Sign Here, Sir!

Will was fortunate to receive a few checks as holiday and birthday presents. Several were made out to him directly, as opposed to Mom and Dad. As I have done with checks in the past, I figured that I could simply sign them over to us and deposit them in our account, as we don't have a separate account with Will's name on it. So, with carefully endorsed checks in hand, I headed to our bank. I brought Will and his birth certificate along for good measure.

Mom: Hi, I have a few checks here that were made out to my 1-year-old son, but he doesn't have an account in his name. I've written them over to myself to deposit in my account. This is him (Mom points to Will) and I have his birth certificate here. Is there any other identification that you need?

Associate: Okay, sure, just let me double-check with my manager.

Associate (talking to Manager): Yes, the customer has a 1-year-old and she's endorsed these checks over to herself on his behalf etc. etc. etc.

Manager: No, they have to be signed by the original payee.

Associate: But like I said, the payee is a 1-year-old, the mom has his birth certificate.

Manager: Wait, why can't the payee sign?

Associate: Um, because he's a baby (vigorously pointing to Will, who puts on his most innocent "Who, me?" face as Mom tries really hard not to burst out laughing)!

While I was unable to deposit the checks - and with the risk of ID theft, I certainly understand the bank's no exceptions policy on this - I have to give them credit for the comic relief!

Christmas 2009

We kicked off our Christmas celebrations with Uncle Kit and Aunt Heidy in San Francisco a few days early this year. One of Will's gifts from Uncle Kit was a tennis ball. Besides making Dad happy (after all, there's no such thing as starting too early when it comes to tennis!), Uncle Kit mentioned that this was one of his first gifts to Elizabeth when she was a wee one. The ball has been a hit, proving once again that things used in daily life - and in our house, a tennis ball may as well be considered an item "used in daily life" - are the best toys. Other current favorites include Tupperware, Great-Grandmother Wagner's stainless steel bowl set, mixing spoons and the associated banging and emptying and filling opportunities that go along with them.

We flew to Washington, DC for Christmas the day after two feet of snow fell on our nation's capital. Lucky for us, this meant that our flight actually arrived early, since flights were no longer affected; however, our luggage took two hours to make it from the plane to the conveyor belt as the luggage handlers maneuvered their way through mountains of lost luggage from the day before and the snow outside!














Undaunted, we took the opportunity to document the Mobile Lounge. Those of you familiar with Dulles airport will certainly have traveled in one of these Star Wars-esque buggies that shuttle you with relative ease a few hundred feet between your gate and baggage claim. However, they will soon be a thing of the past with the launch of a sleek and modern "AeroTrain." Since it will be next to impossible to explain to Will what a Mobile Lounge was, we've included a few shots here. (We never have understood the difference between the ones with flat tops vs. the ones with "chimneys" on top!)



























In addition to family (more on that coming up), we were excited to visit our DC-area friends, many of whom hadn't met Will before. First up was a visit with Jen and Allen H., who welcomed their own Baby Will (William) earlier this year! Next was Alexis G., who, along with one of her sons, Aiden, met us for lunch downtown in Union Station. Will was excited to explore Alexis' office after lunch, where we enjoyed a spectacular view of the Capitol building. We also visited another Carolina friend, Jenny B. and her new husband, Ty, whom we were excited to meet for the first time!



















Not to be outdone with all these Carolina girls, we visited Jason's UVA buddies Kevin and Jennie B. and their son, Jackson, and Chris and Keli C. and their son, Logan. Here's the "lineup" (a somewhat literal interpretation of the term):
















But what would Christmas be without family? Mimi and Poppie Misner hosted us at their home, along with Aunt Karissa and Uncle Matt and Cousin Lydia, Aunt Katie and Uncle Scott and Cousin Alex as well as Grammy Donna and Granddad Sam, who drove up from Florida! Plus, we even enjoyed a day with Great-Aunt Carol and Great-Uncle Max and Cousins Doug and Viola and their three children, Lukas, Jennifer and Catherine. It was a full house!

Funny how some things never change. Will, in 2009 and Elizabeth, in 1977:














Santa Claus stopped by Beton Court! Cousin Alex carefully checked out Santa's beard, while Poppie helped distribute the presents.

































Cousin Lydia definitely had the Christmas spirit, while the boys played together with their toys.

















Will enjoyed some playtime with Grammy Donna and Granddad Sam. He was especially pleased to show off his stack-and-demolish skills.

































How big is Will? SO big!

















The sun came out on one of the last days of our visit, and we enjoyed a snowy stroll around the neighborhood. Will's bear-style snowsuit from Aunt Linnie sure came in handy! Merry Christmas!

Peace On Earth 2009

Fun in the Forest

We headed to "the redwoods" (the Redwood Trail in the Botanical Gardens) for some more fun in the forest with our photographer friend, Amber. Here are a few of our favorite photos.

First Santa Sighting

P.S. Granddad Sam sent a note to us about this photo that we thought was so funny, we're adding it as a postscript to this posting: "Every time I look at this priceless photo of Will, I attribute to him a quote. Today's quote is, 'Does anybody else have something useful to say before we adjourn the meeting?'"

Happy Birthday to Will!

Lucky Will got to celebrate his 1st Birthday not once, but twice! We started with an evening at Uncle Kit and Aunt Heidy’s house, complete with dinner and cake. Uncle Kit and Will share the same birthday, making them “kindred spirits,” according to Tibetan tradition. Kit was quick to show Will the ropes when it came to blowing out the candle. We pretty sure that Uncle Kit liked the fact that their shared cake only had one candle, as opposed to, well, we won’t go there. Let's just say that being a kindred spirit has its benefits.

Later that weekend, we enjoyed a spectacular morning atop Tank Hill, a few blocks away from our house. Bagels, coffee, fruit salad and cupcakes against the backdrop of 360-degree views, bluebird skies and good friends and playmates – what more could you ask for? Well, one thing, a better Insta-flame! Note to self, Mom: leave the lighter at home and bring lots of matches next year.

Happy Birthday, Big Will! We can’t believe you’re 1!

Here are a few more photos from Will's 1st Birthday:


Click here to link directly to this album.

Thinking DINKY

Our good friends Tom and Amber have launched a new blog, DINKY Life. For those of you unfamiliar with that particular acronym, it stands for Dual Income No Kids (Yet). They're planning a trip around the world in a few months, at which point their acronym will technically be NKY. "Hmmph!" as Will would say. As for us, we will be traveling with them vicariously!

While Amber enjoys her NKY status, she takes fabulous photos of her friends' offspring. Here is a slideshow some of our favorite photos of Will from August and early September, courtesy of Amber.



Click here to link directly to the album.

Will and Maddy

Just Back from the Tailor

Tiny (hemmed) pants, all in a row.

Channeling His Inner Magnum P.I.

Apparently Will learned how to undo snaps last night - this is how we found him when he woke up this morning.