the zeller zoo

Merry Christmas!

2011-12-15T20:07:00.002-06:00

I fully intend to get caught up after the holidays! My camera has a lot of pictures to share and we have stories to tell. I hope you and yours have a blessed Christmas and happy new year!!

Don't forget to check back soon!

Goodness Gracious

2011-06-16T22:37:00.000-05:00

I'm here! I'm here! We are alive and kicking... and WAAAAAAAY behind on posts. Sorry.

Once I missed a few days, the slope got more slippery. I've got lots of pictures and stories to tell, BUT I need to go on vacation first. :)

Someone turned 3, someone else turned 6, 7, and now EIGHT MONTHS old (Did you know that's a mere 4 months until ONE???), and certain parents have had their heads spinning trying to figure out how to handle our terrific 3 year old.

See you soon!

Gone Fishin'

2011-04-25T22:49:00.000-05:00

Happenings At The Zoo

2011-04-23T11:01:00.000-05:00

Life around here is moving fast! Days are sometimes long, but time is FLYING.

Raleigh LOVES his Jumperoo. I think every mom should have one. Seriously.

The best news lately is: MY LITTLE GIRL IS POTTY TRAINED!!!!!

She must have been so excited her first day at school in her big girl panties that she went about 10 times! :)

This cute dude likes his blankies over his head just like his big sissy did.

My cute girl was sweeping the bathroom for me... butt crack hanging out and all. :)

And nothing beats an impromptu Whataburger picnic at the ranch.

Getting a genuinely sweet picture of Tatum smiling is getting hard these days. Here are a few attempts. She is getting too big, too fast!

Sesame Street Live

2011-04-20T19:11:00.000-05:00

Back in February, we headed to Austin to take our little lady to see Sesame Street Live.

We went with our good friends, Shannon and Chris, and their little boys Packy and Gibson, just like last year.

(That's Gibby wrapped on Shannon, not Shannon's hairy shoulder. Hehe.)

Raleigh surprised us and watched almost the entire show. None of the loud noises bothered him a bit.

Tatum couldn't even take her eyes off the show for a picture.

Best Buds.

My little man finally zonked out near the end.

Hamilton Pool

2011-04-17T11:16:00.000-05:00

Have you been to Hamilton Pool?

Holy Cow! I had never been in all my years in Central Texas. Talk about amazing.

We went with my parents on one of the first warm days this spring.

The hike down was pretty aggressive. We all laughed when once we saw how rough the trail was, we knew why senior citizens have free admission.

These pictures really don't do it any justice. You must see it for yourself. But not an a riduclously hot day, or alone with your small children, on a crazy busy summer day, or without your camera. :)

Bikini Babe

2011-04-14T11:55:00.000-05:00

We loaded up in the Ranger and headed down to one of our favorite spots on the Blanco. Miss Tatum busted out her bikini. Her first of the season :)

(And she will definitely be the only Zeller around these parts to be sporting one this year!)

We ran into friends... Sweet Brock Bear loves his Tatum. How cute are they?

I love these next 2 shots. She looks like she's gonna off me on camera with that huge stick!

Raleigh had his first dip in the water.... ever. Oh little buddy, if only you knew how much time you'll be spending here.

Our neighbor Becky's longhorn were in the front pasture on our way home from the river. They are gorgeous and so photogenic. I've got my fingers crossed for another baby this year.

My best shot of that huge moon we all had a few weeks ago. It was orange here in Wimberley. Talk about gorgeous.

Spring Cleaning

2011-04-11T21:34:00.000-05:00

The weather lately has been amazing! I'm definitely a sunshine lovin' gal, so I am always looking forward to spring.

We threw on our suits and "cleaned" the trampoline recently. Tatum had a blast jumping in all the water and slipping around on the soap. Zach hooked a sprinkler up underneath the trampoline and she went nuts!

Raleigh and I watched from the shade of the carport. Poor fella and his allergies. Watery red eyes, snot galore, and lots of sneezing around here lately.

These kids are two peas in a pod...

Deer Lease

2011-04-03T19:23:00.000-05:00

Playing at the ranch with Daddy. Tatum likes to go in the "forts".

Just about the only time you are EVER going to see me in a deer blind:

The buffalo on The O'Quinn Ranch have been hanging out by the road for the last few weeks. I love this especially because of the babies. They are soooo cute. Tatum asks every time if we can pet them. Ha.

First River Visit of the Season

2011-03-30T21:29:00.002-05:00

Oh Blanco, how we have missed you!!

The weather has been AWESOME lately and we took advantage of a beautiful day, suited our girl up and headed to splash for a bit.

The water was a tad chilly for wimpy me, but Tatum couldn't have cared less. Good thing her Daddy is also immune to cold water.

Raleigh was excited to become an official River Rat. I can't wait to get him in the water!

He also kept a close eye on his sissy and daddy.

Tatum's favorite new spot at the river is under the bridge at one of the openings. I'm not really sure what to call them. Zach was under there with her the whole time, no worries.

We left Hidden Valley and headed over to the other low water crossing on our street, Little Arkansas. It was a pretty windy ride. :)

Living so close to the most beautiful river is one of my very most favorite parts of living in little Wimberley. It truly is a little piece of heaven.

Tatum's approves as well.

Bluebonnets!!

2011-03-28T15:28:00.000-05:00

Probably my favorite thing about the beginning of spring is bluebonnets. They are so beautiful. Not so bountiful this year, but beautiful nonetheless.

My mom's got a good crop in the landscaping around her pool. We took advantage of a cloud one evening and headed out for the annual shots.

Do families in other states do annual shots with flowers?

And the sibling interaction begins... pretty much for the first time. And I caught it with the camera.

Hair pulling...

Aw, sweet babies...

OK, that's enough Mom.

Zeller Fam

2011-03-27T22:15:00.000-05:00

Zach's parents came to visit for a few days while his mom was attending an annual choir conference in San Anotnio. This year, Zach's oldest sister Jennifer and her boyfriend Zach were in town from South Dakota. Fun!!

We crammed a lot into our two afternoons together.

There was a ride down to the river in the Ranger...

Much jumping on the trampoline (still our best investment EVER!)...

A trip to the Salt Lick (duh!)...

(one of my favorite pictures of my girl)

And we met at The Jumpy Place in New Braunfels so Tatum could have some fun while us grown ups had a chance to catch up and enjoy each others company.

New Braunfels and Gruene are halfway between San Antonio and Wimberley. You know what that means... GRIST MILL :) (Yet another excuse to eat yummy food)

When you are in Gruene, you've just got to stop by Gruene Hall for a little boot scootin'. Tatum was precious.

I think that by the time his family headed back to Flower Mound and South Dakota, their tummies were full of excellent food and their hearts were full of good family time.

Happy Birthday Daddy!

2011-03-24T22:40:00.000-05:00

My old man turned a whopping 29 at the end of February.

Someone helped me make him a birthday brownie.

She also helped make him a sign.

And she helped decorate the cake. I let her put all the letters after "birthda". Can you tell?

The birthday boy with his best presents EVER. :)

Ummmm 29 or 12?

Happy Birthday Zach! We love you so much!!!!!!!

Life Lately

2011-03-21T00:36:00.001-05:00

Somebody actually "participated" at music recently. His first musical instrument experience... the rhythm stick.

Tatum was experiencing the music a little more physically. Complete with lots of twirling.

I love that their music teacher, Petra, lets them be kids and enjoy class how they want. It continues to be one of our favorite activities that we have been looking so much forward to each Monday for the last 2 years and counting.

Tatum got a new dress up dress for Valentine's Day. She was beyond excited.

Have you seen the prices for crappily made dress up clothes? CRAZY! These gorgeous dresses were on sale at Target for just a few bucks more than the designated "dress up" stuff. What a steal!!

We have quite the budding chef around here lately too. She's always in her apron and dragging her stool around the kitchen to help (and "help").

Watch out! Crazy eyed girl with plastic play knife at work!

And isn't it awesome how they made our fridge complete with a Tatum step?? :)

'Round Here

2011-03-13T20:40:00.001-05:00

There is nothing like some good one on one time with our sweeties!

Music

2011-03-10T21:06:00.000-06:00

We continue to LOVE music class on Monday mornings. Tatum has attended since she was 8 months old and now my little man is starting to join in on the fun.

Our class is part of the Music Together program. I completely recommend it if you have little ones (4 and under) and want a fun experience where your kiddos can learn about music, to love music, and to play with instruments.

Gramma joined us recently and Tatum was quite pleased!

Tatum's good friend and classmate Mary has been in the class for a while too. These two are adorable! Mary wanted in on the picture taking.

My happy, music-loving, dancing, twirling girly:

Snow Day Part 2

2011-03-05T16:35:00.001-06:00

When Zach got home that Friday afternoon, Tatum was MUCH more excited about the snow. So was Jack.

He was so excited he grabbed his favorite accessory... Tatum's pink shovel. He actually prances around the yard when he's carrying it.

Making a teenie tiny snowman:

Best hand warmer around:

If you don't look really close you'd miss the snowman all together. He lasted about 90 seconds after this picture. Apparently he offended Tatum because she destroyed him with a swift kick. Ah, 2 year olds...

Jumping to make footprints in the snow:

Obligatory documentation of Wimberley snow:

Making handprints with Daddy:

The dogs water was frozen about 4 inches thick. Tatum thought it was her very own personal ice skating rink. Until Daddy got on too... crack!!!

Here's her "skating" on a piece he took out for her.

More obligatory pictures including poor Baby Brother who was thrust outside into the arms of his sister in the freezing cold air.

Meltdown, anyone?

Hot chocolate.... perfect way to end a fun snow day!

Snow Day Part 1

2011-03-02T12:27:00.000-06:00

We got some snow a few weeks ago here in Wimberley.

It was real snow compared to the ice pellets that fell last year. I was so excited to show Tatum when she woke up. I think I hyped up her reaction to much in my mind because this is the face she made when she went outside:

As if to say, "What the heck is all the excitement about Mommy?"

I urged her to eat some...

She was skeptical.

Then it was like a little light went off... SNOW! How fun!

And off she went running across the yard. Just as spunky and frisky as the dogs were that morning.

It was just a light dusting, but exciting none the less around here.

Even Tucker had to go explore. He wasn't hesitant a bit about walking right out into it. That's saying a lot about a cat who just a few months ago went outside for the very first time in all his 8 years.

It snowed on a Friday morning and while the rest of the Austin area was enjoying a Snow Day with their families, my poor hubby had to drive all the way to North Austin for a 7am case. Nothing like making the first tracks in the snow/ice, up and down hills, across 3 low water crossings, and it taking 3x as long.

He left us this note when he left that morning:

Pint Sized Painter

2011-02-27T00:12:00.000-06:00

Tatum has been LOVING her water colors lately. I don't know why I waited so long to get some for her.

She is so deep in concentration when she paints... just look at that tongue!

My sweet girly...

She's also been using her art table/easel a lot more lately. She LOVES markers.

Thank you Lord for washable markers.

Some of her "masterpieces":

Ready for AMI

2011-02-24T00:04:00.000-06:00

We are SO READY for Florida in June.

What's that? Like 4 months. I don't know if we can make it...

This is the tube we used at the beach last year and Tatum wanted to have some extra fun in the tubby. So cute!

Sweet German

2011-02-21T23:53:00.000-06:00

There's a love affair going on in our house...

Life Lately

2011-02-18T23:32:00.000-06:00

Never a dull moment in the Zeller Zoo!

The animals are enjoying the unseasonable weather lately...

I finally made a place to display Tatum's artwork. I bought some cute curtain rods and hook/loop things to make a more permanent display. I'll get to that... at some point.

2 weeks and counting of COOKING. Yep, you read that right. COOKING.

Please ignore the scribbling and finger prints...

Here's Tatum's new routine. It's not clock-based, but more of an order of things we do each day. Nothing fancy, just something to keep me more accountable with playing one on one while R is sleeping and it helps when Tatum is bored and wandering around.

So far she loves it and runs to "check her 'tine" randomly through the day. It helps to stem spontaneous TV watching and I've noticed she plays more independently, more often.

Positive reminders in the kitchen. I love them.

I've been simplifying and love our new mantle.

My happy boy... he makes every day brighter!

The Nichols

2011-02-15T22:43:00.000-06:00

We love Mark and Laura!

Zach ran track at UT with Mark and we are so glad to have kept in touch all these years since the track days.

They live in San Francisco and got married last September. We unfortunately couldn't attend thanks to Mr. Raleigh Bear's pending arrival.

No matter how little their time in Austin is, they always call us up and we get together. Usually at The Salt Lick. Yum!

We wish we lived closer!

Deer Lease

2011-02-13T23:20:00.000-06:00

Zach has a deer lease at the Freeman Ranch just a few miles down the road from us, between here and San Marcos.

He joined just before Raleigh was born, so between that and the cold weather, Tatum, Raleigh, and I hadn't had a chance to get out there and take a look.

The ranch is part of Texas State and there is no hunting Monday-Thursday. We went out with Zach to fill his feeders and take in the surroundings.

We look forward to camping and hiking as the weather warms up this spring!

Raleigh loved riding in the Ranger. He didn't make and peep and even fell asleep near the end of our ride. He was right at home bumping along the trails.

Tatum was Daddy's helper.

She's also a pretty good "driver"!

Checking out the deer blind.

I'm gonna just pretend and block out what this is actually used for and just think of it as a "fort", OK? :)

We are so fortunate to live in such a beautiful place like Wimberley. I am looking so forward to watching my babies grow up here. They have no idea how good they've got it!

Big Sister

2011-02-11T22:48:00.000-06:00

I am so proud of my Tatum Bug.

She is the best sister Raleigh could ever ask for.

She entertains him, brings him a binky when he's crying, rocks his car seat when he is upset, and will offer he own (very beloved) blankie if she thinks it will make him feel better.

She asks to hug and kiss him every morning when she gets up and every night before she goes to bed.

She makes silly faces and noises to get him to smile or laugh.

She asks to have him take a tubby with her.

(She's really good at washing his feet-- her job.)

I can not wait to see their relationship grow!

Chubby Bubbers

2011-02-09T23:41:00.000-06:00

I just had to capture some more sweet smiles and my favorite outfit before he puked all over it, as usual.

I can't express how much I love this little man.

Daddy's Girl

2011-02-07T23:13:00.000-06:00

Who has her Daddy wrapped around her finger?

THIS girly!

(And if you can't tell, Zach is painting her toenails!)

BIG Boy

2011-02-05T23:03:00.000-06:00

A little baby boy is liking his Bumbo...

and fitting into the adorable sweater and booties his Great Aunt Margaret made for him.

BUT, this smiley, happy boy does NOT like tummy time.

(And in all honesty... we've done it twice. Twice. Sorry buddy.)

Roomies

2011-02-03T18:05:00.000-06:00

My beautiful college roommate Jenn came to visit recently. In tow was her husband Blake and cutie-pa-tootie girly, Lily.

We lived together while at UT, having met in a math class. I followed in her footsteps and student taught at Barton Hills, where I ended up teaching. She moved to San Antonio after college and taught there. Jenn's a girl with a heart of gold and the best laugh ever.

We have kept in touch, but hadn't seen each other since her baby shower for Miss Lily. It was awesome to introduce her to Tatum Bug and Raleigh.

We've got to do a better job of getting together more often! I miss you Jenn!!

Surprise Night in Fredericksburg

2011-01-30T12:38:00.000-06:00

In December Zach surprised me with a night away in Fredericksburg.

I love when he woos me!

Tatum had a slumber party with Gramma and Papa and Raleigh got to play 3rd wheel to us. He was so good!

Here's the cute cabin we stayed in. Zach always picks the cutest places.

We had dinner at our favorite restaurant in town and I got to soak in the beautiful claw foot tub and take a bubble bath!! It was a.w.e.s.o.m.e. Probably my favorite part of the trip.

He got the fire roaring and we snuggled and watched Liar, Liar. (Limited VHS choices at the cabin) I forgot how funny that movie is. We laughed so hard.

Thank you Zach! I love you so much!

Oops

2011-01-28T13:45:00.000-06:00

This is what happens when your grown husband tries to play with his 2 year old's toys.

He was stuck and had to hop to the front porch to have me help get him out. Tatum was running ahead of him and I could hear her through the door yelling, "Daddy needs help! He's stuck in the tunnel!!"

The Big 3-0

2011-01-26T20:43:00.000-06:00

On the heels of Christmas comes my birthday on the 27th

.... and it was a BIG one this year.

Let's just pretend I'm not freaking that I am now half of 60.

What does a mature 30 year old grown woman want to do on her birthday?? Bowl!

Tatum had so much fun and we all loved watching her bowl for the first time! My parents and my Uncle Tom from Pennsylvania came along. We got bumpers for her and they let her use this nifty contraption to help keep the ball in the center of the lane.

BUT, better than the bowling was the hand dryer on the ball spitter-outter-thingy. You know what I mean, right?

Super model in training:

Papa and Raleigh were unintentional twins... so cute.

The absolute best thing about being a Christmas time baby is always being with family to celebrate. I'm so glad Raleigh could join us this year!!

No Amy birthday is complete without cupcakes. Current favorite: lemon with butter cream icing. Yummy!

Zeller Christmas

2011-01-24T18:07:00.000-06:00

We headed up 35 to celebrate Christmas with Zach's family in Flower Mound on December 22-26.

We chose last minute to make the drive at night and left about 9:30. We were hoping to avoid traffic and making stops to feed Raleigh or feed ourselves. As much as it stunk being on the road that late, we made it in the fastest time EVER, didn't have to stop, and the kiddos slept pretty much the entire way. SCORE!

There was lots of book reading, baby snuggling, food eating, present opening, and Kinect bowling going on...

Oh, and some ballet dancing as well... Tatum declared the hearth her very own personal stage.

One of my most favorite moments was when Gran joined Tatum at the piano and played her most favorite holiday song ever, Jingle Bells. She loved it and I think Gran did too!

The highlight of the trip was sweet Great Aunt Myrtle SCHOOLING us in Kinect bowling. Talk about a ringer! She was killing it and talking smack at the same time. It was awesome.

Tatum loved helping decorate the tree with "ordamints".

We spent Christmas Even night oogling the lights and decorations at The Gaylord. Wow.

Christmas morning!

School Christmas Party

2011-01-22T17:56:00.000-06:00

The kiddos had a small Christmas party at school before the holidays. There's nothing like cookies, dancing, and a little choreography to make you smile!

Baby Gibson (Packy's little brother and Raleigh's appointed best friend) made an appearance... at only a few days old.

See? They're already hanging out and talking about girls. :)

The kids put on a little performance, complete with cute reindeer hats they made.

And last, but not least, they enjoyed their gift exchange. They all drew names and bought a small $5 gift. Tatum scored a tiara and some blinged out, Fancy Nancy -tyle earrings. She was in HEAVEN.

Kirkland Christmas

2011-01-20T11:41:00.000-06:00

OK, so I'm just a tad behind... oh, alright, REALLY behind.

I've had my Christmas pictures, along with other posts, just sitting... waiting... for words. Let's just say that I've been a little busy (crazy) lately, so here's to catching up!

We celebrated with my parents the weekend before Christmas. Tatum was SO excited. It was just awesome to see her excitement and know that she was actually understanding what Christmas was all about for the first time. Decorating, eating, presents, family...

She helped Gramma make Christmas breakfest. She's our little sous chef.

Then it was on to presents.

New obsession: Fancy Nancy...

... and princesses...

... and Minnie...

... and maybe some lizard puppets. :)

She must have opened every gift under the tree... all hers and all of ours.

Her big present was last and waiting in the garage. She finally got her very own kitchen!

This little handsome man was all smiles, all day. LOVE him!

I almost forgot her other favorite... a princess tea set. I never liked tea until I was served some with Snow White's face on my saucer.

The hit for us "big kids" was my parent's new Wii. We played for hours... bowling was fun!

Tatum relaxed watching Max and Ruby after her long, exciting day. It wasn't until after all our celebrating that I realized we probably hyped Christmas too much for too long. Poor

Cleo decided to chill with Baby Jesus while we had our fun...

Breakfast With Santa

2010-12-22T13:50:00.000-06:00

Wimberley had its first annual Breakfast with Santa recently. It was a little bit of a surprise to just see Tatum's friends Eve and Paxton and NO ONE ELSE.

It makes me sad for the organizers, but we enjoyed our private party with Santa! Hopefully next year they'll get a better crowd. You can't beat NO LINES and lots of one on one Santa time.

Bug was a little nervous at first... but she told him she wanted a kitchen, snow globe, and her own camera. Those wishes were a tad bit planted by yours truly. She's gonna get lucky this Christmas!

Next up was cookie decorating.

Raleigh's first Santa picture!

As time passed, Tatum warmed up to Santa and loved getting to color the cookies with him and talk more about her wish list. She was so sweet...

At one point Tatum even dragged her chair to the other table where Santa was sitting so she could sit with him some more. :)

Eve and Tatum have been friends for over a year now and they continue to look so much alike. Eve is 6 months younger, to the day, but looks like she could be Tatum's fraternal twin.

Emily Ann

2010-12-21T20:46:00.000-06:00

A family tradition here in Wimberley is to visit the Trail of Lights at the Emily Ann. We headed down on a mild night before it got too cold and had some fun.

Tatum was really taken with the lights this year and she loved writing several letters to Santa. She also got to meet Mrs. Claus! (Santa was apparently bust at the North Pole on the night we went!)

We roasted marshmallows, rode the "train", played instruments, spun under the tree, and Tatum even got up on stage to sing "Jingle Bells". :)

Raleigh was unimpressed and slept all bundled up with Zach.

Mr. Smiley is 2 months old!!

2010-12-19T13:33:00.001-06:00

OK, so I blinded him with the flash, but isn't that smile just the sweetest thing?

You should hear him "talk"!

We went in for his 2 month appointment recently. Raleigh is packing on the pounds and developing right on track.

He weighed 11 pounds, 4 ounces and was 23 1/4 inches long. That's 50th %ile for both. His big noggin' is in the 75th %ile. Must be that big Kirkland brain :)

He got half of his first round of shots and we'll go back next month for the others. We spread it out for Tatum and thought we might as well do the same for him. She turned out alright!

The only thing Pruitt noted was that Raleigh likes to lean his head to his left. This is because his neck muscles are a little tighter on that side. No worries though, that will all straighten out as we encourage him to tilt right with strategically placed blankets when he's sleeping and in the car seat and also with some very minimal physical therapy here at home to stretch those muscles out.

He's been eating about every 3 hours, taking at least one long nap a day, and (knock on wood) sleeping through the night. He typically goes down around 9 or 10 and will either sleep ALL THE WAY TO 7ish am or wake once for a little snack. We were blessed with our good sleeping Tatum and it looks like we've been blessed again!

Keep those coos and smiles coming sweet baby boy!! We love you!

Family Pictures -- Welcome Raleigh James!

2010-12-18T13:03:00.000-06:00

Michele from Pinkle Toes came back out when Raleigh was a month old to capture our newest addition for us, as well as our little growing family.

As before, the results were A.W.E.S.O.M.E.

Baking With Gramma

2010-12-17T12:59:00.000-06:00

Gramma had a special little helper when we made Christmas. She LOVES cracking the eggs and putting lots sprinkles on.

LOTS AND LOTS AND LOTS of sprinkles.

Family Pictures -- Just The 3 Of Us

2010-12-15T12:49:00.000-06:00

Back in June we had family pictures done by Michele from Pinkle Toes Photography to capture our family of three. Here is her awesome work:

At the Dentist

2010-12-12T13:10:00.000-06:00

Tatum came with me to my last dentist appointment so she could see what it was like. I anticipate taking her in the next year.

I wasn't sure how she'd react, but after she watched my ENTIRE cleaning, etc., she jumped up in my lap, layed down, and opened her mouth. :)

Miss Talee counted Tatum's teeth, took a good look around, and let Tatum check out some of her "tools".

Everything looked great and Tatum Bug was such a trooper! She even got to take home an adorable stuffed horse for being so good. She named the horse Talee :)

Deck The Halls...

2010-12-09T15:10:00.001-06:00

Tatum helped decorate our house and Gramma and Papa's house last week. She was such a good helper!

I think this was the first year... ever... that I didn't put the little plastic light bulbs in the Christmas tree. Sad, but it was fun passing on that tradition to Tatum... who loved it!

Tatum picked out our tree and had fun smelling the trees with Daddy.

I sure wish there was a local Christmas Tree farm to cut down your own tree. I have such awesome memories of cutting our tree down every year in Houston. And that Dad would always make me actually do the cutting. I think I whined through it every year. Regardless, it was fun!

Zach and Tatum put the Polar Express train together that he bought a few months ago. I don't know who loves the train more... Zach or Tatum.

Tatum thinks that any time she needs to help, she must have her apron AND stool. So sweet.

Oh, and you have to wear your fairy/princess costume to hang the "ordamints".

San Antonio Zoo

2010-12-07T22:49:00.001-06:00

We made out way over to San Antonio to enjoy a day at the zoo before our weather turned wintry.

Of course, our first stop was the train in Brakenridge Park. Tatum LOVES riding on trains.

Raleigh was awake this time too. Well, until the clickety clacking lulled him back to sleep.

First stop: Fingos!

(flamingos)

Zach remembers getting one of these plastic molded animals at the zoo when he was a kiddo, so he got Tatum an elephant.

This is an Okapi. My favorite animal at the zoo. They are fascinating!! Doesn't it look like some kind of combo of a zebra, giraffe, and horse?? It's actually most closely related to a giraffe, is solitary, and almost engangered.

We caught the elephant doing some tricks for treats.

This guy cracked us up. He was all sprawled out taking a nap. I think someone forgot to tell him he's not the king of the jungle!

First Fish

2010-12-04T08:44:00.000-06:00

My overall clad lovies went fishing together.

It was Tatum's first time and could not have been more excited. She talked about it all day, ever since buying a pretty princess fishing pole at Cabela's the night before.

Success! Her very first fish.

And another!

In all, she caught four little fishies, which were all thrown back.

I don't know who was more happy, Tatum Bug or her proud Daddy.

Teaching Them Young

2010-12-01T11:14:00.000-06:00

Here's my baby nursing her baby, my mom's old Susie Walker doll.

How cute is that?

She saw the pink Boppy at my parents' house the other night and immediately recognized it since I use one at home with Raleigh. She calls it my "tube".

Then she grabbed Susie and told me she was going to feed her some milk. My dad and I were cracking up!

I'm so glad I was able to grab my camera.

I just love her to death.

Tubby For Two

2010-11-29T09:34:00.000-06:00

Happy Thanksgiving!

2010-11-27T10:15:00.001-06:00

Happy Thanksgiving from The Zellers!

Tatum June helped Gramma prepare the meal. Gramma even had a sweet little apron for Tatum to wear while she helped. She was SO proud of herself and must have asked a thousand times, "Gramma, I help you cook?"

She then insisted we all wear aprons. Zach was a good sport. Papa, not so much. :)

Like Zach's pilgrim hat?

"Tom" watched Raleigh while we ate.

Papa was a good sport when Tatum busted out the princess sticker book.

(Thanks Aunt Julie!)

Tatum wore her pilgrim hat while she watched "Charlie Mack Brown's" Thanksgiving.

How cute is that?? She's really good at spotting Mack throughout the broadcast of the games.

Football time! Too bad out Horns couldn't have pulled out just one more win this season.

Tatum spent the night and we had a pajama party during the game... complete with lots of book reading and popcorn.

And Zach... well, I think the picture speaks for itself. Let's just say he loved the apple crisp.

What Tatum Has Been Up To...

2010-11-25T12:16:00.002-06:00

It's never dull around here as long as Tatum Bug is around!

Reading with Gramma... and wearing glasses just like her.

Feeding the ducks at Landa Park while waiting for the train.

It was Raleigh's first train ride!

He was thrilled, as you can see, and slept through the entire thing. I don't think he even knew we left the house.

My silly girl and me at music class.

Like her "earrings"?

Bug's First Haircut

2010-11-22T12:15:00.000-06:00

I waited long enough...

It was time for Tatum's first haircut. She came with me to see Debbie the last time I went and CHOP! Off went about an inch.

I'd never even trimmed the ends of her hair, so it was time for the fine whispy baby hair at the bottom to go. I was worried about her sweet curls at the ends though...

But the curl is still there!

Tatum was brave, but a little more apprehensive than I had anticipated. I think it was the quickest haircut Debbie has ever given. I'm amazed she was able to even cut it straight!

Our little BIG girl is growing up!

THIS Makes Me Happy!

2010-11-20T15:24:00.000-06:00

This Little Girl Cracks Me Up!

2010-11-17T15:12:00.000-06:00

Double Trouble

2010-11-16T21:59:00.000-06:00

My two dear friends, Carmen and Shannon, are having babies in the next few weeks!

Carmen, on the left, is welcoming a little girl and Shannon is having a little boy.

Andrea, LeStella, and I hosted a joint shower for them recently.

Didn't LeStella do an awesome job on those cakes??

It's been awesome sharing our two year olds, our pregnancies, and soon our newborns. Raleigh is ready to meet his best friends!

Good luck girls! I love you!

siLLy WiLLy

2010-11-14T15:44:00.000-06:00

Little Man Is One Month already!!!

2010-11-13T14:34:00.000-06:00

Raleigh is already one month old.

I am already a bad mommy to my second born in that I don't have a single picture from his actual one month birthday. We did have Michele from Pinkle Toes Photography come out for some newborn and family pictures on his "birthday" though. :)

I can't wait to see the shots she got!

For now, here are a few we've taken over the last week or so:

Raleigh has been more awake lately and we love getting to see those big blue eyes.

He's also filled out some more and was 9 pounds 2 ounces last Wednesday at the pediatrician (he was 7lbs 1oz at birth). We were there because little man's umbilical stump STILL had not fallen off and I was getting a little worried.

I had no reason to worry though. It's fairly common and they just use some silver nitrate to cauterize what's left and encourage it to fall off. There was no pain for him though because there aren't any nerve endings where they are cauterizing. Phew!

It fell off that night and just in time because R needed a good REAL bath!

I tried to get a good picture of Tatum in her Big Sister shirt and Raleigh in his Little Brother shirt, but this is the best I could get:

I have a feeling that's how many of our pictures will be for quite a while :)

Tatum sure does love her Raleigh James. She says, "Good Morning Raleigh James!" every morning, brings him her blankie when he's crying, hugs and kisses him a lot, and asks to hold him frequently. She hasn't shown any jealousy or aggression toward him so far.

This Momma loves her little girl, but wow... Zach's got some heavy competition for mommy's favorite man.

My Jumping Beans

2010-11-11T14:43:00.000-06:00

Let's Play Outside Daddy!

2010-11-08T10:14:00.000-06:00

The Zellers Meet Raleigh James

2010-11-05T14:44:00.001-05:00

Zach's parents and sister Megan came down from Flower Mound to meet Mr. Raleigh the first weekend we were home. It was awesome to introduce them to their first grandson!

Miss Bug was her silly self and loved seeing her Gran, Pops, and Aunt Megan.

Don't you wish you had your very own Piper Pillow?

We headed to my parents' house for the UT game on Saturday. Most our visits aren't complete for Tatum without a ride on Papa's Vespa.

Our growing families...

I think Tatum enjoyed all the attention from her Aunt Megan.. she loves her so much :)

Baby And The Blanco

2010-11-03T16:04:00.000-05:00

We busted out the double jogger and took Raleigh down to the river for the first time with his big sissy.

(OK, he was thoroughly unimpressed and slept the whole time, but still...)

Proof he was actually there... see the little bald head??

Even though the water was cold enough to make Zach's feet feel numb, Tatum wanted to go wade around with her daddy.

On the way down to the river she kept yelling, "I want to get naked! I want to get naked!" I'm guessing she thought it was still warm enough to take a swim. During the summer when we'd walk or bike down, we'd just strip her down to her diaper, or less, and let her splash.

Halloween Party at School

2010-11-02T21:36:00.001-05:00

Tatum had a little Halloween party at school the Thursday before Halloween. A beautiful fairy and princess attended, escorted by a bat and dragon.

They decorated pumpkins with Halloween stickers...

... and decorated Halloween cookies the kiddos made earlier that day.

Then it was time to play outside before we headed home.

Happy Halloween!

2010-11-01T10:12:00.000-05:00

Happy Halloween from our favorite Princess/Ballerina/Fairy...

... and Little Frankenstein.

We headed down to the Wimberley Square for some small town trick or treating. All the shops stay open late and hand out candy at their doors.

We ran into this handsome cowboy along the way... Harper was adorable!

It's pretty sad when a goofy daddy gets more attention from his costume than his precious 2 year old daughter!

I went as a pink haired new mommy... original, right?

Pumpkin Pictures

2010-10-31T12:08:00.000-05:00

Happy Halloween from the Zeller Zoo!

Our First Pumpkin Carving :)

2010-10-29T15:03:00.001-05:00

We carved our first pumpkin this year with Tatum.

Looking at these pictures, why didn't I grab her a shirt? Am I really that brainless right now? Sorry folks!

Here's our cute, but shirtless, hillbilly and her pumpkins...

She wasn't really liking the slimy insides... I don't blame her!

Raleigh was physically there too, but slept through everything.

Tatum helped me draw the face for Daddy to carve.

And Zach, of course, had to use some kind of power tool to carve the pumpkin. Whatever happened to using a knife??

(The eyes were perfectly round and pretty though!)

I helped Bug draw herself and Raleigh on the two smaller pumpkins.

Boys are such boys... here's Zach washing out the pumpkin and pretending to make it throw up. Is this what I have to look forward to with Raleigh? :)

My proud girl and her pumpkins...

... and proud Momma and her FOUR pumpkins!

Beautiful Blanco

2010-10-28T18:28:00.000-05:00

We are so blessed to live a short 5 minute walk from the Blanco river.

Before Raleigh arrived, we went down to splash a little before the water gets too cold.

We stopped to check on the llamas and goats a few properties down from us.

And down to the water we went...

While Tatum and Daddy walked downstream, I found a little friend... a VERY little friend.

Talk about cute!

I am definitely looking forward to next summer when Raleigh can join us for some fun!

Daddy's New Baby

2010-10-26T20:42:00.000-05:00

Not only did we add a new little human to the family recently...

Daddy got a "new baby" as well.

Welcome Polaris Ranger Crew!

Zach got a deer lease up the road from our house at the Freeman Ranch. It's just 8 miles from door to "door" and provides him over 160 acres to be a hunting machine.

(I try not to think about that part)

The Ranger is street legal (on streets up to 35mph), has seat belts for 6, and can ferry us to and from the river with all our gear. The dogs are enjoying rides around the yard :)

Boys and their toys...

Raleigh's Birth Day

2010-10-24T16:02:00.000-05:00

October 12 came so quickly!!

I was convinced that our little Raleigh James would come before induction day, but he had other plans. He cooked until we kicked him out!

I wasn't a fan of being induced initially, but as the date neared, I was looking forward to not timing contractions in the middle of the night, the stress-less drive to the hospital, knowing MY doctor would deliver him, and getting an epidural ASAP. :)

Our appointment was for 9am, so Gramma came over to take over Tatum-duty for the day.

Tatum hugged and kissed the big belly good bye...

And we were off!

We got all settled, having been met at the admissions counter by my two nurses. They were awesome and even carried all our stuff to the room. I wish I had taken a picture of them both. There was Julie, a kick ball coaching mother of 4 and Tatyana, a sweet new momma to #2 who just started on the LD floor a few weeks before.

The pitocin started to drip around 10:30. The started with the smallest of doses to see how my body would react. I was a 5 and 80% the first time they checked when we got there. I was also told I could get an epidural as soon as I was ready. Yes please, thank you!

After a few hours I started to feel some awful pain up in my ribs on the right side. I was afraid the epidural wasn't working. The nurses had me flip over to my left side and see if we couldn't encourage Raleigh to move a little. They chose to check me too, just to see where we were at. A TEN!

A mere 4 and a half hours after the first bit of pitocin, Dr. Weihs was back and ready for me to push. They had turned the pitocin off after only about an hour since my contractions were every few minutes and my body took it from there. 10 minutes of pushing... that was 3 contractions worth... 3 pushes per contraction... and he was HERE!

My little blond baby boy...

Mom, Dad, and Tatey Bug came in to meet Raleigh James shortly after his arrival. Tatum was so sweet and immediately dove in for a kiss and proclaimed, "He's SO cute!"

Big Sissy got to help bring him to the nursery for his first bath.

She even tested out my bed in post-partum before I got there.

I made Tatum a Big Sister bag filled with goodies from Baby Raleigh. (Thank you Target dollar aisle!) It helped keep her occupied at the hospital and gave her something to do when she visited the next day as well.

Heading home to Wimberley with our new little man!

We picked Tatey up from school on our way into town so she could come with us to bring Baby Brother home. As soon as we brought him in the house, she ran to his room, grabbed a few toys, and brought them to him in his car seat. She also grabbed her stool from the bathroom and put it right in front of him so she could look at him better. So precious!

Welcome Home Raleigh James!

We love you!

Aquarena Springs

2010-10-22T08:27:00.001-05:00

If you haven't been to Aquarena Springs before, or haven't been in a while, GO!

We enjoyed the glass bottom boat tour of Spring Lake, the head of the San Marcos River. You were able to see the springs on the lake bottom, lots of beautiful dancing vegetation, several species of fish, and lots of turtles.

Tatum loved to point out the turtles and watch the glass bottom kayaks on our 30 minute tour. I was afraid she might have been a little too young, but I definitely think she got something out of it.

I enjoyed learning more about the center's amusement park history (first amusement park in the nation!) and love that Texas State has taken over, providing a wonderful learning environment for their programs as well as the public.

It s a bummer that Ralph the swimming pig is no longer an attraction.

With your boat ride, you receive free admission into their aquarium. It was small and sweet, but just right for a 2.5 year old. She loved the turtles and seeing the blind salamanders. You can also walk the boardwalk over the wetlands before you head home.