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	<title>theVandermarks.com &#187; bedtime</title>
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	<description>Welcome to our place to share news and photos with family and friends!</description>
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		<title>Zach and Alex discover the power of the Fours</title>
		<link>http://www.thevandermarks.com/2010/01/29/zach-and-alex-discover-the-power-of-the-fours/</link>
		<comments>http://www.thevandermarks.com/2010/01/29/zach-and-alex-discover-the-power-of-the-fours/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sat, 30 Jan 2010 03:13:19 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Karen</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Kid Stuff]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Photo Updates]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Alex]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[bedtime]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Belouseks]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[birthday]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Christmas]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[family outing]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[GG]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[milestones]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[museum]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Zach]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.thevandermarks.com/?p=512</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[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 &#8220;sharing&#8221; day at school for each Jedi, cupcakes for their class, and on [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>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 &#8220;sharing&#8221; 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.  <a href="http://www.thevandermarks.com/photos/album/72157623292352822/zach-and-alexs-4th-birthday.html">Check out all the fun in the 4th Birthday photo album.</a></p>
<div class="wp-caption alignleft" style="width: 226px"><a class="tt-flickr tt-flickr tt-flickr-Small" title="Alex and Zach watch as Daddy finishes the beds" href="http://www.thevandermarks.com/photos/album/72157623292352822/zach-and-alexs-4th-birthday.html"><img class=" " style="border: 0pt none;" src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4066/4308399752_4255f44670_m.jpg" border="0" alt="Alex and Zach watch as Daddy finishes the beds" width="216" height="162" /></a><p class="wp-caption-text">New bunk beds with Star Wars bedding!</p></div>
<p>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&#8217;s where Brother from the Berenstain Bears sleeps.  Photos of the new bed are in the <a href="http://www.thevandermarks.com/photos/album/72157623140247529/jan-feb-2010.html">Jan &#8211; Feb 2010 album</a>.</p>
<p>The boys had their checkup this week as well, and they&#8217;re doing great &#8211; 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&#8217;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.</p>
<p>While I have been adding lots of pictures, it&#8217;s been forever since I last posted to the site, so for those who didn&#8217;t get a chance to see the pics yet, here&#8217;s a recap&#8230;</p>
<ul>
<li>The <a href="http://www.thevandermarks.com/photos/album/72157622943271118/nov-dec-2009.html?page=2">Nov &#8211; Dec 2009 album</a> 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&amp;A&#8217;s visit to Santa and some other odds and ends.</li>
<li><a href="http://www.thevandermarks.com/photos/album/72157623230785904/christmas-2009.html">Christmas 2009</a> was a lot of fun for us this year because the boys were filled with anticipation for Santa&#8217;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&#8217;t disappoint with the gift they asked for the most &#8211; a Transformer known as Bumblebee.  Later that day, Grandma Pat and Grandpa Bob came down with Cole, and we had a wonderful Christmas Day.</li>
<li>The week after Christmas, we went down to <a href="http://www.thevandermarks.com/photos/album/72157623134535885/christmas-2009-chicago.html">Chicago for a few days to celebrate the holidays</a> with friends and family.  We visited with the Chmuras (Uncle and Auntie &#8220;Chooch&#8221;), 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 <a href="http://www.dupagechildrensmuseum.org/" target="_blank">DuPage Children&#8217;s Museum</a>; for those who live in the area, we HIGHLY recommend it &#8211; it&#8217;s a great place!</li>
</ul>
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		<item>
		<title>Oh my, they&#8217;re getting so big!</title>
		<link>http://www.thevandermarks.com/2009/01/25/oh-my-theyre-getting-so-big/</link>
		<comments>http://www.thevandermarks.com/2009/01/25/oh-my-theyre-getting-so-big/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Mon, 26 Jan 2009 04:32:57 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Karen</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Kid Stuff]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Alex]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[bedtime]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[milestones]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[potty training]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Zach]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.thevandermarks.com/?p=431</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Zach and Alex crossed another milestone today, when we took the crib tents out and changed the cribs over to &#8220;big boy&#8221; beds this morning.  They were SO excited &#8211; they even helped Daddy by using their own tools on the bed and hanging on to the screws.  The last time we tried this at [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Zach and Alex crossed another milestone today, when we took the crib tents out and changed the cribs over to &#8220;big boy&#8221; beds this morning.  They were SO excited &#8211; they even helped Daddy by using their own tools on the bed and hanging on to the screws.  The last time we tried this at 18 months old when they started climbing out of the cribs, it did not go well &#8211; hence the crib tents that, to me, are easily one of the all-time greatest inventions.  Now, 18 months later, the tents are falling apart and the boys seemed ready for the transition now that they are almost 3.</p>
<p>Right now, at nearly 10:30 PM, I&#8217;d say it&#8217;s going fairly well even though we went in to shush them about 15 minutes ago. I think that had more to do with the excitement of birthday presents and cake from their party today than it did the bed.  Besides, they&#8217;ve stayed in their beds the whole time even though they were still talking. That&#8217;s a huge win in my book, esp compared to last time!</p>
<p>The other big recent milestones? We now have them in booster seats instead of high chairs at their meals.  They&#8217;ve done so well that we&#8217;ve cleaned up the high chairs in preparation to give them to someone else.  They&#8217;re also wearing Pull-ups a lot now, which they are quite proud of, although they still don&#8217;t use the potty real consistently.</p>
<p>All this and they turn 3 in a couple days &#8211; my little babies are turning into big boys so quickly!</p>
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