Today the forms came off. As Will said when he first saw the concrete walls: "ohhh, they're beautiful." The yard was backfilled and graded. Stairs, patio, grass to go.

Max and Will have a new cousin. His name is Sam. He likes the Steelers just as much as they do.

We have been so distracted by the work in our backyard that we forgot to tell you about Max's first ride on the swingset with his brother, Will's first day of swim lessons without mom or dad, Will's bike parade down 34th avenue and Max's superfly kung-foo moves

2006 Super Bowl champs not pictured

recent conversation with Will:

he said
"daddy...if a dinosaur was here it would eat us"
i said
"maybe, but dinosaurs aren't around anymore. they all died"
he said
"did they go to heaven?"
i said
"yes"
he said
"will we go to heaven when we die?"
i said
"yes"
he said
"then the dinosaurs will eat us in heaven"

Will doesn't like to wear coats or jackets or sweatshirts or anything extra. They are always tight or krinkly. He likes T shirts. He insists he is never cold. This has always been a struggle and as he gets older and smarter he develops new methods to keep the jackets off. Understanding Dad's weeknesses, he figured out how to manipulate them and attack without mercy. Yesterday morning when i insisted that it was too cold and that he needed to wear his coat, he replied "Hines Ward doesn't wear a coat."