A trip away from home!

Eric and I just got back from our anniversary weekend in Victoria, BC. We had an awesome time and got to see lots of really cool stuff. I also got to play with my new camera and super cool macro lens. I took this picture of a bee with it and I was very impressed with the detailed results. The boys had a great time hanging out with Eric's parents Alice and Gene. Grandma and Grandpa spoiled them rotten and even took care of Calvin as well! They boys have made an easy adjustment home which was one of my main concerns and has made the time away definitely worth it.

Zane Pictures, Finally!

My frustration with taking decent pictures of Zane has now officially ended. We went to the park yesterday before Andrew's swimming lesson and I played with my new camera and took some great pics of the boys. I am treating you to the pictures of Zane today because I know that he has been sadly lacking in the picture department on this blog. It was just so hard to find a decent shot of him that wasn't blurry. I found it very frustrating so I kinda stopped trying to take pictures. Now hopefully it will be more even.

Zane is actually sick right now which is not fun. 8 diaper changes in one day does not a happy mommy make! (or daddy for that matter) We are getting ready to leave on a weekend getaway (Sunday through Wednesday) and the boys will be staying with Alice and Gene. They should have lots of fun and be spoiled rotten by the time we get home. Eric and I are trying to have a romantic trip to Victoria for our anniversary. Hopefully it will be successful and I will be able to chill out about the boys while we are gone. I am not worried about them for while we are gone. I just want them to transition smoothly back home.

The new camera! Yeah!

We officially have a new camera now! Yeah!!!!! I am starting to play with it and it seems pretty cool! Here is a picture I just took of Andrew. (Zane was sleeping) Hopefully I will have lots more to show you all in the near future!

Frustration

Why does it seem to be that when you go and do something fun with your kids they seem to have an emotional breakdown either during the event or very soon thereafter? Today we took the boys out to breakfast, then to get thier hair cut and finally to the mall because I needed to get something. They were fine during the breakfast and hair cut but once we got to the mall, where they got to play on toys rather than be bored with mom while shopping, Andrew decided to have a complete meltdown. When we got home then Zane decided to meltdown. Currently they are both in bed, taking naps and I am attempting to defuse myself with a pop and some blog therapy. Who knows what makes those little minds tick? Not me for sure!

New camera needed?

Let me take a minute to let you know about a brand new toy I am getting this week. I am getting a brand new digital SLR camera! YEAH! This new camera should stop me from taking pictures like the ones above which are in no way good. (I took them at night, inside with the lights on and my current digital camera has no flash) Hopefully I will never subject all of you to pictures this bad again. Eric actually agreed to shell out the money for a new camera. He is seeing his investment returning to him in the form of no film costs and no development costs, the wild card is how many pictures will I pay to have printed though, hmmmmm.......

Two little turkeys with nothing to do!

Life has been exceptionally boring for the last two weeks and I for one am so relieved. It seems like we had a never ending stream of appointments and activities to do during August and I was a little bit frazzled! However we have not been completely idle, a few things have happened for you all (faithful and loyal readers that you are!) to hear about.

Zane had his two year old checkup and all was well. He is still a bit on the heavy side at 34 pounds but that only put him just over the 100% not the 110% like he was. I guess that means that all that whole milk rationing that we did was a raving success! He is also now 36 inches tall which is consistent with the 85% like he has been for quite a while now. The doctor declared him fit as a fiddle with nothing for us to worry about. He also managed to luck out in not getting the last shot he needs before his kindergarten boosters. I think we will be going back in for the shot though, they were simply out and waiting for a shipment to come in.

Zane also went this week to get his two year old pictures taken and let me tell you, with Zane it is always an adventure at the Sears portrait studio. The last time we did pictures he was so out of control that we ended up with two that he stayed somewhat still for and we were thankful we got those. The photographer we had this time was awesome though! Our appointment was at 10 and she said she was free until 12 and if it took that long then that is just how long it would take. We managed to get three super cute shots to pick from and we were totally excited to get those. Hopefully now that he is older than two pictures will start coming easier, although popular wisdom does say that it isn't until they are 4 that they start being super cooperative. Andrew was/is apparently the strange one, he loves getting his pictures taken and with only one session as an exception, always has. Just one more way Zane and Andrew are two totally different kids!

Finally, Andrew started his swimming lessons this week and it has been met with mixed reviews. There are a lot more kids in his class (which can always be a problem since he does better is a smaller group setting) and he has a different teacher too. I think the biggest problem is that there is no table to stand on in the water and that is a huge part of the fun. Now he is required to hang onto the wall the whole class until it is his turn to swim. We have our second lesson tonight and hopefully it will meet with better reviews! Grandma Meow is coming to lessons and that usually makes them even more exciting than normal. It was hard though to have him burst into tears after his first class though, especially since he normally loves all things to do with swimming and the pool.

Hopefully life will continue at this slower pace, we have been so blessed to have a reprieve but fun and exciting adventures are awaiting us around the corner and I can't wait to tell you about them!

Big Boy Beds

I am now the proud mommy of two big boys in bunk beds. Andrew, of course, has been in his big boy bed for quite some time. Zane on the other hand just got a new set of Thomas the Tank Engine sheets and a comforter for his birthday and slept in the bed the very first night. Not only did he sleep in the bed but he stayed in it. In my book that is darn near a miricle. I was absolutely sure that he would be in and out 300 times and I would have to put all those hours of watching Supernanny to work. Fortunately I did not! He got into bed and slept like a little angel all night long. I am so proud I could almost pop! The only thing I am not enjoying with the big boy bed is the early morning wake up call. I get little feet in bed with me saying "Mama, Mama" at a very early hour (anytime before 7 qualifies for very early for those of you who are curious!). Maybe he will start to sleep in a bit, it has been known to happen occasionally. However, I will not be holding my breath! Andrew is very excited to be in the top bunk as well. I think he feels like going to bed is a big adventure right now and I am for anything that will get him in bed and keep him there. All in all two big boys are fun and now the crib is ready for our new little addition.

Zane's Birthday Party

Zane saying "Cheese!"

Yesterday we had Zane's 2nd birthday party! We had a great time with friends and family. Zane was pretty excited about all his stuff, including is Sesame Street wall mural that I bought and put up on the wall while he was sleeping. Two year old birthday parties tend to be a bit on the boring side but we had a great time eating cake and watching him open presents. He was very excited to get Thomas stuff and a couple of Elmo's to cuddle with. He even got a new set of Elmo pj's that he insisted on putting on over his clothes and wearing. After about 30 minutes though I took them off because he was starting to look pretty hot. All in all the day was a success and we even were able to sing happy birthday to you without him crying. A miracle if you ask me!

Zane is 2

I can't believe that my baby is 2. Somehow it always seems like time goes so fast and so slow all at the same time. Zane's birthday was pretty uneventful from his standpoint. We very quietly sang happy birthday to him (he cries when a lot of people sing it, especially if they sing loud) and hung out/ran errands. We also went to the airport and picked up Crystal, but more about her in a later post. It is so much fun to have little ones around. Zane is hopefully going to have an easier third year of existence than his second. He has been in the middle of the terrible two's since he turned 1. I am really hoping that he will mellow a bit his year and learn how to be agreeable. That would make this mom's life a whole bunch easier!