Zoo Day

Yesterday was the first time we went to the zoo and actually watched Zane enjoy and make a connection with the animals. It was awesome. Most of you know that Zane has a monkey (actually 3) and Giraffe (2) that he is very attached to. Well, yesterday he was so excited to see the Giraffe's and monkey's live and in action. As you can see from one of the photos, he wanted to get in the cage with the monkey's. It was so cute. We really had a nice time and are planning to make it a more regular occurrence. I can't wait to for our next outing. This age, with Zane, is so enjoyable (in between the tantrums) I love watching him learn and grow. He's so smart. Thankfully Ryder is fairly easy going, except for the car ride to and from our destinations, which is a challenge considering how far away everything is from us. Oh, well, he'll get used to it.

Ryder is 3 months old today!!!

I can not believe that my baby is 3 months old already. He has been the perfect addition to our little family. It amazes me how similar, and yet vastly different our two boys are. They both have amazing, laid back, loving personalities, thank goodness. But then there are the differences, Ryder spits up, that is a new and not so pleasant experience. You just never know when or where he's going to decide to bless you with a little spit up. Ryder is also a mover and a shaker. This kid is all over the place. When you lay him on the ground he starts squirming, he has made it clear across the living room already. It's amazing. He does laps around his crib at night. It is such a contrast to Zane. Zane never moved at all. Where you put him is where he stayed. Does this mean that Ryder is going to be even more active than Zane? Uh Oh! Despite being so different they do share some great qualities as well, like sleeping through the night, and being so very, very, wonderful.

Big Boy Bed!

Friday was Kib and my 5 year anniversary. It's hard to believe that we have been together for 5 years. They have been wonderful, and challenging, and worth every minute. We decided to go out last night to celebrate while one of my friends and her daughter watched both of the boys. We went to dinner at this amazing restaurant that one of my friends from HS is a co-owner of. It's so good to know people. We were treated like celebrities. We did some shopping, which was such a treat without the boys. We even had a chance to hold hands which is a huge deal when you have kids, they are usually occupying our hands.
When we got home my friend gave me the 411 on the events of the night. It was no surprise to us that both of the boys were angels:) What did surprise us is that Zane was sleeping in his big boy bed. We bought him a twin bed back at the end of January with the intention of having him start sleeping in it before Ryder arrived. Our great intentions went to the birds when Kib got hurt, and then Ryder came, and now we've just been procrastinating. Our friend just assumed that he slept in the bed and not the crib since Zane asked to sleep there and had crawled in and pulled the blanket over himself. They did the cat and mouse game for about a half hour and then her daughter laid down in bed with Zane. He fell asleep after about 15 minutes and stayed in bed all night. He even woke up about 6:00 this morning, came out of his room, realized that we were all asleep, and went back to bed for about a half hour. What a great kid!!! So now we are going to spend the next couple of weeks working on sleeping in the big boy bed all the time!!! It's exciting and a little sad at the same time.

Everyday is a new surprise

So Ryder started rolling over this week. He is mainly going from tummy to back, but he is working hard to go the other way as well. Kib put Ryder on the floor today and withing a few minutes he had scooted himself about 3 feet and rolled over on his back. That's scary, the little kiddo is only 11 weeks old and he is all over the place. He does laps around his crib at night, which is not at all convenient at night. I'll put him down for bed and when I go to get him in the middle of the night I have to feel around his crib to figure out where he is. On another exciting note, Zane started jumping off the couch today. He has been able to climb on the couch for months, but has never tried to jump off. Today he was sitting on the edge and said " Mommy, ready, set go." So I said "ready, set, go," and he jumped off the couch. He did that about 6 more times until he landed on his face and decided that was enough for one night. I can't believe how big my babies are getting. My newborn is cruising around the floor, and my toddler does something new and wonderful everyday. Fun, but sad at the same time.

The little things

I was changing Ryder's diaper today (imagine that) and took note that he was staring at and touching the side of the couch, he was completely infatuated with it, and it was amazing. Ryder really enjoys staring at and studying all the things that you put in front of him. Neither Kib nor I remember Zane doing that. It's so much fun to see all the similarities and differences in our boys. For me, the second child has been a huge treat because I now realize how fast the time really goes so I have been trying harder to enjoy each step of the journey a little bit more. I don't want Ryder to rush into all the milestones, I just want to enjoy each little detail of how he grows.
Zane is about to turn 2 next month, and I am having a hard time with this realization. My baby, my first born, is 2. He speaks in full sentences, sasses me, helps put dishes away, and goes kayaking with Daddy. Have I mentioned that he is in preschool? Unbelievable. Zane is just growing up a little too quickly right now and it makes me sad. I love this age, and I want him to stay this way forever.

First Day of School

Today was a big day for Zane, he started his first day of preschool. No, I'm not trying to make him smarter, I'm not sure that's possible, but this will allow him to learn more things, be social, and most importantly, give Mommy a couple hours a week to catch up on things around the house. I have to admit I really enjoyed my 2.5 hours without him today. I got to go shopping with only one child, and I managed to put away a weeks worth of laundry, and do dishes. To accomplish all this in one day is nothing short of a miracle.

My new blog

Well, here it is, my first official blog. To be honest, I'm not sure how good of an idea this is. I am admittedly too busy and can't promise that I will keep this up. However, My biggest regret to date is that I haven't kept a proper journal for Zane, and now Ryder, so it is my hope that this will become their online journal that they can look back on and enjoy. As for our friends and family, I hope that this will make you feel a little closer to our precious boys. It breaks my heart that we are so far from our friends and family and that you can't be here to enjoy these little guys in person. They are both so much fun.