Williams' Wall: Updates!

Plenty of fun updates on the boys from these past few weeks coming up! Life has settled down quite a bit. I feel like I have finally started getting enough sleep each night which makes all the difference in the world! Troy has still been able to be home a lot which has been so fun...and Jack just absolutely loves playing with his Daddy all day long!

My parent's and my sister came last weekend for a visit. They actually let Troy and I leave and we had our first night away from Sam! Troy and I spent the afternoon doing research on mini vans (I can't believe I actually want one now!!) and saw our first movie in like 9 months! We also did some grocery shopping sans kids...which makes a big difference these days! Not too romantic but so fun and greatly needed! We totally reconnected as "Katie and Troy" and not just "Mommy and Daddy." Meanwhile, Jack and Sam went to the park and the next day to the Children's Museum and had a blast with Nana, Papa and Auntie Amy! It was a win/win for everyone!

It looks like we will be moving back to MN as early as the end of May! With the extra time off from school for Memorial Day, and skipping only one day of class, Troy will be able to take a week and a half to go up to MN, help settle us in, run back down to IL to finish his classes and check us out of our condo and then be back up to MN before June 10th! We want to maximize our time in the townhouse getting set up and spending time transitioning the boys as much as possible before Troy starts work.

As excited as I am to move back to MN and start our life as a family there, I am incredibly sad to leave Chicago. It has been an amazing experience and one I wouldn't trade for the world. I have discovered some of my best friends here. We are also going to miss our church SO much and feel so blessed we were able to be a part of it these past two years. Chicago is an amazing city and the fact that we had two of our children here will ensure it has a special place in our hearts forever!!

Okay, now updates on the boys...

On February 25th Jackson turned 16 months old...and we decided it was time for his first haircut! We took him to a place called Snippets at a mall nearby. It is specifically for kids. They video tape the "first haircut", let the kids sit in fun chairs while watching Sesame Street videos and of course, give you a box with some of the "baby hair" after it is cut. Yes, it is a bit overboard, but we thought it would be a fun memory. Jack did amazing. They couldn't believe he didn't cry and not only that but that he basically seemed pretty indifferent the entire time! I'm convinced it's because Elmo was on... Either way it was a really fun experience. Troy and Jack played in the giant tree house playground area afterwards and we all ate dinner at one of our favorite cafe's. It was a great afternoon!

Another fun "new" family adventure was going to our first "kids concert." It was called Slugs and Bugs Live and was held at our church on a Saturday morning. We went with some friends and Jack and Wyatt had a blast together - it was super cute!

We also started Gymboree classes with Jack a few weeks ago. It's basically a little kids gym and they learn through music, play, exploration, etc. We go once a week to a class and then are able to go to open gym throughout the week as well. Jack has come SO far since he started. At first he was pretty timid with all the equipment but now he goes full steam ahead as soon as we walk in! He loves it!

Jack has changed so much recently. I started making a list of the new things he's done and it ended up a lot longer than I expected!

He has officially transitioned to one nap a day
He is learning to jump...it's super cute because he doesn't get his feet off the floor yet but tries so hard!
He loves playing pretend with his Little People Farm and making his horses eat and drink!
He taught himself to drink out of a straw - and the look on his face was priceless the first time he did it!!!
He eats cereal, yogurt and cottage cheese out of a bowl with a spoon by himself now everyday
He has figured out how to open doors in our house now...which adds a whole new element to letting him play on his own
He LOVES stacking! He has blocks that he stacks. He stacks his bath toys and will literally spend minutes at a time until he succeeds!

Our little Sammy is over two months now! He is just the sweetest little guy ever! He loves to cuddle and sleep on us still if we let him. He started smiling a few weeks ago and his face just lights up a room! He is sleeping pretty good during the nights. One of us only has to usually get up once in the nighttime to feed him and then he goes right back down without a peep! He loves it when we smile at him (especially Jack). He smiles right back and it's just the cutest thing! We are so blessed! Other fun things about Sam:

He finally loves being on his playmat. He is interacting with the octopus and likes the music...it's so fun to watch him enjoy playing!
Loves the bath! He isn't afraid at all and even tries to push his legs straight and get out of his chair!
He hates tummy time recently...a lot of times he throws up but other times he just grunts and fusses letting us know what he thinks!
He reacts to us and gives us eye contact! We LOVE it!!!

Here are some pictures from this past month!

Jack's first haircut!