One Christmas Post to Rule Them All…

    

The Fowlers had a wonderful holiday this year, including visits to both sets of grandparents an d many, many good times.  It was so great to see you all and we can’t wait to see you again soon – and we missed those of you that we weren’t able to visit this year. Will had so much fun with everyone and we got LOTS of pictures. Enjoy!

First, a family picture:

We first visited Whitney’s family in College Station. We are still working on obtaining some more pictures from this visit and will post more soon. Here is Will with his Grandmommy and his cousin Hudson:

Will with his buddy Granddaddy:

Will sported a lovely holiday bow for all to enjoy:

Will really likes playing in grass, and had a blast walking around Janie’s backyard:

We visited Will’s Great-Granddaddy and Will had fun exploring his house. He went up and down the step into the living room over and over again with a huge grin on his face. He also nabbed Great-Grandfather’s shoehorn and used it as a shovel, throwing piles of plant soil onto the carpet. The best part of the visit was looking at many of Whitney’s late grandmother’s original paintings and picking out a handful of pieces to put up in our house. I am amazed at how talented she was and am touched to have some of them for our own. We’ll have to post some pictures of those paintings soon. Here is a picture of Will and Great-Grandfather:

We got an inadvertent Christmas present from Grandmommy in a “Quinny”, which is a *very* nice stroller for Will. It was actually given to someone else who decided that they didn’t need it, and was offered to us instead! Now THAT’s a hand-me-down! Will absolutely loves the new stroller, probably because it’s nicely padded and props him up so that he can view the world in style. Here’s Will in his new stroller wearing some holiday cheer:

Whitney’s folks got me a great gift for Christmas. It’s a really nice hiking backpack with a place for William to comfortably sit. It’s got a lot of back support and is something that Whitney and I have been talking about getting so that we can go on long family walks around Austin and its many trails. I don’t have a picture of it to post but we’re very excited to use it soon!

We next took an all-too-short trip to Michigan to visit my parents, and although I had a particularly nasty cold the entire time, it was  a wonderful visit. My sister, her husband, and Will’s cousin Jonny were there too – along with Christy’s new baby bump! After being only 2 hours from my sister last year, it’s been hard to be so far away again. Needless to say, seeing her and her family was really special. Here is Will with Aunt Christy:

Will had fun playing with his cousin Jonny. They got matching pajamas from Santa and strutted their stuff for us:

They played with the blocks together:

Jonny even helped build a block fortress in which to imprison his Grandpa (we let him out a few hours later):

         

Will and Grammie quickly showed that they’re kindred spirits. Will would often walk up to her and spread his arms for her to pick him up, and Grammie was more than happy to oblige! We also learned that Will enjoys pazelles, a family favorite. Here’s Will enjoying some pazelles with Grammie, and making a nice mess while doing so:

There was a nice amount of snow on the ground at Grammie and Grandpa’s house:

Their back yard has a nice little hill for sledding, and Will got all bundled up for his first sledding experience (cue the “A Christmas Story” jokes):

Will went sledding a few times and enjoyed every one. When I went down with him he laughed the whole time. Here’s Will sledding with Grandpa:

We also spent one afternoon in Frankenmuth, Michigan, which is a German town known for great food, culture, and Bronner’s, the worlds largest Christmas store (open for 361 days a year, too). Will slept through the entire Bronner’s experience but enjoyed the great chicken, noodles, and time with his Grammie. Here are Will and Jonny with Grammie as we waited for our table:

Outside the restaurant, Will enjoyed looking at one of the horses with Mommy:



Santa was too good to us this year in Michigan. My folks got us an incredibly special gift – they met a painter in California who impressed them and commissioned her to paint a portrait of Will (and one of Jonny as well). The painting turned out beautifully and was based upon an actual photograph we took of Will last year near Lake Erie. Jonny’s picture was also painted from a photograph, which was taken among the bluebonnets on a visit to Texas. We are so excited to put this on our wall and to have it forever as a keepsake. Here is a shot of both of the paintings side by side:

It’s official – my son plays with dolls:

Grammie and Grandpa appeared to have some trouble saying goodbye to Will at the airport. Thank goodness they’ll be back in Texas in a few weeks!

Will was pooped on the flights home. He never even woke up between planes, and slept the whole car ride home:



It was a great holiday this year, and we thoroughly enjoyed our time with you all. Most importantly (and clearly, looking at the pictures), Will did too.

Love,
Johnathan