Thanksgiving Day Pictures

We went to my in-laws for Thanksgiving yesterday, and had a great time. My brother and his family were there as well! We all had a really nice time, and WAY too much to eat!!


Ivy showing off her Thanksgiving day duds:


Ivy with her proud uncle Mike (my brother):

Zayden tackling his cousin Christian:

Now Christian tackling Zayden when he saw I had a camera:

Ivy and her aunt Robin (my brother's wife)

Zayden stuffing his face:

Ivy Stuffing her face:

Ivy and her cousin Madison:

Grandpa with his Princess, Ivy!:

Here is Zayden and Madison enjoying a laugh while watching Goofy cartoons in grandma's bed! Zayden LOVES his cousins!!!! And they are awesome with him!:

This Thanksgiving I am thankful for:

* Ivy
* Zayden
* Brian
* My Children are healthy
* My children are happy!
* Ivy is going to sleep much better, and staying asleep a little better! ;)
* Zayden's very quirky personality....I love THIS sooo much!
* Brian passed his HUGE mechanics test after 5 years of school, that he took last week!
* I have a job that I love!
* The kids I work with (and their parents) are like family to me.
* I have a roof over my head
* I always have plenty to eat!
* Obama will be our next president!
* My brother Mike....with all the crazies in my family, I treasure our bond!! He is awesome!
* My in-laws involvement with my children. They are wonderful grandparents!
* The ability to vacation
* Oma
* All my wonderful friends that I know will always have my back!
* All the experiences I have lived through
* That I have family to spend Thanksgiving with
* This blog
* My on-line "friends", specifically ivillage girls
* My dog Kramer (most days)
* My wonderful nieces Kailee and Madison, and nephew Christian!
* The relationship I have with my nieces and nephew
* My ability to laugh during stressful moments
* My ability to function on very little sleep!
* Christmas time!
* Zayden and Ivy's smiles and laughter
* Hugs from Zayden
* Having my hand held by Ivy
* My health

I really could go on and on and on, but I need to go start getting ready for our thanksgiving day meal!! I am VERY blessed, and grateful for all that I have!!

Picture Time!!

Here is the unsuspecting Ivy looking adorable:

Here is Ivy after Z "accidentally" threw a toy train at her, and hit her right below her left eye:

And a close up, so she can use this as blackmail some day!:

Here is Ivy playing with her toes and trying to console herself:

Here is Z trying to make up with her:

Here is Zayden being taught by his girlfriend Gabby how to play "prince and princess":

Here are the guys! (In order from from favorite to least favorite):

Here is Ivy with Spiderman:

And here is Ivy with basketball guy:

And here they are playing guys together:

Zayden Funnies

A few funnies that I can actually remember:

Last night I was getting Ivy ready for bed, and Zayden ran in the room with a drumstick in his hand, raised the drumstick as high as he could and announced, "I saved the day all week!"

2 nights ago Zayden was looking around the living room, and asked, "Where is my ice pop?" I said, "Ice pop? I'm sorry, but I don't know what you are talking about!" and then Zayden looked at me angrily and said, "I KNOW what I am talking about! I am talking about a ICE POP!!" (still don't know what he was talking about!)

Zayden has been really good about sharing his guys with Ivy...maybe because he is desperate for playmates. He often hands her spiderman, and that itself is funny. Ivy takes spiderman happily and then bounces his around, because her arms are always waving, and Z thinks she really is playing "guys" with him. It's awesome....I need to get a video. Anyway, today when he handed Ivy spiderman, he said sternly to her, "Now don't throw him. He's a good guy!"

Zayden has had to get drops for pink eye the last few days and last night he asked for pretzel sticks. I got them for him, and before he ate each one he would run to me. Tell me, "I have to put drops in YOUR eyes" He'd then poke me in each eye with the pretzel stick as I squeezed my eyes shut, and then as he would then eat his pretzel say, "You are all better now!" Sweet Revenge!

Zayden waking up!

Zayden always says the craziest things when he wakes up and I go in his room to get him. I keep thinking I need to write these down, but I forget. I am guessing all these crazy thoughts come from his dreams.
Normally he talks about some animal or person we hadn't seen for awhile! It's always fun to go get him and see what the first thing he will say. I am going to try to remember to document some of these here.
This morning, I had to wake him up, and when he saw me he jumped up and said, "I want to get out! It's raining in here!"

Well that was not very ladylike!!

Ivy had not pooped since Saturday morning. Last night I was googling this non-pooping thing, because I was really nervous. Z never went more than a few hours it seemed as a baby without pooping. Apparently though it can be very normal for a breastfed baby. Who knew?

This morning, I was getting ready for work and Ivy was beside me in her little bouncy seat. Suddenly I heard this loud expoding sound coming from my sweet little girl! I look down at her and she is staring up at me, eyes all wide and watery looking very alarmed. This LOUD exploding sound lasted it seemed a good 10 seconds, while Ivy and I just locked eyes and stared at each other in shock. Her whole body seemed to be shaking (and the bouncy wasn't even on). Finally it ended, and she shuddered. I immediately started laughing, and Ivy joined in and laughed and laughed, and then had a permanent smile on her face as I changed that very full diaper!

I only wish I could have had this videotaped. It was THAT comical! If I could have sent that to Adam Sandler or the Farley Brothers I am SURE it somehow would have showed up in their next movie!

Twenty-six and Four!

I want to remember my children's great LOVES and interests. Right now they are 26 months and 4 months!

Zayden Loves:

To play with his Guys! He has 4 that he plays with all the time. They are all action figures about 4-6 inches tall. He has spider man which was a gift from our neighbor Laura. There is Shaggy that he adopted once when we went over to his cousins house (Christian and Madison). Then he found 2 other guys at my in-laws lake house this past summer who we call basketball guy (because he is holding a flaming basketball), and Jake the snake (a wrestler). They are kind of a mismatch of characters, but Zayden loves to play with them all the time. He loves to have them talk and talk and talk and wrestle a little. ;)

His Pirate hat! Thank you Alina! He wears his pirate hat most of the day!

His green rainboots! He pretty much only takes these off to sleep. I bought these for him months ago, and I remember Brian thinking they were a silly thing to waste money on. Z wasn't that interested in them at first. I put him in them for some pictures, and they were kind of forgotten. Well something changed a couple months ago, and now they are Z's Prized possession!! I can't think of the last time we left the house and he was wearing regular shoes. At first when we would go to the store, park, or someones house, I would be laughing inside waiting for the comments that always come about the cute boots he's wearing or I would be watching for and seeing the smiles and laughter of people that saw him when we walked by. Now, I am so accustomed to the boots I always stare at people confused when they look at Z and laugh or smile. It takes me a minute to figure out what is so funny! And then when they make those comments, I have to glance down at his feet as my reminder that "oh yeah, he does have big green boots on!" We are even at a point now, when we are getting ready to leave the house I TELL Zayden to go put his boots on, if they aren't already on. I have learned that it is pointless to try to have him wear anything else, as he will only throw a fit, and I want him to be HIM anyway! I'm not going to stifle my boot loving boy!

The movie Lion King

To wrestle and play tackle!

His friends Fintan and Gabby (top 2 faves right now)

Pirates

The book "You can Do anything daddy" and the book "The Grinch Who Stole Christmas!"

Singing Songs

The Wiggles DVD "Pop Goes the Wiggles"

His Pawpaw

Roaring at people/kids to try to scare them

Changing his voice to sound scary!

Being outside!

Playing the drums (pretend)

Raisins/Craisins/Dried Fruit

Crackers/pretzels/bread

The Zoo, the children's museum, the park and going to friends' homes!



And Ivy Loves:

Nursing! ;)

Sucking on anything

Her pacifiers

Having her neck tickled

Being talked to in a cutesy voice

Her preschool tummy time toy (but not while on her tummy! ;))

Being worn by mommy

Sitting in my lap and staring at Zayden while he eats!

Someone smiling at her!

Mornings!!

Someone coming into get her out of her crib when she wakes up!

Being sung to!