Zane is 9 Months Old

What a handsome little man! Zane is now nine months old...what a cutie! He had is 9-month check-up yesterday, and here are his stats:

Weight: 23.45 pounds - 95th percentile

Height: 30.25 inches - 96th percentile

Head Circumference: 18.75 inches - too big...off the chart!

Obviously he is a BIG kid! He loves to eat, and we have yet to feed him something he doesn't like! He has six teeth now, which has been very helpful with all the eating he does! Zane still isn't crawling, but rolls all over the place, and has even started to take steps along the couch to reach something he wants. He has his sister's wrapped around his finger (and his mom and dad, too!) and we all will do just about anything to make him giggle. Z is still taking three naps a day, and is doing pretty well at sleeping through the night (hallelujah!!!!). We sure are glad this little guy is in our family!

Z in his high chair - one of his favorite places to be!

Z taking a bath...his second-favorite place to be!

Just hanging out...

Career Day

At the beginning of the year Riley's teacher asked each parent to come in and talk to the class about what they do for a career. Ry decided a long time ago that I don't really work, and Cory's real job is too boring to talk about at school...so she asked her dad to come in and talk about the ranch. Cory took the day off last Friday and went in and told the kids about life on the ranch. To get ready for the presentation we made a poster of some of Riley's favorite pictures from our trips to the ranch. We also took the computer and showed the kids a few video clips of Riley riding 'ole Joe up by the barn. The other kids were amazed that Riley could ride the horse all by herself! Cory told the class about the work they do on the ranch, and had a discussion about branding. Riley also picked a few of her favorite ranch stories for Cory to tell (Clarissa's rattlesnake story made the cut!). Ry loved having her dad come to school, and the rest of the kids were really interested in the ranch and what Riley gets to do when she visits there.

Pictures from our trips to the ranch.

Cory telling stories...

Ry was paying attention!

Raptor Leadership Award

Riley's school has a program that recognizes kids for being good students on a monthly basis. Riley was selected by her teachers to receive the Raptor Leadership Award for January. Way to go, Ry!!

See ya to the Subaru!

A week before we went to Disneyland in December Cory bought a Honda Accord...so for the last month or so we have had three cars (which ended up being a really good thing due to an unfortunate incident involving my van and a concrete post in a parking garage...). Now that I have the van back from the shop, it was time for the Subaru to go up for sale. Last night we sold it and its new owner came to pick it up. I swear I saw Cory wipe a tear as it drove away.... he did like that car.

Out with the old...

in with the new.

Jr. Jazz

Riley's basketball season is up and running...she is in her final year of playing co-ed. Yeah! Riley and her friend, Braelyn, are the only two girls on the team and I think they are ready to start playing in an all-girl league. Riley is doing great, though. She holds her own with the boys and gets out there and plays hard. Way to go, Ry!

Riley's coach and most of the kids on her team are from our neighborhood, which makes it really fun.

Killing the 6 o'clock hour

Zane's grumpy time is between 6 p.m. and bedtime. We have figured out that the best ways to keep him happy is to give him a bath. The kitchen sink has become his "hot tub" and he loves hanging out in there with a toy or two. He looks happy now!

Christmas Activities

Christmas has come and gone...December always goes by so fast. We had a fun holiday season this year. RIley was off-track from school all of December, which was really nice. We could stay up late and sleep in as much as we wanted to! I already posted about our trip to Disneyland...so here is what we were up to the rest of December:

Aunt Debbie came to visit for a few days. We went to Temple Square to see the lights while she was here. I took the girls up to Salt Lake in the van, and Cory stayed at home with Zane (it was way too cold for the little guy to be out, even though I think he would have loved the lights). The girls had fun, but the night did not end too kindly for me. We parked in a parking garage right across the street from Temple Square, and you know those concrete posts they have in parking garages to keep you from running into walls? Well, I scraped the entire passenger side of the van on one when trying to escape the parking garage. It wasn't pretty. We took the van into the body shop to get an estimate on the damage...turns out the insurance company decided to total the van. It wouldn't have been such a bummer (because the van is getting up there in age and miles) but we had just bought a new car a week and a half earlier. We were planning on replacing the van in the next year or so, but I just wasn't ready to say my final goodbye. After many phone calls to the repair shop and insurance company, Cory figured out a way for us to get the van back in one piece. I can't wait! After three weeks of squishing three kids/car seats/booster seats across the back of Cory's Honda Accord, I'm ready to get my van back! One more week and it should be out of the shop...

Oops...those dang posts!

Some of the fun before the parking garage incident...

We stayed at home for Christmas this year. The kids were really excited for Christmas, though Bailey was kind of nervous to think about Santa sneaking into her house while she was sleeping (which is why the girls ended up sleeping on our floor Christmas Eve). Santa did come, though, and when the clock hit 6:00 a.m. we were up opening presents. Both girls and Zane were more than happy with their presents he brought them. Riley got an ipod, Bailey got the princess dress-up clothes she had been DYING for, and Zane got a ball-popper he had his eye on. After opening presents we went to church and then went to my parent's house for dinner.

Here is Cory reading "The Night Before Christmas" to the girls on Christmas Eve.

Pictures in front of the tree in their new jammies:

Christmas morning...

Zane has been sucking on his lip lately...it kind of makes him look like an old man. But he sure does love his ball popper he got from Santa!

Bailey was in heaven with her princess dress-up chest.

Riley's new ipod.