Zachary

Oh, how we love our little 'Z'.

He:

* is wonderful at the grocery store IF you give him a package of hot dogs and let him carry them until the checkout, and quickly give them back after they are scanned.  Though you might notice the plastic has teeth marks and find a few chucks of hot dog missing from the package when you get home.

* is obsessed with dogs.  He'll get out of the tub in a hurry to put on a shirt that has a doggy on it.  He makes cute little 'whoo-whoo' sounds when he spies one and he couldn't get enough of the Hamilton's sweet Jackson and about died of delight when a nice man let him pet his dog at Josh's baseball practice.

* loves riding on airplanes, as long as you DON'T buckle him in his car seat and let him get passed back and forth between Mom and Dad. 

* he has a passion for ice cream.  He is really good at opening the freezer and helping himself to some sweet stuff.  He'll bite off the ice cream lid with his teeth and dive straight in, face first to get yummy bites.  I even found him tonight standing (yes, standing) in a carton of peppermint ice cream.  I guess eating it just wasn't good enough.

* will let you strap him in his car seat at least half the time. He helps us get creative in finding ways to distract him so we can quickly get him locked in when he isn't interested in riding in the car.

* he is so smart he uses one word for everything - Mama.  He's taught us this special word means Mom, Dad, food, drink, go outside, change my diaper, get out of my way and pick me up, plus a million other things.  Who knew it had so many meanings?

* he is the ultimate copy cat.  He'll get out his oatmeal packet, shake it back and forth, find a bowl with a handle (just like Daddy) rip it open with his teeth (not like Daddy) and pour it in (spilling 1/4 on the floor).  Then he spins it around (loses another 1/4) and dumps water in and mixes it up.  He might eat a few bites before he tosses the bowl in the sink.  Such a smart boy!  He also got out the tortillas out of the fridge today, found the tortilla press and tired to plug it in so he could warm up his dinner.  Dangerous, but very observant! 

* he could spend his entire life outside.  He loves digging in the dirt, tossing rocks, pulling up grass, pushing cars on the steps, watching the squirrels dart around the backyard, and listening to the birds chirp and the dogs bark.  He LOVES being outdoors.

* has his Daddy wrapped around his finger.  He was rarely found in Utah without his Dad.  Rich picked him up, held his hand, let him join him in the gym and loved eating whatever Rich had.  He was in Daddy heaven.

* won everyone over in Utah, well, after he figured out they were not scary people.  The first day, he would get panicked when another new face appeared.  You could tell his mind was spinning and thinking, "Don't make eye contact.  Ignore them and I might get lucky and they'll go away."  By mid-week, he was his happy self and even let other family members help him or hold him.  He played toys with Great-grandpa Larsen and gave Great-grandma Nance the sweetest kiss.  He really is a charmer.

* is so handsome.  I could photograph him forever.  His bright eyes, his scrunched up nose, his mischievous smile, his gorgeous hair, his fair and lovely skin.  He melts my heart.

Love you Zach!