Kim and Aaron's Blog

So it's been a long time...

2011-12-11T11:45:00.000-08:00

Since I updated the blog. Lots has been going on and I still can't find any time to update. After I get all the holiday shopping, baking, wrapping, cleaning and activities done...look for an update maybe after Christmas...maybe...

Sorry!

Visit from Aunt Courtney & Cousin Chase!

2011-07-24T22:29:00.000-07:00

Courtney & Chase at the market

Chase & Zach at Grasslawn park

ZOO!!

Chase reading to Zach his favorite library book, TRUCKS!!

We went swimming at Mountlake Terrace pool on one of the rainy days.

Chase running on the floating mat.

The boys!

Burying Zach in the sand

More random cutie-ness!

2011-07-09T22:27:00.000-07:00

Bubble head!

Trying on mommy's shoes!

Rockin out to Casper Babypants! (note his first black eye)

Zachary is a BIG help with laundry! Wearing daddy's underwear!

4th of July 2011

2011-07-07T10:12:00.000-07:00

For the 4th of July weekend this year, we went over to Gama & Pop pop's house. Sitting with Pop pop on the deck.

Meeting Aunt Becky's kids!

Collecting rocks at Aunt Becky's farm.

Then 4th of July BBQ at the Arnquist's.

Saying goodbye to our house...

2011-07-02T19:19:00.000-07:00

Aaron picking his last weed...

Daddy and Zachary closing the garage one last time...

My cuties with the sold sign...

Wow! The house looks so good! No wonder it sold in 30 days!!

Saying goodbye to the blueberry bushes. Aaron got the first 2 from Amy Miller as a birthday present in 2004. We added 3 more bushes the following year. We definately will be putting in some new ones at our new house!

More random cutie-ness!

2011-07-01T15:33:00.000-07:00

I love stickers on my forehead!

Watching a Peepers video with daddy!

Mommy, let me do the vacuuming for you!

Enjoying some swing time!

Wearing my blueberry pancakes!

Park with Alex

Silliness on the couch!

First time on a meri-go-round today!

The park today!

2011-05-17T19:56:00.001-07:00

Today we met up with some of our friends from toddler group for a make-up class at Farrel-McWhirter Farm Park, due to the late spring snow we had. Today was sunny and warm. We had a great time hiking on the trails, seeing some of the farm animals, singing songs, playing in the fields and having a picnic lunch.

Listening to the story during circle time.

Picnic in the park.

Blowing dandylions.

Daddy's Birthday!

2011-05-01T19:52:00.000-07:00

Aaron turned 35 today! I ordered lots of sunshine for today! We started the day with presents in Zach's room then bringing the Fleichman's breakfast and meeting their new little girl Ellie. Zach played with their boys at the park after breakfast.

Then we went to swimming class. Zach wore his goggles for the first time ever!

We finished the day with grilled pizza with strawberry chocolate pizza for dessert!

I can use the fork now!

2011-04-25T19:43:00.000-07:00

Zachary learned that the fork was much easier to use than the spoon. Zach says "stab it" every time!

Easter 2011

2011-04-24T19:48:00.000-07:00

The day before Easter, the Giffins hosted the annual brunch / egg hunt. Zach had much more fun this year than last, since he can now run around and find the eggs. We practiced the day before, so he'd be ready for the hunt.

The egg hunt was delayed until later in the afternoon, so Zach got REALLY tired playing outside in the sun.

The kids were finally lined up and ready to go!

Zach was working hard at finding all those eggs...

Easter morning we had our own egg hunt, at this point Zach was a pro!

UW Cherry Blossoms!

2011-04-09T19:25:00.001-07:00

Yesterday we went with Jessica (from JLD Imagery) to do a family photo shoot. It was cloudy and cold, but perfect for pictures.
The cherry blossoms at UW this time of year are so pretty. I love my school!!

Playing at Grandma & Grandpa Glanzman's

2011-04-08T17:33:00.000-07:00

This Thursday Zach and I headed over to Grandma & Grandpa Glanzman's house to avoid some of the drywall mess that is going on in the house. We stayed one night, but Zach got in lots of playtime with Grandpa!!

Laughing at Grandma:

Oh no, Grandpa's gonna get me! RUN!!

Then had some fun on the ferry ride home! It was a rare sunny day, but quite windy up on the sun deck. Zach loved how the wind was blowing his hair and watching his shadow move.

Look what I can do now!!

2011-04-01T17:31:00.000-07:00

Zach learned a new skill today! He figured out that he could move his stool not just to the sink to wash his hands, but now to all the light switches in the house...he still has a hard time getting down though.

All Fools Day Parade

2011-03-26T17:28:00.000-07:00

The toddler group we go to one day a week, since September walks in the Woodinville All Fools Day Parade. Best thing, it didn't rain until we were done and walking back to the car!

Zachary wearing the crown we made in class. If you can't make it out - it has a turnip, broccolli, tomato, and carrot on the front.

Posing with daddy!

These dogs were deturmined to get Zach's snack trap...Zach really didn't know what to think of them.

Some walked...

Some rode...

Some even decorated their wagons...

Evan is his awesome stylish carrot car!

Henley didn't want to be in the wagon, so he borrowed a new ride!

More pictures from Grandma Stebner & Cousin Chase's visit

2011-03-16T17:25:00.000-07:00

Aaron reading to the boys before bed.

Breakfast together!

Helping!

Zach loves reading this Grandpa book that Grandma Stebner got him...Chase was reading it to him.

Grandma with her 2 cute grandsons!!

Today at the Kids Quest Museum!

2011-03-15T17:00:00.000-07:00

Since it was pouring rain today, we decided that the boys needed some our of the house playtime...off to Kids Quest Mueseum. We have a membership and go almost weekly and thought this would be a great place for Chase to explore...we were so right...he didn't even slow down enough for a picture.

Zach is having WAY too much fun painting with water...

Daddy, outta my way, I got stuff to do and explore!!

My only picture of Chase...

Then we all had Red Robin for lunch!

Zoo!

2011-03-14T17:54:00.000-07:00

Chase and the Peacock...

The boys in front of the flamingos

Zach was REALLY excited to see "SPOT" (his name for giraffes)!

Elephants!!

Our traditional elephant statue picture!

Penguins are cool!

The cousins in the boat together...

Time to go home for nap!

Some photos from the visit with Cousin Chase & Grandma Stebner

2011-03-13T16:41:00.000-07:00

Grandma Stebner sent Zachary a ball in the mail!!

Cousin Chase reading to Zach. Chase gave Zach "Good Night Moon" for his very first Christmas.

Playing with my cousin!!

Daddy's laundry...

2011-03-01T18:45:00.000-08:00

After nap today, Zach felt the need to 'help' daddy with his laundry...this is daddy's clean laundry that is waiting to be fluffed and folded.

I can't believe Aaron actually fit all of this in one load...

And then Zach puts it all back in the basket...

SO CUTE!!!

Jump Jump!!

2011-02-20T16:07:00.001-08:00

Today we went to Northwest Aerials in Kirkland. They have a class called Wiggle Worms for just walking through age 3. In this class we get to run around on the cool gymnastic mats, climb over padded shapes, bounce in several bouncy houses, slide down slides, play in a ball pit and jump on trampolines!! Here are some pictures from Saturday:

This is the cool trampoline that looks like a road...Zach runs down it at top speed, bounces, falls and laughs so hard!!

Zach running by...

Check out the static in my hair!!

I'm having so much fun!!

At the park today!

2011-02-18T15:17:00.000-08:00

We had to take advantage of the few hours of sunshine today. We had a blast at Grass Lawn Park in Redmond. They have a great variety of play equipment for all ages. We can't wait to take cousin Chase there in 3 weeks! Enjoy!

Zachary can't climb up the stairs to the slide just yet, but is really determined to try, and he loves sliding down now.

Zach and daddy on the merri-go-round

So cute!

18 Month old and stats!

2011-02-17T10:07:00.000-08:00

OK, Zach was 18 months old on Feb 1st, but at least it's still February when I am posting this. :-)

Weight - 21 pounds, 13 ounces (5-10th percentile)
Height - 32.75 inches (50-75th percentile)
Head size - 47 centimeters (25th percentile)

If you want to see his progress up to this point click here for 1 month measurements, click here for 2 month measurements, click here for 4 month measurements, click here for 6 month measurements, click here for 9 month measurements, click here for his 12 month measurements and click here for his 15 month measurements.

2011-02-14T15:30:00.000-08:00

Monkey See...Monkey Do!! My two cuties with their mouth full of apple!

First Big Boy Bath!

Love Day dessert for my sweetie!

My cute boys cuddling after getting love day gifts.

I think Zach likes his Love Day pillow!

Traditional family picture on Christmas Morning!

2010-12-27T13:36:00.000-08:00

In matching PJs!! Thanks Grandma Glanzman!!

I caught Santa!!

2010-12-25T01:26:00.000-08:00

Santa 2010

2010-12-21T13:54:00.000-08:00

We finally made a trip to visit Santa (we missed last year). Zach did ok at first, he wasn't sure about this guy, then he turned and looked at him...then realized he didn't recognize him and cried. We will try next year for some smiles. Enjoy!

Casper Babypants concert!!

2010-12-03T16:23:00.000-08:00

Casper Babypants is Chris Ballew - (the Presidents of the United States of America singer/songwriter) making baby & kid music for parents to enjoy together. They played a concert at our toddler group family fun night last week!

Zach jammin' to his favorite music!

Peepers is so much 'help'!

2010-12-01T16:07:00.000-08:00

Helping mommy unpack all the nutcrackers:

What happens to kitties who 'help' with wrapping presents? They get a ribbon tied to them!

Kirkland tree lighting

2010-11-30T15:58:00.000-08:00

Our cutie waiting for dinner afterwards:

Playing with mommy's gloves:

Thanksgiving and snow!

2010-11-28T15:40:00.000-08:00

SNOW!! It took Zach 2 minutes to learn this word, he is so daddy's boy!! Mommy isn't a fan of snow...only if we have power and don't have to go anywhere...and I can watch from inside!

What's this white stuff on my ball?!

Grandma Glanzman's turkey!! Ok, he didn't really eat any of the turkey, just the sweet potatoes!

15 Months Old & Stats!

2010-11-04T13:12:00.000-07:00

Since Zach will be 17 months old on the 1st, thought we'd finally get some posts up. :-)

Weight - 20 pounds, 10 ounce (10-25th percentile)
Height - 31 inches (50th percentile)
Head size - 46 centimeters (10-25th percentile)

Halloween 2010 & random cuteness

2010-11-01T15:32:00.000-07:00

Right before Halloween this year we traveled to Idaho to visit my Grandma to say hi and celebrate her 90th birthday (a bit late as we had to delay our trip a few weeks due to both Zach and mommy getting sick). She passed away suddenly right after our visit with her. Here are some photos of our last visit and random Zach cuteness.

Zach wasn't a fan of the hood on his lion costume:

Much better when Great Grandma Glanzman wore it:

Or when mommy wears it:

Zach-in-the-Box:

Pumpkin Patch 2010!

2010-10-14T14:20:00.003-07:00

Today we went up to The Farm at Swan's Trail in Snohomish with our Woodinville Toddler Group to pick out pumpkins and visit the farm animals. Daddy took the day off to come with us and the weather was so perfect for this fun outing.

I pick this pumpkin!

Hay-ride on the tractor! (Check out my hair! Mommy needs to do another hair cut!)

Walking through the dark hay maze...

BUNNIES!!

I got to pet a baby kitty! "MEOW MEOW MEOW!!"

Playing in the leaves...

2010-10-13T20:20:00.000-07:00

Big pile of leaves mommy just swept up!

Leaves go CRUNCH!!

I want kitty to come out to play too!!

Playroom decorating

2010-09-26T20:56:00.001-07:00

As promised, here are some pictures of the animals, shapes and such I am making for Zach's playroom...some of the animals haven't received mouths yet, but they are coming along...

Wagon ride & sunglasses

2010-09-13T20:29:00.000-07:00

Bubbles!

2010-09-12T08:31:00.000-07:00

After we got home from Layla's birthday party and Zach and a nap...we played with bubbles for the first time. Zach loved them!!

The battery operated bubble wand is AWESOME!!

Zach also loves his bouncy balls...

Birthday party at Gas Works Park

2010-09-11T20:30:00.000-07:00

Last weekend we went over to Gas Works Park to Layla's 1st Birthday party. It was Aaron and Zach's first time at Gas Works (Kim used to live close by in college). It turned out to be a very nice day for a park party!

The birthday girl!

Daddy and Zach

Gotta touch it!

PARTY!!

Labor Day 2010 at Grandma & Grandpa Glanzman's

2010-09-05T22:18:00.000-07:00

On Sunday, the weather was nice so we headed out to Scenic Beach state park for a picnic. Zach though that the smooth rocks were pretty cool, but were hard to walk on.

Pictures from the beach...

From the grassy field above the beach where we had lunch. Kim used to come here a lot growing up...her elementary school was only 2.5 miles down the road.

Labor Day 2010 - Visit with Aunt Becky & Family

2010-09-04T08:25:00.000-07:00

On our drive out to Grandma & Grandpa Glanzman's for the Labor Day weekend, we stopped at Aunt Becky's farm. We got to see Aunt Becky & Patty and Mariah, and open Zach's birthday gift.

Patty was taking pictures and staying out of my camera angle. :-P

Mmmmm tasty remote...

Then we went out to see their chickens.

And play in the grass.

First Trip to the ZOO!!

2010-09-03T20:24:00.000-07:00

We got to feed the giraffes! So cool!!

Walking like crazy!

PARK & WAY TOO MUCH HAIR!!

2010-08-27T08:18:00.000-07:00

First trip down the slide (not sure he really liked it), but pay close attention to that hair!! OMG! He's got a lot of hair in back, time for his first hair cut!

You can see the back of his hair in this picture better! He is getting a hair cut soon so people stop saying "How old is your daughter?"!!

Welcome Evie-Lyn Drake-Johnson!

2010-08-26T15:35:00.000-07:00

Evie-Lyn was finally born on August 26th, 2010 at 12:47pm. She weighed in at 9lbs 10oz and was 21.5in long! Mommy, daddy and baby are doing great!

Daddy & Evie (mommy would not let me take a picture of her :-P)

Swimming!

2010-08-22T13:24:00.001-07:00

We have been taking Zach to swimming lessons/water play for a while now. Mommy took him starting in April by ourselves. Then in July we switched to Sundays so daddy could go too. It is so much fun seeing his progress! He loves the water and he's doing great with reaching for balls, dipping underwater (with daddy watching him from underwater with his goggles) and with back floating.

Feeding the ducks & train ride!

2010-08-21T20:57:00.000-07:00

Today we went to the Country Village in Bothell to walk around, feed the ducks and ride the train.

Having a blast!

Splash Park!

2010-08-14T20:54:00.000-07:00

Since today was going to be 90+ degrees, we decided to check out a way to stay cool at Willis D Tucker park. They have an awesome spray park, and even some stuff for little kiddos. Zach had a lot of fun, we all go very wet!

WALKING VIDEOS!!

2010-08-14T08:57:00.000-07:00

Zach officially took two steps without holding onto anything when we were skyping with Aunt Courtney on his birthday. He then decided that he can walk all over the place, it just took those first two steps to get going!

Walking from Aunt Jacqui to Daddy.

Zach's favorite game now, walking w/ the exercise ball while holding another ball in his hand!

Zachary's 12 month official stats

2010-08-13T16:00:00.000-07:00

Wee took Zach in to the doctor for his 12 month check-up and imunizations. He did great for getting 3 shots, one in his thigh and then one in each arm. OUCH! Now for his official stats:

Zach did most his growing in the last month in length and head size!

Weight - 20 pounds, 1 ounce (10-25th percentile)
Height - 30 3/8 inches (50-70th percentile)
Head size - 45.72 centimeters (25th percentile)

Graduation Celebration from Evergreen Parent-Baby Class

2010-08-05T20:50:00.000-07:00

12 Months Old!

2010-08-02T20:51:00.000-07:00

Birthday Skyping w/ Aunt Courtney & Cousin Chase & David

2010-08-01T21:07:00.000-07:00

On Zachary's birthday we called up Grandma & Grandpa Stebner and Aunt Courtney, Cousin Chase and David to Skype openning his presents.

Here is Zach openning the card from Courtney & Chase and seeing the awesome drawing Chase made. Thanks cousin!

Remi's Birthday Party

2010-08-01T20:52:00.000-07:00

Zachary's first girl friend Remi (from Evergreen parent-baby class) was born on 8/5/09. Happy Birthday Remi!

The birthday girl:

Zachary partying:

Zach & his buddy Henley:

Happy Birthday Baby Boy!

2010-08-01T06:53:00.000-07:00

Awesome photos from our favorite photographer Jessica Drake!

Zachary's 1st Birthday Party!

2010-07-31T22:39:00.000-07:00

We had all our good friends over to celebrate the first anniversary of the birth of our son Zachary Dean Stebner! It was a little chilly in the morning, but it cleared off and ended up being quie nice for a big party. Everyone got to see the new railings on the deck too! My parents were a huge help making all the slider hamburgers.

Cookie Monster cupcakes!

The kids enjoying Zach's playroom:

Chilling on the deck:

Zach enjoying the lego Thomas the Train set that Max & Andy brought him:

The main event...the cupcake smashing!

Remembering Grandpa Hole

2010-07-24T20:56:00.000-07:00

My grandpa, Ervin F Hole, passed away on Saturday, July 24, 2010.

Grandpa had been having a rough time over the past few months. He was hospitalized for a while over the Christmas holidays, but he pulled through and was able to go back home. However, he was on full-time oxygen and was not able to do much because of that and because he suffered from macular degeneration and had been legally blind for a while before that.

Courtney and I decided early in 2010 to book a trip to go to Michigan to visit Grandma and Grandpa in the summer, and Mom ended up being able to come up at the same time as well. Kim, Zach and I spent a week with the family in Michigan at the end of June. We could tell that Grandpa was struggling with his breathing and his medications, but he had a blast playing with Zach while we were there, and it meant so much to us to see that.

A week or so after we got back home, I found out from Mom that Grandpa had been hospitalized with pneumonia and wasn't doing very well. He ended up recovering well enough to be transferred from the hospital to a care facility, and he seemed to be in good spirits and doing as well as could be expected given the circumstances. On the morning of Saturday, July 24th, though, I got an email from Mom saying that Grandpa was unresponsive and things didn't look good. After spending the day in a daze trying to distract myself with errands, I got the call I was dreading - Grandpa was gone.

I booked a flight on Saturday night and flew back to Michigan on Monday. My Uncle Dave and Aunt Robin live near my grandparents, so Uncle Dave picked me up at the airport when I arrived. My Uncle Simon and Aunt Gloria had already driven in from their home in Rhode Island, and my Mom and Dad, Courtney and Chase arrived that night.

On Tuesday morning, my Grandma, her 3 children (my mom and 2 uncles), their spouses, myself, Courtney and Chase sat down with Grandma and Grandpa's minister, Jason, to share stories about Grandpa and help him shape the contents and overall flow of the funeral service. Jason asked Chase to share what he remembered most about his Great Grandpa, and Chase said that Grandpa liked Zach and that he was really nice.

After that, the rest of us told stories about our times with Grandpa. I mentioned a couple of things - how I remembered becoming a baseball fan in the summer of 1984 when both the Tigers and Cubs were doing well. I was afraid I would have to choose between my home state Tigers and Grandpa's favorite team from childhood, the Cubs, in the World Series. I also mentioned how much it meant to me seeing Grandpa play with Zach back in June. Grandpa just lit up when he held him, and he did the same cartoon voices (Woody Woodpecker, Bugs Bunny) and silly sounds that I remembered him doing for me when I was little.

I also got to hear the full story from Grandma about how she and Grandpa first met and started dating - he and some friends skipped school their sophomore year and tried to get some girls to join them, and after being turned down a few times, Grandma ended up saying yes. Grandma also told us about how Grandpa's mom took him to bars with him when he was young (his parents were divorced, and he was an only child). Later in life, Grandpa didn't want to sit and eat at the counter in their house because it reminded him too much of that rough time of his life. I also heard some stories from my mom and uncles about their childhood - Grandpa decided to plant pickles one year, Grandpa wanted both of his sons to play baseball and be catchers like he was, he took an algebra course with students the same age as his daughter to be able to contribute more effectively at work, etc. I learned how the kids pooled their money and got Grandma and Grandpa a set of golf clubs for their 25th wedding anniversary. They could only afford one set at the time, but Grandpa bought Grandma her own set the following year, and that is how Grandma and Grandpa got into golfing. I learned that Grandpa retired from GM at age 55 in order to be able to enjoy time with his family and because he had a hard time working with people who were just in it for the paycheck and the coffee breaks.

There were 2 viewings at the funeral home on Tuesday, and I was blown away by how many people came out to pay their respects to Grandma and the family. Grandma also put together a memory book and gathered some other memorabilia for the viewing room, and I learned some of the details about Grandpa's childhood and life that way. I knew he was a Cubs fan, but he was a member of the Diehard Cubs Fan Club since 1935 - he only got to see one World Series appearance (a loss in 1945) in his lifetime. Red Sox fans prior to 2004 didn't have anything on Grandpa! I knew Grandpa was inducted into the Rockford Sports Hall of Fame in 2007, but until I saw the memory book, I didn't know all of the details of his accomplishments. I knew he was a star catcher on the baseball team, but I learned that he also played offensive line and quarterback on the football team, and even played a season on the basketball team. I had seen a couple of poems that Grandpa wrote over the years, but I also learned that he was the sports editor of the school newspaper and that writing was a much larger part of his life than I realized.

I was able to see my cousins that live near Grandma and Grandpa (Kevin, Justin and Kirk) at the viewings. My other out of town cousins (Heather from Florida, Sara and Erica from Rhode Island) arrived on Tuesday as well. I hadn't seen Heather since Kevin's wedding in 2005 and I hadn't seen Sara or Erica since Grandma and Grandpa's 50th wedding anniversary in 1997. Despite the sad reason for our reunion, it was really good to see them all again, and we got some pictures of all of the cousins together.

The funeral was on Wednesday, and Kevin, Justin, Kirk and I were pall-bearers along with my Grandma's brothers Frank and Paul and my Grandma's nephew Rick. We all wore white shirts, black slacks and one of Grandpa's old ties. As the eldest grandson, Kevin got to pick first and he got the Cubs tie, and I got 2nd pick and got the St. Patrick's Day tie that plays the song Irish Eyes are Smiling.

At the church before the service, Jason came up to Courtney, Chase and I and asked if it would be OK if he led off his speech with a story about the meeting we'd had the previous day where Chase talked about Zach. I am so glad that he chose to talk about that, and also so glad that he mentioned it to us beforehand. It was tough to hear about him talking about Grandpa and Zach just a month after they met, but it would have been even harder if I hadn't known it was coming. I was sitting next to Chase at the service, and I'll always remember how he looked up at me during that part of Jason's speech and saw how sad I was and put his arm around me and patted me on the back.

Instead of having people come up to speak informally about Grandpa, there were 3 readers who each read something written by Grandpa. The head of the Rockford Historical Society read a poem Grandpa wrote about their regional champion basketball team back when he was in high school. My cousin Kirk read a poem Grandpa wrote about shooting one under par in a 9 hole round of golf when he was in his 50s and going back to the clubhouse to celebrate, only to see a 75 year old woman who shot one stroke better than him on the same 9. My Uncle Simon read the poem Grandpa wrote for Grandma for their 50th wedding anniversary, and added a short addendum that he wrote to commemorate the 12+ additional years of marriage that they shared after that.

Grandpa served in the Navy immediately after high school, and he was an American Legion captain later on in life, so his funeral started with a line of service members saluting his casket, and finished with military honors (folding and presenting a US flag to Grandma, a 3-shot salute).

Looking back, I am so happy that we were able to visit when we did so that Grandpa got a chance to meet Zach and we got some priceless photos and memories from that visit. At the same time, it was really hard for me to see Grandpa struggling to do ordinary things like walk to the bathroom, and it broke my heart when we said goodbye at the end of our visit because he cried a bit and told me that he probably wouldn't see us again. Although it has been tough losing him and accepting that he is gone, I am glad to know that he passed peacefully and on his own terms. It has also been an inspiration to me to see how many people he touched during his life (a loving wife of 62+ years, 3 children, 9 grandchildren, 12 great-grandchildren, countless other friends and relatives), how he lived his life, and what he was able to accomplish. I love you and miss you Grandpa!

Wading Pool

2010-07-20T20:30:00.000-07:00

When summer finally arrived (around the 9th of July) I got Zachary a wading pool to help cool off. He loves it!! We only put 1-2 inches of water in it, enough to splash in. He loves to crawl in and out...

4th of July - At Grandma & Grandpa Glanzman's

2010-07-19T20:27:00.000-07:00

We spent the night of the 3rd of July at Grandma & Grandpa Glanzman's. We didn't do too much besides eat out traditional ribs and drink watermelon mint juleps.

Zach got to explore Grandma's kitchen, he loved the dishwasher:

Grandma gave him a potato masher to play with:

Visit to Michigan

2010-07-12T20:23:00.000-07:00

At the end of June we took a trip to Grand Rapids, Michigan to visit Aaron's family; and for Great Grandma & Grandpa Hole to meet Zachary.

Four Generations!

Hanging out with Great Grandma Hole:

I loved hanging out with Great Grandpa Hole:

Chase's first BBQ smore!

Grandpa Hole enjoying a BBQ smore!

I loved playing with my cousin Chase!

Thank you, kind stranger

2010-06-24T16:15:00.000-07:00

Kim, Zach and I went to Michigan to visit my grandparents and extended family at the end of June. Our trip to Michigan took us from Seattle to Minneapolis and then from Minneapolis to Grand Rapids, Michigan. The flight from Seattle left about an hour late due to a mechanical issue that required the airline to bring in a new plane for us. That caused us to miss our originally scheduled flight to Grand Rapids. There were a handful of people on that Seattle flight that were going on to Grand Rapids who ended up missing the same connection we did, and we all sat at the Minneapolis airport on the standby list. If we didn't make that flight, we would be put on a flight the next morning, so we stood to lose a night of our short visit with my family.

Names were called one by one as seats opened up, and a few standby passengers made it, including one of the people on our Seattle flight. Then the airline had to wait for last minute passengers who checked in late or had other connecting flights. The list dwindled to our family and another man from our Seattle flight. I finally got called, but it was only to ask if we'd be willing to split up, which neither Kim nor I wanted to do. We were resigned to our fate of staying a night in Mianneapolis when the kind-hearted man who rode with us from Seattle got called up and told the airline workers to give his seat to us if there were 2 left. It turned out that there were exactly 2 seats left, so we literally got the last seats on the plane. They announced on the loudspeaker - Stebner family, come on down, bring your stuff with you and hurry up, we're about to close the door of the plane. We ran for it and ended up making it to Grand Rapids right about the same time as my mom, Courtney and Chase.

I don't remember the name of the man who was so nice to us and gave us his seat, but I wanted to thank him all the same and let him know that we'll pay this kindness forward when we get a chance in the future. If you were on the Delta flight from Seattle to Minneapolis on the morning of June 24, 2010 and were supposed to go on to Grand Rapids, Michigan at around 3pm that day but gave up your standby seat to an exhausted couple with a 11 month old son - we can't thank you enough!

Standing!!

2010-06-21T16:23:00.001-07:00

Zachary is practicing standing while not holding onto anything now...he did this for a few minutes yesterday. Do you think he might be walking soon?

I Love cloth diapering...

2010-06-21T16:20:00.000-07:00

Especially when I can put cow print on my baby!! Isn't he cute!! Here he is crawling from his room to our bathroom for bath time. As we try to burn some energy before bed.

Happy Fathers Day!

2010-06-20T13:19:00.000-07:00

Happy Father's day to my dad. Thank you for putting up with me!

And to the best daddy and hubby of all! Zach and I love you lots!

Trip to Lake Chelan

2010-06-18T16:14:00.000-07:00

We drove over to Lake Chelan with the Lee & Erickson families for a much needed vacation...too bad Zach and I got sick while there, but it was still fun.

Our resident deer, this was taken right off our back porch.

After swimming in the pool.

On the deck of the lobby overlooking Chelan:

Genvieve enjoying her very first smore ever...yes she loved it!

Stopped in Leavenworth for lunch on the drive back. Zach tasting pickles for the first time.

Random cutie-ness!

2010-06-02T16:08:00.000-07:00

The Jump-a-roo is now so much more fun from this angle!

I love to stand in my crib now!

Love my kitty Peepers!

Ready or not, here I come!!

I can feed myself...and most of the food does actually make it in my mouth!

10 Months Old!

2010-06-01T16:00:00.000-07:00

I had to resort to holding Zach and using the timer on the camera since he is SO busy now!

Happy Birthday to Me!

2010-05-27T16:04:00.000-07:00

Zach helping me open my gift from my parents:

Olive Garden

2010-05-22T15:50:00.000-07:00

Last weekend Aaron, Zach and I went to the lumber store to order all the Trex materials to add railings to our deck. Afterwards we were hungry and decided to try to eat lunch out w/ Zach...so soup, salad and bread sticks at Olive Garden. Zach sat at the table like a big boy and enjoyed some gnocchi and steamed asparagus. he was such a good boy!

Baby Jail!

2010-05-21T14:53:00.000-07:00

Ok, not jail...just trying to keep Mr Curious out of the kitchen. He had to taste the gate and then to test the strength. Looks like it will hold...for a while at least!

Zach's first Mariners game

2010-05-21T14:49:00.000-07:00

Seattle Mariners – 4
Toronto Blue Jays – 3

Ken Griffey Jr. hit a game winning single in the bottom of the 9th inning to win it. The Mariners were down 3-1 going into the 9th and scored 3 runs to come back and win.

Couple cute standing pics!

2010-05-19T16:45:00.000-07:00

9 Months! Almost 10...

2010-05-19T16:42:00.000-07:00

Zach has discovered the sticker I put on his onesie. It tastes yummy!

It's been a long time...I'm a bad blogger...

2010-05-19T16:40:00.000-07:00

Here are some updates:

Zach's 2 front bottom teeth came in around 3/29.
Zach has been eating solid foods (OK pureed foods) for the last 2 months, so far he has had: Apple, pear, oatmeal, mango, peach, avocado, banana, blueberry, ca rots, peas, green beans, sweet potato, turkey, zucchini, wheat (in the form of Purely O's), and apricots. His favorites are: Banana, pear, peas & carrots, but he does a good job eating almost everything.
Zach worked himself from laying on his belly to a sitting position for the first time on 4/10.
Zach started clapping on 4/14.
Started swimming class on 4/19. He loves it!
Started scoot/crawling (forward) around daddy's birthday.
Officially started crawling on 5/3.
Stood up on his own on 5/4.
And just spent his first weekend away from mommy from 5/14-5/16...Zach and daddy had a great time!

I'll post some pictures next, I promise!

Zach's 9 month check-up

2010-05-07T16:58:00.000-07:00

Zach celebrated his 9 month birthday this past Saturday, and today we took him to the doctor for his 9 month check-up. He's doing great, and he only had to have one shot plus one small blood draw from his toe for an iron check.

Here are his official 9 month measurements (click here for 1 month measurements, click here for 2 month measurements, click here for 4 month measurements and click here for 6 month measurements if you want to see his progress up to this point).

Weight - 19 pounds, 13.5 ounces (25-50th percentile)
Height - 29 inches (75th percentile)
Head size - 43 centimeters (5-10th percentile)

Happy Spring!

2010-04-10T17:58:00.000-07:00

Zach went on his first egg hunt today at the Giffins...even though he was very tired, he still found one egg!

He was more interested in the grass:

Group shot:

Easter basket:

8 Months!

2010-04-05T17:54:00.000-07:00

Zach has been such a wiggle worm that he doens't like to sit still for the monthly picture, so here is a series...

Too interested in watching kitty:

Blurry laughing:

Ready for my close-up:

Now turning sideways:

And unofficial size stats:
Length: 29 inches
Weight: 19lbs, 10oz

Fun times at Evergreen Parent-Baby class!

2010-03-16T11:51:00.000-07:00

Zach is very popular with the ladies!

Here he is playing w/ Rose:

Now sharing with Rose:

Now with Rose, Remy & Madison:

Avocado is messy!

2010-03-16T11:45:00.000-07:00

and yummy!

Walking at the park today

2010-03-05T17:42:00.000-08:00

Since we another amazing early spring day today; Zach & I went for a walk at the park. He loves to ride in his stroller and watch the various people, dogs and geese along the Sammamish River trail.

The trees are flowering! What a gorgeous day!

Going to the park is hard work!

7 Months Old

2010-03-03T16:27:00.000-08:00

Loads of pictures!

2010-02-28T09:40:00.000-08:00

Check out our Picasa album for loads of updated pictures. I got lazy and just posted a bunch. Enjoy!!

Grocery cart cover!!

2010-02-11T11:09:00.000-08:00

Grandma Glanzman made a grocery cart cover for Zach and we now get to use it since he loves to sit up and look around. Check out the pictures from Costco (Aaron's new favorite store) this last weekend.

And sporting daddy's hat, so CUTE!!!

First food - Oatmeal! (2/4/10)

2010-02-10T14:59:00.000-08:00

I wanted to do a slide show with the pictures, but not sure how that works. Just scroll down for the awesome faces.

First the sippy cup:

Mmmmm oatmeal:

Trying the spoon:

He loved trying to eat, but just didn't love the oatmeal! Daddy gave him pears last weekend since Zach didn't care for oatmeal. He loves pears!

Zach's 6 month check-up

2010-02-06T12:11:00.000-08:00

This past Monday was Zach's 6 month birthday (already!! Time is flying....). We took him into the pediatrician yesterday for a check-up and a bunch of shots (including ones for the seasonal flu and H1-N1 now that he is 6 months old and is eligible to get them). Zach handled the shots much better than any of the previous times, and he seems like his normal cheerful self today.

Here are his 6 month measurements (click here for 1 month measurements, click here for 2 month measurements, and click here for 4 month measurements if you want to chart progress):

Weight - 17 pounds, 3.5 ounces (50th percentile)
Height - 28 inches (90-95th percentile)
Head size - 43 centimeters (25-50th percentile)

6 Months Old

2010-02-04T14:45:00.000-08:00

Here is the picture, we'll have official weight & height stats on Friday from his doctor's appointment.

Christmas 2009 - Part 5 - Grandma & Grandpa Glanzman

2010-02-01T13:10:00.000-08:00

This past weekend my parents came over to exchange Christmas gifts, Zach's 5th and final Christmas of 2009.

Baby food grinder, Zach thinks is yummy!

Grandma & Zach:

My parents babysat so Aaron and I could go out to eat. Thanks so much for everything!

Cute updates

2010-01-27T18:19:00.000-08:00

Phoebe trying to sleep in the crib w/ Zach:

Very cute Bart Simpson outfit that our friends Jessica & Dean got Zach back in
August:

I love my kitty!

First bath sitting up in my tub!

Such a cutie!!

Sitting up all on his own!!

2010-01-12T10:00:00.000-08:00

5 Months Old - A little late :-)

2010-01-12T09:50:00.000-08:00

Well with all the travel and illness I wasn't able to get his 5 month old picture up until now. He loves to sit up now. Enjoy!

Photos from our trip to Texas

2010-01-11T13:33:00.000-08:00

They look so innocent!

Zach's kissable cheeks:

Chase was such a good cousin, he even wanted to babysit, that is until we told him that changing diapers was part of the deal...he wanted nothing to do with that!

The only group photo I got:

Christmas 2009 - Part 4 - Texas - Aunt Courtney, Cousin Chase & David

2010-01-11T13:09:00.002-08:00

Aaron & Chase playing video games:

Zach's first weebles:

Chase recieved the Monopoly game he wanted:

Chase got the Zach Goodnight Moon book:

Christmas 2009 - Part 3 - Texas - Grandma & Grandpa Stebner

2010-01-11T12:09:00.000-08:00

Grandma Stebner looking at her Shutterfly album of Zach:

Zach eating his present:

Grandma & Grandpa Stebner opening their gifts:

Christmas 2009 - Part 2 - Home

2009-12-28T13:00:00.000-08:00

We are home for a short time before heading to Texas for Christmas #3. Below are our family photos of yesterday morning.

Zach helping mommy & daddy with their stockings:

Thank you Genvieve & Aston, Zach is really looking forward to playing with this!

Cool clothes from Logan (and his mommy Heidi):

Aunt Becky got me My Pal Scout! It even says my name! Thanks so much Aunt Becky, can't wait to see you again!

And a cool train set from daddy!

A shape sorter from my Aunt Courtney. Thanks so much, I love to chew on the blocks! See you in 2 more sleeps!

I love my tiger!

A walk in the cold

2009-12-27T20:11:00.001-08:00

After Christmas dinner (in Idaho) my Dad, Aaron, Zach & I took a short walk around Grandma's neighborhood. It was REALLY cold outside!

We met an ostrich:

Christmas 2009 - Part 1 - Idaho

2009-12-27T20:01:00.000-08:00

Presents

A Spanish book about Dragons

Zach's first sippy cup

Family Photo - Don't we look hungry to you?

Back - Left to Right
Merlin, Wendy, Rosie, Brendon, Jeff
Front - Left to Right
Aaron, Grandma Bernice, Kim
Front Center
Zachary

Meeting Great-Grandma Glanzman & Uncle Brendon

2009-12-27T16:22:00.000-08:00

For Christmas we flew over to Boise, Idaho to spend a few days meeting various members of my Dad's side of the family and my brother Brendon.

Uncle Brendon

Zach the Vampire

2009-12-12T16:38:00.001-08:00

Over the past month or so, Zach has started drooling like crazy, and he and tries to chew on anything and everything. The other day, our friend Jessica (of JLD Imagery fame who did the photos for our birth announcement and holiday card) was holding Zach, and he decided he wanted to gnaw on her neck. We caught it on video and it is too funny - check it out:

Zach 360

2009-12-12T15:26:00.000-08:00

Yesterday I was working on my laptop while Zach was working on his tummy time. Each time I looked over, Zach was in a different position. Below is some time-lapse photography.

4 Months!

2009-12-04T10:38:00.000-08:00

On December 1st, Zach turned 4 months old. Look how BIG he's getting!

Zach's 4 month check-up

2009-12-02T19:19:00.001-08:00

Yesterday was Zach's 4 month birthday, and we took him into the pediatrician for a check-up and some vaccines. Zach handled the shots very well and is recovering well today after getting some extra rest yesterday.

Here are his 4 month measurements (click here for 1 month measurements and click here for 2 month measurements if you want to chart progress):

Weight - 15 pounds, 2 ounces (50th percentile)
Height - 25.75 inches (75th percentile)
Head size - 40 centimeters (5-10th percentile)

Happy Thanksgiving!

2009-12-02T17:00:00.000-08:00

Check out the cute 1st Thanksgiving outfit!

Daddy in his Lions t-shirt (a Thanksgiving tradition) and Zach:

Mommy & Zach, in his Thanksgiving bib...too bad he coudln't enjoy the wonderful turkey Grandma Glanzman made...next year buddy!

Grandma & Grandpa Glanzman w/ Zach after our feast:

Family photo after dinner: