Last week we took our first mini family vacation, just the 3 of us. It was just 2 days but I think we all had a great time, especially Jude. We left at nap time on Sunday afternoon and drove to Council Bluffs, IA where we checked into a inexpensive little hotel. Jude slept until we pulled into the parking lot…how perfect. He’s not a fan of the car seat so we had to do our traveling during nap times. We were planning to go to the zoo on Monday but arrived in town Sunday afternoon about 3 so we had all evening. Caleb grabbed some brochures from the lobby and we started to look for a kid-friendly activity to do on a Sunday night. We weren’t hoping for much. We found a brochure for Vala’s Pumpkin Patch. We’ve been to the pumpkin patch multiple times this fall but this was no ordinary looking pumpkin patch. They advertised animals, pig races, trains, play areas, food and music. We called it a cross between Silver Dollar City and Red Barn Farm. It was fabulous! I might even venture to say it was better than the zoo that we made the trip for. Jude pet the animals, rode the train, and played on the playgrounds. We ate dinner there and left with kettle corn and caramels. I would love to make this a yearly family tradition. It turns out we stumbled upon the largest pumpkin patch in the world in the tiny town of Gretna, NE.
We went back to the hotel, got in our pjs, read multiple tractor books, and were planning for a long wakeful night with Jude who doesn’t sleep well away from his own bed. We put him in his pack n’ play next to our bed and turned off all the lights. We whined and cried for less that 5 minutes and then crashed and slept all night. What a treat. We woke about 8am, ate breakfast at our hotel and headed to the zoo.
I was a little disappointed with the zoo overall but I have very intense emotions about the respect and care of animals and am not sure I’m totally cool with the idea of zoos in general. I know and understand that education and preservation of the species is important but I still long for animals to be in their natural environments. And then I’d love to travel to those places to observe and learn about them there. But anyways, we still had a good time seeing the animals. They have many monkeys at the Omaha zoo which Jude is very into now. We saw the cats (lions and tigers), giraffes, hippos, bears, and various small animals and birds. The aquarium was closed for remodeling in addition to tons of construction taking place in and around various exhibits which was kind of a bummer. I think we just chose a time a little too late in the season although we almost had the place to ourselves and the weather was beautiful. We left the zoo at nap time, ate a quick lunch, and headed home. Jude slept all the way home.
It was a great mini-vacation!
Today marks the first day of Autumn. And I like Autumn. But I’m sad to see summer go. I had such fun this summer. Jude was very mobile and interested in lots of activities, especially being outside. In order to bring a close to Jude’s first summer and move into Autumn with joy and anticipation, I will attempt to review all the great times we’ve had in the last 3 months.
On June 12 we celebrated Jude’s first birthday. It was a great day with our family and closest friends.
On June 26-29 we traveled to Florida to visit my grandparents. I forgot to write about this but it was a fabulous time! Our favorite day included a boat ride to a private little beach where we set the anchor and swam and played in the sand. It was the perfect vacation idea for a toddler. Jude even fell asleep on the boat ride back to the house, almost totally unheard of for my active little guy.
In July and August we spent many days outside in our yard, at the Bachman’s pool, and playing at the park in Savannah. I will definitely miss all these great activities. And I’m sure Jude will too.
Caleb participated in the Warrior Dash in KC on July 31 and Jude and I enjoyed watching him get really dirty.
We planted a garden this year. I could write about garden woes for hours but in short…we planted too big, got tired of weeding, and didn’t do a great job of harvesting at the right times and figuring out how to preserve our plenty. But we enjoyed planting and some of the vegetables we harvested. Jude loves to pick things off the vines, even if they’re not quite ripe. We’re still getting raspberries and we make a daily trip to the patch for Jude to enjoy. It’s so cute to see his eyes light up when he sees red raspberries on the vine to pick. He’s not the best at sharing the raspberries though.
To end the summer, we took lots of trips to the orchard to pick peaches. They were delicious. I can still taste them!
Our last exciting event this summer was the addition of a new family member. Jude’s first cousin, Mercy Regina Zahnd, was born on August 27. We’re excited for all the great times Jude and Mercy will have together in the years to come.
So there you have it. Our wonderful summer in review. It really was a great season. We fully enjoyed the outdoors, our family, and every moment together. I’m looking forward to a great Fall season ahead.
Posted in Jude on August 22, 2011
We had family photos taken for Jude’s 1 year birthday. We used a new photographer, Tara Miesner, and loved her and her work. We took them at Loose Park in KC. These photos are something I don’t think we’ll ever regret spending the money for. We’re already thinking about what to do for a Fall family photo session.
Posted in Jude on August 11, 2011
So now that Jude has reached many of the physical milestones expected, we’re on to following his intellectual milestones. And let me tell you, he’s one smart cookie! Check out what Jude says and does.
Judes says…
Dad
Mama
Hi
Uh oh
All done
Ball
Bottle
What’s this?
What’s that?
Bye bye
Jude identifies…
Dog (barks)
Book
Drink
Bottle
Airplane
Mickey
Elmo
Eggs
Diaper
Nose (yours)
Ears (his)
Toes (his)
Head
Eyes
Hair
Shoes
Socks
Bed
Jude follow commands…
Brush your hair
Get the dog
Clean up
Jump
Actions Jude does…
Puts socks/shoes to feet
Backs down stairs
Cleans up toys
Puts shaped blocks in correct holes
Uses fork
Sings
Jumps
Dances
Chases you/runs from you
Waters flowers
Laughs when you laugh
Turns lights on/off
Plays “this little piggy”
Barks like a dog
Tweets like a bird
Catches slow flys
Claps for good job
Waves hi/bye
I’m sure there’s much more that I’m missing. He seems to be learning so much every single day.
He’s also started to transition from two naps to one and it has been a little rocky. And he runs! I think my little baby is officially gone and I now have a toddler. Wow, much has changed in the past 14 months!
14 Months
This update is coming 2 months late but better late than never. I’m loving looking back at old pictures, videos, and blog posts to remember just how much things have changed over the last year and how very blessed I am to have Jude Andrew Zahnd.
We celebrated Jude’s first birthday with our family and close friends at our house on Sunday, June 12. Caleb and I were those crazy parents I never thought I’d be and made a huge deal out of his first birthday. Oh well, it was great fun and a wonderful memory. We planned for a couple weeks what food we’d serve, how we’d decorate, the clothes we’d all wear, and how we’d entertain and accomodate the 25 people we invited. We served hamburgers, corn on the cob, watermelon, and my wonderful mother made pasta salad and a veggie tray. I spent way too much time laboring over the cake that we didn’t even eat. Mom made cupcakes which were much easier to serve to so many people. And let’s just face it, pretty cakes don’t really taste that great. We made a banner for the fireplace with photos of Jude from every month in his first year, a happy birthday banner for the kitchen, and a little banner for his highchair. One of my favorite memories is a Happy Birthday! book by Dr. Seuss that we had everyone sign. All the messages were so sweet and it will be great to look back on them in the years to come. Jude even had a Dr. Seuss outfit with a number one and Dr. Seuss characters printed on it.
I love our family and friends and am so blessed to have them to celebrate all these special moments with!
Of course, here are some pictures of the momentous event.
I am Ashlie Zahnd, 26 years old, caring and adventurous. I became Ashlie Zahnd on January 1, 2005 when I married my best friend Caleb. 