Addie and Elise

Our friends, The Paxtons, have been in town for the Christmas Break. It's been fun seeing them and spending time with them. Addie and Elise are only two days apart in age and they have had fun playing with each other. We weren't sure how they'd do since they've only seen each other three times and the last time was two years ago but they picked up like they were old friends! Wish they lived closer!

May 2006 (about 6 months old)







December 2008 (3 years old)

Will's Newborn Pictures

When Will was about 3 weeks old, I was able to take him to a photographer for some newborn photos. Because of the holidays and everything, it took a little while for her to get them back to me and I just haven't had the chance to post them yet. They turned out cute though. Here are a few of my favorites!

Photos by Christy Rossi (www.christyrossi.com-She's still working on getting her website going).
Thanks Christy!

Pics of the kids

As some of you may know, my experiences taking Addie in to get pictures in the past have not been very good. It's just not her cup of tea and getting a good, decent smile out of her is always difficult (even with Grandma there)!

I was not exactly looking forward to taking two kids there and right during the middle of the busy, Christmas season but I had to get in to get Will's one month pictures before he got too big! Luckily, Grandma came along again to help out.

We actually had a positive experience this time and got some really cute pictures. We were able to get good pics from both kids and had a wardrobe change! Will is a much better picture taker than Addie!

Here are the photos (they are low res because I had to take them off their website):

Two Months!

Will is two months old now! Sometimes it feels like he was just born and other times, it feels like he's been with us forever. We all love him so much (Addie sometimes too much). He's very sweet and such a handsome little guy! He's so cute and smiley!

He still spends a lot of the day asleep (as long as we are holding him) so we have a lot of sweet, peaceful pictures of him sleeping!

He is doing so much better since we got his reflux under control and now that he's recovered from his different illnesses! We're still fighting a little cold/congestion but we're hoping to stay pretty healthy for a little while!

I took him in a few days before Christmas for his 2 month appointment. He is a huge eater so we were expecting him to weigh a lot. He weighed in at 10 lbs. 14 oz. which puts him in the 23rd percentile. Not exactly what we were thinking! He's not as long as Addie was. He currently is 23" long putting him in the 59th percentile for height (Addie has always been in the 70th percentile). Luckily, he has a pretty normal sized head - only in the 35th percentile (Addie was always in the 70th percentile for head circumference).

Some things about him at two months...
He still loves to eat. Still hates to get his diaper changed (he has pretty much had a constant diaper rash for the last month or more- so we can't blame him). He loves watching us and having an audience to talk to. He loves Addie- he gets a big smile on his face when he sees her. He is a pretty good sleeper at night (most nights going one stretch anywhere from 5-8 hrs). He doesn't nap well unless he's being held (I guess it's giving my arms a good workout). Still puts up with a lot of loving from his big sister. He's getting hair- he's got a decent amount of dark brown fuzz on the top of his head now! It's fun to play with in the bath!

He still LOVES his baths! He's starting to grab onto things like blankets, burp cloths, etc. He loves to suck on and eat his fists and his fingers when he can get them in there!

We love him so much and we are looking forward to the fun the next few months will bring!

Family Christmas Party

We recently attended the annual Zundel Family Christmas party. Just like last year, we had a Zundel Derby (pinewood derby) for all who wanted to participate. This year, Clay & Grayson made Addie a Curious George car that she absolutely loved (sorry, I need to get a better picture of it)!



She really got into the racing and cheering. Her screams could be heard by everyone in the building.




She loved yelling, "On Your Mark, Get Set, Go" into the microphone.



It was a great party! Thanks for putting on the derby Uncle Gray!

Will's Baby Blessing

We blessed Will at church on Sunday, December 7th. Clay did a great job with the blessing and Will managed to make it all the way to the end without crying. He looked so cute and handsome in his little button up shirt, khakis and sweater vest.

Afterward, we had our families over for soup, rolls and a chocolate fountain. It was yummy! Poor Will was still recovering from a double ear infection and a major diaper rash but he was so good. It was an exhausting but great day!

Addie's New Song

Addie sang the following song in the car tonight:

(Tune is the primary song, A Happy Family)

I love Bennett, yes sirree,
He loves me and so you see,
We are a happy family.

When Clay tells her he doesn't want her to get married and leave him, she tells him that it's okay, he can go with her.

Gotta love kids!

Happy Thanksgiving

Our Kids

Addie at 3 years old

Loves to play with her friends
Loves Curious George
Loves anything involving glue, scissors or tape
Is very independent
Likes making anything with frosting (so she can eat the frosting)
Is such a good big sister to Will
Loves to help mom
Can write an "A"
Is a great sleeper
Loves vegetables and fruit
Pink is her favorite color
Is scared of old people
Loves dogs (especially her stuffed animal ones- Dodger & Lily)
Has a great imagination
Is potty trained
Loves to sing
Loves her bebe (ok- her binkie too)
Is so sweet
Loves books
Very social
Loves to dance, jump & run
Is a "Lollygagger" or "dawdler"
Loves warm milk
Is a quick learner
Sleeps in a big bed
Loves craft projects
Loves to watch TV
Is a little mother
Likes rubbing Will's head (probably where all his hair went)
Is very smart
Loves attention
Can be shy
Is a girly girl
Never stops moving
Loves shoes
Is a little gymnast- climbs and jumps on everything!
Loves to be outside
Likes to snuggle
Loves to hold Will
Is beautiful
Has boundless energy
Is silly
Loves to "borrow" things
Is tall and skinny

Will at 1 month

Loves to eat EVERY 2 hours almost to the minute
Has GERD (acid reflux)
Has probably had more medicine in 1 month than Addie has had her entire life
Loves getting his head rubbed or scrubbed
HATES having his diaper changed
Cries a lot
Loves to be snuggled and held close
Likes to look at anything black
Loves to have his bum patted
Lost all his hair on the top of his head
Sleeps with his hands up by his face (or at least when we let him)
Is starting to enjoy his binkie and the swing
Burps A TON
Loves to be wrapped in soft blankies (with his arms up of course)
Spends a lot of time in the rocker and sling
LOVES his baths!
Is smiling
Hates being naked (unless he's in warm water)
Can scream like a girl
Loves his big sister
Is handsome
Has already gained 2 lbs!
Is starting to coo
Puts up with a lot of loving from his big sister
HATES the car
Is so sweet (when he's not screaming that is!)

First Snow

This was actually a few weeks ago but Addie enjoyed it so much that I had to do a post on it.

A few weeks ago, we woke up to some unexpected snow....and quite a bit of it too! I had taken Will to the Dr. and when I got back (probably 10am), Addie was ready to go outside and play. If you know Addie, it takes quite a bit to get her motivated to be dressed and ready to go before 10:30!

Unfortunately, Will was sleeping so I couldn't go out and play with her. I figured she'd only last a few minutes anyway so I just watched her out the window. She LOVED it. She especially loved eating it (yuck!). She went out and played in the snow by herself FOUR times that day! I couldn't believe it. She definitely doesn't get that from us! The older we get- the more we dislike the snow!

Spreading Some Christmas Cheer...Early

Send your own ElfYourself eCards

Addie is 3!

Addie turned three years old last week! I can't believe it was 3 years ago we were doing all this newborn stuff with her! Ever since we had Will, she has seemed so much older and bigger to me!

We didn't want her to feel overshadowed with the new baby so we did some fun things for her birthday. The Saturday before her birthday, we took her to Build A Bear to build a stuffed animal. We were sure we weren't getting out of there without another dog, but she ended up choosing a kitty. We also had princess cupcakes.

On Sunday, my mom made spaghetti for dinner and rice krispies and smores for dessert- a perfect Addie meal! That night, they spoiled her with a BUNCH of princess stuff that she loved! She had been eyeing the princess CD player for a long time so she was thrilled when she opened it. Here is a video of her shaking her bootie (and being a little silly) to her princess CD player.

On her actual birthday, I took her to the Discovery Gateway Children's Museum at her request (Grandma watched Will so we could have some special time). She had a great time, made a few friends and I had to drag her out of there when it was time to go. It's such a great place for kids!

That night, Gaga & Rex came over with two doll cakes for Addie. They were pretty cool- Addie loved them! She called the blue one her Cinderella cake because it had a blue dress like Cinderella. I've never seen Addie eat so much cake! She also opened her presents and was thrilled with her tools! She's got her own toolbox with plenty of room so Santa may be bringing some more!

Happy Birthday Pook! We love you so much!