She's a beaut' !

Of course, we are biased...but we think Allie is super pretty! She is 15 weeks old now! Can you believe it? Anyway, I found a new setting on my camera that let me take some good up-close pictures of her today. (Yes, I take millions of pictures, but I am not talented at photography. I've had this camera for 5 years and I just learned something new. Yikes!)

Memorial Day Weekend '08

We had a super fun weekend at Aunt Jen & "Unkie Dan's" house. We played at the park, walked by the creek, jumped in the sprinkler, ate A LOT of yummy food (Chef Aunt Jen), enjoyed a bonfire, played football & ultimate frisbee, sat in the sun, and slept very little. Here are some pictures from the weekend.Unkie Dan created this AWESOME bonfire in their back yard. It was the highlight of the weekend, for sure.

Zachary got to walk in a creek near their house. He LOVED it!

As part of the indoor entertainment, Aunt Jen stood on her head...which motivated Grandpa to do the same (much to Grammy's dismay), and therefore prompted Zachary to beg for assistance as he wanted to join in. He really had such a good time with everyone!

Back at the Pool

Our neighborhood pool opened last week and I am so glad!! Zachary jumped right in without a second thought. Unfortunately, he also quickly learned that he can throw his toys from the baby pool to the big pool, which resulted in some interesting "parent-toddler" power struggles. He spent quite a bit of time in "the chair" (aka: time out) because Mommy can not be jumping into the big pool to retrieve these toys every time he throws them (doesn't he know the water is WAY too cold right now?!). Allie loves to relax in the shade. Her skin gets all pink and rosy from the heat.

More Sweetness!

Zachary's sweet-natured role as a big brother continues. He wanted to "help" with Allie's bath the other night. (I guess "No no Mommy, Zachy do!" actually meant he didn't want to "help," he wanted to do it all by himself).

Notice how she just stares at him? She does that all day. So cute!

Colors

Zachary has finally learned to sort by colors. We have been working on this for awhile, and yesterday it finally clicked.

He'd really think about it for a second...

So proud of himself!!

Ol' McDonald's Farm

Every day, Zachary sings "Ol McDonald's Farm" (in Zacharese, it's pronounced something like, "O Bic-dold"). Each day, Zachary's wonderful imagination brings a new character to the farm. This is entertaining for mommy & daddy, as we are the ones who have to quickly think of the "sound" that this new character makes. Here is a list of the newest visitors to Ol' McDonald's Farm: (in addition to the commonly sung cow, pig, duck, chicken, sheep...)
Blankie
'nother blankie
Lizard
Fox
Panda Bear
Praying Mantis
Spider Web
Snake
Jumpy Squirrel
Lady Bug
Daddy
Mommy
Baby Allie
Aunt Shell
Mimi
Grammy
Grandpa
Bambi
George (Curious George)
Man with the Yellow Hat (Curious George)
Professor Wiseman (Curious George)
Chipmunk
Caterpillar
Rhino
Giraffe
Bumble Bee
Raccoon
Butterfly
Fish
Ant
Crocodile
Deer
Owl
Possum

"Great" Grandparents

Zach & Allie are very blessed with 4 fabulous grandparents (and 1 great-grandma!). They've spent some time recently (all 1-on-1, and all within the last 10 days!!) with Grammy, Grandpa & Mimi. It is always sad when it is time for them to leave.

Confessions of an imperfect mom

In honor of Mother's Day this Sunday, I thought I'd post some of my own thoughts about motherhood. At first, I started pressing my mind to come up with some fancy descriptions that include sweet words and beautiful imagery. But seriously, any real mom knows- "sweet words" and "beautiful imagery" are few & far between when you're deep in the trenches of real mothering. So...here's my Mother's Day tribute.

I love being a mom.
Does it feel good every day? Nope.
Do I often wake up feeling refreshed? Nope.
I love being a mom.
Have I ever asked myself, "What the heck?" Yep.
Are there days where I can't remember the last time I showered? Yep.
I love being a mom.
Do my kids have more & better clothes than me? Oh yeah.
Are there times where my husband has no clean undershirts? Weekly.
I love being a mom.
Have I had an uninterrupted bathroom break in two years? Nope.
Do I wear shoes in the kitchen because of the crumbs on the floor? Yep.
I love being a mom.
Do most of my clothes have some kind of kid-stain on them? Yep.
Have I gagged during a diaper change? Weekly.
I love being a mom.
Does my husband tell me weekly that I smell like the kids? Yep.
Do my kids stink sometimes? Oh yeah.
(Am I concerned that my husband thinks I stink? Nope.)
I love being a mom.
Is there anything sweeter than hearing my son laugh? Nope.
Is there anything softer than my daughter's skin? Nope.
I love being a mom.
Is anything funnier than singing "Ol' McDonald had a 'praying mantis'?" Nope.
Do I love it when my son waters my feet instead of the flowers? Yep.
I love being a mom.
Does it feel good when my daughter nuzzles her head under my chin? Oh yeah.
Do we use our son's pronunciations instead of the correct ones? Yep.
I love being a mom.
Do I laugh out loud at mealtime? Daily.
Do I read extra books at bedtime because I don't want the day to end? Yep.
I love being a mom.
Is anything more yummy than their clean baby smell? Nope.
Have I been the first in the car-pool pick-up lane because I miss my son? Yep.
I love being a mom.
Is the house too quiet when they are both asleep? Sometimes.
Do I stare at my kids because I just can't get enough of them? Oh yeah.
I love being a mom.
Would I trade it for anything in the world? Nope.

I love Zachary & Allie!!

Pickin' "straw-bees"

Grammy has been itchin' to take Zachary strawberry-pickin'!! This is a family tradition...I remember doing this with MY grandma ("Gwammy Cware") when I was 4 years old.

Zachary had his own method of pickin' "straw-bees" (I love to hear him say that!).
Rule #1: Find a good spot.

Rule #2: Make sure all the "straw-bees" get inside the bucket.

Rule #3: Eat a "straw-bee" as often as you can. (See how juicy they are!)

Rule #4: Survey the area you've already picked.

Rule #5: Make sure you look underneath...the best berries are "unner-dare" (under there).

Rule #6: Eat a "straw-bee" as often as you can.

Rule #7: Inspect your berries to be sure they are not bruised.

Rule #8: Carry them gently. (He is so strong!)

You know it's been a good pickin' day when your face and hands are stained with red "straw-bee" juices!

The Blue Dress

Mimi wore this blue dress when she was a baby. It was fun dressing up Allie like a little doll! This first picture is our favorite!

The following pictures are humorous "out takes." Surprisingly...the eye-crossing, lifting her dress, yawning, yelling, and sticking out her tongue were not quite what Mimi was looking for!