Back to School

I returned to school this week. One of my classes is during the day, so I had to get someone to watch Zander while I'm in class. He has done very well these first two days. I was worried about leaving him because he has never stayed with anyone besides family. It didn't seem to phase him though. The sitter said he didn't cry at all and he behaved very well. He doesn't want to eat when he is there though. I think maybe she gives him things he doesn't like. I know he was hungry today because he was trying to get everything in sight before we walked out the door and as soon as I picked him up, he wanted food. Other than that, he has done great. Hopefully he'll get used to this new routine quickly.

As for my classes, they seem ok. I only have two, but I believe they are going to be lots of work. One class is only 8 weeks long, but it is very fast paced and a lot of reading. The other only meets once a week, but there are assignments (mostly written papers) due online all the time, even on the weekend. So, I will be super busy with homework and studying. I will defiantly be glad when it's all done. Hopefully I will be able to keep up and make good grades. Anyway, I gotta' go get started on my reading for tomorrow. TTFN.

Red Bull Flugtag

Saturday, we went to the Red Bull Flugtag in Austin. Flugtag is an event held annually where groups of people build nonmotorized "aircrafts" that they attempt to fly off a ramp over the water. We watched most of it from a huge screen because there were so many people there, you could barely see over them. Although all of the airplanes took a nose dive into the water, it was a fun to see all the things people had built and the silly lttle dance routines before they took their dip in the water. Some of the aircrafts there were a bg skateboadr with wings, a bulldog, a Flinstone car, one looked like the "Silver Bullet", and there were even a group of troops that made a Apache look alike. We were afraid when we got there that Zander would not like it because it was sooo crowded and hot, but Zander LOVED it! He was clapping and getting excited to see the people on the big screen. At the end of the show, the Red Bull Skydivers srydived onto the ramp that was built over the water. They were pretty good. It was at night, so the divers had fireworkss trailing them. It was neat to see. I've made a slideshow of the pictures and videos I took. There is one video of Zander getting excited. It's pretty funny. When he gets excited, he puts his hands up and just shakes them and his head. It looks kinda' crazy, but he does it everytime he gets excited about something. Anyway, enjoy.....

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A Day in the Life of Zander

After Zander's nap on Thursday, he had lunch and went outside to play. Here are some of the pictures from his day. There are a couple of videos too. You have to click on them to play. I hope you enjoy them!

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Zander in the Sun

Last week I took Zander outside to play in the water. He had lots of fun in his little pool with our dog, Cassidy. After he was done in the water, he went down the slide a couple of times. On our way to turn the waterhose off, he found a little surprise. Take a look at the slideshow to see what he found!

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Zander made the Front Page!

Zander & I have been attending a sign language class in Temple, TX with my friend Leslie and her daughter, Maggie. We have learned a lot. I think I've learned more than Zander, but he is starting to catch on. This week he has done four signs during our regular routine. He signed "dog" a couple of times when we saw dogs around the neighborhood. He signed "all done" when he was finished with his lunch. While walking past the playground during our daily walk, he signed "play." The last one he did was "ball," also while on our walk. There were some kids playing basketball and he was really excited about it.

This week, the local newspaper came to class to publish a story on the class. The story was in the paper today with some really cute pictures. I just had to share it with you.

This is on the front page:
Here is the story. The picture was taken while we were playing with bubbles. Zander gets really excited when we pull out the bubbles.

The story was really long. Here is the continuation with a picture of Maggie.

I tried to find the article on the website, but was unsuccessful. I did find a picture of the front page. It is at http://www.temple-telegram.com/pageone.pdf. You can see the first picture at this webpage. We were really excited when we saw it.

Splash Park

Tuesday morning, Zander, Taylor and I went to a splash park in Belton with my friend, Andrea and her kids, Cali and Deigo. Zander loved it. He really loves being outside and playing in the water. We play outside at home lots. It seems to always make him happy. He has a little kiddie pool, a slide, a swing, and a sand box. But his favorite thing is the hose and the spigot. If you turn the water on, he'll try to help fill the dog bowls, over and over again, and he likes to drink the water from the spout like a dog. It's very entertaining to watch.

Good First Impression?

You Make a Good First Impression

You probably are making a much better impression than you realize. Social situations can be a bit awkward for you at times, and you tend to over think what you say and do. If you make a social faux pas, you remember it a lot longer than anyone else does. Just relax and do your best. There are little things you can do to improve your social image. Express more of an interest in the people around you, and be a good listener. The secret of fascinating people is that they find everyone else fascinating!

What Kind of First Impression Do You Make?

Do think this is true?? -Vanessa

Our trip to the Alamo

Saturday, August 3rd, our family took a trip to the Alamo. It was super busy!! But, we had a good time together. It would be nice to do more together. Life just sort of gets in the way though. Anyway, enjoy our photos.

The Sound of Laughter

Playing with a one year old can be more entertaining then you think! Zander loves to play ball. One evening, our family was over for dinner and we were tossing the ball with him afterwards. We started laughing at him for some reason and he decided to copy us. His Mimi would cover her face when she laughed, so he was doing just that. He would throw the ball, lean his head back, put his hands over his face and just laugh. It was lots of fun! I'm sure you would have loved it too if you had been there.

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