Zach sings!

Zach Turned 2... (ehhem, last month)...

That's right, our "baby" has joined the rank of "toddler!" How that happened, I'm not so sure, but I have to say, we are pretty proud parents! Zachary is such a light and joy to our family. There is no way to be unhappy around this little guy. You can already see that he is a clown and has a little sense of humor. Here is a snapshot of our little brudder...
*Zach LOVES his brudder! He is constantly saying "Come on Ike-ah-boy." In Ike's words "Zachy is my BFF!" We often find them hugging and kissing each other to the ground, locked in brotherly embrace. Finally Zachy has learned to hold his own:) They go everywhere and love everything the other loves!
*Zach loves playing make-believe- These two boys are always SOMETHING ELSE (another common phrase from Z)! Firefighters "spraying the fire, or smoke," Divers in the ocean (i.e. my bathroom shower, Astronauts in my closet (always headed to Jupiter, their favorite planet), construction "work guys," Chefs baking "shlock-ette chips" (another of Z's favorite words), and on and on... Never a boring moment!
*Zach also loves the afforementioned "shlock-ette chips" Everything in his world somehow relates back to chocolate, dan-o's (donuts- he calls them dan-o's even though he is perfectly capable of saying donuts), pie (especially one they have made up called "crusty pie"), cake, cupcakes, ice cream, candy, etc. If it's sweet, it's a guaranteed winner in Zach's book

Birthday Breakfast tradition of Waffles and Ice Cream and Happiness:)

*Zach's sense of humor has made it's own way already! For instance, when he went to meet his pediatric dentist the other day (Dr. Ostler), he went right up to him and said "Hey shlock-ette chips Ostler!" He had called him Dr. Ostler all morning, but just felt the need to tease him immediately! He also called Daddy, "Aunt Ben" today:) LOVES a good healthy teasing. I don't see this easing up in the future... do you?
*Zach's favorite colors are Pink and Orange (depending on the day). He knows all of his colors, but since blue was already taken by his brother, and Pink never is, he decided on the latter:)

Birthday Party at the Splash Pad

Swimming party *almost* in his bday suit!

*Zach is also counting and knows some letters. He THINKS he can read, and count and write, but I think we're still learning:) He loves books and art and exploring. Pretty much anything brother can do, he wants to do too (typical?!)
*In case you haven't noticed, Zach has an extensive understandable vocabulary. He is easily able to tell you all about it! He isn't afraid to make his needs known (thus the reason he was whining "mommy, go poopy right now!" during Stake Conference today! True story... he was letting us know HE (not me!) needed to go right then, no waiting! Also, he had to get his blood tested for lead poisoning (routine checkup, and he passed!) Anyway, when they went to take his blood, the needle poked him and he starting saying "Ouchy ouchy, hurts momma, in my aaaarrrmmm!" Over and over. The nurse was almost in tears b/c she said usually at that age they just cry, but he was so vocal and breaking our hearts!
* Zach knows what he wants and isn't easily swayed. He often is not too interested in eating exactly when we're eating, or on the color of plate Ike has set for him, or the color of fork, or the color of the milk carton from which I poured his milk... It is a battle of the wills *most* of the time (and I ALWAYS win.. mwhaahaha!) Well, ok, i give in on some things that don't really matter. I'm proud of his exertion of independence and am not afraid to let him walk around with his skeleton shirt on and plaid shorts 9 months after halloween. weirdo.
*Zach is WALKING and climbing and thinks he is "running!" He has made leaps and bounds this year. Although he still is working on it, his improvement has been amazing and I am thankful and proud everyday to see his skill. I know it's not a huge challenge, but to us and to this little guy it was a GREAT BIG FEAT!

Happy Birthday Budda Belly!

*Zach insists on "rock-a-baby" before going to sleep at night. Bedtime routine is: read scriptures, say family prayers, do family cheer, brush teeth, then rock-a-baby... If I try to skip this last (of a gillion) steps, we get the whiny cry "mmaaammmaaa roooocckkk-aaaa-bbbbaaaabbbbyyyyy" Breaks your heart (and mine too!) So, I rock him in the wooden rocking chair in their room that my parents so prophetically bought me right before Ike was born, and we sing. and he sings too! He LOVES singing! Just like big brother! His top 10 right now 1.Popcorn Popping 2.Turtle Song 3. Monkey Song 4.Donut Song (you aren't surprised, are you?) 5. Rock a bye Baby 6. Puppy Song 7. Book of Mormon Stories 8. I am a Child of God 9. Daddy Song 10. "Peanie butter and Jelly" or our new rendition, bacon and eggs
*Zach loves the water! As you can imagine, we swim A LOT and play in the water the rest of the time in Arizona, so this boy is quite used to the water. I decided to skip swimming lessons for him this year while he focused on his walking skills. So, now he THINKS he cans swim and is always telling me "Let go Momma!" in the pool. He loves to get splashed and dump water on his head and he loves to do it to his brother too. He is getting a little tan being outside so much and LOVES his "simming trunks" In fact, I'll be honest, he pretty much lives in them! 
*Zach is working on potty training himself. Thus the reason for the outburst at church today mentioned earlier:) He wears a diaper, but often during the day will tell me he wants to sit on the potty and get a "jammie bean" (just one, don't judge!). If I learned anything from Ike, it was to embrace what they are willing to do, and not sweat it. So, I'm not. He's perfectly coming along and we'll be ok with that!
*Zach is in great shape, loves to eat everything (just on his time table, or in order to get the sweets!) He weighs about 23lbs. (5th percentile) and is in the 70th percentile for height. Typical Pieper boy for us.
We love this little monster! I really can't imagine life without these boys. I know with all my heart that he was sent here to our family straight from our Heavenly Father. He is a blessing to us and a gift. I know we are the parents he needs too. Thanks for bearing with me while I dote on this little guy. I sure love him!

Our Little 12 Month Old!

Post-birthday Cake:)

One Year Ago

First of all, how did this happen? It really has been the fastest year of my life (and probably busiest, but maybe happiest too)! I don't think much time goes by that we aren't laughing about something. Our boys truly bring so much happiness to our lives (even when things are way less than perfect)! Anyway, I wanted to describe our sweet Zachary at one year before time slips by and he's 5!
*Zach is H-A-P-P-Y. All the time, always. Ok, except maybe when his brother is putting his hands down his shirt to "keep his hands warm"- who would be happy with that, lets be honest! (Ike has done this since the day Zach was born... we're still trying to convince/threaten him to kick the habit! Maybe when they're married Ike will stop putting his hands in Zach's shirt... maybe.
*Zach loves to smile and laugh. His brother does lots to get this response in him and Zach is happy to be entertained... though mommy and daddy aren't always sure about the ends justifying the means (a lot of stuff ended up floating in the toilet to quote "make Zachy laugh!" hmm, gonna have to re-evaluate that one. He also loves "scaring us playing peek a boo and hide and seek and even knows itsy bitsy spider.
*Zach loves coming and going. He is a very laid-back kinda guy (obviously his father's child...) We often drag him to events/random parades/anything out of the house thus interfering with nap time at home or regularly scheduled anything. Don't get me wrong, we follow the same pattern everyday: Wake up, eat, play, snack, sleep, wake up, eat, play, snack, sleep... etc. But, it's not always at our house. I'm thankful for that b/c I'm obviously not a homebody.
*Along those lines, Zach loves new things and new people. He is the baby who will talk and smile and laugh to get your attention and then bury his head in mommy's shoulder when you stop to notice him. Funny funny boy!
*Zach has great hair! He has had 3 haircuts and never went through a really bald phase... it just changed colors! Now it's harder to see because it is so blonde, but it needs to be cut again... I'm just working up the strength to do it again!
*Zach eats everything! He loves everything he tries and is now being rather particular that his food not be too blended, he wants a little texture... but come on, until today he's only had two teeth... that's not much to chew with, buddy!
*You guessed it, Zach just popped tooth 3 and 4 (in succession, not dental terminology). They are his top front teeth and he already had his bottom front teeth (or as Ben put it today, "his maxillary central incisors (teeth E and F) and his mandibular central incisors (teeth O and P). Now he'll really tear the place up:)
*Zach is happy stationary. I've decided he absolutely could walk, crawl or belly dance his way through life, but he is absolutely and perfectly happy scooting on his bum. He has had x rays and is undergoing baby p.t. (on a very minor scale) to "light a fire under his diaper" and get him going. To be honest though, I think he is doing perfectly and will move when he feels a sense of urgency... hopefully before he turns 8!
*Due to all the scooting, we do a lot of laughing and I'm about to have lots of little 12 month old shorts with holes in the bum!
*Zach is great at building (especially when brother is off at a friends house)! He can stack about 4 blocks on top of each other! I think that's pretty good for his age, don't you?
*Zach can say 4 very clear words with lots of meaning (Momma, Dadda, buh-dah (brother), look (ook), and that). That pretty sums up everything you need to know as a baby in the English language! He also signs "more," "all done" and "big boy"- made that one up- it's a cute moment of pride when he accomplishes something!
*Zach is 18'12" (typical 4th percentile for my kiddos) with a huge appetite (eats more than Ike)! and he is in the 50th percentile for height
*Zach loves books and reading and music! Reading and Dancing is a large part of our life with kiddos and he gets really excited about it!
*Speaking of excitement, when Zach gets really excited, he makes this funny deep throated laugh/trill that I need to get on video... Very funny!
*Zach has asthma (Doc is pretty sure...) Sad, but it is very mild and he is even starting to not hate the breathing treatment every night! He also just battled a lovely case of pneumonia that I'm sure he picked up at Walmart or something! Through it all, he is a happy trooper- even with a high temp!
*This little boy is just the apple in our eye! I think all three of us are just enamored by him:) You can't help but love him and cuddle him to pieces! Ike put it best..."Zachy is my BFF!" I sure hope so because these two are in it for the long haul!

John Deere and the Boys

This is the John Deere Tractor my brother got for his 3rd Birthday. My dad has spent his winter restoring it (new axle, decals, paint and wheels) for Ike and Zach to ride when they got here. Today it worked out perfectly! Ike loved driving it so much and Zach loved riding in the back! When we tried to get him out, he would turn the other way and when Ike stopped driving, he kept rocking like he wanted to go. What a treat! I think we'll spend this week out in the yard with the boys turning the tractor around and helping Ike learn to pedal it! Oh, and these pics reminded me of the guy on Green Acres (a show from the 70s... go look it up- Mr. Douglas). He always wore a suit while he farmed with his tractor. Also, Ike pretended he was driving his tractor to "feed the cows." He'd get off and go over to the grass to feed the cows and then get back on, drive a little further and do the same. What fun! I guess that's quality fun in Nebraska:) More later... 

The Staycation

Our Labor Day Weekend was spent right here in Phoenix (I stole the word staycation from another blog... please forgive me)! We took the opportunity to *study* LOTS, well Ben took that opportunity, which I'm sure is paying off. However, he did take some breaks with us to provide a little time out in the desert. We were lucky to have a "monsoon" on Friday and Saturday that really provided moisture (not sure how much) and cloud cover on Saturday. So, I received free passes (how can you argue with free?) to the Desert Botanical Gardens (reg. price $15/adult!) and we took advantage Sat. afternoon. It was strange to be outside without the SUN beating down on us the entire time. In fact, Saturday was the first day since we have been here that the high was below 100! WE soaked. it. up! The Botanical Gardens actually turned out to be awesome and we would HIGHLY recommend going- *next* time we go, I think we'll go after dark when all the cool desert flowers are in bloom- they have lots of cool lighting set up. THAT would be an experience:)

(L) Jamie, Ike and baby checking out some huge Organ Pipe Cacti- Notice- Ike wore his rainboots so he could stop any potential puddle- gotta give him that opportunity whenever it comes around- which is exactly twice a year:)

(R) A "jumping Cholla" jumped right onto Ike's hat- no one was injured, but it was a close call! Ike got a little too close and they sense movement and drop their ends at the slightest movement-LUCKILY- right on Ikie's hat and not his head! Needless to say, he became more careful after that!

Cool butterfly pic Ben captured on some desert plant- any botanist wanna help me with that one?

Ike and Daddy in front of some more crazy Cacti fields- don't wanna go stomping through those too badly...

In other news, as you can see, Ike has perfected his FAVORITE sleeping position. He likes to be "Cold," as he puts it which means he wants his pillows cold, etc. So, we often find him with limbs hanging out of the bed in an effort to keep them their COLDEST:) Funny little boy. He will not accept a pillowcase that is anything but cotton and would never sleep with a fleece blanket- too warm.

Ben and I both received callings last week as well. We feel like our ward will be a great place for us to learn and grow. It is huge! We have over 200 sisters in Relief Society (not all there every Sunday, of course), but that gives you an idea. Ben is an 11 year old Scout leader (he moved up a year from Laramie)! He is excited to be working in boy scouts and to help them through this "critical" scouting time (apparently 11 years old is a fundamental foundational year to help them earn some stuff they need to achieve their biggie goals like Eagle Scout (I can hear Ben cringing in his sleep as I, of all people, try to explain the scouting program- not my forte) Sorry.

I was, coincidentally, called as the 11 year old primary teacher (again, cringing from lack of terminology). They have two classes of 11 year olds and both are only boys- there are no girls this age! So, I teach a group of about 6 kiddos. Should be fun. They are a fun bunch of boys. I am a little stressed about not having any primary experience, other than mine growing up. Let me tell you, growing up in a small branch with maybe 10 kids tops, is a lot different than having Junior/Sr. Primary both packed full of kiddos! It will take some getting used to, but like I said, I am happy to have the experience;) I trust that this is where the Lord needs us to be!

Ike loves going to church and to nursery especially. He is in the older nursery class (only a few months left untils Sunbeams) and in his class, there are no toys or playtime besides books and puzzles. I think this is great! Their lessons are longer and they are learning more songs too. Cute times. He has a great teacher and there are a few more boys than girls, so he's in HEAVEN! I think he's going through major withdrawls from all his girl cousins and friends that are girls back in Wyoming! He hasn't seen a GIRL TOY in a month!

This is a funny pic we took the other night. I decided to put Zach in Ikie's bed while Ike was still in the bath. I teased him and told him Zachy was going to sleep with him that night. Anyway, he went along with it and was SO EXCITED for a bunkmate! They laid together for quite awhile smiling and Ike was singing to him while we made faces at them and chatted. Ike BEGGED to let him stay- "I won't squish him!" "He won't fall out!" Empty little promises:) Someday he'll be begging for his own room, but not today!

Also, as you can see, Ike has finally graduated to a toddler bed! He could climb out of his crib, but never did, so we left it a crib until the big move. He LOVES being in a big boy bed and is still so good about staying in it, though he sometimes decides just to sleep on the floor (coldness factor). He also loves coming in when he wakes up to "surprise" me every morning. Luckily, he is going to bed around 9 now and waking at 7:30 or 8. What a great kiddo!