We miss the Olympics...

This year was a Summer Olympics year, and boy did we enjoy watching it as often and as much as we could! The opening ceremony was absolutely amazing (and I just loved how it started on 08/08/08), and it really captured our attention! Every night was something new and exciting to watch. I have to say I think our favorite events were in the swimming "Cube", including the heart pounding races with Michael Phelps (our local champion)... but we also really loved the beach volleyball, gymnastics, track and field, diving, men's and women's volleyball, and so much more!

Now that it's all over, our evening TV watching seems somehow less exciting (but I have to say we are definitely getting much more sleep again)... even Zachary finds himself dozing off soon after getting home for a quick nap before dinner. With the weather gradually cooling off in the evenings, maybe we'll start going for late summer evening strolls and reminisce about watching the 2008 Summer Olympics broadcast from Beijing, China!

Zachary goes to the Maryland State Fair!

What a fun Saturday afternoon we had this beautiful Labor Day weekend!! Mom-Mom and Hailey came down to Bel Air so we could all go to the Maryland State Fair together... Zachary's first time going to the fair! We all had a wonderful time taking it all in... crazy people watching, rides and music all around us, games to play and win prizes, just about anything fried you can imagine (including peanut butter and jelly sandwiches - which I actually tried and decided it wasn't that bad!), and tons of farm animals! We saw it all, and Zachary seemed to love taking it all in.

One of the first things we did after crossing the entrance was take a ride on the ferris wheel. That's one of Mom-Mom's favorite things to do with her grandchildren! So, we bought our tickets and waited in a short line for our turn to board. Hailey, Mom-Mom, Zachary and I all rode together, since it was the kind with a bucket for multiple people vs. a two-seater. Len stayed on the ground and watched the stroller while taking some pictures. Zachary's first carnival ride was soooo much fun for all of us... I wasn't sure how he'd react, but I think he really liked it. No squeals of delight, but lots of smiles while he squinted his eyes in the breeze as we rotated around. There were two ferris wheels, so we tried the smaller one first and saved the BIG one for later in the afternoon. (You can see them both in this picture that Len took.)

After our ride, we ventured around the grounds to check everything out and decide what we all wanted to eat. Hailey also picked a game to play to try and win some prizes... it turns out she's quite the dart thrower. She won prizes for Zach, CJ and herself! Thanks, Hailey - Zachary loves his frog!!

The animals were quite a hoot! Zachary definitely loved that part... I think the cows were his favorite... gee, I wonder why!

After the animals, we all took another food break, including Zachary. We found a nice tent with fans to sit under (it was pretty hot and humid). Mom-Mom, Len and Hailey enjoyed some fried mushrooms and Zachary had squash and a few swigs from his sippy cup!

We all had so much fun, time really seemed to fly by. We were there much longer than we thought we'd be, so we didn't get back home until after 8:00 that night. We ended up leaving in the nick of time to miss a total down-pour, but it didn't make for great driving conditions. Given the time and the weather, Mom-Mom and Hailey decided to spend the night (they came prepared just in case)... YEAH! Of course, we gave Hailey her choice of what room to sleep in, and I'm sure you can guess which one she picked! Yep... she chose to sleep in the bed set up right next to the crib in the nursery. So, the two cousins who had such a blast spending the day at the fair together, got to spend the whole night with one another... a first for both of them. It was quite a sleep-over! Notice Hailey let Zachary cuddle with her beloved Teddy... as long as she could cuddle with Zach, he could hold Teddy - it was so precious!

Hailey couldn't wait for Zach to wake up in the morning, so she could resume playing with him!!

What a wonderful way to celebrate Zachary's first Labor Day weekend!

Editor's Note... it's about time!!

Oh my goodness... I finally finished and posted the Outerbanks vacation entry! I have spent so much time working on it... it's taken me at least 8 hours (or more probably) to finish this up!

Please scroll below the "8 is Great" entry to take a look at our wonderful summer vacation highlights. Since I started writing this entry soon after we got back, the posting date falls back in July.

Scroll down and enjoy!

Soooo Big!

Zachary has a new trick, as of tonight! We've been doing "How big is Zachary?" for a while now, and I would always hold his hands over his head and say "Sooooo Big" at the same time. Well, tonight I asked, "How big is Zachary?" while he was having some dinner, and much to my surprise, he put his hands over his head all by himself. I was so excited and he was just so proud of himself, as I exclaimed, "Soooooo Big!" He did it again right after that to show Daddy, so I ran to get the camera to capture the moment. It took about another 10 tries before he'd do it for the camera, but we finally caught it! My little angel is truly getting soooo big!!

Here are some of the shots I took trying to coax him to do it one more time for the camera... so cute!

Note: I know his bib says Sunday, even though it's actually Thursday. This is very unlike me with my attention to detail (hee hee), but it was clean and nearby at feeding time, so I just went with it. : )

The Critter with a critter!

When Len was mowing the lawn last weekend, he found a long lost friend,
"Freddie the Frog!" Now, we actually think Freddie is a toad, but it sounds so much cuter saying frog. About two years ago (maybe even longer), we had a "watch-frog" that would sit on our front step as if to keep an eye on the place and protect us from harm's way. He would perch like a bulldog with his front legs standing solid and strong. Every spring, Freddie comes back (though I'm sure it's likely a 'new' Freddie each year - - how long do toads live?) and we welcome him with open arms. We haven't seen him in awhile, so I was so pleased when Len showed Zachary and I who he found in the backyard. Good thing Len noticed him in time... it was right in the path of the weed wacker. The pictures below don't quite catch the moment, but Zachary just squealed in delight when meeting a fellow critter! After the excitement, Len released Freddie so he can continue to watch over us from the front step!

Later that evening, Daddy and Zach were foolin' around on the laptop, and Zachary thought it would be fun to see what happened if he pulled Daddy's hair REALLY hard! Both Zachary and I had a good laugh during that one... even Daddy chuckled a little, in between the tears! (jk)

Eight is Great!! (Outerbanks Vacation post still to come)

Today, Zachary turned 8 MONTHS OLD! We had a very nice weekend at home for the first time in a while. To celebrate Zach's 8-month birthday today, we started the day at church. He wasn't in the mood to sit quiet for the hour + service... about half way through, Len and Zach went to sit outside of the sanctuary, so he (Zach) could sing and pray as loud as his little heart desired without disturbing anyone around us! When we came home, it was time for lunch, so we tried yogurt again (yesterday was the first attempt and he was not a huge fan - he liked the carrots he tried last weekend much better). It was a little better today with the yogurt, but I can tell it's not one of his favorite meals. After a nice long afternoon nap, we finished off the day with a dip in the pool - this was Zachary's first time in the pool here at home, and he really seemed to enjoy splashing and kicking in the water. He even did his famous "fishy" move underwater... it was just adorable!



I still can't believe how the critter has completely transformed our lives... all for the better!! I think about all of my blessings probably on a daily basis, but it's these milestones when I truly sit down and reflect on all of the amazing things Zachary has seen and done, as well as how he continues to fill our hearts with love! This past month was quite an adventurous one for our little family, as Zach continues to learn and grow with every minute that passes. It was a VERY busy month for us all... there wasn't one weekend that we weren't on the go somewhere! Some of our favorite moments include:

• Going to his first parade, celebrating the 4th of July in Bel Air


• Wishing Cousin CJ a Happy 8th Birthday in NJ
  
• Visiting with 2nd Cousin Connor and Cousin Julie again, while they were home from Japan on vacation


• Meeting Great Aunt Nancy for the first time at her book reading in Hightstown, NJ
  
• Taking our first long family road-trip with a final destination of the Outerbanks, NC (we had a few stops along the way)


• Seeing Daddy's Alma Mater, ECU, and driving by his old fraternity house near campus in Greenville, NC


• Meeting friends Mark and John, their girlfriends Ellie and Jill, and the whole Morgan clan for the first time in Atlantic Beach, NC


• Petting a dog for the first time - Uncle Bob and Aunt Robyn's Border Collie "Ralphie", as well as Mark's English Yellow Lab "Hardy"... he LOVED them both!


• Taking his first boat ride on the Intercoastal Waterway in NC on Mark's new boat
• Going for a swim in a pool AND touching the Atlantic Ocean with his toes
  
• Spending the afternoon on the beach, playing on the blanket (he wasn't really a fan of the sand yet) and having a snack oceanside - what a life!

I can't wait for the many more adventures I'm sure we'll have... like some of the things we're still awaiting - his first tooth (it's gotta be close with all of the chewing and drooling he's been doing!), crawling, walking, talking, etc. For now, we're just so happy and proud of the little guy, and all he has seen and done. He's just so energetic with his little arms and legs constantly moving, making raspberries and clicking noises with his tongue, jumping in his excersaucer and his doorway Johnny Jumper, saying "Daddy" and "Da Da" (though we're not sure if he really connects it with Len yet), and rolling across the room (since he doesn't seem to have any interest in crawling). We also find quiet moments to read books (he loves to turn the pages and bang on the cover with his hands), snuggle and cuddle (with an occasional nap with Mommy in the bed), and sing songs together. Either way - full of energy and activity, or quiet and peaceful - every single moment we have with the critter is nothing less than precious and memorable!