A Few Photos

I don't have internet at home right now (which is driving me absolutely insane), so I'm limited in what I can get posted. BUT, my cousin Taycey (a fabulous photographer) took a few shots at our Labor Day family reunion and posted them online, so I actually have some I can share! Yay!!!

So, without further ado, here are some adorable shots of my mini-monsters. :) The first few are obviously Zan and Zo, much grown since the last time I've posted. The last shot is of Zo with her older second cousin Zayley. The two were fast friends and giant goofballs together.













More photos will follow once I have internet at home again. I have shots from Zan's first day of school, the Sweetcorn Festival, more labor day shots, etc. :)

My Little Man Grew Up!!!!

It’s been ages since I’ve updated this blog. Mainly because somewhere along the way, I lost the log in information- which meant every time I actually found time to update it, I couldn’t get in. But today is such an important day, I figured it was high time I figure out how to get in here so that I CAN post an update.

What is today? Why is it so special? Today my little man starts KINDERGARTEN!!! I can hardly believe it. I swear just yesterday he was a newborn in my arms and today he slung his school supply laden backpack over his little shoulders and marched up the stone steps, leaving forever behind his toddler days. I tried my best not to cry as he beamed with excitement. I snapped picture after picture, capturing this moment in time, knowing that my memory too has taken its own shots of this day.

I look forward to tonight, hearing about what all he did and saw and what he learned on his very first day. I feel proud, yet nervous, knowing he will face things he’s never had to do alone before. I picture my tiny little guy with his little lunch tray, going through the line all by himself; wrestling with the milk carton just as I always used to do. I see him filing through the hallways, jumbled up in the mix of kids grades K through 5. I worry that he’ll be lost or scared, though deep down I know he will be fine and that the K kids will all stay together anyway. Zander is my little trooper- a “go with the flow” kinda guy. He’s never met a kid who wasn’t his instant friend. He’s quick with a smile and converses easily- SO not like I was as a child. I remember how I was so painfully shy and how hard it was for me to make friends. I smile knowing that it won’t be as difficult for him.

I don’t have pictures uploaded yet to put on here, but when I do, I will make sure and update!! And I’ll try not to wait so long next time! Come back soon for pics of both kids and an update on their life in general (big changes for the whole family, but we’re handling it okay and adjusting well). You will not believe how much they've both grown!!! :)

Long Time No Update!

Such a sad excuse for a blogger am I. I cannot even keep my kid blog up to date. Of course, the kids are the reason I am so behind, but that is beside the point. So once again, here is my long awaited (ok, really only long awaited by the grandparents, but still...) kid update!

Zoey had her 9 month well baby appointment March 16th, at which point she was actually 10 months old (so I am not just behind on blogging, lol). She weighed in at 21lb 7oz, putting her at the 80th percentile for weight, and stood 28.7 inches tall, which put her at 68th percentile for height. Growing girl!!! She now wears size 12-18 month clothes, which means a lot of what we bought ahead for her for the summer may be too small once summer comes!!! But maybe she'll slow down in her growing a bit. The way she eats though, I don't see that happening any time soon. Now that she's started eating nearly almost everything we eat, I fear she will soon be eating us out of house and home.

The highlight of Zoey's month and ours was her first steps on my 30th birthday. Best birthday gift a mommy could receive!! She now toddles around when she feels like it, though she still prefers crawling since she can move exceedingly fast that way. She's into absolutely everything!! On top of that, she is the typical girl and will jabber away at you nonstop if she is in the mood to chat. She already calls me MaMa and Scott DaDa and often crawls around saying "Zzz zzz zzz", so I'm thinking saying big brother's name may be next on the list.

Zan is enjoying the warmer weather we are having and has enjoyed riding his bike outside and playing ball in the yard. He's very excited about Easter next weekend, though our recent visit to meet the Easter Bunny terrified him. He would only sit for the picture if I sat next to the EB and Zan sat on my lap. Though in his defense, even I thought the bunny was kind of creepy.

Zan has gotten so grown up. He loves having conversations with us and is constantly surprising us with the things that he notices in the world around him. He's so independent now and can do pretty much all things himself- and those he can't, he still gives a shot. We are, as always, very proud of our little guy.

And now for the pictures!!

Annaliesa and Zan on their way to meet the Easter
Bunny.

Zan would only go near the big bunny if I went
with him and he got to sit on my lap. Annaliesa wouldn't give the bunny
the time of day and took off.

Zan afterwards showing off his bunny
ears.

Us at the mall carousel. Zoey took her first ride (though not on the
horse; she sat on my lap on one of the chair ones).

Zoey climbing the stairs (don't worry, grandma was directly behind her as she
did this).

My child has the WORST bed head.

Zo on St. Patty's day. My little leprechaun!!

All three of us greened up for St. Patrick's Day. Zan even got green
milk. Now each day since he's requested a different color!! LOL

2009 Update

Once again I'm ridiculously behind on updating the kids' blog. Blame it on the holidays, work, having two kids, life, whatever you want really... I'm still vastly behind no matter what the excuse. So here is a short update for you on the kiddos.

Zan is a growing boy! He's grown 2 inches since this fall and is proud to tell that fact anyone who will listen. He's acting so grown up now. He loves to ride his bike when the weather permits (which isn't much) and plays video games with Daddy and draws with Mommy. He's still a fantastic big brother to Zo, though he gets easily irritated with her getting into his stuff and trying to eat his food. He's gotten really great at putting his thoughts into words, which has helped everyone a lot! He's definitely a boy, rather than a baby now. Sigh.

Zoey is growing, growing, GROWING!! She weighs over 20lbs now and is already starting to grow out of her 12 month clothes. This spells trouble for all of us who bought ahead for the summer. Yikes!! In the last few weeks, she's really started to blossom. She babbles nonstop now, even calling us mama and dada. She crawls at top notch across the room to whatever she wants, pulls herself up and cruises along the furniture, can let go and stand for small stints and walks really well holding onto our fingers. She can clap and will wave hello/goodbye to people. She really loves to play now and enjoys playing with us or quietly on her own. She even got her very first haircut today- she's now the proud owner of some cute little bangs. They make her look so grown. It's hard for us to believe that in 2 months she will be a year old!!!!

FYI- I have yet to start planning either child's birthday party (Zoey turns 1 on May 7 and Zan turns 4 on June 1), as the time just kind of snuck up on me. I suspect we will be doing a May 9 party for Zo and a June 6 party for Zan, for those family members wondering what to mark on their calendars.

Pictures of the Month

I've been incredibly neglectful of my blog as of late. Ok, honestly, since the very beginning, lol. So here is a short update and some pics for you!

Zoey turned 8 months old this month and at her doctor visit last week she weighed 19lb 7oz and was 26.5 inches long. Growing girl!! She's already filling out size 12 months clothes. She's getting so close to crawling now and is able to scooch herself all over the place using arms and legs, as well as rolling. She loves to walk everywhere holding onto our fingers. She is great now at sitting up and playing with things. Of course, her favorite thing is still eating, and she' thoroughly enjoying her foray into the world of big people food. So far there's not much she doesn't like.

Zan is the typical 3 year old boy. Full of energy and deep into the "why?" stage. Every explanation of why is followed up with another why, which is sometimes fun and sometimes insane. He's really great at understanding things now, drawing conclusions and problem solving. He also loves to entertain us with stories he makes up and little skits he puts on with his action figures.

Life around our house has been pretty insane lately. I'm still trying to finish up our New Years cards (I gave up on Christmas cards at the beginning of December) and get them out before February hits. Sigh. I'd like to say things are slowing down, but I'm not really sure that's true. That's ok though, it's all par for the course. ;)

And now for some pics!!

Above: Miss Zo loves to chase the camera.

Below: Zan and Zo still seem to totally adore each other!

Above: Zoey piggy tails!

Below: The cousins spend some time together at Grandparents
Tichenor's house for Xmas.

A couple of holiday shots!!

Update and Pictures of the Month

Since it seems I haven't updated this thing since October (yikes!), I figured I'd better get on here and do something!! So a quick update is in order. And yes, I changed it from "Pictures of the Week" to "Pictures of the Month", because now I'm being realistic. ;)

Zoey is coming up on 7 months old this Sunday and is just growing up WAY too fast. She's got 6 teeth now and is currently working on more. Zan only had only one or two by her age, so of course, she's already trying to outdo her big brother. She LOVES to eat and eats all sorts of baby food now, as well as a few table foods like breads, crackers and mashed fruit. We joke that with all of those teeth, she'll be eating steaks by the new year, lol. And with all that eating, she's closing in on 20lbs!! BIG girl! By comparison- Zan is only 29lbs. She sits up really well now on her own and rolls all over the place. She can also scoot herself forward with her back legs when she really wants to. I see crawling in her very near future! Watch out kitty!! As you can see, her hair is getting longer now and I am finally able to put it up into two cute piggy tails. She, of course, hates this. But I'm determined to get her used to it, as I've waited far too long to get to this fun part of motherhood. :)

Zan is 3 1/2 now and every bit the three year old. He's SO independent, sometimes to a fault. He dresses himself from head to toe, wants to try and get his own food and drink, does all his nightly chores himself (brushing teeth, going potty, etc.), and even if he can't do it, we still hear "let me try!". He has also REALLY reached the "why?" stage. It's fun, but often exhausting. Sometimes we just have to tell him "because that's the way it is". He likes to observe and comment on everything he sees, which leads to lots of interesting hypothesizing on his part. He's so smart and we often forget that even when he doesn't seem to be listening, he's listening. This is usually evidenced by some statement or action he does later. Fortunately, he hasn't really picked up on any bad habits by doing this... yet. He is still a smart ass though, just like his father. I often think that Zan is so much like Scott that it's scary, in both his mannerisms and the things he likes to do. Scott has definitely created himself a little "mini me". It will be interesting to see how he changes as he matures. Right now he's all about comic book characters, Star Wars, video games, soccer, watching football with Daddy, and fighting with his nerf swords. He's all boy. Except he likes to wear his mommy's shoes. ;)

Pictures of the Week

Saturday we paid a visit to The Great Pumpkin Patch in Arthur, IL. I'm so slow with getting things uploaded lately, that I'm just going to link these pics rather than upload them. They're a little pixelized as a result. Once I get around to actually uploading them they'll look a lot better. :)

So many pumpkins, so little time!! We told Zan he could pick out one big pumkin and he chose three little ones, which cost less than one big. AND he said one was for Zoey. Such a sweet boy!!

Zan on the giant pumpkins. They don't look as small anymore now that he's gotten so big. His first trip to the GPP was when he was Zoey's age.

Mommy and Zoey onthe giant pumpkins. She looked so
little in that sea of orange globes!!

My sweet little punkins in the pumpkins. :)

How tall this fall? For Zan, VERY tall!! I'll have to dig out an old picture of Zan's first visit to the patch.