everyone, lately

zoe. this girl has had an exciting summer. we thought about holding off on getting her involved with different activities but she really thrives on being in a learning environment, having structured play and being busy. so for the past few weeks we have been doing some home school, swim lessons, and ballet.

when lock takes his morning nap zoe and i spend an hour doing “school” at home. she loves to learn and is always asking questions and carrying around a notebook she calls “my interesting-gorgeous notebook.” she draws, practices her letters, and makes pictures of all her “interesting gorgeous ideas” in this book and its hilarious. my favorite page is one where she drew herself in a closet full of tutus because she is obsessed with tutus and wants to have a closet so full of them it won’t close (inspired by a fancy nancy book we read). anyways my mom was doing school with her in texas (oh how zoe misses school with grandma j) and she sent us all of her materials when we moved to north carolina. over the summer she has gotten so good at writing almost all her letters, and knowing her sounds. i’m planning on getting her started on audio books because she loves to look through books on her own and is not reading yet, but just wants someone to read to her all the time. at our library children get a sticker for every book they borrow to fill in a picture so they can claim a prize. zoe has filled three pictures with stickers and we literally go to the library 3x a week because she just can’t get enough of the books.

zoe has also been taking swim classes. she has two instructors but her very favorite is coach john. he has been such a great coach and zoe is starting to float on her back all by herself, and doing a lot of unassisted swimming. she’s currently trying to learn how to go from swimming on her tummy to rolling over on her back so she can float from there, but its been tricky for her to figure out how to coordinate all the movements. getting there though!

this last week she did a week long princess ballet camp. for 5 days she NEVER stopped talking about dancing, ballet, tutus, princesses, and she literally was dressed like a ballerina 24/7. it ended with a mini recital that was sweetest thing ever. we weren’t sure if she’d be too nervous to perform but she did great in all four numbers. no fear at all and when we drove home she got teary eyed telling us she was so sad it was over. we’re excited for her to continue ballet in the fall.

if you ever need a never ending supply of cut up paper, raid her room. it’s everywhere.

pizza is her new favorite food and only pepperoni and olives make the cut for toppings.

lock. oh how quickly he is growing. lock is still a very happy boy. these past few weeks have been rough because he’s been teething endlessly and has had like 8 teeth come in one after the other, but so long as he has applesauce, swiss cheese, eggs pasta, pizza, meat, milk, and little bear in small doses he is happy. we are working on getting him to eat more veggies. he wakes up every morning and marches straight to the fridge demanding “egggggg! baba! (milk).” he also loves oatmeal and rice and wants to be spoon fed when ever we are having it. any other food he wants to feed himself. he’ll tolerate brussel sprouts, broccoli and zucchini but anything else and expect it to get thrown at you.

he is a solid sleeper. hallelujah! 7pm-7am and about 2-3 hours of naps during the day. he loves to be read to and especially interested in books about the wheels on the bus song or cows. zoe always picks cow books for him at the library. he is learning words quickly now and loves to take pictures so he can say “cheese.” he is a friendly toddler. always waiting for his turn at the slides, or offering a veggie straw to random children at the park. he is affectionate and wants to be hugged and kissed all the time. zac is favorite person. like, he cries when zac leaves and wants to do everything with him. when zac gets home or wakes up in the morning lachlan drops everything to run to his dad and just sits on his lap very content and happy.

lock has gotten SO much better at church. we can sit through sacrament and not leave the room on most sundays. the next two hours are usually terrible and zac and i take turns with him, but we are so glad he has gotten used to just staying in the pew. zac will be working the next few weeks, so maybe he’ll think he can out run me again, so fingers crossed he won’t!

these swim shorts on him are the best. 

king of slushes. we cannot go to sam’s with out getting one. he knows where they are and practically runs and begs for it. 

seriously the sweetest boy ever. 

this poor pig. lock tried to ride him like a horse many times and kept on calling it a “moo moo”

zac. he has been pretty busy. we had a nice 2 weeks of ultrasound that was relaxed and great hours, but we literally had him home for dinner maybe 1-2x a week for the last 2 weeks. he’s been working from around 3pm-2am on most days and on wednesdays he has been working 7am-2am. not fun at all. its about to get even busier with MICU. we just got his christmas schedule and he’ll be working christmas eve and christmas so were going to miss him a lot around here for the next little bit.

this is what it looks like to be the favorite parent but only have 4-5 hours of sleep a night…

…and to be asked to build towers after working a night shift…

…and to build forts…

…and this is what it looks like when zoe finds him asleep and wants to keep him warm…

…and this is what their usual 30 minutes of Daddy daughter avatar watching look like.

nicole. i have been doing a lot of recipe testing lately and have recently discovered an interest in watercolor.

we’re excited for fall to come! it’s been a hot summer and we are ready for some sweeter weather!

4th of July, backwards

fourth of july has always been one of our favorite holidays. we usually don’t do fireworks because my kids do not cope well with being out late, but zac really convinced us all it was a good idea and it really was. we enjoyed a day filled with an all american breakfast and bike parade, a trip to the mall, red-white-and blue cake, steak, fireworks and then a late night run to get slushies.

we ended the night with fireworks at Kenan Stadium and it was such a great show. Probably the second best show I’ve seen (it’s really hard to beat Pearl Harbors). Zoe was mesmerized and loved it, but she did start to get antsy when the show hit the 20 minute mark. lachlan was terrified for the first 15 minutes and just hugged me with his face in my chest until he warmed up and happily watched the last part of the show too. 

lachlan lost his beloved cap and steals mine or zoe’s whenever he gets the chance. never have i ever met a toddler who whines until we give him hat to wear before hell head out the door. he’ll take a beanie even in the heat to have a hat of some sort on his head.

Pre Show concert. the kids did pretty great for their first concert. we weren’t sure how they would take being trapped in bleachers way up high in the stadium. apart from zoe screaming at the top of her lungs “i’m going to pee right here!!!” about a dozen times while we waited for zac and lock to get back from the bathroom, they handled the evening well. 

we checked out a mall in the area and some fourth of july sales. no shopping ever actually takes place in these visits though because our kids have a super power for knowing where the play areas are and will squeeze their way out of the stroller to find it. 

meeting his sister after being the lone biker to finish the parade. we didn’t realize she had grown so much that her legs were so long for her bike and she could only paddle in small strides. she was a great sport about it and happily finished the loop while everyone was probably on round 4 or 5. 

she was also the smallest biker by far, but that didn’t stop her from biking through the dozens of other bikes and scooters zooming by. this was at our ward pancakes breakfast. 

 

zac and i have always talked about traveling with the kids and taking them to new places so it’s exciting that we got to kick off our travels with them in costa rica. it was also nice that we got to visit my uncle and his family.

the kids were great on the plane. lachlan slept through most of the flights and zoe got an abundant supply of snacks, stickers, and shows to keep her busy.

we spent some time at the beach and pool in guanacaste, went on an african safari, visited the zoo, toured the popsicle factory, sampled lots of great food, walked through some beautiful botanical gardens, and endured many hours of zoe and lucy claiming to be the real moana.

walking through the japanese botanical gardens

zoe literally thought she could jump 3 feet between some rocks and ended up falling to some mud…zac is washing her off here since her legs were covered in it!

Lachlan was terrified of the animals once they got closer. it was hilarious and sad at the same time.

about 30 seconds after this picture zoe totally went to the deep end and i didnt even notice. mom fail! good thing sabrina saw her and she got pulled out. zoe stayed close after that. 

getting a group shot was nearly impossible 

probably the 53rd time she asked to be tossed.

this pool was colder than the other pool and lachlan wanted no part of it!

zoe probably ate enough watermelon for all our family at breakfast every morning 

sweet lucy! we buried her legs and made her a mermaid.

i had never experienced traffic like costa rica’s it was crazy!

all aboard! post conference cousin train ride. 

the zoo at alajuela 

new words

time feels like its just flying by and my kids are just growing too fast. lock in particular is really starting to act like a toddler and he’s got some new words to show for it.

pleeee (please) said over and over whenever he wants something. the other day we were at a bbq and zoe was playing with a football and he just followed her around hands out saying “pleeee, pleeee” it was so cute and so sad that zoe thought it was the funniest things to run away from him.

bi-bi (binky) like zoe was, he is also obsessed with his pacifier. and he has the cutest habit of pointing at it and telling me he’s got his “bi-bi” before actually putting it in his mouth.

nigh-nigh (night night) when its bed time he snuggles in my shoulders and says “nigh nigh.” he does great putting himself to sleep, but is getting a little smarter about piling his blankets on top of his pillows to give him a boost. he’s not quite tall enough to get out of his crib, but he sure is getting close. fingers crossed this doesn’t happen time soon.

buh-buh (bye-bye) he knows this one well because his favorite person (zac) leaves every morning and he gives his dad lots of hugs, kisses, and “buh-buhs” he never wants to actually let go of zac when he gives a goodbye hug. lock also gets really nervous when he sees someone put shoes on or packs a bag because he loves being outside and does not like being left behind.

bear- little bear is his favorite show. whenever i turn the tv on he points and yells “bear! bear!” and then because i’m a sucker for lachlan when he actually verbalizes something he wants i have a hard time saying no.

dug (dog) he likes dogs from a far. we brought him close to one the other day and he freaked. he also thinks dogs roar.

duck- he can quack too (and speak donald duck like his grandpa Scott). most other animals and sounds are a growl.

bird- he loves looking for them and saying “teeeeeeet, teeeeeeet”

me- said whenever it is clearly his turn for something or simply when he would like someone else’s turn to end and his to begin.

other words/phrases – tuck (truck), uh-oh, no, go, ball, cheese (for pictures).

his favorite song is wheels on the bus and his favorite part is when we sing “the horn on the bus goes…” because he knows to chime in “beep, beep, beep” and “all” through the town. we have a book for it and its the only book he will actually sit down and have you read to him over and over again.

other forms of communication from lachlan include dragging us to the refrigerator so we’ll open it so he can grab a monkey juice (danimals yogurt) and then being dragged to the drawer of straws. after we hand him both items he says “pleeeeee” motioning to have the straw put into the yogurt drink. like his dad he lives off of dairy, bread and meat. occasionally he’ll tolerate some veggies, but mostly he just wants a piece of cheese (the good stuff) and some sourdough bread.

if he doesn’t know how to say it he’s good about pointing and grunting and saying “pleeeee” and if its something abstract and we have no clue he gets pretty frustrated too and either holds his breath until he passes out for a few seconds or pouts on the floor with his face flat on the ground.

he is very friendly and waves to everyone, gives high-fives, smiles, and warms up to new people pretty quickly. zac is his favorite person. he follows him around everywhere and when he hears him come home he gets giddy, runs to his dad to give him hugs and kisses and just holds on to him really tight for a while.

he’s growing up fast and i already feel like he really is a toddler. he is absolutely relentless about getting out of the pews for church and walks around ALL 3 hours and then passes out once we get home for a nice long nap. he still takes two naps– which is the best! and is a solid 11-12 hours a night sleeper. almost 23 pounds now and is probably the sweetest 1 year old you’ll meet.

ONE

it has been the fastest year ever! somedays i feel like we just brought him home from the hospital and others it’s as though he’s been with us forever. we celebrated his birthday last saturday and zac was able to be home the day which was a pleasant surprise. he is the sweetest boy. still very calm and mellow and is only worked up when he’s hungry, tired or being teased by his sister. on most nights he is a great sleeper and happily puts himself to sleep around 7 and we usually don’t hear from him until about 7:15 when his little voice gets really loud saying “Maaaaaaaa! Maaaaaaaa!”

his happy place is the park. when he was about 11.5 months old he started taking a few steps that quickly escalated to walking within a week and now we can hardly keep up with him. at the park he walks straight to the stairs leading to the slide, climbs up and we help him get on his belly and down the slide he goes for probably an hour straight.

he LOVES chicken drumsticks, pizza, pasta, cheese, and broccoli. he will try everything and we usually know after a few bites if he wants it or not because it will end up on the floor or get thrown at you if he doesn’t want it. then, once he’s got your attention he’ll raise his hand to eye level wave it and shake his head no. at this point ill offer something else and when we come across something he wants hell give a very vigorous nod of the head. when he sees us eating, especially zac, he’ll follow you around just nodding his head and holding out his hands until he gets a fair share of the goods.

we have tried SO hard not to show this boy any TV, but some days things just need to get done and a show is on to occupy zoe so he joins in on it too. he LOVES watching shows. it’s a little scary. he’ll get comfy in his chair or laydown on the ground and just gaze intently.

he loves balls, bath time, bubbles, music, and being outside. when he’s not feeling well he likes to be snuggled on someone’s lap and when he’s sleepy he’ll crawl up to me, work his way into my arms and just nuzzle. its the sweetest.

when he’s upset or been hurt he has started holding his breath until he turns blue and just passes out for a few seconds. it’s the scariest and he’s done it 8 times now. i hope that it ends soon, or that it never happens when i’m not around!

Lachlan loves being with people. when he’s alone in a room he always starts to panic and searches for us. he loves to play with zoe, but these two are also always teasing each other. when zoe takes a toy away from him the first thing he does is look around for zac or myself   to get us to see his sister in the act. if we are not there to right the situation i will often come back in the room to find them wrestling each other.

he still takes two long naps, which is the best, and he still likes his binky, we tried to get him attached to a lovey like zoe is, but he really wanted nothing to do with it. i’d always find it on the floor in the morning even if i put it snuggled next to him after he had fallen asleep.

he can clap his hands, hug, kiss, head butt, wave, shake/nod his head.

this year was just so fast, and we are so so happy to have him in our family!

 

sibling update

lachlan. the past few months have been a crazy blur in terms of milestones and memories for lock. he is now practically crawling. he is a pro at planking and is so proud and smiley when he transitions from bear crawling then back to an upright sitting position. Lachlan loves to eat yogurt, fruit, meat, cheese, and the occasional veggie. he loves eating in his high chair and always wants to try what we are eating. lately i’ve just been giving him whatever i’ve made for dinner and he will happily play and eat some before he eats about 2 jars of baby food and sometimes an additional 3oz. of yogurt as well. his sleeping isn’t nearly as terrible as zoe’s but he is still waking up 1-3 times a night and just wants a little cuddle before he falls back asleep. we’ve finally cut out eating at night! i started sleep training, but then he got sick so we’re slowly working our way into that again. he loves bath time, swinging in the park, being outside, and wants to be included in everything. he’s very social and most anyone can get him to laugh. zoe’s peek-a-boos are his favorite.

zoe. oh this girl. she is so funny and clever. sometimes i think i am living with a teenager trapped in a very petite two year old body. she is very independent and she recently started preschool. she loves going and her teachers tell us all the time she is one chatty, happy girl. zoe is currently in a legos and puzzles phase and when she’s not playing she’s asking for our phones so she can show me what new lego or puzzle set she wants. she is obsessed with treats, going to eat at restaurants, playing at the park, and dressing up as a witch or a princess. potty training has been our biggest challenge. she knows exactly when she needs to go, and she announces it before she goes, but she really fights actually going to the toilet. i tried to figure out what it was and one day she explained it to me all on her own. we had just watched the daniel tiger episode of potty training and i then i reviewed all the steps with her, she just paused and said, “wait. so you want me to stop playing, go to the big girl potty, take off my pants, sit and wait to go potty, and then pull up my pants, flush and wash and then be on my way?” complete horror was all over her face. then she giggled, titled her head, scrunched her nose and said, “no, thats silly i can’t do all that. i need to play.” somedays are better than others and i can convince her to go, but for the most part she has really had a hard time giving up playtime for the potty. she can talk her way out of anything and has such a vibrant imagination. our lives are so fun with her!

pictures.

i hope these two stay close, and become great friends in the coming years.

zoe quotes

zoe says the funniest things. i’ve kept a running log on my phone of things i catch her saying/singing.

“lachlan, when you see santa you don’t have to cry. but it’s okay if zoe cries.”

“my lipstick! you see me? now i’m a princess!”

singing to the little mermaid song melody “i have lipstick. who cares. no big deal. i want more lipstick.”

“none of that (green beans) today. how about tomorrow. after ice cream. ”

“mommy, oh my goodness! Jesus is that pirate.” (when seeing johnny depp on pirates of the carribean)

“i have so many problems. fix them and i give you a treat.”

this picture was taken by her grandma while on our bluebell excursion in the city of enis. she was so attached to this donut box from taco bell that we could do nothing to separate her from it so all of our pictures from this day has this box too.

so much personality in this girl!

Lachlan Kato

we blessed our three month old, Lachlan Kato at church three weeks ago, and it was a beautiful baby blessing. time has literally just flown by these past few months and I have been amazed at how little I remembered about taking care of a newborn so we are SO grateful our boy is a calm, and mellow.

he turned FOUR months today and i realized i need to start recording more about him since he is growing up so fast.

zoe is absolutely crazy about him and she keeps us on our toes as she is constantly trying to sneak him a treat or strap him on her trike while we are not looking.

a few things i want to remember from these past four months:

lachlan was born and still is a very mellow and sweet baby. he is so easy going and his favorite pastime is being talked to. it seemed as though he started cooing really early and will happily “talk” to anyone.

he rolled for the first time as a fluke at 12 days but didn’t really start doing it consistently until he was 3 1/2 months old.

he loves bath time, music, his swaddle, and his play yard.

he chuckles whenever you kiss his neck or tickle his feet.

his eyes look a lot like zac’s.

he sleeps great on most nights. about a week before he turned 4 months old he started taking up a lot more than usual, but fingers crossed it’s just a phase because he started sleeping from 8pm-4amish then going back to sleep till 7am after nursing when he was about 7 weeks old.

i have been pumping pretty much since he was born. lachlan’s blood sugars were low when he was first born and we had to supplement and ever since he has preferred a bottle with a faster flow.

lachlan is a chunk. he was born 7lbs. 5oz. and was 12lbs by his one month appointment. he is nearly 16lbs. now and we love having a rolly squishy baby that loves cuddling.

we just love him and his dimple so much!

 

two

crazy to think we have a two year old. she is so full of life and energy and is constantly talking. my family said that i was like this as a child, but zoe amazes me everyday with how much she has to say!

we had birthday celebrations for her the week prior while with zac’s family in utah and some after with my family in dallas, but on her actual birthday zac and i spent the entire day giving her 100 percent of our attention and doing all the things we knew made her happy. this mostly meant donuts, blowing out happy birthday candles about 100 times, carousel rides, playing tea party and kitchen, and making a trip to ikea to look at big girl beds and toys. every time you ask her what she wants to eat when we are out she says with a big smile “i want steak!” so we took her for philly cheesesteaks for dinner and she loved it. we ended the day with chocolate cake. i am a little sad i didn’t make it this time, but she and zac have a love for the triple fudge bundt cake from sam’s club so we picked one up and sang happy birthday to our sweet two year old at least 15 times before finally digging in. I think next year we’ll venture in to the world of planning a real birthday party.

almost every morning zoe asks for a donut for breakfast. there are a few drive thru donut shops in the area so i am very guilty of giving in every so often, but this morning she and i left at the crack of dawn to pick up donuts and balloons and she was beyond thrilled. her true favorite is donut holes and she ate about half a dozen just on our ride home and just kept saying “mommy, this is so good. sugar!”

we opened presents after breakfast and all she could say was “for me?!?! wow!” it was the cutest. zoe is obsessed with anything related to cooking/play food so we got her a microwave, a cash register, and a little play kitchen (emphasis on the little because it is the dinkiest thing, but all we could afford for the time being though she still loves it). 

a blurry but happy shot on the carousel at bass pro. we went on another one shortly after in the mall and by the third go around i was about ready to pass out, but zoe was so excited. she could ride the carousel ALL day if we let her. 

a week after her birthday we had family in town and had another round of celebrations. we had a gluten free/sugar free almond sponge cake and I was surprised by how much i didn’t (almost not) miss the real deal. 

this was from the day of her birthday. weather was perfect and she even let us attempt a head top pony tail. love this fun zoe of ours!

some other things i want to remember about zoe at this age:

she loves to sing and has memorized edelweiss, wheels on the bus, head shoulders knees and toes, i am a child of god (first verse), old mcdonald, most of the ABC song, and jingle bells.

she has a candy radar and can literally sense when a chocolate is being un wrapped or bag of skittles being opened and will run asking for a treat too. she also knows our apartment’s main office has a bowl of suckers and makes requests to check the mail so she can ask for one.

still a little peanut. she’s at the 2 percentile for height and 5th for weight.

her favorite question lately, “where’s daddy/what’s daddy doing?”

loves salad, quinoa, and all fruits and vegetables especially if they come with ranch or sour cream. has lately become a cheese snob and will not eat left overs. i’ve tried repurposing and presenting it differently and i usually get a really offended look from zoe and the words, “i can’t eat that.”

crazy about ice cream/chocolate milk–just like her dad and will protest at the drive thru if you order the wrong flavor. when in doubt always go with chocolate or else she will take one look at the vanilla frosty and throw it at the window.

surprisingly very patient when it comes to doctor appointments/anything that has a long line, but will immediately follow up with, “now can i have a treat?”

claims her favorite color is blue, her favorite food is chicken, her best friends’ are mommy and daddy very diplomatic), her favorite movie is lion king, her favorite song is edelweiss, her favorite toy is a basket, and her favorite shape is a circle.

will talk/sing your ear off and ask for lots of hugs and kisses before bed.

happy birthday, zoe!

 

 

 

 

Lately

being almost 25 weeks pregnant, working at nights, and keeping up with a hyper active almost two year old has made the past few weeks just fly by.

mornings are hard for me. especially if i worked late the night before, so zoe can usually get me to do anything she wants since i’m pretty much a zombie and will agree to anything like this three course breakfast she asked for. fruit plate? sure. frosted flakes? sure. eggs, cheese and a roll? sure. separate silver ware for each plate? sure. then i sit at the table with her, following her request to “sit down by me, please” and doze off a bit until she taps me and asks for a glass of milk.

on mondays or tuesdays we visit my mom in fort with and spend a night there. we frequently visit the local asain market and zoe always looks forward to checking out the fish counter. she often says “P-U! thats a stinky one.”

there is a park that is just a short walk from my parents’ home and we like to go to play, swing, feed ducks, and ride the “big bee” as zoe calls it. she loves this thing and will make her buzzing sounds and pretend to be flying on it forever.

about two weeks ago we decided to flip zoe’s carseat around. she’s been 17-18lbs since she was a little over a year and literally has just stayed at that weight no matter how much she eats (and she has also been 29 inches for the past 5-8 months or so). she’s over 20lbs. now (hallelujah). this was a dream come true for zoe. i asked her to “raise your hand if you’re a big girl now” and she happily did. she still raises her hand when i get her buckled in to remind me of that.

my grandma got zoe this lamb coat when she was a baby and she is just finally starting to fit it and she LOVES it. she crawls around on all fours and says “ba-aa-aa-aa.” adorableness i can hardly handle. when she wants to wear it she’ll see “want to be a lamb!” over and over again until i bring it out from her closet.

tuesday and wednesday are usually my catch up on chores day and so zoe gets more time playing on her own than other days and this is what i usually get for letting her do her own thing. i was cooking dinner one night and when i went to check on zoe she was doing some cooking of her own. the avocado smear on the walls that came along with is pot of “cado soup” was probably the most creative part of her work.

i didn’t believe him when zac said he could fit in zoe’s tiny playhouse but they both proved me wrong and now zoe always wants us in her house with her. 

on wednesday nights i have cub scouts and last week our den meeting was at the park for a service project. before all the trash pick up we went on the swings. overtime we go on a swing its almost as if it’s her first time and she loves it. she screams “higher, mommy! higher!” every time. 

a daredevil at the park. i am always chasing after her because sometimes she will do something crazy like try to leap off a really high ledge. our biggest struggle has been the parking lot. the moment we walk out the door of our home, the store, the library, the mall etc. zoe just bolts away. she thinks it’s so funny that she can out run me and we’ve had a few scares. just last night she ran away from zac and I at walmart and hid under the clothing stands (and it was black friday madness so it was extra crowded) and i nearly had a heart attack.

checking daddy’s vitals while he naps after getting home from the hospital. zoe made sure he was still breathing and carefully listened to his heart and lungs. she climbed all over him and he didn’t move one bit.

We are just counting down the days for Christmas break!