Fifteen candles makes quite a glow

According to Wikipedia, the age of 15 is considered the beginning of adulthood in many cultures, so last week on Feb 17th, Cole officially became a young adult.  Like his little brothers, Cole celebrated his birthday over the course of a whole week  He celebrated with friends with pizza and bowling the weekend before.  Lisa and Gene treated him to a surprise lunch at his favorite restaurant, Fogo de Chao, a Brazilian steakhouse and a meat lover’s paradise; joining them were Joe and me, Grandma Pat and Papa Bob, and Gene’s parents.  And we had a little celebration for him at our home that included a meal that was all about bacon and a chocolate birthday cake.  (Hmmm, did you catch the common thread of food in all of this?  Yep, he’s a teenager!)  The photo album includes pictures of him trying out his new Xbox 360, getting his proper adulation from his little brothers, and a couple of the treats: a cheese-stuffed, bacon-wrapped meatloaf (could it get any better??) and of course, his chocolate birthday cake.  A very happy birthday, indeed!

In a galaxy far, far away, two young Jedi knights reached a new milestone on this day, celebrating their 4th birthday.  Master Zach and Master Alex honored this momentous occasion by celebrating all week, with a family party on Sunday, a special “sharing” day at school for each Jedi, cupcakes for their class, and on the anniversary of their birth, a day of fun at the Nickelodeon park at the Mall of America and even more presents.  As you may have guessed, Star Wars was a common theme for this birthday, as the boys continue to love all things Star Wars.  Check out all the fun in the 4th Birthday photo album.

New bunk beds with Star Wars bedding!

Another big milestone the boys reached this month: bunk beds!  Just one quick year after graduating to toddler beds, Zach and Alex were beginning to outgrow them, so we decided it was time for big boy beds.  The boys are quite proud of their bunk beds with all its drawers and special staircase.  Alex chose the top bunk, while Zach wanted the bottom because that’s where Brother from the Berenstain Bears sleeps.  Photos of the new bed are in the Jan – Feb 2010 album.

The boys had their checkup this week as well, and they’re doing great – although as skinny as always.  Alex is about 31 lbs (10th percentile) and is 38.5 inches tall (14th percentile), while Zach is about 30 lbs (5th percentile) and is also 38.5 inches tall.  They weren’t too happy about their shots this year, but it does save them from getting them all at once next year as they prepare for kindergarten.

While I have been adding lots of pictures, it’s been forever since I last posted to the site, so for those who didn’t get a chance to see the pics yet, here’s a recap…

• The Nov – Dec 2009 album was updated with pictures from a performance Cole had at Barnes and Noble where he did a couple solos in a fundraiser for his band, as well as photos from Z&A’s visit to Santa and some other odds and ends.
• Christmas 2009 was a lot of fun for us this year because the boys were filled with anticipation for Santa’s visit.  We left cookies for Santa (he likes oatmeal raisin at our house) and treats for the reindeer, and the boys were in awe when they were gone the next morning and replaced with presents.  Santa didn’t disappoint with the gift they asked for the most – a Transformer known as Bumblebee.  Later that day, Grandma Pat and Grandpa Bob came down with Cole, and we had a wonderful Christmas Day.
• The week after Christmas, we went down to Chicago for a few days to celebrate the holidays with friends and family.  We visited with the Chmuras (Uncle and Auntie “Chooch”), watched the Vikings-Bears game with the Belousek side of the family, and spent a day with GG.  We also spent a little free time playing at the nearby DuPage Children’s Museum; for those who live in the area, we HIGHLY recommend it – it’s a great place!

Tags: Alex, bedtime, Belouseks, birthday, Christmas, family outing, GG, milestones, museum, Zach

Shaggy and Daphne

This Fall has been a busy one for the Vandermarks, but it’s been a lot of fun – trips to the zoo, a couple of football games, the circus (and not just the one at our house!) and a couple of Halloween parties.

Joe and I had a great time at our friend’s Halloween party.  The theme was 80’s TV characters, so we went as Shaggy and Daphne.  There were some really great costumes there – the Love Boat, Who’s The Boss, Falcon Crest, the Jetsons, Baywatch and more – even Clara from the Where’s the Beef commercials and the Trix bunny.   We made some Jello shots to share, including a special chocolate-covered cherry one that we chronicled in the photo album (Yum!!).

Zach and Alex went as Thing 1 and Thing 2 this year.  It’s the perfect “twin” costume, and well, it really fits them. They were particularly excited about their blue hair and really loved it when people commented about it.  They got to wear it two days in a row, going to Joe’s company Halloween party and visiting Grandma’s office one day and then to the HallZOOween party at the MN Zoo the next.  Cole reprised his costume from years past as a Roman soldier (why change when it’s a great costume, right?).  Check out the Sept – Oct 2009 album for pictures from zoo, plus other Fall fun, like pumpkin carving and more.

Tags: Alex, circus, Cole, friends, Halloween, Joe, Karen, pumpkins, Zach, zoo