Six second summary

I feel like the blog has lost something since I started it back in June 2008. The kids change so much every day and it is hard to capture every little adorable thing that they do in either words or even pictures. Cael is talking up a storm and says some of the cutest things. Yesterday he wasn't listening to me so I told him that if he didn't get his little butt up the driveway and into the garage in three seconds he was going for a time out (i.e. 'Cael Ryan Zikas I am sick of you not listening to me and if you don't get up here in 3 seconds you are going for a time out... one...two). He scurried in and then proceeded to pick up one of Potter's bones and throw it out into the driveway. He wasn't doing it to be a brat, but because he thought the bone didn't belong in the garage and should be outside (at least that is what I am telling myself). I walked over to pick up the bone and he looked at me, while holding up his fingers in a perfect imitation of me and said 'counting.... one.... two' and stopped as I walked back into the garage with the bone. Little twerp!

When the sun is in his eyes and we are in the car and he complains we tell him that we will be turning and then it will be all better. So now, instead of complaining he just instructs us to turn.... 'Mommy, turn? Mommy, turn?'

His vocabulary is getting bigger with every day. I love how he tells Ryan at swimming when the sun is shining through the window into one corner of the pool that 'the sun hurt-ed him' as he points to his chest. We both agree he is going to have a tough time in Florida with the sun hurting him so much :)

I have gotten into the habit of shaking my finger at him when I reprimand him and he has started shaking his finger at me while I am doing the actual scolding. It makes me want to both scream and laugh at the same time. Apparently, I am losing ground here and need to up the ante or something!

I feel bad that I don't post much about Aveyn other than to say how adorable she is. She rolled over yesterday, but hasn't done it again since. She is VERY close to rolling over consistently and will soon be mobile I can feel it. She still loves her hands and is content to stare at them as she moves them around above her head. She is still the easiest going baby and only cries or fusses when she is tired or hungry and occasionally when she has a messy diaper. She loves Mommy, Daddy and Cael, but isn't too sure of everyone else. Once she warms up, however, she is all smiles, coos and laughter. I love her little body and can't imagine our life without her.

Finally, last night we decided to give Aveyn and Cael a bath together for the first time. It was a little frustrating as she is still not able to sit up on her own and giving a little girl a bath in the Bumbo just doesn't quite get the job done. Cael had a great time playing with his toys and Aveyn just sat there and watched her brother with a cute little grin on her face the entire time.

Fantastic Friday!

These pictures were sent to me by Stefani. They were taken in January while we were in Omaha. Given today is Friday and we leave for Florida a week from tomorrow, I wanted to share with everyone. No particular rhyme or reason; just because. Happy Friday!!!

Human life explained (unclassified)

On the first day, God created the dog and said, "Sit all day by the door of your house and bark at anyone who comes in or walks past. For this, I will give you a life span of twenty years."

The dogs said, "That's a long time to be barking. How about only ten years and I'll give you back the other ten?"

So God agreed....

On the second day, God created the monkey and said, "Entertain people, do tricks and make them laugh. For this, I'll give you a twenty-year life span."

The monkey said, "Monkey tricks for twenty years? That's a pretty long tim to perform. How about I give you back ten like the dog did?"

And God agreed......

On the third day, God created the cow and said, "You must go into the field with the farmer all day long and suffer under the sun, have calves and give milk to support the farmer's family. For this, I will give you a life span of sixty years."

The cow said, "That's kind of a tough life you want me to live for sixty years. How about twenty and I'll give you back the other forty?"

And God agreed again......

On the fourth day, God created humans and said, "Eat, sleep, play, marry and enjoy your life. For this, I'll give you twenty years."

But the human said, "Only twenty years? Could you possibly give me my twenty, the forty the cow gave back, the ten the monkey gave back and the ten the dog gave back; that makes eighty, okay?"

"Okay," said God. "You asked for it."

So that is why for our first twenty years, we eat, sleep, play and enjoy ourselves. For the next forty years, we slave in the sun to support our family. For the next ten years, we do monkey tricks to entertain the grandchildren. And for the last ten years, we sit on the front porch and bark at everyone!!

Life has now been explained to you.

There is no need to thank me for this valuable information. I am doing it as a public service!

Happy Anniversary - 6 years

Ryan and I have been married for 6 years today and celebrated by getting a babysitter and going out to dinner at Del Friscos Steakhouse. The daughter of one of my co-workers works as a bartender and was kind enough to pay for two glasses of champagne and a delicious strawberry cheesecake. I actually started to lose my voice while we were waiting at the bar enjoying a glass of wine and it only got worse as the night went on. I felt fine other than a very sore throat. Thankfully it didn't take away from our evening.





The restaurant is pretty pricey, but so worth it because the food was AMAZING and I highly recommend it to anyone in the Denver area looking for a nice evening out. Ryan and I sort of snickered (and dropped our jaws in shock) at the $90 steak special that was being offered, but after eating our $75 dinner, which included a 16 oz prime strip, mashed potatoes and sauteed mushrooms, I can definitely see where someone might pay $90 for a steak (maybe once we win the lottery). My tummy is grumbling just thinking about it. The whole experience was absolutely wonderful. The staff did an exceptional job! Our waitress was super sweet and we spent some time exchanging stories and pictures of Cael and Aveyn and her 8 month old daughter Bella (Isabella)! It was a perfect evening made even more perfect by the fact that both of our kids slept great. Happy Anniversary to us!

Thank you Aunt Steffi

My sister in law (Stefani) was born to be an aunt (among other things). She loves her nieces and nephews with all of her heart and never misses an opportunity to let them know just how much she cares (to the moon and back)! She sends cards for every holiday and I mean EVERY holiday and also sends thoughtful gifts because she wants Cael and Aveyn to know that even though she can't see or hold them as often as she wants that she is always thinking about them.




St. Patrick's Day was no exception and even though I have been married to Ryan for 6 years and have known him for almost 10, I still find myself constantly amazed at the generosity and complete acceptance of his family. On Saturday morning when we opened the box from Stefani I was shocked for no other reason than I was amazed that she was able to not only remember to send a card, but to also include such perfect gifts. Her thoughtfulness continues to surprise me when it comes to the 'little things'. In the box was a bag for Cael and a bag for Aveyn that each contained a personalized book and stuffed animal that gave us instructions on how to name a star. Cael was so excited about his new book and his new stuffed animal and immediately sat down to 'read'. Ryan actually said 'say thank you aunt Stefani' and Cael said it so perfectly that we had to try and capture it on camera. It comes off a little more prompted than it was initially, but I think you get the idea. Aveyn loves hers too, but is just a little too young to communicate how she feels (give her a few months)!









Thank you Aunt Steffi!! You have nothing to worry about; gifts or not, your niece and nephew will ALWAYS know who you are, how much you love them and what a HUGE contribution you are in their lives...... regardless of where you live or how much time passes before you see them again!

Lil' Angels - February 2010

Once again Lil' Angels photography came to Gateway Academy to take pictures of the kids. This time they didn't dress anyone up.... I guess these would be considered their 'school' pictures. I didn't really know what to expect, but the minute I saw the first picture I fell in love. I have to admit I was not overly crazy about the picture of the two kids together, but I absolutely LOVE Cael's expression. I can't decide if he is happy about having a sister, being protective of her or if he is merely just tolerant of her existence. Either way it is pretty funny. Ryan and I are going to have pictures of the kids taken together once Aveyn is able to sit up on her own (shouldn't be too much longer) or maybe even a bit sooner and hopefully those are a little bit cuter!






I purchased a package and part of the package includes digital copies of all the images. I should be getting the CD next week and will upload to Shutterfly and send to everyone so if you want any of the pictures you can order them from Shutterfly.

Saturday at the park

The weather was supposed to be really great on Saturday so we decided we would take the kids to the park once they woke up from their naps. We loaded up all the gear, put a leash on Potter and off we went only to discover that it was windy and a bit on the chilly side. Nonetheless we continued the trek up the hill to the park. Cael had a great time riding in his wagon, playing on the swings, going down the slides and running around. There were people flying kites and he kept saying 'Mommy, kite' and then would say 'reach' meaning he wanted me to pick him up so he could touch the kite (try explaining that concept to a 2 year old). Ryan hung out with Aveyn and although she was dressed warmly we opted to leave her in the stroller so she didn't really get to fully enjoy the experience. We ended up only staying for about 20 minutes because Ryan and I were cold. Cael kept saying he was cold, but then when asked if he wanted to go home would say no. Instead of riding home in the wagon he decided to ride on one of his toys. Holy cow, he is fast on that thing and Ryan caught him several times before he went barreling into the street or flipped over face first. Silly boy. All in all, despite the fact that it was colder than we anticipated it was still nice to get out for a bit!







Ryan was a party pooper and wouldn't let me take his picture with the kids. Bum!

Who knew?

Our daughter loves beef. I took beef in beef gravy (sounds delicious doesn't it) to daycare for Aveyn not realizing that I didn't have any back up in case she didn't like it. Everyone was sure she would hate it (apparently a lot of babies don't like it) and Aveyn ended up surprising everyone because she LOVES it. I have to admit after seeing it and smelling it, I completely understand why people decide to become vegetarians. I guess Aveyn is a true Nebraska girl at heart!!

GoRgEoUs KiDz!

Am I completely biased: You betcha!

Do I think my kids are absolutely gorgeous: Unbelievably so!

Am I blessed to have such wonderful children: My cup runneth over.

Do I take too many pictures: Depends on who you ask.... I don't think I take enough.

Johnny Jump Up

We received a Johnny Jump Up at one of the baby showers and Ryan got it out this past weekend to see if we could get Aveyn to start using her legs more. He hung it in the pantry and stuck her in it and she LOVED it. She looks so tiny and absolutely adorable as she examines the trinkets and plays with the different toys. She hasn't mastered the art of actually jumping yet, but likes to move her feet and to spin around (but not too fast). Cael like to push her in it so she swings back and forth and loves spinning around and around, both of which we discourage. He really likes the music and will play it over and over so he can dance and jump up and down to the tunes. Aveyn just stares at him with this huge grin on her face and giggles every time he starts to dance or jump. It is seriously too cute and makes for great entertainment for the whole family!!!

Update (Aveyn) - 6 months

Aveyn had her six month appointment today and I wanted to update everyone on her stats and overall progress:

Weight: 14 lbs 9.2 oz (13 lbs 3.2 oz at four months)

Height: 26 inches (25 inches at four months)

Head Circumference: 43.4 cm (42.3 cm at four months)

She is in the 30th percentile for weight, 60-65th percentile for height and 80th percentile for head circumference. I have to admit when I saw 30th percentile for weight, I kind of freaked (internally), but the doctor reassured me that she is perfectly healthy and that they tend to see a drop between 6-9 months. She has also not been feeling that great and her appetite has definitely decreased in the last week. I think this is hard for Ryan and I because Cael had a huge appetite and was always above average. The doctor told me that they aren't so much concerned with weight at this age as they are height and head circumference, which are both above average. She wants us to start adding meat to Aveyn's menu rather than just fruits and vegetables. When I told Ryan his response was to ask how she was supposed to eat meat when she had no teeth. They aren't suggesting we feed her pieces of hamburger, but instead add stage two foods that consist of turkey, chicken and beef in a puree mix. Her ears look great, but she had a bit of rattling in her chest, which we assume is a result of trying to catch another cold. Everything else looked great and the doctor gave her a clean bill of health. She got four shots (including the flu shot) and did great-only crying until Mommy picked her up and gave her some cuddles.

We are still working on solid foods and she is now eating solids three times a day (she gets five bottles). We are working towards a four hour schedule, but so far she is demanding to be fed every three and a half. She gets a bottle at 6:00, then 9:00, 12:00, 3:30 and 7:30. She is the happiest baby and we love to make/hear her laugh. She loves her brother and watches him with complete awe, not to mention lots of smiles and giggles. We are still swaddling her and she has really taken to the pacifier (woohoo). She sleeps really well at night for the most part only waking occasionally and we are able to give her the pacifier and she goes back to sleep. We are doing a lot of experimenting with temperature (not sure if she is getting too hot at night) and elevation (using a pillow when we think she needs to be slightly elevated). She isn't rolling over quite yet, but is very close. She grasps things, passes them back and forth between her hands and pulls things towards her (all normal for her age). I can't believe she is almost 6 months!!!