What is New with Zoe...

Zoe is now 2 years 5 months old...almost 2 and a half! Where did the time go?! She is preparing to be a big sister and loves her "Big Sister" shirts. I was folding laundry and she pointed out her "Big Sister" shirt. I think she is beginning to identify words. She can pick her name out of a list of kids' names and knows how to spell it.

Potty training is basically done besides the night time deal, but most of the time she wakes up with a dry pull-up. We have found the nights that she is the most tired, is usually the accident nights. I am not quite ready to let her wear underwear at night. The other thing is that she is so tiny still that it is tough even with a stool to get on the potty, so we still have to help with that, but that sure beats dirty diapers!!!

Lately, she has been warming up to strangers better...as long as Mommy or Daddy is VERY close by. Her latest phrases that she has picked up on are, "don't even think about it", "don't throw tantrum otherwise you will go to timeout", and "may I have ______?".

TV is not so much a favorite of Zoe, but she sure does like music. Her all-time favorite is Taylor Swift's "Mean" song...they are not the best lyrics for her :), but it sure is cute to see her sing almost the whole song and dance around. At bath time she likes to run into the living room naked and sing, "I like to move it, move it. I like to move it, move it." (From the movie, Madagascar...she only likes that part) Meanwhile shaking her little toosh.

Reading is still a favorite for her and she has her favorite books. Some of which, she has memorized, so she can "read" them to us. I had to video tape it for evidence later.

Disney princesses are becoming more frequently talked about these days and she even said that she would like to be the pink one, for Halloween. The only two princess/fairy names she knows is Cinderella and Tinkerbell. She calls Sleeping Beauty-Aurora...Cinderbeauty. Papa and YiaYia got her a pair of dress up princess heels and she clip clops through the house, just like a princess.

All kinds of foods are in her "like" category. We are very lucky because she eats well balanced meals most of the time. Soup, when we are out, is becoming a favorite. She is very good at using her utensils and rarely spills a drop of her soup when she eats it. Grapes, strawberries, cantaloupe, and watermelon are some current fruit favorites. Peas, corn, broccoli, and cauliflower are the top veggies, and chicken and tri tip are the favorite meats. Most of the time, she likes to drink out of a regular cup, but if she is wondering a lid is a must.

We have definitely hit the "terrible twos"...she can definitely throw a tantrum, but is usually very understanding after a timeout. I think she may have learned some of the unwanted behavior from other kiddos she is around during the day, but we try very hard to tell her what our expectations are at home and that it may be different elsewhere, but at home we follow all the rules and use our manners. Most days are really good, but we definitely have a terrible one from time to time.

Outside, she likes to jump a lot and run back and forth on the grass. She won't go too far from us, so we are able to sit out front and watch her go. Her throw with both hands is pretty good already and she likes to kick around balls too. We have not gone on a bike ride in awhile, but she loves riding in her in her trailer behind my bike.

School for her is on hold...we did not really like the program that she was in (very costly play dates is how Shaun and I looked at it) and there are a few preschools that we are interested in, but their licenses will not permit them to take a child before they are 2 years, 9 months. In January, we are hoping to have her enrolled in a good program that incorporates the academics Zoe is ready for.

We are looking forward to taking Zoe to Hawaii for my cousins wedding in October. It should be a lot of fun and we will get the opportunity to go out to the restaurant we went to on our honeymoon :). The last big hurrah before the baby comes...

The Barney Show

Well I have been meaning to blog this for a few weeks, but with school starting, things have been crazy busy. YiaYia was able to get us great tickets through her work to the Barney show, so we decided to take Zoe about 3 weeks ago. It was a very entertaining! Zoe wasn't sure at first, but she warmed up to the show and by the end was dancing and jumping up and down on my lap. We went to the Universal Ampitheatre and we sat just close enough. After, we met our friends for lunch at Bubba Gump Shrimp. Yum!!! It was a really nice way to wrap up a great summer with Zoe.

Zoe is...

going to be a big sister!!!

The Lil' Bean's First Picture at 7weeks3days

Zoe is so excited to be a big sister. She was able to call and tell family that she was going to be a big sister and she says, "I am going to give the baby a pacifier when the baby cries, I am going to rock the baby, and the baby is growing in Mommy's tummy." Zoe also has a sixth sense...about four weeks ago, our neighbor Jeff was over and he threw one of Zoe's toys at me and she said, "Don't throw things and my baby brother!" We looked at each other and obviously I had no idea if I was really preggo or not, so it freaked me out a little. Then to test it a little more we asked, "Where is the baby?" She pointed straight to my tummy! Mind you, we have had no conversations with her about where the baby grows or anything. We had just asked her if she wanted a baby. So far she is 50% accurate...we will keep everyone posted to see if she is 100% accurate. I read a little about how kids sometimes have that sense...crazy!!!

Swimming Snafoo

Well...Zoe has been adapting to many new things lately, but we had a swimming snafoo this week. She started her "Tiny Tots" swim lessons Monday, which means that Mommy and Daddy no longer swim with her. We thought that she would do well, considering that she swam for her past 2 instructors better than for Mommy and Daddy most of the time. Wishful thinking!!! She started classes on Monday with one other little girl in her class and she cried for the whole 30 min. lesson! We tried talking to her and nothing stopped her. The teacher did not help either because the only thing she did was say firmly, "Stop crying Zoe, stop crying Zoe." Over and over and over again. It got to the point that the teacher in me wanted to pull her, but I know that sometimes Zoe just needs time to adjust to people. It took another mother who was watching to open my eyes to it a bit more. She said, "Well she could be speaking to her a little more kindly." For another mom to notice, that got me a bit upset. So, Tuesday we tried again and she was still super upset and crying hysterically. Again the teacher told her to stop crying, meanwhile rolling her eyes. That pretty much did it for me and I pulled Zoe out 15 minutes into her lesson. I called the swim manager later to figure out a solution to this problem and she gave me a few options. I decided to get her private lessons for the rest of the 2 weeks. She started this morning and Shaun can happily report that she did AWESOME! Her new teacher is great with little kids and she did so well. She chased after toys in the shallow end, kicked, scooped, and blew bubbles. The only thing she did not want to do is jump in the pool at the end of the lesson. Hey! I will take it. It made me really wonder if we were going to have a hard time with her and teachers, but I am convinced it was this young girl whose inexperience with young children was the snafoo. Phew!!!

Zoe's First Day of School

Ready for School
Freetime

Decorating a Bag for Thursday's Picnic

Finger Painting
On Our Way Home...Zoe Survived!

All Tuckered Out!!!

Zoe had her first day of school today. She did an awesome job! I think we will be able to leave her on her own in a week or two. The first part of the day is freetime and Zoe really liked that they have a kitchen with play food. She really enjoys playing with that type of stuff at home, so it made her feel comfortable. She listened to a story and sang a song, then got to decorate a bag for her picnic on Thursday and finger painted. After she finished her painting, she was able to go outside and water the small gardens. It was not as structured as Shaun and I had hoped for, but I think it is a great introduction to school. We will probably be looking into some other options for the fall, just in case this placement does not work out.

The Berve's Came to Cali

At Disneyland...Mr. Toad's Wild Ride
La Brea Tar Pits

Photos in the Photo Booth at the Tar Pits

Swimming at Papa and YiaYia's House

Santa Barbara Zoo

Sky High Sports (Wall to Wall Trampoline Place)

Playground at the Beach

BRRRRRRR!

It was so fun to have the Berve's in Cali for the week. We usually go up to Montana to see Shaun's cousins, but this year they were able to come down and hang with us last week. Zoe showed them around Disneyland on Tuesday. It was Jeff's first time and Amy, Tasia and Kyler hadn't been since our wedding (6 years ago!!!). We had a blast and got on a lot of rides while we were there. Fast Passes and Baby Swap Passes worked out really well :). On Wednesday we went shopping at the outlets (only 1/3 of them), to Inn and Out for lunch, went to La Brea Tar Pits, and visited Papa and YiaYia and went swimming. At the Tar Pits, Zoe learned that paleontologists search for bones. She was pretty fascinated with watching the paleontologists look for bones in small granules of dirt. This year Zoe has done a total 180 and loved swimming in Papa and YiaYia's pool. She even got in the baby floater and kicked and scooped all over the pool. Hollister was calling Tasia's name, so on Thursday morning we headed to the mall. We shopped for a little while, went to lunch at Chili's (per Kyler's request), and ventured to the Santa Barbara Zoo. My parents joined us at our for dinner that night and the kids got to stay the night with us. Grandma and Grandpa babysat and Shaun and I took the kids to Sky High Sports. It is a warehouse with wall to wall trampolines and even a foam pit to jump into. Tasia and Kyler liked it so much that they wanted to go back Friday night too. On Friday we went and finished up the other 2/3 of the outlets, Panera Bread for lunch (Mmmm...Broccoli/Cheese Soup), and took a quick trip to the beach. Brrrrrrr! It was chilly outside and the water was pretty frigid too. We always enjoy their company and were really bummed that their time here went by so fast. Hopefully they will come again soon! :)

Zoe is Starting School TOMORROW!!!

Holy cow!!! Shaun and I have been going back and forth about starting Zoe in school this year. She is 2 years, 3 months right now and we have not found a program that takes preschoolers before 2 years, 9 months. I looked into the little preschool that is at the park behind the school we teach at and they have a class that starts TOMORROW!!! It is a Parent/Child preschool program for 2-4 year olds, but I am hoping that when the teacher sees the amount of language Zoe has, she will allow her into the preschool program for 3-5 year olds. This class is for 4 weeks, an hour and a half a day, two days a week. That is perfect for her this year...if she cannot go into the 3-5 year old class, then we will have to come up with another option. We will see! She is not only starting school tomorrow, but she will start her first set of swim lessons without Mommy or Daddy on Monday afternoon. There has been a lot happening at our house lately...Shaun and I are in disbelief at how fast our little baby girl is growing up and becoming so independent.