Camping at Lake Cachuma

We had a perfect site.

Hands-on Nature Center

Fishing for the first time :)

"Look, here's my elbow."

Fun with Leaves

Hmmm...what is that thing???

Shaun caught a really decent size rainbow trout.

Ooops! Zoe tried to be a big girl and do it "all by herself" and fell over.

We took Zoe camping again...this time we just went for a weekend to Lake Cachuma. Shaun and our neighbors wanted to go fishing because they didn't get to go over the summer. Also, Jeff and Wendy just got their new trailer, so we had to try it out. Zoe had a bit of congestion and allergies (I think...), so she wasn't in the best of moods the whole time, but it was still nice to get away. Shaun caught a fish...the only fish caught for us :). Zoe didn't know what she thought of it...We took her to the nature center there and it was so great. She got to play and touch almost everything in there. Zoe even got to fish!!! She caught a big one! Feathers were pretty fun too. She giggled so much when we tickled her with the feathers. After we left, Wendy found piles of leaves and Zoe loved the leaves falling over her head.

Cousin Zach's Birthday

Zoe went to her cousin Zach's 2nd birhtday party a couple of weeks ago. You can tell he's a big brother because he helps Zoe whenever she needs it. He gets her toys, cups, snacks, etc. What a great big cousin!!! They played a little and ate cupcakes. Zoe thought that was the greatest thing. She asked for more after devouring a whole cupcake and of course Mommy's answer was a big fat no.

Amazing Mommy and Daddy with such PERSONALITY

"How old are you, Zoe?"

"Can you see me, Mommy?"

An apple just Zoe's size...Now that she has teeth, she really likes them.

With yogurt ALL over...

Smiley...right after a bath

"Zoe, show Mommy your teeth."

Zoe is amazing Mommy and Daddy every moment we spend with her. She knows how to hold up one finger, after only showing her once! We'll have to practice more, so she will do it for others, but boy she is so proud of herself when she does something new. Peek-a-Boo is so fun with Zoe now...it's not just Peek-a-Boo, she actually plays Hide-and-Seek. 10 teeth are showing now...4 up top, 4 on the bottom, and 2 top molars. Teething is not giving her a break, but it hasn't stopped her from having such a personality that is contagious. She loves to read, especially her ABC book. She says some of her ABC's, knows most of her body parts (eyes, nose, ears, mouth, teeth, hair, elbows, hands, fingers, feet, toes, and she is just getting the hang of leg, knee, and arm), and loves to play chase. Recently she asked for my keys and shortly after she was blowing my whistle. The horn on the car and the whistle are her two favorite sounds right now. When she wakes from a nap, she has come up with her own little routine...she throws her silky into her crib, then points to her CD player and says, "Off". Once we turn the music off, she points at the door, signaling it's time to go into the living room. Her baby is one of her favorite toys right now and Daddy taught her how to burp her baby. She is so funny, she rocks the baby, says, "Shshshsh", and does a burping sound. We follow it, by saying, "Excuse you, Baby!" and she gets the biggest kick out of that.

Zoe and Maddie (Grandma's Dog)

Zoe reading to Maddie

Kissing Zoe


"Okay Maddie, back to reading." Maddie was thinking...You've got to be kidding me!

Hmmmm...What happen to Maddie?

Zoe and Maddie enjoy one another's company most of the time. Well...Maddie puts up with Zoe most of the time. She's such a good sport. Grandma took some pictures of Zoe hanging out with Maddie. Zoe read to Maddie until she finally decided to just ditch Zoe.

David's Birthday Party

The shirt says it all...(got that shopping in Solvang)

David, the little boy across the street, recently turned 13 and he loves to skateboard, so his birthday was at Rob Dyrdek's Safe Spot, Skate Spot in LA. I went with Wendy and Zoe came along too. She got to play in the park and color on the park bench while David and his friends skated.

Pigtails and More!

Pigtails

Giving Baby a kiss...

Zoe's first lunch box (bag)

Zoe's hair is now long enough for pigtails! I am so excited because I love them! I found rubberbands that Zoe can't pull out most of the time. She looks so grown up with them, Daddy said to take them out because it made her look like a big girl :(. First signs of a toddler, instead of our little precious BABY.

Holy cow! We bought her her first lunch box (well...bag). It was too cute to pass up and she loves it. It has become part of the routine leaving in the morning and when we pick her up from the sitter, she gets it and holds it all the way to the car.

Camping in August

Zoe loves cottage cheese!

Zoe's first frozen banana (without chocolate)...great for teething!

Playing in the water...

Oooooo...water.

Family photo by the waterfall

Okay, okay, okay! I have not blogged in a while...LONG while. Sorry! It has been a VERY busy month and Zoe is definitely one thing that made it so busy. We wouldn't change it for the world!

Before we went back to school we planned a camping trip to Convict Lake. Unfortunately, on the way there, Shaun and our neighbors, got in a pretty serious accident and their big truck and trailer were pretty messed up. The truck was able to be fixed, but the trailer was totaled. So much for that trip!

Instead we went to Buelton (Solvang). We were supposed to go camping for five days, but we only went to Buelton for 2 nights, August 12th-14th. Zoe saw the ostrich farm, minature horses farm, the mission in Solvang, hiked to a waterfall, went shopping :), and was able to go swimming at the campground. Not to mention, play at the park. She loves swings and wasn't too sure about the slides, but I have no doubt that she'll learn to love them. When she went swimming this time, she actually surprised us because she put her face in the water without us prompting her to. Yikes! It scared me a bit (she seemed a bit shocked too), but we just cheered and she giggled and tried it again. She is such a great camper, but doesn't like to sleep much during the day, for fear she will miss some of the action. At night we had a group of individuals who must not camp very often because they definitely did not know the camping courtesy rules (quiet time at 10). 1 am, we woke to groups of people laughing sooooooo loud. Groups meaning 20-30 people!!! I found myself marching over to their area and explaining (not so nicely) that it was 1 am and I had a baby sleeping. I told them if they woke her, they were going to take care of her. As I finished, a man said, "Chill out." I lost it and reminded them of the time. Let's just say, we were able to sleep after that :). Don't mess with mommies!

It was a good time and a nice getaway before the school year. Right before we left, we heard that we got our jobs back, so that was a nice relief. Since then, it has been non-stop.