a whole lotta man

summer lovin'

2009-11-30T21:36:00.001-05:00

As the weather is beginning to look a lot like winter, here's a flashback to some back yard summer fun.

crazy

2009-11-29T11:54:00.007-05:00

Zack does a lot of crazy stuff. He's a kid that likes to laugh and do weird things to make other people laugh at him. Case in point...

He's also super sweet...

...and super cute!

picking up where we left off...

2009-11-29T11:47:00.003-05:00

Instead of jumping ahead to all the new and exciting things Zack is doing now, we'll pick up with things right where we left off. We'll spend the next few weeks looking back over the past 6 months and get all caught up, hopefully just in time for Christmas. So without further ado...

oops!

2009-07-29T15:10:00.001-04:00

Updates have completely skipped my mind over the past few months. As usual, there's lots of good stuff to update with so I'll be finding some time between now and the weekend to get some new pictures up...sit tight!

mother son bonding

2009-05-17T21:20:00.003-04:00

Zack has given in to peer pressure and won't go to school with his own nails painted anymore, but he still shows a strong interest for painting nails.

Erik refuses to let Zack paint his nails (can't imagine why) so he paints my nails every now and then. Surprisingly, he's much better than you'd expect a 4-year-old to be.

Here he is concentrating very hard at "staying in the lines" (his words)

The obligatory cheese for the camera.
The finished product. I went back and did some touching up myself, but all in all, not a bad base coat.

I {heart} NY

2009-05-07T15:07:00.006-04:00

So we took Zack to NYC for the first time and he LOVED it! He was so into everything, he couldn't get enough of Ben and Claire (who spoiled him rotten) and of course, he got toys from the biggest toy store he'd ever been in...what more could a boy ask for?

(SIDE NOTE: I actually posted this one at work so I pulled all the photos out of my web albums, which is why they are so small. If you click on them, they'll open in full size)

Here he is with his first NYC vendor hot dog. It was gone in roughly three bites.

From Zack's first trip to NYC

The hot dog was just a warm up because when that was gone, he insisted on a pretzel.

From Zack's first trip to NYC

In Central Park, not sure if he really wants to come out and play.

From Zack's first trip to NYC

Of course it wasn't long before it was up and moving.

From Zack's first trip to NYC

My new favorite picture of them...

From Zack's first trip to NYC

PASSED OUT at lunch. He couldn't even stay awake to drink his chocolate milk.

From Zack's first trip to NYC

Time's Square

From Zack's first trip to NYC

Checking out the dinosaur fossiles at the Natural History Museum

From Zack's first trip to NYC

Giant whale hanging from the ceiling. The whole room looked like you were under water.

From Zack's first trip to NYC

Laying on the "bottom of the ocean" looking up at all the fish.

From Zack's first trip to NYC

It was a great trip, and Zack is still talking about all the things he did and saw. He's definitely ready to visit the city again soon!

Go Cubs!

2009-04-22T22:23:00.005-04:00

All ready for his first game.

The team warms up before the game.

Up to bat.

Running into home plate.

Out in the field.

Zack is ready for the ball...as long as it is hit directly into his glove...without him having to move a muscle!

Zack batted 3 times and scored 3 runs during the first game...he's a natural! The boys really take "team sport" to heart when fielding. If a ball comes their way, they all dive for it, and end up in a pile-up for the ball. The coaches are working on their skills but generally, we think they're just happy they're all enthusiastic about the game.

As of today, there's been 3 games and 3 practices. Considering the intended direction of pitches versus the actual direction the ball ends up going in, amazingly, none of the team (coaches included) have been injured with a "fly" ball.

in so many words...

2009-04-21T20:48:00.003-04:00

Erik: "What's with those glasses?"

Zack: "Maybe it's to help them see better. Old men and old ladies need glasses."

Adrianne: "Daddy wears glasses."

Zack: "He's old!"

happy easter, plus 7 days!

2009-04-18T22:29:00.002-04:00

So it's a week late, but that's the way Easter happened for us this year. We didn't get to dying eggs until about 8pm Saturday night, and we still haven't busted into everything the Easter Bunny brought, 7 whole days after the fact, which may be the longest chocolate has ever lasted, anywhere!

But of course, here are the obligatory dying-eggs-cheese-fest-2009...

We were so lazy this Easter that we didn't even do the picture thing on Sunday morning, so there's no visual proof of all the candy Zack got this year, but rest assured, the child did not suffer, in any way, shape or form!

real quick

2009-04-08T23:59:00.003-04:00

I'm on my way to bed, but wanted to put this up real quick.

This is Zack at his first t-ball practice, which I have more pictures from, as well as from his first game tonight.

Enjoy and I'll get more up ASAP!

say cheese!

2009-04-01T20:41:00.002-04:00

Just messing around, making faces for the camera.

Mike McCarthy called...

2009-03-29T17:22:00.005-04:00

...the Packers have an opening and like the potential this one's showing!

back in action

2008-08-04T18:32:00.003-04:00

We're all settled in NJ now and we've had 2 new additions to our happy little family.

Meet Jack and Molly. Its a beautiful thing we've got going on here...the kittens run, Zack chases them and then they all pass out!

squeaky clean

2008-05-02T19:39:00.002-04:00

that whole train thing...the conclusion

2008-04-28T20:28:00.004-04:00

So when we last left our boys, they were removing the table for being too narrow for the track. Here, we pick them up resuming assembly on the floor...

If you ever find yourself in this situation, its always a good thing to consider breaking out the directions when it comes to that whole flowing-of-electricity-near-your-child's-fingers thing.
Another hint...if you're not the one putting things together, you should always stop to look cute...it keeps people interested despite the foul mouthedness in the background!
Meanwhile, Erik's still working hard at getting that juice to going...
And on the other side of the room, Zack gives up on the track and the self propelling qualities of an electric train and he goes old school using his pure man power to push the train along on the floor!
After some more tinkering and Zack taking a look at things and telling his daddy how it should go...
They finally get the train all hooked up and chugging along!
Here they are, all settled in, admiring their work...what a pair!

one more for the road

2008-04-03T18:58:00.002-04:00

Easter eggs in action!

Happy Easter

2008-03-31T11:40:00.009-04:00

So here they are...a little late, but no less beautifully rainbow colored!

All set to dye him some eggs! Don't ask what that stupid smile is about, but its been popping up more and more lately...at least he's looking at the camera now instead of running away!
And he's off...getting directions from "the master" on designing a quality Easter egg with the assistance of the clear wax crayon...intense!
and now its a race to see who can get the most eggs in those cups
the waiting is the hardest part...finally, he gets to check on the color...is it dark enough yet?
and they're ready to come out...feels like we've been waiting FOREVER!

yea, he's curious about the color of his fingers too.
waiting for round 2
might as well cheese while i'm killing time
"what do you think dad?"
taking them out was his favorite part!
just one more...the finished product
oh so proud of himself!
of course, they're going to need a good counting to make sure none are missing
Easter morning...the Easter Bunny found us AND our eggs!
the basket o' loot!

the great train adventure...part 1

2008-03-20T12:48:00.002-04:00

Step 1: Dump everything on the floor and check out all the pieces.
Step 2: Begin assembly. Its a circle, how hard can it be to figure out what goes where?
Step 3: Make a note to yourself that next time you do this you measure to ensure that the circumference of the circle track is not bigger than the width of the table.
Step 4: Take a gander at those directions...maybe they do have a little something to offer. However, keep in mind they will not make the table any bigger!
Step 5: Disassemble and remove the too-small-table.

just cheesin'

2008-03-16T19:43:00.002-04:00

one of the many things we do in the house even though we shouldn't

2008-03-11T08:51:00.002-04:00

**I have been having some problems making posts over the past 2 weeks, but they are going up much easier now and hopefully the issues have been resolved and I can get back to posting more often.**

Here he is, all ready to go! Of course, safety being Zack's main concern, he needed a "helmet" to go along with his knee pads...did you know a pumpkin hat will protect the brain in case of a fall while skating in your kitchen?

ladies choice

2008-03-08T09:06:00.002-05:00

cheesin'

2008-03-04T07:58:00.005-05:00

I said "smile!" and this is what I got...
The third time's a charm, as cheesy as it may be.

bathtime goofball

2008-02-27T10:04:00.003-05:00

We came across the bowl o' binkies one night and Zack decided to "play" with them in the tub. Apparently they're like a drug because the euphoric feeling came right back and he was addicted all over again. After the bath was over that night, we took them away and it was about 3 more days before he stopped asking for them back.

serious blackmail material!

2008-02-26T10:23:00.003-05:00

a good husband in the making

2008-02-20T20:18:00.005-05:00

fashion sense...or not

2008-02-18T14:10:00.002-05:00

What happens when you leave a 3 year old to dress himself?

He's going to be a trend setter! Remember you heard it here first!

the real slim shady

2008-02-13T09:46:00.005-05:00

Zack is learning to read and write his name at school, so he's been posting his "tag" all over the place lately. On this particular evening it was with fridge magnets...

And then, of course, he must destroy everything in the noisiest way possible...by dragging a chair across the kitchen/through the letters and making them fly in all directions!

do you see what i'm living with here?!?

2008-02-11T10:49:00.000-05:00

T.O.T.A.L. I.D.I.O.T.S.!!!

a little something i'm working on

2008-02-09T12:03:00.000-05:00

So I'm working on making this mosaic picture of Zack using all the pictures we've ever taken of the kid. There's about 1600 pictures in there now and as we take more, I'll add those until its finished. The whole thing is a work in progress, but I just thought I'd share what we have so far.

anywhere but bed

2008-02-06T11:06:00.000-05:00

This kid will lay down just about anywhere!

Go Badgers!

2008-02-05T10:42:00.000-05:00

buddies...snuggle and otherwise

2008-01-31T20:24:00.000-05:00

These two spent MANY hours playing in the basement during Christmas vacation 2007, but this is a rare quiet moment of winding down after some hard playtime.

the next american idol!

2008-01-29T18:56:00.000-05:00

a little nervous before the big moment...
he warms right up to microphone...
...and he takes a big bow!

play hard or pass out

2008-01-26T08:29:00.001-05:00

The last thing I heard from them was they were going into Zack's room to play. When things got a little too quiet for my comfort, this is what I found...

COOTIES!

2008-01-23T10:24:00.000-05:00

playing the cootie bug game...

showin' daddy how its done.
putting things all together...
"Look, I won!"

fun with the fridge

2008-01-18T13:21:00.001-05:00

That's right...he can climb the fridge...
...which, of course, he thinks is HI-LARIOUS!
"What's that? You don't really want me to do that again?"
"yea, ok, sure...whatever you say"

sledding!

2008-01-10T21:13:00.001-05:00

Zack worked his magic and got everyone down the hill at least once.

Christmas -- Round 2, WI

2008-01-06T21:38:00.000-05:00

Waiting in the Atlanta airport, still thinking we'd be on a plane to Milwaukee...
And there goes one plane...not ours, obviously...
and another one is off without us...
FINALLY 2 days later, and by way of the wrong city, we made it to Appleton...
"Santa Zack" hands out the presents.

and the kid with his own pile of loot.
Once the presents are all opened, then the assembly process begins...
All tuckered out at the end of a long Christmas Day.

Christmas -- Round 1, VA

2008-01-04T23:28:00.000-05:00

Rake 'em in!

2008-01-04T11:20:00.001-05:00

Erik and Zack spent an afternoon raking leaves...

...and then jumping in them!

Zack's First Christmas Pagaent

2008-01-04T11:04:00.001-05:00

Zack and his class sang "Jingle Bells" and he's still walking around humming the tune.

optical illusion

2008-01-02T21:14:00.000-05:00

How many turkeys do you see in this picture?

football season

2008-01-02T21:05:00.001-05:00

Ready...set...HIKE!

he zigs....he zags...

...and they're down!

the year of the zebra

2007-11-24T15:15:00.001-05:00

boys need to feel pretty too!

2007-11-22T21:19:00.001-05:00

Zack's first encounter with pink toes...

...and he's quite thrilled with them!

And now he's got some red fingers to show off too!

Zack's First Tailgate!

2007-11-22T21:06:00.001-05:00

Zack's BIG summer

2007-11-22T21:02:00.000-05:00

Our first stop on Summer Vacation 2007 was Grammy's house in New Jersey. We were only there for a day so we used our time wisely and visited the Philadelphia Zoo.

Next, Summer 2007 took us to Wisconsin where we spent a week at Shawano Lake with Grandma and Grandpa and Aunt Erin and Uncle Josh.

While at the lake, Great Grandma Adams made a tractor cake for all the birthday boys and girls. Over the summer, Zack turned 3, Daddy turned 28, Auntie Erin turned 30, Grandpa Steve turned 60 and Great Grandma Adams turned 80.

The cake looked neat, but Zack's heart was with the cupcakes.

Grandpa and Daddy took Zack out fishing on the lake.

The most exciting thing, Zack overcame his fear of sandy feet and spent the week building some mean sand castles and loved going swimming in the lake.

When we got back to Appleton, we did lots of exciting things like berry picking... ...making new friends... ...4th of July fireworks... ...and Bay Beach amusement park.
After our trip to Wisconsin was over, we went back to New Jersey to stay with Grammy for a couple of days.
While there, we went to Great Adventure where we visited Wiggle Land and rode the big ferris wheel.

At the end of the summer, Zack and mommy went back to NJ to see our second Wiggles concert.

On our way home from the Wiggles trip, we stopped in DC to visit our friends. Zack and Alexyss had a great time playing at Chuck-E-Cheese, among other things.

We all had a very busy summer, but had tons of fun squeezing it all in!

Happy 3rd Birthday Zack!

2007-11-22T20:50:00.001-05:00

present time!

cake time!

new business

2007-11-22T19:18:00.000-05:00

all pictures up to may 2007 can be found here

from summer 07 and on, this will be the Dahms family (VA contingent) site of choice for picture, video and story sharing. bookmark it and check back often :)