Zack is TWO!!

Zack turned 2! Here is what I posted on facebook on his birthday, Feb. 23: Zack is 2 today! I know with him, life will always be an adventure! We love our Zack Man, or as Breeley calls him, "Bud."

Like last year, we were lucky to have grandparents celebrate with us two weekends in a row. Brian's parents were down last weekend and my parents visited this weekend. The kids certainly did not complain about cupcakes--or extra attention--two weeks in a row!

Normally he mostly licks the icing, but Zack devoured his whole cupcake!

Beelee and Bud

Traditional picture of him waking up on his birthday. He wasn't too happy that I was flashing a camera in his face first thing in the morning. But I haven't been too happy sharing my bed with him either! Yes, that is OUR bed! This stinker has been crawling into bed with us multiple times at night. He's never been a good sleeper and this is his latest phase. He started climbing out of his crib, and since we're not yet set up for a big-boy bed, he is currently sleeping on a crib mattress on the floor next to his crib... until he comes lurking into our room!

This child loves cupcakes!

Cupcakes and family visitors (Amy came over too) was the extent of Zack's "birthday party" this year. I was pretty lame and didn't even get the cake pops made in time to take them to daycare, so I took bananas (one of his favorite foods) to his classmates as a special snack on his birthday. Further proving I should be fired as a mommy, I didn't even wrap his gifts! Thankfully, both grandparents gave him wrapped gifts (a remote control car that does flips and a truck and trailer/boat combo), and he still loved the wheelbarrow and fold-up camping chair we gave him.

Zack had his 2-year well appt this week and he weighed 30 lbs (75th percentile) and was 33.5 in tall (25th percentile). He's a solid guy but has really grown into his weight. He does not eat as well as his size indicates, although he does love bananas, grapes, and green beans! Brian is worried he'll be short but I think it's too early to tell--he could go either way though because we have both short and tall genes on both sides of our families.

Zack keeps us on our toes for sure! Unlike his sister, his curiosity far outweighs his cautiousness, so it is not uncommon to find him rummaging through drawers and cabinets, carrying a blow dryer/flat iron/blender/etc. through the house and pretending to plug them in (he has a crazy obsession with small electric appliances!), sitting on our back porch after he's let himself out the door, or hiding behind our bed examining some "treasure" he knows he shouldn't have (tampons are a favorite). He can be quite sneaky--there are multiple times where I've taken something from the kids and he won't protest, but as soon as I put the item away, he'll quietly go right back to get it. Other times, he will protest loudly and by throwing things. He's always had quite a temper, so I'm not looking forward to Terrible Twos/Threes!

Thankfully, communication does not seem to be a big issue--he seems to understand everything and speaks far better than Breeley did at his age. It also helps that he and Breeley get along great (for the most part) and Breeley is a great example and models good behavior (for the most part). He loves giving kisses and hugs, especially if you have a boo boo, and he's very protective if he thinks games get too rough. (He gets all serious and will say, "No, Daddy, stop it!" and then push Brian away from me or Breeley. This comes in handy because I HATE to be tickled and Zack gets all protective when I start screaming.) He loves to play outside, especially pushing his lawnmower or playing with any type of ball.

We're waiting for space to open so Zack can move into the Twos class at daycare, but I'm thinking it may never happen because the Toddler teachers want to keep him! Everyday, especially recently, they've been raving about how he's such a huge helper (I haven't particularly noticed this at home) and seems to understand more than any of the other kids. They called him "mature" and "agreeable" and they always smile when they talk about him, which is a good thing!

We sure do love our Zack Man! We are so blessed to have him in our family. Happy birthday, Bud!!

Grandparent Visits

We had grandparents visiting for two weekends in a row in February. We hadn't seen either set since we were in VA for Christmas, and they both wanted to come down to help celebrate Zack's second birthday. Brian's parents (Ma and Pappy) came the weekend before Zack's birthday, and my parents (Grammy and Papa) were here for three days the next week on the tail-end of their anniversary trip to Charleston. The kids absolutely LOVE their grandparents. Even though we don't see them often, the kids warm up to them right away and are waiting at the door with hugs when they arrive. They revel in the extra playtime and attention.

I have to admit that I enjoy grandparent visits for slightly more selfish reasons. Of course it's great to see our parents, but I usually benefit in other ways as well. With Brian's parents, it's guaranteed that we'll eat something good because his mom usually plans a meal ahead of time--often a new, delicious recipe she's been wanting to try--and brings most of the ingredients. She obviously knows I hate to cook, but it's also nice to see Brian and his parents work together in the kitchen on a new, fun recipe.

Brian's dad is a "piddler" and fixer and does not do well just sitting around the house, so I'm often the beneficiary of some home repair or improvement project. Brian and his dad work really well together and come up with great ideas, so usually the projects are inexpensive but very helpful. A few visits ago they fixed the sliding glass door, and this time I got a gate for the front porch!!

It was simple construction with a lightweight gate that they cut to fit the opening, then built "U" slots out of wood so the gate slides right in. It is sturdy, easy to use, and looks good, so I was thrilled!

This has been on the to-do list for a while, but it got pushed to the top because Zack fell down our front steps earlier in the day. The steps are brick so his face was bloody and scraped up, but thankfully nothing too serious.


We've dodged a few bullets with face injuries for Zack. The poor boy had just healed up from falling over a bike and face-planting on our driveway a couple weeks earlier! Here are the pictures from that one, which had also looked terrible in the beginning but ended up causing no permanent scars.

I somehow only ever manage to get pictures with Ma and Pappy right before bedtime. Breeley was much happier than she looks in this picture!

The next weekend my parents arrived on Thursday night after spending the beginning of the week on an anniversary trip to Charleston. With my parents' visits, we can often look forward to DATE NIGHT!! I went with Brian to a meeting for his fishing tournament, and we ate at a new German restaurant. Brian went to Germany on a business trip and loved the food there, and this restaurant did not disappoint! The buffet was loaded with meat and potatoes--yum!

They watched the kids again on Saturday because I had to go to work for a few hours and Brian had a fishing tournament all day. They actually like to watch the kids without us there, and we are happy to have willing, FREE babysitters!! Another staple of my parents' visits is that they let me sleep in(!), so they ended up with lots of quality time with the kids. 

Papa stretched Breeley's ears!


Amy came over too and she and Breeley decorated cupcakes for Zack's birthday.

Being silly before bedtime

Dressed up and ready for church

We are lucky to have parents that are as good at being grandparents as they are parents! They shower the kids with love and attention, but they also find ways to help us and show love for us as well! We are so blessed!

We Heart Teeth

We started our Valentine's Day at Breeley's first dentist appointment! She did GREAT!! They explained everything and made jokes and used the word "special" a lot (special Tiger glasses, special mask, special brush, etc.). They counted her teeth using the special teeth mirror, let her pick her toothpaste flavor (she chose bubble gum), then showed her how the brush tickled her hand and made a funny noise. When the hygienist put the brush in her mouth, Breeley said, "That doesn't tickle!" As you can tell from this picture, she was cool, calm, and collected, and I was so proud of her!

Coincidentally, our appointment was scheduled during Dental Health Month. What luck! A dental hygienist visited Breeley's daycare class a few days ago and talked about teeth and going to the dentist. Over the weekend we went to our local children's museum and they had special displays and presentations dealing with dental health. We watched them make homemade toothpaste and did a science experiment where we saw what acid can do to your teeth (using an egg soaked in mouthwash for 5 minutes, then dunked into a cup of Coke, compared to a regular egg dunked in Coke). They also have an exhibit that includes a dentist office, so I used the simulated equipment to show what they do. It was great timing and the appointment went better than I'd expected.

I didn't expect screaming or kicking, but she is often apprehensive in new situations, so I thought she may clam up and refuse to let them put anything in her mouth. On the contrary, she climbed right up in the seat and opened her mouth right away before the hygienist was even ready.



After flossing, getting a fluoride treatment, and a quick check from the dentist, we were on our way with a bag of goodies that included a princess toothbrush. It was a great first dentist appointment!

The clean teeth were short lived because next we headed to daycare to indulge in sugar-filled Valentine's Day parties. I dropped the kids off and headed to my own dentist appointment.

Both kids came home with a pile of Valentines, candy, and other goodies. Here they are inspecting it with Daddy.


The Valentine reviewing and sorting process makes me laugh because it reminds me of a story from Brian's childhood that involves his older sister shoving all his Valentines on the floor, him retaliating by knocking everything off her dresser, then him announcing that he was going to lie about doing it, just as his mother walked up behind him! Whoops! He was very proud of all his Valentines, but I'm pretty sure he wasn't feeling the love after that!

I took it easy and provided store-bought Valentines and treats for the kids' parties. However, Breeley went nuts when she saw Valentine's Day funfetti cake mix and icing and begged to make cupcakes, so we took cupcakes to both kids' classes the week before.

Breeley loves to help in the kitchen. "I can do it myself" usually equals bigger messes, but it gives her something fun to do and she's becoming such a big girl. Plus, I'm hoping she ends up with my cupcake-making skills, which, along with pizza crust, are the ONLY things I can make better than Brian! Zack knew what we were making immediately, but he was only interested in eating them! Apparently he gets his kitchen interests from his mommy!