"Oh my goodness..."

"... it's a Nut Grabber!" Sydney's new catch phrase around the holidays :)

"Oh my goodness!!"

Zack exclaims as we are out for a drive looking at all of the Christmas lights on other people's houses.

Lights at the Zoo

We took a trip to the Zoo tonight to see all of the Christmas lights. The kids loved the "dancing" lights which were synchronized to "I want a Hippopotamus for Christmas". Zack and Sydney went to see Santa and they told Santa they wanted a train & red race car (Zack) and a ballerina & princess (Sydney).

Don't look now!

We watched the classic Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer last night. Every time the Abominable Snowman came on, Zack covered his eyes with both of his hands!

"Mom??"

"What Zack?"
"Whatever!!"

Halloween

Halloween was a lot of fun!! We couldn't have asked for a better night, it was actually warm, almost 60 degrees I think, so we sure weren't cold running from door to door. We were lucky to recruit Grandma & Grandpa B over to pass out candy while we went all around the neighborhood. We stayed out for almost the whole two hours. What a great time!

That blue thing!

We went for a camping trip this past weekend to Maumee Bay State park. We have really been enjoying the new camper and getting a lot of use out of it so far. This past trip we had Grandma and Grandpa B camping next to us in their RV. It was a lot of fun and the kids were always scampering back and forth between the campsites. They kept very busy catching caterpillars - they caught 4 different kinds. We also went down to the beach, on bike rides, and nature walks. When we were walking on the boardwalk nature trail, Zack wanted to be carried by Grandma and he called her "that blue thing" since she had on a blue coat! His favorite part of the camping trip was "playing" and "eating white things" (marshmallows!). At least he's incorporating his colors into his speech very nicely!

Investigation: Sydney's Treasures

Perhaps you've seen Sydney carrying around her "treasures". They are all stored in one of several purses, and even a miniture jewelry box which was selected personally by Sydney from a garage sale. Well one night we decided to investigate what the treasures really were, so we checked them out when she was sleeping. Here is what we found:

Assorted Dora "puffy" stickers, bracelets, foam disks from toy gun, Easter egg, rings, train whistle, flower eraser, buckeye, beads, and a flag from our lasagne at the Spaghetti Warehouse.

Zack's race car, blanket from baby doll set, lip balms, Cinderella from birthday cake (with two dresses), 6 cents, super ball, rubber frog, piece of paper with scribbles on it, beads, items from baby doll medical set: empty prescription bottles and medical tray.

Camping slips from our last camping trip, teddy bear with "S", 2 of Zack's cars, lizard toy, 2 feathers, Buzz Lightyear doll, Gummi bear doll, train whistle, tickets, Garfield pencil topper, beads, bead "poodle", bread tie, tag from pajamas, Dora puffy sticker, and another foam disk from the toy gun.

Cedar Point

We took a trip to Cedar Point for the evening. Here is a picture of Zack on a ride, just moments before he noticed that Mommy abandoned him to go take pictures of Sydney and Daddy on the Jr. Gemini!!

We all had a great time. Can't wait to go back next year!

5, 6, 7

That's the way Zack counts... not sure why, but instead of 1, 2, 3 it's always 5, 6, 7! I guess he's already ahead of the game :)

Muddy the Mud Hen

We made a trip over to Fifth Third field tonight to see the Muds Hens play. We got to sit up close, behind the home plate. Really great seats! We also got to see some goofy characters called the Zooperstars (http://www.zooperstars.com/). I think eating the big container of popcorn was the most fun of all!

Camping at Hayes State Park

We went to Walter J Hayes state park camping this weekend. It was our first "long" trip... all weekend! The weather was very hot on Friday when we got there. Thank god for airconditioning! On Saturday we went to the beach and played in the water and sand. Mom & Dad need to get some buckets and shovels for the camper, but we still had fun. The only bummer was when it rained on Sunday morning. Actually it started raining and it just never stopped! We packed up the camper and went to McDonalds for breakfast. Yummy!!!

Our New Camper

We are picking up our new camper tonight. It's a 2007 Fleetwood Niagra... http://www.fleetwoodcampingtrailers.com/series.aspx?id=5&sn=Highlander Very cool, and not much "roughing it" at all! Our first trip is planned for Maumee Bay State Park. I hope we can figure out how to use it :)

Zack's a Genius!

well, we had our suspicions, but now they have been confirmed - Zack's a genius! When I picked him up from school yesterday the teacher mentioned that he really surprised them. The teacher was reading a new book and they got to the page with a plane skywriting. When the teacher asked, "what does this say?" Zack answered "Drink Milk!", and he was right!! Just imagine, reading at 2 years old, what's next?? You can imagine the surprise when the teachers heard his response, and were stunned, but then couldn't get him to repeat it. well, it does help that we have that same book at home :)

Nakes! Nakes!!

If you are ever considering taking a journey into the jungles, Zack is the one to take with you... he is an expert at pointing out "snakes". He shouts out "Nakes! Nakes!" almost 3 or 4 times an hour. He sees the snakes that people normally overlook, like the spaghetti, string, grass on the floor, lizards (not really lizards, they must be snakes with legs), food cut into strips, and much more! He'll keep you safe :)

Happy Mothers Day!

Today I am such a proud mom - Zack has figured out how to fart on command (yes, I really said that!) and Sydney threw such a hissy fit that she bit me tonight. How precious! Seriously, I did get a very nice gift from Alan (spa certificate!) and although it has it's ups and downs, I am truly blessed to have two wonderful kids and a supportive, loving husband. :)

Knock Knock! Who's there??...

why it's just a rock smashing around in our dryer! Sydney stashed away one of her favorite items, a large rock, in her coat and Mommy forgot to thoroughly check every single pocket for treasures. I thought that thumping sounded a little too loud to be *just* a zipper!!

The Tale of Two Jammies

After talking to our Pediatricians office, they recommended that we do not stay in his room, but we calmly place in back in bed when he gets up, reassure him, and leave his room. Ok, that sounds reasonable enough (ha!). So we get ready for a tough night of resistance last night. Trying to defuse some of the clinginess, Dad puts Zack to bed. I can hear them reading books, then rocking, and finally he is put into his bed and Dad exits the room. The screams begin... however, they stop within about 3 minutes! And surprisingly they don't continue. Dad then informs me that Zack can no longer climb out of his bed since he is back in his roomy winter jammies (he has been in a much smaller, spring 2 piece jammies due to the warm weather on vacation and at home)! We also turned on the humidifier for some "white noise". I don't think we've had such a good sleep in a long time!!

We have a climber!

Hell hath no fury greater than a toddler who doesn't get his way. Our little guy has continued his insistence on having someone staying in his room with him all during the night. And I mean *all* during the night! I sit in his bedroom until he falls alseep, and then when he wakes up screaming in the middle of the night because I'm not there, I go back and sit some more. When I try to leave when he's awake, he just gets up and climbs out of crib, to find me!
This is a "sleep separation" technique and it's supposed to help, however, I just don't think it's working. Well, I know it's not working because I have spent many nights and hours just sitting around in his room waiting for sleep, and then trying to escape unnoticed - which sometimes is not so stealth-like and the whole process begins again. Yikes. We need to find a new approach because this is getting old very fast and our whole family is cranky

Day 7 - the Princess day

Today was all about the Princess... Princess Sydney that is! We promised her a trip to the Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique if she stopped sucking her thumb. Well she did stop stop, for a while, and now and then, but the dress was bought and the appointment was made so she got to go even though she has not completely stopped. I think it's improving. She went to the salon and got a hair extension put in, and makeup put on. What a beautiful princess she was.

Grandma spoiled Sydney and Zack with several stuffed animals while they shopped. They got to go on the merry-go-round and eat some chocolate! Sydney's favorite part was strolling around Downtown Disney showing off her glamorous new look. She definitely was a princess for the day!

Day 6 - Relaxation time!

After a whirlwind week of entertainment, Friday was our day of rest. We took a trip over to Downtown Disney in the late afternoon and had dinner at the Rainforest Cafe. Of course the line was really long (2 hour wait), but even after all of that waiting, the kids had a great time looking at all of the animals while we ate dinner and they didn't seem to mind.

Day 5 - Sea World

We took a trip to Sea World in Orlando today with Grandma and Grandpa Willford. It was a good day of checking out all sorts of sea creatures. Out of all of the animals, I think the kids liked the polar bears and penguins the best. They had a really nice habitat set up for the artic animals and you could see them running around and playing. We also saw a dolphin and whale show. Both kids liked the show, but got a little fidgetity at the end. They also liked walking

through the shark "tunnel" and seeing the large fish. One of the gift shops had a cool floor which was an aquarium... and the ceiling was an aquarium too!

That night we decided to get really crazy and go see the fireworks at Epcot from the Boardwalk and Swan & Dolphin hotels. The kids did really well and had a lot of fun walking around at night. Zack was only a little frightened by the loud fireworks, but overall it was a great night!

Day 4: Clearwater Beach

After a late start, we headed for Clearwater beach today. There was a lot of traffic near Tampa, but the car ride went well - perhaps because we put a stop to the new car game "Yes" (antagonistically prompted by Sydney) and "No!" (responded loudly by Zack). We ate some lunch in the car on the way to the beach, and arrived around noon.
Clearwater was so crowded we thought we'd never find a parking spot. Eventually we did, and luckily it was a short walk to the beach. The kids had a great time playing in the sand and Sydney enjoyed the water more than Zack did - although Zack did like being carried out into the water. Around 4 pm we took a walk on the pier, and ended the day with some ice cream. The kids passed out from exhaustion shortly after our trip back home started since neither one had a nap today. We had a late dinner of pizza. Zack had a terrible time going to sleep - and he learned a new trick - how to climb out of the Pack-n-Play! We had to put him back to bed about 5 times until we eventually got him to sleep by sitting in the room until he fell asleep. Guess that's what we get for messing up the "schedule".

Day 2: Our first full day in Florida

"Oh look!" he cried, "It's 6 AM, our vacation fun must begin!"... and so it began, at 6 am when Zack woke up. Since his bedroom is right next to Sydney's, they were both up bright and early - except it sure wasn't bright yet. The sun isn't up at 6am we found out. After about an hour of wishfully faking sleep on the couches, Alan and Lisa gave in and got up and started our first day. We went over to Grandma and Grandpa's house. As the day warmed up, we went over to the clubhouse for a dip in the pool. Zack is a crazy guy his year! He just runs up to the pool edge and jumps right in! It was hard to keep up with him, running between the hot tub and the pool (not to mention not a very pleasant change in water temperature!). Sydney also had fun in the pool and didn't want to leave. However, all good things must end and we had to call it quits so we could have lunch and steal a nap after that early start to the day.
For dinner we went to a mexican restaurant that didn't exactly cater to kids. Zack ate a whole bunch of chips - all dipped in salsa, which wasn't very mild. That night Zack woke up at 2:30, 3:30 and 4:30am! At 4:30 I realized that he wasn't going back to bed without me, so I slept next to him in his room. What a night!

Day 1: The flight to Florida

Our flight to Florida actually went really, really well. Sydney enjoyed having her own seat on the plane, and Zack fell asleep for most of the flight. Then, when we woke up, they both enjoyed watching Bob the Builder on Alan's notebook. After a long car ride from the airport, we finally arrived at Grandma and Grandpa Willford's house. Eventually we made it up to our rented house (which is really nice) and called it a night. The weather was in the mid 80's today and looks like it will be nice all week.

Love is in the air!

Springtime is hit Toledo - the birds chirping, nice weather now and then, and love is in the air! Zack has his first "girlfriend" at school - a little toddler named Ellie (I think). When Zack gets to school Ellie jumps up and runs over to see him. She hugs him, kisses him and strokes his hair! awww Sydney also informed is that Aston wants to marry her :) I hope they finish preschool first.

What really counts is...

Zack is starting to learn about numbers. When Sydney started learning, her favorite number was "two". She had to have "two" of everything - two books, two sippies, two blankies. To this day she still has her mix of apple juice and orange juice in the morning and she sleeps with two blankies (most days, when she hasn't dragged every blankie in the house into her bed...). Well Zack's favorite number is "nine". When asked how many shoes he has, it's "nine!". How many fingers? "Nine!" How many cookies do you want?? "Nine!" Not to be outdone, Sydney now says that her favorite number is one hundred. :)

More Milk!!

Today Zack said his first "sentence"... well, it was actually two words, but it was a command! He said "More Milk!". I'm sure "Dad, can I have some money?" will be following soon.

Tickle my diaper!!

No comment!

Zack is back on track

We went to the Dr's today for a weight check on Zack. He was 22 lbs, 4 oz, which is actually up on the growth curve again!! yeah! All of that nagging to eat has paid off. Actually it was probably more related to the instant breakfast we have been giving him twice a day in his milk. He seems to like it, and it's got a lot of calories and protein for him. His Dr said is weight was not bad, and everything seems to be OK.

It's such a relief to know that there's nothing wrong with him, and he's back on track with his weight gain. Now if we could get rid of those ear infections we'd be all set!

Test results are in...

and they are "normal". Zack's biopsy results for Celiac Disease all came back normal and looked good. Whew! That was good news to hear. The "plan" of action now is to increase his calorie intake and to get him weighed again. Not much of a plan really, but I guess that's the key to gaining weight - no rocket science needed. We're going to give him that Carnation Instant Breakfast powder in his milk. Hopefully someday his diet will be broadened to include something other than chicken nuggets and dehydrated corn! :)

Snow! Finally!!

We had the first snowfall of the year today. That's right, actually the first real snowfall of the season, and January is almost over! It's been a pretty sucky year for snow sports around here, but at least we got to go out and enjoy it a little bit, dispite the low temperatures. Unfortunately the low temps have kept the snow from packing, so we didn't get to make a snowman. It was perfect for pulling the sled and making snow angels.

Funny words of the week

It's so cute when Sydney says "try-dangle" instead of "triangle". Zack is getting better at saying "ball" and all of his animal sounds, but still not very good at any words in general. Hope he spits some of them out soon... "bbbbbbBBBBBBBAAAAAA!!!!!" is getting very tiresome :)

more COSI...

Dancing on the keys!

COSI trip

Today we explored the fun and mystery of science! We went to COSI Toledo and had a great time. Here is a picture of Sydney and Daddy making a ball float in the kids area. Both kids had alot of fun and Mommy & Daddy did too. Us big kids got to rid across a tight rope on a bike, and become a human "yo-yo". Zack's favorite activity was pushing around a Little Tikes lawn mower. Maybe we'll have to get him one for the summer... We'll definately go again!

TRRRR BUUUU !!!!

We got Zack a plate set last night, it's a Tonka one with trucks all over it. We thought he'd really love it... little did we know that he would act like it was a book and point at the trucks all during the meal and want us to acknowledge every truck, over and over! All during dinner he just pointed at the trucks saying "TRRRR" and "BUUUU". Who'd thunk it!

Trucks!

**~~~ Happy New Year!! ~~~**

Zack just can't get enough of his trucks, cars, and tractors! Here is his intensely reading his truck book while he gets his diaper changed!