Swim Class

Just a quick update... It's been relatively quiet around our house, which is nothing to complain about! We've spent the last couple weeks doing some spring cleaning to get ready for Zachary's 1st birthday party that is taking place this weekend. The first of our company is arriving tomorrow afternoon, and Helaina is counting down the days till she gets to see her visitors.

As of tonight, Helaina has finally become comfortable in her swim class without Randy or myself present. It was much more difficult of a transition than I had expected, but after persistence and a great swim instructor, class was a success. The skills and swimming were never an issue, but the separation anxiety was tense. Not the typical behavior we're used to seeing from Helaina, but after a few rough weeks, our girl is back!



Zachary spent a few hours with his friend, Matthew Khoury, this past Sunday. He was SO EXCITED to see another little man and so close in age! So excited that he eventually bit Matthew's foot after he finished groping and squeezing his face. Poor Matthew...our little bear is just that, a bear. Zachary doesn't quite understand "gentle", but we'll keep working on it.

11 months

Spring?!? Summer?!? Whatever you choose to call it, we are lovin' it! Zachary is a little over 11 months old and our sweet baby boy is really no longer a baby anymore. He's transforming into a toddler right before our eyes. He took his first steps several weeks ago and those little steps are turning into walks across the room or across the yard. He climbs stairs, situates himself to go down the slide, and then crawls up for more. His vocabulary consists of "mama", "dada", "Naina", and "ga". Zach usually says "ga" when he's trying to tell us something important...it's adorable.

He started whole milk in a sippy cup this week during his lunch feeding and did rather well. We'll slowly take away a bottle/feeding a week until we're bottle free around his first birthday! BOTTLE FREE...we're ecstatic just typing those words!

His upcoming birthday is a bittersweet occasion for both Randy and me. Zach is quite the charmer and it just pulls at our heart strings to see him reaching all these milestones so quickly. Not much else to report, just loving being outside these days!

SPRING?!?

All of you reading this blog have probably been enjoying the same beautiful weather that we've experienced for the past few days. Is it true, could Mother Nature be this good this year?!? Could spring be here already? Of course I have no idea, but what I do know is that we have been outside every waking moment and it's been awesome!!!

Zach has now grown into the tricycle

Is this really our daughter? The toddler turned preschooler and it happened in a blink of an eye. With a helmet and knee pads, she's fearless on her new scooter. She's been having a blast.

Our Christmas presents from my parents. A new bike for me (pretty purple color), a tune-up for Randy, and a bike trailer for the kids. Not exactly the leisurely bike rides I recall from a few years ago, and I love it! A great way to squeeze in a daily workout and some fresh air for all of us.
So cheers to all of you enjoying this early spring-like weather!

Pajama Day

Today was P.J. Day at Helaina's preschool. Once a week, for an hour and half, Helaina and I attend a mommy and me class at a local preschool. It's been such a blessing to share this time with Helaina each week. She took Bunny Sue along with, and together, they enjoyed a big pajama party!
Of course our daughter spends most of the time in middle of the room next to a few other kids. Lap time with mom has never been one of her favorite activities. None the less, she enjoys the story time part of the class.

Our handsome young man and his adorable belly laugh. Love him to pieces!

Celebrations

We had a weekend full of occasions and celebrations! My older brother, Matt, and his twins, Haley and Charlie, were in town visiting for the weekend. Helaina had a sleepover at her grandparents to finish her birthday celebration, and Saturday evening we celebrated another special birthday...Amo Jack's 60th! He was definitely surprised to see all of his family at the restaurant for his special day!

Rollerskating for the first time with her cousins. Quite the experience for all of us.


Sunday was spent celebrating Caden Kulish's Baptism. Such a joy to witness his blessed sacrament. Our kids had a great time visiting with Caden and all his family and friends.

Happy 3rd Birthday

Has it really been three years? It's hard to believe we now have a 3 year old and soon-to-be 1 year old! Last night we had family over to the house to celebrate Helaina's birthday...fruit, cake, and ice cream...quite possibly Helaina's favorite food groups! There were no shortage of birthday balloons (another Helaina favorite) and beautiful gifts for the birthday girl. She's also received several cards and gifts in the mail, and since we've been working on name recognition, she looks through the mail daily for anything that begins with "H". Tonight she has plans to have a slumber party at her Seedy and Teta's house. Quite the birthday week for our little girl.

Classic...feeding her brother frosting

She wanted to keep her birthday money in her Dora purse and use it for the "rides" this summer


And I thought blueberry pancakes were a good idea for a birthday breakfast
Happy Birthday to our sweet Helaina girl! You have had the same strong, independent personality since the day you were born. You've always been social, rarely shy, and greet every person that you see with a smile and hello. Your memory is impeccable. You love to read, sing, dance, and swim. You can write most of the letters in your name and you have great interest in learning new things. To our surprise, you've shown very little jealousy to your brother and have become a great helper around the house. Personally, I love your sense of humor...a quality I'm sure you inherited from your father. And you're stubborn, a quality your father likes to say that you inherited from me. That's up for debate. The past three years have been the best of our lives. A true blessing to be your mom and your dad. We love you princess!