Every superhero needs a sidekick......

Zander's arrives sometime around November 8th!! That's right.... Zander is going to be a BIG BROTHER!!!!

 We were able to surprise our family with our Marvel superhero shirts (including Burke in his Spiderman t-shirt).  Zander's shirt was made just for him.... he loves to point to the superhero on his shirt!

We had fun dying Easter eggs since we told family Easter weekend.  (We don't know yet if its a boy or girl.... it just so happens we used a pink egg for these pictures).  I am predicting boy, and Zack is predicting girl..... stay tuned! ;)

 Zack and I found out on March 5th that Zander was going to have a sibling!  When I went to wake up our little boy that morning, I leaned over his bed and asked if he wanted to be a big brother.  He promptly nodded his head "yes" while he was still laying his head on his pillow. 

 I didn't start showing until 18 weeks with Zander.  Baby #2 decided to say "hello" at nine weeks!!  It was challenging hiding the bump at work..... some co-workers suspected I was pregnant before we announced at the 12 week mark.

 Zander helping me count the weeks until baby bro or sis arrives! (10 weeks and counting..)

We surprised our closest friends at Zander's birthday party on Saturday by him opening up a book that said "I'm a Big Brother".  

 Zander's birthday party marked 11 weeks with 12 weeks being the next day (Sunday, April 26th).

12 weeks! (I carried this picture around in my planner all day to show my co-workers!)  It is so fun to have our little secret out in public now.... and for me to let the bump free from pants that are getting more snug each day! ;)

Zander's 2nd Birthday Party

Zander's 2nd birthday party was celebrated at a local park that has a beautiful lake, volleyball courts, a nature trail, a playground and a picnic shelter.  Due to the weather conditions (47 degrees and rain), we stayed under the picnic shelter for most of the party. Zander loved having everyone there!!  He had friends to play with and family to love on him!  We had a taco bar and delicious cake made by one of my co-workers (she has made all of Zander's cakes: the gender reveal and 1st birthday).  Our best friends, Chris, Bri, and Kelly came early to help me set up while Zack picked up the food with Aunt A and Uncle Jay and brought the birthday boy.  Chris did an amazing job on the banner over the grill.... which we used as a fire to keep warm for the birthday party.  Kelly helped organize all the tables and other decorations.  Bri helped me keep my calm when we discovered the food wasn't ready at the time I had anticipated.  It all worked perfectly though.... Zander was so excited to step out of the car and see so many familiar faces.... it was like a surprise party for him!

The kids loved exploring around the park area......they found many ducks to feed and chase.  The rain stopped some of the party time so everyone went out and about.

 Zander's buddy, Luke!

 Singing "Happy Birthday".....

 Chris and his crazy faces!

 Zander's buddy, Seph!

 Zander showing Grannie his new shoes from Aunt A and Uncle Jay!

 Zander's buddy, Gia, helping him open his presents..... she did an amazing job keeping the birthday boy on task and making sure he got excited about every present.... including "SOCKS!!!!!"

Zack and his best bud, Seth, taking a boat ride around the lake.  I think more people would have taken advantage of this.... had it not been so rainy and cold. ;)

Zander getting big boy underwear from Grannie!  They have Spider-man on them!  I hope he gets in the mood to use his potty by summertime.

 Uncle Boomer showing him the correct technique for T-ball!

 Family picture!

Grammy and Grandpa Buzz

 Four generations... and Zander is about done with pictures!

 Aunt Lindsey

Kelly... such an awesome best friend that is willing to go get charcoal so we can use the grill as a fire pit!

 The birthday boy admiring the ducks!

Happy 2nd Birthday, Zander!!

Dear Zander,

 

You are such a big boy now!! When I ask you how old you will be... you proudly say "twwwwooooo".  Just today, I started with the number one and asked you what came next.... you confidently said two and then three!  You are such a sponge soaking up everything you hear around you.  (Mommy and daddy might have to start being more careful about what they say around your little ears! ;))  You love any type of sports balls.... so that is why your shirt has these on it.  You love all kinds of animals too!  You are can say almost any animal sound when you see a picture or live animal that represents the sound you are making  (my favorite is the sound a horse makes!).  You are starting to put three words together in phrases such as "here you go"!  You love saying "hi mommy, hi daddy, bye mommy, bye daddy".  I still think your favorite words are mommy and daddy because you say these the most and get instant feedback from whichever family member you are referring to.  You still love your dog, Burke.  You can't all the way say "Burke" but you say something that you associate with your pup!  You love petting him and throwing your toys toward him to see if he will play with you.  (Burke's favorites are your stuffed animals!)  You are getting really good at throwing a ball and have started to catch the ball (from a short distance away).  You love anything that has wheels and get really excited when you see an airplane in the sky while we are driving in the car. 

 

My favorite time of day with you is right before bed.... these bedtime cuddles are priceless...... I love our nighttime routine of a bedtime story, prayer (you always say "amen" at the end) and singing a few songs with you in my arms.  As I put you in your crib, you will say "bye bye" or "night night".  You have NO desire to be potty-trained anytime soon!! For a period of time, you would sit on the potty and I thought we were heading in the right direction.  But one day you happened to poop all over our bathroom floor and it freaked you out!  You have refused to go near your potty ever since.  We are going to revisit this over the summer when you are no longer traumatized by your one failed experience.  You love reading books!  You are able to turn the pages and even turn the book so the words are right side up!  You are a wonderful sleeper!-THANK YOU VERY MUCH!!! You do great at naptime and bedtime.  (I have probably just jinxed us!)  You are not a good eater!  You love anything that combines bread and cheese but are not really good at trying new things..... if they are a color or texture you don't like... forget it! 

 

Zander... we love everything about you!! We love how you give hugs to everyone before we leave a room.... how you have to say goodbye to a toy or person to have closure before we can move on to the next activity......how you run to either of us with such excitement screaming...."MOMMY" "DADDY" when you haven't seen us for a little bit (even like 10 minutes.... or all day at school).  We are so happy to be your parents and can't wait to see what this upcoming year holds for you and our family! We love you!

Love,

Mommy and Daddy

We are loving this weather!!

It has been the perfect weather all week!  We go outside after school every day and explore our backyard.  We took a walk around our neighborhood the other day..... it is so fun to be outside with our little family.  Today we had friends over for the afternoon and were able to play corn hole and grill out!  Here are a few pictures of Zander from this week....

Feeding the ducks at the park..... he loves saying "ducks" and attempting to say "quack quack"