Spring Has FINALLY Sprung

I know I promised to be more on top of my blog once I returned to work, but it looks like I was lying to you all. At the very least, I’ll post some cute pictures and catch everyone up on a little of what’s been going on at our house. I’m not as ambitious as Mikelle, and you won’t be seeing 29 posts this month, but hopefully you’ll enjoy what you do get.

Camden when he was still super little, saying goodbye to Sister Molly. Just kidding! Molly - we know your road has been a rough one, but we're [selfishly] glad you're back!

The tearful goodbye to our favorite missionary.

It's been so fun to watch Camden grow. In know it's cliche, but it really is amazing how fast they start to grow up. Zander is still loving the big brother role and doing a really good job of it. Lately he's been telling me, "that makes me happy mom." Or, alternatively, "that doesn't make me happy mom." So at the dinner table on Monday, I said to him, what makes you happy Zander? He said, "hmmm....my baby brother makes me happy!" They both make me happy - every day.

We boxed up the first round of Camden's clothes this month, and are amazed that he's filling up 3-6 month ones these days. Good thing that Zander was pretty easy on his outfits, allowing Camden to enjoy them as well (and making life easier on mom's pocketbook).

Camden has discovered his expressions as of late, and doesn't hesitate to offer them to the camera. He's also discovered his voice, and constantly "talks" these days.

And last, but not least, he's discovered his smile. He loves to be talked to and is quick to return your words with his killer grin. We were sitting in church a couple of weeks ago and trying to make it quietly through the passing of the sacrament. I whispered to Zander, "smile at your brother." He proceeds to say, at the top of his lungs, "hi Camden, hi Camden, smile Camden, it's ok Camden!" I quickly tried to shhh him, and he responded (even louder), "I'm making Camden smile mommy!" Guess I should be more careful about what I tell him to do during church.

Zander is loving life these days and particularly appreciating the nice weather. Riding his bike, playing on his scooter, soccer, t-ball, water fights - you name it. Spring has been a long time coming, but we're SO glad it's finally here.

T-ball game number one was held in 36 degree weather. I'm not sure whose bright idea it was to not cancel games that evening, but it was borderline miserable, and every kid was in tears at least once during the game.

Game two, on the other hand, was 70 degrees and LOVELY. The kids were starting to get the hang of things, and though still complete maddness, there was a bit less chaos on the field.


For those of you who don't know, we had to lie about Zander's age to get him into the league. I know, I know, I'm a bad mom. I just couldn't stand the thought of making him wait TWO MORE YEARS to play ball! I'm proud to say that he's holding his own with the 4-5 year olds and giving them all a run for their money. Soccer starts next week, so let's hope they can handle what's about to hit them!Last, but not least, is the side by side of Zander and Camden. About the same age, exactly the same outfit, can you even tell them apart? Guess there will be no denying their relation later on in life, and we better label ALL pictures for posterity's sake.

Maternity Leave Hiatus

This post is for those of you blog-stalkers who believed that me being on maternity leave would lead to lots and lots of posts about the baby, the holidays, and the goings on of my infinite time off...

Not so much...

I've found myself feeling proud of getting dinner on the table by 7:00. Never mind that we're all still in our pajamas and no one has had a bath. I did venture to Costco AND the mall one day with both kids. That was an adventure. The goal most days has been to accomplish one thing. Go to the grocery store, meet someone for lunch, make a guest appearance at Tavia's playgroup, etc.

While the thoughts of going back to work next Friday don't excite me too much, I do believe that I will be forced to become much more productive!! The days of accomplishing one thing each day will be long gone and going back to sleep after Cedric leaves for work will be a fond memory.

Look forward to more regular posts and pictures once I return to work in 9 days!

P.S. - Camden is doing well, Zander is loving him and we're all having fun with the newest Williams addition!

Kids and Christmas Trees

We were more than a little behind the power curve at Christmas time this year, but we did manage to get a tree up and decorated before Santa Clause came to visit. Zander and Tariana were hilarious when it came to making sure we had ornaments ALL over the tree, and even spent time laying on the ground to make sure there were enough underneath the tree.

This was the first year that Zander really understood what was going on, and it made it that much more fun that we got to have Tariana here as well. Two kids at Christmas is much more fun than one! We kept telling Zander that he had to be good or Santa wouldn't come, and it worked amazingly well. Nothing wrong with a little "fear of Santa," right?

I was doing some last minute shopping with the kids at Costco and they were getting a little rowdy. I looked at Zander and said, "shhhh, hunny." He then got this inquisitive look on his face and responded, "oh, Santa Clause is sleeping?" Every time I've told him to calm down or be quiet since then, he's been quick to obey - as not to wake up Santa Clause. Whatever works...

Quirky? Me? Never!

Ok - My very first "blog-tag." Here goes it...

6 Quirky Things About Rachel

1. I have inherited Chelsea's OCD tendencies (or is it the other way around?). Once I decide that I want something/to do something, there is no turning back. Life changing decisions are often made over lunch and single projects are life consuming until they are finished (e.g., Zander's new room at the current moment). I try to fight it, but the mind is a powerful thing.

2. I love to cook, but I love to present my cooking even more (e.g., book club dinner). Haven't you every heard it's all about the presentation? Well I take that very literally.

3. I rock at cooking but I suck at baking. I'm an artist, not a scientist for heaven's sake! That precise-ness is for the birds.

4. I can't sleep when I'm worried about someone. I used to think my college roommate was crazy for making us call to let her know if we weren't coming home (or coming home really late), but I now understand - as I am physically unable to sleep when I'm expecting you to be home and you're not. It sucks - I wouldn't recommend picking up this habit to anyone.

5. I'm have no appropriateness filter when it comes to bragging about my kids. I sometimes realize that I've been rambling on and on and on about them, and the people around me must be SO bored.

6. I'm a "fixer." Sometimes I honestly think that I must have the power of God or something, as there is no situation, person, place or thing that I can't fix (even though this has been proven false, time and time again, I still believe it to be true).

I tag Robin (mostly just to get her to post) and Mikelle (for the same reason).

A.W.O.L.

I've known for some time now that Zander was capable of climbing out of his crib, he just hadn't realized this hidden potential. I've been more than willing to let this potential remain hidden....

Not so much anymore.

Sunday night Cedric and I put Zander to bed, let him drink his milk, read him "Max" (i.e., Where The Wild Things Are), gave him both of his babies (which he demands to sleep with these days) and tucked him in three times. General nighttime routine around our house (really - it's faster than it sounds). We then retired to the basement to continue our weekend-long binge of Lost Season 1 episodes.

About 10 minutes later, who comes wandering downstairs? Zander. "Sleep in mommy's bed, please?" “In a mommy’s bed – just ONE minute, please?” Apparently he has discovered his potential. @*#!

He promptly got put back into his own bed, and not five minutes later I hear him screaming down the stairs, "owie a piggies mommy, owie my piggies!" Guess it's easy to stub your toe when you're jumping (literally) out of your crib.

Cedric finally convinced him to stay in bed for the night, and we all got some sleep. Until.....I am getting ready in the morning, take a shower, brush my teeth, and come back into the bedroom to get dressed. I hear a funny noise and look over to my bed. Guess who's snoring away, all tucked in? Yeah - that would be Zander. He must have snuck in at some point in the night without us realizing, cause it was clear from his snoring that he hadn't just come in.

It's going to be a L O N G month....

Zander the Great

Can I tell you all how much I love my son? My son who is two years and three months old and is such a big boy? My son who is a year ahead of the potty training curve and doing a fantastic job? That would be Zander the Great.

Potty Training 101 enters its second week today and is going marvelously. Apparently I’m not as “observant” as his saintly babysitter, who can always catch him when he’s starting to poop and run him to the toilet. His favorite line these days is, “Kathy says no poop in a undies!” We’ve had some accidents on that front, but that’s it. He’s woken up every day from his nap with a dry diaper/pull up, and three mornings in a row as well.

For those of you who aren’t parents, and wonder why in the world someone would blog about pooping in the potty (cause believe me – I used to wonder the same thing), you just have to trust me that while you’re going through it, it’s an all consuming part of life, that brings a strange sense of pride to us parents. Sorry if you still don’t get it!

Pardon the kiddie porn, but I couldn't resist!

Adventures in Potty Training

So we’ve been talking about starting to potty train Zander for a couple of months now. I’ve heard the rumors that if you don’t do it while they’re interested, it can turn into even more of an uphill battle than it is naturally. Zander has had a “potty hobby” for quite some time, so we decided it was finally time to kick it up a notch and turn it into a full time job.

His babysitter is a saint, and encouraged me to start (with lots of her help). I guess when you’ve trained kids for 20 years, you’ve got it figured out, right? Too bad I’m not quite as confident.

When I told Zander he finally got to wear his football underwear (cause we bought them two months ago), he was ecstatic. I got them on him, and nothing else, when he wiggled out of my arms, stood up tall, stretched his arms out and said, “TA DA!” Then jumped and danced around his room half naked until I could catch him. Seriously – the most adorable thing EVER is his little GAP boxer briefs (cause you know he had to be just like his daddy).

I made him go potty like 3 times before we left the house, and [very nervously] sent him off into big boy land with a bag full of 5-6 changes of clothes. You can imagine my shock when I showed up to pick him up at 5:00 and he was STILL IN THE SAME CLOTHES!! Dry all day. Can you believe it??

Let’s hope day number two went as well….

Updates to follow.

Seriously - have you ever seen anything cuter?

Saturday night Zander and I were lucky enough to be invited to Tammy’s house for a full fledged Slumber Party. Zander was the lone “man” allowed through the doors, and he was asleep by 8:30! Though he and Sophia had a blast in their matching jammies, the real fun began after they were tucked in bed.

There were five women there (two attorneys, two secretaries and the owner/instructor of a “pole fitness” studio (supposedly it's an amazing work out)). Add several bottles of champagne and one clever bartender to the mix and it made for the most fun night I’ve had in a very long time. Even though we were served a proper dinner, there was no shortage of donuts, cookies, popcorn, pretzels, pizza rolls, ice cream, etc. to keep us going until 2:00 am.

As much fun as men/husbands/boyfriends are, it reminded me how invaluable girl time is. It’s been WAY too long since I’ve had a sleepover, and I’m committed to making it at least a semi-regular thing.

Thanks so much Tammy and hooray for slumber parties!!!

Go Utes - Part 2

No Zander this time, and no cute pictures either. But can you believe that game??? I was terribly nervous about the cold weather (as well as the outcome of the game), but it ended up being a great night for some football. The temperature might have been cold, but it was dry as a bone and the wind was completely still. Packing 45,666 people into the stadium also helped. Oh, and the "3rd Down Jump" is good for keeping your blood flowing...

I was debating with an old co-worker about the perceived "embarrassment" of rushing the field in a game you "should have won." He's convinced that unless you pull off a stunning upset (meaning the team was ranked higher than you going into the game), then you're supposed to act stoic, like you've been there before, and not at all surprised/excited that you did your job and won the game. I, on the other hand, think that any game that is decided by an amazing two minute offense, has nearly 50k people on their feet and your heart beating faster than 20 minutes on the stair climber, is well deserving of a field rush.

Apparently in classier (read: richer) conferences, they know how to properly respond to these clutch endings - and it's NOT by rushing the field.

My final consensus: You can have your money, fancy stadiums, subdued crowds and CLASS….I’ll stick my field rushing, flask carrying, 3rd down jumping, fun having Utes!

The Infamous Blowout...

These pictures are pretty old (spring), but I've had numerous requests for them. Just as a little background - Zander usually sits on the counter in the bathroom while I'm getting ready. He loves to brush his hair and always wants me to point the blow dryer at him. So one day he wanted to check out the flatiron - and these were the results. I thought Cedric was going to kill me - but it was worth it for the pictures.

Zander combing his hair, getting the fro ready

He LOVED it. Kept looking in the mirror and cracking up at himself.

Pre-Halloween Weekend

So Halloween is still a few days away and I'm DONE with it already! We attended three (yes, that is THREE) Halloween events on Saturday, and now are just about Halloween-ed out! But Zander just looks so cute in his costume, that I'm sure I'll have to resign myself to dressing him up in it again tomorrow (party at daycare) and on Friday (party at my office, followed by "real" Halloween trick or treating).

We started off our weekend with our annual trek to Boo at the Zoo. Tammy and I have decided that this will be our last trip on the official Boo day, as it's an absolute madhouse (seriously - lines winding through the parking lot just to get in the door) and Zander couldn't care less about waiting in line for 15 minutes for a tootsie roll. Next year we'll have our own zoo celebration, the day BEFORE (or after) Boo at the Zoo! Thanks to Tammy and Sophia for being our dedicated zoo buddies. I think Zander thinks that they live there! "A zoo a see a zebra. With Phia, and Bammy? A hot dog?" That pretty much sums up every trip to the zoo!

Zander's VERY FAVORITE animal at the zoo - the zebra.
Who really goes to the zoo to see zebras? Apparently my son does...

Zander and Sophia's second favorite thing at the zoo - the train
(second to the zebras, of course (and maybe the carousel)).

We were sure to leave the zoo in time for a good nap, and then headed out to Amil's birthday/Halloween party. Even though we had to cut our time there short, we were amazed with Jessica's Betty Crocker and party planning skills!

Zander and the birthday girl.

We headed straight from the birthday party to Abby's house for our family Halloween party. Thanks so much for being a great hostess Abby. We were especially excited that Nathan & Mikelle were able to join us with their super cute kids. Zander definitely doesn't get to see enough of his Idaho cousins! Abby is Zander's new favorite, as she has a slide in her living room. He was asking to go back to Abby's house all day on Sunday!

Ever try to get 7 little, kids to sit still for a picture?
Yeah - it doesn't work very well.

All in all, our pre-Halloween weekend was a success. I couldn't believe what a trooper Zander was to actually stay in those football pads all day long. Let's hope the real deal goes as smoothly...

The Baby Likes Cheerios!

Zander was laying in bed with Cedric and I the other day and being particularly interested in the baby. Just as a little background – he was very excited (though thoroughly confused) about the baby in the beginning, but lost interest after months of all talk and no action. It’s only been in the last week or two that he’s renewed his interest and excitement in the baby in mommy’s tummy.

So….back to the story. We’re all laying in bed and Zander is talking to his baby brother. “Doing?” “Doing in there?” Then looks to me and holds up his hands – asking what the heck the baby is doing inside of my stomach. He then gives repeated hugs, kisses and pokes to my belly button (which he believes is his “access” to the baby). He is holding his snack cup that is full of Cheerios, and when I look down, there is one Cheerio right in the center of my belly button. I, being the dumb mom that I am, think Zander’s dropped it and pick it up to hand it back to him. When I tried to give him the Cheerio I get the funniest look back – a cross between hurt feelings, confusion and anger – and he immediately snatched it from my hands and carefully placed it back in my belly button. “A baby mom!” “For a baby!”

Apparently the baby likes Cheerios and his big brother has faith that he can eat them through my belly button! Too cute…

Go Utes!

Zander experienced his fist live Utes game on the 6th. His cousin Tavia has missed only one or two home games in her short almost-4-year-old life, so he’s got some catching up to do. He was so excited at the idea, and has been telling anyone who will listen about the “bootball game”. The Utes, of course, won the game – which always makes it more enjoyable!

I’m just proud that we’ve finally converted Cedric and he’s now a true University of Utah fan!


Zander borrowed our neighbors' helmet for the picture.

Future Sports Illustrated cover?

Zander & Daddy walking the TREK back to the car

Zander and Tav in full Utes gear!

Book Club 101

So Chelsea and I have been discussing putting together a book club/dinner group for months now. Last week we finally made it happen and I had the pleasure of hosting the inaugural meeting at my house. My big mouth mom had to blab to her friends that I was a “gourmet chef”, which of course put the pressure on (mostly self imposed, I’ll admit). Zander and I had a great time shopping for and preparing all of the food, and Cedric cleaned the entire house before I got home from work (thanks babe).

I have the dinner/entertaining part down, but struggled with the concept of “Book Club”. Though I have to confess that I was behind on my reading (number one no no in a book club), the conversation was great. Thankfully we had a great group of talkative people and an extremely compelling topic (the story of a 1960's doctor who abandons his Down Syndrome baby and tells his wife she's died). So fun to just get together with the girls and have grown up conversation!

Book Club 101 was a success!

Zander and I braved the Asian Market
(where he saw a whole roast duck hanging behind the glass and said, Mommy - a duckie! Mommy - pet a duckie!) to buy most of the ingredients for or lettuce wrap feast.

Raspberry Cheesecake Eggrolls
with Mango and Grean Tea Ice Cream

Yum!

Zander's New Bike

At my prompting, Grandma DiFrancesco bought Zander a Radio Flyer bike for his birthday this year. I ignored the numerous comments to the tune of, “don’t you think that’s too big for him” and “he’ll never be able to ride that bike” and went ahead with the big boy bike purchase. Sure enough, within a week he had figured out steering to navigate the sidewalks, learned how to stand up and pedal to get started and even figured out how to ring the bell – while riding! Once again, my natural born athlete is a superstar.

The only downside to Zander’s new bike is his ability to ask, and ask again, and again, to ride his new bike. Mommy, ride a bike. Mommy? Ride a bike? Mom! Ride a bike a belmut (read: helmet). Daddy ride a bike? And so on….and so on….and so on….