And this too, shall pass

(Zoe eating leftover Mentos from the Mentos Geysers)

Even though the summers in Phoenix are on a good day, unbearable, I have come to cherish them. It's my chance to be a stay at home mom, to marvel in spending quality time with my beautiful daughter and energetic Hayden. I'm able to experience hanging out in the mornings drinking my coffee, that I reheat at least three times, with no where to go. I can use the restroom whenever I want, eat lunch for as long as I want, where my flip flops all day long, and only referee two children... which is actually more challenging at times than my classroom of 25.

I LOVE being home in the summers!! Zoe has had some great accomplishments this summer... she now uses the potty for #1 AND #2 regularly using only a diaper at night (BTW, my mom read about a hormone that children develop between the ages of 2 and 7 that once they get it they can "hold it" all night long...still waiting), stays in her bed at night getting up only once, and went without a binky for 5 entire days. I know... September 1st is the new anti-binky attempt. This time I will prevail! It's amazing how fast children grow up. I can remember, as I'm sure all can, every minute of her birth and that it only seems like yesterday. Time passes so quickly and it's a blur at some points along the way. I wish that I had a video camera that captured everything... so if the feeling arises to relive the past, so to speak, I could watch it.

I want to remember...

• Zoe's curly hair
• her raspy voice (hopefully it goes away)
• her smell
• the way she comes in our bed early in the morning
• the way she zooms on her tricycle through the house (temporarily, until the heat resides)
• when she says "oh, my gosh" and "do I look cute?" and tells the cat to stop whining
• when we sing together at bed time
• her prayers
• how delicate and pudgy her hands are
• her cute toddler body
• how she hides in her hands and expects us not to see her
• her beautiful smile
• outrageous excitement over sprinkles
  
• and so many more things...