Where has Zoe been???

She's been BUSY.


We went to the Stone Zoo, and while it was too hot to get any good shots of animals, Zoe had fun on the rides. She, um, tolerated the merry go round.


She preferred the horse much much more instead!


We got all gussied up...


...for Jacob's 2nd birthday!!


But, MOST importantly, guess what WE'VE been doing!??!?!

Yep, that's right, we've been potty training. We've been talking it up to Z0e, and then earlier in the week, she and I went to the store to pick out her very own big girl panties. She was SO excited about this, she told *every* person she saw that she got 'big girl panties' and was showing them off! We kept talking it up, and so did Laura at daycare. Then, Friday...it happened. Zoe woke up, and we took her diaper off, and haven't looked back. She put on a pair of panties, and was VERY excited! I'm not sure she understood the point, or what was to happen, but she quickly figured it out.

I'm not going to lie. That first morning? I was a mess, Zoe was a mess...I felt like I smelled like pee, and felt like I was covered in it. We had a LOT of accidents--I think 8? But, then Zoe had a nap (in a pull-up, which we call sleepy time panties). I put her back in a pair of panties after, and we had NO MORE ACCIDENTS that day.

Saturday, Z had about 4 accidents early in the morning...but then nothing until just before bed. WOOHOO!

Then, Sunday...Sunday, Zoe had NO accidents until the end of the day, and for that, I blame Tinkerbell. Zoe was so engrossed in the movie.

Monday, Zoe went to daycare. She had NO accidents there. NONE. She had one at home...

Today, same thing. Buuuuut, here's the kicker. She didn't do it until we were GOING up the stairs, and was able to stop herself to make it to the potty.

How cool is that??

Go Zoe Go! Go Zoe GO!!!!! She gets m&m's for a successful trip to the potty, and then the Potty Fairy comes to visit before bedtime. She LOVES it. She's VERY proud of herself. She laughs, claps, and cheers for herself when she's going potty. AND, she's starting to tell us she has to go. She's not consistent, but we've figured out her cues. I'm SO proud of her!! WE are so proud of her!!

GO ZOE GO!!!!

Little Miss Friendly...

Today, Z and I were running errands. Most of the time, when we're at the cashier, if they ask her what her name is, I have had to prompt her to tell them. Same with her age.

Today, she didn't even wait for a cashier to do that. We stroll up to pay for our things, and she says, "Hi Lady! My name is Zoe. This is Mommy!" She calls all female cashiers "lady" and when she said that, she pointed her thumb to herself, and the pointed to me." I was buying different colored pieces of felt, and as the cashier was ringing them in, she was spouting off the different colors, getting them all right. The cashier was very impressed, and asked Zoe her age. She didn't hesitate, and said, "I'm 2!!" and held up 2 fingers (well, with her thumb sticking out, since she hasn't figured out how to hold it in yet!). The cashier was even MORE impressed to know that she was 2 and knew all that. Then, Z wanted to count how many pieces I had bought. I told her she could, and she starts just counting, 1-15, 17, 19, 100. :)

Love this little smarty pants!!

Bossy Bossy

uhoh....Zoe is bossing around her "little man" toy. She says "get on the train, LITTLE MAN, NOW. STAY on the little train" (btw, the "train" is a wooden hook on a tow truck). Then she started "counting" the man for not staying where she put him. oh boy. We're in for it.

Busy Busy...

We've been pretty busy the last couple of days...

I met up with my friend Joy as she was passing through town. We had lunch, shopped, and then picked up Zoe from daycare. Zoe and Joy have a great time together...


Joy taught Zoe how to scroll through pictures on her phone...

Then, she left and we had dinner with Daddy. Zoe finished early, so we let her go play. We cleaned up the kitchen and headed back into the living room to find this...


I'm very thankful for the changing pad underneath. Who knows what could happen! Oh, and just so you know, the monkey IS watching TV.

Zoe went to daycare today like this...

She's getting WAY too big!


View from the back.


Zoe insisted on moving her play food from her kitchen to the living room. Why???


Because she was thirsty. Very, very thirsty.
(Psst....that's a cola and ketchup, isn't that what YOU drink when you're thirsty??)

Some catching up to do...part 2

Part of the reason for the extended time between posts was because we were on Martha's Vineyard for the week of July 4th again. :) We had fun trying to stay cool in unseasonably HOT weather there (90s, and one day getting near 100). We visited with friends and family, and just hung out together as a family of three most of the time. :)


Zoe had to cook us "soup" on the porch. She loved this little kitchen set. The soup had different things in it from french fries to cookies to chocolate to chicken. This varied when you asked her. :)


Cuddling with Daddy...


CHEESE!!!!!


We attempted to ride the trike. I say "attempted" because while it LOOKS like she was happy, she really wasn't. She was miserable and alternating from crying to whining because it was so hard for her. She would start peddling, but then stop and try to push both peddles at the same time. No matter what we tried, she just wouldn't listen to what we had to say (it starts so young!). She's been working on this at daycare, so hopefully the frustrations will be LESS the next time we get to MV.


Tried to patiently wait with Cousin Brody for the parade to start on July 4th...


Zoe preferred to keep a running commentary of the parade for Auntie Darcy!


She may look like she's in pain, but Zoe is really singing and "making a band" as she puts it. She was banging the tops of those pots from that kitchen set (see, I told you she liked them!!) like cymbals and having a grand old time. At one point, she insisted I help her and have a "drum" (turn a pot upside down and hit it with a spatula, of course). Sorry for the lack of pics on that--Noah was busy and I couldn't manage drumming AND singing AND picture taking. I wonder what the people walking by the cottage were thinking?? ;)


Pausing for a "drink" from the instruments. :)


Waiting for a pop!!


ohboyohboyohboyohboyohboyohboyohboy!!!!


Ahhhh....dis iz da betht pop, Mommy!!!


We looked for Dora in her "noclurs" (if she says it too fast, it's one of those words you HOPE Zoe doesn't say in a large group...Can you imagine, "Mommy, I need my____!")


We went to Ocean Park to blow bubbles...


Daddy blew the best ones!


Time for a rest...


Just love this shot of Zoe:)


Burning off some of her endless energy...


One last one before leaving...At this point, there was a meltdown, and almost nearly literally!


After naptime, we filled the water table for some water fun!




I think she just squirted herself in the face here...she loved it!


One of the few times Mommy and Zoe are on the same side of the camera!


We planted flowers...


picked up sticks...


And did a lot of reading...


We also ran through the sprinkler at a playground on a playdate with Cousin Taylor.

Things we don't have pictures for?
We spent a day with our friends Kate and Eric (and their kids Mikey and Andrew)...or as Zoe said, "Cake and Eric" and their son "Nick". (this might be from a recent visit with Daddy's friend Nick before we left!).

We had lots of family time with Gaga, Papa, Uncle G, Auntie Darcy, Uncle Jeff, and Cousin Brody.

We took lots of walks into town, dancing and singing at the cottage, "cooking", playing with her necklaces, Mickey Mouse Clubhouse figures, and being the campground greeter. Zoe said hi to just about every single person who walked by. :) Most of the time, people were great and waved, said hi, and responded to the many things she told them. One of the passers-by even remembered Zoe from last year. She had a puppy that Zoe had gone CRAZY for last year...the woman didn't have the puppy, but she sure remembered Zoe. :) Fun times!

This is from a post dated July 6, 2009...
In addition to this, she squealed and shouted and screeched to every puppy and baby that she passed. It was hysterical. I think she thought she was the welcoming committee for the campground!! She also liked to say "hi" when people walked by and say "bye bye" while waving to the cars and trucks walking by.

Sounds a little familiar, huh??

Some catching up to do...part 1

We have been busy...

We went to Boston and went on a duck tour with Grammy, Grampy, Uncle Jill, Uncle Jason, and Cousin Jacob. While we were waiting, we saw:


... sea otter. Zoe was THRILLED to see this sea otter, and acted as if it were the biggest movie star. I mean, really, who WOULDN'T be thrilled to see a sea otter in front of the New England Aquarium?!?


...Zoe hammed it up for the camera.


...Jacob got absolutely hysterically crazy excited to see the horses pulling carriages. This picture doesn't show the absolute crazed toddler he became, how he nearly came out of his skin, how he really just went nutty for these horses. And, unless we were characters in Harry Potter, you won't be able to hear the *screeching* and noises coming out of his body. Oh, how I wish we'd been able to capture that. Of course, when he wouldn't get *close* to the horses, but whatever. The excitement of them from afar was more than enough for Jacob!!

From the beginning of the ride, Zoe was not so thrilled with...

Super Size, our tour guide...Sorry for only getting a pic of his foot. We were in the front row, and with the lens on my camera, I couldn't get far enough away. Let's just say, the costume matched the shoe VERY well. (side note: I met someone who actually is friends with him at a training the next day--she said he dressed like that in his band!).

We saw many sites in Boston, including:

...the Capitol building,


...a teapot that actually blows steam,


...and a piece of the Berlin Wall (no, really, it is!).

We hit the water...


and saw:

...a state penitentiary,


...a draw bridge,


...The Prudential Center,


...the salt and pepper shaker bridge (there's a more formal name, but Auntie Jill reminded me of their more 'fun' name),

and...

...Fenway Park, or at least the Citgo sign!

And, on the way out, we met a joker...


Zoe ended up having a really good time, but we weren't sure in the beginning. Now that we told her that the bus turns into a boat, whenever we talk about either a bus or a boat, she thinks that one turns into the other. :)