While Kyle is sleeping...

While Kyle is sleeping, Zach and I like to PLAY!

(p.s. this is not typically where Kyle sleeps, it was just a kinda funny picture)

The other day Zach decided we should pull out our costume box. I collected a whole bucket-load of costumes after Halloween and he really hasn't shown too much interest. Finally, he has decided that dressing up is a fun and silly way to play. I tried to catch pictures of each costume change but they happened so rapidly I wasn't able to keep up. We started with a cowboy, then went on to a puppy...
Followed by a giraffe, a monster, a policeman and culminating in a series of super heroes. Specifically the robots of Transformers.
He even let me join in the fun! I thought it was pretty funny how he would take on each character for just a few minutes, run around the room barking or growling, and then hurry back to try on the next. Finally he went back to the giraffe he wore at Halloween and ended up wearing that until nap time later that afternoon.

Happy Birthday Zach!

Since I'm still playing catchup I'm just going to keep working backwards. Here's some pictures from Zach's birthday party at Grandma's house in Idaho. Since Jason was already back in Illinois we turned to modern technology so that he could still be a part of the celebrations. I hope that Zach enjoyed his day and that all of his wishes come true.

We started with Norwegian pancakes for breakfast as usual and then brought out some presents. Zach got just what he was asking for, Team Geo-Trax! Specifically, Samuel and Steamer.
Kyle promptly ate one of the train drivers and went on playing as if there wasn't a small toy guy hanging out of his mouth.
Kyle makes a pretty good present himself.
Grandma decorated a fancy schmancy train cake. I'm not sure it could have been more perfect. Zach LOVED it.

Especially the coal tender, complete with coal!

It was fun to be able to celebrate with all of his cousins.
Kyle was a bit apprehensive about the cake at first.
But he polished off his first piece pretty quickly.
And then dug into another.

Attitude of Gratitude: Friends from the Past

This picture is a bit of a blast from the past (the warmer days of October long past) but I don't think I posted it and I really do like this picture.
On finding out we were moving to Springfield we also found out that we were not alone in this new adventure. We were going to be joined by some friends from waaaaaay back in Rexburg. We actually hadn't really talked to them since we moved away to Milwaukee for school. Not only that but the Moss family even had a little boy that was only a month older than Zach. Perfect!

Jason has been good friends with Jake since high school. I get along great with Mandi, a fellow crafter/party-er/reader/twilight fan, and now our boys have begun to strike up a great friendship. They have their rocky moments, as do most any nearly-three year olds with interests in the same toys. (We're still working on sharing) But once and a while we catch little moments like this one. Zach asks to play with Kempton daily and though our schedule won't quite allow for daily play-dates, we really do have a lot of fun together.

Jake, Mandi, and Kempton: We're sure glad you came to Springfield and we're even more glad that you're our friends!

Flashback Friday

So that you can see what I meant when I said I didn't think Kyle needed a haircut yet... Here's Zach just before HIS first hair cut at 5 months old.

Puddles

When visiting the park, beware of Puddles!!!

Zach started out just running through the puddle. Then, he tripped and it was all over!

Eggs in a Nest

A few years back I picked up a pack of easter egg shaped chalk in the after easter clearance. Now that we have a good sized area to draw on we've pulled them out and Zach has enjoyed all kinds pretending. His favorite, which means we have to re-draw it every time it rains, is the nest. He MUST keep his chalk eggs in their nest.

Yes, I realize he looks a little "special" here with his half swollen eye and helmet. He wanted to wear the helmet so that he could be "safe" and as soon as he had it on his head he started running around in circles saying he could be "speedy" now that he was "safe". The eye, well, that's explained in the next post.
"That's the ORANGE egg mom!"
Here's your up close shot of the eggs all nice and cozy in their nest. I wonder when they'll hatch?

Another Mosquito bite

I guess Zach is a teeny tiny bit allergic to mosquitoes.

Ya Think!

(don't worry, it didn't slow him down a bit)

Sneaky Cheese!

While we were having quesadillas the other day, I mistakenly left the cheese a bit too close to Zach. While my back was turned he swiped it from the table and dug in. YUMM!!

Zach's Urgent Care Adventure

Did you know that a simple mosquito bite can be dangerous? That you can end up making a late night trip to urgent care for antibiotics? I didn't!!

I didn't really think much of it when Zach woke up from his nap Wednesday night and his leg looked like this...

(yes his toes are painted red... he informed me that pink polish is for girls and red is for boys and then insisted that I paint his big toes- but that's not what this post is about so, moving on...)

I just figured it was a nasty reaction to a mosquito and that it would die down. I did notice that his swollen leg was hard, red and pretty warm to the touch so I pointed it out to Jason. He immediately told me to call the doctor and go in that night. Apparently, it's called cellulitus and it's an infection that sometimes can move really fast and be very painful. Luckily, we caught it in the early stages and were able to get some antibiotics in him. that night. Hooray for having a handy hubby!

bubbles

OH what joy a boy can have with just a few simple bubbles! I LOVE this picture and it turned out totally by accident. It's a bit of a challenge sometimes to take pictures of speedy preschoolers.

We tried to make home made bubbles the other day but they didn't work out. Good thing we still had some regular bubbles to play with.
Zach mostly just spit on the bubble wand.
Or he spit away from the bubble wand. Either way, he didn't produce a lot of bubbles. But he still had a good time and we were both covered in soapy bubble solution by the time we came back inside.

S-s-snake!

We were at the zoo a while back and while perusing their gift shop I spotted these giant fleece snakes. Part of me wished I could buy one because I knew Zach would think it was so fun. Then I thought better of it. Why couldn't I just MAKE one? So when I ended up stumped trying to come up with an idea for a friend's birthday, I remembered those snakes and I got to work.

It wasn't until I finished making that snake that I realized just what a hit it would be.

Zach couldn't be separated from it. We wrapped it around him and he giggled and giggled.

Then he started to run around and around our island trying to attack me with it. (please ignore the unswept floor and cluttered counters, and yes... one of my drawers is missing. High quality I tell you, it's broken into pieces in the other room. I'm hoping some wood glue will salvage it... sorry for the tangent)
So I quickly got to work making another one for our friend down the street. I hope he has as much fun with it as Zach has with his. He has been sleeping with it every night, right along side his 25 cent pound puppy.

State Fair Playground

I think it's a bit funny that we went to the fair, paid admission and everything and I'm pretty sure this was Zach's favorite part. A tiny little playground with nothing but a slide. We had just taken him to get his face painted (he requested the ladybug... on his face, not his arm. Oh so masculine) Then as we were leaving he decided he needed to "take a rest" and he plopped down right here with his juice to rest for a minute. I thought it was pretty cute.
He has a bad habit of sucking on his bottom lip so we've been trying to get him to stop by telling him to stick his lip out. This is the face we get...
Apparently he was concerned about something, I love the furrowed eyebrows. ; )
And here's his last slide of the day before we all headed for the car.
(Kyle was in attendance but was, once again, zonked out in the stroller)

The Big Yellow Slide ("with bumps"- Zach)

We went to the State Fair on Tuesday. It was another adventure between naps for Jason. I was so glad he got to come with us and I know it was tough since he probably should have been sleeping. We had a blast though. The big event of the day was that Zach and I took on the GIANT YELLOW SLIDE! I've always wanted to go on the big slide but was always too nervous and the lines were always way too long at the Wisconsin Fair, not to mention we are generally too cheap for such things. This time, there wasn't any line at all. So we splurged and went twice.

It was quite a hike to get to the top but we made it.

Now I realize these are a bunch of pictures that are almost identical to each other but I just love to see Zach's face in each one. Sheer Joy!
And for me, maybe a little bit of terror... I am quite afraid of heights you know!


Worth Every Penny!!!

Picnic at the Park

Since Jason has been working nights we've been trying to make good use of the few hours we have with him. Yesterday, he woke up just in time for a picnic at the park.

(i love the tip toes)

Ooooo! A butterfly!

P.S. Kyle was present but he slept through the while thing in his stroller. Poor kid always seems to be left out of these posts.

Basement train tracks

Here's a little peak at our basement. This is how it looks... always! It's Zach's little hideaway. Someday we might clean it up and make it into a usable space for the rest of us but for now Zach is in heaven. He's got a huge flat area that he can build his train tracks to his hearts content.

Freecycle trains

Did I mention that I love freecycle? What? Only a million times???

We LOVE freecycle!

Zach got these trains from freecycle a little while back and he hasn't been able to stop playing with them since. When I pulled them out he was SO excited he sat and named the all for me. He even knew the more obscure ones that only show up once and a while. I was totally surprised!