The last day

It is with a heavy heart that I compose my last blog of the summer... as tomorrow is the first day of the new school year - for teachers anyway. I can't stand the thought of leaving Zoe all day instead of being home with her. At least I have my summers and breaks... it makes up for it partly. She is at a wonderful Christian woman's home with my friends' kids so that is a great plus!

On another note, Hayden gets to hang out with me tomorrow... which is fun to see him, but I know he'll be a little bored. And he starts fourth grade. Holy. Cow.

Adios summer. Hola... ug... work.

Smiles

Although Zoe smiles continuously, it's rarely captured on film. She doesn't have the patience to wait for pictures. However, I got some and had to share!

Grandma

Great Grandma

The good ol' days

Hayden got a new cookie cookbook the other day when his Grandma Kathy took him and Zoe to the bookstore. It's a fun outing she likes to take them on occasionally. Today we used it and made cookies. And by the way, I hardly make cookies because they are messy and frankly they just don't turn out. I feel like I have slighted my children in that area since I remember all the fresh cookies my mom would bake and think that all kids need that memory. So, Hayden and I set out to make some regular Chocolate Chip Cookies. I got to use my Kitchen Aid Mixer that I got for a wedding present... It's been used about 2x a year. Hayden did most of the work, including fishing out the egg shell that got mixed in. And, I have to tell you.... those cookies turned out fabulous. We couldn't stop eating them. So, for your enjoyment and because I was so proud of us , I've included the recipe. Enjoy.

Friends

"I get to go see my friends!" said Zoe with complete excitement after hearing she was going to Cynthia's (her sitter's) on Wednesday. How cute that at two years old she recognizes that those little people are friends. So we prayed for them tonight, along with Cynthia and of course the cat. He's always in our prayers for some reason.

Date Night

So... this summer Jonathan and I have been fortunate enough to have had quite a few date nights. It always consists of one of our moms (which is another fortunate thing when they ask to watch the kids) watching the kids while we have dinner and a movie (movies are great because we have the $1 refill cups and free popcorn shirt). Last night we split the healthy salmon at Claim Jumper and saw the new Batman. Killer movie! It was so enjoyable... dates start off feeling like old times, before the kids came and less worries... but then we start talking about them and the feeling goes away. It's a good feeling though that is replaced. What a fabulous husband I have!

On Cloud Nine

Hayden made it ... he's now 9 years old and has had more birthday parties for this birthday alone than any kid has ever had... I'm sure of it. He is a joy in our lives and we can't wait for all the things he will accomplish this year in fourth grade. And since I used to teach fourth grade and thought those kids were "big", he seems huge now! Here are some highlights of his parties.

(Zoe just wanted to eat cake!)

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...