William Chadrick

Photos by the amazing Ashleigh Burke Coleman

William is almost two.
Crazy.
William means "defender" or "protector."
He is named after one of Joey's best friends and William Wilberforce,
who helped end slave trade in the United Kingdom.
To be a defender, I believe you have to have two things: great love and great stubbornness.
William's name suits him perfectly.
What does he stubbornly love in his two-year-old world?
1. candy canes
2. M&M's (which is helping potty training immensely)
3. his brother
4. climbing on all thing
5. Elmo and Cookie Monster
6. Knocking down his brother's block towers
7. Taking apart his brother's train tracks
8. Ernie counting sheep on youtube
9. Snuggling with Mom after naps
10. Praying at bedtime
11. Pizza
12. Chick-fil-A
13. McQueen and Mater
14. Chocolate Milk
15. Uncle Mick
16. Tackling Daddy
17. Saying hi to people he doesn't know
18. Reading
19. Hitting golf balls with dad's golf club
20. Dumping anything he can find.

'Tis the Season...

... for stomach bug (Will).
... for pink eye (Max).
... for scratchy throat (Mom).
... for multiple viewings of The Polar Express.

Little Victories Along the Way

One of my goals this year is to get a lot more organized, and I will probably write about this process at a different time. Today, I just want to document 2 little victories I have had so far in becoming more organized.

1. Confession: I usually don't put my clothes away at night. They end up on the floor next to my bed. Lately, I have been getting really frustrated with how cluttered our room seemed to be all the time, even the day after I cleaned it. I realized that clothes on the floor really contribute to the cluttered feeling (duh), so I made it my goal to make sure the clothes are put away before going to bed. (I fudge a little bit with this because I don't always hang up the clothes or fold them, but they are in the closet.) Anyways, I have had this "no-clothes-on-the-floor" policy for about three weeks now. It has been really tempting at times to fall into my old habit, especially if I am exhausted and it is cold. But, I am proud to say that I have stuck to it, and yesterday when some clothes ended up on the floor before bedtime, it actually bothered me!!! Guess what, I picked them up and put them away. The result: I don't cringe or feel overwhelmed when I go into my bedroom.

2. Joey and I are reading Dave Ramsey's Total Money Makeover. It has been so helpful and enlightening. We actually have the hope of being able to pay off our debt in a considerably less time than what we previously thought. Two days ago, we paid off the first debt on our list, so now the debt snowball has started. Another side effect has been that we now have something we are both extremely excited about, and the long hours of work seem to really have a tangible purpose.

17 Minutes

When someone you have met is given 17 minutes with their newborn son before he slips into the arms of God, it makes you reconsider the 30 minutes you spend on Facebook trying to escape the "pressures" of having children.


"Lord, teach me to count my days (my hours, my minutes,...) that I may get a heart of wisdom. (Psalm 90,12)

Every minute is a grace.

For Papa and Opa

Will he play for the Rangers or the Red Sox?

Giggles

Christmas with Gigi and Pop Pop

Thank you Gigi and Pop Pop!
We had such a great time with you.

Thanks for the tights, Omi!!