Happy St Patrick's Day!

So far Zach has thoroughly enjoyed his green eggs. (sorry no ham! we were out)

Teryn Original

I don't usually consider myself to be a very creative person. I always say that I'm just really good at copying other people's good ideas. (Thus my obsession with crafty blogs- as seen to the side and in the "blogs I follow")

This one though, this one I came up with myself!

I'm not saying I think NOBODY has ever done this before. I'm sure they have. I'm just saying I haven't seen them personally and so haven't copied them.

I'm actually kinda proud. (in a non-sinful kind of way of coarse)

It helps that I have a dang cute little boy! This is to celebrate 1 year and I plan on hanging it in Zach's room. This may actually be considered our first bit of real decor in our home. Art you could say- though I'm not sure I would consider myself and artist- NO WAY!

Anywhoo- that's my creation. Wa La!

The Domes

Today we went to visit the Domes downtown. They are these giant domes (duh!) that house gardens from different climates of the world so that you can experience the beautiful plants from those places. They have free entrance for Milwaukee county residents on Monday mornings so we were excited to take advantace of some free fun!
It was also the last week that the Lego exhibit would be there. What could be better than trains and foliage right?

Here's the ceiling- it actually made me a little dizzy to look up at it.

Here you can see the next dome through the windows. Plus- I just liked the picture.

Zack was totally enthralled with the trains and would jump up and down pointing and grunting like a monkey whenever they came by.

Here's Chicago- Lego Style

Here's Zach literally drooling over the trains.

We saw cactus in the desert dome- these are Barrel Cacti.

We saw grapefruit, cocoa, and BANANAS in the tropical dome.

And some pretty cool flowers to.

All in all I think it was a really fun trip. Until Zach sat on his milk and it popped open spilling all over his stroller, and his bum. I guess that was our signal that it was time to go home. We both enjoyed it very much and I think we just might have to make it a regular experience.

Seasons Change

Remember this picture taken not so very long ago?

Same place, same kid- totally different picture!
For one, the obvious- no more beautiful golden leaves. and lush green backdrop. Sad.
BUT! See those long shadows? and the lack of giant coat on the small child?

That means spring is here. The sun is out! The Snow is gone and we are finally outsite playing once more.

Other major difference? No more mom hiding behind the tree. Man that kid is growing up so much!

Day at the Park

It's our first trip to the park for this year and Zack is thrilled to finally get some fresh air. This was especially fun since he is old enough now to be able to really enjoy all of the joys the park has to offer.

There's the trailer:
The Swing (tons of giggles found there):

The Tube:

The Sliiiiiiiiiiiiiide!

And this neat bar that was really fun to walk along.

"You want to go home now? No way! What is this strange feeling- I found Sand!"

Despite the apparent grimace- Zack thouroghly enjoyed himself. He left little trails through the sand all around the playground and he hurried to examine each new toy.

I love spring!!

The Grandparents visit

(By Zack)
This last weekend my grandparents came to visit from Idaho. We were so excited. They were on a business trip and took an extra long "layover" so that they could spend a couple of days with thier youngest grandson.

First I showed them my new favorite game on the computer.
"Baby Smash"- it's a free download that locks your keyboard to only play shapes, letters and music. I love to sit nicely and play baby smash for extended periods of time. (Gives mom a nice break)

Don't you dare take away my keyboard!

Then Grandma took me for a walk around the living room.

Around and around and around... until I finally fell asleep


With my bear of course.

Grandpa wanted a picture for his wall of grandkids.

TICKLE FIGHT!!

After all the fun I was so pooped I needed a nap.

We had to take Grandma and Grandpa to the airport in Chicago. It was a looooong drive but mom kept me entertained by giving me a chocolate chip granola bar to eat while I watched lion king. Dad tied our portable DVD player onto the back of the seat so that I could lounge in my chair while enjoying some great films. It was like traveling first class!

Then we got home and mom put me straight into the bath. I wonder, why the hurry?

P.S. more pics to come- we also went to the Jelly Belly factory but mom needs to find the pictures.

Poor Zack

Poor Zack...
He's an only child...
He has no sisters...

So who gets to help mom model her newest creations?
Poor child!

The good news is that mom actually sold a tutu... to someone she didn't even know... through Craigslist!

Hooray!

These are a few of my favorite things...

Zack wants to grow up to be just like his dad. His favorite thing to do every day is to crawl around searching for dad's stuff so he can wear it. Every tie that is within reach is promptly thrown around his neck. The moment Jason walks in the door Zack demands to be given dad's nametag and stethascope. As soon as he has them around his neck he beams with such pride.

In this picture he actually has three of dad's ties on and a bell necklace. He is always wearing those bells, he puts them on himself every day. I guess it's alright because I always know where he is!

Also pictured is Zack's newest toy. It's yet another Craig's list find. It's a walker/scooter and it plays music. I happened to check the listings just as it was being posted and I am so glad! I'm planning on listing our other walker from christmas because I'll probably be able to pay for both toys by selling one of them. Awsome!

Walker- $8 regular $30

Walker/scooter- $3 regular $30-40

I figure if I sell the walker for ten bucks we'll be happy. Goodness- I could give it away and stll be ahead of the game. Both of them are basically brand new.

It's perfect because Jason's parents wanted to get Zack a scooter for his birthday. They told me to pick one out but I just couldn't justify the cost. Now they've given him a scooter AND a walker for basically nothing.

I love deals!

Buddies

How cute are these two boys?

This is Zack and his buddy Kevin from our ward. They were taking turns so nicely with the car and then we decided to see if we could fit them both in together. It was a tight squeeze but they seemed to enjoy it. Kevin did the driving and Zack just sat back and smiled. At one point he even put his arm around Kevin's neck like they were old pals. It was really cute.



Look at those Blue eyes! All four of them!



I just love blue eyes.

Zack's first Car

Grandma Gundersen wanted to get Zack a new car for his birthday so we've been watching for just the right one. Finally, I found a fantastic deal on Craigslist and we just couldn't pass it up.
It's a little faded and the stickers are peeling off but Zack doesn't know the difference. I have a feeling this is going to be a well loved vehicle for years to come.

Oh! And there's that oh, so precious, "smile" again!

He Sleeps!

Now that Zack is a year old and it's been... oh... a year and 3 months or so since my last full night's sleep, I decided it was finally time to take that step and let Zack start sleeping on his own. (those extra 3 months were when I was giant and couldn't sleep because of my giant kicking belly)

A few months back we attempted to let him go to sleep on his own but after a lot of tears and grief- I gave up. I caved. He won! I went back to waking up every 2-3 hours to breastfeed and rock him back to sleep. Since then, I just couldn't bring myself to try again.

Then, last week I was visiting with some of the ladies in my ward at our "Mom-n-Tot" activity. They assured me that it would be OK and I was not a bad mom if I let him cry for a while.

So, I prepared myself for some long nights. Jason even went and bought some ear plugs so he would still be able to survive his rotations. Thursday night was the night... 9:00 came... we read 3 stories... I put him into bed...........

It worked!!!!!

He cried for no more than 15 minutes. I was actually watching the clock the whole time and if he had cried for one more minute I was done. I was like a runner, waiting for the race to start but the gun never went off. He was crying and then, suddenly, he wasn't!

He only woke up once that night. I sat in my room again, ready for the clock to run out on his crying time but once again he went back to sleep in under 15 minutes. Since then it's been smooooooth sailing.

Don't get me wrong, he still wakes up. He just only wines for a minute or two and goes right back to sleep.

I'm such a proud mom!!!!

My little boy is growing up! He learned to sleep!

I feel like I can now take on the world- I have conquered the non-sleeping child.

A new "Smile"

What happened to my sweet little baby. With the barely audible cry, sleeping through most of the day, being completely content to sit on my lap and gaze into my eyes.

What happened to cuddling in the rocking chair, toothless grins, and being entertained by every little thing that came into view.

That was then, this is now:


I know what it looks like but really, we think this is a smile. This has become the face we see when he finds a toy he really likes, or when dad does something funny. This is even the face he gave to the nice check out person at home depot tonight.

I think this might be the beginning of many awkward school pictures.

Oh dear...

Phobia

Zack has a new phobia... the doorbell!

You may remember some of my past posts/stories of things Zack has been terrified of. Skeletons, the can opener, vacuum, etc. etc. etc. Well, we haven't really had any episodes for a while. At least not until just recently.

.

Now, everytime our doorbell rings Zack becomes physically shaken. Crying out and crawling away as fast as he possibly can. He knocks things over and crawls over everything that stands in his way. He just HAS TO get away from the dreaded doorbell.

Yesterday, Jason came home for lunch and then after he left to go back to school he realized he had left his nametag. He turned around but didn't have his key so he rang the doorbell and then knocked. A great habit he has to try and get my attention. Unfortunately, this time Zack was sitting just a few feet from the door pulling things out of boxes- a favorite task of his.

.

He wigged out!

.

I'm not saying just a usual baby cry, or even a hurt feelings cry- this was histerics!

It was like he was sure some monster was going to burst through that door and gobble him up. He couldn't get away fast enough.

.

We are starting doorbell therapy now. We show him the doobell and how it works. We let him push the button. Still, I think it's going to be a while before he's comfortable with it.

Gotta love that kid.

Future "Brace Face"

I've had a few other pictures in this blog that have shown my goofy kid's offset jaw but this one might just take the cake. He has started this habit of shifting his jaw from one side to the other when he is concentrating. It's actually kinda comical to watch. I just have to wonder what kind of dental work we are going to end up shelling out for him when he grows up.

Zack's first Sledding experience.

Weeeeeeeee!
For an Arizona girl I think I was pretty brave to take on this monster of a hill outside our friend's appartment.

But you won't see me denying my son his first and last opportunity for sledding this year.

I'm just that cool of a mom.

OK- I'm a total panzy! And the hill wasn't really a hill but more of a "slight decline"- but it was sure fun!

NEW BLOG!

So, Jason has been getting pretty irritated at my inclusion of "other junk" on our family blog so I am FRANCHISING! No, I guess that's not the word. I just moved some of my energies to another location. So, check the side bar for the link to my new blog, Teryn's Treats (possible name change may be comming, it's a work in progress). It's not been cutified yet, it's pretty rough but you can get an idea of what I'm going for. I'm thinking, cooking, frugality, some crafts and family fun. Basically it's my mommy forum, for stuff that's not exactly Zack related. Go check it out and let me know if you have any ideas of what else I could do with my new place.

Bathtime

I always love those cute shots of kids enjoying thier baths, but woe... up until now I have not had the guts to post any of mine. THIS is why....
No, not the sad faced kid in the center of the photo. The background. That yucky, icky black streak that screams out from behind a precious picture of a squeaky clean little boy. Yes, his face does reflect my own opinion of the bathtub situation as it stood.

NOW... before you judge. I do actually clean my bathroom on occasion. I really do! This streak was due to a badly sealed silicone job long before we moved here. I tried everything, I bleached, I scrubbed. Even Jason, the cleaning GURU was unable to conquer the black plague. Much to my dismay it was actually getting WORSE! Whatever little mold gremlin that had snuck itself under the silicone was multiplying.

Finally we took matters into our own hands. (My "we" I mean- I begged and Jason did the leg work.) I cleaned the bathtub real good and then Jason scraped out all of the old silicone and replaced it with new- black FREE- silicone.

Now I can go hog wild with the happy bathtub scenes as such...

MUCH Better right?

And once again, Zack's face reflects my own feelings on the bathroom situation. He's all smiles!

Superbowl Sunday