Team Zinger

New Year

2012-01-15T14:01:00.003-07:00

Is January already half over? Whoa! Here are a few of my resolutions for 2012:

-exercise more

-play with my kids MORE

-read a book a month

-tithe 10% to my church

-home improvements: *paint master bedroom/bath, *new carpet for Maecyn's room, *get rid of popcorn ceilings, *landscape

-not be so hard on myself!

-go to Prescott (or any other place in AZ I haven't been)

-scrapbook WAY MORE!

-go back to school

-keep my house clean and organized (ok, maybe that's stretching it!)

It's been over a month since I've posted, so I'll just give you a condensed version of what's been going on with us.

My mom and step dad were here for the Holidays and we had a blast with them, as always. We did lots of shopping and home improvement projects, ate out, celebrated Christmas and New Years, and the kids got spoiled big time! There are so many new toys it's actually ridiculous. There will be a clean-out-the-clutter session coming soon.

My step dad took Zander and Jon to the aviation museum when he was here and Z LOVED it. He got to go inside a jet and said it was "tight" (as in a small space) and now refers to airplanes as "tight". Funny stuff! He also had his first ride in a convertible that day. My mom, Maecyn, and I shopped for 9 hours that day- what we do best!

We celebrated Maecyn's first birthday on December 31st with close friends and family. She thoroughly enjoyed her raspberry cupcake from Sweet Daddy's. I especially loved the outfit she wore- we'll definitely be finding another reason to wear it! I took her for her one year check up and...

-17.4 pounds (3rd percentile. She is only in the 2nd percentile for her height. Petite baby!)

-size 9 months clothes (can wear 3-6 month bottoms though), size 2 shoes, size 3 diapers

-still loves to eat and isn't picky. Loves waffles, banana bread, eggs, blueberries, and pasta

-starting to crawl "normal", and can pull herself up on the furniture

-playing with toys a ton more!

-enjoys when her brother pushes her around in her walker in the house. They just laugh and laugh. so cute!

-likes to be outside, but tries to eat rocks!

-pulls herself up to stand in her crib

-likes to clap

Zander is such a lil monster. He has learned to crawl out of his crib, so I see a new bed in the future. We even tried putting the mattress on the floor of the crib and he somehow squeezed out between the mattress and crib and ended up in our bed at 5am this morning. Kinda creepy!

Zander at 26 months:

-24 months/2T clothes, size 7 shoes, size 5 diapers

-will do anything to be outside, and likes to be bare feet, even on our rocks

-enjoys his new slide

-likes to "drive" the car. He'll sit in the drivers seat for 10 minutes after we pull into the driveway and turn the steering wheel

-new fave movie is Shrek. He wants to watch it 586208 times a day, but I only allow one. I can only take so much, LOL.

-favorite foods: waffles, eggs, Kid's Cliff bars, pouches, veggie chips

We just found out my sister and Jon's best friend's fiancee are both having babies in July. SO excited. My sister Bre is having a boy, and Lacey is having a girl. It will be so fun for my kids to have close cousins to grow up with!

Jon is still coaching baseball and I'm coaching cheer. This usually means we only have one night together at home. Cheerleading will be over in a month, so I am looking forward to a break :) I am also doing my Body Back bootcamp again (same one I did last spring). It is even better this session and I am doing pretty good at sticking to my meal and exercise plans.

Here are a few pics from Maecyn's party. I have some many pics I could share, but they are already on our external hard drive. Maybe another day...

Christmas Cheer

2011-12-10T13:19:00.001-07:00

I cannot even explain to you how much I LOVE Christmas time. I have so many memories from when I was growing up- making cookies, my mom always having a full try of Christmas candies, making party mix, Christmas Eve with my entire fam at my grandma and grandpa's, candle light Christmas Eve church service, driving around to look at Christmas lights, seeing Santa, waking up and rushing downstairs with my sister to find bikes, barbies, clothes, crafts, a trampoline, and even one year, a pony- I could go on and on. Opening stockings was always my favorite tradition and still is. I am so excited to share all these things with my kids! Jon and I did some shopping last night and we had fun making laps in Toys R Us and getting so excited about what to buy our kids. Last years we didn't do much shopping- Zander didn't "get it" and I was hugely preggers up until 4 days before Christmas, so you can imagine all the fun we had with the other crazy parents who were out shopping at 11pm. Last night I stayed up and wrapped all the gifts for the kids. It makes me happy to look under the tree and see Cars and Tinkerbell Christmas wrapping paper :)

We started a new tradition last year, and went up north to the Polar Express train ride in Williams, AZ. We are going this coming week, so be looking for pictures. I cannot wait! We will also be staying in Flagstaff for a night at my favorite hotel. We have to be out of our house for a few days next week because we are having some home improvements done (bathroom re-model, painting the entire house, and putting up a wall). Pictures to follow of that too! I am sick of staring at these mint green walls!

Zander seems to be getting who Santa is. I made him a personalized video online where Santa talks to him and he's watched it about 126977297567 times in 24 hours. When we are out and about, he'll point to decorations we see and say "Santa," in which we reply, "Santa is so nice!" (In hopes that he will not be scared when we go to see him in person). I think Maecyn will enjoy Santa- she isn't scared of much (except the sound of packaging tape, LOL).

Maecyn will be one in a few weeks, which is just crazy! I can't believe it! She is a funny little girl and getting stronger by the day. It will be fun to watch her on her first birthday :)

That's about all for now. We've had a busy week and we'll be relaxing the rest of the weekend!

2011-11-29T14:58:00.001-07:00

Where do I even begin? Life is busy. Last month was pretty slow and now December is practically here. To catch you up...

Zander turned two on November 17. I can't believe that! We had a blast at his Sesame Street party and the kids seemed to love the bounce house. He got way too many gifts... enough in fact that we put half of them away to bust out during the summer. He is an active lil guy...
-wearing 2T clothes, size 6 shoes, size 4 diapers
-fave foods: waffles with peanut butter, veggie sticks, ice, coconut water, bananas, eggs, any kind of chips, granola bars
-fave words/sayings: cool truck, car, airplane, choo choo, Elmo, sissy, auntie, quad, hot, fire, wheels
-likes: the Wiggles, Thomas the Train, Elmo, Toy Story, Cars, e-i-e-i-o (Old McDonald), Itsy Bitsy spider, being outside, pushing sissy in the stroller

Maecyn is doing the army crawl, but also trying to pull her petite little self up on things. She will be one at the end of December. Where does the time go?
at 11 months:
-size 6-9 month clothes (some small sized bottoms), size 2 shoes, size 3 diapers
-really loves any kind of food, but LOVES the little clementine oranges right now!
-super smiley!
-only two teeth still
-starting to wave bye bye
-very active with toys and likes to play with her brother's trucks :)
-loves dogs!!!
-says "ma ma"

We had a great, but busy Thanksgiving. Jon has played football the past few Thanksgiving mornings, so that's how we started our day. Zander apparently woke up on the wrong side of the bed that day because he was a little terror at the park where the football game was played. Oh, the joys of an emotional 2 year old.

We went home after the game, the kids napped for 40 minutes, then we were off to a friend's for lunch. We got home from lunch, then had 8 people over for dinner. After food and wine, I wanted nothing to do BUT lay on the couch. I was tired, but it was a great day. I also did my traditional scan of the Black Friday newspaper ads, but didn't get out to shop much. I made a stop at Michael's on Saturday morning, but none of the crazy midnight shopping :)

The Christmas decorations are up, which makes me so happy! Jon got the tree out and even "fluffed" the branches, and no I didn't ask him to do it! He is just THAT kind of man :) The Christmas season is def my favorite time of year. I love decorating, wrapping gifts, shopping, looking at Christmas lights, and creating family traditions with my kids. First visit to Santa will be this weekend with some good friends :)

Jon and I are busy too. Jon just took a coaching job at a high school AND a marketing position at a baseball facility. These two jobs are on top of the 2 little league teams that he is coaching and his lessons. Yup, I will probably only see him on Sundays! Baseball is his passion and he's doing what he loves :)

I started coaching cheerleading at a middle school a few weeks ago. We practice Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday mornings at 6:30am. WHEW! We also cheer at the basketball games starting this week. Tis the season...

I hope you all had a blessed Thanksgiving! We have family pics next week, so I can't wait to share them with you!

2011-11-05T08:06:00.000-07:00

Halloween was a lot of fun this year! We got some cute pics of Maecyn in a pumpkin (thanks, Pinterest, for the idea!), and got to meet lots of neighbors while we were out trick or treating. Zander wasn't really sure what was going on at first... it took him a few houses to get the concept of ringing the door bell and getting candy in exchange. Jon dressed up as Bob Marley and somehow guilted me into wearing a costume 5 minutes before we walked out the door; well, kind of a costume... I wore one of his baseball jerseys and a backwards hat. Zander dressed up as a boxer and Maecyn was a bumble bee. We had a great night and had lots of fun!

Disneyland

2011-10-24T08:17:00.001-07:00

Happy Fall! If only the temps in AZ would fall below 90 degrees, it would actually feel like fall. In the meantime, I can light my pumpkin spice candle and dream :)

Our fall has been so busy. I look back and realize we have been travelling and doing little field trips so much. I am glad we have a nice little break for a month or so before Zander's birthday.

We went to California last week and took the kids to Disneyland on Jon and I's 3rd wedding anniversary. My mom and step dad were also in California after returning from a cruise, so we had a fun time with the family. My mom and I did some shopping and had happy hour one evening, which was a nice break from the kiddos :) We had a blast at Disney and Zander loved it! We watched the parade at the end of the day, and Z wasn't so sure what to think about it. He quickly warmed up to the characters, and Peter Pan even came over to say hi to him. When the parade ended, he was saying "more, more" and doing the sign for it. So cute. Jon and I had a blast on the rides. We were lucky to have my parents there to watch the stroller and kids so we could ride what we wanted. And by the way, I don't remember the drop on Splash Mountain being that big! whoa. I was scared! We then had a yummy dinner at Rainforest Cafe, where Z enjoyed the gorillas and elephants dancing.

We also got to have breakfast with our friends, The Tiffany's, while we were in town. Their little girl, Meadow, is the same age as Z, and it's always fun to be around people who have kids the same age as yours :) They got to play together this summer at baseball games... and Z got his first kiss from her last weekend!

here are some pics from the trip:

I can't believe we just celebrated our 3rd wedding anniversary! Time flies! We are having a blast and having the best year yet :)

Pumpkin Patch

2011-10-12T20:36:00.001-07:00

On Monday, we took the kids to Tolmachoff Farms for the yearly Stroller Strides pumpkin patch outing. This is probably my fave thing we do with the SS mamas and kiddos. We dress up in orange, have a good workout, and then head to the pumpkin patch. Zander ran around like crazy and all Maecyn wanted to do was eat the hay bales! I failed to get a pic of the kids together in the pumpkin patch because Zander did not want to sit still- he was more interested in throwing the pumpkins on the ground- oops! Maecyn seemed to enjoy herself, despite her mom dressing her in black long sleeves when it was 90+ degrees. We had a nice picnic lunch and then headed home for naps!

Here comes yet another busy weekend. Sunday is Jon's 32nd Birthday and we are heading to LA to stay for 3 days and visit Disney Land with my parents. Tuesday is our 3rd wedding anniversary, so lots to celebrate in the next week!

Michigan trip

2011-10-07T14:24:00.002-07:00

We spent a week in Michigan last week to celebrate my brother's wedding. We are still totally exhausted and trying to get back on the Arizona time zone. The kids are a little confused on when it's time to wake up in the morning and we've been hearing them chirping at 5:30am. I hope that gets better in the next few days.

It was fun to go to Michigan and visit friends and family, but we are glad we are home. The kids were both great on the flight to MI.... neither slept, but there were no melt downs, so I was good with that. On the way home, however, Zander did not want to sit still and did not sleep. I am glad my sister and her boyfriend were on the same flight because they kept Maecyn the whole flight home.

Here are a few pictures:

with Jon's niece and nephew, Elle and Grant

Jon's brother, dad, and brother in law

My best friend Angie and her new son, Tatum

My brother and his new wife, Katie

our big crazy family!

me with my sisters

my best friend Ashley from high school and her little girl, Emmie. Emmie and Maecyn are only one month apart

My friend Nate, with his wife Tara and their son, Carter

Zander with his great grandma

on the airplane

Here are the monthly stats on the kids:

Maecyn @ 9 Months:
-weighs 17 pounds
-size 2 diapers, 6-9 month size clothes
-stage 3 baby foods, still goats milk and also almond milk
-she loves coconut water :)
-takes 2 good naps a day
-still 2 teeth, but I am thinking more are on the way!
-sleeping 12 hours at night

Zander @ 22 months:
-weighs 27 pounds
-size 4 diapers, 24 month size clothes, size 6 shoes
-new words: strawberry, apple, helicopter
-says "no" to pretty much everything
-obsessed with airplanes... can see them in the sky and hear them
-likes to eat a lot of waffles with peanut butter :)

Busy weekend ahead... must get productive now :)

monthly update

2011-09-08T21:05:00.001-07:00

My growing little weeds.... 8 months and 21 months :)

Maecyn:
-wearing 6-9 month sized clothes/size 2 diapers
-still eating baby food 2x a day and having bottles
-rolling all over the room and likes to steal Zander's toys
-has her first tooth and chews on everything
-will mimic the "mmmmm" sound if I say it
-loves bath time with her brother
-sleeping in her crib, no issues from about 7:30pm-6:30am
-she usually takes one long nap a day, and 1 or 2 shorter ones
-won't leave headbands in anymore... just wants to chew on them!

Zander:
-finally in size 24 months/2T after wearing 18 months clothes for ELEVEN months! ahhhh. So nice to look at new clothing choices!
-really likes Thomas the Train, Sesame Street, Elmo, Dora, and Diego
-likes to repeat words I say....gotta be careful with that one! New words: Diego, pouch (referring to baby food pouch), backhoe, airplane, likes to say no, chips, cookie, chicken, bread, banana, cat, boat
-working on animal sounds (woof woof (thanks to the Build-a-Bear dog we made in Las Vegas), quack, moo, meow)
-learning new body parts: knee, hand, toes, belly
-he is getting so smart....loves books and farm and construction equipment books. My mom sent him a few new books and he hasn't put them down! If he wants to know the name of something, he will take my finger and point it to the object and leave it there until I say something
-has 14 teeth
-still likes to say "cool truck" 24/7

Here are some new pictures with my new camera- Maecyn wasn't cooperating much, but Zander seemed to like playing peek-a-boo with me!

Baseball season is over and Jon is home. SOOOO happy! He's been home since last Sunday and we've already got so much done since he's been here. It's nice to have some help around the house!

vacation and something new...

2011-08-25T15:41:00.000-07:00

It's again time for another update. I haven't been doing a very good job of keeping up with the blog. The kids' month 7 & 20 came and went, and now they are already 8 months old and 21 months old. Time is truly flying.

We are still settling in the house. I have no bedroom furniture and my TV is sitting on the floor, so it's definitely a work in progress. My mom came and surprised me and my sister a few Fridays ago, so it was nice to have her here to help me put some more boxes of stuff away.

My mom, the kids, and I drove to Vegas last week Monday and spent 6 days there. We had an amazing trip! My mom and I were there for the Send Out Cards National Convention and had a blast. Because my mom was a VIP this year, we were treated to a fancy dinner and the Cirque de Soleil Beatles LOVE show. Ahhhhh-mazing!!! I even had a nanny for 3 full days, so it was a nice break for me :) However, when I got home from Vegas, my fridge was dead. We went and bought a new one at Sears and its supposed to be delivered tomorrow :) I'm excited... it's the little things in life that get me excited!

While we were in Vegas, both kids were teething. Teething + hotel = no fun! Zander slept in bed with me every night, snotty nose and all. My kids were not themselves, but we survived. Maecyn cut her first tooth on Monday night. woo hoo!

Last week, Jon found out his league was ending 2 weeks early because of the "economic situation." His team was in last place, so I knew they wouldn't make the playoffs. A few days later, we found out Jon had been traded to a team in Texas to finish the season and play in the playoffs. Good news is that Jon flew into Phoenix Monday night and got to spend 36 hours with me and the kids! Bad news, he was only here for 36 hours and will be gone at least 2 more weeks! Tonight is his first game playing on the new team, so good luck babe! Go get em!!!

I can't think of much else to say... I am just glad fall is almost here and it will hopefully start getting cooler out!

august

2011-08-08T21:19:00.001-07:00

I thought it was time for a lil update... things have been very busy over the past week. Jon left for a 30 day roadtrip, which is enough in itself. So, I'm single parentin' it until August 31st. BUT, this is the LAST roadtrip of the season, which I am very happy about. We will spend one week in Yuma at the beginning of summer and then baseball will be over...well, at least for this year :) I think I may have said it before, but this baseball season has been hard for me- long roadtrips, a mobile toddler at games, not getting to know the players, etc. Baseball is just so different when you have kids, but I wouldn't change it for anything. I am glad to be able to share this with our babies, even though they may not remember!

The house is going well, but a lil slower than I'd like. There are just SO many things I want to do to this place. Half of the house was updated, half not. It was built in 1980, so there are popcorn ceilings in some rooms, 80s dark brown carpet in Maecyn's room, mint green paint, no landscaping, and the list goes on and on... Some things we'll do when Jon gets home, and some later... I am just happy to have a place to call our own :) We are enjoying the pool almost daily, and that in itself is worth the 80s decor inside (pool is only 2 years old).

We just now bought a new car as a result of the car accident I was in this past April. My brother sells cars in MI, so we purchased a 2004 Ford Explorer Eddie Bauer edition and got an awesome deal. It has a DVD player in it for the kids, which was a major selling point for me with all the travelling we do. It came this evening, and I am happy to say I have a car to drive after being sans car for 6 days. I was getting cabin fever.

Here are some (late) updates on the kids:

Maecyn was 7 months old as of July 21st.
-She is still in 6 month clothes/size 2 diapers
-has to be teething b/c she chews on EVERYTHING. Thank goodness for Sophie the giraffe :)
-smiles a lot and likes to watch everything Zander is doing
-still rolling all over, but no crawling
-enjoys sleeping in her swing... we'll be trying the crib out in her room very soon since my sister helped me put it together today
-chews on her flower headbands. We might as well not even wear them anymore ;)
-loves my iPhone; she'd chew on it if she could
-babbles a lot. I swore she said "ma ma" but don't tell Jon!
-a great eater still :)
-sleeping about 8 hours a night. I'll take it!

Zander was 20 months as of July 17th
-STILL wearing 18 months clothes, but I am happy to report we are moving into 24 month tops :) Finally!
-still likes Cars, but also now enjoying Sesame Street (we just got satellite and now have PBS kids)
-Thomas the Train is a new fave. Everything is about "choo choos" now. (by the way, have you seen how expensive those train pieces are??? One stinkin train piece for $15 at Target and its smaller than my palm). Anywho, a lil story- we have an "I Spy" board book about bunnies. There is a page with the tiniest train on it, but surrounded by bunnies. On about the 3rd time ever reading it, he took the book from my hand, flipped it upside down and started saying "choo chooooo." I had no idea what he was talking about until I looked closer, and sure enough, a tiny tiny train was in the bottom corner. What a lil smarty pants!
-saying a lot more... "bless you" when I sneeze is an example, and trying to say "e-i-e-i-o" when singing Old MacDonald. It's amazing to watch how much more he says by the day.
-we are working on learning more body part words and sign language
-loves our new pool. I bought him a Cars life jacket which he doesn't mind putting on!
-he is back to really liking books. When I got him up this morning, the first thing he did was grab his "Zainy Zed" book and want to read it. Maybe he will love reading like his mommy and daddy?

I didn't think the next few months could get more busy, but they are! The kids and I head to Vegas next week for 7 days to spend some time with my mom and so we can go to the Send Out Cards National Convention. My friend from high school who nannies is going to take care of the kids. In September, baseball season ends, which means Jon gets busy coaching! At the end of September, we head to Michigan for my brother's wedding on October 1st (he'll join my older sis and I with October anniversaries), October we are doing a Disney trip and then I have a girls trip to Vegas. And November is San Diego.. whoa. I am tired already! Thank goodness for that new car with a DVD player!

Anywho, I'll quit rambling. I have no pictures to post- maybe in a few days!

the past 20 days...

2011-07-28T15:13:00.000-07:00

a lot has gone on.

last minute trip to Maui, Hawaii? check. (bought my ticket the day before I left).

closing/buying our very first home? check.

raising two sweet little babies? check.

shopping for items for our new house? changing addresses? turning on utilities? check.

watching baseball? check.

worth the chaos? double check.

so very happy right now :)

moving in this weekend before Jon's THIRTY day road trip!

not a great picture- had to find one online! I need to take some pictures with my camera :)

monthly update

2011-07-09T13:39:00.001-07:00

Maecyn @ 6 months:

-wearing size 6 month clothes, and size 2 diapers

-drinking only goat's milk and having baby food 2-3 meals a day. I have yet to find a food she doesn't like!

-rolls over and over to move across the room & starting to scoot

-pretty much sits up by herself

-likes to play with her brother's toys

-loves playing with her feet

-sleeps abouty 8 hours at night

-has a very similar personality to her brother: smiley and laid back

Zander @ 19 months:

-really likes his camo hat from daddy :)

-wearing size 18 months clothes...almost for a whole year now! (size 4 diapers)

-OBSESSED with the movie "Cars" and all of their toys. He likes to shop at Wal-Mart and the Disney store and point at all the red displays saying "cars, cars, cars." When I wake him up most mornings, the first word out of his mouth is "car." He'd watch the "Cars" movie 5 times a day if I'd let him.

-loves the pool. He even jumped in all by himself...he is a fast little booger and scared the piss out of me

-favorite words: car, hat, cool, wow, sissy, auntie, shoe, truck, ball, thank you, hi dada, pretty, snack

-has 12 teeth

-knows where most of his body parts are

-if I say, "please throw this in the trash" he will. He's a good lil helper

-will 'say' more and thank you in sign language

-likes to Skype on my cell phone while Jon is away

-eating pretty much all the same foods, but recently is very fond of Trader Joes Jo-Jo's.

4th of July

2011-07-06T20:50:00.000-07:00

I guess it's time for a blog update. I've been single parenting it for about 13 days and it's crazy busy. I miss Jon a lot and I am ready for this road trip to be over! 13 more days...

House update... I failed to update you on anything since the last post on the house we had an offer on. I won't bore you with all the details, but our offer is back on with the house; we've had inspection and apprasial, but still waiting on a few details from the seller to make sure it's a done deal. If all goes well, we'll be closing before July 27th and that makes this mama VERY happy.

4th of July was fun, but so dang hot. This was my first 4th away from Jon in a very long time, and that was a little hard on me. We spent the day relaxing, had a BBQ, and watched fireworks from my friend Aleysha's driveway. Perfect! Zander liked the sparklers, but he hated the fireworks this year. That's ironic to me because last year on the 4th of July was when Z learned to clap and he loved the fireworks! He had a death grip on me when the screamers were going off and he fell asleep on my lap before the fireworks even started. It was a super hot night- I can't say I love the 4th of July in Arizona!

I'll be posting the kids' monthly pictures this week :)

single parenting

2011-06-24T21:55:00.001-07:00

I said it last summer and I'll say it again- I give major props to single parents, especially those of infants!!! Jon is on a 24 day road trip right now... he left 2 days ago, but it feels like a lot longer! He'll be in Canada for 12 days, then Lake County, IL, then finishes the trip in Maui. Yup, Maui. I am SO jealous. If I had someone in AZ to leave my kids with for a week, you better believe I'd be going! However, I am very happy to be back in Phoenix for the next 3 weeks. I like being "home" and having all of my familiar places around... Sprouts, Trader Joes, Stroller Strides, FRIENDS!!! And since we're staying at my friend Aleysha's, that means I have a kitchen. woooo!

We had an offer accepted on a house about a week ago. We went through inspection and found some pretty major electrical issues that were a safety hazard. We were pretty confident that the bank (its a foreclosure) would fix these safety issues, but they won't.... so, back to house hunting we go. It's frustrating, but I am thankful for home inspections that find the issues that the naked eye cannot. I am hoping a 24 dato get back to the house hunt early next week! It's fun to look at all the houses, but we'd really like to find one soon!!!

This weekend I am planning on staying in the A/C and going to church on Sunday, which I have missed dearly. Have a wonderful weekend!

Father's Day

2011-06-19T17:03:00.001-07:00

Happy Father's Day to all the dads out there, but especially Jon who is such a wonderful daddy to Maecyn and Zander! My kids smile so much when playing with their daddy! I love to see the joy not only on their faces, but on Jon's. He never fails to step in and help when needed and give me a break. He loves his kids more than I could have ever imagined. We are very blessed to have you babe! We love you!!!

We had some friends come down from Phoenix last night to see Jon pitch. The game was supposed to start at 7:35, but due to the other team's travel issues, Jon did not throw the first pitch until 9:50pm. Jon pitched an awesome game. He threw 7 2/3 innings, gave up 2 runs, and struck out 2. When he left the game, his team was winning. However, the Scorpions ended up losing, so Jon got a no decision. By the time the game was finally over, it was 1am and Zander was still going strong! We got home and put on his Cars DVD, but instead of falling asleep, he decided he wanted to watch the movie. The kid never runs out of energy... at 2am, he came in bed with us and finally went to sleep. phew.

This picture was in today's paper:

I can't believe the past month has gone by as fast as it has. We've been living in the hotel for about 5 weeks now, and we have our routine down pat. The time is flying by and this coming Thursday, Jon leaves for a 24 day road trip. Yes, 24 days! I'll be single parenting it for over 3 weeks, which could get interesting! I wish I could know what my kids are thinking when there dad is gone for so long??? Jon plays 10 games at home in late July/first few days of August, but then has another 3 week road trip. The last week of games (first part of September) are played at home. This crazy travel schedule is going to make time FLY by. I am excited to head to Phoenix next week and be "home" for a few weeks!

We have been very busy lately. We put an offer on a house, a home we didn't really think we were going to get; it was only on the market 7 days AND they received multiple offers. However, to our wonderful surprise, the bank accepted our offer and we are under contract! We are elated!!!! We'll do the inspection late next week, so as long as nothing crazy is wrong with the house, we will be closing by July 27th. I am so happy this long process is coming to an end. Buying a house takes a lot longer than we thought! It's definitely time to settle down and have some roots!

Coming this week: Maecyn's 6 month pictures and Zander's 19 month pictures... whoa!!!!

Monthly Pictures

2011-06-09T18:45:00.000-07:00

Hopefully I will be a little bit more timely on these from here on out! Here are Zander's 18 month pics (can you tell he wasn't cooperating?) and Maecyn's 5 month pics.

Jon has had the past 2 days off. Yesterday we went to downtown Yuma to some little shops and antique stores. SO fun. I love antique stores, Goodwill, thrift stores, book stores, and cute lil shops... my dream is to own one some day. However, next time we'll leave the kids at home- way too many breakables. We also saw a big train that Zander loved!

Maecyn @ 5 months

2011-06-07T19:55:00.000-07:00

our little girl is starting to fill out and get the chubby cheeks and thighs- I am guessing because she is on formula only now, and baby food! Here is some info on our lil lady at 5 months:

-don't know weight or length... will find out at next doctor appt in July
-wearing 3-6/6 months clothing and size 2 diapers

-eating baby food (doesn't care for the cereal a whole lot). The first food we gave her was avocado, and she's also had pears, apples, mango, bananas, and peaches. We are giving her the Plum Organics pouches just like we gave Zander. They have spoons that screw on the top which make feeding a whole lot easier! She's also had bites of mashed potatoes and coconut ice cream :)

-I stopped nursing about 2 weeks ago, so when Maecyn has bottles she is drinking formula, although we have been doing research to find an alternative. Formula is pretty disgusting and expensive... I'll keep you posted on that one.

-she is smiling a lot and loves to watch her brother's every move

-staying awake more during the day, and still a great sleeper at night

-starting to play with toys/put them in her mouth

-loves bath time

-is a great shopping partner for mommy!

-prefers the Baby Bjorn over the Ergo... but the Ergo is SO much cuter! We'll work on that one.

-can almost sit up by herself

**her 5 month and Z's 18th month pics coming tomorrow! I mis-placed their monthly stickers and I just found them today**

Here is also a funny video of Zander saying his new word "wow"

Meeting Elmo

2011-06-03T16:44:00.000-07:00

I know, still no 5 month post on Maecyn. I PROMISE this weekend. ;)

Jon had an unheard of TWO days off in a row. There was no way we were staying in Yuma, so we jetted off to San Diego again. We stayed with our lovely friends Mark and Michelle and had an absolute blast. On day one, we had a yummy Mexican lunch (margs included), did some shopping, and took Zander to the park. We ended the night with a sushi dinner before heading home to relax. Thursday we went to Sea World and it was definitely one of my favorite places we have ever gone. Zander is at the age now where he is into certain things, and Elmo is at the top of that list! At Sea World there is a huge Sesame Street section full of rides, playgrounds, and the characters. Zander went NUTS. We let him out of the stroller and he took off running! Good thing Jon was there to chase him. The highlight of the day was Z getting to meet Elmo and Big Bird. It was absolute joy to watch his reaction. He went right up to Elmo and gave him a big hug! adorable. We saw the dolphin show and lots of other animals, but didn't get to see half of the park, so we will for sure be going back. We bought the passes that are good until the end of December, so I am sure we will try and go back at least a few times before then :)

here we are at Santee Lakes park.

Z swinging with Auntie Michelle. He also loved crawling UP the slides... not going down. He has NO fear!

Sea World photos:

watching the dolphin show

getting sleepy...

Thursday night we went to the Padres game, which was a lot of fun. I had never been to Petco Park, which was super nice. We got to spend the evening in our friend's suite, which I must say is the way to go if you have active kids! They can roam free in the suite, but not if you're sitting in regular seats. It was perfect. It was so nice to see Jen, Alexis, Dustin, and Kailey! Maecyn enjoyed the girl time with her future friend Kailey :) Hopefully we'll be back to San Diego again this summer. It will be fun to see Dustin, Kailey, and Maecyn interact since they are only 4 days apart!

That was a much needed mini-vacay and now we are back in Yuma. The team pretty much told us that we will be living in the hotel all summer, so we will get away whenever we can. Jon has about 3 weeks of home games and then goes on the road for a month, so most likely I will head back to Phoenix during that time.

Jon starts on Saturday- wish him luck! It's been an interesting first 2 weeks of the season so far.

cousins trip

2011-05-31T18:12:00.001-07:00

I know I still haven't done Maecyn's 5 month post, but we've been busy! My sister and nieces flew in last Friday, so the kids and I drove to Phoenix for the weekend. It was so great to be back "home" for a few days! Last Friday I got to go to Mom's Night Out with my Stroller Strides friends and I am SO glad I found a babysitter and got to go. I needed a mommy break!

Here are a few pics from the weekend...aquarium, swimming, pedicures, shopping, eating out, relaxing at the hotel. It was so fun, and I know my kids enjoyed it! It was nice to have my nieces Madi, 6, and Makena, {almost} 8, there to help. I have never seen two kids argue over who got to change Maecyn's diaper or who got to feed Zander!!! I barely had to do anything, lol. Madi said she's moving back to live with me when she's 18...haha. They are adorable! Such a fun trip!

Jon has an unheard of TWO days off starting tomorrow. Not sure what we are going to do, but we are definitely going to get out of this hotel and enjoy the sun!!!

Z @ 18 months

2011-05-19T20:23:00.001-07:00

I can't believe Zander is already 18 months old... not too long and he will be two! Crazy! Zander is such a sweet little boy and has a very friendly personality. It's fun to watch him grow and develop.

At 18 months:

-still wearing 18 months size for the most part, but a few 24 months shirts
-has 11 teeth and likes to brush his teeth with his Elmo toothbrush

-I don't know height and weight... will take him for a check up in June.

-still obsessed with wheels

-loves peanut butter sandwiches on Ezekiel raisin bread!

-walks pretty much all the time... would rather walk than be in the stroller

-likes to push sissy in the stroller

-saying more words and understands a lot more! Vocabulary includes: ball, diaper, bike, wheel, ba ba, bye bye, mamaw (my mom), ma ma, da da, night night, car, dog, snack, pool, Elmo.... that's all I can think of right now, but I am sure I'm missing some

-watching movies is a new hobby

-really likes Elmo

-takes one nap a day

-loves to be outside

-likes to give hugs & kisses, wave bye bye, and blow kisses

some new iPhone pics of the lil man

check back in a few days for a post all about Miss Maecyn at 5 months!

A different kind of post.

2011-05-16T21:02:00.000-07:00

This isn't my typical "what we're up to" post, but it's something that I had to get off my mind...

What is your definition of a friend? This is a topic that has crossed my mind a lot lately.

Someone you grew up with? Someone you socialize a few times a week at events? Someone you call when you're having a bad day? Someone you can depend on no matter what? Your sister? Your mom? Your co-worker?

It seems like the past few weeks I have been struggling with who my "real" friends are... I am not a perfect friend (wife, mother, daughter, sister, etc for that matter), but I have really tried to get over the drama that I thought would have ended in high school. ha. Wishful thinking. Sometimes I have a tendency of talking to much...and sometimes those people I talk to have an issue of talking too much. You can see where this is going- I tell so and so something, and I hear it again through the grapevine a few days later from someone else, possibly in a different context. My biggest pet peeve. There are some people who feed off gossip...who just like to talk about anyone and anything. I guess humans are all like this to an extent, but it has really been my focus to focus on myself/my family and not all the gossip... and it will continue to be my focus. Jon reminds me that it doesn't matter what anyone else thinks; and this is where I struggle. I'm a people pleaser. I want everyone to get along, yet nothing annoys me more than hearing people talk behind my back...

To me, a friend is someone whom I can talk to knowing that whatever I say stays with them. Someone I could call in the middle of the night if I needed to. Someone I could trust with my babies if need be.

Lesson learned- some "friends" aren't real friends, and it's a blessing that we all go through things in order to figure out who really matters most in our lives. A true friend will always be there, always have your back, always keep your secrets, say they are sorry if they mess up. I am blessed to have a few of these true friends in my life. Everyone needs a true friend.

hotel life

2011-05-15T20:58:00.000-07:00

We got to Yuma on Friday afternoon after a long week of packing and cleaning the townhouse. It was hard to leave and we worked our butts off until the last minute to get all the packing done. I can say I hate moving. I moved to AZ in August of 2007 and since then I have moved six times. The next time I move, I am staying there for awhile!

We ate one last meal at Pita Jungle (our fave) and started the 3.5 hour drive to Yuma. Jon and Zander drove in his car and Maecyn rode with me. I am so glad we decided to take 2 cars. We ended up having so much stuff that both cars were packed to the max. It's crazy how much you accumulate when you have two babies.

We've been in Yuma now for 3 days. We're living in the team hotel during spring training and it's actually going very well. We were a little concerned with all 4 of us sleeping in the same room, but Zander is doing awesome! He takes one nap a day and is going to bed around 8:30- although we're going to have to gradually make it later and later since the baseball games start next week and on those nights we won't get home until after 10pm.

The hotel is within walking distance of quite a few stores, and a Starbucks :) There is also an outdoor pool we have been visiting every day and Zander loves that. He seems to be adjusting well. The only thing he is having a hard time with is not being able to be outside whenever he wants.

There is another guy on Jon's team who has his wife and kids here as well. That is always nice since that rarely happens, We met them on Saturday morning and have since spent a lot of time with them. They are from Venezuela and the kids don't speak much English. The 8 year old is a girl and she loves Maecyn. The boy is a 2.5 year old and he and Zander like to play with the cars and trucks. We took the kids to Toys R Us yesterday and I have NEVER seen two kids more excited about anything in my life! Their mom told me that all the kids talk about is Toys R Us since they don't have one in Venezuela. They went up and down EVERY aisle and showed me everything they picked up saying, "mira, mira" ("look, look"). In fact, they could barely bring any toys with them since they could only bring a few bags on the flight. We brought lots of Zander's toys, so that is nice that we are able to share. The language barrier is a challenge with the kids, so I think I better brush up on my espanol! Let's hope the 4 years I took of Spanish will come back to me :) And who knows, maybe Z will be speaking some Spanish by the end of the summer!

Tonight was Jon's first night of practice. He was so excited to get started. Jose Canseco is the coach down here, so it should be an interesting summer. Jose was just on The Celebrity Apprentice this season and that was fun to watch. There are rumors that someone is doing a reality show of Jose this year while he is coaching/playing in Yuma, but we shall see... Jon has played with Jose before, and he was one of Jon's favorite players growing up, so it will be a cool experience for him. We are both ready for baseball to get started!!!

This is the first year in awhile where we've gotten to stay in AZ for baseball. That makes me SO happy. I am glad that we are only a few hours from home and my friends are close by. :)

Mother's Day

2011-05-10T18:20:00.000-07:00

I had a great Mother's Day. I am so blessed to be the mommy to these two beautiful babies. Even on my worst days, I am very grateful for everything I have! On Mother's Day morning, we went to church, then had lunch at Pita Jungle. We then went furniture shopping, came home and took naps, and hung around at home. What a great day to relax and celebrate a day all about moms!

Here is my Mother's Day gift, which also included a very nice card :)

The bracelet is peridot (my fave color is green) and amethyst (my birthstone). Good job, babe. It's one of my favorite gifts you've ever gotten me!

Here is Z man on Mother's Day... we didn't get a group shot :(

Maecyn and I on Mother's Day

And a few iPhone photos from the week. I don't know what I would do without this!

such a happy girl...even at 6am

Cinco de Mayo Skinny Girls. My fave!!! We also had home-made guac, salsa, and enchiladas courtesy of Brandon and Lauren!

This was our date night dessert... banana spring rolls from PF Changs. By far my favorite dessert ever! We then went to see Tron in 3D. I was dreading it, but it was actually really good! This was our last date night for awhile.

This is a crazy week. We leave Friday for baseball and we have so much packing to do, so I better get off of here!

How did we ever live without iPhones?

2011-05-07T15:43:00.000-07:00

Last weekend we got iPhones. I have wanted one for a long time, and Jon finally gave in. We spent 2 hours last Saturday morning at the Verizon store, and we have pretty much been addicted to the new toys ever since :) We've been playing a lot of Words With Friends and Angry Birds...and how cool is Face Chat? How did we not have these sooner? And it's so much more fun to take pics with the camera phone when you have cool photo editing apps! I could go on and on... Anyways, here are a few pictures we've taken over the last week with our phones!

I think the look on M's face here is so funny!

There are lots of exciting things going on here! We've been packing for baseball season (which is always hard for me), but still have a long ways to go. We leave Friday morning for Yuma, and we'll be living in a hotel during spring training- should be interesting with 2 kiddos. At least its only for about a week and a half! I seem to always struggle packing up my "things" for a few months, especially my scrapbooking supplies! I know it's coming every year, but it's still hard for me to do.

Body Back Results

2011-04-26T19:39:00.000-07:00

WARNING: If you don't want to look at post-baby belly action, you should just stop reading now.

Most of you know I have been doing the Body Back bootcamp for the past 8 weeks. Week 1 was awesome, but during week 2 I went to Vegas and gained over 4 pounds. I got back on track, and was happy when I got my final results today.

When I started BB, I looked like this...

In one minute, I could only do:

- 10 full sit ups

- 5 push ups

- 24 fast squats

- 22 bicep curls

- 14 seconds of high knees

- 54 seconds of a center plank

- 27 seconds of a side plank

This is my picture from today....week 8:

In one minute, I can now do:
- 26 sit ups (went up by 10)
- 40 fast squats (went up by 16)
- 23 push ups (went up by 18)
- 31 bicep curls (went up by 9)
- 35 seconds of high knees (went up by 21 seconds)
- 1 minute 32 seconds of a center plank (went up by 38 seconds)
- 52 seconds side plank (went up by 25 seconds)
I lost...
6.6 pounds (4.07%)
1 1/2 inches in the chest
2 inches in my waist
2 inches in my hips
1/4 inch in my right thigh
1/4 inch in my right bicep
For a total of.... Six Inches! I'll take it!

I am very happy with the results, but I still have some work to do!

Maecyn @ 4 months

2011-04-26T11:25:00.000-07:00

Maecyn is already 4 months old, which seems insane! She is an absolute joy and really easy baby.

At 4 months:

-starting to laugh

-stays awake more between feedings

-likes to watch tv :)

-eats 5 oz

-finally upgraded to 3-6 months size clothing

-weighs 12.8 pounds

-does not like any lights on when she sleeps...she will bury her head in a blanket to block out the light. It's pretty funny!

-in size 2 diapers

-has the same chubby cheeks that mommy had as a baby

-likes to sit up and see what's going on

Easter

2011-04-25T07:51:00.000-07:00

We had a great Easter weekend with our lil fam. Friday we had some family pics taken, followed by Good Friday service at church. Saturday night we had some friends over for dinner, wine, and some Apples to Apples action. We are big fans of that game! Sunday morning Jon and I opened our Easter baskets from the Easter Bunny :) Mine included an Ebay gift card, so I am excited to use that! We went to the 9am church service and then had an Easter lunch at one of our favorite places, Pita Jungle. Naps were in order when we got home and after we were all refreshed, Zander got to open his Easter basket. We also attempted to have an egg hunt for him, but he really had no clue what was going on- he was more interested in the tree outside! Maybe next year...

after church pictures...

It's going to be a busy week for us! The countdown is on until we leave for baseball- about 15 more days. We have lots of packing to do! It's tough for me to pack up my "stuff" because I know I won't see it again for 5 months.

favorite things

2011-04-22T13:10:00.001-07:00

I was inspired by my friend Ali's post, so here are a few of my favorite things right now...

1. My BOB stroller. Sure, it's HUGE, but definitely the Cadillac of strollers. The kids love to be in it, and I love to take them outside!

2. Hair accessories for Maecyn. So cute, and they're addicting to make. I think she has a flower in every color now.

3. www.amazon.com I can order ANYTHING from them, and I do. I get at least 2 shipments per week. I order so frequently that my free shipping has been extended into September. We order our bee pollen, gogi berries, coconut water, maca, spiralina, and a lot of Z's food from here. My favorites are the Revolution Foods organic Jammy Sammys.

4. These shoes...(from Kohl's)

5. Send Out Cards. They just came out with video cards! I can't wait to send some...

6. House Hunting. We are SO close to buying a house. I am looking for something older, with arches, and that reminds me of the MidWest (where I'm from). We've seen some good ones!

7. Ruffles!!! I am loving all the ruffle tops out there. This one's from Forever 21.

8. Haley on American Idol. I LOVE her voice. She sang Adele on Tuesday and I immediately downloaded it on iTunes. Her voice is amazing.

9. Bumbo seat. We used this a lot for Z, and Maecyn seems to enjoy it too. It's great for when she gets bored of the play mat or swing.

10. this ice cream. Try it and you'll know why it doesn't need an explanation!

11. Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution. This is one show Jon and I can actually enjoy together :)

12. Starbucks VIA. Cannot live without this now. Add a splash of coconut creamer, and it's my favorite way to start my day!

That was random, but hope you enjoyed a lil peek of what I am digging right now! Happy Easter to all and enjoy your weekend.

John 11:25-26

Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die; and whoever lives by believing in me will never die."

Palm Sunday weekend

2011-04-18T12:28:00.000-07:00

This weekend, our friends Mark and Michele got to come for a visit from San Diego. Jon actually introduced M&M and they were married a few years later. Jon's ONLY successful match-making experience, I might add. It was fun to hang out with them since we don't see them that often. Zander must have really like them too because he balled his eyes out when they left! Michele and the kids and I went shopping, the boys worked out, and we all enjoyed our meals out :)

Here is Maecyn in my baby dress that my mom had kept! A fun tradition to start for all the baby girls in our lil fam.

Mark & Michele with Z & M

Lauren, me, and Michele at West Gate after dinner at Yard House- one of my faves!

We are supposed to find out today where Jon will be playing this summer... we have 2 offers on the table that are extreme opposites... praying for the best! I will update you as soon as I know more :)

Stroller Strides

2011-04-14T08:01:00.000-07:00

It's awesome to get on Facebook and read all my SS mama friends' posts about Body Back....how excited they are, how challenged they are, and the results they are seeing. These are moms who WANT to be in shape, be strong, be at peace with themselves- that is freaking awesome! A lot of moms give up on themselves and say they can't do it- not these mamas!

My alarm went off at 4:21 this morning, and I didn't want to get up. Then I thought about how I would feel after my workout, so I got my booty out of bed and went to Body Back. I ran 3.4 miles this morning with my Body Back group. You know me- I am no runner. Today, however, I ran the whole time, and man, it felt great. I LOVE the way I feel after Body Back. I have a 30 minute drive home to reflect on the hour I just spent on MYSELF. It's taken me 25 years to learn that if you don't love yourself, how can you love someone else? I am to the point where I am gaining strength, endurance, and might actually like to work out. well, maybe. I cannot explain what Stroller Strides and Kelly have brought to my life. The past year+ I have met some awesome women, made lots of friends, and have a lot of memories in my heart. I am so blessed to be a part of this amazing group. Sometimes I think, will these women still be my friends after our kids get older? What will I do without Stroller Strides? I know I will be a part of SS for years to come, and for that I am very thankful. Thank you to Kelly (and Jill, Jamie, and Katie) for always pushing me and making me do things I never thought I could. But, I'm a mom- I can do ANYTHING.

Now off to burn all this energy I have from my run this morning! I can't believe I'm saying that!

Zander and I at one of my first SS classes

Maecyn @ 3 Months

2011-04-10T12:56:00.000-07:00

It's hard to believe our little girl is 3 months old! She is starting to coo and smiles all the time!

At 3 months:

-weighs 11 pounds

-still wearing 0-3 month clothes

-easily rolls from stomach to back

-smiles a ton

-likes to sleep where it's completely dark or she throws her hands over her eyes

-likes to sit in the Bumbo

-starting to recognize us from a distance

It has been a busy past few weeks. Last Sunday, Jon and Zander had a shopping card accident at Fry's which resulted in Jon hurting his shoulder and Zander getting a nice scab on his forehead. I think Jon was more traumatized than Zander, but at least they are both ok now.

My best friend Stephanie flew in on Monday, so we had a busy week with her. We went to the zoo, Sedona, the DBacks home opener, and sushi, to name a few places. On Wednesday, I came down with a nasty bug and didn't feel well for 2 days. Then, on Friday, I was in a car accident on my way home from work. A lady pulled out from a stop sign right in front of me and I t-boned her. Luckily I am just bruised and sore, but my car needs some major repairs. It was pretty scary! So, it was great for Steph to come visit, but I wasn't 100% myself when she was here.

@ the zoo

in Sedona

DBacks game

No new baseball news yet... However, we are planning on leaving AZ right after Easter and heading to Michigan until we figure out where Jon is playing. So, let the packing begin....again.

oh, baseball... a love-hate relationship

2011-03-28T20:58:00.000-07:00

Baseball season is coming up again, even though I feel like the off season just started. In the next 6 weeks we will be moving for Jon's baseball season, but to where, is the major question? A few weeks ago, Jon signed a really good contract to play for a new team in Oklahoma- it was an answer to a lot of prayer. We just found out today that there isn't going to be a new team in Oklahoma, actually not even the new league that was supposed to happen. I am not really sure why the league isn't happening, but I am sure it has to do with money... independent league baseball has gone through some major changes this year with teams moving to different leagues and some teams just going out of business. If you know me, you know my life is planned out on my calendar. Not knowing where we will be moving in 6 weeks is a little nuts, but this seems to happen every year in one way or another. If I had a dollar for everyone who has said "I don't know how you do this lifestyle"" or "When is Jon going to be done playing?" I would long be a millionaire by now. What's even crazier to me is that most of the people who ask me this are GOOD friends of ours. I don't know, when is your husband going to quit his job at the bank??? WHY do I do this lifestyle? I love my husband. I support him 100%. I would never ask him to give up his passion in life- he has played baseball professionally for 8 years and I knew that when I married him. And honestly, I know he would never ask me to give up my passion in life if the shoes were on the other feet. We met through baseball, got married, and had 2 beautiful children. I am blessed that we can go through this journey, travel, and take our kids with us. Sure, it's not easy, but the excitement that I have on opening day is unexplainable. I honestly don't know what is going to happen when Jon is done playing. There will be such a void in our life. Baseball has brought us so many great experiences and friends- I don't even want to think about it being over. But, being that I told Jon he could play until his arm falls off, I don't think I will have to think about that for awhile! So, bear with us until we figure out where we are going for the summer :)

Today the weather was awesome! Z spent awhile in a little baby splash pool and I caught some rays. Today was also Z's last swim lesson, but my parents told us today that they are going to pay for him to go another month- yay! I also caught Maecyn rolling over on camera :)

(and just for the record, Z has on a swim diaper even though it looks like he's naked!)

father/daughter dance

2011-03-27T14:30:00.000-07:00

Stroller Strides put on a Father/Daughter dance this past Friday night, so I talked Jon into taking Maecyn. Sure, she won't remember it, but it was a bonding experience! Jon said he even had a fun time :) I am blessed that Jon is so involved with our kids' lives!

St. Patty's

2011-03-24T19:37:00.000-07:00

I have to say our St. Patty's day this year was pretty lame compared to years past, but I wouldn't trade it for anything. We didn't have green beer and didn't eat an Irish meal; instead we stayed at home and played with the kids. Here are a few pics of the kiddos in their green :)

Jon and I enjoyed a night out with some friends at the piano bar. If you know me, you know piano bars are my FAVE!!!

This has been a crazy week for me. The law firm I work for is moving to a new location...after 12 years of being in the same office. So, that being said, you can imagine how much crap has accumulated there. I have worked every day this week to help prep for the move, and it's been rough on me. I am so used to working on a few days a week that this week has felt like forever! Tomorrow I am done though!

Body Back is going well. Between my walk last night and my BB rounds class this morning, my Garmin said I burned 1,200 calories. I'll take it! I lost weight this week too, so I am proud of myself! I really watched what I ate and got in as many workouts as I could, and it paid off.

The big news in the Zinger house is that Zander started walking....finally!!! He can walk all the way across the room now, however, I still think he prefers crawling over walking because it's so much faster. It's really fun to watch the lil man grow up!

And lastly, some of the family pics we had taken in February:

Zander is 16 months!

2011-03-17T12:15:00.000-07:00

Happy St. Patrick's Day. I ended up buying Z a St. Patty's shirt, but I failed on Maecyn's behalf. I searched and searched, but couldn't find anything cute for her to wear. A bib and bow will have to do. Pics to come later :)

Z is 16 months old today.... getting into everything, obsessed with tractors, but still not walking. Has has taken 3 steps by himself, but sits down after that! His new favorite snack is Trader Joe's cheese puffs. We went to TJ's last week, and he grabbed them off the shelf... he has never had these before, so I am not sure where that came from. He didn't want to give them up at the checkout so they could be rung up- it was pretty funny. We didn't even make it home before we had to open the bag so he could have a few! He has also started this new "smile" when the camera comes out... cheesing it so hard that his eyes are squinted shut. Jon and I sit here and laugh at him constantly. He brings us so much joy and is starting to get a little personality. If you want to make Z cry, just say "no." He doesn't like that word at all!

I had another Body Back class today. It was tough, but I feel awesome. It was the first time ever in my life that I've ran 3 miles. Ever. I actually gained weight last week (Vegas trip is to blame), but this week I am really focusing on portion control.

Here are a few pics from the last week:

trying to get a pic of these too isn't easy! Z was laying next to Maecyn... it was so cute. But by the time I grabbed the camera, he was done being cuddly.

My mom flew in last Friday to hang out with the kids so Jon and I could go to Vegas for a few days. It was awesome to have a few days with no kids, and I know my mom had fun too! She took the kids everywhere- she is brave!

Jonny got an at-bat during one of his tournament games. It's always fun to watch him bat. He got struck out by his buddy who was pitching on the other team!

Here we are before going out in Vegas.

Jon's cousin Kent and his wife, Julia, happened to be vacationing in Vegas when we were there, so we met up with them. We ate dinner at the buffet at Paris (homemade crepes- yum!), watched the water show at the Bellagio, then played 4 hours of Pai Gow poker at Ceasar's Palace (we were virgin poker players). We won a little money, so that's always fun. Hopefully us four can meet in Vegas again- we had a blast!

Maecyn went to her first Cubbies game this week. I am starting her young :) She was an angel and slept almost the whole time. Don't you love her bow? Thanks, Kim!

I had to take a pic of this... we had pasta a few nights ago, and this is how Zander ended up. Boys will be boys...

I can't believe we will be leaving for baseball season in about 7 weeks. Crazy! The time is going to fly... we are so busy right now.

Body Back

2011-03-10T18:09:00.000-07:00

I really should be putting away the mountain of laundry or mopping the floors, but considering my boo-tay is extremely sore and my arms equally the same, I will sit here on my rear and write a new blog post. I have really be focusing on getting in my 2 workouts a day, so last night I decided to try a Body Pump class at the gym. I really had no idea what I was getting myself into... especially the night before my 1st real Body Back class. I was pretty sore when I got home last night, but even more so today. I woke up this morning at 4:15am and ventured out to Surprise for Body Back. According to my Garmin calorie counter watch-contraption, I burned 816 calories in 47 minutes this morning (not sure how accurate that is), if that tells you ANYTHING about the work out. There were a few times I felt like I was going to throw up, but I feel great now! There were tons of different exercises and more running than I'd like to do, but it's all helping me get to my goal. For workout #2 tonight, I'll be doing a DVD workout at home. The working out is going pretty well for me; it's the eating that's hard. I normally don't really watch what I eat, but I am trying to make better choices. I resisted the urge to buy Salt and Vinegar chips the other day.... progress.

Here is a new picture of Maecyn... she looks like her brother here.

On Tuesday night, Jon's buddy gave us tickets to go to a Suns game. I was so excited because I have never gone to see the Suns play. Our seats were wayyyyy up high, but we all had a good time. Zander did so well at the game. He sat the whole time, and was clapping with the crowd- so cute.

Here is our friend Melissa with her son, Kipton (he is a month younger than Maecyn). Melissa's husband Jake played baseball with Jon last year, so it's fun to hang out with them again!

Here is me with Maecyn (yes, she is under Z's hood- to block out the noise) and our friend Lauren with Zander. It was Lauren's birthday Tuesday :)

Here is Lauren's husband, Brandon, and Melissa's husband, Jake, with Jon.

Well, I really better get up and try moving around. I think tomorrow I will probably be even more sore...

swimming

2011-03-08T16:15:00.001-07:00

Happy 11 weeks to little Maecyn today. She is such a little sweetie. She smiles a lot now too! I took this photo on Saturday... I survived a trip to Lululemon, REI, and H&M with BOTH babies- no meltdowns!!! yay!

Jon's buddy Jay was in town this past weekend visiting from Michigan. We all went out for sushi and bowling. Just for the record, I tied with Jon in game #1 and beat him in game #2. That may be a first for me beating him in something! And it was also my first time doing sake bombs!

Zander started swim lessons this past Monday at Aqua Tots. Thank goodness for Groupon- I ended up only paying $9 for a month of swim lessons for him. :) The teacher said he did well for his first time. He was splashing around and screaming, so I think he had fun! Jon did the lesson with him and Maecyn and I watched from behind the glass.

Body Back started this morning. I am not going to lie... waking up at 4:10am was a little rough for me. It's a small group of 4 of us, plus the instructor, and I am really excited. I know it's going to be rough, but I am ready! I was shocked that I could only do 4 push ups in a minute... yikes. I have some work to do.

finding balance...

2011-03-04T21:03:00.000-07:00

This week was a TOTAL blur. Both Z & M had runny noses and congestion all week, and then I got it, plus lots of sneezing- I just didn't feel great. I didn't make it to Stroller Strides once, but I did take the kiddos on three walks this week. We have some friends in town for spring training, so we saw them on Tuesday... Jon also had a college kid come in for 4 days to train with him (and stayed with us!). Mix all that with me having to go into work today, Jon having a workout with the LA Dodgers yesterday, Jon's new coaching job at Cactus Shadows HS, and Zander teething majorly and you get a busy, overwhelmed, and un-organized mama.

I stare at our calendar and wonder when we will have time to relax? Every day we have something going on- meetings, work, baseball, trips to Target (had to throw that in lol) etc. I just bought a membership to 24 Hour Fitness so I can take some group classes (yoga, Zumba, etc), but I can't find when I will be able to actually use it. Zander can go to the Kid's Club at the gym, but Maecyn isn't old enough. So, for me to go work out, I have to make sure Jon is around to watch Maecyn. yikes. Jon has been extremely busy the past few weeks- I am lucky if I can eat dinner with him one night a week. Don't get me wrong- I am very grateful that he has all the work he does, but he is go-go-go almost every day. I am glad he can handle it better than I can :) I am very blessed though, because he can spend the day with our babies at home, which most dads cannot.

I am starting to look ahead to baseball season... we only have two months to go and I will be packing up our stuff and putting it into a POD for five months. As of right now, we are headed to a SMALL town in Oklahoma. Yes, Oklahoma. Should. Be. Interesting. It may not be the most desirable location, but the situation is right, and it will give us an opportunity to keep stacking our chips so we can buy a house! As of right now, I plan to work from home again this summer, but very limited hours. I think taking care of my babies will keep me plenty busy :)

Body Back starts on Tuesday and I admit, I am a little scared. However, I can't wait to see the results at the end of the 8 weeks. I am going to try and eat more like my crazy husband and really push for maximum results. You're supposed to work out 2x a day, so that's where the 24 Hour Fitness comes in, along with walks in our neighborhood, and my Yoga Booty Ballet DVDs. Haven't used those in a long while! It's definitely going to be a challenge for me, but I am going to work through it. Right now, I don't really watch what I eat, so I am going to work on changing that way of thinking! Just another area of my life where I need some balance...

I have been asking my hubby to take me to Vegas since Maecyn was born. We have never been to Vegas for "fun"... we've always been on some agenda- weddings or baseball. Vegas isn't Jon's idea of a relaxing getaway, but I love the energy there! So... it just so happens that Jon was asked to play in a men's league tournament next weekend... all expenses paid. So... we're going to Vegas kid-free for a few days!!! My mom is flying in next Friday and staying until Wednesday, so she is gratefully watching our babies so we can have a few days to ourselves. I am beyond excited! Jon's coach got us a room at the Rio, and I am hoping there is some warm weather so we can lay at the pool. We'll have more free time this trip than we normally do, so I am just looking forward to walking around the Strip and spending time with Jon before the chaos of baseball season begins.

It's been a big week for Maecyn. She has been smiling like crazy. It's adorable. And yesterday she rolled from her stomach to her back for the first time. I tried to get it on camera because I didn't think anyone would believe me, but I failed to capture it! Maybe this weekend...

Here's to finding some balance next week!

M @ 2 months

2011-02-26T11:05:00.000-07:00

Here are a few pics of Maecyn from her monthly shoot :)

I love these stickers from Picky Sticky that I can put on her shirt to show how old she is!

(I have them for Zander, too, from age 13-24 months)

busy bees

2011-02-23T20:42:00.000-07:00

It's been a busy few weeks around here. Zander is now 15 months old and Maecyn is 2 months old- they are so much fun!

For Valentine's Day, Jon and I enjoyed a bottle of wine and nice dinner at FireBirds, one of our favorite places to eat. I got a dozen hot pink roses and a few new shirts and jewelry from Forever 21. I know my wedding bands are going to be arriving in the next month, so that was my big gift. I am so excited to get them- I've been waiting for 2 years, LOL!

Jon's parents were here for 10 days last week, so we were also busy with them- eating out, shopping, and just relaxing so they could spend time with Z & M. Here are a few pictures from when they were here:

We went to the Out of Africa zoo in Camp Verde... we all touched an 11 foot Anaconda snake. That is a HUGE step for Jon- he is not a fan of snakes!

Maecyn napping

Full of energy!

Zander @ 15 months- a busy bee:

-wearing size 18 months clothes

-wearing size 4 diapers

-has 9 teeth

-his new fave things are books. He likes to read the same books over and over, despite the plethora of options we have

-sleeps 7:30pm to 7:30am

-now usually only taking one nap a day

-he is talking more... new word is "ball"

-he is starting to understand us more as well. If I say "bring me the blanket" he will!

-found out he doesn't like pretzels

-fave place to eat: Sweet Tomatoes

-so close to walking... but just doesn't want to do it yet!

-figured out how to pull himself up into the lounge chair in the living room- scary!

Maecyn at 2 months:

-weighs 9.7 pounds (10-25th percentile)

-wearing size 3 months clothes

-wearing size 1 diapers

-sleeps from about 9:30pm to 7:30 am (LOVE!!!)

-starting to smile

Here I am trying to get some pictures of her smiling!

Stroller Strides is going well... it's been a busy few weeks, so I haven't gone as much as I'd like to, but maybe next week! I need to start building my my running endurance though because Body Back boot camp starts in a few weeks! yikes!

My maternity leave is over in 3 weeks, but I am happy to say I am only going back one day a week once we move into our new office. That will be awesome for me to stay at home every other day! Time is passing by, and I know in just a few months, we will be leaving again for baseball season. So, I am soaking up this last 3 weeks of having every day off, and hoping to fit in some more scrapbooking :)

Now off to enjoy a late dinner and almond champagne with my hubby!

half way to 50!

2011-02-12T10:33:00.000-07:00

I'm 25 or half way to 50- however you want to look at it :) Jon made me breakfast in bed on my birthday (waffles & blueberries), so my day started out great! That night we had some friends over for drinks and games, and had a great night. Tonight I am having a girls night with some friends for my birthday. It will be fun to get out and have some girl time!

Here is baby M at 7 weeks. I can't believe she will be 2 months old on Tuesday.

I have to say having a girl is so much fun. I love dressing her up and putting flowers in her hair!

I just had to take a few pics of her in this outfit- one of my faves!!!

Here is Z Man with his first chocolate milk experience- Dark Chocolate Almond milk. He LOVES it! It's so cute to see that chocolate milk mustache!

It's very rare that Zander is in a cuddly mood, but on my birthday he was :) This was the first time I have REALLY held both of my babies together. I am glad Jon was home to snap a picture :)

I started back at Stroller Strides this week, and I have felt GREAT. Actually, I have felt way better than I thought I would have. I still can't run yet or do any ab exercises, but it feels great to work out my legs and arms (can't believe I am saying that!!!). Starting in March, I am going to do a mommy bootcamp through Stroller Strides called Mama Wants Her Body Back. It will be Tuesdays and Thursdays for 8 weeks from 5:30am to 6:30am. I am really looking forward to a severe butt kicking and hopefully losing some inches and pounds from the baby weight. I know the moms who have done Body Back before loved it and saw major results. I am excited!

After SS on Wednesday, Maecyn, Zander, and I had lunch at Chik-Fil-A (mom, are you jealous??) with Stephanie and Degan. Zander had his first chicken nugget experience! Here are a few pics I took at dinner time later that day when he finished his chicken :)

Z is cutting more teeth this week, so he has been crabby and had the runny nose going on. He has been pretty good through the teething process, but the molars are bad!!! Right now, Zander loves books. When I got him out of bed this morning, the first thing he did was grab a book and hand it to me to read.

I better get off the computer... Jon's mom is flying in today, so we have a house to clean!

welcome February

2011-02-03T17:49:00.000-07:00

February is my favorite month... not only because it's my birthday month, but also because of Valentine's Day. I am turning 25 on Saturday (yikes) and that just sounds so old to me. 25 is like a REAL adult, LOL! I am looking forward to turning 25 because I know it will be an awesome year!

I had my 6 week follow up appointment with my doctor today, and everything is looking good. I am already back to my pre-Maecyn weight- however, I have about 20 pounds (ouch!) to lose to get back to what I was pre-Zander. I love my doctor and his nurses (and I will miss seeing them), but I am happy to say I don't plan on visiting him for another year or so ;) I re-joined Stroller Strides and I plan on going back next week. I have to take it really easy on the workouts until my incision completely heals, but I am SO looking forward to spending time with all my mama friends!

Yesterday Maecyn and I went to visit my friend, Jessica, who had a baby girl about a month after Maecyn was born. It was fun to see Maecyn and Evelina together and we look forward to more playdates with them!

It was a pleasant surprise when my friend Maddy from high school wrote me and told me she was in Phoenix for work! I hadn't seen Maddy in more than 4 years, so it was great to catch up. Jon and I took her to one of our favorite restaurants in Scottsdale called Frasher's. It was a fun night of catching up and reminiscing on old memories..

Here is Z at Frasher's... look at his teeth! He is going through some major teething right now- he looks so much older with teeth!!!

here is Maecyn at 6 weeks!

and Z with daddy's shades on...

I ventured out last week for the first time with both kids. Can. I. Say. Rough? We went to the Stroller Strides 3 year anniversary party and I literally felt like I was running all over the place, not knowing what was going on. I would start talking to someone, and then leave mid-conversation to chase Zander. I gotta work on that! Maecyn was hungry so I was trying to feed her, while Z was crawling around to everyone's strollers obsessing over the wheels. I think it would have been so much easier if Zander was walking because carrying around 2 kids at once isn't easy... especially because I am not fully recovered from my c-section. Next time I know I need to take my Ergo/Baby Bjorn/Moby/sling to carry around Maecyn! At least that would free up my hands to chase my lil monster :) On a fun note, I won a cute flower for Maecyn's hair and teeth whitening from the Stroller Strides raffle that day. I can't wait for the teeth whitening!

Busy weekend ahead... birthday celebrations and the Super Bowl.

Have a great weekend!

feelin' like a slacker

2011-01-29T10:37:00.000-07:00

Before Maecyn arrived, I had high hopes of doing all the same things for her as we did for Zander... lots of home videos, pictures, and keeping up with the baby book. And now, I am feeling like a total slacker in that area. We have done a descent job taking pictures, but we have only taken a few short videos. I am hoping that we start doing a better job documenting this little angel's life. My mom ordered Project Life for me, so I am thinking that will help too! At least I am doing a pretty good job keeping up with the blog!

Here are a few pictures from this week:

I got my new BOB stroller this week. We took it down to the park on Friday because it was such a gorgeous day outside!

We didn't take any pictures or videos of Maecyn's first bath, but we did take a few pictures from her bath last night. Better late than never I guess!

Here's to being more committed to documenting life from here on out!

it's all about perspective

2011-01-27T17:08:00.000-07:00

I sat at my computer today and balled my eyes out after reading this story. I grew up in the small town of Warsaw, IL with Tristen, an amazingly strong woman during this difficult time. It amazes me that Tristen and her family have such an understanding outlook on their situation and know that God has a bigger plan than they do. Please go to her blog and read the story about Sophia. Please pray for this family and donate to the 2 organizations that have helped them if you can.

Sophia's Story

let us all remember that time is a precious gift...

new photos

2011-01-26T19:49:00.000-07:00

We just love our photographer. I had to share these photos she took at Maecyn's newborn shoot.

You can visit her website here.

One Month Old

2011-01-24T18:55:00.000-07:00

I really can't believe Maecyn was one month old on the 21st. Time flies... especially when you have TWO kids. Things are going really well at home, and I am just happy to get to spend this time with my babies.

At Maecyn's check-up, she was only 7lbs, 12 ounces (15th percentile). Therefore, we have to continue adding the formula to her bottles of breast milk until she starts gaining weight at a more steady pace. She is still so dainty and only wearing newborn sized clothes for the most part. She goes to bed between 10 and 11pm, and is up only once- at 5am- for a feeding. We are so blessed to have a good sleeper! I love it! She is starting to smile and stays awake more during the day. Zander is starting to show more interest in his sissy, and especially likes to steal her binky and then try and give it back to her. It's super funny!

We had to get a picture of Z and I in our Chicago Bears gear, even though they lost on Sunday :( Looks like we'll be rooting for the Steelers this Super Bowl, which I might add is the day after my birthday :)

I've actually done some scrapbooking the past two days, which I have enjoyed a lot. I am trying to get caught up on Z's baby pics and also start pages for Maecyn. It's pretty hard to find the time to scrapbook between taking care of two babies, but it's so worth it.

We finally ordered our BOB stroller and it was delivered today! I am so pumped! Jon is going to put it together tonight, so hopefully I can take it out for a cruise this week. I am looking forward to getting back to Stroller Strides in a few weeks to get my use out of the BOB! (pics to come later!)

dinner with friends

2011-01-20T21:13:00.000-07:00

We had dinner a few nights ago with some good friends of ours. We have a lot in common with the Bonine's because Eddie plays baseball too, and they understand this crazy lifestyle we live! We had a yummy dinner at PF Changs, which is "our" spot to go with them. Eddie and Nikki have a little boy, Brayden, who is 7 months younger than Zander and 6 months older than Maecyn, so that is fun! We had a great night even though Zander wasn't on his best behavior (I think the teething is finally getting to him). This is probably the last time we will get together before they leave for Spring Training, but hopefully I will be able to fly out and visit them this summer :) I love spending time with Eddie and Nikki- I just wish we could do it more!

Z @ 14 months

2011-01-17T22:05:00.000-07:00

Zander is definitely into an "exploration" phase... getting into everything and wanting to know how everything works. Jon was quick enough to grab the camera and catch Zander trying to help unload the dishwasher. Too funny. Zander likes the wheels on the dishwasher's drawer and constantly pushes the drawers in and out.

Zander is 14 months old today:

-has 5 teeth

-is a super fast crawler (crawled out the front screen door and was halfway down the sidewalk before mommy noticed!)

-still loves wheels... he is very into his "car" that he can be pushed around in

-and still loves food... A LOT. Currently he likes bananas, oranges, Plum Organics FiddleSticks & squeeze-able baby food pouches, and mac & cheese.

-wears size 18 months

-doesn't like to wear socks or shoes

-likes to torture his sister

-likes to throw balls in the living room with daddy

-hams it up for the camera

My friend Ashley (former co-worker) got married last Saturday in Flagstaff, so Jon and I went up for the night with no kids! It was a super fun getaway and an awesome wedding; I even got Jon on the dance floor :) We stayed at the Little America hotel, which was cutely decorated in a retro style. We were happy to see a little snow and made it through the cold weather! The wedding was outside and us now-Arizonians, survived. Maecyn stayed with my friend Aleysha, and I was so happy to hear that she slept from midnight until 8am! yay! All in all, a great lil trip, and we will definitely go back to Flagstaff sometime and explore some more!

On the way home from Flagstaff, we stopped at the natural spring in Sedona so Jon could fill up his water bottles. I think this stop made his week :)

week 3

2011-01-11T21:19:00.000-07:00

I've been feeling a little tired lately, and not to mention that my surgery incision has been over-the-top sore the last few days. We are getting into somewhat of a routine, and I am SO thankful that my husband is as much of a help that he is, plus has a flexible schedule that allows for him to be home with me during the day to help out. Jon has been getting up and taking care of Zander in the morning, and I sleep until Maecyn gets up. She still remains a great sleeper- she gave us 8 hours a few nights ago! Life with two is pretty crazy, but in a good way!!!

Here is the lil lady in her cloth diapers that are still pretty big on her little body!

Here is our Little Ham in his new pj's from Mamaw.

Maecyn loves to stretch out her legs and feet. She is a strong lil girl!

Zander's new thing is getting into the kitchen cabinets...

(don't judge the outfit, LOL! Half pj's, half his outfit from earlier in the day!)

Jon made Zander his own cabinet where he keeps some trucks and tupperware :)

When Zander was a baby, he would only take one brand of pacifiers. If you tried giving him a different kind, he would spit it right out. However, now that Maecyn is here, he steals her binkies (a different brand) and cruises around with them in his mouth.

Happy 3 weeks to my lil princess today! Time is going fast.

Off to get some rest....nothing else new to report for now!

newborn photos

2011-01-07T18:46:00.000-07:00

Yesterday we had Maecyn's newborn photos done. Unfortunately I wasn't feeling well, so I wasn't really 'into' the shoot :( However, Ashley did get some great shots of the lil princess! If you read my blog, you know we LOVE our photographer... what are we going to do when she in in North Carolina for a few months?!?!?

Last night was our toughest night with 2 kiddos so far... Maecyn got up 2x (not THAT bad I know), but Zander decided he wanted to scream at 4:30am too. So, once we got both kids back to sleep, we ended up sleeping in until 10! I guess we needed it :)

Zander had a playdate today with his Stroller Strides friends Gio and Christian. It was fun to get to see the boys' mommies too... Jessica and Mary. The boys played for two hours and Zander was completely wore out. I bet all the boys will sleep well tonight. We will all get together again once Jessica has baby Evelina in 10 days! yay!

Time to put the computer away for now- hubby is bringing home Vietnamese for dinner and we rented "Inception" and "Dinner with Schmucks."

gaining weight!

2011-01-05T17:41:00.000-07:00

I took Maecyn to the doctor today, and she has gained weight, but is still only in the 10th percentile (7 lbs, 3 oz). She is in the 25th percentile for height (19.5 inches long) and head circumference (13.5 inches). She is just so small. She swims in her 0-3 sized clothes, so hopefully I can find something for her to wear tomorrow for her newborn pictures! At least most of the hair bows and headbands fit :)

Here she is in the bouncy seat for the first time... she looks a lil unsure about it!

For those of you who know us, we try and eat pretty darn healthy around here. Jon is an extreme-ist at this and is SUPER disciplined. I, however, am not as strict on myself... but I am working on it. I would say Zander eats more healthy than the average baby (maybe I am wrong though), and we try and buy him organic food whenever we can. I love Plum Organics baby food, even though Zander doesn't eat much baby food anymore. This baby food is on sale at Babies R Us right now, so I went and stocked up yesterday. He LOVES it. I let him try and eat it all by himself today, and it worked!!! No messes either! He put the pouch right in his mouth and started squeezing it. yay! It seems like I am often trying to find things to keep him entertained while I am feeding Maecyn and this might be a short fix. Every time I feed Maecyn, Zander wants to see what's going on... tries to hit his sister in the head... or tries to steal her bottle. I think the jealousy has set in! Here are a few pics I took of him eating today- he is such a lil ham!!!

welcome 2011

2011-01-04T20:46:00.002-07:00

A new year for me is new, fresh, and exciting... kinda like clean paper in a brand new notebook :) (I'm weird, I know!) Jon & Z were in Sprouts on Sunday morning, and I was sitting in the car with Maecyn, so I jotted down a few goals for 2011:
1. Jon and I both have a goal of reading the Bible every day (5 days a week). We committed to our church that we would read the New Testament plus Proverbs and Psalms. So far, so good :)
2. lose the baby weight... work out at least 3x a week. Hellooooooo Stroller Strides starting in February.
3. Tithe 10% of our income to CCV.
4. Keep my checkbook balanced
5. Scrapbook more... well, just scrapbook period. I haven't scrapbooked since the summer. ugh.
6. Build my Send Out Cards business
7. Take a vacation with my husband
8. Go back to school this fall
9. Eat more healthy, although I think I do a pretty good job right now!
10. Not get pregnant. ha. This one's a joke!!!

We rang in the New Year with some good friends this year! Maecyn went with us and she slept from 10pm-4am. It was awesome!!! By looking at the picture below, you are probably wondering how I got such a hot body after giving birth 9 days before... ha. Everyone had to wear a funny t-shirt, and I thought mine was pretty good LOL!

Here is Maecyn today at 2 weeks old....2 weeks! Crazy! She is still swimming in all of her clothes! We go back to the doctor tomorrow, so cross your fingers that she has gained weight!

one week check-up

2010-12-31T14:41:00.000-07:00

I took Maecyn to the doctor yesterday for her one week check-up. She landed in the 25th percentile for her weight, but has lost more then 10% of her birth weight. She is a lil peanut. She weighed 6 pounds, 12 ounces. Because of her low weight, I have to start adding 1/4 scoop of formula to her bottles to increase her calorie intake. I also have to feed her every 2 hours during the day, and I can let her go longer at night without eating (thank goodness because she slept from midnight to 6am two nights ago!). We will go back and see Dr. Pyle on Wednesday and hope that she is gaining weight. Even her newborn sized clothes are big on her... we definitely didn't have that problem with Zander Man!

Tonight we are heading to our friends' house to bring in 2011- wishing you the best New Years yet!

my mom & Maecyn

Zander Man

yes, Jon, you have TWO kids now!!!

Savannah, Aleysha, and Madi came over to meet Maecyn

my lil burrito!

I am a mommy of 2... we are a family of 4!

2010-12-29T12:56:00.003-07:00

I am sitting here curled up in a blanket on this wintery-rainy day... Maecyn is sleeping in the swing and Zander is at the babysitter... I am reflecting on the last week and how utterly blessed I am with all I have been given. I can't believe Maecyn is a week old already. Time flies, but I already knew that! Maecyn has proven to both Jon and I that we can love even more than we ever thought. Her arrival has made us love each other more, and made us love Zander even more.

Maecyn seems very laid back, just like her big brother. For all those people who have told me, "the second baby is never as easy as the first," Maecyn is proving you all wrong so far! She sleeps a lot, and only cries when she is hungry- she is eating 1.5 to 2 oz out of a bottle and 15-30 minutes when she nurses. She wakes up once during the night to eat and goes right back to sleep. Although it was a struggle to nurse her at first, she is a pro at it now. I am also pumping and building a freezer supply so that if Jon and I want to get away, I know I can leave her with someone else (oh, and so Jon can help with the night feeding!!!!). We have a good schedule going already and are putting her on the E.A.S.Y plan (from the book, "The Baby Whisperer")...Eat, Activity, Sleep, You time. We had Zander on this plan as well, and he was sleeping through the night at 7 weeks. Let's hope she does the same!

Zander doesn't really know what to think of his sister, but I know he is having difficulty with me because I am not able to play on the floor with him yet, or really pick him up. He has been a bit more fussy than usual...I am sure it also has something to do with his top front teeth coming in. Jon has been awesome taking care of him and getting him ready every morning to go to our awesome babysitter's house, and letting Maecyn and I sleep in. I am so blessed to have a husband who is so involved, even if that means Zander's clothes don't match when his daddy dresses him, LOL!

As far as my recovery goes, it has been great! This c-section was easier on me than the first one, mostly because I knew what to expect and how I would feel. I knew what TO do, and what NOT to do. I have already been able to sleep in our bed comfortably, instead of the recliner, and minimal housework has been easy. I also haven't had to take a whole lot of pain medication, which is awesome. I was up walking the night of my surgery, and even went to Christmas Eve service at church (the day after I got home from the hospital).

And now for Maecyn's birth story...

The morning of the c-section started early. I was up at 4:45am to shower and do my hair... Jon was up shortly after. It seemed surreal that I would be holding my baby girl later that day. We arrived at Arrowhead hospital at 6am and began the check-in process. I laid in the pre-op bed for over an hour before my doctor arrived... talk about a loooooong hour- we watched Sports Center over and over. The nurse told me I was having contractions, but I couldn't feel them. I was beginning to get nervous, but Jon was there every moment to keep me grounded. They put in my IV, which I am terrified of, but I actually did pretty well with it this time.

Dr. Bass arrived, and they walked me back to the operating room. I HATED not having Jon in there with me when they gave me my spinal anesthetic and prepped me for surgery...he got to come in about 15 minutes later. I was so nervous for the surgery this time... more nervous than I was with Z. I did feel a lot more tugging and pressure this time, but Dr. Bass told me there was no scar tissue left behind from my first c-section, which was awesome- good sign to having more c-sections!!! It was about 10 minutes until Maecyn was out and they lifted her over the curtain so I could see... talk about an awesome feeling. Jon was snapping pictures and had the biggest smile I have ever seen him have. Maecyn cried only a little, and Jon went with her right away while she was being checked by the nurses. Dr. Bass finished my surgery, and I was very anxious to see my baby girl.

I sat in the recovery room (no vomiting this time), and waited patiently for Jon and Maecyn. Daddy brought her to me and I was in awe... she looked just like her big brother, only she has a darker skin tone. She had these little chubby cheeks and a nose more like mine. She was perfect- 10 fingers and 10 toes (2 of her toes are webbed partially together like her daddy's).

As soon as I could wiggle my toes, I was moved to my post-partum room. I was pretty groggy and tired, but of course, there was too much excitement to sleep. My mom came to my room, bringing flowers and a teddy bear, and she was also excited to hold her newest granddaughter. Maecyn came in shortly after, and I let my mom have first dibs holding her.

Seeing Jon with his daughter is amazing... makes me fall in love all over again.

During day one, Maecyn kept choking/coughing up stuff, so we had to suction her out a few times (apparently common for a c-section baby, although we never had any issues with Zander). Jon left the hospital to run home to grab a few things, and not 5 minutes after he left, Maecyn gave me a run for my money. The nurse's assistant and I were chatting and all of a sudden, Maecyn started choking again and turned blue. We had to quickly call in the nurse, and they suctioned her out AGAIN... long story short, Maecyn spent her first night in the nursery instead of in my room, so she could be furthered monitored. The nurses ended up basically pumping her stomach out to get rid of all the junk she swallowed during birth. Scaryyyyy thing for a mom to go through! She is doing great now!

Zander came to meet his little sister... he was more interested in the wheels of my hospital bed though! He wanted to touch her face and eyes- it was a really cute moment while it lasted.

The rest of the hospital stay went by very quickly. I had awesome care at the hospital, which I had heard awful things about. All of my nurses were awesome and very attentive. Jon and I could agree that we liked this hospital stay BETTER than at Banner Thunderbird. Dr. Bass came once to visit and check on me, and he said the nurses called me the "Rockstar of the floor" and had awesome things to say about Jon and I. It's a great feeling to know that the nurses were genuine about their care.

Our two favorite nurses from Dr. Bass' office came over to visit us as well.

One thing about having a second baby... not as many visitors as the first time around. It was a blessing in disguise though, because we got to spend more time with Maecyn, and I wasn't worried about entertaining guests. Our guests included my friends Erin and Cindy, my mom and step-dad, my younger sister Breanne, Zander's godfather Aaron, our friend Jodi, and our friend Chris. We were released from the hospital the day before Christmas Eve, and we were all ready to go home. I came home to a newly arranged living room, thanks to my wonderful husband, who was trying to make things as comfortable as possible for me. Our first night with the new baby was way easier than I thought it would be... she only woke up once to eat and that's it! We actually got sleep!

We headed to church on Christmas Eve, and it was good to get out an walk, no matter how slow I was. Walking helped me recover from my c-section the first time around, so I knew I wanted to get walking this time too. We had a yummy Christmas Eve dinner at the Mellow Mushroom- definitely going back to that place!

This was by far the best Christmas we have ever had. Maecyn was the best gift we could have received! Jon did an awesome job shopping for me too... putting lots of thought into every gift he gave me- a new yoga mat and bag for Stroller Strides, a cute green backpack, a Michigan State Snuggie, and a foot bath and pedicure set... all things I love! I don't think we even gave each other gifts last year because we were in Michigan AND had a newborn, so it was nice to be at home this year and have a real celebration.

(an attempt below at a picture with both kids in their Chritmas pajamas....)

The day after Christmas, we went to church, breakfast at the Cracker Barrell, then mom, Maecyn, and I headed to the outlet mall and Jon, Mark, and Z went to Cabelas. Maecyn did awesome in the church nursery (yes, I left my 5 day old in the nursery!), and also on her 1st shopping trip.

My mom and step-dad left on Monday and what a blessing to have them here with us to help out with Zander while I was in the hospital! Next time, they will have to stay longer though... 10 days went by all too fast.

Zander is spending the week at our babysitter's since I can't lift him at all, and Jon is working at a baseball camp. It's been nice to spend some alone time with Maecyn all week. Next week will be interesting with two kids at home...

Here is our baby girl... one week old already! We go to see the doctor tomorrow for a check-up!

Thanks to all who came to visit and to all who have sent us gifts and well wishes! We are truly blessed... thanks to God and his most precious gifts!

she's here

2010-12-26T23:33:00.000-07:00

Maecyn Dominique Huizinga

arrived December 21, 2010

at 8:42am

7 pounds, 8 ounces

19 inches long

absolutely perfect!

more to come...

last doctor's appointment

2010-12-15T21:42:00.000-07:00

Today was our last regular visit to Dr. Bass. It's crazy that the next time I will see him is on c-section day. The past 9 months have flown by! I gained 2 pounds since last week (so 27 total during the pregnancy) and I am not dialted at all, yet again. My babies must not like to come out unless they are forced ;)

My parents are flying in on Friday morning, and there is so much left to do. Tomorrow is a day off for me, so I will be cleaning and organizing all the last minute things. I also have to decide what to get Jon for Christmas and get my shopping done this weekend :) I have been a major procrastinator this Christmas- in fact, I JUST sent out our Christmas cards/postcards today. I still have gifts I need to mail out too. yikes.

We took Zander Man to see Santa yesterday. We drove up to the Outlets at Anthem and were the first in line. Zander was pretty cool with Santa...until we sat him on Santa's lap. We finally got him to chill out, and whadda ya know... their camera wasn't working. After a 5 minute call to tech support, we tried again. After about 20 photos, they finally got one where Zander is half smiling. It's always fun to sit back and watch Zander in new situations!

baby shower

2010-12-12T16:45:00.001-07:00

wow, it was a busy weekend and I am glad it's over. It's nice to come home and put my feet up after running around for the past few days. Last night, Jon, Zander, and I drove around and looked at Christmas lights....love that. We saw some pretty extravagant displays- it seems like a lot more people in AZ put up lights than what we are used to in Michigan.

Chrissy and Aleysha threw a baby shower for me yesterday. It was fun to get together with some girlfriends and celebrate Maecyn's upcoming arrival (9 more days!). Here are a few pics from the shower:

9 months

2010-12-09T21:03:00.000-07:00

Here are a few 9 month belly pics:

We went to the doctor yesterday, and nothing new! I was not surprised! Just 12 more days from today and the lil lady is here. I had so much energy today- it was awesome! Our friend Chris came over and helped Jon hang some things on the wall, and the nursery is SO close to being done. I am hoping I can finish it this weekend. Off to bed now... back is achy from all the stuff I did today!

Leaving you with a few pics from our photo shoot a few weeks ago:

2 more weeks!

2010-12-07T15:08:00.000-07:00

Maecyn will be here 2 weeks from today. These things are making me nervous/need to get done:

-an empty baby book: we must get started on it this weekend

-clothes that need to be put away (along with all the other stuff in her room)

-lots of cloth diapers to wash and fold!

-leaving Zander for 3 days... I have left him before, but this time I'll be coming back with another child that will need my attention

-the though of a major surgery. I am confident in my doctor, but I can't say I love getting an IV, Spinal/epidural shot, and being in a sterile operating room. Plus the fact that Jon won't be able to come into the operating room until AFTER I have had my shot and the surgery has already started

-a hospital bag for both me and baby that needs to be packed

-curtains, shelves, and other decor that need to be hung in the nursery (plus new curtains in Z's room and moving some furniture)

-our loft that needs to be cleaned and organized before my parents arrive

things that are getting done:

-crib is together and bedding is made

the comforter

sneak peek of wall decor

-I ordered some fun headbands and bows off Etsy today... can't wait to get them! That is one fun thing about having a girl- all the accessories! I think every outfit is going to have a matching headband!

-My baby shower is Saturday. I am excited!!! After that, I can REALLY get the nursery finished and do any last minute shopping that I need to.

I go to see my doctor tomorrow, although I am sure it won't be too exciting...I never made any progressions with Zander, so my doctor doubts I will this time around either. I have been having more Braxton Hicks contractions and I definitely can't sleep at night. Two nights ago, I was awake from 3am-6am, and this morning I was up at 4am. Sleeping is just no fun lately.

On a good note, I have 5 more days of work over the next 2 weeks and then I am done for awhile. Sitting at a desk for 8 hours a day/3 days a week is hard on my back. Luckily I have a husband who is awesome at giving massages! :)

Well, I should really go get something done... in a few weeks, my spare time is going to be pretty limited!

Polar Express

2010-11-29T20:37:00.000-07:00

The last 5 days have pretty much been perfecto- I don't want to go back to work tomorrow! The past 5 days we have spent some quality time with just our lil family, and I know it's probably some of the last quality time of just us three. We spent most of Saturday at home, and I started getting everything ready in Baby M's room- washing clothing, making the bed, and deciding where to hang things on the wall. It's hard to believe she will be here 3 weeks from tomorrow. I treated myself to a pedicure on Saturday afternoon, and Jon and I went on an impulse date Saturday night. Jodi offered to babysit Z Man, so Jon and I went to dinner and saw "Due Date" at the movie theatre. That was so fun and SO needed. We hadn't been to the movie in FIVE months, so a movie date was long overdue. Jodi kept Z all night, so Jon and I enjoyed a quiet night.

On Sunday, we went to church, then headed up to Williams, AZ to the Polar Express train. My mom bought us tickets to go back in August, and I have been looking forward to it. It was snowing once we passed through Flagstaff and was about 20 degrees, so it reminded us a lot of our home in Michigan. Williams was such a cute town. We ate at a little country restaurant and then went to the train depot. We boarded the train and the experience began! Zander was so good- he really liked watching all the other kids on the train, and also staring out the window. I was anxious to see how he would be around Santa, but he was great. He didn't act scared, but he did stare Santa up and down. We had such a fun day and we are looking forward to going on the Polar Express every year as a family tradition!

I went to the doctor today, and we have the c-section all planned out on December 21st at 8am. I am SO happy I have a morning surgery time. With Z, I was scheduled at 1pm, and by the time surgery came around, I was so hungry and shaky that I thought I was going to pass out. Let's hope with an 8am time slot, that my stomach forgets to be hungry! My body is doing nothing to prep for labor, which is exactly what happened with Z... no dialating, nothing. However, I am having some Braxton Hicks contractions, which I never had with Zander. I gained 4 pounds since my last doctor visit, so I am at a total of 25. I am pretty happy with that! And now the weekly doctor visits begin...

daddy and Z watching tv

playing in his room

pictures from the Polar Express:

snowy Williams, AZ

on the train

Happy Thanksgiving

2010-11-26T15:19:00.000-07:00

We had a low key day and loved it! We started the morning with Jon playing in a Turkey Bowl flag football game. It was pretty chilly, but Zander and I enjoyed watching Jon have some fun playing quarterback.

When we got home, the cooking began (well, actually just heating up the food!). We ordered a Thanksgiving meal from Sprouts and it was pretty yummy! I didn't see the point in cooking for just Jon and I, so I took the easy way out!

Here I am at 34 weeks prego! Less than 4 weeks to go!

Z was feeding himself mashed potatoes and stuffing by the handful! I wish we would have taken a picture of him with the cranberry orange sauce all over his face!

We ended the day just relaxing. I took a quick trip to Michael's (I was surprised they were open AND how busy they were!) to buy some decorations for the Christmas tree. I decorated the tree and then we watched a movie.

For Black Friday, I decided I wanted to go to Kohl's- not because there was anything I HAD to have, but more for the shopping tradition. I woke up this morning at 2:40am, and headed the 4 minutes down the road to Kohl's. I pulled in, saw the HUGE line, and no parking spots, so I decided there was nothing I wanted THAT badly. I went back home and slept until 7am, then headed back to Kohl's. It was busy, but nothing like it was at 3am. I shopped for about an hour and a half, and came out of the store with everything I wanted except my $4.99 ballet flat slippers. I got some awesome deals on things for our house (towels and rugs), some clothes for Zander, and a few other gifts, plus got $20 in Kohl's Cash to use next week!

Tomorrow's goal: get the nursery put together!

family photos

2010-11-19T19:57:00.000-07:00

It's hard to believe we will only be a family of 3 for only another month or so! We had Ashley come and take photos for us again, and we are so happy with how they turned out. This was Ashley's 4th time photographing Zander, and once again, she did an amazing job. I am looking forward to her taking Maecyn's newborn pictures. Visit her website for more info: www.sapphireeyesphotography.com

The Birthday Boy

2010-11-18T16:35:00.001-07:00

Wow- a year has already come and gone. Jon put it best when he said, "Blessings can flow through small packages. Thank you Lord. Happy Birthday to Zander. Wow! What a ride it has already been. Extra thankful for our little man today." That pretty much sums it up for me too. Here are a few shots from Zander's Birthday party. We are very blessed to have the friends that we do here in AZ. Zander had a wonderful party.

Here are a few pics daddy got of the Birthday Boy when he woke up in the morning.

The last year has been amazing. I became a mommy and Zander has taught me so much. Having a child makes you appreciate life so much more!

At one year, Zander:

-in the 75% for height (he is 30 inches)

-in the 25% for weight (20.5 pounds)

-in the 75% for head circumference

-pulls himself up on all the furniture and is starting to take steps around the ottoman

-loves wheels

-will eat ANYTHING. His faves include eggs, soy milk, macaroni, and green juices that daddy makes

-wearing size 12-18 months

-crawls with his belly off the floor

-sleeps 12-14 hours at night and takes 2 naps a day
-enjoys watching Wheel of Fortune

-loves wheels

-is bringing up more joy than I ever imagined!!!!

8 months preggers

2010-11-16T15:47:00.000-07:00

5 weeks from today and the lil lady will be here! I thought I would share a few pics of my ever-growing belly! This next month is going to FLY by!

the past week

2010-11-12T15:27:00.001-07:00

I went to the doctor yesterday, and it's looking like I still have a delivery date of December 21st. I am actually pretty surprised that Dr. Bass didn't move my delivery date- Jon and I were taking bets before we got to the dr's office to see what the new date would be. Jon won because he didn't think the date would be moved! Boo! My belly is measuring normal size for being 33 weeks, regardless if Maecyn is measuring big. However, the doc did tell me I am 13 pounds heavier now that I was with Z Man at 33 weeks. Ouch! But, I keep telling myself, I did start out 15-20 pounds heavier with this pregnancy than I did with Zander. I will just have some work to do after Maecyn is born :)

We have a busy weekend, with Zander's 1st Birthday party on Sunday. I am really looking forward to spending some time with friends and celebrating the lil man's first year.

And last, here are a few pics from the past week:

Z has just started to cuddle with us more...he has never really been a cuddly baby. He has started taking the pillows and blankets off the couch, putting them on the floor, and laying down with them. It's so cute. I can't help but laugh when he does this, especially because I have no idea where he learned it! We don't ever lay on the floor!

A few weekends ago, Jon and I had our first Rock Band experience. I didn't play, but it was fun to watch Jon and our friends jam out!

Like I have said before, this boy LOVES food. We went to a salad buffet last week, and here Z is shoveling in the food! ha. We couldn't put it on his try quick enough.

Have a great weekend and check back for pics from Z's birthday party!

lazy day

2010-11-06T16:02:00.001-07:00

After all the energy I have had all week, today I have none. Nada. Not even enough to unload the dishwasher. I HATE not having energy... I feel so lazy. I know why I am tired and that's because of this precious lil lady growing inside me. It's all worth it, but I have so much to do. Zander and I went and picked up our Bountiful Basket this morning and then went and did a lil garage sale-ing. I found some way cute girly clothes that one of my SS Mama friends was selling, but that's it- garage sale-ing is so hit or miss for me! Now I am sitting on the couch watching the Real Housewives of Beverly Hills, wishing I had enough energy to go up to the loft and scrapbook. Well, maybe another day.

We went to the doctor last week and had a dating ultrasound. Maecyn is measuring big- 2 weeks ahead of schedule. I am not surprised... Zander was a big boy too. They estimated her weight at 4 pounds, 1 ounce and her new due date at December 19th (as opposed to the original date of January 2nd). When you have a c-section, doctors typically have you deliver at 38 weeks so they do not risk you going in to labor (and to be completely honest, I have no desire to experience labor after how easy my c-section with Zander was!). That being said, if I am going to deliver 2 weeks ahead of my new date, that is about December 7th. Yikes. That is in a month! I go see my doctor on Thursday, so I will find out if he is going to move up my date or not. I am so anxious because if you know me, my life is written down detail by detail in my planner, and not knowing my delivery date is killing me. To be honest, I don't feel like I would make it to my now-scheduled date of December 21st... unless my husband is carrying me everywhere and rolling me in and out of bed. I am already so uncomfortable and have horrible back pain- but hey, what ever the Big Guy in the sky has in store!!!!

Here are some pics from the past week:

Zander is a Wheel of Fortune freak. It is so funny to watch him clapping along with the tv- I just had to take a picture of it!

aw, my lil man is getting so big. Hard to believe he will be one in a few weeks.

big accomplishment for the week- crawling without his belly dragging on the ground! yay- maybe no more dirty shirts from dragging across the floor?!?!?

Happy Halloween

2010-10-31T21:00:00.000-07:00

Here are some pics from Zander's First Halloween!

We went to church this morning, and dressed Z in his orange and black Halloween attire. He liked to throw these rocks and even tried to eat a few ;)

Here he is in his dinosaur costume. He didn't care much for the hood that was on the costume though, so most of the time he kept it off.

Z with his God Father, Aaron

our lil fam... here I am at 31 weeks prego.

October

2010-10-19T18:18:00.002-07:00

It's already October.... which means one month closer to Z turning one and one month closer to Maecyn's arrival. We have had an extremely busy October, and it's only half over! We are enjoying our new townhouse, and it's actually a place I could see us living long term. We enjoy all the room we have here, but we are still getting settled and decorating.

Jon celebrated his 31st birthday on Saturday and we celebrated our 2 year wedding anniversary yesterday! We rolled both celebrations into one, and enjoyed dinner at a thai food place last night.

Here are some pictures from the last month...

Zander loves to eat. He is eating more and more "people" food. He really likes bananas and quinoa pasta. He eats whatever we give him really... Jon even sneaks in Juice Plus Complete shakes and his blended up green juice.

At 11 months, Zander is still scooting across the floor, and pulling himself up on all the furniture.

*He is a big boy... in the 80th percentile for height and weight.

*still loves ice cream and bath time

*wearing size 12-18 months clothes

*likes to watch Baby Einstein movies

*he is really into wheels (on toys, stroller, etc)

*when he wakes up from naps/bedtime, he just patiently sits in his crib and waits for us. He doesn't even cry to let us know that he is up. He is so content.
*drinks from a straw...still doesn't care for a sippy cup.
*fave foods: pasta, soy yogurt, daddy's 'green' juices, Juice Plus+ Complete smoothies, eggs, mashed cauliflower, mommy's homemade applesauce, bananas
fave toy: Harvey the Harvester combine

A few weekends ago, Jon's cousin BJ got married in Las Vegas. This was our first trip to Vegas together for something fun... we have always gone for baseball tournaments before. It was a fun night, even though we were only there for about 20 hours! Zander got to stay in Phoenix with a babysitter.

Jon's cousins, BJ and Steve

me and the bride, Sasha

Here are a few fun pics from the wax museum!

Z also had his first hair cut this month. His curls were getting long, so we knew it was time to call our friend Shelley to do the honors!

the curls we trimmed...

this lil man is such a ham! Mommy loves to put his hair in a faux hawk!

I have really missed the Stroller Strides moms over the last 6 months. It was so fun to meet up with them for the pumpkin patch outing. It was SO hot though- it was 98 degrees that day. Zander was very clingy when we got there, but eventually warmed up to the pumpkins. At Tolmachoff farms, they also had a small petting zoo, and Z really liked the ponies. What a great day!

Here are my 7 month prego pics :)

time is really flying... I know I say that every month.

I am feeling good, except for the back pain. It is way worse than I ever remember it being with Zander. I have also been sneaking in naps when I can, and I think that is helping. I just wish I was able to do more lifting and moving... I am trying to get my scrapbook room unpacked!

And last but not least, my friend Alex came to Phoenix all the way from FINLAND! I hadn't seen her in 10 years, so it was great to catch up over dinner at the Cheesecake Factory! yum!

6 months prego

2010-09-27T10:38:00.000-07:00

Six whole months (plus a few weeks) have already gone by! I can't believe it. Little Maecyn will be here in just a few more months. We have lots to do to get everything ready, including decorating her room. It will be so fun for each of the kids to have their own room at this house. I am headed to Utah tomorrow, and when I get back, I will go see my doctor here for a check up. Can't wait!

so much to catch up on...

2010-09-25T17:45:00.000-07:00

We have been busy little bees :) Here is an update on the past few weeks in the life of Team Zinger:

Before we left Michigan, we had an early 1st Birthday Party for Zander. It was such a fun day, but very busy. We had 40 people over for the party and Z was completely spoiled. I am glad we had rented a UHaul to come home beacause all of his gifts would not have fit in our car. We are blessed to have such great friends and family. It's crazy to think his 'real' 1st Birthday is in about 6 weeks. Time is FLYING.

This is the cake my friend Angie made for Z to destroy. He didn't make too much of a mess, but it was fun to watch.

This is one of my best friends from high school, Ashley. She is also prego with a girl (Emmie), but due 6 weeks ahead of me. She is TINY! Or maybe my belly is huge!

Jon and I had to sport our football jerserys when the Bears and Lions played each other... hafta rub it in that my Bears won!

Z is at the stage where he loves to push anything around on the floor and scoot after it. It's pretty entertaining to watch. A few days ago, we were sitting in the living room and all of a sudden he pulled himself up on the ottoman. I think walking is in the near future!

Before I left Michigan, I helped throw a bridal shower for my friend Betsy since I can't make her wedding. She is getting married in October when I will be too far along in my pregnancy to fly.

We made a quick stop in IL on our way back to AZ so that we could visit my grandma and aunt and uncle. It was a short, but sweet trip! Glad Z could see his great grandma again!

We made yet another stop on our way to Phoenix so Jon could go workout with Ron Wolforth at his baseball ranch in Texas. That was also a short trip, but Zander was a trooper! That short stop extended our driving by 20 hours! ahhhh...

We made it back to Phoenix last Saturday morning. On Monday, we started moving into our new place. Moving is so not fun, and we are still unpacking! However, we do LOVE the new place. We are renting a townhome that has 1700 square feet... quite a difference from what we are used to. Last year we lived in 1000 square feet, so this is much nicer. Each of the kids will have their own room, and there is even a loft that will be used for my scrapbooking. I hope to post pics once we get all settled in.

I head to Salt Lake City this coming Tuesday and I will be there for 6 days for the Send Out Cards National convention. I am excited to go back after how great last year was. However, Jon and Zander are staying here, so Jon will get a taste of what I went through this summer when he went on road trips... the life of a single parent! When I get back from Utah, I start working again... it will be a change after not working for 4 months. I am, however, blessed to have an emplyer who let me work all summer through the computer and is giving me my job back!

Z's First Tiger's Game

2010-09-09T20:35:00.000-07:00

Today was a great day. Not only was it Zander's first Tigers game, but it was also our good friend Nikki's birthday. We enjoyed a great day with great company (and the Tigers won!), eventhough I am bummed that we didn't get to see Eddie pitch. We are looking forward to watching Zander and Brayden grow up together. How fun!

Tomorrow is my day to run errands, Saturday is Betsy's bridal shower, and Sunday is Zander's early 1st Birthday party. Busy weekend!!!

last game

2010-09-06T20:49:00.000-07:00

Today was Jon's last game of this season. He got to pitch, and today he broke the record for most appearances in the Rockford Riverhawks franchise. I am so proud of my husband and what a great season he had. He ended with a 3.64 ERA, which was the second best of all pitchers on his team (minus 2 players that each only pitched one inning). He had a GREAT season... I am SO proud of him and all his hard work!

We are leaving our host family tomorrow, and heading to MI for a week. We sould be back in AZ around September 20th , and I cannot wait! I think we may have found somewhere to live, so say some prayers! It has been a challenge to find a 3 bedroom short term rental in our price range. I know God has a plan and supplies all our needs in abundance, so He will put us wherever we are supposed to be!

coming to an end

2010-08-30T11:45:00.000-07:00

The season is finally coming to an end. There is about a week left, and today is the last off day of the season. It's been a fun summer, but we are ready to get back to normal... as I feel like I have said all summer. We are finalizing our fall schedules and looking for a place to live.

Here are a few pictures I took at the field over the last few days:

Here is Zander with two of his favorite people at the field, Collin and Bryan. Zander will miss them for sure... they loved to entertain each other.

Last night, the Chylak family took us out for a Japanese dinner. It was delicious and a fun place to go! Zander enjoyed the fire and the chef!

Here is the lil man, who isn't so little anymore!

He loves to play with all the toys at the host family's house. He is scooting all over the place now, and getting into everything!!!

Here's to a great last week of baseball!