A Day of Thanks

As always, we have so many reasons for which to be thankful. And, as always, our family and friends top the list. Because of our newest little one, we are not traveling for the holidays this year, but we are always thankful for those near and far. This year we spent Thanksgiving with my mom and dad and my brother and his family. Mom and dad made a fantastic dinner that we all enjoyed a bit too much, but that's what the holidays are for, right? I have to admit that it was nice to travel for a grand total of one hour to be with family for the Thanksgiving holiday - a vast change from years past. Have I mentioned that I'm thankful to be back in St. Louis? Oh yeah!

Lily is thankful to be closer to family too, especially her cousins (pictured with Abby above)

The (cooking) show must go on...holidays or not!

So happy

William is thankful for so many loving arms

William being held by Uncle Jeff and cousin Courtney...

...and Aunt Susie

And what would a family gathering be without a few rounds of Euchre? Good thing that I married a German boy that grew up playing the game as well!

Baby Playdate!

William had his very first playdate this past Wednesday with my friends' newborns . From left to right: Critter with her baby, Lydia (born Sept 16); Molly with her baby, Patrick (born Oct 21); me with William (Oct 22); and Kelly with her baby, Charlie (born Sept 2). I have been friends with these girls since high school (roughly 16 years). It's so great to get to share this time in our lives together, and our babies have the advantage of having playmates from birth!

Superdad

More sibling look alike

A good weekend

With two children now, I feel like Carl and I tag team like never before. At night, Carl and I take shifts with William which has been working out beautifully. This ensures that we each get some uninterrupted sleep and keeps us sane. Although, I have to say that William has been pretty easy on us so far, only waking up every 3-4 hours on most nights, and he quickly goes back to sleep after his changing/feeding (without rocking which is different from Lily). On weekend days, the main objective is to keep Lily busy. On Saturday, Lily and I went to Borders for a reading of the Polar Express (and some coloring) while Carl and William chilled together at home.

Later that day, we all went to my cousin's daughter's birthday party. Happy first birthday to Sammy! We were not able to stay for long because we had weekend playgroup that night at Chuck E Cheese's where Lily played her little heart out with her friends.

William taking in the sights at Chuck E Cheese's

On Sunday, Carl took Lily out for one of their neighborhood adventures. They went to the lake and to the playground, and Lily just couldn't wait to tell me all the wild stories about their time together when she got home. This adventure time with daddy afforded me some snuggle time with my little William. So all in all, it was a successful weekend in which Carl and I both got to spend quality time with each child and as a family. Now if we could just fit in some time as a couple....

Baby, baby

People often ask if we think William looks more like me or more like Carl, and I think the answer is that he looks more like Lily. There are definitely differences, but the similarities are striking.

William

Lillian

William


Lillian

William


Lillian

William


Lillian

William's first "real" bath

The world is a stage

Lily received many fabulous presents for her birthday this year. And, the timing could not have been better as she has been able to keep busy with all her new toys while we are tending to little William. But there is one gift in particular that has led to hours and hours of dramatic play fun every day, and that is her new stage. A few weeks ago, I mentioned to my dad that I thought Lily would enjoy having her own stage at home for the countless shows that she performs for us. That is all it took. A couple weeks later the stage was complete. Once again, my dad turned a thought of mine into reality. My dad constructed the stage, and my mom had the vision to add the red, silky curtains. It really couldn't have turned out better, and Lily just loves it! A thousand thanks to mom and dad! Not only is it the perfect gift for our little performer, but it was custom-made by her grandparents which I know will make it all the more valuable to her in the years to come.

Diving right in with a heartfelt song

Ingrid and Ryan gave Lily a very impressive box of dress-up clothes and props to go along with her new stage. She likes to combine them in interesting ways and then have us guess what she is. Again, hours of entertainment for our little one...thank you, Ingrid & Ryan!

The true diva comes out

Her audience member is captivated. William should get used to this role as I have a feeling he will be attending many plays to come...that is, until he is able to star in the shows as well. :)

The infamous cooking show. The inclusion of food has enticed a new audience member.

Lily steps off stage to interact with her fans...er, fan.

What little boys are made of

I realized that after all our name gaming, I never posted the reasons behind William Oscar's name. As I have said, Carl and I both really like family names. We especially wanted to honor Carl's grandfather, Oscar, who passed away in June of '08. Carl's middle name is also Oscar so it was a given that our little boy's middle name would be Oscar as well. Looking further back in the Deetz family history, we found William Oscar Eckert, Carl's grandfather's maternal grandfather (Carl's great great grandfather). We both really liked the name, and my English-major husband also was taken with its ties to great authors like William Shakespeare and William Faulkner. In addition, we both like the ties to the historical figure William Wallace. We also felt that it worked well with our little Lillian. And so that is how William Oscar came to be. I must mention the winners of the name game as well...my friends Molly and Janie and Carl's sister, Ingrid, and Ryan. Way to go; you know us well!

Happy 4th Birthday, Lillian!

Four years ago at 6:09 pm (EST), Carl and I welcomed a beautiful baby girl into our lives and into our hearts. We couldn't imagine at that time what an amazing little person she would become and how we would grow to love her more every day. She is our actress, so very dramatic and so full of life. You can often find her singing and dancing, both at home and when we are out. She knows exactly what she likes and what she wants and has no problem letting her opinions be known. She loves school and is such a good friend to her classmates. When she is at home, she spends most of her time acting out different scenarios which such imagination. She loves anything to do with cooking (real or pretend) and has declared that she would like to be a chef when she gets older, and then a mom. :) She has handled change in her life like no other person I've ever known. She has eased into her new role as big sister without missing a beat. Her brother is so very lucky to be the object of such admiration and affection. Lily's greatest asset is her vocabulary, and I could listen to her talk all day (and quite often, I do!) Her greatest vice is her immediate frustration when she's misunderstood, which we work on almost daily. I have been blessed in many ways in my life, but to witness and be part of Lily's development will always be something for which I am beyond grateful and completely humbled by. She truly is my pride and joy.

The pictures below are from her birthday party on Saturday. This year, Lily wanted to have a "Royal Ball" so many of our guests came dressed as pretty princesses and handsome young knights. We probably had nearly 40 people there, and we are so grateful for the good friends and family who came to celebrate with us. Thank you everyone for an amazing day! And thank you to all those who wanted to be with us on that day but couldn't; we know that you were there in spirit!

Some of the party-goers listening to the singer/storyteller

The entertainer, Ms. Kathy. She did such a great job captivating our young audience with her songs, stories, and puppets...such fun!

Crafting away...What would a Royal Ball be without some crowns, swords, and wands to decorate?

The spread. Once again, catering was provided by El-Frank (aka mom & dad). This year, we had more of an Italian theme with mostaccioli and Italian cold-cut sandwiches. As always, the food was delicious; thanks mom & dad! I added some veggies and fruit to round out the lunch.

The candy castle cake. Making the cake is one of my favorite parts of throwing a kid's birthday party. This year, Lily and I decided on a castle, and I think it turned out pretty well.

The birthday girl blowing out the candle.

Time for presents!

Luckily, Lily had lots of help!

Pictures of party-goers

Princess Lily with her cousins, Princess Katie and Princess Mary

My Aunt Kathy (in her regal attire) with her granddaughter, Princess Sammy

My cousin Maria with Bella

Friends Nancy and Molly

King Carl with an unhappy Prince William

"It's good to be the Queen" Eleanor with a more content William

A beautiful fall day at the zoo

After the Magic House on Saturday, Carl, Lily, William and I headed to the zoo for William's first experience at the zoo. It was an absolutely beautiful day and a perfect outing for our family of four.

Ohh, look!

Let's get a closer look.

Parents are such party poopers!