Our 9th Anniversary...

We just celebrated nine years together. We went up to Park City for the night. My sister in law, Natalie, watched the boys for us. We had a blast. We had a "steak dinner for two," went to a movie, got a killer dessert, went shopping, and my favorite...we slept in! Thanks babe for the last nine years together!

14 months tomorrow!

Zander is 14 months tomorrow! Here are some pictures of him with his favorite blanket. Zander took a binky for the first 6 months or so then stopped he now snuggles this blanket. He is now walking more than crawling. He is getting more confident in turning and pausing. He walks with his blanket in-between his legs so he doesn't trip...it is super cute. He also bites his blanket, smells it and does quick face plants from a sitting position to the floor to snuggle it. He is having a hard time eating big kid food. He still loves his yogurt and baby food. I have been successful in feeding him a PB&J twice this week. He also loves cheese. He likes to drink from a zippy cup but prefers to watch it drain onto the counter and floor (mom doesn't think it's so cool.) Zander is transitioning from two naps to one. Some days I miss the two naps other times I don't. Zander has 10 teeth (including two molars) I think this is helping in the food department. Zander loves to snuggle and sit on laps. He loves to follow us. He can go up stairs but not down. He loves baths and splashes like a mad man. He can say ut-ohh, mom, dad, and tries to say hot. We love him more and more each day.

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

We had a great Thanksgiving yesterday. We were sad not to spend it with my family but Dustin's Aunt and Uncle invited us for a great meal and great company. As we were leaving Cohen walked past the kitchen held his had up and said..."Sorry guys, I can't stay." He had a blast!

DISNEY!

WE HAD A BLAST IN DISNEY WORLD! IT WAS EXHAUSTING FOR ME BUT WE SURVIVED! THANKS MOM AND DAD FOR THE MEMORIES!

A year ago tomorrow...

Zander was fighting for his life. That week was by far one of the hardest weeks of my life. As this day has been approaching I've been reflecting on some of the things I learned (or was reminded of) during this challenge. I learned to always have a prayer in your heart...because you are never alone. Trust your gut and don't take no for an answer. The power of the priesthood is real and fathers who are worthy bless our families when we need it most. Church hymns and songs can bring strength, comfort, and the spirit faster for to me than anything else. It also made me realize just how lucky I am to be a mom...and that at any second that can be taken away from me. I am so lucky to have a second chance at being Zander's mom.

Love you baby Zan

I saw this casting call for Nicole Hill and thought I'd see if she was interested in our little skeleton...this is what she took. When he saw the back drop she wanted to use he said:

" but mom I don't like purple."

He did great I was surprised how well he listened.

Our Family Pictures 2011

I was a little disappointed in how my family pictures went this year. I learned a lot about some mistakes I made. I love a lot of the images...just not happy in his process and felt that his style was really missing from our shoot.

Halloween

Halloween was so much fun this year. Cohen understood it more and he was really excited about being a family of skeletons. We celebrated Halloween twice, once in Disney World during Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party (pictures to come) and a week later at home. Cohen loved getting all the candy and saying trick or treat. We went to a trunk or treat and then came back to our neighbor hood to do some more trick or treating.

Look WHOOO turned ONE!

Zander turned one this past Sunday. Dustin and I both can't believe how big he is getting. We had a party for him and his sweet cousin Emery on Saturday, October 1st, (such a crazy weekend for a party) and it was a "hoot". Zander was into his cake but not really into eating it. He was so full of fun facial expressions while he ate...my favorite is the bulldog face! Thanks to everyone who joined us...it was so special.

Cohen Turns Three!

Our little guy is not so little anymore. One day after his birthday bash at "the Zoo" Cohen turned 3. I think he was a little confused when he woke up to balloons in his room because he had the birthday party the night before but he quickly warmed up to the idea that it was his special day. After a waffle breakfast with a 3 on top (he is crying because the whipped cream three had raspberries on it) we opened gifts and went to school with treats for his friends. We came home and went to his friend Reese's party for a water balloon fight. When we came home there was his cadillac parked in the garage with a sheet over it. Dustin and I got ready with the cameras (mine was without a memory card) to capture his excitement. He was happy but was over the moon like we thought he would be. Here he is taking Zander for a spin. We had a family dinner and Cohen had cake so we could sing to him. I think he likes being three!

Kangaroo Zoo!

We were excited to have Cohen and Maddix's 3rd birthday at one of their favorite spots...Kangaroo Zoo. They had so much fun and they were spoiled rotten by their friends and family.

11 months today!

We tried to recreate some pictures we have of Cohen...as you can see it didn't really work. Lighting was very different. These boys are different.

Differences:

• Cohen loved big people food...Zander is fine sticking to the soft stuff.
• Cohen hated to cuddle as a baby...Zander will snuggle every once in a while.
• Cohen army crawled as soon as he could....Zander just started a few weeks ago.
• Cohen was always moving...Zander is more content to relax.
• Cohen had a two small strips of hair until about 5 months...Zander has had 4 trims since birth.
• Cohen is more outgoing....Zander is more shy.
• Cohen hates to be messy...Zander screams when you wipe his face.

Similarities:

They both love to sleep on their tummies.

Both smile at everyone...and rarely cry over nothing.

Both have their dad's jaw and build