First Dentist Visit

Last Tuesday was Zack's first dentist visit. I felt bad that I haven't taken him to the dentist yet and he's already 2 1/2 years old. But I've heard conflicting times as to when to take a child to the dentist. Some places I've read to take them after they are two some websites say three and some say when they get their first tooth. In Zack's case that would have been like 4 months old. And I'm sorry a 4 month old does not need to visit the dentist.

I'll admit I was a little nervous for my little guy to visit the dentist. Don't get me wrong. I loved going to the dentist when I was little. He was super nice, the office was fun and we got prizes afterwards. Luckily I knew someone that worked in a dentist's office and I've heard really good things (from her and other patients) about him. So we gave it a try.

Zack is fearless. I love that little guy! When we got to the denstist office he immediately started playing with all the toys and exploring the room under the stairs. It was awesome. Gavin of course played too. That was my other concern I couldn't get a sitter for Gavin so I was worried that if Zack had a meltdown or something I wouldn't be able to help because I would already have my handsful with his little brother.

After I filled out the majority of the paperwork for the first visit the dental assistant called Zack back. She told me that normally the first visit is a lap visit and they quickly look at the teeth but mostly just pretend denstist. I really didn't have a lap available for Zack because Gavin was already buring himself into me because the lady was talking to us (he's such a shy little guy). So I asked Zack if he wants to sit on mommies lap and have the dentist just look at his teeth or sit in the big chair and have his teeth cleaned. He chose have his teeth cleaned. And off he went with the Dental Assistant. I had to hurry and grab all my stuff to catch up to them. Zack just jumped right into the dental chair and was ready to go. They wanted him to lay down but he wasn't really comfortable doing that. He also didn't like the headphones in his ears so he didn't watch or listen to the movie that was playing in the ceiling.

The dental assistant cleaned his teeth, gave him a little floride and flossed his teeth. And he did wonderful! He listened to her, held his mouth open big and wide and sucked the water sucker (don't know technical name) when she asked him to. I was so proud of my little guy!

And of course I took pictures.

Pictures with the Dental Assistant. Don't mind the huge bruise on his forehead. He ran into a table the week before and it still hasn't completely healed.




Goodie Bag!!! Zack got a toothbrush, sticker, floss, a prize from the prize bucket and a tocken to buy a prize from the candy machine. He totally lucked out.



The dentist checking his teeth. I was worried because he had a brown spot on his back molar that I scrub at every night and thought was a cavity. Come to find out that it's just mother natures way of sticking her tounge out at good dental hygiene. The dentist asked if Zack got a lot of ear infections when he was a baby (which he didn't) but all it takes is one ear infection and medication to damage enamel that hadn't come in yet. So the enamel was stained and soft on the back molar, we made another dentist appointment for the next week (today) to have it fixed. No drilling or shots. Just a little sanding and a filling.

My baby is walking! I am so excited for this new step in Gavin's life. It's really surprising how quickly it happened. Well it shouldn't be that surprising he's been walking along the couch for months. But every time we try to get him to walk he'll just sit down and crawl. But the other day my mom was over watching the boys and she showed me what my little man was up to. It's so exciting! He's now in his second or third day walking and he's doing so well. At first it was only a few steps then he'd fall and be caught. But now he'll pull himself up on anything and walk, stop, turn and go somewhere else. My mom calls him Frank because watch the video he's our little Frankenstein!

I love this stage!!!

My baby is growing up!

Can you believe that it's already been 5 months since Gavin was born. It just amazes me how fast time flys by.

And of course it's getting closer to his 6 months now that I've gotten around to writing a post.

I must say I love this little guy so much. He's such a chill little guy. He's been okay sitting and just relaxing. But as always he's growing up way to fast. Already he is rolling over. If I leave him on the floor and go to another room when I come back he is on the other side of the room. I think he's ready to be on the move and start chasing his older brother. In the past month Gavin has also mastered the art of sitting by himself. He'll just sit in the middle of the room and play with his toys. It's HEAVEN! It's amazing how much more time I have to get things done. But now that he's sitting and rolling by himself I do have to make sure not to leave him on the couch by himself (yes I set him on the couch while I make a bottle... but not anymore).

Gavin loves to watch Zack. Zack can do pretty much anything and Gavin will just giggle at him. He really does love his older brother. I can only hope that this love continues and my house will be one of peace... ha ha with two boys my house will be anything but peaceful. But it sure will be interesting. Of course as you can see Zack is already picking on his poor brother. I left the room for a second and came back to this... (Of course I had to take a picture.)

This past month Gavin went on his first out of state car ride to Pocatello, ID. He did AMAZING. I don't think he even fussed there or back. It was great.

This past month has actually been alot of firsts for Gavin.

His first Haircut

His first Bees Game (minor league baseball)

His first Days of 47 parade (it was very hot!)

Gavin has been fussing when anyone other then his parents are watching him. But I think he's finally growing out of that. He just loves to look at people and anyone that is willing to talk to him he just smiles. Gavin is such a chunk and I love every squishy part of him. At his last appointment he weighed 18 pounds, so he can be our Linebacker!

My baby is growing up!

Can you believe that it's already been 5 months since Gavin was born. It just amazes me how fast time flys by.

And of course it's getting closer to his 6 months now that I've gotten around to writing a post.

I must say I love this little guy so much. He's such a chill little guy. He's been okay sitting and just relaxing. But as always he's growing up way to fast. Already he is rolling over. If I leave him on the floor and go to another room when I come back he is on the other side of the room. I think he's ready to be on the move and start chasing his older brother. In the past month Gavin has also mastered the art of sitting by himself. He'll just sit in the middle of the room and play with his toys. It's HEAVEN! It's amazing how much more time I have to get things done. But now that he's sitting and rolling by himself I do have to make sure not to leave him on the couch by himself (yes I set him on the couch while I make a bottle... but not anymore).

Gavin loves to watch Zack. Zack can do pretty much anything and Gavin will just giggle at him. He really does love his older brother. I can only hope that this love continues and my house will be one of peace... ha ha with two boys my house will be anything but peaceful. But it sure will be interesting. Of course as you can see Zack is already picking on his poor brother. I left the room for a second and came back to this... (Of course I had to take a picture.)

This past month Gavin went on his first out of state car ride to Pocatello, ID. He did AMAZING. I don't think he even fussed there or back. It was great.

This past month has actually been alot of firsts for Gavin.

His first Haircut

His first Bees Game (minor league baseball)

His first Days of 47 parade (it was very hot!)

Gavin has been fussing when anyone other then his parents are watching him. But I think he's finally growing out of that. He just loves to look at people and anyone that is willing to talk to him he just smiles. Gavin is such a chunk and I love every squishy part of him. At his last appointment he weighed 18 pounds, so he can be our Linebacker!

Sleepy boy, 2 months, blessing!

I'm sure if you are just checking in on our family, you've been wondering if I will ever repost again. It's just been a busy hectic past few weeks!

To start with we have done away with most of Zack's naps. Mainly the only time he gets a nap is if he passes out on his own and we can't keep him awake. Why you say? Because it's 11:06pm and I still have a wide eyed and bushy tailed little boy! If he doesn't take a nap he goes to bed by 9pm. If he takes a nap he's awake! Ugh!

I had a video I'll try to load later. Blogger is having issues and wont load it... GRRR!

I couldn't help but laugh while filming this video! It was too funny. I never thought I would see Zack so tired that he falls asleep while eating! Unfortunetly this was around 6pm so you can only guess how long he stayed up that night!

Gavin had his 2 month check up a week ago. No one can say that that little guy isn't getting enough food! He's getting so big!

Stats:
24 inches long
13.2 pounds
His head is in the 50 percentile and his weight and height is top of the charts. I can't help it I have big boys! He's a little ahead of what Zack was at the same age but only by a few points.

Gavin is doing great. He's able to hold his head up and he's such a strong little guy. He loves laying on his back and having people to talk to. I get a big grin from him when I push his legs into his belly. He's been a very content little guy laying under his gym looking at the toys dangling above him. Which has been a big help since his older brother likes to have a lot of attention.


Zack has been doing really good with Gavin. He goes up and talks to him and loves to have his picture taken with him. Of course the second the picture has been taken Zack pushes Gavin off his lap and wants to look at the image. There has been a few times where Zack has hurt Gavin but he's learning what he can and can't do and how soft he needs to be with his little brother.



A couple of Sunday's ago we blessed Gavin a member of our Church. It was such a great experience to have his father give him a name and a blessing. I am so lucky to have such a great husband that holds the Priesthood! After church (Sacrement) we came back to our house for a light lunch with family and friends. We are so blessed to have such wonderful people in our lives. I know that our children are loved by so many people!

Other then that not much has been going on in our lives. I've started looking for a new job, which isn't very fun and quite stressful at times. I'm not sure that we can afford daycare so I may just look for part time job in the evenings. It will be hard but hopefully once the boys are little older I will be able to work during the days. Of course best case scenerio is the Bob will get a promotion at work and I wouldn't have to work.... But that may not be for a few more years at best.

Sleepy boy, 2 months, blessing!

I'm sure if you are just checking in on our family, you've been wondering if I will ever repost again. It's just been a busy hectic past few weeks!

To start with we have done away with most of Zack's naps. Mainly the only time he gets a nap is if he passes out on his own and we can't keep him awake. Why you say? Because it's 11:06pm and I still have a wide eyed and bushy tailed little boy! If he doesn't take a nap he goes to bed by 9pm. If he takes a nap he's awake! Ugh!

I had a video I'll try to load later. Blogger is having issues and wont load it... GRRR!

I couldn't help but laugh while filming this video! It was too funny. I never thought I would see Zack so tired that he falls asleep while eating! Unfortunetly this was around 6pm so you can only guess how long he stayed up that night!

Gavin had his 2 month check up a week ago. No one can say that that little guy isn't getting enough food! He's getting so big!

Stats:
24 inches long
13.2 pounds
His head is in the 50 percentile and his weight and height is top of the charts. I can't help it I have big boys! He's a little ahead of what Zack was at the same age but only by a few points.

Gavin is doing great. He's able to hold his head up and he's such a strong little guy. He loves laying on his back and having people to talk to. I get a big grin from him when I push his legs into his belly. He's been a very content little guy laying under his gym looking at the toys dangling above him. Which has been a big help since his older brother likes to have a lot of attention.


Zack has been doing really good with Gavin. He goes up and talks to him and loves to have his picture taken with him. Of course the second the picture has been taken Zack pushes Gavin off his lap and wants to look at the image. There has been a few times where Zack has hurt Gavin but he's learning what he can and can't do and how soft he needs to be with his little brother.



A couple of Sunday's ago we blessed Gavin a member of our Church. It was such a great experience to have his father give him a name and a blessing. I am so lucky to have such a great husband that holds the Priesthood! After church (Sacrement) we came back to our house for a light lunch with family and friends. We are so blessed to have such wonderful people in our lives. I know that our children are loved by so many people!

Other then that not much has been going on in our lives. I've started looking for a new job, which isn't very fun and quite stressful at times. I'm not sure that we can afford daycare so I may just look for part time job in the evenings. It will be hard but hopefully once the boys are little older I will be able to work during the days. Of course best case scenerio is the Bob will get a promotion at work and I wouldn't have to work.... But that may not be for a few more years at best.

2 Week update

On Tuesday Gavin turned two weeks old! My how time flys! Of course our first week was nearly spent in the hospital it felt like; so really he's only been home just over a week. But it sure has been fun. We had his two week appointment on Tuesday.

Birth Weight: 7lb 11oz
Home from Hospital weight: 7lbs
2 week appointment weight: 8lb 6oz!!!

He's a growing boy!

I've officially given up on breastfeeding though. The first week in the hospital the nurses all told me how great Gavin was latching on. But by the time I got home from the hospital I had (TMI ahead) very sore nipples and scabs on them from improper latching on. After one breastfeeding season when I stopped feeding Gavin and one of the scabs was gone only to have the poor guy throw up what looked like dried blood and scabs. I started pumping to help heal. After about 5 days of pumping I finally felt like I could start breastfeeding again. I called and made a appointment with a lactation specialtist and tried again. Of course Gavin latched on perfectly the first time for me. But he favored one breast over the other. The other one he wanted nothing to do with! Later that day I tried to breastfeed on my own with no success! I tried a few times after that but I had anxiety every time I had to feed the poor little guy and it just wasn't fun for either of us. One or both of us ended the session in tears! Breastfeeding shouldn't be a team sport, so the fact that I can't do it on my own only added to me quitting. I feel like a failure as a mother not to be able to give him that "good start". But pumping has also proved to be a challenge. I'm exhausted most of the time, so trying to motivate myself to either get up 1/2 hour before Gavin or stay up 1/2 hour or more after he goes to sleep is hard. Plus with Zack and Gavin I don't have much time to pump. I also wish that I was able to breastfeed for the money aspect of it! Formula is expensive, and I do not look forward to a year of buying formula... ugh! Oh well I have to do what I have to do. I just hate that I feel like I've failed at something else with Gavin (I wasn't able to do the VBAC as planned either).

Here are a few pictures that I took of Gavin this week:

2 Week Picture (with teddy bear for size comparison)

Brothers on St. Patrick Day. I didn't have time to get Zack a St. Patties Tshirt (bad mommy)

I absolutely love this picture it's like he's looking at something

2 Week update

On Tuesday Gavin turned two weeks old! My how time flys! Of course our first week was nearly spent in the hospital it felt like; so really he's only been home just over a week. But it sure has been fun. We had his two week appointment on Tuesday.

Birth Weight: 7lb 11oz
Home from Hospital weight: 7lbs
2 week appointment weight: 8lb 6oz!!!

He's a growing boy!

I've officially given up on breastfeeding though. The first week in the hospital the nurses all told me how great Gavin was latching on. But by the time I got home from the hospital I had (TMI ahead) very sore nipples and scabs on them from improper latching on. After one breastfeeding season when I stopped feeding Gavin and one of the scabs was gone only to have the poor guy throw up what looked like dried blood and scabs. I started pumping to help heal. After about 5 days of pumping I finally felt like I could start breastfeeding again. I called and made a appointment with a lactation specialtist and tried again. Of course Gavin latched on perfectly the first time for me. But he favored one breast over the other. The other one he wanted nothing to do with! Later that day I tried to breastfeed on my own with no success! I tried a few times after that but I had anxiety every time I had to feed the poor little guy and it just wasn't fun for either of us. One or both of us ended the session in tears! Breastfeeding shouldn't be a team sport, so the fact that I can't do it on my own only added to me quitting. I feel like a failure as a mother not to be able to give him that "good start". But pumping has also proved to be a challenge. I'm exhausted most of the time, so trying to motivate myself to either get up 1/2 hour before Gavin or stay up 1/2 hour or more after he goes to sleep is hard. Plus with Zack and Gavin I don't have much time to pump. I also wish that I was able to breastfeed for the money aspect of it! Formula is expensive, and I do not look forward to a year of buying formula... ugh! Oh well I have to do what I have to do. I just hate that I feel like I've failed at something else with Gavin (I wasn't able to do the VBAC as planned either).

Here are a few pictures that I took of Gavin this week:

2 Week Picture (with teddy bear for size comparison)

Brothers on St. Patrick Day. I didn't have time to get Zack a St. Patties Tshirt (bad mommy)

I absolutely love this picture it's like he's looking at something

Moving on

Update: Photos added!

If your reading this post and there aren't any pictures I'll try to update it soon. I was just tired of seeing the prego stick and wanted to update ASAP.

I've been meaning to update this blog for a while now. But to be honest I have NO time. Zack likes to be near me at all times. If I'm on the computer he's right there beside me. Usually getting in to my scrapbook stuff, pulling on computer cords or climbing on something.

This isn't a very good pictures but shows that Zack is trying to climb onto the couch. My foot is there to help "boost" him.

Zack has become quite the little climber lately. He can mostly get on the couch by himself now, every once in a while he'll need a little boost. He has no problem climbing on our glass coffee table. That is a big problem seems how we put the table away at one point because one of the legs broke. We "mostly" fixed the leg, so we are still a little nervous about it's unstability. He'll also use toys to help himself up onto a side table that we have between the couch and chair. He's also mastered climbing from the lovesac to the chair that is next to it. It's pretty funny. He flings himself over the armrest and lands on the cushion. He'll even go into our room and get a laundry basket and drag it into the front room to stand on. He gets up on top and he's so proud of himself!

This picture is of Zack going from the Lovesac to the Loveseat. I wanted to post a video but it's not working, so this is all you get.

Zack has also started a shoe fetish. He loves giving people their shoes. This has become a problem because we are constantly missing one shoe. He also loves to wear shoes. He'll bring me one of his shoe, plop himself into my lap and lift up his foot. I'll put the shoe on him and he'll be happy. Most of the time he'll just have the ONE shoe on. it's really funny. And he'll walk around for as long as I let him with only the one shoe. And if I try to take it off he gets very angry! We've tried to hide a lot of his shoes so we don't have the above mentioned problem with missing shoes. We are still missing one of his sandals. Either he's thrown it away or it's hidden somewhere.

We've finally trained Zack to throw garbage away. It's so cute. He'll eat a fruit snack and when he's finished we'll tell him to throw the wrapper in the garbage. He'll do just that! But if there is any chance that he can get it back out he will. I've also seen him pick up random garbage and thrown it away! I love my little helper, if only I could get him to put away his toys! He loves to pull things out of the garbage and give it to us. He's our little garbage man. I have caught him a few times throwing his balls in the garbage along with other toys. I'm sure a few of his stuff (and maybe ours) have made it to the landfill. Zack has also figured out how to open the toilet seat. We've caught him a few times playing in the water. He's also thrown my slipper into the toilet at one point... not cool! He's such a troublemaker, but we love him!

As for the pregnancy everything is going fine. Currently I am 17 weeks along. I feel fine other then being tired alot. Normally in your second trimester you start getting your energy back, but I haven't. I'm sure alot of it has to do with the fact that I don't sleep very well (thanks abbie!) and 3 days a week I have to get up earlier then I'd like to be awake. We had a fun ER visit because I was having pains in my chest and the doctor thought it may be a gallbladder problem. It wasn't an emergency my doctor just told me to go to the ER because they would be able to get the test results quicker. Thanks for that, now I have to pay an ER bill and waste 4 hours of my life! Everything ended up being fine, they think it was just reflux. Which in my opinion is a "I don't know what is wrong with you" diagnose. I've felt fine since then and haven't had to take any prescriptions... (knock on wood).

Ultrasound picture is when I was 15 weeks

We should find out what we are having on October 12th. I am excited. It's hard to tell what we may have. This pregnancy has been very different then with Zack. With Zack I started getting sick right at my second trimester and pretty much couldn't eat or think about dinner at all! With this pregnancy I started feeling sick earlier on, but was able to contain it with eating every few hours. I really haven't had too much morning sickness, which has been nice. Bob thinks we are having a boy. But I'm leaning towards a girl. We'll be happy with either one. Deanna is convinced we are having a boy because we did the wedding ring thing a while ago and it said I was going to have 2 boys. It will be interesting to see the outcome. My Aunt and Grandma (and I'm sure my mom) would like to have a granddaughter. If we could pull it off, this would be the first grand daughter for my mom and the first great grand daughter for my grandma. I've already broke tradition by getting pregnant a second time, we'll see if I can break it again by having a girl! But like I said I'd be happy with either.

I'm also fighting not to wear my maternity clothes yet. I don't know why, I guess I'm worried about gaining so much weight again. My pants are starting to not fit but thanks to the bellaband I can still wear my pre-pregnancy clothes. My shirts on the other hand are starting to not fit properly. I may have to cave and just pull out the maternity stuff. It's so funny because when I got pregnant with Zack I couldn't wait to wear maternity and now I'm the opposite.

So that is the update as of right now. I'm sure I've missed a few things but that's what preggo brain does.

Moving on

Update: Photos added!

If your reading this post and there aren't any pictures I'll try to update it soon. I was just tired of seeing the prego stick and wanted to update ASAP.

I've been meaning to update this blog for a while now. But to be honest I have NO time. Zack likes to be near me at all times. If I'm on the computer he's right there beside me. Usually getting in to my scrapbook stuff, pulling on computer cords or climbing on something.

This isn't a very good pictures but shows that Zack is trying to climb onto the couch. My foot is there to help "boost" him.

Zack has become quite the little climber lately. He can mostly get on the couch by himself now, every once in a while he'll need a little boost. He has no problem climbing on our glass coffee table. That is a big problem seems how we put the table away at one point because one of the legs broke. We "mostly" fixed the leg, so we are still a little nervous about it's unstability. He'll also use toys to help himself up onto a side table that we have between the couch and chair. He's also mastered climbing from the lovesac to the chair that is next to it. It's pretty funny. He flings himself over the armrest and lands on the cushion. He'll even go into our room and get a laundry basket and drag it into the front room to stand on. He gets up on top and he's so proud of himself!

This picture is of Zack going from the Lovesac to the Loveseat. I wanted to post a video but it's not working, so this is all you get.

Zack has also started a shoe fetish. He loves giving people their shoes. This has become a problem because we are constantly missing one shoe. He also loves to wear shoes. He'll bring me one of his shoe, plop himself into my lap and lift up his foot. I'll put the shoe on him and he'll be happy. Most of the time he'll just have the ONE shoe on. it's really funny. And he'll walk around for as long as I let him with only the one shoe. And if I try to take it off he gets very angry! We've tried to hide a lot of his shoes so we don't have the above mentioned problem with missing shoes. We are still missing one of his sandals. Either he's thrown it away or it's hidden somewhere.

We've finally trained Zack to throw garbage away. It's so cute. He'll eat a fruit snack and when he's finished we'll tell him to throw the wrapper in the garbage. He'll do just that! But if there is any chance that he can get it back out he will. I've also seen him pick up random garbage and thrown it away! I love my little helper, if only I could get him to put away his toys! He loves to pull things out of the garbage and give it to us. He's our little garbage man. I have caught him a few times throwing his balls in the garbage along with other toys. I'm sure a few of his stuff (and maybe ours) have made it to the landfill. Zack has also figured out how to open the toilet seat. We've caught him a few times playing in the water. He's also thrown my slipper into the toilet at one point... not cool! He's such a troublemaker, but we love him!

As for the pregnancy everything is going fine. Currently I am 17 weeks along. I feel fine other then being tired alot. Normally in your second trimester you start getting your energy back, but I haven't. I'm sure alot of it has to do with the fact that I don't sleep very well (thanks abbie!) and 3 days a week I have to get up earlier then I'd like to be awake. We had a fun ER visit because I was having pains in my chest and the doctor thought it may be a gallbladder problem. It wasn't an emergency my doctor just told me to go to the ER because they would be able to get the test results quicker. Thanks for that, now I have to pay an ER bill and waste 4 hours of my life! Everything ended up being fine, they think it was just reflux. Which in my opinion is a "I don't know what is wrong with you" diagnose. I've felt fine since then and haven't had to take any prescriptions... (knock on wood).

Ultrasound picture is when I was 15 weeks

We should find out what we are having on October 12th. I am excited. It's hard to tell what we may have. This pregnancy has been very different then with Zack. With Zack I started getting sick right at my second trimester and pretty much couldn't eat or think about dinner at all! With this pregnancy I started feeling sick earlier on, but was able to contain it with eating every few hours. I really haven't had too much morning sickness, which has been nice. Bob thinks we are having a boy. But I'm leaning towards a girl. We'll be happy with either one. Deanna is convinced we are having a boy because we did the wedding ring thing a while ago and it said I was going to have 2 boys. It will be interesting to see the outcome. My Aunt and Grandma (and I'm sure my mom) would like to have a granddaughter. If we could pull it off, this would be the first grand daughter for my mom and the first great grand daughter for my grandma. I've already broke tradition by getting pregnant a second time, we'll see if I can break it again by having a girl! But like I said I'd be happy with either.

I'm also fighting not to wear my maternity clothes yet. I don't know why, I guess I'm worried about gaining so much weight again. My pants are starting to not fit but thanks to the bellaband I can still wear my pre-pregnancy clothes. My shirts on the other hand are starting to not fit properly. I may have to cave and just pull out the maternity stuff. It's so funny because when I got pregnant with Zack I couldn't wait to wear maternity and now I'm the opposite.

So that is the update as of right now. I'm sure I've missed a few things but that's what preggo brain does.

Canada or Bust

This past weekend my family drove up to Canada for a family reunion. Every 2 years we have a reunion with my dad's side of the family. It's a great time to catch up with cousins that we obviously haven't seen in a few years. It's really amazing how big our family is!

My dad has 10 brothers and sisters and most of them had about 5+ kids and now we adding the grandbabies to the mix. Here is a an estimated list of how many cousins I have and now 2nd cousins. I say estimated because it's obviously only that, with 63 cousins it's hard to keep track of their breeding. LOL.

Dad - 6 kids & 3 step kids. 2 Grandkids and 2 Step grandkids
Pam - 6 kids. 6 Grandkids
Val - 6 kids. 11 Grandkids
Lavar - 3 kids. 7 Grandkids and one of the way
Bryce - 4 kids. 10 Grandkids
Reed - 4 kids. 5 Grandkids
Charyln - 6 kids. 3 Grandkids
Greg - 5 kids & 6 step kids. No grandkids
Gary - 5 kids. No grandkids
Marvin - 5 kids. No grandkids
Andrea - 4 kids. No grandkids

So that makes 63 Cousins and 46 2nd Cousins (counting Zack). And this number isn't couting spouses either!

Obviously not all the cousins and second cousins made it to the reunion, but there was a good portion that did. It was so much fun hanging out with them. I just wish that the reunion was a day or two longer.

We arrived at my uncle Reeds house about 1:00 am on Thursday. We quickly got all of our stuff into the house and went to bed. It was a long drive!

Thursday day we met up with Jeanette, Deanna and Christopher to hang out. We went to Waterton in Alberta for a little bit of the day with a couple of other cousins. It was a really cute area. It's a town in the mountains bordering a very cold lake! We walked around for a little while, petted a deer or two. Then drove a short distance to a waterfall. There we hiked a short trail to the top of the waterfall. After that we drove to Red Rock Canyon where we saw a bear! It was pretty cool! It was a little bit away but I was able to snap a picture before it disappeared. We then hiked a little further to another waterfall. It was a nice walk other then the fact that Zack only wanted me to carry him and he's getting to be a heavy little guy! Makes me wish I would have brought our carrying backpack. Oh well it's hindsight. We also visited with my grandpa and went out for pizza which ended up being the WORST pizza I've ever had. If your every in Cardston, Alberta DO NOT go to the Grotto for pizza... nasty!

Friday we got to camp for the reunion about 5 o'clock. It's such a funny place, because the part that we were in was FLAT. Then out of no where it drops down into a small gully and there is trees, camping and a lake. It was very random. But it was a great place to camp; minus the misquitoes! I.hate.misquitoes! Friday we spent getting things in camp set up. Had dinner on our own. Then hung out with the familys that were camping overnight. (there were a few people who just went home each night due to the closeness of the city and the campsite. Which I thought sucked!)

Saturday was really the only full day of visiting with the family. We ate breakfast which was provided by the reunion. Then we played some games. My aunt Charlyn and Andrea put together a Amazing race game for the family. It was a lot of fun and they did a great job! We had a bunch of stations that we had to go to and do different tasks such as balloon launching, sucking Jello through a straw, Pie eating, putting worms (spagetti) into a bottle, drinking an entire bottle of soda, untying knots, eating disgusting things, bean counting, feeding another pudding only using a spoon (no hands), filling up a bucket using sponges, and singing a song while eating crackers. It was a blast! We then went to a nearby lake where we swam and my uncle Reed gave rides to everyone on a his Jetskis and tubes. Then dinner and more hanging out. It was really a great day. The only downfall for the entire day was Zack was very clingy! He only wanted me to hold him and if I wasn't there and someone was trying to hold him or occupy him he CRIED. It got very frustrating and tiring. But I know it was mostly because he was in a new place with a lot of new people, Bob wasn't there and he was tired and hot! He may even be teething.

Sunday we had to pack up and head home. The reunion had reserved the campsite for an extra day because Monday was a holiday but we all had to get back to the states for our jobs. We wanted to drive through Glacier National Park but my brother had a flat/leak and we didn't think he'd make it very far. We ended up spending 3+ hours in Lethbridge trying to find a tire store to fix the tire. Only to have to wait 2 hours for Costco to fix it. They were the ONLY ones open! We didn't get back home until 3:00 am on Monday. I then had to go to work at 7:30. Ouch!

It was quite a trip. Next time Bob will be coming with me! I don't think I do very well traveling on my own. Of course I was with my family, but Zack didn't want anything to do with them!

Canada or Bust

This past weekend my family drove up to Canada for a family reunion. Every 2 years we have a reunion with my dad's side of the family. It's a great time to catch up with cousins that we obviously haven't seen in a few years. It's really amazing how big our family is!

My dad has 10 brothers and sisters and most of them had about 5+ kids and now we adding the grandbabies to the mix. Here is a an estimated list of how many cousins I have and now 2nd cousins. I say estimated because it's obviously only that, with 63 cousins it's hard to keep track of their breeding. LOL.

Dad - 6 kids & 3 step kids. 2 Grandkids and 2 Step grandkids
Pam - 6 kids. 6 Grandkids
Val - 6 kids. 11 Grandkids
Lavar - 3 kids. 7 Grandkids and one of the way
Bryce - 4 kids. 10 Grandkids
Reed - 4 kids. 5 Grandkids
Charyln - 6 kids. 3 Grandkids
Greg - 5 kids & 6 step kids. No grandkids
Gary - 5 kids. No grandkids
Marvin - 5 kids. No grandkids
Andrea - 4 kids. No grandkids

So that makes 63 Cousins and 46 2nd Cousins (counting Zack). And this number isn't couting spouses either!

Obviously not all the cousins and second cousins made it to the reunion, but there was a good portion that did. It was so much fun hanging out with them. I just wish that the reunion was a day or two longer.

We arrived at my uncle Reeds house about 1:00 am on Thursday. We quickly got all of our stuff into the house and went to bed. It was a long drive!

Thursday day we met up with Jeanette, Deanna and Christopher to hang out. We went to Waterton in Alberta for a little bit of the day with a couple of other cousins. It was a really cute area. It's a town in the mountains bordering a very cold lake! We walked around for a little while, petted a deer or two. Then drove a short distance to a waterfall. There we hiked a short trail to the top of the waterfall. After that we drove to Red Rock Canyon where we saw a bear! It was pretty cool! It was a little bit away but I was able to snap a picture before it disappeared. We then hiked a little further to another waterfall. It was a nice walk other then the fact that Zack only wanted me to carry him and he's getting to be a heavy little guy! Makes me wish I would have brought our carrying backpack. Oh well it's hindsight. We also visited with my grandpa and went out for pizza which ended up being the WORST pizza I've ever had. If your every in Cardston, Alberta DO NOT go to the Grotto for pizza... nasty!

Friday we got to camp for the reunion about 5 o'clock. It's such a funny place, because the part that we were in was FLAT. Then out of no where it drops down into a small gully and there is trees, camping and a lake. It was very random. But it was a great place to camp; minus the misquitoes! I.hate.misquitoes! Friday we spent getting things in camp set up. Had dinner on our own. Then hung out with the familys that were camping overnight. (there were a few people who just went home each night due to the closeness of the city and the campsite. Which I thought sucked!)

Saturday was really the only full day of visiting with the family. We ate breakfast which was provided by the reunion. Then we played some games. My aunt Charlyn and Andrea put together a Amazing race game for the family. It was a lot of fun and they did a great job! We had a bunch of stations that we had to go to and do different tasks such as balloon launching, sucking Jello through a straw, Pie eating, putting worms (spagetti) into a bottle, drinking an entire bottle of soda, untying knots, eating disgusting things, bean counting, feeding another pudding only using a spoon (no hands), filling up a bucket using sponges, and singing a song while eating crackers. It was a blast! We then went to a nearby lake where we swam and my uncle Reed gave rides to everyone on a his Jetskis and tubes. Then dinner and more hanging out. It was really a great day. The only downfall for the entire day was Zack was very clingy! He only wanted me to hold him and if I wasn't there and someone was trying to hold him or occupy him he CRIED. It got very frustrating and tiring. But I know it was mostly because he was in a new place with a lot of new people, Bob wasn't there and he was tired and hot! He may even be teething.

Sunday we had to pack up and head home. The reunion had reserved the campsite for an extra day because Monday was a holiday but we all had to get back to the states for our jobs. We wanted to drive through Glacier National Park but my brother had a flat/leak and we didn't think he'd make it very far. We ended up spending 3+ hours in Lethbridge trying to find a tire store to fix the tire. Only to have to wait 2 hours for Costco to fix it. They were the ONLY ones open! We didn't get back home until 3:00 am on Monday. I then had to go to work at 7:30. Ouch!

It was quite a trip. Next time Bob will be coming with me! I don't think I do very well traveling on my own. Of course I was with my family, but Zack didn't want anything to do with them!

Birthday post

I can't believe that it's already the end of July and I still haven't posted anything about Zack's birthday. I may be running for bad mom of the year or I could just be super busy being a mommy to a toddler. I'm going for the second, just to make myself feel better.

We had a great time for Zack's birthday. We invited family and some close friends over for his party. We barbequed hot dogs and hamburgers and everyone helped out with salads and chips. It's nice having a birthday in the summer because your guarenteed to have a party outside. The downside is IT'S HOT! Next year there will definilty be water involved in his party.

Zack seemed to have a good time. We had the party at 2:00 pm so he had his afternoon nap and was ready to go. When he got up from his nap he walked into the living room to find his grandma holding a bouquet of 30 balloons. And if you know Zack HE LOVES BALLOONS. He squeeled with excitement and ran to greet his grandma and the balloons. He loved them! That could have been his whole party and he would have been happy.

We ate food, opened presents and of course had cake. At first Zack was very neat with his cake. But once Mom showed him to how stick his hands into the cake it was game on. He demolished that cake. And he had such a great time doing it!

A before and after of the cake

Birthday post

I can't believe that it's already the end of July and I still haven't posted anything about Zack's birthday. I may be running for bad mom of the year or I could just be super busy being a mommy to a toddler. I'm going for the second, just to make myself feel better.

We had a great time for Zack's birthday. We invited family and some close friends over for his party. We barbequed hot dogs and hamburgers and everyone helped out with salads and chips. It's nice having a birthday in the summer because your guarenteed to have a party outside. The downside is IT'S HOT! Next year there will definilty be water involved in his party.

Zack seemed to have a good time. We had the party at 2:00 pm so he had his afternoon nap and was ready to go. When he got up from his nap he walked into the living room to find his grandma holding a bouquet of 30 balloons. And if you know Zack HE LOVES BALLOONS. He squeeled with excitement and ran to greet his grandma and the balloons. He loved them! That could have been his whole party and he would have been happy.

We ate food, opened presents and of course had cake. At first Zack was very neat with his cake. But once Mom showed him to how stick his hands into the cake it was game on. He demolished that cake. And he had such a great time doing it!

A before and after of the cake

10 and 11 month Stats

Since I didn't post for Zack's 10 months this will have both his 10 and 11 month stats.

10 Months (April - May)

Zack officially learned how to walk on his own in the past month (at 9 months and 3 days). Since then he has been into everything within arms reach. It was so funny seeing learn how to walk. He started off walking like a zombie, but every day he has gotten better and better.

Since he's able to hold himself up he's gotten into our kitchen drawers. The drawers he's able to reach are our hotpads (bottom drawer), dish towels (next drawer up) and the tupperware lids (3rd from the bottom). It's so funny because he'll walk into the kitchen and after a few minutes will walk out holding a hotpad. And he is so excited about his new findings!

This past month I gave Zack a rub burn. Of course it was by accident and I felt horrible afterwards. We were playing where he would crawl away and I would grab a leg and drag him back. Of course it was fun the first few times and Zack was laughing so hard. But then I dragged him a little too far and his shirt came up and he got a huge rug burn. It was so sad! I put some diaper rash ointment on it and it worked miracles. Within a few minutes he stopped crying and hasn't seemed to mind the scabbing.

In the past few months Zack hates having his diaper changed. I think it's because there is so much to see and do that he doesn't want to lay there for 2 seconds to get his diaper changed. We have worked out a system to change his diaper while he is standing. Messy diapers are a different story. If the both of us are home it's a two man job. One to entertain Zack the other to clean up as quickly as possible! If there is only one person you do it AS FAST AS POSSIBLE!

Zack has always loved playing in the LoveSac but only recently has he been able to get into the LoveSac by himself. We still have to watch him because he'll just roll out or fall backwards. I've barely caught him from falling a few times, it was a good thing I was so close.

Teeth count: 7

11 Months (May - June)

This past month Zack took his first plane ride! We flew to Atlanta to visit my friend Mandi. I did a whole post about it below so check it out! We had such a fun time and Zack did really well on all the flights. I was nervous beforehand but he pretty much slept the entire time.

Zack has started getting out of the LoveSac by himself. At first I was there to help him but I noticed that he was trying to do it by himself. It was so cute, because he'd be turned around and he'd swing his little leg behind him and try to fill the ground. Finally after a few roll offs he landed on his feet. I figure it's not too high and it was good practice for him.

Little did I know that getting out the LoveSac was practice for something bigger. About two weeks ago Zack and I were visiting my Grandparents and Zack is always going near the stairs (they live in a split level and we haven't brought them a gate). So I showed Zack how to go down the stairs. He was at the top of the stairs, he turned around so he was backwards, crawled a little bit closer then swung his leg straight and felt around for the first step. He found it and started down! I'm still nervous about him being around stairs and I only like him going up or down when I'm there. But he is getting really good at it. We don't let him into our basement because it's not finished and there is a ton of bad stuff he can get into. But I'll find him in our mudroom on occasion. There is a couple steps going into the mudroom. I'm sure Abbie isn't too happy about the intrusion into the mudroom. Until now that was one place he could get away from Zack. Plus now we have to put the cat food up so Zack doesn't eat it.

The latest and most concerning change in the past month is Zack HATES baths. He use to freak out when he was a baby but it's so much different now. He use to love watching the tub get filled up and he was okay in the tub. He's always hated getting his hair washed but he'd manage. Now he starts crying when I start filling up the tub and he'll run out of the bathroom with huge tears coming down his face. And when I put him in the tub he lockes up and won't sit down. When we finally get him to sit down he just screams and claws at my arm. At first I thought the water was too hot, but it really wasn't. I've talked to a nurse and she says it's normal. He's just more aware of his surroundings. I've tried to get into the bath with him but he just trys to crawl up me so he's out of the water. It's really sad. And makes bath time almost unbearable. I don't want to traumitize him by forcing him to take a bath, but at the same time he needs to be bathed. So our bath times are usually under 5 minutes. Just enough time to get him wet, wash his body and quickly wash his hair. Then it's out of the tub and lots of cuddling. If anyone has any suggestions let me know. We of course have toys for him but since he's screaming and trying to get out he doesn't want anything to do with them. We've also gone back to his small tub to try to get him over his fear but it's more the water then the tub.

Teeth Count: 8

And for the 11 month compare! I can't belive how big he has gotten!