Yesterday was a memorable day... we endured the 5th largest snowstorm on record in the Twin Cities with over 17 inches of snow, and it marked six months that Zander has been part of our family! We cannot imagine life without his giggles, smiles, smooches and hugs.
In the morning, Zander performs his chores (smile). Today was sweeping:
This is Zander's "extreme smile" that we now get whenever we ask him to smile... or perhaps he is simply trying to express his continued love for Cheerios...:
We were able to make it over to Cousins Luke and Brady's house for an action-packed playdate as well as a delicious dinner that Daddy made. Zander loves playing with his cousins, and their vehicles! There were three drivers that participated in the loop course - total race time was nearly an hour.
Let's review the drivers - first was Zander, driving the Fisher-Price airplane:
Second was Brady, driving the Fisher-Price school bus:
And third was Luke, driving the big CAT truck.
Here they are at the start line, and they are off!
Driving the other direction:
There were some tight turns on the course - the most experienced driver Luke helped out Zander the rookie:
During a pit stop, Zander upgraded to the unattended CAT truck as Brady voiced some concerns:
Testing out the new wheels:
Pointing to Luke in the tunnel as he considers whether or not his truck will fit through (it didn't!).
After dinner, the boys played a fun "Butterfly Catching" game - the greenish elephant trunk blows out butterflies that float back down to the ground. Each cousin had their own net - here is Zander with his:
Luke in action pursuing a butterfly:
Everyone had a great time!
Mommy also captured two fun videos of Zander on this special day:
In the first (~2.5 minutes), Zander finishes his lunch during the snowstorm. He says his newest word "snow" which he picked up this weekend, says "cheese", and shares the few animal noises he knows at this point. And, as always, he expresses his love for "Daddy"! (no longer just "Da-da").
In the second (~2 minutes), Zander demonstrates his determination to eat some Cheerios, his ability to smile for the camera, and his technique in blowing kisses:
A third video (~1.5 minutes) that makes us laugh is another highchair clip that was actually captured on Halloween. Zander is fighting off sleep while finishing up his lunch:
Zander, we love you so much and are so lucky that you are part of our family!
Zander is enjoying the big snowstorm that is upon us today! He wanted to (finally) share some of the photos from his recent adventures in Texas - he had a wonderful trip!!
Playing football with Cousin Adaleigh - Hike!
Handoff from Daddy!
Touchdown!
Playing with Cousin Skylar:
So much fun!
Having a blast with Cousins Paige and Adaleigh:
Repairing the lion car with his new toolset (which accompanied a fun workbench) from Uncle Ryan, Aunt Amy, and Adaleigh:
Reading Thomas the Train with Uncle Ryan:
Playing Wii with Skylar and Adaleigh on Thanksgiving Day:
Thanks for the lift!
Playing with Kona and Tank at the park:
On Tuesday, Zander burned off some energy playing with the lion car at Grandpa Duc's house:
Then Grandpa Duc and Ann treated us to a delicious feast at our favorite Vietnamese restaurant:
On Friday, we met Grandpa Duc and Ann for coffee and breakfast treats. Afterward, Zander enjoyed exploring the Village Depot play area in Allen:
Playing in the Texas Maze:
Climbing on the red caboose:
Zander LOVED the huge decorated tree that played Christmas Carols:
At the park:
The three Wilson brothers (Jim, Chris, and Ryan) and their families enjoyed getting into the holiday spirit with a visit to an enormous Christmas store - the decorations were amazing!
It was a very special holiday and Zander did great... except for the flight down to Dallas - we described it as a "two-hour haircut". Extremely stressful! We were thankful that the passengers/families near us were very patient and understanding. Zander did awesome on the trip back home - we celebrated with some serious play at the Minneapolis airport upon arrival:
We are so blessed to have Zander in our family! Thanksgiving provided us the time to reflect on all the joy and happiness Zander has brought into our lives. He is such a fun little boy:
We had a wonderful time celebrating Thanksgiving with family in Texas - pictures to follow. Here is a video Daddy captured on his new phone - it includes Cousin Adaleigh pushing Zander on a Lion-mobile, as well as Zander saying his favorite/most frequently used word, "Dada":
A couple of weekends ago, we had our first snowstorm of the year - about a foot of snow! Zander (and Dooly) watched in amazement as the snow continued to fall:
He bundled up and had a blast exploring outside. Athough he didn't care for the snowflakes landing on his face, he had a great time riding his sled and playing in the snow:
Zander continues to love to pushing large objects around - including his new shovel:
Later in the day of the snowstorm, Zander helped celebrate Nana Pat's birthday with his first dim sum meal - he LOVED it! We were amazed at his capacity for noodles, dumplings, steamed buns, and sticky rice!
Here was Zander celebrating Grandparents Day back in September. He made her a special piece of artwork that included his palm prints:
That evening, Zander attended his first ball - the Little Red Ball, a fundraiser for our adoption agency. The event was at Target Field (the new MN Twins stadium) which was a fantastic venue. We all really enjoyed the 'behind the scenes' tour - here is the massive press box:
It took over 500 colored pencils to complete these pieces of art commemorating the 1987 and 1991 World Series victories:
We learned some other fun trivia as well, such is the fact that the stadium sports 14 miles of beer piping:
The boys enjoyed checking out the visitors' locker room - the last team to use it was the Yankees during playoffs:
The tour was supposed to include a trip to the dugout as well, but unfortunately it was inaccessible due to the large snowfall. Zander (and Daddy) loved how spacious the stadium walkways are:
Mommy and Zander enjoyed checking out the exclusive Champion's Club - a private club behind home plate for select season ticket holders:
One of the highlights for Zander was meeting the Twins mascot, TC:
It was a fun-filled evening out - we all had a ball!
Baby Boy Wilson was born on April 17, 2009 in Seoul, South Korea. On his first birthday, we named him Alexander Kim Wilson. We welcomed him home on June 11, 2010 - about a week before he turned 14 months old.
Baby Girl Wilson was born on January 7, 2011 in Seoul, South Korea. On Valentine's Day (shortly after her first birthday), we named her Kiana Park Wilson. We were delighted to welcome her home on April 14, 2012 at the age of 15 months - about six months earlier than we were expecting!
