Interstate 75

So, for the past three weeks I have been absolutely swamped! My boring little life has turned into an exciting drive down interstate 75...and back again. I have been babysitting for Max and Evie off and on while my mom travels the world, well, the country. Here are a few snapshots of my time with them. It was nice to be in Cincinnati to celebrate my Dad's birthday. I was exhausted at the end of every day and realized quite often that it's fun to babysit but Lordy I am NOT ready to be anything more than a babysitter...so nice to send them home! I spent the next week working for Pelican Bay which is always a great time. Now I'm back in Ann Arbor for a few days to do laundry and relax before my next trip down 75. My parents are going to Mexico for the week, I know...so not fair, so I will once again replace Nonnie for the week. Wow.

My Life as "The Nanny"

Playing under the table under breakfast. I guess that's a fun thing to do when your belly is full.



Making a picture for Boppy on his birthday.



Calling Nonnie because we miss her.



"Whassat?" Max's favorite question to ask. While pointing. And smiling.



Celebrating Boppy's birthday over dinner.



Mr. Egg Face. Whatever it takes to make a 3 year old eat breakfast without having to beg. It worked. Three mornings in a row!

Merry Christmas Sale

Sampson got a special candy cane bone for Christmas...at the after Christmas sale. It's long gone now.

Chicago

Nathan and I visited Chicago the weekend after New Years Eve along with the entire Zyduck extended family. We arrived on Friday and left on Sunday. We had a great time seeing everyone! Here's a photo of the whole "official" Zyduck family.

5 Months

Sampson was 5 months on January 2nd. Here's the latest photos on his bed and the stairs.

My Apologies

For any of you blogging buddies out there that actually read this thing, I apologize. My oh-so-boring-life has actually been quite busy lately! I promise to update soon. Check back this weekend to get the updates I'm sure you've all been dying to read about! Ha! Ha! Ha!

Let It Snow

I bought a cute little sign in Stillwater over the "cookie weekend" but I had to wait to bring it back since it would only fit in the car vs. my suitcase. Anyway, I put it up yesterday and was shocked at what we found outside this morning! Almost a foot of snow in one night! Who knew a cute little "Let it Snow" sign would work so well in Michigan!

Play Pals

Couch buddies...yes, we know...they shouldn't be on the furniture.



Sampson taking it easy with Major above on the couch.

We picked Major up on our way into town from Green Bay. His owners are in D.C. for New Years, so he's going to be with us for four days. Major and Sampson are great buddies and play well together. It's amazing to see Sampson bigger than Major when only two months ago Major easily trumped Sampson's size!

Winter Weather

(The boys, safe and sound and so thankful to not be in the car...until the morning anyway!)

We drove to Green Bay to visit with my Grandma but barely made it to Wausau, WI only 1 1/2 hours away. We planned on stopping to eat lunch with Nathan's Grandma and then continue on to Green Bay for the night and the next day but the winter weather had different plans for us. By the time we arrived in Wausau my chauffeur was dead tired, as was Sampson, from driving in the horrible snow and ice. We ended up staying in Wausau at his Grandma's (thank you again, Phyliss!) and driving to Green Bay the next morning. After a quick lunch with my Grandma and Aunt Collie and a little outside play for Sampson we continued our drive back to Ann Arbor. I think Nathan will be glad to never have to drive in the winter weather again. What a pain! It was worth the extra driving to be able to spend some time with our Grandma's. (and Aunt!)

No More Pictures

I didn't lose it. It didn't run out of battery. I just never took it out of my purse. We have zero pictures from after leaving Indiana. (Bev, send some pictures please!)

We spent Christmas Eve day driving the 12 hours to Nathan's parents house. We arrived, opened presents and quickly hit the hay. Christmas day we went to the movies to see National Treasure 2. It was fabulous! We had a lovely dinner prepared by Bev followed by some yummy Grasshopper pie! (Nathan's favorite!)

Family Shots

The kids and grandkids. (I need a haircut...badly!)



Evie with her Boppie and Max with his Nonnie.

Dad trying to find his name in the sports profile.



A close-up, minus the year. (You can thank me later, Dad! Ha!)

Dave and April found the best gift for my dad! It's the Fall Sports Profile for my dad's senior year of football at Ripon College. It was in fabulous condition and dad's name was easy to find! Amazing at how different the sports profile's are now...Oklahoma's was at least 3 inches thick this year! Dad was really happy to have a neat piece of his football history! Great job you two...

Better Late Than Never

Max arrived a little late to the party this year. Naptime definitely trumps present opening. He's such a happy little boy!

Baby Alive

Oh the joy of getting a babydoll for Christmas. Whenever Nathan and I talked to Evie we'd ask her what she wanted for Christmas. She would reply without hesitation "Baby Ayive!" (No "l's" for this little girl just yet.) This is one conversation we had.

Me: Evie, what would you like for Christmas?
Evie: A Baby Ayive.
Me: A Baby Ayive?
Evie: No, Yizabeth, a Baby Ayive!
Me: Oh, a Baby Alive!
Evie: Yes. That's what I said!

Well we got her a Baby Ayive for Christmas...she got her "l's" for Christmas too, so now Baby Ayive is a Baby Alive. She's growing up too fast!

Dad's Christmas Hat

I can't remember a Christmas when my dad hasn't ended up with some sort of crazy hat/hair do. Boppie was in his prime this year! (Again, sorry for the bad photos.)

Christmas Bibs

Mom made Evie and Max brand new Christmas bibs. Nathan and I think that Sampson could really use one! (Sorry for the bad photos...I wasn't the best photographer this Christmas.)

Festival of Lights

Does this photo look familiar? We're lucky that we love the zoo and Christmas lights!



Evie and Becky are all about sharks while Max and Andy are into tigers behind them!

Nathan and I arrived in Cincinnati on Wednesday and immediately left for a night of Christmas fun! Mom and Dad took us to dinner at one of our favorite places to eat from Charlotte...Chick-fil-a! If you've never eaten there you have to try it! Don't ask me why, but it's literally the only fast-food place that I get excited about! After a fab meal we headed to the Cincinnati Zoo for the Festival of Lights. Once we got there Andy and Becky entered with the kiddos and we headed out for a great night of lights, merry-go-rounds, gingerbread and hot chocolate. We had a wonderful time celebrating the season at one of my family's favorite holiday spots!