Happy New Year

Hey All,

As we jump off the fiscal cliff this is just a quick recap of our 2012. 2012 was one hell of a year! Jenn was pregnant and delivered another little angel! (Graeme is close to losing angel status by the way). Graeme turned 1 in April and we had a great party in the back yard. He's growing up so fast. He's changing every day, becoming a little boy. We said goodbye to Kayla, she was my best friend. If you know me you know what that means. She was a faithful companion and like all the others; Max, Chili, Spencer, Ashley, Jody, and all the others she asked for nothing and gave everything. Thankfully our heavy hearts were lifted when Claire came into our world. She is the absolute best (don't tell Graeme) and we couldn't love her more. We also brought Harvey into our family. He's a beautiful Belgian Malinois, he's not Kayla and he never will be. He is however, a great dog and we're excited for that our kids will grow up knowing the love that only a dog can provide.

All in all its been a great 2012 and we're excited about 2013. From all of us we wish all the best for you in 2013.

Happy New Year!!!!

The Warburtons

Christmas Photos

Hey Everyone,

Well we had a great Christmas here at Lil Alex!  Graeme and Claire must have been on the nice list as the gifts filled the living room here at Lil Alex and Tally Ho.  Graeme still has a year to go before the gravity of Christmas sinks in.  Nevertheless Jenn and I had a fun time with Christmas this year and I think Graeme had a fun time too.  The best news is that we forgot we had ordered some gifts for Graeme, we discovered them in his closet the day after Christmas, so we are already ahead of the curve for next years shopping!  Thanks to everyone that thought of Graeme and Claire this holiday season.  Your generosity is very much appreciated by Jenn and me.

Jenn and Will

Some Older Photos Just Downloaded

Ok so we haven't been the best about posting.  As evidence we have some older pictures that I just took off the camera.  They are in no particular order, enjoy!

Will and Jenn

Picture (of the picture) with Santa

Janice and Gary took the kids to get their picture with Santa

Christening Weekend

Click here to view these pictures larger

Hey All,

Just a few pictures from this past weekend's Christening festivities courtesy of Dada and Kath.

Enjoy,

Will and Jenn

Dogs at the Farm

Rugby and Harvey taking a break from play time.

Claire Meets the President!!!

Claire met with NALC President Fredric Rolando.

Just a Quick Picture

Claire is ready for anything in her Lady Bug car seat cover.  Thanks Granpa Bill and Granma Kath!

HERE WE GO BROWNIES HERE WE GO!!!

I take great pride in passing down to my children a love for the greatest sports franchise of all time, the Cleveland BROWNS.  Graeme gets down as the BROWNS attempt to mount an attack agains the Ratbirds of Baltimore.

Halloween Trick or Treating

It was GRRRRRRRREAT!!

October Leaf Fun!

Just a quick video of Graeme having fun in our leaf pile with the neighbors and Harvey.  There were a few other more video worthy moments of joy, but I missed them.  I'll do a better job next time!

Quick Shot of Bath Time

Just a quick video of bath time and Graeme's new attempt to float on his back!

Dancing Fool

Graeme is a natural, even when the music isn't exactly in key nor all that catchy!

Sip and See Thank You Card

Ribbon Of Thanks Girl Thank You Card

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New Thank You notes with a picture from the sip-n-see!

A Boy and His Dog

Harvey and Graeme are becoming fast friends.  I am sure that come spring they will be having some good adventures in the back yard and Paul Spring!

Dance Party USA

Jenn and I have a little tradition called Dance Party USA.  It usually involves one too many bottles of wine, a lot of poorly sung lyrics and plenty of booty shaking!  Despite the great dancing we did at our wedding, including our super cool first dance, we did not expect to pass on musical or rhythmic aptitude to Graeme.  This footage appears to prove otherwise, he has the knack for grooving!  He will definitely be part (the early part) of the next Dance Party USA!

Changing of the Guard... Literally

So there is a the changing of the guard at the Tomb of the Unknown Solider and Buckingham Palace, both ceremonies draw tourists and locals alike.  Relieving the watch is a military evolution that is taken seriously from the Tomb of the Unknowns to the bridge of ships patrolling the seas.   We don't have anything like that, but we do have another dog that loves this family already.  Harvey has relieved the watch and I am sure Kayla is happy that he is keeping us safe.

Meet Up WIth Aunt Kate

Claire finally got to meet her Aunt Kate the other day.  Kate was nice enough to change her plans on the fly and came to Lil Alex to see Claire.  She also brought my long lost confirmation card!  It was address to Will Warburton"Pillar of the Church"  for some reason Jenn and Kate got a good laugh out of that, I can't imagine why.  Anyway, we had a nice visit and Claire got to bond a bit with her Aunt Kate.  We're looking forward to may more visits with Kate and Brendan, two of our closest friends.

Sneek Peek

Hey all,

We've just ordered birth announcements and invites for the christening.  The photo here wasn't used on the birth announcement, but this is the theme.  I'll leave a little to the anticipation of receiving the real deal in the mail.  In related news Harvey come home today and Graeme is going to the farm to give him a night to get a good rest.  His little sister is wearing him out!  We're really hoping Harvey comes home having learned to be an even better puppy.  We'll see so far he has been learning sit, stay and leash etiquette (something Kayla never had) so we'll see how much he has learned while he's been away.  Ok more to follow. Talk to you soon.

I May Be Addicted to the MacBook

Yesterday I pulled all the photos off of Jenn's cell phone.  Over a year and half of pics were stored away like a squirrel would store acorns for the winter!  There were nearly 400 photos mostly all of Graeme!  I took a few (actually more than a few), threw them in a slide show and posted it to You Tube.  Check it out!  Click the link below.

Graeme's Photo Montage

Okay I Am Getting Good with the MacBook!

Just a few more candide photos of Claire.  Candid is a term we use loosely at the moment as she is pretty lazy these days.  A bit different from her brother who seemed to be on the go from the start!  Here are the pictures you've all been waiting for.  Tomorrow looks to be our first venture out of the house maybe we'll have a few good photo ops.

Walking and Talking

This was a few days before Claire arrived (I think).  Graeme is still a super little boy and an absolute hoot sometimes!

We're Finally Home

We are finally out of that prison they call a hospital. We had great care, but the room starts to close in on you after a bit. No matter we're home and Jenn can recover. Graeme comes home tomorrow for good. He's spent the past week or so at Janice and Gary's. He loves wally-world!  Tonight Claire continues to do well gaining weight and getting the hang of feeding.  More tomorrow.
Thanks for all the support.

Sleeping Soundly

Claire just went down after a long day of eating and well sleeping!  We're in the home stretch, tomorrow should be our last in the hospital then home for good. Graeme made another visit and remains unimpressed with his baby sister. I think she'll grow in him, God knows she's growing on me. More later....

And Baby Claire Makes Four!

This morning at 11:20 we welcomed Claire Janice Warburton into our lives. She is beautiful, I am of course biased but truly for me at least a site to behold. Nothing is so special than seeing a life being brought into this world. When that life is some you've help create its absolutely magical. Yes my guy friends will pile on for sounding so corny, but it's true. Anyway, all 8 and a half pounds and 21 inches of Claire is just beautiful and amazing. We are getting ready for the first night in the hospital. Jenn is letting me go home so I don't have to suffer the chair of death tonight. Thanks Babe! We'll keep the photos and updates coming. Thank you to all our family, friends, doctors and staff that have helped make today so special.

The Good Guys Put Up a Good Fight

Turnovers will kill ya and they undid the Browns today. Gary and  Bruce's J-E-T-S won pretty easily so all was not lost. Graeme and I are Browns fans so despite a Jets victory today was tough. We were close in Cleveland.

Go Browns!!!

Graeme in the Big Boy Tub

Graeme took his first bath in the tub without his baby tub. He had a blast! Two weeks (almost) and counting until we greet Penny! Graeme is getting excited (we think) and we're putting the final touches on the nursery this weekend. Happy labor day! Bye bye summer bring on football. GO Blue!! GO Browns!

Every boy should have a dog

Well we're back at full strength at chez Warburton. Yesterday afternoon we welcomed our new dog home. Harvey is a 13 week old Belgian Malinois bred by my good friend Lisa Knock. Jenn and I felt like our family is more complete with a dog and that Graeme and "Penny" should have one growing up. He reminds me of Jody a German Sheperd we had when I was growing up. When the stars aligned for him to come to us jumped at the chance. He has a lot to live up to and we keep a picture of Kayla in front of his crate hoping he'll learn some by osmosis! We already love him so much and so far be hasn't destroyed a door or eaten a shoe!

Cantina Pacific on 8th with the 'rents

I asked for a Modelo Negro, but got pediasure instead!  Dad has not been good with flogging, but stand by when baby sister arrives in September.

Comparison Shopping, Graeme on the Outer Banks 2011 and 2012

Check me out nearly exactly one year apart.

A Sad Goodbye

Today our little family said goodbye to our beloved dog, Kayla. She was a wonderful companion and truly a member of our family. Kayla, was a gentle dog who loved being with her family. I adopted Kayla in April of 2001 right here in Alexandria, VA. She traveled with me to the U of A in Tucson, then back here to DC, then back and forth to San Diego (twice) and made trips trips to Cleveland, Naples, FL, Sedona and Patagonia, Az. She swam in the Pacific, Atlantic and the Gulf of Mexico. She never asked for much and it was an absolute pleasure giving her a home. I have so many memories it's hard to pick a favorite, but one comes to mind. In August 2004 I moved back to DC and found a great place on Capitol Hill. The night i moved in my new (unknown to me at the time) neighbors, Kate and Brendan were throwing a party. Long story short they invited me on the walkway for a beer with their friends. I asked if it was OK to bring out my dog. They said sure little did we know that minutes later she would be dancing with Noel or that she would be the glue that bound me to Kate and Brendan. She brought me so much joy and also some of my best friends. There are a million more I am sure, if you read this and have one about Kayla or your own dog and the happiness they bring I hope you'll share it.

Kayla will be missed, but never forgotten.

We love you Kayla,

Will, Jenn and Graeme