I apologize (especially to you, Grandma Rainy) for letting nearly two months go by without an entry. We were so busy in March, and when you get out of the habit it's hard to get back into it.
I've had some time today to pull together some photos, so I'll try to summarize the past several weeks. Get ready for a long one--you may want to grab a snack so you don't starve to death before you get to the end...
The most exciting thing we did in March was to travel home to Wisconsin for Aunt Jen and Uncle Bryan's wedding, which was just beautiful. The trip started out a bit rough, with our flight out of Philadelphia being canceled due to snow in Milwaukee. Liam was very disappointed, but he and
Buster-the-stuffed-dog shook it off like a couple of champs (eventually) and we flew out the next day in much better weather. (See above photo of L in flying attire and hot accessories.)
We hadn't been home during the winter in so many years, and it was a REAL Wisconsin winter this time to be sure. Liam loved the snow, especially since we never got more than about 2 inches at a time in Del. this year. He got to play outside a lot, trying cardboard "snowshoes", climbing on snow piles, and sledding at Grandma Maggie and Grandpa Ed's house. Scott
and I, on the other hand, enjoyed the great indoors with a warm fire, rocking chairs, and a friendly cat. On the whole, "real" winter was rather nice, especially s
ince we could just fly the hell out of it after 10 days and land in a much greener place where daffodils were already starting to bloom. You can't beat a winter sunset at home though--that's one thing I
do miss (but not
that much).
After a few days at the Marks house, Liam, Scott, and I got in the car and drove two hours north-ish to Grandma R
ainy and Grandpa Tom's house. Everyone was very excited for Jen and Bryan's wedding on March 15, but L was, for the moment, even MORE excited for his 4th birthday on March 14! Grandma Rainy and Grandpa Tom threw the best 4th
birthday party ever, complete with decorations, hats, balloons, and great food. Liam, Grandma, and I made a fantastic birthday cake, which Aunt Jen decorated just for Liam with the decorations he had picked out at the cake store near our
house. Somehow she managed to work misc bowling items, 4 fish, a stoplight, and a truck into a cohesive cake-narrative. Well done! Uncle Don, Aunt Nicole, Adrian, and Brennan (and baby #3) also came to the party, and so did Grandma Maggie and Grandpa Ed. Grandpa Ed was the life of the party! (Sorry Dad.) Liam even had a special birthday hat that didn't really fit, but he was willing to wear it for a picture anyway. All in all it was a wonderful
time, and a huge treat to celebrate Liam's birthday with our family.
Thanks so much everyone.
That night was also Jen and Bryan's wedding rehearsal, followed by a very tasty dinner at Rhinelander's world famous (or at least it should be) Pizza Haven. Bryan's family was great--we really enjoyed meeting them and hope we get to see them again someday. We were also just delighted to hear about Father Dean's colonoscopy during dinner. (Really lovely man, so glad he's healthy, but boy...) After dinner we made our way to the hotel where the wedding reception would be held, and Liam and Daddy had fun in the pool while Mom helped everyone decorate for the next day's wedding celebration. That night we noticed a rash, which had started on L's cheeks, was visible on his arms and trunk. I, of course, inspected and analyzed it thoroughly every five minutes all evening, and we finally decided it may have been from the chlorine in the pool.
On March 15, the big wedding day, Liam woke up with a light rash all over his body. He didn't have a fever though, so we just went about our business and kept an eye on it, still thinking it was probably from the pool. The wedding was a
wonderful success. Scott and Don walked their beautiful mom down the aisle. (If you look closely, you'll see Don's eyes glowing--the demon son.) Scott walked with Liam down the aisle as Liam carried the ring-pillow--L did a great
job putting it in just the right place near the altar. Then Grandpa Tom (quite handsome) and Jen walked down the aisle--what a gorgeous bride! As soon as Liam was done, he crawled into my lap and slept snoringly through the entire ceremony. For once I felt fortunate, however,as poor Don and Nicole dealt with two very awake little guys behind us, while trying to video tape the ceremony and perform readings. They did great--when's that third one due? Thanks, Jen and Bryan, for having such a good sense of humor...
Fun was had by all at the reception, especially the happy couple and Liam, the lone dancer for quite some time. The dj even asked me if Liam had any favorite songs. Scott did join his son for a little get-on-down at one point, until the authorities came and asked him to please sit down again.
Our trip concluded back at Grandma Maggie and Grandpa Ed's house, where Liam's rash grew too-red-and-everywhere to
ignore. Grandma, Liam, and I headed into urgent care where they confirmed it was Fifth Disease, a common childhood illness that had been going around L's
preschool before we left (it has a 2 week incubation period--perfect timing). By the time the rash breaks out, kids are no longer contagious, which is good I guess. If nothing else, it feels better to label the unknown.
From the Marks's house we left in the freezing rain to catch our flight out of Milwaukee. Whew. Everything went smoothly after that, but we were pretty tired and very glad to see our house that night. Thanks to everyone for making it such a nice trip, and congratulations again to Jen and Bryan!
Since we got home, things have settled back into a routine. The Easter Bunny came and hid
Liam's Easter basket behind the potty, which L thought was VERY funny. Liam got to start "going to Spanish" at preschool--apparently you get to do that when you turn four--so he feels like a man now. He also went to his 4-yr dr check-up and did great. He's 41 lbs, 41 3/4" tall, and his sight and hearing are
excellent. He handled the shots so well that the nurse gave him THREE stickers and TWO Bugs Bunny bandaids, which he didn't want Dad to take a picture of.
Well I don't know about all of you, but I'm exhausted and ready for some TV. It's good to be all caught up though. More (shorter) entries soon... I promise. (I guess that could be a vow or a threat. Read it however it makes sense to you.)
as winter, obviously, but it's the kind of damp cold that gets into your bones and leaves you with a chill for the whole day. Our flowers are coming up though. Today some tulips opened in the front "yard"--red and yellow--and we have pink and purple hyacinths nearby. Our back yard has daffodils by the gate and garden box. Purple, white, and yellow crocuses came up next to our "river," and tulips and hyacinths are still coming in other places. I planted all these bulbs in the fall and forgot what I put where, so it's 
been fun to watch them come up. Mom--here's a picture of the winter onions you and Liam planted last fall--they're doing great! Scott and I continue to work hard, both at our jobs and at home. Liam continues be "fast," as he likes to point out daily. I'll write more later when there's news. In the mean time, here's one of my favorite poems mentioning spring. You probably already know it, but I'm posting it anyway because I like it. It may seem depressing at first, and I suppose it sort of is. But precious things wouldn't be so precious if you could have them at will, would they? So in a way it's a gift... 
