{Aveyn} Quick Update - Bottles

Our little girl is growing up FAST....almost too fast (I now get why women 'miss' the baby phase - no, this does not mean we are having another - I don't miss it that much) for my liking. It seems like yesterday that Ryan and I were worried because she wasn't following the same time line as Cael and it now appears she is doing just fine....on her own time....line :) I am so happy to announce that Aveyn has been weaned from all but the night time bottle (woohoo) and my goal is to have her completely weaned by the end of the year. I would prefer sooner, but with the holidays and traveling, it is almost easier to give her a bottle than it is to deal with the aftermath of taking it away. She has taken to the sippy cup like a champ and I couldn't be more thrilled.

Happy Thanksgiving!?!

We hosted Thanksgiving at our house this year with my mom, Sheldon, Stefani, Barb, Tim, Erica, Nolan and Makenzi. Stefani and Sheldon arrived on Sunday and together with Barb offered to take care of Aveyn on Monday morning because she wasn't feeling well. They played with her and were even brave enough to administer, not one, but two nebulizer treatments, which she desperately needed and went a long way in making her feel better.

As usual, Nolan and Makenzi were SO good with the kids and kept them entertained much better than any of the adults could have dreamed of doing. The rest of us entertained ourselves by either playing cards, Catch Phrase and/or video games while also partaking in our alcoholic beverage of choice and stuffing ourselves full of delicious food. Everyone contributed in one way or another to the cooking, but the majority of the credit goes to Mom, Barb, Sheldon and Stefani.

It was a full house, but so absolutely wonderful to have everyone together for the holiday. Thank you to each and every one of you for making this a very memorable Thanksgiving and we hope you are seriously considering making the trip to Colorado next year for Christmas.

Happy Gram - Writing

I love happy grams and I love Primrose (the new school). Cael seems much happier and is showing a lot of improvement in terms of learning, listening, etc. So naturally I couldn't have been more thrilled with the latest happy gram....

'One of our goals is to help the children learn how to write their names. We've been practicing writing our letters by tracing and sand writing. Cael has shown a lot of interest in sand writing and with a little guidance we were excited to see him write the letters in his name'! ~Mrs. Sarah & Ms. Kristen

{Aveyn} Quick Update - Walking

Aveyn is SOOO close to walking. She takes about 4 to 5 steps on her own, stands up by herself and will actually push herself into a standing position (you know that cute thing they do when they stick their little butts in the air trying to get back onto their feet) - which to me is a definite indication that walking is not too far away for Miss Aveyn Jo! I CANNOT WAIT!

Happy Gram - Potty training

Although we decided to potty train Cael in late July, he still struggles with accidents at school. We have been working with his teachers to do our best to remedy the problem and apparently he has shown improvement because this is what his last happy gram had to say:

'He has been doing a lot better with always going in the potty, we have started using a sticker chart with him and he seems to respond and enjoy that the most. He is also very helpful to his teachers when we ask him to do things'! ~Ms Kristen

He might not be fully potty trained, but he is doing his best and it is comforting to know his teachers have a vested interest in seeing him succeed!

Nana and Grandma

As I mentioned in a previous post, Nana and Grandma flew into town to take care of the kids so that Ryan and I could take a much needed vacation. They were disciplinarians, nurses, entertainers, cuddlers and night watch-women - on duty for 24 hours a day - and we are eternally grateful to them for electing to take on those roles so that we could enjoy some time to ourselves in Mexico. We got back on Friday night and spent the weekend with them, which was the perfect way to end our vacation.

I can't stress how thankful Ryan and I are to the two of you for coming to Denver to take care of our kids. We know it is a lot to ask, but we are forever in your debt. Love you both!!!! Let's do it again next year ;) Hee hee!

Happy Gram - Singing and Learning

'Aveyn is the Queen of circle time!! She is so smart & has much willingness to learn. She tries all the signs to the picture cards & she knows every gesture to every song. Singing & learning sure makes her happy!!' -Ms. Kristina -Ms. Rachel

Happy 3rd Birthday Cael Ryan

On November 15, 2007 at 6:52 pm, Ryan and I welcomed Cael Ryan Zikas into this world (well, actually Ryan welcomed him and I just laid there and looked at him in shock)! It has been a wonderful three years filled with lots of new experiences as well as many life lessons, laughter and love (in addition to the occasional temper tantrum, potty training mishap, and battle of wills, but who's keeping track of that stuff?) We love this little boy so much and truly can't imagine life without him (he is eating a waffle with butter, syrup and COOL WHIP for his birthday breakfast)!

Nana and Grandma watched the kids while Ryan and I in Mexico so we threw a party for Cael on the Saturday after we got back. I asked him if he wanted to have a party and he said that he did. We discussed that the party was for him because it was his birthday and he that was going to be three and for the rest of the evening he kept talking about it and yelling how much he wanted to have a PARTY! It took us a while to get everything organized including the trip to Walmart to buy his presents and cake and King Soopers to buy his balloons, but in the end I think it was a hit!

He had SO much fun eating his cake, listening to us sing (we had to sing Happy Birthday 3 times) and opening his presents. Gifts this year included: cards and contributions to his checking account, clothes, games, a crane, a dancing SUV, a hula hoop and a horse on a stick. Thank you to Grandma and Nana for helping with the party and thank you to everyone who sent gifts, cards and/or well wishes. He is a very blessed little boy.

Nemo - the Betta

I have wanted to buy a fish for Cael for as long as I can remember and his upcoming birthday seemed like the perfect opportunity. Going into it I knew that I would be the primary caregiver for said fish and that in all likelihood, the fish would be more mine than his, but that didn't stop me. I had betta's when I was younger so I knew there were not going to be any goldfish in Cael's bowl. I attempted to get Cael really hyped up about his new pet fish, but after the initial novelty wore off he couldn't have cared less (didn't stop me). We made a trip to Petsmart where we proceeded to pick out our new pet, a bowl, some rocks, food and back home we went - at this point I guess it is fair to say that Cael was more interested in the dogs available for adoption, ALL the other fish, the guinea pigs, the dog toys than he was his new fish, but again, that didn't stop me. Cael had an opinion on certain matters - he wanted a blue fish, dark blue and turquoise rocks and he wanted the fish's name to be Nemo.

Within a couple days of having Nemo it became apparent that he was not doing well so my mom, Barb and I headed off to Petsmart again so I could pick up more supplies (this fish was NOT going to die on my watch). I also made the executive decision to switch out some of the rocks - I removed the dark blue ones and replaced them with gold and clear - so that Nemo is a little easier to see. He is now thriving and I am pretty sure Cael doesn't even remember that he even owns a fish, much less that his name is Nemo ;) 

Mexico, baby

In July, Ryan and I made plans to go to Playa Del Carmen with some friends of ours. We paid our deposit and started daydreaming about white sand beaches, ocean breezes and a week without any responsibility (no kids, no work....sounds like heaven to me). Dan, Jess and Ryan have known each other since their high school years at Platteview in Springfield, NE and when I was introduced to Jess we hit it off almost immediately! The four of us get along so well and we have been talking about taking a trip together since 2004 so it was long overdue. Forgive me if I go into too much detail as this was our first trip without the kids and our first 'couple' vacation in a VERY LONG TIME!!!!!!

We woke up at 2:00 am on Saturday morning to catch a 6 am flight to Houston where we met up with Dan and Jess and after a brief layover flew into Cancun. The flights were non-eventful and we arrived at approximately 1:30 pm. It was an all inclusive resort so food and drinks were unlimited and trust me, we took advantage! We went to bed at approximately 8:00 every night and woke up at 7:00 every morning. Our schedule basically consisted of the following: wake up, put on our swimsuits and cover ups, brush our teeth and head to breakfast at the buffet (usually Ryan had reserved our chairs at the pool or beach already), after breakfast, we headed to our designated spots where we proceeded to lay out/read/swim. Around 10:00 we ordered our first drink and leisurely drank until it was time to go get lunch at which time we usually headed over to the 'American' restaurant at the resort for their delicious chips, cheese, hamburgers, wraps and salads (and we were never disappointed). After lunch we laid around by the pool until it was time to go back to the room to get ready for dinner. We had 5 restaurants to choose from and after stuffing our belly's full of delicious food it was time for bed (no one said we were party animals) and then we woke up and did it all over again!

I think the boys got bored because Jess and I were literally content to read, sleep, eat and drink ALL day EVERY day! Our next trip will be to a nice warm place with beautiful beaches and plentiful food and drink, but will also include UNLIMITED golf! We are already planning our next vacation and I am very much looking forward to our next adventure with the Gochenour's! Thank you both for a wonderful trip!

A big thank you to Grandma and Nana because without them there is no way we could have taken the trip. They stayed with the kids so we could have some much needed 'couple' time and there are literally not enough words to express our gratitude. They handled each situation, crisis and routinely mundane things with grace, laughter and humility and from the bottom of our hearts we THANK YOU!