Thursday, July 24, 2014
A Passing
I got a text yesterday morning from my mother-in-law saying the Louis' grandmother had passed away at the age of 97. I never met the woman as she lived on the other side of the country, but I was related to her. Not by blood, but by marriage. So, I still considered her to be my grandma because all of mine are gone. She lived a long and good life and will be greatly missed.
Saturday, July 19, 2014
The Blinds
We have blinds that go across our sliding door that leads to the patio and Zachary is obsessed with them. We have his Step N' Play activity center right next to the door, so he gets to touch the blinds whenever he is playing. I would stop him, but he's so cute!
Friday, July 18, 2014
Catching Up
I have been so busy the last few weeks and I feel horrible for not blogging more often. My goal is to make a new blog post every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, but we'll see how that goes. For now, I am going to play a little catch up. For the month leading up to the concert that Louis performed in, Zachary and I went to the rehearsals because it was something fun to do on Thursday nights. Sometimes Zachary did get a little bored and I would take him outside for a walk around the building. I would get pictures of him in the grass because he loves being outside. I will share my favorites.
He really looks like a mix of a younger version of my brother Dan and Louis.
The next two were taken while we were listening to the rehearsal. Zachary loves to sit and hear the music!
These next few were taken the week after the pictures above. You want to know what I see in these next pictures?
A future model. This kid can pose without even trying!
I'll add in another photo just for fun. This picture was taken right after he fell over onto the grass. Normally, he would scream at home if this happened. He didn't cry at all this time. He might have looked a little stunned, but no crying.
He really looks like a mix of a younger version of my brother Dan and Louis.
The next two were taken while we were listening to the rehearsal. Zachary loves to sit and hear the music!
These next few were taken the week after the pictures above. You want to know what I see in these next pictures?
A future model. This kid can pose without even trying!
I'll add in another photo just for fun. This picture was taken right after he fell over onto the grass. Normally, he would scream at home if this happened. He didn't cry at all this time. He might have looked a little stunned, but no crying.
Tuesday, July 1, 2014
Noodle Face
I took Zachary to see his Grandma and Grandpa Clarke Yesterday and we gave him a few noodles. My mom (AKA Grandma) tried to give him one and this was the result. I'm pretty sure it doesn't go there, but it's so cute!
Thursday, June 26, 2014
Life is Complicated Sometimes
Sometime life gets complicated and you have to work through the hard times as well as the easy. Things are changing in our lives and it's for the better of our family.
It all started when I was still pregnant with Zachary. Louis came home one day and told me that he wanted to go back to school for Electrical Engineering. He realized that he wants more kids in the future (we're thinking 2-3 more) but the job he has now just isn't going to make that possible. It also wouldn't leave any room for us to get a house either, which we want to do in the future. I was fully supportive of his decision and am happy to know that he is looking out for his family. He starting taking classes in the spring of this year at Everett Community College. He will take classes to get a transfer degree and then go to the University Of Washington.
We made plans to move into my parent's house when our lease is up at the end of August. That way we can save money while Louis is in School and we can get into a better neighborhood to raise our boy. It's about a 40 minute drive from their house to ECC but that was okay because we didn't expect him to be going there for very long before attending the UW in Bothell, which is closer to my parent's house. We had this whole plan in motion and my parent's were starting to clear out some rooms for us. Then, we got information that changed everything.
Louis and I went to meet with a counselor at ECC to plan out a schedule for the classes needed to transfer. As it turns out, Louis will finish with the classes there in the fall of 2017. We weren't expecting it to take that long, but he is only doing school part time because he works full time. If he did school full time it wouldn't take as long, but we just can't do that. We looked into our options for classes at Cascadia Community College, but found that they didn't have all evening classes for their transfer degrees. Louis works until 2 pm so an afternoon class wasn't going to work. We thought for a few weeks about what we were going to do.
We would have two options if we still decided to live with my parents and both were not great.
Option 1: Louis travels to Everett from Woodinville for work and then back home, returning back to Everett in the evening for classes. This would not only have a lot of wasted driving time, but also use a lot of money for gas because he would be driving about 90 miles a day.
Option 2: Louis would go straight to the library at ECC after work. He would have a lot of time to study and do school work. The down side? Zachary and I would never see him. He would be gone from 4:30 in the morning until about 10:00 at night. He would still have to do school work on the weekends so Zach and I would basically be on our own every week.
We decided that we aren't going to do either of those. We are going to stay in Everett for now because it is the most logical choice for our family. We still hope to find a place by the end of August, but we are also not rushing it. We can always rent month to month until we find another place in a better location. We have looked into buying a house or condo, but just don't want to do it while Louis is in school. So, for now, we are going to keep renting.
It all started when I was still pregnant with Zachary. Louis came home one day and told me that he wanted to go back to school for Electrical Engineering. He realized that he wants more kids in the future (we're thinking 2-3 more) but the job he has now just isn't going to make that possible. It also wouldn't leave any room for us to get a house either, which we want to do in the future. I was fully supportive of his decision and am happy to know that he is looking out for his family. He starting taking classes in the spring of this year at Everett Community College. He will take classes to get a transfer degree and then go to the University Of Washington.
We made plans to move into my parent's house when our lease is up at the end of August. That way we can save money while Louis is in School and we can get into a better neighborhood to raise our boy. It's about a 40 minute drive from their house to ECC but that was okay because we didn't expect him to be going there for very long before attending the UW in Bothell, which is closer to my parent's house. We had this whole plan in motion and my parent's were starting to clear out some rooms for us. Then, we got information that changed everything.
Louis and I went to meet with a counselor at ECC to plan out a schedule for the classes needed to transfer. As it turns out, Louis will finish with the classes there in the fall of 2017. We weren't expecting it to take that long, but he is only doing school part time because he works full time. If he did school full time it wouldn't take as long, but we just can't do that. We looked into our options for classes at Cascadia Community College, but found that they didn't have all evening classes for their transfer degrees. Louis works until 2 pm so an afternoon class wasn't going to work. We thought for a few weeks about what we were going to do.
We would have two options if we still decided to live with my parents and both were not great.
Option 1: Louis travels to Everett from Woodinville for work and then back home, returning back to Everett in the evening for classes. This would not only have a lot of wasted driving time, but also use a lot of money for gas because he would be driving about 90 miles a day.
Option 2: Louis would go straight to the library at ECC after work. He would have a lot of time to study and do school work. The down side? Zachary and I would never see him. He would be gone from 4:30 in the morning until about 10:00 at night. He would still have to do school work on the weekends so Zach and I would basically be on our own every week.
We decided that we aren't going to do either of those. We are going to stay in Everett for now because it is the most logical choice for our family. We still hope to find a place by the end of August, but we are also not rushing it. We can always rent month to month until we find another place in a better location. We have looked into buying a house or condo, but just don't want to do it while Louis is in school. So, for now, we are going to keep renting.
Monday, June 16, 2014
Baby Food: Homemade vs. Store Bought
I made the decision to make all, with the exception of rice cereal and oatmeal, of Zach's meals at home for many several reasons. Store bought is expensive for how little you get. Zachary eats a lot and I would probably be spending about $30 a week on jarred food for him, but I can make two weeks worth for about $15 by doing it at home. Also, because store bought is packaged, you don't even know when it was made. All you know is the Best If Used By date. I wanted to make fresh food for him and know when it was cooked.
I made carrots for him the other day and wanted to share what I do.
First, I peel the carrots. This was a whole bag(1 lb) of Organic Carrots from Trader Joe's. Cost: $0.79
Then, the carrots get boiled until they are tender.
I always keep about 2 days worth in the fridge whenever I make a batch. The rest gets put into the freezer. I put it inside an ice cube tray first.
Once frozen, It gets transferred to freezer bags and put back into the freezer for future use. Don't mind the rice cereal crumbs on the table. I forgot to wipe it off after I fed him.
I take them out as I need them and either let a bowlful thaw in the fridge overnight or, if I'm in a hurry, warm it up in a microwave.
I made carrots for him the other day and wanted to share what I do.
First, I peel the carrots. This was a whole bag(1 lb) of Organic Carrots from Trader Joe's. Cost: $0.79
Then, the carrots get boiled until they are tender.
I always keep about 2 days worth in the fridge whenever I make a batch. The rest gets put into the freezer. I put it inside an ice cube tray first.
Once frozen, It gets transferred to freezer bags and put back into the freezer for future use. Don't mind the rice cereal crumbs on the table. I forgot to wipe it off after I fed him.
I take them out as I need them and either let a bowlful thaw in the fridge overnight or, if I'm in a hurry, warm it up in a microwave.
Wednesday, June 11, 2014
Zachary's 6 Month Check up
Zachary turned 6 months old on May 28th! Time sure has gone by fast and my baby is growing so big! He originally had his 6 month check up scheduled for June 3rd but we got a call from the clinic the day before and had to reschedule because of something going on with his doctor. We made it for this past Monday, June 9th, but got another call from the clinic on Friday saying that we had to reschedule again with a different provider because his doctor is now on an extended medical leave. Luckily, they were able to keep it for the same day (June 9th), but just a different time.
His appointment went very well and we have his stats! He is 27.48 inches (77.01%) long and weighs 16 lbs 14 oz (31.40%). The doctor said he's a long, skinny boy. We talked about how he's been doing with his eating and also a few other things. I was so proud of how he sat up by himself for the whole 40 minute appointment and the doctor was impressed with his core strength. That's why she wasn't too worried about the fact that he's not interested in crawling at all. He could crawl if he really wanted to, but he doesn't. He would rather stand and try to walk while holding our hands.
Here is more about Zachary at 6 months:
He currently has 4 teeth and is really close to cutting his 5th and 6th. His teeth are dangerous and nothing is safe anymore. I have been bitten many times on my arms and shoulders and hands. He will also chew on the wood kitchen table while in his booster chair. I'm trying to get him out of that habit. He also uses them to eat Cheerios.
His favorite foods are Milk, banana oatmeal and egg yolks, but he loves anything we give him!
He LOVES his dogs, Oscar and Sadie.
Let's not forget his Taggie Dog that he got from his Aunt Angelique!
His favorite things to play with are books, his phone (an old cell phone with battery removed), and his Fisher Price stacking rings( I call them his giant froot loops).
You will most often find him sitting up because he is really good at it!
But, his favorite thing to do is stand and try to walk! I kind of hope he's not an early walker like I was...
His appointment went very well and we have his stats! He is 27.48 inches (77.01%) long and weighs 16 lbs 14 oz (31.40%). The doctor said he's a long, skinny boy. We talked about how he's been doing with his eating and also a few other things. I was so proud of how he sat up by himself for the whole 40 minute appointment and the doctor was impressed with his core strength. That's why she wasn't too worried about the fact that he's not interested in crawling at all. He could crawl if he really wanted to, but he doesn't. He would rather stand and try to walk while holding our hands.
Here is more about Zachary at 6 months:
He currently has 4 teeth and is really close to cutting his 5th and 6th. His teeth are dangerous and nothing is safe anymore. I have been bitten many times on my arms and shoulders and hands. He will also chew on the wood kitchen table while in his booster chair. I'm trying to get him out of that habit. He also uses them to eat Cheerios.
His favorite foods are Milk, banana oatmeal and egg yolks, but he loves anything we give him!
He LOVES his dogs, Oscar and Sadie.
Let's not forget his Taggie Dog that he got from his Aunt Angelique!
His favorite things to play with are books, his phone (an old cell phone with battery removed), and his Fisher Price stacking rings( I call them his giant froot loops).
You will most often find him sitting up because he is really good at it!
But, his favorite thing to do is stand and try to walk! I kind of hope he's not an early walker like I was...
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