My Little Painter

We found this amazing art easel at a yard sale this summer for one dollar =) until now its just been in Z's room with paper and crayons for anytime coloring.. This week though C went out and got Z his first set of paint brushes and paints, HE LOVES THEM! Its so fun to watch him create his little masterpieces! It won't be long before the whole house will be covered in paintings! I think i may frame one or two for his room... I haven't quite decided yet... I still need to get new frames to hang pictures from the last year! I may be a little behind on that... haha..

Things are going great around here, i have a baby shower this weekend, thrown by my wonderful friends, that i am very excited for! After that i get to really start getting the things we need! Its been very hard for me not to buy things! I have started getting Z's fall wardrobe together though, Ebay, Yard Sales, Friends.. Wherever i can find things at a good price! Its been easier in past seasons to just set aside the money but with our new little guy on the way we have to make sure we have enough for both so looks for bargains is a big deal this time around! As i guess it will be for the next oh 18 years or so... =)

Say Cheese....

Bachelorette Party

Game Night

Final Score
My Beautiful Mother & I

Funny Faces

Blowing on a dandelion =)

Pond Hill Farms

Wedding Rehearsal

Hezekiah Case

19 weeks

I am 27 weeks now, so this one is a little old, but i just got around to scanning them! I can't believe we only have 12 weeks left until we get to meet this little guy!

Adventures in potty training.....

So we are officially kind of starting potty training =) We took Z to pick out a potty seat a couple nights ago and it has been very slow going since then, today was the first time we have had any progress! (yay!) for the most part he just wants to run around naked... silly goose...

Today though during a diaper change i asked him if he wanted to go potty and he said yes, so we went into the bathroom and he stripped down as he feels the need to do before he can go potty =), i have figured out that if i just sit at the door we do better otherwise he can escape where accidents are harder to clean up! He just walked around talking and playing in the bathroom for a while, singing a song that he made up (hilarious by the way) then he walked over to his potty and stood there "in position" and peed! It was so cool, i mean as far as aim goes hes got nothing, haha.. But the fact that he tried to pee in the potty was very exciting! I still don't think he will be potty trained before the baby comes but C seems to disagree so we'll just have to see!

Baby new, well he is growing that's for sure! He kicks all the time! Z did not move this much at all! I remember at least once a day i would be worried sick that there was something wrong because he moved so little at times! This new baby on the other hand leaves me no room for worry! I can't wait to see what its like when they get older! I am going to have my hands full that's for sure! I can't believe that we only have 3 months left! Time is just going by so fast! I have been working on my baby registry since some very good friends of mine are throwing me and another close friend who is also pregnant a shower, and i have already gone through everything i have of Z's, i was amazed at how much we needed! Z was a summer baby though so all we have for newborn through 3 months are onesies! not gonna work as an outfit for a winter baby! Also in the move we seem to have lost some stuff so that needs replacing, but one thing i am VERY excited about it our new changing table! My dad made it, so its already very special, but its also beautiful! Originally it was made for Z for his room but it ended up being a little bigger than i had planned on but i think God had a hand in this anyways =) We would have had to use the pack & play changing table, which worked great but if you know how small our apartment is there was no room for it without leaving almost no walking space! So this is our little blessing, i'll have to post pics so you can see why i am so excited!

Z & Daddy

Dinner at the Rose Garden

Flowers

Swing

Fireworks

Z & I

Sitting by the pond with Lolo (C's dad)

Swimming pool

Driving with daddy

I am finding it much harder to keep this up than i thought i would! So i am going to keep this short! I hope everyone had a great 4th! We certainly did! We spent a 3 day weekend down at C's parents house where we spent the first day going to yard sales. (i had some GREAT finds! including an art easel for Z for only 1.00!) The second day we started off with a trip to town for the parade, not a big hit for Z, he didn't seem to like the loud noises, every time a fire truck or anything would come by he would bury his head in my chest.. poor kid, he did better once all of that was past but really just watched quietly... We also stopped at the farm market and a couple more yard sales before we went home to spend some time in the pool.. The third day was the nicest (of course the day we go home!) so we stayed a little later and spent the whole day outside just playing or swimming in the pool, i wish i could do that everyday! All in all it was a great time that we got to spend with family! Oh and my favorite part, while i was laying down with Z i had my hand on my stomach and felt a little tiny foot! i can't believe how fast this pregnancy is going! I am so excited to meet our new little boy though!

Oh this weekend is a big weekend, we are headed up north for my brother in laws wedding, Z is the ring bearer and i am very interested to see how he does with that! Its very casual though so it should be a great time, and i am so happy for them. We also have my cousins wedding next month in Chicago, that trip will just be my mom my sister and i, so i am very excited about that! Then we have my sisters Bachelorette party next month too! its going to be a very

busy month but i am glad that we are able to do all these things before the baby comes, then it should settle down so we can just be here, by the time the Holidays roll around i should be feeling much more like myself and ready to visit even more!

More pics to come over the next couple of days, the kiddos are up from naps now so i am off for more play time!

Adventures in a big boy bed.....

So last night i got the great idea that we should start trying to get Z to sleep in a big boy bed, the idea actually came a couple weeks ago when i was talking to a friend and it hit me, i can't lift Z for 6 weeks after the baby is born! Since Z is still in his crib that kind of poses a dilemma for me! So its either get him in the bed now, or just lift him anyways... i am definitely leaning towards the bed as you can tell.
So, this morning C's alarm went off and he wasn't there to get it, so i went to Z's room and found then just like this, i laughed a little then ran back to get the camera.. needless to say the first night did not go well since C never even left the room! we'll see how it goes from here.....

Big Ticket Festival

Goat
This could possibly be my favorite picture ever....

Bunny

So i mentioned yesterday that we went to the Big Ticket Festival this past weekend, it was amazing! It was the first time i had ever gone so i was excited anyways, but it ended up being more fun than i had anticipated! We started out the morning watching a play that my parents were in, Z stayed with me through the whole thing and did great! After that we went out to the kids area and checked out the petting zoo (see above) and the bouncy houses both of which he LOVED! i had to bribe him out of the bouncy house the second time with tic tacs 'cause there was no way he was coming out on him own! (and lets face it with this baby belly i have going there was no way i was going in!) We also took him to get his first balloon animal, which he loved.. (okay for the record there was nothing that he did not love that day =) We watched a couple of kids concerts which really got Z moving, hilarious dancer that kiddo.. We even managed to get a nap in after all of that! The highlight of the night for me though (aside from when C got out of work and met us there) was seeing Third Day, possibly my favorite Christian band.. They didn't get there until about 5 minutes before the show was supposed to start but they still made it! Z had a blast at his first concert and was fascinated watching it all, after about 40 minutes though he was sound asleep in my lap =) It was an awesome night! Thanks mom and dad for getting us in!

Putting money in the piggy bank...
Throwing rocks in the garden at Charlevoix Library

Riding his first 4-wheeler

I only have a couple moments here but i thought i would put up a couple more pics of Z.. This summer is going to be busy busy busy! This past weekend we got a new pool and we have been outside swimming in it everyday! I really was starting to think for a while there that summer jut might not come this year.. i guess i have been proven wrong! Aside from our everyday pool time, we have been going to story hour here in Petoskey and in Charlevoix.. We are starting to attend a new playgroup on fridays, I'll let you know how that goes! And we are trying to squeeze in playdates in between!

On top of all that we have special events of all kinds! Now that Z has reached an age where he is really starting to be more interested in different things i want him to be able to do it all! This past weekend we went to Big Ticket Festival and Z had an amazing time! I have pics to upload that go with the story so i will save that, but he had alot of firsts that day! We also have A & J's wedding the weekend after this, and this weekend we are going to the circus! (yay!) Also we have plans to take Z to the movies to see "Ice Age, Dawn of the Dinosaur" he has seen the previews and seems to be really excited, but again, we'll see how that goes! Okay i had better get some more stuff done before he wakes up then we are off to run around town! I'm kinda wishing the air in our car worked......

The Big Haircut

I didn't get any photos of it being done, but here is a good look at what Z's hair looks like now, while he blows some bubbles =)

Two Months...

Hangin out with daddy

Happy Kid =)

Zeke & a friend at a birthday party

Zeke & Max taking a walk in the field

I didn't realize it had been so long since i was on here so i will do a quick catch up of the past two months before i forget again =)

I am 5 months pregnant now, and we found out last Friday that we are going to have another boy! I am so excited for Z to have a little brother, now if we could just agree on a name for the little guy we would be doing much better!

Z is doing amazing, he is growing everyday and soaking in everything he See's and hears like a sponge, his language skills are really starting to come around and its so much fun to listen to the stories he tells us.. He seems to know that there is a baby in Mommy's belly and he will say baby brother, but other than that seems more interested in the real babies that he can see. I was watching a friends little girl (she is 3 months old) and Z just wanted to lay on the floor next to her and talk to her. It was adorable, however as soon as i got the camera out he jumped up and ran away.. silly kid.. He has a new love, matchbox cars, the kid just can't get enough of them! When he wakes up in the morning i get a "good morning" and a "Hi momma" but then the next word that comes out of his mouth is almost ALWAYS "cars"!! So topping his list of things he loves is Hockey, but cars run a close second! He also loves Veggie tales now, which is so much better than Spongebob! And we have cut down t.v time to about 20-30mins a day. although some days we manage to get by just fine without any! Especially since the weather FINALLY seems to be warming up! THANK GOD! I was really starting to believe that summer would just opt not to come this year!

Easter Time

Being that it is now the middle of June i think these pics are a little late... but, better late than never right? =) We had a little get together with some friends for Easter since a big Easter egg hunt just seemed like too much for the kiddo, and for me! It was so much fun though, the kids colored eggs, had a yummy lunch while the daddies "hid" the eggs (and by hid i mean they tossed them all over the yard) Then we all went out and the kids picked up every single egg there was! I don't know why i was so shocked but i really thought they would pick up one or two and then check those out, but not a single plastic egg was opened until there were only a couple left to get. All in all it was a great day. =)

Just a couple pics of Z at the library this past week...

Well my plan to blog every week has gone out the window! I am about 12 weeks into this pregnancy and completely exhausted! It seems by 4 o'clock i am just drained... So i will keep this up as often as i can =)
Z is doing great really enjoying the warming weather, we have gone outside to play alot more lately, which i love, this week we broke out the sidewalk chalk for the first time and he LOVES it! We sat outside drawing for almost an hour, although Z also tried to color the house.... haha.. It was a good time though! This weekend C's parents came up and we took Z swimming at the pool there, although we have discovered he really likes the hot tub! Bummer for me since i am not allowed! The crazy kid is in need of some playtime now so i am off to explore! More soon for Easter pics!

Busy Days and Sleepless Nights......

Zeke lounging with Moses watching come cartoons...

It feels like forever since i have been on here, actually that's pretty accurate... haha. This pregnancy has just had me wiped out of all energy whatsoever, i really and trying to look at this as a good thing, but its kind of a challenge sometimes :D
Things have been great around here, we are all healthy happy and enjoying these first peeks of spring, despite our early April Fools (that would be the snow.... ) I am pretty confident that that should all be melted away around here by tomorrow, maybe even today! What i am really looking forward to is the backyard drying out a little more, i feel much more at ease taking the kids out to play when i know they aren't going to have a little mud bath which we are out there! (although we have done that a few times already, so i have had my fill of mud!)
As far as the pregnancy goes i am 10 weeks tomorrow and have already had 2 ultrasounds, so i am pretty confident that everything is going to be okay, which is actually a total lie because i can barely sleep at night from worry.... I have no reason to think anything would go wrong and neither do the Doctors for that matter but I don't think i will be able to truly be okay with everything until we hit the 2nd trimester, only 3 weeks! My next appt is on the 10th so it will be nice to have a checkup, i don't think that they will be able to hear the heartbeat yet, but by our next appt they will be able to so then i can have my monthly reminder that everything is fine until i can feel this little on start wiggling around! I will try to keep this a little more updated (lets say once a week.. :) And i look forward to sharing lots of good news!

Croup, Cats, and so much more....

Trying out the big boy potty =)

Busy doesn't begin to describe how things have been around here lately..... Lets see last week we had a surprise 40th birthday party for my dad which went great. Z and I have made weekly trips to the library which we love. C and i went to a Red Wings game a couple weeks ago and had so much fun that he bought tickets as soon as we got home from that game and we are going again on the 7th (Yay!!). We adopted a kitten who was so adorable and cute for the first week and a half.. now she drives me crazy, only when she gets all wild and starts biting, not sure how to deal with that so i have to do some research... Last week (Thurs) i got sick, it is now Wed. and i am STILL sick... its awful.. and on top of that Z started coughing the day before yesterday and it just sounded a little off to me so i called the doc yesterday and took him in and they told me it was croup then sent us to the ER so he could be treated since he was also having trouble breathing.. poor kiddo had to get a shot of steroids, but his breathing was great all night i even let him sleep with me to make sure, that was a very, very long night! We weren't to cramped though since C has been sleeping on the couch since Fri because 1. i keep him up coughing all night and 2. he really doesn't want to get sick and judging by how awful i have felt i don't want him to get sick.. My mom did come over and make me some homemade chicken noodle soup, which was very yummy =).

That's just what i can think of off the top of my head! I am so ready to get out and be busy again, we were really enjoying that!! But i also don't want to get anyone else sick so i am doing the polite thing and staying home.. We do have/get to go out for a little bit today since Z has a follow-up appt to make sure he is getting better.. so keep us in your prayers!

SPRING TIME!!!

Ready, JUMP!
Tag! Your It!

I am almost 95% sure that this weather is just a tease, but i don't care! Today i actually got to open my windows and get fresh air! It was AMAZING! and even better i got to take the kiddos out to play!!! Because of the cold and the amount of snow that we had they were only able to go out and play twice this winter, we tried a couple of other times but that always resulted in them falling face first in the snow and getting mad because they couldn't get up! (it was only a little bit funny =)

So, it has been a while since i have been on here, i keep thinking that i should update it but then i get busy again!

So as for new things, we FINALLY got our car on the road (PRAISE GOD!) so Z and i have been to Chx. the past two thursdays for story time at the library, the first time was a disaster! Z screamed and cried the WHOLE time, when he calmed down for just a moment and would start to walk away from me i tried to sit down and he saw that and screamed and ran back to me then hit me! Needless to say i was a little weary to take him again the next week. Last time though (#2) he did SOOO much better! First of all we were able to sit down when story time started with out any screaming, although Z did cling to me and was facing the back of the room, but by the end of the first story he had turned around and was facing forward and actually watching! It was an amazing transformation! I don't think i have even felt so relieved! I think its really important for him to get out and do things with other kids, its only ever been R that he spends alot of time with, we have playdates once in a while but everyone gets busy and its harder to do.. SO, i am on the lookout for anyother fun things that we could go out and do to keep us busy until the yard dries out! (any ideas anyone??) For now we have been going over to a friends house to play after story time and swimming in the pool which Z LOVES! i mean it is almost impossible to hold on to him anymore he just wants to swim! Very fun though.

My new thing is a workout video that i have started ( i can't stand to be fat anymore...) but the thing is i actually love it! (the workout) Its called yoga booty ballet, and after two days i am in SO much pain! Its great! haha.. so lets see how long this lasts, i think i am going to start running a couple of evenings a week when C gets home.. I am already enjoying the extra energy, now i am looking forward to looser clothes!

Okay this is almost at book proportions now so i will be back soon with more updates on our busy life!