Zachy-Poo Turns 2!!

Our little man turned 2 on April 6th, and we wanted him to have the happiest birthday EVER!! He has such a fun and funny personality-- we love him SO much and are so grateful he's a part of our family. Some of our favorite things about him are that he makes each of us laugh every day with his silly antics, he is the BEST cuddler, he has an irresistible smile, and with his big blue eyes and curly hair he can get away with just about anything!

But first, a walk down memory lane:

Zachary Jonathan Cardon born on April 6th, 2009 weighing 7 lbs. 4 oz. and 21 in. long. So little and so sweet!

6 months old and starting to crawl.

Happy 1st Birthday!!

18 months old complete with Buzz Lightyear shoes, a shaved head, and lots of attitude!

And now my baby is a baby no longer. Zachy LOVES trains. He is obsessed with them. So for his birthday we got him a Geo Trax train set that Jonathan set up the night before. He really wanted to see Zach's reaction before he had to leave for work at 6:30 a.m., which I thought would be no problem since Zach is up so early anyway. Naturally on his birthday (perhaps his gift to me) all signs pointed to a sleeping-in miracle, since by 6:20 he was still out. Jon had to go in and wake him up (shudder). But it was worth it. He went CRAZY!!

In fact, he was MAD when we suggested he open his other presents. He wanted nothing to distract him from his "choo choo twack."

Chewing his "dum" (gum). Both of my kids are gum-monsters so they only get it for Christmas and birthdays!! (Sure enough the entire pack is gone this morning).

He literally sat in this spot ALL day. Didn't move from the middle of the track. I had great plans to take him to the park, to the frozen yogurt store, etc. but we never made it.

Once Jonathan got home from work though we tore him away from the train and headed to Chuck E. Cheese to celebrate.

This is a cameo of big sister Lucy. She wasn't jealous of all the attention Zachy was getting in the slightest! (That was sarcastic).


Zachy's "Z" Train Choo-Choo cake!! He could NOT wait to dig in to that "coo-coo ma" (Zacheese for anything like a treat)!

Blowing out the candles. HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO THE BEST. BOY. EVER!!!

Where the Magic Begins!

My parents (okay, strike that, read: "my mom") has been dying to take us to Disneyland with the grandkids while we live just a few hours away in Vegas. When we found out their spring break dates we decided to plan a kind of whirlwind trip over Thursday (drive there), Friday, and Saturday (drive home). Now, unfortunately I wasn't kidding when I said Zachary regularly wakes up at 4:30 a.m. pounding on his door ready to get out and play. I was having hives picturing us all sharing one hotel room, Zachary pulling all-nighters and keeping everyone up, and then trying to drag him all day through long line after long line which just wasn't my idea of "fun." So after much debate, I asked my wonderful inlaws (who were spring-breaking in St. George) if they wouldn't mind coming down for 2 days and watching Zach for me. And they did! They showered him with attention and 4 a.m. love (which he certainly NEVER gets from me), and I was able to have the most relaxing toddler-free, one-on-one Disneyland trip ever with the Luce and my parents. We went HARD all three days-- staying out until 10:30 p.m. every night and waking up to be first at the park the next morning. (And not to worry, Grandma and Grandpa Cardon are taking us to Disneyland next month so Zach will get his turn too!)

Anyway, Thursday morning we left about 9 a.m. and made the 4 hour drive to Anaheim. We went straight to the park and started riding rides right away! But first Luce wanted a peek at Minnie Mouse.


And speaking of Lucy, she did brilliantly!! Despite the heat, long hours, and even longer lines she was such a great sport. Being another year older made a HUGE difference from last year's trip to Disney World-- she was willing to try just about every ride, and she didn't mind waiting in line knowing she was in charge of picking everything. I didn't even bring a stroller for her because I knew she could walk, and even when she started getting blisters she didn't complain because she was so stinkin' excited and in LOVE with the whole thing!

Enjoying the dolls on "It's a Small World" (one of her favorites).

Hanging around Tarzan's Treehouse while mom and Grandpa rode the Indiana Jones ride below.

Waiting for the fireworks to begin, and loving every Disney minute with Grandma and Grandpa!

Friday morning we woke up bright and early and headed back to Disneyland to check out Tomorrowland. Here's Lucy and Grandma riding the cars at Autopia.

Posing in front of the Matterhorn, which subsequently is a funny story. I kinda tricked Lucy into going on it with me thinking she'd like it, and from the first 10 seconds she SCREAMED bloody murder the entire ride. It was a D-I-S-A-S-T-E-R. No more tricking!

Meeting Cinderella at the Fantasy Fun Faire. Remember the days when she used to call her "'Rella"? They grow up so fast...


Posing with Sleeping Beauty. And I might add, Grandpa TomTom was a very good sport waiting patiently through these loooong lines to meet the princesses.:)

Waiting in line for Mr. Toad's Wild Ride (my personal fav when I was a kid).

Chowing down on Monte Cristo sandwiches for lunch at the Blue Bayou (the restaurant inside the Pirates of the Caribbean ride). So fun!

Surprisingly, Lucy's all-time favorite ride, the Haunted Mansion. And I almost didn't let her ride it because I worried it would freak her out!! Ha. We went twice and that still wasn't enough.

Posing in Pixie Hollow before heading back to the hotel.

Friday morning we decided to change things up and check out California Adventure. I'd never been and was a bit skeptical, but it was fun and the crowds weren't as bad there. Lucy got right up to meet the Mouse himself!

Riding the swings with Grandpa TomTom!

Hopping off one of the rides in Flik's Fun Fair.


Surprise! We turned a corner headed to lunch and found Mulan!! One of Lucy's favorites!

Ready with our 3D glasses for the "Bug's Life" movie.

Such a great trip!! We stayed and played until about 6 p.m. and then drove back to Vegas. And back to reality... Why do vacations have to end??

Grandma Joanie Visits Vegas!

My mom has come to visit us twice since we moved to Las vegas-- first when we had just moved here from Philly to help us unpack, and then at Thanksgiving with my Dad and brother Taylor. So this time, the-third-time's-a-charm, it was time to PLAY. And play we did!!

Monday morning I made her run some of the "usual" errands with me, so we stopped by the public library for some new books. Then we got lunch at this really awesome Greek cafe in Summerlin. That night we left Jon with the kids and did some window shopping.



Tuesday morning Lucy's preschool class got cancelled, so we decided to take a picnic out to Red Rock. You'll be happy to know that March Picnic #2 was MUCH more successful than March Picnic (Disaster) #1! The weather was gorgeous, the food tasty, we actually got OUT of the car, and we even hiked a little trail with the kiddos.

We also stopped by my favorite frozen yogurt joint (U-Swirl) on the way home, which gave the overall picnic score about a gazillion bonus points.:)

Wednesday morning I convinced my mom we had to check out this new buffet called the "Wicked Spoon" at the Cosmopolitan which came highly recommended by my brother Devin and his wife Sarah, so I (somewhat guiltily) dropped my kids off at a babysitter's and we got to enjoy the amazing brunch kid-free.


The food was...wow. I can't even think of how to describe it. Super creative, really tasty, and really modern and classy. Red velvet pancakes with cream cheese syrup, individual eggs benedict with braised pork shoulder, bagels and smoked salmon, huevos rancheros, french pastries galore, crepes with date compote, honey yogurt parfaits with fresh berries, applewood smoked bacon and sausage, I could go on and on, but I digress.

It was gooood. And possibly the best part about it was I consumed my entire days' worth of calories in that one morning, because I literally had nothing else to eat the rest of the day I was so full. Gross.

Anyway, my Dad flew in that same afternoon so since he and I suffer from the same sick disease (we both sorta kinda like the Strip-- certainly not everything, but there's lots to do and see), we headed down to the Strip for round #2. We mostly walked around the new City Center area (where the Cosmopolitan is) and the Bellagio, which is my favorite hotel because of the gardens.

They were decked out for spring with flower butterflies and fountains and even a ferris wheel. So much fun! Once we'd had our fill (and ridden the tram in honor of Zachy's train obsession) we headed back home with Grandpa Tom-Tom and prepared for our trip to Disneyland the next morning!