Taking the Scenic Route

It was a great day.  Family and food and fun.  It was a day that the photos just don’t do it justice…it was so much better.  The kids were both happy and excited and couldn’t wait to open all the presents.  We let them open the Santa gift and the stockings, and eventually let them open Grandma & Grandpa Z’s gift because they were about to lose it waiting for Grandma & Grandpa S and Steve & Joy to arrive.  Those gifts helped entertain them until the group got here.

There were two cooking mishaps…our Six cheese crabmeat lasagna and mom’s potatoes & carrots weren’t quite ready when everything else was, but we were all starving, so we just started.  We had roast, mashed potatoes, gravy, corn with cream cheese, green beans and bacon, and fresh rolls.  We decided to have dessert later because we were all full, so we laid out the two cheesecakes, the black walnut pie, the apricot pie, the homemade fudge, the cookies, and the candy on the table and snacked on that and the lasagna through the rest of the afternoon/early evening. 

After eating, the frenzy began.  It was a lot of fun.  Zach retreated to the kitchen for a while because it was a bit too much for him at times, but he popped in and watched as he cleaned in there.  The rest of us were right in the middle of the malay and everybody enjoyed the fun.

In addition to the main celebration, as my folks were leaving, Robert’s family came over for the kids to exchange gifts.  A few minutes after they left, Zach got to talk to each of his parents.  

 It was a wonderful and busy day.  In the evening it took a while for the kids to wind down as we played and enjoyed the leftovers.

I hope everyone had as wonderful of a Christmas as we had!

My birthday girl celebrated this evening.  Grandma & Grandpa and Uncle Steve all came to celebrate with us.  Since the weather has been so unpredictable this winter, we decided to move the “big” party (joint party for both kids) to this summer, where we invite friends and be able to play outdoors. 

We had a quiet family party with pizza, cake and ice cream.  Zane got her a shopping basket, Grandma got a purse filled with little purse things (play cell phone, key ring, wallet, and things like that) and a few dress up outfits and necklace.  We got her some cloth “sorting bags”.  It is five different colored bags with cloth food in matching colors. 

Zora was on top of the world.  She even figured out how to blow out the candles and was warming up to Steve by the end of the evening.  She was very excited about all of her gifts and carried them around the rest of the evening.  (it helps when your brother gives you this great shopping basket.  lol)

Zane was a bit sad.  Zach talked to him for a while tonight and by the time he went to bed he was ok again, and he handled the party ok even though it was hard for him.  He was excited to get her a present and he liked the cake and ice cream.  It is hard to watch your sibling be the center of attention as a kid.  I remember it being hard even when I was old enough to know how to be gracious, and it is worse when you are a little kid.  It does helps a little bit that he doesn’t have to wait long for his day instead of months.

Zane took the necklace and put it over both of them.

Happy Birthday my big girl!  You are growing up entirely too fast!

For the nostalgic:  Zora’s Birth, Zora’s First Birthday.

Play time!

His last day of the semester at the university speech therapy.  If I am able to I want to upload a video of this because you have to hear it to understand how crazy this picture actually is.  They are trying to get the kids to play “Go Fish” with no visual supports.  It is a study in echolalia with rather dizzying results.  (sort of a “Who’s on First” experience)  She is a bit older than Zane, but they are at a similar level.  She is very chatty though where Zane is pretty quiet.

Party Time!

At one of Zane’s friend’s birthday party last week.  It was at a place called “Pump it Up” and had these huge inflatable play structures.  Zora has no fear and was trying to climb the ladder to the really big slide by herself and didn’t want to wait to get settled to go down.  Zane took a bit longer to warm up to the big slide, but at the end, he didn’t want to stop.  lol.

Grandma Time!

This week Grandma came up with lots of goodies to play with:  paint, stickers, markers, giant pieces of paper and little notebooks.  (oh, and food…spaghetti, always a hit).  For the first time, Zora wasn’t the least bit hesitant for Mom and Dad to leave.  She was yelling bye-bye at us when we picked up the keys and seemed delighted that she was going to get some Grandma time.  Zane, as usual, was quite happy too. 

After they played with that, they decorated Christmas cookies with candy.  Zane ate most of them right after he decorated them, but at least he ate the whole cookie.  Zora kept licking the toppings off and leaving the cookie. 

The both sacked out shortly after Grandma left.  She wore them out.

Thanksgiving at our house!

Joining us:  My Mom & Dad and my Maternal Grandma 

The menu:  Roasted Turkey, 8 lbs of Mashed potatoes (yeah, we really like potatoes), Stuffing (sourdough bread, mushrooms, bacon, and herbs), Sweet Potato Casserole, Green beans with bacon & “schmutz”  (flour that makes a sauce with the bacon grease),  a Pumpkin Pie with whipped cream and an Apricot Pie with ice cream.  The only things store bought was the bread for the table and the stuffing.  We made a big pot of turkey broth the day before for the gravy & stuffing because I was low on chicken broth…I think I will make that a tradition because it was really good.

It was a low key event, like most holidays in our house.  I didn’t even get the house as clean as I would like, but I am fortunate that has family that cares more about the people than the stuff, so I knew it was ok.  The only decorations were the craft projects Zane has made.

Zora snuggled with her Grandma and fell asleep in her arms a few minutes later.  Her Great-grandma was admiring her curls and how impossibly soft her hair is. 

And the biggest thankful thing this year, that everybody is happy, and healthy, and HERE.  I am so glad it wasn’t
“the first Thanksgiving without Dad”.  It was so close.

Ready to eat (except Zora, who was still asleep and I wasn’t going to wake up)

And, after dinner, Zane helped finish up the Apricot Pie.  I didn’t want to stay up until 5am to finish it off the day before, and everybody is always way too full to eat right after the meal anyway, so I saved the Apricot to finish up after eating.

Hanging out after dinner.  My Grandma and Zane looking at pictures.  (Zane is balanced in typical fashion…his legs are over the rebounder and his shoulders on the couch arm)

Zora wakes up from her nap and snuggles with Grandma while she is “not quite awake, not quite asleep”

Zane’s Grandma & Grandpa each took a turn playing on his Nintendo.  After a while, Zora wanted to join in and asked (pulling me over there and asking “up! up!”) to be lifted over the gate to join Grandma in there. 

Wonderful, WONDERFUL day.  Relaxed, happy, warm.  Lots of laughter and smiles and even some quiet, peaceful moments of just “being” instead of “doing”.  I like that.  I am so thankful!