Cute Moments with Bible Lessons

I've been trying to teach Zoe about trusting God when she is scared or upset about something. Recently she learned some of the words to "Jesus Loves Me". Today she seemed to be tired and feeling under the weather and I told her she could pray to God and ask Him to help her feel better. While I was proceeding to pray, she got this bright smiley look and said, "Jesee Love Me I Know". I'm not sure how much she understands, but it does warm this mother's heart to hear it.

Away From Home But Not Exactly Vacation

Zoe and I have been traveling with Paul while he is working out of town. We left last Tuesday afternoon and went to Harrisonburg, VA. We've never traveled where Zoe remembers it, so she was a little upset that we didn't go back home that night. I think the rush to get ready to leave a day early and all the packing was a little too much for her. She spent the first few days asking/begging to go home. What I thought would be fun and relaxing for us was a big adjustment for her. Zoe does like routine and everything done a certain way, so I should have realized traveling was a big step for her. (Chalk it up to another parenting lesson.) I spent the first few days playing with her and trying to convince her this was going to be fun and this is what Daddy does when he goes out of town and it was ok. We went out Friday night for our Valentine's Day Dinner and spent Saturday doing a little shopping and driving to Lynchburg, VA. Zoe seemed more adjusted by the weekend and I think the idea of seeing the Conleys had her excited. Plus we made sure this hotel had a pool to give her more activities.
We went to church Sunday with the Conleys and Zoe was excited to see the other kids at church. Her behavior in the service was another story (another parenting experience), but she had fun afterwards. So it seemed like a more promising week until Sunday night. That's when I got sick. Poor Zoe had to watch movies and rest with Mommy all day Monday. Out the window went the plans for visiting and swimming, etc although Paul took her that night. On Tuesday I still felt somewhat weak and Zoe was constipated, so we didn't go to a Bible Study like I was hoping. And on Tuesday night, Zoe got sick. So we had to change our plans again for visiting Wednesday.
We did get some swimming in though. Zoe felt better yesterday although she didn't eat much, so I took her to the pool. We also went this morning since she couldn't wait to get in after breakfast. We didn't stay long since she seemed to get tired and only wanted to sit on the chairs after we got there. I'm not sure if it was because she didn't feel well, the heater (which scares her) started running and ran for a long time, or if she is tired. We got to bed very late and she woke up at her normal time. Hopefully she isn't sick because we will have to cancel visiting plans again.
So our time away has gone a little differently than planned. But on the positive side, we were able to be together as a family instead of Paul having to be gone two weeks in a row and it gave me a chance for some relaxation and extra time to spend with Zoe. I also had a chance to catch up on some internet research, etc that I've been trying to do for a while as well as review and write out some personal goals. Its been a profitable time even though it didn't go quite as anticipated. And I feel more rejuvenated to go home and tackle our taxes!

Most Valuable Employee

Zoe and I want to congratulate Paul for being the Most Valuable Employee of the Year at his company! We attended his annual Christmas party last night and he was recognized and awarded for being the Most Valuable Employee. He was also nominated for Engineer of the Year.

We recognize and appreciate how hard you work for us and we're glad to see you recognized for what you do at work too! We love you and think you're always the Most Valuable Employee! Congratulations!

Zoe's New Friend

Zoe has recently become enthralled with Tigger. She never expressed any interest in the Pooh movies that I once rented, although I think she did watch Pooh on TV one Saturday morning recently with Paul. Maybe that's what triggered it...she adores her Daddy and loves to be with him. Whenever she gets a chance to talk on the phone she talks about her Daddy. "See my DaDa"..."DaDa at work"...or whatever else she happened to do with her "DaDa". She also constantly asks where he is during the day.
Back to the story after that rabbit trail...because Zoe never watches Pooh, I had no idea she knew who Tigger was. But we went to Blockbuster recently and as we were walking along, Zoe grabbed a Tigger movie off the shelf. At first I was going to make her put it back, but she seemed so excited about her movie that I decided to rent it for her.
We came home and I gave her the option of which movie she wanted to see. Tigger was her first pick. Her "DaDa" got nostalgic when Zoe started watching Tigger. That happened to be his favorite character growing up and his Mom saved the Tigger he had as a child. It sat in our attic until just the right moment when Paul decided to dig it out for Zoe. At first she said "WOW" with great big eyes and a cute little smile. Then for a while it was "Eww, Yuck". I let it air out for a few days and Zoe decided that Tigger was ok after all. She found one of her shirts and Tigger was soon wearing it. Then Tigger needed to wear a diaper. He also needed it changed when Zoe needed hers changed. Tigger got his face/eyes washed, has "eaten" Zoe's food and "drank" her juice. She even mentioned Tigger in her sleep. I don't know how long this phase will last, but Tigger is the only DVD Zoe wants to watch during her TV time. I guess we'll see how long this phase will last, but in the meantime here is a cute snapshot I managed to capture.

2 Year Pictures

Once again I tried to get Zoe's pics taken and once again she cried through most of the session. Thankfully my Mom went along and she got Zoe to laugh, especially since the photographer kept acting like she just wanted to get it over with and get us out of there. Maybe the fact that she was training 3 new people on their new digital system had something to do with it. Here are the results.

Zoe's Party Pictures

Happy Birthday Zoe

Zoe's birthday was Tuesday and she is now 2 years old. Its been such a fun year watching her learn so many new skills and start talking. She uses complete sentences/phrases and tries to say her ABC's and numbers although it is more jabber than the actual letter or number yet. Her play is becoming more imaginative and its so amusing to watch some of the activities she comes up with. She loves Ben (the dog) and at night she will look to see if he is in the bedroom with her. And he is becoming very fat from all the extra food and snacks she shares with him. Its hard to believe my little girl is 2, but its such fun watching her grow.
We had a party for Zoe on Saturday evening. She loves Curious George (at least she did until she discovered Caillou), so we had a monkey-themed party. I am very fortunate to have a sister who loves decorating cakes and I took advantage of her skills. She came up with a monkey-shaped cake. We had pizza (one of Zoe's favorites), veggies & dip, a fruit dip w/peanut butter in it (great monkey snack), and cake & ice cream (Zoe can tolerate dairy occasionally now).
Paul was able to take Monday and Tuesday off this week. We took Zoe to the Virginia Aquarium on Monday and down to Northwest River Park on Tuesday. She loved both because she was able to be outside a lot. The Virginia Aquarium is under renovation, so they have an exhibit where the kids can play with toy construction equipment. Zoe thought it was great! At the park on Tuesday no one was there, so Zoe had the whole playground to herself.
Having Zoe was one of the greatest joys for us! We love you Zoe and can't wait to see what all you have learned by next year! Happy Birthday!

Summer Fun