Happy Birthday Granny

The whole family got together a week after Granny's birthday for a surprise party. I think she really was surprised. Jennifer flew in from Texas and Don and Bonnie were able to attend. We hadn't seen them in a long time. All of the kids had a great time. We have really been blessed to still have our Grandmother. Happy Birthday Granny and I hope that you have many more.

Granny's 85th

Here is a link to all of the pictures.

Worker man truck

We went to Toys R Us to get Zach a birthday present. While we were there, we decided that we would get a battery and a charger for Zander's old four wheeler. It was a hand me down and the battery was the wrong size, so it didn't work well. We discovered that a battery and charger were going to be almost as much as a new riding toy. We decided to go ahead and get him one. He really wanted the firetruck, but it was $400. Who can afford that? Not us! We settled on the Arctic Cat and he loves it. I think he has ridden it everyday. We took it over to Granny's and he rode it down to the old house and in the field. Then we rode over to the Brady Bunch compound and they all rode there cars and trucks. Much fun was had by all.

We went to Zachary's birthday party on Sunday, the 11th. It was at Chucky Cheese. This is the first time that Zander really had a good time there. The other times that we have been there, he rode 3 or 4 rides and didn't even notice that there were games there. This time he followed the other kids around and saw the video games. There was a fireman game where you use a hose and put out fires. He loved it! I didn't think we would ever get him away from there.
All of the kids had a great time. When we got home, he took off his shirt as he always does and he looked in his treat bag and found pink dracula teeth. He thought they were the coolest thing he had ever seen. He put them in and rode around and around on his tricycle. He couldn't figure out how to swallow his saliva, so every few minutes, he would start drooling. He would get off, wipe his mouth on a towel and then get right back on and ride some more. He even wore them in the bathtub that evening. I guess you never know what will hold a kid's attention.
Here is a slide show of the pictures from Zach's party.

Mom and Dad's Birthday Meal

Zander thinks when it is someone's birthday, that you always go to the Mexican Restaurant. We went for Mom and Dad's birthdays. When we went in, he went and told the manager, that we have two birthdays at our table and we need the mariacay band to sing happy birthday. They always pick at him and he has a great time.
We had a great meal as usual and then it was time for the sombrero! Check out the pics in the slideshow. Mom and Dad are styling. A great time was had by all. Happy Birthday guys!

Halloween shopping

I love Halloween and I think Zander does too. We went costume shopping on Saturday and he wanted to try on every scary mask that was in the store. He wasn't interested at all in the children's costumes. For about a month now, I have been asking him what he wanted to be and he kept going back and forth between a fireman and a bit rat (Remy from Ratatoiulle). When it came down to actully buying on of the costumes, he didn't want either one of them.
For everyone that knows Zander, you know that his favorite thing in the whole world it the Jungle Book movie. I preordered the 40th anniversary edition months ago and it was time to pick it up this week. Guess what was at the store - the 40th anniversary Shere Khan costume. I am glad that I waited to get something. You should have seen his face when I showed it to him. He didn't want to take it off. I think that was the perfect costume. Expect to see Zander's sharp claws!

bowling with three year olds?

Whose idea was it to take 2,3 and 4 year olds bowling? Granted, now they have this metal contraption that you can put the ball up on and the kid can push it so it actually goes all the way down to the pins, but they are not very good at having to sit and wait for their turn. It was quite an adventure but I don't think we will be going back anytime soon.

Happy Birthday Charlotte

Zander's Grandma Sandi recently returned from the rainforest in Indonesia. One of the many things that she sent to Zander was a drum. He puts this big heavy drum on and walks around the house playing forever! It is really heavy and it makes a big red mark on his neck, but he doesn't care and he won't let me put anything there to keep it from hurting his neck.
This week was cousin Charlotte's 4th birthday. Zander, of course wanted to go to Texas for her party, but I told him he would have to just sing happy birthday. So, here is his song to you Charlotte. Happy Birthday!!!
PS. Thanks for the drum Grandma!

Can he fix it? Yes he can!

What a great idea! We went by Lowes Home Improvement one Saturday morning to pick up something, and they were having make it take it projects for the kids. Zander got an apron and safety goggles to take home. He made a wooden calendar for Mom's desk at work. He had a lot of fun and looked so cute. They have the projects the 2nd and 4th Saturday of the month.

So Big

 

Where did my baby go? It seems like only yesterday that I was playing "How big is Zander? So Big". Now his is so big. He is such a funny little guy. He is constantly saying the funniest things. The other morning when I woke him up, before he even opened his eyes, he said "put me back in the tool box, I am a screwdriver."
I always mean to write them down, but I am usually doing something and forget.
He seems to be adjusting well at school. They say that he is talking alot. That is a real shocker. They are trying to teach him that the teachers can't always talk to him, so they have told him to go and talk to a friend and if the friend doesn't want to talk he has stuffed animals to talk to. I guess we have to work on taking turns in conversation. He has been the center of our world and he is going to have to learn that there are other people in the world too.

Collector's Item

 
 
Who would have ever thought that an old dirty big wheel was worth any money? On Saturday, we had a yard sale at CiCi's house. Along with all of Zander's clothes and baby toys, we put our some items from Mom's basement. There were two big wheels that Jenn and I rode to death when we were little. Zander had a blast riding them and all of the kids that came to the yard sale also rode them. I decided to look them up on Ebay to see if they were worth any money. Apparently, they are a hot collector's item right now. They do not make them anymore but you can still get new ones on Ebay. They had several that looked liked ours, dirty, stickers missing, no tread on the tires. They were going for over $50. I was surprised. Well, we saved one for the kids to ride and let the other one go to Goodwill. I guess I won't be getting rich off of Ebay anytime soon giving items away. At least I did ask money for most of my items that day, right Cici?!

Labor Day Weekend

This was a big weekend for our family. It has been 8 years this weekend that Summers and I have made a home together. I am so glad that we are still together and have a family. On Friday evening we all just relaxed, it seemed to be an especially taxing week for us all. Zander had his first full week of school. He is adjusting well and learning alot.
This is a very stressful time of the year for me. I found out that my classes had been dropped while I was away in Chapel Hill last week. I have spent every free minute this week dealing with that and at this point, I am still not in. The classes are a requirement for my job so this is very frustrating. It is also the time of the year that all of the centers in the county apply and our chosen for our programs. I have 4 centers that I am totally resposible for over the next 9 months. There are over seventy classrooms. We are in the process of doing Environmental Rating Scales on all of these classes. It is a very tedious process. I am also doing alot of night training. I have recently become a Be Active Kids Trainer. I am also doing training on Conscious Discipline. It is a social emotional discipline program that teaches you to resond instead of react and teaches children self discipline.
On Saturday, Vicki came and very graciously helped me with my new computer and router. The Time Warner cable guy messed up some settings and nothing was working. Being the wonderful programmer that she is, she had no trouble figuring out the problem and in no time it was working. I know this is silly, but I was just talking on the phone and on the internet at the same time. I have never been able to do that. And to top that off, I was sitting on the couch. I love technology. I may never get off of the couch.
Vicki brought Rosie and Riley with her and they played with Zander while we worked. He had a difficult time sharing his toys. I got to thinking about it and the only time in his life that another child had been to our house was over a year ago when myh sister and her children were visiting at Christmas. We don't have anyone that we hang out with except for Vicki and Alana and we just realized that we never have visitors at the house. We have to fix that. Zander needs to have play dates. We invited Rosie and Riley to come back and spend the night. Rosie was very excitied, but Riley wanted no part of it. She came back in the evening and they had alot of fun. Rosie didn't sleep well being in an unfamiliar place.
On Sunday, we went to Moms' for lunch and then Zander spent the night. He had a great time. Summers and I went to Evan Almighy and went to dinner at Tokyo Japanese Steakhouse. We felt so guilty being there without Zander. It is his favorite place in the world and on top of that we got his favorite Chef. It was a fun night.
Today, we went to the park to play and we are getting ready to go to dinner with Mom, Dad, Steve, Tracy and Zach. It will be good to see them. I hope that you all had a wonderful holiday weekend as well.

First Day of New School

Zander started his new school this week. He is attending a University Labschool and Child Development School. So far, it is the school of my dreams. All of the teachers have birth to kindergarten degrees and have been wonderful in helping Zander make the transition. He has not slept well, and has been really crying in the mornings.


Each classroom has an observation room, so I can stay as long as I want and watch to make sure that he is OK. Each day, the crying has lasted a shorter amount of time. I am very excited about the upcoming school year and I hope that he will be too soon.

Wet N Wild Emerald Point

Sunday our family went to Emerald Point. Summers new company paid for us to go and provided lunch. It was very nice. We had a fabulous time. We swam in the wave pool, let Zander play at splash island and our favorite thing was the wild rafting rapids. It was a raft with three holes in it so we could all ride together. You went down a huge slide and built up alot of speed. There was a big splash at the bottom. Zander was scared but loved it. We also rode the lazy river. The picture is from the lazy river. That is where Zander took his nap. I think we went around 6 times before he woke up. It was a wonderful day.

Bible School

This has been a long week for Zander. Sunday was the first night of Bible School. He was nervous about going. Rosie and Riley were going to be in his class, but he didn't know anyone else there. I had "an episode" and ended up in the hospital. Vicki and Alana took him the first night, Cici took him and stayed with him the second night, I took him and stayed with him the 3rd night and Cici went the fourth night. Here are pictures from the program on the last night. http://picasaweb.google.com/bohenstiel/BibleSchool?authkey=qo1IsKzy6Q8
He did go stand up there with everyone, which I didn't think he would do, but he just stood there. He didn't sing or dance. He told me that he would do that later. I enjoyed watching him have fun this week and it was nice to see all of the kids that I went to bible school with. They are now there with their children. I must be getting old.

Beach

We had a great beach trip. The ocean continued to be really rough until Friday and Saturday. But those days were perfect. You could walk way out and just sit on the sand and watch the kids play. We saw jelly fish, crabs and a porteuguese man o' war. A man on the beach caught a small shark and Zander got to touch it and look at it really close. We also visited the aquarium which all of the kids loved. Zander's favorite thing was the Sand Tiger Shark. He also like the Morey Eel. He brought a stuffed one home with him.
http://picasaweb.google.com/bohenstiel/AquariumVisit2007?authkey=6f_YZF8ymzk



We took all of the kids to play putt-putt. They got to ride the train and played 18 holes of golf. That was enough for us all. It was really hot and sticky. Zander and I rode the go carts. He loved it. They had a two seater, so he thought he was driving.
http://picasaweb.google.com/bohenstiel/MinatureGolfGoCartRide?authkey=H7ZiNceUfXo


My favorite part was our trip over to the waterfront. Zander and I went for a boat ride. We got to see all of the wild horses on the islands. It was alot of fun. Zander liked going fast
http://picasaweb.google.com/bohenstiel/BoatRide?authkey=Dy2trDAURcg

travel day

We went to breakfast on Sunday morning and gave Daddy kisses and then headed for the beach. It was quite uneventful. Zander did great. He watched The Jungle Book and then the Lion King. We stopped for lunch and before you know it we were at the beach. Believe it or not, our room was ready. Zander did not understand that we had to unpack our things and eat dinner. He thought we were going in the ocean. After all of that it was time to go to bed.



On Monday morning, we woke up and met Jenn and the kids for breakfast. After that we came back and went to the beach. It was fun but, it was really rough. We had to stand right with the kids or they would wash away. They have pumped sand up onto the beach and it was really deep right at the edge. They had a great time, except for the babies. Eliza wanted no part of it, so they went in for a nap. After lunch and naps we went to the pool. Chalotte and Rehm have learned to swim, Zander did great with his life vest on and the babies want to swim. Mom got in the water with us for the first time in maybe 20 years or more. It was a great 1st day at the beach.

July 4th Water Park Fun

We had a great July 4th (Independence Day) holiday. Unfortunately, Daddy had to work, so it was a Zander and Mommy day. We had breakfast at home and nap time and then we went to the water park for the first time this year. What a difference a year makes. Last year, if Zander fell down on his bottom in the pool, his head was completely underwater. This year, most of the time he could get up by himself. After we had been there for about 45 minutes, he asked to put on his swim vest. That was much easier. He could float on his back and swim with out help from Mom.
Since it was a holiday, they were giving away prizes every 15 minutes. We didn't win anything. We had a great time. I think that the swimming lessons at the YMCA helped Zander to not be as scared of the water. He should do fine at the beach next week.

Croc Expedition

Crocs? What is the big deal? They really are not cute shoes and they don't look good on anyone. On Sunday, Mom, Zander and I went on a Croc Expedition for the beach. We were searching for the Cleo style that looks more like a sandal. Poor mom, she has been already and they didn't have her size. Today they did! When we got to another store and were going to put on our Crocs, we realized that hers had a tear and they had mixed 2 sizes. They were not going to fit after all. They would have to be returned. I hope that she has better luck today finding a pair. I looked at the website today http://www.crocs.com and they have alot of different styles.

Zander wanted a pair too. They did not have his size at the store we were at. We went to several other stores and finally settled for a pair of Aqua Ducks. He doesn't know the difference and thinks they are Crocs. He loves them. I haven't seen him this excited about anything in a long time.

I have mine on today and so far, they feel really good. I will see around lunch time if my knees and back hurt, so far, so good. We are all looking forward to the beach next week. Now I just have to find time around the remodeling of the house to pack!

Dentist Visit

I'm Ready!

When Zander was 18 months old, I made his first appointment with a Pediatric dentist that came very highly recommended. When I called to make the appointment, they made me feel like the worst parent in the world because he had not already been to see the dentist. He only had a few teeth at this point. I should have known then, that this was not going to be a pleasant experience.

We arrived at the dentist office. It was totally kid friendly. Several TV's were placed around the room with cartoons, there were video games for the older kids and toys for the younger kids. When the called us back we went into a room that was set up with about 6 or 8 chairs beside of each other. They literally ripped Zander from my arms to do Xrays. Was that necessary? They assured me that it was. There was a child in the chair beside of us that was being held down and having major work down. He was screaming and crying. Zander always get unnerved when another child is crying. He was already unsure about this whole process and now he is sure that he does not want to do this. To make matters worse, just 2 weeks before this, we were in the ER with rotavirus and they had to hold him down for 1 hr 1/2 to get an IV in his arm. Now they start to hold him down to clean his teeth and you can imagine how he reacted. After they are finished, the dentist looks at his teeth and decides that he needs sealant put on his teeth. Now they put this big metal thing in his mouth to hold it open, and his is crying so hard that his lips begin to bleed. Needless to say, I am done with the Pediatric dentist.

At my next dentist appointment, I told my dentist about this appointment. They couldn't believe it. They said that it was unnecessary for a child to see a dentist until they are three unless there is a problem. Sealants are not recommended until 6. They told me to bring him with me to my next appointment and let him watch me get my teeth cleaned. That is what I did. Mom with with me and he played and watched. Today, it was his first appointment. He wanted me to go first. Then it was his turn. He did great! The last picture is him holding his mouth open waiting for her to start. He was very funny. No cavities. He got a new tooth brush and his very own dental floss which he was very excited about. I don't think the next appointment will be a problem. Thank you Dr. Porter and staff!

Ugly Words

Boy, 3 year olds are a challenge. Where did my sweet child go? He has only been 3 for 2 weeks and he has already changed. He is really experimenting with the power of words. He knows which words are nice and which are not. So, the rule is, you can stay in here with us and use nice words or you can go in your room and say the ugly hurtful words.

Until this weekend, he had not taken me up on that. Saturday, he felt the need to tell me to shut up. I reminded him of the rule. He went and sat right inside his room. I started hearing, "shut up, shut up". Well, the shut ups continued to get louder and when I didn't respond, I heard, "stupid, gosh, God, Oh my gosh, stupid". He waited a few seconds and then he said, "I'm finished" and he came out. It was hard not to laugh. You could just imagine what he was thinking.

We had a nice weekend. Summers is out of work for those of you that don't know. He has a second interview today with a company that actually has benefits. We are keeping our fingers crossed.