Yes, This Seriously Is My First Post Of 2012.

Well folks, the title speaks for itself. I have been blog-slacking again. It isn't the first time, nor, I suspect, will it be the last. Forgive me, fam. Somehow I don't think anyone will be too broken up about it, but I felt the need to apologize. Moving along! 2012 has been a big year for us here in the Worner family. I think I will save some of the bigger changes for another post at another time, but for now, I'll just let everyone know that we did finally get our house rented out to a wonderful family and it has been great! Zade and I are now residing in my parent's basement (come on, we've all been there at some point in our lives!), and it's been fun being close to everyone. Since I know Uncle Kyle (probably my most loyal blog-reader!) has probably missed pictures of the Triple Man (Zade), the rest of the blog will be a few pics from the last few months. Enjoy!

IHOP silliness. He had everyone in the restaurant laughing while he flexed his muscles (AKA grunt and make a crazy face until all the veins are popping out in his neck then laugh hysterically). 

Being a kitty.

St. Patrick's Day green waffles!

First tattoo sesh. Pretty awesome.

So, I just wanted to include this because it's awesome. This is the card I made and sent to Japan for Kyle's birthday! Pretty sweet.

Zade, fixin' his ride.

So, this is from February, but it was his first official coffee table wound. Were were glad that no stitches were necessary.

Ok, y'all! I love you all for reading this! Hopefully I can be better about keeping this up in the future. Also, it's my birthday tomorrow, so let's not forget to call me on the phone and sing. Also- Kyle- you better call me for real. Serious. Anyway- until next time!

MERRY CHRISTMAS

Merry Christmas, family and friends! I wanted to get this blog post up quickly so Alan could see the Christmas pics- we missed him today! Also I know Zade's aunt and uncle in Japan will enjoy, we missed them this year too. I have a few pictures from fun things this month that I will start with before getting to the Christmas joy!

Zade and I having a chill day with Secelia at Barnes and Noble. Best place ever to just hang out.

I attempted a hair cut this month! He looks like such a big boy!!

OK, let's get down to business. Christmas is , hands down, my favorite holiday. I love the season so much, and it was so fun this year getting everything ready. Having Zade around to enjoy the magic with all his awe and wonder only made it that much more amazing. I'm sorry for the bad lighting in a lot of the pictures, but I really enjoy unwrapping gifts by the light of the tree :)

Here Zade meets his new rocking horse- Legacy. He talks and sings and makes sound effects and is soft and adorable. It was love at first sight!

Zade's face while the horse sings.

First ride, giddy-up Zade!

A giant squishy ball.

Opening some puzzles- bugs and dinosaurs!

Zade opening the blocks I made for him. I'm happy to say that they have been a favorite today!

Zade got some Backyardigan's friends in his stocking.

Giving Pablo and Tyrone a squeeze!

So much fun!

We started a new holiday tradition this year- chocolate chip waffles for breakfast!

True to Zade form, however, he always goes for the fruit first :)

Then it was time to go to my parents' house...

Zade and Owen got a Lightning McQueen car!

Driving around. NBD.

Zade plays with his new zoo.

Owen shooting some hoops with Zade's new hoop! And Zade's exploring their new tunnels.

Happy holidays everyone! I hope everyone had a very merry day- Merry Christmas to all, and to all a GOOD NIGHT!

18 months

We had our 18 month check-up yesterday, and here are the stats: he gained about a pound in the last 3 months weighing in at 24 lb 13 oz which is the 59th percentile, and still being a tall, tall boy he is 34.25 inches tall- the 96th percentile. I love my little ham, he seriously gets cuter every day. He said his first swear word yesterday ("shit!"), oops. Mom is going to have to be more careful from now on. We have also finally commenced in earnest, weaning him off of a bottle. He HATES not having it and to be honest, it's been a rough couple days. We'll make it through though, we're tough cookies. Can't wait for Christmas, it gets closer every day, ya know! We also had a fun cousin photo shoot with Zade and my nephew, Owen. My brother, Chase, is a really great photographer. You can check out his website here if you're interested. Also, I'm hi-jacking a photo from yesterday from his Facebook to add to today's blog.

Our little tumblers, Zade on the left and Owen on the right. The boys are getting so big!!

December?!

I, for one, am completely caught off guard that it is December. This happens to an extent every year, but this year I am utterly bewildered with how quickly it has flown. I guess there is some truth to what my mom always said in that the older you get, the faster time moves. I think having a child does that too. Zade was exactly 18 months yesterday. I'll do a quickie post after his check up with some updates, I can't believe my baby is already a year and a half!

We're still just rolling with the punches here at the Worner home, missing Daddy, and growing up. I've got a few photos to share today, the last of the fall pics and a few as we move into my favorite season of all- Christmas season!

As quickly as it came along, I'm not at all disappointed. I love everything about Christmas time, it has always been my favorite holiday forever. I love the music, the decorations, the baking, the eating, the giving, and the family time. It's a lot of fun having my own home and family now to experience this magic with, I love decorating my tree and baking with Zade. He seems to enjoy it too, as you will witness in the pictures below ;) We also went to the festival of trees, my mom and I go every year. It was fun to take Zade this year, his first holiday tradition :)

Zade enjoyed playing in the leaves this year!

Our cute small tree. I didn't want to get a real one this year, because Al's not around to help me put it up and whatnot, but this little guy turned out pretty cute! And, it's at perfect height for Zade to continually redecorate it as he see's fit ;)

Ah the joys of being a child and licking the beaters :) This one was loaded with cream cheese frosting. Nothing says "good parent" like a sugar high before bedtime, eh?

Yum!

Another baking excursion, not related to the beater pictures above. I love baking this time of year! These bad boys are too delicious for their own good. I have dubbed them "birthday cake cookies" because they are cake-batter flavored. So delicious. If anyone is interested in the really easy recipe, I found it here.

That's it for today, I hope everyone enjoys the wonderful activities of the season! Go see some lights, decorate, bake, and do some anonymous acts of kindness. Enjoy your family, I am missing my husband and my brother Kyle and sister Chiaki. Happy holidays one and all!

Updates and/or Past Lies

Hello friends and family! I hope this finds everyone well and excited for the feast that should be enjoyed later this evening. I have a few minutes today so I figured I would amend some of my past lies, or just fill my general audience in on some updates. However you want to see it. In the last blog where I mentioned our move I had said we would be going this month, however, unfortunately, it won't be this month. The new hope is for January, but I'll keep everyone posted. Also, still looking for any interested renters for the upper floor of our home, you can check out this blog post for more info.

Anyway, with the extenuating circumstances that changed out departure date, I wasn't expecting to see Alan for a while. We never got a new court date in the mail for the case he was coming down for, so we had decided to just save some money. A couple weeks ago, though, I got an awesome surprise on my doorstep- SURPRISE VISIT! Woo! Alan was here for a couple weeks and we had a blast. Zade loved having his daddy home, and the two of them were attached at the hip. It was so fun to have him around and we had a lot of fun hanging out, playing games, and taking Zade to the aquarium. A lot of pictures from his trip are on Al's phone because his camera is a lot better than mine. I don't have access to them at the moment, but here are a few fun ones from his visit that I took:

Some bubble bath fun with Dad.

This belly makes me laugh!

One of Alan's ingenious ideas while he was here, haven't had a rootbeer float in a while!

This is the picture we took right after we found Dad on our porch :)

Alan flew back last evening and arrived early, early this morning. It was awesome having him home, and we miss him already! I hope that everyone has a great Turkey Day, and keep in mind all the things we have to be thankful for. I for one am thankful for the life I have, the people who are in it (in any way, shape, or form), my family members who get me through, especially my husband who works so hard so that I can be at home with my son. So thankful for that son of mine who is truly my whole world, that I can help him grow and teach him new things; that I can see his smile daily, and hold him in my arms. I am thankful for my close friends, for my home, and for this life that is mine to live. I love you all, have a happy, thankful day!

Dem Bones

Having a child makes lots of things more fun. I have an excuse to do so many childish things again- like making blanket forts, running through sprinklers(in the summer, not in October), blowing bubbles, and Trick-or-Treating! I haven't been so excited about Halloween since I was a kid. I never even realized how much I enjoyed trick-or-treating until it was 5:00 on Halloween and I was debating what time was an acceptable starting time for us. Zade was an adorable trick-or-treater, and honestly, people give more candy to cute little toddlers than I ever remember getting as a kid. As if he needs all that candy! (Or as if I need it! lol) He was a little confused with the concept of going around door to door and all of our neighbors offering him bowls of candy to choose from at first, but he was a pro by the end. Knock on the door, reach for the bowl (looking adorable of course), and I even got him to say thank-you to a couple people. All in all it was a success and I had just as much fun as, if not more than, he did. We also went to his first Halloween party this year hosted by my grandmother, aka G.G. (Great Grandma), and Zade had a blast. Getting his boogie on to Monster Mash and Dem Bones, eating all sorts of treats, and playing with the cousins. Here are some pics from the last few days, and a happy belated Halloween to everyone!

At G.G.'s goblin party with his cousins, Rowan on the left, and Owen on the right. (And my cute little skeleton in the middle :) )

Skeletons don't like car seats.

Showing off the costume at Grandma's before G.G.'s party.

Getting ready to TRICK-OR TREAT! (Ignore my sad pumpkins.)

Switchin' tops

His face looked so chubby in that hood! It was so adorable :)

Enjoying the spoils!

Hope everyone has a delicious post-Halloween!