Sunday, September 26, 2010

Visitors!

Last weekend, we were so excited that our dear friends John, Mary, and Cole (2 years) came to visit us from California.  We had a wonderful time visiting with them and introducing the boys - it was sure different from how the four of us used to hang out before kids!  We played a lot both inside and outside, and went to the zoo and apple orchard, among other things.

Here are Mary, Cole, Zander and Daddy swinging after our apple orchard outing on Friday:
Cole and Zander on the two-seater plane:
'Uncle' John making Zander laugh:
Cole is a big fan of Curious George.  It was very sweet that he even had a 'little George' for Zander to play with.  Here are both boys with both Georges:
 Zander loved Little George!
On Saturday, Daddy played in a softball tournament, which had him sore for several days to come.  Although we missed him at the zoo, we were proud to learn he was awarded the tournament MVP - here is the bobblehead trophy he gets to enjoy for the year - Go Daddy!:
On Sunday we stopped by Cousin Luke's soccer practice - here is Luke doing a drill with Uncle Bob:
The boys enjoyed some additional play time at the adjacent playground:
Zander had a blast on the swing with Daddy:
 Here is a lovely shot of Mary, Cole, and John.  We are so happy they were able to visit us and look forward to the next time!
Unfortunately the wonderful visit was followed by several days of challenge.  Even while Mary was still here, Mommy was diagnosed with Pink Eye, and 'quarantined' for 24 hours.  That night the stomach flu hit her as well - such fun!  Daddy then became ill and stayed home Tuesday and half of Thursday.  Zander also got stomach flu (while Mommy was away on her first business trip), so both boys were home Friday under the weather.  Fortunately we are all on the mend and ready for a new week!

Sunday, September 12, 2010

Summer Celebrations

Zander enjoyed attending a couple of late summer celebrations during the last month - first was the Korean Independence Day Festival - a celebration of Korean culture and food.  For starters, Nana Pat, Daddy, and Zander tried out some traditional Korean dress:
Zander was mesmerized by the Drum Dance:
He also liked the colors and motion of the Korean Fan Dance.
Zander loved the energy and people watching at this event.  It was fun for us to meet several families at varying points of their Korean adoption adventures.  Here Zander is showing off his sense of humor with a funny face for the camera:
After the fesitival, we had a delicious Korean meal at King's restaurant, and then visited Seoul Foods for some Korean groceries.  Yum yum!

Next was the big Minnesota State Fair!  Although we picked a blustery day, it was really a fun visit.  Here are some of Zander's animal encounters:
Reggie, the biggest boar in the state (weighing in at 1450 pounds):
Some local flavor:
Zander had a lot of fun with the animals (a few scared him), but we think the tractors were his favorite - he loved sitting on them and steering.
Another favorite was the Princess Kay of the Milky Way display - the butter queens!  Here is Zander checking out the scene - you can see one of the butter princess carvings behind Zander to his right. 

Why isn't Zander smiling very much in the butter photo?   He wanted to be held by Daddy vs. Mommy - he continues to be a big Daddy's Boy!

Monday, September 6, 2010

Back!

Back to work...  Back to school... Back online!  Thanks for your patience as our family gets our new rhythm figured out.  Mommy returned to work this week, and Zander continues his transition to daycare.  We are so thankful that Zander is doing great at his new school.  Drop-off is very difficult, but shortly thereafter, we hear that Zander really enjoys himself and his new toddler friends.  He is eating and napping pretty well at school, loves the outdoor play, and continues to build his independence (today, for example, Zander played outside on the deck by himself - previously he would have only done so if Mommy or Daddy was outside too).  The transition and level of activity has sure been tiring the little guy out - we look forward to his sleeping schedule settling down over the next 2-3 weeks as he gets used to the new routine.

Several of  Zander's end-of-summer experiences still need to be posted - but today Zander wanted to share photos from his Grandpa Duc's (Amy's dad) visit the last full week of August.  Grandpa Duc took a big road trip from his home in Dallas, TX to our home - via Washington DC (we are still trying to figure that part out!).

On Wednesday of Grandpa Duc's visit, we all piled into Uncle Bob & Aunt Heather's minivan to hit McDonald's for lunch.  It was so fun to go as a big family - Zander liked sitting by Grandpa Duc.  Then, that night was a tasty dinner at PF Chang's with both families as well as Amy/Bob's cousin Danh and his wife Hue.  Zander loved the filling from the 'soothing lettuce wraps.'  Zander and Grandpa Duc at PF Chang's:
Danh and Hue, happily waiting for their main courses:
The next day, Grandpa Duc held Zander - this was a big feat in that (similar to hugs) Zander has been pretty stingy about who he lets hold him:
Here is proud Grandpa Duc with his three grandsons (Zander, Brady, Luke):
That night, we hosted the same large group for BBQ at our home - here Zander is practicing his 'surprised' face:
Happy Labor Day everyone!  Zander had a fantastic long weekend - photos to follow.  Tonight we enjoyed a small milestone - when asked 'Where's Mommy?' or 'Where's Daddy?', Zander is able to point to the appropriate parent - yay!  He also pointed to Mommy at one point and said very clearly "Mama"... melted our hearts.