Talk, talk, and more talk

Zach is a man of many words these days, most of which don't sound like any language we know. But he's added quite a few to his vocabulary that we can actually understand. Here's a translation:

"mo bees" = more please
"kah-ee" = Koskie
"ahl-mo" = Elmo (he gets to watch Sesame Street, and, like all kids, LOVES Elmo. I don't really get it)
"dah" = dog
"moo" = any animal

But his favorite word remains "no". In fact, he's taken it up a notch - he now says "no way", and something that sounds an awful lot like "no way dude" (I blame Scott; he says that all the time when Zach wants the remote). As proof... check out the video that G&G Klicka took while he was visiting last week (make sure your volume is on/up)!

Family visits, weddings, and more

Let's see... what have we been up to? Quite a bit lately, so I guess I'll go in chronological order...

Scott's brother Mick and his girlfriend Clarissa came to visit last week, from Bozeman. They arrived sometime that was more morning than night, after a long drive that included a stop at Mount Rushmore. Clarissa had never been to the area, and Mick did a darn good job showing her the sights. Zach and I tagged along for the trip to the MN Zoo - I think he now realizes he's looking at something other than a dog like Koskie. :) Mick and Clarissa also managed to visit the mall, Valley Fair, a Twins game, and had lots of meals out and about.

Zach and I didn't get to see them too long, as Wednesday night we loaded up the car (and Koskie) and headed to Milwaukee. Zach doesn't fall asleep as easily as he used to in his car seat, so I ended up singing quite a few songs to keep him entertained before he finally conked out. We spent Thursday morning with my parents at the Milwaukee Zoo (yep, more zoo time!); Zach really had a good time running around babbling, like he does. I spent Thursday evening at a bbq with some old friends, planning our 20th year reunion. No, not high school, I'm not THAT old yet; it's been 20 years since we graduated from 8th grade. May sound strange to you, but we went to a very small school for 1st thru 8th grades, so we're really looking forward to getting everyone back together again!

Are you bored? Perhaps it's time for some pictures... we'll start with happy couple #1: Jen and Aaron, who got married on Saturday in Ironwood, MI.

The next picture is happy couple #2: us - out on our own for the first time in a while! Obviously we love Zach, but it sure is nice to leave him safely and happily with his grandparents, and have a few days and nights together - without any responsibilities!! :) We got to see a bit of the Ironwood area, the wedding was beautiful and the reception great fun, as you can probably tell by the big grins on our faces.

We met up with my parents in Wausau on Sunday (thank you for saving us the drive all the way back through Milwaukee!!!) to get our son and dog back. Zach was happy to see us, but not so happy that he didn't head straight for the playground at the park where we met. :)

Next up: a relatively quiet weekend before G&G Klicka arrive in North Hudson for the first part of their stay in a rented house on the river. More fun times ahead!

PS... the house is now painted, and it looks much better. You probably wouldn't notice the difference from a distance, since we painted it more or less the same color. But check out the garage!!!

Little friends

I have lots of updates - we've had a busy week! But I'm pretty worn out after our great weekend at Aaron and Jen's wedding in Ironwood, so I'll keep it short and do the rest of the updates (Mick & Clarissa's visit, the wedding, etc) in the next couple days. For now I just had to post these pictures...

The first is from a park playdate last week, with his friends Clark, Evan, and Maggie. The second is the same group, but 9 months ago (Zach in his helmet!, Clark, Maggie, & Evan). Look at how much they changed! But at the same time, it's also interesting to think about how they haven't.

We met these friends when the babies were all about 3 months old or less, and we could see even then that each one of them has their own special little personality, and those definitely haven't changed as they've grown. It's still hardest to get Evan in the picture, since he's always on the move, ready for the next challenge. Maggie is still the little chatterbox who is fascinated with all the other "babies" (she does not seem to consider herself one). Clark continues to be the mellow observer with the biggest smile. And our Zach... goofy and happy, ready to go with the flow. When you put them all together, you just never know what will happen!

I'm thrilled we've found these new friends to be a part of our lives. It has been very fun and often reassuring to watch the kids grow together, going through all the stages and milestones at their own paces. Their moms are a great resource for me, both on the days when I'm stir-crazy and need to get out of the house, and when I just need to talk about the challenges of raising a toddler with someone who is going through the experience at the same time. What would we do without our friends??

Dads

I always knew Scott would be a great dad. But I have to say, the reality is even better. He was exceedingly patient when Zach was a screaming baby, pacing away on the treadmill to try to soothe him. And now, he'll read a terrible Elmo book over and over again, if that's what Zach wants. He's taught Zach essential things like where his ears are located, how to pump his fist, and stick out his tongue. I can't tell you how many times I've watched my two guys together, with a big cheesy grin on my face. Nobody can make Zach laugh like Daddy can - the great big contagious belly laugh that has to be the best sound on earth. They are quite the pair, and I'm thankful every day for having an amazing partner to share the experience of raising a son.

I also included some grandpa shots - where would we be without our own fathers? Scott and I talk often about how we were raised, using our own dads (and moms, but hey - it's FATHER's day) as models of how we want to be as parents.

Today is a good day to say thanks for everything Dads!

Teeth galore

Zach is finally adding to his meager display of teeth - three new ones have poked through on the top. For those of you keeping count, he's up to a total of 5. He's handling it pretty well, with lots of drool and fingers in his mouth mostly. It's going to be interesting when the top teeth are fully in - he's going to look very different!

He's also getting really good at echoing what we say, and has added a new sign to his repertoire - thank you (thought we might as well get started on teaching him manners!).

Zach has become fascinated with pictures lately - he keeps pulling out our wedding album and turning the pages. So we spend lots of time looking at pictures and asking who the people are, while he squeals happily.

He also managed to get the toilet seat up the other day... which we are hoping he has since forgotten about. I know we're lucky we got this far without him investigating and throwing things in the toilet, but I'd like it to last a little longer! It's enough effort keeping him out of Koskie's water bowl.

Otherwise, we're mostly just enjoying that the weather has finally turned more summer-like. The timing has been great, since the painters were able to get started yesterday. So hopefully by the end of next week we'll have a freshly painted house and garage! Bring on the buyers!

We're looking forward to hosting a baby shower (altho we don't call it a shower since the men are involved) on Saturday for Adam and Jamie, and then Sunday Uncle Mick and his girlfriend Clarissa are coming to visit for the week. Then we'll be off to the UP for Aaron and Jen's wedding - fun times to come!

Grandma's visit and more

We got to spend a few days with Grandma Teri this last week, as she was on her way to and from a meeting in Ohio. Grandma stayed with Zach while Scott and I went out for a yummy dinner, followed by some ice cream cones, to celebrate our anniversary - thanks Teri! While she was here, we spent some time at THE mall, where Zach picked out his very own "friend" at Build-a-Bear; he chose a cat that he christened "No". We also showed her around our potential new town in the pouring rain - probably not a great impression. It was great to see her; we always wish our families lived closer, especially after watching how much Zach enjoys spending time with the people who love him. So far we haven't managed to talk anyone into moving here...

Zach and I had our last ECFE (Early Childhood and Family Education) class this last week; some pictures of him and his classmates are included. We're planning to still meet with the kids/moms at some local parks this summer; as the kids get older it's very fun to watch them start to actually interact with each other!

Starting some time next week, we're having the exterior of the house and garage painted, in an effort to scare fewer buyers away. Cross your fingers the process goes smoothly (paint + contractors + toddler + dog = chaos) and that the house looks fabulous when it's done!

Update on the basics

Here's an update on the basics with the Willards these days...

The house is still on the market, after about 2 months (if you know anyone who wants to live in S Mpls - send them our way!). We've had a decent number of showings, but haven't found that "right buyer" yet. Keeping the house ready for showings is a bit of a challenge with a toddler and a dog (mostly the dog), but we're hanging in there.

Zach is 16 months old, and a toddler in every sense of the word. He's discovered running, and I've had to adjust my expectations when we're out and about - he's pretty fast. He's finally got his third tooth, and it appears at least three more will be poking through any minute now. He's chattering pretty much nonstop; we just wish we could understand what he's talking about, because he often seems to think he's darn funny. Words we can understand that he uses appropriately include mom, dad, hi, bye, dog, up, down, ball, and of course, the ever popular "no". I've included a few recent pics; one is of a funny face that he makes where he tilts his head down and looks at you under his eyelashes. I think he's imitating my "stern" face... guess that's not very effective. :)

I am taking the summer off from classes, other than some music and other classes Zach and I will take together. We find lots of ways to keep busy, especially now that the weather is (finally) starting to appear summer-like. We are anticipating a fun grandparent-filled summer, particularly the month of July when G&G Klicka are renting a house on the St Croix for a few weeks, and G&G Willard will be arriving for a visit. Scott and his dad will be heading out to New York to see some Yankee and Mets games during the last year for both Yankee and Shea stadiums.

I think that's about it for now. I'll do my best to keep this updated!

Welcome!

Welcome to the Willard family blog. We'll use this site to keep family and friends updated on our adventures - mostly Zach's, of couse! Besides pictures, we'll try to figure out how to get video out here as well. Check back often and enjoy.