17 months old!

It's hard to believe 17 months ago we were graced with Zachary's birth. What a wonderful day. Boy, time flies when you are having fun. I have decided to share 5 fun facts about Z today.

5. Zachary is very busy. He loves to open & close drawers, empty his toy bin, help mom loading the washer & dryer, and loves to get into places that he shouldn't.

4. Zachary's new favorite words this week are...Baby, Pups, Poppy, Up, Eat, Cookie, Cake, Poop, Pee Pee, & Stinky.

3. He can count to three. If you ask him if he is one. He says, "TWO". If you ask him if he is two. He says, "THREE".

2. Zachary's best friends continue to be Elliott, Charley, & Carina.

1. Zachary's new obsession is E-L-M-O. He says, "MelMO". He can't get enough of Elmo's World or his new Elmo guitar.

BONUS FAST: Zachary just learned how to whistle. He loves it.

I am posting 2 pictures. The first is when Z was 2 weeks old. It was midnight. I know it looks like the lights are on but it was pitch black in his nursery. It was so cute. I walked in to see Kevin rocking him. The second picture was taken last week before Z went to bed. Like I said, Time Flies.

I made the paper! So did Elliott!

Okay everyone...you have got to check out this link to our local newspaper. Last week my sister sent me an e-mail to respond to a journalists question. I answered it, she called me back, and next thing you know Elliott and I are in the paper. This is exciting. YEAH!!!

Check out this link:
http://www.news-leader.com/
Go to the LIFE section
The article is titled "They're only little once"

A Leprechaun came to visit!

The other day we had a great surprise. The other morning when we woke up we noticed a leprechaun came to decorate.

Here's a little history lesson on St. Patty's Day. St. Patrick, the patron saint of Ireland, is one of Christianity's most widely known figures. But for all his celebrity, his life remains somewhat of a mystery. Many of the stories traditionally associated with St. Patrick, including the famous account of his banishing all the snakes from Ireland, are false, the products of hundreds of years of exaggerated storytelling.

St. Patrick's Day is celebrated on March 17, his religious feast day and the anniversary of his death in the fifth century. The Irish have observed this day as a religious holiday for thousands of years.

On St. Patrick's Day, which falls during the Christian season of Lent, Irish families would traditionally attend church in the morning and celebrate in the afternoon. Lenten prohibitions against the consumption of meat were waived and people would dance, drink, and feast—on the traditional meal of Irish bacon and cabbage.

The modern secular holiday is based on the original Christian saint's feast day also thought to be the date of the saint's death. In 1737, Irish immigrants to the United States began observing the holiday publicly in Boston and held the first St. Patrick's Day Parade in New York City in 1766.

Today, the tradition continues with people from all walks and heritages by wearing green, eating Irish food, and attending parades. St. Patrick's Day is bursting with folklore; from the shamrock to the leprechaun and to pinching those that are not wearing green.

So that about does it. If you want to learn more check out http://www.history.com

Breakfast with the Youngs!

This morning Zachary and I went to the Youngs to have play time and breakfast. Kevin had a computer conference call so he missed it. Too bad for him. My wonderful, talented brother-in-law, Matt (a.k.a. Barnum) cooked a very yummy breakfast...bacon, sausage, & French Toast. We all loved it. Zachary finally got to play with his cousin Elliott. {Due to everyones busy schedules and the weather we have not been able to get the kids together}. Both of the boys were missing each other.
The surprise was that Grammy stopped by for a quick visit too.

Thanks Aunt Rachel, Uncle Barnum, & Elliott for a great Saturday Morning.

E & Z Eating Pre-Breakfast Appetizer on the couch: Banana Coins

Photo problem fixed...

I am back. The problem with my camera is not fixed. But the nice man at the photo store today gave me an alternative option to download my pictures. I was afraid I was going to need a new camera. Fortunately, it was an inexpensive solution so I am happy. So I am back with photos and all. Thank you nice man at the photo store.

CAMERA issues....HELP!

Well, I have some new photos to share. However this morning when I tried to download my photos from the camera the computer did not even realize that I had the camera plugged in. AUGHHHHHH! I sure hope something is not wrong with my camera. That would be like having a broken limb. My camera is one of my most used possessions. Keep checking back because I have some stuff I want to share. Until then say a prayer that we can fix the problem. I am going to head to the camera repair store on Saturday. Have a great day. HIL

My new little piece of happiness!

Okay, just a warning. This blog is a little silly. In fact, I can see Kevin rolling his eyes right now. However I feel that many of my readers might actually want to know about this item. I learned about it from my friend, Melody. Any mother of a baby or toddler will want this item, especially if their child is as messy as mine. Let me introduce you to my new Dirt Devil KONE.

It is a rechargable cordless hand vac designed for convenience. I will post a picture of it. Anyways since I have purchased it my life has been easier. After meal time I just pick up my Kone and vaccuum Z's mess right up in seconds. So much easier than pulling out my canister vac. Anyways, the KONE is my little piece of joy. If you want one too you can find them at Bed Bath & Beyond for 39.99. Dirt Devil if you are reading this I would love a commission.

P.S. Mel thanks for the tip on this awesome device.

Number 72!

When I found this shirt at The Children's Place I could not resist.
It has a 72 on it. Yeah, big deal a 72. To everyone it is just the number 72, but to Kevin it is his Hillsboro Hawks Football number. I don't know what it is but Kevin and any other football player will tell you that a jersey number is SO much more than a number. The jersey "number" means many things to the athlete wearing it. Personally, I don't get it since I am not and have never been athletic. Anyways, Kevin came home yesterday and saw Zachary in this shirt and it brought a smile to his face. I thought it was a cute photo and I wanted to share it with you. So here it goes...Number 72!

A lunch date with POPS!

Zachary and I had the honor of meeting my dad (a.k.a. Pops) for lunch today at Chick-Fil-A. It was funny because all morning I would say to Z, "we are going to meet Pops today." So while Z & I were running errands this morning, I heard, from the back seat a tiny voice say, "Popzzzz". It was priceless. So right before we were to meet my dad I said, "remember who we are going to see today for lunch?" Z said, "Popzzzz, Boppzzz, Popzzz." It was adorable. Anyways, lunch was good but the company was better. We love you POPS!

My how things change.....Valentine's Day 2008

I have always been a HUGE fan of Valentine's Day. In the past Kevin and I have always cooked dinner together and enjoyed a quiet evening together. We always cook the same meal and have the same dessert. Every year we think we might change it up and then at last minute we decide why mess with such a great tradition. This year our tradition had to be postponed. Unfortunately, Mr. Z is very sick. Poor guy, he is miserable. I will attach some photos from Valentine's day and you will be able to see how sick he is. Anyways, Kevin and I decided that nothing else mattered than getting Zachary better. So we celebrated Valentine's day Zachary style. I think we created a new tradition. We got McDonald's for dinner and watched Elmo's World with our little man. It was the first meal all day that Zachary actually ate. While we were watching Elmo, Kevin leans over to me and says, "My how things change". I said, "I would not have it any other way". So from now on I think we will celebrate Valentine's day with Zachary and celebrate a Mommy/Daddy dinner on another night.


Please say a little prayer for Zachary. He has been coughing all night. At 1 a.m. I got up with him and we have been up ever since. It is currently 5 a.m. I am hoping the antibiotics kick in soon. May God give him peace and sleep. Thanks for your prayers.

Ice Ice Baby!

So....we are here surrounded by icy trees, icy drive ways and freezing cold weather. We have been under house arrest since Monday morning due to the inclement weather. We have been blessed because we have only lost power for approximately 30 minutes. Kevin had to cancel patients on Monday and Tuesday so we have tried to make the most of the situation. It's been fun to stay home with each other and Zachary.
Kevin is getting antsy because he has a lot of work to do but can't get it done. Me on the other hand thinks this is fun! Unfortunately, Zachary is a bit under the weather. He has a bad cough, runny nose, and a couple of teeth erupting. So we are ready for the sun to come out and warm this place up. Thank God we have been safe and that we have electricity. Here are a couple photos taken from our back deck.
In the first one, it it the icicles on our upper deck.
The second photo is an inch and a half layer of ice on our deck.
(The broken pieces of ice are from our grill.
The third photo is of our neighbor's swing set.
Check out that ice!!!


UPDATE: Zachary is not just under the weather with a cold. I took him to the pediatrician this morning (Wednesday) after a long night of coughing. He was diagnosed with an ear infection combined with a severe case of congestion. Fortunately, he was given an antibiotic. Hopefully, he will be back to himself in a couple of days.

Fourth Annual Superbowl Party: Superbowl 42

My in-laws, Karen & Marv Austin have hosted the family
Superbowl party for 4 years. I am not sure it was
meant to become a family tradition, however it has and
I think it will stay that way.
This year it was a little different because the boys (Elliott & Zachary)
were mobile and playing.
The past 2 years they have been on someones lap.
Needless, to say the women did not get a lot of football
watching done. It was a great event full of yummy food and family.

In the photos are...
Jerry & Sharon Peacock (Hil's parents), Rachel, Matthew & Elliott Young
(Hil's sis & family), Karen & Marv Austin (Kev's parents) and us.
The timed photo is also a tradition we take one every year.
My have we all changed!

HAPPY GROUNDHOG'S DAY!

I know what some of you are thinking....It's Groundhog's Day?....Is that a real holiday? Well, in my family it is a holiday. My grandpa, PAPPY, loved this holiday. I can remember when I was a kid, Pappy would send us the front page of the newspaper with Punxsutawney Phil (the Groundhog) on it.

Pappy would also call us in the morning to let us know if the groundhog saw his shadow. In honor of Pappy Wood, Zachary wore his Groundhog's Day t-shirt. For those of you who want to learn more about this holiday tradition check out groundhog.org. Yes, it is a "real" holiday and those from Pennsylvania know how much it is celebrated.
Happy Groundhog's Day!

SNOW DAY!

Well, we officially had our first snow of 2008. Zachary loved the falling snow, but he did not like to stand in it. Here are some pictures of Z enjoying the snowflakes.