Cereal Makes Her Happy

Amelia's first bite, as narrated by Zach...

Yippee! Zach turns 3!!

Merry Christmas

Zach (still in his bed): "Did Santa come last night, Mama?"
Anna: "I don't know, Zach. Let's go see if he came and ate his cookies."
Zach: "I know he was here. I heard his kangaroos and reindeer last night!"

Ahhh. Kangaroos and Reindeer. We have our Aussie Christmas books to thank for that one!





The stockings were hung by the chimney with care


















Little Claus


















Let me help you unwrap your presents, Amelia






 

Shake, rattle, and roll

The Aftermath

The Aftermath, too

Merry Christmas

'Twas the Night Before Christmas...

Brett: "Zach, is Santa coming tonight?"
Zach: "Yeah!"
Brett: "Should we leave him some cookies and milk?"

Zach: "No."

Brett: "No? Why not?"

Zach: "Santa not drink milk. He drinks beer!"

Brett: "OK. Should we leave him some cookies and beer, then"
Zach: "Yeah! Let's do that!"




Santa won't mind if I eat one of his cookies. Just one....



Weeeeeee!!!!! Skiiiiiiiiii!!!!!

Yes, the blog is desperately in need of an update, but before filling in the exciting events of the last 12 months we had to post this clip of Zach enjoying the first snowfall of the season. He's a natural on skis!

Although he thinks ice cream is too cold to eat, somehow snow isn't so bad on the delicate palate!!

Happy Winter....

Happy Halloween!!

This year was Zach's first Halloween to get dressed up in costume. Of course, he was a kangaroo, or "boom boom" as he likes to say.

We think he was the cutest kangaroo in the Northern Hemisphere!



He wasn't sure what to think of trick-or-treating.



But he enjoyed seeing his friend Janey, who was a green monster.

And he ran into a green dragon while playing at the park.

He almost looked like a real kangaroo hopping through the park on the way home from trick-or-treating.



It was a happy Halloween!

Pumpkin Carver

Zach recently began noticing all of the pumpkins and jack-o-lanterns in the neighborhood. So Auntie Laura came over to help carve a Zach-o-lantern.



Not one to enjoy getting messy, the seeds were just a little too slimy for his taste.

But he was more than happy to offer his advice on carving technique and design.



Sizing up the final result.

Rainy Day

Friends in Boston

After our weekend in New York, we took the train to Boston to visit more friends. We stayed with our dear friends, Travis and Meridale, who hadn't seen Zach since he was five months old.

They quickly became reacquainted. Zach was fascinated by Travis' guitar but wasn't sure what to think of Meridale's eight-month pregnant belly.

Meridale practiced her maternal touch, while Zach perfected his sliding technique.

We had brunch with Asaf and Liz (friends from Anna's intern year) and their daughter, Maya, who is six months older than Zach and has a bubbling, joyful personality just like her parents.

Finally, Zach got to meet Emily, Mom's friend and adventurer extraordinaire from college days.

Ducky, Ducky, Ducky

Question: How do you entertain a toddler in Boston?

Answer: Take him to see "Make Way for Ducklings" in the Boston Commons.

(Yes, he sat on every single duckling and squealed "ducky, ducky, ducky" the whole time)

The Big Apple

We spent Labor Day weekend in NYC getting to visit Monisha and Justin and meeting baby Maya for the first time.

Zach took to the bright lights right away, enjoying the view from Monisha and Justin's deck.



He even got to stay up late and go out to dinner with the grown ups.



The weather was gorgeous, perfect for an afternoon picnic in Central Park.






Zach taught Maya all about his favorite book, Wombat Stew.



Maya was all smiles standing in her Dad's lap. And she was kind enough to let Zach play with her elephant, Horton.

We spent Sunday morning reading The New York Times (what else!) in Central Park.

All in all, a great trip to a great city to see great friends.

Camel: A Love Story

Zach fell in love with a fuzzy stuffed animal named Camel in April. Here are a few snapshots of the love affair over the months.

Horsing around in the living room when Camel was still a soft shiny stuffed animal, April 2009.

Taking a nap together in Cairns, May 2009.

Camel cooling off in the fridge in the Outback, May 2009.

Camel and the Twelve Apostles, June 2009.

Piano lessons with Grandma and Camel, June 2009.

A walk in Montana with Camel, June 2009.

Visiting Great Grandma Clara, July 2009.

Picking wildflowers, August 2009.



Hiking the trails near Bend, Oregon, August 2009.

Nothing better than taking a break from it all.