Happy 18 Months!

Zander turned 18 months today - Woo Hoo!  We celebrated with a BBQ dinner with Nana Pat, who made a delicious homemade pumpkin pie - Zander loved it and kept asking for more!  He continues to learn and develop seemingly every day.  He is doing well running, jumping, balancing, and riding a few of his larger toys.  His language comprehension continues to grow, he is picking up new signs, and now has a vocabulary of about ten words:  mama, uh-oh, apple, mow, bus, bubble, up, wow, moon, and his latest (and least obvious): doctor.  Being able to communicate a little better every day is so much fun for all three of us.

The weekend started out on the rough side - another painful haircut - but fortunately things picked up from there.  Here is Zander's new 'do' - the sticker on his shirt is a testament to his bravery:

Zander helped Daddy close out the vegetable garden on Saturday, and had a lot of fun playing with Kim and Dave when they stopped by to visit.  We suspect that the they helped lay the groundwork for the recent "doctor" vocabulary word - the last time they were over, Zander practiced on them extensively with his doctor kit:

 Zander always has a great time playing with Dave:

On Saturday, Zander took a field trip to St. Paul to meet some new friends for an evening that included lots of time enjoying a big sandbox, a tasty Korean meal, and playtime with four other kids!  On Sunday he enjoyed hosting his friend Clara (who just turned one - Happy Birthday Clara!) and her family for brunch.  Here is Clara playing with the lawnmower:

 So cute - Zander peeking in on Clara in the playhut:

Earlier this fall, Zander had a great time visiting  a couple of different orchards - this is where he picked up the word 'apple.'  Here he is earlier in the season, climbing through a fun log:

Playing in a wagon with Mommy:

Very excited about the hay stack:

Those chickens are funny!:

Driving the train:

Our second orchard outing was with more of the family.  Here we are on a fun hay ride - Zander, Daddy, Great-Auntie KK, Nana Pat, Brady, Aunt Heather, Luke, and Uncle Bob:

Zander laughing with KK:

Sisters - KK and Nana Pat:

Zander, Brady and Luke checking out the pumpkins:

Cousins: ~18 months, ~34 months, and ~4 1/2 years:

Zander visited a different orchard when his friend Cole was in town - highlights were another (bumpy!) hay ride, eating apple donuts, and tasting the newest apple variety - Sweet Tango.  So yummy!

Anniversaries

On Saturday, Zander helped Mommy & Daddy celebrate their wedding anniversary.  The fact that it was an unseasonably warm and sunny day with beautiful fall colors and that the Twins were playing the Yankees in the playoffs reminded us so much of our wedding day... but having Zander along reminded us how much life has changed!  We spent some time at the Mill City Farmer's Market where Zander enjoyed dancing to live music and sampling some different foods.  He uses a straw very well now - Daddy can vouch for that since Zander drank most of his Mango Lassi!

Dancing to the live tunes:

We enjoyed the view of the Mississippi River from the Guthrie Theater balcony.  The Stone Arch Bridge is where Mommy & Daddy got engaged, so it is always a special place to visit!

We strolled along the Stone Arch Bridge, stopping to admire St. Anthony Falls:

Daddy shows off the lovely view of Minneapolis from the bridge:

The beautiful fall colors:

We enjoyed a delicious lunch at the Astor Cafe in Saint Anthony Main before finishing our walk - it wasn't long before Zander was asleep in his stroller.  Nana Pat babysat Zander that night, allowing Mommy & Daddy to have a lovely night out to celebrate.  Thanks Nana!

Today marks four months since Zander arrived home - we went out to dinner to celebrate.  We continue to be amazed by his understanding of English in such a short time - he continues to say a few words here and there.  Tonight, he pointed up at the crescent moon and said "moo.."  So cute!

Happy Birthday Daddy!

Dear Daddy,
Happy Birthday!  Thank you for being such a fun Daddy!  Did you realize it was four months ago today that you arrived in Korea to meet me?  It's strange to think that on your birthday last year, you really didn't know anything about me - you hadn't even seen my picture!

I have such a good time playing and laughing with you, like this morning when I put banana in my hair at breakfast:

Or when we stopped to giggle on the floor on our way out of the house:

You are my hero!!  I love you very much Daddy. 

     Love, Zander

Race Weekend

This weekend we participated in two of the Medtronic Twin Cities Marathon events.  On Saturday, Zander took part in the Toddler Trot - a 50 yard run on the grass at the State Capitol building in St. Paul.  It was a riot!  Here is Zander at the start line (being held by Daddy, underneath the red-orange tree):

At the start line, Daddy joked with Zander, "This is what all our training has been for..." - some parents took Daddy literally and were taken aback by his apparent competitiveness - we laughed.  After the starting horn sounded, it took Zander a few minutes to get going - too many distractions:

Then he started to pick up the pace:

Yippee, he made it!  Zander was delighted to receive a big medal for his efforts:

We then had a delightful lunch at Mirror of Korea restaurant - delicious.  We had the pleasure of meeting (and being treated by!) a wonderful family who is planning their travel to Korea next month to pick up their son.  It was so fun for us to share our experience and advice with them... and reflect on the fact that we were in their same shoes just four short months ago!  How quickly life can change.  We wish them the best as they embark on their adventure.

On Sunday, Mommy ran the TC 10 Mile race - it was a very brisk but beautiful morning.  Daddy and Zander came out to cheer Mommy on - they were both even able to give her mid-race smooches near mile six, - what a boost!!

It has certainly been difficult to fit race training into our busy routine over the last couple of months - fortunately Daddy has been a real trouper and helped out with Zander on one of the weekend days so that Mommy could fit in a long run.  Mommy finished with a net time of 1:35 - not too bad for such minimal training, but 20 seconds/mile off her pace from last year.  Here she is with Zander after the race (already changed out of her Medtronic gear!) in front of the State Capitol:

We celebrated with a delicious brunch at Cooper - Nice work Team Wilson!!

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!

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!

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.