Happy Easter!

Happy Easter everyone!  Zach and I spent Easter in the southeast with Nana and Boppa.  The weather is warmer here so Z was happy to roam around outside and explore the neighborhood.  Of course, he loved getting the chance to play with Jeff, Kim, Allie, and Benny yesterday.  So many playmates!  He was so wound up that he decided that he would "nap later" so that he wouldn't miss out on any fun.  Although he had little to no interest in dying eggs he at least got excited about his Easter basket.  And what kid wouldn't love going to church when he spent most of the service commenting on the color of the lights, eating candy, drinking juice and then getting to go outside and throw pennies in the fountain?! 

I completely forgot to bring my camera along but here are a few snapshots I got with my phone.


He didn't mind telling you what color egg you were dying however he didn't want anything to do with dying them himself.  He had fun hunting them though!

A little fresh air......

Ready for the Easter Bunny!

Pennies in the fountain...

I'm coaching in Clemson, Rich is home being productive with house projects, and Zach is playing with Nana and Boppa Bill all week.  Hopefully Boppa will make sure to send us some good photos of their adventures.

Now I Know my ABCs

Ok, so i haven't posted anything for a while.  In fact I've been a bit of a slacker mom and haven't really taken many photos lately.  We've had a pretty cold winter so our activities have been a little bit limited.  Nana and Boppa came to visit at the end of February which was very exciting for Zach but oddly enough we didn't take many pictures.  He now has a big boy bed thanks to their visit and has made the transition quite well.  I've been slow in really getting the room fully decorated but I will post pictures soon of his new big boy room.  Thanks Nana and Boppa for painting all the walls!

Zach has found a love for trains over the past few months but just a couple of weeks ago he started making his own trains from time to time.  It is really fun to see him use his imagination!

Here is Zach hamming it up while we waited for our dinner at a restaurant last week.

And today he couldn't leave the house without a scarf.  He doesn't have a scarf nor have I ever even had him wear one of mine but this morning he was insistent that he wear a scarf to school.  Luckily I had one that wasn't too bulky or girly so this one seemed to make him happy.

And lastly, Z is up to speed on his ABCs!  The image quality isn't great on this video but I think the audio is pretty clear.  Enjoy!

Snow Day!!

If you were to ask Zach what day today is, he would reply "snow day!"  I told him it was Groundhog Day but he quickly corrected me with "No.  Snow day!" 

We bundled Zach up in his snowsuit and boots and headed outdoors.  Rich thought he had it good when Zach took over the snow shovel but Zach quickly realized it was a lot of work.  Back to his small shovel.

Last year Zach thought it was a riot to be pulled in the sled but now he would rather be the puller.  

I tried to get a quick photo of Zach in his bibs but he wanted to get them off so quickly that this was the best I could do. 

Winter Fun

Zach is growing so fast!  The weather hasn't been too bad this winter but still too cold to really play too much outside so we have taken full advantage of our newly renovated basement.  Here are a few shots of Zach enjoying all of his animals and toys. 

Oh...wait....to start off, just before the holidays Zach took his first ride on a real train!

And we bundled for a quick bike ride one day.

I captured Zach during a little Saturday morning tv time.  He is addicted to the movie Toy Story.  And yes......this picture shows just how tall the boy is getting.

Another day to bundle up!  Fresh air and sunshine helps a boy use some energy.

Zach still likes to help clean which we really appreciate.

And we may have a chef on our hands.  He can't resist playing with any kitchen he sees.  In fact at Home Depot he likes to play with the full size  ovens and laundry appliances.

 Um...so....I guess he was looking for something......

And I'll leave you short video of Zach feeding his animals.

Happy New Year........the holidays are over.

I think I'm in denial.  As most of you know I LOVE Christmas!  This year the holiday came and went way too fast.  In fact we still have lights outside at our front door and Zach's cardboard xmas tree with lights is still making the basement festive.  Otherwise....all decor has been packed away.  

I'm not sure if it is my denial or just sheer procrastination that has caused me to not update the blog.  Either way I'm starting off 2013 just trying to catch up and we are less than two weeks in.  Our holiday had a bit of a rocky start.  We bought a new furnace 4 days before Christmas and a new car 3 days before Christmas.  Neither of the two were planned purchases but rather unexpectedly needed purchases.  As much of a shock as it was to our plans and our wallet, we do enjoy having a warm home and a car that easily accomodates Zach and will soon work well for baby #2.  For those of you wondering if I caved and bought a minivan......NO.  We ended up with a GMC Acadia but it still holds 7 passengers!

Below are some photos of our Christmas with Zach.  Nana and Boppa came to visit which was great!  I can't imagine a Christmas without them and I think Zach was more than spoiled by them.  I'm still trying to reverse some of the "holiday routine".  Zach is starting to understand the fun of the holiday and loves the excitement of it all.  After he opened each present he of course had to play with it so the process took a while.  I think next year he will be a handful!

And the spoiling begins.......

Notice the wardrobe change......Zach insisted on wearing the train sweater and hat as soon as he opened it.  Who knew he would be so excited over clothes?!

He needed a drill to help Dadda with all the basement work.

Nana had to help Zach grill some food as soon as his grill was opened.

Santa Clause made a stop at our house.  Zach must have been really good!

Zach had Christmas #2 at Grandma & Boppa Jim's.

Just a few days after Christmas we celebrated Boppa Jim's birthday with Mary's wedding!  Congrats to Mary and Mike.

Here was the best shot I got of Zach and Connor hanging out at the festivities.  They make me laugh

Nana and Boppa Bill were nice enough to look after Zach for a few days while Rich and I took a road trip to Door County, WI.  Thank you!  It was nice to get away for a few nights to ring in the new year and celebrate our 5th anniversary.  Yep....5 years!  We decided to celebrate a little early since Rich is in Atlanta for work this week.   Everyone remember where you were 5 years ago today??  Woohoo!  What an awesome party!!
 

Ho! Ho! Ho!

Rich has been out of town for work all week so Zach and I have found some holiday fun to get into.  Honestly Zach is a good boy for the most part so I don't expect my job of being a single parent for the week to be too hard but this week in particular he has been exceptionally good!  He has listened well, eaten well, helped me with chores, and really hasn't put up much of a fight regarding anything.  I just love him!  I know he is a daddy's boy but I sure like it when he shows mom a little love.

Today we went to see Santa.  I'm pretty sure this guy is the real deal.  I mean look at him!  Zach was fascinated by the automated train that he found while we waited for Santa to make his appearance.

Zach did great waiting in line for his turn and had no problem walking right up to Santa and hopping on his lap.  Unfortunately, he refused to smile for the picture but was more than happy to say "cheese!" once we were back in the car.  The second photo is Zach holding Santa's hand and matter of factly telling him that we would like a Choo Choo train and ice cream for Christmas.  He even specified that he would like green ice cream.  So is that mint or sherbert?  I'm sure Santa will figure it out.

We ended the night be curling up on the couch and watching a movie.  This is the first time Zach has really shown interest in watching a show/movie for more than 15-20 min.that didn't involve Curious George.

Wedding Fun

All right...I apologize but I'm going to do 2 posts in one night.  I just didn't think I could merge these two together.  Last weekend we were in VA to celebrate the marriage of my cousin Allie and her lucky man Luke.  We didn't get many photos but we snapped a few cute ones.  We had a blast!  Thanks for having us, Allie & Luke!

Here is the beautiful bride and handsome groom......

Sorry....I forgot the red-eye reduction before uploading this one.  Allie, you are on fire....and Luke looks pretty excited about it.

 

 Ok, now I'd like to know that was just said before I snapped this one.

Zach took these next two photos on his own.  Looking good Lynn!

Jeff, I'm going to have Zach take all photos of you.  I can't believe your hand wasn't in front of your face.  Looks like Rich may have been trying to help you out but his hand just didn't get up quick enough.

And when you take a 2 year old to a wedding, this is what ends up happening.

I can't wait for the whole family to be together again for the next family wedding.  Thanks for setting that up for us Molly and Jason!