If I didn't think she'd kill him, I would have grabbed the camera. . .

I wish I had pictures to go along with my Thursday night with the kids, but seriously there would have been an accident had I left to grab the camera.

Tyler had an open house at his school, so I got to spend the evening with the kids. Zoey was in good spirits and in a very helpful mood. During supper, Zoey felt the need to feed Zander his yogurt. So she took the spoon from me (here is where I thought it could be a nice picture moment) and jammed it in his mouth (here is where I decided I shouldn't leave the room). Zoey kept feeding him, but we worked on the term "gentle."

After Zander was sufficiently covered in yogurt. It was time to go into the bath. Again, Zoey was my right hand girl. She was there to wash Zander by continuously pouring water over the poor boy's head and insisted that she be the one to wipe him down with the washcloth. (At no point did I even think about going to get the camera, but there were a few cute moments in the chaos that was bathtime.)

Bedtime was oh so sweet. . .

One Jealous Granddaughter!

Grandma and Grandpa are currently traveling back from their vacation in Florida. They were there visiting my grandparents but took a day to visit Disneyworld to say hi to some of Zoey's favorite characters. I showed her Grandma and Grandpa's blog this morning, after I had discovered the pictures and she she was just amazed that they were standing next to the same characters she reads about and watches on TV. Glad you had a great time!

(I stole these pictures from their blog to share. . .)

Timon and Rafiki

Grandpa with Aurora ("Sleeping Beauty")

Their fairy godmother

Homecoming 2008!

It was homecoming week at Mahtomedi this week, so I picked up the kids from daycare and brought them back to school to watch the parade. Before the parade began we hung out in my classroom. Zander climbed right up into a seat and had a snack.

Zander was fascinated by our alphabet chart, prompting both kids to use the pointers to read the poster. Must be in the genes!

Mary did Zoey's hair--I think it is so cute! Zoey has never even let me try to fix her hair. Now she says that only Mary can do it.

Zoey was excited that her old daycare friend Justice was at the parade.

She was also very excited to see "her Annie." Annie takes care of kids from time to time. Zoey and Zander really like being with her.

Check out Zander's eyes as he is fawned over by all the girls.

I have never set out to take similar pictures of the kids. But every once in a while, I take a picture of Zander that reminds me of a picture I took of Zoey. We moved our couch away from the railing by the stairs, now that Zander is a full blown dare-devil. I made it into a little book/toy corner. Zander found it right away and has sat there a few times today to look at books.
Here is Zoey at around the same age looking at books by the bookshelf in her old room.

Mommy's Birthday

Zoey is all about the birthdays. All weekend she kept telling me about all the people she wanted to invite to my party this year. Cousin Kylie and Godfather David will be happy to know they were at the top of her list! I told Zoey (as I did last year) that I just wanted a nice family dinner for my birthday. But, to make her happy, I did take some balloons from school and bought some cupcakes to help make it seem more "party" like.

This morning as we were getting ready for the day, I told Zoey that I had to go to work. She looked at me and said, "No, Mommy! It's your birthday. You should stay home and clean."

Look What Zander Can Do Now!

Labor Day

For Labor Day we invited Nana, Poppa, Auntie Tammy, and Uncle Eric over for dinner. Zoey was in rare form as she entertained us all with her off the wall antics. She had so much energy she didn't even know how to control it! We did however all convene around the Wii later on in the evening and bonded over Wii Fit. Everyone got a chance to take a turn on the ski jump--even Zoey. The video is her doing the ski jump--check out her face! She was also the biggest cheerleader for everyone else quoted as saying, "Yeah! He's good at ski jump!" and "Yeah! You didn't turn into a snowball!" (Zoey is used to trying her best and turning into a snowball.) and as everyone burst out laughing with Zoey during one of her turns, "I'm having a funny week!"

Yes, Zoey you are having a funny week! I love and cherish your sense of humor.

A Day in the Park and 13 Month Update

Yesterday we went to Pioneer Park in Stillwater to meet some friends for a picnic lunch. We didn't tell Zoey who we were meeting--it was a surprise. She was so happy that it was her old daycare friend Sean. The thing that amazing me about Sean and Zoey are that they just always seem to pick up where they left off. They play shy for maybe a minute and then just start telling jokes and stories that only they understand. It turns out that they both love sitting in the purple chairs below--so it was a perfect match. I love this picture. We didn't know where they were and found that they were telling each other stories in these chairs. (A totally candid shot--I snuck up on them.)

The rest of our Saturday we spent at home, playing out in the backyard and the screen porch. Tyler and Zoey made rainbows with the garden hose.Zander sat and watched. Look at his excitement!

Zander does enjoy hanging out on the porch with me. He climbs all over and plays with his toys.

Zoey took her camera out tonight and took some pictures.

She wanted one of her pictures on the blog--isn't it lovely?

Zoey wanted to tell a bedtime story to Zander before we put him to bed. She is a fabulous story teller. Below is the video. The quality isn't great (we need to get a bigger memory card)
but the sound is good.

In other news. . .here is a quick update on what Zander is all about at 13 months 2 weeks:

• Zander is on the brink of walking. . .he took 2.5 steps on his own tonight.
  
• Zander is learning and using baby sign. He can sign 'thank you', 'milk/drink', 'please', 'more'.
  
• He can say a version of "Thank You", "Bye, bye", "Dada", "Mama."
• He sampled peanut butter yesterday and did fine with it.
• He is still the most smily content baby I know of (just like her big sister was at that age!)
  

Who can nap when the State Fair is going on?

This year, Grandma and Grandpa Nyhlen came down again to take Zoey to the fair. (Don't worry, Zander, I will make sure that you get to go with them next year!) The trio left this morning at around 9:30 and didn't return home until about 8 pm. Zoey was full force for most of the day. When she returned home, she was a dirty ball of energy! As of 10:10 this evening she finally talked herself to sleep. When I asked her about the fair, she had a lot to tell me. She went on the alligators, and the swing ride, touched a baby pig, ate a ton of fair food, played with some kids, went shopping, and so on, and so on. . . Here are some pictures from her day. Thank you for taking Zoey to the fair! I can tell she really enjoyed it!

A Name Change?

Mommy: Hey Zander, how are you doing?
Zoey: Hi Zander! I don't like that name anymore.
Mommy: Well what should we call him instead?
Zoey: Umm. . .Bogey.
Mommy: Where did you come up with that name?
Zoey: From my heart.

Summer is coming to an end. . .

I have learned a lot about myself this summer as I have stayed home with two kids for most of the summer. Here are a few of my insights. . .

• I am not as patient as I thought I was.
• Nap time is the best thing ever invented.
• I love singing with my kids. Zoey is a hoot! (I do however need to broaden the genre of music. I am a little sick of my Aladdin CD.)
  
• Routine is key.
• Play dates and good friends and family are sanity savers!
• Good daycare providers should be put on a pedestal and admired--all I know is that I couldn't do that job.

Zander has become quite the helper.

He shaved it off right after the picture--thank goodness!

The little princess.

Uh-oh!