Family Weekend

Last weekend Liam and I rode with Luke, Jacob and Cameron to my hometown for a big family weekend. One one side of the family we had a Banks' reunion and the next day celebrated with the other side of the family for my grandparents' 60th wedding anniversary! Julie didn't feel up to the long journey, so Liam and I got lots of quality time together. We missed Mommy for sure, but we were able to let our hair down a little and maybe get away with some things that would not fly at home!

Liam loved being in the country and it was fun for me to re-explore where I grew up through his eyes.

He re-bonded with Uncle Luke and gladly ventured off on a hayride without me to hang out with Luke and his cousin Cameron.

He loves anything with wheels. I think his favorite thing was climbing on the tractor; but in competition for his favorite part of the weekend had to be hanging out with his cousin Aletheia.

The moment he saw her, he squealed, "Asheeah!" and ran toward her. He quickly kissed her right on the lips and hugged her tightly. They were buddies the whole weekend!


He took every opportunity to either show off for her, or give her a few pointers about a subject he knows well: CARS!

Most of the time he hogged the fun red car, but the precious few minutes he gave her in the vehicle were a little hard for him to swallow.

He decided to distract himself by pushing a much smaller, but clearly more rugged, dump truck. But then whatever Liam was playing with suddenly became tempting to Aletheia and she decided that she needed to play with that toy instead!

But all was forgotten when Granny threw them in the bath together. Just one of the many pictures they will not forgive us for taking!

We finished the weekend off with a 60th Anniversary celebration for my mom's parents. It was during Liam's nap time, so he didn't make it very long, but it was great to catch up with that side of the family too.

Pictured here is:
Logan, Liam, Levi, Mom, Dad, Luke, Cameron, Jacob, Grandma and Grandpa. We still have yet to get the whole crew together since last Christmas, but hopefully soon!

Heroes in a Half Shell

Liam got his first giant turtle experience at a local Fall Festival! Here are a few pics from the day:

Logan and Liam check out the "Turtle Truck."


The turtle is very interested in Liam's tiny hands!


Logan protects him, but still lets him touch the turtle's shell! Liam was not too sure in the moment, but he talked about it for days.


He was too little to ride the Barrel Train, but shouted "Choo-Choo Tain!" when they passed. He also loved the children and said, "Bye-Bye Lilren" as they went on their way.


Ahhhhh, something safe and secure. In the stroller with Daddy driving. Doesn't get much better than that!

Snip, snip, snip!

After about 18 months, we decided it is finally time for Liam's first haircut. He was bald for much of his life, and his hair really was not that bad, but from the back sometimes it looked like a little baby mullet, or "bullet" as Logan called it.

We made an appointment at this cute little place called "Cookie Cutters." They specialize in kid haircuts and cater every detail to the little ones.

The barber chairs all look like boats, trucks, trains, pink convertibles, or in Liam's case: an airplane!

Liam was a trooper! Logan carefully explained to our little guy what would happen during the haircut. They take your hair in their fingers and go "snip, snip, snip!" Liam thought that sounded fun and said "snip, snip, snip" the whole drive to the shop. When the "snipping" actually started, he watched very closely.

He did not say a word (which is rare for him). He just quietly drove his airplane and stared into the mirror. No tears, no fuss. Just soaking in the whole experience.

Daddy rewarded him with a rare treat: ice cream! We all had a great time.

Now, if he hears a conversation with the word "hair" or "haircut" or even "airport" (which sounds like haircut), he thinks back to those scissors and proudly says "Snip, snip, snip!" He is a sharp cookie!

Weekends with Daddy

Weekends are Liam's favorite. Daddy is home! Labor Day weekend was a blast, but so was last weekend, and really anytime Logan is home. We try to get Liam out of the house and around town to do some fun stuff.

We took him to a park where he tried new things. He loved riding a bulldozer, or "big truck" to Liam.

He learned a new word: "Dinosaur!"


Liam decided they are very fierce creatures and worked hard, with Daddy's help, to conquer both dinos while he was there.


The swing, by far, was his favorite. He loved feeling the breeze, watching cars, and hearing the other children play.

And, of course the one-on-one time with Daddy!

We have found that going to a pet store is a great activity for an 18 month old. He gets to see a ton of animals! Fish, rabbits, and dogs are his favorite. If a dog is asleep in his cage, Liam goes up to the cage, puts his finger to his lips and says "Shhhh, doggy seeping."

He likes looking at the birds and saying "teet teet" right along with them, but when it came to petting one, he was not so sure.

Liam was spoiled with a long weekend with his Daddy. He cried with his nose pressed against the door when Logan had to go to work this morning.

He knows when Logan is going to leave by the way he is dressed. He says, "Daddy tie. Belt on. Daddy buttons. One, two shoes."

Then he puts it together. "Daddy work."

"Bye-bye, Daddy."

Fatherless Generation

Check out my brother-in-law's new book! Fatherless Generation

Donald Miller reviews the book here:

Don Miller Reviews Fatherless Generation from The Mentoring Project on Vimeo.