Christmas Aftermath

I'll have a Christmas update later (probably this weekend), since I have to make up on a bunch of hours for work because of the holiday. In the meantime though... here's Zachary modeling a "Daw-dee" (his new way of saying doggie) shirt he got from the Wagners, and his "Jayne hat" made by Aunt Christina. If you don't know what a Jayne hat it is... it's a hat worn by Jayne Cobb, a character in one of Marcus' favorite TV shows ever; Firefly (that was later made into a movie called Serenity).

Jayne from Firefly

Zachary's New Hat

Jayne Hat and shirt he's christened with drool...

Thanks for the gifts, everyone! Zachary's having big fun today with new toys... and their boxes!

Merry Christmas from Our Family

Wishing you a very merry Christmas!


Danny, Dad, Marcus, Zachary, Jackie, Julie & Dan


Zachary pointing at "Da Tree"...
That's how he says it!


Zachary at 16 months


Grandpa DeArmond & Zach

Wishing you and yours all the best this holiday season!
May it be a season of love, fun, family & friends.
-Jackie, Marcus, Zachary & Kali-

Bad Hair Day

Just had to share...

This is what Zachary looked like

when I woke him up on Monday...

And this is how he looked after I tried to fix it...

And a Manatee Makes Four...

Welp, we did it again! If you've made it all the way through the video below, or you were fairly observant about the changes to the header above, you know exactly what I'm talking about. On November 26th, I had a positive pregnancy test, and to break the news to the soon-to-be father of two... I made a "Big Bro" shirt for Zachary. (It was supposed to say "Big Brother", but it was too long for the little guy's shirt!) Marcus didn't notice at first, but when he finally did... he honestly thought I just bought it because it was on sale at Once Upon a Child... without caring what it says. Smells like denial to me...

I was scheduled for an ultrasound on the 28th, and was anticipating seeing a 6-week blob, AT LEAST. (Those of you who remember the last time, I was actually farther along than I thought I was.) Instead, they found nothing. I was either way, way early, or it could be a case of a "blighted ovum". So, we waited. I had several blood tests over that week, and was scheduled for a repeat ultrasound on December 12th. At that appointment, here it was... complete with a heartbeat and "flippers"... our little... uh... manatee. Henceforth known as Astro Knotts, of course.

Marcus is in shock, Zachary's completely oblivious, and Kali? Well, she's devastated. Poor dog.

You've GOT to see my new video!

I've put together another video.
I really like this one... Enjoy!!

Spontanious Human Combustion

Apparently, there has been a rash of residents in our area who have been bursting into flames from the inside-out. Don't believe me? It is right on the front page of our county publication!


Real good argument for a proofreader!
In other news, there has been a ton going on around here, and I am kinda being run ragged trying to keep up with everything. I'll highlight a couple of events last week, and will hopefully find the time to bring us all up to speed in the next week or so.

First off, Thanksgiving. We 'slimmed' it down this year, so to speak. (I say slim, but there was NOTHING slimming about what we did on Thanksgiving!!) We only went to South Bend this year because we were already planning to see the Peru crew twice in the next week. Good conversation, great great food, and it's always nice to be around family. Zachary was EVERYWHERE. It was hard to keep an eye on him with so many people around, and so much for him to explore... and touch... and break...! He met his second cousin, Ian, for the first time. Ian's older than Zachary, but they seemed had tons of fun playing bumper car grudge-match with Zachary's favorite toys right now -- Tonka's Wheel Buddies.


Zachary & Ian

AAAAAAHHHHHHHH...CRASH!!!!
The next day, we went up north again for Stephen's "Bachelor Roast". It was a co-ed event honoring Stephen before he took 'THE PLUNGE' on December 1st. Another evening of fantastic food! And we got to make fun of Stephen for dessert! There was even a belly dancer performance! I found myself commenting to Marcus that I'd be lucky to have abs like hers when I'm her age... then I realized I don't have abs like hers NOW!


Feeding the ego of an attorney...
Not smart.

Stephen's Harem

Marcus feeding Stephen grapes...
Well, actually, throwing them at him.
I think that will do it for tonight! I'll update more later! I'll leave you with my two guys, enjoying some ice cream. Zachary has become a BIG fan of ice cream; can you tell? Have a good one!


"Hey, don't Bogart the ice cream, Da-da!!!!!"

Look Who's Walking NOW!

Finally! I was starting to get worried!! Zachary has been taking one or two steps by himself for a while, but this weekend, he has begun walking across the living room by himself! I'm really excited. Now, I know I'll regret saying that pretty soon, but in the meantime, that's one less thing I have to ask the pediatrician next month! Yea, Zachary!!!



P.S. -- There will be pictures from this past weekend up soon!

It's a Very Sneezy Thanksgiving

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!

This YouTube video will need a LITTLE explanation. You see, Marcus and I have been under the weather the last couple of weeks, and as of Monday, the little guy has picked up our germs. He must have been watching us blow our noses time after time, and knew exactly what to do with the Kleenex... well, almost. We've had to put up all our boxes of Kleenex because he will just pull them out, one by one, and blow into each of them. Yesterday, I gave him one to blow his nose, and he started to go through the 'ritual' again. Listen carefully as he honks into the tissue. The other stuff he does with the Kleenex -- well, I have no explanation for that!

Kind of a gross thing to post? Yeah. Will it embarrass him in the future to know that his mother posted something like this? Probably. But is it cute? I think so...

Live From Hawaii!

Danny and I have been working to launch HIS blog, documenting his adventures during the upcoming three-year stint on the island of Oahu, HI. It's now live and ready to go! Because of security reasons, he has to keep it password protected. To be able to view Danny's blog, send me an e-mail, or leave a comment with your address below, and I will contact you with instructions.

Spending Time with Uncle Danny

"See Mom, Uncle Danny let's me play with HIS phone!"
My brother, Danny, is done with training and is "Back Home Again in Indiana" for a couple of weeks before he is stationed in Hawaii for the next three years. This gives Zachary plenty of time get some Uncle-Nephew time. Danny even watched Zachary all day while I was at work in Indy today.


"Is he here yet?"

"What?!!?"

Zach the Builder

"I played too hard... I'm tired now"
Oh, yeah... And did I mention that I took advantage of having another pair of hands around and started Christmas decorating?!!? I did! ... I know; I need professional help! Here's a picture of the tree last night. It's a little blurry because you couldn't see the lights with the flash... and I was too lazy to get out the tripod!! Enjoy...


Oh Christmas Tree, Oh Christmas Tree...

Swimming Lessons

Here are a few pictures from tonight's swim lesson. I think he was showing off for his dad this week!


"I'm supposed to be doing WHAT with my legs?"

Hang on tight!

"Splashing is my favorite part!"

Awwww... Darnit!!!

There has been a fair amount of marital tension in the Knotts household of late. One of the partners in Marcus' firm invited him to the GAME OF THE YEAR. That's right... Colts v. Pats tonight. It could be said that I was a little jealous... (Sigh)

To add insult to injury, as you know, the Colts lost... after being ahead for pretty much the entire game. The last nine minutes of the 4th quarter were... eh... painful. Poor Marcus. As painful as it was watching it from the couch, I bet it was worse actually being there. Serves him right for leaving me at home, I guess...!

Beginning to Look a Lot Like...

CHRISTMAS?!!?

Are ya kidding me?

I'm as obsessed with Christmas as much as the next person -- okay, maybe more. It doesn't bother me when stores have Yuletide decorations next to the Halloween stuff... or even sharing an isle with 4th of July paraphernalia. And if I'm going to be honest with myself (and the world wide web), I must confess that I listened to one Christmas CD in my van for a month solid during September. But that's only because Zachary HAS to have music in the car, and it's the only CD I could find in the vehicle... I just didn't try real hard to find others...

I'm also very excited to be able to decorate my house early for Christmas this year, since we will be having an early celebration before Danny leaves to be stationed in Hawaii. HOWEVER, when Marcus told me the town of Logansport had started decorating the day after Halloween, I didn't believe him. Surely they wouldn't start THAT early! Well, Zachary and I went to swim lessons last night... lo and behold, as soon as we crossed into the town, there they were! Christmas decorations lining 3rd street, like a cheesy green and red path right to Marcus' office on the other side of town!


All this really means is that if an entire town can decorate already, it's perfectly fine for me to break out my own Christmas spirit, right?!!?

Happy Halloween!

Happy Halloween, everyone! Marcus and I had a lot of fun decorating our doorway for the little monsters this year. We even had speakers in the windows with scary sounds! It's not much this year, but it's a start!


Some of what the Trick or Treaters saw when they came to our door...

Our ghost -- Marcus' masterpiece.
Made out of a sheet, hangers, tube socks & Wal-Mart bags
Dan and Julie came over and we dressed Zachary up to help give out candy. Now, there is a bit of controversy over WHAT Zachary is actually dressed up as. Some people think he's an alligator, everyone at the Zoo thought he was a dinosaur, and I bought it intending for him to be a dragon. So, we've decided that he can be all three! Say hello to the first ever ALLIDRAGASAUR!


Zach, the Allidragasaur -- and it's walker

Talk to the jaws, Aunt Julie!
Hope you all had a fun and safe Halloween! Dress-up and candy -- can't get much better than that!!


Tub 'O Sugar!!!

Week in Review

Starting with last weekend -- Marcus and I hosted our first annual "Footballapalooza 2007" for Marcus' family on Saturday. We grilled and watched the Purdue Game (LAME!). After that, we played some board games and then some of us took the kiddies to the playground near our house. I'm so glad everyone was able to make it! Marcus' mom and step-dad were even came from Wisconsin!


Cousins waiting patiently to go to the park.

"Can we go YET?!!?"
The next day, an old teaching friend of mine and her husband (Cara & Craig)came over for lunch and brought a sandbox for Zachary. He wasn't so sure about it at first, but once he got the hang of it, he had a great time!! Thanks Cara & Craig!


"Who knew dirt could be so much fun?!!?"
...And so it begins...
Then came the work week... same ol', same ol'... but at least Zachary had fun!


Buddies

Marcus finally got the Warhammer book he's been waiting for,
and he's getting Zachary hooked already.
On Saturday, my family came over to watch the Purdue Game (a much better game this week!) Then, later that night, my sister, Julie, and I went out to see Grace Ann before she leaves for Houston for another round of treatments. We didn't realize it was a costume "affair", so we ran out about an hour before and bought complimentary outfits. I had a good time hanging out with my little sis, and seeing other people I haven't seen in ages. It was nice to get out. We had to cut it short, however, because sometime this week I lost my ID... and didn't realize it until just then. So, when the others decided to move on to another establishment to imbibe more, and bust a groove or two, we had to head home.


Me, Gracie & Julie

Sisters
(And no, we were NOT going for the Cheetah Girls...)