The Bowin's

Keeping UP!

2012-01-31T12:06:00.000-06:00

Howdy! I figured I'd better get a post up and going before the entire month of January passes us by...

Zach is officially potty-trained!! WHOOP! He still will have a small accidents every now and then, but they are few and far between. Currently, he's in love with books, asking questions, and awaiting replies. He'll ask the same question 12 times, just to see if the answer will be the same all 12 times. He's still my "snuggle bug" - even though he only likes to "nuggle" when he's hurt - which, thankfully, isn't too often. :)

Alex LOVES Preschool! He comes home with new things that he and CJ (his 'bestest buddy') have done. Yesterday he told me about how he and CJ made a mess and Mrs. Fenske thought that it was a mouse. Alex is beginning to come out of his shell, too, he'll initiate playing with other kids at ball games, or at church. He catches me off guard with some of his questions - his mind always seems to be working. He's also writing a lot more, and is even asking for homework!!! (Just wait, little man, it's coming!)

Andy is insanely busy at work. He's consistently seeing 20+ patients a day, which is quite the pace! He loves his job, his bosses, everything about his job....except the "dorkmobile" as he calls it....a PT Cruiser. He's working out daily, currently in 3rd place in "The Biggest Loser" competition at New Beginnings, and has taken on the meal planning at home (he cooks while I am working out). He's amazing.

I am also quite busy at work. We are in the testing season - my 8th grade class took the Writing test today. Reading is coming up next, then all of the "year-end" assessments. Seems weird to be saying that in January, but the spring always FLIES by!! I am enjoying my Junior High kids, although there are days that I seriously question my sanity. I am also in "The Biggest Loser", and in 2nd place!! YAY! I've been working out almost daily (it's hard for me to be motivated to work out on the weekends...I'm getting better), and am enjoying how clothes are fitting better. :)

Life is good. We have our day-in, day-out routine, and it's good. God has surely blessed us -

Thanks for reading! :)

Deer

2011-12-20T08:43:00.001-06:00

I'd prefer to use an expletive, but this is a family blog. Luckily, no one was hurt (except the deer), so we are thankful.

Sleepy boy

2011-12-17T18:20:00.001-06:00

We went to the basketball game in Sargent tonight, and Zach just couldn't stand all the excitement.

State champions!

2011-11-21T20:10:00.001-06:00

We went to Lincoln this weekend to visit Grandpa and Grandma Frank and to take in the Sargent-Howells state championship football game. Grandpa is doing pretty well, grandma is on the mend, and the Bulldogs won 21-18, so all in all, it was a pretty good weekend. Here are some pictures to go with the story. FYI-in the last picture (the one with the Sargent coat kind of balled up), Alex is bundled up inside of that coat sitting on the bleachers. I think if you look hard you can see his ear.

Fun Playing

2011-11-13T12:46:00.001-06:00

The boys easily spent a solid 30 minutes making the same three cars CRASH! Despite the cars running into fingers, toes, feet, and other body parts, the boys had a great time. I love it when they play together!

Poop buddies

2011-10-17T20:52:00.001-05:00

Our little poopy pals, partners in defacation, or, if you will, the turd twins.

(thanks to Andy for this blog post....Christine for the picture)

Nobody Knows....

2011-10-16T18:59:00.001-05:00

The boys love this commercial, and this time I got Zach singing along!

Birthday Lists!

2011-10-04T20:26:00.000-05:00

Many of you have been asking for lists from the boys - so we sat them in front of Amazon for as long as we could, and got some ideas for you. This is not an extensive list - just a general idea of what they might like. :)

I tried to put the links in, so I hope it works. All of these were found on Amazon, so search there if you have no idea what we're talking about.

Zach

Fisher-Price Little People Wheelies Stand 'n Play Rampway

PlasmaCar Red (Zach would like orange, if possible)

Ty Beanie Baby Max & Ruby Set

Alex Little Jumpers Trampoline

LeapFrog My Own Leaptop

Clothing – Winter (warm) especially – 3T – long sleeve shirts, pants/sweats, underwear, socks, boots size 10-11, Winter coat, snowpants, gloves/hat

He especially likes Cars, Max and Ruby, WonderPets, and SuperWhy if you can find clothing/books/puzzles/whatever in those themes.

Alex

PlasmaCar Red (Alex would like yellow, if possible)

#2 and #10 from the Cars 2 movie (we have the rest)

Melissa & Doug Solar System 48 pcs Floor Puzzle

Matchbox Smokey The Fire Truck

Melissa & Doug Shape, Model and Mold

Fisher-Price Super Sounds Soccer

Angry Birds: Knock On Wood Game

Super Mario Bros Mini Kart Pullback Figure Set Of 6

Webkinz Dachshund

Mousetrap

Phineas and Ferb: Across the 2nd Dimension Wii Game

Early Reader books – he’s into Level 1 and some 2’s…..but he loves to read whatever!!!

Clothing – Winter (warm) especially – 4T or 4 (or whatever is right above 4T) – long sleeve shirts, pants/sweats, underwear, socks, boots size 12-13, Winter coat, snowpants, gloves/hat

He especially likes Phineas and Ferb, Cars, Superman, anything sports or yellow (his favorite color) if you can find clothing/books/puzzles/whatever in those themes.

Let us know if you have questions!! THANK YOU!! :)

Reminiscing....

2011-09-27T19:39:00.001-05:00

I was looking through some blog posts from young Alex the other night, and this game was such a favorite. We tried to recreate it tonight....still funny, but probably the last time it'll happen without an ER visit.

Video

Cheetos

2011-09-11T21:11:00.001-05:00

Tonight Zach enjoyed his Cheetos using all 5 senses.

First Day of Preschool!

2011-09-06T17:27:00.001-05:00

Today was Alex's 1st Day of Preschool. He was pretty quiet when I picked him up, but very talkative on the way home. His favorite part was the blueberry muffins and building tall towers to knock over with the " 'strucksion stuff".

He wanted me to take a picture of his backpack, too. He thought I was crazy for wanting to take a picture of his face.

When I went to leave, I kissed him on the head and said, "i love you". Be looked at ne, said, "dont say that. You can leave now." Then gave me a hug and ran off.

So glad it went well, instead of him crying and not wanting to go. Great day!

State Fair!

2011-08-27T11:58:00.001-05:00

The boys had their first ever bus rides today as we went to the Nebraska State Fair!

Our new car!

2011-08-14T20:34:00.001-05:00

Here it is....our Chevy Cruze!

Crazy Alex!

2011-08-14T19:56:00.001-05:00

In the spirit of being able to dress himself, Alex is now being silly!!

Day at the park!

2011-08-14T13:58:00.001-05:00

Today we drove the new car to Loup City and enjoyed the beautiful day by playing at the park! GREAT day!

Cars!!!!

2011-07-02T13:06:00.001-05:00

Can you guess what we are doing today?????

Zach and Abby

2011-06-30T19:12:00.001-05:00

Zach holding his little cousin. When I told him to "smile", he decided to lick her instead.

Swimming by the fire

2011-06-28T20:21:00.001-05:00

Swimming in Missouri, by the new fire pit (to keep the bugs away).

Alex's t-ball team

2011-06-27T18:52:00.001-05:00

Reading with Daddy!

2011-06-26T20:19:00.001-05:00

Reading a book with Daddy. Good times.

Swimming!

2011-06-19T16:41:00.001-05:00

For Father's Day, we spent the day at home. Andy and the boys had a great time swimming!

Falling...that's funny.

2011-06-17T21:38:00.001-05:00

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All tuckered out

2011-06-17T16:58:00.001-05:00

Who else falls asleep while reading a book?

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Zach's Lunch

2011-06-15T12:24:00.001-05:00

The boy knows how to make a mess!

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Carnival!

2011-06-14T18:22:00.001-05:00

Enjoying the train ride at the Burwell carnival.

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Closing VBS program

2011-06-10T21:49:00.001-05:00

Alex participated in VBS this year! It took some convincing, but he enjoyed going with his class. I helped with the snacks, so we all went all went every day. They had 'babysitting', but Zach just seemed to follow me around. Next year Zach can have a class too.

Here's a shot of Alex with some of his friends, Clare and Belle.

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Zach at the game!

2011-06-06T21:41:00.001-05:00

... needless to say, he was less than interested.

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Alex's First T-Ball Game!

2011-06-06T21:00:00.000-05:00

Well, I think I *finally* have this all here - - and right! :)

Alex had his first t-ball game Monday night. They have 14-16 kiddos on a team, all between the ages of 4 and 8. There are 5 teams, and they all play against each other - so we don't have to travel to other towns just yet. :)

They play two full innings (three if there's time), and everyone bats and runs every inning. Everyone also plays the field (hence the reason Alex is one of 6 "pitchers" in one of the pictures). It was quite the experience.....laughing silly at some of the antics of these little folks, and also a little bit of bittersweet....as I realize that my little boy isn't quite so little anymore.

Anyway, on to the videos:

He has at least two more games left (there is a coach from North Loup trying to get her team up here, so one more game may be possible).

Cheese-stache

2011-06-03T18:17:00.002-05:00

Zach, enjoying his cheese platter at Taco House.

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2nd t-ball practice and 'wingin'

2011-05-23T21:02:00.001-05:00

Tonight was Alex's second practice... this time on the football field. Alex said (when we asked if he had a good time), "I'll tell you tomorrow." Ok....?!?!??

Then we came home and went in the backyard. It's 8:00 now and 74. Perfect!

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Fun with fruit!

2011-05-23T08:44:00.001-05:00

This all began with grapes for supper... and ended with this.

The boys were quite amused, Andy had small welts from where the grapes missed. He loses any right to complain, however... he started it all. :)

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Alex's First T-ball Practice

2011-05-16T20:04:00.001-05:00

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New niece.

2011-05-07T17:34:00.001-05:00

This is a picture of Christine taking a nap with our new niece, Abby.

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OUTSIDE!

2011-04-09T17:01:00.001-05:00

We finally have weather that's perfect for being outside! Daddy, Alex and Zach all spent time with the water table and played baseball! Welcome Spring!

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Corny toes

2011-04-04T20:26:00.000-05:00

Tonight (after baths) the boys were enjoying a nice bowl of popcorn. Zach decided to eat his in an unorthodox manner, and Alex soon followed suit. Silly boys. Enjoy.

Headphones

2011-03-25T18:39:00.002-05:00

This is how Zach put on his headphones to watch his movie in the car tonight.

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Awww Pickle Juice

2011-03-21T20:25:00.001-05:00

Zach learned this from Mickey Mouse (actually Donald Duck says it), but it's hung with Zach. Just too cute....much to Alex's dismay.

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Home theater?

2011-03-12T08:17:00.002-06:00

Nothing like sitting in the front row and enjoying your favorite shows. Crazy boys.

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"I'm a sloth."

2011-03-11T19:13:00.002-06:00

These were Alex's exact words during supper tonight.

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IPad fun.

2011-03-10T19:47:00.003-06:00

The boys having quiet time with the iPad.

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Beef, Anyone?

2011-03-09T17:50:00.001-06:00

Zach helped himself to a serving of beef for supper....that's a "grandpa size" serving!!!!

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Silly Alex

2011-02-09T19:23:00.001-06:00

Alex decided tonight that he was going to be a mermaid.....only a boy one. With a silly face.

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Silly Zach

2011-02-09T19:22:00.001-06:00

Ornery face for us tonight!!

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Funny Hat

2011-01-16T21:54:00.001-06:00

Zach found an interesting use for one of my bowls....

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New Curtains!!

2011-01-13T19:00:00.001-06:00

Since our blinds bit the dust, we got our new curtains back today, and up tonight. I'm very pleased. :)

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Snow-fun Sunday!!

2011-01-10T17:51:00.001-06:00

We had a blast in the snow today!!

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Silly face

2010-11-18T17:10:00.003-06:00

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Silly face

2010-11-18T17:10:00.001-06:00

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Zachary picture

2010-11-18T17:08:00.002-06:00

We couldn't leave him out!!!

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2 year and 4 year checkups

2010-11-17T19:30:00.000-06:00

Today both boys had their checkups. Poor Alex needed two shots (we're beginning the Kindergarten series - SCARY for Mommy to think about!!!), while Zach just walked away with a lollipop.....no shots for him. I was certain they'd be poking Zach - wrong again!

Zach weighs in at an astonishing 29 pounds (though the scale was on 30 for quite some time - he wouldn't stand still enough for us to get an accurate weight) and 35 and 3/4 inches tall. (I'm going to call it 36" - it's easier.) :) His head is 50.5 cm around....which I guess is normal?!?

Alex is our lightweight, coming in at 37 pounds. He's 39.5", and his head is 57.5 cm around.

Dr. Julie did a thorough exam of each boy, and was amazed at the intelligence of Alex. She even suggested getting him tested for admittance into school early. (Luckily, we have at least another year to discuss this - it's going to be a hard sell for me....) She also commented how Zach is into absolutely everything....he even found a "Drug Dictionary" that had fallen back behind the desk - she said that they'd lost it months ago....but here our hero Zach finds it! She also said that I have a pretty special family - which I TOTALLY agree with!! :)

Hope all is well with each of you - Happy Thanksgiving! (Can't believe it's next week!)

Alex's New Ride

2010-11-15T22:14:00.001-06:00

Our little boy is now too big for his car seat, so he has upgraded to the booster seat. So grown up.

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Dollar General Fun!

2010-10-30T21:33:00.001-05:00

Andy doesn't even remember what they were doing/saying.....so we'll just let whatever comes to your imagination!! Silly boys!!

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Happy Halloween!

2010-10-29T17:13:00.001-05:00

We went to 'Trick or Treat on the Square' today. I have the day off, so it worked out perfectly. :)

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Lincoln's Children's Museum

2010-10-02T10:43:00.001-05:00

We're at the Children's Museum today....and the boys found something they've NEVER seen before!!! Sheesh. ;-)

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Batters and Glovers

2010-08-29T11:11:00.001-05:00

This morning we all played a nice game of baseball. Alex was the batter and Zach is the 'glover'. Notice how well they are lined up!! Andy was the 'thrower', he was just off to my right.

We are quite amused with the words they are starting to invent!!!

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Your guess is as good as mine...

2010-08-25T19:02:00.001-05:00

I have no explanation, that's the sad part.

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Potty training?

2010-08-24T20:30:00.001-05:00

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Golf

2010-08-15T21:48:00.001-05:00

We're taking in a round of golf today.....well, Andy is. The rest of us are along for fun. :-)

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Pool time!

2010-08-11T15:49:00.002-05:00

What else would you expect us to do on the hottest day of the year?!??!?!?

Slide!

2010-08-10T20:44:00.001-05:00

Alex on the slide....quite chilly!!!

.....except for Zach

2010-08-10T19:42:00.001-05:00

The boy loves the tub, yet hates the sprinkler......hmmm. So we got a silly face instead.

Fun in the water!

2010-08-10T19:39:00.001-05:00

We're enjoying our last few days of summer...and finding all sorts of water silliness in the backyard.

Pizza Hut

2010-08-09T12:56:00.001-05:00

We went to Pizza Hut for lunch. Zach made such a mess we had to strip him down to diaper and shoes to protect the car. Hope everyone has a great Monday!

The Hot Dog Dance

2010-08-08T11:57:00.002-05:00

Zach enjoys joining the hot dog dance at the end of Micky Mouse Clubhouse. We finally caught a video of him dancing...enjoy!

Backyard sports

2010-08-06T23:06:00.001-05:00

Nothing new to report from us. We had a good week back, Andy's work week and meeting with his boss went well, and the boys are getting back to a routine, at least for now.

Just thought we'd post a picture of the boys playing in the backyard. Have a great weekend!

Watermelon

2010-08-06T20:29:00.002-05:00

Just a quick pic of the boys eating watermelon in the backyard. Hope everyone has a great weekend.

Yeah, it's been a long time.

2010-07-31T22:03:00.013-05:00

I realize it has been way too long since we did one of these. Oh well...better late than never. Since our last update was at the end of March, we have a lot of territory to cover here. I will try to give a few ideas of what we've been doing month by month, but the real meat of this blog post is in the pictures. Feel free to skip ahead if you so desire.

April - Visits from both sets of grandparents, last full month of school, Christine gone to Omaha for 3 days. Work, work, work.

May - Another visit from the Bowin grandparents (plus turkey hunting with grandpa), Andy's cousin Kayla's graduation, and Uncle Dallas got engaged, Blue Springs for Aunt Sarah's Bridal Shower, ExtraORDinary Days.

June - Great grandpa and grandma Wagner visit, attempted VBS, another Frank grandparent visit, Zach moved to a big boy bed, and Sarah and Dan got married!

July - Garage sale (with HUGE success), bowling in Broken Bow, and vacation in Chicago.

That's our last few months in words. Here it is in pictures.

The boys riding the cars at the ExtraORDinary carnival.

Riding the animal train together.

Alex riding his favorite ride, the Dragon Roller Coaster.

Fun at the carnival.

The boys playing in the bouncy castle.

Learning our new toy, the slip-n-slide.

More slip-n-slide. More like 'look-at-n-squeel'.

Alex, learning to write his name on the neighbors sidewalk. Both were written by Alex.

The boys reading quitely in the kids room during Sarah and Dan's rehearsal.

Alex, driving his very own Flintstone's style cruiser.

Yabba-dabba-doo!

One night, before going to bed, we checked on the boys once more. This was Zach's sleeping position. His feet are up on his bed, and the couch/pillows caught him before he fell into the dresser.

Alex with the conductor on our train ride out to Chicago.

Lake Michigan

Our crew headed to the lake

Mommy and Alex footprints in the sand (thanks, Jennie!)

Zach is "pants-less" here....he sat in the water.

Alex throwing rocks into the lake. After we got home, we asked him what his favorite part of the vacation was.....and this was it.

Zach, also throwing rocks into the lake.

Zach and Jennie building a sand castle.

Wrigley Field....with Pujols up to bat.

Zach at the Cubs game.

Zach by the fountain at the hotel.

Alex and Grandpa Daryl's carousel ride at the zoo.

Zach and Mommy

The boys next to a big egg at the farm exhibit at the zoo. (Yes, we travelled 700 miles to look at the "farm life" at the zoo. HA!)

Alex and Zach on the SkyDeck at Willis (Sears) Tower.

Whoo-hoo! Look Mom, NO FLOOR!!

Great view!

Alex and Daddy in the pool at the hotel.

Zach in the pool room at the hotel. (He wasn't a fan)

Alex running through the "spinners" at the Museum of Science and Industry.

Zach throwing balls at the air cannon.

Alex, listening to how this exhibit works....in Spanish. (No, he didn't understand it.)

Zach and Mommy in the 80 mph wind tunnel.

TRAINS!!

Our family (Alex is sleeping on my leg) at the Silver Palm restaurant.

Andy with his "three little pigs" sandwich.

Zach waiting for the train ride home. (He fell asleep in the car, and rather than wake him, we just took the carseat/boy combo out as one.)

Alex in his top bunk in our sleeper car on the train ride home.

That's it folks. Call us if you have any questions, or want more details on any of the pictures.

Bedtime!! :-)

Wow, where does the time go?

2010-03-23T18:49:00.004-05:00

As I sit here and watch my boys play (all three of them, together)...I am so very thankful for them. Especially working in a school, I get to see all types of families...and how the actions of the parents are so directly connected to their children. Some positive, and unfortunately, some that make us wonder why they even had children in the first place.

I don't think that I am the only parent who takes the comments that others make about my kids to heart. Often I find myself thinking, "Did she/he really mean it that way?" "Am I making this out to be more than it was meant to be?" "What did she/he mean when they said that?" Luckily, I have learned to keep the thoughts to myself, but it still keeps me thinking. For example, this morning, as I dropped the boys off at childcare, Julie was commenting how sensitive Zach is. After my drive to work (and quite a bit of time to think), I believe that she was just stating that Zach tends to wear his heart on his sleeve - especially right now. His expression tells his world. His eyes truly are the window into his soul.

Then this afternoon another person commented, "I just love how expressive Alex is becoming with his language. He used to be so quiet." I am certain that she meant it as a compliment...but it got me thinking....Alex has been quiet? Now, being in a school, I know that kids are different at school then they are at home...but still?!? I guess I thought that Alex has always been able to express himself quite well. Maybe I just need to quit thinking.

Updates on all of us:

Zach - all 27 pounds of him! He's figured out that he can take his brother on if he catches him off guard. He's become quite the comedian, he'll do anything for a laugh. If he can have you laugh once, you can guarantee he'll continue as long as the laughs keep coming. He's also developed a bit of his "sense of self".....last Wednesday (St. Patty's Day), we were all at Daddy's work for an Open House they host every year. Zach was playing with one of the rubber balls, and it rolled across the room of people. He went over to get it, accidentally kicked it a little further, reached down to try and grab it before it got too far, but was unsuccessful and the ball rolled all the way away. Zach slowly lowered himself to the floor, face first, waited about 5 seconds, then began to cry. It was quite funny for all of us (he was the entertainment - you remember that I said he'd do anything for a laugh?)...but I felt bad that his little ego was just a tad bruised. Speaking of bruises...Sunday we were all out back cleaning up the yard and enjoying the beautiful weather. Zach was out in the yard with us, but soon discovered the steps that lead up to the house. He enjoyed going up and down the steps time and time again. I was quite cautious the first dozen or so times, then thought, "He's got the hang of it...he'll be ok." Not more than a minute after that, I hear him scream. I turn around to see him face first on the bottom stair. He scraped up his forehead quite well. It doesn't seem to bother him too much, but it hurts me just a little every time that I see it.

Alex - all 33 pounds of him! Easily able to outrun his brother, if he sees him coming. Alex's latest love is "Cars". He's still a Thomas fan, but seems to really be in to the racing, the tires, the gas, and "go faster!!" He likes it when Mommy and Daddy race home from work, and seems to notice everything about cars. Just tonight as I was fueling up the "blue car" for work tomorrow, he commented, "No tires, just gas!" (That's a line from the movie, in case you haven't watched it.) Given his choice of meals right now, it will either be Spiderman Mac 'n Cheese (I still don't know where he learned about Spiderman) or Cars Spaghetti O's. He's into puzzles, books, and loves to play games. We went to the Kids' Fair this past Saturday and one of the banks had a matching game that Alex played. He really loved it, so we have been playing lots of "Memory" games here at home. He notices everything, which can be a good or bad thing. He knows all of his letters, shapes, can count to 14 by himself, and has had so many moments that bring tears to my eyes and make me think, "I am SO proud to be his Mommy!" He's growing up so quickly, I can't believe that school is not that far off! Scary to think about. He's completely potty-trained (has been for a while, just can't remember if I have shared that on here or not)....one of his gross "quirks" is to announce to anyone who's around exactly what letter shape his poop was. (He's learning, right?) He's so ready to be outside - he was in his glory on Sunday when we were out. Hopefully this weather makes up it's mind soon so he can be out all he wants.

Both boys are in love with books...which thrills me to no end! Zach has just figured out that the way to get Andy or I immediately is to walk up to one of us with a book. We drop whatever it is and read to him. Alex has rediscovered some of his favorites from a few years ago (Pajama Time, Red Hat, Green Hat), and has a couple he can read by himself.

Andy is staying busy with work. He was promoted to "District Manager" a couple of months ago, which means that he's had a few early morning calls when someone is ill or can't come into work that day. He seems to be the "go to" man when they need help covering hospital, nursing home, clinic, etc. in Broken Bow. I am glad that he's so trusted within the company. He does a great job, and I am so proud of him and all that's he's accomplished so far. He's the only "non-partner" of the company that they have started a clinic for, and he's built a solid practice. He's gearing up to umpire more games again this year, so the boys will love being spoiled at the ballpark. :)

Both Andy and I have made a very conscious effort to lose some of the weight we've been carrying around for far too long. We've each lost about 30 pounds, which we are thrilled with. I just wish that the weight came off faster, and that it would be in the places I'd like it to come off! (For example....I have lost 1/2 shoe size! I'd rather lose it in my tummy, hips, etc....but my FEET! Come on!!)

Well, that's the update from here. I need to get these boys bathed and ready for bed, then have some classes I need to work on. Thank you all for your patience in the delay between posts....life is just so busy! We love you all!!

Here's a picture of the boys that I took yesterday while we were enjoying the sun! Andy was grilling burgers, and we got the swings out. It was wonderful to get some fresh air!! (I am sorry, that's the only picture that I have...)

Yeah, we know...

2010-02-21T19:58:00.009-06:00

It's been a while since our last post. Life is busy, work is good, and the boys do well. Oh, and go USA.

Now, on to the pictures.

Andy's parents came out the first weekend in February. While they were here, the boys decided to show off their tent 'n tunnel.

Zach, eying the entrance/exit of the tunnel.

Zach, venturing into the tunnel.
Scooter trying the tunnel, with Zach watching in the background.

Alex and Zach peering down the tunnel.

Alex, looking a little sad for some reason, crawling through the tunnel.

Looking through the tunnel at Alex in the kitchen.

The next weekend, the four of us met Le, Sarah, Elly, and Christine's aunts and cousins in Omaha for a "Girl's day out". While the girls did whatever girls do when their men aren't around, the boys and I did fun things. Omaha Children's Museum, then The Amazing Pizza Machine (think Chuck E. Cheese on steroids), followed by Alex's request for the day (Target, Sam's Club, and Wal Mart). On Sunday, we headed home and made unplanned stops in Lincoln (to see Christine's grandparents) and Seward (to see Kyle and Amy, a couple of very good college friends) thanks to the weather. Our usual three and a half hour drive took ten hours, but we made it home. After searching the town for our missing dog (didn't find him, but he came home on his own sometime during the night) we all slept really well. Now, more pictures.

Zach, sleeping before any of the action on Saturday.
Playing in the gravel pit at the Children's Museum.

Alex walking through a construction tunnel.

The boys, playing in a silly looking car.

Zach, sleeping after the action. The boy likes his naps.

Alex knows all his letters. One night (while pooping) he was playing with his magnadoodle. He hollered at me from the bathroom "Daddy, I made an A!" This is what he made.

Alex, doing yoga with his mom. Zach, just watching. Yoga isn't really his thing.

Alex, playing his favorite new game - Airborne Ranger.

Lookout below!

Who's having more fun? Alex jumping, or Zach watching him jump?

This is what our couch looked like one night after Zach had a crying fit with his face buried into the couch cushion. Apparently, his right eye produces more tears. Who knew?

Just brothers enjoying a movie together - Cars, while sitting on a Cars Couch.

Zach's new shirt.

Alex and Zach's new shirts. FYI, Alex also loves his mommy, and Zach does love toys.

Zach, making a chair out of a bookshelf.

Daddy and the boys, playing in the snow.

Mush!

It's not Olympic bobsled. Its Nebraskan DaddySled.

There are your pictures folks. Have a good week.

Tuesday, Tuesday (and Zach's 15 month appointment)

2010-02-02T19:17:00.002-06:00

Today was Zachary's 15 month doctor's appointment. He now weighs 26.2 pounds, and has 2 neat little pin-holes on his legs from those mean nurses. Other than that, he is the picture of health right now.

What follows are a few pictures from the past few days. First, Zach has become quite the climber, so we have had to move a few things around to keep the little guy safe-ish. And yet, he still finds places to get stuck.

Next, we all have dreams for our kids...I secretly hope my boys grow up to be therapists or teachers, or at least to have jobs where they feel like they make a difference in the world, and are happy to be doing it (most of the time).

My guess is, Zach dreams of being a plumber.

Plumbers crack on a 48 year-old, fat hairy man named Earl - kinda gross. Plumbers crack on a one year old wearing a diaper - adorable.

Finally, Alex is quite the puzzle man. The other night he was very well behaved during a short shopping trip to Alco (small town Wal-Mart for those of you unfamiliar) so we bought him a discount Lightning McQueen Puzzle. This took him about 5 minutes first time out of the box. I'm concerned he may be too smart for his own good.

Happy Tuesday, have a great Wednesday, and we hope good weather finds it way to you this unpredictable time of year.

What We've Learned From Our Boys.....

2010-01-26T18:15:00.009-06:00

In thinking of all of the things that we have learned from the boys, despite their short lives thus far, even this one took us by surprise. There will be little commentary to this, as we feel the pictures speak volumes.

How to eat a banana.....by Zach

How to eat a banana....by Alex

Oh, the things we have yet to learn!!

Shopping, socks, clown makeup, and haircuts.

2010-01-24T18:36:00.004-06:00

Yep, the title says it all!

Recently, Alex has begun wanting to ride in the cart when we go shopping, instead of walking alongside us. Fortunately, Sam's Club has a dual-ride cart. :)

Another night, on the way home, I looked in the backseat and Zach had the most interesting way to trying to take his socks off.......

Yep, it's in his teeth. He also enjoyed swinging his foot back and forth, with his mouth as the pivot point. Luckily, kids' socks are fairly resiliant. :)

Tonight, we had lasagna for supper. Instead of looking at the people in this picture, I'd like you to look at the dog and his position. Scooter knows where the goods are.......anywhere Zach is. :)

Here's Zach with his clown makeup for the night...aka lasagna sauce.....before his haircut!

Alex, also donning the clown makeup, also pre-haircut.

Daddy slicing away the curls from the back of Zach's head.

And now......drumroll please.......after haircuts and baths.....the TWO MOST HANDSOME MEN IN THE ENTIRE WORLD!!!!!

Zach's close-up......

And Alex's......

Have a wonderful week! :)

Happy 2010!

2010-01-10T17:09:00.005-06:00

Hello all!

It's been a busy Christmas season for us - so we apologize (again) for being so late with the posts. It is a resolution that we become more frequent with these posts....so we'll see! :)

Christmas weekend we went out to Colorado to Andy's folks. Because of the way that Christmas was on Friday, we were able to leave Thursday at noon (in between the two big storms that hit), and were able to spend some time there. We had a nice visit - and the boys came home with SO many new things! I think that we need a bigger house just to be able to hold it all!! :)

We did to go church on Christmas Eve - and the boys even made it through the service (which floored Andy and I!) We were able to snap this picture before the service.

Even when he's upside down, Alex STILL tries to attach Zach!!

The next night, Alex was just being goofy - and we were able to snap a shot of him at the hilt of his goofiness!

And then a bath, for two messy boys! LOTS of bubbles, and, as Alex calls it, "A BIIIIIG SLIDE!"

Then it was back home for a few days. It was great to have some time home with the boys.

The next Thursday, we left for Missouri. We were able to all get together - and Alex and Noah had a GREAT time playing together!! Here's a shot of them in Grandpa's DIRTY racecar....(it was bathtime after they got out....it was yucky!!)

And our first photo of 2010....all great smiles - just at the wrong cameras!! :)

We had a fantastic time in both Missouri and Colorado - we are SO blessed! We are happy that the holidays fell in line with the weekends so we were able to spend more time each place. :)

One of Alex's newest accomplishments is puzzles. Here he is after just finishing a 24-piece ALL BY HIMSELF!!! (Promise - Andy's seen it, too!)

And now for our most recent news - as of yesterday! We traded in our Trailblazer for a Traverse! The dealer was great at accepting the crappy old car (it's been a problem since Day 1, and we'd finally had enough, so called them on Monday and asked what we could do - it was a pretty great deal!)....and we got this new one - and it should last us for a VERY long time!! Here's the picture of the outside...

And a video of the inside.

We wish the best to all of you in 2010 - take care and God's blessings!! :)

Boy Pictures!

2009-12-08T19:40:00.002-06:00

Hello all!

I had a "stay home day", as Alex would call it, today. There's a TON of snow on the ground, and it's still going! We're already at a 10:00 start for tomorrow, with a strong possibility of no school tomorrow too!! (WHOO-HOO!!)

Tonight for supper we had potato soup, because it's about -3,824 outside and windy......and soup is always good when it's that cold outside. (Yes, a slight exaggeration). :)

Zach decided to give himself a facial and expidate the need for a bath and another load of laundry. I decided that this is a face only a mother and father could love...yes, you grandparents and other family members love him too, but this was really disgusting. Love is all this boy had going for him. If there was no love, Scooter would have had his way with him, and Zach would be even crankier. :)

Speaking of cranky Zach, the ears are officially "clear"....BUT.....the boy keeps deciding that he needs to push more and more teeth through. He has two molars partially through, but is working on more and more. So, he can be found "cranky" most of the time....but the tylenol seems to work very well, so that makes all of us happy. :)

And here's a shot of Mr. Alex......right before bedtime tonight. He and I took a picture together, as I wanted to show off my new haircut. This is as good as a 3-year-olds smile gets when it's asked of him. :)

Hopefully we'll post more soon - take care and love to you all! :)

Happy Birthday Weekend Part 2!

2009-11-26T20:33:00.000-06:00

A quick apology - this post hasn't been published for a LONG time.....I am SOO sorry!!!

November 14-16 was the Frank side of the boys' birthdays. Dan and Sarah, Great-Grandma and Grandpa Frank, as well as Grandma Le and Grandpa Dave were all able to come out on Friday night. Jon, Gina, and their kids came out for the day on Saturday. We had a great time.

Alex decided that for this party, he wanted a Thomas cake. Surprise, surprise......He was downright giddy with the cake I walked into the house with.

Now doesn't this look like a boy who's just devastated by this cake?!?!

Then the party day came! Wow....I thought that our house was already packed with gifts and people....but we found a way to squeeze in a few more!! Here, Grandpa Dave hands out the gifts.

And then he explains to Alex how to work it.....

Then Zach is able to explore his new "God Loves Me" opposites puzzle book!

Then it was time to eat the delicious cake! Alex got a case of the "shyness" while singing, but quickly sprang out of it when it was time to blow out the candles!!

Like I said, we had a fabulous time. We love having family visit, but it's always so hard when they have to leave. We're blessed that we have all of our family within a day's drive - instead of across the country or world. We love ALL of you, and thank each and every one of you for playing such an important role in our lives.

Scooter!

2009-11-10T09:40:00.002-06:00

I'm home with sick kiddos today, so figured I'd get a blog post done.

This past weekend, we finally decided to visit the animal rescue in Grand Island to see what kinds of dogs they had. We've been thinking about getting one for a few weeks now, ever since a puppy was offered to us a few weeks ago. After thinking about it quite a bit, we decided to go for a dog, rather than a puppy. So, we visited with the intention of not bringing one home on Saturday....but our hearts were won over - so we are now dog owners!!

His name is Scooter and they're guessing he's about 4 years old. He's a long-hair-daschund-mixed-with-something...they're not quite sure. He's 8 pounds, and just a cuddlebug! He's quite comfortable with me, and a little skiddish with Andy, but a champ with the boys. We practiced pulling his ears, tail, paws, poking at his nose and mouth all while we were at the shelter, and he never once snapped at us. The staff said that they, also, had not seen him snap at any of the other animals, so that was good. Since Saturday when we brought him home, he has not nipped at any of us....even with Zach smacking him in the head and Alex.....well.....being Alex. :)

Also, he has had NO accidents in the house!! God must've been leading us to this dog, because he's absolutely perfect for us! The first night he laid right down on his bed, and only gets up when Andy or I get up (to deal with the sick children).

So here are the pictures of our Scooter:

And now on to the sick kiddos.....

For the past week Zach has had a runny nose, but it was clear all of the time. Saturday morning when he woke up it was that gross green color for a couple of hours, but then went clear. SAme thing Sunday morning. Sunday night Zach began coughing and was very restless all night. Monday we called and made a doctor appt. When we got to the doctor's office his temp was 102.4......yikes! Once Dr. Dan came and looked him over, he decided that he had an ear infection topped off by some kind of virus in his lungs. SO, we are now on antibiotics for the ears, and have to give him nebulizer breathing treatments twice a day. Last night, after his first one, he sounded SOOO much better, and was great for a couple of hours after that. Unfortunately, through the night he got worse again, and could hardly breathe while laying down. Andy slept upright in the chair with him, and that seemed to help. This morning, Zach was just inconsolable and had his fever still (in the low 100's, so it's going down), and I don't want to take them to childcare while they have fevers....so we're at home! Then this morning, Alex woke up hacking just like Zach....so I am keeping a very close eye on him so he doesn't come down with the same crud.

On the plus side, I am getting a lot done around the house! :) I also think that Scooter likes being inside far more than in the garage. :)

OK - Zach needs a nap, so I had better close. Love to you all!

Added: Just ask Andy about his running story with Scooter after Scooter escaped our backyard under the gate.....Andy was ready to take him back, and we hadn't even had him for 3 hours yet! I'll let Andy tell the story, since it was his legs that did all of the running. :)

Happy Birthday Alex!

2009-10-31T22:41:00.008-05:00

HAPPY 3RD BIRTHDAY ALEXANDER JAMES!!!! Our big man turned 3 on Saturday - and we had a party this past weekend with our Colorado family. Andy's brother, Dallas, Andy's parents, Daryl and Annette, as well as Andy's Grandparents, Marge, Rose, and Rex were all able to come out. We had a great time and ate WAAAAAAY to much - but we were able to laugh some of it off because we had two great entertainers to watch!

Both of the boys were blessed with presents - here Alex is reading a book and Zach is playing with the cool bag he got. (There were gifts in the bag - but you know how it goes....)

Alex with his new "Mater" book.

The aftermath. (And my little Z standing up!!)

Grandpa Bowin setting up the new set of bowling pins for the 47, 322, 197th time.

The crowd watches as Alex perfects his bowling technique.

And now....on to the food! We had BBQ pulled pork roast, homemade mac 'n cheese, fruit and veggies, and chips. I think that everyone was stuffed. After awhile, we decided to break out the cake....

And Zach's "smash" cake...

Alex blowing out the candles...

Alex and Zach as we all sang to them. (Zach was undressed in anticipation of frosting.) :)

Zach and his birthday cupcake....

And Alex digging in to his soccer ball slice of cake.

After the cake and baths, the boys continued playing with all of their new toys. We found a new use for Zach's toy - and he actually enjoyed it!!!

It was funny because when we tried to pull him out, he'd get upset and try to climb back in. Silly guy!!

It was also Halloween, so after supper we got the boys into their costumes - - here's the shot of them all decked out!

Zach was a bee, Alex was a motorcycle racer.

And, now, we have a video for you. We played on the Wii while everyone was here, and Grandpa Bowin wanted to try the soccer ball game. (We posted a video of Alex playing this a while ago). Daryl didn't know we were video taping him - but when we watched it later, it was quite amusing! Also note that Alex is in the lower left-hand corner trying to move in the direction that Grandpa's supposed to go. Silly guy!

We'll have another birthday party in a couple of weeks with the Frank side of the family. For now, we're back to the workweek, playing with our new toys, and trying to catch up on sleep and energy from a very tiring weekend! We had a blast, and were thankful that everyone was able to make it out!

Happy Birthday Zach!

2009-10-28T21:05:00.006-05:00

Wow! It seems hard to believe that it has been a year already, but here we are. Zach has been here for 365 days now, and it amazes you when you think about the changes he's made since this time last year.

What follows is a pictorial review of the past few days in our life, and at the end we will have the second of the new blog segment "Famous Mii of the Day".

Without further ado...here we go!

(almost...one more quick note...the pictures that follow are not chronological because blogger is being difficult)

Famous Mii of the Day: Urkel

Alex and Daddy, making cupcakes. You know, traditional father/son bonding time (hunting, fishing, playing catch, cupcake baking).

Alex, showing off his cupcakes.

Warning!!! The next series of pictures were intended to be viewed in chronological order, so if that is your desire as well, scroll down to the bottom and work your way up.

Zach, after the cake. My personal favorite part is the cake booger hanging out of his right nostril.

Katie and Dawson. Dawson is a member of the LBC - little boys club. And one of Alex's best friends.

Alex and Jake. The other two members of the LBC.

That is some good cake.

Zach and Alex checking out the cake.

Getting that first handful of cake. 'Cause the only thing better than a slice of cake is a handful of cake.

Zach, reaching for his very own cake. Alex, checking out mommy with the camera.

Julie, the boys' childcare provider, made Zach his very own cake.

The birthday boy.

Go shorty, its your birthday...we're gonna party like its your birthday.

Cupcake aftermath.

Cupcake aftermath 2.

Topless and covered in frosting...what a way to live my man.

Finally, a video of Zach enjoying his cupcakes.

Hope everyone has a great week. Safe travels to my family who is coming out from Colorado this weekend, and we hope to have more posts up to show off our big boys in the next few days.

Whatever...it's Your Post

2009-10-21T18:44:00.008-05:00

First, a quick note about the title of this post. I asked Christine what she thought of my blog post title, and she didn't comment, but rather gave me a different post title. When I asked,
"you didn't like my title?" she responded with "Whatever...it's your post".

So take that, Christine.

Anyway, enough literary squabbling...sorry its been a while since we posted, but sometimes life happens between blog posts (I think I might write a book with that title - "Life Is What Happens Between Blog Posts", by Andy Bowin; forward by Peyton Manning).

Enough of the deragned ramblings of a sleepy father of two...enjoy the pictures and video that follow!

A big belly makes a good pillow for little boys (Notice my lack of glasses? I have been a contact lens man for 3 weeks now!)

Zach, as he prepares to drinketh from the bucket of toy cars. For whatever reason, he always seems surprised as his face gets assaulted by the falling cars.

Alex, after discovering the joys of a standard queen size pillow case.

Alex, as he tries to make his great escape from the pillow case.

Free at last!

Alex, wearing his ghost (or is it a misshapen marshmallow) Halloween costume.

Zach, snuggling with Alex's pillowcase.

Nothing says sophistication like a naked baby eating mac and cheese without silverware. Classy Zach, real classy.

Alex, just a playin' with trains.

The other day while Wii Bowling, I noticed this famous individual in the bowling alley...someone out there (not me) has real issues. And a Wii with wireless internet access.

And finally, he moment we have all been waiting for!

That's right...Zach has been walking off and on for about a week now. He does a little better everyday!

I hope you all enjoyed. Have a great week!

Menu for Birthday Party

2009-10-14T18:23:00.003-05:00

We asked Alex tonight what he wanted to eat at his birthday party. What follows is a list of the foods he named (and the reasons why he wants them in some cases):

-Grilled cheese
-Mac -n- cheese
-Carrots
-Celery
-Veggies
-Lemon pepper (because uncle Dallas and Rah-rah {aunt Sarah} will like it)
-Fish sticks
-Ice cream sandwiches

I'm sure there will be more to come...stay tuned.

Frank B-Day Weekend Changed...

2009-10-03T10:21:00.001-05:00

To those of you attending the Frank Birthday Weekend - -

the dates have been changed to November 13-15, with the party on the 14th. After talking with a few more people, we decided that this weekend would be better for everyone. :)

Haircuts!!

2009-10-01T17:14:00.003-05:00

Well, we couldn't put it off any longer - Zach needed his first haircut (mind you, Alex had already had 4 at this point....)

After baths one night, this is what it looked like.....

Before the cut......

Alex before the cut.......

And :::::::drumroll, please ::::::::::::, THE HANDSOMEST MEN IN THE WORLD!!! Fresh out of the bathtub, clean-cut, mmmmmmm!!!!!!

We sat on the floor and had popcorn as a treat. Alex still screamed and cried throughout the entire thing, Zach smiled and even giggled during his. What gives?!?!

And a samplig of Zach's giggles - he's become very tuned in to the camera, so once he sees it, he basically stops what he's doing to watch it. There's a little bit of laughing, though. :)

Zach's 11 months and Alex's new shoes!!

2009-09-28T19:06:00.003-05:00

Today Zach is officially 11 months old - my baby is gone, but I am so very happy with the little boy that he is becoming. We got a couple of great shots!

He's close to walking - he just needs more practice. He has four teeth that have poked through - the two bottom ones are fully in, and the two top teeth have just poked through. From what I can tell, there arent' many more on the horizon (or gumline). :) Zach loves fruits and veggies - many nights Alex and Zach are racing each other to see who can eat the last of them! I guess it's a good problem to have!

Alex got some new shoes in the mail from Grandma Le and Grandpa Dave - and they're Lightening McQueen!! It was so funny when he first put them on - he'd run three steps, stop to look at the lights, and then go three more steps. He was willing to run tonight as long as we let him look at it on the computer. :)

Have a great week!!

Birthday Wish Lists

2009-09-27T20:23:00.004-05:00

We've had quite a few phone calls, e-mails, and text messages about things that the boys want for their birthdays. Here's a few suggestions:

Zach

--Clothing - size 12 months
--Toys - right now he's really into throwing balls (not like we have any of those around the house), and anything that will promote walking (he just needs to get his confidence up right now).
--Heavy winter coat, snowpants, boots (size 6 - shoes), gloves/mittens, hat
--Money for his savings account

Alex

--Clothing - size 3T
--Thomas the Tank Engine - any toys, movies, clothing, etc.....he loves it all! If you find something specific and want to double check if we have it, just give one of us a call - there's way too much to list on here! :)
--"Cars" figures (the movie) - he has Lightening McQueen, Doc, Chick, and Mack, plus the movie. He had mentioned that he wanted the sheet set and blanket when we were at Wal-Mart, he has a twin size bed, if you're so inclined.
--Heavy winter coat, snowpants, boots, etc. (shoe size - 10), hat, gloves/mittens
--Thomas magazine - more information at http://www.redan.com/, or else he loves any other magazine to do with animals. (he loves getting mail, too). If you do purchase the magazine, please leave a comment on here so that others also know that this one has been "taken". (we promise not to let Alex read the blog until his birthday). :)
--Money for his savings account

Both boys enjoy books - so that's always a safe bet. :)

By no means is this an exhaustive list, actually it's a bit skinny - but just go with what you want. The boys aren't picky - anything will be great! THANK YOU!

Also, in case you haven't marked your calendars:

Bowin family birthday weekend: October 30-November 1 (parties on the 31st)

Frank family birthday weekend: November 13-15 (parties on the 14th).

Our house is available for anyone who wants to stay here - remember that we only have two extra beds, however. Let us know if you have any other questions!! :)

Update from afar....

2009-09-27T19:21:00.005-05:00

Hello! Once again life has gotten the better of us, and it's been a while since we posted.

The weekend after Labor Day we headed out to Colorado to watch the air show that Andy's hometown puts on. Grandma and Grandpa Bowin and Uncle Dallas all were helping with the air show, but we did get a chance to see Great-Grandma Marge, as well as Great-Gramdma and Grandpa Wagner. We didn't get to see anyone as much as we would have liked to, but we did have a great time for the little amount of time we were together.

The air show was amazing! It was super cold and rainy, but we had a canopy, so it was great to be out of the rain. We watched a parachuter, which Alex loved to see the ribbons hanging from her. They had a wing-walker, but they had to cancel their stunt because of the rain. (Yeah, I wouldn't want 100 mph hitting me as I tried to walk the slick wings of a plane....). They also had an F-16 there - that was breathtaking! I can't believe just how fast they can go - and I am sure we didn't even see half of what it can do! They advised us to cover the kids' ears when it would go by - and Alex needed it! Zach, however, fell asleep before the performance, and SLEPT THROUGH THE ENTIRE THING!!! I held him, just because I wanted to be able to cover his ears quickly and comfortably. One ear was up against my arm, and the other ear was under a blanket and my hand.....yet he still slept. I guess I don't need to worry about Alex waking him up in the middle of the night.....do I? ;)

Here are a few shots of us at the air show....(I need to get better with the camera!)

Zach, amongst the dirt and hay. :)

Alex, Zach, and I on the blankets at the air show. (Alex ended up falling asleep on my lap like this)

Zach watching the WWII reinactment. (Alex was really scared, so he and I went to the car and ate cotton candy) :)

When we got back, Alex had a surprise package for being potty trained!! (If we didn't share that already on the blog - yes, Alex is fully trained - even at night! Hurray!!) In it, there were a number of wonderful Thomas things - including his new Thomas puzzle. (he needed just a *little* bit of help) ;)

Zach chooses the most curious sleeping positions. Apparently, he was dreaming about teaching a kickboxing class....or karate.....or the can-can.......or aerobics.....or he's just being our Zach. :)

It's hard to believe that such a little boy can cause such a B-I-G mess!!

This past weekend we had guests! Kyle, Amy and their son Micah, as well as Tim, Kari, and their daughter Lucy all came out to visit. The guys spent most of Saturday and all of Sunday morning looking for turkeys. Unfortunately, all of the turkeys could only be seen from a distance, so they came home empty-handed. We did all get to watch the Husker game Saturday night, and that was the only shot I took the entire weekend! (I HAVE to get better about this camera thing!!) :)

On the far left, you can see Lucy's pink pant leg (she's about 2 weeks older than Zach), then Micah (who will be two in March), and you can barely see Zach's blond head over Alex's head....Kyle is laying across the floor. He was the human jungle gym for a good portion of the evening. :)

We had a great time - we NEED to get together more often!!

And a video of the boys playing well together - it's happening more and more often now. Alex still has to be reminded (frequently, at times) that Zach isn't quite up to all of the rough-housing yet, but they do enjoy playing. We especially get a kick out of Zach's hair......it's crazy!

Senior Pictures and Dishrag Alex, plus a riddle.

2009-09-09T18:12:00.008-05:00

Today's Riddle: How do you put siding on a house without a ladder? (see end of post for the answer)

Hey all. Just a quick update. Everyone here is back to 100% percent or at least close to it. Our short week is off to a good start and we are looking forward to a trip to Akron this weekend.

Now...on to our post. While we were eating supper tonight Zach struck a "senior picture" pose. We tried to capture said pose on film (see below), but we weren't able to capture it in all its cheesiness. However, Alex wanted in on the game, and was a little more cooperative.

Zach's pose (no, we didn't do anything to set him in this position).

Pose #1: It would look better on a beach, or in a lush green meadow, but you get the idea.

Pose #2: The classic senior picture pose, compete with the slightly pouty non-smile, non-frown.

Pose #3: I'm gettin tired of this, and it feels a little silly.

Tonight's video shows Alex flying around the house, courtesy of dishrag airlines.

Now, the answer to the riddle.

I don't know who these goofballs were, but they were working on the siding of the neighbor's house. This was taken looking out from the boys' bedroom window. I think I prefer a ladder....sometimes they do things a little "odd" here in Ord. :)

Labor Day Update

2009-09-07T17:32:00.002-05:00

Sorry folks, no pictures or video this time - - just an update on how we're doing....

We had a good week last week, and were looking forward to a quiet weekend at home. At 2:30 AM Saturday morning, we woke up to Zach puking. Luckily, that was his only episode with the "vomits"......

Sunday afternoon (around 1:00), Alex then began his "bout". His was a little more violent - every 30 minutes or so for 6 solid hours. At 6:30 I called the Dr. (as I am freaking out about all of this H1N1/Swine flu crap), and he said to take everything away for at least 2 hours. (Alex was balling about every 5 minutes because he wanted water - that was the only thing we were giving him, yet he was still getting sick. So the doc recommended we switch to powerade/gatorade and to give as little as possible. That helped. Alex was feeling better at 8:30, and had kept the few swallows of powerade down, so we offered him a couple of crackers. He downed them in no time, so we waited a little longer - to make sure they stayed down - and then gave him a few more. Today, he's been back to his "normal" self. :)

Then, last night, as the boys were getting ready for bed, it hit me. Yuck and double, triple yuck. I was having terrible back pain, so that had me up most of the night. Today's been much better, with the help of my wonderful husband, who's taking care of everything! He made me chicken noodle soup for lunch, and has been the official "boy wrangler" whenever there's a dispute (which, with these two, is a very common occurance). Plus, he's battling his own "yuck" - he saw the doc on Friday and they diagnosed him with "pharyngitis" - which is an upper-throat infection. Luckily, he's feeling much better today, so I am very thankful for that.

Then tonight (about 10 minutes ago), Andy had Zach on the couch, went to let him down, and realized that Zach pooped UP his diaper - splattering Andy's arm, the pillow on the couch, a little bit of the loveseat, Zach's entire outfit, and the neighbor's car across the street. (OK, so not the car, but you get the point.) Andy's showered, and the house is CLEANED and Febreezed....

We'd better be done with the bodily fluids for a LONG time!!!!!

Have a GREAT week, everyone!

Alex's 2 yr, 10 mo. and a NEW roof!

2009-08-31T18:44:00.004-05:00

Hello all!

Yes, we'll give you a moment to scrape yourselves off of the floor.....after all, it was just two days ago that we last posted.....

OK, now that you're back up at the computer...WE HAVE A NEW ROOF!

July 22 there was a "small" hailstorm that swept through Ord, and our roof was one of it's victims. Our roof was needing to be replaced in the next couple of years anyway, but once the hail got to it, we had big chunks and entire shingles laying all over our yard. SO, I called the insurance company and they sent out an adjuster....yep, it was totaled. So, here are the "before" and "after" shots....

The front of the house BEFORE....

The back of the house BEFORE......

And (drumroll, please...) the front of the house AFTER....

and the back of the house AFTER......

They even did the shed! (Insurance included that in their claim!)

We weren't too sure about the dark color.....it'll take some getting used to, but we think that it looks really nice.

Saturday night Alex and I baked a fruit pizza.....yummy!! (Although Alex ate more than he put on the pizza...as you can tell from the shot, he's about to put more pineapple into his mouth!)

And we couldn't have an "official" post without an adorable picture from the "Z" man. ;)

One other bit of news.....last night Alex pooped on the toilet for the FIRST TIME!! We are so proud of him! He had us in stitches, because right after he pooped and got up, he looked at it, looked at us, and said, "I pooped a BIG one!" We took the obligatory "poop" shots, so if you'd like a picture (we didn't feel right putting it up on the blog....we don't want anyone to lose their lunch/supper/meal), we can e-mail it to you. Yeah...that's just what you want filling up your inbox....it was a big deal for us, so....yes, we took pictures. He's our first, after all, so we're just going with it. :)

Happy September, all!

Zach's 10 month update, et al.

2009-08-28T17:10:00.010-05:00

Wow.....it's been a while! (And that's an understatement!!)

Let's see...since August 3rd? Wow....can I even remember back that far? It's good that we have lots of pictures and videos, otherwise we'd have threats of physical harm from all of the grandparents out there. :)

We'll narrate as the pictures and video as we go.

Zach's "official" 10 month picture...crawling the halls of Sargent High School.....he looks so little compared to most of the kids I see walking through these halls! (Fortunately, I haven't seen any of the high schoolers crawling...although some days I wouldn't be surprised...)

We did go over to Sargent for their volleyball and football "soap" scrimmages. Both teams have the JV vs. the Varsity, and everyone brings a Powerade/Gatorade (used to be soap....hence the name) as their admission fee.

Now....WAAAAAY back to the beginning of the month......

Alex wanted to take a nap with Mommy.....here we are pretending to sleep. (We just ended up being silly - no naps here!)

Alex taking a picture of me taking his picture. (His didn't turn out....) :)

Earlier this month, our fridge started making funny noises. After a couple of phone calls to some reliable sources, we concluded that the compressor was ready to go. I kept checking the freezer, and noticed that our ice packs and the cardboard on some of the food was beginning to be soft. SO, we called a friend and she let us borrow their pickup for the night....so we went down to Grand Island and came back with this......

It was discounted about 40% because of some scratches on the side....but it's nothing that a little paint can't fix. We're especially liking the ice and water in the door. :) Ah, the little things.

Some shots of the boys.....

Alex being tickled...just LOVE the smile! :)

Zach getting into his brother's beloved trains! (as if he's saying, "Who?? Me??")

Although it looks like Alex is ready to throw the ball at Zach, he didn't.....this time, anyway. Alex is really into soccer right now, which is just killing his father.

The other morning we went into the boys' room to wake them up, and Zach was positioned like this....ouch!

This is a perfect example of "Monkey See, Monkey Do." And we certainly love our little monkeys.

Here's Alex playing soccer. One of his favorite lines is, "I'm a good kicker."

And Zach as we're playing......then with our next bit of news......just watch, you'll see!

Yes, Alex has been wearing underwear for a week now! His accidents are few and far between....and we still haven't mastered #2 on the toilet yet, but he's getting more comfortable with it. He loves his underwear...he has Thomas, James, and Percy from "Thomas and Friends", Lightning McQueen and Mater from "Cars", "Handy Manny" and "Elmo" underwear....so he likes to talk about how he doesn't want to get them wet, because he doesn't want to make them cry. Now we're starting to focus more on "They don't want to get poopy..." so we'll see if that has the same positive result.

Andy's been busy at work...he had to cover a while for one of his co-workers who went into early labor and maternity leave, but he's staying busy with nursing home coverage, home health, and his outpatient caseload here in Ord. He had a continuing ed course last weekend, so we didn't see him much (left at 6:30 Sat/Sun AM, and returned around 6:30 PM), but he said it was really good, so we're ok. :)

I've been in school for two full weeks now (with students.....plus two work days).....things are going well! It's been hotter than blazes (and I have no window for an air conditioner), plus my junior high volleyball gals and I spend 2 hours in the gym every afternoon...which adds to the heat. :) They are coming along nicely...our first game isn't until the 14th, and some have a ways to go, but they are a good bunch - it should be a fun season. :)

Other than that, it's just BUSY! Laundry, meals, cleaning, sleep, spending time together, that's pretty much our life. Take care everyone.....love to you all! :)

P.S. At the boys last Dr. appt (I can't remember when it was......a few weeks ago.......) Zach was 23 lbs., Alex was 32. Easy to remember, YAY! :)

Thomas, Zach's 9 month, MO vacation!

2009-08-03T15:59:00.011-05:00

Hey All! We know it has been a little while since we posted, but such is life. Rather than try to give you a big sweeping recap of the past 2 weeks of our life, we will just let the pictures do the talking. Enjoy!

First, we have a few pics from our trip to Fremont to see the Thomas the Train. Very exciting for a certain little boy.

Our first glimpse of Thomas on his way into the station.

The accordion player, who entertained us while we waited for the train. Yes, Thomas fans...he did play the "Thomas and Friends" theme song.

The 3 amigos on the train. Sure daddy has a cheesy grin, but the look of pure excitement on Alex's face more than makes up for it.

The boys, watching the world go by at the speed of Thomas (about 4 miles per hour).

Thomas, up close and personal.

Sir Topham Hatt (pr. Top-um Hat), not so up close and personal.

Alex, who just realized there was a baseball field nearby.

Watching Thomas arrive from another run.

Now, on to our vacation pictures. Things happened to fall into place that Elly and Noah were available to get together, so we got together with the whole crew in Blue Springs. Its not very often the cousins get to hang out together, so it was nice to see the boys get to play together for a while.

Traveled 390 miles, played with trains. The boy(s) know what he(they) like(s).

More trains. Lots of trains.

Did I mention he likes trains?

Don't forget about me!! I'm still cute too, right?

The official Zach 9 month old picture. I'm sure that facial expression means something, but I don't know what.

Alex and Grandpa at the zoo.

Alex checking out the wildlife.

Thanks to Grandpa and Grandma Frank, the gang got to spend a day out on Lake Jacomo on a pontoon boat. It was a very relaxing day, just hanging out and floating around.

Zach, playing with Alex's fishing pole.

Alex, "fishing" (no hook, no bait) with mommy's help. Soon after this picture was taken, the fishing pole found its way to the bottom of the lake (yep...it is still there).

Zach swimming with Aunt Elly's help. His little outfit is even less comfortable than it looks. Think a chunk of foam on your chest, and thin foam pillow under your head, and long, nasty, thong-like strap connecting the two. Just lovely.

Zach, enjoying his post swim crackers a little too much.

Alex, re-hydrating after a long morning of avoiding getting wet at all costs.

Nap time on the pontoon boat.

A life vest makes a good pillow.

Zach in his outfit-de-comfort. This was the only time he wasn't really crying about his outfit.

The whole gang.

Zach, helping grandpa pick his next fishing lure.

Andy spitting lake water at me (yes, collective "eeeeewwww")...after this I threatened to have him walk back to Ord.

While we were boating, we had some company......at first there was only one raccoon......

Then two raccoons....and the crackers we didn't quite get to the shore.

The raccoon....trying to get close enough to reach the crackers.....

We also got a chance to swing downtown to Crown Center, a little indoor shopping area in downtown Kansas City with some neat little shops and restaurants, including a Fritz's, a restaurant where your food is delivered by an elaborate series of trains attached to the ceiling.

Alex and Noah outside of Fritz's....aka "The Train Restaurant".....

Zach eating his lunch (fruit and fries). :)

Alex eating his lunch (grilled cheese and fries).

This is just a quick video of the train delivery apparatus. Yeah, the restaurant is about as loud as this video.

Saturday evening, the boys were playing in a pool in the front driveway, and we were able to snap a few pictures and a video as a water fight ensued.

The crew - (if you notice, Dan is getting Sarah with a water gun - Go Dan!)

Silly boys!

Noah, Alex, and Ruby share the pool. We got a kick out of Alex's "plumber butt" - - - his pullup was SOAKED!! He got his clothes off soon after this (Noah had just stripped)......

Zach - during the water fight. :)

Alex throwing a ball into the air - don't you LOVE the saggy pullup?!?! :)

A short video of Alex winning his own personal water fight with Ruby the Dog.

Finally, one picture we snapped on the way home.

As we were passing through Grand Island, we saw this cloud/storm. It looked pretty cool!

Happy August Everybody! We hope you enjoyed our pictures.

Ball, Ball, Ball, Shoe! Panda Head!

2009-07-22T19:55:00.003-05:00

Are you confused? If you had a Nintendo Wii and Wii Fit, that might make sense...otherwise, watch the following video. Alex has discovered the Wii Fit, and loves playing the soccer game on it. The goal of the game is to hit all the soccer balls with your head, but to avoid the shoes and panda heads (yeah, that last part sounds a little weird, but Alex laughs hysterically every time). Also, watch Zach shake his head vigorously throughout the video. Priceless. Enjoy!

Central NE Hailstorm

2009-07-22T19:24:00.002-05:00

Tonight we had quite the storm pass through - - we are all fine, but the cars may be just a tad dented (no broken glass, so all is well). :)

Looking up our street (notice all of the pinecones and bits of tree in the driveway)

Our yard - littered with the "white stuff"

A few of the hailstones....

Alex was afraid (even though he's not showing it in this picture) to come outside, even after the storm had cleared. Eventually, he came out and enjoyed throwing ice into the street (as long as there were no cars coming).

Our TV is knocked out for a while (the satellite just can't get reception because the clouds are to the south....anyway), so we are on the Wii. We have a funny video of Alex playing the "soccer ball heading" game, which he saw me doing and giggled uncontrollably.....so we have a video of him watching me do it, and then he himself doing it. Hopefully we'll post again tonight (or tomorrow). :)

Boys, Boys, Boys!!

2009-07-21T11:15:00.007-05:00

The other day for nap time - as I checked on both boys - I found that they were sleeping in almost the same position....AND both had to have their faces buried in "stuff"....crazy how these two are so much alike! :)

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Last week, as Alex was finishing up his supper, and Zach was trying to eat his, the boys had a "yelling" match.....Andy and I were trying to figure out if we only run the "Nut House" or if we live in it. :)

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The other night, while Zach was figuring out everything that he could get into, he found a cute little noisemaker.... :)

Look familiar?? Same doorstop, different bathroom (since we remodeled last year...) :)

Alex's Doorstop (it's the last video on that post)

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Zach helped me fold laundry one day - and then he pulled himself up on the basket and proceeded to push it all over the place! It was pretty amusing to watch his little "Elvis hips" go as he figured out how to move each foot and get around. Who knows - maybe he'll follow his brother and be an early walker! :)

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This past Sunday we put some "bases" down for Alex to run to after he hit the ball....he knew "first base", "second base", "third base", and "home". Monday night, when we were outside playing again, Alex ran around the yard (backwards - towards third base instead of first...) AND combined a couple of the base names. As he rounded the oval (his pattern was not a diamond...), he seemed to combine "first" and "second" - - which made for a pretty amusing phrase. :) Let's see what you think he says..... :)

To us, it sounded like, "fricken' base" :)

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That's it! Enjoy! I don't know when our next post will be, we have a pretty busy next couple of weeks (WHERE has my summer gone?!?!)

Ch-Ch-Ch-Ch-Changes......

2009-07-12T21:19:00.003-05:00

That's an "oldies"song....right? :) I don't know who sings it, but I am thankful that they did otherwise I wouldn't know what to title this post. :)

Yes, there are a-changes in our house......ZACH'S CRAWLING! Yep, backwards (which he's had for a while now) AND FORWARDS!! He was able to put steps A-B-C-and-D together today, so now on to re-babyproofing the house. :) Fortunately, Alex is quite the megaphone around the house, telling me exactly what's going on at all times (which can get quite old after a while...."Mommy, Zachy fell over"...."Mommy, Zachy spilled (spit up)"......"Mommy, I gave Zach a toy"...."Mommy, Zach's stinky"......etc, etc. So, if I need to get something done, I can count on my eternal eye to keep me informed in case Zach finds something I haven't taken care of yet.

We have a video of the boys......enjoy! :)

And the other night Alex was taunting the cat...from the safety of the laundry basket (with his breakfast milk in tow).....it was hilarious!!

So that's it from here!

Oh yeah - one more thing....we had family pictures taken the first part of the month, and have them posted on my Facebook page. If you'd like to take a look at them, here's the link:

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=6926&id=1680456491&l=aeb065194b

If anyone wants any of the prints, let us know and we can find a way to get them to you. (If you're on Facebook - let me know!) :)

Happy 4th of July!

2009-07-04T19:52:00.003-05:00

Here are a couple of shots from our own little fireworks display out front - which consisted of the snappers, because Alex is scared of EVERYTHING else....(really, everything. Grandpa Dave bought some others while they were out here - a sparkler thing, smoke balls, a train, and sparklers. Alex stood indoors and BALLED while the rest of us enjoyed them.)

Here's Zach's first 4th.

And Alex doing his snappers. Throw them.....

SCREAM when they pop.....

And then smile for the camera. :)

Hope everyone had a good 4th!

The Backyard!!

2009-07-04T12:52:00.003-05:00

Here is the long-awaited backyard project - finally completed! :)

And our newest addition - the sandbox! Thanks to Grandpa and Grandma Bowin for the fence and all of their help putting it up, and thanks to Grandpa Dave for the sandbox - - the boys will love them for years to come!!

Zach's 8 month!

2009-06-28T23:23:00.004-05:00

Here's the little man (who's really not that little anymore) on his 8-month birthday. He's popped two teeth in the bottom front, and is SOOOOO very close to crawling! He has reverse down pat, and can even go from laying down to sitting, and reaching out with his arms and walking his arms back to a sit. He'll be raring to go here soon!

The rest of us are well - Grandma Le and Grandpa Dave are on their way out, so there will be fun! Hope to update soon! :)

Saturday!

2009-06-27T14:25:00.004-05:00

Hello All! :)

It's been a couple of days, but no worries, we are trying to keep our "streak" of more-frequent posts going. It took some time to get some pictures of the boys - the camera battery died, and I couldn't find the charger. :) No worries, it is found (it wasn't where I had left it....which of the two (who can walk) put it in the wrong place?!?!).

Here is a shot of Alex helping me put together our grocery list. He wanted jelly and Cheetos.

And this, for future reference, is one of the many reasons I may be committed one day. Andy "decorated" two hot dogs, a tater tot, string cheese, and a package of cinnamon rolls. I give up.

Alex and Mommy had a fun day out on Friday. Alex needed some "me" time, so he and I went out and went grocery shopping. We stopped at the Wal-Mart "Fun Room" and he rode on Tigger.

Alex "watching" the baseball game that daddy was umpiring.

Then he decided to watch - but only for a second - as daddy cleaned off the plate. I think that the diaper really sells the shot. :)

And this morning.....Alex giving Zach his first baseball "lesson" - - among other silliness. :)

Silly Boys!

2009-06-24T21:13:00.004-05:00

Tonight's pictures are right after both boys woke up from naps....Zach was in the crib in the boys' room, and Alex slept out in the living room. Zach woke up first, so I was back playing with him in their room, when Alex walked in. Silliness ensued.

Zach beginning to pull himself up on the crib (this was before Alex woke up) - -

This shot was just too funny NOT to put on here! (What do you think Zach's thinking??)

Zach pulling himself up with the help of the crib rail (yes, I know we need to lower the mattress.....just enjoy the picture for what it is.) :)

Zach's famous raspberries.....

Alex walks in...looks at me....then at Zach in the crib.......and screeches, "ZAAAAAAAAAAKKKKKKKKKKKYYYYYYYYYYYY!!!!!!!!!" If it was someone else's kid making that noise, I would say that it's the most obnoxious sound I'd ever heard. But, it was my kid, so I can't say that.

They played peek-a-boo for a while.

Then Alex told me, "Stop, Mommy. No camera anymore." And this was the face he made.

So we're done. :)

Baseball!

2009-06-23T19:47:00.005-05:00

Here are the videos we took last night.....Alex is getting quite good at hitting, which just thrills his father to no end (I am sure there are quite a few reading this who are just as thrilled that Alex is loving baseball). :) There are two videos, enjoy! :)

Also notice the awesome fence in the background! :)

This next video is when we were watching some of the College World Series....Alex was watching the batter, and when he would hit, Alex would "shimmy" across his rug, somewhat mimicking the runner. He did this a number of times! Andy was rewinding the tv and replaying the same at-bat a number of times, so that's why there are so many hits in a row. The actions are just too funny! :)

This next video is not of Alex, although he makes some cameo appearances in it. This one is of the Father's Day gift that Zach gave Daddy.....he can now say, "Dada". (I think it's especially adorable how he raises one side of his lips to say it...he does that every time and it's just adorable!) You also get some of Zach's world-famous-raspberries.....his lips grow 30 times their normal size when he gives a berry.....it's hilarious! :)

Yes, I know that we are terribly spoiling you by having so many posts in such a short amount of time. Just remember how good we're being right now the next time you are frustrated that it's been two weeks. :)

Goodnight all! :)