It's Good To Be Home!

Here are some Vegas pictures from my birthday. Deena and Mary have better ones because their cameras work better so as soon as I get them, I'll post them! We had a tremendous amount of fun and we never even gambled once! Even though it was a blast, it is nice to be home. Going away always makes you appreciate what you have and how good you have it! Zechariah and Ainsley both grew like weeds and somehow looked different by the time I got back. Zechariah is also walking now.

Me at M&M World (betcha couldn't tell!)

This was the view from our rooms

The delicious pizza we ate the first night. It was 11 by the time we ate and we hadn't had anything since about 1:30. It was very tasty but I think it could have tasted like cardboard and we would have still enjoyed it!

Mary and Deena at the Forum Shops in Caesar's Palace. (Deena is closest to the "O" sign and Mary is next to her.)
This was an awesome restaurant called FIX in the Bellagio hotel where we had my birthday dinner and then went to see Cirque Du Soleil's O. We had a fabulous waiter who gave us complimentary passes to JET (a nightclub) the next night, which is where I had been planning to go for weeks! It was awesome because we got in free (saving $90, yes, you read that right, $90 to get in) and it only took us like 10 minutes in line since we were "invited guests". All in all, the trip was great from start to finish. I laughed a lot and got to rest some too. It was a wonderful way to turn 30. Thanks to all the people who made it possible for me to go...especially Mike who helped us fly free and watched the kids while I was away. More pictures to come.=0)

The City That Never Sleeps...

but I'm planning on SLEEPING IN!

I'm in the middle of packing and thought I'd take a break to tell you that my blog will be on hold for a few days. I'm headed to Vegas tomorrow morning with my good friends Mary and Deena to celebrate my 30th (gulp) birthday on Friday. It will be strange to be away from Mike and the kids for a few days. I'm (mostly) used to Mike being gone but it will be different this time...fun but different. This will be my second time in Vegas just like Mary but we'll be with a seasoned veteran, Deena, who has graciously set us up in her and her husband's time-share not too far from the Strip. We're planning on shopping, swimming, dancing and going to see O. I'll be blogging again soon...

The Big 3-0!

Yesterday was Mike's 30th Birthday. We celebrated at his parents house with some Rudy's and 2 cakes! It was a fun time and very tasty too! I can't believe Mike is 30...which means I will be 30 in a matter of days. I never imagined what I'd be doing when I was "in my thirties" but, I must say, I don't think there's anything better than what I'm doing now!

Mike "supervising" the kids in the backyard

Opening presents...and watching football


One of the cakes all lit up
Emily carrying the cake she made!
Everyone trying out some frosting
I think Z had a little too much cake and/or too much partying!

The cakes up close

Thank You to everyone for making Mike's 30th Birthday special!

Party Time!

Here are some pictures from Ainsley's birthday party at Chuck E. Cheese's. I think a good time was had by all. It was certainly a busy weekend, full of birthday parties and fun! I'll be blogging Mike's party a little later! These pictures aren't really in order either...still working on how to get the pictures exactly how I want them. =0)

Liz and Ethan...he's kind of a blur because he's always on the go

Ainsley trying on one of her dress-up presents and playing the flute!

Daddy reading Ains one of her new books...don't you just love her outfit?!

Her new nightgown and cowboy boots. This is what she wanted to wear to church Saturday night! We opted for a skirt and shirt instead.

Cupcake time!
Aunt Kim and Zechariah

Marissa, Ainsley and Ty chowing down on cupcakes

Princess Ainsley

Ainsley and Chucky, going for a ride

Ainsley (holding up 3 fingers!), Chucky and Emily

Chucky visiting the kids

Ainsley and Marissa playing ski ball
Birthday Girl

My How You've Grown!

This is Ainsley on her birthday

Ainsley 5 days old

What a Day!

I was reading my friend Christina's blog (her son is Emilio whose birthday is today) and she wrote about what she was doing yesterday 3 years ago. It got me thinking about what I was doing 3 years ago today...

Going in to be induced with Ainsley. I had to call at 7 to see when I should come in and they told me they were full and to call back at noon. Let me just say that when you're already waiting to have your first child, who is 11 days late (according to my due date) and they tell you to call back at noon, it kind of makes you crazy. So, Mike and I hung out, took a walk, played Halo and had some lunch. When I called back they told me to come in....finally we were going to have our baby! Or so I thought...

After starting the induction process around 1:00 p.m. on September 14th 2004, Ainsley decided to make her debut September 15th at 11:34 p.m.-26 minutes before her Daddy's birthday! Ahh...I remember it like it was yesterday yet it seems like more than 3 years ago. I love Ainsley immensely but, I have to say, I'm pretty happy I'm not doing today what I was three years ago! =0)

Happy Birthday, Emilio!

Happy Birthday, Emilio!

Happy Birthday to you, Emilio! I can't believe you are 3...so grown up and so adventurous. We miss you a lot and we have tons of fun memories of you and Ainsley in the beginning. Here are some pictures of you when you were little.

Princess Ainsley and Prince Emilio

You hanging out at our house for mommies group

You and Ainsley enjoying the activity mat

You and Ainsley at mommies group (your old Albuquerque house)

You hanging out...this was the last mommies group (and last day in ABQ) before you, your mommy and your daddy headed to Chicago. It was taken at Krista's old house. Seems to be a pattern...

And here you are catching a bubble with your nose!

We hope you have a wonderful birthday, full of fun and lots of cupcakes! We miss you! Love, Michael, Amber, Ainsley & Zechariah

Not One Word

Tonight we had dinner at Red Robin. We don't usually go to dinner on a weeknight, especially with the kids but because Mike needed to return his rental car (for his trip to Los Alamos), I thought it would be nice to go out. We chose Red Robin because it's pretty hoppin' and the kids would be entertained, not to mention the fries rock. So, we get greeted at the door, seated by our hostess and then waited on by a friendly girl whose name started with a K.
Anyway, Red Robin comes out and Ainsley is immediately caught up in the "big red birdy". She's yelling across the restaurant for him to come over and then when he does she kind of clams up. Then she gives him a high five and is loving the "big red birdy". Zechariah got a big kick out of Red too. I was hoping he didn't start crying and he didn't!
Red comes by again on his way to help sing for a birthday and again Ainsley's yelling across the restaurant for him to come over. During out entire dinner, Ainsley is telling us she wants a pink balloon as she rocks back and forth in her booster seat. She finished all her dinner and half (amazing!) of her Sprite. Zechariah had his first taste of lemon...boy was that funny! I'm sorry I have no pictures for this outing because they'd be hilarious. I guess I need to start carrying the camera around.
Ok, so Red comes by one more time, this time on Zechariah's side of the table and he's just laughing. Red starts "getting his nose" and Zechariah is hysterical. Ainsley is climbing on me to get to Red and then she shakes his hand and tells us she wants to take him home. I told her I didn't think Jack and Bailey would like that (especially Jack). Meanwhile, Zechariah is clawing at Red's yellow tights. I hold Ainsley up so she can give Red a hug and she goes limp. I guess you get her closer than a handshake and she mildly freaks out.
Finally we pay the bill and start to walk out...Ainsley yelling "bye big robin, I'm going home now" all the way to the door. She asks for a pink balloon and we head to the car. As we're pulling away we see a big banner (nowhere near the entrance we took to the parking lot) that says Wednesdays are Kid's Night. Kid's Night means face painting and balloons and FREE sundae (with purchase of a meal). Anyone who knows me (and you all should since you're reading this blog) knows how much I like free stuff and ice cream so what could be better than FREE ICE CREAM?! I know, it is really for Ainsley but she never manages to eat the whole thing which is probably why I can't lose these last five pounds. What this all amounts to is the fact that I can't believe that we walked into a Red Robin on Kid's Night with 2 kids and not one word...no, "Hi, welcome to Red Robin! Tonight is Kid's Night. We'll have face painting at 6 and balloon animals too. Don't forget your sundae after dinner." The hostess managed to get out all the special blueberry drinks and the new salad that they're featuring but not one word about Kid's Night. I just thought that was strange...

A Really Nice Weekend

This past weekend was really nice. Mike took Friday off and we hung out and played with the kids. Ainsley got into the cookies...I forget how tall she is getting now so she is able to reach things on the counter. As I walked through the kitchen I hear her yell, "I have a cookie, mom!" and then I hear Mike laugh (he was changing Zechariah) down the hall. I go into the living room and she's standing there eating a cookie from the tin on the counter. I had to take a picture because the cookie is about the size of her head!

Then on Saturday after breakfast we headed out to rollerblade. I had Ainsley in the jog stroller and Mike took Zechariah in the regular stroller. Zechariah was supposed to take a nap but he was having so much fun zooming along the trail that he never did sleep. Next time I will let Mike go in front so we don't end up with anymore of these pictures!

After we rollerbladed for a little while, we headed over to Corrales for my niece Emily's soccer game. Both my nieces Emily and Marissa, as well as my nephew Dawson are all playing soccer now. It would be nice if they could play at the same field so we could make it to all the games. There are a lot more Saturday's to come so we'll be making the rounds, working them in around naps and lunch. By the way, Emily is the one kicking the ball in the picture below! Mike got this shot and I thought it was the best of the soccer pictures. Emily did great and it was fun to watch. Her team is called The Chill. I can't wait to see Marissa and Dawson play too!

Here is Mike and Zechariah in their baseball caps...or should they be soccer caps?=0)

And here is #7 after a great game...Papa (Mike's Dad) and Zechariah are in the background.

Then yesterday evening we spent at Matt and Kim's house for Grandparent's Day dinner. Matt cooked burgers (awesome!) and hot dogs on the grill and some corn on the cob. The kids played outside with bubbles and hula hoops. Even though the kids' ages range from a year to almost 8, they all have a really good time together and it is fun to see them playing around.

Not a Good Noggin Day

The day was not kind to Zechariah and his noggin. These pictures really don't show how beat up he is but they kind of give you an idea. The first noggin incident occurred in Ainsley's room where Zechariah likes to play in her denim chair. His routine is to climb in it, turn around and throw himself onto her fuzzy green rug...must be a boy thing. Anyway, somehow he ended up going sideways and catching his head on the bed and its nice metal frame (see second picture-it's the big purple splotch next to his nice blue vein!).

Next came the attack of the linoleum. Z was zooming across the kitchen floor and his arm gives out so face meets fake floor. This can also be seen on his cheek in the first picture.

Finally, he misses the trunk in the living room and his upper right eyebrow area breaks his fall on the tile entryway. For those of you that don't already know, the sound a kids' head makes when it hits the floor, door, wall, tub, or head of a sibling is far worse than the actual mark it leaves. And as you can see by the last picture (taken minutes after meeting the tile floor) kids aren't as fragile as you might think and a bath fixes just about anything!

Basically Zechariah is one giant bruise and I'm told by other moms of boys that it is standard operating procedure. I can remember Ainsley not getting a bruise until she was almost two...not because I babied her and didn't let her fall or "explore" but because I truly think boys are just a lot more rambunctious than girls. They like to climb things and then jump off those things without a thought to what happens next. I hear that my first trip to the emergency room for some stitches is coming up in the next year....super!

My Little Fuzzy Wuzzy

Yesterday Zechariah was sitting on the floor in the kitchen with the sunlight streaming in the backdoor and Mike said, "Look at his hair!" I of course had to get the camera and take a picture (or 3) because it was pretty funny.

It's a Zoo All Around!

Our trip to the zoo on Sunday with almost all the cousins (Kamrie was missing) was a great time! The kids had a lot of fun playing and eating and running around. In the beginning they were more interested in riding and pushing the rented wagons than they were in the animals. The ducks are always a hit because they are more interactive and so close. And of course, the gift shop is always pretty fun. We took them in two at a time while the others were getting one of those souvenir pennies with a picture on them that cost $0.51! I always have to laugh that you have to pay that for a penny. Oh well, part of the experience I guess. No one got injured, sick or sunburned so a great time was had by all. Next time I say we do the aquarium...

Zechariah and his zebra

Moving on after lunch...Dawson and Mike give the thumbs up!

Zechariah taking a bite out of Ainsley's snake
Dawson with his goods
Emily and her umbrella

Homer the porcupine
Liz and Ethan by the duck pond
Dawson, Emily, Ainsley and Marissa feeding the ducks
The ducks were well fed the day we went!
Ainsley wearing her snake

Marissa, Dawson and Emily taking a camel ride
Everyone enjoying ice cream (Zechariah was almost asleep by this time)
Ethan and his ice cream
Learning about Homer the porcupine
Ainsley feeling one of Homer's quills

A White Rhino
The baby Zebra using the tree as a back scratcher
Emily, Dawson and Marissa playing in the water
Splash!
Emily and Marissa

Dawson, Emily and Marissa imitating the monkeys
Terry, Liz and Ainsley
Dawson coming in for an action shot
Zechariah and his blankie in the stroller
The hyenas were pretty active today. They were running around in their little pool and play fighting. I think every time I've been to the zoo they are always sleeping.

Loading everyone up
This is what Ainsley thought of the Flamingo exhibit (it isn't the most pleasant smell)
Mike thought it was great!
Here is the newest Flamingo that doesn't look so much like a baby anymore. It is starting to turn pink and has lost all of it's fuzz.
Dawson pushing Ethan and Ainsley