HAPPY 2nd BIRTHDAY ELLIOTT!

Today is a very special day.
Our nephew, Elliott Wood Young turns 2.
It just seems like last week when we WAITED all day for the
little man to arrive. The past two years have been extra
special because of our Elliott. Not only is he Zachary's
best friend but he the best little boy. His smile, laughter,
and contagious energy is a blessing to us. We are so thankful
for everything Elliott teaches our Zachary.
One of these days he might not be teaching
Zachary the best things (HA HA) however he always teaches Zachary
how to share, how to love, and how to talk.
We hope you have a very special day, little man.
We love you up to the moon and back.

Playdate with Charley

Zachary and I love our play dates with Melody & Charley.
It's funny, that Mel & I have children that are 3 months & 1 day apart.
Mel & I discuss our child's growth and development as well
as share disciplining tips. The best part is we can let our
kids play while having adult conversation and coffee. When
I think about the future, I imagine Mel & I getting together
the week after our children go to college. We will be crying
our eyes out and comparing stories. I am so grateful for these
days when we can get together to fellowship with one another.

Zachary found a pet!

Kevin and I just returned from a 4 day business trip to Dallas, TX.
On the way home we stopped at the cutest gift shop/store in Joplin, MO.
While shopping at Sandstone Gardens I came across the cutest
rabbit in a wire hutch. I was thinking it would be a
perfect decoration for Easter. I was going to save it in the closet.
However Zachary found it in the sack before I could put it away.
Currently Zachary and I read a Baby Farm Animal book daily with a rabbit in it. So he really thinks it is the rabbit from the book.
Here are some adorable pictures of Zachary and his new pet.
He carries the container around the house. In fact he puts
the rabbit to sleep on the shelf before he goes to bed.
These are the moments I will remember forever.

Cupid came for a visit!

The funniest thing happened today.
While Zachary was taking his afternoon nap, CUPID stopped by and decorated for Valentine's Day! What a cool surprise.
I just wanted to share our decorations for the day of Love.

Look who Zachary resembles most!

Okay, I have had WAY too much fun with this. I should be packing for Dallas, but I found this and had to do it. It's hilarious.

MyHeritage: Celebrity Collage - Historical photos


Look at me and my parents. Can you believe this?

MyHeritage: Celebrity Collage - Family reunion

Celebrity Morph

My Celebrity Look-alikes

Here's Kevin's Look-a-likes. Not sure I see the resemblance.

Ode To Pacina (aka NINA)

I just took these pictures and I HAD to post them. For those of you who know Zachary, you know that his greatest joy is his pacifier.
Instead of calling it his binkie or paci we nicknamed his pacifier, "Pacina". Zachary calls it "NINA".

Kevin and I are starting the weening process. Our parent as teacher and Z's pediatrician told us not to take it away cold turkey since his pacifier is his most intimate object.

Instead they recommend that we give it to him when he is sleeping, when he is in the car seat, and when he is being super loud in a restaurant. So far it has worked. Yesterday, I walked into Z's room and he was flat on his belly reaching under his crib. What was he reaching for? 3 Pacina's that were thrown from his crib when he woke up.

He thought I was not paying attention to him, so he grabbed all 3 of them and ran out of his room. I snapped this photo of him right before I took all three of them away.
I guess you could say he is morning the loss of his nina during the daytime. Anyways, heres the pictures. Enjoy! Please note he has 3 pacifiers.
One in his mouth and two in each hand. What a ham.
He thinks I do not realize he has them. What a sneak!

Thunderstorms, Tornados, & No Sleep

Well, as most of you know Southwest Missouri was the scene of numerous thunderstorms and tornadoes last night. I never imagined our Monday night would be so eventful. Kev, Z, and I spent most of our night watching the news, listening to the storm radio, and going downstairs. Zachary was awoken numerous times by Kevin and I to head down the the basement. Poor Kevin had to work today so I am sure he is going to be tired tonight. Anyways, we just wanted to report that we are okay, my parents are okay, my in-laws are okay, and my sister's family is okay. Thank God.

To make this blog exciting I am going to post some pictures of Z.

Zachary showing off his beautiful blue eyes
Zachary and his grandma Karen and Grams


Zachary and Elliott on Kevin's birthday

"Howie, Howie, Howie"

The highlight of my 2008 New Year's day was
that my nephew, Elliott said my name. He calls me "HOWIE".
Elliott will be 2 years old on January 30th. For the
past 6-8 months he has addressed all of his family members
by name. Some of his favorite and often repeated names
are Pops, Zach, Abbey, Rue Rue, Kelley, Kelli, Uncle Kevin,
Korona (my parents cat), Grammy, etc.
Elliott has a very vast vocabulary, however he NEVER
says anything referring to my name. If you asked Elliott
what my name is? He just would ignore the question.
He did this to my mom forever but eventually he said "Grammy".
So I have waited, waited, and waited to hear Aunt Hil.
Today was the day. Not exactly Aunt Hil but Howie. I love it.
Elliott thanks for making New Years Day 2008 a memory for me.
I love you little man.
Your Howie (aka Aunt Hilary)