Fun in NC

It has been really nice to take a few days away from work and "real life" to enjoy time with family and have plenty of play time with Zach.  He has once again become a huge fan of Nana and Grandpa and love having playmates other than mom and dad.  And I think he loved all the attention from my cousins, aunts, and uncles.  Oddly enough we didn't take too many photos when goofing off with family.  Oh well.  We did manage to get a few snapshots from some of our other activities this week.

Zach discovered the carousel for the first time.  He couldn't quite figure out when to look for his fan club as he came around each time but his during his second ride he was at least much more comfortable on his ride.

He was super excited to be pushed up to the arcade game during lunch one day.  He must get that from his dad.

Today we explored Charlotte a little and stopped in for lunch at the Penguin.  The diner/drive-in has been on the Food Network and Traveler's Channel.  It was yummy!

 And Zach was fascinated by the look of our waiter.  This is the best shot I could get without being to obvious or rude.

Merry Christmas

We spent the weekend celebrating the holiday with our family in NC.  It was so fun to see Zach interact with everyone considering the majority of our family hasn't seen him since he was just a little over 2 months old.  We had some laughs, ate good food and Zach stole the show for most of the day. 

Kim had the pleasure of reading Zach his doggy book that she gave us before he was born.  He loves this book!

 His new toy car was a huge hit!  Thank you Beth and Jeff!

 Andi and Molly.....always having fun with the camera.  Love you!

 Zach had to show off his beard.  The men in our family definitely appreciate a good beard.

 Christmas Eve came to a close with a few presents to open.  Zach doesn't quite get what is going on yet but he had fun tearing the paper off of most of his presents.

 Cookie Monster showed up in a gift to sing to Zach.  Hopefully Zach will enjoy his new noise making friend.

 Again....the car was a huge hit!

 Thanks to Nana, Zach was dressed quite handsomely on Christmas day. 

We hope you all had a great Christmas full of fun with your families.  We love being in the southeast with our family and can't wait to see them again later in the week.  Oh, and for any of your northerners reading this blog.....we've had weather in the 60s here!

Christmas Twice is Awfully Nice

I have always been a HUGE fan of Christmas.  I think I can thank my Mamaw and Mom for that.  They always made the holiday super fun and special.  I didn't really think anything could get much better than gooflng around with family, eating yummy holiday treats, and enjoying everyone opening gifts.  And to be honest, I still love all of that; now it is just that much better with Zach around.  He doesn't quite understand what is going on yet but he sure loves all the decorations and lights. 

Since our extended families live so far apart we are lucky enough to celebrate Christmas twice (or more)!  Here are a few photos from our La Vigne Christmas in Chicago. 

Zach had quite the laugh while playing with Grandpa Jim.

The boys appeased us by sitting still long enough for a quick photo.

Santa didn't think it would be fair to Rich and me to leave a present in NC that we wouldn't be able to easily get back to Chicago so he made an early stop at our house and left Zach a cool sled.  Sledding around on the living room rug was fun but we sure hope to get a little snow soon!

 We can't wait to celebrate the holiday with all our family in NC and VA!!   Merry Merry Christmas!!

Christmas Time is Here!

Christmas was a bit delayed but has finally arrived at our house.  Our lights are up, our tree is trimmed, and Zach has been to see Santa!

Zach was a little skeptical so we took it slow with Santa and Santa himself was fantastic!  I think this Santa Claus may have been the real deal.  He even had a couple of reindeer with him.

Zach loves our Christmas tree all lit up and so far he has been really good about being gentle when touching the lower branches and ornaments.  We've had a lot of fun with our lights on a remote control by convincing Zach that when he claps his hands he controls the lights.  It is fun to watch his excitement and wonder however it is becoming a challenge for us to make sure we are ready with the remote when Zach goes into the living room.  Maybe I'll try to capture this on video soon.

Happy Holidays!!

Birthday Weekend - Round Two

So since Zach was actually sick on his birthday we waited a week and celebrated all over again.  The weekend was filled with fun! 

Nana and I took Zach to his first pancake breakfast where his Grandpa Jim played chef. 

Zach enjoyed opening some more presents.  He liked the toys once we got them out of the box but he really thought ripping the paper was fun.

Betty Crocker helped me bake a cake for Zach but the real challenge was the decorating.  It took a while but it was actually pretty fun and it turned out great!

 He was a little timid about getting into his cake at first however he came around quickly.

And finally, Zach showed off one of his new gifts.  Rich and Zach proudly displayed their matching beards!