Half Way There

We are so excited to be having a little baby...

GIRL!!

We were rooting for either but it is fun to have a girl and a boy.  Mister Zacheroo slept through the entire ultrasound and woke up just as we were leaving.  So we had a nice peaceful time.  She wasn't  so all over the place this time.  She does cross her feet just like Zachie did and still does.  She also liked having her hands crossed.  Even though she is a few weeks older than Zachie was when we had his ultra sound, she looks a lot tinier.

We have been pretty set on a name for a while now but after the ultrasound Jesse declares that she looks like an Olivia.  We will see, this one might wait to be named until after she comes out.

Happy Halloween

Just to start off, we weren't too excited about Halloween this year.  Zachie is not a huge fan of crowds or strangers so I wasn't sure how he was going to handle all the interaction.  I was wrong!

We went trick-or-treating around the Sherwood businesses on Friday and no surprise it started raining the minute the event started and stopped when it ended. It wouldn't be Halloween without rain,right?  Zachie was a bit skeptical about this one.   There were a lot of kids and tiny doorways to get into.  The majority of the time we just walked past the doors and enjoyed being outside. When we broke off from the crowd and it was just Zachie and me he was great.

So lesson learned #1:  Stay away from crowds.

We went trick-or-treating a second time with Jesse on Monday afternoon, around the Mudpuddles shopping plaza.  Zachie was so ready for this one.  There was a lot more space and a lot less kids so advice from previous event taken.  Again he wanted to run past some doorways but he was a lot more outgoing and went up to the candy bowls and picked out his own.

So lesson learned #2:  When your kids are comfortable trick-or-treating  make sure they don't take more than one treat because...they will! (We now have many many pencils Zachie couldn't resist going back for)(Yes, Zachie likes pencils more than candy, woo whoo!!)

Now for the real Halloween.  We went over to the Buhler's home for dinner and trick-or-treating.  Delicious dinner!  We love getting together with everyone.  We always have good laughs and fun watching all our munchkins.  After dinner we set out for the houses.  I didn't know how Zachie would react to this, it isn't the same as just walking up to a store.  He loved it!!  He would go up and knock on the doors and then try and open the door thinking well I knocked right?  When the door opened he would try and go in the house, ahhh!!!  He did great though.  All his shyness was gone.  He said please and thank you to every person, sometimes multiple times.  After a few houses, we decided to keep going because Zachie was on the move.    He lasted so long, we were just waiting for him to say all done.  

So final lesson learned:  You never know what your kids will like until you try it.

I'm so proud of our little man.  He may not be able to say words from the English language yet but he knows when to say please and thank you.  He did a great job!


So just for fun I wanted to put up a picture of these silly guys from last year too.  Oh the memories!!  I can't believe this is their second Halloween, wow time flies!

This year we have the bear (I'm thinking from Bear in the Big Blue House, his favorite.)  

A Hershey Kiss Pumpkin, and a very furry pumpkin!

Last year we have Miss Frankenstein, A pink Ballerina, and an extra chubby pumpkin!  I love them!

Red And Green

I will post about Halloween, soon.  I just don't have pictures to share and I want to so for now I will share my love of Christmas time.  I was so excited today when I opened up some of my crafting blogs and found CHRISTMAS!  I love the feeling and open hearts that come at this time of year.  Yes, Thanksgiving comes first but they are similar in thought and deed. We do nice things for others and are thankful for all that is done to us.  Yeah for Christmas crafting to begin!!

Pumpkins Pumpkins Pumpkins

Oh I love the fall.  It is so beautiful and the weather is perfect (at least for me).  I really like sweaters so this is the time of year I love the most.  Since it is the great pumpkin season we ventured off to the oh so exciting Roloff Farms.  For a kid Zachie's age it wasn't that fun but the pumpkins were great. 

We set off into the fields and just had fun walking around and finding tini tiny pumpkins for Zachie to hold.  At one point the hay on the path attacked Zachies foot and he had a good long fight with it.  He has never been around hay so he was not liking it at first but then after his mini brawl they became friends.

Zachie had the most fun running from the camera.  In general, he just wanted to run around, especially when other kids were running.  But when that camera came out he instantly took off.  Some of the time I didn't see how he could even know the camera was out but off he went with that mischievous smile.

Zachie fell in love with a nice big pumpkin and stuck around there for a good five minutes (that is a long time for a little man).  Then we found out he was just using it to lean on so that he could do his business.  He was one stinky kid from that point on.

At one point he was demonstrating his song and dance skills for us and whomever else was watching.

After the smelliness we decided it was time to grab some pumpkins and hit the road.  That is when we found the awesome carts.  Zachie was super excited to ride in it, he didn't want to get out.  We found three great pumpkins and rolled on outta there.

I wish I had a picture of our decorated pumpkins now but our camera is on the fritz, so hopefully later.

Honesty

I'm going to be honest.  I have time to write this but what do I usually do instead, look at food blogs.  Yep I'm twisted and addicted to making new foods and finding fun recipes that I can make my own.  Well with that said I just have to say today was not a good day but I went through it with a smile on my face and only complained in my head.  I know this still counts as complaining, so says the scriptures, but at least my outward actions and words were kind and loving.  Now I don't know if that makes them empty or not because inside I wanted to break down and cry, walk away, lock myself in a room and go to sleep, go find a donut, basically give up.  I don't know why the donut was in there but I'm pregnant and these things happen.  Well that feels good to write down.  Everyone enjoy the fact that you are not the only one that has a bad day.  I am determined to have a good rest of the day, WOO!

Ugh

I'm a terrible blogger.  I should not be aloud to blog.  One day this may change but for now I remain the most terribly blogger.  Maybe this fall weather will get me to sit down and actually publish a post rather than write them and then decide I have no time and never post it.  Maybe this post won't even make it.  Well that is a stretch but seriously I have written like three posts and haven't published them due to interrupting baby, pictures, blah blah blah.  Okay my gibber jabber is all done.

Zachie Is Learning So Much

I love this kid.  He is so funny and loving and smart as can be.  He has been communicating through sign language recently.  It makes him really happy to be able to tell us what he wants and not have to repeat himself a billion times before his loony parents get the idea.  However, when we don't understand he does get quite frustrated.  Right now he says:

Thank you
Please
More
This
All Done
Up
I don't know
Uh Oh
Amen (this one he says with words not hands)

We are teaching I love you right now, it hasn't caught on yet but we will keep trying.

He also knows some random body parts.  We have never really pushed these but he just picked them up from his books.  He pats his head, rubs his ears, tickles his toes and pounds on his belly.  He is such a silly kid when we give him milk at nap time or bed time.  He will take it and go sit on his Elmo couch and then proceed to lift up his shirt and stick his finger in his belly button while drinking his milk.  It is a pretty funny sight.

Other than talking to us he is a fantastic listener (except when it comes to buttons!) We can ask him to get his milk and he will go to the fridge, take a bath and he will go straight there, get in bed and he will go to his bed, sit down, lay down, lets go, outside results in him pounding of the front door to get out.  The only one that does not produce good results is when you tell him it is time for a diaper change then he runs the other way!  One thing we didn't really push but showed as an example was to fold your arms and bow your head when saying prayers, he now does it whenever we pray and then yells out Amen when we are done.

Some of his favorite things right now are Elmo, Blue's Clues, Bear in the Big Blue House, coloring, running on his own or with daddy in the stroller, books of course, and shoes.

This kid has been so much fun to watch.  He is an absolute sponge.  I'm excited to see all the new things he picks up on over the coming months.