Better late than never…at least this time I’m hitting publish on this post in the same calendar year! Despite the delay in photos showing up here, we never miss an opportunity to celebrate the kids on their big day. I love birthdays even more when I’m not the one blowing out the candles – a day to remind our kiddos how much we love them and an excuse to take a trip down memory lane. We’ll start this birthday post with the latter.

Will continues to be our curious old soul. I’m sure Phil is tired of hearing that phrase, but it continues to suit Will well year after year. Year 11 was filled with lots of baseball – equal parts playing and researching statistics. Will always surprises me with the random nuggets he tucks away in his brain, whether it’s about baseball or something from history class. In those moments he reminds me so much of Papa D…and in the moments when he’s being stubborn and perhaps overly curious, I’m reminded that Grandpa says he’s just like his Dad 😉

We stretched the birthday celebration out over two weekends this year. First over Labor Day weekend we spent an afternoon at Nationals Park. Unfortunately, it wasn’t a pretty game to watch, but I think Will enjoyed the nice seats and unlimited sodas. Will’s actual birthday started with an early morning baseball scrimmage and a trip to Freddy’s before the game to get some fuel (aka donuts). Will’s birthday dinner request was pretty simple this year – carbonara and Caesar salad. While the dinner was an easy decision there was quite a bit of deliberation over the dessert. Cake or cupcakes? Cupcakes or homemade ice cream sundaes? Will finally landed on a s’mores inspired cake which seemed to be everything he hoped for on his 12th birthday. Happy Birthday to you Mr. Will – grateful we have you to celebrate!