Fall Fun

Fall is upon us. Even though we're super sad to see summer go, there are plenty of things to enjoy during this beautiful season. The apples are ripe for pickin'. I'm 100% certain that Helaina eats at least 2 apples a day...whole, sliced, sliced with peanut butter, or Teta's homemade applesauce. I'm looking forward to our first seasonal visit to the orchard, and we've chosen Halloween costumes for the kids . Zachary's baptism is 1 month from now, and next weekend (I seriously can't contain my excitement), Randy and I have plans to go to Halloweekends at Cedar Point (ooooohhh yaaa)! I guess Fall isn't so bad after all...I'm definitely not ready to talk about Winter though...that's a whole different story.

We had a quick visit from the Khoury girls this week. Helaina was able to show them her new big girl bed. They all fit. Perfect for future sleepovers or just pretending and snuggling.

Helaina and Uncle Jeff's friend, Julie. We attended a birthday party today, and Helaina didn't miss a chance to have a chocolate cupcake.

Our big boy, hoovering on all fours. When will he take off?

5 months

How is it possible that 5 months have passed since we welcomed Zachary into this world. Yet, Randy and I also don't remember much of what life was like before him. Helaina continues to do really well with Zach. She's becoming an even better helper than when he was first born, and she's "playing" with him more often during the day. And Zach...well...to say he LOVES his big sister is an understatement. He practically jumps with excitement in the morning when Helaina goes to his crib, and he follows her every move and word throughout the day. The only time he gets upset with her is when she is too loud. He seems to be a little sensitive around most men and lets out a little cry when Helaina scares him.

Zachary is turning into a BIG eater. I'm not surprised though, Helaina has always had a big appetite as well. His 32 to 34 ounces of formula a day were not keeping him satisfied so he started solid foods a couple weeks ago. He didn't like the rice cereal much despite our consistent efforts, but he's been devouring oatmeal, vegetables, and fruits. Thankfully, he's continuing his good sleeping habits. He's asleep most nights by 7:30 pm and wakes sometime between 7 and 7:30 am. He takes a long nap (about 1.5 hours) in the morning, a long nap (about 2 hours) in the afternoon (the same time as Helaina!!!), and a little cap nap in the late afternoon. We've really fallen into a great routine that seems to work for everybody!

In keeping with our prediction, Zachary will probably be crawling on his own within the next month. This past week he started pushing himself up on his hands and knees, getting on all fours and staying there for a few seconds. I'm not sure we're ready to baby proof the house again, but the time will be here soon enough.

And then there's Helaina...she turned 2 1/2 years old on September 2. She often seems so grown up to us. At her request, she uses the toilet all by herself...no more Dora toilet seat, no helping with her pants, wiping, or hand washing...she's doing it all by herself and with the bathroom door shut (she asks us to "shut the door" while she's doing her business.) Her vocabulary continues to expand, and her sentences often contain numerous adjectives and adverbs, very articulate with her speaking. She enjoys a variety of activities...singing, talking, dancing, reading, coloring, using stickers, snacking, watching Dora, swinging, riding her tricycle, riding her Dora car, and playing lots of "pretend."

Randy has completed all his duties for the Wings' training camp. It was a busy two weeks as he traveled back and forth from Traverse City, but he's happy to be back home and begin preseason. I had planned to travel with him this past weekend (w/out the kids) and spend some time together "up north" but his trip was cut short due to funeral services for the late Brad McCrimmon. It was a very emotional service and another reminder of how precious and delicate life really is.

School is in session

Today was a very special day for Miss Helaina. She started her Parent/Child class at a public school near our house, the Jackson Center. On Monday mornings for an hour and a half, Helaina and I attend the class together. The class offers a variety of activities that are led by her teacher, Ms. Jeann. She has been looking forward to going to "school", especially since all her "friends" returned to school last week.

Her first art project

Ready for her snack
It was no surprise to me, that her favorite part of the class were the musical activities. She literally stops whatever she is doing and participates with 100% attention when music is involved. Her little voice melts my heart, and she actually sings in tune!!! A quality that she must have inherited from someone other than myself or Randy!

Big Girl Bed

Helaina has reached another milestone...a big girl bed! After her recent success in Valpo, Randy and I decided to capitalize on the timing. Since she's able to communicate well with us, we thought it was best to let her choose where she'd like to sleep. And like the "big girl" that she's becoming, her vote was for the "big girl" bed. After her haircut last Friday, her and I went on a mommy-daughter date to Target. She picked out a night stand and coordinating sheets for her comforter. And the verdict is in...SHE LOVES IT! We are so proud of you Helaina!

And the madness begins! Randy is set to travel to Traverse City, MI for the first of two weekend trips. Rookie training camp this weekend. Veterans training camp next weekend. A few short weeks later, the hockey season will be in full swing and his hours at work will multiply.

On a more serious note, our thoughts and prayers are with the McCrimmon and Salai families as the hockey world learned of their tragic death earlier this morning. Rusty Salai had a baby girl this past spring, just 1 month prior to the birth of Zachary, and now she'll never get the chance to know her daddy. So thankful this evening for every beautiful blessing God has given us.

Zoo Date with Daddy

Today, Randy and Helaina had a daddy-daughter date at the Detroit Zoo. Thanks to Uncle Omar, we are enjoying a family membership to the Detroit Zoo till June 30, 2012. Unfortunately, this is only the second time this year that Helaina has been there. We had hopes of going more often, but the zoo is open year round so we'll be back again soon!

Me: "Helaina, how was the zoo?"

Helaina: "Really good! We saw looots of animals and we watched a movie."

Helaina and Randy were the train conductors. She brought home two conductor hats, 1 for her and 1 for Zachary.

Amazed by the seals in the arctic tunnel

She saw Dora in 4-D. According to Helaina and Randy, it was awesome! Movies in 4-D provide smell, real rain drops, and several other special effects related to the senses.

The kids in our neighborhood go back to school tomorrow. I'm relatively certain that Helaina is going to have withdrawals. It will be very interesting to see how we'll occupy our time together without 5 kids in our yard at any given time throughout the day.