went to her 10-year high school reunion, although not very many of the class actually showed up. It was at Ben Agnew's new house and it was a lot of fun. Andy got to meet a few people and see a bit of smalltown life; Willow got to run around someplace new; and Mandy got to see several old classmates and how they are doing. So many people are happy, and mature which is sometimes surprising. I wish I could've seen more. After we left Ben's, we stopped at Leo & Andrea's in Fall River for a short bit, since we don't normally get out there often. Andy took Willow to a puppet show at the library; she's getting into stuff like that more now, but still a bit shy. On the 26th, we met Emily and spent a few hours at the farmer's market. I wish we could go more often. Then on Sunday, we went to a Buddhist ceremony, as a cultural experience. It was interesting.

August, the end of summer...

After Willow's birthday party, August went by fairly fast, ending our free time together. We managed to make it to one of the Mom-Baby Groups, meeting in a Sun Prairie Park. We never did make it again like we had planned, but the future is full of possiblities. Then we were spent an evening of pizza, movie and just hanging out with Sheryl, Sesily, and Ashton. It's too bad we live so far away now. Andy had a lot of fun; Sesily made sure he had plenty of blankets in the August "cold." Mandy took Willow to the zoo for a mother-daughter day to end the summer. We had a ton of fun, and Willow really enjoyed the animals, but most of all watching the carousel. At the end of August, changes began; Mandy finally finished her WPS job, started her last semester of classes at Edgewood, and got ready to start subbing again. Willow continued to grow, leaving some of her summer clothes behind already. In the middle of the month, we discovered that she could identify right and left. Willow became obsessed with a set of four Dr. Seuss books we got her this summer and wanted them read over and over. She is beginning to become more conversational. We introduced her to corn on the cob, and she loved it, like she loves most vegetables. She has started requesting specific foods, which is interesting, but sometimes annoying. But Willow is still the most adorable little girl.

Happy 2nd Birthday Willow

Willow's still a bit young to really understand what a birthday is and why she has a party. We were hoping all her cousins could be there, but at least Harlow and Zeva were able to come. We started our party with a kiddie pool and 250 of those plastic balls. Willow had fun sitting in the "pit," but her favorite game was throwing them all out and having other people, like Gma and Gpa, throw them back in for her. We also blew up quite a few colorful balloons which added to the festive atmosphere. Willow had a hard time focusing on opening presents, but she did eventually get through them all. She loved them all, but especially the stroller, the Little People house, and the vacuum cleaner. We finally made it to her cake. Willow picked a funfetti cake and Mom and Dad turned it into a bunch of balloons. She loved the cake, of course (Andy's genes). It was a great day.