Halloween 2011

Living the holidays through the eyes of our children is a beautiful thing! We've had a great couple of days.

Helaina resumed swimming classes this past Saturday, and Zachary joined his first class! It's an excuse to get out of the house during the winter months and some good, quality family time. Pictures to follow...momma remembered everything but the camera.

On Sunday, we spent the afternoon and evening with the Khoury family. We attended our first Zoo Boo at the Detroit Zoo, and the kids enjoyed every candy-filled minute.

This morning, Helaina had a Harvest Party at her class. She dressed as Dora the Explorer. See a resemblance?

Najeeb was dressed for the occasion! This one is for you Uncle Omar...thanks for sharing him with us.
Dora and Bootsie...Zachary was a trooper. Next year he'll be walking the streets of our neighborhood with his sister.
A fun-filled evening with Teta and Seedy
Dora, Bootsie, and Cinderella (Isabella)
It's possible that Helaina is going to have quite the stomach ache this evening. She LOVES SUGAR. It's scary. We trick-or-treated in our neighborhood this evening, and Helaina brought home pounds of candy. The candy is on lock-down and soon to be donated. Happy Halloween to all!

Zachary's Baptism Weekend

We are just now winding down from our weekend filled with some very special events. On Friday, Zachary had his 6 month well visit at the pediatrician. He is weighing in at 20 lbs 1 oz and is 27 1/2 inches long. He received a good report and took the shots like the little man that he is.

We had several family members travel from Indiana for Zachary's Baptism on Sunday. My brother, Nathan, was one of the out-of-town guests and attended his first Red Wings game on Friday evening. Wings won, 5-2, and a great time was had by all!

On Sunday, Zachary was Baptized at our church. The Godmother is Randy's cousin, Rana, and the Godfather is my brother, Nathan. It was a touching service followed by a beautiful and delicious luncheon at The Dearborn Inn. A heartfelt thank you to Randy's parents for hosting such a special lunch in honor of their grandson!

Several pictures from the Baptismal service...



Zachary's Great-Grandpa McGinley and Great-Grandma McGinley were part of the crew that made the trip from Indiana. We couldn't be more touched by their willingness and effort to share in our special day!

Helaina and her good friend, Isabella

Zachary opening his Baptism gifts
Thank you, Thank you, Thank you to our family and friends who continue to make these moments in our lives so special! We love each and every one of you!

Another Week

Zachary turned 6 months old on Sunday. He has his 6 month well visit at the pediatrician this coming Friday. Haven't kept up with his height and weight since his last visit (2 months ago), but I think he's still growing like a weed. He's grown out of most of his 9 month clothes and fits more comfortably in 12 month. He's beginning to sit unassisted for longer periods of time. He is changing everyday. Zachary doesn't like to be alone for very long, and "stranger danger" is definitely starting. He wants to have something in his mouth all the time...it may be the process of teething or just a very oral phase. His baptism is this Sunday, and we are excited to celebrate with many friends and family that plan to attend!
This past Sunday, we attended Alina's 2nd birthday party. Helaina, Isabella, and Alina are special friends, probably more like sisters. Helaina knows the directions to Mark and Christina's new house, and recognizes the entrance to their subdivision. It's quite exciting that Zachary will have a playmate when Baby Boy Khoury arrives in December.

Birthday Girl, Alina

Yep, that's our daughter, licking every inch of frosting off the birthday cake

Before school this past Monday

And He's Crawling

5 months, 3 weeks old and our son is crawling. It's slow and not exactly a "crawl", more like a "frog hop", but he's moving to where he wants to go. We lowered the crib mattress this morning because he pulls himself over to the railing and peeks his little head over the edge. We now have 2 children on the move.

Zach spends a fair amount of time in his jumper. In the morning, he often jumps himself to sleep.

Going, going...
Gone!

Nolan's 2nd Birthday

This past weekend, Helaina and I had a wonderful mommy-daughter road trip to Indianapolis to celebrate Nolan's second birthday. Randy and his parents then had the opportunity for a little bonding time at home with Zachary.

Helaina and I left Friday around midday. Surprisingly, both drives, there and back, went really well. We brought out the portable DVD player for the first time, and it was a hit. Over 2 hours of Dora were watched, a couple naps, some snacks, a little singing, and no meltdowns! Helaina had hours of playtime with her friends, Nolan and Aiden, and I spent quality time with my closest girl friends. The Cobb family kindly hosted us at their home for the weekend, and we are very thankful for the hospitality.

The Birthday Boy



Nolan's birthday party was a hit with the kids! The party was held at a showroom for outdoor play equipment. There were trampolines, basketball hoops, tree houses, big slides, little slides, swings, climbing walls...everything these 2 year old kids dream of!

Dinosaur themed party.

Happy 2nd Birthday Nolan! We love you and every minute of our time spent with you this weekend!

Another Fall Week

Finally, a week of beautiful weather! We are taking advantage of every second of this gorgeous fall weather! Earlier this week, we met Auntie Abla at an orchard near our home.

Zachary is almost sitting by himself and just days/weeks away from learning to crawl across the floor. He gets up on all fours and then rocks himself back and forth but hasn't yet realized how to get going. Helaina has been an amazing big sister! She adores her little brother.

Wagon Ride
We didn't think it was possible, but Helaina gets funnier by the day! We're shocked at some of the things that come out of her mouth.

Neighborhood Kids: "Helaina, do you want to watch a movie?"

Helaina: "No. The Doctor says I watch too much t.v."

Kids to me, "When did Helaina go to the Doctor?"

Me: "She didn't."

Emann and Rana were visiting last night, and Helaina asked them to help put her to bed.

Helaina hugs Rana and says, "Goodnight. You smell."

I say to Helaina, "That's not very nice. Mommy thinks that Rana smells like flowers."

Helaina: "Emann you smell like flowers. Rana you smell bad."

WHAT?!?! How do you even begin to prepare to respond to these things as a parent?

Bad Weather

From our previous post, one could probably sense our (mostly me) extreme excitement for the upcoming Cedar Point trip. I should have known better than to count on the weather to cooperate. We do live in the Midwest, and it is October.

On a positive note, Randy and I spent over 12 hours of quality time together and really enjoyed the company of our good friends, Jeff and Julie. However, the day didn't go exactly as planned. 4 hours spent in the car, $40.00/person admittance into the park, temperatures hovering around 45 degrees, wind gusts up to 35 mph, standing (aka freezing) in long lines because ONLY 4 roller coasters were open in the park due to inclement weather and high winds...not exactly the trip we had hoped for. Randy is convinced he is going to get walking pneumonia, and I am still pouting today because I have yet to ride Top Thrill Dragster after 3 trips to the park.

I'm going to be a mature adult and move on, but it may take a few days. Thankfully Helaina and I have a visit planned next weekend to Indianapolis to celebrate Nolan's 2nd birthday! Indianapolis or BUST!

Jeff and Julie
Forcing a smile!

This beach sure looked different 2 months ago when we were there with Helaina!

My helpers when I'm cooking dinner during the week!