spice dolly

we hit a good garage sell that had the groovy girls (http://www.groovygirls.com/), soft dolls that Zoe has loved in bookstores for some time now. We bought one for her (she picked the red head and the blue clothes), then we went back for the rest to give her on her b-day (2 more, lots of clothes and a chair)... if only I had a sew machine and time to maker her clothes for her dolls.. but I guess its okay.. the natural state of all girl dolls is naked.
Bruce called her a "Spice Doll" and then name has stuck. that is what Zoe calls her: Spice Dolly.

Zoe the warrior princess

Let me start with this morning and work backwards in time. Zoe is now playing with her "dragon Castle" http://www.toysrus.ca/product/index.jsp?productId=3604232
It is the one thing she wanted when we said she could pick out a toy at Target yesterday. She asked all day for it since we bought it. but had to wait until this morning to play with it. She is now playing with her warriors. I asked her, "Are dragons good people or bad people".. she said "Bad people. I must kill them."

Yesterday we took the new Ferry (they bought one or two for the olympics).. it does seem a bit bigger, and it has two new play areas. The one we went to had one large ship and a small one (the size for Finn to crawl around). It didn't take Zoe long to scale the ship by climbing on the rope. and soon she became "Diego, the animal rescuer".. then another girl probably a year older was "Alicia" Diego's sister. the two of them were running around, rescuing animals (chincillas, tree frogs, jaguars).
Then two little boys and a 8 year old ish girl showed up.. Zoe runs over to her before she has a chance to step into the room and says in her loudest voice, "Look, it is a princess. We must save her. Ohhh.. Princess, your majesty.".. this goes on for a while. "Alicia" became a little upset/jealous, but bucked up and they continued to play. The boys got on the ship and Zoe declared them "Pirates"... and said "we must save the princess and kill the pirates" All her own story.

At the pool a weekend ago, Bruce was chasing Zoe on his stomach in shallow water, and finally at some point she hopped on his back for a ride. Then they went into the river (fast moving water.. goes in a circle) and Zoe shouted at the top of her lungs. "We must go fight those girls!"

Zoe is a warrior princess.

tickles for Finn

We were at a restaurant yesterday, Finn was sprawled out on the floor... getting kind of frustrated. Zoe and I had just come back from the bathroom, where she ripped toilet paper off by the yard and stuffed it in the toilet, and tore paper towels by te fist-full and shoved them in her mouth to eat... I was a wee bit frustrated...so then she crouches down by Finn, gives him the gentlest hugs, kisses, and then tickles on the everything.

sparkles!

"Mom, I have sparkles! Just like you have sparkles."
"Where? Is it glitter?"
"No Sparkles... see"

Zoe was talking about freckles.

(This is an abridged part of a conversation from memory.. something I keep forgetting to post.. its about 3 months old)

making Finn smile

I put Finn screaming into his chair.. waited too long to feed him, and asked Zoe if she'd talk to him.. again, instantly, he calmed down as soon as she and he made eye contact.

sticks and straws

Zoe has never clinged to a favorite object, with the exception of the "blue bink" around the time Finn was born. However she does stick to themes of things to carry around. Currently it is all about chop-sticks or straws. There will be favored ones, but they come and go. Just minutes ago, she found a stick outside and asked if she could bring it to bed with her.

helping with Finn

Zoe has suddenly (okay, maybe not so suddenly, but by leaps and bounds) gotten very much into being a big sister. 3 nights ago, she helped me give him a bath.. she had the wash cloth.. bathed nearly every square inch of him with a mopping action.

This morning, she fed him 4 bites of his breakfast (apples/bananas baby food).. he loved it.

He loves her attention so much... it really is all he needs to be happy in a moment of crisis.

oh, and yesterday, I was in line, Finn in the front pack, Zoe on the new sit and stand stroller for hauling both of them around.. I was dealing with a teller who wouldn't listen to me, and Finn and Zoe were holding hands.. for about 5 minutes at least.. so cute.

Music class success!

Finally, at last, music class last Friday was a success. Zoe was still kind of shy, but the scarfs came out, music on, she danced with me.. she even said, "this is fun, lets do it again"... we played the bells with sticks, instrument time..

Even Finn sang along and had a good time.

Time to sign up for fall.

broccoli water

"Mom, Is that Broccoli water?"
I brought Zoe some of one of those green goddess fruit smoothie drinks.. the kind with all things green (which I like).. she did taste it, said it tasted "slimey. I don't want any".

but she did at least try it, even after calling it broccoli water.


(Auntie Carrie: I updated the birthday wish posting)

preschool in September

Zoe will be starting preschool at the Gonzales Preschool Co-op.. this is 2 times a week 9:30-11:30. Because it is a co-op, Mommy and Daddy will be taking turns going to class when our turn comes around (once to twice a month). We will also have a "job".. I think we will be helping with marketing/fund-raising.. something we do for conferences all the time.

Zoe's b-day wish list

There are a few things that I've been thinking of for Zoe for her birthday.

Balance Bike (like Skuut or http://www.runbikes.com/)

Art project things (foam stickers, painting things, paper, etc.)

Princess Dress: Cinderella one perhaps? (she doesn't like the two piece ones, and already has shoes, but could use a new crown).

Rainbow Dash My Little Pony (and really any other.. but she really wants Rainbow Dash)

Desk for her playdoh stuff in the kitchen (kind of art table)

bath! no bath!

Zoe seems to alternate weekly on whether she will take a bath.. I guess when it really comes down to it, it has to do with scrapes.. if she has an owie, she will not get wet.. anywhere.. finally after they have healed, she will take a while to finally get back into the shower. We are finally back in all things wet.

music class

We've now been to three music classes with Finn ... music together. And Zoe is not yet herself.

The first one was horrible. Zoe spent the first half of class dying for instrument time.. (where they all get instruments to bang around to music)... finally we get to the point where the teacher handed out eggs that rattle, one of the 18month old twins came by and took them.. Zoe freaked out.. she could not recover... I left Finn on the floor (he was happy) and took Zoe out to cry it out.. but kept looking thru the glass at Finn.. then had to go in when one of the little kids got too close to him.. finally she settled down (I was holding both of them at this point).. Instrument time started.. she spent the whole thing hiding behind me.

The second class was okay, Bruce came with us.. it was fun, but Zoe was in our arms the whole time (that day she did take an early nap)

The third class was fine (last Friday), but Zoe again spent the whole thing hiding behind me.. she never picked up the sticks, or the instruments.. There are only 3 classes left in summer... I really need to get Zoe into preschool.. she needs to be around all of this kids and commotion on a regular basis.

mommy to 2 kids

I've spent the last two weeks as mom to 2 kids alone during the day, Anna was out of town... and I learned that it works, I can do it, and I even enjoyed it ;)

We also didn't have as many Zoe stressed and "no fair" moments as I expected.. perhaps because on most days, especially the days that we would spend the whole thing at home, Finn settled into a regular (10:30am-12:30 and 3:30- 4:30ish) nap schedule and Zoe and I had mommy-daughter time. When Finn would wake up, I tried to keep us doing things together, the three of us.

One of our new mommy-daughter activities is finger painting with homemade paint... (flour, water, color)

(repeated on Finn's.. sorry for dual posting)