Best Summer Yet!

We have had an awesome summer so far. We love getting out and enjoying the city, being outside and visiting family and friends. It has been so much fun to watch Zander and Zaiden as they grow. They are truly best friends (and best enemies at times)! They love to play together and make each other laugh. Zander loves to teach Zaiden all he knows. Luckily, I (mom) only work 3 days/week which leaves a lot of time to get out and have fun. Our summer started with a yoga class, many trips to the library and once the weather began to get nice - spending most days at the parks. We love to try different parks and bring our own picnic lunch to finish it off. We have also had a lot of fun outings including trips to the zoo, beach, pools, spash pad, Day out with Thomas, downtown to Maggie Daley park and the Adler planetarium. We also made a trip back to Wisconsin to celebrate the 4th of July. We hope to finish off the summer with some more trips to the pool and beach and are looking forward to all things fall.

getting ready to play kids games at the 4th of July fair 

beach day

Celebrating dads birthday at the zoo 

bike trip hike

we love the zoo!

picnic at the lake

getting our garden started

astronaut potty at the planetarium 

4th of July parade with cousins 

celebrating mom's birthday at the pool 

Thomas train ride with Grandma

day trip to the lagoon 

picnic with friends 

our backyard pool 

Day out with Thomas

heading to 4th of July fireworks

Zaiden said the fireworks "scared him" but he ended up falling asleep!

Zander and dad at the Cubs game

Zaiden turns 2!

Zaiden is such a big boy with a big personality. He continues to have the best smile and is a total charmer who knows how to flash his dimples or his cheese face. He can also be such a sweetheart at times and gives the best kisses. He is talking a lot and now uses 2 word phrases ("tv on" "that one" "dada home"). He loves to sing songs and read books. He sings some of his ABCs and counts past 10. Zaiden is very active and strong. He loves to run, jump, climb steps and play ball. He also has a mischievous side and loves to do exactly what he is not supposed to do just to wait for a reaction.  Zaiden loves to play with his brother (which often involves stealing his toy and having him chase him around). Zaiden loves to eat and some of his favorite foods are hamburgers and popcorn (he often requests popcorn for breakfast). He weighs 29 pounds and is 33 inches tall. We look forward to another big year with our "baby bean."

wild man at his birthday party

We celebrated his birthday with a grill out with family and friends
the theme was his favorite book "The Little Blue Truck" 

Vacation 2017

We had so much fun at spring training in Arizona last year, we decided to go back again this year. We made the trip to Arizona for a full week this time. We had a blast and were lucky to have friends join us this year as well. Having people to hang out with added to our fun while we were there. We loved the weather and being able to spend time outdoors, although some days got a little hot. Unfortunately, Zaiden came down with a virus and double ear infection and ended up in urgent care, but was a trooper even when he did not feel well. Both boys loved the airplane and being at the airport. Zander was a great traveler and was excited to be big enough to have his own suitcase this year. We spent almost every day at the pool. We went to the Phoenex zoo, 2 Cubs spring training games, Children's Museum, Arizona Sea Life Aquarium, Rainforest Cafe, Hiking and train park. We had a ton of fun, but were exhausted when we came home. We also left Chicago on a day with 50 degree weather only to return to 18 degrees and 6 inches of snow!

Zander is Four!

Zander is a big four year old! Four seems like a big number and we can't believe how big he is.  He is such as sweet, sensitive and smart little boy. He has made a lot of progress over the past year. He goes to pre-school 3 days a week and does really well. He is beginning to learn to write his letters. He reads some sight words (open, exit). He is so much stronger physically and does really well climbing at the playground and riding his new big boy bike. He continues to be a chatterbox and has a million stories to tell or a million questions. He has an amazing memory and remembers everything. He loves being a big brother and loves teaching Zaiden, bossing him around, and always comes to his rescue and comforts him when he is upset. We look forward to seeing what the next year brings for our little guy.

Build a Bear for his Birthday

We spent a night at a waterpark hotel and had a blast. He was able to go down the slides by himself

Celebrating with grandma and grandpa and friends 

Children's museum on his birthday