Wednesday, December 16, 2009

Another birthday present

Another birthday present: a pop-up tent that looks like a school bus.



Videos taken 11/10/09; Zachary is 26 months old

Sunday, December 13, 2009

New Bike

Zachary got a new bike for his birthday. It's called a "balance bike" - it has no pedals. The idea is that he will learn how to balance first without pedals so that learning how to ride a "big bike" won't be overwhelming and he won't need training wheels. When the bike arrived we put it together right away, then headed out to the greenway to try it out.




Videos taken 11/7/09; Zachary is 25 months old

Monday, November 9, 2009

He's Reading!

He's reading! (okay, I know it's memorized). But I have to tell you, a couple days after this video, he's reading it even better!



Video taken 11/1/09 - Zachary is 25 months

Saturday, November 7, 2009

Z-A-C-H-A-R-Y

A spelling lesson. Notice that Zachary says the last two letters without prompting :)



Video taken 10/27/09 - Zachary is 25 months

Thursday, November 5, 2009

Reading

I could hear Zachary reading to himself, but I had to sneak up or he'd stop as soon as he saw the camera! I love how he says "the end" and puts the book away!!



Video taken 10/9/09 - Zachary is 25 months

Tuesday, November 3, 2009

2nd Birthday

Zachary's 2nd birthday slipped by without much of a party, but we did manage to catch a couple gifts on video. Here's the big two-year-old!





Videos taken 9/9/09 - Zachary is 2 years old

Tuesday, October 27, 2009

Painting Helper

The wood needed some light sanding before it could be painted. Zachary was happy to help, with frequent breaks to check on the cricket.


Video taken 07/27/09; Zachary is 22 months

Sunday, October 25, 2009

Cricket

A hapless cricket got itself stuck in a flower pot. At first it jumped around wildly, but as the day progressed it became less and less active.




Videos taken 07/27/09; Zachary is 22 months

Friday, October 23, 2009

Shhh

The first time I opened the door, he was quietly entertaining himself. I closed the door and got the camera and tried to re-enact the scene....


Video taken 07/23/09; Zachary is 22 months

Wednesday, October 21, 2009

Laundry Helper

He takes clothes out of the dryer, he puts clothes in the dryer, and he hands me clothes to put in the washer. So helpful!


Video taken 07/14/09; Zachary is 22 months

Monday, October 19, 2009

4th of July

Some videos from the fireworks festival. First water, then fire(works).




Videos taken 07/04/09

Saturday, October 17, 2009

Hide and Seek

Another video from our visit to State College, PA

Video taken 06/30/09; Zachary is 21 months

Thursday, October 15, 2009

Playing with Grandpa

We visited Auntie Beth in State College, PA for the Fourth of July holiday. Grandma and Grandma were there too and we stayed for a whole week.

Video taken 06/29/09; Zachary is 21 months

Tuesday, October 13, 2009

Kitchen Helper

Zachary loves helping me put the dishes away! He does get a little confused with the knives, because the Cutco table knives don't go in the same drawer. Notice at the end how he uses the towel to dry the spoon!


Video taken 06/18/09; Zachary is 21 months

Sunday, October 11, 2009

Gettin' Dizzy

We had this chair out in anticipation of someone coming to buy it (gotta love Craigslist!!), but Zachary thought we had it out just for him. Watch his eyes when the chair stops spinning...



Video taken 6/17/09; Zachary is 21 months

Friday, October 9, 2009

Building Forts

Daddy builds the fort, Zachary tears it down. Good fun!


Video taken 5/30/09; Zachary is 20 months

Saturday, September 26, 2009

Summer Swimming

I haven't uploaded a video since the end of May!! I didn't realize how much time I let slip by...

I can, of course, give what I consider to be reasonable justifications, but what's the point? So here are some summer videos:

These are all from May 23rd (a Saturday). It was a perfect day to spend in the pool. Except that Zachary didn't play in the pool like we expected him to! He didn't ever sit down. He just stood in it.





Here Daddy has the camera, but Zachary was less than cooperative. I thought those big feet were going to push that little guy right in!






Videos taken 05/23/09; Zachary is 20 months

Saturday, May 30, 2009

What's with the strainers?

I don't remember what the story was on this one. (WAS there a story? Did I ever hear it?) I'm sure it had something to do with Zachary getting into the cupboard by himself (one of the child safety latches isn't installed quite right) and choosing those particular items to play with, for reasons known only to himself.


Video taken 4/16/09; Zachary is 19 months

Thursday, May 28, 2009

Jelly

Is...is that jelly he's eating right out of the container?? Why, yes, yes it is. And who's hand is that holding it...?


Video taken 4/6/09; Zachary is 18 months


And that, dear friends and family, catches us up to Easter. Whew!

Tuesday, May 26, 2009

Eating out with Neenie and Grandpa

The "tablecloths" at this restaurant are just big sheets of butcher paper. So we made good use of the crayons that were provided :)



Then our food arrived...


Videos taken 4/5/09; Zachary is 18 months

Sunday, May 24, 2009

Going Down

When my parents came to visit in April, we hiked Clingman's Dome (again, but this time it wasn't freezing!) On the way, we had to take a detour to go up and down these stairs.


Video taken 4/5/09; Zachary is 18 months

Friday, May 22, 2009

Playing Mailbox

Zachary pushed this card through the door and retrieved it over and over and over...For several days!


Video taken 3/26/09; Zachary is 18 months

Wednesday, May 20, 2009

Clipping Clips

I was trying to get a video of Zachary learning how to clip the straps on his highchair. But he got distracted by the camera...


I tried a second time to capture the feat. He didn't get it clipped quite right, but that doesn't stop him from applauding for himself!

Videos taken 3/26/09; Zachary is 18 months

Monday, May 18, 2009

TN Ren Fest 2009

We thoroughly enjoyed the Renaissance Festival again this year. Zachary was much more interested than he was last year! But this also meant he wanted to get down and run around in the mud! I've posted the pictures to Shutterfly (click here), so you can enjoy those. And I don't think I've ever posted this video of the full-armored jousting. The video is from the first year we went to the festival: 2006.


Video taken 5/28/06

Monday, May 11, 2009

Zachary's Dedication

Parent/Child Dedication Service at Belmont Heights Baptist Church, Sunday May 10, 2009 (Mother's Day)



Led by Dr. Northcott.
Other participants: Nick and Kimberly and their three children, Gracie, Riley, and Asa.

Saturday, May 9, 2009

Ultrasound Images!

I finally got the ultrasound images scanned! Here's a peek:

Click on the image or click here to see the rest :)

Thursday, April 16, 2009

Easter 2009

It wouldn't be Easter morning without Easter baskets! Mom and I wove the two medium sized baskets that match. We even dyed some of the reeds. It was really fun!



It was a malted milk ball. He NEEDED to know what a malted milk ball is.

After church, nap, and lunch, it was time for the egg hunt. Zachary found all 11 eggs (one of them twice, thanks to Neenie, lol) and made sure they weren't raw by dropping them in the basket. Yes, most of them cracked.




Videos taken 4/12/09; Zachary is 19 months old.

Thursday, April 2, 2009

Boy in a Box

Zachary loved playing in this box. He liked it best with the flaps closed so it was all dark inside!




Videos taken 3/20/09; Zachary is 18 months old.

Wednesday, April 1, 2009

Bike Riding

I love having the seat in front. So much better than behind! I'm not sure he would enjoy it nearly as much otherwise.

Video taken 3/7/09; Zachary is 17 months old.

Thursday, March 12, 2009

Talking

Before I grabbed the camera, Zachary was turning the pages and talking - it looked like he was reading aloud! At the end of the video, he decides that I was offering a lap to sit on, so I had to quickly stop the recording and put the camera away so he could sit down, lol.


Video taken 2/28/09; Zachary is 17 months

Wednesday, March 11, 2009

Little Builder

Zachary's quite the architect! Curtis helps keep the "building" from being just a single tower, but, as you'll see at the end of the video, Zachary has his own ideas about the design. Of course, he can't help being a ham too - posing for the camera! I may have to isolate that one frame (you'll know what I'm talking about when you see it) and print it.



Video taken 2/23/09; Zachary is 17 months old.

By the way, Monday (March 9) was Zachary's 18mo. birthday! Eighteen months seems like such a long time, but he's still so little! (Especially when his daddy picks him up!) So, what is he doing at 18 months? He walks and runs. He sings and dances. He "talks" gibberish a lot, but throws in a few "real" words for good measure. He adds new signs to his sign language vocabulary at every opportunity. He loves books and music and blocks and petting kitties. He can clip the straps on his high chair, then drags me over to unclip them. He prefers milk to water, but thinks chocolate milk is funny (I don't care for Ovaltine in whole milk EITHER, so I understand). He has four molars now and is working on an eye-tooth or two. He notices what earrings I'm wearing (and checks to see if they match) and loves it when I wear a shirt that has a design on the back. He doesn't like it when Daddy puts on shoes and jacket, because that means he's going somewhere, unless we get out little shoes too, then all's well. He problem-solves (standing on his firetruck is the best way to reach high places) and knows what I mean when I say "wait" (as long as I don't take too long). And if he spills something (like dry cereal), he will pick it up (one piece at a time) and put it back in the bowl.

But, for all his"big boy-ness", he still naps twice a day (THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU) and it's not naptime without "binky and blankie". (But if you remind him, after naptime, to put binky and blankie away, he will.)

Sunday, March 1, 2009

Strawberry

Watch this strawberry disappear before your very eyes! Undaunted by the size of the fruit, Zachary steadily munches away until the whole thing has been consumed. Then, having had success with signing, he signs for "more".


Video taken 2/14/09; Zachary is 17 months

Friday, February 20, 2009

Dance Baby Dance

Remember Dancing Baby and More Dancing Baby? Here's a Dancing Toddler! (Yes, that's a VeggieTales episode he's dancing to. It's "Gideon Tuba Warrior")


Video taken 02/05/09; Zachary is 16 months.

(The title is a reference to David Bowie's song from Labyrinth, by the way)

Thursday, February 19, 2009

Busy Boy

Cuteness in the kitchen. I'm so glad the camera was within reach!


Video taken 02/03/09; Zachary is 16 months.

This video is actually two videos put together. Cool, huh?

Monday, February 16, 2009

Baptism

Here is the video of Curtis' baptism! Nick is the college pastor at Belmont Heights. He and his wife, Kimberly, have three kids: Gracie 5, Riley 3, and Asa 4months. Zachary and Riley have fun together.



Video taken 02/15/2009

I'm sorry it's so hard to hear. It's because the sound is coming through the church sound system before being picked up by the microphone on the camera.

(I don't know why the video wouldn't upload yesterday. I had YouTube open all day today too, and it never uploaded. I switched to YouTube's "Beta Uploader" and it uploaded in 20 minutes.)

Sunday, February 15, 2009

Belly Kisses

Well, they're supposed to be zerberts (is that how it's spelled?), but Zachary hasn't quite figure out how to do them yet. Besides, he gets enough reaction as it is, lol.


Video taken 01/31/09; Zachary is 16 months old.

Saturday, February 14, 2009

Reading Together

I didn't realize Curtis was catching this on video (as you can tell by the way I look up at him), but I'm glad he did!


Video taken 01/31/09; Zachary is 16 months old.

Friday, February 13, 2009

Shocking

Yay, new videos!

I was trying to get dinner going, but was interrupted by the most adorable laughter. I'm so glad the camera was on the counter! My favorite part is when Zachary grabs the thing from Curtis and tries to zap himself. So cute!!




Videos taken 1/28/09; Zachary is 16 months old.

Monday, February 2, 2009

Lirazel

Hey all,

I just wanted to tell you about my other blog: http://lirazel.blogspot.com. I wasn't sure if I'd be posting to it much, but I've been posting to it pretty regularly. If you'd noticed a lack of non-video posts here, they're all over there!

I have to warn you, though, that you can't just read my diary and slip away unnoticed. You can get away with that here because, well, because you can. But if you come visit Lirazel and read my posts, you're required to leave a comment. You can just say "hi", tell me your reaction to the post, or something totally unrelated, but no stalking! There, you've been warned.

(I'm just kidding of course. As much as I'd LIKE for you to leave a comment, you don't have to, and I can't make you. Just know that a little bit of me dies every time someone reads and doesn't comment. Really.)

Friday, January 30, 2009

More Lost Videos

I've been wondering what happened to some pictures we took of Zachary in September, including birthday party pictures and videos of his first steps! I was organizing files on my computer and found them! I'm very glad. So I've uploaded the pictures to Zachary's photo site. They're in the "Fall 2008" album.

I decided to post the videos under the date they probably would have been posted on had they not been misplaced. That way they're in the right chronological order since this blog is a digital scrapbook.

First, you'll want to see Zachary learning to stand.

Then, watch him take his first steps!

Monday, January 26, 2009

Grapes

Not only do we no longer cut grapes in half, we don't even pull them off the stem anymore, he's got it all figured out! This is how grapes are supposed to be devoured:


Video taken 1/24/09; Zachary is 16 months.

Saturday, January 17, 2009

Reading Aloud

Big boys sit at the table to read their books.


Video taken 1/10/2009; Zachary is 16 months.

Thursday, January 15, 2009

Sweet Tomatoe-y Goodness

Zachary has discovered ketchup.

It started when we were at In-and-Out. He ate the bun of his hamburger, but wasn't interested in the patty. To make it more palatable we dipped the ground beef pieces in ketchup...and he sucked the ketchup off and left the ground beef. We left the pieces of patty in front of him. When he picked one up we were watchful. When he dipped it into the ketchup without any help we were hopeful. When he put it into his mouth we held our breath....and then he sucked the ketchup off and left the ground beef. (I know, you saw that coming.)

Last night we had breakfast for dinner, which included tater tots. Zachary was perfectly content to eat his tater tots au natural, until he saw me put ketchup on my plate. Then nothing would satisfy him until he had his own puddle of ketchup. He happily finished (most of) the rest of his dinner, dipping his tater tots in the ketchup (and this time he didn't just suck the ketchup off).

Wednesday, January 14, 2009

Applesauce

Perfecting our skills with a spoon.

Video taken 12/30/2008; Zachary is 15 months.

Tuesday, January 13, 2009

Swinging

The playground at Pin Oak Park in Bakersfield

Video taken 12/29/2008; Zachary is 15 months

Saturday, January 10, 2009

Crib Climber

We were wondering when Zachary would try to climb out of his crib. Now we know: today! Curtis and I were downstairs when we heard (and felt!) a huge THUD. At the very first, we wondered if it was one of our neighbors (townhome you know, close proximity), but in the second moment we wondered if it came from upstairs. When we arrived, Zachary was lying on the floor, just starting to whimper (he wasn't hurt at all, just startled!) He was lying perpendicular to the crib, feet towards the crib. We figure he must have tried to go over the rail feet first. Good boy!

So now, has he learned his lesson and he won't try again for a while? Do we keep the rail lowered so he doesn't have as far to fall? Or do we remove the one side completely and make it a day-bed? (bottom image, for example)


The Missing Videos

The "missing" videos have been uploaded, yay! They are in Sunshine (from March, almost a year ago!), Blocks, and Basketball (both from December). Enjoy!

Friday, January 9, 2009

Family Videos

I was focused on putting up videos of Zachary, that these videos were being ignored!

Happy 19th Birthday Jessica!

Video taken 12/24/2008 (morning)

Annual Christmas Eve Party at the Harpers'





Videos taken 12/24/2008 (evening)

Day after Christmas

Video taken 12/26/2008

Thursday, January 8, 2009

Legos!

One can never have too many Legos! (As you may guess, the box of Legos was opened right after opening the Glockenspiel, as he won't let go of the mallets!)




Videos taken 12/25/2008; Zachary is 15 months

Rocking Chair

Zachary liked to sit on the cat scratching toy as though it were a rocking chair. Doesn't he look comfy?


Video taken 12/28/2008; Zachary is 15 months.