Cold Spring Weekend in IN

Dear Spring, Where are you?!? We were spoiled in March with some very warm weather, but this past weekend felt more like winter.  On Thursday afternoon, the kids and I left for Indiana to spend a few days with my family.  Normally I leave around their bedtime and the kids sleep most of the drive, but with Zachary becoming much more "aware" on our last road trip, there wasn't as much sleeping happening as I would have liked.  So this time, I fed the kids some lunch and off we went.  Helaina is a trooper, between a nap, a movie, books, and a few good songs, I didn't hear a peep out of her. And Zachary, well that's another story.  We've reached the age of constant movement.  After 1 good solid hour for a nap, the rest of the trip was spent trying to entertain him from the front seat.  Overall, not a terrible drive, but I'm quite happy we're not taking another road trip till the end of June.

The main event of the weekend...the wedding of my cousin.  The reception was held at County Line Orchard. 

Mr. and Mrs. Brett Pivarnik

Grandpa and Helaina.  She wasn't quite interested in slow dancing...she was on the move!

Grandma and Helaina and lots of candy

The most adorable part of the evening.  After dinner, Helaina spotted some kids her own age.  She asked if she could walk over to ask their names.  She preceded and after a few seconds of conversation, the girls, inlcuding another girl and a boy, were the best of friends.  Such a sight to see...an open dance floor with 4 crazy kids who've only known each other for a few minutes, holding hands and dancing the night away.  As Helaina would say, "This is the best dance party!"

Alexis and MaKayla

Nate and MaKayla

*And a great big thank you to Auntie Sheila and cousin Jessie for watching little man while we partied the night away. Family is a wonderful thing!*

Kids' Day at the YMCA.  Perfect cure for a cold and rainy spring day.

The man on the move.

Helaina feeding her baby the bottle.

First Haircut

Randy and I decided not to cut Zachary's hair until after his 1st birthday and 1 year photos. I wanted to see those brown curls in all the pictures, so I would always remember his crazy head of hair. Well, those events passed, and it was time to clean up that mess! We let Randy choose the location for the first haircut and wound up with a stylist named, Tessa. She was great, and Zachary was a trooper.

A little whining with the water spray
She took over an inch off the ends! He was entertained by the apron.

Eating the comb while Helaina observed.


Our new man...he looks so much older and thinner without all that hair!

Happy 1st Birthday Zachary

We already had his party, opened gifts, and tore into the chocolate cake. So when Monday came, it just felt like another day. However, it was Zachary's first birthday! It was a bittersweet day as we moved from all things baby, into official toddler-hood. Before every nap and at bedtime, I sang him "Happy Birthday", and he would look up at me with his beautiful brown eyes and laugh, like he thought I was singing him a silly, new song. Zachary is much different than Helaina, even though I know they will grow to be the very best of friends. He is very much a boy. He likes to bang, hit, and throw. But every 10 or 15 minutes, he'll take break, look around the room, and then run to us for a short hug before he begins playing again. When Helaina is sitting in our lap, he gets jealous and pulls her off so he can have a seat too.

Zachary had his 1 year well visit today. He's weighing in at 24 lbs 8 oz (73rd percentile). Not much more than his 9 month visit. Probably because he began walking shortly after that appointment and hasn't sat still since then. He's in the 78th percentile for height at 31 inches. Not quite as big as Helaina was at this age, but still a healthy boy. We are ohhh so close to being bottle free, and do nothing all day long, but chase Zachary around the house.

Yesterday we tried to capture Helaina's 3 year photos and Zachary's 1 year photos. The kids are adorable and Barb did a great job, but we were not successful in getting a picture of the two of them together. Maybe next time.

Spring Travels

It's that time of year again...the NHL playoffs are here. Randy and the team left this past Tuesday and traveled to Nashville, TN. While he was away, the kids and I made an impromptu decision to head to IN to visit my family for a few days. We left Wednesday evening and returned late last night. For Randy, it was his first trip to Nashville with the team, and he enjoyed his time in the city. With the Wings' loss today, it looks as if he may be back there at the end of this week.

The kids and I kept ourselves busy too. I hibernated in the library and studied for my upcoming anesthetic exam and in the evening, we visited many of our relatives. The picture is not of great quality because it was taken from the phone, but my dad and I had the honor of watching my niece, Amber, in her high school play. She is very talented, and I was happy to be home to catch one of her shows.

Helaina had her 3 year well visit at the doctor this past week. Thankfully, she is right on track. She's weighing in at 39 lbs (95th percentile) and 39 inches (88th percentile). No shots till next year, and she was cleared to start pre-school this fall.

To all of our Orthodox family and friends, Happy Easter! Such a special day for many of us, and we hope you all had a lovely day with family.

Lastly, a big Congratulations to Randy's cousin Gus and his new wife, Rachel. Gus and Rachel were married this weekend in Austin, TX. Because of the hockey schedule, we were unable to attend, but we were definitely there in thought and spirit and can't wait to see the pictures!

Easter Weekend

"Christ is Risen! Indeed he is Risen!" Happy Easter to you and your families. We are ever so thankful for all of the blessings in our lives and for the opportunity to share them with our family. We had a really nice Easter weekend, and Helaina, more than ever, is understanding the true meaning of the holiday seasons.

The city of Livonia and the Rotary Club host an annual Easter Egg Hunt at a local park. Over 2,000 people in attendance, including our neighbors and their friends.


Saturday we spent the evening at Seedy and Teta's house. Helaina was able to decorate the Easter eggs. She did a great job this year!

Homemade sweet bread is an annual tradition in Randy's family for the holiday. Teta Helen spent the entire morning making dozens of bread. She saved some for Helaina to roll and cook. Helaina has a great interest in cooking and with a teacher like Teta Helen, we're looking forward to some hearty meals from our little chef!


Easter morning basket from the Easter Bunny! The night before, Randy and I made a scavenger hunt with clues in the eggs for Helaina to find her hidden basket in the morning. She was delighted to wake up to a big egg by her pillow. Made for a fun Easter morning.

The Orthodox Easter is actually next weekend due to the difference in the church calender. This week, along with Easter, we celebrated Palm Sunday. Teta Helen made a beautiful candle and flowers for Helaina to take to church to carry with her palms in the procession.


Easter egg hunt at Sitty's house this afternoon

Easter Bunny cake

So precious, two grandpas with their two grandsons

Easter Bunny & Marshmallows

The best experience with the Easter Bunny (or any large character) to date. Helaina was begging us to take her to see the Easter Bunny so she could talk to him and take a picture. She also gave him the classic "thumbs up" which meant she was in heaven. Little man also had no problem rubbing, pulling, groping, and patting Mr. Bunny and all his fur. It was great to the 2 of them so excited.
Today we experienced the local Marshmallow Drop for the first time, and it was fantastic! There were hundreds of kids and families, all waiting patiently for the helicopter to hover above and drop a gigantic bag of marshmallows from the sky.



Next year Zachary, next year. Until then, he was hanging with mommy in the stroller.

Zachary's 1st Birthday Party

Because April is full of occasions and celebrations, we decided to have Zachary's first birthday party a few weeks early, this past Saturday. It really is hard to believe that less than 1 year ago, I was 39 weeks pregnant and anxiously awaiting the arrival of our baby. Little did I know that we would have to wait another 16 days before Zachary decided to enter this world. And now here we are, a family of four and all of our family and friends are gathered in our home to celebrate Zachary's first year of life. It was a busy week leading up to the big event, but well worth the effort. We had many family members visit from Indiana, and Helaina has been having slumber parties since last Thursday. The party went off without a hitch, and Zachary devoured hit sugar free chocolate birthday cake!

The Sock Monkey First Birthday Party theme was a hit, and many thanks to my talented cousin Lisa, who hand-made most of our party decor. I'm so grateful for her awesome artistic ability and generosity in accepting my request :).











Thank you, Thank you, Thank you for all our family and friends who helped make Zachary's day so special!