Zavier's Days

Jared and I want to make sure that Zavier still gets the attention he deserves for transitioning so well into having a little sister so we both set aside a day to spend just with him.

Jared took him to the city and they went to the Sears Tower and then to the Winter Wonderland at Navy Pier. He had such a good day and couldn't wait to tell me about the Sears tower when I got home from work. Jared said he would have stayed at the top of the Sears tower all day!

I took him to see Laurie Berkner sing in concert. I told him we were going somewhere but didn't tell him where. He was so excited when she came on stage that his joy made me cry - he is such a good boy and a good big brother - we couldn't be prouder if we tried!

Mila

Anyone who has held Mila knows that she likes to be sitting up so she doesn't miss anything. Her new favorite thing to do is sit in the Bumbo seat so she can keep a very close eye on her big brother. She seems like such a big girl when she is sitting on the floor watching us.

My crew

What a year we've had. I have so much to be thankful for this holiday season. I wanted to share some pics of my family - whom I love so very much! Even though as you can see - they can be very silly sometimes - especially Zavier!!

Grandma Carol to the rescue!

Thanks to Grandma Carol for rushing right in after Jared called her from the emergency room telling her I had kidney stones. Wow - I had no idea how painful that was!!

She came in and helped take care of the kids while I delt with my new little problems!

She kept Mila downstairs with her at night and she ended up in bed with Mom. She looks so cute and tiny in that big bed.

I am also ataching a couple of pictures of Zavier eating the powdered sugar donuts she brought him. He found a unique way to use them - what a nut!

I am also attaching a picture of Zavier painting - I think more paint got on his face than on the paper!!

One loved little girl!

These are more photos taken at mom's house. It's hard to tell who wants to hold Mila more - Auntie or her cousins. She gets so much love when we go visit!

Three monkeys jumping on me

I always call Zavier and Carter and Camden the three monkeys - for good reason! This picture makes me so happy. I love it when Zavier gets to spend time with his cousins. They are always so excited to see one another. This is a shot Jared got at mom's house when they all decided to attack me at once. The smiles on their faces make me so happy.

Thanksgiving with the Borchardts

This year we had Thanksgiving at Scott and Dana's house. It was so nice, the food was great and the fire was warm. Thank you so much for having us all at your house this year.

My nephew Jared did a lot of the cooking and I am ready for him to move in and be my personal chef - a job very well done. Needless to say I ate A LOT!

Jared and Zavier headed off for a nap and I couldn't help but snap a picture of them lying face to face - they are so much alike!

Being with family always makes us happy - and thankful!

Thanksgiving with the McMahons

Thanksgiving this year was so nice - especially since we have our new and improved family to be thankful for.

We had a nice dinner at Steve and Sal's on Thanksgiving night and the day after while I was busy shopping, Sal and Grandma Irene and Zavier built a gingerbread house. He was so proud of it.

Grandpa Mac was sure to help Mila get some good tummy time in too.

Zavier even got treated to breakfast in Grandma Mac's bed with TV! Talk about heaven!! The day before Sal told Zavier that there was a banana for him with his name written all over it. He looked at the banana and told her his name wasn't written on it so the next day - there was actually a banana with his name written all over it! Too cute.

Thanks to Steve and Sal for making this Thanksgiving wonderful!!

The newest Bears fan

Who can say this tiny Hester jersey isn't the cutest?!?!?

Thanks you to all of Jared's co-workers for the cute jersey and other gifts. Thought this was too cute not to share!!

Toys for Tots

Jared did his second annual fundraiser for Toys for Tots. He and two friends from work, Matt and Cody, took donations to run up 22 flights of stairs as many times as they could (taking the elevator down) in an hour.

Jared did the stairs eight times!!

All together they raised $1283. Thanks in large part to our neighbor Dave Tremmel who contributed a big part of the funds from his Walmart store here in Plainfield.

Hopefully some children in the Chicagoland area will have a better Christmas thanks to this event! Thanks for the donations!

Ouch!!

Zavier was diagnosed with an infection in his left eyelid. It is infected where the lash comes out and it looks just awful. We are going back for a follow up visit tomorrow to make sure everything is still ok.

He is being a trooper about the warm wash cloths and soap washes to his eye. But as you can see from the picture - he is still smiling!!

Zavier & Mila

This picture is a good example of what a thoughtful brother Zavier is. Mila was on the floor checking out a toy and Zavier, who was watching tv, went immediately to the floor to sit by her and make sure she was ok. What a sweetie! I just hope he continues to think she is that cute once she is old enough to want to play with his toys!!

Trick or Treat!

Zavier is officially a trick or treating professional this year. He had so much fun and used very good manners except for ringing doorbells repeatedly! He even hit one of our neighbors up for candy while he was driving by in his car! We went around the block and then came back to the house to hand out candy.

Mila was too cute in her lady bug costume. She was a trooper and slept in her stroller yet again like a champ - I don't know what we did to get so lucky!

The cutest little jack o lantern!

Mila had a very cute jack o lantern shirt for Halloween this year and thought the pics were too cute to keep to myself - enjoy!

Halloween parade at daycare

Every year all the kids that go to Adventures in Learning have a Halloween parade around the parking lot. I look forward to going every year. This was by far the best year so far. Zavier was so excited about his dragon costume and was super excited about the party after the parade. He has been practicing his dragon roar since we got the costume almost a month ago. This is the first year Jared was able to come and he had so much fun that I am hoping it will become a tradition for us both to go together every year.

After the parade all the parents and the kids went to the classroom to have snacks and hang out for a while. Zavier was a little reluctant for us to leave until he heard they were going out on the playground and then he was more than happy to wave goodbye to us.

This is the last year we will only have one child in the parade, next year Mila will be dressed up and in the parade right along with her big brother!

The Aquarium

Jared took the entire last week of my maternity leave off to spend with us. We decided to go downtown to the aquarium for something fun to do since the weather was a little cold for an outside activity. Zavier was especially interested in looking for turtles and we saw a lot of them. I am posting a picture of him getting to pet a pretty big snake but it is a little hard to see. One of the highlights for him was a row boat set up for kids to play in. He hopped right in and put his lift jacket on and started rowing. You would think he has been doing it his whole life! We spent the morning looking at the exhibits and then had a sack lunch we brought with us int he cafeteria. After lunch Zavier wanted to go to the gift shop so him and I went to look around while Jared finished giving Mila a bottle. He found a dancing penguin that played Christmas music and started busting a move in the middle of the gift shop saying, "come on mommy, it's a dance party!" I wish I had it on video. Sometimes he is too much to take! Once again, Mila slept in her stroller like a champ!!

On the way there we asked Zavier if he wanted to see the Sears Tower and he of course said yes. We pointed it out to him from the car and once we parked and started walking to the aquarium he pointed to it and said, "there it is, let's go to it!" He didn't realize it was almost a mile away. Jared and I both look forward to taking him to see it up close in the spring.

This nice relaxing trip was the perfect ending to a wonderful maternity leave.

Carving Pumpkins

This is the first year Zavier has really been interested in helping with the whole process of carving. He was a little reluctant at first but in no time he was digging in. I had him saying ewww guts - the video is priceless!

We did two pumpkins this year, one for Zavier and one for Jared and me. Mila had a small pie pumpkin on the porch by our jack o lanterns. She will graduate to her own big pumpkin next year!

Grandma Carol

This is another great example of how Grandma Carol always has enough attention for both kids. Zavier climbed up on her shoulders while she was playing with Mila on a pillow.

Auntie!

When Auntie, my sister Sherry, comes to visit Zavier is so excited. This picture was taken when we spent the weekend together and went to see Clarissa (our neice) perform at the ISU football game in the color guard. Zavier was sure to get some cuddle time in while she was here!

Brotherly Love

This picture absolutely melts my heart. If you look close, you can actually see in Zavier's eyes how much he loves his new sister. I am so proud of how he has adjusted to having a sister. He helps me all the time and is becoming a pro at talking to her and being gentle. He loves to take baths with her and is always happy to help wash her feet.

I can't imagine having a more special son!!

Grandma Carol

This is another picture from the week Grandma spent with us - you can tell the kids can't stay away from her - that is one full lap!!

Zavier & Mila hanging out with Daddy

Just a really cute snapshot I wanted to share with everyone. My kids are so lucky to have such a great Daddy!