Zac Is Four!!!

Four years ago today, we welcomed into our lives a tiny bundle we weren't quite expecting yet.  Nine weeks early isn't what you hope for as a parent, but thanks to the amazing folks at UNMC and The Nebraska Medical Center, things went very smoothly.  


I thought I would post a few pics of those early days along with one more recent just for fun as we see what he has become.  Zac is so much of a joy, with a keen sense for humor and an ear for music that permeates most of what he does.  But four years ago, we were more worried about other things.  Here is a very small snippet from a blog post back on February 3rd, 2008:

We spent significant time in Zac's room today and tonight. Last night they put him back on the c-pap (sp?), which is essentially just a bigger breathing tube, to help make sure he's getting enough oxygen.

It's wonderful that we no longer have to worry about simple things like breathing, though obviously toddler years bring a new set of worries. I mean, he didn't lose those two front teeth by doing nothing last year!  :)

Zac, mommy and daddy love you very much.  And we know that God loves you and us very much because He decided to bring you into this world when we didn't think we could even have a baby. It was He who made sure you were ready to join us and it was He who kept you healthy and safe so you could be with us today. Happy Birthday to my favorite little boy in the whole world!

The Big 04

On Wednesday the 1st, Zac turns 4, but we decided to hold his birthday party today, rather than doing it after his birthday.  Unfortunately, one of the negatives to Zac being in daycare down in Lincoln is that it doesn't make sense to invite his school friends, but that's OK, because he loves playing with his cousins anyway!

So Chad, Mickie and the kids joined us for a few hours to celebrate and let them play together. We had a good time and a good cake. Zac is quite pleased with his presents and even has one left we held back for him to open Wednesday morning before we leave in the morning, which he doesn't know about.

The kids seemed to enjoy the cake and frozen yogurt.  Yes, frozen yogurt since at least two of us, and maybe three, have issues with lactose, so I played it safe.

I'm sharing a video of us singing Happy Birthday to Zac so everyone has a chance to enjoy it.  You'll note he leaned over on one of the candles trying to blow out the fourth one and it was a little hot. 

 

He's none the worse for wear, though, and has recovered just fine!  :)  Guess I shouldn't have spread the candles out so much.  I've also added pics from the party to the slideshow on the right.  Enjoy all!

Zac Christmas Program

Today was Zac's first Christmas program of any kind.  The program at our church is written by the same woman each year, and she writes both the musical score and the script, which I find pretty impressive.  The kids all did a great job, and some, as expected, sing a little louder than others, which adds to the fun.  :)

Zac's group of kids were asked to join in on the last two songs of the program, and I've linked those videos here as well as posted links to them on Facebook and on my YouTube account.  When it came time before church for Zac to sit with the other kids to wait for their time, he was not so excited about the prospect.

A bit later, right before it started but before he'd have to be a part of the production, I had him sit on my lap and asked him if he was scared.  Sure enough, he had the stage fright.  :)  Luckily, a little bit of bribery with promise of cookies after the service nudged him in the right direction and he performed well. Though he didn't always pay attention and didn't stand up for the ending number, he did sing and at least he didn't mill about!  :)

Pumpkin Time!

Well today was our planned outing to the Bellevue Berry and Pumpkin Ranch. It used to have a shorter name, but perhaps they realized they needed the pumpkin income, so now it's longer and includes pumpkins.

I don't know for sure on that, but I do know you can have quite a bit of fun for about $8 per person on the weekends and that includes the hayride to the fields where you can pick out a pumpkin (you do pay for the pumpkins, of course). 


I managed to grab a few pics along the way and got a few videos, which you'll be able to see on my YouTube channel, linked on the right.  The video I'm including in this post is Zac getting to ride a Shetland pony, which is his first ride on a horse. He was excited to get to do this, and that's saying something, since right before he was letting pigs sniff his hand.

Memorial Stadium Field Trip

I had the opportunity today to accompany Zac's class on a field trip for a tour of Memorial Stadium in Lincoln.  If you're a fan of your team, getting to visit where they play is cool enough, but the stadium also houses all the coaches offices, strength complex, national championship trophies, Heisman and other award trophies and winners' jerseys, not to mention the indoor practice field and countless other very cool things.

My favorite part of the entire visit was the video of the gameday experience from almost a player perspective, with cameras showing you what it's like to be right in amongst the players. The video room has a partial wraparound screen and mostly lets the video itself tell the story. As a big fan of the Huskers, it gave me goose bumps.


We did see a couple of football players, including Jared Crick, the ridiculously large defensive tackle destined for a great year and future first round NFL draft choice, I think. When he walked past me, I felt like a twig. I mean, I know someone 6'6" and about 300 pounds is a pretty big person, but he's so muscular that he doesn't look that heavy. I seriously felt very, very small as he passed by.  It was pretty cool, actually.  :)

Zac had a good time on the trip, though I suspect it'll mean more to him after he gets a little bit older and has a chance to go to a game, which we intend to treat him to next year when he's 4. I think he'll be able to handle the noise level a bit better at that time and will have the patience to sit through the game.  He certainly enjoyed running around on the field, which is what this video is from, and then of course I have pictures here of us in front of the five national championship trophies and of the indoor practice facility. Look for more pics in the slideshow to the right and a second video on my YouTube channel.

Zoo & a Bit of Poo

Katy and I took Zac to the Henry Doorly Zoo here in Omaha yesterday on a planned day off.  My friend Jeremy and his family couldn't make it from Des Moines as planned, but their suggestion for the trip gave us a welcomed day away from work and we always enjoy the zoo.

Zac decided yesterday he was going to walk as little as possible.  We brought his baby stroller, which of course is quite large, so we could pack a lunch in the cooler. The fact the zoo even allows this is beyond incredible. It saves families so much money when they could very easily force everyone to buy water and food inside their walls.  And though yesterday turned out to be overcast thanks to some morning rains, it was extremely humid and in the 80s and we were losing plenty of fluids.  Having the extra water and the chance to stop and eat lunch there at the zoo was quite a bit of fun.

I have a few pics here, but not as many as I'd hoped. I was going to take video of the Lemur Island exhibit, of which I posted a pic or two of the last time we went, but it was closed yesterday.  We don't know why, but that was a huge disappointment.  We'll have to pick a weekday in the Fall to go back (never a Saturday in the Fall, of course; I am a Husker fan, after all) and see them. I'll try to catch a video then.  Zac did enjoy getting to pet the goats, who were all quite friendly yesterday.  He even got to pet some sort of chicken. At least I think it was a chicken. You tell me what that thing is.

So, back to lunch.  We brought sandwiches and chips and pudding for everyone, and when I was done I needed to clean my hands from the cheese puffs I'd eaten. I headed out from the protective canopy where we'd eaten, to walk the 7 or 8 steps to the restroom, only to immediately become a bird's litter box. Now, I didn't have to tell anyone, let alone Katy. When I returned from the men's room I could have explained away the wet spot on my left shoulder by saying something about the water getting away, perhaps.  But I'm an honest fellow, who likes a good laugh as much as the next person, and so I shared.  Katy found GREAT joy in this...maybe too much. But, the reason she loved it was the best part. She said that now she wasn't alone in experiencing bird poo up close and personal.

Ummm, what?  I mean, this is the second time in my life it's happened to me. The first was when I was riding my dirt bike back when I was 10 or 11 out in the open and somehow a bird spotted me and sent a little poo bomb my way.  Katy, apparently, has been hit three times.  Let me make it very clear that THIS IS NOT A COMPETITION.  I am not intending to win this particular battle.  I'll save that for the games we play against each other because, as any good husband, I try to win every one of those.  :) 

Zac, His Cowboy Hat and a Pooh Dance

OK, so we're not sure where this little dance came from, but Zac introduced it to Katy the other morning.  When she went to get him up, she found him already awake and wearing his hat. He then started the music on his Winnie the Pooh car and began dancing.

Tonight, I asked him to do his Pooh dance, so he obliged.  I'm not really sure where the pose at the end came from, though.  But that's funny!

Zoo Day

Katy, Claire, Zac and I took a little trip to the Henry Doorly Zoo here in Omaha today. You'd think, it being mid-May and all, that the weather would be very pleasant.  You would be WRONG.  :)  Temps in Omaha were in the upper 40s to around 50 today, and combined with a nice northwesterly wind...you get the picture.  Or, here's one:

The zoo has a nice little area for the kids to pet animals, and the goats were the most interested in being a part of this process.  The chickens, while wandering about, seemed to have no interest in having children pet them.


There were also rabbits and guinea pigs and a baby goat around, but all behind gates. It might have been fun to see the pot-bellied pigs, too, but they were snoozing while we were there.


The Henry Doorly Zoo is one of the top zoos in the U.S. (look it up!) and it has much to offer. Given the cold temps, we were happy to spend our first 30 minutes or so inside the Lied Jungle, which helped warm us up for the rest of the three hours we were there.  Fortunately, many exhibits offer indoor viewing areas, such as those for the big cats, the gorillas, bears and even giraffes.  Wow those things are tall when you get to be up close to them.

I think the favorite part of the zoo visit for all of us today was a newer exhibit called Lemur Island.  In this short, suspended walk-through area, they have black and white ruffed lemurs, as well as red ones.  They are allowed to roam free, which makes for some interesting interaction, such as the one that considered getting up into Zac's umbrella stroller.  



Then, as we were watching a few of the lemurs playing in a tree, as you see here, something unexpected happened and none of us caught it on camera.  A black and white lemur decided to jump back from the tree to the walkway railing and the jump was right at us!  THAT was exciting!