Fun at the Sacramento Zoo

We had a fun day on Friday at the Sacramento Zoo. Michael took the day off to join Connor and I on our last day of Spring Break. Thanks Michael for taking the day to be with us!

(Tired out and found some plush friends at the gift store!)

Fun at Fairytale Town!

Connor and I ventured out to Fairytale Town today and had a blast! I pretty much followed his lead and and we explored the park for three hours! It was so fun to see how independent he is now with all the slides and play structures. It was also a blast to watch him interact with others... going up to an adult man wearing a Giants hat and saying, "Go Giants!" or going up to a group of kids and saying, "Remember when the Easter Bunny came and brought me candy and books?" or going up to the goats and saying, "Good Morning Mr. Goat!" He is such a social kid... I just love watching him grow and learn! I love him so much!

Easter Sunday

Dying hard boiled (turned out to be soft boiled) eggs with Poppy and Mimi

The adults enjoying the candy after the egg hunt. Connor was more interested in playing baseball with Daddy, so we got to raid his eggs.
On the hunt...
We over did it with eggs. Half way through, Connor handed me his basket and said, "I'm tried. You do the rest Mommy."

The expectant Mommy and Daddy! Last Easter without children. ;-)

Poppy reading to Connor while on the phone with Aunt Mallory. We missed you Mal!

Family... oh how we are blessed!

Connor with his grandmas!

Connor and his Easter goodies... spoiled by the Easter Bunny and his grandparents.

Michael's Birthday Celebrations!

The following are pictures from our weekend celebration of Michael's 30th birthday. We had a blast celebrating with a quiet breakfast at home, with friends and family at Oshima Sushi, and at a River Cats game, followed by fireworks. It was a special weekend for a very special man!

Not sure if you can see... but the score board says, "Happy 30th Birthday Michael Louis!"

Happy Birthday Michael!

Dear Daddy,

Happy Birthday! I love you so, so, so, very, very much. You are the best daddy in the world. I love how you make me laugh by tickling me, saying funny things, and making silly faces. My favorite time of the day is when you get home and we play baseball in the living room. You pitch the ball just right and always cheer for me. I love the surprised face you make every time I hit a home run! I also look forward to our special time at night when you put me to bed. You always make me laugh so hard, and I go to bed in such a happy mood after getting to spend that time with you. I love our weekends because you make me special pancakes with the perfect amount of whipped cream and syrup on each bite. I also like how you convince Mommy to take us to Chuck E Cheese so we can play games together. You always seem to know what I want. When I'm hurt or feeling sad, you always know how to comfort me or cheer me up. I am so thankful you are my dad. I love you more than anything. Happy Birthday Daddy! Love, Connor Michael

Happy Birthday to the most amazing husband and a wonderfully natural dad! Connor and I love you so much!

Spring Time Fun!

Today we had the most lovely playdate. Danielle and Sophia hosted us, including Kirsten and Lilliana and Liz and Madeline. We all took a walk, stopped to get sandwiches, and then had a picnic in the park. The big kids (Lil and Connor) played on the equipment and then enjoyed an Easter egg hunt. What a blast! It's days like today that make me so thankful for the wonderful friends we are blessed with. To be able to hang out with wonderful moms that I can learn from and beautiful, warm children for Connor to grow up with. We are truly blessed.

Connor and Lilliana ready for the hunt!

And they're off...

Comparing goods...

Connor posing with the pigs.

Connor helping Mommy bake cupcakes for Daddy's birthday.

My Little Monet!

Like Father, Like Son! I got my camera out to take a picture of what looked like a very sweet, candid moment (Michael helping Connor with a puzzle). However, as soon as they saw the camera... this was the pose I got!

Play date last week. Sophia Christy, Connor, and Madeline Kann. Sweet friends!

Exciting News!

We have some exciting news to share... Connor is going to have a cousin! Mandy and Chad are expecting a baby in October! We are overly excited and thrilled to have a new family member! The pregnancy hasn't been easy to say the least. Mandy spent much of her first trimester in and out the hospital due to severe cramping, and eventually had to have surgery to find out what was going on. During the surgery, the doctors found a heterotopic pregnancy which means one developing fetus in the uterus, and one fetus in the fallopian tube. The doctors had to remove Mandy's fallopian tube, but the baby in the uterus continues to develop and appears very healthy! What a blessing! Amidst Mandy being at the hospital recovering from surgery, her husband Chad was also in the hospital having his gall bladder removed. That week brought a whole new meaning to the phrase, "when it rains, it pours." We are all so glad the surgeries are behind them and now they can concentrate on getting healthy and preparing for a new baby! Connor is very excited about the news and claims that the baby is a girl and has named her Mia. He is very set on this too, which will be interesting to see if his predictions are accurate! Despite his excitement and enthusiasm... I'm not sure he understands completely because he keeps telling people that he has a baby in his belly! Oh well!

This is a picture of Connor playing "doctor" with Mandy. He insisted on bringing his doctor's kit to the hospital. Connor was a trooper and visited Mandy often in the hospital. I was worried about exposing Connor to the hospital and concerned about his level of understanding of everything. Connor was amazing... he was able to cheer Mandy up each time and often brought a smile to all the nurses faces too. He was never scared or hesitant, but eagerly snuggled with Mandy and gave hugs, kisses, and raspberries freely. He is medicine for the soul!

This past weekend, we joined Jeff, Kirsten, and Lilliana at the Folsom Zoo. It was a lovely day with great friends! We saw many animals, played at the park, ate a delicious picnic, and got to ride the choo choo train! Following are some other random pictures... Connor and Michael playing air hockey at Chuck E. Cheese, Connor celebrating Mimi's birthday, and having tea time with Mimi in Modesto.

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Our Little Slugger

We spent much of this rainy Sunday playing inside. We had a blast playing baseball in the loft and this video captures some of Michael's coaching and Connor's talent. I think we'll be spending many Sundays watching him play in the future!

Friday Fun with Friends

Friday was my first day off in awhile, so we spent the day catching up with friends. Connor had such a blast playing and interacting with his friends. We were reminded once again, how blessed we are to have such great friends (for Connor and Mommy too!).






Here is Connor with Baby Madeline, Liz and Greg's beautiful daughter!












Connor with his Buddies... Connor is holding Baby Jackson (Heidi's cutie pie), next to him is Baby Sophia (Danielle's princess), and then Lilliana (Kirsten's sweetheart).

If I ever open a day care (highly unlikely!), this will be my postcard!

We're here...just busy!

No big news to report, just wanted to post and let you all know we're still here. Things have been busy lately. Michael continues to be busy at work. I started teaching at Sac State again, so work is much busier for me too. Michael and I have been working on our rental home to get it ready for the new tenants who move in this week. We're enjoying what little free time we have with our little man. Speaking of Connor- he just recently got a haircut. He asked for a "mohawk" and we settled for a spiky do. He looks so grown up now. Hope everyone is well!

Had to include this one too... just love that expression! CHEESE!!!!!

Fun Weekend!

This weekend, we spent our Saturday at the SF Giants Fan Fest! It was another great day and a wonderful memory for our family. The crowds were crazy... with 40,000 fans enjoying the festivities. They had to close the doors to many others who wanted to come in, but the park was already at capacity.

Here are Michael and Connor hanging out in Triples Alley!

Connor got to meet Lou Seal, but he was still a little cautious and scared. Afterwards, he kept saying, "I love Lou Seal!"

Here is Connor in his new Giants pajamas that we picked up for him at the Dugout Store.

Lastly, here is a picture of Connor last Friday, celebrating his half birthday. What a sweet boy!

Happy Half Birthday Son!

Today Connor is officially 2 ½! The time seems to be flying by more than ever. Connor has really developed his own personality and Michael and I are just treasuring every stage. I wanted to recap on some of the great things about Connor during this stage in his life so we can look back and remember what an amazing boy he was at such a young age!

• Connor is such a talkative little boy! He learns new words each day and it is so exciting to have him share his thoughts with us. He communicates clearly and always has something to contribute. Our dinner conversations get more interesting each day- with Connor taking charge of the conversation. It’s also hilarious to observe Connor talking on the phone (pretending or actually calling someone). He’s able to practically carry on a full conversation with “Hello ____.” “How are you?” “I love you,” “Goodbye” and answering all the questions in between. He loves to call family and chat on the phone!

• Connor is also learning a lot of Spanish. At day care, his wonderful day care provider, Amalia teaches him Spanish throughout the day. Each morning, Connor greets her with “Buenos Dias Amalia.” It’s interesting to watch Amalia talk to him in Spanish and hear Connor answer her in Spanish. Sometimes, I’m not even sure what they are talking about!

• It’s so exciting to watch Connor learn new things. Connor likes to count to 10, recite his ABC’s, read books, and do puzzles. There are many books that Connor is beginning to “read” on his own. It’s fun to watch him recite the books and use the same tone and expression as we do when reading. Connor loves to point out things he sees, and often our drive to work in the morning consists of Connor pointing out objects (truck, car, airplane, choo choo train, houses, birds, tractors, school bus, city bus, etc.). He always reports the weather in the morning and notifies me if it’s dark or light, or foggy or clear. He enjoys talking about the sun rising and likes to look for the moon at night. Lately, we’ve been working on colors and Connor is picking them up fast. When driving now, Connor will say “Green light… Go!” and “Red light… Stop!” He’s becoming a back seat driver!

• Connor loves to sing and perform! He really seems to enjoy music just like his Daddy. Some of his favorite songs right now include The ABC’s, Do You Know the Muffin Man, You Are My Sunshine, Down in My Heart, Wheels on the Bus, and Jesus Loves Me. He also loves to listen to the radio and often sings along with popular songs, which always gives Michael and me a good laugh! Connor often chooses music during our play time… he enjoys playing the drums, piano, guitar, and tambourines. He’ll often hand out instruments to Michael and I and we’ll have our own marching band in our living room. Connor has great rhythm and likes to dance. He’ll watch his reflection in our sliding glass door or our closet door mirrors and really put on a show!

• Connor is such a loving boy. His random acts of affection just melt our hearts. Frequently, out of nowhere, Connor will come up to us and say, “I love you soooo much Mommy/Daddy.” He’ll follow it with a big hug and a kiss. A fun activity that he started is kissing us through each banister on the stairwell… it’s a great way to get lots of kisses because he doesn’t miss one slat. Connor is also very encouraging and gracious. He often says “Mommy, Good job _______!” The blank could be anything from driving, cooking, cleaning, brushing teeth, etc. He’s always telling us that we’re doing a good job. It sounds funny, but it’s a nice reassurance that we’re on the right track!

• Connor is also very helpful! He is always trying to help and assist us. Connor helps us unload the dishwasher by putting all of his dishes away in his cupboard. He also helps by pushing the wet laundry into the dryer for me. Connor is in charge or giving Buddy his treats each day (and he never forgets this responsibility). Connor is also starting to feed Buddy too. Connor is usually very tidy, putting his shoes and dirty clothes away and picking up his toys.

• Connor continues to be very social. Everywhere we go, he makes new friends. He has many friends that he just adores- including the kids at day care (Isabel, Ximena, Alaijah, and Kaitlyn). We also have lots of friends that we have playdates with including Lilliana, Sophia, Jackson, and Maddie. It’s so fun to see Connor play with kids his own age. He talks about his friends a lot and you can tell he thinks of them often. Last weekend, Michael and I took Connor to Chuck E. Cheese, and he chose to get a bracelet for Lilliana with his tickets. What a thoughtful boy! Already knows how to treat a lady! He must learn this from his wonderful Daddy!

• Connor continues to be very athletic. He loves to run, jump, and climb! He enjoys playing catch and baseball with Daddy. We’re often amazed at how good he can throw and bat already. He’s learning to catch well too. I think we’ve got a future SF Giants player… but I may be just a proud mommy. I just took him to the park this week (because the sun was shining!) and I was amazed at how independent he is on all the play equipment! He was climbing each structure, hanging from bars, and going down all the slides independently. Such a strong boy!

• Connor is completely toilet-trained during the day now. He takes great pride in his big boy underpants and is very diligent in letting us know any time he has to go to the bathroom.

• For the most part, we’ve been really blessed with a healthy child over the last six months. Connor hadn’t had a cold or illness in what seemed like a very long time. Just last week, though, he came down with some cold symptoms and was complaining of ear pain. I took him to the doctor, and after a very torturous ear flushing, the doctor confirmed that he had a double ear infection. It seemed like it had been an eternity since he had an ear infection and I was hopeful we were already passed them. Oh well! After a day on the antibiotics, Connor was back to himself! Such a trooper!

• Connor also seems to enjoy art and creative play. He often draws pictures and our Art Wall at home is getting pretty full. Connor enjoys playing playdough and he “cooks” different things for us to eat. Connor enjoys going to Art Beast where he gets to explore with paint, clay, instruments, puppetry, etc. He’s such a creative, imaginative little boy.

• Lastly, Connor has a beautiful sense of humor which I’m sure he got from Michael. He makes up jokes that he’ll tell us (which often, we’re not sure what the joke really is), and then he’ll start cracking up afterwards. I can already tell he has an interest in making others laugh and bringing joy to others. What a lovely trait to have! Hearing Connor’s laugh is the most wonderful thing… he has a normal laugh that he does often, but every now and then something really makes him laugh and he lets out the most adorable giggle. I could listen to that giggle all day long!

These are just some of the things I can think of. If you have something to add, or a special moment you’d like to share, please add it as a comment!

Happy Half Birthday Son! You are an amazing little boy and we’re so happy to be your parents. We love you!