Scariest mom-moment so far

Allie choked on a piece of paper today. My heart is still racing.
Like most 2nd-time moms, I've been a little less-obsessed about baby-proofing the house (mistake #1). Also, I am more busy & distracted because there are 2 of them.
Zachary was coloring with markers and she was playing with the edge of a giant sheet of paper off of a roll (mistake #2). I noticed some tearing, but thought I had found all the pieces. About 2 minutes after I removed her from the paper, she started gagging & choking.
When her choking did not stop after about a minute, I started to feel that panic. I mean, Todd & I took those infant first aid & CPR classes...but really, I certainly didn't think I'd have to use those lessons (mistake #3). At that moment, I knew I couldn't wait another second.
It took three significant textbook back-blows to get it out. And then she threw up & started crying. When I saw the piece of paper that came out, I also almost threw up.
I stopped & said a prayer of thanks to God. If you spend any time with a baby or child, take a minute and read this Guide to Infant First Aid & Choking.
Sorry for the serious post. I'll have some more light-hearted & funny ones after my cardiologist tells me that my heart is ok.

Zachary's 1st non-scripted bedtime prayer:

"Jesus, thank you God, God made my panda-bear...ok, mommy's turn..."

Sunday Best

Every Sunday morning, I tell Todd, "We have to get pictures of the kids before church. They look so cute today." And every Sunday morning, we are so late getting ready for church that we can't even think about taking pictures. Well, today we were SO late getting ready for church that we didn't even make it to the service (yikes!). So, before we headed to Sunday school, we took some pictures. And it was such a fun time. Little blessings.
In this first picture, she's sticking her little tongue out because her new tooth tickles the bottom. It is so cute to watch her remember that she has that new tooth. I wanted to throw this dog out the window, but Zachary loves it and they were having such a good time...I couldn't interfere.

Of course, she's laughing at Zachary jumping up & down beside the couch (below).

There aren't any words...

In this picture below, they actually fell over onto each other and both of them just laughed & laughed. I jumped right over the edge of the couch and caught this cute shot.

The County Fair

It's that time of year! Summer is almost over and the weather is fabulous. Visiting the county fair is one of those cheesy old-fashioned family events that I really enjoy. And this year, I loved watching Zachary soak it all in. His expressions were the best. He really watched everything - the people, the balloons, the lights, the rides and the animals! He was enamored. And so were we (enamored with him, of course!)!

Loved watching the billy goats!

HUGE oxen:

Tall enough!:

And, little Miss Allie was just chewin' on her feet & blankie the whole time. She was so content.

There's our little guy...the very last car in the last seat! He had this real intense look in his eyes whenever he was on a ride. He wasn't afraid, but he wasn't fearless. I love it!

Zachary, the storyteller

Whether you believe it or not, we caught Zachary exactly like this the other day. And he is fully responsible for the entire arrangement without any prodding or suggestions on our part. We had the best time watching him interact with his "pupils"! He kept counting them and then telling them what animal they are and what sound they make. Super cute!

Allie Notes

Dear Friends,
Well, I'm 7 months old this week. I know, 'hard to believe'...I've heard my mother say that every day for the past three months. Anyway, I thought I'd let ya know what's been going on. First, I have to tell you, I love this jumpy thing! Rumor has it - my brother never figured it out. Poor guy.

However, this crawling thing is way over-rated. I can get anywhere I need to go by shuffling, rolling, scooting, dragging, and lunging myself forward.One of my new favorite things is this zwieback toast. I love it! It can go anywhere! And I'm really good at getting it in the most unusual places.

Another exciting milestone I've hit - my first TOOTH! I have really enjoyed the funny way it tickles my tongue. This is super fun!

I also hit the 15-pound threshold for my weight. Apparently I'm tall & skinny...although I've seen some recent pictures that show my double chin...I don't know who they're callin' skinny!

Well, it's time for me to take my nap now. So I'll leave you with my new favorite picture of me & my grandpa. So sweet!

Love, Baby Allie

Sweet little love

I caught the kids playing so sweet together last week. Zachary is one of the few people that can make Allie belly laugh. This was so cute to watch. Notice her eyes on the third picture.

FightingBoomerIrishSooners

Now that college football has started (hooray!!), our kids are properly outfitted to cheer for our favorite team(s). We told Zachary that he gets to wear the same kind of shirt that the football players are wearing. He really likes the whole "jersey" thing. So cute!

Clever Little Fella

In his recent attempts to avoid getting in trouble, Zachary has implemented some very clever diversion tactics. Here are a few -

Mommy: "Zachary, did you color with markers on the carpet?"
Zachary: "Mommy is so pwetty!"
---
Daddy: "I think Zach pooped."
Zachary: "No I dint pooped. Baby Allie pooped."
---
Daddy: "Zachary you need to eat your dinner."
Zachary: "No I don't want it."
Mommy: "Zachary, eat your food."
Zachary: "Mommy, I need lovins'"
---
Mommy: "Zachary, get back in your bed."
Zachary: "Mommy, laugh...laugh, mommy...laugh."

Pics by Aunt Jen

We had a fun Monday with Aunt Jen & Aunt Shell. We visited a beautiful park and Aunt Jen took some great pictures of the kids. Here are a few:

Cute Kids!

Fun Zachary!

Sweet Baby Allie