Thursday Gratitudes!

* I am grateful to be going to Florida in less than a month
* I am grateful that Zayden sleeps through the night almost every night!
* I am grateful that I have free childcare for my kids (in-laws)
* I am grateful that Obama won!
* I am grateful that I am able to pump so much milk for Ivy, when I am away!

I have great hope for my children!!

November 5th 2008
Originally uploaded by zayden8

I have never felt so much hope for the future of my children!! I don't think I can come up with the words to express how elated I feel today.
I think that Obama really will be the change we need, and I have never felt so hopeful about another politician!
I also am so happy that the people of this country elected a black man to be our president. This is the kind of world I wanted my children to be raised in!!

It's a Historic Day!!

I'm so excited that election day is finally here!! I can't wait to hear the results tonight(hopefully tonight)!! I voted early this morning, but only had to wait in line 35 minutes. I assumed it would be longer. I was the 172 to vote in my precinct. I sent my kids to my in-laws house today covered in Obama stickers. My in-laws are republicans who will be voting McCain, so that was funny for ME. I also had Z chanting Vote for Obama when we came in! :) I asked Zayden who we should vote for when we got there, and he yelled, "Obama", and my mother in law said, "No we are voting for MCCAIN!", and Zayden yelled really loudly, "NO, We vote for OBAMA!!" I loved it!!! :)

Zayden Funnies

A couple nights ago Zayden held up his cup and said, "There's a mustache in here." I was confused and asked where the mustache was, and he said, "In my cup! There's a mustache in my milk!" ;)

Ivy is learning to roll from her back to her belly. Last night she was on her blanket struggling for a good 30 minutes trying to roll over. Brian and Z walked in the room just as she finally was making it over to her belly. I got all excited as Brian hadn't seen her do it yet, and yelled "Look Ivy is rolling again, do you see her?" And just as she made it over to her belly, Zayden said "Don't roll there" and pushed her right back over on to her back! :P

Zayden has been having to go in timeout lately because of hitting, and then has to say sorry. So today he was lying on the blankety by Ivy, and rolled onto his belly. I gently patted his butt over his diaper (as I have done many times), and Zayden turned around and said to me "You got to tell me sorry!" I tried to reason with him, and said, "Zayden I was just gently patting you like this" (and I patted his leg), and he looked at me really serious and said again, "You GOT to tell me Sorry!". So I told him sorry....geesh!

And this one is my favorite!! :

Yesterday I was taking to Oma, and we were talking politics. ;) She is also voting for Obama, and I told her that if I ask Zayden who is going to to be president he will say, Obama. She wanted to hear him say it so I took the phone by him and this is how it went down:
Me: Zayden who is going to be President?
Z: Ivy
Me: (haha) NO, Zayden WHO is going to be PRESIDENT?
Z: Obama...........And I am going to be King.

(He must have gotten that from the lion king movie I'm guessing)
Oma and I laughed and laughed!! I love this kiddo!!!

It's Ivy time!!!

Since I have had Ivy I seem to always feel guilty about not spending enough one on one quality time with either kid. There are days when I spend every second I can interacting with each of them, but then go to bed feeling guilty that neither got enough quality time. I hope I don't always feel like this, and it'll get easier to play all together when Ivy is older! Zayden and I get more solo time than I get with Ivy, because Ivy naps a tiny bit more, so I can play with him when she is sleeping. I also have taken him out alone a couple of times like on his birthday!
However, Ivy rarely gets my undivided attention, and that makes me sad. When Z was a baby, he got so much attention it was crazy. I feel like Ivy is missing out....even if she does seem SO happy!
I also have Oma (my grandma) asking me weekly when will she be able to meet Ivy. Oma is 83, living in Florida, and now officially afraid to travel again. She has flown up to Indy to see Z when he was a baby, flew to my wedding in the Bahamas, and flew here also for Z's first birthday party. Soooo, I feel it's only right for me to fly to her this time!! Brian cannot get off work anytime soon though, so we have decided to take a family vacation to Florida in April. Ivy will be 9 months old then, and I know Oma does not want to wait so long. So yesterday I got this brilliant idea which my supportive husband was all for, and booked my trip today!!
Ivy and I leave for Florida Friday December 5th in the morning, and come back that Sunday night! It'll be a short trip, but I am so excited to go see Oma (and she is beyond thrilled). I also am really excited to do something with just Ivy and let Ivy have all my attention for a weekend!!! AND the third bonus is that I think it'll be GREAT for my boys (Brian and Zayden) to have some good quality alone time!! It is a win, win, win, win situation for only $189 (direct flights even). I'm just so happy!!!

Halloween Pictures!

Here is Zayden making/eating a spooky house!

Zayden happily wore his Halloween Costume!! He was a great honey bee!! He enjoyed trick or treating! He now thinks though that any time he says trick or treat he gets candy. All weekend and today he comes up to me and says, "trick or treat, can I have some candy, please?"

Picture of my honey bee knocking on a door.

Here is Ivy. She is a little flower, but the petals were bugging her, so she was a stem most of the night!! She was a little trooper though and was very good while we went trick or treating!

Here is Z at the end of the night, and I think he was tired. He helped carve both the pumpkins. He also seemed to love passing out the candy more than actually trick or treating. We passed out the candy later in the night, and he REALLY loved that. Everyone kept commenting on his cute "pirate costume"! Most didn't realize this is Z's regular attire! ;)

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I love Halloween!! I love everything about it. I love all the spooky decorations! I love the tricks and the treats! I especially love all the costumes!!
Today Zayden and I made a spooky edible house (kind of like a gingerbread house). That was fun, but also much work for myself. I had to build and decorate the house quicker than Zayden could eat and destroy. It was some messy fun!! I'll try to post some pics later!
This afternoon we are going to carve a pumpkin. Then tonight of course we are going trick or treating! I can't wait. I just hope Zayden will wear his honey bee costume.
Over a month ago he went on and on for weeks about how he wanted to be a "honey bee" for halloween. I don't know how he got that idea, but he was convinced and talked about it daily. So, I ordered him a honey bee costume like any good mommy would (and a flower costume for Ivy to go along with the theme). Well the day it arrived, I happily looked at Zayden and said, "Now, what do you want to be for halloween?" And Zayden without hesitation answered, "Batman!"

He has gotten over batman though. He then decided he wanted to be spiderman, and then it was a ghost, and then a spider, and then a pirate. A few days ago he went on and on about wanting to be a cow. Yesterday he was adamant that he was going to be a Fireman! Today he tells me he is going to be a witch! So.....I also am a little excited about trying to even get him in this honeybee costume tonight!! If he absolutely refuses to wear it, I think I can put him in his football jersey with helmet as he is all about football right now! I have learned one thing from this experience. Next year we are going to go get his costume the day of Halloween....maybe it'll even be on sale!! Hopefully I'll share pictures of all of our Halloween activities later!!

Happy Halloween!!!